Spring!

Finally!! The weather has been so gorgeous for three whole days! The boys are feeling the weather is warm enough to go barefoot- or wear flipflops. I am tired of nagging them to put their shoes on. It's their feet, afterall. The liitle ones are asking every five minutes if they can play in the hose- I put my foot down on that one! A warm breeze does not make a summer!

This quilt is finally finished. I pieced it from scraps from a previous quilt several years ago. And then I found the perfect backing for it- a very good quality sheet from a thrift shop- it had hand made lace on the edge- which I salvaged, of course. It was a lovely leaf green. So I put it on the frame and got it done lickety split. This one goes into Jacob(16y) stash. He loves green and blue together.

I have a little project to do next- a quilt made from paintstiks- all leaves. That'll be fun, I hope. You never know.

The prairie is looking so peaceful- waiting to warm up. Notice how the sky looks like the fields. The same rows...

Just an itty bitty...

This quilt is 16" square. Lots of tiny little triangles. Not my thing so much- but I love how they turn out all quilted up and hanging on a wall. This one is made from Sandy's reproductions. She is making one from my hand-dyed stash. It was one of those projects you just had to nibble around on- otherwise, you'd go bonkers trying to keep all 100 or more pieces straight!

Speaking of chickens...

This is the chicken tractor that William made for a friend of ours- I was sorta jealous, 'cause it's a really cool tractor. But notice, he built it in the "dining room" and had to remove the picture window to get it out. Poor dear mismeasured by 2 lousy inches and it wouldn't fit through the door! He knew I was gonna blog about this. Granted, he did the work on the project in the middle of the night and didn't finish until 2am. But I still thought it was hysterically funny. Bob's chickens are gonna be so happy to move out of their cardboard box in the living room and into a real chicken environment.

Above and beyond...

the call of duty! A couple of my hens are all wrapped up in Spring and are laying double time! I have 15 poulets and I am getting 17 eggs a day! Woo-hoo. Soon I'll have enough to share. That's always fun.

Sewing just a little- literally. Working on a tiny quilt. But working on the yard while the sunny days are here. The little ones are enjoying some hard work. Funny how they love the jobs I don't like so much.

The girls and I ran some errands last night and we were killing time at the mall while waiting for sweet William. I am ever so proud that we came away with just two books- no clothes. My kind of girls!

Well, yeah...
I know I was supposed to use dark, folkart colors... and aside from the fact that I don't own anything like that, batiks are just a whole lot of fun. Nobody could take it too seriously.

The girls in their Easter frocks...

that Grandmother made them. Don't they look just adorable? Hello Kitty is big around here.

April showers...

bring May flowers. Right? It is pouring buckets out there, so the flowers should be very happy- as soon as it warms up a bit. Boo made this flower for me and we wrapped it in contact paper so it will catch the light. Very cheery. She has made one for almost every window.

Bread making...

has been a whole lot of fun, lately. "When it rains, it pours." I have been sprouting wheat berries- adding them to wholewheat bread. It makes a heavy, moist sort of bread with lots of interesting texture. Yum yum!! The sprouts are very tasty alone, also. And good for you, to boot. Can't beat that.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Eye candy...

Bill is always laughing at me because I need to make regular trips back to the quilting room to visit and stroke my little collection of fabrics. There really isn't anything comparable to that, in his life. I just love the way they look and feel. These are some new batiks that I had to buy, today. At $6 a yard, I couldn't just leave them there, they had to come home with me!

Sorry I haven't posted anything lately. Just feeling a bit retiring. I had a little surgery and it went very well- like I had a rubberband around my esophogus- and they blew it to smithereens and now I swallow so much easier. I've been doing a little spring cleaning- trying to get the dust levels down and the cobwebs under control- or at least a reasonable amount. I find that cleaning isn't my favorite thing to do, but if I can rearrange the furniture- it seems a lot more fun. I still have a long way to go and that's OK because Spring is creeping in and giving me a little more time. I'm trying to focus on one room a day.

I haven't been sewing any. Just admiring the stash and walking away. Seems like I sew and quilt in spurts. Hard and heavy for a while and then off for a while. I don't mind that. It seems to work for me. I am plenty productive enough to feel no pressure when I just... sit and day dream.

Joe and Laurie's wedding day has been set for October 10 and I am very happy with how their plans are coming together. Laurie's mom is a wonder and everyone should have a wedding planner like her. Shew, I am glad that I have 5 sons in a row before the girls start down that aisle.

Well, that's all the news that's fit to print! Probably more than! Hope everyone is enjoying whatever it is that you're up to!