Cookies with Rachel

Rachel's dad is a friend of DH's. Ever since she was a preschooler she has been coming to our farm with her dad.  One time  they stopped in I was baking cookies. She helped me and took several home.   Every year since we have had a cookie baking day.  Today was her day.  There were plenty of other things I could have been doing this afternoon. But, today was Rachel's day.  I spent the morning working in my classroom and then picked her up after 7th grade volleyball.  

I mixed up the sugar cookie dough last night.  I do the rolling out and she cuts them out.  I mix the white frosting and she mixes the colors.  From there she takes over frosting and decorating while I clean the kitchen.  This year I showed her how to use  a  paper cone and  decorating tips.  She takes a plate for each brother and the rest home for her mom and dad.

Quilting Gloves?????

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I need to invest in a new pair of quilting gloves.  What style-brand-features would you recommend?  The ones I have worn through are Fons & Porter's.   As I have looked there is are several to select from.  The Busy Bobbin quilt shop didn't have any so I will need to order them.    All suggestions welcome. 

When will I learn????

When will I learn to make sure I have enough thread to complete machine quilting a quilt BEFORE starting.  Saturday night I was finally in the right mood to work on finishing projects.  Since I will need this baby quilt soon I started quilting.  I decided to use one of the "fancy" stitches.  It required more thread--duh Linda--.  So I ran out.  I will need to make a trip to the Busy Bobbin in Rice Lake and hopefully they will have it.   I am not sure what plan B maybe! 

So--I pulled out the wedding gift for Chris and Kari.  They are getting married in September.  Chris always said he wasn't getting married until he was 30!  His birthday is Friday and the wedding is Saturday.   Chris is a farmer who farms with all John Deere equipment.  He worked at a dealership before buying his farm.  I decided to make their tree skirt reversible.  The top is traditional and this is the backing.    I think they will like it. 

Summer is going fast.  I have several things on my "to do" list that have not been accomplished!  I think I need to prioritize to the list.

Votes for a Blogging Friend

Judy C  from Shade Tree Quilting from North Carolina has become a friend through blogging.  She has entered a quilt, Civil War Spring in the weekly online quilt contest for log cabin quilts at

The Quilting Gallery -http://quiltinggallery.com/blog-posts  . She would appreciate your vote.
When you get to the site you will need to
Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see all the quilts - then place your vote.  This is

her quilt.

http://www.shadetreequilting.com/

There are many great Log Cabin quilts--Take a look.  I know  I was impressed.

A discovery!

 Last week I attended a two day training at Star Academy in River Falls, Wi.   The night I stayed there I drove to Hudson, WI.  I discovered a unique shop called, "The St. Croix County Dry Goods".  It  is a mixture of antiques, fabrics,  complete with the old store displays, and punched tin ceiling.  It gives you the feeling of stepping  back in time to an old general store.
The fabric's are displayed with the antiques.  She has many of the "flour sack" fabrics and excellent variety of other fabrics. 
  Of course, I couldn't walk away without making a  purchase. I think it will be a destination quilt shop hop for our next trip!

The weekend of July 23 we made a quick trip to Sturgeon Bay, Door County Wi to celebrate Bob and Peg's birthdays and a housewarming.  It was great to see their kids, grandkids,  families and friends.  Peg is my friend/sister/ college roommate/ bridesmaid with whom I go with on adventures.  We try to get together at least once or twice a year. 
On the way back from Peg's party  I worked on the hand sewing to finish  two MUF's table runners. 

Life is always a "What next?

Last week DIL-2 and kids stayed in Hayward to help with VBS at the church where her dad is the pastor.   Jessica and Tatum at the house with their other grandma.  Tatum was sitting on a swivel stool when someone walked by and bumped her off the stool.  She landed face down on a rug cutting her lower lip and knocking out a front tooth.   Tuesday Katie took her to an pediatric oral surgeon who determined the tooth did break off clean, it was not pushed up into the gum, and it will not cause a problem when the permanent tooth comes through.  So our peanut Tatum with the super curly hair-who turned two on Saturday--insists on dressing herself--now is short one top front tooth.   As I told, DIL-2 and her mom--it is only a tooth!  It could have been much worse.

Conner stayed with us on Monday night so DIL-2 could leave early for Tatum's appointment.  When Conner got up this is what he looked like. Saturday night it had been a round spot about the size of a nickel.  It was considerably larger on Monday night.  It kept spreading throughout Tuesday.  It is also Lyme Disease.  The doctors said they have seen more Lyme's in people of all ages this year because of the damp spring.

It was a great get away day yesterday going to the Quilt Shops with Corrie!  Yes--we did leave cash at each place.  Pictures to follow!

We are off on another Quilt Shop Hop!

Sew County Quilts at Turtle Lake

My teaching friend, Corrie, and I are off on another day of Quilt Shop Hopping!  I'm driving to Cumberland to meet her.   We are heading to Clear Lake to  Sew Country Quilts. It is a smaller shop that specializes in only Moda Fabrics.  The Northern Cardinal Trunk show is there with samples and quilted items from the line!  A first for me!!!  AND A SALE!!!! (Think of all the money I can save!)

Pins 'N' Needles Quilt Shop at St. Croix Falls.

From there we are driving to St. Croix to the Pins 'N' Needles Quilt Shop.  This is from their website: "Our quilt shop offers approximately 4000 bolts of fabric including Moda, Benartex, Batiks, Andover, Marcus Bros. and many others featuring flannels, reproduction, civil war, juvenile and seasonal prints. 


I will think I am in paradise!   

It has been HOT this week.  Similar to the rest of the midwest.   I found time to work on a couple of MUF's. 

Conner was here yesterday so DIL-2 (Katie) could take Tatum to an Pediatric Oral Surgeon in Eau Claire.  Long story--I will tell you about it later.   Never a dull moment around here.

Better get ready for my day with Corrie!!

"To Do" list????

Before school is out I have a long mental "to do" list for the summer.  So far I haven't accomplished very much.  I have been busy--just not doing the things I thought I would be doing!

 For the summer I have Kasey and Cole with me every Friday.  That gives me a chance to spend time with them and saves on the day care bill for DIL-1.  Last week they were with me the entire week.  Princess Kasey became ill over the 4th of July.  She had a sore on her head the size of a dime-cried if anyone touched it-and didn't eat.   By Monday she was running a fever.  DS-1 & DIL-1 took her to urgent care.  The doctor did a culture on the puss  under a scab and blood tests.  He thought she had developed shingles.  They are finding it in young children occasionally as a result of the chicken pox vaccine.  She was a sick girl on Tuesday and Wednesday .  She was throwing up and running a temp.  Her head hurt so badly we couldn't comb her hair--even touching her face hurt.  To shorten the story---On Thursday they went in to see the doctor for a follow up.  She didn't have shingles she has Lymes Disease from a tick bite.  She is on strong antibiotics for three weeks three times a day.  After the first two days she is feeling better. The doctor thinks they have caught it in time that she shouldn't have long lasting effects from it.

DH has been on a heart monitor harness for three weeks---Imagine your DH wearing three patches that have wires attached with a monitor around his neck and a case with another monitor about 3" X 4" in a pouch attached to his jeans 24 hours a day.   The only time it was supposed to be disconnected was for showering.  The monitor with the screen was placed on a base during the night to send the info over the phone line to Cardionet.  Yep- it wasn't a pleasant three weeks.   This picture from Cardionet shows what he wore--also the weather was in the upper 90's!!!! He had the pouch fall several times as he climbed onto the tractor. 

So to save my sanity--at night I was creating MUF's  (Masterpiece Under Fermentation)!  I have pieced one skirt flimsy--started piecing a second one--finished the flimsy for a baby quilt--(Didn't finish in time for the party--so I gave her another one I made before.   I am not sure If I like the first one--It seems too busy-- I think some of the prints should have been solids.    The middle one has a piece backward--but I am not taking it apart!  I thought if I cut the opening going through the green the mistake will always be in the back of the tree!

DH and DS are on their way to Farm Technology Days about  2 1/2 hours away.  So I have a day to ME!  The first thing I'm doing is giving my kitchen floor a good scrubbing!!!!

My Own Quilt Shop Hop

Today I took time for myself along with a teaching friend.  We both enjoy quilting--so off we went for a "Girl's Day Away." 



                                       Our first stop was Thimbles Quilt Shop in Trego.  It is a unique little shop with  fabric displayed in four areas--many samples--panels and ideas.

  From there we drove north to Hayward to visit the River's Edge Antiques & Quilt Loft.   I had never shopped there before.  It was great.  The first floor is antiques--Red Wing Crocks and other speciality antiques.   Part of the first floor and the entire loft is fabric.   Check out what they have to say about their shop.

Of course, we had to stop for lunch.  We found the Backroad Coffee Bistro downtown in Hayward where I had the most delicious sandwich.  It tasted as good as it looks!!!!!!!!



Yesterday we made 9 batches of strawberry jam.  I gave mom a large bowl to take home and saved a bowl for us to eat.   Mom did great and enjoyed being away from home for a few hours.  She is complaining that people want to turn her into an invalid and she is determined to return to all of her usual activities.

Last winter I purchased Beth Moore's " Praying God's Word--Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds."  With everything going on with my family and at school, I wasn't able to start studying it.    I picked it up off the nightstand a few days ago.  I am going to journal on my other blog,  Linda's Faith and Friends.  

It was a great day!!!

Today's First Job

 

This is the plan for this morning, turning these strawberries into jam. My mom is going to get behind the wheel of her car for the first time since her fall almost two months ago to drive out to help hull the berries.  I was (am) rather reluctant to have her drive and to help.  However, I do realize that she is determined and I would rather have her that way than sit and not want to do anything or give up.

NO!  The Mallow Cups in the background are NOT mine!

Memories

Today is our 37th anniversary.  Our wedding day was a cool and wet day like today.  Wow! Did we look young (and skinny) or what!  Little did we know what the road ahead was going to hold for us. The locket I wore was given to me by my maternal grandmother.  It was given to her by my grandfather as a wedding gift.  The date engraved inside is 1874.  It was 100 years old the year I wore it.  I wish I would have asked them all the questions-where and when did he get it.  They were married in 1916.  The locket was from a jeweler in Sioux City, Iowa.

Sometimes our greatest treasures have only sentimental value!

Look What I WON!

Peg & I attended a Ricky  Tim's Super Quilt Seminar in Eau Claire one weekend in May.  (Alex Anderson and Libbey Lehman were also presenters ) It was an adventure in MANY ways--Sometime I may write about the entire weekend.  For now-one highlight was that I WON a Baby GO cutter.  I have ordered dies, and the other things needed to use it--I hope to try it out soon.  It was great to meet one of my blogging friends, after they called my name as the winner, she came up and asked if I was Linda from Linda's Lines and Loves. It was like finding an old friend!

Look What I found--I still have my sewing machine!!

I haven't worked on a quilting project since I finished Kasey's quilt several weeks ago.  Life has been challenging.  My mom is back in her apartment and doing better.  It is going to be a  slow recovery.  I have been stopping to help her or calling everyday.  DH's mother is 95 and lives in a local nursing home so I stop there also. I took in a simple runner that I made of spring fabrics to brighten her room.

A gal who I have known her entire life , she was a member of our 4-H club,  her parents are great friends, and  she was also my student aide when she was in high school just had her first baby.  She and Tim are currently in Nebraska where Tim is training as a Physician's Asst.  They will be home over the 4th of July for the holiday and a baby shower.  I am working on a baby Quilt for Megan's baby girl. 

Yep--if is simple--but by the time I finish with the prairie points and borders it will be good.  Then I need to catch up on my McCalls BOM.  

Our weather has been challenging--we are not complaining when we look at the tornadoes, flooding, fires and droughts across the country.  The crops are finally in.. and DH has started cutting hay.  ( We were at the cardiologist last week--His heart is staying in sinus rhythm with the medication! PTL!!!)

Until Next Time,