i have to say...

signs of autumn

***buttery yellow sunshine

***cold mornings (makes the coffee taste great!)

***the trees in the yard starting to change colors

***apples, apples, everywhere (if you have never tried a honeycrisp apple, get one soon.  yummy!)

***the need to water the flowers a bit less

***kids taking about halloween costumes already

***thoughts of soups for dinner

***coming to the end of canning season

***darkness creeping up at around 7:15 in the evening

what about you?  are there some signs of autumn where you are?

 

learning new tricks

My photography class was great!  LOADS of information in a short time and lots of homework to do, but I know I am going to learn quite a bit from this gal.  She has 40+ years experience, she is 71 years old and doesn't look anywhere hear that, her and her hubs have put 30,000 miles on their motorcycle in the past 2 years and she is about as spunky and boisterous as they come. I want to be like her when I grow up! 

I love older people who are so full of life!

I don't have any amazing pictures to show you, but I was working on my Fresh Cottons quilt in my sewing room and snapped a couple using the information she gave us on Tuesday.  Keep in mind that it is 10:00 at night and the lighting is terrible where I am photographing and I used no flash at all:

Messing with the ISO speed and White Balance really make a difference.

Looking forward to learning more and upping my photography skills.  Once I can manage my camera I am going to tackle Photoshop Elements.  Lucky me that she also teaches classes for Photoshop!

Have a lovely weekend, friends!

a new/old gadget

I love finding things that make life easier, especially when they are inexpensive and old-fashioned.  Last year a friend of mine raved about her food strainer and she was able to get me one, brand-new, for $25.

We finally pulled it out to get some tomatoes ready for tomato soup, and I can't believe how easy it was.  Simply take the stem out, quarter the tomatoes and heat them until soft, then put them through the strainer.  Voila!  Enough tomato juice for a whole bunch of tomato soup.

Aubry was the operator while I poured the tomatoes in.  It took us about 5 minutes to do 25 pounds. 

Now we are all set for soup-making. 

Just need to find the time!

my life in bullet points

***I started a little set of mini-quilts using Bliss.  All I have to do is hand-sew the binding and they will be ready for display.  Pictures soon...

***My photography class starts tonight and I can't wait.  One of my goals for 2010 is to learn to use my camera and I am going to do it.  Next up will be Photoshop Elements.

***My hubs has recently started texting me during the day even through he is pretty much technology-phobic.  My screen name is "baby-girl" and he texted me saying "you are my baby doll.  love you".  Unfortunately my screenname is right next to Bob Bergman the drywall guy and he got the text instead due to a slip of my hubby's finger.  So far Bob hasn't replied to my hubby's text so we don't know how he feels about it.

***Brown belt testing is in 2-1/2 weeks and I don't feel ready at all.  This test is for my high brown belt (the one right before black) and 2 of the upper senseis will be visiting to take part.  Must get serious about practicing!

***Straight leg jeans are back in style and I am so happy about that!  That is one 80's look that I have always loved.  Not quite sure what I think about the jeggings that I see everywhere, but it may just be the name that bugs me.

Nothing too exciting, but that's my life today in bullet points.  Anything on your list?

 

getting to know you....and me

I am feeling like doing something fun here on my blog today, and a "getting to know you and me" day seemed like a good idea. 

The thought is this: I am going to ask a few questions and we will all answer them in the comments.  Getting to know each other in a "bloggy" way, you might say.

My hope is that lots of people will comment here today.  Lurkers, this is your day to speak up too!  Let me know a little bit about yourself.  Think of this as an "ice-breaker".  My comments section also allow replies, so feel free to comment on everyone's comments.  Let's be encouraging and silly and friendly, OK?

Here are the questions:

What is one goal you’d like to accomplish during your lifetime?

If you could visit any place in the world, where would you choose to go?

What are your favorite hobbies?

Tell us about a unique or quirky habit of yours.

If you won a million dollars, what would you do with it?

What is one crazy thing that you would just love to do?

What was your favorite TV show when you were growing up?

Name the most famous person you've had a face to face encounter with.

So, I know that most of those are just "fluff", but I didn't want to get too deep and scare everyone away.  Feel free to use one word answers, or full paragraphs in the comments.  This is an open forum today.

Well, I thought I would really go out of my way and post a picture of myself. If you want to do the same on your blog, go for it!  It's always nice to see what friends look like!

You can find my answers in the comments too.  :)

Have a happy day!

shop feature: sew posh designs

Debbie at Sew Posh Designs has an eye for making a super-cute bag!  Whether you are looking for a messenger bag or a wristlet, she has it all!

 

Debbie says: "All Sew Posh Designs bags and accessories are all handmade by me with great attention to detail and craftmanship. From Diva Purses for a night out on the town to Mother and Daughter Purses for play days, you will find one just for you from our posh selection of purses!"

 

You can check out her shop here.

shop notes: bliss

Oh my goodness! I am simply in love with Bliss.  The colors and patterns are just so perfect.  In fact, I already have 3 quilt blocks made from it.  Pictures of that coming soon....

Bliss is available in yardage, bundles and pre-cuts in my shop.

Have a blissful weekend!

friday goodness

I have been making homemade yogurt using Soulemama's directions and I love it!  The recipe allows me to make more than my recipe allows, which is great!

My favorite is a bit of honey with some fresh peaches on top.   So good!

My kids like a bit of raspberry jam added and there is talk of freezing that mix for popsicles.

Have a great weekend!

just peachy

My hubs brought home a big box of peaches from a customer the other day, and I wasn't sure how the fruit was going to work since it was super ripe, bordering on too ripe.  Lucky for me, it worked out perfectly.

First I canned some sliced peaches.  My kids have already tried to get into a jar, but I told them to eat the peaches on the counter first. When I take the time to can something, I like to eat it when you can't buy it fresh in the store anymore.  Just a pet peeve of mine...

Next I made a pie and it was eaten in quick time!

After that jam was on the agenda. 9 jars.

I used almost every peach, except for the ones that were eaten fresh.

I guess you could say this week has been just peachy.

patchwork lovelies

On Monday I had the very unusual opportunity of a day all to myself.  My hubs took the boys to work and my daughter went to the state fair with friends. Let me say it was heavenly.  Eight hours of "me" time to use as I wanted to.

I stayed in my pj's until 2:00 in the afternoon, and up until that time I was pretty much attatched to my sewing machine, right where I wanted to be!

A few weeks ago I bought an old chair at a yard sale for $1, and I sanded it like crazy and painted it blue.  Since then it has seemed to be asking for a little chair pad. 

This will be our "company" chair when we have more than 6 people at the table.

Next I whipped up some zippered pouches. I am addicted to these easy-to-make cuties.  Foraging in my stash of fabrics for ones to combine is simply relaxing and fun.

I have no idea what I will be doing with these, but there are lots of birthdays around the corner and I think these would be a fun gift filled with some candy or an assortment of small treasures, don't you think?

What about you? What are you working on?