Hope all had a great Memorial Day Weekend. Daughter and son-in-law who live next door hosted a cookout on Sunday for both sides of their families and a group of their friends. There was around thirty -thirty-five people there ranging from one week to ninety years. Most of us brought a covered dish, they furnished several salads, beverages, hamburgers, hot dogs and all the trimmings. The others brought side dishes and desserts.

I ordered three apron patterns --Scalloped Apron, Sensational Smocks, Summerset Apron & Potholder Set---and a pattern for Basket Liners over the weekend from Clotilda's web-store. I use a lot of baskets and never seem to have enough liners to go with the holiday or season. For years it seemed I seldom wore an apron but now seem to live in them. Can't wait to sew up a few new ones. I haven't made one in about twenty years.

Yesterday I embroidered the first name for one of the grandsons on his swim team beach towel and for four of his friends who swim on the same team. I didn't think to get a picture of them before we dropped them by daughter's house yesterday. They turned out really cute. A green sea turtle. Above it the name of the pool/club they swim for and under the turtle the team's name 'Sea Turtles'. Between the front leg and Turtles I did their names in the same shade of blue as the lettering was. The towels background were white and the turtle in green. Maybe I can get daughter to take a picture of his and I can post it.

Today the two granddaughters have been here ages 1 & 2. They are both whirlwinds of activity---rides in wagon around the neighborhood, playing with the dogs and cats, wrapping Papa and Nana around their little finger, eating more than any adult and inhaling milk, playing with bouncy ball, playing side, having Papa turn on CD player and dancing to the music. Everyone is wondering how they will do when baby sister arrives in September. The one year old loves friend's week old baby. The two year old isn't too sure about her. She seems to think back going to hospital, seeing another baby and it moving in with her. Sunday, when Memaw held the baby she made sure she sat right by her side shooting daggers with her eyes. Nana didn't hold baby. Mommy did but it was only when two year old was busy in the wading pool with her cousins and not paying attention. She was glad to see baby as long as baby's mommy and daddy was holding her or she was in her carrier.

Weird Food, fabric storage, baseball

Weird Food---the food's not weird I guess but the combination???

Yesterday, I bought some local strawberries, some green onions and some pickling cucumbers from the local farmer's market. I had also bought some whipped cream there and individual desert cake things. Plan was to fix strawberry shortcake.

Well, I did for hubby. But, for some reason I was having a hankering for cucumbers salted with green onions and white wine vinegar. YET I wanted strawberries too. What should a girl do???

I fixed the cucumber salad and sliced my strawberries on top of the salad and mixed it up. Would it make me ILL??? OR would it be DELICIOUS??? Low and behold it was WONDERFULLY DELICIOUS!!!

Normally the dogs give me a fit and want their fair share. They'll eat some of the cake stuff and whipped cream. Last night they sniffed it and walked away, laid down and looked at me like I had lost what feeble mind I have left.

Should have taken a picture, the vinegar turned red from the strawberries it was beautiful as well as yummy. I'll have to make it again and take a picture to add to this posting.

UPS brought me a heavy box today. I read on someone's blog (and I am sorry I don't recall which one) where they had been to comic book store with their husband or son. While standing their in their misery, wishing they were in a fabric store, they had the brainstorm of using the board things used in the individual storage bags to keep the comic books straight, to wrap fabric on instead of the plastic things they make for that. She had used hers for fat quarters. These things are a little less than ten dollars for one hundred in a package. Acid free. I guess something like a heavy weight cardstock. I ordered two packages on a site I found Googling. Being heavy the shipping was almost ten dollars too. Now for some time to dig out fat quarters and I'm thinking fat halves too will work, get the iron out, press the fabric and fold on those sheets and stack in a basket or plastic box so I can flip through easily to see the fabrics I'm needing for a project.

Saturday evening my 14 year old grandson hit a home run over the 280 ft. centerfield fence. Nana was so excited. He's going with my husband, daughter and myself to the Baseball Hall of Fame next week. My daughter, his aunt was an awesome baseball player, playing on boys Little, Junior and Senior League as well as AAU, JV and Varsity. Her junior year she switched to fast pitch softball and was awesome in that as well as field hockey. In college she was to play softball but decided she wanted a break from it. She did play field hockey in college and lacrosse. After not playing for a while last summer she played on an adult female softball team and in the fall played on a coed softball team. This summer she isn't playing as she is expecting in September. Her husband played last summer and this summer on a team with a group of men she played baseball with back in her Little/Junior/Senior League days. An odd thing about my grandson's homerun is the batter before him hit one too and his uncle was a good player a couple years younger than his aunt, they were on all-star team together when it covered three league ages on a team.

Fabric and Shoes

Quilt pattern and fabric I bought at my favorite haunt "Nancy's Calico Patch" the other week. Now to find time to start working on it. I love the French blue and yellow fabrics. This will be pretty in either my master bedroom or in the living room.

In today's mail arrived a box of fabrics I ordered on line from Got Fabric.com. I can never get over how quickly merchandise I order from them in Hilo, Hawaii gets to Virginia.

The blue daisy and ladybug flannel is for a receiving blanket for my next granddaughter to arrive in September. Her mommy is doing her nursery with a ladybug motif. I'm going to do a crochet edging around it.

The pink ladybug fabric is to trim some diaper burp cloths for her, maybe a bib...any other ideas???

The green tropical foliage is for my stash. The pre-quilted tropical fish I'm going to just bind the edges and something the babies can lay on the grass for picnics or at the pool side.

The turquoise and hot pink Hawaiian print...not sure what that will be used for. The pink design is in a stripe so...several ideas floating around my head...in a quilt, in a tote-bag, in a garment???

These are my favorite shoes for spring. They are so comfy. I have been living in Crocs. These are a little dressier and are by OAKb. the ribbon bow is so you can switch it to match outfits.

Today I went with DH to Bass Pro and found this pair of Crocs. I love them!!! The strip across the toe has an insert that looks like black patent. A little dressier for them.



And these...are from Bass Pro too!! Flip-flops and the straps have rows of rickrack!!!

Mother's Day

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! Mine was great. I fixed noon day meal for all the family. Mother-in-law and three daughters each fixed deserts, one also did a corn on the cob. I did a roast of beef, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, gravy, green beans, etc.

Gifts to my mother-in-law were hanging baskets of geraniums and a large potted hydrangea. The three girls got Vera Bradley Handbags. I got a neat necklace of three strands of tiny brown beads with a shell pendant with my monogram on it. A tin barn star with pictures of the youngest two granddaughters their mom made. Gift Certificates to TJMaxx and Christopher Banks. Oh and one for a pedicure! I had my first pedicure on my birthday and I'm in love with that luxury treat! Next time I think I'll use the gift certificate for the pedicure and treat myself to a manicure. My finger nails are awful. I used to have such nice nails. Now all they do are crack, split and break.



Saturday I broke my promise to myself not to buy or order more fabric. Ordered some cute flannel to do a baby blanket with crochet edging for my daughter's third baby girl due in September. It has some cute ladybugs on it. She's doing this nursery with ladybugs. I also ordered some Hawaiian prints. Of course week before last I bought a pattern and fabric for a french blue and yellow quilt. I really want to do that soon. Should be working on it this afternoon. However, I have a scratchy throat and don't feel up to it. Had the grand-babies this morning until mid-day and will have them the rest of the week so I need to rest and try to throw off this sore throat.

Baby Quilt 1925/1980

In 1980 when expecting my baby, my grandmother gave me a quilt top she had made for my mother when expecting her. She thought my mother-in-law would quilt it for me, which she did. I did help her a little on it, the first time I did any quilting. I never did learn why she never quilted it as my grandmother, her mother and mother-in-law all three made beautiful quilts back in that time. I was lucky to inherit a few from my mother she ended up with being the only granddaughter on both sides. The quilt top was used as a bedspread on her crib the spring and summer of 1925 when she was born.


I tried to add a closeup picture of two of the blocks to show the quilting but kept getting an error.

Daily doings

Yesterday we did our patriotic duty and voted in the local city election. As I see it we now have the right to complain about our city's government and school board decisions and how they handle matters.

Later took the grandbabies to the mall to walk and have lunch. I found a darling denim skirt for myself for with birthday money. It had tiny embroidered dots on it in various colors. Also got the babies mommy a gift certificate to the maternity shop there as she is in need of summer maternity clothes. Come September this big surprise (she was on the pill) of the year will arrive and give her three children under 2-1/2!!!

Upon leaving the mall we went to Sam's Club to get a large piece of beef to cook for the family, in-laws, three girls and their families for Mother's Day dinner. There I found a beautiful hydrangea and red geraniums for mother-in-law. Now I need something for other two daughters. And something to do in the memory of my mom who I lost this year after a battle with Alzheimer's.

Here's my latest machine embroidery project. I purchased the baby's blanket and machine embroidered the name of my son-in-law's cousin's future baby girl, for his mom to give her.


I also bought one for their new baby to do as soon as they decide what this little girl will be named.
I did a similar one for both of their girls when they were expecting except I did their monograms.

Quilt for Robyn

My daughter Robyn started attending the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival with me in 2006. That year I purchased a kit for a wall-hanging for her two week old daughter's room, which she picked out. I've yet to finish that wall-hanging. Really need to dig it out and finish it ASAP. In 2007 (the day before she delivered her second daughter) she picked out a roll of fat quarters for a throw size quilt for herself in pinks and browns and the pattern she liked. I normally hand quilt my quilts but this one I tried to do it on my Bernina 180. Some of it turned out pretty good I thought and some of it didn't meet my standards I had set for myself. She loves it so that is all that matters.

This is the front of the pink and brown quilt

And this the back of the pink and brown quilt.

It does lay flat with out the ripples you see in these two pictures of it.

This year there she didn't pick out anything...I guess she is still wondering where Laura's wall-hanging is!!! I do keep her two precious babies during the weekdays while she and her husband are working. Some weeks he has two days off but most of the time he has to testify in court on his off days so I have my precious darlings anyway.

Regardless of my limited sewing time I still buy stash!!! and MORE STASH!!! I have a roll of fat quarters to do me at throw in yellow and blues. Bought kits this year at Mid-Atlantic for two throws or wall-hangings. Plus ones for tote-bags. And just last week bought a pattern and fabric for one in French blues and yellows from my favorite quilt fabric store. Of course that's not counting the bags of fabrics I have in various closets, the dresser full of fabric and a closet of shelves full of fabric. And the attic which has plastic totes and suitcases of fabrics. I know my husband is right that I'll never live to use up all the fabric I own. Sad thing is he's only seen the tip of the iceberg of fabric.

First Blog

First time for this fifty-something lady to blog. Needless to say this will be a learning experience.

This weekend my family and I celebrated my birthday. Don't you think this cake is just right for a teenager of the sixties?