Ta Dah !!

It's about time I have a "Ta Dah" moment. I need more of these so I can wrap up some of the many projects I started but for some reason have not finished.

This quilt has a story to it. I began by wanting to use up my scraps. I figured I could lay the rows out so the colors would appear like a rainbow. Nope. I didn't like it. No matter how I tossed up the pieces, I didn't like it.

So I began taking away colors. I can't believe that the first color I took AWAY was red. Red - my favorite color. Then I tossed the pink out and the orange ones.

I ended up with one that is much more pleasing to the eye. Well, to my eye(s) anyway.

I put the pieces together at a retreat this year and then set it aside. I dragged it out again last week and decided I really like it. It is bright and cheerful. So it is going to be a gift to bring cheer and light to the owner. I thought about the person as I quilted away and I poured love, healthy, happy thoughts and more love into my stitches.

I have studied my color wheel and just cannot figure out why this works. Purple and yellow are opposite then I have turquoise and green. If anyone can explain what happened, please let me know.

 It is 72" x 56" so it will be a nice size lap quilt to cuddle up with.



Grandkids or Squirrels

Trying to get a photo of all five grandchildren smiling and looking at the camera at the same time might not be possible in my family. I don't know if they are part squirrel or not.

I did get one good one but I can't post it because I want to get some nice prints and mail to family.

Another "Infestation"!

I call it an infestation because these dang, ugly HUGE bugs are in just too many places near me! We have found about four in our garage, 2 in the horse tack room, and several around in the garden, etc. This one was about 3" or maybe 3.5" Too big. Just too big.

We call them potato bugs, but their official name is Jerusalem crickets. According to Wikipedia:

Despite their names, Jerusalem crickets are a distinct lineage within the Orthoptera, separate from crickets (eg Gryillidae), are not native to Jerusalem, and they do not prefer potatoes for food.

Pretty as a Picture

Just before we left for California, a friend gave me some of the tail end of her garden bounty. Mmmmm, I was in heaven over these veggies. Our gardening days may be over - (sigh). We'll see. Anyway, I love looking at vegetables as much as I enjoy eating them!

Subbing

I love to substitute for other instructional assistants. I get my "kid fix" AND I can look the other way when special projects are stacked around the schools. I mean, I stared at a HUGE pile of aluminum cans and plastic bottles and didn't have to dive into any of it. The past 10 years, I've been the one organizing the can/bottle drives. I've been the one to spend her lunch, breaks, before and after school sorting through stinky beer cans and garbage.

But not any more. I now go to work on time.... not 45 minutes early like I always did and I come home on time..... not 1-2 hours later like I usually did. It feels strange but wonderful at the same time.

Today, I got to sub at our rural school in Trail. It is such a precious building. I crack up every time I see this one old, old pine tree that somehow has survived years of woodpeckers hammering away at it's bark. There isn't a square inch without a hole in the trunk.

I talked to the custodian and he told me he discovered 230 pounds of acorns stashed in the bell tower of the school! OMG!!!! They stash them under the roof, in the sides of the building, etc. What a nuisance. It was funny because there are acorns everywhere. Today was a rainy day and recess was inside the gymnasium. No lie, there were acorns everywhere in the gym. Each time I picked one up, I smiled.



Hugo Quilt Show

I just love our local quilt shows. I couldn't find anyone to go with me so I decided to go solo... (nothing new for me since I moved to Oregon!) I scrounged around for all my hiding places and filled my wallet with cash and I was on my way. Hugo is a community about 70 miles from my home. The drive is a pretty one.

The Hugo Ladies Club is a group of women who purchased a one room school house out in the middle of no-where, aka: Hugo. They meet there to quilt and put on a lovely show once a year. They have several who do beautiful hand quilting which I absolutely adore. Equally exciting is the fact that they always seem to be on the cutting edge with some sort of quilt challenge or art quilts. Check out just some of the quilts I saw:

Awesome, aren't they?

A Name is Just a Name

A few years ago, I had heard of blogs but had never actually read one. That was until a some-how-cousin, Amy, back in Virginia began a blog. She posted photos from an annual family reunion which I had wanted to attend. I actually got a few miles away one year but felt guilty for leaving my pregnant due-any-time daughter behind in North Carolina. So I turned around and missed the reunion.

Then the photos were posted. I scrutinized every single one of them and vowed to make it back to a reunion some time. (Which I did with Mom a few years ago.... what fun!)

Anyway, I peeked in on Amy's blog and "watched" her children growing up. I got the courage to leave a comment but I had to create an account to do so.

The next thing I knew, I had accepted a challenge from Amy to post a photo a day for one full year.

That meant I needed a name for my blog. Heck, I had the photo ready to post so I typed in my blog name and never thought about it again.

Do I tend to ramble when I speak? Sometimes, but not always. Do I have important things to talk about? Sometimes, but not often. Do I enjoy sharing with others snippits of my life? Always.

I've kept my blog up because I know Mom checks in on me almost every day. (Hi, Mom!) I know Mom doesn't care if I ramble.

I have discovered a world of bloggers who write about everything from their home life, their children, their pets, their travels, cooking, sewing, knitting, crocheting, quilting, scrapbooking, artwork, etc. You name it, there is a blog about it. Somehow, I found Soggibottom and as I read her blog today, she pointed me to this blog called As Sweet As Cinnamon which is running a give-away if we tell how we came to name our blog.

There are tons of blogs to check out just from her blog!

So mosie on over and who knows, maybe you'll start your own blog for all of us to visit!