Quilted Journeys

It Has Been A Long Time!

2012-02-24T10:21:00.000-05:00

I have had so many things happen in the last few months. The holidays were a blur. So many good times with family and friends. So much food, so many things to buy & do. I was not up to blogging and getting all of the other things done.

I barely took any photos of the happy occasions.


In Loving Memory

My son and a friend of his made this fabulous wood mural for my birthday.     The photo does not do it justice and it makes me smile everytime I walk into my living room.    My maiden name is Peacock and it say "In Loving Memory of Art & Jenny" (My mom and dad) both of whom have passed away.

Getting this was just one of the highlights of my holidays.

Just when I thought life was settling down, I had some health problems come up, and some family issues come to a head. I am still working through those, but know that I need to get back to putting my thoughts out there.

Hopefully I will get back to some regular posting and picture taking.     I have missed it and all of my friends out in blog land.

It feels good to be back.

My New Obsession!

2011-11-08T09:41:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I saw a beaded Chatelaine and knew that I wanted one, but didn't want to spend the big bucks they were asking. So I set out to get the skills to make my own. I have been attending a small group at my church twice a month learning to bead. I think it is my new obsession. Just what I needed, another expensive hobby.

Here are a couple of the items I have completed.

I like beading because you can complete something in one sitting. I am beginning work on my chatelaine. I will post a photo when I get it done.

A Treasure Found.

2011-10-18T16:34:00.001-04:00

I have spent the last 10 days sitting beside this.

I am back in the real world now, but had the most relaxing vacation I have had in years. Even the screw-ups at work while I was gone have not taken the zen out of my mood. Our campsite had the most spectacular view.

We sat by the fire and made smores. We went to Fall Festivals and pumpkin patches, and learned how sorgham syrup and stone ground grits were made.

We listened to bluegrass guitars, banjos, dubros and fiddles.

We ate lots of fair food and the hugest T-bone I have ever had.

The leaves were beautiful and the weather great.

I lucked upon a local annual quilt show with some beautiful quilts.

I also found this little treasure. I got it for a what I think is a very good price. I can't wait to fill it and sit it beside my favorite chair.

And of course as steady as ever, my serenading country boy. What more could a girl ask for?

Such a Sweet Baby!

2011-09-28T06:00:00.002-04:00

This weekend I got to meet and hold such a sweet baby boy.

His name is David Jordan and he is the grandson of my good friend, Cynthia Jordan. Friend seems like such an inadequate word for what Cynthia is to me and my family. She is family. For as long as I can remember Cynthia has been at every Peacock family gathering and always has a smile and a hug for all.

This weekend I spent the night at Cynthia's house in Jacksonville, and got to love on this wonderful little baby. He was also the reason behind my next finish for 2011. A sweet little baby quilt. I love the colors and the simple modern feel of this one. It didn't take long to put together, but I like it. Hopefully I will get to see him wrapped up in it at Thanksgiving.

And of course we cannot forget the wonderful meal that we had at "The Cheesecake Factory". I wasn't always crazy about Jacksonville, but it is growing on me.

Thanks for your hospitality Cynthia!

Unplugging Daily

2011-09-27T09:58:00.001-04:00

One would have to say that I am definitely a plugged in kind of gal. I love my iMac, my Macbook, my desktop pc, my dvr, my vcr, my digital camera, and most of all my favorite gadget right now is my iphone.

I have chargers and earphones, cables to link up, sd cards, flash drives and I never leave home without my usb cords. Need a spare card for your camera? Need extra batteries? I probably have them in my techy zippered pouch. I carry it with me where ever I go. I love being able to communicate with my friends and family and my fellow bloggers and quilters on the other side of the world.

I facebook, skype, tweet and pin (you do this on Pinterest.com). I can spend so much time online that I forget to talk to the people around me. While having dinner last night with my cousin, who I haven't seen in almost a year, it struck me that we reconnected on facebook, we sent texts about the place and time we were going to meet for dinner. I phoned him on my iPhone when I arrived at his hotel to pick him up, but none of those things could give me the pure enjoyment of seeing his smiling face and joining in the laughter we shared as we talked about our lives and our families.

Last night was a good night, connecting with family is so important. Don't forget to unplug sometimes and spend time with the ones that you love. Give them your full attention without all the gadgets and wireless devices interrupting. Pure sweet fellowship, there is nothing like it.

Thanks David!

The Mullet Were Jumping!

2011-09-12T14:14:00.000-04:00

I am sure you all get tired of seeing my camping by the water pictures, but I never get tired of camping by the water, and Florida has so much water. This weekend we went camping with our really good friends. They are the ones that told us about St. Andrews State Park in Panama City FL.

This park is at the eastern tip of the beach peninsula. It is right off of Thomas Drive, near the condos and beach resorts ( on the calm end of the strip), and the famous "Alvin's Island" beach shop is almost right outside the park entrance gates, but except for the occasional siren, you would never know it.

We had to make a quick trip to get James a new swim suit, his last one bit the dust. He never buys clothes for himself, but he did manage to get a baby blue plaid suit that matches his eyes. No pictures of him in it this time, but as it will be his only suit for the next 20 years I am sure you will get to see him in it one of these days.

We stayed in Site #86 and had a wonderful level site with partial shade and a beautiful view of the bay. We had a rock wall that we could fish from, but did most of the fishing at the pier and at our friends campsite about six sites down.

We spent lots of time with our friends and their two adorable children. We made banana boats, for desert one evening. If you have never had one you can get the recipe here.

One afternoon was spent at the part of the park called "The Jetty" It is a beach area perfect for swimming with families. The water was crystal clear and cool. So refreshing with that little bit of breeze. Not too hot! Perfect weather for enjoying the water.

We saw a huge jelly fish on the beach, but there didn't seem to be many in the water, as we did not hear about anyone getting stung that day.

It was great soaking up the sun, while watching the little ones build a sand castle.

It was so relaxing at the end of a day in the sun, to go back to this view. All in all it was a great weekend trip, just a few hours from home. We will definitely go back to this wonderful spot again.

Thanks for bearing with me while I once again go on about my wonderful relaxing visits to the water. Don't be too jealous. As we in Florida have been known to say "Come on down, the water's fine"

Janice

Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend!

2011-09-12T11:10:00.001-04:00

Every year Quilter's Unlimited of Tallahassee ( My local quilt guild) in partnership with the Museum of Florida History, puts on an exhibit that normally lasts at least a month and depending on the muesum's exhibit schedule, can be on display longer. This year is the 30th Anniversary of the quilt show and the partnership between the museum and the guild. In celebration of 30 years, we named the exhibit "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend."

The many members of the guild volunteer several hours during the show to man an information table to greet visitors, give information about quilting, the local guild, and the various categories of quilts entered in the show. Any guild member can enter a quilt, and the show is not juried, but you can request that your quilt be judged and we have knowledgeable judges who will critique your quilt and give you written suggestions to make your quilt prize worthy.

A group of friends did this group project by creating their own self portrait following the basic instructions found in "Quilter's Yearbook" by Amy Bradley. Those of us that know this group could pick out the members quickly. Most of them nailed it.

I love this monkey quilt that one of our members made for their grandchild. It is so cute and I love the fabric.

The colorful blocks and the machine blanket stitch just caught my eye and grabbed my attention. Love this quilt.

This looks like me during one of my mad quilting sessions. Playing with my fabric is the best therapy.

It is a joy to walk through the exhibit and see someone's first quilt hanging beside a masterpiece done by a master quilter. Each quilt has special meaning to the quilter, the blessed recipient and the viewer. They are all special. The quilts shown are just a sample of a few of my favorites. If you get to North Florida, stop by the Museum of Florida History and see this wonderful show. It will be hanging until November 6th, 2011. Hopefully in 20 years we will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of this great show.

The 30th Annual Capital City Quilt Show -- "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" -- held at the Museum of Florida History runs from August 18th, 2011 through November 6th, 2011.

The Museum is part of the State Archives building.
Street Address: 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, Florida
Phone: 850-245-6400
Museum Hours: Monday through Friday 9am - 4:30pm
Saturdays 10am - 4:30pm
Sundays Noon - 4:30pm

At Last! At Last! Finished at Last!

2011-08-18T09:31:00.000-04:00

I finally did it! I finished my turquoise diamond quilt. I started working on it about 15 years ago, when my mother was sick with cancer. It became my therapy quilt, she passed away and I worked furiously on it and then I put it away for a while. I would take it out periodically and work on it a while and then put it away, and then take it out again. I put the borders on it last year, but couldn't find the inspiration for the back. I thought I would send it to a long arm quilter to be quilted, so I was saving my money to pay for that, when I realized I wanted to finish it myself, so that it would be mine from start to finish. I call it "A Girl Can Get Tired of Diamonds"

These pictures do not do it justice. The colors are vibrant and soothing at the same time. It is king size 105'' x 92'' and is for my bed. The top is hand pieced diamonds, done with the english paper piecing technique, but using the plastic "Brandy's" templates. I have been asked so many times how I did it, that I feel a tutorial coming on. We slept under it last night and felt so wonderful. I may be buried with this one. Finishing it was so emotional that I had tears as I sewed the last few stitches on the binding. I have never had that happen before. I love the peacock fabric on the back, as my maiden name is Peacock and I have been collecting peacock fabrics for years.

I am very pleased with how it turned out.

Watermelon with Granddad!

2011-08-12T16:33:00.001-04:00

Today is another Favorite Thing Friday and I have been kind of out the loop. But today I have a favorite thing to share and that is dinner at my house with my kids and grandkids. Now I am not the best cook, and dinner normally consists of something I have let simmer in the crockpot all day. Throw a salad together and some frozen garlic bread and that is about it. The food is not my favorite thing. My favorite thing is sitting around the table afterward, enjoying the company of my children and grandchildren.

My granddaughter letting her granddad know how much she appreciates him sharing his watermelon.

The kids are in the playroom, playing with whatever siblings or cousins are there for the day and the grownups are talking and laughing and sharing. That is my favorite thing. I always try to snap a few pictures at these dinners, which happen every couple of weeks. I never know who will be there or what event we will celebrate, but they are one of my favorite things.

Thanks to Shay at "Quilting in My Pajamas" for this opportunity to link up.

Art with a Heart!

2011-08-12T16:17:00.000-04:00

My DIL, Amy is a very talented young woman, and my son is blessed to be married to her. Like most young couples they occasionally struggle to make ends meet. But an occasion never goes by that I don't get a wonderful homemade card from my grandchildren. Amy uses her creative talents to help my grandchildren and the kids that she teaches in the daycare where she works to make wonderfully creative art.

She teaches them the skills a preschooler needs to learn, while making the learning fun. I just wanted to give her a shout out for how she puts her heart into teaching and loving my grandchildren.

See the wonderfully creative "Get Well" card she helped them make for one of the teachers who had surgery. Each little bug and butterfly is the fingerprint of one of the students. Such imagination! I love it.

You are special Amy!

Those Who Serve

2011-08-09T09:00:00.001-04:00

This post would be more aptly posted in July when we are celebrating our independence and everyone is sporting red, white & blue, but I think that in light of the recent tragedy that took the lives of the brave men who finally got Osama Bin Ladin, it is very appropriate for this month.

Our Sit N Stitch group, called "Patchwork & Prayer", recently decided to make a "Quilt of Valor". You can learn about the Quilt of Valor project at http://www.qovf.org/. But basically it is quilters donating their time and talents to cover a wounded war veteran with a homemade quilt and a reminder that there are people out here that are grateful for their service to their country.

Our group recently made this beautiful red, white and blue star quilt to donate to this worthy cause, and we say "Thank You!" to the men and women who serve.

A Promise In The Sky!

2011-08-08T09:27:00.000-04:00

Our church has a family life group called "The Master's Gardeners". We get together twice a month and exchange plants, gardening tips and ideas, and share some food and fellowship with others who are interested in gardening.

Yesterday evening we met at our worship pastor's new house to help him and his wife plant a herb garden and identify some of the trees and plants on their new property. It was sprinkling slightly and threatening to rain, but the sky never fully opened up.

We spent a little while planting, rosemary, basil, thyme, mint, oregano and aloe, in some wonderful boxes that surround their pool deck.    It will be great for them to step outside their kitchen and pick fresh herbs.

After sharing a great pot luck meal we looked up into the sky and this beautiful double rainbow was in the sky.    It was so vivid and in the sky for so long.     You can barely see the double reflection in this photo, but it was beautiful and reminded us all, what a faithful God we serve.

Thank you God for your promises!

Forgive Me!

2011-08-01T11:57:00.000-04:00

Forgive me for I have sinned. It has been a month since my last posting! I can't believe it has been that long. What can I say a lot has happened during the last month. On July 6th a new Parker grandchild was born. Joshua Wyatt Parker came into the world at 11:00pm CST, in Pensacola, FL. I always tell everyone, "Grandchildren are Good!"

I also had my 6 grandchildren from Missouri at my house for a week. Heart bursting love and chaos reigned for those 7 days. We made trips to the beach, the park, the pool and had a wonderful time.

We still can't show close up facial shots of the soon to be adopted grands, but they have gotten good news about the time frame for making things permanent. When that happens I will come back and update these pictures.

I have also been doing some quilting, and will wait and share those pictures tomorrow.

It feels good to be back.

Freedom Festival at the Dome

2011-07-04T10:43:00.001-04:00

Every year to celebrate the 4th of July our church does a celebration. It is kind of like a church picnic but lower key. They set up a water slide, wading pools for the little ones, and our worship leader who is kind of a techno geek/gadget nerd constructed this wonderful water balloon station that keeps the kids entertained all day.

The older folks find a bit of shade and sit around talking and laughing while they watch the kids run around.

This year we had a pie baking contest, and while they were all excellent, these were the winners in my opinion. Now these don't necessarily co-inside with the judges results, but let them get their own blog.

The evening was topped off with a firework display, alas I don't have any photos of the fireworks, as my camera is way too lame to take good fireworks pictures. Yet another reason to get a new better DSLR camera. (See that honey, that is what I want for my birthday/Christmas). It was a very enjoyable day.

Happy Birthday America! May God continue to bless us!

Never a Wasted Trip

2011-07-04T10:19:00.000-04:00

We went fishing again, this time the only thing we caught was this poor leatherback.

He was hungry and small, and we were able to get the hook out without too much effort, but I told my husband if I caught him again, I was done fishing. It made me want to cry.

The weather was wonderful and the breeze was blowing so not to hot. Another great day in the sunshine. Even though we didnt catch much, I never consider a day relaxing by the water as a wasted trip. It always feeds the peace in my soul and makes me wear a smile for days.

Fun in Tornado Alley

2011-06-27T11:36:00.001-04:00

Last week I was in Kansas City, MO, helping out my son & DIL. Stephanie had gallbladder surgery and I was able to fly out to help. My visit consisted of a lot of cooking, cleaning, naptime, meal times, baths, and other wonderfully energy consuming activities with my grandchildren. It was a lot of work while surrounded by so much love, my heart was bursting. My newest grandchild is the lovely Eliyah, who I think I will call "Ellie". She loves her momma the best, ( must have something to do with the breast milk) and vocalizes her preference loudly. But here is a quiet moment with her daddy.

I was able to take the children on several outings while we were there. I am posting a few of the pictures. For several of the kids, we still cannot post face shots to the web, as the adoption is not final, but I will add them in later.

I was also able to take several of the children to the interactive science museum. They had a great time and it was an enjoyable trip with D, M, & N. Science City is located with the famous (infamous) Union Station. It was a great time and we spent several hours going through all of the exhibits.

I had a marvelous time and now need a vacation to recover from my visit.

Oh The Applique!

2011-06-27T10:57:00.001-04:00

I was in Missouri last week taking care of my 6 (yes I said "six") grandchildren. ( and that is only half of them). I had the opportunity to take a few hours respite. I drove to Eudora, KS to check out the LQS there called Quilting Bits and Pieces. It was a lovely shop, and oh the applique. They specialize in embroidery and applique. The owners have written several books and the quilts on displays were so fabulous. They have a great fabric collection, and lots of never seen before (by me that is) notions. I had a great time.

I bought the book that has the patterns for these Christmas quilts. Just gorgeous!

I will definitely visit this adorable shop again.

I love stitchery!!

2011-06-17T14:10:00.002-04:00

Today my favorite thing is also one of my obsessions. I am so obsessed with quilting and sewing gadgets, tools, and storage for my quilting stuff. Because creating takes so much stuff, right? I am always on the lookout for something that make my sewing easier.

Today is about my love of stitchery. I love redwork, bluework and any other type of embroidery. My favorite thing today is my newly purchased, ( Maybe my husband will not read my blog today) traveling embroidery satchel. It is just beautiful. I love the floral print outside. I love the straps that allow me to hang it up or carry it. I love that I can put the floss colors that I need in it and pockets for scissors, thimbles, needles and backgrounds. It is great and I love it.

Thanks to Shay at "Quilting in My Pajamas" for this opportunity to link up.

Janice

15 Minutes A Day

2011-06-16T22:04:00.001-04:00

I have been using my timer 15 minutes at a time for many years, but until recently I didn't apply it to my quilting.   I use it to make myself fold clothes, clean the bathroom, clean off my "hot spots", almost any household chore I don't want to do.    My favorite phrase is " I can do anything for 15 minutes!"

I always surprise myself at how much I can get done in 15 minutes.    If you are not familiar with "Flylady" Marla Cilley, check out her website at flylady.net.     She is the one that taught me I can clean my home, and keep it clean, 15 minutes at a time.   Some people think of her website and system as cult like, but I know that it saved me from living in "CHAOS". (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)

But I digress.

I have decided to join up with Kate at "Life in Pieces" to keep on track with my projects by trying to get my quilting projects done, 15 minutes at a time.     I will keep track and give myself credit for getting at least 15 minutes a day completed on some quilty project.    It can be old, new, a WIP, a UFO or a PhD. But it must involve at least one of the following: a needle and thread, a sewing machine, a rotary cutter, a design wall or some other facet of my quilty projects.   I am going to take a picture each time I am able to accomplish this, and share them on Tuesdays along with Kate and the others linking up on her blog.

I didn't start this commitment until Friday, June 10th, so I can only get 4 days in this week.   I am taking the 15 minute challenge.   I think "The Flylady" would approve.

Friday, June 10th
A log cabin block that I am making for next years opportunity quilt at my guild.

Saturday, June 11th
On Saturday I worked on my redwork Christmas stitchery project.

I will try to concentrate on getting the other 7 pictures done. I would like to have all of the pictures done by the end of July, but we we see. Maybe 15 minutes at a time.

Sunday, June 12th
No sewing done

Monday, June 13th
No sewing done

Tuesday, June 14th
No sewing done

I have been trying to get my laundry done and my bags packed for my trip to Kansas City. I am sure I will get a little done while I am there. But my son and DIL have 6 kids and I am going to help out after my DIL has surgery. So not a real vacation, but I am sure I will manage to visit at least one quilt shop.

Thanks Kate for setting up this linky party.

My Grandmother's Garden

2011-06-10T05:03:00.000-04:00

It is Friday again, and my favorite thing this week is the quilt I have on my bed. It is a Grandmother's Flower Garden that was pieced by my grandmother and then quilted by my mother. They are both gone, and have been for a number of years, but when I crawl under that quilt each night I feel close to them.

It is entirely hand pieced and hand quilted. It is king size, so it hangs to the floor on both sides of the bed, but I don't mind. It is a treasure and one of my favorite things, along with my bedroom. I have tried to make it a peaceful place. I try very hard to keep it clean and keep the clutter out. I want to feel good when I am there, sleeping or cuddling with my husband. Making my bed each day is a habit that I will always struggle with, but having this beautiful quilt to go on my bed makes it easier.

If you want to share your favorite thing, just click on over to "Quilting in My Pajamas" and a big thank you to Shay for hosting our weekly link party.

A Great Saturday!

2011-06-05T15:49:00.000-04:00

Saturdays are always a good break from work, but some are better than others. Yesterday ones one of those better days. Several friends came over for a morning of sewing and laughter. My friend Louise came over to quilt her 1st quilt, on the domestic quilting frame I have set up in my living room.

It is a beautiful quilt and she did a wonderful job.

My Thursday night quilting group is working on a group donation quilt. We are making a Quilt of Valor. If you have never heard of this group it is a group that provides quilts to injured US service men & women. You can read all about it here. We decided on a pattern and then each of us brought fabrics from our stash. The results turned out great. Now to get it on the frame and get it quilted. This is a terrible picture, but I didnt have anyone to hold it up outside. I will try to post a better one later.

Several quilters in my guild will make and donate quilts to this worthy cause. The big reveal will be this coming Thursday night. I will try to take some pictures to post and share.

All in all it was a great Saturday morning.

Another Special Graduation

2011-05-31T14:29:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I shared photos from my niece's graduation from graduate school. Today I wanted to share a few photos from another special graduation. This time it was the pre-school graduation of two of my grandchildren. Havah and Easton attended the same VPK this year and they had their graduation ceremony last Friday. The school that they attend is the preschool at the First Baptist Church in Tallahassee. It is a great program and they had great teachers this year. We really enjoyed the ceremony, the school made it lots of fun for the kids with songs, and games and a sports theme.

Congratulations Havah and Easton!

Grandma loves you!

My Own Fish Story.

2011-05-31T14:19:00.000-04:00

A while back I wrote a blog that showed a huge fish that my husband caught. Yesterday, my husband and I went fishing and I caught my own fish.

It was a large sheephead, not nearly as big or exciting, but my fish story all the same. I had the most spectacular day. The water and sun was wonderful. We remembered the sunscreen so nothing but pleasant memories.

The only thing that makes my fish story better than his, is the fact that we got to take my fish home and eat it.

I can't seem to get any quilting done, I am having too much fun enjoying God's wonderful creation.

A Little Piece of Heaven!

2011-05-27T09:18:00.000-04:00

Those who don't understand small town life, tend to call it boring. I call it peaceful. Last Sunday we had nothing better to do than take a drive down the coast. Hwy 98 runs down the gulf coast and gives you a wonderful view of Apalachee Bay. We spent a great sun filled afternoon sitting on a dock and then we drove a little further to the quaint town of Carrabelle, known for its marina and fishing tournaments.

Friends of ours have opened a small Bar & Grille that is right on the water and you can sit and watch the boats on the Carrabelle River. The food was great and the view "priceless".

One of my favorite things is sitting on the water on a lazy sunny Florida afternoon.

Want to join in? Go on over to "Quilting in My Pajamas" to share your favorite thing. Join us at "Favorite Things Friday" and post a link to your favorite things. Thanks Shay for hosting this link party.

My Mother's Day

2011-05-23T17:14:00.004-04:00

It has been several weeks since I posted, and a little quilting, a little camping and lots of sunshiny days are happening around here.

My mother passed away in 1994, ever since then I have had a hard time celebrating Mother's Day. When my kids were younger I made the effort for them but now my children are grown and celebrating with their own families. This year we went on a camping trip and had a great time.

We camped at Ochlocknee River State Park, located a few miles south of Sopchoppy Florida. It is only about a 25 minute drive from there to our house, but it still feels like you are getting away from it all.

As I am not necessarily all about roughing it when I camp, we set up camp Friday afternoon and then drove into Sopchoppy to eat. There is a quaint little cafe called "Backwood's Bistro". It has been written up in lots of magazines and the owner is a culinary trained, award winning chef. Great food and lots of small town atmosphere.

We had a great time.

The next day, we went biking through the pine flats and saw a deer. Lots of hiking by the river, and spotted a couple of red headed woodpeckers, and white squirrels. There is a legend that goes along with the white squirrels and it goes something like this.

The Legend of the White Squirrels"
Years ago I saw a book about the history of Sopchoppy. This books described the legend of a Chinese Princess being on a ship that traveled up the Ochlockonee River to the old railroad trestle to unload. She was carrying her pair of pet white squirrels. As the legend goes (if I remember correctly), the squirrels got out of their cage and survived. According to legend, this is how the Franklin County side of the river from Highway 319 to St. Theresa has white squirrels-today. They are not albinos. They breed with gray squirrels but the white is dominant. They can now be found up and down the rivers in this area, and we have even seen them in our neighborhood.

My husband playing "King of the Jungle" on our hike by the river

We went canoeing on the river and spent a lot of time relaxing at the campsite, and as always I was sweetly serenaded by my bluegrass man.

Congratulations Erica!

2011-05-02T11:27:00.000-04:00

I come from a very close knit family. We love to get together and celebrate each other. This weekend we got to have a very special celebration for my niece Erica. Erica graduate from Florida State University with her MBA.

Erica on her big day.

My sister Judy & Erica

She is very bright and goal oriented. She makes up her mind what she is going to accomplish and goes after it.

Erica with her favorite aunt. (me)

It was great to get together with the family and give her the kudos that are her due.

Congratulation, Erica! You deserve all the awesome things that are in store for you.

You are fabulous!

A New Addition!

2011-04-29T09:15:00.002-04:00

It has been several weeks since I posted. I mean too, and then the day gets away from me. I have started back with my early morning gym visits and meal planning. It takes time to exercise and eat right,
but it is so worth it. I feel better, and have more energy. I am trying to make it a habit. It is amazing how the bad things become a habit so easily and doing things that are good for you takes such effort.

But enough about that,    I have a new granddaughter.      Her name is Eliyah, and she was born on April 22nd and weighed 8lbs 10oz.    I haven't gotten to hold her, but I think I am going to have to go to Missouri soon.    In case you couldn't tell from my blog and my previous posts. My grandchildren are my favorite thing.

Want to share your favorite thing.    Join us at "Favorite Things Friday"    and post a link to your favorite things. Thanks Shay for hosting this link party.

I am working on some stitchery projects. I will probably have some pictures this weekend.   Have a great weekend.

Janice

We Finally Found It!

2011-04-16T17:02:00.001-04:00

My husband and I love to look at old stuff. We love old stuff and most of our furnishings are vintage or antique. It doesn't necessarily have to be that old, just something we like. We go to yard sales, junk shops, consignment stores, antique and vintage shops. We look for just that thing we would like to buy. We have gotten much more interested in replacing that dead microwave with one from the flea market that was $10. Or cooking in that cast iron skillet that we found in the flea market in GA, than buying a new set of Emeril or Rachel Ray cookware. I guess it is a sign we are getting older, that older things have more meaning to us. We have been searching for a cabinet to go in our dining room to put linens, my mom's china and some other things in. Today at an estate sale, we found it.

I think it is maple. The drawers have tongue and groove construction and it is a good solid piece. I can't wait to load it up. The great thing is that it only cost us $100.00 dollars. We have been looking at pieces and were sure we were going to have to spend between $200.00 & $300.00 on something nice, but we waited and found a great piece for a great price.

I love it when that happens. Isn't it lovely.

Janice

And the Winner Is!

2011-04-15T23:16:00.000-04:00

I loved all of the comments about camping, gardening.    I can relate to so many of the stories.     I found that many of you love to grow things and many love to camp, but don't get to do it often enough.

Thank you so much for helping me to celebrate my one year anniversary.

The winner of the fat quarter bundle is comment #46 - Karyli of Sew and So on.

Karyli said...

We are tent campers and my kiddos love it. Any sunny day in the frozen winter they ask if we can go camping today because they just can't wait for it to warm up.

I hope it warms up so your kids can get their camping fix on.

You should be getting an email from me in the next day or so.    I will get your snail mail and those beautiful fat quarters will be on their way to your house.

Thanks again for all of your comments.

Janice

A Few Give A Ways

2011-04-14T12:45:00.000-04:00

My blog- aversary and my give away, got me thinking about all the wonderful things I had won and how I liked to get packages in the mail.

So I decided to do a post today about give aways I have run across lately and give my followers more chances to get those wonderful moments with the post, as well as fulfill my "blog about it" obligations to the giveaways.

Here are a few.

Fort Worth Fabric Studio a fabric bundle of the the "Delilah" collection by Tanya Whalen and one winner will get, a Suzi Purse Insert & More pattern.

p.s. i quilt a Modern Workshop Fat Quarter Bundle.

Leona's Quilting Adventure A quilty bundle of goodies

Want It Need It Quilt's - 12 Fat quarters of Gypsy fabric.

Bluebird's Wings has 8 prizes to give away.

KoolBeenz is giving away 12 FQs of Michael Miller's Gypsy Bandana.

Ardea's Nest a tutorial and fabric prizes

Handmade Crafts Done While RVing a Joann's gift certificate.

Sandy's Sewing Circle A bag pattern and other prizes.

McCall's Quilting Blog is giving away a FQ Bundle from Moda’s Authentic - You have to leave a comment on their fb page.

Fabric Seeds A Charm Pack

We Love Quilting's A surprise box - For their April giveaway.

Kontant Kaos A book giveaway

Sew Fabulous Quilt Shop an April giveaway for a beautiful batik Fat Quarter bundle.

Rachelle's Writing Spot & the others are all giving away a Giant Cutting Mat. and one of those winners will win this sewing table.

The Sewing Box

My One Year Anniversary and a New Name!

2011-04-10T15:33:00.000-04:00

I have been blogging for a year. Actually Tuesday, April 5th was my anniversary, but it passed before I noticed it's significance. I also have a new name, as we no longer have a pop-up, we have upgraded to a pull behind.
We love our new camper and have another camping trip planned in the next couple of weeks.

To celebrate I am hosting a give-away. I am going to give away a fat quarter bundle. I will do a random number drawing for this beautiful stack of fat quarters on Friday evening (4/15), so I guess I will take comments until 6:00pm EST on 4/15.

To to make reading your entries interesting, I would love to hear about your gardening or camping adventures. Any out and out beginners out there?? What do you plant, what have been your successes? failures?? Keeping the deer away?? Do you camp in tent, a camper?? Do you hate gardening and buy everything at the corner market? Is the Holiday Inn your kind of camping?? Tell me something about yourself.

For a second entry, become a follower and leave me a comment saying that you did, or that you already follow my blog. For a third entry mention my give-away on your blog.

It has been a great year, and I can't wait to see what kind of changes to my blog and my life happen in the next 12 months.

Janice

Spring has Sprung!!

2011-04-07T09:42:00.004-04:00

I put flowers on my blog background in the middle of winter. Mainly because I was tired of it being plain, but partially because I was tired of winter. As a southern girl from N Florida, many of you northerners, (read Yankees, just kidding), will not sympathize with my lack of forbearance with temperatures below 40 degrees. It has been an unusually cold winter here, and I was so ready for a change.

The new look is to go along with my new name, but I may change it again in a few weeks, or months, because I just don't like things to be the same all the time.

In my last post you can see the wonderful weather that we had for my son's wedding and this week I share a few pictures of some of our grandchildren helping me plant flower seeds and gear up for my first serious attempt at a garden.

Kayden in Her Walker

This is Kayden and she is a serious joy in my life. She is always happy, unless you don't shovel the food in her mouth fast enough.

Kyla & Easton helped me to plant Marigold, daisy, pumpkin & Four OClock seeds. We are starting them in small paper cups and will then transplant them to flower beds.

Easton, Kyla & Me planting seeds

Kyla shoveling dirt

Kyla loved filling the cups with dirt. Easton wanted to play with his new disc shooter, until it was time to put the seeds in. It was a great morning and the sun was shining and to see the wonder of growing things in the eyes of my grandchildren was awesome.

Granddaddy shared a popsicle with the little ones and you can see they loved it. Raspberry I think.

While Kayden made all kinds of faces, she kept begging for more. Love that face!

My New Raised Bed

The seeds were all finally planted and watered. The few little tomato and pepper plants, given to me by my friend Judy, were finally in the ground. Check out my new raised bed, put together by my Uncle Paul & my husband, James. I was very excited when Paul, told me he wanted to make me one for Christmas. I am a little late getting started with my garden, but it will still grow. I am investigating deer repellant, as we have deer in abundance in our yard and the woods surrounding it.

He framed it out and then transported it to my house. He and James installed it, and put in the automatic sprinkler system. It turns itself on for 15 minutes every morning at 6:00am. Now if I could find an automatic weeder?

(Here is the picture with everything planted)

Wish me luck, say a prayer, I have been known to have a black thumb, but they say having a garden is a scientific process, anyone can learn to do it. I am a smart woman, who can follow directions. I can do this!

I will keep you posted on my progress.

My Latest Project!

2011-03-28T16:43:00.000-04:00

I have spent no time quilting, or crocheting in the last several weeks. I have been working on another project. My youngest son, Kyle, got married this weekend. All of the sewing I have done lately, was to hem pants, make sashes and bows for the flower girls, head bands, decorations, and the wedding list goes on and on and I was the mother of the groom. At least I didn't have to plan the wedding reception. All kidding aside. It was a lovely day with a lovely couple and my wonderful grandchildren. It was a good day.

I only cried twice. The weather was perfect and the setting picturesque. Congratulations Kyle & Amy!

Aren't they lovely!

A New Name?

2011-03-17T23:14:00.001-04:00

My blog started out as a way to chronicle my quilting (Patchwork), my camping adventures (Popup) and my relationship with Jesus (Prayer). Now that we have bought a new camper, and have upgraded our RV status, I sort of feel the need to come up with a new name for my blog. I will be working on that. But let me share our new camper with you. I only have pictures of the outside today, but I will take pics of the inside later and post them as well.

We took it on its maiden voyage to Manatee Springs State Park in Cheifland Florida. It is a great park with lots of wildlife. The deer are very friendly and come right up to your campsite. They have been fed alot and have very little fear within the park.

We walked out a long boardwalk along the beautiful spring fed river as it flows into the Suwannee River. The head spring was clear and cold, and scuba divers, dive into the main cave. The temperature of the water is the same year round and in the winter the Manatee swim up into the spring and the surrounding waters to keep warm during the cold winter months.

We were able to see the Manatee, they were spotted out in the main river (Suwannee) off of the boat dock, and we were able to get a shot of their snouts as they came up to breathe. There were about 6-8 in this herd, but you they didn't get close enough for us to really see them, but you could tell they were there.

The boardwalk out to the main river is so nice and made for a nice walk from our campsite. The views are gorgeous, and I never tire of looking at the water.

We saw a hawk sitting on a tree and he let me get fairly close, but my camera is not powerful enough to capture his majestic color and pose. Right after this shot he decided we were too close and took off. I couldn't catch him in flight. We had a wonderful time and it was so relaxing.

This park is a taste of old Florida, the rivers, the cypress trees, and the wildlife. It was a great place to spend a weekend.

Flying Machines

2011-03-11T06:20:00.000-05:00

The Planes are in the Air!!!

I finally finished the quilt for my Grandson David. It should get there in time for his birthday, or the day after. I am very please with the results. It is also another official UFO Finish!! Yeah!! I love the individual embroideries and had fun designing this quilt.

I think the "Sea Plane" is my favorite, with the helecopter coming i next.

I am now free to start my next project. I am joining a Stitch A Long over at

http://www.stitch-a-long.blogspot.com/

It is a small Christmas wallhanging called Tis the Season. I have gotten my fabrics picked out and now I can start stitching. It is very simple blocks, but should be fun and easy to complete by September and hopefully be quilted by Christmas to go on my wall. No more UFO's.

I will keep you posted on my progress.

I hope you have a quilty weekend.

Good Friends Are Priceless!

2011-03-04T14:53:00.001-05:00

Good Quality Quilting Fabric - $10.00

Good Quilty Friends - Priceless!
One of my truly favorite things is the time that I spend with my sit n stitch buddies. They have become an extension of my family and I love them. Where else would you find someone who understands your addiction and doesn't even suggest a 12 step program. They rejoice with me when I rejoice and cry with me when I cry and get mad for me when someone treats me badly. They ooh and ahh at all of my quilting efforts even the bad ones, and they are always ready to lend a rotary cutter, or a ruler when my crazy life makes me dash madly around trying to get out of the house after working all day, so I can get my weekly fix of quilty talk and destressing.

Thanks guys for being there for me!

You are one of my favorite things!

If you want to join in the fund and share your favorite things, hop on over to Shay's Place - Quilting in my Pajama's and add your own link.

What I Am Thankful For

2011-03-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

Chronicles 16:8

I read a blog this morning that got me really thinking. E over at http://ordinary-time.blogspot.com/ wrote a post listing all of the things she is thankful for. It made me realize that I don't stop and thank God enough for the wonderful things in my life, so I decided to make a list.

For my wonderful Godly husband, who has put up with me for 32+ years. He makes me smile every day. He is full of wisdom, compassion and understanding. He lives out the gospel he professes every day. He is an example to our sons of how a father should be. He doesn't mind the quilting stuff all over the house, and he even stops at quilt shops when we travel. He does dishes and makes a scrumptious pound cake, and is still in love with me after all of the years. Yes I am truly blessed and very thankful that God put us together at the beginning of my life.
For my 3 boys and all the love that they have brought to my life. They each have their own talents and abilities and I thank God for each one of them.
For the 10 grandchildren that God has given me. Each one brings a special joy to my life, and I can never get enough of the very special love that grandchildren bring to your life.
For my sisters who know me and love me anyway. Who help me to continue the strong sense of family that my mother instilled in us. I am grateful for their love and that they are close enough for me to see them often.
For my church family, my pastor, my worship leader and all of the other brothers and sisters in Christ in my local church body, that mean I am never alone, and never without a shoulder to cry on, or someone to lift me up with a word of encouragement, or someone to cover me in prayer during times of trial and godly wisdom when I need it and a kick in the pants when I need to be reminded of who my Father is.
I am thankful for my job, as part of God's provision for my family.
For my boss, who acknowledges my ablities and gives me room to do my job
For my health, and the renewed desire to take better care of my body.
For my special friends who understand fabric addiction, and the need to create something with my hands.
For a warm/cool house, a safe place with so many comforts. I am truly blessed.
For the beauty that is all around me. The bible says that creation testifies of God.
For more than enough to eat, for so much abundance that I have to diet.
For a sound mind, the ability to read and think and use my brain.
I am thankful to live in a country where people can speak their mind, even if no one else agrees with them. One of my favorite sayings is "I will defend to the death your right to be wrong." Sometimes I hate what people use freedom to say and do, but I am grateful that we have that freedom.

There are so many things that I am thankful for that I can't even list them all here. In the day we live in, when so much seems to be wrong or hard or evil, I needed to stop and think of all the good things in my life. Thanks E! for making me think.

Oh one more thing to be thankful for: With gas prices getting ready to hit $4.00 a gallon, we can be thankful that they have not yet hit $5.00 a gallon????

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. Somethings are more important than whatever I have on my design wall, and I am learning that I need to take time for those things also.

A Wonderful Spring Day!

2011-02-26T22:46:00.000-05:00

I know that some people still have frigid temperatures and snow on the ground, but here in North Florida the sun has shown up. We have had beautiful warm days and the sun has been shining. I even got a little bit of a sunburn today.
I took a day trip (2 hour drive) to visit my sisters. I made my sister a quilt for her 50th birthday, but it was a little late and I finished it a few weeks ago. See my finishes post here. I had yet to deliver it to her. I gave it to her today, and made her take a picture with it.

We had a great day. We went to Downtown Alachua, FL and walked around looking in all the shops. There is a quilt shop there. I bought 2 half yard pieces of fabric and a wedge ruler. We ate lunch at The Ivy House, a neat restaurant located in a restored old home, that is on the national historical register. There are alot of cute gift shops, consignment stores, and antique stores on Main Street. Then we went back to my sister's house and sat on the porch talking and laughing, and soaking in the sunshine. It was a good day.

I Love Water!

2011-02-25T09:33:00.003-05:00

Since I am allergic to artificial sweetners and I am always on a diet, trying to eat healthy, and stay away from the dreaded "soda". I almost never drink soda, I might sneak a Mountain Dew in there every once in a blue moon. For the most part I drink water, and with all the new info coming out about plastic bottles and how bad they are for the environment, and they may cause cancer, etc... I drink filtered water. We have a Brita filter pitcher that stays in our fridge, 24/7. While it is a good thing, it is not my favorite thing.

My favorite thing is this:

This is only a small sample of the water bottles that I have. I collect them. I have them in my fridge, in my car, by my bed, in my backpack, by my sewing machine and every where else that I go. I rotate them continually and always have one with me. I love water! It's a good thing, as I can't really drink anything else. The butterfly one is my favorite, this week.

Don't forget to head on over to Shay's place "Quilting in My Pajama's" and tell us about your favorite thing.

I am back!

2011-02-24T09:41:00.001-05:00

It has been nearly two weeks since I have posted.    My card reader for my camera was borrowed and I had to give it back.    It just became so hard to get to someplace I could download the pics, transfer to a flash drive, download to my computer and then write a blog.

Sorry I have been gone so long.    I just got a new card reader, (my own this time), so I am back.

I have the my most current UFO on the frame to be quilted and it will be done by the end of February.   The blue work flying machines for my grandson's 9th birthday.   I hope he will enjoy it.     I had lots of fun with the bluework, but got stuck on the design for a while, but once I put my 15 minutes resolution in place, it has come together quickly.

He loves airplanes and helicopters, and all things flying.

I am ready for the quilting to be done and get this one in the shipping box on it's way to Kansas City, MO. It is going to the smartest, cutest, and most loving grandson. He loves Jesus and it shows in everything he does.

What a Screen! One of my favorite things!

2011-02-11T15:46:00.003-05:00

I have an iMac.   I am one of those converted PC folks.    My work computer used to be a Window machine and I thought it was great, as I love all things electronic. But then I got my 27 inch iMac
and I am now a Mac person at work and a PC person at home.    I can't convince my husband that "Because I want one!" is a good enough reason to abandon my perfectly good PC laptop for a new MacBook Pro.   So for now one of my favorite things is this wonderful Mac sitting on my desk at work.
It looks just like this one.

Come join us at Favourite Things Friday.    Thanks Shay for hosting this linky party.

I Won!

2011-02-11T14:57:00.000-05:00

I am so excited! I won a $25.00 gift certificate to Hawthorne Threads.

http://www.hawthornethreads.com/home

They have lots of wonderful fabric, but I fell in love with this one.

This fabric will become a new quilt for my camper, my husband is going to love it. We have both fallen in love with RVing and pack up our pop-up as often as we are able. We have a trip coming up that I will tell you about soon. It involves clear spring fed rivers, sea cows, and a quilt show. What more could a girl want?

Thank you so much, P. at

As I Sew It

Favorite Things Friday!

2011-02-04T08:40:00.001-05:00

My post today is about my favorite thing to use to do my least favorite thing. UnSew! UGH!!

I am not a total perfectionist when it comes to piecing. If I cut off points or my seams don't nest perfectly, I look at the square and say " Could I see this from the back of a moving horse?" If the answer is no, then I will probably leave it the way it is, depending on the purpose of the quilt and my mood at the time. But everyone who sews knows, that there are times when you just have to unsew.

Well on a road trip a few years ago, I found this!

It is a cheap seam ripper, mounted in a hand carved polished handle. It is so much easier to work with because of it's longer handle. I love it and it is one of my favorite quilting tools.

Have a great weekend and if you haven't joined in, think about linking up with us at

Shay at Quilting in My Pajamas, host our weekly link party and we appreciate her. Come join us!

Aunt Cynthy Got it Right!

2011-02-04T06:05:00.000-05:00

I'd rather piece as eat, and I'd rather patch as piece, but I take natcherally delight in quilting'….. Whenst I war a new-married woman with children round my feet, hit 'peraed like I'd git so wearied

I couldn't take delight in nothing: and I'd git ill to my man and the children, and what do you reckon I done them times?

I just put down the breeches I was patchin' and tuk out my quilt squar'. Hit wuz better than prayin', child, hit wuz reason.

Aunt Cynthy…1900

Check out this post from Patchwork Posse

Her post is about a book and the history of women in Art, but I remember the times when my husband ( who is definitely a keeper) would say to me. "Go Quilt!" He meant go do something that relaxes and destresses you, so you will quit being so grouchy. This little tidbit of prose sums up my feelings exactly.

WIP Wednesday

2011-02-02T13:32:00.000-05:00

I have never been an on demand quilter. I don't do many baby quilts, because I want to work on what I want to work on, when I want to work on it. So of my 10 grandchildren only 3 of them have quilts made by Grandma. The sad thing is, is that it is not even the oldest 3. I know this is a tragedy and my DIL's remind me of it all the time. Just kidding. I have quilts in mind for all of them, and more than half of the remaining quilts to be made are on my UFO/WIP/PHD list .

I am hoping to get most of them to my 2011 Finishes list, and the current WIP onto the February finish list. My #2 grandson, who is 8 years old, will be getting this quilt on his 9th Birthday. That is coming up on March 15th. I am really good if I have a deadline, but it has to be one that I give myself.

The fabrics and the embroidered planes look more black & gray than the blue they really are. The only truly black fabric is the sashing. Each plane or flying machine, is a different blue and there are 6 of them. They are all done. There are 6 pieced blocks and 3 of those are done and the others finished tonight. It is my goal to have the top finished and loaded onto the mid-arm frame by Sunday afternoon.

I think I can do it!

Then on to the next grandchild UFO. I am really trying to be a better grandma. But they won't quit having babies. We have 2 more on the way, one in April and one in July. Their baby quilts won't be finished either, but they will get a larger quilt if they have to wait a few years.

A Fabric Diet!

2011-02-01T19:16:00.001-05:00

I have tried to put myself on a fabric diet, but it isn't working very well. It would help if I would stay out of my LQS, but I have to go to my monthly applique meeting don't I?

These batik fat quarters called out to me as I passed by the cart, while turning my head, trying to avoid looking at their lusciousness.

This one is my favorite, until I see the next one.

And next month will probably not be any easier.    I have the Suwannee Valley Quilt & Old Time Craft Festival, to be held on March 12, in Trenton FL.    They have the best quilt shop there.   I can't imagine not buying at least a few ~~yards~~ fat quarters.    Not to mention the following weekend, I am going to the Lakeland, Sewing Expo.   How am I suppose to get out of there without buying any fabric???

I guess I need a 12 step program.    They tell an alcoholic the first thing they have to do is stop hanging out in bars.    But seeing as my addiction is neither, illegal, immoral or fattening, I can't seem to convince myself that buying fabric is bad.    It's not like I am spending the rent money.

I really am going to stop buying fabric, I am running out of room. But we really could use a bigger house, with 2 bathrooms.

But for now, I am thinking about heading for my local Walmart.   One of the ladies in my group said they tripled the size of the fabric department and I really need to make sure they are telling the truth. The hand on that 1/2 yard my friend bought was very nice.

Maybe I should call my sponsor.   Oh! She is at Walmart. I guess I haven't got a chance!

New Word Monday

2011-01-31T10:23:00.000-05:00

Pat at Silver Thimble Talk

Posted this wonderful new word.    I would like to nominate it for inclusion in the dictionary.    Some would say it is not really a word or even possible, but there are those of us who know how necessary this procedure is at times.

Thank you Pat! for this wonderful addition to my vocabulary.   Send me your snail mail address, because I am going to send you a fat quarter of my favorite coffee fabric.

Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

My First Mug Rug and a 2nd Finish for 2011!

2011-01-30T17:00:00.002-05:00

I hadn't signed on to the mug rug craze that seems to be everywhere you look, but a group of ladies that I meet with decided to demonstrate machine applique, by having us make a mug rug. Anyone that knows me knows I don't do small quilts. My quilts run to queen or king size, but I have to admit, I am proud of the result. I like the colors and finishing something, even such a small project, gives a nice sense of accomplishment.

I see more mug rugs in my future. They kind of go with my caffine addiction anyway.

Happy Birthday! Kyla!

2011-01-30T16:53:00.000-05:00

One of my granddaughters turned two yesterday, and we had a small family party. She was the birthday girl and had the crown to prove it. Her dad said she walked around all morning, singing Happy Birthday to me! And it's my birthday party!

She posed nicely for the camera in her hat and after a dinner of spagetti and garlic bread was ready to open presents. The hit of the evening was the Princess Tea Set that I found. She was sharing tea with everyone, pouring juice and stirring tea with her "poon." She had a great time opening all of her presents.

After a quick wardrobe change, into her new outfit and her pink and brown rainboots, it was time to blowout the candles.

She is indeed Grandma's little angel.

Happy Birthday Kyla!

Fruit Basket Turnover!

2011-01-25T16:36:00.002-05:00

That is what my mom used to say when she really liked something. I think it describes last night's meeting of the Tallahassee Applique Society.

Last night I did a presentation on blogs, Google Reader and how the internet can enhance your enjoyment of quilting and applique in particular.

The ladies greeted my efforts with praise. I shared several blogs that I just love that specialize in applique designs and offer free BOM patterns.

The first one and my personal favorite is One Piece At A Time. Erin's Florabunda and My Tweets BOM's are so beautiful

They sort of take my breath away.

You should go and vote for Erin's design here

As a group, we are doing the Bunny Hill BOM - A Tisket A Tasket

I am really behind on mine, but a few of the ladies showed off their blocks last night.

I really need to ditch this job, so I can spend all my time quilting. Oh but then I would have to stop buying fabric and maybe stop eating. Guess I have to put in a few more years.

The quilt that made me name this post "Fruit Basket Turnover" was this one.

One of our members won this quilt from the National Applique Society. Our names were entered in the drawing just for joining . Needless to say she was thrilled and you would not believe the beautiful quilting and luscious fabrics that went into this quilt.

That is all for this post. But I just had to share the wonderful applique that our group is doing.

My First Finish of 2011

2011-01-25T09:40:00.001-05:00

10 years ago, my older sister said to me "When am I going to get a quilt?" I said one of these days, she then replied "Probably never!" Feeling rather offended by her tone of voice, I said "by your 50th birthday."

That was November 13, 2010. For her birthday, my younger sister and I rented a hotel room, and took her out to dinner. We laughed until we cried. The next day, we had a great day riding around our old neighborhoods and saying, "Remember this?" It was a great day. I didn't have the quilt finished, but the top was done. I gave it to her and then took it back to get the quilting done.

Well it is done, and just a few months after her 50th. This quilt goes on record as my first finish for 2011.

UFOs, WIP or PhD's -

2011-01-17T13:29:00.006-05:00

UFO's - Unfinished Objects

WIP's - Works in Progress

PhD's - Projects Half Done

What ever you call them, almost every quilter has them. They are created slowly and surely. How are they made you ask?

* Those classes you took where you only made one or two blocks.

* The half finished jacket that didn't get done before cold weather was gone. "'ll finish it before next fall." you say. 3 years later, it is still in its plastic bin.

* The internet round robin where someone put something in you didn't like.

* The Christmas gift list that was too ambitious for the time and energy you had left before the big day.

It seems as if almost every blog I read these days is talking about getting UFOs completed. There are lists, and links and challenges and prizes, trying to help us get motivated to finish something. Well this blog is not any different. I am listing my UFO's, WIP and PhD's for all the world to see. I already have an extensive list with about 25 things on it, and that is probably not all. Gotta go through those bins in the closet. I started
my list in January ( of course) about 5 or 6 years ago, and since then I have crossed off 6 items and added 5. I have also completed a few baby quilts, and other things that never sat idle, long enough to make the list. My theory is that it has to remain idle for at least a year to qualify for this list. Otherwise it is not a UFO, it is just a WIP. This year I am going to try to cross off 10 UFO's from my list. I know that is an ambitious goal, but I am feeling motivated and bold. Let's see how I do. Do you dare put your list (I know you have one), to paper and share it with the world? I dare you!

Just Beachy - Machine Applique - based on a class pattern by Karen Stone - 2003
Paper Pieced Trucks - 2004
Autumn Jacket - 2006
Blue Square in a Square - Full Size - 2004
Spring Time Table Runner - 2009
~~Yellow Brick Road - 2006~~ Completed
Stack N' Whack - 2003
Blue Paisley Bible Block Quilt - 2008
Yellow and Blue Round Robin - 1999
~~Blue Airplane Quilt for David - 2006~~ - Completed March 2011
Salsa Nights BOM for Dalten
Nine Patch Scrappy Quilt - 2003
Cups and Saucers - Paper Piecing - 2006
Christmas Table Runner - 2007
Snowball Quilt - 2006
Flying Geese Quilt - 2005
Love is a Work of Heart - Hand Applique - 2000
Lori's Jumper - 2007
Berries and Vines - Hand Applique - 2006
~~A Girl Can Get Tired of Diamonds~~ - Ready to go to longarm - Need money - King Size - 1999
Southern Belle Quilt - Family Heirloom, 3 generations of quilters have worked on this. Hand Quilting
Friendship Squares - Internet Swap - 2000
New York Beauty Blocks
Vintage Sunburst Star Blocks - Left to me by my mother when she passed 14 years ago.
Umbrella Ladies - Blanket Stitch Applique - 2004
Birdie Stitches - January 2011
Tis the Season - Stitch Along - March 2011

* There are a few more. I will add them later.

Try it for yourself. Listing them is actually kind of freeing. One blog said it was even okay to give them away or throw them away. I won't go that far! But listing them was not so bad.

Project Run and Play

2011-01-16T06:14:00.000-05:00

I don't sew clothes. I did at one time and then I discovered quilting and all other forms of sewing kind of flew out the window. I tell myself it is because I work full time, am active in my church, my guild and have 10 grandchildren to run around after. The real reason is that I just don't enjoy it as much as I like quilting.

But if I did, I would want my efforts to result in items as cute as these talented women produce.

Go and check them out and vote for your favorite.

15 Minutes A Day

2011-01-12T16:09:00.000-05:00

I made a goal for 2011 ( I hate the word resolution) to do something related to sewing, crocheting, quilting, and other fiber related pursuits, for 15 minutes each day. I set a timer next to my sewing machine and so far I have met my goal. I have joined in my LQG's block of the month and am going to make a block each month for our raffle block drawing.

I also made a list of my UFO's, PIG's, whatever you want to call them, and will share it later. I put the very next action I need to do to move each one of them along, right next to it on the list. My goals is alot of finishes in 2011. I am not going to put a number on it, but I am going to keep at it.

Here are the tree blocks I did for the raffle block. I really like them. Next months block is a tree made with appliqued hearts. Ever heard of Heat n Bond Lite? Don't have enough time for needle turn right now, but it is still applique.

I will keep you posted on my 15 minutes a day. (It normally turns into 30, but that is okay.)

Did you notice the timer in the pictures??

Keep on Stitchin'

Janice

Favorite Things Friday!

2011-01-07T16:37:00.000-05:00

Do I need to use words????

One of those days when only chocolate will do!!

My New Year's Resolution

2011-01-07T16:22:00.000-05:00

I have decided that I will sew, or stitch, or cut some fabric, or play with my stash, use my machine quilter, or do something else creative each day.

I am not going to get to the end of year and realize that I spent all of my time reading other people's blogs and see all the cool things that they made.

To that effect, last night I picked out fabrics for my LQG, Block of the Month Raffle. This month's are cute little pine trees. The theme this year is going green, so each block is a different tree block. And in honor of all of the stash busters, fabric diets and scrap users tutorials that seem to be popping up all over blogland, I am trying to use up my scraps. I have cut out 3 blocks, two to raffle and one to keep, just in case I don't win. I took pictures of my tree fabric pics, all from my scrap box. These are my color choices and a close up of the pattern instructions. I will post the finished blocks later in the week.

2011 - The Year of the Finished Project

2011-01-04T11:00:00.010-05:00

As I tried to figure out what to write to close out my blog for 2010, I realized that I did not have enough fabric finishes to fill up a photo collage, like so many others were doing. Was it because I hadn't finished anything or because I hadn't kept track?    I think it may be a little of both.

But I haven't learned how to do all of that fancy stuff, like photo collages that are links.   Then I saw the index page that Elizabeth at Such A Sew and Sew made to log her finishes last year.   I realized that a list that links to the finishes, as I post them on my blog, made perfect sense to my list crazy brain.   I am all about lists.    I make lists for everything and I even have a list of my lists.

She generously offered the use of her button and gives instructions on how to make a link back to the index to post on your blog.    Thank you so much Elizabeth.      I am sure that I could have thought of something so profound yet so simple, if I wasn't busy with all of my lists.

So here goes.

January Finishes

Yellow Brick Road - Finished on January 25, 2011 - This is for my sister Jennifer.
Red & Black Mug Rug - Finished on January 30, 2011 - Machine Applique project with TAS(Tallahassee Applique Society)

February - No Finishes :(

March Finishes

3. Flying Machines - This quilt was given to my grandson David on his 9th birthday. It was 6 hand embroidered flying machines and 6 machine pieced blocks, quilted on the domestic frame with a dark blue varigated King Tut Superior thread. It was finished on March 9th, 2011.
Happy New Year,

April - No Finishes

May - No Finishes

June - No Finishes

July - A Quilt of Valor - A group quilt by my Thursday evening Sit n Stitch. It will be donated to the national organization that gives quilts to our service men and women that have been wounded. I love the colors, and it was a fun project.

August - Burp Cloths for my grandson Wyatt - Picture to come shortly.
A Girl Can Get Tired of Diamonds - This turquoise diamond quilt is hand pieced, using the English Paper Piecing technique and it was 15 years in the making. Glad to get this one done.

September - Little Boy Blue - I made this quilt for a friend of mine's grandson. He is the sweetest little boy. Can't wait to see him wrapped up in it at Thanksgiving.

October - No Finishes

November - Beading Projects - This is my new favorite obsession. I hesitated to add them to this list, but I realized that they are part of my creative productivity and thus should be chronicled here.

Janice

Is it over? Or just beginning?

2010-12-31T23:29:00.000-05:00

2010 is ending, but 2011 is just beginning. We have had alot of sickness, death and heartache in 2010, but God has been faithful to bless us all the way through it. We have had a wonderful little granddaughter, Kayden, born in 2010, and she is a precious gift.

We have prospered in a down economy. We have good jobs, and a warm home with an abundance of loving family who love us and one another. I have been amazed at the abundance that God has put in our lives. When we sit down to a meal, I have recently become so aware of the never ending provision of God.

Thank You, Lord.

For all that you have given to us in 2010, and in advance for all the blessings that 2011 will bring. We will give you praise, in everything that 2011 holds.

A Super Giveaway!

2010-12-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

Dawn at Dawn's Quilting Corner is giving away 7 yards of fabric. That's right "7 yards" and not only that it is Dr. Seuss fabric.

Pop on over and give it a look and sign up for this great giveaway.

Come back later. I will have a new post about my revamped sewing/guest room.

Making Christmas Memories

2010-12-25T00:17:00.000-05:00

I have 10 grandchildren and my children don't show signs of stopping. Someone suggested I get them each a TV, but they already have one so???? Not all of them are near for Christmas this year and the traditions are a little out of wack, but I try to take time with each grandchild to make special memories of Christmas time at Grandma's.

Easton had a sleepover with us and helped me decorate. He loved putting the ornaments on the tree and setting the mantle up. He was so excited that he was big enough to hang the delicate glass ornaments and the ones that are as old as Grandma. "They are very old aren't they grandma?" "Yes Easton, older than dirt."
He jumped with joy when it was all done, and then we watched Polar Express before bedtime. It was a great evening.

This past week, Havah, who is 4, came over and we baked cookies. She wanted to put icing on them, so we did. I am not sure how much icing got on the cookies and how much ended up in her mouth, but we had a great time and then I sent her full of sugar and red dye to her other grandmother's house. "You are welcome Becky"

She loves sprinkles. There were sprinkles on the cookies, sprinkles on the table, on the chair, on the floor and even sprinkles in Grandma's hair. But it made her happy.

She was so much fun and helped me wrap presents, and was so pleased to be the first one to put presents under the tree.

Even with the economy and the things we have had to cut back on, we have been so blessed to still have too much under the tree. I tend to go a little crazy when it comes to buying Christmas gifts.

This year I was finally able to use the Santa figurines that I made for my mom in the early years of my marriage about 30+ years ago. It has alway hurt too bad before to bring them out. But this year it was comforting.

While we still pretend for the little ones and Santa fills stockings and leaves gifts.

When we are all together, before we open the presents, we will pause and say a prayer thanking God for the abundance in our lives and for sending His Son "Jesus" as a little baby, born in manger, to save the world from their sins. We will read the Christmas Story, from God's Word and we won't forget what all of the celebration is about and who's birthday it is.

retromummy: flower sugar giveaway

2010-12-22T09:22:00.000-05:00

There is a great giveaway at Retro mummy . Corrie there is giving away a fat quarter bundle of some marvelous fabrics.

Aren't they lovely?

Click on over and give her blog the once over and join the giveaway.

And The Winner Is............

2010-12-18T23:28:00.000-05:00

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

18

Timestamp: 2010-12-19 04:01:47 UTC

I wasn't quite sure how to generate a random number so I googled it.    Don't you love that word?? Google!!! It just sounds interesting.

My husband and kids joke about mom knowing everything.  When they start giving me a hard time I say " I just g...." and they finish the sentence.   "google"    But they love knowing they can get an answer, or I will spend the time searching for it.

But I digress... My giveaway winner is:   Kristin from http://sewchaos.blogspot.com/   Congratulations Kristin!   I will be emailing you, and waiting for you to send me your snail mail address, so I can get this wonderful book and fabric in the mail to you on Monday.

Thanks for entering and congratulations again.

I had 102 comments and enjoyed all of them, especially those people who took the time to write something about themselves, and I explored a whole lot of blogs and now follow many more. Thanks everyone who took the time to enter. I will be having more and will enjoy commenting on all of my new blog friends.

Thanks again to the folks at Sew, Mama, Sew for organizing this wonderful giveaway. I can't wait until the next one.

Giveaway Day!

2010-12-13T09:33:00.000-05:00

I am participating in the giveaway Day and want to give away this great book by Rodale Press.

Fast, Fun and Fabulous Quilts. It has alot of cute wall hangings for all seasons and good cutting and instructional tips. I am also including some fat quarters in a variety of colors.

What do you have to do to win? Just follow my blog! Leave me a comment on this post and let me know that you have begun following me or that you are already a follower. I will be collecting comments until Dec 17th at 9:00pm. Be sure to leave me an email where I can reach you to let you know you won. Be sure to click on over to the list at Sew, Mama, Sew and visit all of the participating bloggers.

There are a whole group of bloggers who are participating in "giveaway Day". This giveaway list is being hosted by the wonderful and talented folks over at "Sew, Mama, Sew!" an online fabric shop, that features great fabrics, tutorials and a wonderful blog! Thanks, Kristin, and all the other wonder folks that keep that site going.

A Night of Sharing

2010-12-08T23:13:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday night my weekly quilting group "Patchwork and Prayer" got together with a sewing group led by my good friend and spiritual mom, Ms. Diane Gray.

She is an awesome woman of God and opens her home up to the ladies of our church and others in the community.

This night we were there to share our love of sewing, quilting and crafts. It was a mixed group. Some of us had lots of sewing and quilting experience and some were true beginners. We had a time of show and tell and some really good food.

Sampler Quilt hand quilted by Judy

Beautiful Applique Wall hanging by Linda

My good friend Lascella, hand quilted this panel and I had to show the wonderful detail on the back. She put alot of love and work into this small throw.

The amount of detail in the quilting is wonderful.

Kay Roberts is doing the Cathedral Window quilt with 1 inch squares the old fashion way, completely by hand.

Thank you Sylvia for the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. It was out of this world and worth every calorie.

We did a White Elephant Christmas Exchange, and I received this lovely purse and stationary holder made my Susan. She made them from placemats and embellished them with such cute flowers and buttons.

At the end of the evening we showed the dresses that were made from men's shirts and pillowcases, that are going to be given to children in an orphanage in Ethiopia.

One of the ladies in our group shown in these pictures is adopting a little boy from the orphanage and will take the dresses with her when she goes to finalize the adoption.

A great time of fellowship was had by all and we prayed over the dresses, the little girls that would wear them and the upcoming adoption.

I can't wait to see what this group does next.

Applique - A Love/Hate Relationship

2010-11-23T20:19:00.000-05:00

I have this love/hate relationship with applique. I love to do it, I hate that it takes me so long to accomplish anything. There are other people who are so fast and seem to have no trouble getting their all of their BOM's finished. I can't even seem to get mine started. But I do love it. That is why I recently joined the TAS. " The Tallahassee Applique Society."

A group of ladies who have begun meeting on a monthly basis to share and encourage one another in the art of applique. Some of the ladies are good at it and some of us just watch in wonder.

That is me in the green sweater in the corner working diligently at the appliques that I have been working on forever. I will share them one day when they are closer to being finished. I really do enjoy it and joined the group to see if it would spur me on to complete something. The jury is still out on that one. We will see.

Falling Waters was only a trickle!

2010-11-23T20:02:00.000-05:00

We spent this past weekend at Falling Waters State Park, near Chipley, FL. It is a lovely park and the campground was wonderful with clean facilities and camp hosts who took great care of the grounds. We had a campsite right beside our good friends, Bill & Barbara, and beside a huge dogwood tree with berries in bloom. A pair of red headed (piliated?) woodpeckers spent every day flying back and forth to this tree, with lots of noise and it was hard to get a good shot of them. They wouldnt pose for any close ups.

The falls are the tallest, maybe the only waterfalls in Florida and the park is the highest elevation in Florida.

We had a great time with good friends and hated to come home, but we had to go back to work on Monday. At least it is a short work week.

20 Things About Me

2010-11-16T07:42:00.000-05:00

Sue over at Bits & Pieces, This & That:

Challenged us to answer these questions and I thought I would share a little bit about myself, as I haven't done any sewing in the last week and had nothing significant to share today.

1.Sweet or Savoury? I have a definite sweet tooth, that I am trying to cure.

2.Dresses or Jeans? I am all about comfort.

3.House or Apartment? I love living in the country in an old house.

4.Shop Online or Offline? I hate malls and everytime I go to one, it reinforces that feeling.

5.DVDs or Downloads? I love my gadgets.

6.Cocktails or Juice? I don't drink.   Not much juice either, but definitely not cocktails.

7.Chocolate or Strawberry? Is there anything but chocolate?

8.Laptop or PC? I love my laptop.   I really want a Macbook Pro, but not yet.

9.Magazines or Newspapers? I have piles of magazines.   I need to get rid of some.

10.Facebook or Twitter? Facebook.    I don't get the whole twitter thing.

11.CDs or MP3s? I love my gadgets
12.Kids or Pets? Grandkids to be correct.   I love my babies.

13.Cookies or Cupcakes? Oatmeal raisin

14.Walk or Run? I love to walk in the woods, but get on the treadmill most days for exercise.

15.Breakfast in Bed or Breakfast Out? I love a good omelet, made by someone else.

16.Market or Supermarket? We don't have many small markets where I live.

17.Sourdough or Grainy?   I stick with whole wheat.

18.Heels or Flats? I told myself when I turned 40, no more shoes that hurt my feet.

19.Late nights or Not? I love the late nights, but have learned I am healthier and happier if I get enough sleep.

20. Coffee or Tea? See my previous post.    Coffee, Latte, Cafe', whatever you call it.   It is one of the good things about life.

I put Sue's challenge out there to you as well.   Put the answer to these questions on your blog today.    Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Janice

What A Fish!

2010-11-14T20:34:00.000-05:00

I spent the weekend celebrating my older sister's 50th birthday. We had a great time talking, laughing and remembering good times that we had shared. Since we were having a girl's weekend I left my husband at home and he decided to go fishing.

What a Fish! The picture says it all.

That will teach me to let him go fishing by himself. It was 41 inches and weighed over 30lbs. Too bad he had to let him go. He caught several other fish that day, including a red fish the right size for keeping. He says it was just because he is a blessed man. I think I have to agree with him.

Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?

Mathew 7:10

Favorite Things Friday! - One of My Passions

2010-11-12T13:43:00.000-05:00

Coffee! Latte! Espresso!

battery acid, brew, caffeine, café, café au lait, café noir, cappuccino, decaf, decoction, demitasse, espresso, forty weight, hot stuff, ink, jamocha, java, joe, mocha, mud, perk*, varnish remover

Whatever you want to call it, I am addicted. Not just to the caffine, but to the smell. To the mugs, the grinders, my french press, and yes to Vanilla creamer.

I am sure that I drink to much of it, but I don't smoke, do drugs, skydive, and I try to eat healthy meals. I won't give up my coffee, and it is one of my favorite things!

Check out the other bloggers and their favorite things at

Favorite Things Friday!

Thanks! Mrs P. for hosting this for us.

Design Wall Monday: Old Projects Awaiting Attention

2010-11-08T20:32:00.000-05:00

My design wall has been primarily in my head lately. Most of the projects I have worked on and/or completed have not made it to my design wall. My sewing space is a flux. Going from a guest room to a temporary bedroom for a live in uncle, to a live in son & DIL who are having financial and marital problems, back to a guest room and now I just haven't had the energy to move everything around again.

I am getting my plan for a sewing room makeover and trying to figure out where to put everything. But right now I have two projects that have been hanging out on my design wall for a long time.

Two lonely New York Beauty blocks that I really love.

I need to add to these blocks and make a quilt or take them down and put them in my orphan block bin.

I haven't quite decided which I shall do. But I do like them, I am just not sure I like the paper piecing that I did to produce them. We will see.

The other thing is a small Valentine Day wall hanging. I was supposed to finish it 3 years ago, but couldn't find the right border fabric. I am going to get it finished because I really like the hearts and the button hole stitch that I did by hand around them. I am going to finish this one. I have just joined design wall Monday and have decided to use it to prod me into finishing projects, so that I have some progress to show everyone on Monday's

Hopefully on Monday, this will have a border.

We will see if this works.

Have a great evening. I am going to bed early tonight, as I am starting back to the gym in the morning after missing 3 weeks. 2 weeks of vacation turned into a third week of ~~laziness~~ recovery.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. . . [Romans 1:20-22].

We were born to give thanks to God. As we go into this holiday season, I am reminded of all I have to be thankful for, and how important it is to acknowledge God in my life.

Janice

The 3 P's

2010-11-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

If you look at the title of my blog you will notice the 3 P's - Prayer - Which is a big part of my life. My relationship with Jesus defines who I am. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am not preachy, I don't try to shove my religion at other people. I just share what my faith in Jesus has done for me. How it saved me and changed me. If you ever are in need of prayer, shoot me a line, or leave a comment on any of my blogs and I would be happy to talk to my Father about it.

The second P is Patchwork. It seems like I have not been sewing enough lately. I work full time, am active at my church, have a husband that I love too distraction and 10 grandchildren that I love spending time with. But I have managed to keep in the game a little. I currently have a Hobby Grand Quilter on an Inspira Frame sitting in my living room. It isn't mine, but due to some fortunate circumstances it resides in my household rather than its owner's for the time being. I will introduce you to her later. I have a quilt on the frame, that is definitely not my style. It is a novelty print of long haul semis. My friend Gail Bohannon died several months ago after a long battle with cancer. She had started this quilt for her brother(He is a truck driver), her daughters don't quilt and so asked me to quilt this top for their uncle. His birthday is in December so I will have it done before then.

Actually I will have it done by tomorrow night, because this top

needs to go on the frame and be quilted in time to go with me to Gainesville to visit my sister next weekend for her birthday. About 6 years ago, she said she would never get a quilt and I told her she would if my kids would ever stop making babies. (They still haven't) I told her I would make her one before she turned 50, well she turns 50 next Saturday. I will have to get it on the frame tomorrow to get it quilted in time for our sisters weekend, scheduled for next Friday. I guess I need prayer to get it done.

The 3rd P is for Popups - My husband and I bought a popup travel trailer in March of this year. It is actually what precipitated my entrance into blogland. I thought blogging would be a way of keeping track of our travels in our new mini rv, and then found out that quilters all over the world blogged about fabric, quilts, their families and yes their travels. We have been on just a few trips with our popup, but we really like it. Well I love it and he likes it. We will see how long it takes him to upgrade.

Our popup is a Coleman/Fleetwood Americana/Utah. It has a small bumpout, and sleeps 7-8. But my husband says camping is supposed to be restful. So after the last time we took some of the munchkins, he decided it was an adult activity. Our last trip was to the mountains to see the change of colors, but we are planning a short weekend a couple hours away from our house. The temperatures in Florida are alot milder than the mountains this time of year, so we will try out a few of the state parks close to home.

It should be fun and I love to sit out by the camper and watch the birds and listen to the sounds around me.
Now to find a hand sewing project to take with me.

Until next time,

Janice

Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?—Matthew 6:26

The First Saturday in November

2010-11-06T20:08:00.000-04:00

Most years on the 1st Saturday in November you can find me (and at least a few members of my family) in dusty hay strewn field in a little GA town called Calvary. Where mule enthusiatasts and funnel cake lovers are having a grand time. This little town's claim to fame is Mule Day. It has been going on for 38 years.

They grind corn, and sugar cane. They cook cane syrup and sell stalks of sugar cane. It is alot of fun.

There are lots of craft and food vendors. We try to get there early for the parade and my grandson Easton loves to watch the mule and buggy rigs. It just makes him smile and that makes me happy.

The rest of the family just opens their folding chairs along the parade route and raids the local food vendors while I watch Easton watch the parade.

Kyla was loving the cotton candy, while everyone else was sharing fresh squeezed lemonade, smoked turkey legs and a bloomin onion. Nutrition and calories don't count at Mule Day. We did buy some oranges and grapefruit though, and they are good for you.

Easton loves to ride on the ponies. He is not at all afraid of the huge mules and horses either. We are going to see about some riding lessons for him soon. He is so happy on the back of a horse. If he can just touch them. I was that way when I was young.

We walk the rows of vendors and buy lots of things we don't need, by the time we walk the last aisle we are out of money, our feet hurt and it is time for one last funnel cake and the trek back to the car.

and one last photo of Easton with a mule. He can't seem to pass one by without getting close. Until next year.

Even the Kings of Israel had mules.

So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down , and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.

1 Kings 1:38 KJV

Favorite Things Friday!

2010-11-05T15:10:00.000-04:00

I have alot of things in my life that make me smile. So I have decided to share them one at a time, on Fridays. This is not an original idea, but it is a great one. I saw it on the blog of a new blogging friend. The Sarcastic Quilter

My DH has taken it upon him self to make it his goal in our relationship to make me smile everyday. This has been going on a while now and he has succeeded. So today on this first of "Favorite Thing Fridays", my favorite thing. Is my husband's smile.

You may look at this and say "He's not smiling." But for a photo this is as smiley as he gets.

Now I might catch him with a grandchild in his arms and he will smile in spite of trying not to get caught on camera. But he has the most joyful heart I know, even if he barely smiles for the camera. Thank you babe, for making me smile every day.

I love you!

" A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones."
Proverbs 17:22

Knitting & Crocheting with Friends

2010-11-03T16:21:00.000-04:00

A group of women that I met over in the next building at work, invited me to sit and stitch with them at lunch. I was working on a hand applique project and would sit and sew while they knitted. I enjoyed the company and the break in the middle of the day to stitch is a great stress reliever. They were working on a community service project. They were knitting for women and children that were clients of our local battered womens shelter called "The Refuge House".

I decided to join them and since I don't knit I took up my crochet needle and worked on scarves and hats. I have been enjoying the portability of the yarn and crochet hook. I guess I have added crocheting back to my list of hobbies. It has been lots of fun getting to know these women and creating something that will help keep others warm this winter.

A Large Pile of Items for the Battered Women's Shelter

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."

Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)

Have a great evening and I will talk at you later.

Janice

New Fabric Purchases

2010-11-02T09:30:00.000-04:00

If you read the posts about my trip to the mountains, you would know that I recently purchased some wonderful fabrics from a couple of shops that I visited in TN.

It was the fall colors that just called to me in this one. I tried to walk away, but it wouldn't let me.

I seem to have an obsession about teal fabrics. There is always at least one teal fat quarter in every purchase.

The next fabrics are the background white, and the inspirational fabric for the next hand applique project I am going to do. It is from Piece O Cake designs and is called "My Whimsical Garden." It calls for hundreds of circles of various sizes in the border. I am using this fabric instead and now have a wonderful color palate to choose from for my applique pieces. I will keep you posted on my progress. Not too often, it is hand applique.

One of my favorite new fabric designers is Blue Hill Fabrics. I look forward to lots of future purchases from this designer.

and of course a few fat quarters. There is that teal again. It must jump into my hand.

I will add these to the piles to be put away in my stash. I need to get around to organizing my stash again. It is getting a little out of hand.

Thanks for reading!

Janice

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat.
But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers."

Luke 22:31-32 (NLT)

Our Mountain Trip-The Last Episode

2010-10-30T07:11:00.000-04:00

I am sure you are all sick of hearing about our trip to the mountains. But I need to chronicle the best part. After leaving Ga, we traveled over the mountains to Tellico Plains, TN. We then drove out the Cherhola Skyway which is a beautiful stretch of highway that runs from Tellico Plains TN to Robbinsville NC. Here the leaves were in full color.

We camped at a campground called " Indian Boundary" in the Cherokee National Forest. It is remote enough that there was no cell service or internet service for 5 days. It was wonderful being unplugged.

This photo is of the beautiful lake at Indian Boundary. There was a hiking trail around the entire lake and we hiked all or parts of it each day.

We met our dear friends, Bill & Barbara to camp there and had such a good time with them.

I just had to show you this next lovely picture of my friend Barbara's backside. She was in the creekbed, looking for salamanders to use for fishing in the lake. Apparently fish love them, I just loved catching her on camera.

We had a camp fire everynight, but on our last night we spent an evening with some other campers we met. My husband loves to play the guitar and is always up for what I call a "pickin' and grinnin' " session. It was loads of fun.

On the last morning there as we said goodbye to our friends, Bill and James serenaded us to a wonderful rendition of "Jesus Loves Me" There was some joke in there about how we didn't appreciate their sense of humor so early in the morning, but it was okay because Jesus loved them. lol

While leaving Indian Boundary, I did a little quilt block hunting. On the side of the welcome center is the first quilt block I found on a small portion of "The Appalachian Quilt Trail". If you have never heard of it, look it up. It takes you to all kinds of places. We only got to do a few on this trip.

One of particular note was in the town of Athens TN at the wonderful coffee shop.

My barista made me a wonderful Carmel Latte and thru in the latte art.

Don't forget the Antique Mall,

We arrived in Murfreesboro and spent some time with DBIL& DSIL and went to the Grand Ole Opry. If you get this close to Nashville, you just gotta go to say you've been.

The show was good and Little Jimmy Dickens who is almost 90 still seems to be going strong.

I checked out a couple of fabric stores on my trip, but have been trying to cut down on the fabric spending.
There is a cute shop in Murfreesboro called Quilt Connection and I bought way to much fabric. It is a great shop and if you are ever in the area, you should stop by.

We headed home through Alabama and didnt stop except for gas & food, so I dont have any pictures from the trip home. I will show you my fabric purchases and the plans for some of them in my next blog. Hope I didnt bore you too much, but had to get it documented for posterity.

Have a great weekend and I will catch you later.

May God Bless you and Keep you and your families

in the palm of His hand.

Janice

Our Trip to the Mountains Part 2

2010-10-28T10:39:00.000-04:00

While staying in Hiawassee, we went to the GA Mountain Fair and I left my camera in the truck for most of the day and didn't get very many pictures. It was the National Fiddlers Convention and they had a competition for Fiddlers, Bluegrass Bands, Mandolin, Flat Pickers, Finger Pickers and Banjo players. It was great music and lots of fun to hear all of the musicians, who after the competition, sat around the fair grounds and played for the love of music. There was a young banjo player who was so great, I just had to get a picture.

They had great craft cabins laid out all over the grounds, with a Blacksmith shop, log splitting, shingle making, soap making, weaving, quilting, fudge making, kettle corn, bee-keeping, a grist mill, and many other folk crafts. They also have lots of touristy type booths with crafts for sale. It was a great time. Ga Mountain Fairgrounds always has the Fall festival the last 2 weekends in October. We will definitely go back in the future.

The fall colors and beautiful mountain lakes, were pure eye candy and kept us in a relaxed and restful mood for all of our time there. On our last night in Hiawassee we went to a restaurant called "Deer Lodge", they are on Hwy 75 going toward Helen GA from Hiawassee. We were in the mood for a steak and little did we know that 3 people could share one ribeye. They were hanging off the plate as you can see in the picture below. I highly recommend it. It is a no nonsense kind of place with not alot of ambiance, but the food was great.

We had a campfire every night and it was pretty cool for a Florida girl, but my mother used to call it snuggling weather and I agree.

After we had packed up and gotten our pop-up ready to head out, we drove up to Unicoi State Park. It is the home of Anna Ruby Falls, a great lake with swimming and boating in the summer and a lodge with a great restaurant. We had stayed there in a cabin about 8 or 9 years ago. The hike from the visitors center to the falls is about .5 mile all uphill. But the views are worth the hike.

We said goodbye to our friends who were staying one more day and then traveling up to NC as we started our trip across the mountains into Tennessee. I will share that part of the trip later tonight.

Ralph & Jo - We enjoyed our time with them so much. We will definitely do it again.

Our Trip to the Mountains Part 1

2010-10-27T20:02:00.000-04:00

We began our caravan with our friends who own an Airstream. We headed up to Hiawassee, GA.

At a rest stop along they way, we met a couple who raise Lamas for show. They were on their way to the Ga National Fair. It is in Perry GA. It is a huge fair, but we didnt have time to stop. I made a note to check out next years fair date as a possible weekend trip, as it is not very far from home.

Once we got into the North Ga Mountains, one of the first stops we made was in Blue Ridge Ga. There is an orchard store there name Mercier Orchards. We have been there before, but our friends never had. The store has a bakery with the best fried pies and apple dumplings with cinnamon ice cream. They have about 20 diifferent kinds of apples and we bought Crispins. They are our favorite kind and we get some every year. James (my DH on the left) and our friend Ralph got tired of shopping and sat out on the wooden benches among the pumpkins. It is a great store and if you every get up that way during apple season or anytime really it is a great place to stop and rest your legs or spend hours going through their numerous rooms of merchandise.

The lake at the resort reflected the mountains. It was your typical RV resort. The sites were level and clean, but a little too close together for my tastes. It had great facilities for kids and familys, wi-fi and cell service. Not really roughing it. But we had a great time, sitting by the fire and visiting with our friends.

The trees had begun to change and we visited a wonderful lake near our RV resort for a quick hike and to check out the camping facilities in Clay County NC. We were on our way to Hayesville NC, where most of the shops were closed, because it was Sunday.

I have some other things to show you, but I will leave it for another day. I am going to try to blog everyday until I finish sharing my trip. That may take a few days. I am tuckered out from all the fun, and then my grandson broke his arm the day after we got home. In the ER all night, but that is a story for another day.

Fall into Fall Give-A-Way

2010-10-04T13:43:00.000-04:00

I wanted to give a shout out to Debi for organizing this great blogger give-a-way.

http://fall-into-fall.blogspot.com/.
Be sure to check out this blog and visit all of the wonderful bloggers giving away wonderful prizes. Maybe next year I will have a big enough following to feel like I can participate.

Sweet Sixteen

2010-09-27T09:04:00.000-04:00

I went to a wonderful sweet 16 birthday masquerade ball for the daughter of friend of mine. All of the kids had a great time dressing up and so did the grown-ups.

Friday Night Sew In

2010-09-18T22:50:00.000-04:00

I wasn't able to get any quilting in as I had 4 grandchildren while their mom and dad went on a date night. But I did manage to do a little crocheting. I am setting aside some time this week to work on finishing up a few projects. I will share those later.

A night with my grandchildren is one of my favorite things.

Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So

2010-09-12T17:46:00.000-04:00

My Pastor spoke today from Psalms 107: He talked about how those God has redeemed should tell everyone, and I realized that I had named my blog, "Prayers, Patchwork & Pop-ups" but I had never declared to anyone that sees this blog, that I am a child of God. I have been forgiven and washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ. My relationship with Jesus keeps me and sustains me. My road is not always smooth, but I am never on it alone. I have been blessed beyond measure and give my Lord & my Savior all of the glory.

I am redeemed and I will strive to never forget it and give him praise for that daily.

If you need prayer, leave me a comment and I will put you on my prayer list.

-Janice