Sneak Peek.......

Guess what i'm working on...??!!

That's right it's a little some'n...some'n for Halloween....other than the usual skulls, witches, ghost, black cats......i wanted a quilt, a wall hanging, a table topper....some'n......ahhhhh..you get the picture!

When we were at the Atlanta shop hop ...i found a Halloween panel in the bottom of a "take it....it's yours" barrel.......

The panel made the trip home with me and now i've chopped it up and i'm putting it back together again......typical me!!...gott'a rearrange everything!!

More picture s....when i'm done!!

Enjoy


ps......doesn't that witch look like some Great Aunt on your mother's side ...twice removed!??

Sorry.......I forgot....

...to post pictures of the fat quarters i bought at the quilt show......

But....with all the excitement of the adventures in long-arm quilting...my brain has been behaving like a mouse in a maze......

Rushing from one-side to the other in a frantic search for something....i'm not even sure what that "something" is........maybe to have the biggest fat-quarter stash!!

Anyway........not even sure what i'll make with these....they are not my traditional pick in color ways........Hummmmmmm...maybe i'm just storing-up for the winter!!

After all.......it's 45* up here this AM...with an expected low tonight of 35*.....

Enjoy

Monday!!!

Another absolutely gorgeous sunrise.....

However....back to the northwest the storm clouds are rolling in...yikes!...

Almost look like....gulp..... SNOW clouds!!

They were ugly....didn't take a picture of them......

Change is in the air....30's and 40's for the next few nights...break out the flannel!

Smile and make it a good week...

Enjoy

OK.......

Ok.....OK.....the picture's not very good ....but....once again i took the camera and forgot to take pictures......soooo......i had to copy this off another web-site....

But....i'm hooked.....i'm threaded......i'm pieced......i'm stippled....i'm bound and labeled!!

This was the most fun i've had in a long time!!

The class was terrific....learned soo much.....now i can't wait to go back to Taylorsville and quilt my first top.......i'm making plans for next Tuesday....i've got 6-8 tops just laying around collecting dust....time to put them to work!!

This machine is the table model.....tryed it.....OK

But.....the fun started on the big Mama.......HandiQuilter 16 with stitch regulator and the 8" frame!!

If you quilt and live in northwest NC....make the trip over to...The Cottage Quilt Shop in Taylorsville.....great little family run shop housing the long-arms!!
www.thecottagequiltshop.com

Enjoy

ps........Thanks for all the BD wishes......it was a great day!!

Hi Ho....Hi Ho.......

....it's down off the mountain and into this soupy mess we go!!!!

Yep!....today's the day!!

Off to Taylorsville for my first lesson on using the long-arm quilting machine!

Today's also my birthday....(is it possible i'm really 59......don't feel 59.....can't be!!....must check with Mother later)......could this be my BD present??!!

Well....i'm not gonna get my hopes up----these machines can be very expen$ive!!

Wonder if we could refinance the cabin.......

Hummmmm......something to ponder on the way down!!

Enjoy

TGIF......

Look at that face....!!!! Such a cute baby.....!! Yeah...right!?

Can't say it's been a good week ...but...it's been an unusual week...

Monday started with a very bad situation on the mountain....followed by several days of depression for all involved......plus, day after day of rain.....and the virus that ran thru the staff with a vengeance.....

Ugh!.....i'm glad it's over and done!

Next week...."Will"....be better....starting tomorrow, with my lesson on how to use the HandiQuilter long-arm machine........Can't wait!!

Enjoy

What's This.......?

........Well......it's rain and dew on some sort'a lacy plant...(enlarge picture for a good look)

Cool ........ huh?!!

Yep....the male child is at it again.......

Several weeks ago.....during some type of defraging process.....the male child lost alllllll his pictures!!

Some of the better pictures.....thank goodness.....were saved on my hard drive!!

But......he's rebuilding his file.....

Enjoy

Wordless Wednesday.....

Downer Day.....

....Day number nine of this mess!!!

Talked with the female child outside of Atlanta......flash floods are north-west of them....but....things are pretty soggy down there!!

Who's ready for fall!!??

Me!!....Bring it on!!

Enjoy.....

Could not ......

Decide!

When we entered the quilt show on Saturday...Mom, friend Chris and i were handed clip boards, pencils and a "judging" sheet........How can you pick a winner!!??

They are all winners in my book!!

Anyway....when we handed our blank pages back .......we were asked......"Oh...didn't you like any of them?"

It would have taken hours to explain, how each and everyone should be a winner......and she was a sweet looking, little, white-haired lady....sooooo..... i was good!!

Enjoy

A few favorites......

from yesterdays quilt show......

Discovered there are more quilt shops in my area than i realized.....gonna be fun checking them
out.....lots of weekend adventures for the female parental unit and myself....

For a small local show....there was alot of impressive talent.....

Even friend Chris who has never quilted bought a pattern and is digging out her sewing machine.......quilting seemed to be an air borne virus yesterday.....it was everywhere and everyone was catching it!!!!........yikes!!

Enjoy your Sunday.....spend with family and friends!!

Nothing Saturday......

Ohhhhh.....Look...there's the county road on the other side of the driveway....amazing what you can see when the tall weeds and small trees are gone....!!

Can you tell...i've got nothing today....

Later...Mom, friend Chris and i are going to the West Jefferson Quilt Show!!!

It's sponsored by the local guild and is small ....but....growing...each year it's a little bigger.....whoo hoo....!! This year the rep for the HandiQuilter long arm machine will be there......another whoo hoo!!.....can't wait to try that little baby....

Hopefully tomorrow i'll have pictures and more to write about......

Enjoy

TGIF.....

Look what we found in the side yard to the west......two trees we didn't even know were there!!

A nice little Fraser Fir and some sort of hard wood....either popular or locus we think....

This is the area i can envision flower beds and park benches....

The rainy weather has stopped the clearing process for now....but....by next week we may be able to see the road on the west boundary.....yep!....there's a road back there among the trees and weeds.....also a dry creek bed.....

For now......"Stay Dry!"

Enjoy

Rain...Rain and more Rain.....

......we're only on day two of a misty, steady,cold ground soaking rain.....and i'm beginning to feel like this tree fungus.....

Nice to look at.... but.... are you sure you want to touch it??

The new drive-way is a giant slip and slide....cause the rock is covering a layer of that "orange clay-dirt" that is slippery when wet and sticks to everything........

Where would we be without 4-wheel drive? at the bottom of the mountain!!.....however, there is NO standing water on the new drive...it's all running off into the ditches and culverts like good little raindrops.....yeah!!!

Took some pictures of the new cleared areas.....but.....due to the weather conditions they look like a dismal soggy blob, instead of the picture perfect field and meadows i see in my mind's eye.....the ones where i envision beds of wild flowers and park benches....where the deer, bunnies, birds and groundhogs live in perfect harmony......

Ohhhh goodness......even the brain is soggy!!

Enjoy

Uck....Ohhhhhh....!!

Who knew that telephone line was there......!!

Also....decided to have the rest of the twelve acres cleared.....not the trees!!!....just the weeds and under-brush.....

Pictures tomorrow................Enjoy!!

What'a ya do.......

.....when the heavy summer rains has washed away your driveway....!!??

You call ....."the Dillard Brothers"......they 're like ghost busters....they appear out of the morning mist with truck loads of strange equipment.......survey the situation .....make a decision....and then begin to tear- up your one-way in and out.....

This is all done with shouting......gears grinding.......metal treads squealing.......back-up beepers beeping......engines roaring......not to mention two angry dogs barking and the cat running for cover!

Well.....yesterday they widened and graded....
Today.....culverts, ditches and rock......

I love living on a mountain!!

Enjoy

Sunday.....

Today's Church Marquee..

Free Life Insurance!

Trust In The Lord!

This is a good one.....found it in front of the small church at the bottom of the mountain...

Think i'll visit them next week....

Enjoy!

300.....?!

I've written 300 post...??!!

Me....the person who doesn't even make list!!

Well....this calls for something special......

I'll have to ponder it ...and....maybe .....(gulp)...make a list!!

Enjoy!

No Swines Here and Tears for a Friend.....

Well.......turned out i was having an asthma attach brought on by my allergies and the unexpected change in the weather Wednesday night.......

Thanks to everyone that sent me "get well wishes".....it's nice to know others were thinking about me!!

Went back to bed and slept until 11:00.....them threw some vegetable-beef soup into the crock pot and settled on the couch for the rest of the afternoon ...

Not a lot accomplished yesterday....but...i'm breathing much better today and ventured out to work......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll never forget where i was on 9/11.......at work in the school district main headquarters.....the day had just gotten underway, when word came of the first plane crash...we hurried to a co-worker's work space..to turn on her 6" TV she used for watching the "soaps" on her lunch hour .... 25-30 of us crowded around speculating on what we had just seen on the "Today" show...

When Dorothy, a girl from Purchasing said...."I'll call my son...he works in the second tower....he'll know what's happening"...and off she went......as we continued to watch, we could hear her talking in the background........then the second plane appeared on the tiny screen and almost immediately we heard Dorothy yelling her sons name.........the second plane hit on the floor below him........you know the rest......

Pray for the families.....

Ugh....................

This is how i'm feeling this AM......

Sorta dark and gloomy......

Head aches....sniffles abound......throat hurts.....lungs are wheezing.....eyes are itchy and watering....and that's above the shoulders!!

The rest of the body just aches...it's hot then cold......is it age or the crud that's been running rampart on the mountain....if i could raise my hand........i'd vote for crud......!

Sooooo....i'm sipping fluids......reading blogs and waiting for 8:00, then i can call in sick...

After that...it's self-medicating time and i'm going back to bed....cause ......i've gotta work this weekend!

UGH!!!!!!!

Achoooooooooo.........Sorry!

Wordless Wednesday.....

Community Watch

Tuesday....

Thank goodness.......Monday was not a repeat of Sunday!!

And here we are at Tuesday already.........the 8th of September!!

Won't be long before i'm on my winter vacation from work.....the end of November is in sight.....

then the quilting can go into full speed....

I've been collecting kits and fabric thru the Spring and Summer...like a squirrel......i'm storing it away for the Winter!!

Speaking about the squirrels.....they have made a big mess in the parking lot....the storage of hickory nuts is in full swing.....there was soooo many in the trees yesterday....the limbs were shaking......and the chatter!!!!.....Oui!!!!

Can you tell i'm rambling and have nothing of importance to talk about today??

Enjoy

Did you ever...............

...have one of those days....when you should have gone back to bed and covered your head??!!

If it could go wrong......yesterday it did!!

• Woke up with the beginnings of a migraine headache....
• City boy had left a "list" of things we needed from the store....
• Dealt with the fist two issues...took a pill and decided there was nothing on the list that couldn't wait till today....
• Put a pot roast in the crock pot.....it was still frozen in some places and forgot to put in the veggies until almost noon.....by 6:00PM the potatoes were still not done and i had to nuke them!!
• Started the laundry....all is well, so i thought....found little "beggar lice or hitch hikers"...those little sticky things you get on your pants legs, when you've been walking around in tall grass....all over City Boys jeans and socks....had to pick them all off before the jeans and socks went in the washer......GRRRR!!
• Decided to start a new table runner....cutting went well....but...i dislike those little triangle half-squares......this was a star pattern ...so there was 32 of the little suckers!! Sewed them wrong twice!!.....then gave up....my star pattern is now a square-in-a-square-in-a-square.....etc.....etc.....
• Then i decided to wash my throw rugs....big mistake....i shook them out first....thought i had done a good job.....NOOOOOO!! ....had to clean about a half pound of sand out of the washer! It was late in the day....so i threw them in the dryer....someone should have saved me from myself......another half pound of sand in the dryer......used compressed air and vacuum to clean out the lint trap and the dryer door seals.........ugh!!
• And the biggie-of-the-day!!!!.....Ta..Da!!.....Dropped a brand new bottle of concentrated laundry soap on the tile floor of the laundry room.......you guessed it.....the top broke off and the liquid came pouring out!!!.....After mopping many times with vinegar...we can now walk on the floor without sticking .... thank goodness it missed the litter box....!

And then!!!........Ohhh!....Grrr!.... Drop Dead Diva and Army Wives.....were both reruns!!!! YAHHHHHHH....!!

Should have stayed with my original thought and gone back to bed!!

Enjoy your Labor Day!!

Hey!!....Female Child....

Look!.........Look!.....it's finished!!!

All bound.....washed......crinkled and labeled.....!!

Thanks again for the long arm quilting help!!

What'da think of the name..."Summer's Spring"....??

Got alllllll the right colors.....

Enjoy

ps......how's the fish?

Question of the Day.....

Who spiked the water bowl?!

NO....no....no....

City Boy and i have been researching the brand and cost of long arm quilting machines.....that trip to Atlanta convinced him we need one....and who am i to argue....!?

So my question is.......if you own a long arm machine......what brand, why you like that machine, and do you use it on projects that belong to other people?

Oppps....that's really three questions...but....inquiring minds need to know...

Thanks,,,,,,,Enjoy your Saturday!

TGIF....

How can you not have a "Fabulous Friday"...when the day starts with a sunrise like this.....??!!

the ridge and the surrounding trees were a-glow....even the mist cover was pink!

Weather for this weekend ...gorgeous!!

Take a break from the blah...blah...blah.... of the weekend routine and get out there with nature

As North Carolina State Parks say... It's Naturally Wonderful.....and free(that parts from me)..

I'm gonna make a drive-by at the Farmers Market and then make a visit to the local flower nursery ...it's selling fall foliage....3 for $10.......such a deal!!

Then it's time to drag out the straw bale...scarecrow and pumpkins....

Can't wait!

Enjoy

Is it?.....

The Princess and the Pea......!

No.....!

It's the Mountain Diva and the Acorn...!!

Make it a good day.....laugh and enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday.....

Backside!

City Boy's herd......

Usually they come in two groups.....

There's Black Face with her twins...Jack and Jill..

Then there's Young MaMa with her fawn Babe

But....last night they all came together....

All Five!!

After they ate....the playing began....how delightful to watch the does play with the fawns....nature is unbelievable.....

Todays Marquee.......The Lord will Endure Forever.....!!

Loved this one......

Enjoy!