Friday sewing

BFF and I have a plan daily while we are chatting - hours on end :)

It's called our 30/30. We do our chores for 30 minutes . . . laundry, dishes, dusting and vacuuming, etc. Then we reward ourselves with 30 minutes of crafting time. Sometimes we just watch the clock and other times we set the timer. I still make a to do list everyday and as I get a job done, I cross it off. And since it's Friday, the chores are light and even fun sometimes . . . like making apple sauce . . .

It was really yummy. Of course, I had to sample.

And stitching and sewing.  I finished the second poinsettia tree from Jenny. Then set about to making my table topper.

It's not finished, but I have a "flimsy" . . . do you still call them that or is that only for the bed-size quilts?

Either way, I have the top finished. Saturday I will sandwiched and quilt. Hopefully I'll get it bound but I haven't decided how I'm going to quilt it, so that may be for another day.

And the icing on the cake . . . 

I received my very first swap block for the Gardener's Quilt. I absolutely LOVE it.  Thank you, Kathi. You did an amazing job. I'll be making my next block for the swap this coming week - I hope. There are a lot of appointments, so I'll be doing a lot of squeezing to something accomplished. It will be a stressful week, so prayers will be greatly appreciated.

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Thank you so much for stopping by,

Wishing you a creative weekend.

Monday . . . Monday . . . no wait

It's

I feel like I'm on the upside of it too.

Don't you just hate days that you know you are getting things done, but you feel less than accomplished?

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And that's as far as Wednesday's blog got :(

And Thursday went about as well.  So let's see what I've been up to . . . 

Sunrise - Wednesday morning . . . led to a tour of the yard . . . 

This web on my trash can is huge !!!!

 

The dew has been especially heavy with the cooler temperatures.

 

The garden is on it's last legs. The broccoli is flowering and going to seed. 

It's cool, But still a gorgeous out. 

Made a run to the library . . . I must have really been running because I forgot to change my slippers for shoes :)

Missy and Nina snuggling - they played hard today :)

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So Thursday took me to mom's . . .

It was a gorgeous day for a drive. Picked up a cup of coffee, but in a book and hit the road. Mom needs help around the house and we both finally got some time to get some things done. Once I left there I headed over to BFF. I was in need of diningroom chairs and she and hubby helped us out.

The ride home showed that autumn is definitely in the air . . .

Or at least on the trees as they are in the process of chaning colors.

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After dinner, I took the dogs and compost outside. I found this leaf suspended from my garden shed.

It was actually suspended from this giant web !!

And this is why we, at least, appreciate spiders' webs, if not the spider. I find them fascinating.

I did manage to get a small stitchery piece done :) Yeah Me !!!! Head on over to Jenny's for a free pattern and tutorial for a table runner if you haven't already.

Off to get some coffee and a piece of this blueberry coffee cake I made :)

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Thanks for stopping by,

Wishing you a creative day.

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."

:)

Crazy, busy Saturday

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It started easy enough . . .

Slept in until 8 !!!!! That NEVER happens !!

Took the dogs out . . . put on a movie . . . 

turned off the movie after 30 mins . . . 

Made breakfast, took dogs out, went to the post office (my Gardener's Quilt Block is on it's way), library, grocery store . . . 

Came home and put all the groceries away, did dishes . . . it's NOON !!!!

Where did my morning go?

Talked to BFF and she said she decided not to let things get to her today. If it got done, great. . . if it didn't, there's Monday and all next week.

You know what?  She's right. Everyone is home on Saturday. I'm very fortunate to be a full-time homemaker and my time all week is mine to schedule and plan as I choose. If I don't get to sew or stitch on Saturday, it's not the end of the world. I need to make and keep my family a priority and the weekends are theirs.

So I'm off to begin dinner . . . Chicken Paprikash. The temperature has dropped 20-30 degrees since yesterday, so it's really good soup weather :)

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I did manage to work on the doll cradle. 

 

The sides and ends of the cradle. I found the flowers, they are rub-ons and adhered to the white acrylic paint very easily. I did a gloss, water-based varnish over them to make sure they didn't rub back off. This is a Christmas gift for my great-niece who is four :)

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When I was at the library this morning, these leaves were all over the sidewalk. Not sure what the name of the tree is, but you have to love a tree that gives you hearts for leaves :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Wishing you a creative day.

** - image from the internet.

Friday Night With Friends . . .

Well, this one went on without me . . . I forgot :(

However, I did have a rather productive Friday :)

My first swap block is packed and on it's way to Utah :)

The mailman arrived with a package today - I have finally acquired Leanne Beasley's Down in the Garden. I've been trying to get my hands on this for about a year. Marlene from Winnepeg was kind enough to let me purchase her's now that she's done with them. Very excited. This is on the books for next year between finishing my UFOs which are priority.

Monday, Jenny of Elefantz is beginning a 5-day tutorial with a free pattern. These are the fabrics I've chosen to work my project. I know I said I wasn't going to add anyting new, but when Jenny has something it's really hard to ignore :)

 

While I shopped for the Christmas fabric I found a couple more remnant sets. I was surprised when I opened the orange and yellow pack to find that it was grilling and "Texas" themed. I thought I was getting something autumn/halloween. I will have to come up with something cute for my sister-in-law in Texas :)

Not sure what I'm going to do with the blues either, but really liked them and they all have touches of gold :)

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Thank you for stopping by,

Wishing you a productive weekend.

It's

The year is flying by and soon will be just a memory. How are you marking the time? Days? Weeks? Events? Seasons? Projects?

We're in the last quarter of the year - finishing up yard work for the season . . .  winterizing for the coming snow and colder temperatures . . . getting projects organized for Christmas gift giving.

To that end, I'm thinking goal lists. Some projects have been completed on my general list, but there are still projects in progress:

Bethlehem 

(Block 9)

I'll be working on Block 10 this month. I'm very excited to have been able to keep up with this project and am looking forward to the next stage.

Tilda

(Row 4)

Row 5 has been prepped. I'm excited to see this one move on to its next stage also. I rummaged around today and found what I think will be the borders for this quilt. It won't require any sashing since the blocks are sewn to each other. A much different look than I'm used to, but I really like it. I will also be experimenting with a quilting technique I saw on Jenny's blog. She's sharing a way to take all the stress out of hand quilting.

Quilt Doodle Doodle

This is the October and final row.

Not so excited about this one - not because I don't like the project, I really do, but because I have fallen so far behind on it's construction. I have four out of ten blocks completed. Not a very good track record. Since this is the last row, there is still hope that it will become a flimsy before the end of the year. 

Christmas Stitch-A-Long

This one is hosted by my dear friend, Wendy. These are gorgeous minis that I'm planning on making into a table runner for my table this year. They are small, quick projects. Very do-able before the holidays.

Christmas gifts

They are mostly planned, just need to execute and make them a priority.

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I'm adding a new goal for October and timing is really good :) 

My father-in-law has been helping with some minor repairs during his visit and investigating different types of insurance. One is for home owners and will require an in-home inspection some time in October. That has lead me to my new goal for the month.  Ruth of Living Well, Spending Less is hosting 31 Days to a Clutter-Free Life challenge. I have gotten really bad about putting things away and even more with getting rid of things. This challenge suggests 30-60 minutes per day of decluttering.

(Image from LivingWellSpendingLess.com)

I've neglected things for a lot of reasons especially sewing and stitching instead of keeping house and "de-cluttering". We are in the midst of changing seasons - perfect timing. That means less yard work, less gardening, more time indoors. That time can be used for de-cluttering. With only 30-60 minutes per day you see progress and don't get burned out. Less clutter leads to more creative space and energy. Why store things you don't need or aren't using. Motivation will be provided by daily emails to keep us on track and of course, seeing the progress.

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All these goals lead to thoughts of goals for the coming year. 

My main focus will be on the ever-growing list of UFOs. They are on the current goal list, but I haven't made nearly enough progress. I have plans for working in some new projects and of course, all the talent out there in blogland doesn't ever have a shortage of new projects, but my main focus will be on getting as many UFOs done as I possible can.

I have several quilts in various states of completion and want to see some fruit for my labor.

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Wishing you a creative day.