Lessons From Mama - Block #2

Yesterday, I picked up the December kit for the "Lessons from Mama" BOM. I came straight home and cut out the pieces for the block. Then, this morning, I sewed them together...and it's done!! Yay! I'm really trying to complete each block when I receive the kit so that it will be complete at the end of the year. I'm implementing new habits!! So far, so good! The picture is dark (going to have to learn about lighting and taking pictures!!)...the color of the stars are a pretty cranberry-ish color. The block measures 18-1/2".

TAG! I'm It!!

My friend, Laura, tagged me to share about the 6th photo in my 6th folder! I was a little worried at first, because I don't have 6 folders of photos!! The computer I use belongs to my son, who now uses a Mac Book and has no current need for a desktop unit. He has loads of photos neatly arranged in folders on the computer, and I was afraid that folder #6 would be one of his. But it's one of MINE!! Yay! So, without further ado, here is the 6th photo in folder #6! This photo was taken on May 12, 2007 on the occasion of my son's graduation from Hillsdale College. He is holding his niece (my sweet granddaughter), Allyson. Hard to believe that Jacob graduated college almost 2 years ago! He is now teaching high school Latin and Humanities at a private school in St. Louis.

A Little Bit of Nostalgia

While cleaning out the linen closet last week, I came upon this old pillowcase from my childhood! I received this pillowcase as a Christmas gift from my brother when we were both in grade school. Craig has always been a talented artist, much like our Dad, and this is evidence of his early start. He used a set of those ball-point paints (something "new" at the time) to create the image, and if memory serves me well, he also made several other sets of pillowcases that year, for our grandparents, as gifts.

Paid to Shop!

I was paid to shop today! I was paid $11.02 for buying the items in the photo!! I received 1 box of Rice Krispies, 1 bottle of Arm & Hammer Laundry detergent, 4 bags of Hershey's holiday chocolates (in various flavors), 4 Hershey's candy bars, 3 toothbrushes, 8 rolls of Scotch brand tape, 2 Johnson & Johnson First Aid kits, 1 package of Cascade dishwasher soap, and a roll of Reynold's Wrap! My total at the store, after coupons, was $1.68, but I will get another $12.70 in rebates, resulting in the $11.02 overage! Did I mention that I had $41.37 in coupons...making my store purchase $43.05 before coupons and rebates! Another "Cyndi" for sure!! I am a long time coupon shopper and rebater, and I so enjoy finding the bargains, especially the ones that "pay"!!

Removing Wallpaper

Yesterday, I began the process of removing the old wallpaper from the master bedroom closet. We already went through this process for the master bedroom, itself, when we moved in, but did not have time to do the closet. So the closet has sat empty (well, sort of...it had become a "collect-all" for various odds and ends!!), waiting to be finished. There were only 2 layers of wallpaper in the closet! The top layer, the oh-so-pretty green, was applied in the late 1970's or early 1980's. The second layer, the lighter color on the plaster wall, was probably original to the house. As I remove the old paper, I am finding an occasional horse hair from the paste used to apply the wallpaper! There are a few minor cracks in the plaster that my husband will repair, and then I will apply the new wallpaper. It will be soooooo nice to have my clothes back in the closet!! They have been resting on racks in the bedroom since we moved in!!!

Lessons From Mama

My local quilt shop started a new Block of the Month last Saturday. For the past 2 years, the shop has had the Thimbleberries Big Quilt Block of the Month program. This year, the shop owner decided enough of the Thimbleberries BOM, and decided on "Lessons From Mama" by Atkinson Designs. I purchased the book, and then, each month, I will get a new kit for that month's block! I'm excited that I have already completed the first block before November ended!!! Perhaps I'm on to something!!

The First Fall of Snow

Woke up this morning to our first snowfall! Only received about 1-1/2", and it's a wet snow at that. This is the view from the front porch, looking northward. Sure does put some life into singing those fun Christmas-time songs!!

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
but the fire is so delightful.
And since we've no place to go,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

Mailman's Offering!

Look what the Mailman brought!! A box full of goodies that I won from Sweet Liberty's blog giveaway!! I still can't believe I actually won all of this...2 "Coming Home" charm packs, 2 patterns, a cute hot chocolate mug, some peppermint hot chocolate, and a box of candy!! Whoo-hoo!! Thank you so much, Jennifer!

(Sorry for the dark photo...again!!)

Birthday Surprises!

My birthday was Saturday, and I had a fun day! First, my son called earlier in the week and left a message on my voice mail wishing me an early "Happy Birthday", then my husband took the day off from work, and we spent the day delivering shoe boxes for Operation: Christmas Child, searching through antique shops, and enjoying an evening meal at a new restaurant. My sister sent me a fun quilty box full of the goodies in the picture...2 bundles of wool felt, thread, cupcake fabric, pattern book, and a fun tote bag(oops...the tote bag must have been camera shy!)! When we returned home, there was the sweetest message waiting for me on our answering machine...an adorable rendition of "Happy Birthday to you" sung by my 3 year old granddaughter! You can bet that message won't be erased! And to top it off, yesterday, Mom took me to lunch at another fun restaurant in an historic hotel and gave me money for fabric shopping! I am truly blessed!

Shoebox Time!

It's shoebox time! Every year, for the past 15-16 years, my family has filled shoebox gifts for Operation: Christmas Child. And each year, we try to fill at least one more box than the previous year. Last year we filled 62 boxes...we are hoping for near 70 this time around! This is so much fun, and something that all ages can participate in. My family collects items for the boxes all year long (thereby making it much easier to fill 60+ boxes), taking advantage of sales and other bargains. Then, in early to mid November, we gather all of the stuff we have collected, and start filling boxes.

Mom and I filled about 30 boxes today...we hope to have the rest finished by tomorrow.

It's not too late for you to fill a shoebox! The nationwide collection drive runs through November 24. Check out Samaritan's Purse's website for a drop-off location near you!

Helping Others

In addition to finishing up on some of my UFO's, I've been working on a few other projects for some good causes! The 30's reproduction quilt is for a friend that was just diagnosed with cancer. Our Tuesday quilting group wanted to wrap her in a great big hug, so we each made a block or two and put them together into a comfy quilt. A friend will be quilting it, and it should be around her shoulders soon!

The second quilt was made for a friend's Dad, who was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. Again, our Tuesday quilting group decide to make a cozy quilt to comfort Dad while he lives out his last days, and to let our friend know that we were thinking about her and praying for her. The quilt is soooo much more prettier in person! It was made from fall colored flannels, and makes you just want to cuddle up with it! Another friend from the group quilted it and did an outstanding job...unfortunately, you cannot see it from the photo.

Lastly, the third photo is a quilt I made for our local chapter of Project Linus. The fabric came from an online ABC Swap. Each person picks a letter of the alphabet, chooses a fabric to represent that letter, and then cuts out 27 ten inch squares. In turn, each participant will receive 26 alphabetical squares, with the 27th set going to charity. The hostess picked Project Linus, and this is what I chose for the quilt top.

Pinwheels on Parade

I finished another UFO today!! Hooray!! The 10" red and white pinwheel blocks were from an online swap several years ago. I needed to make a few more to make this quilt the size I wanted. I picked up the pretty red border fabric on Friday at my new local quilt shop, Stitch-n-Tyme , and put it on this morning! The photo is dark, something I have trouble with when taking photos in the house, but the reds are so pretty! Did I mention that red is my favorite color? Can't wait to get this one quilted! I've been working on several other UFO's, so maybe I will get them completed, and photos posted here later!

Side Tracked!

Yep!!! Instead of finishing some of the projects I've already started, I just had to make something new!! This was a pattern that I bought at the AQS show last month in Des Moines. It's called "Jolene Star" by Laundry Basket Quilts. It was fun to do, although a little bit of a learning curve for me! This pattern came with a set of 3 acrylic templates, so cutting was a bit slow...and I had to cut off a gazillion little "bunny ears"! The table topper measures 24" x 28". Quilting it via the sewing machine is next.

Fall Is In The Air!

Finished up another UFO yesterday! This was a kit I received last fall in an online swap. The pattern is Little Bits: Fallen Leaves by Cindi Edgerton. It is a paper-pieced pattern, which I love to do!! It is now complete, sandwiched with batting and backing, and I hope to have it quilted this week. Just trying to decide if I should hand quilt or machine quilt. It is small enough (22" x 22") that hand quilting would be very doable for me.

Look Who's 3!

Happy, Happy Birthday, Sweet Allyson!

Grandma loves you
bunches!

FINALLY!!!!!

I finished my 2007 Thimbleberries House and Garden Big Club quilt!!!!! Why I waited so long to finish, I don't know. I've had the inner quilt completed, and the borders pieced and cut, just waiting to be put on. For some reason, I thought the borders were not going to go on very easy...but I was VERY wrong! They went on slick! It is a big quilt, so the photo is not so good!! Didn't have anyone to hold the top up for me, so I had to lay it on the floor, and it was too big for the camera's viewfinder!!! Now to get it quilted. And since I've finished the 2007 quilt, I can now start on the 2008 Thimbleberries Big Club quilt!! I think I'm doing pretty good here, as 2008 is not over yet!! LOL!!! One can hope!

A Gift from God

Happy 23rd Birthday, Jacob!


I prayed for this child,
and the LORD has
granted me
what I asked
of him.
So now I give him
to the LORD.
For his whole life
he will be given over
to the LORD.

1 Samuel 1:27-28

Whew! What A Busy Few Weeks!

It sure has been a busy few weeks! It started off
with a trip to Tennessee and the marriage of our daughter! She was a beautiful bride. We brought our granddaughter home with us for a week, to play with Grandma and Grandpa!! On our trip home from Tennessee, we received word that my sweet mother-in-law had passed away, and so, after a 12 hour drive from Tennessee, we unpacked the suitcase and repacked, so that my husband could fly to Seattle to be with his family. Did I mention that it's a 3 hour drive to the airport!! Only 3 hours of sleep was had that night! So hubby went to Seattle, and granddaughter and I stayed home and played. Ally went home yesterday, and Grandma is recouping!! LOL!!! Oh, to have the energy these little ones possess!!

Planning Ahead

I finished up 2 sets of blocks this weekend for an upcoming online Primitive Folk Art Applique swap I'm participating in. The first is from an embroidery pattern by The Country Cellar that I thought would be cute done in applique. The sunflower is from a quilt book I had.

The swap blocks are not due until next month, but I will have my granddaughter here for a week or so and will not have time to work on them once she is here. Then, my sister and I will be heading to Des Moines for the AQS show the beginning of October.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my Mom's 71st birthday!

Born September 12, 1937, Betty Lu, and her twin brother Bobby Lee, are the 10th and 11th of 12 children born to Ada and Dale Fullerton. May God bless her with many, many more years!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

$5.26

That's what I paid for these groceries...$5.26! 6 boxes of cereal, 2 large boxes of Pop Tarts, 2 packages of Keebler cookies, 1 package of crunchy Cheetos, 1 tube of Colgate toothpaste, and 2 sticks of Right Guard deodorant. This is what my Mom and I affectionately refer to as a "Cyndi" (Cyndi is my sister, and she is the coupon and bargain-finder queen. She is one of those who can get $250.00 worth of groceries for $25.00! The store clerk closes her lane to ring her purchases up, because it takes a while to run the coupons through.)! I have been a coupon shopper and rebater for more than 25 years! As I have not held a job outside of the home for 23 years, I have always looked for ways to save some of the hard earned money my husband makes. And, besides, it's fun to shop for the bargains! Now, I, nor my family, do not always eat or use some of the items that I get, so they are given to friends or family, donated to the local food bank or woman's shelter, or put in shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Just this last week, I took a large shopping bag full of dog and cat food (all free with coupons!) to my local animal shelter. They were thrilled to receive the donation! Over the course of the year, the coupons accumulate to hundreds and hundreds of dollars saved...that means more money for fabric, a new sewing machine, vacation, or ????

Working My Way To Cumberland

I'm ready for a little update on my "Cumberland" blocks. They are done, and laid out on a bed, for the finished effect. Too bad the picture is so dark. It really does look pretty. I just need to finish making the hst for the border, then I can sew this all together! Stay tuned...

A Day for a Wedding

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in Northern Missouri. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, a light breeze blew, and the humidity was low! A perfect day for an outside wedding. Our friend's oldest son was married yesterday, outside on the family farm. Although one of the shortest ceremonies I have attended, it was quite lovely in the afternoon sun. Somehow, it made me feel so old when the little boy that use to run around my house and play with my son, grew up and took a family of his own!

We pray God's guidance on their marriage.

Much love to Ben and Molly!

Doing the Triangulation!

I'm working on another scrap quilt using my leftover Thimbleberries fabrics. The quilt is called "Cumberland" and is made entirely with 3" finished half square triangles (hst). Since I'm needing approximately 300 hst, I decided to use the Triangulation software to make the process faster and more accurate. You can get an idea of what the block will look like from the photo on the left. Just imagine it sewn together!!

Using My Noodles

I made this braid tablerunner over the weekend from a pattern I bought several years ago! I wanted to give it a try as it is a "quilt-as-you-go" style pattern. The borders were leftover fabrics from an apron swap I was in last fall, and the braids are from a 2.5" noodle swap I participated in from an online swap group! The "quilt-as-you-go" technique was easy and fun, but I did not like the looks of the finished quilting on the back of the runner. I used white muslin for the backing fabric, and I think a print fabric would have hid the quilting! Should I choose to make this again, I will know better!!

Sweet Sunshine

Just finished some sewing for the day! It's a cute quilt for ME!!! I think this will be a first! I made this from scraps from my Thimbleberries leftovers! That's right...this is a "freebie"! Just love it when I can get another quilt from my leftovers and cast offs. Sad part is, you cannot tell I used up any of my scraps! I used the "Sweet Sunshine" pattern from This & That patterns by Sherri K. Falls. The pattern is charm pack friendly, but I just cut nickel squares from my scrap drawer. The finished size is 60" x 60". Now, to get it quilted!!!

Yodel-Le-He-Hoo!

One of my husband's and mine's favorite places to go when in Washington is the Bavarian town of Leavenworth. Leavenworth is nestled on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains, just 30 minutes from Steven's Pass. In the 1960's, this railway town was transformed into a Bavarian-themed city, in hopes of bringing in year-round tourism. Well, it worked!! Needless to say, not only did hubby and I enjoy the trip, but I think a good percentage of the state's population was there as well!! It was very crowded to say the least!

Leavenworth was just finishing up it's "Arts in the Park" series for the summer, so we were able to take in some of the traditional German music, as well as arts and crafts booths set up in the park.
Shopping in the shops was fun, too, but so many of them seemed the same!! Leavenworth does have a quilt shop, although quite small, but it doubles as a bed and breakfast that holds quilt retreats and such. I was able to find a fun pattern in this shop!




While strolling the streets of Leavenworth, we happened upon an ice cream shop that actually had "no sugar added" ice cream!! I was able to have a scoop of the Huckleberry Heaven! WOW...it was fantastic! "Heaven" was just about right on this one!! LOL!!! Huckleberries grow wild in the Cascade Mountains, and huckleberry products are found in almost all of the tourist-y places (gift shops, airports, Leavenworth!!). Huckleberries are yummy!







And, finally, what trip to eastern Washington would be complete without some Wenatchee grown Bing Cherries! These are soooo much bigger, and sweeter, than the ones in the grocery store in the Midwest! These little beauties were bigger than a quarter!

Oh, Washington, My Home...

...Yes, that is the state song!! Spent a week in Seattle...well, not Seattle proper, mostly in Woodinville, where my in-laws live, but most would not know where I was unless I say Seattle!! Woodinville is on the "east side" of Seattle. Before our big move to Missouri in 1994, we lived in Duvall, another "east side" community, set in the foothills of the Cascade mountains. It was a rural community, filled with dairy farms. Now it is a suburb, with all but a few of the farms still in existence. But it is still beautiful country! Just a 30 minute drive up the valley from Duvall sits the town of Snoqualmie. What makes Snoqualmie famous is the Falls!! Just had to go and take in their beauty. There is a wonderfull lodge (Salish Lodge) that you can see to the top, left of the Falls, that has a fabulous breakfast! Wasn't able to partake this time, but will make it a stop on the next trip!




I managed to get in a mini shop hop of my own while home! Went to quilt shops in Duvall, Monroe, Woodinville, Redmond, and Bothell. Keepsake Cottage Fabrics, in Bothell, was by far my favorite. This shop is small, but every inch of space was used! Lots and lots of great fabrics and quilts on display. They even had a room devoted to 30's reproduction fabrics!! I brought home lots of goodies!

A Sweet Companion

Our sweet "little" Merfie O'Gracie has died! Merf, an Irish Wolfhound, was our son's dog. She was such a love. Irish Wolfhounds are a large breed dog (known as "Gentle Giants"), and Merf was "small" for her breed at 140 lbs. and a little under 6' in height! But she was 140 lbs of lovin'!! She loved human contact, and would lean into you when you stood near her. If you were to sit next to her, she thought she was a small lap dog, and tried to sit on you! What a sight that was! She loved BIG trucks and tractors that went down our street. She galloped after them like a clumsy horse! She will be missed, and remembered fondly!

We're Off!!

We're on our way to Seattle to visit with my mother- and father-in-law, extended family and friends! The photo is from 1985, on the ocassion of my in-laws' 40th wedding anniversary. This October, they will celebrate 63 years of marriage. What an incredible milestone...one I hope my husband and I can emulate!

My husband (third from right) is the 7th of 10 children born to Andy and Bertha!

And Here's The Second Tote!

Today, the mailman was gracious enough to bring me the fabric I had ordered! Which means I was able to finish the second tote that I was working on. Ta-da!!


I used Moda's "A Day in the Country" charm pack that my sister sent me a while back. It really is a pretty tote...pinks and browns! And the lining/handle fabric is pictured behind the charm pack...what I had been patiently waiting on!

Not sure why my pictures tend to come out on the dark side! Maybe I need more lighting.

All My Bags Are Packed...

...well, not quite, but they will be very soon! My husband and I will be heading out to Seattle in a little over a week. Just had to get this purse done so I could fill it with handiwork to take along. I bought the "Freshed Squeezed" charm pack while on the way to retreat this past May, and have been anxious to sew it up! I have another one started, but had to order some lining fabric, so I'm waiting on the mailman.

Braggin' Rights

Since my Dad retired a few years back, he has been busy making "things"! I've been blessed repeatedly to be the recipient of his handy work. As he is the son of a carpenter, perhaps he comes by this naturally. Today, I found this adorable picnic table on my front porch! It's a "little" version for my grandchildren.

Here's a few more pictures of his creations! This is a mission style chair he made for my husband's 50th birthday this past May (note the hand carved duck decoy on the table...yep, Dad made that, too!)And here's a little table and 2 chairs he made for the grandkids when they come. Allyson and I have been hosting tea parties with it!



And, finally, here's a bench that Dad made for me! My daughter made the pillows.