Land of Cotton?

Nope, look again, they're not cotton bolls; it's snow. Winter has arrived with a vengeance in the south. The weekend before last it was all ice, this past weekend it was all snow. Eight inches plus at Chez Goodneedle. That will teach me to make statements like "it's been so long since we've seen snow"! This snow was light and fluffy, due to the temperature being brutally cold, it is very pretty. (The tracks in this photo leading up from the lower right corner and traversing back and forth are from deer.)  We dodged the bullet again, power-wise; sadly, so many other southerners weren't as lucky. 

In anticipation of the storm, Augie got a coat. He was more than happy to stay cozy and warm! I'm content to stay in and work on projects, and as long as there's power I can do that for weeks on end!

Sarah Barker is coming right along...

...and I was able to get all the remaining blocks cut and kitted to complete the Cream and Sugar quilt. 

This magnificent Amaryllis continues to be a bright spot in the kitchen...

...and with plenty of time (and sourdough discard) on my hands I've even been baking crackers! I'm attaching the link here. I added a pinch of rosemary, these really are yummy. 

Most likely there will be more DIY clean up happening today. Our nighborhood is very low on the priority list, so far no state vehicles with a plow attached have ventured into our neighborhood at all. It's difficult for some to get in and out as we do have some significant hills in here which are heard to traverse with the remaining hard-packed ice underneath.  The public schools have been out for six days straight now and tomorrow isn't looking much better. I received and email this morning that our LQS is closed until further notice. The mail hasn't been delivered to our mailbox since a week ago last Friday, there's been no trash pick up and, for the second week in a row, church services have been canceled. Yesterday it was especially sad to miss worship as it was to be the celebration of the 500th service for our little mission congregation. Sigh. 

Snow... in the land of cotton, 

 days like these won't be forgotten!

Life is Good!

It's Me...

This blog post is going to be more of a pictorial update of the past week than a word-filled one. I guess I have more time to snap pics than to compose. So, c'mon along while I fill you in on the happenings in and around Chez Goodneedle... and beyond!

Our oldest granddaughter represented North Carolina in the Southern Zone Championships in Orlando last week. 

We drove down to watch her compete; personally, she did incredibly well!  The thing that we're the most proud of is her sportsman-like character; she's such a great teammate and cheerleader for others, both in and out of the pool. 

What to do between events (back in the hotel room) and in the car to and fro? Hand finish bindings!

One of the sights from Orlando, near our parking deck. This INSANE ride (450' tower!) spins riders out and around as it ascends and descends; the number of similar attractions were mind-blowing. Thanks, but no thanks; not for me! 

Back home again: blueberries are abundant on the backyard bushes, we've enjoyed yummy, fruit-laden pancakes twice this week already. 

The Marathon Runner was quilted this week...

...under the watchful eye of my constant sewing room companion. 

Fruit Salad Quaker is fully stitched and awaiting assembly into a pinkeep. 

I tried this recipe for French Bread which is a winner; hands-down. I'll be making this again (and often)! 

Our youngest granddaughter came to spend the night before school begins again. We made this cute zipper pouch together yesterday afternoon. She loves to sew... and bake... and visit. 😊

 Dahlias are blooming like crazy right now!

This brings me back to the beginning... and the title of this post: "It's Me"~ do you remember the song: 

… It's me!
It's me oh, Lord, I'm standing in the need
I'm standin' in the need of prayer...

Right now I am asking for prayer for friends who are ill, friends who are hurting, friends who are facing health issues and uncertain futures as a result of recent diagnoses. Thank you, God knows their needs and your prayers on their behalf are deeply appreciated! 

Life is Good!

Reflections on January

I don't know where this month has gone. It's been filled with activity, not the least of which is keeping up with breadmaking from two different sourdough starters! What have I gotten myself into? Loaves are being gifted continually. I've branched out into English muffins, cinnamon buns and multi-grain breads too.
Without a lot of words or explanation I'm going to catch up with a post  resembling a photo journal; a look back at this month and what's been finished, what I'm working on and what's been started (there's always something new). 

Driving Age has become a full-fledged flimsy...

...borders have been added...

...quilts have been quilted...

...bulbs have bloomed...

...new starts have made it to the design wall...

...someone has turned ELEVEN, we made our annual pilgrimage to the AG store... 

...sacred stitches have been sewn...

...new recipes have been tried (Pear Pie using Bosc pears)...

...and new perches have been explored!

It's been a snow-less January here, that's not a complaint; we've had some serious cold weather that, hopefully, helps to keep the bug population down come spring. Thank you to those friends who've reached out to check on me in light of my sparse blog posts; I'm  here, all is well... 

 Life is GOOD! 

💗

Christmas!

Another Christmas has come and gone; as always, I was almost ready. Are we ever completely prepared? Naturally, all of the gifts were purchased and wrapped, cards addressed and sent, and the food was ready at the appointed time and place. But, then, there's always those "extras", those things I think I'd like to make and tuck in as a special surprise- those little cross stitch ornaments I admired last July and had every intention of completing. The cute little Christmas quilt blocks that I decided would make such adorable pillows to give my friends. The precious quilted zipper bags for holding treasures. Some more mini-Chrismons for our home tree. The list goes on... did I make any of them? No. Where did all those days and weeks go? What did I do with my time? Sigh. I don't know. So, I tell myself the same thing that I always do:  There's always next year! 

I did get  our annual BIG batch of Almond cookies baked in time for holiday desserts (and snacking).

Gingerbread men (and ladies) were baked and decorated, as well as Sourdough Rustic loaves. 

I was able to keep up with my traditional favorite Christmas movies while I was in the kitchen baking. 

Our children and oldest grands, from the Capital City, spent Christmas Eve afternoon with us. I'm officially the shortest of the whole bunch now. Lucy Ann reminded me that I'm still taller than Augie!  

Christmas day was spent with our son and his family, the youngest grands. Lynnleigh is still captivated by American Girl dolls. Lila, her newest "child" is ready for gymnastics and received her own dog too. 

Gregory is quite skilled on the golf course. Video golf will keep him in good form during the winter. 

Today has been spent cleaning up, breaking down cardboard boxes and making more Rustic Sourdough loaves. These last two turned out very well. Mr. G. bought me sourdough starter and a crock from King Arthur for an early Christmas gift; I have wanted to get back into bread making for some time and this is a great way to begin! I'm really enjoying the process. So, another Christmas has come and gone and here we are again. During this "in between" week I hope to accomplish a few of those aforementioned little "extras" before we launch into the New Year... time will tell. Where, oh where, to begin?!

 Wishing you and yours a blessed week

filled with joy and gratitude and all 

the best in the New Year to come!

Life is Good!

Bye-bye, July!

It's been a fruitful month; lots going on and plenty accomplished on the home front. These peaches from our own trees were as delicious and sweet as they look. The deer thought so too. We managed to harvest a few more than are pictured here but, sadly, not many. Everything was looking great out in the orchard. We checked on the peaches daily and watched them grow and ripen to perfection. I was lulled into thinking that the deer repellent that I was spraying regularly was keeping them at bay. Silly me. Apparently the aroma of these picture-perfect beauties was simply too tempting. Last week we discovered piles of pits on the ground and half eaten fruit tossed all about. It was heart breaking, I had big plans for peach desserts and putting up jars and jars for the winter months; not anymore. Mr. G is already hatching a plan to protect our maturing fruit trees and their bounty for next year. It's too late to try anything now, plus and he's too occupied with the kitchen project at hand. We hope for better luck next year. 

I've begun quilting on the Susan Ache "Gratitude" quilt from last summer's sew-along. I found a wonderful pantograph: Strawberry Fields which seems just right.  I have backed this one with the same fabric as the outer borders and I'm simply in love with the print! 

Here's the selvedge trimmings to give you an idea of why I have a huge crush on it. 

Take a look at that serged edge on the backing; isn't it a thing of beauty? Say "yes"!  I've made a pact with myself to use my serger more; "Why?" you might ask. A few weeks ago I pulled my old Bernette 334D out from the depths of the stash closet where it has resided for years on end. My son needed some camping towels to be trimmed down, "easy enough", I thought. Think again, it was a disaster! I couldn't get it to stitch, or move for that matter, without seizing up and breaking threads. It was in bad shape and I was frustrated to my core. Mr. G looked at it and made some suggestions (oil and a good cleaning were two of them). I'm embarrassed to say that I've had the serger since September of 1990 and have never performed even the simplest of maintenance tasks on it, I know better. Treat your machines well and they'll do the same for you! I ditched all of my 30+ year old serger threads and bought some new, fresh cones. After considerable work, some tuning and some good, old-fashioned TLC we're back in business.  To honor my pact with myself regarding the use of the serger I am leaving it out where I can see it, and use it, on a regular basis. It's a workhorse and it deserves to be used for what it's designed for, certainly not put out to pasture or back into the recesses of a dark closet! 

Our oldest grandson turned 15 last week, we celebrated in the Capital City with both he and our daughter who each had birthdays within days of each other. 

He's a permitted driver now! 

The Learner's Permit rules and regulations are complicated and ever-changing, but from what I can tell he'll have lots of in-car time with parents over the coming year before he's driving with a full license, even that's a graduated process. I sure wasn't prepared to see Mason behind the wheel of the Driver Ed car. Wasn't he just learning to walk last week? 

Sigh. 

From the kitchen: I baked up a batch of pretzel rolls (something completely new to me) last week. The kitchen space is becoming more and more user-friendly every day with the installation of new appliances as well as drawers and shelves returning to hold utensils and cooking/baking supplies. The rolls turned out great, soft inside and chewy on the outside.

We've needed to get new pots and pans for the induction cooktop. Along with those I recently purchased a stovetop griddle and was encouraged to read this guarantee on the box. That about covers it all, we should be in good shape!

Augie's about to turn ten months old in August and has become the best canine companion. 💗

As this month concludes we once again have forty-five nap blankets ready to go, thanks to my Bee Buddies and friends. The Pre-Ks at a local elementary school are well covered! We adopted this particular school back in 2010 and since then have donated close to 600 nap blankets to the cause; we may have missed a few here and there with COVID but that number is close. (The photo above is borrowed from a previous year.)

And so, we bid adieu to the month of July; time marches on. 

I'm not worried, Lucy Ann, it's all good...

Life is Good!