Tuesday, August 28, 2018

A couple of quilt finishes & Babies to Be


So for the month of August I was able to get 2 quilts finished or maybe I should say semi finished. My first quilt is called Aria's Delectable Mountains.  The pattern is delectable mountains and I've seen it called saw tooth.  Aria is the 4 year old daughter of my co-worker Ashley.  .
I managed to sew the last row upside down and had to un-sew (Rip it out) and re-sew it on.
After sewing the last row on correctly I sent it off to the quilter Donna @ Donna's Lavender Nest. She did another great job and got it back to me in no time.  For the binding......I pulled out Sandy's little binding dolly she made last year and sent to retreat to sell.
Wow I didn't realize what little helper the binding dolly would be.  You prepare your binding and put it on the binding dolly and you're ready to sew away without the binding twisting up. It made sewing the binding on a breeze. Honest.



Sandy's binding dolly at work.




Time for a photo shoot. LOL  Mmmm Water and Mountains. That works.  When I found the spot I almost wet my pants. Next to this water feature was a very grassy area. Well all of a sudden something jumped and so did I. Then as my heart calmed I looked and saw this big nest of eggs and Mother Duck peeking out through the grass. 
Here's a better picture of the quilt and the quilting. I always have a hard time getting a good picture of the quilting.

And the label
When I handed it to Ashley to take to Aria she almost cried. It made her morning and I got a big hug
Then it was time to start my a quilt for baby Wyatt Robert. He's due to arrive in October to my Nephew Nathan and Niece Jordan. 
Having a bum leg has kept me from going up the stairs but it's starting to feel a tad better. Well the hamstring pull is healed but the inflammation made my arthritis angry. Awesome and it just won't go away.  Waiting for the insurance to approve a series of 3 or 5 shots. We'll see.
Remember me posting about this bookcase that my husband found saying I needed this for my sewing room. I totally agreed. Our options were to have someone build it or find one.   When we went to Johnson City to shop for antiques we stopped at this shop called Urban Ranch. If you get a chance you ought to stop by. It's a blue building with a rusted out truck with greenery in front. I know I should have taken a picture but didn't. Well guess what they had a similar shelf and David bought it for me.  I don't have a picture of it empty but this is how it looked in the shop. What I really like was the backing has different colored ship-lap.  On the 3rd shelf down you can see the deep teal and creamy colors slightly. It's now sitting in the Mini Mansion. That has now become a storage shed. Oh and see the bird houses on top...The owner just gave them to me.  Too cool, Too Awesome. Thanks Myron. I love bird houses.
Recently I was part of hosting a baby shower for my nephew Nathan's sweet wife Jordan. Glenda my sister in law allowed us to  host the shower in her beautiful home.  Thanks Glenda.
Me, my daughter Pamela, Niece Shelby, Aunt Glenda and Niece Kendall.
 There were a few games to play and prizes to win. Now would you be brave enough to pick up and smell these diapers? They looked so real.  LOL. Okay so they're not really dirty diapers. You take a candy bar and melt it in the diaper then people had to smell them to guess which candy bar made the dirty diaper. The one with most correct answers won a prize..
Here's the Grandma's 2 B
with Jordan. the Mom 2 B
Alice (Jordan's Mom on left) and Lynn (Dad 2 B's Mom on right)
Jordan's little guy will be well dressed for the next 6 months at least if not a year.
 She even had help opening the presents. This little sweetie is Bailey. She was all interested as long as toys came in those bags and boxes but once the clothes came out she would find something else to do. 
 I was an Indian giver for one of her gifts in the bag. Pamela picked out the fabric and patter then I made a quilt for Baby Wyatt when he arrives. I've got to finish the binding and get some pictures. Gotta finish it this week so I can get it back to Jordan. The backing is minky which is Sooo soft and cuddly. Hope Wyatt likes it.
 
I think Jordan enjoyed all the presents.
It was our pleasure. Glenda did a great job of organizing and prepping.
.....
We had a meeting with the builder on Friday the 24th and I went up early and was able to get Lilley in to be groomedshe had had a cancellation. Little Sophie was already there having a spa day.
Lilley   and   Sophie
 The groomer (Top Paw Dog Spa) posted this picture of the girls on Face Book saying "Happy to see the backside of this wacky week"  LOL
Loved the post. Too Funny


Then she posted this picture of girls. They're ready to go back to school. 

Now the Rock'n K progress.....all electrical and plumbing rough in has been completed as far as it can be at this time.
They sheet rocked the wall between the garage and the house.  There's sheet rock stacked in 3 rooms waiting to be put up this week.   There's pallets of rock all around the house waiting for it's turn to go up. They have to wait for the sheet rock to go up. With all the hammering on the sheet rock it makes it hard to stabilize the rock.  
My picture of the rock doesn't do it justice.  You can't see the various colors. 
David went to the farm on his own which he does most times early Saturday I while took care of getting the delivery of our refrigerate set before the College Station Sears store closes. They have been holding it until the house is ready. With luck the delivery timing will happen when the builder is ready to set the appliances. Otherwise it may have to sit in the garage. I was on the phone when I pulled down the lane at the Rock'n K and the west sun was so bright that the mini mansion seemed to look different. As I got closer I realized it really was different. David got the painters to paint the mini mansion the same colors as the house earlier in the day Saturday and surprised me. Too cool!
 The insulation guys were there blowing in the foam insulation in the whole house. Wish they had done that before we met the cabinet maker on Friday with Bubba. It was as hot as Hades in the house and were sweating our booties off.  Even before the guys were finished the house was already feeling cooler. This foam is suppose to really cut costs on heating and cooling.
Next like I said is sheet rock and then the rock. I think the cabinet guy starts in about 2 weeks. He obviously has to wait for the sheet rock to be completed.  Wow it's all coming together.
Oh and let me introduce you to Herbert. I believe that's what Pamela calls this little guy. The lighting wasn't the best but Herbert is a bright green tree frog who lives on back of her door wreath. Every now and then he jumps off when you open the door and comes inside for a visit. I'm surprised Pamela hasn't chased him off yet but they've apparently become friends.  Next time I'll need to get a better picture.    Well that's it for now...
Until next blog...Babies are always more trouble than you thought - and more wonderful.  ~Charles Osgood



Monday, August 13, 2018

July closes and a Great Start for August

On the last day of July we celebrated my co-worker Samara's birthday. Her birthday was a couple of days earlier but how dare her she took time off to celebrate. She's trying work with all the decorations around her. LOL
 
 Our boss Kim got her a couple of choices for her birthday dessert.  Drroooool and I can't help her eat it but she can.  I'm trying to be good on my diet.
 















Pamela came home for the weekend to visit some friends and take a certification test for her field in nursing.

She was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. She came by my office with her lunch that she couldn't eat. Her stomach was in knots. Sure didn't want her to puke during the test.
 I had no doubts she'd pass this certification test.
I'm not sure she was this nervous when she sat for the board exams to become a Registered Nurse. After 175 questions and 3 hours she called me all excited. SHE PASSED!    
... She's now a certified registered nurse in her Specialty of Maternal and Newborn Nursing. 
"RN-CI" WAY TO GO    So very proud of her!
So again I had big plans on keeping up with my posting at least weekly and so much my planning. I was banned from using going upstairs and that's where my sewing and computer are.  Since my last post I started PT for knee/hamstring and all seemed to be doing fine until a week ago and starting to walk without a crutch or cane. The physical therapist thought it time to up my treatment time. That didn't go so well. After my session as I walked to my car I started having some pain and by the time I got home I could hardly walk and the pain level was up to a 10. Next day I was using my crutch and still in pain.  This is all tiring and frustrating. I thought it would pass but it didn't so I went back to the doctor and ended up on a cortisone shot.  So that has helped the left side of my knee but not the right so much.
And since I'm posting this I did take one stair at a time very carefully.

This weekend I stayed home and off my knee as much as possible. The pain only comes on after I walk on it and it lasts 20-25 minutes.  As of right now the pain is only lasting 15 minutes. I think that's a good thing but I'm so tired of the pain. Okay enough of my whining.

Rock'n K update. The mini mansion reno has come to a complete halt. David is a working machine trying to get the property ready for some animals, watering trees, and mowing. He even bought some gates and hay rings. And now he's trying to decide what it's purpose will be once the house is done.  I say it should be his workshop and he's thinking a garden shed.  We'll see.  The house is moving along. 

  • plumbing roughed in
  • electrical roughed in
  • 1st layer of concrete stain down
  • and now the floors have been covered to protect until it's time for the next coat and sealer. I guess this happens closer to the end of construction.
  • and David told me the stone for the outside of the house is there. I think he said they'd start on it this week. I've even been banned from the uneven and rough ground at the farm. What can I say I'm a klutz and David knows it. 
Hopefully I get to go up the next weekend and see for myself any progress. For now David is sending me pictures. The floors look like they have big white tiles but its protective form board. The first picture he took he was in the den looking into the sewing room. The second one he is standing in the den looking towards the front door. 
You looking through the guest bath, the hall and Davids office on the left. And on the right is a piece of the kitchen and into our bedroom.  LOL I know you can't tell much from these but it's exciting for sure. 
Pamela came home to celebrate my Mom, her Mimi's birthday. She could only stay the night but at least she made it home. We've always made an effort to spend the day with Mom on her birthday. It was a good day. 
 I finished a quilt. I got it back from the quilters and was able to get the binding on. I'll share it in my next post. I hope to have given it to the recipient by then. And finished another top and have it in a box to send to the quilter. David was home and I came up stairs one step at a time.

Until next blog... Everything comes out right in the end, and if it isnt right, it isnt the end.