Busy Days!

We're in a hot and humid weather pattern right now; no surprises there, indoor activities during the heat of the day are the norm around here. I finished quilting up "School Spirit" and was able to score a pretty piece of red solid for binding when I visited a cute quilt shop in Greensboro, NC on Friday. We were there to watch Lucy Ann swim in the Age Group State Championships (lane 7, below).

She did quite well; so well, in fact, that she's swimming in the Southern Zone Age Group Championship meet in Orlando next week! This has been her dream for the past three years. We couldn't be more proud of her dedicated, ambitious, determined spirit!

I managed to get this wall quilt finished and hung on the side porch for July...

...and completed the stitching on a pin keep for this month, too. This is Patriotic Quaker by Lindsay Weight of Primrose Cottage. I used the called for floss colors and stitched over two on 32 count lugana linen. I love these patterns, each little element is fun to stitch on its own. You can see lots more of these by clicking on the hyper link above. I'm currently stitching another one, Quaker Fruit Salad. 

Between her swim events on Sunday Lucy Ann and her Mom came by for a few hours in the afternoon. Our son and Gregory were already here, Gregory is rebuilding a car in our basement. It's impossible to believe that they will both be earning their Learner's Permits this fall! The six of us enjoyed lunch together while these two almost-fifteen year old cousins entertained us all; it was a rare, impromptu, get-together that is still eliciting smiles. (I never knew she had my phone, I only discovered this photo later in the day. A souvenir for the heart ❤️).

While we're on the subject of "impossible to believe", guess who turned 17 years old today? Yep, Mason! Those of you who've been part of this blogging community with me from the beginning may remember this day. Sigh. 

Most recently, later in the day, after the hottest part of the afternoons have passed, I've been enjoying some stitching out on the porch where the light is just perfect. This is the afore-mentioned Quaker Fruit Salad.

The Dahlias are so pretty in the garden right now, the more that I cut the more they bloom!

The Crape Myrtles flanking our driveway are putting on quite a glorious show this year too. I mentioned those of you who've been part of the blogging community with me from the beginning... my very first post, (←linked here) July 13, 2006, was on this same subject!

As much as things change, there's comfort in what remains the same.

How's your summer going?

Life is Good! 

Changes

We've been gone for a few weeks; we traveled to New England to spend time with my parents. It's been the first time in a VERY LONG while that we've traveled without a canine companion. This, among other changes, is but one more in a long list of new things what we're getting used to. My Dad now does much of the cooking at home. When I was young, growing up, and even up until the last few years, my Dad NEVER spent anytime in the kitchen preparing food, that's always been Mom's domain. My mother is doing okay, it's the physical mobility that stands in the way of her getting even the most basic of household chores accomplished anymore. She and I spent days cleaning out and organizing; she is happy to have this done, and was eager to participate, but the fact that she can't do it on her own anymore is emotionally hard on her. She goes to outpatient physical therapy now, twice a week; that's a highlight for her on those days. Mr. G and I took meals that I had pre-prepared, and frozen, it worked out well and they seemed to appreciate that. A lot of things are different now, we're all adapting; it seems that each day brings a new series of adaptations. The good news is that Mom and Dad seem content and accepting of this situation. We watched television together in the evenings, for entertainment, and loved spending time together reminiscing! Before we left to return home Dad and Mr. G readied his snowplow and walk-behind snow blower for the months to come, Dad's happy and excited to see winter, and the snow, return; as much so as a young boy would be! We have much to be thankful for: at 94 (Dad), and 89 (Mom), they're still in their home, are mobile enough to go out for lunch and an occasional dinner and still very much enjoy their friends and their days together. We couldn't ask for anything more.

Life is Good!

Out With The Old...

We're redoing our laundry room, here's the before and after as of now. The picture on the left was taken in February and is representative of how this space has looked since we built the house, almost twenty one years ago. Mr. Goodneedle had always wanted to build the cabinets for the house. All that time ago we were eager to get it done move in and, after designing and building most of our home ourselves (sub-contracting some jobs like shingling and brick work) we contracted to have the cabinets made and installed. And so, here we are today, that burning desire of my husband's to build cabinets has not waned. Last year he said he'd like to re-do the kitchen. He proposed building the cabinets in a lighter wood, we agreed that maple might be a nice change, lighter and brighter (our kitchen cabinets are currently dark cherry). Somehow, the more we talked about it, we decided that a good place to start might be the laundry room, an area to sort of "audition" what we had in mind. I'm well pleased with the appearance (and tickled to pieces to have upper cabinets in there now!), isn't it pretty? Not only did he make the cabinets but added crown moulding at the ceiling and replaced the old fluorescent overhead light fixture too! It's becoming a dream space, I simply can't wait to have this room completed! Mr. G has most of the lower cabinets ready for finishing. The existing oak lower cabinets will be removed and the counter top will be replaced with a lighter colored surface as well. 

The new uppers now hold laundry supplies, good usable rags, lightbulbs, baskets, planters and vases; all those things that I had shoved behind doors and on shelves where they didn't belong. Having this much organized and arranged has brightened my entire outlook on doing laundry, it doesn't get better than that!

You can see from my vantage point here in the kitchen, 

looking back toward the laundry room, what big, big changes are afoot!

Stay tuned, it's all good.

Life is Good!

One Scoop, Please!

I decided that I would like to add a new hopping foot option to Snowbird a few weeks ago, I really wanted a Scoop Foot. Since my longarm is not one of the newer machines that has the quick change option, that addition that I craved was going to necessitate installing an upgrade kit to make this happen. Mr. Goodneedle agreed to do the installation and I placed the order. The job was a labor intensive one, but it's been accomplished and I couldn't be happier now to have the option of changing out my hopping feet depending on the project. "Why?", you may ask. Let me explain. Up until recently I had been perfectly happy quilting everything with my standard-issue 1/4" hopping foot. Here's that foot. It gets the job done, is a true 1/4" and works beautifully for both pantographs and ruler work. You might remember those T-shirt quilts that I did earlier this spring. This was the first time that I encountered differences in thicknesses while quilting on the pantograph (or back) side of the machine. Those stabilized T-shirts were slightly thicker than the sashing fabric and whenever this hopping foot would encounter a slightly raised seam it needed coaxing up and over. The stitching was still perfect, it was just part of the rhythm of quilting those two quilts. I knew about the scoop foot and it was these small "challenges" that led me to do the research and, ultimately, to place the order.

And here's the Scoop! As you can see, those cupped edges will smoothly travel up and over any differences in thickness, I love it!  I am so glad that I have opened myself up to a new option and have moved forward and made the change. How many times do we miss out on the very best when we're content to simply leave things the way they are because it requires less effort? I know that I can be guilty of that.

Speaking of the very best: here's another antique quilt top that was rescued to now live its BEST life! I was privileged to be able to quilt this one. Think about living your best life, what little changes are within your control to help make this happen? You never know, you might just be joyfully surprised!

I wish you all a happy Memorial Day today. 

This quilt isn't mine, (but I wish it was!!) it is from Quilted Threads, 

one of my favorite quilt shops, located in Henniker, NH.

Life is Good!  

Bye-bye, Blue-- Hello, Indi!

Over the last few days there have been some big changes around here. I decided it was time to sell my little convertible, Blue, and trade for something a bit more spacious. I have absolutely loved this car, it has served me well for the past fourteen years. But, the time had come to think about a new car. I had my eyes and heart set on a car that I could drive on road trips with my buddies and our luggage, sewing machines and assorted baggage. I needed cargo space. We spent last weekend looking and test-driving. When I drove a Ford Edge, I knew right away that I had found exactly what I was looking for! A dear friend from church, who was aware of my trade-in plan, spoke up on Sunday afternoon to inform me that Blue had a buyer-- she wanted the car! Mr. Goodneedle shined her up and the deal was finalized on Monday evening. Blue is going to a great home; that makes the farewell so much sweeter.

Bye-bye, Blue! 

Hello, Indi!

We picked Indi up yesterday afternoon, in a frog-strangling downpour! My first time driving her was in much less than favorable conditions; but that didn't dampen my excitement one little bit! I love her. She fits the bill for space and comfort; there's some technology that will take some getting used to but I am an eager learner.  The one thing that I already know is that we will have many fun adventures together. Her name, "Indi" is short for Indigo. Welcome, home, Indi; where shall we go next?

Life is Good!

Subtle Shifts

Things are changing... albeit slowly, the shifts are subtle ones. The changes take place one. day. at. a. time. Who notices such things as they occur? But then, all of a sudden, it has happened. The mornings grow just a degree or two cooler when I step outside to walk each day. One by one the darkening evenings happen a moment or two sooner. The green leaves of summer surrender their edges to nature's paintbrush for a makeover. The landscape is transformed. Summer releases her grip and slowly, silently, slips into fall. Babies become first graders.

Time marches on and waits for noone.

Hold on as tight as you can, enjoy each and every day; the shifts are subtle but changes will happen... celebrate them.

Life is Good!

 

Changing My Mind

I can't stand to be left out... even when it's been by my own design, I didn't have the time to start the Summer Sampler sew-along from Temecula Quilt Company this time. I had done the Alphabet Sampler last fall and enjoyed it, but I just didn't need to start one more project. Quiltkeemosabe showed me her 4" blocks on Wednesday when I was at her house, hers were wonderful. I was still resistant, but wearing down. On the drive back home I kept thinking about those cute little blocks. My mother had bestowed upon me her leftover black and white scraps from a recently finished quilt. "I wonder"... I thought, "how would those blocks look in all black prints with a controlled background fabric"?  You can see for yourself. I've finished week #1. I'm late to this party (they're already on week #7) but the blocks are small and I am eager, I'll catch up. I believe I'll set mine alternately with the flax linen blend shown behind the blocks, this looks classy to me. Do you ever decide that you're too busy to participate in "this", "that" or "the other thing" and then wish later that you could have joined in the fun? I do it all the time. I've tried to learn to loosen up a little and refocus, I know that if I don't I'll miss out on a lot. Like all this cuteness!

I've been saving all of my own leftover scraps from past projects into a designated laundry-sized basket for a few years. I had intended to take a day each month to press them and cut them into usable sizes. These scraps were (in my estimation) too small to shelve but too large to toss. The appointed "cutting days" never quite made it to my calendar and the days filled up with other activities... however, that basket filled up too. This week I dragged it out and sighed, the idea of spending time and energy on these scraps was daunting and, frankly, a little draining. I wanted to change my mind about ever holding onto them in the first place but somehow I felt committed to seeing the task through. My husband walked through the room while I was deliberating this decision. He asked me why I felt obligated to a basketful of scraps, I really couldn't answer. "Throw them out", he advised, "and don't look back, it's not like you're going to run out of fabric anytime soon".  I took his advice, the scraps went straight to the trash can (he volunteered to do it for me, I didn't have the heart). He was right, I was liberated from something I thought I ought to do and am rejoicing once again after having changed my mind! Lesson learned, I'm not going to beat myself up over altering courses either, I'm blessed that I have that prerogative.

And sew, here I go... 

(quite contentedly using someone else's scraps!)

Life is Good!

Goodbye, Summer!

Today, as I sit here wearing a pair of white slacks for the last time this season, I am thinking about how quickly the summer has sped by and stare in disbelief at a newly turned calendar page... how on earth can it be September already?  Back in April, when my parents were visiting here, they bought us a small Black-Eyed Susan plantling... I remember the anticipation associated with its potential blooming as I set it into the garden. Well, that little plant took off and grew and bloomed with complete and glorious abandon; it didn't happen overnight but slowly, one day at a time, it got bigger and brighter and better! This plant turned out to be so much more beautiful and vibrant than I had even dared to hope; that's the same way I feel about this summer's passing. Let's face it, all time seems to speed by at breakneck velocity the older we get, but these last few months have been filled with happy days and priceless moments that defined my summer of 2014 as one even better than I had ever dreamed possible! Labor Day has always represented a major shift in my mind; either it was the end of summer for me and a new school year or it was that for our children when they were still at home. New schedules for fall, new classes, and the end of lazy, summer days used to bring a certain and distinct sadness to my heart and mind.

This is a photograph of my own daughter in 1981 on her first day of Kindergarten, looking at it, even today, still brings a lump to my throat.  My own children returning to school was always a bittersweet day for me when they were growing up, I wasn't a Mom who looked forward to summer's end, not one bit. Tomorrow my oldest grandson will sit in a Kindergarten classroom and this little girl, now the mother, will experience those same emotions that I felt back on this day 33 short years ago. Change happens, it's inevitable, but it happens ever so gradually, every single day! There are those markers that signal the transitions in a BIG way... like Labor Day screaming "summer's end" in our faces, or the first day of a new school year, but also happening at the same time, almost invisibly, are those quiet, daily, transitions as each hour and day slide one into the next. All of a sudden I've become acutely aware of time's passing as I stand, looking back at a string of yesterdays and realizing how precious every day, month and season has been... and how, just like that multi-bloomed Black-Eyed Susan demonstrated to me, they slowly combine and evolve to produce memories of days-gone-by that are so much more wonderful than I had ever even hoped that they would turn out to be!

Embrace today, change will occur tomorrow... it might be a big one or you may barely even notice it, but it will happen. This evening I'll hang my white slacks back in the closet one last time, it's my way of telling summer good-bye. I'm not sad anymore, though, today I am grateful. Why? Because today, on this last "official" day of summer, I find myself looking forward eagerly; ahead of me are a string of tomorrows that each hold the promise of something so much better than I can even imagine, or dare to hope.

Happy Labor Day... it's all good!

Life is Good!

The Colors of Fall

There's more to the changing colors of fall than the leaves on the trees. I spent Saturday potting up mums and pansies. Out with the once-vibrant (now spent and leggy) annuals and in with the lush, cool weather bloomers. It was back breaking work. I potted up a total of one dozen planters between the front porch and the patio, plus I hauled countless wheelbarrow loads of debris (plants, foliage, nutrient-depleted soil) back to the woods. This time of year is energizing to me. I'm ready for the change of seasons now, as well as the changing colors... bring it on! But, seriously, what's up with ALL THE ACORNS this year? Anyone in need of an oak tree 'starter'? Send me your address, I have a few (million) to spare!

Life is Good!

Cutting Corners

Hasbro is cutting the corners off of it's game board this year. The 75th anniversary edition of an American icon, Monopoly, will be round! The new game will have no cash, debit cards have replaced the little paper bills. I loved that money, our children used to play "bank" for hours on end with it. I'm sad, too, that the thimble has been replaced by a stand-up plastic playing piece, is nothing sacred? Could this be a repeat of the "new" Coke, will the public reject the change? I wonder; time will tell. It looks like the little houses remain the same, I see "Go" and I found "Jail", but what's the "Rocket Zone?" Hmmm... I just don't know how I feel about going in circles to get to Park Place.

Life is Good!

Then And Now

I posted about this subject earlier this summer, beginning a diet and removing my acrylic nails... big changes that happened at the same time. The nails were the easy part, I had to take drastic measures on the diet; counted calories, removed between meal snacks and eliminated desserts and empty calories. It wasn't fun, but the pounds did come off, slowly. I expected the s-l-o-w-l-y part, being a woman of, *ahem*, a certain age; but now that it's gone it's not going back on. No, it isn't; it will have to find somewhere else to live, somebody else's hips to hang out on. I was in denial, I even blamed the dryer for shrinking my jeans, (that's where I held onto the weight, below the belt) I have apologized to my Kenmore but it just stared back at me blankly; doubting my sincerity, I am certain. The hardest thing for me to give up were those little square cheese crackers in the red box, (you know the ones), I could devour fistfuls of them at a time! Once I was able to control the afternoon craving for those my life did get easier. Of course there's nothing new, magical or different about practicing some much needed self-control and ramping up the physical exercise. It's the same old formula for losing weight that it's always been, the simple one that I seem to forget all too easily over and over again. But no more, now, with the hint of chill in the early autumn air, I can feel the benefits from months of sacrificing bad habits for a healthier lifestyle in small ways that mean a great deal: more energy, a favorite belt that isn't too tight anymore (just being able to tuck shirts in!) and rings that slip on and off the way they are supposed to. Less food, better choices, huge results~ go figure!

Life is Good!
...and even better when clothes fit...

As Much As Things Change...

... it seems that they remain the same! I keep a journal, I have for many years. I record hopes, dreams, aspirations, goals. While hunting for something else(!) the other day I happened upon a journal from 1996, this entry from early January caught my eye and held my attention, it was a list:

1. Become better organized.
2. Finish old projects before beginning new ones, namely (here was a list of 6 quilts I was working on at that time)*
3. Pay attention to weight by eating smart.
4. Be more patient.
5. Exercise daily. ( see entry #3!)
6. Pray deliberately and diligently.

*It might be of interest to note that only 3 of the listed 6 quilts are finished~ 12+ years later!

I could easily write this very same list today! It's sobering (and a little scary) to discover that my hopes, my goals, haven't changed one bit since then. I'm still working on, and wishing for, the very same things! And yet, as much as it seems that things remain unchanged, our little Mason is changing... he's ten weeks old now and growing sweeter and more precious by the day!

... I think I'll go to work on a new list...
Life is Good!