One Creative Family

I don’t know about anyone else, but Spring didn’t last long here in Kansas City, MO.  It seems like it went from winter to Summer.  With summer brings very little time to be in the house and in the sewing room.  I do like being outside and so i have spent so much time out there.  I will be spending more time sewing and computering (not really a word, but what I feel) evenings this week.  We have only 4 weeks to get ready for the next fair.

I am working on 2 quilts right now.  The one taking the front stage is a quilt of Valor.  It will go to my nephew who served in Afghanistan as a Medic. This quilt is coming together nicely and when the top is done I will post it.  I would really like to get it done so when I go to Texas I can take it to him rather than mail it.  It will be a total surprise as his girlfriend has gotten me all the information when he was out of town.  No, he doesn’t read this blog so I am safe.

This last weekend I have learned something new.  Lavender keeps bugs away.  Mary, my daughter, made necklace diffusers and gave Alicia and myself each one.  She put lavender on ours and while people were slapping at bugs we weren’t.

Enjoy your summer days.

Visiting some of local fun spots.  Start at Clinton’s Ice Cream Parlor(Harry Truman would walk here from time to time), to Independence Courthouse. You can take some great tours from here.  Next we go to the Kansas City Library in Kansas City, MO.  Life size chess pieces can be played with on the 5th floor patio and then the other 2 are pictures of outside the building.  Have a great day.

Today I didn’t want to get up, be felt so darn good, but the day has to get started at some point. A friend is out of town so I let her 2 dogs out and came home.  The fair went great. Started out with a night of wind and rain, it was a nice 85 with a breeze all day.  We saw some great ideas for next year.

One booth I was amazed with was called MemoriesDisplayed4U.  Here is her Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/MemoriesDisplayed4U  Check it out.  I am just amazed at what she does.

One idea I saw I thought about making one for my granddaughter, but then the thought hit me was am I teaching her to draw and color on blankets?  The lady made a child’s quilt one block a theme ex. Frozen, then the next block white.  She then quilted the outline of a snowflake, and Olaf.  She then sold washable markers with the quilt. The thought behind this is to color the outlined pictures and then wash it and try again.  Not too sure a bout this idea.

Our booth The little dolls are what Alicia is making these days.  They are so cute.  Hopefully she will make more clothes to sell for them also.

Mary is making her Defuser Jewelry.  The lava rock in the center can have an oil put on for any specific reason.  She put lavender on ours and not one mosquito or chigger attacked us.  The mosquitoes were flying all over.  I’m sold.  She makes stress away oils, for digestion issues and so on.

The funniest part of the day was when we were sitting and talking I could feel something under my foot move.  I moved and nothing there. This continued for a while and all of a sudden the back of my chair started sinking in the ground. For me to get up it would either be falling over backwards as the chair continued to sink, fall over the side of the chair, use the table for support and knock everything off it. So the girls steadied the table and I got up.  My chair had sunk about 3 inches.  We moved things and as we talked we noticed one of our storage totes moving.  Really got our attention so we moved the tote and watched.  We saw something moving across the floor.  YES!  we were right of  Mr. Mole’s tunneling.

Made a perfect entertainment for an afternoon.

Hope you have the perfect entertainment today.

 

 

Sewing machine is in the shop for a cleaning and new zigzag motor so I am without my trusty friend until Monday. Tomorrow won’t be too bad, it is the first craft fair of the season and when I get home I will be hot and tired.  Sunday I will need to find something to do.  Cleaning?  NOOOOOOo not fun.  I decided to try my hand at a needle turn applique quilt.  Any suggestions on the best way to start. I do embroider, do applique, but never have I appliqued more than Tea Towels and rug mugs, this type project.  Normally I would jump in with a huge piece of fabric and then get too frustrated.  Would I start with a block or a large cloth?

I have been wanting to do this and keep putting it off.  This week end will be the best time to start.  How do you start teaching yourself a new technique.  I do have to admit that if it wasn’t for You tube I don’t think I would be quilting today.

New topic.  For those of you who know me on facebook, you have read this but, this week when we had Granddaughter, Destiny(3 yrs old)  This happen…

Playing match with 3yr old Destiny. Card falls on the floor…
Destiny.”Damit”
I nudged her on the arm and tell her this word isn’t ok to say.
Destiny starts crying, “You smacked me! I didn’t do anything and you smacked me!”.
Me, “but you can’t say that word.”
Destiny “ok, but you smacked me”
Me, “I’m sorry, but don’t say that word.” More crying
Destiny,”are you sorry you smacked me?”
Me”Are you sorry you said that word?”
Destiny, “what word?”
Me ,”Yes, I’m sorry”
Destiny ” That’s ok”.
What’s important is in the eyes of the beholder

When mom got home she told mom “Mamaw smacked me?” Mom asked why, Destiny said “I don’t know I didn’t do anything.”  The she looked at me and asked “Why did you smack me?”

Great time with kids.

Have a wonderful weekend.

This is only Saturday and so far so much has happened.  Our son and Daughter in Law has purchased a new home.  It is only 108 yrs old and has some little quirks.  They will adjust I am sure.  We spent yesterday helping them move.  it was fun helping and visiting with her parents.  Then today getting ready for Graduation.  2 Granddaughters graduating from High School.  Tomorrow church and then helping son move some more items.  I hope to get some sewing in tonight and tomorrow night.

How are you spending your Memorial Weekend?   On Monday I will BBQ and some friends from Florida will be here.  I can’t wait to see them.  So much fun.  I am attaching some photos from the moving and graduation..Look at those crazy stairs…. AND the first piece of furniture.   A POOL TABLE.  It is sitting in the dinning room until their stronger friends can help get it upstairs.

Cousins are the best.

Happy Memorial Weekend.

This is strange, I am in the sewing room and there will be no quilting.  BUT, there will be sewing going on.  I made a blouse this morning , was a fast a cute pattern. Only a front and a back.  I did put a bit of elastic under the bust to draw it in a little.  Not sure if I will keep it there or not.  Will have to see. It is the top photo.  After that we went to exercise then came home and I cleaned the kitchen cabinets, dusted nick-knacks, and got a little mending done.  Now for an afternoon of cutting out another blouse.  This will be a long one to wear with leggins.  I don’t have the shape to wear leggins and regular t-shirts.  Nor the youthfulness.  But I do love them.

I am trying to tire myself out so much that my brain will shut off at night and I can sleep.  Too much going on most good, but some not.  Immediate next 2 weeks 2 granddaughters graduating High School, Son and Daughter In-Law(I hate that word.  She is now our daughter) moving into their new home, Craft Fair and the not good, Gary is still getting fluid on the lungs so it is a wait and see xrays in 3 weeks and may have to drain, and the biggest reason for needing to be tired, my sister is very bravely losing the battle with leukemia.  Don’t want the mind to go there at night.

With that said I may have to get the border on a quilt and sandwich it to quilt and then put the last 80 blocks (they are 5×3.5 inch) on my split rail quilt.  But that will be tomorrow.  Right now I am so content to be looking out the window at my roses, hostas, and yucca.  I have some blooms on my moon flower and can’t wait to see it bloom.  It does bloom in the late evening thru the night and closes about 9am.  Here she is from last year.Such a light sweet fragrance.

Here are a few of my flowers…

Take time to day to do something for yourself.  Enjoy.

I was looking for ideas for craft fairs and in talking to one of my sisters, I told her i was looking for something to make and sale for under $5.  She suggested some type of little carrier for a few crayons for the younger kids when going to restaurants.  So with this in mind I set out to see about this.  Here is what I came up with.  Now keep in mind crayons are shorter than my dry erase markers and I added paper.  What is worse than being bored?  Wanting to draw and write and nothing to write on.  It measures 6×8 and folds in half like a wallet, snaps, and fits in a pocket or bag.  When asked what it was called the first thing to pop out of my mouth were Peggy’s Pockets.  So that is what they are called.  I have been making them in all kinds of my scrap fabric.     So very much fun.  Now to get a few more made today and then I will be ready.

Enjoy today as if there was no other.

I don’t know about you, but I seem to be acquiring a rather large group of needles.  Needles for leather, jean, jersey, metallic, embroidery, quilting, universal, and top stitching. Oh I forgot the double needles, and so many more.  I tried using an old pill dispenser, you know with the days of the week on them for all your meds.  Nope didn’t work.  I was forever hunting thru drawers, in boxes, or even little cups to find what I wanted.  Then what do you do with the needle you have used, but is still good, but you want to change it for a new project???

My answer came to me while I was organizing Hubby’s new meds.  Since his Lung surgery, everything has changed and old meds disposed of at the local Police Dept., I had all these pill bottles that were just too good to throw away.  So I have a bottle for each kind of needle and it is labeled.  This way the new ones stay in the container you buy them in and the slightly used ones just dropped into the bottle.  I keep the biggest bottle next to my machine with a Big label “SHARPIES” dispose here.  I put the old ones in this bottle and then when bottle is full I can put it in the trash or in another container we use for his insulin sharpies.  Then discard them that way.  Working so great.

I also was trimming a quilt and had lots of thin pieces of fabric that were less than 1/8th inch wide so I took the rotary cutter and started slicing them thinner, put them in an empty bowl, set outside in my garden and then watched the fun begin.  The squirrels and birds have been taking them for nests.  Another way to recycle.  I decided to do this when I went to sit in the backyard swing with Granddaughter and the squirrels had eaten holes in my cushions and taken the stuffing out.  Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.  I will keep the thread and skimpy fabric pieces in the bowl.

Have you some great recycle ideas?  I would love to hear them.

Tuesday we had granddaughter Destiny so no sewing, but we did make a day of the zoo.  Little lady had so much fun and came face to face with penguins almost right off the bat.  She did not want to leave them.

The day was a test to see how Grandpa handled lots of walking after his lung surgery.  He did great.  We walked for over 3 hours and road the train for only about 20 minutes of that.  We were able to see baby monkeys, tigers, camels, kangaroos, otters, sea lions, Polar bear, penguins and so much more.  Was a great day.  When we got home we just laid around and watched Frozen twice.

I don’t know for sure how she slept, but this grandma slept like a baby.  Great day at the Zoo.

Happy Belated Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out here.  I truly hope your day was all you wanted it to be.  Heard from my wonderful siblings. We heard from all the kids and our son and daughter in law came over for a visit and then an afternoon of sewing.  The very best of all worlds.

Today will be a rainy day and so I will spend it cleaning the house(gotta get the work done before I play. Actually just vacuum, and do laundry.) Then either work on genealogy, or work some more on a few last minute craft fair projects, or work on my Split Rail Fence quilt.  Tonight is Quilt Guild Meeting and I am looking forward to tonight’s meeting.  Our Guest Speaker is Linda Bratten.  She will be showing  thread painting.  Sounds like so much fun and something I have been interesting in.  I will let you know how it turns out. Check her out.  http://lindabcreative.blogspot.com

What would you say your big plans for today will be?    I do enjoy hearing what everyone is up to.  Have a wonderful day.

Good afternoon all.  Well here I am again.  Today I have been working on a split rail fence quilt and I am about 1/5th the way done.  Rows 5 of 25 together.I did get a few breaks in today and finished the Birthday gift.  I need a few finishing touches.  Got the black border on and hangers.   Feels good to be getting back on track again.

Tomorrow will bring finishing tea towels and then try and get more done on the split rail fence.  Plus Mother’s Days.

What are your plans for Mother’s Day?  Me?  Sewing and spending time with hubby.  My kids all have their own families and will spend time with them, I think.  We will see.  I hope you have a wonderful day.