Back home.

Words for the day:

Shout to the LORD, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!
~ Psalms 98:4, NLT

     I'm back home now after a wonderful week spent in Gulfport, Mississippi with my husband and great friends.  We relaxed, visited, ate and drank too much and had a wonderful time.  The weather was great, not that terrible cold that the entire country experienced earlier in the month.  And then, of course, it is always wonderful to get back home.  I missed my blogging friends and my sewing so I've spent most of today catching up.
     I'm in a group working through Penny Haren's Pieced Applique book.  It is quite challenging and seems to get more challenging with each block.  One good thing, my blocks will all match since they all seem to end up crooked.  Cute and pretty, but crooked.  Here goes the 4th block called "Advanced Liberty Star."

Amazingly, the star block I made for the "Star Block of the Month" was harder to make than the "Advanced Liberty Star."  I didn't really know what it was going to look like until it was done and it did not look at all like what I envisioned. Anyway, it was a nice surprise. I think I really appreciate everyone's efforts even more after I've gone through making one and experience, first hand, the difficulties encountered.

      This is a short post.  I'm too worn out from having a good time all last week and playing catch-up today.  I need to surf the web a little and find some giveaways for us to enter.  But until later,


...that is all.

On the road again.

Encouraging word of the day:

If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. ~ Ecclesiastes 4:10

I'm on vacation right now but I didn't want to miss "One Flower Wednesday" so I sewed two flowers before I left home so that I'd have something to post.  I've been up having a good time with my friends but it is now 1:18 am and technically already "tomorrow" so here are my hexies:

 I'm having a great time and will write more later.  

 That is all.

Not much going on.

Encouraging words of the day: 

For we live by believing and not by seeing.
~ 2 Corinthians 5:7, NLT

Things I've done/am doing...

I finished Block #8 from the "Layer Cake Quilt-Along."  Either these blocks are getting easier or I'm getting better.  I think I must be getting better (tongue in cheek).  Here's Block #8:

Wow, is that all I've done in the last two days? Ummm, I did go shopping at JoAnn's and bought 24 fat quarters.  Oh, I did start packing for a trip I'm taking, I washed clothes, and did all the usual hum-drum things we all have to do.  I found some giveaways and that's always fun while today I am absolutely borrringg...

     "Samelia's Mom"  is hosting a giveaway (open until Feb 15) of a Moda charm pack.

      "Lilac Lane"  has a giveaway of beautiful fabrics plus $20 gift certificate from Above All Fabric .  You can enter every day through Feb 13 for this giveaway.
     "Stray Stitches"   is having a fabric giveaway.  She is giving a total of 5 yards of fabric. Don't miss this one.

That is all.  I'll probably have really interesting topics next time.

One Flower Wednesday

Encouraging words of the day--

So let's stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.
~ Romans 14:13, NLT 

Today is "One Flower Wednesday" and this is my flower for the day.  I love these days :)  I'm also enjoying the "Hexie Flower Swap" I've joined.  Speaking of which, I mailed my February hexie to my "person."  Actually, I had my husband take it to the post office.  Since the hexie is going to Australia, he was asked to fill out a customs form and estimate the cost of the item.  He wrote $1.  Imagine.  Not that I wanted to pay a huge amount of duty but really, can't you send around $100 worth duty-free?  To say my hexie is worth one dollar?  Anyway,

 

As a matter of fact, I'm enjoying most of my quilting projects.  I just finished this UFO I had been working on for a while.  I call it my son's "Monkey Quilt."  I started this before I had become as knowledgeable about quilting.  I have learned so much from my quilting-blogging friends.  Here's the "Monkey Quilt."  My son is now 33 years old but he loved monkeys as a child.  I guess he still does...

   The instructions for the 8th block of the Layer Cake Quilt-Along have been posted so I'll be working on that.  Soon.  Meanwhile, here are a few giveaways I've come across.

     The "House of Bad Cats" is hosting a mystery giveaway (probably involving hexies).  This will be given away on Feb 13.

    "Snippets of a Quilter"is having a giveaway to celebrate her birthday on Feb 14.  Happy Birthday!  

   "Very Berry Handmade"  is having a giveaway of "Simply Solids" fabric.  They are simply beautiful and will be given away on Feb 14.

That is all.

      

Super Bowl Sunday!

Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge.

~ Psalm 16:1

Super Bowl Sunday.  Everyone is excited.  I'll still get some sewing done.  I just finished the next house block for the House of the Month group.  It's a little farm house that I really had fun making.  It "seemed" to just fall together so easily.  Not until I took my photo did I notice that something seemed a little off.  So, here is my little crooked house, hahahaha.  I kind of like it so I'm leaving it as it is.

The block of the week for Penny Haran's Pieced Applique is called Patrick's Spotlight.  I finished that doing machine-applique.  Most of the participants are doing hand-applique but I'm saving my hand sewing for my "hexies."

That's it for today.  I'm going to go make guacamole dip and other goodies to munch on while we watch Super Bowl.  Later.

Just thinking...

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. ~ Psalm 40:1

I'm just thinking that I'd like to post every day but I only have 18 followers  and they mainly check in on "One Flower Wednesdays" so I'm not getting much other traffic.  I do so appreciate my "One Flower Wednesday" friends :)  I got to thinking that maybe if I host a giveaway, I'll get more followers.  But then I continued with my thinking and wondered if my giveaway would get any attention since I only have 18 people that follow me (3 are my sisters) and would know about it.  On the other hand, YOU, my good followers would have a wonderful chance of winning.  I'm still setting up my giveaway but I am definitely thinking of following through with this plan.  Details to follow in a couple of weeks or so.  

     Speaking of giveaways, "Simply Solids" is having a giveaway to celebrate 400+ followers, a nice bundle of 12 fat quarters.  The winner will be announced February 11.

     On to other topics:  Today is finally the first time in 3 days that we've been above freezing.  The sun is finally shining today and we're back to earning our nickname of the "Sun City!"  I didn't sew at all yesterday. I mailed my 2 mug rugs for the Mug Rug Swap, mailed 2 NOOK covers I made for my sisters:

I learned on each one I made.  The first one is for my NOOK and I decided the flap on the top was too small.  The middle one was next and I was pleased with it but decided to make the last one just a little bit wider.

     That's it for today. :)

Cold, snowy day

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  ~ Matthew 7:7

It's a cold, snowy day here and across the nation. This is a picture of the snow in our back yard.  Yeah, yeah, I know.  It's not much snow, but remember, I'm in far west Texas where we don't get snow and aren't used to the cold, etc. etc. whine, whine.

Today is  "One Flower Wednesday" so here is my hexagon flower.  It's got a 6 cool tennis shoes.  I chose to make this flower because the shoes are so cute :)

I also managed to make 4 string heart blocks for the Block Lotto.  The instructions assure one that this is an easy block but I had a struggle making them.  Maybe because the strings are slanted and you have to figure out how to sew the sides on so you end up with a heart shape.  I made 4 and that's probably all I'll make because I didn't enjoy cutting and measuring and figuring out how to sew this block, whine whine again.

I've run into a few "Giveaways" lately.  When I first started entering giveaways, I won 2 right away so I thought it was a "piece of cake."  Since then I've only won one more but I keep trying.  Here are some links so you can try too.

"Hand Quilting" has a book with patterns for redwork quilting from the book,  "Redwork From The Workbasket."

"Pleasant Home"  has a giveaway for 11 Fat Quarter's in a Bundle of Black, Red and White!

"House of ala Mode"  is giving away fat quarters.
"Canton Village Quilt Works" is over at midnight tonight, Feb 2.  They will choose two winners for two lines of fabric from Art Gallery! So this means TWO winners!!

That's it.  Ya'll have a wonderful day!