OMG for September

 Since my August goal was completed, I'm back again to see if I can repeat!

This month, I'd love to get my birds in the air blocks (to be set 15x15 with 6 inch finished blocks) into a quilt top, get it machine quilted and bound before the end of the month.

There is less car time fetching children this year, as both are now driving to school. 

The first 4 rows are sewn together.

Just this stack of blocks to go!

Linking up with Stories from the Sewing room and OMG for September.

Slow Sunday Stitching

 It has been a productive week. Progress was made on the cross stitch, although I realized I had used the wrong color for the ocean area, so that had to get taken out and restitched with the light blue. Oops! 

The project was at this stage last Sunday.

It is now at this stage today. Yesterday was the fix day of pulling out the blue and replacing it with the correct light blue.

This is the difference in the blues. I had fixed and redone the top grouping here so you can see the difference.

Today I'm heading to the new barn with Emily to watch her ride. It is about 50 minutes away now but has more challenging horses for her. No cover on this one, so back to sweating in the full sun. Let's hope the rain holds off until after her ride. When we are home, Grandma is coming up for her delayed birthday lunch with us a restaurant of her choice. Then, I hope to have the family finish the screen fixing on the back porch. Yesterday, we got it a little cleaned (that bottom part gets so moldy and dirty and yucky in Florida and I don't sit out there in the heat!). The screen on the door got fixed and one of the windows in my bedroom that the dog ripped up years ago. After watching Aidan learn, I did the other 2 inside in my sewing area. It was dripping sweat hot out. Hopefully we can get the 2 big screens finished off later today. He has one cut out, so we will see how that goes. Maybe one today and one tomorrow? The kids and I are off school and work for Labor Day tomorrow. We will see.

Linking up with Kathy and the Slow Sunday Stitchers.

A few photo's from this mornings routine. My morning walk with bear - right as the sun was coming up. The clouds make a pretty picture with the pinks and orange on them.

After sniffing up our normal route, he added an extra bit this morning and I let him. 

After we get home, we walk out back and check on the girls and give them a scoop of treats. They are laying between 3-5 eggs a day for us. All are happy and they got some run around outside and get bugs yesterday afternoon after a rain. Perfect time for them to go explore.

Seems the girls alarm did not go off, so good thing I woke her up 20 minutes before she wanted to leave!

RSC - piecing the top

 Since the Arkansas Traveller quilt is finished, it was time to grab another collection of blocks and work on getting them to a top stage. These are the second set of Birds in the Air blocks that I made with the RSC. I made the first set around the 2012 range and it was a 2015 wedding present quilt for my nephew.

I really did not want to see this one go... so I made another set of blocks for a quilt for me. I decided I wanted it bigger, so added 27 more blocks this year and now have enough for the 15x15 setting of 6 inch blocks. This first 4 rows are now a single unit. I snapped the photo while it was set out in case things got turned. Yikes, I see a mistake in the photo - bottom right. I'll have to double check that. Strange how you see things in the photo but not in person! 

*** I verified they are correct in the row that I sewed together.

All of them laid out earlier this year.

I have these two packs of 25 - 2.5 inch squares that I picked up at my local quilt shop before they closed. I keep moving them around from place to place. I decided to find a cream/tan neutral and cut out 50 2.5 inch squares. These are sitting by my machine. I lay out the blocks in the living room... walk thorugh the hallway, laundry room and into the finished garage area that is my sewing area/office and storage. I'll be making four patches with them as leaders and enders as I stitch this quilt top together. The pack has a range of colors and I've got about 4 of the four patches stitched together so far.

I do still have my last 2 teal/aqua string of beads blocks to applique down. They are the last 2 blocks, so I have no clue why I am avoiding finishing them off. I hope to get those 2 blocks finished this long weekend.

I think we are celebrating my MIL's birthday from last week today at a restaurant near us. I also want screens fixed around the house today, so Emily scheduled a text to hit everyone's phones today at 11AM to work on that. I believe we have the stuff and Greg has the knowledge. I'm getting my 3 screens in the bedroom fixed and hopefully the back porch screen door and one big screen wall, or 2 or 3. We will see how much screening we have. I figure it is a good skill for all of us to get. 

Linking up with the RSC.

Table Scrap Challenge

 Teal hot flash. That was the challenge this month.

Lets spin this! The color of the month is teal, so there is a little teal in the butterfly fabric and one of the hand areas is teal. The hot flash... that come in when you open the oven and use the oven mitts to retrieve what's in there. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Also - the old ones are falling apart ( or leaned it on the hot stoneware for way too long) so it was a great excuse to make some new ones. I used a version of this pattern, and cut around 8 inches since that was the extra from the last time I cut into the special heat resistant batting. Free pattern I used.

The old one.

Front 

Back

This is the front of the teal one - I love the little pocket for your hand - that part is just batting. The batting and heat resistant is in the black butterfly part.

This is the back. This one got the loop, as I used leftover binding from the last quilt and had just enough for the second one. So, a great use of that leftover binding fabric. 

That's my entry this month for the Table Scrap Challenge. Head on over to the link and see how others did with this challenge. Also linking up with the RSC.

Mid week progress

 Tuesday afternoon I was able to select 13 fabrics and then cut them to Accuquilt size and run them through the cutter. 6 more flowering snowballs and 7 shoo fly blocks. It needed more blues in the mix.

 I got a couple of them marked for hand stitching while waiting on a telehealth call yesterday. Let's just say the antibiotics really kicked in last night and I was sleeping by 9 and off this morning, so I called in for a few hours off this morning and slept. I did get online for a 11AM meeting of transitioning duties for someone leaving to retire as of Friday. I felt much better after an extra 3-4 hours of rest. I've got another transition meeting this afternoon. Then the kids are out for a half day early release. I hear I'm going to the mall with Emily later. She got her ears pierced when she was 10 and has never been able to get them in easily, and one ear I always have to do and it takes forever. They were not pierced straight through and there is a lump in her ear by one, also she has thick lobes? I called a place, and they wanted to take a look first. I have a feeling they will just re pierce them, but we will see what the girl decides. 

I find I tend to want to pick this one up and add stitches lately. The dog disagreed last night and wanted to snuggle, and since he was being a lap dog, I put this down and let him snuggle. I think he knew I was not feeling great. The starfish is starting to show up better now.

Crafting afternoon

 I signed up for my local Hammer and Stain class of cookie decorating and a wooden object topper in the apple theme. They do these once a month and are planned through next March. 

It was so fun! I was one of two newbies, so mine don't look as good as the rest, but they taste great. I also got a personalized one, some apple tasting gummies and a little apple cookie cutter. There was apple cider and apple streusel bread for munching on.

I had never done this type of cookie decorating, with outline and then filling. They had everything prepped and we each got 4 little piping bags pre filled with the frosting needed. We did sections and put them under the little fan to dry as we continued on. It was a lot of fun. The rolling pin might have been eaten when I got home. Chatting with the 'cookie lady' and it appears the removal of the things from the red dye - bumped the price from $10 to $60 for less product and it is not as red. So, keep that in mind for things that are red going forward. We are fortunate to not have those allergies and it appears Aldi products took the red dye additives out of their products back in 2015. I wonder if that will affect fabric dying or paints... technically they are not eaten but I'm not sure what the specific requirements are from the FDA. I was shocked at the jump in the price.... and she said looks like a pink Valentines as red will be crazy high! I hear it will be a Valentines Murder Mystery! Their Christmas one is a nutcracker, and he is pink and green =).

 

Then we moved onto the wooden shelf topper. This one had lots of parts and pieces. I did mine in the colors of the example, as so many parts and I could not think. I think it came out pretty cute. All parts were wood glued together. On the back is two sets of 3 U type wooden parts glued together, and then a quarter pie shape slides in to hold it upright. I really enjoy doing things like that... and might have signed up for next month's class. Heck, it will be my anniversary present to me!

I did cook this weekend and they get leftovers tonight! Saturday night I made orange chicken with stir fry veggies and rice. I had 4 oranges that needed using so I juiced them. I only had 3/4 a cup so used 1/4 water to get the needed amount. Aidan said it was too sugary, and requested sesame chicken next time. Greg and I like this version but I'll buy OJ next time. I'll probably just make the 2 sauces and let them choose. Sunday, Emily wanted corned beef and cabbage so she can bring it for lunches. It was frozen.... so I pulled the 4.89 pound one from the freezer and popped it into the InstaPot and cooked it on Beef/pork for the 90 minutes it said. It was ready 10 minutes after I left the house but shortly after Greg and Em were home from horses. They had instructions to pull it and pop it into the crock pot on low that I had on the counter for them. I was not sure it would be fully cooked, but it was. I used some of the 'juice' with water to boil up red potato, carrots and 2 onions on the stovetop and just the juice with cabbage in the instapot for 8 minutes on steam. I love cabbage cooked that way. I had a huge cabbage, so did half of it that way. The other half will be coleslaw with something later this week. I also made an irish soda bread to go with it. I had one slice and Emily and Greg ate at least half of it last night. I guess they like it and I had not made it in a while. Aidan was at Grandma's house and brought back leftover pizza for his lunch today. She was going through things, and he came home with a watch of a Cincy Reds player from the 70's from her Dad I think. He also got Papa Andy's Vietnam swiss army knife and flint in a case. I asked about her giving it to his kids or grands, but she said he watched my kids grow up so they should have it. She has passed on other things to his kids. Each of mine have recieved some things from him as well.

I joined Noon again on Saturday. It did help me lose weight the last time I tried it - I think I lost 13 pounds and kept it off for a bit. It crept back on the last couple of years. Stress, probably! They have improved their meal logging which is the part I really like about it. Snap a photo and they break it down. Pretty accurate and I go in and modify things if needed. I know hormone imbalance is causing a lot of issues, so hopefully being on some of those now to balance things out and eating better will help to lose a few (30) pounds and get back to a healthier me.

One kid won't be too happy with all the veggies. Oh well, he will live!

This afternoon - if not too hot will be a little weeding in the garden to get it ready for planting. It is a jungle and should take a while, but a bit each day should have it ready for planting something next weekend. I'll either cut out more Accuquilt blocks to hand piece or start sewing the Birds in the Air together into a top. Those will be the priority this week I think.

Slowly stitching

 I started a cross stitch project this week. I figured before trying to figure out my 'time out' cross stitch pattern, I should start with something simple and get back in the swing of it. I started this cute stitchery I picked up for free at a swap on Wednesday.

Another flowering snowball block was completed as well. I think I have 2 more of these and one shoo fly block for a 6x6 setting (72x72). Unfortunately, when I laid out the blocks a few days ago, it insisted it wants to be 84x84. Sigh. I'll be selecting 13 more fabrics and running them through the two dies to cut out more parts for hand stitching.

Linking up with Kathy and the other Slow Sunday Stitchers. 

Since Diann asked in a previous comment, I figured others might be wondering as well.

Horses - I take off riding in the heat and will think about it again in October. Emily is riding today, and seeing how a potential new barn with the same trainer is. I sent Greg with her since it is about 50 minutes across town for her first time driving there. I have a Hammer and Stain event I am going to from 1-3 today to decorate some apple themed cookies and make an apple themed shelf topper.

The chickens are doing ok but it was a rough week. The heat has them producing a lot less, but we are still getting some eggs despite the heat. Emily noticed late Sunday that Buttercup (the Rhode Island Red) was not acting like herself. She set her down and she didn't run away and was having trouble with her feet. I did some belly massaging thinking maybe egg bound. She was able to poop (always an issue as if eggbound it turns off that part and it is deadly quickly). Her crown was also not bright red like it should be and her legs were bleached out. Hmmm. I kept an eye on her Monday, but she did seem better. Em wanted us to give her a butt bath, to help things move but she was walking around ok, so I did not. She appeared better so it was a wait and see. By noon, she was acting more like her happy self. I sent her a photo to see at her lunchtime. She agreed she looked better. 

Tuesday, her crown was getting redder. I'm not sure she is laying again, but she does appear better. We had put a treat block in their run a few weeks ago. When Emily cleaned their coop and went to fill water and feed last Sunday, their feed was still full. No, I did not fill it. It got me thinking and I pulled the block out of their run. Maybe they were eating that instead of their food? They got a little outside time this week but were in yesterday except when Emily was out doing their weekly maintenance. I saw a hawk on my walk Saturday morning, so keep them in for a day or so until they go to a different area.

The parking pass drama. Emily turned hers in and has her pass as of early last week. I did not hear the message Sunday from the principal that the passes were running low. I did send a few texts to the boy Monday at school to turn it in already. I signed it a week ago! He did after school when he got my texts, but then the payment never showed up in his account. He went to check on it, and found out that somehow, they though he owed money for a textbook not turned in. Ummmm, we have no textbooks at home from last year. 3 teachers later (he learned earlier in the week to check with Mr. F the librarian to get things done) he figured out the admin put a summer reading library book in as a textbook! Let's just say a few teachers were not happy with the front office and it took a bit to get corrected. He was not the only one that happened to. It got fixed, he has his pass and opted for the senior one with a dedicated space and a 3x3 ft white box to put an approved design. He went with the lightning logo. All set on that front. 

I mentioned there was admin issues earlier this week. He is a senior this year and is through all the math classes available on campus, so he is taking Calculus from virtual school. He spent most of the first week of school trying to get signed up for his math class. The guidance counselor wanted it through her, so a few trips to her office and the head of AICE and it seemed some kids got accepted through without her say, and she was waiting for them to get put in her queue to do them all at once. A little back and forth and he is finally signed up and started his class mid week. I had to chat with the teacher on the phone for e-mail address verification and how things work. I get to deal with this next year with Emily as well. Seems he has 2 classes 'in the closets' this year. This math class and his advanced Chemistry.

So, that has been our fun this week. Greg took his Dad to his cardiologist last Tuesday and all is well. He took his walker and was fine. He is now using his walker to get down to meals 3 times a day, rather than the wheel chair, so that is great news. We went over Thursday to his house and did a little check on it and gathered a few things. We still need to go through everything and then have someone paint the outside, clean and sell everything off before putting it on the market. We will wait a month or two more until things cool down a bit.

I'd better get dressed and moving. The house is quiet with just me and the animals. Aidan just left to go spend time with Grandma. Greg and Em are at horses. Time to go play in the sewing room!

RSC in aqua

 I got a little sewing time in this afternoon and got 2 teal/aqua 16 patch blocks done as well as the other purple I needed for that set.

Earlier this week I finished the Arkansas Traveller quilt. It is currently in the dryer.. which is taking forever. We got a new set yesterday, it is ventless but does take longer to dry. We will see how it does with the quilt. This was the photo from Tuesdays finish.

The dryer just sang it's finished song. The backing. 

The crinkly front.

Linking up with the RSC. I was able to finish the Table scrap challenge piece already for next week's link up. 

Cross stitch

 I started a cross stitch. See, it came home and is getting worked on! I guess wearing glasses for this is not too bad.

Ignore the mess, taken from my back yard last night from the pool deck. Such pretty sunsets we have. I did not have my phone for the rainbow this morning.

I laid out the flying snowball quilt. 4 blocks to stitch. Sigh, it wants to be bigger. So, I'll cut another 13 blocks this weekend. That willbe 49 and a 7x7 setting or 84x84. I think it will be happy then. 

As you can see, I had a helper. That is where his bed is, but I picked it up to lay things out. 

We headed to Lady Lake yesterday. Returned the cable box from my fils house. Then got more clothes for him. We also went through a few things. Grabbed some photos and albums for his room. He does not want anything, so I took the hope chest and greg grabbed a half phone table for his den. He said it feels weird taking things while he is alive.  We still need to get it painted, cleaned and cleared. I really don't want to take point on that, but if I do, so be it. It needs to get done. We will hire all those jobs out after we go through things.

Sigh, what did I do?

 I went to a girl scout swap. I brought girl scout books and some crafts and badges that did not get given out in 2020 after things shut down. So, a few boxes and a couple of cubies in my office are empty now.

I was so good, I stayed on the side and chatted with people. I walked around and encouraged other leaders to take things - oh this would be great for this badge work, do you do parties and need a bag of crete paper? I got there early to help unload the trailer of a volunteer that has tons of girl scout crafty things and people leave things at her door! She was unloading all that. Other leaders brought things and exchanged things. I did pick up some Ambassador books (Emily's level now as a Junior in high school). 

There was a table across the room with cross stitcheries. A few boxes full of them. After most had been sifted through and there were only 10 or so people left - tucking things in their respective corners of 'stuff to take'.... I wandered over to look. BIG MISTAKE!

Sigh. These kinda jumped intp my hands. I picked up the cross stitch frame from a different box. Then.... there was a bankers box filled with pattern leaflets and small books, organized into sections. Good lord, that landed in my car! There was a section on lighthouses, ocean scapes, alphabets, borders, birds, flowers, holidays, animals, etc. Very organized. That is still in the car. 

Loons - come on, loons are one of my screen shots of one from the lake up in Vermont. My Mom loves loons.

Isn't this pretty a flower garden path?

This looks like my cats - both Ollie and Peanut. Raey might have thrown this one at me.

This one I loved, a small one but so cute. I might do this before the snowman ornament.

A daffodil for march is a little baggie I believe. I also got dmc rounds in whites and cream - about 5 of them. All the kits have the floss and cloth. I even grabbed a stack of the little cards to put the thread on. The was a quart ziplock baggie filled with them. I took one stack.

Edited to add photos. Another two packages of kits, the floss and cardboard cards and the bankers box.

Before I headed out to the meeting, I finished stitching this guy together. I've only got 4 more of these blocks to stitch up to get 36. 3 flowering snowballs and one more shoo fly.

A little hand work

 After the binding it was back to hand stitching blocks. I did the flowering snowball and parts for the shoo fly. I'll finish that one later tonight.

Since I got a finish, I was looking at my list of UFO projects. I have 2 Bonnie Hunter mystery quilts that have been solved but I am still 'in process'. Ok, they are sitting in their respective boxes waiting to see the light of day again. I did buy the digital PDF's for them last year since I could not find all the directions. I have Grassy Creek and On Ringo Lake. I believe Grassy Creek is farther along. 

I also have all the Birds in the Air blocks waiting to be stitched together. I think that one will happen first, and then I'll see how Grassy Creek is looking. There is something about working on projects with fall colors.... when it is almost fall. 

I've got a quick planning meeting tonight for girl scout events and a get rid of stuff shop. I'll be bringing a box or two of things to get out of the house.... and helping to unload another car or two of things for new troops or various troops. Nothing is coming home with me.  See, I am trying to get rid of things in the house. I also listed the futon/daybed on Facebook marketplace. I'd like that out of the front room, so I can clear everything out and paint the walls. Then have stanley steamer come in and deal with the carpets in a few of the rooms. At this point..... who know's when the county will ever make an offer, so I'm going to make that into a nice usable room again (and kick the boy's racing things out and into his room that he keeps saying he will do and doesn't). I'm going to move my hand quilting frame out there and mount a tv onto the wall. Guess I should mention that to hubby. We have plenty of tv's hanging around this house. That will get it out of the bedroom and the cats eating the ties and messing with batting. I think the purple 1857 quilt will go on that and I'll just do smaller quilts in the hoop - like Harmony, Ella, Erin's butterfly's, etc. That is the plan in my head anyway.

Arkansas Traveller Finished!

 

Woo Hoo! It is officially finished. It feels so good to have this quilt finished and off the list. 

The girls approve. We have been keeping an eye on the rhode island red as her comb got light and she was not acting like herself Sunday night. She is looking and acting more like her likable self today, thank goodness. 

They enjoyed running around the yard. Yes, that weed mess is the garden area and I will start weeding it out and getting it ready for planting in a few weeks.

The beautyberry bush is turning it's pretty shade of purple. I love seeing these pretty berries come out in August.

Time to go cut up the pork loin I got at Sams yesterday into roasts, chops and parts for schnitzel. I'll seal a meal them for the freezer and have fun pounding out some of the chops for dinner tonight. Emily is home normal time tonight, so I'll have her do the prepping and dredging in the flour, egg and bread crumb mixture. I get to do the frying on the stove. A little lemon and salt sprinkled after they are fried sets them off beautifully. 

Squishy goodness in the mail.

 I got the order from Missouri Star Quilt Company yesterday. 

Two sets of two charm packs. A layer cake of rainbow colored prints. Some 3 yard cuts of white, black and snow and then a couple yards of eggshell to make sure I have enough for the flying snowball quilt to be a little bigger.

I got a side and a half stitched on the AT quilt until the dog decided to be a lap dog. I was watching 'The Princess Bride' on Disney + and then I switched to Hulu and found a 'Mad About You' show - original cast just 18 years later as Mabel goes to college! It is pretty good. 

Emily is late today with Marching Band (driving herself!). Aidan is home normal I think. We will see if he gets a parking pass... it has been signed for a week and I just paid his sisters. I'm guessing he has not turned it in yet. They are running low and it is first come first get. He may learn a good lesson on this one... I hope not. I really don't want to have to go pick him up from school.