Crazy Mail, Plants, Rainbow Challenge & I Spy in works

 Look what came in the mail last week... addressed to me! I'm not at all into hunting. Fishing license it too expensive, and we have no gear.  Who got the idea to send this to me - a woman? LOL

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We are doing our Halloween plants a little differently this year - we're digging up the squirrel trees (you might call them volunteers, but in our neighborhood none of these oaks are close enough to drop acorns in our yard... you know who is planting them) and we're planting them in "pots".

They really are beauties.  These are the oaks.

Sweet gums

and these are mostly Mimosa. 

We've got 19 trees so far, but there are many more to dig up and pot. It's going to be mostly trees this year, and some indoor plants. (I have the kitchen window full of avocados at various degrees of sprouting.

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Now on to something quilty:

I've been thinking about joining Soscrappy's Rainbow Challenge . I've been hacking around the sewing room looking for a pattern that would be easy and lend itself to the brighter colors. (That day I was lucky on 3 occasions.) found these blocks... leftovers from a quilt I made for Project Linus a long while ago.  I have these and some orange ones done already, too.

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Next up: the I Spy for the next grand baby... This is the flimsy. Paper has been removed, and the Hubby found 2 blocks that need repair. (The #1 piece moved on the way to the sewing machine, I guess, and there were 2 holes!!! EEEEEEK and GASP!  I made new blocks, just like the other ones - easier than ripping the old blocks and resewing - now to set them in. It'll be okay. You'll see.

Some close ups...

Oh and I've started to cut blocks for the Tetris game.  Click on the side bar button to learn more about that one. I've got 4 different pinks cut so far.

So that brings me up to date with you all... Thanks for stopping by.  And thanks for writing such entertaining blogs. I love blogging.  It adds alot to my life.

Hugs,

Terri

New Hope on 3 fronts!

So not much going on here in the quilting department. I've made some messes of various items and I'm letting my psyche rest from the disappointment in myself.  You all know what I mean.  I'm working on a set of pot holders... and they are turning out okay, for pot holders, but that's not the HOPE trifecta.

Here are 2  hope stories of the least importance:
You know I love plants, and starting them, especially difficult starts... Last year I got a Ginkgo to start from a pit, that I stumbled across while picking up Elm seeds. Well, it grew nicely, and took well to a transfer to a larger pot, and then dropped it's leaves during the fall.  I knew it would, I was okay with that. But the leaves didn't come back on when the others - out in the wild outdoors did! I was quite disappointed... I was sure it was dead.  It was 2-3 months late, but....
 SEE! I am soooooo pleased! It is back!

And  above, is the only - 1 of 8 - Magnolia's I got to start from a cone picked from my son's front yard. I took the red fruits out of the cone, and planted them. One came up!  That's the way it works. Not all seeds start up. It didn't come up right away either... I watered through the winter and spring, and then one day, mid June, I noticed something already sprouted quite high. It's still getting new growth, too! I think it likes this $1 large drink cup from McDonald's. It gives the new growth some light that isn't the really strong sunlight from that morning sunny window.  (New apricots fry when not covered by at least newspaper in our hot sun, so that may be what is working for this new sprout.)

But Now for the best bit of HOPE...

Chrissy's latest test - she was having some really bad pains in her liver area...

- showed the pain is from a large accumulation of liquid from her surgery, and not cancer!

It doesn't mean that she is cancer free, but that the latest test is a good one, and maybe the chemo is working better this time. Please, keep up the good thoughts and prayers for her. It seems, that with all she is doing, the prayers are helping, too. And I thank you all, my Friends, for that!!!!

Hugs!

Terri

Up to 6 now!

Aren't they happy looking? I'm going to link up to A Creative Princess and show off a bit. Thanks for stopping by to see the latest.

Hugs!

Terri

Home Again, Jiggle d pig! A graduation, a face on the tree, and a covey of crayon blocks!

We've been to another graduation... This time Ashleigh, our granddaughter, has graduated high school! We are so proud!

Some pictures - indulge a granny.

 Ashleigh our latest graduate! Congrats, Ashy!

 The Graduate, her Mommy, Chrissy (my Daughter extraordinaire), Rachael, the basketball queen, and Emalee, the volleyball queen. (Missing are the baseball king, Ben, and the dad, Will.)
We miss you all! Thanks for all the entertainment and yummy meals. We had a great time!

 With the sign grandpa made...

She and her friend sang the National Anthem, and later in the program they sang a real tear jerker...
 I was a crying mess. So proud!


Now since we are back home...
Here's one of the faces I saw this week. Melanie, I see them in shadows and light, too. I have since childhood. Here's the first one that I have ever tried to capture on a photo.  See the clown on the tree trunk- I'm usually quite afraid of clowns. He has a cigar, and a really big nose! (On another tree, during the winter I sometimes see the Virgin Mary. She doesn't talk to me though. I wish she had.)

Here's what I've been doing besides housewifery this week. I'm making some crayons (paper pieced)  I modified a pattern from Fandom in Stitches - (go to the Children's section, or the Animated section.  They will be under the Blue's Clues patterns. As always they are for charity and personal use only.) I love them. The backgrounds of each block will be a different white on white print, and the "papers" on the crayons are prints in the same color, but a slight variation. You can't see the red paper is tiny polka dots. Each one takes 1/2 hour, but that is after choosing fabrics, washing and ironing fabrics... you know the drill. The colors around the outside of the blocks are just so you could actually see the white parts of the blocks... It's a white design wall. (I linked up to Can I get a Whoop Whoop? )

Well, I'm off to color my world... read some more blogs, then make some more crayons! I might even bake a cake... it's cool here for the next few days, perfect - 70s for a high today. That means I allow myself the use of the oven. No using the A/C today!

So Keep Cool! (Tootsies in a tepid pan of water is my favorite way - with a tall glass of icy something.) Happy Summer and have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Terri

P P T Ps or Wee Wee Wigwams

There's 18 of them in all. (In the background that's Emalee and me at Christmas alot of years ago. One of my favorite pictures.)

They are quite easy to make. Mine start with a circle template. I used a luncheon plate... 7 1/2 inches and cut it in half. Make one of quilting cotton and one of flannel or fleece. (I used flannel.) Fold each piece in half -- right sides together -- and sew the straight edges on each piece.  Now turn the lining (flannel) right side out, and insert it into the quilting cotton piece (so they are right sides together).  (I made sure one seam did not come close to the other, and that kept the bulk down to a minimum.) Sew the circle, but leave  1 1/2 inches for turning it all out. Then turn it all out. Tuck the lining into the quilting cotton. Top stitch the circle all around, catching the open section to close it - genius, huh.  Then I ironed them and tacked a few stitches in the top point so she won't have that coming apart in the wash and have to reseat the lining each time. Voila! all done.   Here's another view.

So I'm going to try to make another quilt before we leave to visit my Chrissy and her family... on Thursday... that really came up fast.  So I won't be reading or writing any blogs until next week some time. I'll get you caught up then.

Hugs,

Terri

I finished!

And on time, too!

 being held up by the Zombie Hubby Hands - see his cute legs?

This one shows the backing and the binding are the same fabric. It was just the perfect piece for the color scheme on the front; pink background, white daisies with yellow centers, and a green leaf here and there. Kismet!

Okay, so I'm a bad housekeeper. The table next to the quilt is full of seeds to try. Want to wait until I get back from my daughter's house. Do you recognize the long beans from the Catalpa?

I did have another finish, but I have to wait. It's a gift to a follower who just happens to be my DIL, so we don't want to spoil her surprise, do we. 

I have a UFO up on the design wall now, but again... (see paragraph above.)  I only have 2  long seams that need alot of pinning before I can sew. Then the flimsy needs paper removed. I'll be able to finish that one soon, too.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs!

Terri

Double Wedding Ring Auction at

Bunkhouse Quilts.  Tell her I sent you.  Here's a picture of the DWRs... used with her permission, and I figured out (all by myself) how to put it on this post. Aren't you proud? (I haven't used that phrase - all by myself - in a mighty long time.)

She got me to thinking about shopping in the olden days... Remember, Grannies, how it was to shop at a real department store? Sears, Penny's.... In our town - at the time - it was Roth's. It was a closely packed store with different departments, all manned with a couple of people and a manager... how did the store ever make money?  When you walked in you felt like the Queen. There were friendly people everywhere to help you find something. My hubby worked there for years before we met. He was kind of a jack of all trades, running the elevator - you didn't just push a button in those days. He helped carry things, deliver stuff, assemble bikes, etc. I loved shopping there.

And I promised a picture of Rudy with his pink toy:

Rudy, with his pink toy, and Trouble... oh, and their "parents". They walk by our house every morning, and Rudy has a toy - a different one on occasions. They say he has a whole bunch of "babies" to choose from. Today is the special pink one.

I petted him a couple of times after the pictures he posed for... then he decided the photo shoot was over and started for home and his comfy bed.  If only you knew, Rudy, how much joy you impart to the neighborhood. We get a chuckle every morning.

I got the quilting done yesterday, and it's binding and  those afore mentioned teepees today. What are you working on?

Hugs,

Terri