Sunny Saturday

Happy Saturday everyone! It is sunny here but cold. Just having the sun out helps with feeling a little bit warmer. Spring cannot come soon enough for us NE Ohioans.
Head on over to Elin's blog for a 2 year blog anniversary giveaway she is having...maybe you'll be lucky!

A Very Busy Day

First of all I would like to thank Jan at A Quilty Pleasure for the neat goodies I received in the mail today. I was a winner at her blog on Sunday, the last day for Pat Sloan's OP Virtual Retreat. A fun time was had by all and I look at orange fabric in a totally different way! Thanks again, Jan!
A dear friend and neighbor, Sandy, and I went exploring today to Amish country here in Ohio. I haven't been down that way in a couple of years, so this was a fun treat. It was a "warm" day here and sunny, 50s, but that is warm for us. A perfect day to spend some money on all of that gorgeous fabric! We went to 2 stores in Berlin, and one store in Charm. The life style in that part of our state in really incredible....a step back in time. We were heading home when the schools were letting out and all of these little ones walking on the road all dressed alike in navy and black was truly a sight to behold. I built up my stash pretty good, and this picture isn't even everything.
A parking lot of Amish buggies...couldn't get the horses in the pic as we were driving by.

A shot out of the front window of the car.....followed alot of these and it really slows down your travel pace......good for the stress level!

Here is the shop in Charm with some of the "vehicles" parked out front.....we tried to figure out who "cleans up" after these vehicles leave.

Tudy had posted this picture last weekend, but I just thought it was so neat, I wanted it on my blog also. A residence behind the quilt shop.....don't you love how the Amish farmers stack their hay in the fields?

Favorite Food

I love Italian food....the red sauce kind....spaghetti, lasagna, rigatoni, ravioli, manicotti, pizza...I could eat some of this daily. I have no Italian heritage in my family, but I think I should.
Since the last few days don't have anything finished in my stitchery or quilting, I thought I would share what I had for dinner tonight. 15 layer lasagna, from a quaint Italian restaurant named The Spaghetti Warehouse....yes, it is located in an old warehouse....very good food! And we definitely smell like garlic tonight!

Mail Call

Don't you love getting mail? I mean the real fun stuff that comes in a package or even in an envelope that you know will be an invitation, greeting card or something really special like a gift card from my local Quilt Shop for $50 because I had spent the amount needed to earn me that card. I couldn't believe that I could have spent that much...not me, no way!

Then in the same mail on Friday was a package from Angela in Texas for the Fat Quarter Swap.....Wishing it was Spring. The fabrics were very Springy and everything was wrapped in more fabric, including the chocolate....yummo! Thank you so much, Angela, my first swap and what a treat!

Not too late...

I joined Terry's PIF and now I am asking for 3 gals to sign up for my PIF. I will send you something homemade from me in the next year (hopefully sooner then that) and then you add this icon to your blog and ask for 3 gals to sign up for yours. What a great way to make friends and send goodies.
Please leave a comment here and I will get back to you real soon! Thanks. Well, I am just a little late with this stitchery if you are counting Valentine's Day and a little early if you are counting the end of February to be finished! I am so enjoying these hand embroidery BOMs that I have joined. What fun, and I'm improving on each stitch that I learn and some that I remember from when I was a child...remember the stamped embroidery?

My GD, Mia, saw me working on this and wanted to learn right away. I drew an M on a scrap of fabric and she went to town with that! Learned that backstitch right away. She had it completed in no time at all. She is also the one that is taking a quilting class. She really enjoys it and I am so pleased!

A giveaway...

I have spent today recuperating from my much loved and anticipated colonoscopy. The prep yesterday was so much fun...followed up by the rest of the prep at 4:30 this morning. Then in for the actual test at 10:30....that part was a breeze. The rest of the day has been spent eating some real food and taking a series of short naps! Hopefully will be back to fabric and needle tomorrow.
I did see this giveaway and am sharing the link with you......go sign up!

Love Day....

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone out there in blogland! Wanted to share this picture of my Iris from last fall....yes, you heard right, last fall! I thought it was so beautiful (one of my favorite flowers) that I wanted to look at it again today. I have never had an Iris bloom again for me in the fall....mine bloom in the late Spring. Well, this one started sending up blossoms again in September...quite a few....this is just a few that I cut and brought into the house. This photo is dated Sept. 27..... I have had this Iris for several years and this is the first time it has happened. I'll be hoping for this fall too!

Cottages

I really fell in love with these cottages that I discovered over at Freda's Hive before Christmas. She had started a swap back in the fall and I wasn't blogging then. I found her tutorial on these cottages and printed it. I did get to make a couple during the holidays. I just love them. I saw some in Spring fabrics on another blog recently and they are darling. I had planned to do something Springy with this pattern also. Can you picture them for Fall or Halloween or any time you want?

Prayers

I just learned from another blog that Victoria, Australia seems to be hit the hardest with the bushfires...so very devastating. Our prayers go down under to all that have been affected in any way!

Basket Block

I'm going to my Quilt Guild meeting tonight and every month we get a new pattern to make up a block for the next month. You can make one or more....then you add your name to a drawing, one for each block you brought. Whoever's name is drawn wins all of the blocks. We have had some really neat quilts brought back to show and one gal made a large tote bag with her win. I have not won yet....still trying!

Forgot

In my last post I forgot to add a little more information on the quilt based on the book, Sister's Choice. It is actually a stocking Advent quilt, five blocks by five blocks. There are two different ways to do this and it is really neat.

A little of this, a little of that.

I love to read, but haven't done a whole lot of it lately unless you count my craft and quilt magazines. I have read all of Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek books from that series. I can't wait for a new one to come out each year. I also like non-fiction and biographies. Recently on Pat Sloan's blog I discovered a series of quilted Christmas stockings she and Emilie Richards are doing based on Emilie's newest book, Sister's Choice, from her series of novels entitled The Shenandoah Album. They all have quilt related titles and I got several in paperback to read the series. I think I am going to read Sister's Choice first though to get the effect for the quilt and then the stockings. I don't know if I will do these or not, but they sure look like fun!

I finally decided on the way I wanted my January block from Ellie's Calendar BOM. I did decide on narrower side borders and I like the look. The back will be the same material and the binding will be a brown print. There is some brown in the green print and thought that would bring it out. On to February's block....it's early, just the 9th, so I have time. Would like to keep up with all of these BOM's since the gals are so generous in giving them!

FQ Swap

I just signed up for a Fat Quarter Swap, "wishing it was spring", hosted by Darci . Head on over and sign up to swap with a "new friend".

Sunday.....

Last evening some of our family and hubby and I went out to eat at a Habachi type restaurant for my SIL's birthday. I love to go to these restaurants and it has been a little while since we have done so. Very smoky though and when I got home I noticed that my glasses had tiny, little grease dots on the lenses....wow, that means everything on me probably had a little coating. I do have to say that my filet mignon and lobster was well worth the grease! Here is the usual onion volcano, whee!!
I did my Calendar BOM a little different and now I'm wondering about the borders. I put the top and bottom on and actually liked it that way. (finish and bind it that way) It will be a small hanging. Or should I put side borders on it, either the same width or narrower. I have asked a couple of friends for their insight and now I am asking anyone that reads this. Thanks a bunch.

New Blogger

Just wanted to let you know about a friend and neighbor of mine that is new to the blogging world. Stop on by and say hello to another Sandy!

Tagged For Eight Random Things

I have been tagged by Tudy to tell 8 random things about me. Let's see what I can find.

1. I love having a needle in one hand and fabric in the other!
2. I did ALOT of counted cross stitch in the 1980's and 1990's!
3. I have been married to Jerry for 40 1/2 years.
4. I love my beagle, Barney.
5. I have already made friends in the blog community in only several weeks.
6. I am NOT a morning person. (I really wish I was...am typing this at 11:40 P.M.)
7. I could eat Italian food every day.
8. I love being a grandmother (to 9).

Anyone else that wants to join the 8 Random Things, please do so!

Bright red borders.

I finally decided on which fabric I wanted to use for my borders on this Christmas BOM. Originally I thought the more muted red would go better with the red (DMC 221) that was in the stitchery. But I decided on the brighter red and am glad I did. The brightness seems to make the stitchery pop! Five of these will be bordered in red and 4 in green.....am looking forward to seeing the next month!

My Buddy Fabric

Pat Sloan has asked us to find a "buddy" fabric for all of our orange fabrics. This was really hard for me. I'm still learning about colors "going together" and whether they are light, medium or dark in hue. I was going to go with some of my blues because there is some blue in a couple of the oranges...but...I really like the idea of oranges and pinks together. Pink is one of my favorite colors and so it only seemed natural! There will also be an accent color, but those instructions will come later.

Back to stitching...

I'm finally back to stitching and it feels great. Tonight I finished my Love wreath from Gail Pan free Christmas BOM. So cute...can't wait to see the next one. I have 2 red fabrics that I am considering for the sashing around the block. I hope to work on that tomorrow.

Wanted to share a picture of my 8 yr. old granddaughter, Mia and my 16 mo. old grandson, Oliver. They are brother and sister and the children of our youngest, Amy. They were visiting yesterday for Super Bowl Sunday....we had a good time eating and watching commercials. They live close by which is really the best.