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.....................

Off on another tangent or How to create a UFO without really trying.....

Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it with use. -Ruth Gordon

This past week I have been a plate-making machine!  Since getting the dresden pre-cuts that my Mom had made (and which my Sis had given me).......I made a Mother's Day table topper which I showed you on my last post but then I took it a step further......

Not only did I do the topper but then I pieced together 8 more plates for my Sis so she would have a total of 20.  (She had already pieced together 12 of them).......

Well I couldn't leave it at that because I still had so many precuts just sitting there so I started  strip stitching and didn't stop til I had 21 more plates!  (Mom was a "Dresden Cutting Machine that day.....she cut enough pieces to make about 65 plates! )  Here are the first 5 for my quilt:

Awhile back I had bought a State Bird/State Flower Fabric and it had just been sitting in my stash.....

I decided that all the different birds would make the perfect fussy cut center circles for my Dresdens................

here is the circle I cut with the Mockingbird and Bluebonnet....the State Bird and Flower of Texas:

I'm not going to use any sashing on the quilt but instead will just sew the 18 inch blocks together.  Then I will sew another of the State Bird circles in each corner.....20 blocks with 30 more in the corners accounts for all 50 states!  Stay tuned........I'll post more photos as the project continues..........

Everytime I go to my Sis's house to show her a project or take some fabric to share with her she asks if I don't have a tote bag so I don't have to carry everything in my arms...........I usually hem and haw and say I don't mind but last time she asked I said, "well why don't you make me a tote then?" 

Gosh, she took me serious and look at this beautiful thing she handed me on Friday!

 

The Loralie Designs Ladies panels came from the Traveling Stash box I won in January......I shared them with my Sis and then got them back again!

I don't know if you can see it but there is a darling leaf scroll on the top and every few inches is my name!  I am so happy with my tote!  It is just perfect!  (Little sisters have a way of "making big sisters do things" too!)

Well then..........time to go do some sewing!  Oh yeah.....the UFO part is my Little Apples Quilt....still on the back burner.....

TaTa For now..................

Dresden Table Topper Done! Back to Little Apples and Novelty & Solids Layer Cake Swap Success!

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. -Albert Schweitzer


I finished Mom's Dresden table topper.......as I mentioned before, I was not liking the original way I set the half plates so I turned them around and added some half square triangles to all the corners.....and voila!  I'm happy.

I had put the Little Apples quilt on the back burner while I waited for some charms I ordered to come in and here they are!

I know I usually go on and on about my "bossy" big sister but she is also one of the sweetest people I know........she knew I was short on fabric for the back of my Little Apples Quilt and she just happened to have a half yard of one of the fabrics in the collection.........so she didn't blink an eye.......just donated it "to the cause" and I am ready to get back to it........

Last of all I wanted to give a wonderful report on the Novelty and Solids Layer Cake Swap that she and I coordinated together...........Just look at this loot!

We were able to get all 24 slots filled and all the packets have been mailed back to everyone..............we want to thank all of you who participated and since everything went so well we may just decide to try it again sometime!

I think that wraps it up for today's post...........looks like I covered everything in the title so I will get outta here.........
TaTa for Now..............

 

One Flower Wednesday and some Dresdens

The only race you have to win is the race against yourself - there will always be someone faster and stronger but there will never be another you, so look within and push your own personal boundaries.    -Unknown


Hello Wednesday!  This is my day off so I always love when Wednesday gets here..........I got one more yellow brick road hexie done this week..........the inverse of one I made last week with the magic poppies..........

I almost got the bricks to match all around but I decided that on the left side must be where the yellow brick road turns and changes direction?  (well I convinced myself of that anyway........haha) 
 Don't forget to go visit Karen's "One Flower Wednesdays" page and see the beautiful flower gardens growing there each week.....Just click HERE to go THERE! 

I have put the Little Apples quilt on hold until the charms I ordered last week get here......so it is still an official WIP and not in my UFO pile..........(grin)..........

From time to time my sister drags spirits my Mom and Dad off with her and her husband to their little ranch in the Texas Hill Country.  (Daddy loves to go and Mom usually complains that she would rather stay home but my sister MAKES her go......lol.....my Sis can be very convincing).....

Well anyway..... during one of those times Mom cut up piles and piles of dresdens..........enough to make more than a couple of quilts........and I was lucky enough to get on the receiving end of a bunch of them.............they are all different fabrics but I slipped out enough to make a table topper/runner using only three of the fabrics so I am working on that this week. 

Of course, we all know that no matter the size of our stash there is always "just the right fabric" missing.........I really didn't like any that I had except for the melon background fabric I used.....

Fortunately I found the perfect fabric in my Sister's stash!  Haha........the same pattern used in the brown dresdens but in green!  ......And the price was perfect too.........Nada!  (Sister's do really nice things.......)

So anyway.....after tacking the 3 plates down I discovered the topper was going to be way bigger than I wanted so I cut one of them in half then added a border with made fabric from the extra dresdens and stash find.....

 I'm not entirely happy with the way this looks so I'm going to re-tack the half plates in the other direction with the flat sides facing the ends and the round sides facing the middle plate.......I think I have enough of the green "Sister Stash Gift" fabric to make the backing so I will use that color to bind it with.....
Ok then...........off to the sewing room........Ta Ta For Now............

May for Me BINGO Card

"The true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good."    -Ann Landers



I am posting my BINGO card for the May for Me Celebration so I can link up and hopefully win some fabulous prizes!

Here is my card....can't wait to start playing BINGO! 

B	I	N	G	O
FROG	CORN	SNOWFLAKE	GHOST	DRAGON
CAT	COW	STAR	PICKLE	OWL
SHIP	LADYBUG	FREE	GOOSE	GRAPES
TURTLE	SOMBRERO	HEARTS	DAISIES	TEAPOT
BALLOONS	CHICKENS	DEER	SHAMROCK	BATS

Good Luck Everybody....and thanks to all our great coordinators and wonderful Sponsors for this great opportunity to have a lot of fun and win a lot of prizes!

Little Apples Quilt Update

"Don't wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you've got to make yourself."
-Alice Walker   

Hello Friday!............. and another week is nearly gone...soon it will be May.........it's true that the older one gets, the quicker the time passes for us............

Well my Little Apples quilt is now 82" x 92" and I am finally ready to say it is big enough......

I added the teal border and then the pieced border, followed by another white border...............unfortunately I used so much of the original 6 and a half yards of my backing fabric for the teal border that now I am short for my backing.....I do have some of the white background fabric left and some remnants of the green and red fabrics so maybe I will piece them.  I'm not excited about ordering any more fabric right now so I think I am going to put it away for a day or two and think about it........maybe I will decide to just use something entirely different..............ideas anyone?

Not much else to tell you so I think I will start my May mug rug for my Year Of Rugs Swap........

then maybe work on a Mother's Day table runner.........so I'm off to do what I can before it's time to go to work tonight..........

TaTa For Now........

Magic Poppies for One Flower Wednesdays and packages in the mail........

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."  -Lao Tzu



On her way to the Emerald City, the Wicked Witch cast a spell and Dorothy fell into a deep sleep in the magic poppy fields.............

  ......     

As I envision the poppy fields....it seems to me that since Dorothy is following the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, there must be bits of the road covered by the poppies......so I will have a few sections of the poppy fields include pieces of the yellow brick road in my wall hanging............Karen at Journey of a Quilter has a whole garden of lovely flowers where she hosts One Flower Wednesdays......Please click HERE to go see them all!

I got some wonderful mail this week!  I received this fabulous sushi bundle from Darlene at Sew Cal Gal from a giveaway I won on her blog........

Just look at this yummy fabric!  There are 18 pieces here of different batik prints!  Thank you, Darlene for a wonderful surprise....I love it all!

The next thing I received this week was 5 lucious fat quarters from Annie at Annies Ruby Slipperz

I won these FQ on her weekly giveaway and asked her to send me some Rainbow colors...........just look at these colors.....they are from Kaffe Fasset...........and this photo doesn't do the colors justice.........in "real life" they are so vibrant, they look like they jumped out of a Crayola marker box!  Thanks, Annie!

If you haven't checked out either of these great ladies' blogs I invite you to do so now.....click on the links above and have fun

Ok one more photo and I'm off to work on my Cross Terrain Apple quilt...........here is where I am now.........still not satisfied that this is big enough so I am adding a teal border followed by another white border.............will post that photo as soon as I'm done but for now here is how the Terrain Apple looks right now................

Will talk to you later.................TaTa For Now.......