Learning Something New....

Isn't it just grand how we can learn so much from one another.

One of the things I most enjoy is seeing WHAT you are doing

that may be different from what or how I do it.

Examples

Egg Salad making...

Lisa at Shady Grove Journal

uses mustard and pickles

and I only use mayo!

Hand Quilting...

Trish at notes of sincerity 

does not use a thimble OR a hoop

and I use both!

OR

Knitting socks...

Susan, my guild buddy, at The thread and I 

well, she knits socks

and I don't !!!

What blogs do you enjoy that encourage you to 

think INDEPENDENTLY

or

 "outside of your box?"

Blessings for a happy

Independence Day Week!!
Kathy

Having fun on Etsy...

I am really enjoying selling on Etsy!!

I made a post a while back about getting started in May

and have already sold 6 items and am working on a special order for a 

new bride in San Francisco..

Here are some of my recent listings.

Daffy Duck & Chick Buttons

Ceramic Sewing/Quilting Theme Buttons

I will post later when I get the wedding gift bags completed...

Take a look and I also encourage you to begin selling too.

I have made friends just like on my Needles and Pins blog.

Blessings,

my friends!!

Kathy

New Door Color....

What do you think?

I have wanted to change our door color for some time but have just gotten around to actually  selecting  the paint and changing it.

before...

during

                                                                      

Red, more of the same OR lime green...

We think we like it but if not

then we will try red.

But, I think I really like it!!!

.

Blessings all,

Kathy
our first day trip to the beach...Harkers Island

Blue flowers...

These lovely lace cap hydrangeas

remind me to

be still

and

remember

who is in control...

Blessings,

Kathy

Thanking the Lord...

We had a series of scares this week when my husband, Cliff, got double vision in one eye. We started out with an ear, nose and throat doctor because we thought it may have come from an ear ache and infection. Next we visited his heart doctor who is also an internal medicine doctor also and discovered his triglycerides were very high. Then we went to his eye doctor who referred him to a neuro opthamologist. She thinks that he had a stoke in his eye that has damaged the eye muscle and that the double vision will repair itself in several months!!!

We go back to her for a MRI this Thursday to be sure...

He is resting well and eating with better nutrition in mind.

Needless to say, I am exhausted...these doctors are located in two towns about 45 miles and 90 miles from Kinston.

We are thankful 

that it is not worse than it is

that it will repair itself

that Cliff can learn from this experience

and

that the Lord is in him healing him as I write...

Remember us as you pray

and as always,

blessings my blog friends!!

Kathy

My Garden surprises...

My little backyard garden continues to surprise me with good things!!

Some how I thought I remembered putting last year's pumpkin in the border near our garden for this year...but when the beautiful large green heart shaped leaves emerged, I thought some of the squash seeds had dropped there and I was growing yellow squash.

 Then the green fruit looked like a watermelon....

so, today when I went out to clip the now yellowing, small, I thought watermelon off and did...I discovered that it WAS A PUMPKIN!!

Just not the large one I remembered but the smaller, decorative one...

Will it finish turning orange since I have cut it off the vine???

You gardening experts will have to let me know .

Thanks 

Blessings,

Kathy

FInally...back to some hand quilting

I am finishing up my two year term as president of our Neuse Quilters Guild and my personal quilting has suffered to say the least...

So this summer, at our guild meetings, I am preparing to do some hand quilting.

You may remember my post  on my sunflower quilt from May 10, 2011

where I showed you my inspiration and progress on it.

Well, here it is all pinned and machine grid quilted and I am preparing to hand quilt around each sunflower

and the sashing and borders.

Which color thread to use...white, cream, or green?????

Packed all up in my hippie bag 

and ready for Wednesday's meeting...I will show you my work

along the way...

Give away time 

 over at 

Notes of Sincerity

take a look at Trish's lovely blog!!

Blessings all,

Kathy

Butterflies...something old...something new...

Out the steps... 

a package with my name.... ? ? ? 

Oh, I forgot. My package from Debbie J.

My new clothes pin bag !!

Gosh I love it !!!

We have been cleaning out my daddy's house and garden house

trying to get him ready to move.

In the garden house was my mama's clothes pin basket so of course, I took it home with me...

I remembered that Debbie sold these pretty clothes pin bags on her 

Etsy site

and I just had to have one.

She made me a pretty pink one with butterflies and mailed it right to me.

Mama loved pink and was quite a nature/garden lover

so the pink butterfly fabric is perfect.

Now here is the empty basket...what to do..

hmmmmmmm

maybe just keep it.

You know, some of my favorite times were spent in the back yard while mama hung clothes on the line and I stood there , in my bare feet, just talking while she listened and hung clothes and took them down...

Probably THE most important thing we give to children

is our time....

Blessings,

Kathy

NQG 1st Quilt Documentation...

The Neuse Quilters Guild held it's first Quilt Documentation Project this week and we had a lot of fun!! 

 Our county, Lenoir, was not included in the book that our state published back in 1986 and we wanted to be ready in case another book is published. 

We had a two day event and invited residents of Lenoir County to bring three quilts for our historian, Lynn Gorges of New Bern, NC, to give us information about fabric and the dates they were completed.

Our lovely guild banner invited our guests into the room.

We then photographed the quilts, measured them and identified the pattern.

It was two full days of work...but fun work.

Here are some of the lovely examples that were brought in.

This last quit is a signature quilt made by the owners mother. She embroidered  all the names of her son's church class on it along with the name of the church and the date...it was very special and he was very proud of it!!

We had a fantastic two days with approximately 50 guest and 83 quilts.

Isn't it fun to share our love of quilting?
Blessings,

Kathy