Cuteness Galore

 I think that this post will just be to brighten up my day.  More about why I need the brightness in the next post.

So let's see some cuteness  Namely Hayley and my cats/kittens.   :)

A smudgette sighting. Hard to see since he blends in so well.

T2 coming out from under the tree to eat.

BC's turn to guard and yard.

T2 has eaten and now starts to roam.

And Roam...

BC making sure that nothing happens.

Tort imitating BC on guard duty.

BC ignoring everybody.

Mama Smudge wanting some petting time.

Tort on Guard Duty

A smudgette sighting!

T2 heard a dog so went into hiding but is finally coming back out to eat.

Of course no cuteness pictures would be complete without pictures of Hayley.

Hayley with Mama

Hayley with Grandpa

Hayley with Grandpa

Hayley with Grandma.

I hope these pictures brought a smile to your face.  Time to stop here and get to my next pot on what projects I'm working on.

SMILE and have a GREAT day.

I'm tired!

That shouldn't be a surprise.  I'm retired, I'm getting older, and I'm doing more outside.  No wonder people who retire have to watch what they do so they don't overdo it.

Today was the day that my friend Dan took me for the first of the month errands.  It started around 9:30 and off to the races (I wish) we went.  The Post Office, the Food Pantry, Dollar Tree, and Walmart.  There was a stop back at the house to put away what I got from the Food Pantry and also to adjust my Walmart shopping list.  Overall I did pretty good.  Only forgot one thing and it wasn't necessary.  I just will leave it out of the recipe  it was intended for or wait to make the recipe until I get the missing ingredient.

If that wasn't tiring enough, the pathway to the backyard caught my eye.  Or perhaps I should say that the weeds caught my eye, perhaps because they were pretty, and I knew I wouldn't relax until I started to pull them out.  Sigh.  I knew there was a reason why I didn't like to work outside in the lawn or gardens.  I'm basically lazy and don't want to work up a sweat.  Couldn't help it today.  

Here is a picture of my backyard.  Slightly overgrown?  Yeah, I thought so too.  The pathway to the backyard was just as overgrown.

After an hour I managed to get the pathway to somewhat look like one.  It still needs work done but at least I can see the path now.

Of course that meant that I needed to rake up what I pulled and cut out.  Of course I needed to put it by the curb out front.  I didn't think that would be a problem because I knew I had a wheel barrel.  Oops.  I forgot that the wheel barrel had been left in the back yard the last time it was used.  Ummm.  Perhaps I could do a version of Where's Waldo in the back yard to try and find it?  Sigh.  I guess I'll just carry armloads of the weeds to the front.

Once I started I noticed that I had an audience.  Tort reassured me that she would hold down the porch so it wouldn't get buried or lost.  BC also had taken up her place underneath the tree in the front yard in the shade.  BC, of course, left as soon as I got the camera to take a picture but I did catch Tort still lounging.

Today's total of cats came to 5.  BC, Tort, Smudge and two others.  I couldn't get a picture of the other two since they are still skittish.  One I am calling T2 since it is hard to tell the difference between that one and Tort from a distance.  I've seen T2 around before but not as a regular.  The other one is more of a patchwork of white, gold, cream and maybe brown?  I think I'll call that one Patches just to be able to give it a name.  Patches did manage to get some food before it got too busy around the door.  Hopefully she will hang around more often.

So that was my busy day.  My body is feeling the weed pulling now so I'm going to stop and take some Ibuprofen.

I hope everybody has a great evening.

Memorial Day 2021

 There are so many things that I want to remember and acknowledge but my fingers and brain get al tied up and nothing sounds right.

Today is Memorial Day.  When I Googled Memorial Day, it came u with 

"Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. ... Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971."

That might be the technical definition or explanation but I grew up with a more extended version.  When I was growing up things like parades were still possible and looked forward to.  Memorial Day and Veteran's Day were two of the biggest parade days.  The local organizations would put on a parade complete with marching bands, marching Vets in their uniforms and people standing on the sidewalks screaming their thanks and applauding.  The Vets and band would lead us to the local cemetery where a service would be held and then it was time to mingle at the local park and listen to the stories.  It was both a good time as well as a sad time.  Still it was good that the soldiers were not forgotten.

In today's society, it is easy sometimes to forget that.  To forget the simple things  like saying thank you.  It is a small thing but means so much to most everybody.  So, let me say Thank You to all who served whether it was in a combat situation or just a desk clerk.  Thank you also to the families that stayed at home and help support our soldiers.  It wasn't easy for either group.

Picnics are aso associated with Memorial Day.  That was the theme (semi) for my Memorial Day meal.  I asked my friend Dan to come over and we sort of had an indoor picnic.  That meant sandwiches and salads.  My meal also had to be made from what I had on hand since I wouldn't be able to go to the grocery store until AFTER Memorial Day.  So my meals consisted of:

Sandwiches - Sloppy Joes and BBQ (Pork)

Dips - Garlic Ranch Dip, Salsa and Sour Cream Dip

Ritz Crackers and another type of cracker for the dips

Macaroni Salad - a new recipe (Thanks Connie).  I will use less sugar next time

Deviled Eggs

Apple Pie with Whipped Topping for dessert.

It is time for me to sign off for now.  I have a pipe that sprung a leak and my landlord is here to see where the leak is at and where we need to shut off the water at.  I can't see where it is leaking but it sounds like a mini Niagara Falls.  I'll let you know what happened in my next post.  Everybody have a great day.

Memorial Day Weekend

 Sorry for not posting earlier but life has been hectic.  I've been dealing with Social Security  Administration, trying to get things set up for Social Security when I turn 65 in July.  I wasted 10 days when the 800 number gave me wrong info.  Finally I got the number for our somewhat local branch and found out that the person I talked to had given me wrong information.  I did get some things straightened out and now am back in a holding pattern.  Sigh.  Things will evetually get straightened out.  Patience Bonni...patience.

This will be a somewhat short post.  I have lots to do to get ready for Monday's company and meal.  But I did want to share some more pictures of Hailey.  

In case you are tired of seeing her picture (gasp) I thought I'd show you some more of the cats again.  Yeah, you're probably tired of seeing them too.  hehehe

Those are pictures of Smudge (dark) and BC.  Didn't get one of Tort this time.  We had a lot of rain last night so I'm not sure if they will be out early today or not.  Hopefully they got their dinner all eaten before the rain came. 

I need to run and get some non crafting stuff done.  Everybody have a good weekend and I'll chat with you next time.

Another Day in the Neighborhood

The rain has come on and off for the past week and it looks like the weekend won't be different.  That's ok.  It gives me time to think on projects and what I want to do  It also gives me time to put my foot through the floor and call the landlord to get it fixed.  Yep, that's right.  The other day I was walking into my sewing room and my foot went through the floor.  I'm a bit bruised and have body aches but nothing broken and nothing that Ibuprofen won't take care of.  Of course I have talked to my landlord and he will be coming over probably today.  He thinks it should be an easy fix and that he just needs time to get off work in order to take care of it or arrange for somebody else to take care of it for him.  

The week hasn't been a total loss.  I finished and hung up my Covid-ville wall hanging.

Now George, my dragon, gets to add it to the things he is protecting in that corner of the house.

I also received my new mug.  It says Egg Fever and the picture on it is the frog lady from the Mandalorian series.  It's not for everyone but I like it and it made me smile.

I did manage to figure out why, besides being lazy, I hadn't finished my Welcome Bunny sign.  It needed a border on it. I cut out a five inch border but it will get it cut down to somewhere between 4" - 4 1/2" before binding gets put on.  I like it better now.

That's about it for the news this time.  I did, however, manage to grab some more pictures off of Facebook of Haley.  Enjoy and have a great day!

Welcome to May

 If April showers bring May flowers, what does May showers bring?  That's what I have today...showers.  Actually I think we are supposed to get showers for the next three or four days.  Showers are good incentive to stay inside and work on things.  Here is a picture of my design wall and what I am working on.

The top row shows my work in progress.  The turtle I made before and I thought it needed some companions so I am working on the gecko now.  These pieces are fused down but I will probably add more and when I do my hand button hole stitching over everything, I will fill in the gaps.  Perhaps some more fabric too but we'll see.

The second row shows row 6 of the 9 patch stitch along.  It is 8 blocks wide but this one is just folded in half to take the picture.  Row 7 will be the spool block but I haven't started that yet.

The third row are my blocks for the Ladies Aid BOM.  The first two blocks are all stitched but since I bought the whole pattern as a whole, I don't have to wait for the next block.  I have block 3 all fused down but not stitched down yet.  I really like working on this BOM since the blocks are 15 inches finished and they are not "cluttered".  It's a break from some of the other stitching I'm doing. 

I ran across a picture of my layout for a cross wall hanging that I did for a friend whose last name is Cross.  I think I got it from one of the ladies from my Facebook group but can't remember.  I do know that I didn't write down directions besides noting that the squares finish at 2 1/2".  Just keep adding borders until you get the size you want.

I did find some more pictures of Haley so I'll end today with those.  :)

I love seeing pictures of my nephew interacting with his first grandchild.  :)

I hope everybody has a great day!

TOOT! TOOT! TOOT!

 Just a quick little post to mention that one of the patterns from The Quilt Pattern Magazine that I tested will be printed in the May issue so I can toot my own horn.  I had the pleasure to test the Hearts a Flutter pattern.  I had tested a similar pattern a couple of years ago so come February I will probably hang them both up.

Here's a picture of my Hearts A Flutter.

I hope you like it.  The Quilt Pattern Magazine is a great online magazine.  Check it out at:

https://www.quiltpatternmagazine.com/

Colorful Lizard

 Have you had one of those weeks that you work on things and want to tell everybody about it but you can't?  Yep, that is me this week.

I started another test pattern and I think I will like to work on it.  It has parts that aren't going as well as I would hope but with a deadline of 4 weeks looming, I have to keep at it.  Since it is another test pattern I can't share it yet.

Then there is the 12 days of Christmas swap.  The last day of that is to be something that we make  I have something in mind but once again, I can't share since my partner reads my blog.  I have given her a couple of clues though (evil grin).  I know she recognizes one of them, or the shape of it at least, but she hasn't guessed yet what the final project will be.  Of course I can't show you so I still have to search for something I can share with you.

At first it was going to be more progress on my Fleur UFO.  I fused down two more blocks but since you have seen these blocks before so no pictures of it.

Then I was going to work on the binding on  a couple of things but putting on binding isn't exciting.  Oh yay, I would take a pix of black binding.  No, I still needed to search.

Next blog I might have a pix of another Farmer's Wife block.  Saturday is another day of working on it.  I am also going to work on another project which I can start to share.  Some of you might remember my turtle that I did.  It was a Gooden pattern.  I have another Gooden patter that I am working on.  This will be a lizard.  Today I took a picture of my first attempt at what colors to use on it.  Here it is.  What do you think?

I'm debating on a couple of colors.  I like the pop or orange but I put it in the biggest part.  perhaps there would be a better color?  I like, however, how the orange is almost reflected in the opposite corner where I have a gold/orange fabric.  I don't have a fabric yet for the round circle that the lizard's foot is on.  I'm not sure what it is supposed to be so I'm not sure what color I want to put it there.  If I can't figure it out, I'll just leave it out.

Speaking of color, I decided that the front of the house needed a little pop or color.  Here is my first attempt.  I will buy larger flowers soon to put in there.  They will be plastic flowers or silk flowers so I don't have to water them.  lol.  

That's about it for this post.  What are you working on?

Spring is in the air

It is a delightful day today.  It is almost 80F and a slight breeze is outside.  My friend Dan took me to the food pantry and it was such a nice surprise to see that in my box of food was a bouquet of flowers.

It was nice to get restocked on lentils, beans, meat, and rice. They are good staple food and will last more than a month.  There was also salad and fresh veggies which I will be eating soon since they are perishables.  I'm afraid that the mini crullers didn't make it through the night.  

With such a nice day outside, Dan helped me put in a couple of stepping stones.  While putting them in the ground, we also found that there were some buried stepping stones/cement blocks.  Dan uncovered them and it will take a bit before nature's rain evens it out more.  I will be adding and fixing up the stones more.  We found out that the cat bowls are actually sitting on top of stones.  Dan thinks that used to be the original driveway and that they put cement slabs/stones down for helping to walk from the car to the house.  There is another path of stones going in the opposite direction towards the street and that too will be worked on eventually.  The house and yard are slowly getting to where I want them to be at.  I'm not good at yardwork or wanting to do it.  Work will be slow, and I will probably hire people to help, but it will get to where I want it eventually.  :)

I did get back into some quilting.  I finished up block 1 of the Ladies Aid BOM.

Block 2 is a cow by a tree.  As I was putting away the fabric from block 1, I suddenly found the material I wanted to use in block 2.  Block 2 hasn't come out yet but I had bought all 12 blocks at once so I have an early start on it.

I got some fabric in from Missouri Star Quilt Company and can't wait to see what I will use it for.

And now for your Haley update.  These are two pictures of her taken at Easter 2021.  

As usual, sooner or later, all little ones get tuckered out and have to take a nap.

Hmmm.  I think she has the right idea.  A nap sounds good to me too.  :)

Everybody have a great day and better tomorrow.

Happy Easter 2021

 

It is April 4, 2021 which means it is Easter.  I hope you all have a wonderful Easter no matter how you celebrate, or not celebrate, it.  Yesterday the lawn got mowed and part of my Easter dishes got made.  What are you making?  I'm making:

Pork Roast

Au Grtin potatoes

Pistachio Fluff

dressing

Gravy

Honey mustard sauce for the roast

Boston Baked Beans

Mandarin Tea Buns

The Potatoes, fluff, beans, and buns are all done.  The roast is in the oven starting on it's 5 hours of cooking.  The dressing, gravy, and sauce will be done later.  

My friend Dan is coming over today and I've already told him that he is getting leftovers so make sure there is room in his frig or freezer.  LOL.

I like to make a new recipe each Easter and this year it is the Mandarin Tea Buns.  

As their name suggests, they have mandarin oranges in them as well as coconut.  It sounded so "Eastery" so I thought I'd try them today.  I haven't eaten them yet so I'll let you knowhow they taste later.

I now have the table set as much as I can.

You can see my Welcome bunny on the wall.  I have it all stitched and now it is just waiting to get it quilted.  I pulled out what I call my "egg" fabric and am using it to cover up my ironing board.  What better cover than Easter egg fabric?  You might see a crockpot on the ironing board.  That has my carrots in it.  The carrots are seasoned with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and a little salt.  

I will stop now since I have to continue on with preparations.  I have more pictures to show you but I'll do that probably tomorrow.  

Once again, have a wonderful day!