settlers peace

Keep Going

The clutter in my brain is clearing, unlike today's fog.

It made for a beautiful walk, so peaceful and with limited distractions. The birdsong sounded pure and delightful. But before my walk, my day started with this:

Years ago, I started writing 'morning pages' - three long hand written pages of brain dump first thing in the morning. It was introduced to me by Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way. I've recently been going through another of her books, Walking In This World. I have a separate journal for the many lists that one must make, such wondrous things are recovered and discovered through this. It isn't very often that I ever go back and read my pages, but something has been off for me lately, and like a detective, I went searching. And there it was, in my own handwriting, the action that I needed to take: a walk, some time in prayer, and a more disciplined use of time. It's time for a Pinterest diet and some actual time behind the sewing machine. "I'm off to the sewing room" she says, with a smile on her face and peace in her heart!

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I Send You Roses

S. asked me the other day "Why are the roses the only thing living in the garden?"

"Well, I happen to love antique roses. They are known for surviving through years of neglect, I just didn't expect the neglect to happen so quick."

 

 

It's Crispy Outside

It's hard to not mention the fact that it feels like we are living out our days with the blow-dryer on.  Just a step out the front door and the jumbo dryer kicks on.  I've learned not to go outside with damp hair, just a trip to the mailbox can leave me looking like some sort of twisted porcupine.  

Saturday morning I was enjoying a bit of stitching when the electricity had a bit of an outage.  A few minutes later, a neighbor stopped to let us know that we had a grassfire.  Old school learning emerged and I grabbed a bucket of water and some bath towels and headed to the fire.  What an adrenalin rush as the winds were blowing it towards the house!!!  Fortunately it was in an area that was kept mowed and was relatively easy to get out with what we had.  The culprit, you may be wondering?  A cigarette butt?  No.  It seems it was result of a tragic mistake by a bird on an electrical transformer, jolted off and catching the dry grass below on fire.  Hence the power outage moments earlier.  I'd love for it to cool off, but what I really pray for is RAIN.  Yesterday, over 3,000 acres burned near here.  I feel on constant alert.  Come on, rain!!!

It's been too hot to be going or doing much, so I have been getting some projects done.  

I made this precious pink and grey quilt for an expectant friend, and a doll quilt and pillow for the soon to be big sister.

As much as I'd like to be tackling and finishing up old projects, I am happy that I am finishing the new ones that I start, and not creating more UFO's.  

Two months ago I signed up for a doll quilt swap at The Quilt Asylum with the theme of "Circles"  I had many starts and redirections and finally came up with a design that I liked - Sunday night.  The swap was to take place on Monday at 6pm!!!!!!  Yesterday found me frantically trying to get the quilt done.  By 5 o'clock, I knew that there was no way for me to finish the quilt and make the 45 minute drive there.  Thank goodness for teen drivers!!!  S. got me there safe and sound, I put the last stitch in at 5:58 as we pulled into the parking lot.  I really kind of liked it and wish that I'd had some time to bond with it before sending it on to it's new home.

My very skilled driver and the finished quilt - 'Love Notes'.  All fabrics have dots or circles, the thin red line near the binding is an embroidered stem stitch which almost had me bleeding by time it was done.  And this is the quilt that I won in the swap.

A modern Bull's Eye, by the very fun and talented Sarah H.  You can see all of the quilts at the link above.

I sure hope that I can keep some sort of creative momentum going in this crazy schedule the next few weeks.  Stay cool and please send rain!!!

 

The Sounds of Summer

Oh, the dreamy sound of a happy sewing machine!  It practically purrs.  I love that hummm.

Nothing irritates me more than to have to schedule an appointment for my machine at a dealership, an hour away, to "drop off" the machine and then go back two weeks later to pick it up.  Several years ago I was given the name of a repairman in the Plano area, he is a dream to work with.  I still have to schedule an appointment, but it's like a doctors visit.  I drop it off, go to Starbuck's- journal, read, doodle, run errands, whatever, and return 2-3 hours later and take that baby home!  He works on all models and I am happy to share his number, just leave a comment and let me know.  Your machine will thank you!

The other sound of summer that I particularly enjoy, is that of cicadas or locusts.  I know, kind of loud and annoying at times, but there is a certain comfort in the buzz for me.  However, I will say that I am very happy that I have air conditioning and can escape the sound by coming indoors.  Can you imagine years ago, having to suffer through this heat, day and night and then have the sound of those bugs screeching all. day. long.?

And I mean this kind of heat.

When we go to bed, it's still in the 90's.  Which makes it no surprise that my most favorite hummm of summer is that of the air conditioner.

What about you?  What sounds of summer do you enjoy?

Spring Fever

Today is one of those grey days that make you wonder if spring is really on the way.  

I, so badly, needed to see these blooms, my evidence of spring, that I brazenly walked into someone's yard and snapped the pictures.  I have to admit that I was a bit nervous, not in the best part of town either.  But I was rewarded with beauty and then the discovery that it was an abandoned house anyway.

I have been working away on old projects, trying to get some done to justify any damage that I may do in the vendor section of the Dallas Quilt Show next weekend.  I have often heard that 'at quilt shows, fashion stops at the knees', be comfy, and I always am.

O. went on her first hunt this week, and while the fella supplied all of the camo-fashion attire to stay warm, I don't think that it occurred to him, the mud boots that he would encounter.  Let's just say that in girl world, camo-fashion stops at the knees.

I was quick to get a throw quilt quilted and binding on, with the intention of tackling another.  After a quick wash to see how my quilting really looked, I couldn't help but to snuggle down in it with this wonderful love story and a nice cup of tea in a new mug.

The quilt is a blended quilt of various fabrics.  The center started out with 16 - 6 1/2" blocks cut from one fabric.  Each block was then bordered with (2) - 1 1/2" strips of various scraps on each side and a four-patch made of 1 1/2" squares in the corners.  Then it kinda grew in a medallion fashion as I added borders, pieces and strips to get the cozy size I wanted.  Really......... it looks best crumpled up like this.  I love the fabrics, I love that they are blended and kind of morph into one another, but to see it just flat and head-on, it's a bit heavy on the busy floral, and not enough of a block pattern to rest the eye.  It was the perfect project to play around with some big loose meandering quilting.  It is comfort.  It is done.

Loads of laundry and sunshine

Today was a made to  order day.  Sunshine and 75*!  Snow in the forecast for next week, so I knew to get out and enjoy it.

The sunshine coming in and the breeze blowing through the screen door made me happy to tend to the laundry piles on the floor though.  The washer and dryer humming along with the birdsong in the yard, were simply food for my soul.  I only wish that we had our laundry lines up to hang the laundry out.

I went out and played with my new camera a bit.

Jeffery was non too happy with me leaving him in the house as I went out to explore the day.

He is forever fun to photograph and I sometimes wonder if his thoughts are even remotely close to his expressions.

 

Cold Play

Snow began falling this morning, temperatures dropping, and all is quiet around here. D. took the girls to the local lake-dam to slide down the hill, that's as good as it gets around here.  I, on the other hand, had some fun of my own kind in the snow.

I only wish that I had gone out earlier and bundled up more.  Now that I'm back in and warm, I'm even more inspired, maybe the snow will hang around a bit tomorrow. 

 

Riches of Nature

The weather here is BEAUTIFUL, and the color is amazing.  I planted these petunias back in the spring, they dried to twigs in the summer and came back looking like natures very own velveteen.

The skies have been painted in technicolor schemes.

Only the Almighty God can create a sunset in these glorious colors.

So many things to that surround us, inspiring us and blessing us with their beauty.  So many things to be thankful for.

And thankful for a vet that we have known for 20 plus years, so that when we discover that one of the four legged companions has a gapping hole in his side, we can get him stitched up.  He now gets to wear the cone of shame.  I sure wish that he could explain how it all happened in the first place.  He is on the mend and chipping the paint off of every corner in the house with that darn cone.  Hmmm, maybe a chance to think of some new wall colors come spring!

May you be richly blessed today!

Evidence

There is a certain distinguishing waistline factor of an egg thief.  So far our thief count is up to three and the reality that we may not be done yet, is unsettling.

Hopefully something creative to share soon.  I was away on a retreat last weekend, forgot to take pictures, and seem to be playing catchup around the house now that I'm home.  

May all that you catch be dreams and wishes!

Happy Momma

 

We have had fun with the new chair in the field of wildflowers next door.   Oh, the laughs we shared.  Hope that you have a blessed day wherever you find yourself.