Kansas City Star Block #3

Block #3 of the Vintage Kansas City Star BOM is entitled, "Necktie."  It was published in the Kansas City Star Newspaper on April 27, 1929.

Today I received an awesome book in the mail  from a blogging friend whom I have very much enjoyed reading her posts.  How perfect to go with the BOM I am working on! 

I have learned to value life experiences that blogging friends share from the past.

Delightful Dilemmia

We know it won't last...but we are enjoying this unusual weather!  It was 82 deg. this afternoon.  The past few days it has been in the upper 70's with sunshine.  The ice is off both of our ponds and the ice on most of the lakes is dark and slushy.   Usually we are still under many inches of snow and have been known to have snowstorms the first day of spring!

Delightful Dilemma--Lost 45 lbs. Spring clothes don't fit!

Saturday night I finished Block 1 of the Vintage Kansas City Star Block of the Month.  This one is "Nosegays."  There were 34 pieces in this block!  WooHoo...Not once did I have to rip!


The second block was much easier...I see from the pic that I need to check my pressing on the right corner.  It is called "Fair and Square."



This is the first time I have tired a BOM from an online fabric store. I have found there is a lot of left over fabric.  The fabric is all Kansas Troubles by Moda.

FNSI Results

1st: I finished quilting Hawke's John Deere quilt.  This is the first time I have pieced the backing.  I only had one yard of the backing fabric so I pieced two strips to line up for the ducks and teddy bears.  Then I made a few more green and orange blocks.  It is also the first time I have sewed the binding by machine.

After the John Deere Quilt came the table topper I'm making for one of the para-educator's in my classroom for her April 1st.  She is an awesome gal who works one on one with one of my students with Down's Syndrome.  This student  is non verbal and very low functioning.  They recently moved into  a cabin in the woods.  I thought the Northern Botanical fabric be great in her home.  I used it to practice my FMQ.  This binding I sewed by hand.

Since Michigan State was still playing..(Big Ten School) I pulled out the quilt for Travis & Becky's "if I'm a boy."  I finished hand sewing the binding.  The "If I'm a girl" and "If I'm a boy" quilts are ready when he/she decides to arrive!

Tonight the Badgers, Indiana and Ohio State all play.  I just may have a Saturday Night Sew In also!

Friday Night at My House!

Tonight's the night!  I plan on spending the night in front of my sewing machine with projects to finish!  

While DH is watching NCAA basketball.  I will look up from sewing to watch the scores.  The problem is he keeps channel surfing between games so I never know for sure which teams are playing!

Go Badgers!!                                          BIG TEN ALL THE WAY!

Saturday Give Away...

I am cleaning and trying to do some organizing today.  I have three books to give away.  Two are Jennifer Chiaverini books.  The Third is titled, "Patchwork Christmas."  The story of how a retired teacher leaves a patchwork quilt to two of her former students.  It is a great "feel good" story.

All three are to give away.  Let me know which one you would like to have.  That way  I am able to share with three friends!

I  "value the gift of friendship".. Even those  I only know through blogging!

Finally a Finish!

 

Last fall before our special friend, Nancy, lost her two and half year battle with cancer at 56 years old,  I promised I would make quilts for her grandbabies when they arrived.   She had been unresponsive for a few days when her DS and DIL told her they were expecting a baby  in the spring.  She opened her eyes, sat up and smiled at them before she lie back down with her eyes closed.  It was one of her last responses.  

The baby is due the first week of April. This will be the  if "it" is a girl quilt. I just finished hand sewing the binding.  I also stitched the binding to the "boy" quilt so only  hand sewing  is left.  Hopefully, I will finish that tomorrow night.  (While watching the Wisconsin Badger's play basketball!)

Life has been extremely challenging the past two and a half months.  I am so thankful I have my quilting to take my mind off of things for a while at night.  I turn on my music, sew, think, and pray.

Until next time--"value"  the special people in your lives!

Changing a "ME" day to a Grandma Day...

As the weather forecast became a Winter Storm Warning, all the kids and teachers were thinking "Snow Day."   I didn't want to count on it because Mother Nature has tricked us before.  However, this time it did arrive with 16 inches of very heavy wet snow.  I had planned on a "ME" day...thinking of all the projects I could work on.  That all changed with a phone call....My "ME" day became a Grandma day...The roads were so terrible that DIL-1 asked if we could have Kasey and Cole with us so they didn't have to make the usual 35-40 minute ride to day care.  It took DIL-1 almost 90 minutes to drive to work. 

DH used the tractor and loader to move the snow out of the yard.  He pushed a few piles close enough near the house for us to play on  in the afternoon when it stopped snowing.

They had great fun climbing up and rolling down the hills. 

DH spent the entire day opening up neighbors and friends drive ways with his pickup and plow. 

Kasey summed it all up with her "thumbs up" before we finally came in.  So my "ME" day became a very special and blessed Grandma day.

After DIL-1 came for the kids, I did pull out the baby girl quilt I had sandwiched the night before.  I quilted it and only have the binding to finish.  Next I started quilting the baby boy quilt.  I just finished it except for the binding. 

WooHoo--I can finally start quilting again!

Every year I tell myself, I must finish our farm taxes before I may continue with quilting projects.  Like many family farms, I am the bill payer, book keeper, and tax preparer. (That includes going through the pickup glove box,  coat pockets, and John Deere bags looking for receipts.)  This year I switched from Quicken Books to iBank.  I like it---it would be better if I kept up with the accounting all year...  I take all my numbers and place them on a spread sheet which I take to the tax preparer.  He takes my numbers and places them on the correct lines.  I wouldn't begin to know how to calculate depreciation of machinery or all the various tax forms needed for our return. 

So--I am anxious to pullout my machine and projects that need to be finished.   I have learned that my quilting plays a huge part in my relaxing at night....Life is so complicated right now that I need that time to take my mind off of everything else.

Also--finally I will be able to spend more time reading your blogs!!!

Cole's Basketball Practice!

Cole has been going to watch his daddy play basketball when Todd's  team plays the early game in city league.  He loves playing "baketball hoop."  I couldn't resist posting this short video that Todd sent.  Cole will be 2 the end of April.

A First for Our Family

Our family went on our very first vacation.  We headed to the Kalahari Waterpark Resort at Wisconsin Dells last Friday.  It was the first time we have EVER been gone overnight with DH and both sons.  Everyone went--so we had 6 adults and 5 grandkids.  We all had a fantastic time.  I even went on some of the waterslides!  I helped Katie a lot of the time with Jessica and Tatum. 

 

Todd and Cole had a great time making baskets.

 

 Tatum and Chad were able to make some baskets also while Todd and Cole waited their turn.

                                               None of the kids had any fear of the water!

What else do you eat after filling up on pancakes other than Cheetos and licorice!  Our suite had three bedrooms, a complete kitchen with dining area, living room with a fireplace.  We took groceries to prepare all of our meals.

 

 

 Five tired grandkids slept most of the four hour trip home on Sunday afternoon.  It was expensive, but we all made memories that will last for years.

"What if it had been you? "

Hello My Friends, 

This was written by the young mom who I requested you pray for following the tragic accident on January 11 that claimed the life of her young son, Fane.  She sent this out today on her Facebook page and to all the addresses in her email address list. 

Please continue to hold them in your prayers.

Thank you,

Linda

What if it had been you?

by Haylee Hall Hershey on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 9:51am ·

Over the past four weeks I've had lots of thoughts and emotions coursing through my mind and body.  And rightfully so.  That's what happens when your 3 & 1/2 year-old son dies in a car accident.  A car accident in which he wasn't buckled in and you were driving.  So as is likely, there have been many, many, many thoughts and questions about heaven.  God is a being I've always believed in and heaven is a place I've always planned on going after this earthly life.  And that hasn't changed.  What has changed, however, is the urgency I feel to spread the gospel.  I never felt pressed to pass The Word along before.  I was always very timid about it, fearing I'd upset someone or people would think ill of me.  But the death of a close loved one (especially one that in your mind wasn't supposed to die yet) forces you to think more pressingly about eternity.  Of course we all know these tragedies can and do happen everyday.  But we never really expect it to happen to us.  And we are not called to sit by timidly and let others perish in the flames.  We are called to boldly proclaim the good news of salvation.  God wants all of us to be saved.  But He gave us free will.  That means the choice to accept or reject Him is ours.  So I ask: What if it had been you?  If you were the one who died where would you be now?  My beautiful Fane is in heaven with our Maker and Savior.  But where would you be?  Now more than ever I believe there is a heaven and hell.  And now more than ever I believe that Jesus is the way to salvation. Simply being "a good person" and leading "a decent life" is not enough.  "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  I know there are many people who believe in heaven and hell and God and Satan.  But merely believing is not enough.  Even Satan fears and trembles.  The way to heaven is through Jesus.  We need to know Him and love Him and serve Him.  We need to ask Him to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  We need to invite Him into our hearts and into our lives.

I'm afraid I'm sounding preachy and that really wasn't my intent.  So I think I'll stop here.  It's just that this has all been on my heart a lot lately and I felt compelled to share it.  I know there are a lot of people who don't believe in God at all.  And that's their prerogative.  Like I said, free will...But I also know there are a lot of people who think you get to heaven by being nice.  That's simply not the case.  None of us are perfect, but we can be through the sacrificial lamb Jesus Christ.  We are nothing without Him.  So please, please, please at least consider what I've said.  And do it now.  You may not have until tomorrow to get it figured out.  What do you have to lose?  If I'm wrong...nothing.  You die and that's it.  But if I'm right...well, the stakes are much higher.  If I'm right, you have heaven to lose and salvation to gain.  If you've already been saved and have your ticket to heaven, awesome!  I'll see you there if not before.  And really, you gotta get to heaven so you can meet Jesus face to face.  He's an amazing guy, quite indescribable in fact.  And then you gotta meet my Fane...'cuz he's pretty cool too. 

Birthday Treat for Brenda

At school we draw names to bring Birthday treats to the lounge for each other.  I drew my great friend Brenda's name.  She is a chocolate lover.  I just put this together to take in for her birthday on Thursday.  I (of course) used what I had--so I used a choc. brownie mix instead of cake mix and instead of toffee bits. I used walnuts.  I was surprised to find the brownie mix!

 

Chocolate Carmel Trifle

Mine isn't quite as pretty as the Taste Of Home's photo.

Ingredients

• 1 package (9 ounces) devil's food cake mix
• 2 packages (3.9 ounces each) instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 jar (12-1/4 ounces) caramel ice cream topping
• 1 package (7-1/2 or 8 ounces) English toffee bits or almond brickle chips

Directions

• Prepare and bake cake according to package directions for an 8-in. square baking pan. Cool on a wire rack. Prepare 
• pudding according to package directions.
• Cut cake into 1-1/2-in. cubes; place half of the cubes in a 3-qt. trifle bowl or large glass serving bowl; lightly press down to fill in gaps. Top with half of the whipped topping, pudding, caramel topping and toffee bits; repeat layers. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 16 servings. 

(Amy, stop over and have some!)