Quilt's and Small Retreat Time

 I want to start off by saying Thank you to my anonymous commenters that said  

• On Triple F Blog..... Sew fun! I love your blog! And you!   Thank you for the kind words. I would love to acknowledge you directly but your comment came in as anonymous.
• Triple F Blog....Love your on point quilt!!!! Really pretty. Ty for all the sharing. I loved the retreat in Marlin. Looking forward to going back  Thank you. I'm thinking this might be Ellen but not sure. I hope to organize another one next summer. We'll see
• On Triple F Blog.....Thanks for sharing all the fun and travels! And as always, your quilts are outstanding ! Thank you. Thank goodness you don't get to hear the cussing when I'm making those quilts. LOL.
• Happy Graduation Blog....Love your adventure ramblings and always the beautiful quilts! Thank you for following along and the kind words.

Actually Thanks to everyone who follows my blog and all your wonderful comments.

On August 11 - 15 I organized a small retreat at Dinah's Farmhouse Retreat in Marlin, TX for a few girls who didn't get to go to our Spring retreat for one reason or another. The owner Dinah is super nice. We'll see if after the wedding if I have any money left to organize a couple extra retreats next year. LOL 

This retreat only holds 6 retreaters and it's an old farmhouse on a working ranch.  It's small but it's comfortable and cute. Now I started off with 6 girls but unfortunately the week before one of the girls came down with Covid and a few days prior to go another had surgery not knowing that she would be stuck in bed with her foot propped up. We missed you Pat and Denise. So this retreat was like a slumber party with only 4 of us. We were good and didn't pull any pranks of those who went to bed early like when we were teenagers. LOL. My quilter went home with 3 quilts to quilt for me. Of course I told her she had to spread them out so I didn't have to pay for them all at once. I won't be showing them for now since they're presents. But I can show the one she gave me back all quilted when we got there. I finished the binding and the label today and handed it off to the recipients John & Kelli as a house warming present. It's an Aggie Quilt.

This is the back. I had some extra blocks and added them to the back. And in the center of the quilt on the front I placed a small Aggie house that I hand appliqued a circle K. Circle K is their ranch logo. That was David's idea to add. He did good only I hate to hand applique. I'm not that good at it but I try.

The quilt theme is obviously all Aggie. Thank you Donna Lynn for using this motif since I know it's your favorite but it helps make the quilt. Love it and so did John and Kelli!

  

Here's a few pictures of what was happening...

We each had a 6 foot table and a side table and we had every inch covered in fabric, blocks, tools, supplies you name it it was there. Sandy Y and Donna Lynn were working hard. Then I usually catch Sandy B and she sticks out her tongue at me. She obliged me this time too. LOL

 

Donna Lynn was working on her scrappy 30's fabric star blocks. She got all 36 blocks sewn together and said that's it no more.  We thought they looked great but she wasn't happy. We are most critical of our own work aren't we.

Donna Lynn went on to start new blocks for a quilt. Sew sweet. and while she was at it she made a cover for my wool ironing mat. 

 

Looks much prettier than a plain ole woolen mat. Thank you Donna Lynn. She was looking to avoid working on her blocks.

This one is Sandy B. quilt top. She worked all those pumpkins and it took her and Donna Lynn to lay them out according to Lori Holt's pattern. It turned out really cute and bigger than she was expecting.

I think this was another of her blocks after finishing her pumpkin top.  Love the fabric. It's pretty.

Sandy Y. worked on and completed this Christmas quilt top. Love the colors. 

          

Then she started on some patriotic quilt blocks. I missed taking pictures of more of the blocks she created but at least I got one. I can't wait to see all the blocks together.

I bought the Texas Pride Quilt pattern from Lone Star Quilt's a few years back and I've been working on it off and on for the past year. I decided it was time to finish it. I didn't plan on ripping out and cussing at it as much as I did.  Damn thing. My eyes would read the wrong measurement for the wrong row. I'd cut and then sew it up. Wellll it was about an inch short on about 5 different rows. OMG. I was about to throw it back in the project bag for another day or year but I was determined to get it finished And I almost did. I need to put the star on it and it will be done at last. I was hoping to make it bigger but I decided to add the borders I had and be done. Now that it's done I'm happy with it.  Driving by you can't see the mistakes. LOL

This was the cute kitchen we cooked and ate in. Just through the kitchen was a nice sitting area and TV. We never watch TV unless there's an Astro's game and we have a few die hard fans that will stop sewing to watch. 

On our last day while loading our cars this sweet baby showed up. She didn't have a collar so we wondered if she was a stray but when I called the retreat owner she said it was one of hers or her son's. I was loving on her and talking with my husband and he said we should name it Stitches. LOL but it belonged to someone so we didn't get to name it. She was very comfortable sitting on my foot.

Right before I took down my quilt top and everyone was ready to head out I snapped a picture of us. It was a fun, relaxing and very productive 4 1/2 days for all of us. These ladies are lots of fun.

Before driving off I went out to say goodbye to the bull and cows. They really didn't care if I said goodbye or not. 
The one with the very curly forehead is the bull. Looks like he got a perm.

Well that's it for this post. Hope you enjoyed.

Until next blog post...Any day spent sewing is a good day!

What's that old saying. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." George Bernard-Shaw

Who plans to stop playing? Not Me! I want to play and keep moving and till I can't.  Life is short and I want to enjoy it as much as I can. So yeah sometimes the body slows down but that's no fun but I'll rest and start again. 

(7/29)Pamela and Kaleb took the boys up to his parents place and they went boating. They had a blast. Silly boy,,,, Braxton closed his eyes and Killian had a shy smile of sorts. 

David went racing and I had some errands to run and Pamela invited me down for lunch. Yum. Can't pass up a lunch from the kid. We went to Blue Bakers on University.. After the lunch the boys wanted to go outside where the fountain and water was. Wouldn't you know it the fountain shut off before we got out there but that's okay we looked at the nasty water and bugs. LOL  It was hot so we didn't stand out there too long. They headed home and I ran my errands and then head back to the farm.

When I got home the pups were happy to see me. They were laying in front of the big fan on the patio but the AC is much better. I went into my sewing room and they joined me. I couldn't move once I sat down. Sadie was right behind my chair and Bruno propped up against my project tote. They were very happy and content to keep me cornered.

     

I have to share my great niece's first Birthday. She was enjoying her special day and cake. 

     

She's such a little cutie. She lives in Missouri so they shared her day with me in pictures. I just told her Momma that I hope to get back up that way before the little stinker turns 5. LOL.  Gives some time to plan. She reminds me that they'll be here in January 2025 for Pamela and Kaleb's wedding.

  

I do believe she had a full day.  Thank you Emily for sharing the pictures and letting me share them on my blog. Hugs

Just ever so often I wake up before the sun is fully up and Sunday (8/4) was one of those days and the sunrise was beautiful.

Monday (8/5) was another Sassy Stitchers Bee. Nancy created a couple of awesome quilts here. Awesome job! 

        

  I Snapped a picture of Carolyn's scrappy quilt block she was working on.  She's the queen of scrappy quilts.

On August 6th we celebrated my friend Sheryl's birthday. My daughter Pamela joined and our friend Kathy came in from Chapel Hill to have lunch with us.

On Thursday (8/8) it was book club time.  This group always has fun. We tried a new place in Caldwell. Great food but way too noisy to have a discussion. We made it work. Our book for August was Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis. This was not my favorite book but some of the girls liked it. I listened to it on audible. True story of an 18 year old girl leaving her family, friends, boyfriend and comfy life to go to Uganda on a mission. She was supposed to go and come back to go to college but instead she stayed in Uganda to help the children and people there because God told her to. By age 19 she had adopted 6 or 8 little girls. It was an inspiring story of her faith and devotion but there were things about it that bugged me. Okay as I told the girls in our group I'll probably go to hell. Hopefully not but....until I'll enjoy life.

Time to stop for now. I'm playing catch up on emails and blogging. I've been at a quilt retreat for several days. So I'll have plenty to share in my next post.

Until next blog post...Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.