Back at Home----Better Late than never One Flower Wednesday-and nice packets in the mail!

Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. Climb slowly, steadily, enjoying each passing moment; and the view from the summit will serve as a fitting climax for the journey. -Harold V. Melchert

My 10 day vacation is over and I am home again.  I spent today at home trying to get some rest for the start of my long work week......I go back tomorrow and with the exception of some resting time on Sunday I will be back at the grind through Tuesday and then I think everything will be back to "normal"..............

I finished my flower for One Flower Wednesday a little late today but here it is.........

When Dorothy's house landed in Munchkinland the Good Witch, Glinda, floated down in a big pink bubble and shortly afterward, the Lollipop Kids presented Dorothy with a big lollipop......In my mind I'm seeing this flower to be placed near the bottom of the wall hanging near the beginning of the yellow brick road......  If you haven't already checked out all the other flowers in Karen's Journey of a Quilter Blog........Just Click HERE

I had some cool packets waiting for me when I got home....first, my blogging friend, Anthea, sent me some awesome green hexie petals from her stash and also a pretty red piece of fabric with red, white, and blue stars and yellow ribbons..........very patriotic....I already have plans for it!

Thanks for thinking of me, Anthea....I love my surprises!

My second packet was from my Block Swap Adventure swap partner, Sunny.    I picked out several blocks for her to choose from and asked that it be made with scraps.........Look at this gorgeous block!

Thank you, Sunny!  I love it! 

and now I am going to get this posted and go check out Karen's flower gardens...........want to come with me?? Just click here

 

Happy Memorial Day, Puppet Shows, and almost time for Nana's long trip home.....

The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.  -Bob Moawad



I can't believe that my vacation is nearly over......but I must admit that whether it is work time or vacation time.....the clock marches on..............

We were all busy while I was here but I did manage to come through with the Puppet Theater and 6 of the Old McDonald Puppets..............

Since I forgot the gray felt at home I had to give Old McDonald some brown hair and beard and he somehow turned out looking more like Old McPirate so Woody was kind enough to loan us his hat and Voila!.....Old McPirate now became Old McDonald or at least, Young McDonald.....LOL...

Our show even went "on the Road" from Grand Prairie, Texas to Corsicana, Texas and back.....one dress rehearsal and two shows.......

Our fantastic master of ceremonies!

we had a monkey that also wanted to be in the show.....

Ernie said if the monkey could be in the show then he could too................

and since Nana didn't get around to making the cow.......we had a "No Cow" at the far left......and he didn't moo.........

Nana will be on the road tomorrow so I bid TaTa for now and will talk to you all again for One Flower Wednesday!

 

 

One Flower Wednesday-More Nana Time and The Horse of a Different Color

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. -Cherokee Expression



Ok I am now at my son's house and enjoying my "Nana" time with my grandsons.......

Before I left home I ordered some fabric and had it shipped here instead of to my house and I have been waiting for it so that I could post my Wednesday flower for you.........the mail doesn't get here til late afternoon so I have been patiently waiting and then frantically cutting and sewing and finally got it finished!!.........and so now without further ado.......I present to you................(drumroll)...............

The horse of a different color!

The middle of the flower is the famous Oz gate-keeper/wagon driver/etc......he looks a little perplexed, doesn't he?  Karen at Journey of a Quilter has more flower gardens for you to see.....click HERE

I also want to show you a new piece of jewelry that I have been wearing............an original made by my grandson!

note, as my Grandson pointed out, that "the name is backwards"...............I love it!

Ok I am getting this posted before Wednesday is over with.........all I have to say is TaTa For Now!

Nana time.........Old McDonald and Puppet theatres........

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
-Frank Outlaw


Well now it is my turn to be on the road..........I am in Ruidoso today.........here celebrating my niece, Erin's, graduation from high school and visiting with Mom, Dad, and all my siblings...........I'm in heaven...........


.Before leaving home this morning I made a trip to the grocery store and loaded up the freezer with microwave snacks and made a huge gallon jar of salsa which was received with a big smile and a question, "Did you think we would starve to death while you're gone??"  (Once a Mom, always a Mom...LOL)

Tomorrow I leave to Carlsbad, NM for a visit with my ex-MIL and other x-in-laws who are always close to my heart.......from there to Lubbock for a visit with my BIL and his family and then on Monday I am off for a week of "Nana time" with my children in the DFW area.......


One of my sons whom I will be visiting has a sewing machine which he has ready for me because he knows I will want to sew something up while I'm there.......I have an idea of what I want to make.....I found a couple of tutorials online and am posting some photos of my master plan.........Once I "get er done" I will post my photos of the final project.....so here is what I found:





Above is "Old McDonald" and we all know that Old McDonald had a farm and on this farm he had:






Old McDonald and his farm animals.......the tutorial is on "Just another day in Paradise blog.........

And how can you have a puppet show without a puppet theater??? I found this tutorial on "Sew Can She" blogsite........










So there you have it......the plan.....I will check in later this week and show you what I did........whether I went with the plan or found something else to do..........either way it is "Ta-Ta for Now" because I need to get some rest......I have a long drive tomorrow..............

 

One Flower Wednesday.....Cow and Chickens in the Tornado.......and still working on the Dresdens

Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself. -Og Mandino




Ok, I confess that I have never read Frank Baum's book, The Wizard of Oz, but I have seen the movie a gazillion times...................and remember the part after Dorothy get's hit in the head and loses consciousness on her bed during the tornado??? And then she wakes up and looks out the window and sees all the stuff flying by in the tornado????  A cow flies by and some chickens........two men in a rowboat, Mrs. Gulch on her bicycle (who then turns into the Wicked Witch of the East right before the Dorothy's house falls on her????? Remember?????

Well, I remember, and I think this cow and these chickens will make their way into the Oz hanging..........I wrestled with wanting to stick to the movie in that at the beginning while in Kansas it was filmed all in sepia tones but as soon as Dorothy stepped out of her house into the land of Oz, everything became beautiful color...........but I'm not sure if I will do that or not........so at least part of my tornado will be in a grayish-green color which I found in this batik fabric...............

 I couldn't decide which background I liked the best; the Mexican Primroses or the Periwinkle leaves, so here are both for you...............there are more beautiful flowers growing at Karen's Journey of a Quilter page.........click here to see them all!

I worked a little more on my Dresden State Bird quilt last week and got 15 of the 30 "extra" circles appliqued onto the top..........Once I get the other 15 on it will be ready to pin to the backing and quilt!

Here is where I am at so far...............

 I wasn't happy with the way the circles looked in the corners....they just looked lost and "forlorn" so I cut a 5x5 charm and put behind each one using the same fabric as the border and then set them on point and that did the trick!  I even like the contrast of having the diamond shapes with the plates....if you look close you can see the plain circles in the row directly above the ones with the charm background..........I also turned the birds on the side drops a quarter turn so that they won't be sideways when the quilt is on the bed...........

Guess that's all I have for you today...........TaTa For now................

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.  - unknown

One Flower Wednesday..........And Toto Too?

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.  -Mahatma Gandhi



........and the story continues...........A couple of Wednesdays ago I posted some hexi poppies for the magic poppy fields where Dorothy fell asleep on her way to the Emerald City............and since those poppy fields were soooooooooooooooo big I realized I would need some more hexies for the hanging so here is Dorothy in the poppy field..........and Toto too!

There you have it...........A puppy in the poppies..........a pooch in the posies......a  pet in the petals....a p......(ok, ok, I'll stop)...........but not before inviting you to check out the other beautiful flower gardens growing at Karen's One Flower Wednesday.......click HERE

And speaking about pets............I do have to show you my furry quilt helper...............

 Last night I laid my State Bird Dresden quilt top out on the floor to measure for the backing and Tinkerbell decided that I needed her help..........she checked out the corner and then rolled over the top to check the back of it............(I think it passed inspection).....................I'm off to the sewing room to see if I can get the State Bird/Flower Dresden quilt done this week.............

TaTa For Now.......................


Here is a giveaway you can check out:
The Amateur Quilter is giving away 10 fat quarters. - Ends May 19th.



State Bird Dresdens continue and A Nice Swap.............

If we cannot be on familiar terms with our past, it is no good. We must have a past that is the product of all the present. -Carl Becker

I was able to cut out 47 circles for my State Bird/State Flower Dresden top.......but, alas.......Iowa, Vermont, and Arkansas were not one of the 47............ I had a fleeting thought that since this was (after all) a quilt.......I could just piece together those 3 states from the scraps that were left after I cut out the States that were printed next to them but in the end sanity overtook and I just ordered some more fabric..........I have also decided to make some pillow shams so I need one more Texas circle and another New Mexico circle to use on those plates anyway... (NM & TX are my home states).................I have made all the plates I need (22) and have appliqued 6 of them:

yes, only 6 are actually appliqued but I laid out three more and then laid some of the State Bird Circles in the corners just to see how my plan is going to look......I will go ahead and add a 3 or 4 inch border so that the circles on the edges will be surrounded with the same fabric as the ones in the corners......I think I am going to like it!

I got a nice "swap packet" in the mail this week from my blogging friend, Cheri at I Be's Cheraldine.....She has a wonderful "swap shop" on her blog and she ships stuff out FAST to you when you trade with her.......here is what I got in my swap:

I invite you to go check out Cheri's swap shop.........maybe you have something in your stash you would like to swap with her.........click here

Well ok............I am working this evening at my moonlighting job...........(getting some extra cash to go visit my kids for a week)

So I will just say........see you soon in blogland..........TTFN!

One Flower Wednesday..........The Road to the Emerald City

 "A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer." -Lucius Annaeus Seneca



We all know that Dorothy and her friends followed the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City........but there must have been some signs as they began to get nearer to the City..........

Awhile back my Sis brought me a beautiful piece of Wizard of Oz fabric...sort of a panel and I have been afraid to cut into it but I finally bit the bullet and did it!  Here are two "signs" I will put up near to the Emerald City so that Dorothy and her friends can find the way easier..........

Aren't my Mexican Primroses pretty?  I love how they spread over a flower bed so quickly and just seem to bloom constantly!
Please hop over to Karen's page where she hosts OFW and see all the beautiful flower gardens growing there.......Click HERE.

Today is not just One Flower Wednesday but it is also my day off so I am off to cut out the rest of my State Bird circles for my dresdens........I will show you my progress later today or tomorrow so  TaTa For Now.....................