Sunday Stash Report

No stash in, no stash out. I've been working in the sewing room but haven't had a finish. They'll come, I'm making PROGRESS!!

I still have three buckets of apples. Yesterday I made 11 qts apple pie filling, 15 pints apple butter, and 9 half pints pear-ginger butter. And a batch of Siobhan's Apple Pecan Bourbon bread. Oh yum!! Thank you for sending me the recipe, it's really good!

Today I am going to take it easy, sew, have a lazy day. Its a bit rainy here, so no working outside. And the rest of the apples can wait until tomorrow!

Apple Saturday

Yesterday was another "outside" day. Hauled two mares to the pasture, helped Ken change a tire on a hayrack. Hauled gravity boxes home. Picked up some port-a-panels from the pasture. Fixed a small section of fence where the water had washed it down. Then, we picked apples from our apple tree. I know the neighbors had all been picking too. We came home with five buckets of apples, how many apples do two people need??!! My mother made the BEST apple butter. I'm not sure if she even had a recipe, so I play it by ear and make it.

And here is a picture of what I saw a lot of!!


Partially harvestered fields, bright blue skies and clouds! Another beautiful day.

I worked last night whipping the scraps. Sigh--found a "PIGS" and opened it. Not sure what it USED to be, but there were strips sewn together. I took the strips apart and they are now in various piles of strings and noodles.

I entered Finn's New Year's challenge. I chose to finish three UFO's. If I get the chunky churn dashes done, that will be one! I have 11 quarts of apple pie filling done, and there is a large roaster of apples baking in the oven in preparation for apple butter. I had a small sack of pears, I am making them into pear butter. I'm hoping to get most the mess cleaned up and have some quality sewing time later! Ken is hoping for apple pie, but I don't think that will happen today. The apples will keep so I have a few days.

Motivation Friday

How are my goals coming? I have the Chunky Churn Dashes loaded and have started quilting. What an experience! When I measured the quilt realized it would take a king size batt. Dig dig dig in the closet. Hmmm--only King size batt was one of a quality I'm not impressed with. It's "mushy" to work with. Okay, it's MY quilt, I wanted an 80/20 batt, so I will cope. Next, on to thread selection. Big quilt, going to take lots of thread. I finally chose a solid teal blue to match the borders and hourglass blocks on the front. And the bobbin thread--a variegated that blends into the backing. Yes, I know you usually put the variegated thread on the FRONT--but hey--it's MY quilt! Now to pick a quick panto for it. Hmm--Waterworld is on the table, I like it, I'll use that! After four trips across the quilt I'm barely to the first row of blocks. Now I knew the batting needed to be quilted closely, and I can safely say "it's quilted closely!!"

And the "not so top secret" quilt is slowly taking shape. All the blocks are made and ready to be sewn into a top. I'm enjoying it.

I haven't "whipped" my stash much the last few days, but that's ok because I AM making progress.

Lots of things were done this week that weren't quilty, so I feel good about what I've gotten done.

And here is another picture I took on the road trip, I live in what's called the James River Valley area--and this is the James River as we crossed it yesterday.


She is a very old slow river, but in the spring she often overflows her banks and covers the valley from edge to edge, covering highways and bridges.

Thursday Road Trip

Today Ken and I "road tripped". A few days ago he had gone to an auction and bought a baler. It was 57 miles from our house to the auction. So today we went back with the pickup and pulled the baler home. Top speed--30mph. But here is Ken's purchase--it makes bales about 1200 lbs each.


But I saw someplace I wanted to stop on the way home. I never take this road, but had seen signs advertising the place. Here it is---

Whimsies!! So many fun things, Ken and Ruby the Quilting dog waited patiently in the truck.


This is Teresa!! I just happened to stop when she was having her Fall Festival. This is inside the store--



Teresa greeted me and asked if we were "farming"?? (Common greeting to couples in pickups with dogs pulling farm equipment!!) I bought several presents, and then when I left she did what she does to all the husbands who stop with their wives---



She goes out and thanks the husbands for waiting!! It made a long day a lot of fun, I am so pleased with the things I bought. I would show you, but someone reading may be someone I bought a present for!! If you're ever close to Irene SD--stop at Whimsies!!

Wednesday Ramblings

I've worked on a few of my goals. I loaded the Chunky Churn Dashes (a whole 'nother story) and then worked on my "not so top secret" quilt. I sewed all the small 4-patches and pressed them. Doesn't sound like much, but there was quite a pile. See??



And then I received a link to this song "Have Patience". Oh--you have to go to "mightymom's" blog and watch it on youtube! The holiday season is coming and it may be very useful. Maybe I could sing it to Mason........

Tuesday Thoughts

It's very quiet here today, I think I may get some sewing done! It rained and RAINED yesterday, so it's too wet to do the things I want to do outside. We did go get the camper yesterday. Yes, in the rain. We got soaked. I need a plan for supper, we didn't have much for leftovers after everyone left. LOL Ken ate his favorite meal last night, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomatoe soup. (I ate the last of the leftovers!) It is a bright clear blue day out, I have all my windows open. Not cool enough during the day to have to heat the house. Wish this could last all winter!!

I live in the part of SD that is very flat. On a clear day, I can see the Missouri River Hills 60 miles south of me! Roads are laid out in big squares of a mile each except where they have to go around a river. So here is a normal picture from where I live---


See, very flat, a few trees, and crops on both sides of the road, you can't really see them because the ditch for the road is there. We were close to where we keep horses in a pasture, this road leads to where my husband grew up.

Have I told you my house doesn't face the street?? A little unusual, but I like it. The end where I sew is on the street. my living room and kitchen face other people back yards. Our bedroom in on the backyard side of the house.


My flowers got mashed during the painting, but it's the end of the season for them. Soon they will freeze and I will clean everything off. Can you see I edged my sidewalk?? Ugh--was that a chore! And my new white paint?? This is the side you see when you walk in from the street, there is a sidewalk on the other side of the house that leads to the back door. This side where my deck is is the the FRONT of the house--LOL!! I like it this way, I am not a neighbor watcher, or care what passes in the street. No wait--I DO like to watch the marching band when they practice, and they always practice their marching on my street!

Well, I had better go dig in the freezer and figure out something for lunch. I would much rather just start sewing, I can hear the baskets of scraps saying "organize me" and Alycia's not so top secret top saying "sew on me next!"

Monday Goals

I'm not sure how much sewing I will get in this week. I have a lot of catching up to do. Saturday night while Nick worked on my desktop, I cut the strips for Alycia's "not so top secret" quilt. I had a dark blue with little stars on it, and used several different tans and beiges for the other color. But goals---

1. Get the Chunky Churn Dashes loaded on the long arm!
2. Keep straightening the stash, cutting up the odd bits and pieces, I want to get the floor clean!
3. Work on the Not So Top Secret top

That's enough for this week, I have a lot of outside things to get done before the weather gets cold and miserable. It's still a bit drippy out today, so I will get a little wet.

Sunday Stash Report

My stash report is pretty quiet, nothing in, nothing out! I did buy some backing for a donation quilt, but since it's not something I'm going to keep, I won't count it. Nick, Laura Beth and Mason are going home today, so it will get very quiet at our house! It has become overcast and slightly drizzly out, but still quite warm for October.

I don't have a green thumb for indoors plants, but do have this Holiday Cactus. It is on permanent holiday (it hardly ever blooms) but grows like crazy. It has spent most the summer on my deck, it likes it out there!





And here is a new pair of green flip flops I talked my sister Kathy out of!! I whined, she gave them to me!! You know how I love green!

Motivation Friday

Well, Motivation Friday is here whether I'm ready or not. My goals were disrupted when I brought Mason and Laura Beth home for a visit. But my sister stepped up and did the house chores, made meals, and baby sat Mason while Ken and I painted the house. That wasn't a goal, but we did get the outside of our house painted. Whew! But on to goals!!

1--Still need to load the chunky churn dash top
2--Still have some fabric to sort and fold
3--I did get 51 Heartstrings blocks done, but would like to make some more
4--Make a quilt top using my Nooodles and Alycia's "not so top secret" quilt pattern

I will be having more people here this weekend, Nick will be coming to get Laura Beth (I think ) and today is homecoming and Laura Beth would like watch. The weather is beautiful again today.

My quilting goals haven't moved much this week, but I am getting lots of "grammy moments!"



PS--Danetta at "Oh No It's The Fro" is having a giveaway--check it out!!

Tired Thursday

My sister Sharon is here to help with Mason today so Ken and I can paint this afternoon. We hope to finish today, will be a long day because there is a whole long side and a short side to paint. About 6 hours I figure. That doesn't sound too bad, but Ken works 10 hour nights--so he gets off at 8:30am, sleeps until a little after noon and then gets up to paint. He tries to take another nap before he goes to work. And Mason is here, today I needed another set of hands so I plopped Mason in bed with granpa (granpa HAD been asleep) while I found him more clothes.

I was reading Alycia's blog and she has posted some great directions on how to make a "not so top secret" quilt. And it will use my noodles for part of it! Thanks Alycia, I have copied your directions and found another way to use my noodles.

My sister has Mason well in hand (he's mostly a very good baby) and I have a casserole and a cake baking in the oven, so we will be fed for another day. Burgers for supper with some of the last tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden. Life is good, another glorious day outside.



PS--got lots of grammy time from 11pm until 2am!!

Wednesday Ramblings

Well, you know what they say about making plans. Something always interrupts them. Monday Laura Beth called to say she was sick. Too sick to stay home alone and take care of Mason. I talked her into coming home for a few days. So yesterday I made a flying trip to Mankato and picked up her and Mason. Ahh--what grandma really wanted anyway!! Today my sister came over to help babysit (oh, we had to twist her arm!!) and Ken and I painted. I think if all goes well tomorrow we will finish. Laura Beth is feeling better, the antibiotics are kicking in. And Mason, oh, he doesn't really care where he is, right now he is trying out "Granpa's" recliner.



Not sure how much sewing I will get getting done, I am going to be doing "grammy" time!!