Hexagon quilt as you go progress

While waiting on TS Eta last night I started stitching these hexagons together. I opted for simple quilting to just outline the edge. I have one last hexagon to add to the little candle mat. I can tell with my 'sample' piece I need to work on the turning the edges to get them matched up better. It will be time to pull out the FQ's and start prepping some more of these.

 Eta has moved through farther north than projected which was good for us. Just a little wind and rain right now but nothing major here where I live. Traffic is moving along outside while there is a light drizzle. The county had cancelled school today in anticipation of the winds - can't run the busses with winds >40 mph. So while the kids and Greg enjoy a day off, I get to log into work! My office was off yesterday for the holiday and I have a co-worker off today so I'll be logged on to cover the computer systems in case of anything popping up. Let's hope Thursday is a lot quieter than my Tuesday was at work.

Cobblestone is finished.

 It will get a quick wash in the morning and then will be shipped off to Vermont with the kids school photo's. 

Emily held it up for me... she is just a wee bit short on arm span! 

So she tried this way.... She did not want to be seen!

So she laid it out on the floor for me.

Linking up to the November OMG finish link.

Last night the ladies were out after being cooped up with 2 days of rain. Their first coop will get secured a bit today before Eta blows her way through overnight. I also get to do some yard pick up and will bring the trimmings from the weekend to the recycle center so they are not blowing around the yard. We are inland so should just be 35-45 with gusts up to 60 mph. 

Happy Veterans Day to all those who have served or are currently serving to protect our country and our freedoms. Special thanks to hubby and my father in law Tom for their service in the US Air Force, and my Dad for his service in the Vermont National Guard.

Slow stitching binding.....

 Today will be slowly stitching the 252 inches of binding onto the Cobblestone quilt. I got this starry sky backing at Joann's and used it for this quilt and the stars and nines. It might even be used as the backing for the Book Club quilt which is next in line for hand quilting.

Emily and I will be popping over to the fairgrounds this afternoon to verify the chicken form for the fair is filled out correctly and to pick up the leg bands. It looks like it is on the other side of town about 30 minutes away. The boy will head to Grandma's like normal..... so he will need a pick up tonight. I do hope to hack... I mean trim the bushes around the back part of the house later this morning too. Aidan and I worked on the front and side yesterday... he does the trimming and I do the lugging. Today, I'll do the trimming and have Emily do the lugging! Too windy for a fire to burn it so it will go into the pile and hopefully things are calmer next weekend.... unless Eta decides to take a right turn and come back to Florida.

We have been doing a lot of watching tv this week to see the turnout for the elections in the USA. Aidan's civics class has been following it during class as well - a great history lesson they are living through! Lots of learning about the process and procedures in the government. Let's just hope there is a peaceful transition of power as the people have spoken and let's hope their wishes are followed through. I am so happy there is a well educated woman in the second highest seat - truly showing that women can do anything! 

Linking up with the other Slow stitches at Kathy's Quilts. 

Hexagon quilt along....

 I really meant to do this post earlier this week but life happens!

I had mentioned back in September that I was thinking of starting a hexagon quilt as you go project in November and a bunch of you decided to join in. I admit... I really have not planned this one through too much other than I purchased a set of rulers that would allow me to make the blocks. (You can find the youtube video from Missouri Quilt Company under the HQAYG tab.) I figured I'd do a practice little one of 7. I got them all prepped at the end of October and I guess I am leaving to get the kids a little late this year as I really only have 10 minutes of time when I could stitch and I am out on the main road so don't feel comfy doing that there for some reason. Hmmmm. I guess I better start leaving 5 minutes earlier and then I am in 'the car loop on school property' and I can settle in and stitch?  Might this be a RSC for 2021? I do wonder....

I have 6 of my hexagons stitched down. I think I will 'quilt' them as I go and before I attach them. For this little one, since I have a light color backing to connect them I think I will pull a coordinating maroon thread and just stitch through the folded part. It is a multiple layer of fabric so who know's how that stitch will look! Since I have stars in my fabrics for this set... I think my middle one in cream will have a maroon stitched star in the middle. On the others I am thinking to outline the hexagon along the edge and maybe one more inside a bit.... or more than one? We will see I guess.

Do you want a link up type party? I'll look into it. I know I did one before I just have to remember how to do it. I'm thinking maybe link up the first Monday of the month? Weekly? Thoughts?

Linking up with The Sunday Slow Stitchers.

For the RSC - I got the machine quilting done on the Cobblestone quilt. Would you believe I ran out of the bobbin with less than 10 inches to go on the binding? 

That was minutes before leaving yesterday to get the kids. I need to wind a bobbin today and finish that up so it can get hand stitched this weekend.  I do wonder which of my RSC block collections will get stitched up next? So far - I have 1 completed and one nearly done. Much better already than all the other years I have been participating in this challenge!

Linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. A big Thank you to Angela for hosting this year after year..... I just wonder why I have more buckets of scraps at the end of each year? Hehehe..... 

Thursday....

 It seems like nothing is moving along this week. Might be because I have been playing my phone games at night and in the car line rather than stitching. 

Normally, Thursday is my day off. I did however log into work today for a little bit (because I said I would) to check on the status of something that ran last night for a Blitz Day change I made yesterday. It worked so I promoted it to production this morning and updated everything I needed to for it. I have not heard on the other one... I'll check on it tomorrow. We don't promote things to production on Fridays.... don't want to cause errors on a weekend! Blitz Day's at work are when we stop working on the long term projects and work on some 'little' things for the business customers that will only take less than a day to get done. We tend to do them at least once a quarter. I got a couple assigned to me yesterday and got both completed.

After that, Greg was still outside with the chickens so I headed out for a bit to hang out with him and the Chickens.  

This is 8 of them. Just Rose missing from the photo, she is around the corner.

Then it was time to find the sewing machine. The quilting on the Cobblestones was started. I just did straight lines (ok, freehand with the walking foot but close enough!) on either side of the grey strip. 

Took a break for lunch (last of the soup, whatever will I have tomorrow for lunch?) and to make the soft pretzel dough. I'm thinking it is 'enough' quilting on it to hold it since I used warm and natural batting. I want it soft and snuggly, not hard and stiff. I was ..... reminded ..... that someone wants to press the binding so I am not allowed to do that part yet. I will cut and sew the strips together while the dough is on the first rise so Emily can press it in half when she is home from school. I guess I can trim it up as well so it is ready to stitch on tonight. 

That leaves me with project 2 today - the mini magic stars quilt. 

I think I know what I want to do on this for quilting so if time allows I will start on that today as well. Might there be 2 finishes this week? Time will tell.

A very bad photo of the pretty birthday flowers that were handed to me last night when Greg got home from work. So bright and cheerful. If only I had fabrics in these colors for the new Bonnie Hunter mystery - Grassy Creek - in my stash. I think I will do it this year (we are not discussing the partially started On Ringo Lake.... but I did finish Easy Street and Celtic Solstice!)  Shopping the stash for possible fabrics will be another post....... I have ideas but we will see what I find.

Meals?

 Would you believe the family expects meals AGAIN this week? Sigh. This week I have absolutely no appetite thanks to a bit of a cold bug. Hopefully it is just a cold bug! Hubby got to do shopping last night for me after he got off work. Kids are attending in person school.... I did verify their 'rules' and if they have no symptoms they can go.  No, I have not done any testing. Just rest and comfy soups and lots of liquids. I even took tea with honey with me in the car to pick up kids yesterday from school! I dislike tea a lot... and only resort to it with funny feeling throats. Not sore, mind you just off.

On that note - I felt like soup. I really wanted chicken enchilada soup (to use those 2 avacado's in the fridge. I'll have to remind Aidan he can have guac for a snack) but figured I should shy away from the tomato in that so went with a nice beef barley. I pulled the prime rib bones from the freezer Monday morning with a slice of the prime rib. I boiled up the bones with some chicken and beef broth and veggies and barley. I cut off the beef from the bones and cut the other slice up and added it back in. Yummy. I had it for lunch and dinner yesterday and lunch again today. The honey oat bread is just out of the oven.... waiting to end lunch with a nice slice with some butter. 

Monday - the kids had Berber chicken with some baked sweet potato fries. Em had a Kiev and Aidan had broccoli and cheese. These seem to be hit or miss lately and the last month I have not been able to find the Kiev (herbed butter one). I saw a 6 pack the last time I was at Publix and grabbed it. I also have a 6 pack of the cordon blue (Em won't eat these because of the cheese - lactose intolerance) and a 2 pack of the broccoli and cheese. Something for the kids to easily grab and bake if they turn up their noses at dinner!

Tuesday - Mexican chicken and rice skillet - since it is quick and Emily has a FFA meeting after school so we will be late getting home and this one is easy for Greg to make for us.

Wednesday - pan grilled Pork Chops, roasted red potato with rosemary and a green veggie.... or beets. I have not decided yet! Might have both =)

Thursday - Southwestern Egg Rolls. I even got Egg roll wrappers for this instead of using the flour tortillas. I might bake them... but will probably fry them in a pan with a little oil. I wing it a bit and double the recipe - everyone loves these! They tend to go in the kids lunches the next day. I usually just cook up a couple handfuls of spinach instead of frozen. Serve with ranch dressing. Thursdays are my day off so I usually feed the sourdough starter and make some soft pretzels with the extra batter. The kids enjoyed having them when they got picked up from school for the ride home last week.

Friday - after talking with Mom this morning...... I'm thinking shephards pie! We have not had this one in years. It will be interesting to see if the kids will eat it. I remember my Mom browned the beef with a little onion, salt and pepper. Then put it in the bottom of a glass casserole. Add a can or two of corn - including the juice. Then top with homemade mashed potato. A few pats of butter on top and pop it in the oven to brown the top a bit and heat through. When I went to college - they served theirs with a beef gravy over it which was a great addition.

Saturday - Shrimp Scampi (I hope I am hungry by this point again or I will delay this meal!) over pasta.  A salad and maybe some home made bread. Another one we have not really done before. Getting sick of baked salmon and cod so switching up the seafood a bit. It was this or crab cakes but I don't have the crab on hand. I'm the only one that will eat scallops - they just don't know what is good, silly family! The shrimp is in the freezer. The kids actually like tuna (bleck - I do not!) and will eat tuna from the packet (Aidan) or a can drained with some mayo and pickles (Em and Greg). The cats get the juice - they enjoy tuna days!

So that is my tentative meal plan for the week. I have added links to recipes I reference for my meals. Notice I said reference.... I use them as a guide and modify to tastes and what I have on hand. 

Time to test the bread and head back to work.

If you are in the USA - Hopefully you have exercised your duty to vote in the election already or will be doing so today. I sincerely hope the results are clear and both sides respect the will of the people without any unrest or questioning. We need to get back to a united country and not a deeply divided one.  

OMG for November....

 I really want this Cobblestone quilt finished so it will become my OMG for November. Get it quilted and bound by the end of the month! This is a 63x63 quilt. Each cobblestone row has 14 scrappy blocks using 2 inch strips. I used a 2 inch strip of grey in between each row to coordinate with the grey middles in each of the blocks. 

Linking up with Novembers One Monthly Goal.