Lynne (and Dave) funny

Dave and I were at breakfast on Sat. Planning things for Christmas. Somehow we got on the topic of me not being able to wink. So I winked at Dave to prove that I can. It was so fast that Dave said he missed it. He wanted me to do it again. But he does that all the time so he can point out that I really don't wink. So I said which eye should I wink and he said "the right one like you did before!"

Wonderful weekend

Look what we did Saturday morning!

I know it's really a bad picture but I was just so excited and wanted it documented right then! We've got to do one more coat. I am loving it. This is now known as THE RED ROOM. Next up is the kitchen which will be painted yellow. The deck is done, but the patio area is not. Pictures when it is completed.

Later that day, Dave and I had a wonderful night out. We made it a mini vacation. We collect all the loose change for months and months, then go deposit in the bank. So we were able to eat dinner at a terrific Indian Restaurant, went to see Shawn Colvin and Mary Chapin Carpenter in concert, and stayed over night at the Marriott. Ethan stayed at a friends house and got his fix of video games.

This is what I've been working on in the sewing department.

It is a little pillow. I made it all out of red and beige scraps. It is a log cabin block and the strips were 1 inch wide. You know me and little things. I am working on another pillow cover with the same scraps, but different design. I was working on it Sat. and put one whole section in upside down, so it will take me some time to rip it out and fix it. Frustrating.

Enjoy your day.

What's new?

Well a lot of things are going on. The last couple of weeks have been stressful, emotional, peaceful and calm all at the same time. I know that really doesn't make sense, but that's how life is sometimes. Inexplicable.

Ethan went to EFY last week and had a wonderfully awesome time. He left to go on Trek this morning. Very cute seeing him in his pioneer clothes. Brought back memories of sending Kaylee, Izzy, Rachelle and Matt. He is going to the same place you all went.

This is July's Riley Blake's block of the month.

And look at what's happening in our backyard:

The deck is 15' by 14' and basically goes back to the green space. At some point we will clear all the ground cover and bushes back there. The deck is going to have two set of stairs. One where you see the ladder and another on the other side so you can get to the other side of the yard where the stairs to the basement are. There is also going to be a cement patio on the ground where the ladder is to a couple yards past the corner of the house. We will probably put the grill down there and maybe a fire pit.

This is the start of a new quilt, too. Just a sneak peak. I've also been working on the grandkids Christmas presents. I have to start early so I get them done. I've got to many projects going on at once. I am feeling kind of scattered. I need to focus.

And now maybe I need to make a new wedding quilt. My dad just got engaged!



Have a great day!

Ethan's Band

Ethan's band went into the studio yesterday and put out a pretty good song! We don't know the release date yet, but here's a link to the leak:

http://steelstepladder.tumblr.com/post/54703493284/first-track-of-our-debut-album-this-is-by-no

They are trying to get more fans, so share their page and their new single with your friends!

https://www.facebook.com/TetanusJunglegym

If you couldn't tell these last two post have been started by Ethan himself! But I do want to say I am proud of him.

 I tried getting a picture of my new project, (yes another one) but something is wrong with the SD card. So you'll have to wait.
Here is another picture of Ethan's birthday.

Have a great Sunday.

Ethan and his Marvelous Accomplishments

Ethan's new band made these 2 videos at practice yesterday. Their name is Tetanus Junglegym.
 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSgJxI49k4&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HLiogCD5t0

They are very good! They are hoping to get a gig at the Park over in Quantico Town.

This is Ethan on his 15th birthday.  Wow, 15!

Also Ethan got straight A's through his entire freshman year!

And just so you don't think I've lost touch with nature, this is a turtle that Dave and I found at the bottom of our cement steps down to the basement. I saved him and put him in the green space in the back yard.

This is a sneak peak of a new project.

This block is 25"x25". It's big. Yes I know that's unusual for me. There will be 7 of these blocks to make the whole quilt.

I am still waiting for pictures of Melanie's wedding to post about that. And also will post soon about trip to Illinios.


 

Anyone remember these?

When we lived on Veering Lane in Burke we had the invasion of the cicadas. Anyone remember the ground being covered in these things? This one is about 2 inches long. And the loud noise that accompanied them? Well they're back! And we have baby blue birds in the box under the mailbox. I have heard them, but not seen them. The mom and dad birds are fun to watch flying back and forth.

And just so this doesn't turn into a nature blog here is my Riley Blake April Block of the Month.

And I can't wait to show you Mel and Jared's wedding quilt. Rachelle is going to quilt it on the long arm this week. Her wedding is less than two week away!

Enjoy your day!

My Day in Court

Last month, Dave got a parking ticket. It was for having a for sale sign in the window of his car when it was parked at the commuter lot. It said you can't park a car there for the purpose of selling it. Well I told Dave I would contest it because he parks there for the purpose of commuting not for selling the car. After waiting a month for the court date, I had my date in court yesterday. I went a little early so that I would find the right place and be able to check it out. It was really freaking me out sitting there. There was a lot of different things that the judge was ruling on.  A few people got sentences and got taken away. A lot got continuances and a new court date. This went on for about an hour. I was starting to wonder if I was in the right courtroom because it wasn't all traffic tickets. Finally the judge opened a new file and started the traffic violations. The ticketing officer would stand up and the judge would ask him/her about the incident with the person. There was several that went before me with fines and dismissals if they paid court costs. Finally he called my name. I was sitting on the far side of the court room and had to climb over people to get to the front podium, which was one the other side. The bailiff told me to "Put your purse on the floor and your feet right here." The ticketing officer stood up (or I should say the meter maid.) The judge asked if she had an incident with me. She said no, she had ticketed the car. At that time I relaxed because the judge basically rolled his eyes and told her to tell him about it.  She said she had ticketed the car because it had a For Sale sign in the window and the commuter lot had a sign that said you can't park for the purpose of selling a car. The judge turned to me and asked if I wanted to testify. I said yes and he put me under oath. Then asked me my story. I said,"My husband parks in the commuter lot everyday to catch mass transit to go to the Pentagon." Judge said," Did you have a for sale sign in the car?" I said,"yes". He asked, "Did you keep the For sale sign in the car?" I said "No not after we got the ticket." Judge said, " Case dismissed, you're free to go, goodbye!" I said, 'Thank you, sir" And that was my day in Court!!!!!!!

Nature is cruel

I am very upset this morning. There is only one egg in the nest. I am so sad. When I was eating my breakfast this morning mama robin was on the nest. She turned around several times while I was sitting there. I am wondering if she was trying to figure out what happened to her eggs. Usually she is very calm and still. Nature is cruel.

Robin update

She has 4 eggs that she is sitting on. She is gone a lot more than I thought she would be. And we startle her a lot! A few days ago as I was fixing dinner I scared her and she flew away. A little while later she came back with Mr. Robin to protect her. It was very cute. Maybe another week?

The new addition to the family and a nature lesson!

We have a sliding glass door off of the kitchen. We do not have a deck yet, so there is a wooden guard on the outside of the door so that nobody falls out and hurts themselves. A few days ago I noticed a nest being built between the door and the wood.

I found it fascinating watching the momma robin build the nest, but I was afraid if she laid eggs there it wouldn't work, because every time I walked by she would go flying off. So I walked around a lot to see if she would go and build her nest somewhere else. Didn't work. Monday about mid morning she was back. When I looked later when she was gone this is what I saw. But no momma bird.

 So I did a little research. Robins build their nest in about 2 days. The Momma Bird does most the work, but dad is around to scare off predators. Then she will lay one egg a day for about 4 days. Most birds lay their eggs in the early morning, but robins eat first and then lay the egg mid morning. Tuesday morning ---

A robin will lay the eggs, then leave. She will wait until all the eggs are there before she will sit on the nest so that they will all hatch at the same time. Wednesday morning ------

She was sitting on the nest this morning. I haven't noticed her leaving so I put up this cardboard so we can walk around without startling her every time.

A robin's egg will take about 12 to 14 days to hatch. Aren't they a pretty blue? Come back in a couple weeks for an update!

Enjoy your day.

Sneak peak

This is another ongoing project. It is a scrappy around the world quilt. I thought it would use a lot of my scraps up, but they seem to multiply. (And it doesn't help that you go to a quilt show and fill a quart size Ziploc with someone else's scraps for a dollar.) Sometimes you get tired of seeing your own scraps! I will be working on this in between other projects.

And here is a sneak peak of Melanie and Jared's quilt.

I've got everything cut out. One 12 1/2 inch block has 53 pieces. That is not exactly what it will look like because I have 4 different blue fabrics that will interlock. I have 6 blocks done so far. I can tell you that I am liking this one.

Enjoy your day! BTW Spring was short lived. It is 85 today.

Springtime finally!

These finally opened up yesterday! Ethan and I planted the bulbs last fall. We planted tulips too, but they haven't fully come up yet.

In my last post about I showed you the small 3 1/2 inch blocks I am making. The pieces are small but you don't cut them small. I am using Thangles to make them.

You cut strips of fabric and put this paper over the strips, pin it on and sew on the dotted line, then cut on the solid lines to make your small HST's.

Then you press it open and rip the paper off. Much easier.

And Cara Rachelle asked me what I was going to do with all the mini quilts. I started laughing because I hadn't thought about how many I would have. Maybe I'll give them away. So start looking for the one you like best each month!

Enjoy General Conference. Do you remember the Gen. Conf. booklets I made you guys?

Block and mini of the Month

I am working on another long term project. I bought a pattern in Paducah last year that has a block of the month and a mini quilt for each month. I would pick it up every couple of months and ponder starting it, but in my mind I needed to start in Jan.   The block of the month is incorporated in the mini quilt each month. Here is what I've done so far:

Jan. block

Yes it is a little rough around the edges. It is 3 1/2 inches square. After you make all 12 months you put them together in a final mini quilt.

Jan. mini quilt

It is 11 1/2 inches square.

Feb. block-

Those pieces are tiny.

Feb. mini quilt-

This one is a little bigger at 18 1/2 x 20 inches. Not exactly how I envisioned it in my head, but it is growing on me.

March block-

And an unfinished March mini quilt-

I was trying to get out of my comfort zone color wise. And make something a bit springy. There is suppose to be another 2" border around the outside. I got stuck. Help. Vote for the one you like best. Or if you think I should not put the other border on. I am trying to use fabric I have so the choices are limited.
#1

#2

#3 = no border

I haven't started on April's block yet, since I'm behind on March.

Enjoy the day!

Easter Story Cookies

Kaylee's blog post reminded me of these cookies we made one Easter in Newport.

Easter Story Cookies

These cookies should be made the evening before Easter. They can be very helpful in teaching children the reason for celebrating Easter.

Ingredients needed are:
1 cup whole pecans
3 T. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
zipper baggy
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important - don't wait until you're halfway done with the recipe.)

Place pecans in zipper baggy and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, he was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put vinegar into a mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19: 28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sins. Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add sugar and explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because he loves us and died for our sins. He wants us to know and belong to him. Read Psalms 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Esplain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape to seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20-22.

On Easter morning, open the oen and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookie is hollow!

On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

He lives and so can we. Read John 14:19.


Have a wonderful Easter remembering the atoning sacrifice that Jesus gave to us.

One of many projects!

I have several long term projects that I am working on. Today I will show you one of them and then hopefully every couple of days I'll post about the others.

You know my good friend in O'Fallon, Christine, has a quilt shop in her basement. I miss being able to go over and getting just what I need whenever I wanted. She sells most of her fabrics online, so I look at her website ( http://www.aroundtheblockquiltersshop.com/ ) and wish and dream. Well, in Jan. she joined in with the Riley Blake Mystery Block of the Month. Riley Blake is a fabric designer. They have tutorials on how to make each of their monthly blocks on their website. I had seen the info about the block of the month, but hadn't decided to sew along until I saw it on Christine's page. She has a pinterest page. So I am on pinterest without even having a page myself. I'm afraid of the time suck of it all. Here are my blocks:

January-- a simple HST chevron. (ps. I am not using Riley Blake fabric. Don't tell)

February -- my first attempt at paper piecing. It was very hard for me. Frustrating.

March-- another simple block. It is called Churn Dash. Riley Blake named theirs Simplicity.

Sorry, my pictures seem really dark. They will have 9 blocks altogether. They are 12 inch blocks. I am using the black print as my unifying fabric. You might recognize it from the quilt I made Izzy and MJ for the Christmas before last. Hopefully I will have enough. The other fabrics are just scraps from my stash. And I'm using a white Kona solid as my background fabric.

Enjoy your day. It is spring break here, but it snowed again yesterday and it might get up in the 50's by the end of the week. I am ready for some warmth. I'll be back soon with another project.

Snow Day????

This is what we woke up to this morning. It is taken from our back door. It was all gone by this evening. It turned into rain for most of the day.

Ethan was happy that school was cancelled and he got to play video games half the day.

What have I been up to? What are you up to?

This is what I've been working on:

This is a table mat. I did hour glass blocks of all fruit and veggies prints. It is for a craft giveaway for commenters on our RS blog.

These are a set of coasters. Really simple to make.

This is a tote bag I made. I found the patterns for 2 -9" blocks that I likes. I put them together and used them for the front and back of the bag. The bottom and handles are a heavy flannel like canvas. So it will be heavy duty. I made it to use to take books and things to church. I had a blue and yellow one I made a while back but it was to big. This one is perfect, about 11 x 13.

The other side. Which one do you like?

I even made a pocket in the lining.

This is a block I finished this morning. It is 12 1/2 x 12 1/2. It is a Mystery Block of the Month by Riley Blake fabrics. Christine is featuring it on her shops website, so I thought I'd play along.

That's what I've been up to. What are you up to?

More random stuff

Ethan had some friends over for a nerf war today. I usually try to stay out of the way and this is what I found when I finally heard the cease fire.

Bullets everywhere. I bet we'll be finding them for weeks.

This is the start of the family wall of pictures. I need a picture of Izzy and MJ, an up to date picture of Megan's kids, a recent picture of Ethan and one of Dave and I, too. I will get a new pic of Melanie with Jared on the wedding day. I have others that haven't gotten up yet. It is going to grow from here. This is in the dining room to the left as you come in the front door. Rachelle helped me put these up while she was here. I need more help, so come visit.

We celebrated Jacob's birthday before they left.

One last jump on Grandpop's lap.

Today I am rearranging and going through lots of stuff in my sewing room. Maybe I'll show you pics when I get done. I started a new project, too. I'll be back soon to explain.

Have a wonderful day.