Say what? Bloglovin? What the heck is that?

I've been reading on a few of the blogs that I follow that they were notifed by Google that Google will no longer support their blogs.  To my knowledge I never received any type of notice like that.  So I'm posting with my usual blogspot to see what will happen (and today is July 1). 

Any hoo - my summer has gone by pretty fast.  I haven't gotten a lot of crafting done - well not as much as I have wanted to get done - mostly because I'm just being lazy.

It's hard to believe that just one more month of work!  It feels kind of surreal and I find myself on the weekends wondering if I'll really keep myself busy or fall into a bad fit of the lazies?  I know the first thing on my list of absolutely have to do...CLEAN AND ORGANIZE MY CRAFT ROOM!!!!!   I plan to move every thing out of there, pull up the carpet (it's way to thick and hard to roll across when I'm sewing), put down an area rug (I saw one at Lowe's that I just love), and then put everything back all neat an orderly.  I figure that will take up the first year of retirement!  LOL!

Sorry no pictures... 

What a difference a day makes!

It was so nice when I left for work this morning.  I looked longingly at the chair on the front porch and wished I had time to sit and have my coffee out there.  Soon....  :)

My hubby informed me that we have hummingbirds!  Yay!  They were at the feeder in the back yard.  I was hoping they would be attracted to a feeder in the front yard but it might be too hot there as it gets full sun all the time.  So last night I removed it, cleaned it and will probably put it up in the backyard as well.  One can never have too many hummingbirds!  :)

I've decided to take Friday off so I can work in my garden, help my daughter with the graduation party list and just enjoy the weather!

Sorry there are no pictures - for some reason my computer is very slow in uploading pictures so I have to do it when I know I have lots of time to "play" with it.  I have more pictures of my fairy garden and pictures of my granddaughter before prom and I'll have pictures of my front garden this weekend.  Then it will be back around to the back to finish back there.  Never a dull moment in my life but not as exciting well maybe eventful as Julia's of Petals and Wool!  That woman is always on the go and has such interesting stories! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Char

Gardening and this is just the beginning!

Below are some pictures I took of the garden under my tree - that is going to become my fairy garden.  The fifth picture down shows the front of the tree after.  For some reason I'm having  a hard time labeling my pictures tonight.  So, I think I'll stop for now and post more stuff another day.

We still have the gardens up against the house to work on, the side garden, and I still need to clean up my hydrangea.  Then it's on to the front yard.  But in looking at the weeds growing up as I drove into my driveway it just might be the front garden next!



 

 

This is the front of the tree before.

 

 



This is the west side of the tree - before.

This is the back of the tree before.

This is the east side of the tree after.




 
This is the back side of the tree looking south.

This is the west side of the tree - see my little garden fairy?


 

Another view of the west side of the tree after.




 Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you had a great Mother's Day!

Char



You know the old saying "My eyes are bigger than my stomach"...well...what do you say when...

...your eyes are bigger than you crafting speed?  I guess that's what you'd say.  I have been busy making a baby quilt, trying to fit in a little cross stitch (and not having much luck) and preparing to go to a rug hook-in this coming Saturday (April 20) down in Amish country.

This is the fabric of the baby quilt I'm working on.  I'm actually hand quilting it now and that part is almost finished.  I did not add the zig zag fabric, though.

This is a book from Kathleen Tracy that I bought because my friend started making these small quilts and putting them on her end tables and I love them so of course I had to get the book!

This is another one of Kathleen Tracy's books.  Again - loved the patterns in it - had to have it - just had to!

Then while I was purchasing the two books above, of course Amazon had to add the "people who ordered these books also ordered...." and this was another book I bought.  It's by Alice Berg, Mary Ellen Von Holt, and Sylvia Johnson. 

So, while I'm quilting I'm thinking I need to go buy some civil war fabric and I need to buy some 30's fabric, and, and, and.  

And I'm thinking I need to not do anything more with rug hooking for a while.  Then I get the newest issue of Primitive Quilts and projects and they have a rug in there called "Down Home" that I feel I just must make!  But I told myself that I would not buy any wool this weekend at the hook-in.  Then in the same thought I was hoping this one vendor (can't remember the name) that was there last time would be here again.  They had some really cool cabinets, drawers, etc.  The drawers are perfect for wool dye.  WHAT?!  I don't have time to dye! 

So - see what I mean by "my eyes are bigger than the speed I craft"?!

I'll post a picture of the finished quilt.

Hope you all have had a good week so far!  Thanks for stopping by!

Char

Spring, snowing, pulling loops, quilting and more

I am tired, tired, tired of the cold.  I try not to complain because if it gets terribly hot like it did last summer I'll be wishing it was cooler!  But enough already!  LOL!

I've been busy working on projects partly because all the blogs I follow are such an inspiration and partly because it keeps me awake at night so I'm not falling asleep in my chair at 7:00!

 

 

This is a 10" x 26" mat I'm making from Humble Handwork by S. West.  It's called Saltbox Row.  I know this isn't the greatest picture but it gives you an idea.  As usual - the colors are lighter than they look. 

 

 

 

 

This is a quilt I made for a former staff member's baby.  It's called Lucky Stars from Atkinson designs.  It measures 39 x 39.  It's supposed to be bigger but since it's for a baby I made it smaller.

 

And this is what is on my hoop - it's a Little House Needleworks cross stitch that I want to hang in my living room.  It's called Little House Neighborhood.  This is on 14 ct aida - antique white.  I just can't figure out how to stitch on linen so this will have to do.  :)  I just started it this past Sunday while watching (or listening actually) to the NASCAR race.

 

This is a picture of the pattern and what I hope will be my finished look!

 

 

I've also been working on some cross stitch on my lunch break at work.  It's something I'm making as a Christmas gift... yep I said it - Christmas!  And I'm meaning Christmas 2013.  I'm a slow stitcher so there are about six patterns that will be little pillows.  I'll have to bring them home to show progress and let you all know where I got the pattern.

 

 

So how is everyone else?  I see you're all so busy and so talented!  You all do such beautiful work!

 

Thanks for stopping by!  I appreciate your checking in from time to time and occassionally leaving a comment!

 

Have a great week!

 

Char



Ugh!

Ever have one of those days on your job that you ever so strongly wish you could turn in your resignation and just walk out!?  Well, that's where I'm at today.  Now mind you, I only have less than six months and I'll be retiring but geez oh pete!  Cut me some slack people!  We had lay offs (14 in all...for now...) so my unit has had to take on extra responsibilities which they have done like the troopers they are.  Thankfully I've been blessed with staff that act like professional people, are dependable, and do their job.  They may "vent" and sometimes it turns to complaining but they've had a lot put on them and their motto has been "I'm not thrilled with all of this but I have a job".  I try to advocate for them so that more doesn't get put on them.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  Now I've just been told that most likely I'm going to be supervising an additional 10 people.... What!?!  What part of I'm leaving in less than six months aren't you understanding?  Why would you expect me to take on an additional 10 people that I have no idea how they do what they do or even what all it is that they do?  And don't tell me that you think I've done such a great job with my current unit that you have every confidence that I'll be able to do just as well with the 10 additional people because I don't want to hear it!

So, when I have days like this then on my lunch break I go to the blogs I follow and calm myself down.    But today I needed to do a little more so I'm venting....   Thanks for listening...

Last night we started our craft group back up last night and believe it or not (I hope you're sitting down for this!) I actually pulled loops on a saltbox house mat that I want to hang above the door leading from my living room into my kitchen.  The last time I pulled loops was at the Western Reserve Rug Hooking Guild hook-in this past May!!!!  This is a pattern that I loved the look of but once I started hooking it I decided I might not really like it after all so I've sort of picked at it here and there and kept thinking that maybe I just needed to forget it.  Well,  I hooked part of the tree, then started hooking some of the background upagainst the tree and all of a sudden I decided I really was liking the way it looks.  Sorry I don't have a picture...  Like I said - I'm posting from work and don't have access to my photos.  But I will be posting a picture of it hopefully this weekend.  I also took the baby quilt that I'm working on as show and tell.  Both of the other crafters really seemed to like it so that made me feel really good.  I slept like a baby last night!  LOL!

Thanks for listening and thanks for stopping by.  Have a great weekend!
Char

Busy, busy, busy!

I've been busy at home and at work!  Whew!

Last Saturday I went to Ault's and Country Fabrics with two friends - Stacy that I work with and Sharon (of Serendipity in Quilting blog) that I used to work with.  Stacy bought some wool and stuff at Ault's.  I had decided I wasn't going to buy wool and as Sharon and I sat there my eye kept getting drawn to this really pretty orangey color wool.  But I was saving my money for fabric so I didn't buy it.  When we went to the fabric store I was kind of disappointed in the selection but did manage to buy some fat quarters.  Moral to this story - I should have bought the wool!  LOL!

So, I've been busy at home working on a baby quilt that I have almost finished the top on.   I'll post pictures after I get the top sewn together.   I've also been diligently working on my brother's afghan and have only one skein to go and it will be done!  Yay!  I'll also be posting pictures of that.

Work has been extremely busy and most nights I am exhausted when I get home.  I'm training two new people on two different jobs as well as learning a new job myself that has been given to me.  I'll be sort of supervising 8 more people in addition to the 5 I currently supervise.  Thankfully the 8 that I have to "supervise" I'm actually just monitoring a small portion of their job - the filing in the client records portion but that means having to randomly pull records to make sure they're filed correctly.  My days have definitely been going by really fast!  Only six more months of this and then I retire!  :)

It was very cold coming to work this morning - the weather person kept saying it was a little warmer than yesterday...um - not in my backyard!  LOL!

Stay warm and have a great weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!