Sunday, February 7, 2016

Super day ...

Today's Super Bowl Sunday.  Was going to go to the Stitching Post's annual SSS Sale but not feeling 100%.  In fact, right not W. is at church and I'm here feeling sorry for myself.  Just got a cold but didn't want to spread it around.  Knowing my luck, I'm probably missing something special at church today ... And it's really pretty nice here today.  Sunny and warm for February 7th.  Maybe I'll go out and walk down the driveway today to get my blood stirred up! LOL!

Looking back over the past couple weeks thought I'd share quickly, in pictures, what's been going on in my life.



Just want to begin by saying that this winter, for the first time to our knowledge, we've had both flickers and pileated woodpeckers at our suet feeder.  Wow!  They are both awesome.  That pileated, when he comes in, is huge looking.  I can see why he's number one in the pecking order!  I'D get out of the way, too!



When I was at the quilting retreat in Montgomery, I had a haystack for the first time.  YUMMY!  Yes, I know ... the recipe's been around forever but I hadn't had one before.  Sooooo I made some myself.  Wendell loves them!  As you can see by the close-up, I sprinkled just a touch of sea salt on these and made them with dark chocolate.  They lasted a long time because we doled them out at the rate of one each per day! LOL!!!!  (don't worry ... kept them in the frig)  Another treat I tried there (not pictured here though) was a deal where you start with a small pretzel, melt a Rolo candy on top, then push a half pecan into that.  Cool and EAT!  Wow.  These are good, too.  I made them right away when I got home and they went quickly!  Will have to make some and take to hooking ...

Last week we finally made it to the Farmhouse Café outside Beanblossom, Indiana for lunch.  Lunch was pretty good but mostly we enjoyed the walk outside, through their gardening area and antique barn.  We enjoyed the company of four cats who seem to each have their own territory here.  I especially loved the black cat who was in the barn, on a table grooming himself in the sun.  Very friendly!  I got lots of pets and pats in that day!  Here's some pictures I took there.  If you haven't been, you should go.  But go when it's just a bit warmer.  We would have loved staying outside longer but although it was sunny, it was nippy!

The potting cabin/shed ...

Our new friend in front of a wonderful display of yard signs ...

Inside the potting shed (need some angel wings?) ...

This is the café itself ...

The walkway to the barn ...

Couple weekends ago we went to the C Bar C Event Center on the north side of Cloverdale, Indiana.  Wow!  It's big.  They were having a National Riding Horse Association event that weekend and actually we just wanted to see what the center was like.  It took us some time just to walk around the show ring.  Weekend before this they had had pulling tractors and trucks here.  The outer area is cement floored with the center being dirt.  There was room enough in the center for two warm up rings and one show ring.  In the class pictured here, there were 19 horses showing at the same time and there was room to spare.  We really like watching any kind of horse, so to us it was a great way to spend an afternoon.  Wendell always finds someone to talk to and this was no different, with a couple women explaining to him all that was going on.  Now let me tell you, this is an expensive hobby!  The fees per horse were well over $500.  Per horse!  And lots of exhibitors had rows of stalls rented!  In addition to all of the horses penned inside, more were outside.  So glad we went.


 


Want to close with this photo of those signs I liked so much ...  Have a good week!

My fav:  "The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."

Friday, January 15, 2016

A good beginning ...

What a great way to begin 2016!  I attended a quilter's retreat at the Gasthoff in Montgomery last week and it was a good way to start a new year.  The weather kicked off Thursday with clear blue skies, sunny and warm, then turned ugly on the last night ending in a long drive home.  But in between, wow! -- I got a lot of sewing done!  Although I didn't finish anything, I got a good start on a new quilt the first day, and lots of work on two UFOs that have been lingering in my sewing room for some time the other three days.  Being around other quilters is usually inspiring, especially on show n' tell night!  Double wow!  I can't begin to describe all of the work I saw there but it was enough to get my 2016 off to a good start.  (And since I've been home, I've been sewing ... that's the best part.)

This was the view from my seat.  I'm about in the middle of the room.  It was a wonderful space.  In the distance is the booth that the sponsor, Village Mercantile of Boonville, had set up. 
Here's my table mate and new friend, Brenda from Owensboro KY.  With her sweet little white Singer Featherweight!  She was really great company and we have a lot in common, values-wise especially.  It was all good.  Quilting friend Benjie was to my right.
We had several demonstrations.  Here's Dawn giving a demo on how she made a picture with her scraps.  This is not quilting per se but it's a great way to use your leftovers!
Here's the result of Dawn's fabric scraps ... she's actually an artist, isn't she?!  This was her first attempt.  All done with teeny tiny fabric scraps!  I loved this!  It really blew me away.

On another front, couple days before I left for the quilting retreat our evening hooking group met at the library in Worthington.  We had a good sized group, 7 or 8 of us I think.  It's always fun to get together and hook and share what's been going on with each other!  I want to include a couple pictures from that evening.  Jane was working on binding her Santa with Reindeer rug and I fell in love with this design (again).  I asked Margo to draw one for me, so I see that rug in my future.  Jane hooked it with wide strips and I'm going to do the same.  It's pretty big!  I'm looking forward to it.  I included a close-up of Santa's face because it's so wonderful.  I love the textured yarn Jane added to his beard!  Also, a new hooker, Julie, brought her completed beginner piece to show us and I've pictured it below -- "Two Little Stars".  She's a really wonderful hooker and spent the evening color planning her next piece; a large floral rug which will be a challenge.  It's much more complex than the two little stars I started her out on!  I'll keep you posted ... I expect some beautiful work from Julie; she's a perfectionist.

Jane's Santa with Reindeer rug, in the binding process.

Close-up of Santa's face!  Love it!

Julie's beginner piece, Two Little Stars.  She's on to something bigger and better!
On the home front, Wendell has had a couple near fainting episodes this winter and is now wearing an event monitor.  It's sort of a sensitive devise and sometimes he has two left hands, so it's been slow going on the learning curve.  He's had med changes and visits to the ER and doctor, so he is ready for a better 2016.  Also, my mother had a scare and spent a few days in the hospital, then back in the healthcare unit at River Terrace, but is now back "home" in her little apartment.  I went up there about a week ago and spent a few hours.  She was really doing well considering.  So keep my family in your prayers, will you?  Thanks. 

It's off to the races for another good year.  God is so good to me.