A Pretty Nice Star - And a BUSY Weekend

Here is my 2nd block for AmandaJean's Quilt A Long:

I'm really happy with my color choices (so far). Of course, now I have to anxiously await next weeks block - hehe.



Tyler's soccer game got rained out on Saturday (after 15 minutes of play) so I came home and finished quilting this quilt:

A few of my favorite blocks

Now I just have to get the binding sewn on, and send it off to my Mom for her to handsew it down. It's not done yet, as the pattern calls for a bunch of wool appliques to be sewn on (a bird, some flowers, a basket of eggs, pine trees). But, I am simply thrilled that after 10 years, the first top is completed, quilted and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel (I still have to finish one for my Mom - it's getting there, slowly but surely - and it won't take 10 more years to finish!!)



Tyler's game was rescheduled to yesterday afternoon, so we went there - what a gorgeous afternoon - and Tyler scored his first goal of the year. He was so excited. But he was such a tired little boy. Then it was off to Todd's parents for dinner and to celebrate his father's birthday.



This week I want to get my flowerbeds mulched and transplant/move some more flowers around - hopefully the weather will cooperate:)



Oh - And I joined the One Local Summer challenge as well. The idea is to eat one meal each week totally local - with a few exclusions like spices, salt and pepper, and then to post on it on your blogs. I am excited to be doing this - wonder what I'll be able to come up with. I'm thinking butter and milk are going to be the hardest (although Smith's Dairy is a Wayne County dairy, so I wonder if that will classify as local milk as the plant is within 50 miles of us?).

Have a sunny day!!
Kris

Our Simple Life Ways are Working

We are blessed. . . .to have some really good friends whose kids are all around the same age, and actually all get along very well.

So tonight, while the men went to a critter fry, the women all went out with the kids (you know it's bad when there are 4 mothers, and 9 kids). We picked a pizza buffet style restaurant, load everyone up and get there. . . .

. . .

. . .and I was so disappointed in the food. It was $15.45 for the 3 of us to eat (Jessie, Tyler and I) cold pizza, warm salad and watered down pop. The whole time I was sitting there thinking - I could have made better pizza at home from scratch, and not spent the $15 plus gas to get here. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends and their kids, and it is vital to get out once in a while, but for cold pizza? Not to mention, it was like macarroni and cheese pizza, spinach dip pizza and weird stuff like that (give me a pepperoni pizza any day).

Guess my simple parred down lifestyle is starting to take hold - where I think could I make this better, healthier, cheaper for us?

The best part of the evening was the conversation with the friends, so it was still a success on that end.

I just know that next time, I will probably decline (or better yet, offer to cook for everyone) when the wives' call and say let's go for pizza.

Decisions, decisions

In my efforts to finish up all my projects before starting any new ones, I started working on m red white and blue quilt top. It will be small (12 9" blocks) but I'm getting into it.

My only problem is deciding if I put a double border around the outside edge or a single border:

Any suggestions?

I kind of like both of them. Then I plan to put either a red or a blue patterned fabric border around it all and that will be as big as it gets.

I'm not sure what I will use this for, other than as a lap quilt for somewhere. I love the stars, and I really just love anything americana.

. . .

For those of you who are into eating local, there was an interesting conversation happening at work today:

One of our attorneys raises chickens, and has been bringing in 2-3 dozen eggs every day for the other employees. One of the secretaries says she'll take 2 dozen eggs, until she opens the cartons Oh, they aren't white eggs - are you sure they are safe to eat? We just looked at her, and her response was I don't think that brown eggs are as healthy for you as white eggs, and their shells aren't nice and shiny clean, so they must be contaminated. (this is as I am jumping up and down because we are going to be eating local homegrown eggs). The attorney had to ask her if she'd never heard of a sink and water and washing eggs, whether you get them from your local farmer or from the store. . . . I myself had to walk away before I said something that would have gotten me fired. . . .

Mind you, this is also the girl who told me yesterday - I don't think I could eat beef brought off of you because it would not be as safe to eat as what you can buy in the grocery store. HELLO!!! Haven't you seen the latest beef recall?

Todd says he would like to take her on a tour of a fast food restaurant and let her see what meats go into the burgers there, and see what meats go into some hotdogs and other pieces parts.

Sometimes, some people's thoughts just amaze the heck out of us.. . . it also makes me wonder where people get the ideas they have. . . .

I am getting closer to convincing Todd to get chickens - I was showing him Angie's, Sugar Creek Farm's, and Yonder Way Farm'schickens. He spent some time online looking at everyone's chickens, and left it at we do have a small shed that we aren't using - maybe we ought to put it to use this summer.

Stay warm everyone - it's 10 degrees here in central Ohio!!

Kris