Sunday, September 28, 2025
Sunday Stitching
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Table Scrap Challenge - radio or tv.
I had various ideas running around in my head, but to show my age I went with the old tv 'offline' strip! Hey, it was easy and quick to make up. It took longer to pull fabrics than to make this little guy, I think. I did have to dig through boxes and move a bunch of things from the sewing area to reach the machine and the stash wall to make this. More work needs to be done in there to clean up from moving the house around a bit.
It finishes around 5x8ish. I cut the bigger parts at 1.5 inches by 4 and the lower row is of 1.5 inch squares.
I think it looks pretty spot on for the two rows I did.
My version:
I'll be linking up Friday with Joy and The Table Scrap Challenge. Heck, there is even a little blue and green in this for the RSC colors!
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Flying Snowball blocks ....
I believe I have all of these blocks hand stitched as of last evening. I did 4 of them yesterday after work.
It was more appealing than figuring out where to hang things in my new office space. The front room is painted and that dark maroon wall only needed 2 coats, like everything else!
I'm waiting on my new desk to arrive sometime today, but pulled in a half banquet table to work on Monday morning until it arrives and gets put together. A job for tomorrow I guess! It will be a desk that works sitting and can raise up for a standing desk. I've never had one like that, so we will see how it is.
For now, I moved the dog's crate into one corner and the old victrola is in the other. Bear was in there a bunch yesterday and is adjusting well to this crate moving around the last week. Normally, it was on the edge of the room by the door area and covered with a quilt. It got shoved into the dining room area - about 6 feet away as it is the other room when you first walk in the door. I moved it back Monday to the far corner in the room that is now my office.... with 2 big windows with light. The road noise is a bit much, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. Having sunlight is a big plus. Despite his cage and then his bed pillow covered with a quilt that he used to curl up on in my old office, he is laying on the floor (carpeted) right by my left side, like always.
I wrote this earlier. He moved to his crate so I could lay out the blocks. It should be 84x84 as it is 7x7 of 12 inch blocks. This is the initial toss on the floor. We will see if things need moving around.
The hand quilting frame will be against the right side wall.
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Sunday
I did have a finish this week. My cross stitch had the last few stitches taken in Take time. I'll need to figure out how I want to finish it off but the stitching is completed.
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Rsc in light greens
I pulled out the alternate bita blocks. I only had 4 in sage green. I have added 8 to the pile. Bright greens and light greens. It looks grey, but they really are greens! I'll have to add some light blues next week. Each block is 6 inch finished.
Friday, September 19, 2025
Thursday, September 18, 2025
Thursday
I ordered this dr seuss panel for a baby quilt. Emilys music teacher is due the end of November. Gender neutral as they are not sharing that info.
I think I will cut them and plan something around them. I'm hoping for a completion by Nov 1. I have 2 yards of music note fabrics for the back.
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Tuesday progress
Sunday did not progress with lots done but things moved forward.
I moved my EZ3 hand quilting frame from my bedroom (where the cats would shred the batting if it was loaded) to the front room. I got rid of the futon and coffee table that were in this spot. The dog crate was also moved to the dining room (about 6 feet away) for a bit until I figure out how that room will be set up.
Then I sewed the last seam after pressing the top and had to remember how to load it on the frame. Lots of youtube videos to watch. I had to cut the backing and missed by an inch or two. Sigh, I just rolled one side over that extra inch and called it good. It is not in the hand quilting area - although it is quite tight. For a 90x90 quilt, I think the frame says it is 96 but is more like 95 inches across. I might have put some extra leaders in on the backing 2 poles so it is long enough.
Yesterday was a Sam's run after my work day got done at 2. I had dinner planned and the chicken marinating for Chicken Tikka Masala. I finished the prep work and got that cooked and on the table by 5:45. Aidan had guitar and Emily was late with marching practice. I picked up their grilled herbed chicken in the meals section. I got 5 - 4 ounce portions and add one to my lunch salad. My Noom app tells me I need more protein and to do more strength exercises. I do like their sitting stretching videos - it has helped ease my neck pain this week. I also got a roaster chicken, which will be tonight's meal I can't pass up a $5 chicken that I can make stock with for a soup later this week. I think they get leftovers Wednesday to clean out the fridge. Em and I have a GS planning meeting Wednesday night. I made my Mon's spaghetti meat sauce Sunday to go with Emily's homemade pasta, so a few things to clear out by then.
The temps are in the 80's with feels like right below 90 - so I'm hoping to play with weeds in the garden this evening and finish getting that cleared out for tilling. I do notice there is tons of sand rather than dirt, always a challenge here in Florida. I'll have to go get bags of moo doo on Thursday and get that tilled in so I can plant it up soon. I had gotten a couple cukes, but since I did not put the fence back up the bunny must have munched it. At least the basil plant is still intact.
Sunday, September 14, 2025
Sunday stitching
I've been making good progress on this stitchery this week. I just have a few more of the sea green to stitch above the peach shell, and then the backstitching and words will be the last steps. I forgot how fun it is to cross stitch - I think the last time I did was around 2005.
Today, I'll be deciding if I hand quilt or machine quilt my BITA quilt. It is 90x90 and I'm not sure I'm up to trying to machine quilt that on my machine. I am planning to move my quilting frame (which will fit this!) into the front room that I have cleared out this week of the futon, coffee table, extra boxes. I'm hoping to finish clearing out in there this week and get it painted, so I can move my office in there along with the quilting frame and maybe throw a tv on the wall in there as well. I've also got some more weeding to do in the garden, so that can get tilled and planted soon for fall. Slow progress all around, but progress is happening.
Linking up with Kathy and the Slow Sunday Stitchers.
Thursday, September 11, 2025
Thursday
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Tuesday already?
This was my view as I took Bear for a walk this morning around 7AM. The sun was just starting to come up. One kid had left for school 20 minutes before, and the other was moving around and getting up to leave in about 15 minutes. Bear was waiting patiently for Mom to walk him since 6:30. I'm going to need to get a reflective vest soon for these morning walks. I do wear a bright t-shirt but we have little traffic on the streets I walk.
Monday, September 8, 2025
String of beads
I got one teal block completed last night (top row 3rd from left) while watching a new to me series, The Librarians on Amazon prime. I guess it was a TNT series back in 2014. I'm 2 episodes in and one block to go hopefully tonight!
Then I need to decide what color circle for the centers, a yellow for all or different? Something to ponder today. I'll have to learn how to use my applipops circles now! Someone tell the voice in my head it does not need a border with more green peels. It really wants to be done like this. Thanks!
Aidan has an ear infection but the drum has not burst. Got meds last evening. She said it will get worse before better in a few days. He asked that we cancel guitar tonight. We will see if he stays after school for academic club or not.
Sunday, September 7, 2025
Slow Sunday Stitching.
Friday, September 5, 2025
Progress on the BITA assembly
When you have 15 in a row of 6 inch blocks, it takes a wee bit of time to get them all stitched together!
I laid out the next set of 4 rows with my first pieced 4 rows up above. I just wanted to make sure no like colors were together or the same fabrics anyway. I did snap a different photo of this first but noticed too many darks together so did a little moving of blocks. I took a break for lunch at this point!

Thursday, September 4, 2025
What I've been doing....
Not too much but some progress.
All the original 36 flowering snowball and shoo fly blocks are pieced. Time to dig into the next pile to get to the 49 block total I think this quilt wanted. Stubborn thing! At least the next set are all cut and most are marked for hand piecing.
I've also been adding thread to the cross stitch.
On tap today - the dog has been walked. Big thanks to the neighbor driving by and warning me of the bear in the area headed our way. We modified our route a bit this morning to avoid it and thankfully did not see him. I have a feeling my Bear dog is about the same size as that bear would be. (just under 90 pounds) Grateful we did not meet up with it! Note to self, bring phone with me, cued up to a loud horn sound.
I'll make breakfast and then we will head over to visit my FIL. Hopefully all the things he requested have arrived for delivery to him. When home, I'm going to sew! I have 4 rows of 15 sewn together for the birds in the air quilt. Time to add another 4 rows. I'm hopeful for more, but will be happy with that amount.
I got a bite on the futon in the front room. I put it and the mattress up for sale again a few weeks ago and someone bought the mattress with the pretty cover. She did not want the futon and said I could relist as she would just bring it to the trash. I said, OK. Relisted it Saturday and got a bite last night. Hope that is out of the house this weekend! I think no rain Saturday, so I'll put a coffee table and an extra tv (that was given to us as MIL thinks we are the place to gift all old things, grrr) out by the end of the driveway with a free sign. We live on a busy road, so they should go fast.
Saturday should be a quiet day - Emily is gone all day to a game up at FSU with the band. Aidan has a ACT test in the morning and will probably go to lunch with buddies after. He is getting pretty independent so should be fine next year at college.
Lets see, I asked hubby for ideas for dinner. He listed the ones he liked and since the kids say 'whatever', I went with his ideas!
Monday -(this was my addition) French Dips with baked sweet potato fries. I saw a digital coupon at Publix for $11+ off a beef shoulder in the bag, which was also on sale at 6.99 a pound (was in the $8 range) I had to look up the cut, more beefy flavor than a chuck roast but needs slow cooking. I called and verified then went to the store and got one. A little over 7 pounds came down to $37 after the coupons. Not bad. I did the work to cut off a bunch of the fat and silver skin. One cut went into the crock pot for french dips - and I should have cut it bigger as Emily ate most of it! Another is a 2.25 pound roast that is seal a mealed in the freezer. Another is 2.5 pound of chunks for stew beef. Not bad with the price of things now a days.
Tuesday - hubby requested meatloaf. I had picked up a big bag of russets, so did 4 baked potato and also made mashed potato and a bag of frozen peas with it. Hubby and kids like mashed and peas together. They are weird!
Wednesday - I had chicken fajitas down, but needed to cook up some brussel sprouts. I made 2 meals. Aidan and I like a brussel sprout, butternut squash and bacon dish, while the other 2 like a mexican skillet meal with chicken and minute rice with onion, peppers, corn, salsa and cheese on top. It is quick - takes about 20 minutes to make.
The kids take leftovers for lunches, especially when they like the meals. I'm down to 1 baked potato - I think Aidan was taking those for lunches.
Tonight he wanted beef stroganoff which I serve over egg noodles. I'll have a salad on the side with it.
Friday, I have fish taco's on the menu, but we will see how many leftovers we have left. Emily is late that day and I think Aidan is as well now that Academic club started. The sponsor asked him to be captain of the Varsity team as he is the geography guy, so will be up on the panel the most for questions. He was quite pleased.
Wow, this is quite the rambling post! Another update is we got new internet. They came last week and instead of fiber that they said was available (it's not) they have a cable modem. Hmmm. It is 1GB. They came again on Tuesday and pulled the cable (it took forever for them to get it to the house from the box by the road. Lots of roots!). They got it hooked up inside to the existing cable in the house. Fast, but not as expected. We had DISH at one time and Greg asked if I remembered if we have multiple tv's on it (so we had a splitter). Yup. The guy went up in the attic and pulled that off. Boom, 1GB! Greg already had a mesh network installed in the house (cement walls do not work well with wifi), so he hooked it to that. Much faster and no drops at work for me! We will keep the other for a month in tandem just to make sure the new one is stable. Aidan should be much happier playing his games on the computer - especially his F1 driving one.
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
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.