Saturday, June 27, 2009

Trip Around the World - a couple borders to cross


When I started I thought I'd just put a border on when this part was finished. Now I'm thinking it needs a border or two or three. I don't know if the edges with all the seams will hold up on the quilting frame, and the border will solve that problem. And I think a border will kind of set it off and frame it nicely. All the border audition fabrics are in the wash so time to break from the world traveling and spend some time in my own little piece of this county and do more mapping.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Map Quilt - Town Block

The town block has had me stymied, intimidated, challenged. I've put pieces together and taken them apart. I've colored and discarded and colored again. There have been trips to town to look at and take pictures of buildings that I thought I knew. I think I finally have it figured out. But there was one interesting thing . . .


. . . when I looked at all the buildings in town that I colored, for some reason Dairy Queen was much larger than the rest . . . hmmm.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Decorative Facelift

The new windows look awesome!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

I want to know!

Is it all Irish families or just my O'family that is cursed with the generous belly. And don't tell me it's because I was pregnant three times. I had a bump out belly way back before kids and I only weighed 98 pounds.

Just before we started a family we decided to get life insurance. I remember telling our life insurance agent my weight for the application and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. He must have said three or four times "I'm sure you're mistaken. I'll put you down for 105." I told him over and over, "No, I weigh 98" thinking how thick is HE?! Yes, I know. I'm slow. It's this puffy belly - it's distracting.

Anyway. No real problems anywhere else. Just the belly. The belly extends around to the sides when the weight goes up but lose the weight and it's the belly that's left. Oh, and the double chins that most of the family has. Present at birth, I think. So, is this an Irish thing? Or just my family?

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Summer Evening Walks

That last hour before sunset is such a perfect time for walking in the summer. Last night there was a bit of a breeze and things were cooling down already. I took a quick picture of the lilies before I hit the road.



I usually walk to the next road and then head north. It takes me past the retired veterinarian's house. Sometimes one of his antique cars is out and its something to look at. If not, his yard is pretty with a wood rail fence, lots of trees and a garden area. Then it's fields on either side until the railroad tracks. The corn is already knee high and looks like line art when you look down the rows. It just popped through the ground a few weeks ago. It grows so fast. Soon we'll be surrounded by walls of corn and no view to the north or south. On the other side of the railroad tracks is a field that's never planted, just lots of wild plants and tall grass. In the evening the red winged blackbirds are all over the field, singing and flitting around and, I'm guessing, busy with a last burst of energy before settling down for the night.


Last night I turned south instead, and walked along the gravel road. Since it had rained earlier in the day I figured I was safe - I wouldn't get covered in dust if a car came along. This took me along the wheat field. Its already turning from green to gold.



There were lots of little, colorful wildflowers (weeds?) growing in the ditches. The colors were peeking through the long grass.


And, perfect timing, the sun was setting just as I was getting back home. Time to get off the road.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Funny How Your Mind Works

Mom used to make this very yummy cheesecake. Not heavy and dense, but so light and sweet. You could find room for more than one piece if there was enough to go around for seconds. It wasn't made in a round pan. She made it in a rectangular pan. You know, the 9 X 13 inch grey kind. Now, mind you, I haven't had this cake in years (over a decade?). And I've had lots of lasagna and sheet cakes served out of the same kind of pan. But a couple mornings ago I opened my refrigerator, saw this sitting there (and I'm the one who baked the lasagna and put it there!) and for just a split second I thought (and could almost taste) CHEESECAKE!


Maybe it's just my mind. When do you need to start watching out for senility? Anyone seen my keys? Actually losing keys is not a problem since we moved to the country - they are always in the same place. Anyone seen my glasses?

Map Quilt Fabric

I had to replenish the fabric for the map quilt. 36 square miles takes up a lot of fabric.


Doesn't this look like roads? I have to try it for sashing.

Monday, June 15, 2009

A Bag, a Map & a Quilt

I made this bag for Col. I think the colors look lots better in person - I couldn't seem to adjust them accurately in the picture. I got so many ideas working on this bag - I'm going to have to play around with more.


Here's a few blocks from the map quilt. Once it's together I know I'll like the way all the fields look in the "big picture" but right now I'm loving the little squares that represent all the little farms . . . and the church, too!


. . . and the quilt: Karen trusted me with her pretty pinwheel quilt. I was afraid to start on it, but once I did . . . . so much fun!

Zak turns three!

Zak shared his spot in front of the birthday cake with Caycee. She totally thought all the singing and clapping was for her.
You can guess what happened after this picture! Just one quick taste though, and then they waited to be served.
Cooper sat still only long enough to be served his piece of cake. . . . . and then he was off!

This was so cute - I wish the picture was better. One of Zak's gifts was a bunch of cool looking water guns. This is Zak asking Cooper if he wants a drink of water. Cooper was non-committal, but he didn't walk away so Zak naturally took that as a yes. "Open your mouth, Cooper." Maybe Cooper doesn't know what open means. He stood there waiting. "Open your mouth, Cooper." Nothing. "Like this, Coop" Zak opens wide. So cute to see the two of them together.

I didn't see the end of the exchange - Caycee grabbed my finger for a walk. And when Caycee wants a walk she can really convey to you where she wants to go! She's a power finger-holder- on-er.

At one point during the day Justin was teasing Dayna. Something about how all the pickles were disappearing so fast. Their fun little argument went back and forth and Justin was relentless (he was Justin), Dayna couldn't win no matter what. I finally asked her "Dayna, remember this time last year?" She says "when I couldn't wait to have him home? - hah!"


Celebrating Zak's birthday with Daddy home is sooooo much better!




Friday, June 12, 2009

June blooms





It's not grey. Nor is it gray

It says "Natural Light Golden Brown"


Does this look natural light golden brown to anyone?
I didn't think so. Brown maybe. That's about it.
Oh, well, it's not grey.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Happy Birthday

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

A new perspective

I stumbled on an interesting website today called multiplesclerosis(acts like a vacuum cleaner). It's full of pages from the perspective of a person with MS and so much of it was familiar. But I particularly liked a page that talked about a kit that could be used to demonstrate to an individual in some small way what it's like to have MS.

As a side note - I don't agree with the author that those who just don't get it are jerks. They just don't get it. It's hard to get. I don't always get it. Maybe that's because I'm a jerk and don't know it!

Anyway, I thought the illustration was pretty good. He calls it the "MS Perspective Kit". It made me laugh out loud and it made me cry.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Redecorating

For a change of scenery, I moved my sewing stuff up to the family/dining room just for a day.

The fabric took over. I'm surrounded by my Trip Around the World (which is really moving along) and the Map Quilt (which I'm way too excited about - I love maps, I love quilting, what a match).

Sunday, June 7, 2009

File Photo

"I seem to be leaning . . . er, falling . . . can you lend a hand? . . . a little help here! . . . maybe put down the camera?! . . . . aw geez, forget it."

Friday, June 5, 2009

Coloring on Fabric

This is so much fun. I think a bit of this may find it's way into the map quilt.


Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Changing Wallpaper

Scott is often on the computer as I toddle off to bed. The last thing he does on the computer at the end of the night is to change the wallpaper. When I get up in the morning and sit down at the computer with my first cup of coffee I see the new wallpaper. It's always fun to see a new picture and the reactions each day are different - but there is almost always a smile involved. Here are three of the most recent wallpaper pictures. One of them was so cute in a "cute-as-dickens / gotta-pinch-those-cheeks" kind of way. One of them was soooo very sweet. And I was still awake when one of them was put up. I was sitting at the table doing some computing of my own and Scott told me to look towards the desktop to see the new wallpaper pic. I had just taken a big ole sip of coffee and nearly choked to keep from spewing it all over my laptop as I laughed out loud. Here's the pics . . . .