End of October...Already???? So Much to Blog!!!

Absolutely unbelievable, it's the last day of October, WOW, where did the month go? I have so much blogging to catch up on...whew, it might take awhile :)



October at our house is full of celebrations, 5 Birthdays and 2 Anniversaries!!! Sometimes I think I need to start an "October Club" instead of a Christmas Club just to fund the month :) Needless to say I have eaten more than my share of cake this month, and the proof of that is on my scales! No I'm not sharing that information (LOL)





October is also the month that my Mother comes to visit :) She lives in Florida and very much enjoys the change of season we have here. All the beautiful fall colors and the crispness in the air, and lots of good food. We always do her Christmas shopping while she is here (saves on the shipping costs). And I get to see what everyone is getting *grin*. Just a little background on my Mom, she is one of those that is out of her PJs and dressed before she leaves her room, well almost, but definitely before she sets foot outside of the house. No, I did not inherit that quality...no, no, no...I am happy to stay in my PJs all day, if I'm not leaving the house :) Anyway, back to my Mother, I caught her really "vacationing" while she was here this year...and the proof is in the picture. Gotcha, Mom!!!!! There's no denying it now :) Yes, that is my Mother, in her bathrobe, outside!!!! Gotta Love It :)



The other big news at my house for October is the engagement of my baby boy. I saw it coming, but I still am not quite ready to let go of him. But he asked the question - she said "yes" - so here we go! But not for at least a year, or so they say :) I hope they stick to the next October date. Anyway here's a couple pics of him and the ring :)

Well, that's it for October, along with the next few other postings I did today. Looking forward to November, Thanksgiving, and much sewing to be done!!!!

Bumble Bee Petting

This fall has been rather unique here in our part of creation. We have seen some really strange and unusual things... We have seen some very, very strange looking bugs, flowers blooming out of season, the baby rabbits nest in our backyard, But the "Bumble Bee Petting" was the Best.

These pictures show my granddaughter petting a bumble bee, yep for real!!!

During the afternoon the temperatures were warm enough for the bees to go about their usual business. Then it would cool down quickly in the early evening, and the bees would become like they were "frozen" on the flowers. They would move very, very, very slowly and the kids could actually pet them. It was an unbelievable experience to take part in as well as watch! You can click on these pics to get a closer look.

Quilting the Psalms

Well...I've done it again, I've started another quilt. Just what I need, right???
I joined Carol Honderich's "Quilting the Psalms" group. We will be studying 1 Psalm a week and making a quilt block to go with it. I am so enjoying it! Our first block (pictured above) was for Psalm 1 and it is called Prosperity.

Block #2 pictured above was for Psalm 19 and it is called Rising Sun. Block #3 (pictured below) went with Psalm 37 and the block is called Patience.

I love doing the Bible studies and making a quilt at the same time. In case you are wondering about my Names of Jesus quilt...I have it about halfway quilted, now. I am hoping to get it done by Christmas (fingers crossed). But I have several Christmas projects (gifts) to get done first. Yikes!!!!! My "Countdown till Christmas" tells me to "get it in gear" NOW!

Dear Jane Secret Pal Gift

My wonderful Secret Pal continues to spoil me, and I'm loving every bit of it :) I'm running really behind on posting, this is my September gift. Thank goodness for cooler weather, because there was chocolate in this package, yum, yum, yum!!!! Also a beautiful little sewing kit case that has the Alamo on it, and two really cute magnets from Texas, one with a chili pepper on it and the other has the state flower on it.

Now for the "mystery" quilt block... She gave me this clue to try and figure out the name of the block: "It's named after an important Texas emblem, she didn't know it had a relationship to the emblem, but was told by a quilting friend, "Oh yes, my uncle was one." Anyone out there have any ideas on the name of this block??? At first I thought Texas Ranger, but I don't think that is it. No matter, it is a beautiful block and she did a wonderful job on it. I am so anxious to get all the blocks and get them put together!!!! :) :) :) You can click on the picture to get a closer look.

Pumpkin Harvest

The pumpkins have been harvested and that means that my garden is completely done!

The pumpkin patch belonged to my grandson. He did very well for his first year of pumpkin growing :) He raised only the smaller pumpkins for pie making and did pretty well at selling most of them. Next year he plans to have a bigger patch, with bigger pumpkins, so he can sell more pumpkins!!! We will see *grin*

BOM Quilt Blocks Finished :)

These are the blocks for a 2005 BOM I am doing for a Christmas gift...so I thought I had better get them done!!! Especially since it is already OCTOBER!

The fall leaf block is for October.

This one is for November.

This is of course December.

And this is the finished top. This hand-quilting is also finished now. All that is left to do is add the binding.

Well, that's 1 Christmas gift finished :) Only 10 or 12 more to go!!!!

Quilt Block = Coaster???

I have several little Dear Jane quilt blocks in a box hidden away. Why you ask? Well truthfully, they just didn't turn out quite the right size or quite the way I had hoped. But I didn't want to throw them away, so I thought....& thought....and thought some more. Then the light bulb came on over my head!!!! Yep, sometimes I get an idea or two *grin*



I made coasters out of those little darlings! Here's a sampling :)

They are just the right size (4.5" x 4.5"). Now I'm thinking some of my larger orphan blocks may become pot holders/hot pads :) Just goes to show you, if you hold on to something long enough...you will find a use for it.

September BOMs

Where has this year gone??? I can't believe it is already September, ahhh.

I have so many Christmas projects to get done, Oh My!!!

Anyway here are my September Block of the Month blocks: This is my Basket Case BOM. I really like the way it turned out. I'm not much of an "appliquer", but I gave it a try. And of course this month 2 of the blocks were applique blocks



The fan block is for the 2005 BOM I'm working on. This was actually much easier than I thought it would be. I might make more of the fan blocks someday...sounds like another project in the making :)

And this Churn Dash Block is for the 2009 BOM I'm doing. This block I will be making more of, only it will be in a light blue and dark blue for a wall hanging for my bedroom.

Giftie From Rosa...

My dear friend Rosa sent me this so darn cute quilted postcard. I have heard about "quilted" postcards, but I had never seen one. Well, now I have one of my very own :) I love it....another new project to try my hand at!!! Thank you so much Rosa, hugs to you. And to my shock and amazement this postcard made it through the mail with no damage to it!!!! Congrats to the USPS :)

August Secret Pal Gift :)

I have the most AWESOME Dear Jane Secret Pal. This is the wonderful gift that she sent me in August. She says she is the one on the left in pink, so I guess I'm the one on the right in blue :) Love this block, I can't wait to get the rest of these oh sooo cute blocks and get them together :)

Love the Christian Faith bookmark and the note pad. As I have said before, my Secret Pal is certainly spoiling me, and I love every minute of it!!!!