i have to say...

garden progress

This year my garden is growing oh-so nicely!

The focus is on three things only: corn, tomatoes and onions.  I should have known that whittling things down to the basics would be successful!  In the past I have always taken a "let's do it all" approach and it's been frustrating, to say the least.  

Especially since I really don't know how to garden.

I had planned on the ripe corn being spaced out over a few weeks (that's how it was planted) but I think the weird, cool weather at the beginning of the season has made it so that I am going to have a whole bunch of ripe corn, all at one time. Apparently, learning how to freeze corn is in my future!

The tomatoes are doing fine too. They like the heat and humidity we are having these days.  A couple of days to wait until I pick my first one.  

And I can't wait for that!

A vine-ripened tomato with salt and pepper is perfection!

And sunflowers.  Aren't they just the happiest flower ever?

Have a great Monday, friends!

sewing time

Can I just say that I am so glad it's Friday?

And that I feel really good about getting some sewing done this week?  Finally!

It's a good thing to rediscover how relaxing it is to create.

And it almost makes me glad that fall is coming...almost.  Fall seems to provide more sewing time for me.

Well, I wish you all a Happy Friday!  And be sure to laugh a lot today!

up, up and away!

Our little town had a hot-air balloon launch this past weekend, so I woke up bright and early at 5:30 to go check it out.

It was fun, especially for pictures.  Although I will say that 5:30 is way too early for me!

I came home at about 8:15 and promptly got back into my bed.

That's a good Saturday morning plan for me!

Have a lovely day, friends!

a little gift for me

You may not know this about me, but I LOVE Converse shoes.  Always have.  I have 5 pair that I wear frequently, and all are in differing conditions.  My first pair, a pink pair, is really more white now, and they are falling apart, but they are the most comfortable pair of shoes that I own.  Another pair, light blue, is in good condition, but I ripped a very big hole in them while using a shovel a couple of years ago.  That was a bummer, for sure!

This new pair, lavender, has been on my "want" list for a while now.  I am not normally a purple-lover, but something about this color calls my name.  It's pretty girly, but at the same time, not really.

So far these shoes have only seen a photo shoot.  It's been raining the last few days and for their first voyage out in public, I don't want water spots.

So, rain, rain, go away. I have a great new pair of shoes that I need to show off!

Maybe today?

my favorite weekend!

Well, at least one of them!

I have a lot of favorite weekends when the weather warms up.  This one is fun because our small town hosts a festival, complete with a 5K and a carnival and a parade.  It's one of the few weekends each year that I think it's OK to complain about the traffic.  But being a So Cal native, it's really nothing.  Maybe 12-15 cars waiting at the light.  Pretty easy in comparison.

The best of all? It's planting weekend.  I always plant a little earlier than a lot of people around here because our first year here, a long-time resident told me she planted on Blossom Festival Weekend for her whole life, and now I do it.  The weather forecast looks just fine, so it's a go!

How nice to think of getting out in the sun, watering plants and weeding.  Well, the weeding doesn't sound so great, but it's the price we pay, right?

The sun is shining and life feels happy.  The garden is calling my name!

 

show and tell tuesday

Welcome to SHOW AND TELL TUESDAY, Friends!

Today is the "please don't judge me" edition!

Oh my goodness, my works-in-progress pile is ridiculous!  And it's starting to stress me out!

You know, to be honest, I always do this.  I get to a point where everything is finished, and then I start a project. And another one.  And another one.  And on and on and on, until I am right here once again.

All of it needs to get done.  So I guess I just have to start at the top and work my way down.  Or something like that.

Here is my list, as far as I know:

1. Pam Kitty Garden Quilt---need to pick out stitching before I can start

2. Jeans---patch hole

3. Hazel Hedgehog Quilt---start

4. Vintage Bowties Quilt---start

5. Bowties for daughter's dogs

6. Sew-Together Bag---almost done

7. Sewing Camp samples---2 down, 4 to go

8. Sew Ninja Pillow together for son's friend 

9.Churn Dash Quilt---sandwich and quilt it FINALLY!!!

That's my list.  What about you? What does your pile look like?

If you are participating in Show and Tell Tuesday,  here are a few simple guidelines:

 1. Post about your sewing-related project on your blog, or other sharing site.  Then link up here by adding the post's URL (not the URL to your main site) to the link list below.  Also, please link back to this Show and Tell Tuesday post in your own post.

 2. Feel free to browse and comment on the links added below. It's a fun way to get to know people and find inspiration for your next project!

 3. Add the sidebar graphic to your own site, if you want to.  The code is found in this post.

 If you have something to Show and Tell this week, be sure to link up below.

Happy sewing!

get out of the kitchen!

So, my oldest son was home from college last week.

We had a great time visiting...he is so fun to be around.

But I am glad he is gone.  At least my waist-line is!   He likes to eat.  And I like to cook.  And I am pretty sure I gained 5 pounds last week between the oatmeal cookies, calzones, blueberry muffins, fried chicken and all the rest.

Give me some good-for-me food!

It's funny how much I am not able to eat like that anymore.  I gain weight, I feel tired, my stomach hurts.

This summer when he is home I will have to figure out how to have him here, but maintain my girlish figure at the same time.

He might not like it that much...but I will.

Have a great Monday, friends!

signs

Each day I am noticing signs of spring!  

And that makes me oh-so happy!

Whining about how much I dislike winter is getting boring...for me and for everyone else around me!

Looks like a beautiful weekend is ahead of me as well.

Somehow I find it a little easier to smile when the weather is warm.  Do you?

Have a lovely day, friends!

vintage goodness

A friend of mine had the task of moving her grandma and grandpa out of the house they have lived in for all of their married life.  Homes were needed for some of their possessions, simply because they had to downsize.  They are moving from a farmhouse into a tiny new home.  

Fifty plus years of stuff is a whole lot of, well, stuff!

Lucky for me, I was able to make this lovely stack of fabric mine.  Most of these are oddly-cut scraps from dresses my friend's grandma made for her children many years ago.

It seems to me that these are just screaming to be made into a quilt.  My first thought is that a bow-tie quilt would be perfect.  Since a few of these are just tiny scraps, I can cut the squares I need to include every single print in this quilt.

These are a few of my favorites:

Of course, they all have a little "pop" of red!

I feel very blessed that these lovelies are now mine.

Progress pictures coming soon...

Happy sewing!

 

signs

Anyone who knows me is aware that Winter is not my favorite season.  Up until New Year's I can indulge in the seasonal-ness of the cold, but after that, I am pretty much over it.

And these days I am definitely over it.

So, the fact that March just rolled in is a happy thing for me.  Along with the bulbs making their peek-through in my front yard, and the newborn calfs I saw last week, I definitely am in a mood to be hopeful.  

Spring is a comin'!

One of the best things?  The cantaloupe I bought at the store.  I was surprisingly sweet and oh-so-good.  

Just one more sign that better (warm) days are ahead.

And that can not come quick enough for me!