As the year ends.....

The year 2009 has been a year of much contrast. The year started out with much hope and enthusiasm, but as it progressed we could see the writing on the wall that old age or illness brings to those we love. This year several people I loved passed on to a better place. Others have had to move to places that can give them better care then their loved ones could give them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.

My Mother had been going down mentally for many years, but this year she changed by leaps and bounds at times. We had visits with several close relatives and I am sure she some of them she had no idea who they were and why we were having dinner with them.

Bill and I made a trip to WI before the weather turned bad back in mid November. When we left Mom was having some physical problems with her walking, but she could walk and take care of her personal self. When we returned from our trip we noticed a difference in her, but didn't realize until a few days later how much she had changed in just a little over a week. Right before Thanksgiving she could no longer walk. Bill and I transported her where ever she needed to go in the house. Finally, when we were spending more time taking care of her then sleeping during the night and Bill, Dad and I were exhausted, we didn't ask her, we told her that she was going into the hospital the day after Thanksgiving. We knew she was ill, but did not realize that if we had waited many more days I would be telling you now that we lost my Mom, but instead I am going to tell you that she is now in a Care Center. After 5 days in the hospital, many doses of anti-biotic and diuretics she is better.

Unfortunately, she still can not walk on her own. Physically she can walk, I have seen her do it, but mentally she has trouble getting her brain to tell her legs to move. I guess there is hope that she will walk again, but not much when you know that within two hours of eating a meal she does not remember eating. Doesn't she look good in the piture above with my Dad taken a couple of weeks ago.

Mom wants to come home, but our house isn't set up to handle a person in a wheel chair. She doesn't get upset when we leave her, but she worries about my Dad. I too worry about my Dad. He is so sad to have to leave Mom when we visit her every day. The two of them have been together for nearly 64 years. The only time they were apart was when my brother and I were born, an operation or two plus a few hunting and fishing trips my Dad took when we lived near his family. They were also apart when the weather man predicted partly cloudy weather and we ended up with 27" of wet snow. My Dad was not far away, but he could not come home from work for nearly a week.

So far we have made sure Dad visits with Mom at least once a day, but with the winter weather just starting it is a day to day option.

Bill is in Wisconsin right now. His son had an operation to fuse some vertebrae in his neck. That happened Dec. 29th and all reports are he is doing well, but Bill had to leave Christmas morning and I miss him dearly. On Dec. 24th we received a phone call from Bill's sister early in the morning. Bill's younger brother had a heart attack and died at the young age of 51. Tim, Bill's brother, left this world without seeing the joys of any of his three children getting married or having children.

Several friends and relatives have died this year, several others have found out they have cancer or other diseases. It is interesting to see how each has made the best of the time they have. For instance,one person started a butterfly garden and cared for it at a local school while she was fighting and lost the battle to cancer. Another is legally blind, but every week she and a friend take either dogs or cats to the local assisted living or nursing homes for those living there to see and pet the animals.

Several people we know that have passed this year,made trips to the local restaurants for a meal and never let the rest of us know how sick they really were,until we heard they had died. They would share with us who were willing to listen, a love of life that included stories. These stories have taught me much history, made me laugh and made me cry.

I count my blessings every day to have been touched by so many good people in this world. I also hope that I continue to see others live life to the fullest.

We now must look to the new year that is approaching quickly, not with sadness, but with hope and courage. Let's not sit and feel sorry for ourselves, but let's try to make life better for others which in turn will make life better for everyone.

Happy 2010 to everyone reading my blog and I do promise to write more and show you some exciting pictures and tell a story or two.

Peggy

Missing in Action

It has been so long since I have posted here I forgot how to post. Well not really, but I hit the wrong key and my process of changing the title became a post. I hope I recovered it without confusing someone who happens on the title while I am working.

Where have I been for almost 3 months. Would you believe here at home, just not inspired to post. Well finally I feel like I have something to share. I have discovered a new product. It is called Texture Magic by Superior Thread. It is easy to use by sewing it to the back of your fabric with an overall grid or free form pattern. Then with the Texture Magic fabric facing upward it is steamed. While holding the iron or streamer above the Texture Magic it begins to shrink. It shrinks 30% in all directions giving your main fabric texture.

The great thing about it is it makes my poor free form stitching look great. I will post a picture later today of what I am doing. In the mean time look here and here.

Week 26 Stash Report

Judy indicated this week is the half way point. My use of fabric is behind my goal of 100 yards, but at least I am not adding much fabric to my stash. This week has been hot, hot, hot! Storms have also taken out the electric several time in the past few weeks. One time from about 1 am to nearly 1pm.

I did some sewing this past week, but it was for others and some not much fun. I hemmed two pairs of jogging type pants and am now working on a simple curtain. I could not find the thread color I needed a couple of nights ago or the curtain would be done and out of the house. Now my goal is to get it done by Thursday when they come home for a while.

This week may be busy with all the Freedom Fest activities, but who knows what we will actually watch. We have tickets for the concert and fireworks on the 4th, but weather will be a factor I'm sure. I am not going to sit outside if it is really hot and humid.

Here is this weeks report.

Fabric used this week: 0 yards

Fabric bought this week: 0 yards

Fabric used this YTD 23 5/8yards

Fabric bought YTD 1 3/4yard

Stash busted YTD 21 7/8 yards

Week 24 Stash Report

I have not made a report for several weeks due to the fact that everything stayed the same. While we were on our trip I asked to stop at a Bernina Dealership that was located near the Eastside Mall in Madison, WI. We went to where we remembered it being located and different stores we in the building. I wanted to purchase a couple of pigma pens and a Clover White Marking pen. I thought I was going to be good by not going to a place that sells fabric.

Well as you can see below I went to a quilt shop and purchased 3 fat quarters. I went to Mill House Quilts in Waunakee, WI. Check their web site here and then you can congratulate me on only making the purchases in the picture.
Fabric used this week: 0 yards

Fabric bought this week: 3/4 yard

Fabric used this YTD 23 5/8yards

Fabric bought YTD 1 3/4yard

Stash busted YTD 21 7/8 yards

I was very, very good, because I still had some of my birthday money!
Peggy

"The Rest of the Story" About Our Trip

Bill and my trip started with attending my Aunt Shirley's funeral. Since we had already traveled from Kentucky to NW Indiana we decided to continue on north to visit with relatives and friends in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Every move was planned before we left home and all went well. The weather was so nice with the cooler temperatures and lower humidity. Spring flowers were just blooming and the farmer's crops were either just being planet or had just started to green up the ground with their glory. The winter wheat was still growing and a vivid green.

We spent the first night near Bill's home town so we could go to the bakery in Bloomington, WI early to see friends and relatives before they started their work day. I love the bread at the bakery, so I had some wheat toast with my breakfast and also bought two loafs to take with us.

Our adventure really started after we left Bloomington early in the afternoon. We first took the River Road on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi north to LaCrosse WI. Then we crossed the Mississippi into Minnesota and continued following the river on the opposite side. Late in the afternoon we stopped in Wabasha, MN. This is the town that the movie "Grumpy Old Men" was based. We were disappointed to find out that the movie was not filmed there, but just based on some of the activities, people and places in the area. I wish we had more time to spend in the area, but we had to move on.

Our destination that night was Hugo, MN where we stayed with friends. We really just enjoyed each other's company due to the fact that Mark had only been out of the hospital a few weeks after having bypass surgery. Debby and Mark's home was so comfortable and the cats welcomed us to the point of one sleeping with Bill and I the second night. We sat out on the patio and enjoyed the lovely weather. Bill and I were both amazed at how late in the evening the sun was still shining and how early the sun was peaking through our window in the morning.

When we left MN we headed back to WI. We met Bill's son at a restaurant in Sauk City. He had an appointment there later in the day. Then we went on to DeForest to watch grandson Devin's baseball game. Devin is 11, so the ball skills are really starting to delevop enough in the kids to make the games exciting to watch.

As soon as Devin's game was over we headed to our destination for the evening. We were spending a couple of night's at Bill's nephew Eric and his girlfriend Melisa's
home. This was arranged so we could see Bill's sister Phyllis, niece Kelly, niece Jody and Bill's God Son Mitchell. Bill's son also joined us for the day, so we talked....talked...laughed and just enjoyed each other's company.

Now for what I call the rest of the story. The picture above shows what the front of our van is to look like....minus all the bugs.
This is what it looks like now, after a baby racoon and us met on the road. As you know today's cars are molded and that little hole is between a $1600 and $1700 to have repaired. The condensor was bent and will need to be replaced. Also the boot that keeps the drips from the air conditioner out of the interior of the van is missing. So until we get the van fixed the rug under my feet will be wet. That is unless the humidity and temperature drastically drops here in KY and that is not likely to happen.

We did manage to go to the Farmer's Market on the Square in downtown Madison WI. We didn't buy much, only things we can not grow or get in KY. Two bundles of fresh Rhubarb, a pound of Asparagus and some cheese.

We spent the rest of Saturday with JR and family. Devin spent the night with us in the motel and he went to the indoor swimming pool twice. He wanted to stay there longer in the pool, but I knew we needed to meet his parents early in the morning so we could have breakfast together and Bill and I could be on our way home.

Bill and I took turns driving home. Actually Bill did most of the driving and I slept. I did drive a few hours while Bill took a nap. We sure hated to leave WI. I have one more item to tell you about, but that will be in my post Sunday.

Peggy

Shirley Fae Aumiller

Bill and I recently returned from a trip. It was an unplanned trip, but not a surprise trip. My Aunt Shirley passed away at the age of 90 years and I think 348 days. Normally I would not post obituaries, but this one was so well written by her daughter I have included the link here. I don't know how long it will be on line, but it is well worth reading. It also includes her picture which shows so much of her personality.

My Aunt Shirley was a kind woman. She enjoyed people and always had a smile on her face when you stopped by to see her and her family. We stopped by unexpected one day to discover that my Uncle and her were remodeling the house. I'm sure my parents knew they were working on the house, but I did not know. If any of you have taken down plaster walls I am sure you are aware of the dust and mess it makes. Not in their house! Some how they managed to keep the house clean while remodeling! I remember her house was always neat, clean and shiny. The yard was well cared for also.

I don't know if this is correct, but in the back of my mind I remember my Aunt Shirley playing baseball at one of our family picnics. She also joined many of the relatives in active...and I recall noisy, games of bunco.

My parents, Bill and I were at her 90th birthday party last year. She was so happy to see those who were able to attend. Bill and I were very happy to be able to take my (Dad and Mom) to see his sister one last time while both were still able to enjoy each other's company.

My cousin Shirley Jean had kept us informed about her mother's decline. It was my job to keep my Dad informed. A few days before she died I told my Dad that Aunt Shirley was very near to her death. Seeing that my Dad spent time with my Aunt when he was young I noticed he was emotional about the announcement. When I learned about her death Bill and I went up to tell my parents. At first my Dad showed little emotion and started to talk, but then said I will tell you something tomorrow and started to cry. The next day he told us that Aunt Shirley came to visit him during the night before she had died. So he was not surprised she passed. Bill asked if they had a nice conversation and he said they did. They were very close even if the two of them didn't see much of each other after both left NW Indiana.

I feel fortunate to have know my Aunt Shirley and know that she is now resting in peace in Heaven with our Lord, his son and the rest of the family who proceeded her.

Stash Report

Mine stash has not changed at all for weeks on end. I have been busy sewing a quilt for Quilting Treasures for them to show at Market. ( http://magicthimblecreations.blogspot.com/2009/05/busy-month.html ) Judy's rules indicated that we don't count that fabric that came in and most of it went out again. Also with it being spring the garden had to be planted. We also had company and took a trip with them to Talladega, AL so most of them could go to the NASCAR races. I stayed with Bill's nephew's family and watched it on TV.

I have been very good to resist going to a friend's home to get fabrics that are being given away. My friend is in a nursing home with multiple problems including her memory. She will spend the rest of her life there, so her husband is going through her stuff and giving away things that their immediate family does not want. He offered it first to the local quilt guilds and the remaining sewing craft stuff is going to a charity store we have in town. So all of her stuff will be going to good causes.

Peggy

A busy month

It has almost been a month since I last posted. For those of you who know me I think you know why I have not posted. This spring has been a rather wet one in KY and whenever we could get outside we were mowing, gardening, repairing things that got broken etc. While in the house it was the usual stuff of cooking, cleaning, laundry and we had company plus we took a short trip with the company.

Beside all the normal spring stuff we had to take our dog into the veterinarian because she was bit on the leg by a poisonous snake. We caught it in time so she didn't have any permanent damage, but she did spend 2 days in the hospital and 2 days in the kennel because we had no way to keep her contained. He hind leg was bit, it swelled up and was tender. She responded well and is just fine now. Five days after we picked up our dog she had a seizure. It was unrelated to the snake bit, but she did go back to the veterinarian on an emergency call just to be sure she was alright. We brought her home the same evening and she has been fine ever since.

I also made a quilt for Quilting Treasures to display at Market that just happened in Pittsburgh. The picture we took of the quilt before sending it off isn't very good, but I will post it for you to see. The fabric will come out in August and is called Pink Ribbon Signature Collection II by Karen Neuburger. It is soft pinks, blues, yellows and white with butterflies, flowers, dots and the breast cancer ribbon. I love the designs and managed to use each of the 12 fabrics from the collection in one quilt. I posted the EQ image and then the bad picture of the real quilt.

It us beyond me why I have an undeline now. The color was also blue and print was bold. I could fix that, but not the underline. So I will end for now.

Peggy

Quilt Show Conversations

Bill and I had to make a trip to town today to pick up some things before our trip to Alabama. We also attended a meeting this morning concerning our neighborhood, but that is another story all together. Due to the meeting we ended up in town at lunch time. Normally we have coffee in town between the breakfast and lunch crowd, so those eating lunch today were not the people we normally visit with in the mornings. The restaurant was busy so we took an end table for one or two people. The tables in the restaurant are set close to each other and it is difficult to not hear what the conversation is at the next table. So this is what happened at the next table of 3 people when we sat down. It ended up being 4 people at the table 3 men and a woman.

The man sitting close to Bill was talking about the winning quilt at the AQS Quilt show being held in Paducah this week. He knew all about the quilt, who made it, where she was from, that she was arriving today, how long it took her to make the quilt etc. I didn't really think that was so unusual to hear that conversation, but then he continued to talk saying "I really want to see that quilt. The last time I went to the show it was so much fun. Everyone is so talented and friendly." That also was not unusual, but then he continued: "I think I will go tomorrow. Everyone is so much nicer then those at the "Harley Davidson Rally".

I have never been to a Harley Rally, but I know many who have attended them. Everyone seemed to come back and indicate they enjoyed the get together. I am glad to know at least in this man's eyes that quilters are nice, have talent and he enjoys our art. The third man came back to the table and they left, so I didn't have the oportunity to talk with the man, but I am happy to share what he had to say.

I have attended many of the AQS shows, but had to stop due to allergies to the building. I can't wait to hear reports from everyone about the new improvements at the Cherry Convention Center and the Executive Inn. Maybe I will be able to attend in the future if it is as nice as the news media said it is now.

More later,
Peggy

Stash report Week 15

I had a seizure early Monday morning, so this week is a big zero as far as any work being done. On the plus side it was a big zero for adding fabrics also. Usually if I have a seizure I am OK immediately after, but this one was different. I only did what I absolutely had to do this week and the rest of the time I slept. I was so glad I had some meals made and in the freezer.

Next week I will be working with someone elses fabrics and I won't be able to show you the results until Mid May when the quilt is displayed at Quilt Market.

Happy Easter to everyone.

Peggy

Week 13

Fabric used this week: 0 yards

Fabric bought this week: 0 yard

Fabric used this YTD 23 5/8yards

Fabric bought YTD 1 yard

Stash busted YTD 22 5/8 yards

I am doing some work for someone else, so it doesn't count. I did post the pattern from last weeks report here.

Peggy

Spring Awakenings

This is my 100th post to my blog. I want to celebrate this by sharing a pattern with you that was shown in my last post.

Early in the spring at the garden is a small 4 petal purple flower growing in the grass. That flower is what inspired me to create and share this pattern. If you click on the title it will take you to the pattern which you may download and print. This was my first time to create and share with a pdf file using the new Adobe 9.1 reader, so if you have a problem let me know. If you don't have adobe you will need to download it free to open the pdf file. I have included lots of color pictures to make it easier for you to put the design together.

I originally created the design using variations of deep red and orange as shown in the picture. When I started thinking about the flowers of spring in this area most of them are shades of purple, yellow or white with an occasional pink. Lots of yellows and orange flowers start appearing early summer.So I changed the design to purples.

Enjoy,
Peggy

Spring and Week 12

This past week was very evenful. We had company from MN. We celebrated my birthday. Plus the first day of spring arrived. All of this was very exciting and I must say again "Another week with no sewing."

So my report hast not changed.

s5r4ttttt (cat chat)

Fabric used this week: 0 yards

Fabric bought this week: 0 yard

Fabric used this YTD 23 5/8yards

Fabric bought YTD 1 yard

Stash busted YTD 22 5/8 yards

The good news for everyone is I have designed a pattern to share with everyone. Above is a picture of the design. I will share it this week when I post my 100th post on my blog.

Peggy

Happy Birthday to Me!

It was a wonderful day today. The weather was perfect. Bill our friend Bobbie and I went fishing. We had a great time. Bobbie caught the first fish. Then Bill and Bobbie took turns catching fish and Bobbie even caught a turtle. Bill told me we were leaving at 2:30pm and I needed to get busy and catch a fish. I still had the same worm I started with several hours ago. At 2:25 Bill started taking things to the car. I put on a new little piece of worm and was determined to catch a fish before he carted me off to the car. I did! I caught a yellow perch.

Too bad I forgot my camera! We caught bluegill, yellow stripes, bass and yellow perch...oh and a turtle. I bet if they were all put together the whole bunch would not of weighed a pound. So needless to say we brought nothing home but good memories and warm hearts.

Traditionally Bill and I fish for the first time each year on my birthday. We have done this every year since we have been married. Some years the weather was nice like it was this year. Usually then we don't catch much. Some years it has rained or was windy and we caught enough for a meal for Bill, my parents and myself.

Fishing is one of those hobbies that can be relaxing, comical and profitable with meals. We only fish from the shore. This year since Bobbie wants to fish with us and she lives in town we are going to explore new to us fishing areas. Hopefully we will catch some for the freezer, but if not we will survive. Bill can't fish very long standing. Neither can I. So if there isn't a place to sit and fish we must bring our own chairs.

Well it is time to say good night.

Peggy

Overnight Company

Bill and I had company yesterday from MN. Bill and Debbie have been friends for years from when he lived in WI. We would meet for dinner whenever we were in WI before she moved to MN.

The last time we were in WI she came down to the condo we rented in the Dells to see us. We were hoping her boyfriend would visit us with her, but he didn't come. This time they were on their way to FL for a short vacation and we are about the half way point. We were so happy they stopped and decided to spend the night with us.

Debbie's boyfriend Mark is very much like Bill. They both had similar things happen to them over the years. They both have great sense of humor and are able to catch something one says and make it......hmmm.....a little twisted and funny. I hope we see them on their trip back home. They have am open invitation.

Peggy

Week 11

Another week with no sewing. This has got to end. So my report hast not changed.

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric bought this week: 0 yard

Fabric used this YTD 23 5/8yards
Fabric bought YTD 1 yard

Stash busted YTD 22 5/8 yards

I did design a new quilt for my new bedroom. It will use lots of my stash. This week we are working on finishing my sewing studio, so soon I will actually be making progress because I will have a place to sew.

Peggy

Week 10

I thought this week would be better, but not so as far as my stash. Too many trips to town to get supplies for the redecorating and for the garden tractor. We have also started to work in the garden. So my report is the same as last week.

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric bought this week: 0 yard

Fabric used this YTD 23 5/8yards
Fabric bought YTD 1 yard

Stash busted YTD 22 5/8 yards

I hope next week will be better!

Peggy

Week 9

My life was busy this week with out door activities and indoor painting-wallpapering. Needless to say my stash did not change at all. So my report is simple this week.

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric bought this week: 0 yard

Fabric used this YTD 23 5/8yards
Fabric bought YTD 1 yard

Stash busted YTD 22 5/8 yards

I hope next week will be better!

Peggy

Work in progress

This picture shows two pieces of the wall paper up with my helper Gordo on the step stool. I have another piece up now. I have one more cut, but I want to open another roll so I can use the piece already cut as a pattern.

The first piece I put up had three places that had to be cut out. I started there due to the cable wires that come out of that box. I place my plumb line so it was at the left side of the box. The piece that will be around the door frame will sit at the other side of the box. I did it this way so I would not need to deal with the wire.

I think I will wait until tomorrow to do more papering. I am kind of tired now.

Peggy

Progress

This has been a very busy week. We are trying to get things ready for spring by checking electric golf cart (that we use in the garden) and the yard tractor. Batteries or lack of good batteries was an issue this week. We had to replace the battery in the tractor and the golf cart is having a new set of batteries installed at the repair shop. We also have an old van that needs a new battery, but that one is still a debate as to if we just want to junk the van or should we get the battery.

We also did some outside cleaning the one nice day we had this week. Leaves were swept up. Excess stuff that was put under the deck was moved to a different storage age. We also tried to tie up the snowball bush since it was bent over by the ice last month.

I also painted the trim for the bedroom and have the walls prepared to put up at least 16 sheets of wall paper. I plan to start the wall papering shortly and hopefully will get most of it done today. I also want to cut out a dust ruffle today so when we move the bed I can put it on.

Bill and I did buy some new sheets for the bed because I only had one set that fit our bed. When our water bed decided to leak and we change to a regular bed I had to start over with sheets. I am not much of a shopper, so we just bought one set. I now have 3 sets to fit the queen size mattress. It will be nice to not have to wash, dry and make the bed with the same sheets all in one day.

Guess if I am going to get anything done I better get off the computer.

Peggy

Week 8

I didn't sew much this week, but did start the block of the month stitchery project at http://willowberrydesigns.typepad.com/ . Mine is not yet finished, so I have not pressed it. I still have leaves to add to the willow tree and then decide if I want to change anything.

I have not done this type of embroidery in years and learned the hard way that back stitch doesn't mean stem stitch like I was taught as a child. Back stitching was easier for me and much faster to do then the stem stitch.

I am claiming 1 yard of fabric used this week, but I only used about 4 1/2" x 7 1/2" this week. I have several stitchery projects I want to try on this background fabric.

Fabric used this week: 1 yards
Fabric bought this week: 0 yard

Fabric used this YTD 23 5/8yards
Fabric bought YTD 1 yard

Stash busted YTD 22 5/8 yards

Still having fun,
Peggy

Today

Bill and I have been procrastinating the finishing of the bedroom...and that also delayed the sewing room completion. Today I washed the walls in the room that will become the bedroom and Bill put the base coat of paint on the walls. The whole time he was doing that he was saying the paint we have will not cover the paneling in the room. He may or may not have been right, but I came up with an alternative to the paint. Seeing that this is a small room I suggested we just put up wallpaper. That way we won't need to do more painting other then the trim. We both hate to paint.

Another advantage to the wallpaper is being able to wallpaper behind the shelving. The shelving is built into a former shallow closet. I can cut and put up the wallpaper to fit between the shelves, but we could not paint without making a big mess.

We were on the north end of town and decided to stop at Lowes to check out their in store selection which is usually pretty good. I was walking down the main isle planning to turn down the wallpaper isle and said to Bill, "I must have walked by the wallpaper isle." So we turned around and sure enough I did miss the isle where the wallpaper used to be located. We turned down it and the only thing left was the textured paintable wallpaper. Lowes has decided to only carry special order wallpaper. I am not good at sitting looking at wallpaper books for hours. It is boring, a waste of time and besides that we would have to wait who knows how long for delivery.

When we went out to the car I noticed the back tire on the passenger side of our van was a little low. We just had the tires rotated Wednesday, so I know they were OK at that time. We went to the tire place to have them check it. We waited about 15 minutes for them to finish up a car in front of us. Then we were next. They removed the tire and sure enough it had a nail in it. Usually when we get a nail in a tire it is a roofing nail, but this was the type of nail used to put studs together. A long very strong nail. Thank goodness we noticed the problem before it really became a bigger problem.

Then we went to a paint place on the south side of town. They have wallpaper to order and about 20 selections to buy. We found something we both could live with and thought it was $22. a double roll. So we decided to buy it and it was only $10. a roll. Now just need to paint the trim. I really don't mind putting up the wallpaper. I think we will bring in a little bit of the outside with this paper seeing we don't have windows in this room.
The only other color in this room will come from the quilt on the bed. I do have a picture my Aunt Margaret painted for us with an old rustic barn with some grasses with a blue sky. I think that will be a nice addition. We will need to actually see what fits in the room before we actually decorate.

NASCAR is on TV now. Must go see what is going on. I will try to finish my stitching tonight to share with you.

Peggy

Virandah Views

Tomorrow I am going to a "sew a chat" at a friend's home. I have a hand project that I have been working on for years that I usually take to work on, but I am again getting tired of working on this project. So I searched for something to do that would be different for me. So I am going to start a BOM embroidery project.

The project Virandah Views is offer by Cheryl of Willow Berry Designs. Just click on the subject title to see the project. Why don't you join me making this little project that will combine hand embroidery with piecing.

I will post a picture of my first block soon. I have not embroidered in years, so this will be an adventure. She has posted the initial information and the first two blocks. I am a little behind, because our printer decided to take a vacation. I bought a new printed and have spent the past two evenings catching up on my printing.

Well I need to find my embroidery hoop and get my background fabric ready.

Have a good one,

Peggy

Week 7

This week was spent trying to get things cleaned up and claimed with the insurance company as a result of the ice storm a few weeks ago. So I only worked on one project this week. I made two pillows using the John Deere fabric my husband contributed to my stash a few weeks ago.

We gave them to a waitress at the restaurant we stop at almost daily to have coffee. She is a John Deere collector, only 21, out on her own and she takes care of her sister's two children. The children are 9 and 4. She is always happy go lucky and never complains about taking care of the children. Here is a picture of the pillows. They reverse to show the other season.
So this week I only used 1 yard of fabric.
Fabric used this week: 1 yards
Fabric bought this week: 0 yard

Fabric used this YTD 22 5/8yards
Fabric bought YTD 1 yard

Stash busted YTD 21 5/8 yards

Peggy

Peas....and more peas

Would you believe last week it was as low as 12 degrees. Today it was 71 degrees with sunshine. So we planted snow peas today. We know that we can still have a frost, but we are hoping we don't have a deep freeze.

We planted then near the house where Dad plants the extra tomato plants. Even if we don't get any of the pea pods to harvest the plants will at least add nutrition to the ground for the tomatoes later on in the season.

Bill also blew the leaves again. We live in a woods of mostly oaks. They sometimes don't loose their leaves until the new buds start pushing them off the limbs. While outside Dad and I started to take apart a gliding swing we had on the deck. It is rotting and is dangerous. Neither one of us was strong enough to remove the bolts. They had been painted over too many times. We roughly figured that the swing is at least 30 years old, so I guess we can not complain about it rotting. I hope we get a new one this spring that has a canopy over it.

Well the cat wants to take a nap on my lap, but he will need to wait until I take care of the laundry. I think I can get another load finished before going to bed.

Peggy

Ice, cold, no electric.... on and on and on!

As I am sure everyone knows by now Arkansas, Kentucky and parts of other states were hit by an ice storm late in January. We still have areas of Western Kentucky without electricity and my be without for another 2 to 3 weeks. The ice weighted the trees to the point they either broke or just fell over from the root up.

We stayed in our house for a few days. The bad part was the nights were just so long and cold. I cooked outside on the propane grill. By the time I had a meal ready parts of it was cold, but we at least ate and it was good.

We could handle needing to acquire water for drinking and washing up, but going to bed at 5:30pm because of darkness. Then going to bed early because we were so cold. I told Bill there will be lots of babies born in about 9 months....that will not include us!

We had ordered propane for our gas logs before the storm arrived, but it was not delivered until 5 days later. So only one gas log fireplace was on and it was turned down low. Bill and I could no longer take the cold because we were getting sick. We also felt that my parents needed to get to a warmer location. So we moved to a lodge (motel) about 20 miles away for 3 nights. Bill and I stayed 4 nights to allow the house to warm up a bit after the electric came back on. Besides that we didn't know the electric would be on that night.

At least we were able to see the Super Bowl. It was a good game even if I didn't like the way it ended.

One of the really bad parts of the ice storm was the telephones didn't work, not even the cell phones. It was three days before I could let some in the family know that we were OK.

After arriving home then the real work started. We had clothes to wash, dishes for the time we were at home without electric to clean...the bathroom where the toilet was flushed by pouring in water once a day..oh and then the food that spoiled. Bill and I had cleaned out the refrigerators while the electric was off, so the bad stuff could go into last weeks garbage. Tomorrow we need to empty and list everything that spoiled in the upright freezer. That way it will go out in this weeks garbage. We are listing everything, because our original insurance police said it would be replaced.

To tell you the story of going to the insurance company the first time to see what we needed to do to make a claim. I won't tell you the company, but let's say they have pulled out of FL and were in trouble with the hurricanes...so draw your own conclusions. They told us if our neighbors didn't have power they would not pay for any loss other then physical damage. So we explained to the agent...a new agent...that most of the neighbors had electric. She immediately questioned that notion. She said so you have damage with a pole at your house. I said "No, part of the neighborhood is feed via the lake road, another part via the road by the Church and our part of the neighborhood is feed up another road." That road goes through a pine farm area, but the pines didn't bother the lines. A rotten pole with a transformer had been hit and came down in pieces. She opened a claim for us. Hopefully we will get something. We have never as far as I can remember made a claim on this insurance. I'm sure we will pay for it next year!

We are still exhausted. We fall asleep early and sometimes take naps. Bill and I decided it is mental exhaustion as well as physical.

Today we heard that the workers hoped to have our county all back on power today. They they will move on to another county serviced by the same electric company. Our county was really the easiest, because our ice melted first. I feel for those who have been without power for nearly two weeks and it may be another two or three weeks before they have electric.

It was nice to see how the community pulled together. Kroger, Walgreens, Lowes and some other stores were open even with only emergency electric. We could not believe how many people were in Kroger. It was a 2 to 4 hour wait the first day just to check out. Warming stations were set up at the hospital and the senior citizens center. Then as soon as town had electric some of the Churches opened up for meals and showers. Gas was available at one station, but most people went to TN to get gas, water and propane.

I also noticed as things got more back to normal people would put signs in their yard advertising free water. We have many artisan wells in the area, but until know I had not idea where they were located.

Unfortunately many people died during this emergency. Some from improper heating, like using a propane gas grill inside the house or old kerosene heaters. One man locally would not leave his home and died of hypothermia. Another one had a limb from a tree fall on his head. We do hope others aren't found dead in their homes.

Be sure to plan ahead for electrical outages. They can happen at any time and any where. We always have water on hand for drinking as well as for washing. Food is also something to think about and batteries. We were prepared, but it was still tough. I am glad we have our electric on now.

The day I took may camera with me when we were out and about the ice all melted! So no pictures.

Peggy

Week 5 and 6

The ice storm hit our area hard and left us without electricity for longer then I want to remember. So needless to say I did not use any fabric, nor did I buy fabric. So my report for the week I missed and this week are the same as week 4.

No it isn't! I forgot that I sent about 4 yards of fabric to a friend. I had some children's fabric that I have already used and didn't need it any more. Yes I did make some progress.

Fabric used this week: 4 yards
Fabric bought this week: 0 yard

Fabric used this YTD 21 5/8yards
Fabric bought YTD 1 yard

I did very little other sewing during the past two weeks. Lack of electricity and a means to see was the first problem, then I was exhausted. When electric finally returned it was time to clean up everything that didn't get washed....dishes, clothes, etc. So I think I have a good reason for not sewing much.

Peggy

Week Four

I was busy this week, but did not make any progress toward busting the stash. In fact if you count the piece of fabric that my husband picked out and we bought to make pillows for a waitress at the restaurant we go to almost daily....I added to the stash.

Here is my lack of progress:

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric bought this week: 1 yard

Fabric used this YTD 17 5/8yards
Fabric bought YTD 1 yard

I worked on two UFO's this week, but did not finish either.
I did not sew for my new patterns, but worked on a project I am testing for another designer.

You just won't believe!

Last night Bill and I had decided to make a pork roast today. I took it out last night to thaw in water that I add several cloves of garlic. This is the way my mother always started her roast pork. It was a large roast, so I put it in the crock pot this morning. Turned it on low and went to eat breakfast. After breakfast I decided to move the crock pot to a "safer" location on the stove. It is sitting on a piece of glass over a burner. The kitchen is cool and the stove area is cooler due to the vent being connected directly to the outside. It was windy today so the below freezing wind was making it's way into the kitchen. Not really, but it is cooler under the vent then elsewhere in the kitchen.

Bill and I took a trip today to Paducah to do some general shopping, buy some batting and to get some groceries at a store we don't have in Murray. We ate a late lunch, so I was not looking forward to having a pork roast for dinner. The roast was made so Mom and Dad would have a good dinner. I kept thinking all day, I wonder if I turned the crock pot back on after I moved it to the stove. You guessed it. I forgot to turn on the crock pot. We arrived home about 15 minutes before we were to eat. Fortunately I had asked Mom and Dad to make mashed potatoes and the spuds were still cooking in the water. Bill had pick up a kielbasa for Dad. So I grab a head of cabbage and made them fried cabbage and onions with the sausage and buttered potatoes. They had also made a nice fruit salad, so they ended up with a nice quick meal, but not a pork roast.

Now to the pork roast. I wasn't worried about it spoiling, because it was too cool where it was sitting. So I turned on the crock pot and it smells so good now. It is time to turn it off and find room for it in the refrigerator. So tomorrow we will try again to have pork roast, mashed potatoes, broccoli salad (already made) and maybe some corn.

Our friend who had a lung cancer operation did well today. In fact this is what his daughter had to say about the day.

"Dad is out of surgery and is now in recovery. He did well! They ended up taking out his right upper lung lobe as we expected , but they did not have to take any of his chest muscle or ribs. His chest wall margins were clean, meaning there was no cancer remaining. If the lymph nodes are clean Dad is done with cancer treatments. Those results will be in on Wednesday.

The surgeon was very pleased with the surgery and Dad's post-up status. Tonight Dad will go to a regular room. I will keep you updated as this goes along.

It goes without saying, without your prayers, calls and care we couldn't have gotten this fare. Thank you for all your support."

This is all very good news, now we just need to hear that nothing is in the lymph nodes.

All is possible....just look at this sent to me by a friend. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MslbhDZoniY

Peggy

Week Three

This week was a week of hitting a brick wall as far as progress was concerned. I was going to do some quilting and discovered I didn't have batting large enough for the projects that were done. It also seems like Bill and I were away from home more this week then normal. I did work and made much progress on two UFO's. I also had trouble with my cat this week. He has decided that he needs my sewing thread more then I do. He doesn't bother it unless it is moving. So it didn't matter if I was machine or hand sewing the cat was there with the thread in his paws or mouth. I am working on breaking this habit and hope when I get into my sewing studio he will leave the thread alone.

The only fabric cut this week was to replace the binding on Bill's quilt. The old binding has holes in it and the hand stitching has come away from the back of the quilt. I need to get it done today, because the weather is getting warmer and he will be switching from his double fleece blanket to the quilt.

So here is my progress:

Fabric used this week: 5/8 yard
Fabric bought this week: 0 yards

Fabric used this YTD 17 5/8yards
Fabric bought YTD 0 yards

I worked on two UFO's this week, but did not finish either.
I did sew on a top for one of my new patterns.

Shrimp Creole

Today Judy at http://www.patchworktimes.com/ posted a giveaway to win some Slap Your Mama Seasonings and apron. I have been wanting to try that seasoning, because it is cajun. My choice here is the Kroger brand of Creole seasoning that I use and another brand that I don't like. So I am always on the lookout for new seasonings. The giveaway is something that she is making us work for, but for me it was not work. To qualify you needed to make a cajun food, take a picture of it and post the picture and the recipe on your blog. Then link the page back to Judy's blog.

Now Judy has timing as I had already planned to make Shrimp Creole for dinner tonight. I will post some pictures with explinations then the recipe at the end.
The first thing I do is to gather the ingredients and chopped the vegetables. I use more vegetables then shown, but some are canned. I also used to clean the shrimp saving the shells to make a quick shrimp broth, but I fried shrimp one day and made broth and froze it.
The next thing I do is make the roux. It was not in the original recipe, but I think it adds lots of flavor. Basically what I do is to mix the flour and oil in a heavy pan, stir and cook it until the flour/oil mixture is the color of peanut butter. Be sure you allow about 1/2 hour for this process. Cooking at a medium or lower temperature stirring constantly. Isn't the pan I am using nice. It is an Iron pot for doing stir fry, but I love it for many different things I cook. I bought it at an outdoor store.


The roux is almost ready. By the way I hardly ever measure anything, so sometimes I actually make more then other times. Today I made more so I can share it with some friends.



As soon as the roux is ready I add the vegetables, stir then quickly add the tomatoes/okra, tomato sauce, butter and the shrimp broth. Mine was still frozen. I cook and stir everything adding the herbs and spices.This mixture is allowed to simmer for about and hour. Notice the pan in the back? My husband came to help. He cleaned the shrimp and now the shells are cooking in water. When they turn pink I strain the broth into a container and freeze it for the next time we go cajun with shrimp.
I do not have a rice cooker, so I make my rice in the microwave. I have about an hour to rest before finishing dinner, so I put the rice together. Place the container in the microwave and set the timer to come on later.
Dinner is almost ready. About 10 minutes before dinner I add the shrimp. Notice the grey color. Stir the shrimp into the mixture until it is pink.



Notice the pink shrimp, it has curled and is ready to eat. Don't over cook the shrimp as it will be tough. Put everything into serving bowls. You can decorate with green onions and fresh parsley. Adjust seasoning as desired. I make a medium hot creole, because some people don't like things hot. You may also use fresh or frozen hot peppers instead of the dry cheynne pepper.

Shrimp Creole

2 pounds raw shrimp (I use the frozen medium size with the shell, but no heads) Wash and remove
from shells. Set cleaned shrimp in refrigerator.
Wash shells place in medium saucepan with a little celery and onions.
Cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes. Save the broth by
Pouring through a sieve over a bowl. Set aside for gumbo. Discard shells. You will need between 2 and 3 cups of liquid. You may us canned chicken broth if desired.

1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper
2 cloves garlic cleaned and chopped fine
½ cup oil
½ cup flour
1 can tomatoes with okra (15 ounce or so)
1 can 8oz tomato sauce
2 T butter
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or you can use finely chopped fresh hot pepper any amount
you desire
¼ teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
salt and pepper to taste Salt increases the heat cayenne pepper. Sugar will lower the heat.
1 teaspoon fresh parsley chopped or ½ teaspoon dry parsley

Be sure everything is chopped and ready to use before you start to make the roux.

To make the roux pour the oil into a heavy sauce pan or skillet. I actually use and iron pan large enough to hold all the ingredients. A heavy dutch oven works well, but be careful to not burn yourself on the pan when stirring.

Heat the oil a bit then add the flour. Carefully stir in the flour. Heat the mixture using medium to medium high heat stirring constantly. The flour will start to brown and you will need to stir slowly or frequently to keep the flour from burning. When the roux turns to the color of peanut butter it is done.

Add the celery, onions,pepper and garlic to the roux. Stir a bit then add the tomatoes with okra, tomato sauce, butter, shrimp broth and the seasonings. Bring to a boil and simmer until vegetables are cooked, stirring once in a while. If too thick add water or broth. If too thin cook a little longer.

While this is cooking make your rice following package directions. We use long grain rice and cook it in the microwave.

Just before serving add the shrimp and cook until it is pink. Stir often. Taste to check flavor.

I hope you try this recipe. We enjoy it fresh or as leftovers.

Peggy

"Baby It's Cold Outside"

Yes it is cold outside, and it is going to get colder before it warms up. I am not complaining, because I know others are suffering with much colder temperatures as well as lots of snow. I also know that this freezing weather is good for the ground. It helps to kill some bugs, softens the ground and maybe even kills some weed seeds. The truth be known I would much rather deal with the cold weather, even if my legs and hips hurt, the the hot, humid weather of Western KY summers. At least now I can put on layers of clothing or get under a quilt, but in the summer???????????????? well that is not a pretty picture.

Last night I was going to layer a couple of quilts only to discover all the batting I have on hand was too small for each project. I have two medium size boxes of batting scraps from projects I did last year, but it includes so many different brands of batting I could not sew enough together for the larger quilt. The smaller of the two tops is the baby quilt and I want that batting to be all one piece. So I went on line to try to locate a source for a batting I might like. Now the problem is.....what batting do I want???? I really like 100% cotton batting, but have used the 80% cotton, 20% polyester. The 80/20 or the needled cotton batting makes machine quilting easier, but I also do hand quilting. So I am having some samples sent to me so I can make a decision by trying the samples. The battings available today are very different from those that were available when I still owned my shop nearly 7 years ago.

I do have a whole piece of bamboo batting, but it is 60"x 60". That is an unusual size, so I need to design something just to try that batting. It will need to be a design I can combine machine and hand quilting. I also want it to be a quilt I will use, wash and really be able to evaluate the batting.

Last night I made 3 t-shirts into open up the front t-shirts by adding a soft velcro to the cut I made up the front. We have a friend with lung cancer and he is being operated on Monday. They plan to remove part of his lung and he was told to bring a button up shirt to wear when leaving the hospital. He always wears a t-shirt under his outer shirt so I made him 3 open up the front t-shirts so he can keep warm.

Dinner tonight is Roast Beef, potatoes and carrots. I think I will also make some lima beans and a salad. I don't mind cooking, but I hate the menu planning. Thank goodness my family will eat most everything I decide to make and they also sometimes will help making the decision of what to eat. Yesterday my Dad even made the meal and it was very good. He made Chicken cooked in home made bar-b-que sauce, baked potatoes and brussel sprouts. I made Bill some creamed peas so he would have a vegetable.

Looks like it is time to scoot...and get that roast beef made.

Peggy

Week 2

This is my second week to try to use up my stash and to finish projects started. I did not sew much this week, except for today. It was just one of those weeks when I was away from home more then normal, meals were more complicated and I was just tired. Another thing that stopped me was needing to find my batting, which I did, but it was way behind stuff. So I kept putting off moving things to get it. Now that I have it I need to find out if I have enough to quilt last weeks project, that I can't show to you and this weeks project that is pictured in this blog.
It is a crib size quilt made for Bill's (and mine) great great niece in AL.

The quilt started out to just be fussy cut squares sashed with corner blocks. I had it up on my design wall and hated the quilt. Then I saw a disappearing nine patch quilt and decided to lay it out that way. It took longer to place all the blocks then it did to sew them. Now that I look at it in a picture I think I did a poor job of dispersing the colors. The problem is mostly the lack of variety in my pieces.



I had originally bought the fabric with the ducks, fish, frogs and turtles on it to use for this quilt. I bought the last of several pieces in a close out sale. Then I ended up sharing the fabric I bought with someone else who also needed a baby quilt. She only needed blues and yellows. I wanted a variety. So she offered some of her animal prints to me in exchange for what I gave her and the greens. I end up not having enough of one green so I did two greens. All in all it is an interesting quilt that has a lot of things for the two girls in this family to find and imagine about and not a typical quilt from me.

This is the report for week two:

Fabric used this week: 5 3/4 yards
Fabric bought this week: 0 yards

Fabric used this YTD 17 yards
Fabric bought YTD 0 yards

I worked on a UFO this week, but did not finish it. I did not work on patterns this week.

Peggy

Catching up

Bill and I spent New Year's Eve at the home of some friends. We were not partying, but sitting with an ill friend so his wife and sister-in-law could go out for the evening. Since Bill and I don't go out much in the evening here it seemed strange to be going into town after the sun set. It was even stranger to be driving home about 1:00am. It was nice to help out our friends.

While at their house we watch a football game and helped the man we were caring for to get back into bed after using the bathroom and taking his medicine. He watched part of the game with us and after we woke him up to take his second dose of medicine (which included a sleeping pill), he sat up and watch TV with us for about an half hour. We were watching old black and white sit coms on WGN. Soon we were all asleep. Our friend in his bed and Bill and I each in a recliner.

That was our excitement New Year's Eve until the sisters came in from their evening out about 1:00am. They were so happy that both were about to go out in the evening. I think 7 of their friends joined them at their table at a Moose Lodge Party.

Happy 2009 everyone,
Peggy

Stash Report

Since this is my first week at busting my stash I am counting the entire fabric used to create the quilt I just finished. Well I just finished the top and need to dig out the backing. I will be doing that as soon as I am off the computer. I have also worked on a UFO, but at this point don't have it finished. I like the looks of my first report.


Fabric used this week 11 1/4 yards
Fabric bought this week 0 yards

Fabric used this year 11 1/4 yards
Fabric bought this year 0 yards

UFO's finished 0

To Judy of http://www.patchworktimes.com this did push me to work on my projects knowing I needed to make a report. Thanks for the help.

Peggy