3 P and N

"Pop" goes the appliances...

2012-01-25T09:01:00.001-05:00

Ever have a string of similar problems? Right now my challenge are electrical things. Fortunately if things come in three, then I am done. First my sewing machine jammed so I took it to be repaired. I got it back on Friday and guess what, it jammed again on Saturday. The repairman called yesterday and apologized, he has now figured out what is wrong and replaced the part.

Then the printer/scanner died. It was less than $100 when I bought it about 7 years ago, so we got our money out of it, I just wasn't expecting to deal with that kind of problem!

And of course, I went upstairs to the sewing room last night, turned on the light and there was an awful "pop"! My old beautiful light has finally died and I am so bummed about it. The fixture was from the original electrification of the cottage and was a thick beautiful glass piece with floral basket design inbedded in it. Mr. 3PandN says the base is shot and that is all there is to it. :( I'll keep the glass and try to figure out something to do with it:

Anyway, at least I can post one transfer I got scanned. If you right click it, you should be able to capture it pretty well. I think it would be cute on a bib. Anyway, I'm off to look at light fixtures for my room. Hope I find something wonderful!
Hugs to all and have a great week!

Transfer Tuesday

2012-01-17T09:10:00.002-05:00

How did you learn to sew? For me, I was about eight years old when I first picked up a needle and thread. Embroidery was my first love and I almost always have a project by my sitting chair. I was also fortunate to inherit a lot of transfers from my grandmothers. This year I am determined to get things out of storage and use them or lose them so I thought I would share some of my transfers each Tuesday. This week I am just scanning them and sharing them as is; next week, when I am not down and out with a cold, I'll try to share cleaner pictures. Let me know if you enjoy them!

This is my project for this year, I'd like to finish a block a month:

In honor of a new year and some new babies coming into our lives:

Have a great day!

The 366 Challenge

2012-01-14T19:13:00.001-05:00

Gayle at Garden of Daisies has started the "366 Day Challenge" She is encouraging us to get rid of one thing a day through the 2012 year (it's a leap year, hence 366 days). I love this challenge and have been telling my friends about it. I am very much ready for this because I missed most of last year while caring for my mother. Now that life is getting back to normal, I am excited to clear things out! If you are interested, check out her blog, she has a lot of great ideas!!!

Fortunately, my quilt guild is having a show this May and we are encouraged to donate things to sell at the boutique. I already took a load over Tuesday night and today, I packed up a bunch more things:

This past week I made a ton of teddy bears and premie quilts for the hospital. I did have a picture with more bears (a couch full) but I can't figure out where the pic went.

This year I would like to NOT buy fabric if at all possible. For a while I was buying fabric because I was concerned that the price of cotton might get too high. I realized that if I did less impulse splurging and only bought what I really needed, it wouldn't matter what the price of fabric would be--I would still have more cash in my pocket. So this year I am going frugal...how about you?

What in the world is happening in Allentown PA

2012-01-10T10:31:00.001-05:00

First off, we have two happy dogs who are enjoying their treats:

Thanks Auntie Lu and Uncle Mike!!!

And then there is what is happening in the backyard:

This is an early blooming jasmine in our back yard but in January????

And there are signs of awakening on the rose bushes as well (little shoots are starting):

It sure is a weird year here in Pennsylvania. Maybe that October snowfall was the extent of our winter (oh wouldn't that be lovely?). Hope you all are having wonderful weather!

Word for this year...

2012-01-07T12:43:00.001-05:00

"Wrap yourself in the cloak of quietness, and reacquaint yourself with your dreams."

--- from Moments of Beauty

Today I noticed a post on Allie's blog about an idea called "Word Up". Essentially, you choose a word that you would like to have more in your life. Allie suggested looking at Kelly's site and I think there is a wonderful amount of wisdon in her posting about her word for the year (especially for those of us who do too much). What do I need in my life? My word choice is simple: Peace.
What word would you choose?

Do you know what time it is?

2012-01-04T15:11:00.000-05:00

It's time to buy some Christmas mugs for next year!!! They are on sale everywhere and you can get them for as low as .25--although this is up from last year when I got a bunch for only a dime. Still, it is good to think ahead. Without a doubt, a mug with a rug was the most favored gift item this year. So get them now while they are highly affordable!!!

Congratulations Adele!

2012-01-03T14:32:00.002-05:00

It's here!!!! At long last, Adele's book is published and just arrived at our home. For those of you in blogland who haven't seen Adele's website, http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/ , you are missing one creative woman. My husband and I both followed her website and then my husband got the people in his office to follow her blog. I adore this as a grandparent and am buying another copy for friends who are about to become grandparents. If you have a chance, check it out!!!

Poodle endorsed :)

Use it up...

2012-01-02T06:53:00.003-05:00

This is going to be a busy year for me. I have specific projects to accomplish and also wish to catalog my collection of antique quilts. I'd also like to use up the fabric I have--instead of figuring out where to store any additional fabric. As for quilt tops? They have to be completed or used for something else like what I am doing with these:

I was putting together a quilt for my Nana when she passed away last year. I did finish the memory quilt I was making for her 90th birthday (she passed two weeks before her birthday) and we displayed that at her funeral.

Anyone who knew Nana knew how much she loved all children. She thought kids were about the best way to spend one's time and the only thing she loved as much was her husband, Pop. I made these bears (and have a bunch more to finish) for our guild; we donate them to the local hospitals for sick children who are in the ER. As I was sewing bears last night, I thought of my Nana and concluded that she would love that her quilt had found a purpose of comforting sick children.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T17:58:00.002-05:00

Time to get back to work...

2011-12-27T08:15:00.000-05:00

The holidays are over here at 3 P and N. It's time to get back to work and accomplish some of the goals I've made for the year. I have a lot of plans...for quilting, writing and designing and look forward to an industrious year. Hope you and your family are enjoying the week and have a safe and happy New Year!

Wishing you and yours...

2011-12-24T10:57:00.004-05:00

Greetings from the Christmas City!

2011-12-24T10:52:00.001-05:00

Old postcard of Bethlehem, PA.

O Tannebaums....

2011-12-23T15:01:00.000-05:00

I have a friend who has 17 Christmas trees in her house. TRULY!!! It's always wonderful to check out what she has done. At Longwood they have a lot of Christmas trees too.. Check these out:

one main fountain

gingerbread man tree

tree made out of blue succulents

more plant combos...

Hydrangea blossoms decorate these

Trees made by local grade schools!

Fountains at Longwood...

2011-12-22T11:09:00.000-05:00

Here are photos of some of the fountains that can be found in the conservatory. One of my favorites is this one below. Every now and then, a stream of water from the fountain under the arch would shoot up and ring the bell, startling but fun!

The creatures in the children's garden were not only shooting water into this pool but donned in their wintery best clothing:

I don't think you can make the hummingbirds out that well but that is what this sculpture features:

There are more fountains and plenty of pools, waterways and waterfalls throughout the conservatory but these were some of my favorites. Tomorrow, Christmas trees.....

Longwood Gardens, 2012

2011-12-21T08:47:00.001-05:00

I'm doing three installments of photos from Longwood Gardens...for those of you who haven't been there, imagine a place that you can go to in the middle of winter and find an eternal spring. If you live near Northeast Pennsylvania, you should really take in the experience. It is always so inspiring and is such a nice pick-me-up any time of the year! We spent our entire time exploring the large conservatory...really large, like gardens and gardens full....

Busy days

2011-12-19T07:45:00.000-05:00

First of all, I'm having problems posting on blogs but I have been keeping up with everyone's photos and news. Hopefully, blogger will rectify this soon!

In other news....My husband has been on the road for about 46 weeks this year, a lot of time, even for his schedule. I'm grateful he has work but I am more grateful to have the next few weeks with him on vacation! We've been keeping busy and are rarely home these days. Yesterday we went to lunch and a dog show with our friends, Mike and Lu. Check out the Poodles being judged. These have the puppy cut which we use on our dogs:

These not so much:

And let's not forget the dread lock dog (sp?):

Last weekend, we visited our kids and also took in a few museums in our valley. These pics are from the Boutlon estate which has the original furnishings in and even had carolers singing in victorian dress. I loved this old fireplace:

This was from the ladies sewing room:

Tomorrow we are taking my aunt to Longwood Gardens for her Christmas present. Can't wait to see what that will look like!

Hope you are enjoying this joyous season as well!

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

2011-12-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

Did you put your shoes out last night? Sometimes St. Nick leaves a little gift in them! At least that is one of the traditions we love in our home.
Things are okay. Hand is healing nicely:

Husband is coming home tonight! Dogs are good although mother wants Greta to go back to living with her. Not sure my dogs will handle that well (or Greta) more on that later.

Some good things on the web these days! First of all check out Sarah's free embroidery pattern for Christmas, I can't wait to be able to sew so I can do one of these! I love that the little girl is holding a Christmas ball! Also Allie has a list of free tutorials on her blog! Kelly has a neat idea on her blog; she is doing a block each week for a year (can't wait to see these!). I'd love to participate but it will be a while until I am up to that and I already have two projects going here (then again, what is one more?). I might jump in just to make sure I get a block done every week which would be STUPENDOUS!

Hope you are all doing well and will be catching up as I can. Take care and keep well!

Under the Wire...

2011-11-27T19:18:00.000-05:00

Couple of mug rugs completed...

And some zippy bags for some sweet little girls...

Hey Sandra, I made the pulls from the fabric, what do you think? Have a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:59:00.001-05:00

I'm grateful for each of my blog friends! Have a safe and happy holiday!

Doll quilt

2011-11-22T08:40:00.001-05:00

I'm posting another vintage find because I haven't taken pics of anything newer this week. Here is a small doll quilt I picked up. It is only 13 inches wide and less than 2 feet long. But it is cute and obviously well loved.
I've been preparing for some time off after I get my carpel tunnel surgery next Monday. From what I was told my only challenges with this surgery is going to be swelling and not to ripping out my stitches. Anyway, I'm going to take about two weeks off from sewing until I get the stitches out.
Anyway, I hope to get more recent pics of projects up soon, possibly today since it is going to rain.
Have a great day!

corduroy

2011-11-20T08:01:00.000-05:00

There was a lot going on here on 11-11-11: a wedding, a trip for my husband and a new baby born to our friend's daughter.

Apparently, it was also corduroy appreciation day...I know this because our local news team reports things like that. I didn't think much of it at the time. According to the Corduroy Appreciation Club, that date was perfect for corduroy celebrations because all the 1's put together most resemble corduroy. I also so this was reported and discussed on a number of blogs but I can't remember which ones.

So just because the textile gods like to jar me, I found this the day after Corduroy Appreciation Day:

Embroidery on Corduroy!!!!!!!!! I've never see anything embroidered on corduroy!

Anyway, it certainly is a dear little piece, it even has a satin binding. The little boy seems so stoic about the little girl's intentions to kiss him :) The embroidery is done really well but it makes me wonder...did the child or the maker really love corduroy? Why that fabric and was it for a baby? I love the mysteries of some pieces...

Sandra is in town!!!

2011-11-17T11:46:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things in the fall is the opportunity to see my friend Sandra when she visits from Canada. Besides bringing me some goodies, she always gives me refills of Canadian maple syrup (mmmm liquid gold). This week we have been shopping and also teaching each other techniques:

Sandra taught me how to make a zipper bag!!! Yipppeee! I am going to use this to cart Seamus' things when we are doing dog therapy, it's perfect!

Then I showed Sandra techniques on the embroidery machine like applique and how to make a berry purse :)

Mostly, of course, we just gab and carry on. The third member of our trio is always Sandra's husband who is a saint and so patient with two blabbering women who are always stroking fabric in quilt stores! Thanks Dennis for being such a good sport!!!! Tomorrow night I hope to get to see them again and make a nice dinner before they leave on Saturday to head home. I am sure they are exhausted at this point but I am so grateful I got to see them!!!

Placemat Queen

2011-11-11T09:29:00.000-05:00

I know a lot of people like to make fancy placemats for their table. As for me, it has more to do with my love affair of fabric. I feel like placemats really can showcase fabric I love. For a few years I've had stacks of fabric put aside that I wanted to "someday use" in my dining room. Yesterday I worked on Thanksgiving/autumn placemats:

I had enough fabric left for a topper on the hutch:

However, my husband said I am three days too late. We celebrated our Thanksgiving on Tuesday because my husband is going to be overseas for the next month. Still, I will enjoy these for the next few weeks. Today I am off to a wedding and tomorrow I have to attend a tea. I"ll get back to sewing sometime next week because SANDRA is coming to town!!!!!!! More on that later :)

Getting caught up

2011-11-10T08:56:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, I attended the Keystone Quilters Guild show. This guild always has one or two rummage rooms that allow you to pick up some things at minimum costs. I didn't buy much but I did pick up a stack of these squares. After many washings, they finally looked bright and cheerful. The colors remind me so much of my Pennsylvania Dutch style kitchen,

There was a time when I didn't appreciate these primary colors but now they appeal to me in a nostalgic, cheerful way. So yesterday I used them up. I made a table square:

And a set of lined napkins:

And then I finished these placemats that had been on my to-do list of years:

Actually, I have a long list of placemats I've wanted to make and hope to get some of them done this month. We'll see how that goes!

Fun shower!

2011-11-07T08:05:00.003-05:00

We had lots of fun at the shower yesterday! Martha had asked to see what these babies look like up close, so here is one that I made using a piece of edging from a torn linen I had (can't throw anything out here).

In addition to the other gifts I made three bundles for the baby; each bundle had blankets I made for the baby, bibs, burp cloths and toys.

One featured dogs which included a bib that said "Poodles love me!"

Winnie the Pooh is their theme so I did a set in some leftover fabric I had from years ago:

And one featuring boats, including a bib using fabric that featured Naval symbols (Drew is a Naval officer):

I just love LOVE making baby things! :) Don't you?

Happy Birthday Miles!

2011-11-06T08:47:00.007-05:00

Cupcakes!

Presents!

Oooooo TRUCKS!!!

And of course, DANCING!

Baby shower favors

2011-11-05T11:24:00.003-04:00

A new baby is coming! Tomorrow we are having a shower for Drew and Caitlin's new baby. I made these as shower favors for the guests. A few have some surprises attached: like a little kitten in the pouch instead of a baby, or a stuffed puppy or rabbit attached like a leash to a matroyshka or two. It's just fun. Of course one of the happiest things you can do is make things for babies!

We are off soon to my grandson's second birthday as well. Busy family weekend for us!
Have a wonderful Saturday!

Autumn Walk

2011-11-03T12:02:00.006-04:00

Today's moment of beauty is: "We are richer and more beautiful by moments of reflection."

A walk alone with a dog is more than just exercise or recreation, it is part of my creative process. Today I have two sources of inspiration. The first was a website a friend had recommended and I recently joined called the Quilting Board. A very nice woman had shared a pattern and tutorial to make a maple leaf shaped mug rug. It was definitely on my "want to do list."

As we walked, I surveyed the mess about us and thought of variations on her idea. Certainly there were enough examples scattered around us.

Ted and downed branches.

Here are some variations I thought of:

An oak leaf is good.

So is this red maple.

Ginkgo and Birch are good too. I thought a wonderful one would be a leaf from a tulip tree but there weren't any on our walks. Some leaves wouldn't cut it for mug rugs though, like the locust or my black elderberry bush which are just too skinny to accommodate a mug:

Locust

Black leaf elderberry

Still, there are a lot of other options, like bushes or plants:

The heart shaped leaves of the hosta and hydrangea would make fun mug rugs. Today the possibilities seem endless. Don't you love days like that?

Hammered

2011-10-30T20:21:00.000-04:00

I am not exaggerating, the snow storm walloped us worse than the two hurricanes we endured this year. There are trees down everywhere in our valley (pretty dangerous to even walk dogs right now because of the wires down), news said 200,000 without electricity; about 1/2 of those (including our home) have been restored. Other towns outside the city have to wait for power possibly until Wednesday. Unfortunately, we also lost the food in our freezers.

It got so cold that we could see our breath when we or the dogs exhaled while we were in our house. I'm grateful we have power now and have said some prayers for the poor people who still don't. It's going down to 25 F tonight. You can see some stuff on this website of our local tv channel.

I've set the temp up because we could actually lose power again. So if i'm not on, you'll know that we lost our phone line which is hanging pretty low:

If we can actually keep our power, I'm going to stay home anyway. There are so many accidents because so many of the traffic lights are broken and the towns and electric company just can't keep up with it.

Fortunately, it's going to get warm. It should be interesting to see how my plants faired:

Have a happy week and be safe!

October 29, 3:00 p.m.

2011-10-29T15:03:00.000-04:00

The thing is...

2011-10-28T17:33:00.000-04:00

that our trees are still green and just turning autumn colors.

And the weather people have just increased the snow fall predictions for tomorrow from 1-3 inches to 3-6 inches. Hang on to your hats, when winter arrives this early, we are in for a heck of a lot of snow!

Today's moment of beauty...

2011-10-26T09:42:00.003-04:00

My girlfriends had an impromptu birthday party for me about 10 days ago. One of the gifts was this wee book of quotations and I love it (yes, I am a quote nut, just find them sooo inspiring sometimes). Anyway each day you open up the little book and it gives you something to think about. I decided to post some of the moments of beauty since we all can use a reminder to appreciate the gifts in our life.

Today's moment?

"Life is sometimes made of the small moments of contentment you find in the corners of your day."

I already had a moment of contentment this morning when I picked some bouquets of roses. We are about to have three days of rain and I wanted to enjoy the blossoms while I can. Also, how do you like my new lamps? I bought the bases for $4.00 total at a garage sale and then made the lampshades (whole project total: $19). I just love this little corner of my dining room now!

"Easy Does It" is the name of these beauties which are easily the most fragrant roses in my garden:

I've learned a new appreciation of coral and even orange this year and when these roses bloom, the whole bed pops with cheerfulness. The perfume from fills the entire upper yard; for the first time I enjoyed hanging wash because I could inhale the scent these emit.

I'm off to sew. I hope you have some special moments of beauty and contentment today too!

Polly's Pumpkin

2011-10-23T13:29:00.001-04:00

Here's a blog I really love! Sarah's "Gingerbread Cottage" is a wonderful blog to visit for inspiration. This past week Sarah posted a drawing of Polly's Pumpkin with the hopes that one of us would use it since Sarah is a bit busy these days.

Honestly, Halloween is my least favorite holiday of the year. Then there is the little chair from the one room school house...for years I've been hankering to put a pillow on it for each season and holiday (so far I only have two). Obviously, I had nothing for Halloween. Polly and her pumpkin were so endearing I had to embroider a wee pillow for my tiny chair.

Thank you Sarah!!!

It was an easy little project, done in just two nights during tv watching and I think it is really sweet. I think Sarah still has her drawing posted so if you want one, go visit her and tell her Mickie sent you!

Scrap UFO finished

2011-10-22T09:17:00.000-04:00

Last summer I started to put together blocks using up all my odd scraps. Anyway, I have enough leftovers for three quilts..this is the first one done. It has mostly boy images on the middle blocks. These are wild and loud quilts but I think (hope) kids like them. The next one is for girls and the last will have animals on it. Sorry the photo is so bad but the wind was terrible that day :)

Have a great day

had i the heaven's embroidered cloths...

2011-10-21T09:57:00.000-04:00

I love love love LOVE embroidery and guess what I got? Gifts from friends!!! Here are two recent pieces I received from friends as birthday presents!

I have a real weakness for coverlets from the 30s and 40s made for kids. Pam got me this beauty:

which included Molly and May of course:

Another weakness? Yes BUNNIES!!! Love them! Even named my son Peter after Peter Rabbit! Kim gave me this towel which she knew I would adore:

I'm so fortunate to have such wonderful friends. They are a true blessing and make my heart sing with gratitude. As if all this wasn't enough, I received a redwork baby quilt yesterday which I have to photograph today and will post. Off to write thank you notes now.......

Another Ray of Sunshine

2011-10-18T19:40:00.001-04:00

My son Peter came home last weekend to help with the Craft Fair. Unfortunately, we didn't have many kids there and we had lots of the wall hangings left. I had made about 50 of them and there were about 40 left. I donated all the craft stuff to Peter's after school program. I got this in my email Tuesday evening and it sooooo made my day!

Thanks son, you made my week! :) Your kids are awesome and I am so pleased they are enjoying them. Hugs and kisses, Mom

Color me Happy!

2011-10-18T08:15:00.001-04:00

Katie is going to be a crayon for Halloween this year. She and her mom made this awesome costume yesterday, isn't it great? It seem so apt since the Crayola Crayon factory is in our valley.

Hey Katie this is my favorite color too! :)

The pups like it too, here are Greta and Seamus (slightly hidden to the left of Greta) peering over the wall to check out the activities:

Have a great day ya'all :)

fair days

2011-10-14T07:28:00.001-04:00

Our annual craft fair at the Quaker Meeting is happening this Saturday. Yesterday I spent the day pricing everything. I haven't even gotten there yet and I'm sold out of a lot of things!

Last week my girlfriend spotted this wall hanging and purchased it on the spot:

Then there is my mother, who has a bit of a hoarder mentality at times. She walked off with all my mug rugs yesterday before I even priced them. I really loved the mug rug portion of my table (not shown because I was wiped out) so I'm madly making more. Finished these two last night (fortunately I had the hand embroidered squares already done):

Next year I'll know not to show things to people before the fair! Meanwhile I'm also off to another venue today to support a guild in Quakertown. If you are free and are in Eastern Pennsylvania, check out the Keystone Quilters Show today or tomorrow!

autumn in the garden

2011-10-12T07:32:00.001-04:00

"Ya'all come back now, hear?"

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

2011-10-10T07:55:00.004-04:00

Ted says "Happy Thanksgiving" to all our Canadian friends!

From our gang to yours, have a happy and restful day of thanks! We are grateful for you, our wonderful neighbors!

wordless wednesday

2011-10-05T09:56:00.000-04:00

Blogger

2011-10-01T13:44:00.000-04:00

First, I can't seem to post on other people's blogs. :( And then....When I try to change the photos on my blog template, blogger says I've exceeded to quota for photographs. Anyone else having this problem?

Home again, home again...

2011-09-28T12:39:00.001-04:00

I'm back from Cherry Hill, NJ and the American Quilt Study Group's annual seminar. AQSG is the only group that I know of that is dedicated to quilt related studies. If you are interested in quilt history, definately check this organization out! You can go here to see their website.

Above pic is of my quilt, one of many that was displayed. I took a number of courses and the paper presentations were fabulous! There were a lot of vendors as well (see Barbara Brackman's blog for pics of the goodies).

My friend Pam bought me this laundry bag which I LOVE!!

I'm still settling in but hope to be able to catch up and post more later! Be happy and stay safe!

Gifts from Allie!

2011-09-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

I had almost forgotten I had won the "Christmas through the Year" challenge last month! Then I found this wonderful package in my mailbox last night! I love the fabrics and the cupcake zipper bag is toooooooo cute! Even a little counted cross stitch was included! Thank you so much Allie!

Internet here has been hinky lately but hopefully that will be resolved when I am done with the next week's activities. I'll be off for about a week as I prepare for and attend a seminar so I'll catch up with your blogs next week! Happy Sewing!!!!

Busy busy busy

2011-09-14T08:07:00.003-04:00

Lately,

I've been running here...

there...

and everywhere...

Today is a rare thing for me: a day home to just get things done! Oddly, I want to hit the wash and iron but most of all, I really want to be home today and get things accomplished! Hope you have a productive day too! In the meantime, enjoy these 19th century fabrics from a very fragile quilt top!

Peace, Kindness, Love

2011-09-11T07:24:00.002-04:00

"On and on the rains will say,
How fragile we are, how fragile we are..." ---Sting

Flooding continues in the northeast...

2011-09-09T09:21:00.001-04:00

Greta isn't watching the flood report but is awaiting patiently to see if another cat comes on television

Last night the turnpike was closed from Reading to Harrisburg because of flooding. We are seeing awful images on our television of the damage that has been occurring in our state. My mother's family is from the Sunbury region so this has a personal impact on us. I didn't think in my lifetime that I would see another Hurricane as bad as Agnes was in the early 70's but here it is. Check out the photos on WNEP.com for images of what's been happening in the western part of the state.

Locally we've had some flooding, some schools are closed but the good news is that our rivers are now receding...although I hear we have more storms a-coming this afternoon.

Hope you all are safe and keep dry...don't take chances!

no place to go...

2011-09-06T09:40:00.000-04:00

More rain, oh goody. I wish we could send it to Texas. All through my garden I find water that has no where to drain to, the ground is so saturated...

Plus the dogs are really REALLY bored and are often wrestling in the house...

And if all that isn't enough, Teddy's skunk smell has surfaced with the rain on his coat...

He's been a very naughty boy lately. Kept on insisting on going out, not because he had business to do but because he wanted to play with the new ball...of course that means more wet dog/skunk smell. Then he chewed up a brand new spool of thread last night.......not sure why he is regressing so much except for boredom.

Hopefully the weather will clear up by Thursday. In the meantime, remembering those who are in the path of Hurricane Lee and the poor Texans who are on fire are in my prayers.....and hopefully yours too.

I'm a winner

2011-09-03T08:52:00.001-04:00

Woohooo! Allie emailed me that I won this past month's "Christmas through the Year"! I've been unable to blog about this because our power keeps going on and off, plus been busy with Mother. Anyway, I'm pleased and still getting more things done! Made these little purses:

For months I've been trying to find the proper little pouch for my tea drinking friends. Quite a few of my friends prefer to carry their own kind of tea bags with them for when they are in a restaurant, etc.

I've tried a variety of patterns but most of them were too big for easy care in a woman's purse. This size, 3.5 inches square is perfect! .........And while I was at it, I decided to use up some of my girl novelty fabric for Christmas presents and the craft fair in October. I've got a bunch more to do but thought I would post these, arent' they cute?

Allie's Christmas Through the Year...

2011-08-31T09:36:00.000-04:00

Time for Allie's Christmas Through the Year! Make sure to check out her webpage to see the projects everyone is making! This month...I completed some placemats for shut in seniors. Meals on Wheels likes to deliver these with food...

more purses...

more dolls and dogs...

some burp pads for the soon to be mom and dad in our family...

Happy Holiday!

after the storm

2011-08-29T09:36:00.002-04:00

30 minutes after I posted yesterday, we lost power again. Fortunately, power was restored after 8 hours; many others in our valley are still not lucky. First days of school have been cancelled and many businesses are still closed. We've been asked to conserve water and although the city says it's drinkable, we are drinking bottled water.

I feel blessed that we did not sustain any real damage. Although our streets are lined with debris and tree branches, people are out cleaning up and arranging the branches for the street department to get them:

We are so blessed that no one was seriously hurt in our family or neighborhood. My stepson Nik did have major flooding because his sump pump didn't work when the power went out. Still, his family is fine and the insurance company will take care of the house. Some folks weren't so lucky. This poor family in our neighborhood had not one but two trees fall on their house:

One tree fell on top of the peak, the other is still on the side of the house.

No one seems to have been hurt but who knows what kind of structural damage the house took? Today I am counting my blessings and grateful that we were spared.

Good Night Irene...

2011-08-28T11:44:00.000-04:00

We made it through the night okay. It was tough to sleep because tornado warnings occurred east of us and I was concerned that we might get some here. At 4 a.m. we lost power but our local radio station was broadcasting our local television news crew so I could keep tabs on the weather with that and the weather radio. I hate going through these things with just me...I wonder how I would get three dogs down to the cellar.

Lots of flooding here in the Lehigh Valley. It's not unusual for us to have flooding with heavy rains but we live at the top of the hill and are safe from flooding except the normal leaks in the basement. But the rest of the valley is hit very hard and the rivers haven't crested yet.

The winds have begun and that is as dangerous as last night since we live in a city with tree lined streets. Keeping our fingers crossed that our trees stay intact! Take care to all those in the path...

Hunkering down

2011-08-25T12:55:00.001-04:00

The siblings: Greta laying down and Teddy sitting up for photo.

To my dogs, a crate=safety. During our recent storms, Greta has been visiting Teddy's since she doesn't have one of her own. Sometimes Teddy finds this vexing, as in : "who's been sleeping in my bed?" But now they are going crating together.

Here in the Northeast we have had so much rain, nearly 8 inches so far in the last 3 weeks and more expected with Hurricane Irene. Our trouble will be be high winds and tree problems...either branches falling down or whole trees are known to fall when the ground is this saturated. In our neighborhood, even slight storms can cause power outages (as it did already this morning). We'll be posting as we can and pray that those along the east coast will all be safe.

Take care!

It's a jungle in here...

2011-08-22T10:43:00.003-04:00

Last night we had torrential rains. The ground is saturated and we do have some run off but I don't remember the garden being so happy in a long long time. I have so enjoyed gardening this year, almost with as much passion as when I first started. So bear with the various garden pics I keep posting.

The peegee hydrangea tree (pictured below) is in full bloom and full of butterflies, bees, and assorted insects. I always seem to forget how much the insects love that tree. Soon the caryopterist and sedum will start blooming and the critters will shift their affection to those plants...

In the meantime, we are appreciating all the bounty that has been gifted to us this year!

Poodled

2011-08-19T08:25:00.001-04:00

He's cute. He's photogenic. He never stops barking. Yep this is Ted, the drama king of the pack. Except yesterday he got sick, stopped eating, and just wanted to lay down. We will get test results in a day or two. He seemed to be responding to the antibiotic shot last night. Around 10 p.m. he started eating a wee bit and then I sent him and the two other dogs out to do their business...

And a minute or two later, I smelled it. SKUNK!! Teddy is barking,,,,, I run out get him and Greta in the house.........and then realized that someone was AWOL:

Seamus has taken to scaling the back wall to get close to bunnies, cats, squirrels or possibly skunks. He just loves other animals. And he was not in the yard anywhere...I called and called him, went to the back gate of the yard to go find him (he usually doesn't go far) and ran into......

Oh yeh the skunk.

Ran back to the wall and there is Seamus, unsure of how to get back in the yard. The dork wouldn't jump down so I had to pick up his 56 lb body to get him home (and he wriggled and struggled too, the little devil).

Of course the back door is open and I walk in to find how fragrant our house is and then check the barker.....

who smells like hell.

So I have to pick up that 71 lb boy and get him in the shower. I think my adrenaline must have been running sky high because I'm not normally this strong. I hate washing a dog that is sick but I literally had no choice. The funny thing is, it really wasn't a skunk smell, made me wonder if he rolled in something dead That smell came out of him really well...

Greta and Seamus escaped being skunked but my house smells like, oh yeh, skunk...I had to throw out the shoes I was wearing because they definately had the scent on them. The attic/sewingroom/quilt storage area is sealed off for now and the windows are all open.

Once in a while the dogs get the best of their humans and then the human gets poodled. I've been poodled but good and if my husband doesn't put lights out in the far back yard when he gets home......I am a gonna poodle HIM. I've been bugging him for lights there because I could forsee this happening......grrrrrrr

off to buy more febreeze.........hope your day is better than my night was!

Greetings from the soggy Northeast!

2011-08-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, we got over 4 inches of rain in less than 12 hours!

We've had more rain since then but meanwhile, the hydrangea bush looks like it grew a whole foot since Friday...

The anemone are blooming like crazy now. These flowers are among my favorite. The foliage is disease resistant and the flowers are so enjoyable this time of year:

I might need to mow soon but for now, I'm enjoying the garden as much as possible! How is the weather where you are?

Thank heaven for little girl dogs...

2011-08-11T09:57:00.004-04:00

"Paddie" by Sam George, 2011

I love this new illustration of Paddie by Sam. The sketch captures her sweetness and he even made sure her collar is the right color red. Thank you Sam!

I always miss my baby girl Paddie, who passed last September. It's funny how a girl can change things up so much but both DH and I are loving our new girl, Greta. Sh really is a sweet little (er, rather big) baby girl. Here is what greets me after I shower. She sits patiently outside the door until I am done...

with her favorite bone (DH refers to this as her 'ceegar').

I love my boys but the girls take such a special place in my heart...

Gifts from Canada's Best!!!

2011-08-10T06:54:00.001-04:00

Got me a great package in the mail late Monday! Wanted to post about it yesterday but for whatever reason, blogger was being difficult. So....drum roll please!

The package was from Sandra in Canada! We are doing some swaps right now, I make some things for her goodie bags and in return..., oh wait hers even comes in a pink gingham gift bag!

But wait there's more!!! She made some sunbonnet zippies for me to give to helpers when I do my "History of the sunbonnet quilt pattern" lectures! Of course I have to keep one for myself :) Because they are too cute.....

She even embellished them!!!

But wait there's even more! Just check out these two dear sunbonnet charms, they are adorable!!

And even sent me a bag of stars for my projects (those will be used well).

Thank you dear Sandra! I just love my package of wonderfulness! :)

Mystery

2011-08-04T20:29:00.001-04:00

Not much to report here. I've been reviewing my fabric stash and have a couple of stacks started:

for bibs, placemats (for seniors who get meals on wheels), burp clothes for odd shaped fabric and some wall hangings for the kids to craft.

I do have one unusual thing to report. On Saturday I found this in my mail box:

Isn't it pretty? I am just not sure why it was in my mailbox or who left it....

Christmas through the Year!!!

2011-07-31T08:41:00.001-04:00

Fa-la-la-la-la! It's that time of the month, Allie's Christmas Through the Year is still stacking up Christmas presents for the winter holiday!

I've actually completed a number of things which is surprising considering that my mom was back in the hospital, my husband has been going back and forth to South America and the dogs and just about everything else is on my shoulders.

Here at 3 P and N, the focus has been on the Holiday Craft Bazaar coming up in October. I'm also on a mission to use up scraps. So here we have matroyshkas and ladybug baby toys:

Bibs, we have a new wave of babies coming in the family and this is a great way to use up some of the leftover pieces of novelty fabric I have:

More strawberry purses, I can't seem to keep these around, people are always interested in them:

And crafts for the kids to make gifts too! Below are simple little wall hangings that the kids can make artwork on (with fabric markers). I hope to have a whole table dedicated to just kid crafts and my son has already offered to help me at the bazaar. I'm about half done with the amount I hoped to do and this is a GREAT way to use up scraps:

You might remember Katie and Natalie experimented with this idea back in June:

At their request, we made pillows but we are going to do wall hangings for the kids because it will be easier for them. I hope to get some coasters done too! It will be a good way to use up small pieces of batting.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas in July!

Hershey Quilt Show

2011-07-30T07:12:00.000-04:00

I had never been to the Hershey Quilt show before. There weren't a lot of quilts in comparison with other Pennsylvania shows but the ones they had were wonderful! These were some of my favorites:

Chanticleer

2011-07-21T08:52:00.000-04:00

Last night, my friend Pam took me to Chanticleer for a garden and house tour. It was hot but so inspiring! Not many of my photos came out well. Realized today that it is so hot and humid, condensation keeps forming on my lens! Here are some images from this wonderful garden:

fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun...

2011-07-15T06:41:00.000-04:00

We are in a two day respite from humidity and spending a lot of time outside. I got a new ball for Greta but Teddy stole it and hid away so he could squeak it on his own:

Greta has a new boyfriend. She stands looking at him with her tail wagging so much you would think it would fall off:

Yup! She loves George the cat next door! It's the first time she's seen a small animal that didn't immediately run away from her and it is SO EXCITING!!! George even came to the wall so she and Seamus could smell him and go out of their minds with joy! Silly Puppies!

update on greta.....

2011-07-14T07:23:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all for suggestions and support regarding Greta! Greta doesn't seem to mind the diapers (wonder if they make her feel safe somehow) and I do think she is afraid of the dark. If I take her out with the boys at 9 p.m. when it is still light, she seems to do okay.

I thought this might be from all the chaos she has been through the past year but both my mother and brother told me you have to ignore her or she will just want to come in again. In fact, she will stand outside the window to see if you are watching her (did this here too) and not do her business.

When DH gets home, he is going to put more flood lights out back so that should help as well. I'm just relieved she doesn't mind sleeping in diapers until things are resolved.

Oh and check out my new flower! It is a double coneflower! I love it!

Dog Advice Needed

2011-07-13T08:33:00.001-04:00

Greta is different than any other dog we have had. She is very sweet and cooperative except for one thing, going out to do her business after dark. I don't know what to do at this point. Greta was recently diagnosed with incontinence (she'd wake up and go out and I'd realize her bedding was soaked) and she is taking medicine for it. Turns out it is a normal thing that happens to a certain percentage of female dogs who have been spayed. The medicine is really helping but she needs to go out before bedtime...and how do I know that? Because she submissive wets A LOT (she's a big girl) ALL OVER MY HOUSE at night when I try to get her to go out with the boys at night.
The vet suggested treats. That didn't work. I'm getting diapers to put on her at night before I try to get her out but this is a real mess. Dog people, have any suggestions? I absolutely do NOT need another thing on my plate these days......

New Water Fountain...

2011-07-09T08:18:00.000-04:00

The old water fountain cracked this past winter. My husband didn't get around to repairing it (for the third or so time) and I didn't have the heart to nag him about it since he is home so little and needs rest.

I liked the fountain because it added something wonderful to the garden. So yesterday, I dropped off my husband at the airport and stopped at the hardware store with one mission and ended up with a fountain. Our neighbor boys helped to get it in and move the old one out. Thanks Mike and Andy! Seamus and Greta looked at it and said, nice thing, now pet me and throw the ball. But not the Tedmeister:

"This is a new thing for me! Maybe I can get my head stuck here! Wha? Why is Ma bringing the hose here?"

"This thing smells like water, what is up with that?"

"OOOOH, I get it! It's my personal water fountain, COOL!"

Better late than never

2011-07-01T09:21:00.001-04:00

I missed Allie's Christmas through the year this month by a day. I became too busy yesterday to really get back to the internet (a regular occurence these days). Anyway the only thing I really accomplished in June were these placemats and a few hot pads which I sent to my son Peter and his gal for Christmas in July.

For all you bloggers there are two neat drawsting bags I want to refer. I can't wait to try both of these when things calm down! The first is from Sarah's blog and features a panel on the front. Clever gal, I was wondering how she got such depth and it was simple, she quilts the panel! The other bag is offered at Linda's blog and features a more elongated bag. For both bags you will have to scroll down so check them out!

Off to start all my work, will check in when I can!

We're back

2011-06-30T09:07:00.001-04:00

We're back from Princeton where my Mom's surgery was done. To make a long story short, the surgeon found a problem created by the original surgery and corrected it. We are hoping that this will work but it is too soon to tell yet. If it doesn't, she has one more surgery to go. She's sore and recovering slowly. I'm busy running between her house to care for her and checking the three dogs at home:

Yeh that brown bed was Greta's (she's looking at the camera) and we ended up taking that one back for a smaller version since my living room looked like Poodlepalooza. Greta is adapting nicely and we have decided we don't want to give her back to my mother.......EVER. She is a sweetie and the three of them are having a great time...except when the ball falls in the watering can:

"Are ya going to stand there or help me?"

I'll post some Christmas through the years photos later today. Have a wonderful day, ya'all!

3 Poodles and a Nana

2011-06-21T07:17:00.001-04:00

Lately I had been wondering if I should change the name of the blog. But we are going to be returning to 3 poodles here. This is Greta:

She is my mother's remaining poodle and Teddy's sister. My mother got both dogs at the same time thinking they were cute. Then she learned how hard it is to train two puppies at a time and sent him to our house. Our dogs play together frequently and Greta and Seamus are the best of friends. Teddy sometimes plays with them but usually, he spends his time barking when he is outside...

Greta and Seamus in foreground. Teddy barking behind...

I've been bringing Greta here to get acclimated as she is going to be moving in shortly. My mother's surgery is on Thursday and I anticipate that Greta will be staying here for some time...

I'll be sporatic with posting for a while as we get things situated here and with my mother. I have so much to catch up on and will get to everything as I can. I'm sorry if I've been late with things.....it's just a busy time.

June Musings

2011-06-16T08:35:00.002-04:00

I'm doing a lot of work these days; my mother's next surgery is a week from now and I'm trying to get things done so that when I am at home, I can breathe. It's also June and that time when the weeds get thick, the first flush of flowers need deadheading, and tall plants have to be staked.

"In searching for my mother's garden, I found my own." ---Alice Walker

I think of this quote often these days. When I work in the garden, I think of Nana Betty. Only last year, I would visit her a few times a week. An avid gardener, she loved the flowers I brought her and really loved my "garden reports". She'd advise me on what to do with the plants that were struggling. She'd talk about all the flowerbeds she created and the magic of her father's gardens.

She loved hostas and always used it as her bordering plant; what she didn't like were the purple flowers of the plant. It seemed like a mission to her to pluck the long stalks of the dreaded flower.

She loved this little purple flower and called them "paintbrushes", an appropriate plant for a painter.

I have two variations of feverfew in my garden and she adored both kinds. I introduced this flower to her and she loved both or either in her bouquets.

Soon the hydrangeas will be in full bloom and they will also bring back memories. I know I'm so lucky to have these special triggers to keep my favorite people alive in my life.

I want to comment on your blog but......

2011-06-13T10:21:00.000-04:00

We've been experiencing some technical problems here. Apparently I'm not the only person who can't seem to post comments on blogs without the technical error message--I've gotten an email or two from friends who say they are having the same problem. Not sure what to do about it but I just want to let my blog friends know I am thinking of them and saying prayers to our western friends who are contending with the threats of fire....(that means you wonky girl).
Hugs, Mickie

my widdle Chick-a-Dee Crafters......

2011-06-10T09:07:00.000-04:00

I have some special crafters in my life: Helena my granddaughter, Katie next door and Natalie, Katie's longtime friend. This week I've been thinking about crafts we can do with kids in October for a craft fair. I'd like the kids to make presents for their parents for a minimal fee which we would donate to a worthy group. It's a two-fer present--one for the community and the other for the kids. So Katie and Natalie graciously agreed to do some samples for me. This was originally going to be a wallhanging but they decided to do pillows.

I also wanted to see how well the fabric markers work. I'm delighted with the results! This was Katie's:

Katie's chick...her mother says the chick is like Katie's logo. :)

And here is Natalie's!!!

Mouse and Rabbit by Natalie..aren't her flying birds wonderful too?

I did have photographs of the girls holding their projects but when I tried to rotate the photographs of them, the photos disappeared forever (another technical malfunction here). I just love the drawings kids do and am especially enamored with Katie's chick so I have decided to nickname my girls the Chick-A-Dee Crafters. I'm hoping to get more examples done sometime this summer (mother's health permitting) and really do this in October.

Thunky and Pitcher

2011-06-08T21:21:00.002-04:00

This is Teddy, he can't play with a regular ball.

He prefers the black ball that the George kids lost in our yard one day......about three years ago. Teddy loved the ball so much, they said he should keep it. It is the only ball he really likes. It doesn't really get airborne very easily anymore, travels only about 4 to 5 feet when I hurl it. Also, it lands with a thunk....which is why we call it Thunky Ball.

It's the only ball Ted will fetch. So George Kids..he may bark like crazy at you but I think he must love you deep down inside because you provided him with his beloved Thunky Ball.

Seamus on the other hand is quite different. He is the only dog we know of that throws the ball back to people. He even aims at different people. Sometimes when he is playing with the George Kids, he throws the ball to Katie, then to Sam, then to Natalie, then back to Katie, etc. I think he makes conscious decisions. Look out...

....here comes the ball. Sometimes Seamus throws the ball three feet away from me. He does this on purpose. I think he likes to see me fetch too. Or perhaps he is annoyed because of some of my wild throws.....Anyway, he is the Cy Young of dogs.

What's growing in the garden

2011-06-07T07:53:00.000-04:00

We are expecting a heat wave to roll in so I'm glad to have gotten some garden pics before it's too hot to be out:

Roses

Black Elderberry bush (tree?) has flowered.

Teddy

Sundrops

Various spiderworts but this one is my fav:

A potted plant I picked up that I love!!!

Seamus and his sidekick, the red rubber ball.

Yesterday's Haul...

2011-06-05T11:45:00.001-04:00

Yesterday's haul from assorted yard sales and flea markets. I spent about $13.00. I'm not sure why-but I never met a bridge tablecloth that I didn't like. I don't play bridge and am so obtuse that I just found out recently that my mother's card club didn't play bridge either--they played pinochle. There's something about these little home made tablecloths that I find irresistible...and I don't even like gnomes or mushrooms (after seeing too many of those and owls in the 1960s and 70s).

My favorite of the day.

I loved this (still brand new) old polka dotted linen place mat set with napkins--the label swore "fast color". It came with all four placemats and napkins still pinned together as it had been when it was sold. It reminded me of my Nana Betty. She had a brown suit of this color in the late 50s early 60s and wore a polka dotted blouse with it. Funny how I can remember all her clothing...you can tell my brother and I spent so much time with her growing up.

The End of an Era

2011-06-01T11:02:00.002-04:00

Molly: 1995-2011

It's the end of an era for us. Darling Molly passed today into a more peaceful place. She was the dog that everyone expected to pass first (having been diagnosed with Crohn's disease about 5 years ago). Paddie's dearest friend, she outlived Paddie and all of Paddie's contemporaries. Up into a month or two ago, she was still going up and down the steps and asked me for a walk only two weeks ago. She had a good life and I know that my brother Jim will miss her terribly as we all will.

Molly was one smart dog. Bilingual, she had learned commands in both English and German (because my son took German in high school). She and Paddie developed various games and was known to be able to hunt for a toy specifically-- be it duck, ball, lamb, cat, etc. When Paddie broke her front leg, she adapted a game for them to play. Instead of both chasing the ball, Molly would get it, drop it onto an ottoman where Paddie could reach it and allow Paddie to be the official "retriever." The two dogs adored each other.

Molly liked rabbits and was known to protect the nest the bunnies made in her backyard. She was a true poodle in every sense of the word and our lives were all made better by having her in our family.

I know she is playing with Paddie now and they are finally together again. Thank you Molly for the love and joy you brought to all of us.

Peace

2011-05-30T13:08:00.003-04:00

"It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in peace. One must work at it."

---Eleanor Roosevelt

Today I went down to the park to see what the veterans were doing:

They had put up a display for each person from Pennsylvania who had lost their life in the Iraq/Aghanistan war:

All 195 of them.

I pray for all the families who have suffered a loss like this...and for all the children currently in Iraq and Aghanistan and their families as well.

Peace.

Christmas through the Year!!!

2011-05-29T09:23:00.002-04:00

Jingle Bells!!! Could use some snow to cool us off here :D Visit everyone at Allie's, Christmas Through the Year.

I didn't think I had much to show this month but the last few days I've been playing with my embroidery machine. But first I found this mug and it struck a chord with me because I had a machine embroidery design with two birds similar to this and I knew I had coordinating fabric:

So I made two mug rugs to coordinate with them:

Puppy madness: Sandra and I are doing a swap. She is going to make zipper bags for me and I am making dogs for us. One dog for Sandra, one dog for me. Great stocking stuffers:

Lavender Sachets

I may not be able to do zippers, but my embroidery machine can so I made these strawberry purses (already gave one to Helena):

And this dog purse that I love :)

This was supposed to be tea bag purse but it didn't turn out so well. I"m still working on that pattern.

That's all folks for this month! :)

Three thumbs up....

2011-05-28T10:12:00.001-04:00

Julie, Kim and I give the Carbon County Quilters Guild three thumbs up! This is a small quilt show but we found it very enjoyable. First of all, Summit Hill itself is a cute little town, nice parks, very clean. You have to love a town that has a "Stay At Home Festival" for the holiday weekend!

The venue was neat too, a small church that is now being used for the Heritage Center. Check out the wooden raised doors (like garage doors) that were used to seperate the Sunday School Classes:

Below--Definately a neat way to display quilts!!!

The theme for this year's show was "Decoration Day" inspired by McCrae's poem, "In Flander's Fields". These were our favorite quilts:

Not a great shot of this one (sorry!) but it was an interesting way to use landscape fabric!

This one had writing on the white stripes:

Then there were the other quilts. We were struck by the use of a big gingham check in this quilt. It sang for us to come over to see it!

Another favorite because all three of us have a lot of garden prints that we haven't used:

We particularly liked the border:

There were also a few antique quilts:

and some we just found fun and inspiring:

Among the things we also liked were these jars they sold.....some for as low as .50! I liked this as an idea that we might be able to use for our own guild show (if anyone is interested).

The jars were filled with odds and ends and pieces of fabrics, some just remnants...

Others had a couple of fat quarters in them. I thought it was a fun idea...especially since I no longer can and have tons of those jars!

Afterwards, we went to shop at the Quilted Crow in Lehighton, had lunch and got home in time to clean up the house and do the weekend grocery shopping. It was a fun break for us!

Have a great day and stay cool!

Another Quilt Day!!!

2011-05-27T07:47:00.001-04:00

We are on the road again today!!! Today I'm headed over to the Carbon County Quilters Guild Show in Summitt Hill, PA! Kim, Julie and I are doing this road trip. Afterwards we will go to the Quilted Crow shop in Lehighton and then head home before the next batch of storms arrive. If you are wandering around this part of Pennsylvania, you can find out more information about the show here.
Tomorrow I'll post some pics of things I've been making for Christmas through the year....
Have a wonderful day!

Preparing for the Holiday...

2011-05-25T08:10:00.002-04:00

What do we do every Memorial Day holiday? NOTHING!!!! When my son was younger and we lived in a small village, we had parades and ceremonies on Memorial Day. Now I live in a city that celebrates with a 5 day event called "May Fair."

When we moved in here years ago, we used to wander down and at least stroll through the park listening to the music, back then there were some Jazz bands, etc. It's changed now. The city fences off the park (the same park we maintain with our huge taxes) for this weekend and charge admission. And the music is less than stellar so we don't feel as if we are missing much. Unfortunately we can't go anywhere on the holiday. I always worry about our property being damaged by the kids going to MayFair. Last year, I actually got into an arguement with a woman who wanted to pick my rhododendrons:

This year's rhodies are awesome!

What is surprising........is that my husband will actually be home for the holiday! He is usually off working and I get to deal with cleaning up alone. DH was supposed to be leaving for the Congo. He had 6 shots on Monday (3 in each arm) to prepare for the trip to Africa. Went from the doctor's office to the office........and found out that trip was canceled. OUCH!!!

So this weekend we will be spending time here:

And hanging with the dogs, chatting with the neighbors and in general, just relaxing for a change.

Natalie and Katie play "Seamus in the Middle"

Today and tomorrow I hope to get some sewing done! Will post pics if I get to the projects I want to finish before "Christmas through the year" time is over!

Have a great day!

Quilt Day

2011-05-23T08:29:00.000-04:00

I had an extraordinary quilt day yesterday! I belong to two quilt guilds and was fortunate enough to have two events yesterday. The first was "Quilts on the Triangle" where I had volunteered as a greeter. The "Triangle" is a square (but not shaped like that) in the middle of the small town where our guild meets. We had a wonderful turn out and this was one of the events we are doing to celebrate our 20th year anniversary:

We were so fortunate that the weather held off during the event. It has rained here everyday for weeks and didn't start until about 5 p.m. last night (wooohooo!).

From there I drove to another event which was AMAZING. One of the women from the other guild I belong to, Colonial Quilters, had an event sponsored by her children and celebrating her 80th birthday this year. They did so by renting a fantastic hall, hiring a caterer and displaying all of the 200 quilts she had made through the years. It was a fantastic one woman show!

The family did such a fantastic job and Terry (the artist) was beaming. The family borrowed Colonial Guilds' quilt racks and it was such a wonderful exhibit. I was surprised at how many quilts were still hand quilted although Terry has been machine quilting lately. Her daughter said she quilts like it is a full time job and always has the next project on her mind.

I think every quiltmaker has something to teach us and Terry had many lessons to offer. Her choices of fabric were often inspired and surprising like using this reproduction fabric to frame...

a very modern quilt:

AND IT WORKS!!! Terry even used home dec fabric on some of her quilts and it really gave the quilts a wonderful textural sense (yeh and the fabrics all worked together despite different weights.....amazing). And look at how she uses a big print to frame her center:

I think I was most surprised at how she kept her work so fresh and continues to challenge herself. I had wondered if her quilts would be more traditional in nature but Terry has continued to evolve as quilting has changed. She is an amazing inspiration!

It was a wonderful day although I feel bad that my husband was a bit neglected while he was home. My week ahead is much clearer and I hope to be able to spoil him a bit with home cooking and baking.

Have a great day!

we woke to sunshine!

2011-05-21T07:53:00.000-04:00

It's been raining for quite some time but whenever I want to complain about it, I think about the people along the Mississippi and I am grateful for our blessings.

Like this old clematis which started blooming:

and this new one I planted this year:

Teddy von Barky...doing his barking:

This morning I have a brunch for the hospice I volunteer for and then I will be home to play in the garden because ..........IT'S SUNNY OUT!!!!!!!

Have a great day!

Please, no photos.......

2011-05-16T08:28:00.001-04:00

The last thing I usually plant in the spring are the begonias. The wall of begonias was my husband's idea a few years ago. It was an easy way to keep the dogs from hopping over the wall when they see someone or something out front. This year, my husband suggested adding the yellow begonias...great idea!!! This is the what we see when we open the back door and it is like coming out to a bouquet each morning.

Now I'm taking a much needed break from gardening to rest my hands and am grateful for the rain we are expecting most of this week. I might even accomplish some sewing !

Yesterday, I brought my mother and niece over to sit in the backyard for a bit. This is what Christina did everytime I brought out the camera......

"Don't take my picture, I don't have make-up on."

Silly goil, you are BEAUTIFUL!!!!

I Got Mail!!!

2011-05-11T14:03:00.000-04:00

I belong to various quilting groups on the internet and one of them is a Christmas Group called "25 Weeks". Last month we had a contest which you could enter by making gift bags and tags (as everyone knows, one of my favorite projects anyway).

And for once, I won!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoo hooooooooooooooooo!

The moderator, Lish, made this really neat bag........can I tell you how much I love this red fabric it is soooooooooooooo Mickie :)

And even more!!!!!!!!!!!! Fabrics, Lazy Girl Pattern, a tiny notebook and seeds!

I've been having a challenging week with my Mom's situations but this just made my week wonderful! Thank you again, Lish!!!!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T07:30:00.001-04:00

Hope your day is full of gentleness and love!

Good fences make Good puppies...

2011-05-07T19:26:00.005-04:00

Greetings from our garden!!!

Seamus is NOT pleased.

Dogs each have their own personalities; but it surprises me how much like they are like kids! When our dear Paddie was alive, she was the easiest garden dog. Tell her not to go some place and she will avoid it forever. She enjoyed just laying around near me as I gardened. The boy pups have been much more difficult. They are like...well...... boys!

Teddy (white poodle) has made it his personal mission to mark every plant in the garden. Seamus (black) is more oblivious than anything, he sees NOTHING when he is in hot pursuit of his beloved red rubber ball. For two or more years, I've wanted sod replaced in the back yard. The boys just tore up what little grass we had. My husband refused to put sod down---so I took an alternative route to avoid more mud tracked in the house............ (while he was away on business). :)

Years and years ago when young Paddie was my gardening partner and we actually had...GRASS!

I call it "Operation Gravel." For the last three weeks, I've put expanded the beds and put down (me personally, ALONE) ONE TON of gravel. I couldn't have normally done this but I used a garden cart and it made all the difference in the world. Then I mulched everything (again with my trusty cart) and planted a few annuals. The piece d' resistance was fencing around the little plants to protect them from the boys.

I wasn't sure I would like it but anything was preferable to cleaning up mud all the time. And I do like it, feels more tranquil back there now.

Teddy inspects a dry creek bed that now replaces the path he and Seamus cut in the middle of one of the flower beds.

Seamus is not sure what to make of this all. These fences are annoying him. He keeps smelling around them!

The other pics were of the upper bed (we have two levels in our back yard). The lower bed is mulched and fenced off but now I have to work on the patio.......After my hands and legs recover!

On the line

2011-05-03T16:26:00.000-04:00

One thing I love about the warmer weather is hanging wash on the line....and also, hanging projects for photographs. The light is just wonderful here in the morning and early evening. So what's on the line today?

Mug Rugs!

Another mug rug!

Vintage baby quilt. In bad shape but I still like it! I'll rebind it sooner or later......

Vintage baby quilt

Matching sham

And now for something completely different.....Seamus is ball obsessed. He pushes the curtain aside and looks outside whinning in a most pitiful manner. He will do anything to get outside and get my opposable thumbs out there to throw the ball. Lately, I've had some doozie throws. Things that happen only by mistake because I could never ever actually make things happen like this:

Like the ball that landed square in the birds nest in this tree. Took a bit of ingenuity to get that one down.

And there was this beauty. Seamus kept marching back and forth like something was wrong. I was in the upper part of the garden and couldn't see what the problem was until I sauntered down to check out the situation. Seamus is a good boy and won't go places he doesn't think he should even if it means his ball is just beyond his reach. He makes me laugh these days......when he isn't driving me crazy to go out. :)

Have a great day!

A Full Measure

2011-05-01T08:12:00.003-04:00

Last month I found this old piece of embroidery and was compelled to save it and use it. The fabric was so fragile, that it is one of the few times I conciously did NOT quilt it very much as I was afraid it would tear more. Still I love it. It seems perfect as we go into spring and anticipate picking strawberries. This year, my husband and I have decided to make strawberry ice cream for the family which should be fun.

Life has been very busy lately and after Monday, I'll be taking a break and getting more done around the house.

Yesterday morning, I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting Kelly from Pinkadot Quilts at the Penn Oaks Guild Quilt Show. Kelly is wonderful and the quilts were absolutely inspiring! Unfortunately I've had a lot of senior moments lately and forgot my camera. Kelly's quilts were wonderful and you can check out many of them on her blog!

In the afternoon, Helena Grace had a dance recital and then she came over here to play. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera for the recital as well. Helena is becoming quite the dancer and she and Katie (next door) and Natalie were very busy in our backyard painting and doing treasure hunts together. She was having so much fun, we had to pry her from the girls to get her home!

Today I'm just under the weather and am staying close to home. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Christmas through the Year!!!

2011-04-30T23:02:00.001-04:00

My contribution to Allie's "Christmas through the year" are mug rugs! I'm using up orphan blocks and odds and ends to incorporate in the mug rugs! :) It's late, 11 pm and I've had a very busy couple of days and even more coming up. But I just had to post my pics!

Nighty Night!

two vintage blocks for embroidery:

2011-04-25T18:58:00.000-04:00

I just received these and particularly like the girl with ice skates. I think if you click them you can print out a copy if you want to use either of them in your sewing. Enjoy!

Happy Easter Dear Friends!

2011-04-23T18:02:00.002-04:00

Getting things done

2011-04-21T17:29:00.000-04:00

Mom has a break in tests and doctors appointments (until next week) and I am concentrating on getting tasks accomplished. Like mailed 20 bunnies to Japan for Operation Bunnydrop:

One of the yuckiest jobs? Cleaning out my bookshelves (sorry only got pic of the bottom half). I've gotten rid of a lot of books and moved most of my quilt books to the sewing room. My goal is to eventually not need the monstrosity in the living room.

One of the best jobs this week? I made toffee bars--got the recipe from Kelly at Pinkadot quilts and made them for my brother who loves them (Thanks Kelly!). Recipe is posted on her website if you are interested :)

Then there is guy who has to be in the pic. More and more he reminds me of my darling Paddie. Maybe I just miss her a lot.

Maybe I will even get a little sewing in! Have a great evening! :)

Another Rainy Day in Paradise...

2011-04-19T08:30:00.001-04:00

I've been a real slacker with the blog this year. Mostly because I have so much going on and lately--while there is a lull in my mother's surgeries--because we are truly experiencing "April Showers"--and that means horrible photos because the light is bad. Of course it could be worse. Check out the weather Allie has been experiencing here. Sorry Allie but you just made me grateful for the rain..EGADS!

Today I'm nursing a stiff back and guess what...it's going to rain again! Yesterday I drove to the Poconos to do my Sunbonnet Program for a quilt guild. Mapquest thought the drive would take one hour and twenty minutes but it took me 3 hours because something happened on Route 80 and the highway and local roads became a parking lot. I did get a very scenic look at the area including a town calleded "Paradise." Fortunately, I arrived at the guild in plenty of time because I left so early (just in case things like this happen) and had a great time there. A lot of the members brought their own sunbonnets and it was awesome to see their support of the quilt pattern.

Now getting back to blog business. In March, I posted that I was working on mug rugs, etc. I'm really on this "use it or lose it" kick and particularly with my fabric. Here's what I did with that old set of polyester stars I picked up. My friend Linda loves Autumn colors and I did this with her in mind:

Mug Rug

Table runner

More pics if we get more sunshine! Hopefully soon!

Recent Redwork Acquisitions:

2011-04-13T08:17:00.002-04:00

I stumbled into some nice (and affordable) redwork buys in the last few months. They were all picked up locally and spoke to me. The first two definately felt like 19th century pieces (splashers).

This one below feels more early 20th century to me. I wondered if it was a nod to The WaterBabies by Charles Kingsley or even Peter Pan by James Barrie. The landscape and particularly the mushrooms have a more Arts and Crafts feel to them:

Peter Pan, original illustration by Arthur Rackham:

Water Baby Illustration by Jessie Wilcox Smith.

I'll never know for sure where the redwork picture came from, but it's fun to wonder!

Konnichiha

2011-04-09T08:41:00.000-04:00

Quilt for Japan is packed up and ready to mail today.

Now I'm making bunnies to send to Japan. Crafts with Purpose embarked, "Operation Bunny Drop," for the children of Japan. You can read about it here if you want to participate.

Today is the first day we have had sunshine in a long time....sometimes these little things in life make us so grateful!!!

Love Letters or Why it's great to be a Nana...

2011-04-01T09:33:00.003-04:00

Like all children, my granddaughter loves to receive mail. I love mailing things to her too and recently was more on the book track since she learned to read this year. But this week, I received a letter!

And an illustration:

I've never pretended to be a great quiltmaker and I'm certainly not a good clothes seamstress so I took an alternative route. I went to the little cottage shop where crafters sell their homemade wares. You should have seen the clerk's curious expression as I walked around the doll dress areas--holding this design against the frocks (finally I had to show it to him). I found this one:

I'm off to write a little card and get it packed for mailing so that our little designer can receive it early next week! Project Runway, look out! Helena is already doing her sketches and "making it work"!

What's Red and White and Stitched all over???????

2011-03-31T07:58:00.000-04:00

Yup, "Infinite Variety" The red and white quilt show in NYC. It is such a treat to be able to attend this! Here are some pics of this once in a lifetime show:

Ran into our friend Mary Kerr there. As you might recall our miniquilt group has been inspired by her "vintage revisited" projects:

Kim, Julie and Mary

You have to wonder if the ladies who made these (below) were seeing crosseyed afterwards...and they were pieced so perfectly!!!

It was a spectacular day. Thank you to all who made this possible! What an unforgettable day!

Christmas through the Year!!!

2011-03-28T12:57:00.002-04:00

I'm currently on a small respite. My mother is between surgeries and I've been able to attend to some of the (much neglected) other parts of my life. With that said, I have to tell you a funny thing. I won a washbasket full of fabric at guild (we had a variation of a Chinese auction that night). All the fabric was donated by members and was fabric people no longer wanted. Here is a look at my washbasket after I washed all the cloth:

Say, do you know what that bear fabric is? YES!!!! That is tablecloth material from the 1980s. I know because my best friend had a whole bear ensemble of this fabric way back then when our kids were little. It's a rather course polyester blend and I received ROLLS of this. Now me, I love a challenge so I thought this was a blast. At first, I intended to make placemats and did one prototype but didn't care for it. So did this instead:

Yup more gift bags! So far I've done about a dozen of them and have cut out another dozen to make. I like these small projects that I can finish in a short time. I think I need the satisfaction of that these days. Will post more projects later this week.......

Donating to Japan

2011-03-22T07:42:00.003-04:00

I was just wandering around the web when I got a pop up from McAffee about the new scam on the internet. Apparently there are now cybercriminals emailing folks to donate to the Japanese through them. You can read about it here as well as a list of reputable charities.

In the meantime, quilters may want to check out Quilters Newsletter Magazine and consider sending a quilt to Japan via the magazine. You can read about that here.

Have a good day and please share this info with all you can!