Thursday, March 7, 2024

Playing with Fabric - Using Up Scraps

Knowing busy spring time may come early this year for us up here where winter never arrived (no snow on the ground when normally we would still have at least a couple of feet), I've been making time to play in my quilt room.
 

I knew I had a bunch of half-square triangles left over from a previous project and wanted to use them if possible.
 

I'm pretty sure they reproduced in storage.
 

End result?  I'm pleased, but all those pointy points to try to match!
 
Somehow, I still have 4,776 more triangles left.  Any ideas? 

Monday, February 12, 2024

Handwork Weekend

I spent a good share of this past weekend in my quilt room.  (Hooray!)  Two unfinished projects were worked on.
 

One piece was completed.  (Hooray, again!)  For now, it's hanging in our bathroom.  The design is from one of Kim Diehl's books.  She's my very favoritest professional quilter.  Love her work. 
 

The other UFO is a counted x-stitch piece started last year, but alas and alack, I didn't finish it before the Easter season.  Will I accomplish that this year?  I have a whole month and a half so there's a possibility I will.  The design ends up in a round shape, and I have a round wooden frame that I'm hoping might work for the final finishing.
 
Now, can I squeak out more time hiding in my quilt room today?  I may just try for that. 

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Yin and Yang


The yin and yang symbol shows a balance between two opposites with a portion of the opposite element in each section.
 
~  I have a list of creative/fun projects I want to do these winter
     months.
*   I'm lacking the impetus to do any of them. 
 
~  The unseasonably warm weather and melting of the scant
     amount of snow we've gotten these past couple of months
     makes it easy to get around outside.
*  The perpetual dampness has gone straight to my bones.
 
~  My enthusiasm for planning this year's garden and ordering
     seeds has burst forth.
*   Have you noticed how much the price of seeds and postage
     has gone up?!
 
~  We had a wonderful visit with our California family during
     the middle of the month.
*   I have yet to get back to any semblance of my regular routine.
 
~   I've had plenty of time to shop, research, compare prices
      and purchase products online which we've needed for some
      time.
*    I hate shopping, researching, comparing prices and
      purchasing products online.
 
~   All in all, everything is fine and dandy.
*   There's a distinct chance I don't know what I'm talking
     about.  

Thursday, January 11, 2024

Snow Slushies

What does your family call this winter treat for the kiddies (and sometimes big people, too)?  Snow cones or snow ice cream?  Or snow slushies as we do?
 
When our daughter was at our quasi-grandson's home yesterday, she introduced him to the snow slushies she remembers from her childhood.
 
She told him you go out and gather some clean snow in a container, bring it in and drizzle some fruit juice (apple, orange, grape or that of your choice . . . even maple syrup is yummy) over it, grab a spoon and enjoy.
 
When the two of them came here for a visit in the afternoon, after telling me about making slushies earlier in the day, they decided they should sample one with our snow.  The little squirt got a kick out of explaining it was okay to have the snow turn yellow if you used orange juice, but you had to stay away from snow that was yellow outside.  Big grin.
 

The only juice I had was grape so tongues ended up looking a bit questionable.
 
Too bad we can't make snow slushies in the hot summer time when they would be all the more appreciated. 

Sunday, January 7, 2024

Finally!

The weather prediction was for us to get 4-6" of snow (Snow!?  What's that?) Thursday night to Friday morning.  Hubby said he thought we were really going to finally get our first, long-awaited snowfall of the season.  I've been tired of waiting for it and, having turned into a real bah-humbug, proclaimed it wouldn't happen.
 

What a pleasant surprise to see about 3" of (very, heavy, wet) snow yesterday morning.  It was beautiful with ground and trees coated.
 
The temperature read above 32° from the get-go and stayed at about 35° all day.  But for some reason, the snow didn't melt (as my continued bah-humbugging self insisted it would), and we felt almost giddy all day doing our various outside chores while trudging through the beautiful white stuff.
 

I snapped the above picture from our back entry at 4:30 this morning when I got up.  So, so glad to have the snow.  Especially since temperatures for this coming next week are supposed to plummet and folks were beginning to talk about frozen septic lines and such if we went into real winter temperatures without any ground cover.
 
Yep, happy, happy.  We love snow.  We missed having it for the holidays just past, but are pleased as punch to have it now.   

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Christmas Eve Day

 
 

Late yesterday we got rid of an ugly brush pile.
 
Papa Pea collected much of this debris in the fall and was waiting for the required 3-6" of snow on the ground before burning it.  He's been frustrated looking at this eyesore while waiting for a good snow cover.
 
Since we have nary a bit of the white stuff on the ground, he checked to see if he needed a burn permit to set fire to the pile.  Most of our recent days have been very damp and foggy with no wind, as was the day yesterday with rain forecast starting last night and going through Christmas Day.
 
He was told they had not been issuing permits but the weather was certainly appropriate for burning a small pile.  
 
The question then remained could we get the pile to burn! 
 

But burn it did, although the flames looked a bit weak at first.
 

It wasn't long that our voiced encouragement helped the fire to really get going.
 

We had some impressive flames for a short time.
 

We were happy to see the pile burned quickly without producing any ugly black smoke, and with Papa Pea using a pitchfork to make the base of the pile smaller and smaller it was well out at last check before we called it a night.
 
* * * * * *
 

We got this good shot recently of a brush wolf (coyote) looking as though he was posing in front of the trail cam.  What a healthy, good-looking fella.  (Gal?)
 
* * * * * *
 

I'll close this Christmas Eve day post with this quote that is our holiday greeting to all of you.
 
'Tis the season for kindling
the fire of hospitality in the hall,
the genial fire of friendship in the heart.
 
                               - Washington Irving
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND
HAPPY NEW YEAR!