I Can Finally Share --


I used to quilt a lot but for a number of reasons, I have sort of lost interest in the craft.  However, there is the occasional baby quilt to make and that is what I have been working on the last month or so.  Since I have been learning the English Paper Piecing technique I decided to use that approach to this project.  Now, granted, this project was just squares and the EPP technique was more work that it needed to be but I really did enjoy the accuracy of it and am glad I did it.  Also, I decided to machine quilt the project instead of hand quilting because it is meant to be used and washed and I just thought it would be stronger.  Ok, that sounded good but the real reason was that this was meant to be a baby quilt and not a kindergarten nap map and I wanted to get it done in a reasonable period of time.  If time had not been a concern, I would have hand quilted it to keep it all consistent.

The new baby is a boy and his mom is doing his room in gray, white and turquoise with touches of red so I chose fabrics with those colors.  I also learned something from the Hubs.  As I was connecting the larger sections, I was having a hard time holding everything together to insure the accuracy so he came to my rescue with tiny binder clips.  They worked beautifully and, yes, he isn't getting them back. 

I also did the binding differently than I had ever done before.  I usually bind each side individually and tuck the ends in and secure. This time I was determined to use a continuous binding and I was thrilled that it worked so well.  I will probably do this sort of binding from now on.

So, here are a few of the photos from the project -- I wish I had taken better ones but you will get the idea of how it went.  I was very pleased with the entire project.

I used a paper cutter to cut my paper squares for the English Paper Piecing

Fabric from designer Aneela Hoey -- yes, they are straight pins but I look at them as just a geometic with lots of color

Binder Clips to hold things together

Continuous binding

Nice design on the back from the straight line quilting

Finished product

So, what do you think?

Pinterest -- a Husband's Worst Nightmare



I am sure that nobody who reads this blog would have missed the fact that bookcase space is at a premium here.  The Hubs is slated to build a new, huge bookcase for the family room but I have been toying with the idea of a smaller one in my guest room.  So, on a trip to our little storage facility, I spied a chest of drawers that my husband had inherited from his grandmother and the gerbil started turning the wheel.

I spent a bit of time looking at pictures of repurposed furniture on pinterest and I decided that the little chest of drawers would make a lovely bookcase.  It didn't take much coaxing for the Hubs to get on board with the idea.  So, since pictures speak a thousand words--

Wish I had gotten a photo of the original chest but -- well -- I forgot

Drawers removed getting ready to adapt for shelves -- this is before the legs were shortened as well

Somebody put screen under the last drawer -- wonder what they were trying to keep out of the drawer?

Getting prepped to mend a hole in the side

Reinforcing the sides and putting in new drawer rails

Stripped of all paint and old finishes

Sanding

Top before staining

Looking good

Adding shelves and trim

Legs shortened, first coat of paint, looking good!

Shelves painted

Finished product!

The top drawer is going to be used for note cards, stationery and pens

So, what do you think?  Is this Pinterest worthy?

Nook VS Book Nook VS Kindle Nook VS Netbook ---- Do We Really Care?


Ok, I will admit it.  For several years I have been having a love affair.  With technology.  It started when I got my first computer -- not the first computer in the house but MY first computer with internet access.  Of course there were the cell phones which I refused to have until I had one and now I can't imagine being "disconnected" without a phone.  I didn't have much interest in ipods and such as I am not a huge music person but I fell madly in love with e-readers.  The NOOK by Barnes and Noble to be exact.

I had looked at ipads but was told that since we don't run windows I wouldn't be able to use it.  Not really sure why but I accepted that answer.  I had looked at Kindle's and Samsung devices but when the NOOK came out I was in a comfortable place.  I bought the first one...the second one....the third one....and now I have had one of each version to come out.  The latest is the NOOK Glo-light because I wanted something light weight and lit so I could read in bed.  I also felt that having an e-reader would help me curb my book hoarding collecting as I was running out of bookcase space.  Do I use them?  Well, yes and no.  Right now "no" as I have a good number of physical books on my shelf that I would like to read so I am trying to get through them.  Will I ever finish?  I have no idea but I feel a purge coming on.  Do I read in bed?  Uh, no.  When I go to bed it is all I can do to stay awake before I get horizontal.  I don't think I am ever going to read in bed because if I get still and warm I go to sleep.

So, then, why am I so aggravated that the NOOK part of the B&N business has been discontinued.  Why am I so put out that my collections of NOOKS will probably be completely obsolete by the end of the year when the business is gone and the "cloud" disappears.  I think I am aggravated because I got sucked into the whole thing.

So, as I am mourning the probable expiration of the device, am I looking at a Kindle.  Not the Kindle fire but probably the Kindle Paperwhite -- just to read books.  I don't need it but it is sort of like the cell phone -- I can't picture myself without it.

However, I this morning I discovered the Kindle Cloud Reader which you can use from a browser and you don't need a Kindle device.  I logged into my Amazon account, went to the cloud reader, downloaded a free book and voila! there it was for me to read.  So what would any sane person do-- I downloaded another!  So, I can actually have the same e-reader experience with my netbook.  The only downside is that I can't readily throw that into my purse. It is small --10" -- so with a tote I could but it would be a little too heavy to carry around.  But, still -- I am just saying that I could satisfy my e-book attachment without having to actually having to go buy another device.  Apparently there is no Kindle app for NOOK --- very convenient that is.

All of this sort of conflicts with my new minimalist mindset a bit.  I bought the e-reader(s) to reduce the number of books in my personal library but then I have too many NOOKS and I still buy physical books so that sort of didn't work.  I am still hoarding books -- just virtual ones -- because I have discovered BookBub where you can download free books each and every day.  Many of them that I wanted were only available for Amazon but now that I have learned about the Kindle Cloud, well, you see where this is going.

As I become more minimally minded, I am discovering that I like my blog more and Facebook less.  I find that I am doing my household chores more "old school" and using fewer "gadgets". It seems like my fascination with technology is losing steam.  So, is it possible that the solution to the entire problem is just going to the library?

I Just Love Gifts!



My daughter

went to

and because I raised her to be a thoughtful, caring person, she brought us this

and some lovely shortbread that I took a photo of but it doesn't seem to be on my camera.  I am so not good at photos.

In any event, the tea is the best I have ever tasted and I completely intend to make online shopping at Fortnum and Mason a regular event.

Thank you, dear daughter!

Forty Two Years Ago....


 at 2:00 pm

Concordia Lutheran Church

San Antonio, Texas

The air conditioning in the church broke

It is Texas

It is July

Somebody thought a long sleeved dress was a good idea.

Welcome to my wedding

Wildlife Week at the Brinkley's



We have had lots of rain this week which has been a blessing.  The lakes in Texas have been reduced to ponds and I am sure the wildlife has suffered for lack of water as have most of our lawns and plants.  So, Monday the rains came.  They came fast doing a lot of flooding and, unfortunately, lots of damage to homes.  There were lightening strikes hitting a couple of houses and the number of cars under water on the city streets was startling.

I think it has also spooked the animal community.

Two days ago, near dusk, Hubs and I had just come in from our evening walk and as we stopped to glance out the back door Hubs spotted this sight --

In our back garden was a family of raccoons - a mommy and three babies.  I realize this photo is difficult to see as it was taken through the door but there are three babies -- one on the run and two huddled by the tree.  If you click on the photo you might be able to see it better.  Mommy had already taken off -- bad mommy -- leaving your babies like that!  I have never seen anything cuter than baby raccoons -- trying to climb a tree, rolling around in the grass -- you just want to cuddle them.  Yes, I know, my mother always told me never to touch wild animals so I won't but.....

Then, this morning I got up to this staring at me through the back door.

A wild turkey!  I had seen them before in the street by the creek that runs beside our house but never in my yard.  It didn't seem to be particularly bothered by us.  Hubs even went out and took some photos and the bird didn't really care.  He finally flew up on the roof and took off into the neighbor's yard. I hope their dog doesn't hurt it but it is bigger than the dog so who knows.

Anyway, I never have had very interesting photos of things in our yard and now I have two.  I think I will sit outside tonight with the camera and see what I can find to take pictures of.  Maybe the raccoons will come back or the turkey will fly in for a visit.

I thought it was all very exciting but then, I am easily amused.

And I Struggle On


There are two words that do not come to mind when I think of myself -- graceful and stylish.  My mother always thought that my being born on a Tuesday (Tuesday's Child is Full of Grace) was some sort of a bad joke.  If it was there to fall over, I would fall over it.  If necessary, I would detour my route in order to fall over it.  It is sad but true.

Then there is the stylish part.  When I was a child I dressed like a child of the 50's.  Lots of little plaid dresses with cardigans.  Shoes were generally saddle oxfords, Penny loafers or Mary Janes  It was easy.  The biggest problem was if the waistline hit at the right place and if there was droopy lace on one of your three petticoats.

Being a teenager in the 1960's was fun -- Bobbie Brooks reigned supreme with all their  mix and match items.  There was always a pleated skirt, a straight skirt, an a-line skirt, a couple of blouses and a couple of sweaters -- one pull over and one cardigan in each line.  There were several color collections so for one stop shopping you could build an entire wardrobe and empty your parents wallets very quickly.  The shoes tended to be flats or loafers.  Soft crew socks were popular as well.  Easy peasy.

Then came adulthood and I was lost.  I wore lots of homemade a-line skirts and sleeveless "shells" -- same thing as the sleeveless piece of a twin set.  And then there were the maternity clothes and the after-maternity clothes -- long blouses and elastic waists.  And.....here I am.  Trying to figure out, in my dotage, what in the world I am supposed to wear.  So, I read mags like "Mary Jane's Farm" which is no help in the clothing department but I know a lot about goats.  I read things like "More" from time to time but there isn't too much helpful info there either but I know a lot about Sybil Shepherd.  Yesterday I picked up a copy of "Harper's Bazaar" which had an article on "no poo" hair washing.  I thought I would pick up some fashion cues from that.  Well, in a word, no. I mean, yes, if I had unlimited income, was a size 0 and could lop about 40 years off my age.  So, I decided while I was out and about that I would just look at people -- no magazines, no websites, no minimalist articles telling me that I can actually live my entire life with only 10 articles of clothing.  I wanted to see something real.  So, I did some people watching.  It was enlightening.

In the first place, I only saw two "old girls" out and about-- me and another woman who I assumed, from the age of the children that were with her, to be about my age.  I guess it was too hot for the truly aged to be out so I only had one example of a "mature" woman to draw from.  This is an example of what she was wearing --

Blinged out denim capris

Coach toe

Blue and Green Tom

Green Polo

Her hair was close cropped -- VERY close cropped and two different colors -- very blond on the top and very dark around the sides and back.  It reminded me of mine growing out from medication so I don't know if it was intentional or not.  She wore current eye glasses and some sort of earrings.

I don't know what I thought about her attire.  It  looked fine, coordinated and put together except I wasn't sure of the bling on the butt.  My posterior is more ample that hers so my bling would be bigger -- not sure if I like it but I have to hand it to her for wearing it.  The polo and the shoes went well together and the tote was a nice nod to not being completely matchy matchy.  It didn't seem to be too young for her although younger women do wear these things.  She seemed comfortable.  However, it seems to be so -- ordinary! Even with the bling.  Maybe I am worrying too much or trying too hard.

So, I went on a quest to determine the correct way to shop and build a wardrobe, minimalist or not.  I was trying to determine whether it is better to buy "outfits" -- like pants/skirts/blouses that match each other that you don't mix up with other things (I have several) or is it better to buy different pieces in neutral and mix and match.  I have no idea.  I might have to go back to my original plan of all black and white clothes.

Would somebody help me please?  Only, I have no intention of having VERY close cropped hair.  Been there, done that and hope to never return.

Into the Garden

We have spent the last several days tweaking the garden.  Due to the harsh winter we suffered some loss in the landscaping, mostly in the front and mostly the Hawthorne bushes.  So, we took one out of the front flower bed which left a gap.  We thought a great deal about what to put in the gap -- another shrub, a tree, perhaps, but we finally decided on this.

Our house is relatively new construction, about 8 years old and is done in a French Country style.  I guess.  It looks pretty much like all new houses except that it has a turret which has caused more roofing problems that we were banking on but that is another conversation.  In any event, trying to decorate something "French Country" in Texas is difficult so we opted for this lovely Victorian style plant hanger.  Now, granted, Victorian isn't French Country either but it does lend an air of "cozy" to the front of the house.  The hanger itself is made from a 2" fence post with brackets that were purchased separately.  Hubs sunk it in a concrete footing so it isn't going to go anywhere, I hope.  The brackets were ordered from a place online and the baskets were bought locally.  He has planted them with purslane which seems to do very well in our yard and something with a blue flower.  I like blue with the color of the brick so I needed something blue.   All in all I think it turned out quite well.  It filled the gap and adds some interest and I am pleased.

The purslane in the blue pots by the gate has done very well, as it usually does.  I love walking out and seeing these happy flowers first thing in the morning.  We have two pots of it in the back as well which are just as prolific and they are so cheery -- you can't help but smile.

 
and finally, I added a little flag.  I love lighthouses and I am not sure why -- I have never lived near any water that had a lighthouse unless you count the tiny one at Woodlawn Lake in San Antonio and I never lived near it, really, either. 

So there you have a look at our front garden.  It is looking pretty good over all and I think my husband did a bang up job on the plant hanger.  That was #1 on my honey-do list for this summer so one down and two to go!  Will post more progress later. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

A Little Re-do


I have been doing a little bit of cleaning out and rearranging and I ran across a box of photos and pictures that I had forgotten about.  I removed a lot of the photos from frames and put them into an album but there were a couple of framed cross stitch pieces that I found a home for.  I also found a picture of a little girl -- very vintage.  I am not sure when I got this picture but it belonged to my aunt.  She was a retail buyer and would acquire home furnishings and accessories from the stores she worked for and I think picture came from one of the stores she worked for.  At any rate, I have an awkward corner in my hallway that was partly decorated and when I found this picture I decide to add to the corner.  I also fell heir to a couple of Hammer plates.  My MIL was doing a clean out and thought that since I like plates I might like these so I added these to the corner as well.  So, what do you think.?

Shelf my husband built for me many years ago.  Nice but still a little bare

The adjacent wall

The picture and the plates

Same corner, different view

Should I have left well enough alone? 

Thursday Thoughts


It has been quiet here the last few days.  The only thing of much interest was the End Of Year Pre-K 3 Program at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School in Keller.  It was a lovely program of about a dozen little 3-4 year olds.  The first part of the program was a medley of patriotic tunes, the middle was a popular song that the children performed to with big flower headdresses and the last of the program was a slide show of photographs from throughout the year.  It was delightful and I cried.  Yes, I did.  I have a tendency to get weepy when it comes to milestones and this was definitely a milestone.  There was a lovely little reception afterward and here is our little songstress enjoying her refreshments.

Other than that, all I have been doing is a lot of thinking.  As I have noted in prior posts, I am tending toward a minimalist approach to things and have been giving a lot of thought as to what needs to be eliminated in the house, condensed or re-evaluated. I will be spending the first couple of weeks in June going through a number of things beginning with clothes and accessories.  Books are always an issue here but we are adding two new bookcases to the furnishings.  However, I will still be sorting through and passing on a number of books.  I was thrilled to learn, this week, that the library we frequent accepts donations so that is where I will be taking my books.  I don't like selling them and I can't keep all of them so I think that is a worthy place for them to go.

Another thing I have been thinking about is reading challenges.  I just love to read and don't really have enough time for it but I get it in snatches whenever I can.  I seem to always be distracted by what I "need" to be doing but I would love a day when I can just sit down with a good book and a cuppa and read without guilt -- possibly when I get through the books and the clothes.  That is what I am hoping.   But, back to book challenges.  I find that when I am involved in book challenges I don't enjoy the books as much.  It is like a race to meet a goal and I find that I can't get "into" the book as much.  So, while I am still going to add to the Goodreads 2014 Reading Challenge as I go, I don't think it is going to be a goal anymore.  I will continue to review and list my books on here but I don't think I am going to adhere to a challenge anymore. 

I have also been thinking about exercising.  I don't do enough of it but I am still wearing my pedometer to track my steps. However, this week I have done something a little different.  I have started doing some regular ol' exercise like sit-ups, leg lifts and toe touches, etc. after I have gotten up in the morning.  I find it easier to just do a few of these -- it doesn't take long -- first thing in the morning rather than wait until night because at night -- well, truthfully, it isn't going to happen.  I was also watching a Leslie Sansone walking video on YouTube the other day and was inspired.  I used to have her tapes, in fact, I probably still do -- I just don't have a VCR anymore.  However, her approach is to walk in place, almost like marching.  I have been doing that for the last couple of days while I am standing in the kitchen or waiting for the washer to stop or during commercials on tv and it has definitely upped my step count.  Finally, I did a bit of arm exercise with some cans of green beans.  It is amazing how you can get some exercise in without too much of an effort of expenditure of $$$$.  I have actually enjoyed the morning exercise -- I feel so accomplished.

I have also been thinking about planners.  Everybody I know uses a planner.  I like the idea, I feel like I should use a planner and I WANT to use a planner.  The problem is, I don't have anything to plan.  Once you have your kids grown and your schedule changes, well, a planner is sort of unnecessary. Plus, the commercial versions never seem to work for my needs. However, I ran across this on Pinterest and decided it would be a fun project. 

http://charminglymodern.com/moleskine-notebook-turned-planner/

So, I went to Barnes and Noble and bought the Moleskine -- a black, large, gridded model.  Then, I went to work.  I am not done by a long-shot but I think it is going to work.

Basic Moleskine notebook, gridded, $18.95

Monthly View

Weekly View

Closeup, albeit it blurry, weekly view

I started with January 2014 even though it has passed but I didn't add the weekly pages.  I started the weekly pages with June.  I intend to use the weekly pages for meal planning.  I think the reason that I can't stick with a planner is that they never seem to work for me -- the divisions are too small, they aren't flexible and there isn't any extra room for notes (and doodles, if you will).  So, I am thinking this might be the answer.  I am going to use metallic stars (I love gold stars) to denote birthdays and will maybe use stickers to emphasis other events like Christmas and Easter. 

I am going to use the weekly views for meal planning.  I keep looking for a way to do simple meal planning and I keep trying to use a different notebook, dry erase board, etc. and none of it works for me so I thought I would just do it here -- that it would be a good thing to have it all in one place in my purse.  I figure if I have coupons for products I will be using during any one week I can paper clip them here and just have them with me without so much fuss.

Since there are a LOT of pages in these notebooks, I am planning on using some of the empty pages in the back to keep up with the books I am reading in series.  I have about three or four series going and I keep forgetting which books come next, which I have read and which I own so I thought this would be a good way to keep up with that as well.  I have these lists on my Nook but I find I don't like carrying the Nook with me all the time.

I am not finished with it -- I have only gone to July.  I have ordered some index tabs to put on the monthly view so I can see the month easily.  They are on their way.  I am also planning on using this as somewhat of a diary as well -- making note of anything memorable that happens in a day.  I have never been very successful at journaling so maybe if it is here, in this one place, I will be able to at least attempt it.

I will post more photos as I finish with it, with some pics of embellishments and such.  I haven't decided if I want to embellish the front cover or not -- I have a tendency to just throw things in a bag and am not particularly careful with stuff so it might get really wrecked -- I don't know, more thoughts later.

So, anyway, that is what has been going on.  Not much but apparently enough to ramble about a little too much.

Have a great weekend!

May 27, 2014

Teaser Tuesdays (May 27)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I know it is late but I am so taken with this book that I just wanted to share another teaser.  I have only read the first chapter and I already can't put it down. So, from "Past Imperfect" by Julian Fellowes, here is my teaser.


"Dear S&*T, It is almost Christmas.  It is also late and I am drunk and so I have found the nerve to say that you have made my life a living lie for nineteen years.  I stare at my living lie each day and all because of you.  No one will ever know the truth and I will probably burn this rather than send it, but you ought to realise where your deceit and my weakness have led me.  I do not quite curse you, I could not do that, but I don't forgive you, either, for the course my life has taken.  I did not deserve it."

So, there you go.  I don't know if that is a compelling teaser or not but the book is getting very good and I think it is going to be a page turner!