I just finished a block I'm so in love with! It didn't turn out perfect, my points are a little off, it isn't quite 12.5" like it's suppose to be and me and Jack had a rippin' good time with it, but I just love it anyway!!!

I mean seriously! How can you NOT love a sunflower block!!! This was from Aurifil's 2017 Designer BOM This months designer is Vanessa Goertzen and I just love the block she made for September! I used Batiks I have in my stash and since I don't have many yellows I went more toward orange with blue as the background. To top it off I was lucky enough to have what I think is the perfect center for a sunflower!!!

Well that's it for today...I'm behind on my BOM, QAL, Weekly challenges, monthly challenges...oh you get what I'm saying! I need to get back to work!

 

This is my sunflower block and this is me!

Sheila

Just keep sewing, Just keep sewing!

Sew, that's what I've been doing! You wouldn't think I had enough projects...I'm actually hunting down more Block of the Months and Quilt A Longs to join! Some I haven't participated in, but I am saving the patterns...You just never know! As if that isn't enough, I woke up the other morning with a quilt idea in my head. Good thing I always keep a pad and pencil by my bed for just such epiphanies! I love when ideas come in that half wake plane of existence! Well it took a few days after sketching out my idea that morning, but I got my grid paper out and laid down my idea. I did change one block to a star block, just seem so appropriate. I started stitching it together but it will probably be awhile before I post it here...if I ever post it at all! I mean it is my first idea, it may be a real stinker. I have to say it does look cool all drawn out and colored in though!
   So here is what I have been working on....Grandmas Kitchen by Pat Sloan. I forgot to post the block from last week. I actually finished it the Wednesday the next block came out! I'm happy to say I have both blocks done and I'm all caught up!

     This is block #9. I love the window blocks!!! The white fabric with yellow roses came from a woman in my quilt guild and I'm so happy I got it! It works great with the colors I have going in this quilt! Here's Block #10:

     This block was a lot of fun! It's Grandma's recipe box, but since I didn't get to know my grandma Bagwell or Nana very well I'm doing it for my mom. After all she is a Grandma too! It's funny looking at these two blocks I didn't use any of the fabric from the Dutch Garden collection that I originally started with! But they all play nice together so it's all good! Pat mentioned it was going to be a large throw, but I plan on making it big enough for mom to use it on her bed. As soon as Pat puts up the layout I'll be able to get an idea of how many more blocks and how big they need to be to get the size I want. I have to admit when I first started the Quilt A Long I was nervous about the unknown, but now it adds to the excitement of waiting for Wednesday to get here!
I'll post more of what I've been working on...besides making stamps and filling orders! Until then...

 

This is sew Sheila!

and I hope you stop by again!

 

 

 

More quilting going on!

I've been busy...when am I not! I completed block #8 from Pat Sloan's Grandma's Kitchen Quilt along. It took me a little longer as I was trying to finish up a lap quilt. I started that in the spring and finished the top, but just laid it aside after quilting another lap quilt and little T's quilt...after that monster quilt do you blame me! Well I needed a show n tell for the quilt meeting and I figured I'd just finish it right up, fat chance! I even did a simple quilting on it. Well I guess the design could have been bigger! The design is actually from Angela Walters (love her quilting philosophy). If you are wanting to learn Free Motion Quilting I strongly recommend her videos. She is wonderful and makes it fun! I can't get enough of her videos!!! We also had a sew day with my quilting guild. Only about 6 showed up, but it was still fun. I worked on three civil war blocks for a quilt the guild is putting together. It will be raffled off at the Perryville Civil War Reenactment that goes on in October. So here is the lap quilt...

I believe it's called Jelly Roll Race and here is Grandma's Kitchen block #8...

 

 

and here are the civil war blocks...

 

 

I'm pretty happy with how everything came out. I'm getting better with every new project and for being a quilter for less than a year, that's not bad!

So this is me quilting!

Sheila

Life in motion

How in the world did it become 2017? It's crazy how fast time slips away from us! So much has happen in the last 3 years. My mom came to be with us!!! We now all live together and have the perfect set up. She never thought she would have a dog, but as much time as Indy stays down stairs with her you might as well say he's her dog too!
He's a good dog. Happy as can be, especially when it's cool out. Actually the colder the better as far as Indy is concerned! Our house sits on top of a hill and Indy is the happiest sitting on top of the hill and keeping an eye out on all the land he can survey. After all if he can see it, it must be his! His baritone bark sure gets the neighbors attention! We have wonderful neighbors so it's all good! Our one neighbor has show dogs...6 to be precise! So our one noisy pup isn't too bad.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned what I do. I'm a rubber stamp maker, designer, Etsy seller. I enjoy what I do. I like to take an image or drawing and turn it into something that can be used over and over. I also like that I can share my designs. This November will be 10 years of making and selling stamps!!! Hard to believe I've been doing this for 10 years!!!

This past fall I found myself on a new creative path...Quilting! I've been wanting to try it for a very long time.
Well, one day I went to Hobby Lobby to buy some fabric to make Little T a new pillowcase for his body pillow. Apparently 14 year olds don't want Thomas the Train pillow cases anymore. hahahaa While I was looking at all the beautiful fabric I thought how fun it would be to make a quilt of places he always talked about going when he was younger. And then it started! I went online and looked for travel, adventure themed material. I found so many different fabrics that I had a hard time decided what I wanted. I decided to put a plan together and limit color choices (didn't work so much!) and to find a pattern that would be easy for a new quilter, but would also show off the travel material. I found a version of Turning 20 Again and altered it slightly to accommodate what I wanted. After all the material arrived...I purchased most of the fabric online to get the best variety, though picking the right color was a challenge! I started working on it in November and by February Little T's quilt was finished!...well not quilted, but the top was done. I joined a quilt guild and met a bunch of wonderful women and thanks to them I found out about a exhibition (no ribbons or judging). I worked feverishly to get the quilt done in time for the show and by June it was done. Here's a picture of my first and second quilt...front row!

So as you can see I'm hooked! I have made a few more and I have another large quilt I will be finishing up as soon as the backing material gets here. That's the bad thing about ordering online, the wait!

Do you want to see what I'm working on now...

It's from Pat Sloans blog. She does a quilt along and I'm having so much fun following along. She put's out a new block every Wednesday...boy it sure takes long to get here! So to appease my desire to quilt I also decided to do the Solstice quilt she has there. The good thing about it is they are through with that quilt a long so all the blocks are up! In fact I just finished that top and that is the one I'm waiting on the backing fabric for! If you are a quilter or your interested in trying it out check out Pats blog. People post their version of the blocks they have made and let me just say they are beautiful! Well off to quilt!

and This is Sheila! slightly lost, but found!

Where does the time go?

I ask myself that a lot lately. I look at the last post of this blog (in October!), the fact that it's already March, my little guy will be 11 on Friday....so where does the time go??? I try to make the most of the time I spend with my little guy, he's growing up so fast! The good thing is I work from home so I'm able to be there for him. We have learned to live on one income (for the most part) and though some days it gets hard it is worth it and in the end it all works out.

So back to my little T...His birthday is Friday!! I can't believe it! I still remember holding him as a baby. He was so tiny due to being 5 weeks early. But it didn't take him long to not only catch up, but go beyond! He's tall, but around here a lot of the kids are tall...wonder what they put in the water!!! Anyway, for his birthday I made him a plushie (stuffed animal) from his favorite game, MineCraft. For those that don't know what MineCraft is, it's a video game that despite it's pixel-ly graphics it's one of the hottest games out there. Little T is fixated on Herobrine. A character that isn't really part of the game...more like a ghost story that some players have claimed to come across while playing. Little T says he thinks he saw him and from that comes his obsession....And this plushie....

I'm pretty happy with the way he came out. It was hard to keep the boxy-ness after stuffing. And though he was time consuming it went along with out too many problems. I'll credit my new sewing machine with that!!! I added magnets to his hands and to his pick ax so that he can hold items. I plan on making a sword, of course it will be a diamond sword! And I have enough fabric to make Steve, a Zombie, Creeper, and a Slime. Looks like I'll be busy! But for my baby it's all worth it!

Never try a new recipe when tired....

Yes I tried and failed miserably! It sounded so yummy. A little more work than I would have liked, but I thought it would be worth it.

I had chicken in the refrigerator and I didn't want to wait another day so I went to work making Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken. First I used olive oil to fry it, which smoked up the house so bad little T came running in yelling Mommy, Mommy! The next batch of chicken I went to fry I decided to see what oil they recommended....canola, it worked so much better! After the chicken was done I put it in the slow cooker and proceeded to mix the sauce that it would cook in. As I'm adding the ingredients I'm thinking that's way too much red pepper flake, but put it in anyway. I added that to the slow cooker, plugged it in and set the timer for 3 hours. I kept coming into the kitchen to see how it was doing sniffing at the lid to smell the yummy-ness. When there was only a half hour left I went in to get the rice and egg rolls started. That's when I noticed.....I didn't turn the dial on my slow cooker to low! It was still off!!! And it was 6:30 already!!! So I had to make something else for dinner. I put the slow cooker pot in the refrigerator and figured I would just make it for tomorrows dinner.

When tomorrow came I made sure my slow cooker was getting warm, when a half an hour was left I made my rice and egg rolls. And dinner was on the table hot and smelling good. The first bite confirmed my suspicions that I had too much red pepper flakes in there! We added a bunch of ketchup and rice (little T had something else) but it was still pretty hot. I grabbed the recipe and noticed it said 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes....I added 1/4 CUP!!! I knew better! I've been cooking for years, decades even! I knew it was too much when I poured it in....did I check the recipe then?! Of course not! I always double check the recipe, but when you are too tired to cook....DON'T!

So that is what the last 2 days have been like. What's for dinner tonight? Something I can just heat up and serve!!!! I'll try that recipe again. When I do I'll add a link to where I found it...if it turns out as yummy as I think it will.

Here's Little T with Indy. In case you didn't know all big dogs think they are a lap dogs! This photo was actually taken the beginning of August, so Indy is a little, OK a lot bigger now!

This is Little T with one of his two cats. This is Mittens. He is a very special tabby along with his sister Cuddles. I'll chat about them more later. It's a wonderful story, at least I think so! :)

 

So this is how not to try a new recipe and this is Sheila

Indy turns 6 months old!

Well, yesterday he did. It's hard to believe we've had him for 14 weeks now. To fill you in on our 14 weeks together I'll start by saying he's smart, very smart!

We use to leave him out in the house....first mistake! He was good for the most part until we had to go into the city and it took longer than he felt we should be away from home. In that time he decided I didn't need my alarm clock anymore. He chewed the electrical cord while it was still plugged into the wall! We are lucky he didn't get hurt or burn down the house!!! OK so that wasn't so smart.

Photo taken around 4 months old.

 After that we decided we would start leaving him in the bathroom when we went out. I use to have a dalmatian and he did wonderful when he was a puppy and I left him in the bathroom while I was away. But like kids, dogs have their own personalities! The first time we were gone longer than he thought we should be gone (another trip to the city) he chewed the tube that brings the water from outside into the toilet tank. Apparently it wasn't able to withstand puppy teeth. By the time we got home the bathroom was flooded and it was out the door and through the hall. Indy seemed to be smiling as he sat there soak and wet water spraying up above him. Hubby was less than thrilled...I laughed. I looked at it as there was no real damaged, just the tubing needed to be replaced and the water mopped up. Hubby purchased an all metal tubing for the toilet and when we had to leave puppy again we turned of the water.

Another time he turned on the faucet in the tub. I'm not sure how, but it wasn't on strong mostly a good trickle, so no flooding. But the next time he turned on the water we were having problems with the pipes clogging up. In fact we were waiting for the plumber to come out and fix it. This time we weren't gone too long just dinner and groceries. Of course puppy turned on the water again...the hot water to be exact. Our hot water heater or the boiler as I refer to it gets the water so hot it comes out boiling. How Indy turned it on and didn't get burned still amazes me. But of course it flooded the bathroom again. He also clawed at the vanity which looks pretty bad, but I have an idea on how to fix that. I mopped up the water and sat with little T to relax a moment. Then the plumber showed up....Did I mention the plumber is friends with the landlord! He saw the vanity I'm sure. I was panicked that I would be getting a call from the landlord, but we didn't. He is a super nice guy and he knows we are handy. He also mentioned he wanted to update the bathroom. I think it still has the original everything since the day it was built in 1950.

So that was the last time we left him. Mainly because last week we took him in to have him neutered. One of his testicles didn't drop and the doctor assured us it was probably just within reach and it would be no extra charge. HA I warned him if there is only a 5% chance it would be in the abdomen than it would be in the abdomen! Guess what, it was in the abdomen! the 20 minute operation turned into a hour and 10 minutes and they wanted to keep him overnight to make sure he was still and quiet. When we picked him up the next day one of the rules was to keep him quiet...excuse me he's a puppy! There is no keeping him quiet! I will admit that he is a whole lot more quiet with only burst of excited moments, unlike the Irish setter I had when I was 10 years old! She had one speed full throttle! She had boundless energy. If you ever seen the movie Funny Farm with Chevy Chase you'll understand. They bought a dog, an Irish setter and let it out of the car when they got home. The dog ran and ran and would make a cameo later in the movie...still running. That was Holly! So when it comes to energy levels Indy is mild with only short bursts of frolic.

 Photo taken 9-26-2013 almost 6 months old

Since I don't want him to bust his stitches or turn on the water and get his incisions soaked he has been going everywhere with us. Hubby thinks it's going to last forever, I have to remind him he IS still a puppy. Indy has become happier about car rides, actually jumps right in. I'm a little worried it's not helping his separation anxiety any. With me working from home it's not helping that I'm home all the time. In fact the other day we went grocery shopping and had to play tag team. I went in the store first while hubby, little T and Indy waited in the car. I filled up the cart with dinner and breakfast foods and anything else I   had on the list then I called hubby (aah the cell phone age!). He came into the store to get what he wanted and I went to the car. Indy and little T did great, but hubby informed me that when I left the car earlier Indy started crying and barking...he never barks!

That will be our next trick to tackle, dealing with us leaving. We'll start with short trips without him....5 minutes at a time and work our way up to longer time apart. I'll also wear him out before we leave. Hopefully getting him tired enough that he won't have the energy to rearrange the house.

I think that should have you up to date on Indy. He is a good boy, my shadow. He keeps me company during the day and since my son is getting older, he is filling a void of the mothering that little T doesn't seem to need anymore. Next time I'll "talk" about something other than puppy. Promise!

So this is Indy and this is Sheila

Happy October!

Is this year going as fast for you? I can't believe it's October already! The weather here has been beautiful. Crisp cool days a cozy nights. In Florida I would freeze if it went below 70 now it's in the 60s and I have the windows open enjoying the cool breezes!

I'm also having a hard time believing it's October because that means it's the beginning of the holiday season! I'm still unpacking and trying to find room for the boxes from our move....in January!

But this month I'm planning a clean sweep of the house to get ready for the holiday season. Which means finding home for the boxes of stuff I don't need anytime soon! Also getting pages done for the Christmas Daily I'll be working on this December. I've never planned ahead when it comes to scrap booking. I like to work from the photos and see what matches best and fuss, a lot of fussing. Which usually means not finishing! So this time I'm trying something different to see if I can't get a better result.

On a different note I want to introduce to you our new puppy. Actually this photo was from June 26 2013 when we got him. He was 10 weeks old in the photo. We had a hard time naming him, between the three of us we all couldn't agree until our son picked Indy. As in Indiana Jones, but we say Indiana Bones. He will be 6 months this Wednesday and he's already the size of an average size dog. As if you couldn't tell with those paws that he's going to be a big dog! I read up on Great Pyrenees so I knew what we were getting into...average size of a male 110 lbs.

My recent favorite thing to do when people see him is tell them he's only 5 months old. I love the reaction on their face (O_o) or the comments...You're going to need a saddle for him when he gets older! It makes me smile, I'm weird like that!

He is an awesome puppy. He still thinks our son is his chew toy though, it is getting better. He's not biting but mouthing little T. But little T still complains that the dog is bothering him. I remind him he is still a puppy and he is getting better, it's up to him to train Indy to behave the way he wants him too. So wish us luck on that! As for training him, he knows sit, shake, down, roll over and crawl. He will even do the tricks from hand signals. He is a very bright puppy!
I'll stop here. More on puppy later. I have to say puppy...to remind myself his large size doesn't mean he's done growing and learning!
So this is Sheila....

 

The beginning....

I'm not good at blogging...I always can think of wonderful things to write, but it's usually when I'm away from the computer. By the time I get to the computer I forgot what I wanted to write about! But we are on this adventure and I have so many fun stories to tell! Plus I want to remember our new start in Kentucky!

We moved to Kentucky the beginning of this year. We left Florida. I love Florida. My husband has never lived anywhere else and thought he would never leave. We loved our home. We had an addition added on and remodeled the kitchen....I loved my kitchen. But the economy has a way of making things happen...that and prayers to find the answers of what to do.  What to do about hubby being out of work for over 2 years and when he finally gets a job doesn't make enough for the mortgage company to even want to talk to me. We didn't spend foolishly, we didn't have a bunch of debt, we didn't have car payments and our home was not out of our budget...until my hubby lost his job.

So bad things happen to good people, but for a reason. For some reason we are suppose to be here, in Kentucky away from the beach and my beautiful kitchen. We rent a home now, I miss owning my own home. I miss the room we had and of course my kitchen...did I mention how much I loved it! But I have faith and dreams and there is so many beautiful old homes here...Queen Anne homes! I drool!!! But then the farms around here! I would love a hobby farm, raise a few goats for milk and cheese, chickens for eggs, plant some apple trees and maybe a pecan tree or two! And definitely a garden. I love to walk out the back door and pick a salad for dinner!

Speaking of dinner, I've been trying out all sorts of new recipes since we moved. I've always loved to try new recipes out and change them to suit the family. So I'll be posting those here too, along with my daily happenings and mishaps and just life in general.
So this is Sheila and this is Kentucky!