How does your garden grow?

 Well, my garden is ugly.  The spray from the beans seems to have drifted or fogged over my garden and almost everything is dying.  There is one cucumber plant still trying to do something.  It has more blooms (5) than leaves (4).  Don't know if there will ever be anything there or not.  The tomato leaves are all curled up and shriveling.  There are a few green tomatoes, but I'm planning to just buy a box of tomatoes at this point.  That's what happened to my green beans as well.  The garden corn which was planted after the spray had killed all the peas and 2 of the 3 hills of mystery pumpkins are still looking ok.  So, how about some pictures of my flowers...........

I did flowers along the ledge of the deck this year.  They are draping nicely over the twin flower boxes my dad made a few years ago.

Below is the plant I received from the bell choir.  It just keeps getting bigger.

You can't tell it because of how big the plants have grown, but there is a cute enamel tea kettle and a bright orange bucket full of plants here.

And my herbs are thriving.  I love rosemary, thyme, and ?  I think it's oregano, but maybe basil?

My porch box that my cousin Brenda made for me.........

Lilies..........

Another pot of annuals perched on one of David's big rocks..........

And more annuals in a black kettle.....

The daisies are getting ready to burst forth!

And the rose bush by the front door just keeps blooming.

Happy Sunday everyone!  We're off to the theatre in Macon to see Almost Heaven this afternoon.

Christi

Sweet 4th of July!

What's more American than Sweet Corn!  Here are the first five ears I picked.  The hubs told me it wasn't ready yet, but I checked anyway.

The new corn bags (at least for me, he can't use his yet because of the sling) are working well.  The first 5 rows aren't the best, but the other 7 rows should be ready this week and they are taller and look like have bigger ears.

We've been setting the traps but so far no coons.  What do you suppose is being concocted here?

The coon bait seems to have attracted a skunk, and he met up with Friday!  So, Google told us to use a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and Dawn.  

Harry Potter had to inspect the tub.  Both dogs got sprayed with the solution and then bathed.  Willow seemed to only have a little smell (probably by association with Friday).  Here's how they looked after their baths.

Esme thought the whole process was ridiculous because they still smell like dogs, and Friday still has a faint skunk smell.  He should probably get washed again.

Wishing everyone a Happy 4th!  Have fun and stay safe!

Christi

Another finish!

Foxes in Flannels is finished!  (nice alliteration!)  I think they turned out so cute.  Thanks to my neighbors for stopping by to hold the quilt up for a photo.  I love the flannel back I put on it too.  It's so soft.

Speaking of our neighbors, we went down for a visit to see the kittens that were born in their garage.  There are 5 of the cutest things (my photos were snapped in a hurry so that I could hold them, so the photos don't do them justice.)

The mother is a feral cat that showed up at their house, so they have been trying to tame the kittens.  I think it's working since the kittens are trying to come into the house from the garage.

And the blackberries have started.  This is the first quart (after my parents ate about a pint right off the bushes this weekend).  They are huge.  We're still getting a handful of red raspberries as well.

I have a large quilt loaded on the machine to quilt today (hopefully).  It's a Christmas quilt for Sarah.  And, I actually got one of the 2 projects that has traveled to 2 retreats out of the box and have 8 of the 30 blocks made.  So, we're plugging along on the list.  I had just cut another scrap quilt and managed to give it to my mom this past weekend so that she could sew it.  I'm sure I'll see it again for quilting.  I also gave her a bunch of different Christmas scraps to use in some projects she wants to do  for a charity bazaar.  So, some fabric has been purged.  Although, I did just place an order at Stitch Obsessed since there was a big sale on.  I don't think I have actually gained anything.

Christi

 

UFO List Update

 This will be a short post.  I'm just updating my UFO List.

Here is the list from the last time I posted it in April...........

 1.  Proposal  (FINISHED!)

2.  Waverly  (FINISHED!)

3.  Lookout  (FINISHED AND GIFTED!)

4.  St. Pats Pillow  (FINISHED!)

5.  St. Pats Runner  (FINISHED!)

6.  St. Pats Wall Hanging  (FINISHED!)

7.  Jimmy John  (FINISHED AND GIFTED!)

8.  Snailing Around Town

9.  Chalet  (FINISHED!)

10.  Foxes in Flannels

11.  Show and Tell  (FINISHED!)

12.  Love in Bloom Panel  (FINISHED AND GIFTED!)

13.  O Christmas Tree

14.  Heaven and Nature Sing

15.  Scrap Jar Stars  (FINISHED!)

16.  Hash Tag

17.  Jelly Twist

18.  Halloween Panel

19.  Thanksgiving Panel

20.  Redlin Panel

21.  Legendary

22.  My Kinda Town

23.  Turkey Lurkey  (FINISHED!)

24.  Turkey Blocks  (FINISHED!)

25.  Cat Nip

26.  Pineapple  (FINISHED!)

27.  Tea Time Topper  (FINISHED!)

28.  Vintage 30's Blocks

29.  Great Grandma's Fans

And here are the updates.............

 1.  Proposal  (FINISHED!)

2.  Waverly  (FINISHED!)

3.  Lookout  (FINISHED AND GIFTED!)

4.  St. Pats Pillow  (FINISHED!)

5.  St. Pats Runner  (FINISHED!)

6.  St. Pats Wall Hanging  (FINISHED!)

7.  Jimmy John  (FINISHED AND GIFTED!)

8.  Snailing Around Town  (FINISHED!)

9.  Chalet  (FINISHED!)

10.  Foxes in Flannels (Quilted and binding half done)

11.  Show and Tell  (FINISHED!)

12.  Love in Bloom Panel  (FINISHED AND GIFTED!)

13.  O Christmas Tree (Ready to quilt)

14.  Heaven and Nature Sing  (Ready to quilt)

15.  Scrap Jar Stars  (FINISHED!)

16.  Hash Tag  (It has traveled to 2 retreats and never been out of the box)

17.  Jelly Twist   (It has traveled to 2 retreats and never been out of the box)

18.  Halloween Panel  (FINISHED!)

19.  Thanksgiving Panel  (FINISHED!)

20.  Redlin Panel  (Thought about it and almost gave it away)

21.  Legendary  (Haven't even thought about it)

22.  My Kinda Town  (Have copied the paper piecing patterns and sorted into bags for each block)

23.  Turkey Lurkey  (FINISHED!)

24.  Turkey Blocks  (FINISHED!)

25.  Cat Nip  (Ready to quilt)

26.  Pineapple  (FINISHED!)

27.  Tea Time Topper  (FINISHED!)

28.  Vintage 30's Blocks 

29.  Great Grandma's Fans  (Over half of the blocks are trimmed)

18 are now complete, so that just leaves 11 and one soon will be complete and three are ready to quilt!  So maybe this list will get completed this year.  I'd like to not have so many things started for 2027 and just work on things that are new to me that year.  We'll see if that can happen.

Christi

News from the sewing room

This project is edging closer to getting my full attention.  I had been working on the pattern, it's paper pieced, and decided that I really needed a practice copy.  Fortunately, my hubby is in need of projects, so he spent 2 mornings, copying pieces and organizing them into ziplock bags for each of the blocks.  I know he's anxious to see it started now.

I have been trying to finish things up that were started and almost to completion.  This meant that a lot of bindings needed to be made.  You can see the massive pile I had sewn together here.

I did finish these 2 UFO's.  These are piano runners for Sarah for Thanksgiving and Halloween.  I did a flange binding on them so it was all done by machine.

And I finished this charm pack baby quilt.  It was not a UFO, but I was attempting to use up a charm pack from the stash and try out a new free pattern.  I had to drape it over the piano for it's photo shoot since my hubs is still in a sling and can't hold things up for photos right now.

Some time was spent cleaning (dusting, sweeping, mopping) the sewing room and Sarah's room.  You can see that Harry and Mabel were doing their best to stay out of the way and hold the bed down for me.

And I finished my Cozy Picnic quilt for the quilt along I was doing.  I had purchased the kit and it was all Art Gallery fabrics which were buttery soft.  I hauled it up into Sarah's treehouse for it's photo shoot.

I had a few extra blocks, so did a table runner that will be sent to an online quilting friend.

David had to show up for jury duty on Wednesday.  It was the first time I had been at home alone since his surgery.  Obviously, I needed some friends to keep me company, so Foxes and Flannels got quilted.  It's still hanging out on the longarm awaiting binding.

And in all the cleaning, I uncovered these 3 Christmas cross stitches.  I spent time while the foxes were quilting, finishing them into ornaments and putting the trees in their frame.  Now I just need to put them with the Christmas decorations and have the fun of pulling them out after Thanksgiving!

And Mabel wants to be first in line when the food drops in the feeder.  You may see a new automatic water dish there.  We were hoping that Harry Potter wouldn't be able to take this one apart like he did the last one.  So far, he hasn't, but he's continuing to try to wash his paws in it every morning and making a small mess.

I guess with all those finishes, I should probably update my UFO list.  

 Christi

Gardening? Gambling?

 Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?  NOT!

Here is the green bean harvest in it's entirety.  I told David to enjoy them because after going through receipts to pay the credit card, I had totaled up what we spent on seeds and garden plants, and these beans are way more expensive than a really good steak!

It seems for me that buying seeds and plants for my garden is similar to walking into a casino and dropping $200 in a slot machine with nothing to show for it.  And honestly, gardening causes way more aches and pains!  My plan for next year is to save seeds from gourds and pumpkins this year and through them out in the garden to let the vines keep the weeds out and then just take my money I would have spent on seeds and plants and go to the Amish produce and buy what I want in the quantity that I want.  

We were at Sarah's for Father's Day weekend.  She had this beautiful Amaryllis in her kitchen window.  She got it as a bulb 2 Christmases ago. 

And here is the succulent wall hanging I made for her dining room.  They haven't wilted yet!  This is the best type of gardening for me.😆

She treated her dad to a showing of Toy Story 5 Friday night in a theatre with recliners and food!  We ordered our food online before we got there and just picked it up as we walked into the theatre.  It was a really good movie.

We also went to a couple of estate sales (we actually went to this one twice, returning on their half price day!).  This is my only photo, but it was a really nice house in a really nice neighborhood, and we thought the tractor tires for sale in the front were interesting.  But not as interesting as the stuff inside.  

I think the winning item for being the most interesting was a copy of Moby Dick in BRAILLE!  It was several volumes and took a huge cardboard box to hold it.  No, we didn't buy it.

We also went to the little produce market near her house and discovered this amazing salad dressing.  As you can see, our bottle is running low already.  We've asked her to pick up some more when she comes for the 4th.

I think it was a nice break for David to get out of Marshall (for something other than a doctor's visit) and do and see some interesting things.  He still has to be in his sling for a couple more weeks and is doing PT a couple of times a week.  He's not supposed to be driving yet.  You can guess how that's going.  

Christi

Catching Up - Again! Retreat

 Here I am catching up again.  Actually, I tried to post a week or so ago, but do to technical difficulties, I was unable to get my photos to load.  Has anything changed, NO.  It's just a different week, day, whatever.

Our guild had a retreat earlier this month.  It was a Charming Beach theme.  We were supposed to decorate footwear, any type, and of course most did flip flops.  Not me.  I'm not a flip flop girl.

I did patchwork rain/mud boots.  I used the really advanced technique of HOT GLUE APPLIQUE!  And there were cute bows on the back.  And NO, I did not win.  But I did ME.

I worked on one project the whole 2 days.  It was my Catnip quilt.  It was all cut, but none of the sewing was done.

At the end of the first day, I had discovered at least 3 mistakes in the pattern which necessitated re-cutting several pieces.  I had all of the large cat bodies completed and some of the small ones.  I had to dig through my fabrics at home before returning the second day so that I could cut some more background pieces and some new ledge pieces.  Fortunately I had just enough brown fabric to do it.  This quilt was pieced totally from my stash, so there was no running out to buy more.  The tails required several "surgeries" (I should have a DVM degree by now), but when I left the second day, I had the rows of cats together.  I found yet another mistake in the pattern when sewing the rows together at home.  Anyway, it's now pieced and hanging in the TBQ closet with it's backing, batting, and binding ready to go.  

Fortunately the air conditioning for the upstairs and our bedroom has been fixed, so I am able to be upstairs quilting again.  I've done several things in the last few days, most of which were for other people, but I am whittling down the backlog of quilting to be done.

Well, that's it for this post.  I have more to share, so stay tuned.

Christi