Two from Sarah and Lorelei.....

This morning when I finally got on the computer, this pic awaited me from Sarah and Lorelei.  They found this white line sphinx this morn before Lorelei went to school  Look how big it is on Lorelei's hand.  Oh, Click and enlarge to see it better.

Then a few minutes ago, she had her mommy send me this one.  Notice the hands...that is her wordless 'I love you.'

This time tomorrow she will be here.  She has plans for us to go fishing.  She will be wanting to look for all kinds of bugs, etc.  When we go hiking or for a walk...she calls it 'traveling.'  Its "Hey, Mamaw, let's go traveling."

School or church?

We came across this on our way home from Goose pond a couple weeks ago.  We both think it was a school, but that is just us.

I wish now I had gathered my courage in hand and walked up and looked in to see what I could see from up close.  I don't recall seeing a 'No Trespassing' sign.

So, which do you think it is?  And what is your reasoning.  We have no real reason that we can point to it being a school...it was just a feeling we had.  But it was out in the middle of no where.  There was a house just a ways on down the road...but that was about it.  No community of any sort.
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Speaking of school, Lorelei is coming this weekend.  Sarah said she went to get her up this morn, and before she even opened her eyes, she said, "Mom, I love going to school!"  May it always be that way!

Mixing and stirring....

I have spent a big part of this day pulling out fabric and putting it back up.  It is a wonder it doesn't look like this tote of scraps.

I have a backing almost all the way made for my small quilt, but I do not like it.  I don't like it at all.  I cannot make up my mind what to do...do I put it all away and come back to it later?  Should I cut it apart and sew it back together...kind of mix it up?  Do I put this backing away and start a totally new one?

I didn't want to start a new one, but I am close to making that decision.  Even if I am not down there messing with it all, I am sitting with the thought of it sitting there in the back of my mind. 

I can feel it coming in the air....

Yes, this is from this year...and it was taken a couple weeks ago...we keep seeing a few more touches of color here and there.

Of course, poison ivy is always one of the first things to change...you just have to admit it is beautiful when it is changing.  If it wasn't for the itch factor, it would be tempting to have it for its autumn colors.

We have been having such beautiful weather....and sitting out late of the evening or stepping outside after dark, it really feels and sounds like fall.  Next week, though, we are supposed to have temps in the 90's with a heat index maybe reaching 100º.  I don't suppose we will enjoy that.
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I am in the process of pin basting one of my quilts together...just had to take a break.  Crawling around on the floor on my knees for so long really gets to me.  At least if it is too hot, I will have that to work on next week.

Cumberland County Covered Bridge in Illinois

We were headed to Effingham, Illinois the other day when I spied this covered bridge.  We crossed the Embarass and there was a place to park and walk on over to see the bridge...

I only had my 70-300 mm lense with me, so could not get the whole thing in one shot from close up.

It has no weight limit, and even though it is only one lane, it can withstand the weight of semis.

The trusses and beams were made of laminated 2 x ?s.

And there were uses of other modern things:

Of course it was the middle of a hot, muggy day that we were there.  I am hoping we can go back in more favorable conditions.  It is a beautiful bridge and these shots just do not do it justice.

Starting school

Our little munchkin started preschool today....she was scheduled to start on Tuesday but had a nasty cold and had to go to the doctor.  She was so sick that day that she didn't even mind not going.  By yesterday, she was feeling better and was upset because she couldn't go.  Remember she has been wanting to go to school forever...over a year at least, and maybe two.

This morn I got a call about 8:30...and I heard this 'MAMAW!'  She was so excited I could hardly understand a word she was saying.  They had left early to get there because they did not know how the traffic would be that time of morning, so it gave them time to chat with me a few minutes.

Sarah says shes been so wound up since she got home that she cannot get much out of her except that her teacher likes hugs....she had asked Sarah if her teacher would like them before she ever went in the school.  She did not mind Sarah leaving her at all.  Just happy as a clam.  I just hope she always enjoys school and looks forward to going.
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We got a little shower of rain, but not enough to help anything.  This is the driest August we have had in years.  But things don't look bad...grass is still green, cornfields and beans are fine.  The creeks are getting low, but then they always do.
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Roger's computer finally came today...I have spent the entire afternoon making recovery disks and putting on antivirus of my choice, etc.  While doing that I did some baking....just of box mixes.  I couldn't have kept my head together enough to bake from scratch.  

No excuses...

I have no excuse for not blogging these past few days.  The kids were here Friday through Sunday, but other than that I have not been doing much at all.  I guess I should be thankful it is laziness and not something drastically wrong.  I don't know why, but when I get interrupted in blogging, it is sometimes so hard to pick back up and start.  However, if I go ahead and schedule a post or two and keep it going when I am otherwise occupied, I do so much better.
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As you can see from the photo above, I have been doing something...but what?  Stay tuned...hopefully within the next month or two I will have something to show you.  I cannot get to it right now since I still am working with my last two little quilt tops.  Or rather making the backing for them.  One is made, and started the other one earlier today.  I hope to finish it sometime before this day is over and then get them pin-basted before the weekend is out.
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I saw this post of Judy's a few days ago....it had a picture of potatoes that they had just dug.  My thoughts went immediately to home.  We always 'ridged' the dirt up around the potatoes as they grew...then when young taters formed, the bigger they grew the bigger the crack would grow in the dirt that covered them.

We always looked forward to the day that mom thought there would be some big enough to 'gravel' out as she called it.  We would look for the biggest crack and carefully rake/dig the dirt away to get to the potatoes.  We would choose a few of the biggest that were forming...always choosing some an inch or two in diameter. I think we would get maybe a couple or three per hill if we were lucky.  We never just dug up the whole plant....we left the smaller ones to grow.

We would do a few hills of potatoes this way...enough to get a mess of potatoes.  And at each plant, we always pushed the dirt back over the remaining potatoes that were developing.  And it never seemed to really harm the plant to the best of my recall.

For those of you who have never done this, the skin on young potatoes is paper thin...we would run water over them and then just scrap the skin away with a knife.  Then if they were just over an inch in diameter, mom left them whole, but if they were getting up close to two inches or so...she would cut them in half...and put them on the stove in a pot of water to cook that way a little while.

Then she would take them out and fry them....leaving them whole or halved.  Talk about good food!  Oh, my mouth is watering now just thinking about it.

Threads of Time Fine Fabrics in Danville, Illinois

Roger had to get a CT scan this morn at 9:00...so rather than wait around at home to see if they called about it, we headed out.  Our journey took us through Danville, Illinois....after passing through there several times I decided to google 'quilt shop Danville Illinois' and this Threads of Time quilt shop was the first thing at the top of the resulting list.

We stopped there first thing.  I am here to tell you that it was well worth the stop.  I didn't need anything really, but sure had fun looking.  Besides the friendly atmosphere, they have a wide variety of fabric, all kinds of patterns and notions, and just too much to see in one visit. I may not get there often, but you can bet I will be going back when I have the chance.  I have always thought Lori's Pins & Needles was the best quilt shop I had ever been in...but now I have found her equal. 

They both have such a wide variety of fabrics....I think anyone could find fabric they like/need.  That is one of the important things about a quilt shop for me...I have been in a couple that  seems to only have subdued or dark colors; and I have been in one or two that seemed to mostly have bright, bold fabric.  I could go on and on about it, but it would probably bore people to tears that don't quilt.

I might add that Roger found thread for sewing leather there!  He needs that when he makes a sheath for a knife.  So it was a good visit for us both.
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As Sarah was putting Lorelei to bed last night...she was saying she really wanted Papaw and me to come visit...she told Sarah if we came down 'maybe Mamaw will cook some food for me....Mamaw sure can cook!'  I could not help but wonder what she was thinking of when she said that...I have about 4 or 5 or 6 different things I fix that I know she will eat...but I would almost bet it was my biscuits and gravy that she was thinking about.  LOL

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It was late in the day yesterday when I realized I had not given the full recipe for the chuck roast...I should have realized sooner but I didn't.  In addition to the chuck roast, crushed red peppers, garlic powder and Italian seasonings, I add one 15/16 ounce can of tomato sauce and then the can about half or two thirds full of water.

I think I have told about this before...my friend was telling me about making it...and the tomato sauce just did not sound good to me.  So I told her the next time she made it, I wanted to taste of it.  It is her own made up recipe....and I have been hooked on it ever since.

Lorelei....two years ago

This was one of her first trips to a creek....she totally loved it. I got a lot of good shots of her... this was one of my favorites.  One can see the change in her between this and the photo her mom took of her in the previous post.
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I am sitting here trying to decide if I should put something in the crockpot....I have something in mind...something we love. It is a recipe a friend made up.   Nothing set in granite as far as amounts.  We take a chuck roast....I have made it with other cuts but love a nice chuck roast the best.  I cut it into chunks that go easily into the crock pot.

Then, add garlic powder to taste, about a teaspoon of crushed red peppers, and Italian seasonings...add what you think you will like.  With me that is probably about half a teaspoon...maybe a little more.  I usually put this on around midnight on Lo Heat and it cooks at least 12 hours....till it just falls apart with a fork.  After it is done, I shred it and we always have Italian bread, or sometimes Roger likes it over a baked potato.

We all love this....though I have had one person tell me they tried it and did not like it.  But I just felt they had to do something wrong....LOL
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Roger's computer gave up the ghost last week....I think the hard drive is shot so we have a new laptop coming for him.  The old computer is not that old....still may get a hard drive and see if we can get it to going again.  Just have a lot of questions about doing it. 

And I sat down and finally got some battings ordered.  Now I have got to get busy and make backings.  I would like to get some of these quilt tops made into finished quilts.  Not that I will ever catch up.  I have at least a dozen tops that I am not even worrying about.

Don't you like the look?

Sarah sent this earlier....she is growing up right before our eyes.

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I forgot to tell this little story about her visit the other day.  She was aggravated at me because I would not get up and push her on her bike.  She gets in spots where the training wheels has the back tire off the ground so she can not go anywhere.  Sometimes I get up and push her and other times I tell her to get off her bike and move it herself.

Well, I wouldn't do it the other day and she says Mamaw I don't love you any more!  I said that is fine, I still love you.  I also told her, yes, you do love me, but you are just mad right now....she says 'Mamaw, I am going to start calling you Papaw!" 

Quilt backing--NOT

If you go to this post and scroll to the bottom, you will see where I had started this.  I had started it to use as a backing for a smaller version of the Crumbs in the Corner quilt.  I like having pieced backs...just to be different.  I don't usually go this wild though.  It measures 63½ by 67½ inches.

Well, I was showing it to Sarah while she was here, and she likes it...I started to say loves but not sure she loved it.  I think she found it interesting more than anything.  So, I am going to designate it as a quilt top rather than quilt backing.  Now I have to come up with two backings and two battings.   And honestly, I am trying to decide if I should make this bigger.
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The girls went home this afternoon....I did not take any more pics.  Just sometimes hard to find the time and free hands to do it.  She didn't want to leave us, but she had friends coming to her house this evening so she didn't hate going home.

Not long after they left, the rain started.  It just totally poured down for a while, almost stopped, then started in again with a pretty heavy rain.  Puddles are standing every where.  The birds are just drenched.  When the blue jays come, you cannot see any blue color at all.  The cardinals are still red, though.  One thing for sure...not a single bird seems to be minding the rain. 

They remind me of the girls when they were young.  In fact, the other night Lorelei ran a big puddle of water and looked at her mom and ask could she jump in it...her mom told her to go ahead.  She jumped in it, through it, out of it, back in it...till she was totally drenched.  And that, too, remind me of the girls when they were young.

When it poured down enough to leave puddles, soon as the rain stopped, out they would go....they would get their bikes and take off.  Riding through every mud puddle they could....sometimes peddling all the way through....sometimes lifting their feet and coasting through.  Wheeeee!!!! What fun. 

And off down to that road by the railroad.  And I might add a dirty old road.  They would come home with black splashes up their backs....dirty from head to toe.  But what fun that was.

What is more, they would probably both be willing to do that today!  There is nothing like playing in the rain. 

Having fun at our house

Just so you know

We have a visitor at our house

She and her mom have come to spend a couple days with us....so you may not see much of me while they are here.  But I will be back!

Hibiscus from today's drive

We headed out for a drive this morning...ended up going down to Goose Pond, which is near Linton, Indiana. We saw several of these around the ponds, but was hard to get close enough to photograph one.
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I read this post by Sandra....it reminded me of a conversation Roger and I had.

We were on our way home, and traveling backroads...commenting on how good everything looks. 

Well Roger looked out his side of the Rav..and I think he sort of pointed and said 'Until', or so I thought.

I said, "What?"

He says, "Until."

I said "Until what?"

He said, "I said that field is un-tilled."

I said oh...


Well, I sat and told Sandra about it...then I went over to Blackberry Lane and read THIS post and I sat here with tears just streaming...it just cracked me up.

A repeat....

Most of you know I love barns.  Maybe it is because I spent so many happy hours in the barn when I was a child. It was one of my favorite places to play...going to the barn to milk the cow, feed the pigs, and feed the cows in general was never a chore for me. And even though that has been over 30 years ago, the smell of cow or horse barn is a pleasant smell to me that takes me instantly back to my childhood.

We were dirt poor in so many ways. We raised almost all the food we ate...we raised and butchered four hogs every year, we almost always had a cow or two that we milked, and raised all our vegetables. And we picked wild blackberries, as well as there was a couple old apple trees that my mom gathered apples from to make jelly with. To this day my favorite job on earth is to pick blackberries. Why I don't know...as a kid I always ended up with bunches of chiggers...if you have never had them you haven't missed anything other than misery!

My mom filled every jar she had and also had a deep freezer that was always stuffed to the brim with food we raised. And there would be guys bring truckloads of peaches up from Georgia and drive along the roads and stop and ask if you wanted to buy peaches...my mom always bought a couple bushels and we would freeze and can them. It is so refreshing to come in from hoeing the garden and to have peaches that are just beginning to thaw--that are still in that crystallized state. I am getting hungry just thinking about them.

We had cornbread almost every day of our life, and my mom made biscuits every morning too...there were a few times when she got bronchitis that she didn't get up and make biscuits but I bet that was not five times a year. And her biscuits were unlike anybody's I have ever seen. But oh, so yummy good! When grand kids were home, I have seen them have her make them a pan of biscuits after breakfast and they would eat every one of them.

She didn't measure anything, just mixed them up by feel. And she didn't roll them out and cut with a cookie cutter, she just pinched off a little bit of the dough, and worked it between her hands, and placed in the pan. And every one was the same size! I do not know how to explain what they were like...but I would give anything to have a pan of them right now!

Another thing I never hear of any where up here is shucked beans...or do not even hear them called dried beans. We always took green beans and snapped the ends off them, and if need be we took the 'strings' off--I wonder if anyone that is reading this knows what I mean? Anyway, then we would have just use regular string/or crocheting thread and a big needle and would run the beans on the strings and hang them to dry. And everyone called them shucked beans down there...they had a sort of strong flavor, but I really liked them. I think I have a picture somewhere of some...I will hunt for it after while and scan it in...

Enough reminiscing for now...

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This is a repeat post.  From December, 2007, thought I did substitute a photo.  I hope you don't mind and maybe even find a little enjoyment in reading it.

Autumn--I can feel coming in the air

This is not from last year, but on our way to Walmart a bit ago, I did see trees painted with color just like this.  Granted, they were small walnut trees.  Still, it only enhanced the feeling of autumn closing in.

I declare though, I think I spend half my time wishing my life away.  Though in all honesty, this instance it is not wishing my life away...it is looking forward to something.  I think I would be happy if autumn took up half the year with the other three seasons spread between the other 6 months.

But back to the thought of wishing our life away.  It seems I am forever waiting for something to be over...actually wishing time was past.  Does everyone do this as they get older.  I just think if I had been this way when younger, I would forever have been wishing tests and exams were past.

I wish I could go back to the frame of mind I had when younger.  Where I enjoyed the present to the utmost, worried about things when they got here...or better still just do the best possible...and go on with life.
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Just wondered if anyone had noticed the other tab at the top of the page.  I created a page with my just my quilts.  I still have few older shots to put up but will eventually get them done.

The day is done and so am I

Okay, so these are the two I canned on our anniversary, but I did can two more jars of tomato juice today.  I started this mess this morn, and during it stopped and hung out a  load of clothes.  It was such a beautiful day I just couldn't resist doing a load.

While I had a minute I was outside with my camera and got this of the Bubbie.  It has been rotated 180º...he was squirming around on his back so much I could not get a decent shot.

Another of the FatBoy, or as we should call him No So Slim...he is a cat with character.  Loves messing with us...but also is easy to mess with.  Just any little thing will scare him and make him jump two foot straight in the air.

And believe it or not, I finally did something I have been planning to do for a long time.  I got a flannel backed table cloth and got it hung.  It makes an excellent design wall for quilts.  I had heard about it forever, then saw Judy's post....and after a question or two which she answered right away, I bought the table cloth and have had it forever.

For some reason I wanted it up today.  So at the end of this day I got it ready.  Since it is the biggest I could fine--84 inches long and 60 inches wide...I folded it, and sewed across one end a couple times and put ties on it...then Roger put up those sticky things that can be removed easily.

I was just dying to show the backing that I am making for the small crumb quilt made with leftover blocks.  I still have quite a bit of sewing to do as I am piecing this back.  But thought this would give you an idea of what how it is looking.