Tis the Season...

...for hectic shopping, baking, gift wrapping, parties, etc., etc. I can't believe that the time has gone so fast and it's been over a month since I posted. But, I did get the house decorated inside and out and hubby made cookies, the shopping is about done. Now, Duncan & Hamish need baths and haircuts so they look spiffy for the Holiday. There will be 14 of us here for Christmas dinner and I'm working on the details. We ordered a smoked pork loin from Cabela's and it came yesterday and looks yummy. All I have to do is heat it and I should be able to handle that. I can hardly wait!! I love having family and friends around for the Holidays.

Hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season - I might be out of blogland until after Christmas :o)

Wonderful Wednesday

Hi All -

It's a beautiful day here in south central PA - the temperatures today are supposed to get up into the 60's . We really appreciate these days because we know what's coming!!!

I've gotten sidetracked with my GFG blocks lately. I've been working on some Christmas projects and you know how that is. There is only so much time in the day to get things done and I'm afraid my flower garden isn't growing much lately :o) But here is a recent completion -

And now...the adventures of Duncan and Hamish. Today, when I went outside to photograph by GFG block, I noticed Duncan was, once again, sitting in the iris in back of the fence that is supposed to keep him out. He is such a little devil!! There was a small space where I think he squeezed in -he's typical scottie. He gets his nose in a space and just keeps pushing and pushing until he can wiggle his way in. Unfortunately, that nose can get him in trouble. The other day he got out of the yard by going through a hole in the fence, which he had made previously. I had patched that hole and he decided that he would work the patch loose (really, it was more like "rip it off"). Hamish alerted me by barking at the door (his "come quick" bark) that his brother had escaped. And, sure enough, there was Duncan, nose to the ground following some critter's trail, running down through the back yards, completely ignoring my calls. This was early in the morning and I was still in jammies and slippers - ugh!!! I got my shoes and socks on, decided to get into the car to head him off, but then heard Hamish barking again. I decided to check the back yard one more time and there was Duncan, heading back toward our yard. I called and, miracle of miracles, he came to me. So he was escorted back into the yard and now the patch has been replaced by plywood temporarily. My yard is really something - I have fences within the fences to keep that Duncan Devil in. Thank goodness, too, for Hamish - he really does tattle on his brother and this isn't the first time that he's alerted us to something that Duncan shouldn't be doing - you know, his Lassie impression - come quick, the barn's on fire and Timmie has fallen in the well!!! Needless to say, life isn't boring at our house :o)

The photos are Duncan behind the fence and Hamish basking in the welcome sun.

Hope you all have a wonderful day and keep smiling -

GFG Quilters

Hi Everyone -

Last night was the second meeting of our Grandmother's Flower Garden group at our local library. We had nine in attendance and we had a good time. It's really inspiring to see what others are working on - makes me want to do more than one GFG (LOL). Here's a photo of the gals and some of their work.

We're having wonderful weather here in south central PA - it's going to be in the 70's again today but it should be back to more seasonable weather in the 50's by the end of the week...just in time for trick-or-treat. But this is an improvement - when I lived in Wisconsin, the kids usually had to wear their snowsuits because it was so cold. You always had to plan for a costume that would fit over the bulky winter wear.

Hope you all have a great day and keep smiling :o)

Road Trip

Hi All -

Yesterday a group from my Quilt Guild went up to Harrisburg to visit the State Museum to view some of the quilts that they have in storage. We were only able to see five quilts, but those that we saw were wonderful. There are over 200 quilts stored in special refrigerated area that is kept at around 54 degrees. Especially striking was the Wickersham Album Quilt (circa 1854). This quilt is a Pennsylvania interpretation of a Baltimore Album Quilt and there is a book with full-sized patterns available. Of course, I'm adding it to my library and also getting one for our Guild library. Another project for the future :o) There also was a Grandmother's Flower Garden (circa 1814) that really caught my eye. The maker used a chintz border and it was beautifully preserved and probably as bright as the day it was sewn to the quilt - browns, yellows, pinks, blues - BEAUTIFUL!! The layout of the GFG gave me another idea as to how to lay another one out - the first and third rounds were the same fabric with a contrasting fabric for the second round. The pathways were all the same as were the centers. What's one more project?? (As with so many quilters, I have enough projects to keep me busy until I die and then some!!). After viewing the quilts and having a great visit with the curator, we went to lunch at a little Italian restaurant down the street and then stopped at a quilt shop (of course) on our way home. What a wonderful day!! Hope you all are having a wonderful day - happy quilting and keep smiling -

Yikes!!!

How did my photo on my previous post get turned right-side up??? I was playing around in Picasa yesterday and got it turned, but had trouble uploading it. Are the photo fairies fooling around??? Now I have to figure out how I did it - oh, this computer gives me a headache sometimes :o)

Isn't It Cute!!

Hi All -

I recently purchased this adorable Scottie wall hanging and thought I'd show you all how cute it is. (Sorry it's sideways - does anyone know how to turn a photo in blogger???) I'm a soft touch for anything "Scottie" and my home reflects this. The purchase of this hanging benefited the St. Louis Scottish Terrier Rescue where we adopted Duncan and Hamish. They do such wonderful work finding loving homes for this special breed. Speaking of Duncan and Hamish...when I bought them food the other day, I couldn't resist a treat for each of them, so I purchased a couple of stuffed beef hooves. They were dancing with joy when they saw their treats and immediately took them outside and spent the afternoon in chewing delight. But...when they came in, did they smell!!! Those hooves might be great for chewing, but they're really stinky!!! Of course, that's what the pups love - the stinkier, the better!!! They got a little face bath after that caper and the hooves have been designated as an "outside" treat.

We're enjoying some beautiful fall weather - a little windy today - my whirligig is getting a workout - but it's a wonderful crisp day with blue sky and beautiful sunshine. Hope you all are having a great day, too.

Celtic Knotwork

Hi All -

Today was Guild day and we had a workshop in the morning before the regular meeting conducted by Linda Hahn. She showed us how to do these fabulous celtic knotwork blocks using fusible bias tape and a Teflon pressing sheet. This is such a slick technique and makes the knotwork easy and fun. Here are three of four of my blocks - I'm half finished with the fourth and will post when I have them all put together. This photo is kind of dark so it's hard to see that I used variegated bias tape in earth tones - brown, green, gold, burgundy - really pretty. Check out Linda's website at http://www.froghollowdesigns.com/.

GFG Quilters

Hi All -

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the kick-off meeting for our Grandmother's Flower Garden quilters at our local library. We had 17 ladies in attendance and had a great time. There were beginners to experts - and lots of questions about the GFG quilting process. I forgot to take my camera but here's one of my blocks that I got finished. We'll be meeting once a month and hope to inspire those wanting to make one of these beautiful quilts. We had a couple of "antique" GFG quilts to examine and admire that beautiful hand stitching. Next time I'll take my camera so that I can share our progress.

Have a great day and keep smiling!!

Finally....

What is that liquid coming down from the sky???? Finally....RAIN. HOORAY!!!

Happy Fall

Hi All,

It's been a while since I've posted - don't know where the time goes. Guess that's a sign of aging :o) Anyway, I'm showing a photo of a new GFG flower to add to my quilt. My friends and I have also organized a GFG Quilters group which will meet monthly to get together and work on our Grandmother's Flower Garden quilts and also inspire others to try one. Our first meeting is on Monday night and I'm looking forward to it. I'll try and take some photos to share.

Today is going to be in the 80's - not what you would expect for the first day of Fall. But the weekend is supposed to be cool - I'm more than ready for it!!!

Have a great day and keep smiling -

One Year Ago Today...

...friend, Bonnie, and I traveled down to North Carolina to pick up two 5-month-old scottie puppies - my Duncan & Hamish. This has been an eventful year, all of us learning about each other and my getting used to having puppies around the house again. The back yard isn't lush and green any more, since puppy teeth have rearranged the landscaping and puppy paws have dug holes in the most unexpected places. But, really, I wouldn't have it any other way. The joy that they have brought is a hundred-fold times more than the aggrevation they have caused. Their bright and sunny "smiles" greet me every morning and their joy of life is a wonderful thing to behold. We're looking forward to more adventures together in the years to come!!

Have a great day and keep smiling -

Marie's Retirement

Hi All -

Yesterday a few of the Sundae Quilters were privileged to attend the retirement of Marie, a fellow Sundae Quilter, from the Army after over 20 years of service. What a wonderful ceremony it was and we all felt a swelling of pride as we watched her start a new phase of her life. To commemorate the occasion, we presented her with a quilt that was stitched by several of our group made up of the Army Star block and done in Civil War fabrics. It turned out so pretty and she was touched - said she wasn't going to cry but there was a little moisture in those eyes!! From left to right are Jeane, Belinda, Marie, Fran and me. Following the ceremony, we had a bit to eat and got a chance to meet and greet with Marie's family and friends. We were all so glad that we were able to attend this special occasion. On the way home, we stopped at the Shamrock Restaurant and had peach pie and drinks - a great end to a great day!!

Growing Block by Block

Hi All -

I'm steadily adding to my GFG block by block. I'm at the point where I need to free up some of my mylar hexies so I don't have to order any more. And this gives me an opportunity to watch my quilt grow - fun, fun, fun. Once I get the white borders on all around, I'll start making my individual flowers again.

On another subject, our peach tree is producing overtime!! Look at these peaches - and they are sweet, sweet, sweet. Looks like I'll have plenty to can as well as make up some pies and just eat in my fist :o) I've had to prop up the branches since they are so heavy. One branch already split because of all the weight, and my brother "performed surgery" on it after I took all the peaches off - would you believe that there were 75 of them!!! No wonder it split!! Actually, I probably should have "culled" some of the fruit when it first started forming - that's what you're supposed to do. But the first year this tree produced fruit, I did that and ended up with about 3 peaches since all the others fell off. What a disappointment that was. We'll enjoy this fruit and now I've got to get some good canning recipes - any suggestions??

Have a great day and keep smiling -

Block Exchange

Hi All -

I'm participating in a block exchange hosted by Nancy over at Patchwork Penguin. We're making "chimney sweep" blocks and here are mine. We're all using Civil War fabrics and my color is poison green - don't you just love it!!! These look a little yellow but the background is actually Kona cotton off white - hate this picture program :o( Now that I have these done, I can get working on another project in my stack :o)

Hope you all have a great day. Keep smiling -

Quilt Odyssey

Hi All -

Yesterday was the annual trip to Hershey for Quilt Odyssey, a wonderful quilt show!! There were 8 of us who went up and sold tickets for our guild's raffle quilt (here's Nancy with the quilt in the background), saw some beautifully awesome quilts, and helped the economy by visiting the vendors. All in all, it was a wonderful day spent with good friends and family - my brother & sister-in-law came to the show for a couple of hours and Sue managed to find a few fat quarters for her Grandmother's Flower Garden that she's now addicted to :o) We met up with Bonnie Hunter and all went to Friendly's for dinner and, of course, ice cream sundaes - a perfect end to a wonderful day!! Here are some photos that I thought you might like to see -

This quilt won best in show and was absolutely awesome. The next photo is a closeup of one of the blocks -

Have a great day and keep smiling -

Another Wednesday

Hi All -

Here it is Wednesday again and I've got a couple more flowers done. My hubby has finished his PT - that's good and bad. The good is that he's done, but the bad is that I won't have an hour twice a week to just sit and work on my hexies. I'll just have to find time somewhere else in my day :o) Sounds like a good excuse to sit and put my feet up, don't you think!! Anyway, here are my additions - oops, that second one is a little blurry - too much iced coffee this morning!!

With the hot weather here, the pups are always looking for a cool place to stay. Hamish has excavated a big hole under the barberry bushes in the back yard and that's where he loves to be. It's hard to get him out from there - even in the hottest part of the day. His brother, on the other hand, likes to sleep in front of the fan inside in the air conditioning. Who is the smartest? I think I'd vote for Duncan, but I guess Hamish has his reasons for preferring the outdoors. Funny pup!!

Flower Power

Hi All - I only have one more flower completed for my Grandmother's Flower Garden and here it is. I'm to the point that I have to watch my colors so that the quilt will look balanced. I'm finding that I have a lot of yellows and reds, so I'm trying to concentrate on some other colors. Guess that's the advantage of putting the quilt together as you go - you can see what colors you need to balance it out. At any rate, it's really fun and I'm still enjoying making these hexies :o)

Have a great day and keep smiling -

Why Won't it Squeak???

Hi All -

Since the boys have destroyed almost all of their toys, in a weak moment I decided to pick them up a couple more when I got dog food for them today. The toys I bought are "stuffing-less" so we won't have the explosion of white fluff all over the house or yard. They looked like they would be pretty tough. WRONG!!! In less than 20 minutes, Duncan destroyed the TWO squeakers in his toy. I could hear them rattling inside the toy - ugh!!! Hamish is working on his and has one squeaker disabled now - he's working furiously on the second one. It will be interesting to see how long the toys stay together - wonder if they make concrete toys????

P.S. - In the time it took me to write this post and upload photos, this is the condition of Duncan's new toy now...

GFG Tutorial

Hi All -
If you need a great tutorial on making a Grandmother's Flower Garden, go on over and visit Karen at Sew Many Ways (http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/) and check out her instructions under her sidebar label "grandmother's flower garden". She has easy instructions and great photos - come and join the fun :o)

Another Wednesday

Hi All -

Where has this week gone? I can't believe it's Wednesday again. It's hot, hot, hot here - temps in the upper 90's to low 100's - we're staying inside in the AC as much as possible. The pups go outside in the morning, then at noon, and then, if it cools off, we walk around 8:30 p.m. when the sun goes down but it's still light. Whew - wish this weather pattern would break!!!

Anyway, here's a picture of my "in-progress" GFG quilt. You can see that I've added a few blocks since I last photographed it. My two new blocks are at the lower right of the quilt -

And here's a closeup of the two new ones.

Hope you all have a good week and keep cool -

It's Wednesday Again!!

Hi All -

It's that time again - here are my hexies for today. I finished the one from last week and have added another. I'm going to start adding them to the quilt again so that I can free up some more mylar templates and not have to purchase any more - gets a little expensive. Sure is fun, though!!

We've had a break in the weather and the high today was in the upper 70's - what a relief. Now if we could only get some rain....

Have a great day and keep smiling -