To-Do-Tuesday: September 29, 2020

 

Good morning!  It's To-Do-Tuesday!  Hosted by Roseanne and Sue, we post our weekly goals.  It's really helped me to do this.  I'm rarely successful in completing all my goals but it sure keeps me focused!  Visit Roseanne at Home Sewn By Us for more inspiration!

Goals of Last week:

Mail Bobbie's Quilt:  Done!

Prepare Quilt for Machine Quilter:  Done!

Cut Asian inspired fabric:  Done and beginning to assemble the 4-patches!

Finish binding doll quilts:  Not done--add to next week!

This week's goals:

1-Finish binding doll quilts:  Maybe third time is the charm?  

2-Finish assembling the 4-patches.  

I've made 110 already!

This quilt top will take weeks.  But it will use up a lot of fabric!  I decided to use up all my asian inspired fabric.  

Yeh, using up fabric is a phase I'm in.  It's my own little personal game and challenge.  It will take...decades 😁 

I'm hoping to get two lap quilts out of this.  I've had this Asian inspired fabric for years but could never find a pattern I wanted to use.  Then I saw this one at pinterest (here).  I kept returning to this photo so I think it is the one 😊

Only 2 goals this week.  Taking care of my hubby requires a lot of my time so I only get sewing in here and there.

Hope you are having a splendid day!  Stay safe!

I like Thursdays: September 24, 2020

 

Mom's Bear, usually decorated for Halloween tells the whole story.

It's "I Like Thursdays" hosted by LeeAnna!  It's our attempt to fill the internet with positive energy!

Gratitude to the life of RBG and tears for her passing.  

I love that the fearless girl statue in NYC was adorned with a lace collar.  So I placed a lace collar on the statue of the girl in my suffrage garden.

Scout's friend Mac hit 10 years old on Tuesday and was celebrated with a proper doggie birthday party!  It was hilarous!  We wore masks or remained socially distant.  It worked out well!

Scout and Mac have a special relationship.  Scout is somewhat like the 12 year old girl who wants the 16 year old boy to be her boyfriend.  Mac tolerates her and she follows him willingly.

Cake was a highlight of the party.

Scout was being a poodle and sniffing it delicately:

Mac decided he wanted her cake and she happily relinquished it.  Then Mac decided he wanted all the dogs' cake.  It was hilarious!

There were even gift bags--er doggie bags for the kids:

Scout sometimes doesn't want to eat her dinner.  I put some of the "Mac biscuits" in her food these days and she gobbles her food right up.  Anything from Mac has got to be good!

Today Mac needs some of your doggie prayers.  He got away from his owner yesterday and took a run.  He's found but has a limp and needs to see the vet now.  Your prayers are appreciated.

I like this meme:

No I'm not rearranging the garden.  We desperately need rain and I've been removing all the vegies and annuals and just watering the plants I want to insure survive.

It was a good year for peppers, not so much for tomatoes:

I like that my husband has a lot of time off for the rest of the year.  His company is insisting there will be no roll-overs of vacation time or overtime.  Hubby is most likely going to need back surgery and we'll be using his vacation time for doctor things.  It's not a fun thing to face but it's a relief that he can use up his days off for something important.

This morning I'm (again) rearranging our living room to make it safer and more functional.  The previous set-up isn't working for me and at this point, I'm afraid I'll fall doing things for him.

Scout says have a safe and happy day!  

 

To-Do-Tuesday: September 22, 2020

 Happy First Day of Autumn!

Today is To-Do-Tuesday.  We post our intended goals for the next week.  Hosted by Roseanne at Home Sewn By Us, check out her website here for this week's inspiration!

Last week's goals were:

1-Mail Christina's quilt and wall hanging to her:  Done!

2-Complete 3 doll quilts for gifts:  Half done.  Should be done in a day or so.

3-Prepare quilt for my machine quilter:  Not done.

Mostly I've been caring for my husband who has been dealing with a bad case of sciatica.  He's been getting acupuncture for it and it is helping so I'm back to getting some work done.

Next week's goals:

1-Finish Doll Quilts

2-Prepare quilt for machine quilter

3-Cut fabric for a new project that features my asian inspired fabrics.

4-Mail doll house quilt and doll quilt to my cousin Bobbie for her granddaughter

Have a safe and happy day!

I Like Thursday: September 17, 2020

 

I'm tired these days.  Brad's back is still giving him problems and he's agreed to try acupuncture for it.  Sciatica can be debilitating and he has a bad case.  Nights are rough for him which means they are rough for all of us.

Today is Thursday and it's "I like Thursdays" hosted by LeeAnna.  We try to fill up the internet with positive energy and for happy thoughts visit LeeAnna's website to see all the posts!

Last week my friend Susie gifted me two blackwing pencils.  I love these pencils, a lot of famous artists used them and one of my favorite writers, John Steinbeck.

They are pencils to celebrate the suffrage centennial and each pencil features 19 stars for the 19th Amendment!

Speaking of suffrage, I heard this week from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.  They sponsor a garden competition each year.  My Suffrage Garden was honored as "A Garden of Distinction."  This made my day!  

One of the most satisfying parts of this garden this year has been the visitors.  Just when I thought there couldn't be anyone left to gawk at the garden, we had more visitors last night.  They read all the signs and when I open the door to wave at them, they gave me a thumbs up and yelled, "Love the idea and the sentiment!"

The garden is tired at this point too.  Today I need to start fall trimming and clean-up.  It's cooler these days which means Scout and I are taking longer walks and returning to the park.  

Stay safe and have a great week!

To-Do-Tuesday: September 15, 2020

 

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday!  It's To-Do-Tuesday hosted by Roseanne and Sue at Home Sewn By Us! 

My husband finally got a decent dose of steroids and I could abandon him (a little bit) and get some sewing accomplished!

Last week my goal was to figure out what to do with the embroidered blocks I made years ago.  I ended up going super plain with just a black border.  I was really afraid that if I added color I would get sick of it later on so plain it is.  Using only one border meant that I could hang it in the alloted place in my attic sewing room.  I have slanted ceilings so prime real estate for wall hangings is valuable.

I also made 2 doll quilt tops and have another in the works.  It seems whenever I win something either at guild or a blog, there is always a pack of mini charms in the gift (mini charms are 2.5 inch pre cut squares).  I've got three little girls I'm gifting quilts to this fall and I thought it would be fun to include a quilt for their favorite doll.

Next week's goals:  

1. Decide and prepare the next top for our machine quilter.

2. Finish the doll quilts.

3.  Mail Christina's quilt and wallhanging to her.  

That's all I think I can handle for now!  Stay safe and have a great day!

 

I Like Thursday: September 10, 2020

Sending prayers to our friends in California!

 It's I Like Thursday!  Hosted by LeeAnna, it's time to fill the internet with positive energy!

My mother sent over a gift for my neighbor's grandson and we had so much fun watching this 2 year old's interest and fun!  He loves visiting the fish ponds in the neighborhood and Mom ordered a fishing pole and made him a little pond.  It was adorable and his reaction was spectacular!

If you can't get the fish with the rod, you can always pick up the fish and attach him to the rod yourself!

I like the large spiderwebs we saw at a neighbor's garden.  There were a few of them and they were so lovely to study!

I like that my husband is finally on an appropriate dose of steroids.  For almost 2 weeks he's been suffering with severe Sciatica.  Four injections, a course of low dose steroids, and rest did him no good.  Finally he started on a stronger dose of prednisone yesterday.  Last night was the first night in a long while we got actual sleep.  He's not out of the woods but at least he is more comfortable!

Because I've been caring for him, I really haven't gotten much accomplished.  Have a wonderful week and stay safe!

To-Do-Tuesday: September 8, 2020

It's To-Do-Tuesday!  Time to post goals for the upcoming week!  Our blogging week is made so much better by our hostesses Roseanne and Sue at Home Sewn By Us!  Join them for more inspiration!

We had an unusually (or even miraculous) humid free and gorgeous Labor Day weekend.  I got a lot done in the garden and even did some sewing Monday!  How was your holiday?

Last week's goals:

Bake zuccini bread:  Done!  I got 12 loaves made last week and our freezer is full and so are family and friends' tummies!

Piece scrap top:  Done!

I'm debating about putting a border on this one.  It can wait until I decide.  I'm still caring for my husband and think he will have to go back to the doctor today.  I'm surprised I got anything done over the weekend but he could sit outside in the garden while I worked because it was so pleasant.

Did you ever finish one project and then think...what do I want to do next?  Last night I found myself bouncing through books and my pinterest boards trying to figure out what to do.  Actually, the question always is, what part of my stash do I want to hit next?  

This morning at 4 a.m. I decided I want to do piece a top with a bunch of embroidered blocks I made years ago while caregiving family.  Of course then I have to decide what to do with the blocks...decisions! decisions! decisions!

Since the wallhanging is sewing themed, I pulled out these oldies but goodies.  They are from the 1980s when Linda and I used to sew together.  Do your remember them?  The fabrics didn't work with the blocks.

More options:

What are your thoughts?  I'm leaning towards the black but would love to know your thoughts.  Anyway, finishing this top is my goal this week.  

Goal 1:  Finish embroidered wall hanging top.

Goal 2:  Figure out next project!

I hope you have a safe and happy day!

I Like Thursday: September 3, 2020

It's "I Like Thursday" hosted by LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color! Today we fill the internet with positive energy and gratitude.  

Scout and I like doggie playdates.  Scout went to visit her boyfriend Mack this week.  She loves Mack, isn't he cute?

But as it turns out Scout-The-Hussy loves Roger (Mack's Dad) even more.  In fact, she adores all men.  We were all scattered around the front porch and watched in fascination--and glee--as Scout learned a new trick.

Scout learned fairly quickly that if Mack approaches Roger for a nice pet, all Scout had to do to divert Mack was bark once (they weren't even real barks).  Mack would then abandon Roger to guard the porch and then...Scout would have Roger all to herself😉

She did this over and over again, relishing in her new power and testing various barks (the most hilarious was a quiet 'woof' which still got the reaction she wanted).  It was a great night!

***

I like that it has been raining.  I can't really work in the garden right now as my husband is having some sciatica issues and needs me.  Hopefully he will be better by the weekend when the humidity dissipates.

***

Most of time these past weeks has been in the garden.  Critters continue to visit, including a return of the fox and now an opossum.

Opossums are actually helpful in the garden.  They eat ticks and mice and don't carry rabies.

My quest to make the garden more elder-friendly continues.  With some assistance from Linda, I now planted heather as a base foundation plant.

Unfortunately my last tea rose now shows signs of Rose Rosette disease and will be removed from this bed this fall.  I'll move my pretty butterfly bush this fall when it's cooler to the hydrangea bed and just put annuals in the bed next year.  It's a fun process to redo flower beds and I'm enjoying it!  

That's all I have this week.  Have to check on hubby again and awaiting for a call back from the doctor this morning.  

Have a safe and happy week!

To-Do-Tuesday: September 1, 2020

How did it get to be September already?

Today is To-Do-Tuesday when bloggers post their goals for the coming week.  It's hosted by dear Roseanne and you can check out more posts of inspiration here.

I haven't been doing much sewing but spending as much time in the garden as possible.  So my goals remain pretty much the same as two weeks ago.  

My scrap quilt blocks are finished and I'm hoping to get these assembled into a top this week.  It's my only sewing goal this week because work on the garden continues.

Today is baking day and it's a big week for making chocolate zucchini bread.  It's really more of a cake than a bread but the family goes nuts for it.  Last week I made my husband's gluten free loaves:  

I'll probably be baking loaves of this for most of the week.  My favorite recipe is from allrecipes.com and is "Chocolate Zucchini Bread II".  This bread freezes wonderfully and I like keeping a couple of loaves for later in the winter.

Have a safe and happy week!