Black Friday and Quilting Fabric

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving, I sure did. I think I will need to do some walking around the block today and work off some of those extra calories.

Today is all about Black Friday, according to the news. I personally hate to shop, but put me in front of my computer or in a quilt shop and away I go. Quilt fabric is the attraction in my life. I don't need anything and since Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus we don't go crazy with gift giving so my shopping is very minimal.

Have you heard about the cotton shortage? It makes me want to buy quilting fabric. The online quilt shops have their Black Friday sales going and since cotton prices are going to hit the roof and fabric prices keep going up I just feel the need to stock up. Like I don't already have stash! Cotton prices have gone up 30 percent and that is why the $9.50 a yard fabric is now $10.50. In 2011 the cost will be going even higher. The Sewing Basket has been ordering their fabric for Spring and Summer to lock in the 2010 prices. Maybe I should be buying underwear and T-shirts and stop worrying about quilt fabric. I don't have a stash of those. I would hate to make underwear from my beautiful batik fabric. Maybe I should just take that walk around the block.

Have a blessed weekend and stay safe.

Giving Thanks

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey be plump

May your potatoes and gravy

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

and your pies take the prize

and may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

author unknown

Praying God's grace and love for you and your family.

Let it Snow

This is the view outside my quilt room window. I think it is so beautiful. I wish Tami, Ben, and Brandon were here to share this with. The sky is clearing and the sun is warming the air and starting to melt the snow. It started snowing early this morning. I walked outside and stood in the silence watching the flakes as they hit the ground. It is such a peaceful experience.I got dressed and took a walk in the snow. Six months ago I would never have dreamed that I would be experiencing this. This is a picture from the drive way. You can see my footprints leading to and from the house.

This is a shot from in front of our house. I thought I could make a snowman but the snow was too dry and flaky.

This is a shot of a portion of our backyard taken from the back of the garage. So what do you do when it's cold outside and the snow is slowly melting? You cozy up to your sewing machine and quilt. I got all my Thanksgiving shopping done and there is no need to go out. I will enjoy all of this from my window.

Below is a picture of the first of 12 blocks in the 2008 Web Sampler Celebration quilt. I really like the Civil War fabrics. My quilting friends don't care for them and I'm not sure why I'm so attracted to them. During that time in our history quilts were a functional must have. Quilts were made up of recycled fabric from old clothes. I read that an antique quilt from that period of time was quilted with newspaper being used as the batting. That brings new meaning to recycle. Today most of as make quilts to challenge our quilting skills and because we love certain fabrics and designs. We also make them to celebrate a birth, weddings, anniversary or other special occasion, making them an heirloom.

This is the second block in the set. I'm piecing the rows of the 3rd block this afternoon and I'll start cutting out block #4. These blocks do take some time to cut and piece.

When I'm finished with this quilt I will start on Web Sampler 2010.

I hope you have a blessed day and find time to think about all the things you have to be thankful for.

Promised Pictures

When my computer doesn't function like is should I shut it down and re-boot and that seems to correct what ever it was that caused the problem. I am now able to up-load the pictures I referenced in yesterday's posting. This is a picture of the Cutie Patootie quilt I made and is hanging at The Sewing Basket. The pattern can be found on the Red Rooster web site but the pattern has some errors in it. First error is the squaring up of the panel and the second error is the measurement on the green fabric. The quilt is cute and was fun to do. This is a picture of my welcoming committee at Mary's. These are very noisy geese and if you ever heard that they make good watch animals, it's true. When I drive up to the house they start their honking and come rushing you. I'm not sure which one it is but one of those little rascals has bitten Mary. I'm not sure I would want a pet like that. The ducks are fun and not aggressive. Mary has been giving me duck eggs and I've been cooking with them. Other than the size, I can't tell the difference.

The next picture isn't very clear. I took it early in the morning from my dining room window. I think this is a hawk. It's a small bird and very beautiful. It was dinning on it's prey. Since my camera wouldn't zoom in close enough I got the video camera and filmed it. Just another perk when living out of town.

This is a picture of Brooke, Britney, and Bree in their Halloween costumes. Aren't they cute? Their Mom really enjoys Halloween and her daughters. The older one, Britney, may be spending some time with us next summer. I sure hope that works out.

Signs of Christmas is all around us. Did you know that Oregon is the biggest producer of Christmas trees in the nation, harvesting roughly 7.8 million trees each year? We haven't had a fresh tree in ten years but I think this year will be different. There is a tree farm a few miles from home and on Black Friday we are going to check it out. I have always missed the smell of a fresh cut tree. We will get a small one. One of the boxes stacked in the garage is labeled X-mas directions and I'm looking forward to checking it out. There will be some fun memories in it for sure.

Thanksgiving is just four days away and I'm ready to cook. We will barbecue a small turkey and I'll have all the side dishes to go along with it. I'm baking apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies. Mary and Larry are joining us so there will be plenty to send home with them. I love to cook and the two of us can't eat everything so I love to share.

On the quilt front, I'm working on the 2008 Web Sampler Celebration quilt. I haven't meet anybody here that likes the Civil War fabrics so this quilt will be very different from the others that go through the shop. I'm post a picture of the completed quilt. I quilted and binded a quilt I pieced a few years back. It's a lap size quilt. I'll post a picture next week.

The sun is shinning bright and I feel like a walk with Missy. Have a blessed day.

What's been going on?

I just haven't had time to sit at my computer and update my blog. We are doing well and enjoying life. It is very different from what we left. We feel so blessed. I've been too busy having fun and discovering all that's new in my life. Today we have sun and rain, at the same time. As I look out my window I can see the mountains with a dusting of snow on the tops. It doesn't seem cold enough to have snow but it's in the forecast until Sunday.

I've been cooking and baking and enjoying my new kitchen. I've also been quilting. I've been trying to upload some pictures but this site isn't letting me. I finished a quilt for the shop and it looks very cute hanging there. I also finished a quilt for a Christmas gift. Can't talk about it yet. I've also been going through stuff and organizing. I'm still looking for stuff, like quilt books and gadgets. I'm getting a routine going and changing some of my goals. We continue to meet new people and are amazed at how friendly people are here.

I will try to post pictures and share more at a latter time.

Getting Settled and Checking In

Greetings from Oregon. It's been twelve days and I'm still unpacking boxes. The weather has been mild and I'm looking forward to some rain. I bought bulbs to plant and I'm planting my flower beds for the spring. This is a first, I have to look for plants that the deer don't like. The people in the neighborhood are very friendly and have greeted and welcomed us to the neighborhood. It's a quite neighborhood and all the homes are well kept. It feels good being here. I got my Oregon licence and plates and I feel like I've been here for ever. As I unpack it's been a struggle figuring out where I want things to go. As I look around it's hard to believe that I left lots of stuff behind. Where did I put everything? One day at a time, I'm not in a hurry, unless I need something.

Yesterday I hung out at the Sewing Basket and helped a lady with her Viking embroidery machine. I checked out the new fabric and the fabric on order. Tomorrow and Saturday are big sale days and I'm looking forward to it.

It's been a long day and I am looking forward to tomorrow. I will keep you posted.
Have a blessed day.

What's been going on?

As I look around the house is appears that I haven't been very busy but the facts are that I hit the ground running between 5:00 and 6:00 every morning and don't stop until around 4:30 or 5:00. I keep boxing up things and more things appear. What's up with that. I have sorted, tossed and boxed until my hands ache. It's amazing how much stuff I have that I don't' need or want. Then there is the cleaning. I'm looking forward to an end to this real soon.

Paul saw a doctor yesterday about his back and he starts physical therapy Friday. They gave him some meds and he was feeling a little better yesterday. Thank you Lord. There is a possibility that he might have to stay behind a week or so. Time will tell.

Saturday night we did take time out to attend a neighborhood party that our long time neighbors, Rico and Cathy, hosted. Their back yard is small yet they managed to get a band, buffet table and about 30 people in it comfortably. The band was made up of his friends and they were very good. The food was great and the drink wasn't bad either. This is a picture of Rico monitoring the buffet table. They had enough food for an army and he was worried that people weren't getting enough. Me, I was concerned that he might run out of wine. It was for medicinal purposed, I needed to relax my sore tired muscles.

He had people assigned seating around the pool.

This is a shot from where we were sitting. Those are the doors into the family room. His house has the same floor plan as ours but he did a lot of remodeling and customizing. He even built a room above the garage.

Today is feels like Autumn. I love this weather. This is another bell pepper from my little plant. I have gotten five peppers from it and now I can say the plant paid for itself. I will be planting these in my garden in OR.

This is a little visitor I found hanging out on the a plant in the patio. It's the second one I've seen this week. I think they are fascinating.

Last night I attended my last Stephen Ministry meeting. I will miss them so much. The training has taught me so much and I don't' think I've experienced so much spiritual and personal growth in any other group I've been involved in, and if you know me, there are a lot. We shared some snacks and they presented me with three very special gifts. One was the Angel of Hope. It's a little crystal angel in a satin box. In the box it reads: When you need some cheering up, you know just what to do. Peek inside this box to find an angel just for you; Then remember you are special, and may you always understand that as you hold your angel, God holds you gently in His hand. by R. Fogle

Then next gift is a beautiful framed picture with the words LOVE. Where there is a great love, there are always miracles. The colors are lighted muted greens, blues and browns, my favorite combination. I'm going to hang it in my entry hall. I did promise to send a picture of Paul and I standing in front of it after it is hung. I'll post that picture.

The third gift was the gift of prayer. We gathered together and a pray of farewell was offered. Prayer is such a powerful thing and a part of my everyday life. The scripture we focused on was from Acts 20: 1-6, 36-38. If you haven't been in the word, now is the time because I'm not posting it. So, get your Bible out and read. After we prayed I felt so much peace within. I love them all so much and they will be in my thoughts and prayers daily. I will make it a point to be in town on a Sunday so I can attend St. Andrew's and see my dear friends.

It doesn't seem possible but I am surrounded by more stuff that needs to be boxed so I better get on it. My schedule has been changed and I will be leaving on Monday at around 5:00 am with the SUV packed to the max. I'm so excited.

God's peace be with you.