What a Monday.

 First off, we got a nice deluge of rain yesterday. A big radar blob was over my area for about 30 minutes. A few miles down the road got nothing, but we were grateful for the rain. The grass was getting pretty crunchy. We are getting some more rain this afternoon. The ground will be happy and hopefully the fire risk goes down a bit. 

Well, we got a call after midnight from the first alert folks. My FIL had fallen down and was unable to get up. We got another call around 6AM from the nurse. He has a broken right hip. We headed over after the kids left for school. Aidan was heading to Jacksonville for his Skills USA competition this week. We got Toms house locked up and secured and readied a bag for him. Then visited the hospital. They are going to do surgery on it over the next couple of days when they can get it in. Until then, they are trying to manage his pain, but the meds are drastically dropping his blood pressure. 

I got home and then logged onto work for the afternoon. Emily was late but not for the math review she was planning. Her teacher was out today so it will be tomorrow. She went to Symphonic band rehearsal instead for their concert next Monday. They have different sections in various classes through the day, so this is their chance to play together. 

Since Aidan is gone for a few days, Emily got the selection of meals this week. It appears we are doing a bunch of vegetarian type meals, although I notice she grabbed some chicken breast from the roaster chicken I picked up yesterday at Sams. She just prefers meals with vegetables.

Tonight was a Halal Cart Style Cauliflower Bowl. I forgot to add salt and pepper to the cauliflower before baking it. I served it with a sliced up romaine head of lettuce. We did white rice in the pressure cooker. It was ok, probably needed a little something to perk it up a bit, maybe the hot sauce? Not bad though and something new to try. 

Tomorrow is rice noodles with snap peas and a bunch of other things. She found that recipe on Tasty I think. Then I get to have a meal Wednesday and Thursday will be a burrito rice bowl with seasoned black beans and charred corn and rice with pico. We will see how that one is. I mentioned the meals to Aidan and he said Friday should be a meat fest! Turducken anyone? 

I think I'll pick up the kitchen, then sit and watch some tv. Not sure any stitching will happen, but it might. We will see. 

April TSC

The Table Scrap Challenge this month was rain and the color selected for the RSC was red. 

Umbrella with red rain is the first thing that came to mind. Emily mentioned a red sunset with rain. That was a little harder for me to figure out how to do. So, I went with option 1.

I found a nice black swirl and then cut a very off shaped umbrella with a dotted handle. 

 

I found this fun snowman with snowflakes - red background and snow is just frozen rain, right?

I finished the table mat with a nice red binding. Then I stitched some red rain on an angle with some embroidery thread. Finding a needle that fit the embroidery thread was interesting, but I found one. 

Next month should be a little easier.

Linking up with the Table Scrap Challenge.

A yard day.

 I snapped a few photos' Saturday as I was cutting back shrubs and weeding. A few of my flowers and a pretty butterfly that was feasting on the sweet smelling tea olives.

Blue Plumbago

Mexican petunia

tea olive bushes (taller than my car!) They form a hedge around the stone parking area.

I hand stitched these two hexagons into sets of 4, so they are all ready to be stitched into a row to be added to the original quilt.... eventually. I have the parts for 2 columns to be added, but I think I might want 4. We will see. Each column needs 48 hexagons.

I started on the gold string of beads block last night. Note to self, prep this on the cutting mat, not my recliner arm. I might need to check to make sure they are placed in the correct spot before I add the other six peels. 

the blocks so far.

I did some emergency surgeries last night. Bear loves to destuff his animals. Poor lambie. 

Lambie, bear and the reindeer got a little machine stitching and then hand stitching to close up a lot of the holes caused by the destuffing process. As you can see - Mr Moose is scheduled for surgery later today. I have a bucket of 'stuffing' to put back in him as I close up those holes. We will see how long before I have nightly crime scenes of stuffed animals all over my living room floor!

Aidan is heading to Jacksonville this week for a Skills USA competition. Emily will get to drive herself to and from school this week until he returns late Thursday. She has various AICE testing preps after school, so it works out well. As her brother is gone, I asked her for meal ideas. She gave me 3 vegetarian ones that we will make this week. 

I've got a Sams run today, then hope to play in the sewing room. I will be stitching peels and/or hexagons later this evening as I relax before the new week starts.

Linking up with Kathy and the other Slow Sunday Stitchers.

RSC in red

I finally got some red sewing in this month! 

I added 6 BITA blocks. I just need 5 more next month and then I can start assembling my rainbow of blocks.

I added the second red string of beads block this month, along with two pinks, two blues and a yellow. I have another gold yellow prepped that I'll start working on later this evening. These are hand applique. I need to add some orange, teal and maybe bright green? White would not show on the background. I plan 16 blocks for these.

This hawk was on the fence when I got home from school with Emily today. Aidan was late with some AICE testing prep after school. Emily has some AICE prep for 2 classes tomorrow morning at school. 

When I messed up making the BITA blocks back in January, I ended up with this 'Alternate' block. I really need to come up with a name for them. I added 8 in red this month.

One 16 patch block in red. I realize I need to make one more of these. I have a couple of parts made and will sew a few more as I am making the Table Scrap Challenge. I hope to link up with that Saturday afternoon.

Linking up Saturday with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Mid week

 I started the light pink block on Wednesday.  These middles will have a round over it, I have not decided the colors.  Might be all yellow or each blocks color. I'll decide when they are all done.

I had a girl pick up at school, so I grabbed the bag. I added a grey round to a granny square. I have had finishing ideas running through my head on these. We will see what happens! 

A visit to my FIL today after a dog walk. I'm sure he will need a grocery shop. He is still very weak, so we will see. I've been calling him each morning, since greg won't, and his meal delivery was not starting until today. 

I do hope to play with red more. I've got alternate blocks to make and a table scrap challenge.  I had an idea for it, then mentioned the prompt of red and rain to Emily last night.  She had an interesting idea. We will see which wins!

I had bought a ham last week ($1.98 a pound) but since we went out Sunday I cooked part of it on Monday night with the Boars Head brown sugar sauce on it. I got a 5 pounder and cut it into chunks and cooked about a pound of it and seal a mealed chunks for the fridge. I did save off the bone part and cut parts to add to salads for a couple of days. I still had that and had pinto beans in a can of dry beans. I looked up recipes for the instapot and made this one yesterday. Emily had something else, but Aidan was game to try it. His response, a little less salt (I added some at the end and should not have) and some savory herbs next time. I made cornbread to go with it. 

I get a whole day Saturday to myself! I plan to get the Arkansas Traveller quilt pinned and quilted this weekend.  Emily has test review at school and will drive herself! Aidan has skills usa next week, so will drive to school Monday, hand keys to Emily and return Thursday evening after a competition in Jacksonville. Emily gets to drive herself to school and back! Her comment, darn, I need to get up 5 minutes earlier to eat breakfast. I guess she eats in the car while Aidan drives. It is quite early - they leave for school at 6:55.

Someone is ready for a walk before it gets too hot. 

Light blue string of beads block

 

I needed to prep more peels since my last green one for this block had the white selvedge on it. I prepped a new one and got this one finished. Onto the light pink next. I also prepped some pretty gold for the second yellow block.

A little red sewing

 I added 6 Birds in the Air blocks. I believe I only need 5 more of these and then I can start assembling them into a quilt top.

One 16 patch block got sewn as I was making these.

I also got a little prep work in on some more bead blocks. Three more backgrounds cut out and some green and gold orange peels cut and marked. 

Progress!

The audiobook in progress is The Women by Kristin Hannah.