Dreary Sunday . . . Monday . . .

It's overcast, cold and dreary. Not very conducive to getting much accomplished.

That's not to say I didn't do things, but the later in the day it got the less productive I've become.

Went to church this morning. We are starting a church-wide study on the book of James. I'm looking forward to that.

Sunday School was good. I love my kids :) They make it worth it every week.

Once home, I got lunch together and cleaned. I had tomatoes that needed my attention, so I prepared and cooked them down for juice. I take the dogs out and see things that need to be put away for winter. I know it's only the beginning of October, but you don't want to leave everything for the last minute or until it's so cold outside that you don't want to be there. So things like empty flower pots (at least ones that are ready to be emptied of dirt and dead plants), the garden hose because more than likely we aren't going to have to do any more watering. The clothe pins need to be put away because it probably won't get warm enough to hang clothes out again until May.

One of the best things about being a homemaker and gardener is combining the two. I'm thinking about dinner Monday evening. A pot roast sounds really good. So I went into the garden and picked the carrots :)

Short, stubby, but really sweet. Yes, they will be very good in with the onions, potatoes and roast . . . 

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I finally found some motivation to at least get the fabrics pulled for the Gardener's Quilt. Next block - rotary cutter, Dresden plate flower. I absolutely love this block. 

I also tried cutting some squares that I cut awhile ago into 2.5 inch squares. I'm going to be making some 9-patch blocks.

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Monday morning arrived much to early. I did my Bible study lesson and devotionals, but I was still a little tired. So I put on a movie that I had seen before and close my eyes. I dozed and woke with a touch of a headache. Newton got up and ready for school. I took care of some laundry, had breakfast with Pops and headed to the library.

Printed off my challenge updates . . . 

Sweet, sweet Jenny of Elefantz is hosting a Christmas stitch-a-long/tutorial. She's even providing us with the pattern.  It started today.

And on top of that . . .

Jenny also published Block 18 of the Lord's Prayer.

Monday evening in my email I found and invitation to another free block of the month.

Jacquelynne Steves

I love all these new projects and this one offers two different sizes and different methods of doing the quilts (stitchery, applique and pieced). This one doesn't start until the end of October, so there's plenty of time to gather fabric supplies, purchase them from Jacquelynne and decided whether or not you want to join in. I can't wait :)

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On the de-cluttering front, I worked on my kitchen today. Several weeks ago, we made the decision to purchase a new, larger microwave oven when Honey Do went to make a bag (or two) of popcorn only to not have the kernels pop. He tried the second thinking maybe there was something wrong with the first. I had an unspent gift card and it was the perfect excuse. 

I found what we wanted, purchased it, unboxed it and set it up on the counter in my kitchen. With father-in-law visiting, I've been a little lax about keeping up on my housework and one of the things that drove me crazy over the weekend was the clutter on the kitchen counter. Bottom line - - - the microwave had to find a new home so I could have my counter space back.

This is the after - photo. The microwave sat where my towels and spice rack are again.

And this is where it moved. I played around with different "cabinets" and ended up with this wire shelving that I brought back up from the basement. It's not perfect, but it's clean, organized and in the process two unwanted pieces of furniture are leaving my house in an effort to de-clutter :)

I also, finally, made these cookies that have been waiting for my attention for the last week !!! 

Time to get back on motivational track !!! I made a to-do list this morning and almost everything got crossed off.  So I'm feeling much better about the start of this week.

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So on a positive note, I'm going to get out my Christmas pattern from Jenny and my light box and get it drawn off and hopefully start stitching on it.

Thanks for stopping by,

Wishing you a creative day.

"Yes, I'm supervising the de-cluttering."

:)