Valentine's Day

Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day. 💗I finished this cute little cross-stitch just in time for the occasion. It's been a very long time since I've done any of this, Quiltkeemosabe made me up a little kit with this pattern, the linen and the thread. She introduced me to stitching over two and I just love it. 

This sweet little applique piece was a birthday gift from a dear friend twenty two years ago. She sent it to me when we were living overseas, at a time when I missed all of my friends and family so very much. It meant the world to me then, as it still does today. I get it out in time for Valentine's Day every year. 

Another treasured Valentine memento, an antique Valentine from Quiltkeemosabe many years ago. Today, during the children's sermon at church, our pastor explained about St. Valentine and how, as a Roman priest under the rule of Emperor Claudius, he defied a decree that all soldiers remain unmarried; Valentine continued to marry Christian couples in the church, albeit secretly. He believed that the government had no say in love and matters of the heart, and if couples came to him to be joined in marriage he did just that. Ultimately he was killed for his beliefs and acts contrary to those laws set down by Claudius. I never fully understood the story behind St. Valentine's martyrdom until today. Now I better comprehend the covertness associated with slipping a Valentine to a secret love. Who says that children's sermons are only for children? After all, aren't we all children of God?

My Valentine surprised me at the breakfast table this morning with this beautiful orchid.

He's been my one-and-only bestest Valentine for a very long time now, and that's no secret at all!

💗 

Love never fails!

Blessed Beyond Measure

Yesterday was one day to reflect on what we're truly thankful for, to give voice to the blessings in our lives. We gathered with family around our son's table and did just that. My greatest blessing is the love of this one man. We've been together since high school; the span between these two snapshots in time is almost fifty years. We are thankful to God for health, for family and for blessings beyond measure.

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. 

Love never ends." 1 Corinthians 31:7-8

Life is Good!

Monday, Wash Day!

You remember the old chore for each day-of-the-week philosophy adhered to by our grandmothers? It was so popular it was even stitched onto dishtowels. Monday is Wash Day. Well, maybe not here. Not today. Last week, also on Monday, our trusty washer konked out. Mr. Goodneedle quickly attended to the problem. Armed with tools to disassemble the machine and a volt-meter in hand to test electrical components he diagnosed the problem as the pump and ordered a replacement. The new pump went in a few days later, all was well; we were back in clean clothes. I was ready to move on. Apparently "old trusty" (we've had this front-loader since 2002) had other ideas! So, this morning, I am doing a humungous load of wet towels; (dishwasher malfunction from last evening-- another story for another day) when I hear a LOUD bang (think gunshot) followed by an ear-piercing squeal, I ran to the laundry room. When I opened the door the room was filled with smoke. I grabbed the power cord and unplugged it. I redirected the fan from drying underneath the dishwasher to redirecting the smoke from the laundry area. Hey, when it rains it pours! I figured it was time to go back to our discussion from last week as to when it would be time to replace rather than repair. But, undaunted, Mr. Goodneedle appeared to ask for a replay of the noises that took down the washer once again. "I wonder if it could be the drive belt?", he asked. "Did the smoke smell like rubber or electrical?" he asked. I didn't know that my sniffer was qualified to differentiate between the two. The back of the washer came off and a broken, shredded drive belt was resurrected from the recesses if the machine.

As luck would have it, we happened to have a spare drive belt! Who has happens to have one of those??  Apparently we do, we're back in business-- once again!

Life is Good!

Really and truly it is. On this Thanksgiving week I am truly thankful for a husband who can fix things; actually, for a husband that will happily and uncomplainingly put fixing things above everything else. We recently lost a dear friend, he died suddenly. I constantly think of his wife and wonder, even out loud, what I would do without my husband. I cannot even imagine. 

Join me. Count your blessings and take your chores one day at a time.

Monday- Wash day.

Tuesday- Ironing day.

Wednesday- Sewing day.

Thursday- Market day.

Friday- Cleaning day.

Saturday- Baking Day.

Sunday- A day of rest.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Skill Sets

My husband can do just about anything he sets his mind to; if it's something he's never tackled before he can, and will, figure it out.  All summer and into the early fall he spent all of his spare time restoring a 1950 Farmall Super-A tractor, he learned a lot along the way. (If you asked him he would probably tell you that he learned he won't ever do that again!) It is now a parade-worthy show piece.

Just like that he's onto his next self-appointed project: finishing the stairwell into the basement. He has big plans for custom oak paneling below an integrated hand rail. When we built the house fifteen years ago pine treads were installed, temporarily; yesterday this was the sight I found when I opened the door-- the wall board has been removed below the rail and those temporary treads have disappeared half-way down, just the sub-floor remains. He's driven; suffice it to say he doesn't let any grass grow under his feet!  I can hear the table saw buzzing in the workshop below my studio as he works. I know his vision will soon be realized and the stairwell will be so pretty we won't want to ever close the door from the foyer.  In the meantime I am working on his Christmas gift behind a locked door, it is a top-secret surprise that is taking up every spare minute that I have. I am working completely out of my comfort zone, a big stretch for me, developing (hopefully) a skill that I might use again; only time and the finished product will tell. He knows I am making something for him, he's been instructed to knock and wait for a reply. This is how a dinnertime conversation between us went a few evenings ago:
Mr. G: "What are you working on?"
me: "You'll see soon enough."
Mr. G: "I never heard the sewing machine running."
me: "Am I that one-dimensional? Don't you think I can do something that's non-sewing related?"
Mr. G: "I don't know, what are you working on?"
He's good. His skill sets may be vast and varied, but getting me to slip and reveal a secret isn't in his wheelhouse; he's going to have to work on that one! I will keep my guard up though, he's determined!

Life is Good!

On this, the tenth day of November, I am grateful for opportunities to stretch 

my mind and abilities by trying new things... and, accepting the results.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband today! That's him, on the right, with Jay North at Tweetsie Railroad; 

I am guessing that this photo was taken in or around 1962. Wasn't he cute? He still is!

Life is Good!

Let There Be Light

When you're married to a retired engineer there are always interesting projects going on at home and even more interesting and creative solutions happening!  It was time to change the chandelier in our foyer, the one that's been hanging there for fourteen years was never exactly what we had wanted in the first place, not to mention the fact that the brass plating was turning color. But, how to remove a fixture that's suspended 19 feet high?  Mr. Goodneedle constructed scaffolding, he even clamped the ladder to the platform. I can write about this now because it all turned out to be okay and without injury, but, I assure you, I thought I would suffer a stroke before the chandelier was succesfully replaced!  So, back to the chandelier replacement itself... what, exactly, did we want for a fixture? The retired engineer-turned-woodworker had an idea. For quite some time now he's been keeping the wood lathe very busy. 
Here's the new chandelier, hand crafted in its entirety from cherry wood (except for the innards, the metal conduit and wiring). He added a ceiling medallion while the scaffolding was erected. There's a soft "down light" incorporated into the bottom turned portion of the fixture, I didn't get that in the photo above.

Here is a closer shot of the fixture, in all of its hand-rubbed glory!

Yep, this is it... just what we wanted, lovingly made to order.

Let there be light. And there was light. And it was good.

Life is Good!

Off To A Good Start

The week's off to a good start! I loaded up "Think Positive!" yesterday and finished quilting it today. I chose a wool/cotton batting and a new, to me, pantograph: Curls by Beany Girl Quilts. I'm excited about the overall effect, it's nice to have this one ready to bind.

I found a perfectly suited backing fabric for this one; well, actually, Mr. Goodneedle found the piece. We were in a fabric store together, I was looking for a soft, low volume print to back it with when he discovered this one. "What do you think?" he asked. I think he has an excellent eye is what I think! 

Life is Good!

Improvements At The Strawberry Patch

I received an early (1 month +) birthday present yesterday, compliments of my super-talented husband!  Here it is, mounted on the wall in the studio; a solid oak, hand crafted cabinet.  I've wanted one for years, but the one that he made for me is even better than what I thought I wanted. Originally I had a floor-standing cabinet in  mind, he improved on my idea by making it a much slimmer profile (only 4.5" off the wall) and hanging it so that I didn't lose the electrical outlet underneath or have one more thing standing on the floor collecting dust beneath it where the vacuum won't reach.  In case you haven't guessed what this custom cabinet was built to contain...

...yep, cones of longarm thread; releasing them from an over-crowded drawer where they were all jumbled up together! 

Now, at a glance, I know exactly what I have on hand; and even have plenty of room to expand inventory.

Luckily, we had four of these cabinet door pulls leftover from the original cabinetry that he made; aren't they just perfect for The Strawberry Patch?

As if the cabinet improvement wasn't enough... we re-did the design wall on Saturday. After 13 years on the wall the outer fabric surface had pulled away from the backing and was stretched out and sagging badly. We took it all down, peeled the fabric off and restretched, remounted and rehung the new, improved, face-lifted design wall back into position.

Life is Good!

Life With A Carpenter

Since my husband retired he has been busy honing his woodworking skills; our home has become the lucky beneficiary of his projects.  Not too long ago he decided the time was right to replace the moulding on the door opening between our dining room and foyer.  His idea was to create custom raised panel sections to match the panels below the chair rail in both rooms; I'd say he succeeded, it looked fine before but it is simply beautiful now! There are more projects such as this one on the horizon; next: a medallion on the dining room ceiling around the chandelier. I am so proud of his mad carpentry skills!

 He is as busy now as he's ever been; maybe even more so.

Life is Good!

Good, Better, BEST!

While a husband who brings home flowers is good, and one who brings home flowers and chocolate is even better, one who brings home a bucket of these is the BEST! 

Life is Good!

Mountain Day!

I've been grabbing bits of time here and there to piece these split nine-patches; as I complete one I pin it to the wall. Row upon row, the quilt top is taking shape... like peaks on so many mountains this layout reminds me of the term "long-range layered views", which often appears in realtor's write-ups for the classifieds on mountain properties. Earlier this week a joy-filled memory came to mind from my college days, forty years ago! I went to a small Junior (2 yr.) College in Montpelier, VT. Back in those days, as the fall foliage came into peak color, we were surprisingly treated to an impromptu holiday! As students we didn't learn that classes had been canceled for the day until we descended the stairs to the dining hall for breakfast and were greeted by a large sign that read: "Today is Mountain Day"! We boarded buses and were transported to Stowe for hiking and nature in all its glory. Lunch was provided and we were bused back to campus by dinnertime. It was a great day, enjoyed by all and still happily recalled, all these years later! This happy, scrappy quilt has been named Mountain Day and will serve as a permanent reminder of those happy times!

Alongside my sewing machines I've used small, plastic, stackable boxes to catch my threads and dog-ears. The other day I was down in my husband's workshop and I found these two, turned, wooden bowls which he had just sitting on the work bench. I took them (wooden you?) and replaced my plastic boxes with his handiwork. I like these so much better than what I had before! I'm glad that I took them, they make me smile.I believe he must be happy that I'm enjoying them too... he didn't ask for them back!

Life is Good!

Ready To Roll!

I am so excited to show you the new place that my Accuquilt Die Cutter calls home... the stash closet! Since Christmas it had taken up residence on top of one of my sewing machine tables, this was only a temporary measure; the Studio model isn't the "Go!" (portable) and was too heavy for me to move around the room when I needed space at the machine. I thought about shopping for a rolling cart and mentioned that to my husband, one that would allow me to move the cutter in and out of the closet as needed. My resident woodworker took some measurements and went about building me something much nicer than a rolling cart, he had the vision of creating a custom cabinet with drop leaves for work space and three drawers (plus a cubby) for storage; it is perfect! (I snapped this photo, above, before the drawers were completed.) Here it is, below; in all of its glory, I have created a photo collage highlighting the cabinet's features. This beauty  rolls smoothly on casters so that I can use it wherever I would like and then roll it back into the closet at the end of the day.

Life is Good!

Mr. Goodneedle...

... the furniture craftsman. I am so proud of his work. Nana better get busy and get Gregory's quilt finished now, so the gift can be complete!

Life is Good!

One Word Wednesday

Graceful~

Life is Good!

Movin' On Up...

I would have been perfectly happy to have continued on with painted walls all the way down to the baseboard in the foyer but my husband knew how much better it would look with raised panel wainscoting... he was so right! I can barely remember how it looked before. I'm so proud of my husband, he is wonderfully talented when it comes to woodworking and home improvement. In this collage you are looking at five photographs; the top and bottom are each one picture and the middle section is composed of three different views. Now he's movin' on up... the stairwell! A handyman's work is never done.

Life is Good!

It's All In The Details

My husband likes projects, since he retired he's had time to devote to them start to finish, which makes him very happy. He completely redid his mother's kitchen last fall and built a few bookcases for the grandchildren for Christmas. He was itching to start a new project again and decided it was time to make the raised panel wainscoting for our dining room! Of course, it won't be confined to the dining room as there's no natural stopping point; so, it continues out into the foyer, around the corner and up the stairs. It is going to be beautiful, he does amazing work.The board that you see here (at chair rail height) is the backer to a gorgeous piece of moulding that will mount on the surface and wrap around the column and beyond. The angles need precision cuts for the profile to connect and flow perfectly and appear seamless , the inside and outside angle joins provide a challenge; something quilters know, understand and completely appreciate.  Home improvement is an ongoing state of affairs here at Chez Goodneedle; whether it's a clean closet or custom woodwork, the beauty is all in the details.

Life is Good!

Awestruck!

I'm seldom at a loss for words, this morning was an exception. I had mentioned a while back that I would like an end table in the studio, one like the photo on the left. My husband listened and made some measurements... then he got busy, very busy! His mother had a flood in her kitchen a little over a month ago from a leaking water line and the resulting kitchen renovation has required almost all of my husband's time; at least those hours from pre-dawn clear through to post-dusk! The kitchen project is coming along, but cabinets needed to be replaced, and counter tops, and the floor... you get the picture. This morning I made my way into the studio, turned on the lights, and was greeted by this wonderful table! He hasn't had any time to work on anything else, I was truly awestruck (still am). "When?" was all that I could croak out. He hugged me and wished me a happy birthday. I am blessed; what a guy!

Thanks, honey~

Life is Good!