Learning to go with the flow...

I mentioned that this week has been totally different for me than last. I am learning to go with the flow of the energy that is available to me. Yesterday, I was able to clean the house and do the laundry in preparation for DDIL and DGD's arrival. Once that was done I started working on that little tree wallhanging again. It is coming along rather nicely. I have the center swirls completed around the tree and 3 sides of the inner border done. This has been a learning week all around, as I used a new design in the border. The inner border sides are not the same size so this design had to be customized for the difference in sizes which really only affected the corners where the 2 different sizes meet. I found a great blog that has several great tutorials. I tried out this one The simple diamond sash motif. It is a lot of fun and adds an extra level of complexity to the design even though it is very easy quilting motifs that are used. That is one thing I am learning too, something doesn't have to be difficult in order to be complex. You need to break everything down into doable steps. A lot of repetition of smaller components makes it look much more difficult and more impressive. Several of the quilting motifs I have learned this week use this simple idea of combining 2 or 3 simple motifs to create a more complex design. Another thing I am learning to do is to add the links to take you elsewhere for additional information such as the tutorial above. We are never too old to learn new things.

Today will be spent trying to keep up with one very smart and very active 2 year old. She is so adorable, and she amazes me. Last night she was counting and she counted to 100 by 10's. You know ...50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100. Just before bedtime (mine not necessarily her's) she decided that we needed to have a party and we needed to get party hats, balloons, and decorations. She didn't know who would come to our party but we needed to get those things. Later on she decided we needed a birthday cake too.
She speaks so clearly and advanced for her age. She and papa went out last evening to catch lightning bugs. She had him all over the yard searching for bugs.

Well, I am going to go get myself ready for the day because as soon as the little one wakes up I don't think I will have time to do anything else but entertain her and be entertained by her.

Have a great day, I will try to get some fun pictures of our activities today to share with you tomorrow. Remember to love on the little one's that are in your life as they don't stay little very long.

Different kind of week...

This week sure has been different for me, especially after last week. I have not accomplished much. Tuesday was pretty much a bust for me and yesterday was not a whole lot better. I did get into my studio and quilted some. I finished this art piece that I started during an online class probably 2 years ago.

I had the top and about 1/3 of the quilting done so when I was cleaning up the studio (which still needs to be done) I came across this and decided to play with the quilting again. I wanted to try out some new techniques I have been learning. So I finished it up and used the escape hatch method of applying the backing and finishing the edges. This rolls the edges under so there is no binding needed.

I also started the quilting on this piece.

Tina and I had a fabric dyeing day that included applying drops of dyes on top of shaving cream that was smoothed out in a tray, racking the dyes together and then laying the fabric on top of the foam surface to pick up the dyes. It is a variation on fabric marbling. Once the dyes were picked up from the tray there was still plenty that could be salvaged and used again, so we picked up the foam, place a stencil on a piece of fabric and applied the dye colored foam over the stencil with a squeegie. This tree is one of the images we got and I created a small wallhanging with it. Here is the detail of the quilting motif I am doing in the background.

Note to self. The thread choice was not ideal. It is too dark and stands out too much. A lighter thread color, even white would have looked better. I wanted to see the texture but not have the color of the thread change the background color. It is ok for a practice piece. This is good knowledge to have so I don't make the same mistake again. I do think it is detracts a little from the tree itself.

DH and I headed out to Joann's so I could pick up some batting yesterday afternoon and ate our lunch out at Appleby's, which is pretty amazing as DH really does not care for Appleby's. We ended up having a nice lunch and by the time we got home I was ready for another nap.

My plans for today are to get the laundry done and clean up the house as DDIL is coming with DGD. They were here when we were in Hawaii and since we didn't get to see them, she is coming back for a short visit. We are going to make stepping stones for the flower bed and I will be sure to put DGD foot prints and hand prints in them. It will be lots of fun. So there are my plans for today. Once again, I am open to them getting changed at any time for any reason. This is the day the Lord has made and I will be glad and rejoice in it, no matter what I am doing.

Have a great day and enjoy all your many blessings.

blissful ignorance

I did not anticipate not posting anything yesterday, but the truth is I simply did not have the energy or mental capacity to write anything. The activities of the day before just knocked me off my feet a little longer than I had anticipated. I did not do much of anything except go to the plant/produce auction to see if they had any plants that I wanted for my new soon to be flower bed. Nothing in plants although they had lots of beautiful fresh produce. I got right back in my car to come home. I decided to run up to a local nursery to see if they had anything, once again, no luck. This whole trip took about 1/2 hour and when I got home I crawled back into bed for a nap. The rest of the day was spent in bed or on the couch except for the 2 hours or so I was at the eye doctor's for my exam. By the time I got home I was ready to take another nap on the couch. Not such an exciting day. Perhaps today will be a more productive day. So far I managed to get up when the alarm went off.

It rained pretty good through out the day yesterday, so I won't be able to do any work in the flower bed. It will just be mud. So I think I will work in my studio. I don't promise any big completed projects but at least I will give it the good old American try.

I want to thank all those who have served our country in war and in peace time to keep our country free from oppression and domination. I am thankful for this great country in which we live. I know the sacrifices that have been made by many a person and family to keep this nation great. I pray for the safety of all who are serving now. I pray for those who are away from their families today, who are doing there jobs so that I can live in blissful ignorance of the all the work that is being done to keep us free in our "land of the free." I created a quilt for a challenge named Thread Tails to Vapor Trails that travelled around the U.S. last year. It is named Blissful Ignorance, after the quote by George Will. Here is a photo of the quilt.

You can click on the photos for a larger image.
You can see more about this quilt in this post

I hope you can read the quote.

Have a great Independence Day and if you have the chance, or perhaps make the chance, to thank someone for the service they have given to their country, please do so. It is what keeps our country strong and free.

Treatment day..

Sorry there is no post today as it is treatment day.
Have a great day.

Plans are they mine or His?

Do you remember how I mentioned my plans for yesterday and even though I wanted to get certain things done I would be open to letting God change them and doing what He asked of me? Well, God is so good and He actually blessed my productivity yesterday and He helped me get that quilt top done that I have been trying for months to do. T-shirt quilts are a great keepsake and a great way to recycle items that bring back lots of memories to us. They are also like a jigsaw puzzle to put together. I have not always enjoyed that part of the process. Trying to get a pleasing composition and making a lot of different sized blocks fit together cohesively. Well, God helped that all flow yesterday. I sorted the blocks out into piles of same sized patches, took one pile and began to sew them together, adding sashing strips between the blocks and to the sides of any that needed to be larger in order to fit in that row. I ended up with 5 vertical rows that then were joined together with a long sashing strip between them. I finished up by adding a 6 inch border all around. It ended up being 76" x 87", and finished it just after supper.

So you can see that God is good as He allowed my plans to be in alignment with His plans and on top of that He gave me good success with them. This scripture says it all. Proverbs 16:3. Commit your actions (or your work) to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. I was very pleased with how quickly and effortlessly this finally went together. Now today I need to go to Joann's and get some more fabric for the backing. I need 3 more yards. I think I saw the same piece when I was there last.
Two more truck loads of topsoil (good old dirt) were delivered. I didn't get out there to spread any of it yet but I do have that on my to do list for this weekend. The first load was delivered early in the morning and the second load after dinner. Thank you Steve for getting me all this lovely dirt to play in. This is the 1st pile.

And here are both piles.

Once again Georgie had to be out there checking it all out making sure it all smelled kosher. Well, it smelled but I wouldn't say it smelled good. It should be really good for growing nice plants.

Today I am off to Joann Fabrics to get the rest of the backing fabric then I will stop at the plant/produce auction on my way home to get some plants for the lovely new oasis. The rest of the plans for today are to get the t-shirt quilt on the frame so I can quilt when I need to cool off after working in the dirt. I have a new chicken recipe that I want to try out on the grill tonight. I invited DS and girlfriend for dinner.

So once again these are my plans but if God changes the direction that my day takes then I will be agreeable to make the changes and let Him take me where I need to be because I am convinced that He can see the whole picture better than I.

I just received word that a friend's husband passed away last evening, he was way too young. A rememberance that life is fragile and that we do need to commit our actions to the Lord, when we do that, no matter when we go to face Him, He will be able to say. "Well done my good and faithful servant." Ann my prayers and thougths are with you and your family during this time of loss. May His peace flood your heart.

Have a great day. I love you all and pray for the peace that passes all understanding that only comes by knowing who's you are and that He only wants the best for you.

Waiting for more dirt and what to do in the meantime...

My to do list is still getting longer but I am getting things crossed off that I have been wanting to do or needing to do for a long time. I ordered another truck load of top soil, I am hoping it will be delivered today so that I can go to the plant auction tomorrow and find some beauties there that will fit into my new Hawaiian inspired garden. I went to Home Depot yesterday morning and got some white marble river rock to add to my path. Here is what it looked like before I added them.

I love the shadows that play across the ground. Here is what it looks like now that the flag stone have been rearranged just so and the river rock added between them.

And from a different angle.

I saw some hibiscus at Home Depot that I might have to go back and get. Nothing says Hawaii quite like hibiscus. I am thinking some nice pots sunk into the ground along the front edge with them in will be nice and then I could bring them in to overwinter.

A couple more things that I got done yesterday. I bought some pillow forms for the covers I bought in Hawaii. They really pop on the sofa.

I made my own invitations and got them all ready to mail out for the fabric dyeing day that has become an annual event for our quilt group. I have to go to the post office this morning to get stamps and get them sent off.
I also finished quilting the raffle quilt. The theme for our show this year is "If the Shoe Fits" and the quilt is a flip flop quilt. Here are some detail shots of it. I can't reveal it in its entirety as the designer in the group hasn't even seen it yet. Surprise, surprise.

And a peak at the border.

Can you see the sun motif? I had to keep with the fun beachy vibe and you can't enjoy the beach without some sun.

One thing I have been procrastinating about is this t-shirt quilt I have been trying to finish. I have to make some progress on it today. My goal was to have it ready to put it on Lola, my longarm machine, by the end of this week and since I still haven't started piecing the top together that won't be happening. So I have to go to the post office first thing, mail the invites, then get to work on the quilt.
No more excuses. Posting these things here really helps me to remain accountable so you should be seeing some pictures tomorrow of a finished or nearly finished quilt top, unless something else comes up that is more important. (Is that my way of allowing something else to get in the way of progress with this project again thus continuing in my procrastination?) Things will work out as they should. I am just the hands and feet that become the instruments for God to work out His plan. These are my plans for today but they are always adaptable if He has something else for me to do.

The scripture from my morning devotions today was Isaiah 55:8-9; "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Do I remember that His ways and thoughts are far greater than mine and that He truly has my best and your best interests at heart? I do believe this but sometimes I get so wrapped up in my thoughts and plans that I forget He has something different and better in store. So I hold up my plans to the creator of the universe and I allow Him to change them to what ever it is He has planned for me today.

I love you all and I pray that you have a wonderful day. Whatever you do, do it unto the Lord and it will be a great and fruitful day.

Another dream being realized...

I am pretty amazed at everything I got done yesterday. Of course I had a little help from my friend. I did get outside first thing and finished leveling out the dirt. This is how much area it covered and you can see that I have at least that much more area to do before I am finished.

Since this photo was taken DH removed some over head branches to let more sun get into this area. It will still be mostly shaded but the front edges will get some late morning/early afternoon sun. After Tina got off of work she came over to help me with the planting. We also moved some pretty big rocks that DH said wouldn't be getting moved. Once we got them where we wanted and positioned just so we sang a roaring chorus of "I am woman, hear me roar." We might not be able to do something by ourselves but we have great strength in numbers. Tina was here for about 1 hour and this is what we created together in that time.

Of course, Georgie, had to check out our work. She gave us her approval. I still have some more work to do on the stone pathway. We just laid those down so I could get the general feel of how I wanted that to go so we could position the plants properly. I will go out this evening to position those just so. I will also need to make a trip to Home Depot to get some small river rock to scatter between the flat rock, I want it to look like a dry river bed. The plan is to get some more dirt delivered tomorrow and go to the plant auction on Friday. I would like to get this all done by end of next week. Tina will also be bringing me more rock from her place to use as a border around the whole thing. It is coming together nicely. Thanks Tina for all of your help and the sacrifice of your time and strength to help me get this dream realized. It means so much to me.

I also put the raffle quilt for our guild's show on the frame yesterday afternoon and started quilting it. It is about 7/8 of the way done. Wow hoo. I would have finished it last night but after all the standing and heavy lifting my legs and feet were crying out for a little R&R. So DH and I watched a Sherlock Holmes movie.

I have invitations to get ready and send out, registration for quilt retreat to mail, along with ordering supplies for 2 fabric dyeing workshops I will be doing in July and August. Also I have to finish that quilt on the frame so I can get to doing another one.

Remember to thank someone today for their service to you. It could be the waitress at your favorite restaraunt, the clerk at the grocery store, or the service repair man whom you call to fix something, a delivery person or perhaps the postal worker who brings your mail everyday rain or shine. When we were on vacation, I came to see these people as true blessings. They were working hard at their jobs in order for me to enjoy the luxury of a vacation that was not a necessity. How ofen do we think we deserve something at the expense of someone else and then we don't appreciate the effort that was required for us to have it or worse off complain about the service we received? Let's not take any effort made for granted, we have no idea what that other person is going through.

Have a great day.