I attended the OKCity quilt show last week and actually learned something. I took a Pam Clarke Long-arm class and she was a lot of fun to listen too. She has a common sense quilting approach which I appreciated. I bought some of her stencils, so one of these days when things calm down...I'll get in there and practice!

These are the workbooks from her class.


I also bought the Twister ruler/template that I had been wanting and see all around blogland. I bought the one that uses 10" squares. The Hello Betty pattern was a freebee.


I also bought a Laurel Burch purse/bag which Mia is modeling for me. I think the bag is big enough to carry her in.

Seems like I haven't been sewing/quilting much. Between being a Farmer's Wife and this Grandma job...my time is gone! But the Grandma job is SOOOOO much fun!

I had two-2-yr olds staying at my house for awhile over Christmas. They are so much fun and I'm so glad I'm young enough to keep up with them and limber...let's just leave it at that! Gram is having fun with these two and I'm glad they get to grow up together.
Yes, we got new furniture for Christmas too. The couch is about a foot too short, and I do not like the leather recliners...so needless to say I'm stuck with everything for a long time.


This is Rachel and Papa with her new PJ's on and modeling the stockings after the presents were taken out.


Mia is my animal-a-holic. If the cat (DC) or Rusty is in the house, she has her hands on them. DC weighs almost as much as Miss Skinny.

Mom and her boyz. Troy, Trent and Travis. There always has to be one who shows off, but that's what families are for!

If you click on the picture to make it big, you can see a picture of the four of us on the wall--left side. That was taken in 1991. Lots of gas in the tank since then.

Christmas morning and everybody was dressed but not awake. They had a blast opening everybody's presents. Next Christmas we'll have FOUR grandchildren to celebrate with!

New Baby

I had somebody ask me about the new baby and we've been so busy, I completely forgot about posting a picture of him!

Introducing Tyler Dean. These were taking the day after he was born, because Grandma was sick in bed with the stomach bug that his Dad gave me. I haven't been that sick...in probably 10 years. Yes, I had a flu-shot so it wasn't that but it sure made it's rounds thru our house.


7lbs. 11 ounces of pure joy of a little boy. He's now almost 3 weeks old and almost 9lbs. Mom and baby and big sister Rachel are doing great.

December

It's Tuesday, December 21st. This time tomorrow we'll have a new addition to the family. With all of the sadness of death, we do know that life goes on. IF the machines are all correct, we'll have a Grandson. Have no idea what they're going to name him...the Dad (my middle son) won't even give us a hint!

I'll be off work (using use/lose annual leave) until the beginning of 2011. You can bet I'll be in the sewing room in between rocking the new baby, playing with Grandaughters and cooking for all of the guests that come in.

Will post some pictures as I have time!

Enough is Enough!

Besides having a FIL to pass away, DH had an uncle and DIL had a Grandmother to go. I've had several people tell me that tragedy always comes in three...so ENOUGH!

But, in all the sadness guess who came to visit?!

Mia will turn 2 in January. She has her own language and jabbers non-stop. I hate to admit it, but she loves PaPa more than me...but, how can I top a ride in the tractor!

Sad News

We received a phone call this morning, something we knew would happen eventually but still not ready. A phone call telling us that my FIL had passed away. Alzheimers is an ugly disease.

I'm listening to Show 712: The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative (Ami Simms) a project that I really want to participate in. He was a good man and a good Grandad to my boyz.

We'll miss him.

Milo Planting

I realize I'm a little behind, but found these pictures on my camera and thought I'd bore you a little.

If you look close you can see green plants already growing in this field. This is from the first time we planted. It was so hot and dry this summer, that not even half of the seeds came up...so we re-planted.

Grandpa has a GPS on his tractor. He stays away from my quilting machine, and I don't touch the GPS. Fair to me 'cause I can get home by myself! He actually uses it to plant straight rows and when they're spraying fields so rows don't get sprayed twice. I know how it works, but don't want to learn how to use it. I'd rather be in the sewing room while they're doing this.

This really shows the bare spots in the field. The dead stubble is from last year's crop. We No-Till crops which means we don't over-work the fields.

Troy working REAL hard. I think he was dreading going back to school in a few days.

This is an EXACT measurement. Counting steps. So somebody tell me that they do this too? Troy's feet are a few inches longer than Dad's tho.

We had early milo and late milo. This is a picture of Milo that actually made a crop and we harvested about a month ago. If you buy bird seed, there is probably yellow or red milo mixed in with it. Most of what we raise goes to feed cattle.
This is the new semi (my Birthday present) that I can't drive because it takes a LEFT foot to push in the clutch! But, I don't drive it because I CAN'T drive it...it likes Troy and DH shifting better than me.

Leave me alone...

I'm busy sewing MaMa....what do you want? I can't concentrate when you talk all the time.

Deer Season

Opening day of Deer season. (notice I didn't say Deere?) Nobody get squimmish on me but we do process our own deer and we do eat the meat.

This is three less chances of me getting a new hood ornament!

My ouchie.

If you didn't know what happened to me...I tore a tendion in the side of my foot and stretched out a ligament in the top of my foot....Should say I tore a tendion in the summer of 2009 and they JUST NOW figured out why I was hurting so bad!





Nice surgon said that I'd be in a hard cast for four week...do you KNOW how long FOUR WEEKS is? Especially when you're on crutches. It felt like 4 months!



This is the soft cast that I wore for the first week. It was heavy and I hurt SO bad. Loritabs are wonderful for pain and between DH and DIL, they keep me sleeping a lot this first week.

The red cast I got on next. Luckily it was warm enough that I would set outside once in awhile so Rachel and the cats would keep me company.

The blue cast went on after I got the 11 stitches out. The scar isn't too bad, but even now after 6 weeks the foot won't quit swelling.

The doc said it would take a full ten months to be totally healed. I'll just be glad when #1 the pain is gone, and #2 I quit limping.

.

Enough whining about myself! Let's go sew!

New Toy

Do you want another hint to my new "toy" or do you just want me to show it to you?
















She's a 1994 Nolting. Actually found her on Craig's list in the NE part of the state. The lady had owned her for three years and NEVER used her. She wanted a computerized machine and was not going to use this one until she got the new one!

I've learned how to thread the machine wrong, how to not load a quilt correctly and probably a few other things backwards too. It'll take some time, but she purrs like a dream.

She's not computerized nor does she have anything fancy on her, but we get along great! I found a baby panel and practiced on it and I think this is the beginning of something new and exciting.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I know this isn't real quilty related, but thought this would be fun and a way to keep me blogging when I get in a rutt!.....anyway, I'm going to try it. It's from Joyce if you'd like to participate.


1. If you had known what they knew then, would you have boarded the Mayflower?


I'm always up for an adventure..but I get horribly sick in a boat...and I'm sure their supply of Dramamine was a little short. I might would've waited for the first airplane to take me over. I could've survived living in the woods but getting there might be a little rough for me.


2. How far have you traveled on a boat and how do you feel about boats in general?



My Dad had a small little boat when I was in Jr.High and I loved to go fishing with him on the local farm ponds. I CANNOT swim, so looking into the water and not knowing what's down there gives me the shivers. I've watched JAWS too many times. We did go fishing in Corpus Christi once in the bay. I about puked my guts out but had a lot of white bass to eat.


3. What traditions have you kept, acquired thru marriage, and/or tossed? If you're single what are some of your family's favorite Thanksgiving traditions?



My Mom was big on traditions...I was raised Lutheran...enough said??! Advent wreath, church rituals still ring in my brain. We always have Mom's Cranberry relish (made w/apples) and we always go to Christmas Eve services. DH didn't bring any traditions with him....he told me to make up my own for the boys.


4. What time is dinner and how many will be round your table? And what is the one side dish you cannot do without on Thanksgiving day?



I'm going to sound stupid, but "dinner" is our NOON meal! If you're asking about SUPPER..during summer it's whenever the work gets done and we all get in the house--usually about 8pm. During the winter, it's when the sun goes down and it's too dark and cold to work outside. I HAVE to make a custard pie...it's not a side dish, but it's always expected to be there. This year there's going to be 11....I think.


5. Have you ever used a fire extinguisher?



I tried to put out a fire in the swather. I had to call the fire department as my extinguisher was out of date.



6. Tell about a situation that caused you dreadful trepidation and feet dragging, only to realize later it was a true blessing.



I turned down a job offer that I thought would be the answer to my prayers only to find out that it would not of been so wonderful.


7. Baked, sweet, mashed, hash browned or french fried...which one's your favorite?



We love potatoes and I cook them regularly. We probably eat more fried potatoes (steamed in a skilled with olive oil or butter) than any of the other choices. Right now, we're eating sweet potatoes cooked that way and love them.


8.Last thoughts---I have no immediate family of my own that we celebrate holidays with (other than the boys) so I've entertained DH's family for many-many years. Between me and my SIL, we're the only two who have enough dishes and room for everybody. Sometimes I think it would be SO nice live in another country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving!

Not dead...yet.

I am starting to get emails wanting to know if I'm still alive. I'm not dead....yet. We had a busy (read between the lines as horrible!) summer and it's just now starting to slow down.

There was finally a frost yesterday, so maybe the allergies will die down with the weeds. We had a rain last week and it washed some of the dust away and is helping the wheat to finally come up. It was so hot and dry this summer.

The wheat was harvested and replanted, the soybeans were harvested, and we're still working on milo. Cattle and calves have been worked for the fall and calves will be weaned (we're late in doing it) soon. No hurry on the calves because we don't have a lot of wheat pasture anyway (because of the lack of rain). Unless you're farm related, and the fact that I don't have a bunch of pictures I probably lost you!

Sewing...I've done some but not a whole lot. I do have a new TOY...but I'll come back with pictures later. HINT: it took some MAJOR re-arranging in my sewing room to move it in.

On a personal matter, I had foot/ankle surgery for a year-old injury 6 weeks ago. FOUR (count them 1-2-3-4) week on crutches was not fun. I'm too old for that, but hopefully two weeks with this real stylish boot will help me get back on track. I've got to learn NOT to step off the combine crooked (will somebody remind me of that next harvest?).

Grandchildren: Aren't they great? The last post I made was of Miss Rachel and she looks so tiny. Blogger won't let me move the picture down here, but you can see how she's grown. She'll be two the end of November. She's worn glasses for about 3 months and we can definitely see a difference in her development. We get asked all the time "how come", and Janice says it's because she inherited her eyes from her blind Grandmother! Genetics or from being a premie, it doesn't matter but people have to ask!

Hopefully more later....

Lil Cowgirl

Wearing Pa-Pa's hat and Ma-Ma's boots!

Cowboy Quilt Finished

I started this quilt during a power outtage we had earlier this year and I finally got it quilted, bound and gave away. It only needs a label.






It's a BQ quilt and was quite easy to put together. I was real happy the way it turned out.



Does anybody else have their quilt-holders stand on the back of a pickup? I had to make sure their hands were clean 'cause they had been working on the combine!





The cowboy panto has cowboys, boots, horses, hats and lasso's in it. I was real happy how it turned out. The backing is black, but out in the sun it looks washed out.

Here's an upclose picture of the front, if you'd like to see more of the cowboy fabrics. I've been collecting these for awhile and probably have enough fabrics left to make two more of these.

Sundog in the Western Sky

It may be an old folklore (old wivestale?), but when a small rainbow in the western sky appears, you can predict that the weather is going to change in three days. Something I learned living on the farm...from both my parents and grandparents....and it typically is correct.
Kinda like the color of the fuzzy wooley-worms in the fall...but it's too hot to think about anything with a fur coat on right now.