HO HO HO

Just some good ole R n R

Last week was one that started off rather badly and ended with some RnR.

After the loss of Dexter, Lilley has been off schedule for some reason. She wakes up at 4, goes outside for potty break and comes back in and insists on food and attention.

 Oh No little girl we are not starting that habit. Potty break is one thing but I'm not feeding you that early. She settles down about the time my alarm goes off for me to get up. Little Princess. Gotta Love her. I'm glad that David and Pamela convinced me to adopt a dog now and not after Dexter was gone. She has helped ease the pain. One evening when I came home there was a box from Proplant. Had no clue what it was but the Rosehill Pet Resort sent us a plant and a card for our loss of Dexter. Dexter never minded going here. He seemed to really like it. That was too kind of them to send a plant. Plus when opening Christmas cards I opened one from the Fairfield Animal Hospital and everyone signed the card with a little personal note. Tears flowed that day. There are kind and thoughtful people in this world.
A first in a long time we got our tree up on Black Friday. The past few years we've been lucky to get it up by the week before Christmas.
Looks pretty good. Dexter was snoozing so he didn't get in the pictures but the 2 Divas, Sophie and Lillie did. They will actually sit or lay for a period of time but we never could get them close together. I guess one was afraid the other would steal the attention. Silly girls. 

I was able to capture a picture of just Lilley and Pamela caught a picture of Sophie by her self.

 Here's a collage of a few of my many ornaments. The center one is my newest one. Image that it's an Aggie ornament. Wonder where I got that....
The one on the bottom left is one that Pamela received from Grandpa and Grandma in Missouri. My Dad told me that the gift giver and decoratorater is gone so he's not sure anything will be done now. I have a feeling my little sister will take care of it knowing her.

The Land hunting mission is hold for right now. We may have found the one but until everything is final then I don't want to jinx it but I'll share more when I know it's a done deal. 
So with that possibly complete we decided to take a quick over night trip to Borne. We got up the next morning and went for breakfast at our favorite hole in the wall place. David had Migas which for those that don't know it's scrambled eggs with peppers onions and tortilla chips mixed together served with bacon and potatoes and refried beans, while I had eggs ranchero which came with salsa, potatoes, refried beans and chopped fajita meat. They do a great job and get this we walked out the door for less than $18. 

   We stayed at the Tapito Springs Resort in Borne.
Got a nice deal through Expedia. The resort sits on a portion of what used to be George Straits ranch. It's a really cool place. We were able to check in early and headed to Bandera. 
We hadn't been there in a couple of years. 
As we got out of the car to shop around I asked if he minded me slipping into the quilt shop. I was looking for a specific piece of fabric. But no luck. Dang it. I did buy a pattern but that's it.

I headed down the street to catch up with David. He had stopped at a local watering hole for a beer and while he was in there this guy walked by him with a pig. A what you say? 

 Yep the pig was in the bar on a leash with the guy.

Now isn't she cute. She wasn't very cooperative getting into the truck. She put up quite a fuss squealing and oinking.

And how do some folks in Bandera get to town .... on a horse of course. They were tied up outside the bar but before we got out of the antique store they were gone. Missed a picture opt.
We were getting hungry but it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner so we stopped into this BB-Q place and wow. You never know what your gonna get but we pleasantly surprised. We split a sliced beef sandwich with some cole slaw. The sliced beef literally just dissolved in your mouth. It was that good. After a little nourishment our engery was restored and we continued shopping.  We closed the 22,000 square ft. antique store down. That place was huge. I was almost to the end when I heard a voice go "hello anyone down here" Aaaa yeah me! They were ready to close so I headed back upstairs to find David and make my purchase.
We did a little window shopping going back to the car but first we stopped off for a cold one here at the Chikin Coop. 
The live music was setting up when we were leaving to go to dinner at the hotel. Never saw who it was but oh well we were getting hungry again and it was getting dark. We still had to find our way back to the hotel. LOL
  Back at the hotel we had dinner that was pretty tasty and then went out on the patio and sat under the heater near the fire place. It was cold out there. Brrrrr
We watched MIZZOU football team get beat. Sorry Missouri Family.
This is part of the grounds around the hotel. My picture doesn't do the area justice.




It had been a long day so off to night night.  

Next morning we got up and went back to Bandera for breakfast at the OST restaraunt. More Yummy goodness. After breakfast we stopped at a Antique and Backyard Bistro. It was a fun place and we want to go back and maybe even have breakfast or lunch there. 
While looking around I saw this birdhouse that looked like a camper trailer and it made me think of my friend Linda and all the time she and her husband lived in one here in Houston while her daughter was in the hospital on bed rest waiting until the Quads had baked long enough to be born.
 
We also ran into these fine feathered friends. Well not so friendly. 
They didn't want me getting close but they were pretty.

But that wasn't the case for Wilbur. He was roaming around the property but when he saw well I think he saw people, he came right up to us for a picture and a scratch behind the ears. In fact he walked right up the stair to the store and when a couple went in so did he. The shop had a special bed waiting for him behind the counter but before that he made sure he got some attention from all the patrons. LOL
He was quite the ham....
Look at this bloom and it had a lovely fragrance. So pretty 

 And that Ladies and Gents is how our day ended and we headed back to the thriving metropolis of Tomball.

Until next blog....Marriage is like quilting, it takes some work but is worth it.

Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving day.  I know I did. We spent the day at David's sisters home. It was a beautiful day to spend time with my Texas Family. Wish I could have seen my Missouri family too darn it. So did you rush out and start shopping that day or Black Friday? I SURE DID NOT. I hate to shop unless it's a fabric store. 
What can I say... I have to start shopping now though or it will be a very unhappy Christmas. My sister-in-law Glenda put on a nice spread.

All the food was so yummy. I tried to behave and not over eat.

Cousins........ My daughter is the one on the far right. 





The girls took this selfie. I love this picture. They're beautiful girls 

Mom and I took our own selfie.

We went out Saturday to see a piece of property with our Realtor so we could actually get on the land and walk around. Cross your fingers this might be the one, Once I know if it will become ours then I'll share pictures but trust me its really nice and in the vicinity of my target area.
While out we stopped in Bryan to see a lot where ..... a house will be built for... Pamela. Yep she's entering another phase of adult hood. We're scared and excited for her.

When I post a blog I email certain folks so they'll know when a new post is ready to read. And yes I know they can sign up on bloglovin or email to following but they haven't. I don't remember totally how it started but I set up a group email to make it easy for some. Can't remember if they asked me to or if I was so excited to share that I just emailed and have continued to do so. On the last email I sent out I got an email back for "email non-delivery notification" indicating something was wrong and someone didn't get the email. I thought well hell what did I screw up then I saw....... it was my Step-Mother Carolyn's email. RIP.

Got all weepy and sad realizing I had not gone in and removed her email from the group list.

 I keep thinking 
I need to call Carolyn about Christmas gifts but obviously I can't. 
I know the old saying of "Life ain't fair" but she was taken too suddenly and out of the blue. 

Makes it hard to grasp when there was no chance for good bye's. 
Guess I'll have to call my Little Sister and bug her.

Good news Bad/Sad news. 

• Monday GOOD - David went to A&M to help Pamela choose flooring etc for her future home. She put money down on a house to be built in Bryan. In Pamela's own words "Momma I brought a house... OH SHIT what did I just do" LOL then she was excited again. She is just like her dad. All in the moment and then reality sets in.  There was a small snafu but it all worked out and some time in June-July 2015 she'll be an official homeowner. Excited and Scared for her.
• Monday-Tuesday BAD - actually heart breaking. I noticed our little guy was having some issues. Keep in mind he just turned 18 on Halloween. That's pretty old for a dog. So I took him to the Vet Tuesday Morning. I was there for almost 3 1/2 hours but the ultimate decision was that his quality of life when I thought about it sucked I had to let Dexter go.
  
  That was the hardest decision to make for our furry family member. We got him as a used dog when he was a year old and he's been my constant companion. He's given our family unconditional love, entertainment and companionship. 
• Thursday today AWESOME - Dad got results of some test he had to take on Monday. The cancer is gone. Nothing in his blood or lymph nodes and his blood clot has remained the same..and it seems gives him some pain at times.. He can't stop treatments the doctor said because in truth those nasty cancer cells are just hiding waiting to come back with a vengeance.  They type of cancer he was diagnosed with was very aggressive. He starts another round of post cancer treatments on next Monday which is suppose to be really rough on him but Dad has remained optimist and positive. My little sister Jerri Lynn has told him that if at any time he chooses to stop treatment it's his decision and we'll have to respect his choice. I think paraphrased what my little sister posted on facebook pretty well. So keep those prayers coming for his continued upbeat positive attitude, for his heart health to hold up, and that his discomfort as minimal as possible.

That's it for this post. Hopefully next post will be more fun and quilty for everyone.  Me and the Lilley girl are off to bed. I schedule this baby to post around 1 and I hope to be fast asleep. One more day and it will be the weekend. Yippee.

Until next post...Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."   ~ Albert Einstein

Progress - Slowly but surely

Sneak in one last post for the month
Alas 4 little quilts for 4 special little darlings complete and marked off my list.

Four little Baby Bells in a row. Oh so tiny and to think they are now two years old. Time Flies but I'm pretty sure Amber and Mike wonder how they ever made it with four babies. 

Let me tell you they do a wonderful job. Between Amber's blog and her Mom Linda's blog I keep up with the little cuties and watch them grow up. Ain't technology grand. Wish they'd had this back when I had Pamela. 

When they announced the pending birth of the Quads David goes why don't you make them quilts. Uh okay. I'm not that fast and wasn't sure of my ability. So in 2012 I began the production. From choosing the design to choosing the fabric and then constructing not one but four quilts.

Trystan  Harrison  Logan and Kailey

Harrison's was the first quilt completed with a western theme. I pieced and quilted this one all by myself. Not bad for my first time to use a long arm quilting machine. I love western motifs so I thought it a good choice. 

L to R: Harrison  Logan  Trystan and Kailey

And look he was a cowboy for halloween.

Next I completed Trystan's. She's a cutie. Her smile kills me. It's so contagious, you can't help but smile when she does. When I saw this fabric with fun little bee's and found some coordinating colors I smiled and it made me think of her. Can't see it here in the picture but I had it quilted with little bee's. I pieced it but had my friend and fellow blogger Donna at Donna's Lavender Nest do the quilting. She did a great job and her pricing is very reasonable.

Next I worked on a quilt for Kailey. Kailey is the spitting image of her momma in looks and likes. She is a little dare devil and like her mom she likes zebra print and doesn't like baby pink well at least I hope I thinks that's right. LOL. The zebra print has cute little zebra faces. I have been wanting to do something with denim so I cut what's called tumbler blocks and alternated all the fabrics and again had my friend Donna quilt it with a floral motif. Linda the grandma posted this picture of Logan and Trystan napping under Kailey's quilt.  

All together now say aaahhhhh....  Aren't little ones so cute when they sleep.

Linda had also posted this picture on her blog with the 3 quilts they have so far hung over the couch in the play room. I'm happy to see them being used and not tucked away.                                                                                                                   

Now Last but not least there's Logan. She doesn't know it but she has had to wait patiently for her quilt. But the wait is over. I had to find the right fabric or at least what I thought was the right fabric for her. 

She seems to be more of a girly girl and more cautious. While the other girls are picking out leggins and pants Logan finds a skirt.

She has such a soft sweet smile that when Pamela saw this kit and I saw the daisy fabric it made me think of Logan.   
I made the label a little different on this quilt. I appliqued it on. I forgot to take a picture of it after I did a blanket stitch around it with black thread. 

 
Here's a picture of it front and back.

The fabric and pattern kit I bought was for a smaller quilt so I had to add the houndstooth/state of Texas border.

Donna quilted a daisy motif on it for me.   Moving on to my next project(s)....

While at retreat I made a couple of texas pot holders. I've got to get better at the binding on these little devils. My next one will be bigger than these but yeah I have new pot holders. 

Also one of the girls, Mary Jane

from the Spring retreat made a pot holder in the shape of Texas. I had to buy one from her. 


Our group picture was taken with me in my robe and nightie. Wonderful. I had just had a massage and facial and heading to the shower thinking I at least an hour before one of the girls left at noon but she was all packed up and ready to leave so they drug me out for the group picture in my nightie and flat hair.  Oh well it is what it is. What a great group of gals! And lots of talent

I also finish a quilt top for a friend's little boy Jaxon plus two other small baby quilts. Was gonna have them ready for a quick gift then remembered my friend Amy's(RIP) has a daughter who will be giving birth soon so now I'm down to one baby quilt in wait. That was quick. Plus as soon as I got home I started another special quilt top for David's co-worker who just had a little girl. After 3 boys this little girl was announced so ....a quilt is required right. This wasn't on my project list but I'm on a roll. Sure hope to cross off some more items before the year ends.  No pictures of the quilts until they get to their intended recepiant.

My 2014 project list to work on

Quad quilt #2 top complete, quilted, binding  mailed

2013 taxes yippee

Quad quilt #3 top being quilted mailed and received

Quad quilt #4 - cut out, started piecing mailed and received

my last 2 handmade gift items from a Facebook post. Did 3 but have 2 more to create

Carolyn's quilt top complete  quilted, binding mailed

Jaxon's quilt - putting on last sashing and at the quilters
a couple of flannel baby quilts - heading to the quilters

Sandy's quilt - printed photo blocks need to chose design

Flag quilt  - complete cutting the blue blocks of Texas flag

purse

Pamela's quilt 1 n 2

Pamela's tshirt quilt

Nickie's Tshirt quilt
Mom's flannel quilt
Mom's fleece quilt

postcards are an ongoing project - x

A tool pouch for David's motorcycle

Allan's quilt
phi mu auction quilt

valence for den

valence for dining room

valence for breakfast room

create more bookmarkers

create some mug rugs

new pillow covering for pam - 2

pillow cases for guest room

valence for master bath

hobo quilt

Bible Quilt
A surprise quilt for someone special

open a pattern I bought and actually make it.

start reading again  then stopped. Lost my reading mojo... grrrr

There's just not enough time in the day to get everthing done that needs to be done and or want to get done.

Until next post...  Friendship is a tapestry woven through the years with threads of joy and laughter, happiness, and tears.

Happy Thanksgiving

Friendship and Quilting

We took a break one weekend from looking at land. Kinda. We snuck one look in. On a Friday night we ran over to Cat Spring to look at some acreage about 50 miles from where we live now. Even got to drive on the land with the owners permission of course. It had some decent views but very very few trees but it was a nice looking piece of property. But it didn't make us want to run out and make an offer.

After looking we headed back down the road and stopped at a place called the Cross Roads Tavern. David's almost positive it used to say Cat Springs Country Club. I can't argue because I can't remember. Anyway for $10 you get all you can eat catfish, cole slaw, french fries, hush puppies, beans, homemade tarter sauce and a drink. OH SO GOOD. It's something they do every Friday night. All it is is an old corner grocery store/gas station in the country but it packs them in. When we pulled up the parking lot was full and there were cars park on all four corners around the place in the grass. Several of those folks were in the bar area and the eating area was busy but we found a place to sit and chow down. The catfish and the hush puppies were seasoned perfectly. Fried up crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Tarter sauce was awesome. I do believe we'll be going back again.

 And back we went a couple of weeks ago. We met up with our friends Larry and Silvia for a yummy dinner of catfish and fixins then we headed over to Buffalo Creek event center. When they aren't hosting a wedding they hold music events. 

And that Friday night's guest artist was Max Stallings. And of course I can't forget his guitar player Bryce Clark on the left. David and I like to go see him and his wife play when we can.

Even though it was freezing outside that night we sat out on the patio next to the fire place. We were nice and toasty. Poor Silvia was fading fast though. She'd been up since 4:30am that morning and still trying to hang with us..

We had fun while it lasted. Actually they only left 20 minutes before the show was over so Silvia did good.
The next day I loaded my car to the ceiling with sewing machine, fabric, accessories, suit case and maybe even the kitchen sink and headed off to the RR-Retreats by Margie in LaGrange for 3 1/2 days and 4 nights of sewing, laughing, and friends. It was a blast.
We stayed up until 3am and got up by around 9. Oh there were a couple who got up at 6am but they did go to bed before midnight or earlier.
Every evening Margie cooked and served us the most awesome dinners. There was fiesta chicken, Chicken Enchilada, and mouth watering pot roast. Margie decorates the tables according to the dinner theme. She's the hostess with the mostess. After dinner we'd go back to sewing but by 9 or 10pm the wine would come out. 
One of the girls brought a bottle of uhm I guess it's wine called Kinky. Tasty but I passed on the Kinky and went for a bottle of wine I bought called Pink Flamingo. The bottle caught my attention. Bright yellow with a bottle top cap. Very yummy. 
Actually both bottles are pretty unique. Cathy G. I saved them for you.
Some posted on facebook that quilters shouldn't drink and sew hmm there were a few of us at the retreat that didn't know about that rule. 

I can only show you the back of this quilt for now. It's on it's way to Dallas for Logan one of the quads. Now each little quad has a quilt of their own. They had to wait a while for the quilts but I made them with love so does that make up for the slow production. And yes Sandy S. You are still waiting on yours. Slowly but surely.

 




Megan here was our youngest retreater and probably the most productive. I believe she finished up 3-4 rag quilts. 

She fit right in though. She is the daughter of one of the other retreaters. 




Ellen and Megan helped make it a fun weekend!

We had another Mother - Daughter moment. Denise and her Mom went out to watch the sun set.

Wow it was so beautiful and it set really fast.

How about a little show and tell.

 A quilt top in progress by Sandy 

Here's my purse. I took the class 2 years ago and finally got in and finished it.  I started carrying it the minute it was finished. I need to make a couple more. LOL.

Here's a couple more quilt tops in the works by different retreaters.   This cathederal window quilt I had just pinned on pinterest. I'm ready to try it next.  The Log cabin quilt was started at our last retreat back in March but Denise has now completed it. She basted the backing batting on before we left. All that's left is to quilt it.

On Tuesday 7 of us took a field trip to the quilt shops in Giddings. Took time before running inside to share our finds for a photo opt. The rest of the group stopped at a yard art shop so they didn't make it in our picture.

Ellen    Denise  Jane  Me  Judy

 This one was made by Margie and we all want to make one. She told us her process. Wonder if Accuquilt would make a custom die of the state of Texas and how much it would cost.  
I sent them a quote request to find out.





And these blocks were Margie made by coloring with crayons. Amazing. I heard of it before but had never actually seen the end result. Wow. Margie did a great job. We might even have Margie have a class on how to do this method and one for turn under applique. 
Like seen here in the Bunny for each month. Too CUTE!

We arrived on a Saturday and left on a Wednesday. It ended way to soon but we had fun and productive retreat. We've already scheduled another in March.  

Until next blog..... Buttons and patches and the cold wind blowing...the days passed to quickly while we were sewing.

Friendships are stitched one stitch at a time.