Good Luck!

I am continuing with my deliberate efforts to use up ever-accumulating scraps! This is the Good Luck Pouch that I recently made for our oldest granddaughter. I used leftover squares from the Amarillo Sky quilt. I made the small one, measuring at 8"W X 3"H, it's a perfect size for stashing small treasures while traveling or when she's on the go. She loved it. I followed the instructions to a "T",  and really was pleased with the way it went together. All of the seams are finished and bound on the inside. I found a few zippers laid back and some Soft & Stable in the stash closet, I suppose I was holding on to them for just this reason?! (More Good Luck? I'd say so, yes!!)   

I hope that she'll get lots of use out of it. I still have enough left over squares to make the companion, larger (10"W X 4"H), pouch as well. I might just do that; waste not, want not, right? If you're looking for a quick and easy gift idea that's as useful as it is good looking, I'd consider this one; click on the hyperlink above to download the pattern by Center Street Quilts!

Life is Good!

Mother's Day and Beyond...

The weekend before last was a busy one, full of special treats. On Saturday we were treated to a dance recital in the morning. Lynnleigh shone, literally!  She sent us this "preview" before she left home. 

Here she is with her dance troupe. (Gregory was the official photographer.) She did just great!

Straight from there our sweet daughter met me and treated me to lunch and a manicure and pedicure.

 And, as if that wasn't enough, she made this for me! Needlepoint is a fairly new pursuit for her, it keeps her hands and mind occupied (and off her phone, according to her) while she sits at the pool waiting at Lucy Ann's swim practices. I think she's become quite adept at this, not only at the needlepoint but the finishing as well (admittedly, that's not her favorite part). I will treasure this Nativity ornament forever. 

The following day our son cooked de-constructed kabobs for us, as well as for our DIL and her parents;  We were treated to plates full of bite-sized beef, shrimp, chicken, smoked sausage and roasted veggies. It was deliciously superb!

So, as this post is so aptly titled; this is a Mother's Day and beyond post. Thanks for indulging me. This past weekend we provided the altar flowers at church in honor and celebration of an upcoming MAJOR wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe; we couldn't be more thankful for the life, and the years, that God has given to us. The Butterfly Bush pictured at the top of this post was given to us as a memorial to my mother. It is a poignant reminder, on many levels. But, you see those blooms beginning? They first emerged, buds turning to blooms, exactly on May 11th; yep, Mother's Day!  I know that my own precious mother is smiling, she would just love this. 

And one more thing. I ran across this the other day, can't remember where; but it resonated with me.

Maybe it will with you too.

Life is Good!

It really, truly is. 

 

Wedges Gone Wild!

I know, it's been a while. I'm still here... still sewing up a storm. If you recall, from a former post, my latest obsession was the wedge block. Well, I'm still at it with this strip pieced variation. These wedges appear to be spinning out of control! This 16 block small wall quilt measures 28" square right now, I have plans for borders; we'll see how this progresses. Now, back to the scrappy Kaleidoscope block quilt that I was working on before these strips took over! 

Spring is arriving around here in fits and starts. I'm enjoying the longer daylight hours and the warmer daytime temperatures for sure. I dug out my bare-root geraniums that were wintering over in cardboard boxes in the basement and potted them up last week. They're sitting outside and acclimating to new pots and fresh soil, at this time it looks like five out of six have survived to live another season, not bad. 

Spring break from school included some time here with the grands. Lynnleigh is working on her embroidery stitches with her companion who's always eager to share a seat with anyone who settles in.

I finished up this cross stitch last week, "Strawberry Basket" from Notforgotten Farm.; I'm unsure how I'll finish it right now; but, it's checked off the list and I've begun another pinkeep, a smaller one, from Summer House Stiche Works.

In between time: sourdough breadmaking continues, these variations on the theme took over the kitchen last week. I end up giving bread to friends and neighbors as Mr. G and I can't possibly eat all the bread that my ever-demanding starter requires!  I'll be turning my attention outdoors for the next few days as the perennial garden is beginning to show signs of bright green life and needs a bit of cleaning up. 

What's taking up your time and energy these days?

Life is Good!

Day Brightener!

Look at what I received this morning; isn't it just the best?!! It was created for me by our DIL and Lynnleigh, I couldn't love it more! Our DIL got a sublimation printer for Christmas. You can click on the hyper link for more info, this was all new to me; I'm so VERY excited about the result!

I'm including a day brightener for you, too; a dear friend texted this to me yesterday. It hits close to home. 

Are you smiling? 

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! 

💗

Birthday Shopping Through The Years

It's been an annual excursion for the birthday girl through the years, a trip to the American Girl store. Yesterday was the day. Even though she is fully nine years old (and sixteen days, but who's counting), this year illness and other commitments had delayed our trip for a few weeks. She was so excited that she awakened yesterday morning at 2:15 AM in anticipation of our day!

This was the first time that we went, she was three. She is every bit as a discriminating shopper now as she was back in 2016. We looked at everything every. single. thing(!), but she kept circling back around to the Ski and Snack Shop as well as the bench and fire pit.

She had birthday money and a gift card to spend, she was seriously careful and deliberate with her calculations and told me, at long last, that she had made her final selections; it was a joyful time! 

She's grown, through the years, and so has her "wish list". That's okay, you're only a little girl once!

Time. Slow. Down! She'll only be nine for such a brief, fleeting, time; 

these are, truly, golden days for making memories to last a lifetime.

This rascal may have hitchhiked a ride home with us too. 😉 Every ski shop needs a rescue pup.

Life is Good!

Then and Now

When Lynnleigh was born, eight short years ago, I was required to wear a mask for our first meeting. I had a bad cold at the time but that wasn't going to keep me from holding our new granddaughter; oh, no! Little did I know then that mask-wearing would ever become the norm! We were eager to recreate this iconic moment today. Happy birthday, Lynnleigh; you've made these past eight years a joy (and you've grown just a teeny bit too 😉)!

Life is Good!

A-MAZE-ing!

Last weekend, to usher in the New Year, I had a heavy date with my Accuquilt die cutter. Slowly and surely I worked my way through all of the scraps from 2020 that had accumulated in the bottom clear up to the top of my basket! By Saturday evening this was a most welcome sight: 

Each and every scrap had been cut into the largest, usable, pieces and the bins had been generously fed!

As of today I have this scrappy quilt top together. The pattern is Mazed by Kristi Daum. She has other scrap-friendly patterns at this (linked) site too. Mine has been modified, size-wise, by the amount of the white background that I happened to have lurking in the stash; this will finish up at 54" X 66" which will be a generous lap-sized quilt. It is ear-marked as the first donation quilt for this year. I barely made a dent in my over-filled 2.5" squares bin!

Here's the bin after using 396 squares out of it to create the "Mazed" top, at this rate I can make many more with little (to no) fear of running low anytime soon. 

This was a fun activity: Lynnleigh spent lots of time arranging (and rearranging) the blocks on the floor to create her own custom labyrinths. I believe that she is old enough this summer to begin piecing blocks by herself on the machine; this might be a good one for her to start with. 

There's really no rhyme or reason the layout, each block can be twisted and turned as you go. I pieced the entire top by webbing it together (top left photo). I have good luck with that method and the seam allowances, when pressed alternately, mesh together nicely for a smooth finish row to row. So, what's your first top of the new year? I've got something on the quilt frame now, too. Stay tuned for that "ta-da" finish. 

Life is Good!