Saturday Adventures!

Saturday was a great day!  First Jan came over, then we went to the kids gymnastics meet, then we went to Sunny Skies ice-cream in Angier, NC (YUMMY).

Then out of the blue I say, there is a little antique store in Angier, does anyone want to go, expecting all negative responses I was shocked to here all yeses.  So we go and guess what, they are CLOSED!! Boo-hoo I thought. As we are making out way to get mulch so I can finish the garden I suggest we go through the old town of Fuquay Varina, because there is a little antique/consignment shop there, everyone is again all for it.  Thankfully, they are open.

So Bernie is looking for Ball Jars because he likes to put his pennies in there (he is an avid Lincoln cents collector and put his undesirables in the jars).  Well he hit the jackpot.

Gordon picked up some pop bottles (he collects old bottles). Natalie picked up some type of marble, wire, prosperity tree with rusty bells on it, she was really taken by it. Alice couldn’t find anything she liked. Jan got a great old pot perfect for dying fabric (she left it here telling me I was keeping it, but that is not going to happen). The kids and Bernie then find then old school desk in the back for cheap, it may not be a “real” antique but it is real old and in super condition, and cute. Bernie wants to get it and I like it, so, taken. I saw a couple things I really wanted but I had made a promise to everyone I was not going to be spending anymore money. Well, they had this old Singer Sewing machine in a wood case and I asked how much, yikes, I said okay but never mind.  Then she cut the price in half, much more reasonable price I thought, but said I couldn’t right now.  Bernie goes looking at it and comes to me and says, “I think you should get it.”  What?????  I ask Jan and get the same response.   Come on people I am trying to be good here.  They both think it is a great idea. So I get it. And I get guilt for the rest of the day and no mulch or fertilizer for my yard.  I have an antique Singer sewing machine table that my mother (God rest her soul) had taken apart and given away the sewing machine, the treadle and all is still in tack but the machine is gone. A treadle sewing machine, oh what a loss.  So after I pretty the machine up it will be displayed on it.  Everything seems to work but I am afraid if I put it out the thirty little fingers of the Helms household will not be able to resist touching it. So here it is.

 

Well, off to do some work!! Have a great day!!

My Gold Medalists

My Gold Medalists
Originally uploaded by stitchin.thyme

Alice and Gordon had their first gymnastics meet on Saturday. They did awesome. They have only been doing it for a month, I was so proud. They both knew their whole routines. It was fantastic. Thank you Mom-Mom for allowing them to participate, they are loving it. Of course we still cannot get Gordon out of the camouflage and long pants but we are working on it! Great job guys!!! I love you!!!

A Tisket A Tasket Block 4

A Tisket A Tasket Block 4
Originally uploaded by stitchin.thyme

Finally I am all caught up. I am very happy with my blocks so far. Now I need to work on my Gail Pan blocks. One more week and I will have new blocks for both!!

A Tisket A Tasket Block 5

A Tisket A Tasket Block 5
Originally uploaded by stitchin.thyme

I have finally caught up on my blocks, just in time for the new one to come out. Block 4 needs a little more embroidery, I will post tomorrow.

Gardening

I have finally started gardening at the new house. Almost 2 1/2 years later but I have always been working so much I haven’t had the time.

Home Depot had a sale on perennials so we picked up a bunch and Jan gave me about 30 plants from her gardens. So I planted them all this weekend, except the shade plants, I will tackle those gardens this coming weekend. I still need about 30 bags of mulch to finish the front but I am almost there.

It will probably take about 2 years for the plants to fill in like I want. I like full, cluttered gardens, no rhyme or reason to the plants. It has rained everyday since I planted them, I am very excited about that, it never rains here.

I am not nearly finished but here are some shots.

This garden is going to extend the length of the porch along the left side, but I can’t afford right now to do all that.

This weekend I will get more mulch and hopefully finished these gardens up. I have already put down 30 bags of mulch, yikes. Actually 5 of the bags went to the shade garden in the backyard. I will also need more for that garden. I will post pictures of that when I finish next weekend. I am anxious to see what they will look like when they fill in, but I can wait, very worth the wait!!

Miss Liberty

Miss Liberty
Originally uploaded by stitchin.thyme

I finally finished my wool applique I designed. Isn't she adorable. I had originally intended on doing a stitchery but I thought the wool would be cute. I am going to do the stitchery also, just a smaller version.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANET!!!

I wanted to also wish my dear friend Janet a happy birthday. So Jan, I hope you have a wonderful day full of happy things and no worries!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

Don’t you wish!!!

Purses, Purses and more Purses!!

Alice was on my case to make her Kindergarten teacher something with some penguin fabric she had picked out (her teacher loves penguins).  I had found this great quilt pattern and wanted to do that but it is all appliqué and there is only a couple more weeks of school left, no way I could get it done. So I went looking through my magazines for something easy.  Well, I found an issue of BHG Quilts and More, page 17 a pattern for an easy tote bag called “Pick a Pocket”.  It is a cute little bag, I even had a sticky note on the page because I wanted to make one.

I also had an order for a “Doll in a Bag”, so I changed my original design to this pattern, it was just too cute.

I then made one for myself using some of my Japanese novelty fabric. I have a lot of this and have never really used it except for a couple small things. Cutting it has been very difficult for me.  But I fought the urge to just hoard it and made a bag for me.  The next morning I found a note where my bag once sat, from my oldest daughter Natalie, she had taken my bag for her own.  Also on her note was an additional order for a bag with her fabric (another Japanese novelty print with owls on it – oh baby this was getting hard).  And Alice reminded she could not give one to her teacher if she did not have one for her assistant teacher.  So while they were at school I made the other two.

If you are not counting, that is 5, yes five little purses, and more orders coming in.  I have two from work and another for my daughters friends birthday and the list goes on. 

Here are pictures of my completed bags and one of my “Dolls in a Bag”. I actually feel like I could make a hundred of these. So very easy.  With each one I keep adding or doing something different.  It will not be as easy the further I get but it will definitely be fun!

Well, I am just getting off work from 3rd shift and have tons of laundry to do, grass to cut, flowers to plant and just maybe a nap (but that probably wont happen).

We have a tomato!!!!

Finally, we have a tomato on Mister Tomato (yes his name has been changed).  Gordon is very happy and proud.  I have never seen a tomato plant receive so much love.  If I could only get him to love showering as much as he loves watering Mister Tomato I would be happy.

Sunday we had an unexpected visitor. I am not sure why he was not out enjoying the rain, I think it may have been a little cool for him.

All for now – Have a great day!!!

Miss Liberty Redwork

I finished up another redwork last night at work.  It is from www.patternbee.com . Yes I have stitching time at work, it is a perk for working the 3rd shift.  A quiet night last night, hopefully tonight will not be too crazy, but a little more going on would make the time go by a little faster.  I also worked on my grandmothers flower garden.  I have just been sewing the hexagons not actually putting them together yet.  I keep changing my mind on how I want them set, so many possibilities.

So here is the finished pillow, I stayed up this morning when I got home to sew it up.

I should have taken it outside to get a picture, but I am being lazy.

Off to do some things before work!! Have a great night!! 

Happy Belated Birthday to Me!

I am a little late. Yesterday was my birthday.  I had a great day.  Went out with my friend Jan and we had lunch with a couple other ladies and then went to Borders.  Saw another friend there at the magazines and talked about quilting for a while.  It was fun, I felt spoiled.  It is great to grow old if you have a great friend to do it with. 

Took the kids to gymnastics and then came home to a wonderful dinner, my husband is a great cook.  He made me cake also and the kids had a great time singing “Happy Birthday” as loud as they could to me.  Again, I felt so spoiled.

It is hard to believe I am 39, I never think of myself as being that old.  Well not old but, yeah old.  I only feel it when I am trying to play around with the kids and “exert” myself too much.  Sometimes I think I should have started younger, maybe I would be a little better at keeping up, but then I think back and know it would not have been a great idea.  I had them when the time was right and I need to just get busy and in shape enough to keep up.

My computer is making some kind of awful noise so I better get off before it explodes.  Not even a year old and the dang thing is messing up for the second time.  I am good at picking out the lemons.  I don’t want to be without one so I haven’t taken it to the shop, I better do it soon!! Yikes!

The Fabric is Complete!

I have completed the color coordinating of my fabric, everything has been refolded and scraps taken out.  I took out all the large “non-quilting-like” fabrics such as chenille and other things and put them in the kitchen pantry downstairs.  My husband didn’t care much for that idea since I was supposed to keep everything quilting/craft-like in my room.  We have not used the pantry since we have lived here, it has always had craft/fabric stuff in it, so it will remain so.

I emptied one shelf, now the books and magazines I have piled on the floor will go there.  I had all my books and magazines organized at one time (not long ago) but they will need to be redone.  Not now though, I need to get crafty.  So here is the empty shelf. I am so proud!!

Here are the blues, blacks, greens, browns, whites and creams, oh and yellows. I have one shelf on the top that has my flannels, I do not have many of those and the others I mixed in.

  Here are the reds, pinks, peaches, oranges, purples/plums and Japanese novelties.

That is all for today. I have two of the three kids home today sick.  I wont be getting much done.  They probably aren’t too sick to go to school, but the new rule with the H1N1 (swine flu) virus they have to stay home if they are sick.  I wish that rule applied to me at work. My poor husband caught my cold, hopefully he wont get the sinus infection also, but he had to go to work also. Poor him!!

Happy Mother’s Day

What a nice day we have had today.  Had a great breakfast and lunch made for me and last night the hubby made dinner for our friends and it was very nice.  Had a big storm come through but it was a great evening.

I was able to do a mini shop hop with my dear friend Jan yesterday.  We picked up my sewing machine from the shop and went to several others and the thrift store.  Oh, we had such fun.

So today, with my sewing machine back, I finished up the Miss Rosie’s Quiet Time Quilt.  Here it is, all I need to do is add a label and its off to the quilt shop for a while to hang.  It was sort of in the shade so the picture is not that great.

I also finished up another red work pillow, same designer drew it as the last one. 

  I tried taking some pictures of bees today, so I have this constant buzzing going on in my head.  I also took a picture of a gift I received, they opened up real nice today for me.

If you look close at the flower on the right you can see I also captured a little bug!

Well off to do some more busy things.  By the way, I have finished separating my fabrics, they are not on my shelves just how I want them, I am hoping to finish it up tomorrow.

A Tisket A Taket BOM

I have fallen behind.  The 5th is here and I have not even started stitching on my last block.  I have the fabrics chosen and laid out but nothing has been started.  I need to get busy on this.

I had such plans for the day but they have all been cancelled.  I am sick as a dog.  My throat hurts so bad I can barely swallow.  Poor me.  A good day to rest though, as I am listening to the thunder of an approaching storm or, as usual, a storm going around us.  We finally got some good rain last night maybe we will get a little more today.  I love thunderstorms, the kids hate them unless they are at school.  For some reason they love thunderstorms at school but shiver and hide when they are at home.

I worked hard on my quilt room last night. I was hoping to finish up the fabric today but just can’t seem to muster the energy.  Natalie says I have the “swine flu”, great.  I told her if I did she will probably get it also, she then changed her mind and said it was just a cold.

I think I will just relax and maybe stitch on my Grandmothers Flower Garden, and listen to the thunder.

Hopefully next time I will be a little more upbeat.

 

 

May Flowers

Finished up a hand embroidered and hand sewn (my machine is still in the shop) pillow this morning.  I got the stitchery from www.redwork.info.com (I think).  It is a sketch by Barbara Parrish from  2004.  Very cute.  Made a simple pillow, distressed it, I think it is cute, simple and cute.

 

Off to fold fabric!!!!

The Little Pig

I know I already published one post today but I really wanted to share a guest we had on Saturday.  We have some friends around the corner who just moved back from Japan.  The kids were back and forth on Saturday playing. Well, Alice, knowing I like pigs, could not keep her “sticky” fingers off this little cute black pig from Japan.  So prior to sending it back home I asked their mom if I could take some pictures of him.  He is very cute.  My husband believes I am crazy, which is probably true, but I think it is super cute and Alice and I really enjoyed finding places for him to sit.  So here is how he spent the day with us. By the way, thank you Veronica for lettings us visit with him.

     

Well, all for now, I am going to stitch an maybe play a little “Littlest Petshop” with Alice, she is now up to 123 of those little rascals.  Reminds me of someone I know!!!