A Hodge-Podge

The harder I work, the behinder I get.

This saying perfectly describes the chaos around here lately. And you know, I suppose our chaos is really no different from that of other folks - it's just OUR chaos, and we plod happily along, making our way through this crazy, messy life.

We are for the most part done with all the downstairs painting. Kevin is still doing minor touch-ups here and there, but it mostly has been put away and our stuff is returning to all the correct places. That is with the exception of the family room which will be getting new carpet on Thursday - in the mean time, that room is still rather sparse.

After carpet is installed, I will get some pictures on the blog for you to see our "new" downstairs. We are very pleased with the results.

Since I've not blogged for several days, I find that I don't quite know where to start in the way of catching up; I may end up with quite a hodge-podge here today! It seems that we have been so busy that I have tons to share. However, everyone is busy through the Christmas season, so our goings-on are really not significantly different than most people's. I shared the trip to the Columbus Zoo last week, but I have not shared any of the Christmas gatherings I had earlier in the month - card club, Frienzies and the Frankfort Girls.

The ladies I play cards with had a Christmas-themed gathering at the beginning of the month. We were supposed to wear an ugly Christmas sweater or Christmas PJs. Well, look what Dorothy showed up in!

Buddy the Elf has a clone! Dorothy is my neighbor, and also my hairdresser. Her day job is cafeteria lady at our local school district. You visited her house a couple of years ago when they participated in the historical society's holiday home tour. Click here to see; you'll also see a few quilts from my house!

Soon after we card girls met, the Frienzies met for the December gift exchange. This year we added an activity - jewelry making. It was a fantastic morning - but then every time we Frienzies get together we have a fantastic time.

The Frienzies, 2016 version. We met at Pam's house; she is on the far right standing in front of the wall hanging that was my gift to these girls last year. Have I introduced this group before? Front row: Sharon P., Hettie, Lyn and Susan. Back row: Sherrie, me, Kay and Pam. We all taught together at CHS for a number of years and had lunch together every day in the home ec. room - 4 of these gals taught home ec. Sharon and I taught English; Hettie taught Spanish; Lyn taught math. Only two still teach - Hettie and Susan, but Susan is in her final year. All the rest of us have retired; we formed Frienzies so that we could remain in touch as retirement left us disconnected.

My gift this year was a whole lot simpler, and way less stressful. I made everyone some coffee-cake style bread and added a holiday kitchen towel (in the packages, not the bread!). There are a variety of breads here - lemon poppy seed, cranberry, and blueberry.

Our craft, like I said, was jewelry making. Since Pam is the Queen of Projects, she outdid herself with this quick and easy little item. Each of us were given the parts to make this snowman necklace pendant. It took all of about 5 minutes to complete, with the twisting of the top loop as the most challenging bit. After this, we all just went to work on whatever we wanted to attempt. (We'd all been reminded ahead of time to bring whatever jewelry-making supplies we wanted to experiment on.) It became a community property kind of session - someone had this, someone else had that. We all shared and shared alike. It was tons of fun being creative with something we were all relatively new at.

The Frankfort Girls met at Jan's this past Friday morning. We had a gift exchange and a wonderful breakfast. What generous girls these ladies are! I felt absolutely showered with goodies. Jan is quite a party planner, so for her to get the Christmas meeting was a bonus for the rest of us because Jan had a theme - Christmas lights and everything was theme-oriented. Here is her pretty table.

Note the centerpiece with Christmas lights, the garland of Christmas lights, the goodie bag on each of our plates made of Christmas light fabric and a name tag in the shape of a Christmas light. It was impressive how detailed she got with this theme. And quite fun, too.

Afterwards, when all our mess was cleared away, we could see the festive table cloth which Jan made and quilted. She fussy-cut the center block of each star.

 This is a more complete view.

In her formal dining room, she had another table cloth exactly the same pattern, but made with different fabrics. Such a versatile pattern. Below is a zoom-in of one of the stars. I like this star and can see myself making a quilt using a star like this. I find it very appealing.

Well, there's my hodge-podge for today. I will try to have something more focused to share tomorrow.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Many Updates

It seems as though I have many topics that have been needing updates, so I will combine them all into one conglomeration of updates today.

First, our downstairs remodel is moving right along. DH has finished the hardest areas - the spaces with both crown molding and chair rails. Those detail-laden aspects of the dining room, front room and entry hall really took a lot of time. Here are a couple of pics of our front room slowly being put back together.

The wall that the sofa will sit on has yet to have its wall decorations put up, but it does give a good view of the Agreeable Gray wall color along with the Pure White trim.

A corner of the opposite wall has our antique secretary and a leather chair put in place. A few accessories have been added, too.

Now the work has moved into the family room area, and we are really feeling the pinch, as this is where we live. Traffic through this space is heavy, and we are tripping over ourselves and each other as we navigate the painting. It doesn't help that I still have the quilting frame up, which takes up a huge amount of space.

Speaking of the quilt frame, this I can also update. I am working my way down the rows you see above; I suppose I am about 1/3 across this section. I find that I am going to be running out of my thread, and my local quilt shop has discontinued it. I need Sullivan 5 pearl cotton in Lt. Christmas Red (#35398), if anyone in the central Ohio area has any leads for me.

At quilting on Friday with the Frankfort girls, I continued to quilt the throw that I began October 1st at History Day. It is nearing completion. Since History Day, the only time I've worked on this is at our bi-weekly get togethers.

And finally, I have finished the last of the commissions and have delivered it to Terry for quilting. After quilting, I will have just the binding to finish off and then delivery. In this new-found sewing freedom, I have rewarded myself by working on binding a quilt Terry finished for me months ago. As a reward for finishing the commissions, I held this back. I can't wait to show you the finished quilt.

Hope you all are having a great weekend! I am linking this post to Kathy's Quilts and her Slow Sunday Stitching linky party. Go on over and have a look!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Random Bits

Without anything terribly interesting to share today, it seems as good a time as any to throw some random stuff out there that I've collected in recent weeks.

This expresses my opinion about house work rather perfectly. I found it on either Pinterest or Facebook.

And I really like this sentiment from Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Years ago, I read a book (or two?) by her. I ought to read her again.

A week ago, DH and I spent a day doing family stuff. Part of that meant we had the twins for the day. They are getting to be such big girls now - 8 years old (9 in October!) and going into 3rd grade. Here they are loving on their Aunt Jayne. *love*

I believe you have met Rocky, the sweet kitty belonging to my DD Erin and her hubby Jeff. Well look what arrived in a message several weeks ago.

He apparently likes hanging out in the quilt basket in their apartment. Isn't he  handsome? That quilt rolled up is Broken Dishes, a Kaffe Fassett quilt, which I gave her for a wedding shower gift back in 2014.

And speaking of Erin, a couple of text messages just last night indicate that she is starting a project, which must be some sort of mystery because she was not giving up any details.

This was a Christmas gift from her dad and me which she'd just opened up. Wow. What a nice gift. She sure is a lucky girl to have such thoughtful parents. *grin*

It looks like the beginnings of something wonderful! I will keep you informed as she shares additional details.

I'm a bit late getting a post up today, Peeps. I hope you'll forgive. DH and I went out for our somewhat-regularly-scheduled morning walk  (he actually runs a part of his routine) and I did 5 miles! I am still recovering. Whew! Felt good, though, and I'd like to do it a few more times while the weather is so nice.

Thanks for indulging me with my random bits. While I was out on that walk this morning, I got a few pictures from Sharon P. of a recent finish of hers. You will love it - and if you'll stop back by tomorrow, you will get a look-see.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Pretty Pictures

I have had some pictures to share for awhile now, and since I don't have any really awesome stuff to show you from my sewing room, I figured today would be a good time to bring you a few non-quilting pictures of various goings-on around my world.

Most morning DH and I drive over to Frankfort and walk on the very well-maintained bike path. We started going in May very regularly, and have gone from just over 2 miles each time, to 3 miles, and occasionally 4 miles. I like to stay around 3 miles; that seems like just enough, and I don't feel completely wiped out like I do when we do 4 miles. DH is a runner, so he walks with me for a bit and then runs a portion of his routine.

Anyway, the picture above is of a cornfield that we pass. I notice on exceptionally bright mornings that the sun glistens off the corn, giving off an almost twinkling, gleaming appearance. It is quite a pretty sight, and it made me think of the way the sun glistens on the ocean. So I went back through pictures from our June Myrtle Beach trip to bring a sunny, glistening picture of the Atlantic.

Now, not all of our walks occur on the Frankfort bike path. Over this past weekend, to change things up a bit, we drove to Chillicothe where there is a very nice flood wall along the Scioto River. We had no plans for going over 5 miles, but since we were there, and it'd been ages since we'd been to the end of the path, we went for it. Five and-almost-a-half-miles later, totally exhausted, I collapsed into the car. Here is a picture DH took of the scenic Scioto River.

He used the panoramic view to take the picture, but in translating it to Blogger, I've lost some of the effect. Still pretty, however.

Finally, I will show you a cute little school house we found tucked away on Lake Erie's Put In Bay Island -- we visited there about 2 weeks ago for a quick getaway.

I do get out of the sewing room, and I do see some pretty sights. Nothing terribly awe-inspiring, but I hope these were as appealing to you as they were to me.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Tying Up Loose Ends

With the spotty posting I have done lately, many topics have gone untended. Today seems as good a day as any to pull together some of those loose ends that pop into my head at odd moments.

We welcomed summer this week. One thing I love about living in Ohio is that we get to enjoy varying seasons. As much as I love traveling to tropical beaches, I still prefer to live in a place where we have such variety in the weather. Summer skies are gorgeous here and I love seeing long shadows cast across our front yard each morning as I begin my day. Enjoying a cup of coffee on the screened porch while the birds flit about our various feeders and seeing the new blooms on my DH's flowers - all these things make summer a delightful time of year.

(Copied from Facebook/NBA)

 Another great thing about living in Ohio - we have some pretty awesome sports teams. Our Cleveland Cavaliers are NBA Champions! What excitement and pride we have in this championship! That final game on Sunday night was a nail-biter, and when we ended with the victory I was screaming and jumping around, which caused the dog to go into a barking frenzy, and the house was chaos for about 45 minutes after the game was over - at something like 11:00pm. We are sports fans, for sure. It's been electrifying, and I do believe that our Cleveland MLB team, the Indians, are feeding off the Cavs' success - we are currently sitting atop the AL Central and looking quite strong on all fronts - hitting, pitching and fielding.

The week prior, I hosted the Frienzies for our monthly get-together. Gosh, I love these ladies! As co-workers at CHS, we became good lunch-time buddies; and we have made a concerted effort to remain tight as one-by-one we retired.

I suppose you can guess which two are yet to be retired?? Yeah. Hettie and Susan are still teaching, although Susan has just one more year.

Lately, our get-togethers have been potluck style, which have been lots of fun. We are trying new recipes and enjoying all the variety.

Watermelon, feta and mint salad; edamame cole slaw; bread varieties, bellinis.

Chicken Parmesan, pineapple casserole, cauliflower casserole; corn casserole.

And also a week ago, there was quilting with the Frankfort Girls at Sharon O's house. I did not take pictures of any of our projects, but I did grab a pic of Sharon's pretty centerpiece.

This week, I have had to get some reading done for book club. The selection for this month was short stories by Willa Cather, and since she wrote so many, they have been compiled in many different collections. So I found a free download in the public domain, which I managed to work on steadily as the week wore on. I love Cather's novels My Antonia and O Pioneers and have read them both multiple times. She can describe a scene better than just about anyone, in my opinion. I always come away from reading her work with notions of how I wish I could write.

Another book I started is Blessings by Anna Quindlen, our author from last month. I have had to put it aside, but definitely plan to get back to it this week.

Thanks for letting me collect myself today. Perhaps I can be a bit more regular about posting quilt-related stuff for awhile. That is my plan, at least!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Week of Satisfying Sewing

Gosh, this past week has been just chock full of sewing fun. I have taken so many pictures of beautiful quilts, delicious food and wonderful friends. Most of the quilt pictures have been posted, but in recapping the week I have found that I've left a few things out. Today's post will be a catch-all post of the fun of the past week.

On Tuesday a group of us sewed at Terry's. Click here to read about the fun project Sheryll and Jan worked on. I finished the t-shirt quilt and left it for Terry to quilt. Here are a couple of additional details that I didn't already share.

Terry has 3 sweet dogs that make themselves right comfortable when all the quilters come. They are the most precious pups.

Terry began the day trying to finish these colorful zipper bags, but gave it up around noon. I think those zippers got the best of her. She worked on a different project in the afternoon and made better progress - but I have no pictures to show, unfortunately.

Wednesday found me at Sherrie's for the annual Veterans' Day sewing and socializing. This year seemed to be more about socializing than sewing, but that's all good. The food is always fantastic. Here are some of the goodies we enjoyed.

It's a potluck affair, and we always have more than we need. From the top:bacon-chocolate appetizers; potato soup and fixings; cranberry breakfast bars; broccoli quiche; salad with pears, apples, cranberries, cashews, swiss cheese, romaine lettuce and poppy-seed dressing; pumpkin bars.

Hettie and her daughter came with the new baby, Joel. He found himself surrounded by adoring Frienzies. Lyn is entertaining him in this picture - or is it the other way around??

Hettie also had this sweet quilt to show us. It is not, as you might think, for her grandson; it is for a baby shower coming up soon.

For my own sewing that day, I took my first foray into using Thangles, a brand of triangle papers. It was something I'd wanted to do for quite a long time.

And from that first Thangles effort, I made this Monkey Wrench block.

After careful consideration, I decided that I wanted more complexity, so I altered the construction a bit and made several Churn Dash blocks which you can read about by clicking here. After leaving Sherrie's, I made more blocks, stopping at 9. You can see my little table topper/wall hanging here.

In the meantime, I have made several more HSTs using the 3" size of Thangles. I saw a picture on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a try. Click here to see it. It is called Friendship Star Wreath, so I thought it would look pretty in Christmas colors. Stay tuned for more on that.

And I'm not done yet! Also on Pinterest, I saw the cutest little clutch bag, and it looked so simple. I could hardly wait to get to the sewing machine to give it a try. And so I did. Take a look.

This was as easy as advertised. It took me about an hour to make, and that includes the time it took me to select the fabrics. I have since made 2 more, and I daresay that a few of the females on my gift-giving list will have something like this under the Christmas tree.

Finally, I have been able to sit at my quilt frame quite a lot these past few days. With all the NCAA football games yesterday, and the Cleveland Cavaliers last night, I have achieved sore-finger status. It feels so good to glance over at the quilt and see the little stitch indentations in the shadows of the bay window.

And that wraps up a full and fun week of stitching. No UFOs breathing down my neck, and new stuff to play around with. Quite satisfying. I will go back to some of those UFOs still to be finished, but it has been nice to have a week in which I could experiment and play. Very, very satisfying.

Have a great Sunday!
Happy Quilting, Friends!