My flock.

It is still cloudy and cool here with more chances of rain tonight. So far we have had just over half an inch of rain. I walked down to look at my garden. My plants are loving this rain. I sure wanted to get out there and weed my peas, but I would have sunk in to my ankles. LOL So I decided I'd better wait. It will dry quickly once the sun comes out. Sure haven't needed the ac the past couple of days. That is good on the electric bill. They are calling for it to be back in the 90's by the weekend, so it will come back on.

I took some pictures of my chickens on Monday. Our rooster, Rudy and the ladies are getting old, but they are still pretty. Here is Rudy. He is a Golden Wyandotte. He gets prettier every year and is gentle as can be.

I never did name the ladies, cause they all look alike. They are Rhode Island Reds and about 5 or 6 years old.

Rudy takes very good care of his ladies. My little chicks are growing up. They are right at 6 weeks old now. I just love the feathers on the little banties' feet. Aren't they cute? I really like this little lady. (At least I am hoping it is a lady. I have 2 of them, so surely at least one will be female.) I want to get a case made for my little tiny walkman. I have an arm band left from an old MP3 player. I plan to make a case that I can slip onto that band. Then I can wear it when exercising, working in the garden, sewing, or whenever. LOL I also need to make a case for my SIL's GPS. I promised him a case last Christmas and still haven't made him one. I fixed one for Kevin's and that kind of jogged my mind. (Or rather made me feel guilty.) Maybe I will work on those this evening.

I put the binding on the teapot quilt today. I think it turned out pretty good for all the booboos the poor thing went through. LOL First there was the deal with the borders not fitting. Then when I was almost done with the quilting, I snipped the thread too close and cut a small hole in the border. I could not believe that I did that. I have never done that before and hope I never do it again. So what could I do? I took some pink DMC floss and did a small satin stitch over the hole. Can you see the different colored pink just above one of the flowers, next to the border, about in the middle of the picture? I don't think it is even very noticeable. Here it is all done, except for a hanging sleeve. I'll get to it later. Of course, we need to see the back. I have so many projects that I would like to do, but I also have other things that need to be done. I plan to spend at least one or two hours every morning that the weather allows working in the garden. Kevin reminded me that he is in need of some new summer shirts. I already told you about the cases I need to make. Also our son, Jon, would like me to make him a laptop case like his dad's. I need to finish quilting the disappearing nine patch and the Savannah Star. I have a whole tote full of flimsies ready to be quilted. So I have plenty to keep me busy for the next few months, but I wouldn't want to bet that I won't give in and start a new project soon. LOL That is just the way I roll. LOL I already have 72 - 2 1/2 inch strips cut for a project I will be following from another blog. I'll talk more about that tomorrow.

I need to get out and check my chicks and feed and water everyone for the night. Everyone have a good day. Thank you for visiting and please come again.

A productive weekend!

Good morning everyone,

It is raining here, but it is a nice gentle rain that the garden will love. We had a lovely holiday weekend, but more about that in a bit. First off, today is mom's birthday. Happy birthday MOM! Also, I received a blog award from Lisa. Thank you Lisa. Sorry, I don't know how to get a picture of it on here. I tried. Some things I understand, and others, I just don't. LOL

As I said, we had a great weekend and got lots done. Kevin decided to buy me an MP3 player or iPod. I did lots of research. I decided not to get the iPod. It did not have a feature that was important to me and I thought it was too expensive. I'm not saying iPods aren't good, just that it wasn't for me. So we went down to Best Buy, Friday evening. I came back with a Sony Walkman 8 GB. I have already figured out how to use it and love this thing. Sorry about the blurry picture. I took several and this is the best of the bunch. LOL The only thing I do not like about it, is the earphones, on the right. Those things hurt and will not stay in my ears. So I bought another pair, on the left, that work great.

My dh offered to put all of my CD's on it, so I took him up on the offer. He has put over 300 songs on it, some of my pictures, a movie, and the complete King James Bible and I still have lots of space left. He asked me why I had so many CD's of Reba and Travis Tritt. Well, duh! Because they are great singers. LOL I have at least 5 of each of these wonderful artists. I told him I thought 8 GB was overkill, but he insisted I get that instead of the 4 GB. I have had Sony products in the past and always had good luck. I really wanted an MP3 player with an FM radio. This has it. It sounds fabulous. I had narrowed it down to this or a Sandisk Sansa Fuse. I went with this one because of the Sony name and I just liked the looks of this cute little red thing. LOL I can not believe how this tiny little device can hold so much stuff. Isn't technology great? (grin) So I know how to run everything on it, but never learned how to put stuff on it from the computer. If I need something added, I will just ask dh. (grin) My next project is to make a carrying case for it. I hope to do that today.

We worked outside most of the weekend. We mowed, weedeated, tilled, planted, weeded, watered, grilled and ate. LOL Kevin used the Troybilt to make a long hill for me to plant my vining crops in. I planted the sweet potato plants, then the rest in seeds. In this long hill, we have sweet potatoes, muskmelon, watermelon, cucumber, and zucchini. I ended up with about 18 sweet potatoes, 5 hills each of watermelon and muskmelon, 3 of cucumbers and about 10 feet of zucchini. (I plant them in this long hill, but with about 6 seeds grouped together spaced out about 8 feet apart. The zuchinni seed is about 8 inches apart along the row. The sweet potatoes are 1 foot apart in the hill. So they are all technically in the same hill, just spaced out along it.) So far the sweet potatoes are looking good. This gentle rain should bring everything right on up.

I also got my potatoes weeded and hilled up. I am so glad I got that done before this rain moved in. They will probably be blooming soon. You can't work close to the plant when or after they bloom or you risk tearing off the newly developing potatoes. I am keeping a close eye on them for those nasty potato bugs. So far, no signs of them. We didn't plant any potatoes last year, so I am hoping they all moved to another area.

I also got the onions weeded. I decided to work on the weeding an hour or 2 every morning. Otherwise the weeds get out of control. My back was actually thankful for the rain today. It can use a little break. LOL We used to plant 5-8 lbs of onion sets back when all the kids were home. Now we plant about a lb. It is too much work for me to keep up with the weeding for that much. The kids helped out alot. So we only have 2 rows plus the ends of the two rows of potatoes of onions. I hope weeding them will perk them up a little.

I also got the sweet corn, green beans and some flowers planted. I went back last night and hoed around my tomatoes, but didn't get any pictures of them. We lost about 10 of them, but still have 16, so should have enough for us. It hailed, rained hard, and the wind blew hard the whole week after we planted the tomatoes, so I am surprised we didn't lose more of them.

I noticed while I was out and about that my iris and peonies are blooming. I always considered the peony red, but I guess it is just a very dark pink. I have tried to get other colors to live, but so far, this is the only one to survive.

I have at least a 10 feet long patch of iris, but so far have only had 3 bloom. I think they are getting too crowded and the weeds are a pain to get out of them. So this fall, I think I will till another area up and move a bunch of them. Hopefully, then I will once again get those beautiful iris blooms. I have finished the quilting on the teapot quilt. I hope to get the binding done today. I am still working on the disappearing nine patch. I'm about 3/4 done with it.

We grilled out for the first time this season yesterday. We grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, brats, and ring bologna. So I have enough meat cooked for all this week and probably some of next. I also have some chili fixed for the hotdogs. I think I am going to need to freeze some of this. I had to turn the ac on Saturday. It got up to 92*. We can live with that temp, but why be uncomfortable when we have the ac? (grin)

Well, I need to get some things done around here. Tomorrow I hope to be able to show you the finished teapot quilt and some pictures I took of our baby chicks. Goodness, they have grown. Won't be long till they can mingle with the big chickens. Everyone have a good day. Thank you for visiting.

Mom loves her quilt!

Good morning everyone,

We are having beautiful weather here in northwest Missouri. They are calling for isolated showers this evening and popup showers throughout the weekend. I am not surprised. It seems like it always rains on Memorial Day weekend. I got up early and went to visit my mom. I took her the rooster quilt. She was thrilled with it. She just keeps sitting and looking at it. (grin) Mom isn't the emotional type, so to see her smiling when she looks at it tells me she loves it. I got a picture of her holding it up.

Then I hung it on her wall. Finding a place for it was not easy. Her walls are about covered with pictures and pretties. She has 4 children, 17 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. That is a lot of pictures. LOL But I managed to find a place. It is partially behind a chair, but the best I could do.

While I was there and had my camera, I decided to get a picture of the quilt I made for mom 4 or 5 years ago. It was one of the first quilts I made. I didn't even know how to put binding on it. I just wrapped the backing around to the front. LOL Mom must like it, as it is on her bed every time I visit. (grin) It is a Log Cabin Quilt. I really enjoyed doing this one, so I think another log cabin will be in my future. Here is another view of it, a little closer up. And of course, we have to have a picture of the back. It didn't come out very good. The flash washed it out. This was a beige colored cotton sheet. I hand quilted it, of course. I took mom to the cemetery to put flowers on graves. She has a lot that she puts on. Afterwards I took her by the store. She bought lots of groceries. I guess she plans to do a lot of cooking this weekend. (grin) Her birthday is Tuesday, but since I can't be with her then, we used today to celebrate. She has a stray mama kitty that she feeds. Her mama cat has 3 little babies. They are about a month old and as cute as can be. I picked one up and it hissed at me. LOL I never even thought about getting a picture. Sorry! I got home just in time to fix something for dh to eat and get him off to work. He has a 3 day weekend, so he was very happy. (grin)

Last week, I started a new project, just a teeny little wall quilt, but it had lots of applique. I made the pieced border before I sewed the blocks together. I got all of the applique done, sewed the blocks together, and found that no way were the borders going to fit right. Of course I did not have enough of the pink fabric left to make a new pieced border. So I decided to just cut some plain borders and sew them on. I also figured out what I did. I cut the background squares 5 inches. They were supposed to be cut 4 1/2 inches. (sigh) It doesn't matter, because I figured it out. Can you see where the pieced border just won't line up? Here is a picture of the teapot flimsy. I have been quilting away on it. I only have about 1/4 of it left to quilt, then I'll add the binding. I may get it done this afternoon. This is a Thimbleberries pattern called Tea Time. It is in my new quilting book called 'Pint-Size Traditions' by Lynette Jensen. This was so much fun to work on. Doing these little bitty projects helps to break up the bigger projects. I am still quilting on the Savannah Star and the Disappearing Nine Patch. I will eventually get them done. I have a whole tote full of flimsies that are ready to be quilted. I also have at least 4 quilts that are in various stages of piecing. I guess there is no hurry to get them done.

I am not sure if I will be able to post again before next Tuesday. Kevin has lots planned that he wants to do this weekend, plus we plan to have our first BBQ of the season. It will just be the 2 of us, since we saw all the kids last weekend. So everyone have a good day and a wonderful Memorial weekend. See you next week. Thanks for visiting. Please come again.

We had fun!

I figured I'd share a few more pictures of our family get together last Sunday. We were all there, but Isaiah. We couldn't get a hold of him, so I guess he had other plans. Our little lady started out the morning all smiles. She was in the cutest little sundress.

Noah was having a blast, playing with his grandpa and a balloon. They played for a long time with this. Here is Jon greeting Ashton. Jonny hadn't seen his nieces and nephews since Christmas. (grin)While Hazel was preparing our meal, I wandered back to Noah's room. I do believe we have a budding artist in the family. He did this with a permanent marker while his mama was busy with Izzie. Anyone have any ideas for removing this? The Magic Erasers are not working. Neither are most cleaners. I am thinking she is going to have to prime this good and just repaint. Here is the darling boy in front of his art work. LOL I asked Ava Beth if she would pose for a picture for me. This is what I got. How darling is this!
After a delicious meal of lasagna, salad, and chips and dip, we all needed to work it off. LOL So we headed outside in the apartment complex yard. We had frisbees, a baseball and gloves, and a couple of footballs. What better way to burn some calories off than to toss these around.

Ashton is playing ball this summer with his kindergarten class, so his dad, Jeremy, was giving him some pointers. Checking to see if he really caught the ball. LOL Jon getting ready to toss the football back.
Bob waiting for his turn. Cathryn's unique way of emptying the sand out of Ava's pockets. LOL
Carolyn enjoying a tea party with Ava. Cathryn is on the right and Carolyn's MIL, Louise is on the left. Ivan and Jeremy.
After playing outside, it was time to go in and have cake. Izzie got the first bit. LOL
After the cake, it was time for presents. Noah had to help his little sis open gifts. It was a wonderful day. Izzie started out happy, but was getting tired and cranky at the end of the day. She protested any more fun. LOL It was time to go home. It is also time to get this posted. Thank you for joining us in our fun. I appreciate the visits. Please come again. Tomorrow, I have a new project to share, so check back in here. Everyone have a nice day.

Winona

Izabella Turns One Today!

Hello everyone,

I have some wonderful pictures to share of our family gathering Sunday, but they will have to wait till later in the week. Today the post is all about our little Izabella. She came into this world 5 weeks early and about worried her parents and the rest of us to death. She was in the NICU for a full week. Sure was scary seeing her like this, but she is a fighter.

I stayed with Hazel and Ivan for 2 weeks when Izzie was born. At first I was there to take care of Noah, her big brother, so they could concentrate on Izzie. She came home when she was one week old. I stayed for another week, just to help out. She was so tiny, though she weighed over 5 lbs when she was born. That isn't a bad weight for a premie. Her newborn clothes swamped her.

Here she is at about 6 weeks old. This was taken about the time when she should have been about a week old. She was finally fitting into newborn clothes. LOLHere is our little Izzie at about 3 1/2 months. I believe this was her first outing to our house, but maybe not. I can't remember now. I do know that it was a BBQ and she was enjoying being outside on her daddy's lap. (grin)This was Noah's birthday party. She was exactly 5 months old. We had Noah's party a few weeks early since that was the weekend their parents had off. She was just starting to scoot around on the floor.
This was taken the weekend after Thanksgiving. I was babysitting for Izzie and Noah. Noah is so proud of his baby sister. Izzie is a little over 6 months here.
This is her first Christmas. Her mama is holding her. They had just arrived at Aunt Cathryn and Uncle Jeremy's house for our family celebration. She was just over 7 months old. Look at all of that pink! She wears lots of pink. LOL Here we are at cousin Ava's birthday party. She was cutting her first tooth. She was drooling up a storm. LOL Eight months old here. The rest of the pictures were taken this past Sunday at her birthday party. Here she is with her whole family and cousins, Ava and Ashton behind her Tinkerbell birthday cake. LOL I think Noah and Ava helped her blow out the candle. She was sure enjoying that cake. Hazel thought someone had 'decorated' her face with the pink icing, but she did that herself. LOL
This is my favorite picture of her and her mama. I can just feel the love that our daughter has for her daughter in this picture. Finally, here she is in the ladybug dress that I made for her. This was the end of the day and she was getting tired and cranky. I got a picture anyway. LOL Grandmas do things like that. LOLHappy birthday Izzie! I hope you have a fabulous day. Grandpa and I love you so much. I'm sending ((((HUGS)))) to you from my blog.

Thank you, everyone for visiting. I appreciate it. Please come again.