AUTUMN DAYS

It's been a wonderful fall. I can't remember when I've enjoyed it so much. Love having my daughter home. We've not had much fall-like weather, but I'm learning to go with whatever I'm given! Won't be long before I'm taking down the browns and yellows and reds, and putting up some festive Christmas colors. I want to enjoy every minute of autumn, though.

Springtime

Wow, time really has swift wings! But now that school is out I hope to start accomplishing a few things! My garden has suffered this year. As a matter of fact, a lot of my "need to do" things have suffered this year. I feel things are getting back on track, though. The spring garden was pretty, but the tulips were not the color I had hoped for (red instead of pink on some of them). A lovely Mother's Day and a few outdoor crafts (the nature loom) are kicking off this spring season. A few more fun things on my nature list. I have a little friend from school that I'm kind of mentoring and he loves the outdoor crafts. That's his loom on the bottom. I have not done a single thing with my pots this year. And there is a big urn in the middle of one of the gardens - a big ol empty focal point! SHAME!!! I have 3 more weeks of work then I'll have 5 weeks of vacation, really looking forward to that! Perhaps there is time for me to accomplish a few things. I hope your summer is off to a good start. Happy Memorial day!
**UPDATE, Since a few people have commented I thought I'd better make it known that the vegetable garden is a community garden that I love to visit on my Dad's golf cart. It's always so beautiful. I would love to be able to grow vegetables, but my yard is too shaded.

Quilty

I love jelly rolls! I made both of these quilts with them. I think I could make two more quilts with what is left over.  They are only lap quilts, not too big. The second one was super easy, which I really needed after the other one, which was somewhat challenging. I've ordered me a 1/4 inch quilting foot for the sewing machine. I've always had a hard time being accurate, so I'm really looking forward to getting it. We've had some rainy cold days which made the sewing so enjoyable! I'm trying to decide if I want to make another strip quilt, or a log cabin next. Such fun decisions!

Back To It

Oh!The most beautiful of days. Those days spent with son and daughter and sweet husband. Parks and ice creams and low burning fires . Sometimes I am just in so much awe over the lovely little life I have. I feel so blessed for the love of home and hearth. My beautiful week off has come to an end. It's back to reality and job and early alarms. But honestly, who can complain about a job that gives you a week off every 6 weeks?!  I hope you're having a great Monday, thanks so much for stopping by!

This and That

 What a fabulous week I am having! I just can't let myself think about the fact that tomorrow will be the last day. I don't really count the weekends, because I would have them off anyway. I've been doing a bit of everything, except what I usually do on this week (garden). I've completed 25 blocks of the Farmers Wife Quilt.  There is no way I could do any more. I struggled with several of the blocks. One block took me two days and about 10 rip-outs, so frustrating. I've ordered another jelly roll. I have big plans to make that little darling girl above a little quilt. So excited about that! Gotta finish my daughter's first, though. I'm not going to quilt it, I'm just going to tie it. I don't think I'll ever quilt again, tieing is the way to go for me now. Super easy. The Farmers Wife Quilt turning me from an adventurer to an Only Easy scaredy cat.  And look at that!!! I made dinner. It doesn't look very good, but it was yummy!

Waiting Game

This is my favorite week off from work. The February break is  awesome because there is nothing that I have to do. No shopping or decorating or cooking. Just family time and down time and fun time. I've pulled out my quilt that I was supposed to have completed by (ahem), fall. Cooked some little potatoes for daughter and myself, yum. They are our favorite "fun" food, I make them every time I have some time off. Our little shared joy! We were mighty disappointed that the winter weather is passing us by. We were so ready! 

Everything is so brown right now.  I usually enjoy that, but I think I am super excited about Spring, and the brown is getting to me.  I'm ready for some color. Some new green. That new green that is just so lush and pretty. And tulips! So much beauty just waiting to spring forth! How many days until Spring?  Too many!

Spring Dreams

The kindling is all gathered, ready for our little bit of winter weather that is supposed to hit early this week. I raked out the garden the other day, before the forecast. Now I'm wondering if I should scatter the leaves back over the garden to protect the bits of green that are starting to emerge. Our weather is so crazy. It's near 60 today. The arctic blast will be dropping the temps pretty drastically Sunday. 

I'm off work this upcoming week and am looking forward to being home and cooking and dreaming of Spring. I hardly ever cook any more, so I am excited to plan a few things for my family. First up is going to be chicken pie. It's one of my favorites, but I take two days to make it so I only do it when I have a lot of time off. 

Lots of things are coming to life in the garden, making me almost burst with excitement. All my hard work during the fall fixing to pay off big time! I have to really "sit on my hands" to keep myself from going into the garden and poking around. When I do that I almost always destroy a lily bulb or other unmarked beauty. One year I am going to mark where everything is. Really, I am!

I hope you're having a great Saturday, thanks for dropping by!

Signs!!!

Oh joy of my heart! The thrill of going outside and finding emerging growth is so wonderful. Some of the daffodils have big buds on them. Soon I will have something bright and cheery to warm my day. In two weeks I'll begin the fertilizing - I am so excited to be thinking of this! I need to make it two more weeks without winter weather, then it can come anytime it wants. But I NEED my Winter Break and they've told us we will have to use it to make up any snow days. No, no, no, no snow days yet!!!