Fall is here.....

I love fall....it's my favorite season. The weatherman said that if you wanted to see the fall leaves you had better go soon......and so we did. It was fun seeing all the different colors and hearing the leaves crunch when you walked on them. Now and then you would see a deep red tree among the pines...what contrast!!

It felt good to have the sun on my face and arms. When riding along I love how you hit a cold pocket that takes your breath away. Crisp fall air. The smell brings back so many happy memories of playing in the leaves as a child (and adult).

Oops, forgot to flip this one before I loaded it.A month ago the acorns were so tiny. This time they were bigger, turning brown and popping out of their caps.

Love the reflections in the water. This was taken at our favorite camp spot.....which we didn't camp at this year. I hope we get out more next year.

We found a little clearing that we thought would make a nice camping spot next year. We were scoping it out and talking when Jaycee and Gary noticed the BIGGEST SPIDERS I have ever seen! I'm not exaggerating one bit. This one was at least 3 inches long. It gave us the creeps. Jon kept chasing them.....and Bekkah sat on her machine with her legs up. When we got going again my leg was itching and I had to stop and pull up my pant leg to make sure it wasn't a spider....eek!

A few days away......

Reading my book in the middle of the afternoon and not feeling guilty...not one bit!
Hotel room with the most comfortable mattress and pillows ever!!! Great for an afternoon nap.

Little veranda that was perfect for reading....until it got too hot.


Gary and I took a few days off work and headed south for some much needed relaxation. I always tease Gary that he is married to his job because it is so hard for him to take time off -- but he managed to get away (thanks Jamie for working while we were gone!) We had such an enjoyable, relaxing few days. He drove me around to a few quilt shops in the area. We bought ourselves some new clothes and shoes. We took an afternoon drive. He picked where to eat one night and I picked the next night. It was fun not to have an agenda and to just take it easy.


I bought this pattern and fabric in one in one of the quilt shops. I can't wait to start it. Then I found fabric for the backs of 2 tops I have ready to quilt.

A new book by Nancy Halverson -- love her books! She has the best Christmas patterns for neighbor gifts and decorating your home.

I little skull fabric for Jaycee!

I made this Halloween table topper last week before we left. When we got home we dug out the Halloween boxes and decorated. I'm ready for Halloween.....except for the candy. If I buy that now we eat it...ALL of it!

You know you're a quilter when...

1. There's more Fabric in the House than Food.
2. "Fat Quarters" are not the heaviest part of your body.
3. Your ironing board is always set up but you never iron clothes.
4. You think of your job as an interruption of your quilting time.
5. You pet Fabric. (I think I pet my fabrics more than my 2 dogs!)
6. People are always picking threads off you.
7. You leave a a trail of thread/fabric scraps through the house.
7. You can measure a scant 1/4 by eye.
8. Your "UFO's" are not from outer space.

Number 4 is a big one for me right now. Darn job really gets in the way of of my quilting. I have a vinyl sign on my sewing room wall that says "HEAVEN." I want to get one for my office that says "HELL" -- but how would I explain that to my boss if she stopped by???

Twisted....

How to peel and eat this one???
I have been productive in the quilt department this past week and it feels soooooo good to cross a few things off my never ending list. This is Nann's Dick and Jane Quilt. No one was home at the time I took the pictures to hold it up for me. I'll have to post a picture of the whole quilt later. I love it since I learned to read in Dick and Jane books. It was a fun to quilt it and see their faces......I was a kid again saying "Run Dick run. See the ball?"

Then got this top put together and quilted for my daughter to give to her friend at the baby show last night. I love the colors.

I made it crib size.

I love this robot fabric. I've had it in my stash for over a year. I had a pattern picked out to use, but of course when I went to get it I couldn't find it. I just cut out 6-1/2 inch squares of the robots and rockets, then bordered each with 2-1/2 inches of fabric. It's about 42 x 42 inches. So easy!!

All ready to wrap up for my friend, Becky, who has a new grandson.

Feeling crafty??

These are a few of the necklaces we made at the family reunion. I've had a few people ask for instructions, so thought I'd pass the info on.

I love the big washer necklaces. I have quite a few that I wear with my everday clothes to dress them up a bit. Jaycee did both sides of her washer with different paper so she could get double use out of them. We used the same technique on the dog tags. Here's the link to the site that has a little video on how to make them.

http://modpodgerocks.blogspot.com/2009/06/necklaces-made-from-nuts-and-bolts.html

They used Diamond Glass, but I couldn't find it at our craft store. We used Glossy Accents (from Roberts) and it worked great!

Here's the link that tells you how to engrave washers. My tip is to rotate the bits with the letters on a little bit as you hammer them to get all of the letters. We tried all sizes of washer from Home Depot. Does anyone know where you can buy bronze washers?

http://www.sugardoodle.net/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3737&Itemid=429

She has a link to ArmyNavy. com where I got the dog tags and chains. I bought 100 dog tags which made them about 25 cents each. They do sell in lots of 10 too. Use a fine tip black Sharpie for filling in the letters, then you don't have to wipe off the excess ink. I put a couple of Kleenez tissues under the dog tags when we engraved them so they didn't bend so much. If anyone comes up with a better method, I'd love to hear about it.

My sister, Kathy did one with her kids names on it and she wears it to work on casual day. I think they would good presents, something kids can make for friends, etc. Here's a couple more good sites:

http://beachellfamilyof6.blogspot.com/2009/01/rockin-washers.html

http://crapivemade.blogspot.com/2009/06/washer-necklaces.html

http://thecreativecrate.blogspot.com/2009/05/fun-washer-necklaces.html

http://thecreativeitchboutique.blogspot.com/2009/06/washer-anklets.html

It was a bit hit at the reunion -- all ages were doing them. I want to make some more -- so if my sisters read this, let's get together one Saturday and create!

If you have any questions, let me know!

Been doing a little of this and that.....

I'm reading my FAVORITE book again -- Mrs. Mike. I first read it in high school and have read it dozens of times since (and I cry every time). There is such a good message in this book about life -- when you think you've lost it all there is a second chance to be happy. Gary is reading his favorite book, Haunted Mesa. I have to laugh at the sight of us laying in bed at night with the TV off, bifocals on, reading. I've never read his book and he's never read mine. Someday when we are retired and have more time on our hands we might have to do that.

I've got my sister's quilt on the frames but haven't put a stitch in yet. Sometimes I have a hard time quilting other people's quilts. I get afraid that I'll mess it up or not like the design I do. Major case of quilter's block!! I've been trying to visualize what to do. Nann -- I really will get to it this weekend!

I had some of this fabric called Little Blessings from a quilt I did last year. I made a cute baby quilt for my daughter's friend. I think I'll even have it done before the shower - ta da!

We've done 32 quarts of salsa so far. We're are trying to get about 50-60 done because the kids practically drink it and we are out by January. They did help a little with the process, but Gary and I have it down to a science and each have our own jobs in the process.

Our black chicken didn't lay an egg for about 5 days -- then WOW -- a 3-incher with a double yolk!! All I have to say is OUCH!!