Last week of January

Sickness has fallen upon me, so be patient with me posting.

CIPRO: Ciprofloxacin is also known to cause swelling of joints and cartilage, and cause tendon rupture and chronic pain. --Don't know if the infection or the medicine will get to me first!

I'm still assembling my Mystery Quilt and trying to finish some charity quilts for our local guild. Will return to post a picture of my progress as soon as I get something finished.

Must have Dessert

I was asked to make a strawberry cheesecake as a trial-run for a wedding. The groom wants cheesecake for the groom's cake. Since it did turn out good'nuff'to'eat--is there really an ugly cheesecake?--I took a picture before it left the house.

.....AND...the wedding is in the middle of wheat harvest.

Mystery progress

The final mystery step was revealed and of course I had to do it different. The rail fence blocks are going into the border and I swapped their block for solids. The sashing also made the blocks stand alone more. There will be an inner red border and a wider blue outside one.


Something chocolate and very fattening. Mini-brownies with carmel Kisses. Easy snack that is devoured.

This is the sign that should be on the road I travel to get to the interstate. Luckily, the only thing that I left was burnt rubber on the blacktop.

I actually told somebody only yesterday that I wasn't going to get my front bumper fixed (somebody ran into me in a parking lot at the Tulsa State Fair) until deer and turkey season was over. It's already passed, but somebody sure needs to tell the deer!

Latest Purchase

This is the last addition I add to this house.....till I buy something else! These barstools were advertised in our local paper and my DIL called to say I should check them out. Glad I did (she gets me into trouble like that a lot), but they turned out to be a good addition to my kitchen/eating area. There are five of them and they easily fit across my eating bar. The lady I bought them from says that she purchased them in an antique store about 20 years ago.....so they're either 20 years old if they were new (at the antique store) or perhaps a lot older than that. They haven't been over-used or abused.....just wait till they're in my house for awhile!

This cabinet was one I had in storage. It's actually older than me but isn't wood--it's like pressed-paper with wood doors. Hard to describe, but it's a nice sturdy cabinet for a collection. I have a small Snoopy/Peanuts collection and it's being stored in it. The chair with the pillow case draped over it, is the one I showed with Troy setting it--probably two months ago--that I bought at a garage sale. It all fits together...eventually. The tall (weed) urn is now on the floor. It was a hand-me-down that I haven't figured where to set it yet.....

Dirt Work

What I listened to while sewing this afternoon....DH's tractor moving dirt for the yard. Hopefully, we'll have a decent yard by summer's end.

Rusty through the front-screen window.


This is my major accomplishment for today. 200 of these units made for the mystery quilt I'm working on. They all have to be cut apart and sewn into 3 1/2" hour-glass blocks.
You can see my two quilt-hangers who haven't found a permanent home yet.

These are the two baskets full of the mystery blocks so far. I've learned to pin bunches of 10 together so I can keep count how many have been made. ...yeah, I'm dense and can't count sometimes.

Back door peeping tom....

Actually a peeping-Rusty. How can I resist? We have rugs at every door so he is welcome to come in...most of the time. Does this give you an idea of how far we actually moved? Can't wait until we have a nice view out this door.

Woke up to about an inch of snow on the ground this morning. No problems driving, but the freezing temps are really cold. I don't envy anybody who lives any further north of me...I'm ready for a vacation further south.

After Christmas

If I ever have to move again in this lifetime--it's too soon. Can I say that I NEVER want to move again?!

Not a thing got broke...that I know of anyway. I have the best boys and DILs who came and helped. The first picture--the crystal in the cabinet too us 3 hours to move (in the snow)...one piece at a time. That picture also shows my un-painted front door. When/if it ever warms up, we'll paint again.

The second one is my kitchen....I love this kitchen. There was five of us working in this kitchen and we never were in each other's way. Have you priced bar-stools lately? Ohmy...that's on the list to buy

I had twenty four show up for Sunday supper. We set out an extra long table at the end of ours and we all sat around it. It was a lot of fun...a lot of work, but it was the first time that everybody could come.

This is a project I'm working on for my DIL. She passed her U.S. Citizenship test and will taking the oath in January. When I get time to quilt it, I think it'll make a nice table runner or decoration for a table in her livingroom. The star is from Bonnie's Quiltville site. Not hard to make, was just hard keeping all the pieces together during the move!

Hope everybody had a good Christmas. I've enjoyed my 6 days off and will return to work for a two-day work week tomorrow.

We have moved!

I didn't say settled....just moved. We've slept four nights in the new house and it still feels like a motel. There are so many things that we've realized we've been missing over the years...like warmth in the winter!

I took a few pictures during the major part of the moving, but I don't have internet service at home--and work (for play) is limited.

We're still in a haze and have realized how much accumulation we actually have. My car is packed with stuff to go to the second-hand store and will probably make several trips.

Please bear with me until my brain settles down. I'm expecting 25 people for supper next Sunday.....i'm already frazzled and the family thinks I need to have them all over! It'll work...if I tell myself that several times, maybe it'll happen!

This weekend...

I have boys coming Friday and Saturday to MOVE us. Yes, I said we're FINALLY moving in....this weekend!

They say it's coming in as rain, and ending with snow on Saturday by noon. I have rugs ready at every door so there won't be too much mud tracked in. I need to buy a new mop.

So, what's the percentage of weather forecasters that are right?

Cold & Icey

We were blessed with about an inch of ice yesterday. We do need the moisture, but this is not what we wanted! Farmers are never happy..yeah, I've heard that a million times.
I did not go to work today. My 30 mile commute just didn't seem real high on the priority list. So I stayed home and sewed....now THAT is important....it also keeps me warm.

It doesn't look that bad, but I guarantee you it's an ice skating rink out there!

As I was about to press publish...I hear water running--it's raining again.

I've finished the first two steps of Bonnie's Mystery quilt. There's a set of solid squares to go with the second picture....they're cut out over there on the floor ----->.

I believe today is definitely an in-side day!

She sewed!

Last night while two of the guys were off spending too much money at a farm auction, I got to set down and sew. Well, I also did 3 loads of laundry (which all got folded and put away), made supper for me and the one left with me (pour soul), helped him do the chores, bring in wood for the cold night, checked on the flooring/tiling going in the new house, and all the necessary things before it got dark.

I don't have a picture to prove it, but I've done Step One in Bonnie's Mystery Quilt. I'm thinking I'm doing pretty good keeping up, and then she has to go and post Step Two. Behind again. With the weekend coming on it might be awhile before I get it done. At least I have a good stash to pull from. Definitely stash-busting project.




The weatherman is also predicting ice/sleet over the weekend. Besides making sure we're warm, we have cows/calves to keep healthy. 2002 gave us 30 days without electricity---so we can never be too prepared!
I feel for those getting blanketed with snow--you can keep it. We need the moisture, but getting a layer of ice is always hard to deal with on the farm.

Everybody have a good weekend. I should have a picture of this sewing project and the new farm-equipment purchase soon.

House Update

I have probably spent more time worrying and working in this kitchen than any other part of the house. Of course, by the time I get to post pictures even more things have happened. We had a busy weekend--all of the doors, door knobs, clothes rods, light fixtures, and kitchen cabinet doors have been installed.



Kitchen/dining area view from the living room. We moved the kitchen table in so we'd know where to hang the light above it (it's now installed). My too-large table in the other house now looks small. It was my Grandmother's table that she bought when she still lived out on the farm. I can seat 13 people around it.


Light above island---I've posted these before they were installed.

Island top is a shade lighter than the rest of the counter-tops-as is the window sill and eating bar.

Pantry. (red color is 'stolen kiss'-- from Sherwin Williams)


Kitchen sink. I wanted a one-compartment sink and I found one I love!


Master Bath--tile is already installed in here.



Laundry room sink--my washer/dryer will be to the left in this picture. The door on the right goes out onto the back porch.


Last night my so-helpful kids got the bright idea to move everything into the kitchen. If it's behind a door in the cabinet, there was no reason why it coulnd't be moved into the new house. "Just how much stuff do you have Mom?!"


Sewing room table. This is probably the most expensive oops the cabinet maker and I have ever made. It now has doors on it--won't it make a really nice cutting/storage/whatever work table in my sewing room?

I'm down to the only thing we need in the house is flooring. Tile, carpet and wood floors laid. Hopefully we'll find out today just when they're going to be there to do it.

I also have been swamped at work. December is usually our slow month, and the boss had decided I need to travel more. And...how do you type when you slice a chunk from the end of your finger off? Yep....I'm nursing that too--found a sharp edge that claimed a big chunk of meat from my mouse-pointy finger.

Life is always interesting.....

Cute Pincushion

Is this cute or what? NO...I did not make it, but since I'm spending my time painting instead of sewing figured I better find something crafty to post.
I was reading some Yahoo mail and found the directions for this Rubic's cube pincushion here.

Do not think I've made this, or came up with the idea because I didn't. I'm real good at copy/paste, but I'll give rsislandcrafts from SW Florida all of the credit!

I just remember being in Junior High School when the Rubik's Cube became popular....they still aggravate me because I can't solve them ...but this pincushion (already solved) would be cute setting next to my sewing machine.

Monday before Thanksgiving

Lots of progress, but not alot of pictures to upload. I painted, and painted and painted all weekend. Every color on the house is still on my fingers, arms and in my hair. For some reason, I wear my work. I also have lots of sore muscles.


Don't think I've posted this picture. --ignore the blue socks. The top three 'chips' are my countertop choices. The one that I thought I really wanted---turned out to be really ugly against my tile.


We're doing two things wrong in this house--according to the designers. We are not doing stainless steel appliances, and we're not doing granite countertops.

#1--I owned a restaurant and I HATE stainless steel. It's cold, it's colorless and it's ugly. If you have them and love them...that's fine with me--I'm not picking on you, so don't send me any hate emails. I just don't like them. It also reminds me of my restaurant days---I don't want them in my house. I don't even want a stainless steel sink in my kitchen. I'll have one in my laundry room (they're cheap), but not where I'll be working in my kitchen.

#2--I cannot afford granite. In our part of the country (can you say boonies) it's close to $80 a foot for granite. Laminate is $20. Hello? Call me frugile...or cheap, I don't care. My laminate countertops are just fine for me.

The stain-messes are all gone and the light fixtures should be installed shortly. --yeah, like if/when the electrician shows up. I have a garage full of drawers being stained and finished.

I have 8 windows in the whole house--not counting the doors. I washed every window and it was so nice to be able to. The old house had 18 windows that couldn't be opened.

Oh, another tibid of useless information. There are 21 doorknobs in the house. How do I know? I ordered them off of ebay. Have you priced doorknobs lately? It's unreal!

Hopefully today there will be even more progress--like a second coat on that red wall!