Watching the Grass Grow

Wow we have had a few days of warmer temperatures and it has been wonderful.  They say April showers bring May flowers, but DH and have not been really watching the grass grow. 

Early this morning we delivered a newer side by side refrigerator that was going to the dump at DH work.  It is in better condition than the original one we gave her when she acquired her house.  Which meant that one returned to the house once more. 

There are plants which are pushing up through the dirt.

Yep those are dead leave....where they came from I have no idea since I had the beds all raked and cleaned out last fall before all of the snow.

My sticks with leaves are getting bigger.

These are boxwood bushes that I bought 3 years ago.  They arrived and DH called them sticks with leaves.  10 plants for $15, yep they were sticks with leaves.  They have grown quite a bit even over the winter.  Just a few more years and we will have a nice hedge in front of the house.

My roses seem to have survived the winter.

I see green and yes I know they need to be pruned.  Again with the leaves!  This is the undefined flower bed. 

The grass is starting to turn green, and

 the burn pile is growing, and we kept loading my little sad wagon with debris and driving it out to the burn pile for a couple of hours. 

A clump of daffodils are starting to bloom.  Look I was photo bombed by more leaves!

The berry patch has been cleaned out.

The canes need to be trimmed and I need to string the wire and get them tied up to get them more contained.  I have raspberries and blackberries. 

The bed where the strawberries were cleaned out best I could because it is quite damp still so I could not get to the back

Lots of runners and more freakin leaves!

The lone blueberry plant got 3 friends since DH ran over his mate last year with a lawnmower.  I added some sand to the bed.  Maybe I will get blueberries one day.

You can see their little green leaves barely.

The chicken house was finally cleaned out, going to need a good scrubbing with bleach before we do anything else.  It was delivered from a friend's house it had been his dog house and run for years.  The dog passed away and so it was not needed anymore and it found its way down the road to our house.  The problem is it was delivered full of dirt, straw and other debris.  YUCK!

Explain why the weeds turn green and start growing faster than everything else and more stinkin' leaves!

I sewed on my quilter for a while today, then hit the scrap pile.

This pile really is getting smaller, and the bins are starting to fill up.

I have 1 inch strings which are escaping their box so I will have to move to a larger box. 

I also got my stash enhancement for the backing for my barn quilt.  I had to have some Oink a Doodle Moo which I think is just too cute. 

Cows, chickens, pigs, donkeys, barns, silos, and tractors.  Definitely cuteness overload. 

How was your Saturday?

Oh Enough!

After showing the horrendous mess I made while stash shopping the other day I realized that I had also spread the mess into the stairway, the dining room, the family room (in 3 different spots no less) and onto the sun porch.

I decided it was time to get control of these scraps.  I swear that they multiply overnight in the dark!

I had this pile on the dining room table.

This pile on my cutting table in my sewing room.

This pile

and this pile on the floor.

And this pile and

This pile on my ironing board.

Where to start?

Load up a book on my Kindle

Clean up the sewing machine table

By pushing the machine back and layout my boxes and bins

Crumbs

2 1/2 and 2 inch strips

1 1/2 inch strips, 2 1/2 inch squares, 5 inch squares, 2 inch squares, 1 1/2 inch, 1 inch squares and strips, selvedges.

Then clean up the patterns and put them away.

Put up my blocks for quilts I am working on.

And start pressing and cutting.  I made a teeny tiny dent.  

I think I may need to dedicate a couple of hours a day to scrap management.  Also i am going to attempt the fabric folding so I have a better grasp of what is in my stash.  I ordered some comic book boards, I have this neat wall cabinet to refinish for some fabric storage which should work nicely too.  I have a plan, now to implement.

Shopping the Stash

I love to use scraps.  I have only made a couple of quilts with a single line of fabric, most of the time I love to put stuff together.  For a long time I would only buy fat quarters, not really committing to a single line.  I have started to buy at least 1 yard cuts now since a lot of times I purchase fabric online.

The downside is there are times when I run out of a fabric I am using such as with my Barns.  I did purchase some fabrics which I thought would look cute with the barns for sashing, but I wanted to add some fabrics so I started digging!

Yikes this scrap box escaped its containment!

There is also another box above it smaller, but just as out of control.

I think I may need to work on cutting up some of these scraps into the scrap system of strips and squares.  I realized many of this huge box of scraps-  yes that is an apple box are from clothes that I made my girls years ago and they are all mid twenties or older.

Up in the left hand corner you can see a pile of green and teal fabrics that I pulled off the shelf and neglected to return while shopping my stash too. I really need to get some organization going, maybe then my room would not look like a tornado went through it.

But I found a big enough scrap to use for a barn sashing.

I was looking for the fun cherry print which I is on the top sashing of the block.  I love that print and I purchased it years ago and made my youngest daughter tank tops from it which were soooo cute.The blue gingham with embroidered dragonflies was also made into the same style tank.  It was fun shopping my stash and there are are some things I need to add to it.  I don't have much in blue, purple or red, which is funny because red is my favorite color, and I need to get larger cuts of fabric for backings when I see something on sale so I am not searching when I want to finish something up.

 Recently I had a new visitor to my blog- Sew You Quilt 2 and she hosts a Relaxing Robin (you can get the details from the link).  Take a UFO or orphan block and build up around it until you have a table topper, or medallion quilt.  I have a few Orphans around my house so I chose one and am considering the possibilities. 

I think this will be sew fun.  No pressure you are not sending your blocks anywhere it will clean up those poor orphan blocks who languish in your projects without a place to be.

Looking at this block it is the one that I taught my mother last year you can see it here on this post.  But also see that fabric with the little blue flowers?  I made a dress for my oldest daughter who is now 30 to go under a little teal corduroy jumper when she was in kindergarten!  

OK Enough of the blast from the past.  My camera died and I have no idea where the cord is anymore, and it needs new batteries, then my batteries in my mouse died (I love my mouse) so I have been trying to create this post through my phone and I definitely need to go to the store. 

Aimless April

I felt rather aimless at the beginning of this month when it came down to making some goals.  Even though I am kind of aimless I have done some things. 

I did get all 8 of my Farmer's Wife Blocks completed.

I have 74 blocks finished.  When you consider there are only 111,  I can't believe that I am almost there.

I finished my Aurifil Block of the month for April.  It is the bear paw in the upper left hand corner of the picture.

Still trying to stick with the red and white theme.  This block was cool because you did a little running stitch all around the bear paw. Kind of trying to figure out if I am lovin' the striped fabric or not. 

Finally I got the Hidden Star block done for the QAL from the Batik group I belong to on My Quilt Place.

The background fabric I chose has pinks, oranges and yellows which I think will be fun because I am going to use Green, Orange, and Yellow for the blocks.  I have some connector blocks I may work on too. 

I am getting my flying geese sewn together pretty quickly using as a leader and ender project.  I may need to consider another one soon.

 I have also been working on my sashing for my barns- it is trudging along I just can't seem to find a groove.

I did pick up a project and start working on it again.  My Hexie flowers.

I removed the 2nd round of hexies because the fabric I had chosen when I cut and sewed originally was fraying horrendously, which I did not realize until I had several hexies sewn and attached.   I have been working on my hexies which is kind of relaxing.

I also started using a bench and an old cutting mat to cut in the evening while watching TV with DH.  I have been cutting these parts.  The little bench cutting board has come in quite handy.  During the day I will cut a few strips so that I can work on cutting the parts for a block, or quilt. 

What do you do when you feel the doldrums hit?

House Work

I know many people think housework is cleaning.  I do that off and on all day long.  My house is not spotless by any stretch of the imagination but it isn't terrible either.

We had one more wall in the dining room to peel that ugly green embossed vinyl wallpaper.  DH and I got to it on Saturday and by Sunday afternoon it was all off.  Again it will need a good scrubbing, the a skim coat of plaster to fix holes, and stuff.  If you are going to do something do it right the first time.  Use good tools, such as primer and make sure it is thoroughly mixed!  That is why we have been having so many problems getting the wallpaper off.  Cheap primer, inadequately mixed, applied to a wall which had not been washed to make sure it was dust free.

I know you can't tell but this room as a popcorn ceiling too.  The ultimate in YUCK!  When you live in an old farmhouse dirt, dust and cobwebs are an everyday fight.  With a popcorn ceiling it is a losing battle it got gray and dingy looking with cobwebs stuck up in the popcorn, impossible to clean.  DH and I read if you wet it down it will scrape right off.  Sunday while I was at work DH got a good portion of the ceiling scraped it looks so much better. Will take a few more days, then lots of sanding but this room is coming together.

I have gotten a few quilty things accomplished the last couple of days.

Birds in the Air

Honeycomb

Cups & Saucers

Postage Stamp

Rainbow Flowers

Strawberry Basket

Buzzard's Roost

Rosebud

All my Farmer's Wife blocks are done for the month.  I have been working on my ancient flying geese as a leader and ender project.

I can't believe how many you can make up while sewing just 8 blocks!

Well off to get ready for dinner out with DH.  Today is the MIL birthday and we are taking her out, among other things, DH will be putting together a shelving unit for her, and then installing a yard light sometime in the next few days. 

What to Do About April

I finished my Scrappy Chevrons quilt to a flimsy and I was thrilled, but I kind of have that let down you know the one I am talking about.  The one you get after you finish a really great book, or after a party that you have been planning for weeks.  I am kind of at a loss for goals.

1.  Farmer's Wife-  8 blocks this month.

2.  Quilty Barn along Finish up the sashing and get to a flimsy.

3. I can't wait for the next Aurifil Block for April.

4.  I will be working on a QAL with a group of ladies from My Quilt Place the first month we are doing a block called Hidden Star and someone was kind enough to work out some setting blocks.  I am waiting for my stash enhancement which will be my alternating blocks, and background.

5.  Green Tea and Sweet Bean-  No real goals just work on it when the whimsy hits me.

6.  I have 5 quilt tops that need to be quilted.  I think it is time to get my quilter to work. Say finish at least one?

7.  Pick 2 UFOs and start back to work on them. You can see them in all their glory here.  Now which 2?
8.  I am going to start a new project.  I have wanted to do a drunkard's path forever and I have the fabric.  So for this month I am going to work on cutting out my drunkard's path blocks. 

I think that's a start.  Hoping for some nicer weather so I can work outside.  I have a chicken coop to build, berry patch that needs some lovin', leaves to rake (trying to figure out where they all came from since I had them all raked up before the snow) and some flower beds to clean up.

I think I just need some motivation so off I go a quick pick up in my sewing room, and sew, sew, sew.

Holding Back

I am not a proponent of having secrets from DH.  But there was something I was just not willing to tell him.  I have hidden behind the demeanor that I was just not able to cook something.  The reason I hid this from him?

1.  I make  waffles from scratch from a recipe that my ex MIL gave me years ago.  My waffles are FAB-U-LOUS!  When the boys are around they ask me to make them either Waffles or they raid the freezer because most of the time I double the batch and freeze some so that they can take them home, or my other breakfast specialty-

2.  Pancakes.  I have a recipe which again is from scratch that tastes just like the ones my great grandmother used to make me. 

Well I like to have scrambled eggs and hashbrowns but DH is not a hashbrown fan so we compromised and he started making canned biscuits.  One day on the weekend he makes me a breakfast of scrambled eggs, and biscuits, and I totally feel spoiled.

Now DH is a biscuits and gravy type of guy and my tummy cannot handle gravy---don't ask me why but my tummy will be upset all day or night if I have gravy.  I make an excellent gravy not matter what it is for, but I have never made sausage gravy.  The other day DH wanted biscuits and gravy and asked if I would try to make biscuits for him, his reasoning they could not be worse than the biscuits he makes.  I just happened to have the ingredients and I made the humungous mistake of making biscuits and making them good. 

Yep these babies are big and fluffy, the size of a small dessert plate and soak in the gravy and DH will eat biscuits and gravy till the cows come home.  He took one look at my biscuits and one look at me and said-

DH-  Is there anything you would like to share with me
Me-  Such as what?
DH - Where did you learn to make biscuits and how long have you been able to make them
Me-  um well I don't really make them since they are not from scratch-  but I have been making them like this for about 20 years.
DH-  Why have I been making canned biscuits for the past 3 years if you can make biscuits like these?
Me- Well a girl has to hold something back for when the honeymoon is over!  I can't show all my cards at once.

So gone are my days of having breakfast made for me. 

Oh and my recipe is an old one that has been around for years.

Oven 425 Degrees F
1/2 cup butter melted in a 9 X 13 pan-  I put mine in the oven to melt while getting my biscuit dough ready
4 cups bisquick
1 cup of sour cream
1 cup of 7 up

Mix bisquick, sour cream, and 7 up, then put on a lightly floured board (I use a little bisquick).  Knead several times to smooth out but do not overwork.  Cut out with a biscuit cutter and place in 9 X 13 pan.  Cook for 15-18 minutes.

Makes approximately 12 large biscuits.

While I can keep some secrets I am just so totally thrilled with finishing this quilt top.  DH loves it and he is pretty particular.

I finished it late last night and it was too dark to get a pic.  I couldn't wait to hang it up to show it off!