Monthly Archives: March 2014

Awake and Ready

Now that the weather is getting better and the sun is shining, I am not feeling as sleepy as I have been.  Being out in the sunshine is good medicine and I certainly got a lot of good medicine today.

As I have told you, we are building a new front porch on our house and we are having to move several flowers.  Like about one hundred or more flowers.  Flowers it took me years to plant in the front garden and now they have to be moved in a few days before the builders get here.  My body has had a workout today digging up flowers, digging holes and replanting the flowers. We cut down the rose on the rose arbor because it never did very well.  David planted it by the fence in hopes it will grow on it.   I am going to sow some morning glory seeds at the base of the arbor and soon it will be covered with morning glory  vines.

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  I have loved our old porch.  Many people have entered our house via this porch.  My mother sat on this porch and watched our children ride their bikes.   David and I have sat out here and talked and watched the world go by. We’ve thrown firecrackers from here and watched our grandchildren hunt Easter eggs from here.  One summer our sons and a neighbor boy sat on this porch all summer playing with Legos.  I have sat on this porch and timed my children to see how fast they could run around the house.  That was before we had fenced in our back yard.  I have looked on the porch for packages I have ordered.  Sat with my dogs and passed the time.  Don’t mind me if I get a little teary eyed when they start tearing it down.

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  The front of our house is going to look so different. I love those old white pillars.

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I don’t know how many times I have painted these pillars.  They need a new paint job now, but, they won’t be here in a few days or weeks.   I thought about saving one, but thought it would be dangerous if one of the grandchildren leaned against it and it fell over, so the pillars are going.

I got a package from the UPS man while I was working outside.  I decided I would wait until I had all my work done before I opened it.  Anticipation.  I kept thinking about that box all morning and part of the afternoon.  I knew what was in it, you see, and that is what made it even more exciting.

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I love getting packages like this.  Especially when it says this on the side…….

 

 

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Can you believe I just discovered this company?  A friend of

mine showed me some fabric she had purchased while in Tennessee and I fell in love with it and knew exactly what I would do with it should I get some.  I searched for it online and every fabric site I went to said “sold out” of this particular fabric until I got to this site.  Yay, they had it.

 

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Isn’t it absolutely the cutest?  It’s called Quaint Cupcakes.  It has a little bling in the fabric.

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I am loving this.

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With the doilies and all, it’s just so pretty.  I know what I am doing with this.

But that wasn’t all I purchased.  I have a new designer I am liking right now.  Michael Miller.  He designed this fabric.

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I love the vintage look of this.  Yes, I know what I am doing with this, too.

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He designed this and I really wish I had bought more than one yard of it.  It is the most beautiful fabric I think I have ever seen.  There are so many possibilities for this, but, I wish I had bought more.  Hmmmmm.

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Oh, this is going to go in several quilts.  I know it.  Looks like old love letters.  French.  Roses. What could be better?

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This is one of those fabrics that can work its way into any number of different quilts and make them special.   Do I wax too lovingly about fabric?   I have always loved fabric, from the green cotton polyester suit with the matching printed blouse I made in home ec in junior high, to the red dotted swiss dress I wore to the Ruth Lyons’ television show, to the pink dotted swiss I kind of stole from my mother’s stash and made a bathing suit once while she was gone for the day.  Oops, got in a little trouble for that!

Yes, I love fabric.  Friends make fun of me for saving little bits and pieces of my fabric.

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Right now I am cutting over two thousand two inch squares to make a quilt.  The smallest square I will cut and save is a one and a half inch square.  I plan to one day sew all those tiny squares together into a quilt and it will be a catalog of all my fabrics I have used through the years.  But right now the two inch squares need my attention.

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They are being sown into these blocks.  I will need many of these for the quilt I am making.  I love doing this.  Fabric just makes me happy.

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If you are a Downton Abbey fan, you probably know there is now Downton Abbey fabric.  I made a skirt out of this fabric and then I put together a Downton Abbey outfit.

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Complete with hat.  I loved wearing this.  I wish women still wore hats like this all the time and dressed up more when they went out in public.  When you look at old pictures, both men and women are wearing hats and they always looked dressed up.  Now people wear pajamas in public.  Pajamas!!! If you are one of them, well, I will just keep quiet, but I am frowning while typing this.  David says people come into the Ralph Lauren store all the time in pajamas.  Really?????

Anyway, I do love textiles and have practically all my life.  I remember most of my clothes I had growing up from the plaid dresses with big sashes I wore to school, to the sleeveless blouses I wore in the summer, to the blue jeans and sweatshirts I wore when I rode my horse.  I notice what people are wearing all the time.  I tell people when I like something they are wearing.

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Changing direction a little(a lot.)  Walking the other day I heard the sandhill cranes.  I always hear them before I see them.  Put your tongue to the roof of your mouth and hum while fluttering your tongue and that is kind of how they sound.  They have a very distinct call.  There was one flock and then there were two and then a third flock came from the south.  They go up to Camp Atterbury where there is a lake where they land and you can go up there and climb a platform and watch them.  I have never done it, but I have always wanted to.  They swooped and circled above our house for quite some time.  A true sign of Spring.

Can’t believe March is almost over.  It’s my birthday month and it is one of my favorite months.  I always hate to see it go knowing I will have to wait a whole year before March comes around again.  I found this poem in a little, old poetry book I have had since I was a girl and it was old when I was a girl.

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Happy April.  Easter is less than three weeks away.  Bye.

 

 

Sleepy

I don’t know why, but for the last couple of weeks I have been so sleepy.  I sleep until nine or ten in the morning and by mid afternoon I am sleepy again.  Maybe it’s been this extremely cold, damp weather we have been having that chills you right to the bone.

Last night  after supper, I was so cold I got three blankets and laid on the couch with them over me and fell asleep until ten o’clock.  Stayed up for a couple of hours, went to bed and slept until almost nine thirty this morning.  My mother would tell me I am sleeping my life away.  I kind of feel that way.

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I wish I could be more like my dogs and not be ashamed I am sleeping so much.  They don’t seem to mind wasting away a whole day just snoozing.    Bonnie stays in my shop all day and doesn’t move a muscle for hours.  She doesn’t care what others might think.  Look at her, how peaceful she is.  By the way, she and Belle got new beds for my shop so now I let them in more often since they don’t get on the furniture anymore.  They are loving that.

It’s not that I haven’t been busy.  When I am awake my hours are full.  I just finished a Bible study, have been doing some Spring cleaning and have been cutting hundreds of two inch squares for a quilt I am making. It needs over two thousand squares.  As I cut them, I sew a few together.  I want to have this quilt pieced before hot weather gets here.  I’ve been taking care of the chooks.  They are beginning to lay more regularly now.  They might be getting some new friends later this summer if my daughter gets me the Austrolorps I want.    I’m too tired to download any pictures right now, but I will be showing you  what I have been up to soon.  I made a bunny garland today.   Just need to do some hand sewing on it.  If I can get out of this sleep funk, I will take some pictures.

We had some exciting news today.   Our contractor, Claude(He calls himself Bub) called us today and said he was ready to start work on our new front porch and put in some new windows.  I have told you our old porch on our hundred year old house is sinking and pulling away from the house causing cracks in the wall of our living room.  David said we had to replace the porch or the side of the house would be torn off eventually.  I don’t like that idea.  I kind of like to have walls between me and the elements.  Another winter like this one with a wall gone?   So, we are biting the bullet and getting the porch built.  It will go all along the front of our house instead of just halfway like the old one is now. It will have stone facings on the porch posts, a ceiling fan and tiffany like lights by the door. It will have low rise steps instead of the high steps it has now and railings down them so my friends and family won’t fall going up and down them.  I have seen people fall off our steps too many times.    If we have to do it, we are going to do it right and in style.

So now I have my work cut out for me.  I have dozens of flowers to move by next week.   If I don’t, I will lose them under the porch.  I guess I won’t be sleeping a lot for the next few days.

I am so ready for gardening, though.  David tilled the garden and we let the chooks in and they had a ball scratching and pecking at the newly turned soil.  I have dozens of tomato plants started and one pumpkin plant that is getting pretty big in its pot.  Hope warm weather will get here before it outgrows it.  I have flower seeds and gladiola bulbs and beans and squash, plus the rest of the pumpkin seeds to plant.  I can hardly wait to make that first trip to the nursery to buy more flower plants.  I am losing my porch flower box that David built me when the old porch goes, so I will have to plant hanging baskets now.

Now, if the weather will just cooperate and I can stay awake long enough, I may get something done.

Here’s to sleep, new porches and dreams of gardens.  Bye.

My Last Cat

Growing up on a farm, there were always cats around.  There was always a litter of kittens to play with in the barn loft.  I would sit for hours playing with the kittens in the cozy loft among the bales of hay and straw.  Our cats did not lack for affection or attention.   I would watch my daddy spray milk into a cat’s mouth directly from the cow.  The cats knew when it was milking time.

I have always named all the cats I knew.  Susie Sa Bette, Skitter Cat,(named for the Skitter Cat book I read as a child) Blackie, Fitzgigg, Cornflake, Muffin, Harley, because he had a harlequin look about him, and there were several more.  My daughter always named her cats Melissa.  We had a litter of cats and she had named them and we gave them away and she always was unhappy we gave away Melissa so we got a white cat and she, of course named her Melissa and that cat lived to be eighteen years old.  I was through with having cats until a friend at church said she had a litter of kittens.  I decided I would like to have one.  She brought a box of cats to church and I picked one out and brought her home.

This little kitten was to be in my shop and was to never get out.  We had lost most of our cats on the road, you see, and I couldn’t stand to lose another like that.  We did have one, Harley, drown in our pool which was a tragedy.  So I brought Prissy Pink Toes home and wrote a story about her for my grandchildren.

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Prissy Pink Toes is black and brown with a white stripe down her nose and one white paw.  She has blue eyes and pink toes.

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Then one day Prissy’s owner, April, put her in a carrier and off they went in the car with April’s children, Skye, Austin and Neea.

They arrived at church where Grandma was waiting to pick up Prissy,  It was love at first sight.

Grandma picked up Prissy and her motor began to run.  “Prrrr,” purred Prissy as she settled in Grandma’s arms.

She decided she liked it very much!

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We loved Prissy, who was, by the way, named after the Gone With the Wind character, Prissy.  All my pets except for the chooks are named for people from Gone With the Wind.

Anyway, I tried my best to keep Prissy in the shop where she was cozy and safe, but as cats are want to do, she wanted to wander and slipped out of the shop door one day.  I had to go somewhere that day and when I was driving home, I saw her lying in the road.  I cried.  I have not had another cat since because we live on a busy road and cats do tend to want to cross the road, like chickens.  Why do we never see dead chickens in the road?  Are they wise to the way of road crossing?

I have had thoughts lately about getting another cat for my shop, but I have my doubts that I could keep it inside.

Do you have a cat or cats?  They are sweet lovable creatures except for one I heard about on the news just lately who was terrorizing its owners so much they called 911.  He is now in an animal shelter waiting for adoption.  Would you want to adopt him???

Here’s to cats and the people who love them.  Meow.  Bye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ice Melt and Birthdays

Isn’t it wonderful that finally the ice is beginning to melt?   If it just didn’t get on where one has to drive and walk, it would be pretty.  We had some amazing icicles on and around our house this week.

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We watched this one icicle grow from just a few inches until it was the full length of our window.

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Remember the ice tree I told you about a few posts back?  Well, we could have started our own mini ice bush right in our yard.  I was going to throw some food coloring on this, but didn’t get it done before it started to melt.

My birthday was this week.  I wanted to keep it low key.  Well, as low key as I am able.  David gave me some of my favorite perfume.  His mother gave me a used bottle of this perfume many years ago and every time I wore it, someone would mention how good it smelled.  I used that bottle until the last drop and then got another one and used it forever, it seems.  I was using the fumes off it and wanted another bottle.  It’s kind of pricey so it’s not something I just go out and buy at a whim. So when David gave it to me, I was thrilled.  The bottle has been changed and I think it is so pretty.

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I will use this until I am just using the fumes again.  Thank you, David.  I love it.

I also bought some new clothes, two Yankee candles, and of course, fabric for my birthday.  At least I used that for the excuse to buy them.  I got a Rose and a Vanilla Cupcake candles.  The Vanilla Cupcake smells good even when it isn’t burning.

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We had already made our purchase at the Yankee Candle store and were leaving when my eye was caught by this cute sight.  A bunny and a baby chick in a basket that held tea lights.  Well, impulse buyer that I am, I bought it to add to my rabbit and chicken collection. Two birds with one stone. A good thing I always say.

I finished the ironing board cover for my little ironing board.  I like to think my daddy would like to see it.

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It’s a mini log cabin quilt design.  I think it turned out so cute.

Now, for those with delicate sensibilities, I am going to show something which you might not want to see.  Consider this a warning. Do not read any further if you are easily offended.  WARNING ALERT!!!

I have a thermal shirt that I wear with pajama pants to bed.  It got a hole in a strategic place, if you know what I mean.

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Since I like this shirt and wanted to keep wearing it, I had to cover the hole with something.  What to do?  What to do?  Then I came up with this(what I thought) was a great idea.

Since I am becoming the egg lady, why not use something to do with that?  Huh?

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This is what I came up with and it covered the hole nicely, but it didn’t look right all by itself.  So………

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Ta-Dah!!   What do you think?  If you have read this far, you are not allowed to be offended.  I warned you.  I cannot wait to wear this.  Of course, I would never wear this in public.  Would I????  Nope, isn’t going to happen.

Here’s to icicles, birthdays and fried eggs.  Bye.

 

An Old Picture

Here I am sitting here in my girly room in my pajamas which I have worn all day because it has been too icy to get outside and  I decided why get dressed today? I am watching the snow blowing off the garage roof. There has been very little traffic by our house today.   I’m not going anywhere and no one is certainly going to get out in this weather to come see me.  It’s been an odd sort of day.  Missed church and now it looks like the roads are getting worse as the evening progresses so I know we won’t get out. David went out long enough to check food and water for the chooks and the dogs.  Everyone is in snug for the night.

  I decided to dust the hallway upstairs that gets neglected most of the time and as I was cleaning out a corner I found this painting.  I knew I had it, but had not seen it for a long time and really hadn’t paid much attention to it when I did.  It belonged to my parents and I ended up with it for some reason and now that I see what is on it, I am very happy I have it.  I have no idea how old it is nor can I see the painter’s name on it.  It has a very elaborate frame around it and I would imagine it is at least seventy-five to one hundred years old.   I brought it downstairs to take pictures of it, but the pictures really do not do it justice.

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  Now do you see why I love this painting?  The mother hen is guarding her nest from the little dog.  The colors are rich and the detail is amazing.

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  There are two or three places that have been damaged through the years.  I have no idea where my parents kept this painting as I don’t remember ever seeing it hanging in our house.  It must have been kept in the attic which makes it even more amazing that it is in as good a shape as it is.  The little dog has a collar with a bell on it.  He seems as startled to see the chicken as the chicken is to see him.  That chicken means business!

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  These flowers and leaves are all around the frame.  It almost looks like gold leaf, but don’t believe it is.

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  This is definitely a brooding hen as she has four eggs underneath her.  I wonder whose blue shoe that could be and how was it lost in the barn?  Perhaps it is something the dog brought out from the house.  I really wish I knew who the painter was.  Maybe it’s a long lost painting by a famous painter.  There were no artists in our family’s history that I know of although some of my children and grandchildren have shown an artistic bent.

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  I just love all the detail, the shadows and all.  If anyone recognizes this artist’s work, please let me know.

 And in other news:

  Glad we have Netflix as there is not much I want to watch on regular television.  I do like to watch ID with all the investigating of murders and other crimes.  I think I would have been a good detective because I always figure out who the murderer is before they tell us.   Jack Frost, a BBC series is fast becoming one of my favorites.  David and I also watch All Creatures Great and Small.  It’s about a small village veterinarian in England, James Herriot.  He also wrote books about his adventures taking care of animals and dealing with their strange owners.  We are really enjoying it.

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  I’ve been making ironing board covers.  I hand quilted this one one evening.  Now I am making one to fit my old wood ironing board.  I just finished piecing a small one for this:

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  My little ironing board I had as a child.  I am so glad I saved it.  My daddy made it for me many, many years ago.  I use to stand beside my mother while she ironed and did my ironing with this little iron.

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  I could actually plug it in and it would warm up.  It never got very hot, but I thought I was really ironing just like mother.  Can you imagine children getting an iron that you could plug in now?  Way too dangerous! Ha.

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  The hens saw their shadows last week which evidently meant six more weeks of winter. Ouch.  It seems Old Man Winter is enjoying staying around.  Spring will be so loved this year.  Come, Miss Spring, Come.  Kick Old Man Winter away.  Bye.