I don't know how to count

Last week, I was congratulating myself that I was all caught up on my Quilt A Long blocks - but I only did to #8, and this week she posted #11 yesterday.

So apparently, I really don't know how to count. DUH!!!

That's okay though, because I did blocks 9 and 10 last night, as well as 2 of the setting blocks. And all the pieces are cut out for the rest of the setting blocks, the 4 patches are sewn together, so I only have to sew the blocks together. So technically, now I am all caught up, except for block #11.

Not much else is happening here - it is the usual farming lull, but I'm expecting that to change as straw will be ready to be baled here directly, and probably our 2nd cutting of hay will be ready at the same time.

Jessie had a wonderful time at camp - but boy, was she tired!!!

See ya,

Kris

3rd finish for 5 by the end of July

I worked like a maniac yesterday afternoon - as we had a big picnic to go to last night. Lots of friends, lots of food, swiming and kayaking/canoeing in the pond (you get the idea).

And I got this quilt done, binding machine sewn on, 15 minutes before we were ready to leave.

And I am in love with it. Our friends were in love with it. Complete strangers were in love with it (although one lady did ask me how I could stand to have it laying on the grass with kids eating on it and rolling around on it - HELLO!?!?!?!? THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF A "PICNIC QUILT.")

It's been a busy weekend - but we have gotten lots accomplished. Jessie is camping with her girl scout troop - she'll be home shortly - I cannot wait to hear the stories she has to tell.

Kris

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!!!!

Have a wonderful day,

Kris

Finish #2 for 5 by the End of July

I finished it - and I love it. Jessie loves it. Todd even liked it.

I cheated and sewed the binding on by machine - but it was done by about 7:00 Friday night. And I dove right in on quilting my picnic quilt - although I am having issues with the thread tension. Which might just be more noticeable since I have red thread on the bottom and yellow on the top. Oh well. I'm not ripping it out.

More rain here - just a steady drizzle. Guaranteed to make our 4th a drippy one.

Weekly Tidbits

I'm back...


Hard to believe it is July already. No sewing has gone on much at all this week (I've done bits and pieces here and there - working on quilting 1 of my quilts a little at a time) - but the weather here has been gorgeous - until today that is. Steady, drizzly rain ALL DAY LONG.


Earlier this week I decided to ride both horses (yes, both of them) one night. Then I was feeling a little sore here .... but it reminded me of how much I enjoy riding. Our 1 horse is still fairly green - I just haven't had the time to put into her, and I haven't been on her since last fall. But she was so fun - she is so calm and relaxed, although she is HUGE (16+ hands or so). My old show horse, Shamy, who is Jessie's walk-trot horse for 4-h next year was good too - and I haven't been on her in 2 years - the kids rode her a lot last year, but I never climbed on her.


The chicks continue to amaze me! They are really looking scruffy right now - with parts of their feathers coming in, but oh how cute they are!






The garden is growing by leaps and bounds, and so are the weeds. Todd and I spent about an hour the other night weeding the rhubarb and strawberries. This weekend we are hoping to get the tomatoes and peppers mulched really, really good with straw. I didn't get out there with the tomato cages in time.


This weekend we are also putting in another pond. Yes, another one. I currently have 15 fish in my little pond and I am having a heck of a time keeping the water clear (I should only have 5 or 6 in there). So today I went and brought another liner, and hopefully this weekend Todd will get the neighbors backhoe and dig it for me. We are doing this one a little differently - and putting a bog filter in it to help with the green water, in addition to a biological filter. Of course, I will have to buy more plants for it once we have it in the ground - hehe.


And this is what I've been working on today - I just need to put the binding on and I am done with my 2nd finish. Hopefully finish #3 (my fruit and veggie picnic quilt), will be done by Saturday. This was my first pieced back, and I love it. This one will hang in Jessie's room (or probably more accurately, lay on her floor if she uses it at all).




Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!!!!!

Kris

The Weekend & One Local Summer

First, we had our One Local Summer meal - our own beef steaks (sirloin no less), baby potatoes (Amish garden), fried zuccinni (Amish garden) and fresh fruit for desert. The Amish foods were all within 1 mile of the house - I went Saturday (actually had to make 2 trips) but oh so yummy!!


Then, I spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday processing all this food:

4 pints black rasberry jam - and 4 quarts of fruit to freeze.
10 lbs. of rhubarb that I ran through my food processor and froze into 3 cup servings -

these will be used for rhubarb pudding

10 quarts of strawberries that I washed, cored and bagged for freezing -
I ended up with 5 quart sized bags stuffed completely full. Along with a
few quarts that got aten by the munchkins

No sewing got done, no riding horses, no nothing. I worked in the yard (I had a day Sunday with no kids - Jessie went to a graduation party in Ashtabula with her grandparents for the day and Tyler went farming with Todd), worked in my flowerbeds, worked in the garden and spent about an hour just swinging in the shade.

And we have discovered a new fun past-time - give the baby chicks a couple worms and watch them chase each other around. That was good for about 20 minutes of laughs.

A Firefighter's Festival and Parade

Friday night we were off for the kids to ride in the Firefighter's Festival Parade. This was the first year we had even gone to this parade/festival (very sad since we've lived in this town for almost 10 years now) but it was such fun!!

The kids decorated this trailer themselves, and our babysitter's cousin pulled them with his 4-wheeler. I almost ended up having to use our 4-wheeler and pull it myself, but fortunately, Charlie came through for us!

And the firetrucks. There were trucks from upwards of 30 miles away that came to be a part of our little parade. All together there were 7 different departments represented. And they brought the big guns, which meant LOTS of lights and sirens as they all tried to out-siren one another!!

Then after the parade the firefighters and other businesses set up various activites for the kids:

A bouncy slide:

A dunk the firefighter game:

A fire-safety house:

Which was a personal favorite of our 2 kids. I think they went through it 7 or 8 times. Very educational - there is a second floor inside, and they took the kids up there where they have benches, the kids lay or sit on these benches, the house fills with smoke, the smoke detector goes off, and it's all a drill on how to get out safely (checking the closed door with the back of your hand to see if it's hot, going backwards down stairs, looking out for younger ones going out windows). The kids loved it, and of course, we had to come home and spend Saturday morning talking about how they would get out of our house in an emergency, and where we would meet up with them and stuff like that. Which they are never too young to know.

Todd had to work until right before the parade started, but after the parade was over we ran home and got him and went back for the fireworks. Lllloooooonnnnnnnnnnggggggggg night as we didn't get home until midnight, but the kids are already talking about next year's parade and what they want to do!!

Kris