the cart before the horse

I needed a break from some larger projects I am working on, so I made a table runner as a quick, get-it-done project (as in, buy the fabric yesterday, finished it today).  However, I don't have a place to put it yet; I made it a specific length for our buffet in the kitchen/dining room.  But the buffet isn't here yet.  :)  My parents are on their way from Michigan tonight and tomorrow and they have it in the back of their truck.  Yay for someone visiting who also happens to live close to IKEA.  :)  More pictures to follow when it sits on it's intended home.  

I really hope it looks good on the buffet...

Sunday Afternoon

Carving ~ Lilies blooming ~ Quilting ~ Happy in diapers ~ Shoe fairy visit ~ Bedtime Devotions

Rolling Forward and Sewing

Timothy received this car for Christmas and always went backwards on it (I understand that this is pretty standard), but today finally figured out how to go forward.  Yay for not backing into every corner of the house anymore!  :)  He also likes to demonstrate his brute strength and daddy pretty much rocks his world right now, if you haven't seen the two of them in action lately.

In sewing world, I am finishing the quilting on a gift (more on that later, after the gift is received), and lining up some projects to keep me busy this summer...

Top right, I scored 4 packs of charm squares at 20% off at Fabric City in Rapid over the weekend.  I think this will be another triangle quilt like I made about a month ago.  Easy, fun, and put together randomly, so the outcome is a surprise.

Bottom right, a cool color quilt made from the same line of fabric as this one.  It is going to be a disappearing 9-patch; a pattern that I have been interested in trying.  Also in the works are a couple of cuddle quilts for the guild that are going to be whipped out (hopefully) at our work night this coming Tuesday.  Aaaannnnd, our local fabric store is having a sale, so the backing material should be pretty reasonable!

Coming soon, a few scrap busting projects to tidy up the sewing corner and maybe I'll even touch the wonky star quilt that I started months ago...burned out is putting it nicely.  :)

There was once a woman named Hazel...

I start my story with this statement:  I never had the privilege of meeting Hazel, but I wish that I had.  Hazel was a quilter and member of the quilt guild that I belong to.  Hazel saved every piece of fabric and scrap.  Hazel passed away (I believe she was in her 90s) and the quilt guild inherited her fabric stash about a year before I joined the guild.

Fast forward one year.  The quilt guild had a chinese auction.  I decided to bid on a mystery box of fabric labeled a "Hazel prize" not knowing who Hazel was.  I happened to win the Hazel box and inherited a collection of fabric that is older than I.  Some good, some bad.  :)

I add to my stash a large collection of gingham, a couple of plaids and some fun vintage prints.

I also picked up some not so lovely pieces that I am going to put away for the next ugly fabric exchange.  :)

 I even picked up a little treasure by Hazel herself.

I am looking forward to incorporating this fabric into some projects soon.  Thank you Hazel!

Garden Update

Things are growing like a weed so far this summer, in spite of the extreme heat (it was over 100 this past weekend; thank goodness we were gone!).  Jared has been lovingly watering, weeding, and fending off cabbage worms the past few weeks and the hard work is paying off.  Radishes have been harvested and consumed.  We have so many peas on the bush we can't count them.  Pepper plants are starting to fruit and some of our tomato plants are 2 feet tall already.  Cucumbers are ready for their trellis and the buttercup squash is starting to take over the lawn.  The size of the zucchini plants (one of three is the main picture in the above collage) is starting to overwhelm me with the thought of a bumper crop.

I do want to point out that we had a lot of failures so far too.  All of the cabbage, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, peppers, and sunflowers that we started inside to later plant outside, died.  We tried, but ended up purchasing replacements for most of these plants.  Everything we directly seeded outside, no problem.  We have also lost one hanging basket and a potted flower on the deck.  I might have a purple basil to add to the list of failures within a couple of days.  We came back today from a weekend trip to find it almost entirely eaten.  The regular basil next to it is perfectly fine.  Weird.

This might be the last year for our cherry tree in the backyard.  Half of it is mostly dead and the healthier half severely leans over the back fence.  I was hoping for enough cherries for a pie, but I think the robins have cleaned out most of the fruit before they even ripened.

On a happier note, I found a canning pot at a garage sale this weekend for only $5!  With the addition of a rack for the bottom of the pot, the fate of our garden produce has been sealed...

Happy Fathers' Day!

Evelyn Ameera Nies

Born May 25th at 5:34 pm

Baptized into the family of God at 5:40 pm

Welcomed into the arms of her Savior May 27th at 4:21 am

For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you, 

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Psalm 139: 13-17

Mommy and Daddy love you and miss you so much!