Ramblings...

It's a nice, quiet Saturday afternoon.  Time to sit down and relax.  I could do some sewing or stitching.  I will get to that in a bit.

Julie and I had a busy day straightening, moving things around, and doing laundry.  I bathed Tag.  Manley will get his bath tomorrow and we will vacuum and dust.  Then, we'll be ready for company.  Our mom is coming for a visit this next week.  All must be looking good.  Right?  She'll be here Thursday until Sunday.  We'll play lots of cards, for sure...it's her favorite thing to do.  Last time she was here was almost 4 years ago.  You can read about our fabulous time together here and here and here.  {grin}

Have I mentioned that we fenced part of the yard, again?  We did.  The fence was taken down when this house was on the market last year.  Now that the house is no longer on the market, and when Julie moved in with me, we asked if we could put up a fence again.  The one that was taken down was actually in good shape (read reusable), so we put it back up and the dogs are loving it.  

One of Manley's favorite pastimes is to chew sticks.  Perhaps he feels the need for more fiber?  

We have a new puppy!  She will stay outside, though.  Gray in color, she weighs at least 70 pounds...such a solid little thing...measures about 22 inches tall.  Isn't she darling?

A friend got her at an estate sale and gave her to me.  

I'm almost done with the main part of the sunshine quilt.  If all goes as planned, I'll be showing that pretty soon.  Well, perhaps a sneak peek sooner than that.  

In the meantime, I started a quick little project that makes me smile...

Wonky Star doll quilt.  Yellows and oranges with Kona solid in White.  What could be cuter than that?  

Hope your weekend is as good as mine!

Block 1 done...House for Sale?...No More Fence!

Block 1 of my Postage Stamp quilt along quilt is done!  I've got enough strips sewn/cut to make 4 more of these blocks.  Then, I'll start over...sewing strips together, cutting them into 2 1/2" strips, then piecing them back together to make 11 more blocks...for a total of 16.  Each finished block will measure about 17 1/2" square.  

I see you math wizards shaking your heads.  Yeah.  I know.  9 squares starting out at 2 1/2"  each should give me an 18" finished block.  Right?  Well, my quarter inch foot is off...the seams are just a tish larger than 1/4".  When I need to do exact piecing, I move the needle over one notch to get perfect 1/4" seams.  But, for this quilt, I figured that as long as everything is sewn having the same seam allowance, it doesn't really matter if each individual square is just a tish smaller than 2".   Ya know?  It'll be the overall size that matters, anyway.  Being a careful (some say 'anal') person, this was a big decision for me to make!    

I am trying to be random with this.  My brain has a difficult time with 'random', but I really want to NOT obsess over placement while putting this quilt together.  

AND, did I say this before?  I am using fabric ONLY from my stash.  At least 1/2 of these fabrics are from Jane (ooh...a colored and italized word...what to do?  CLICK on it! {grin}).  Bren (there it is again!) had given me some fabric, and the rest is odds and ends that I've had for a long while.  No bright and modern fabrics in this one.  (Did you look, Kelley?) 

It's something I can work on here and there (cuz it's awfully boring to sit and sew on this for too long of a time) and it'll get done soon enough. 

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So, the realtor called my landlords today and asked to show the house tomorrow.  "Are you kidding me???"  The house is in complete disarray cuz, well, you know, the painting isn't done!!!  I asked if the realtor was told this...yeah...still wants to show it.  Criminey!  

And, of course, that means that Tag and I need to vacate the house in the middle of the morning.  Okay, I know this happens when a house is on the market, but I have so much to do...{sigh}.  I do so much better staying on task when I am not interrupted.  

On the bright side, Claire is taking me out to breakfast. 

So.  Of course, I will vacuum and sweep.  Straighten a bit.  Make the bed.  But, here is what won't be changing.

The entryway...stuff on my 'antique table from Kim' and the 'corner curio cabinet' that is not in a corner.  (Everything has a name and Kim laughs at me when I call things what they are!)

The sofa sleeper piled high with...just stuff.  See the start of a newly painted wall?  Navajo White...really nice!

The kitchen table piled high with...well, more stuff.

The living room isn't too bad...but here are some things out of place.  

#1 - framed pictures not put back on the walls.

#2 - table that will be in the dining room is there where it is cuz, well, the dining room is being painted.

#3 - my hooked rugs and quilted table topper on the chair cuz that's the only place I have to put them so they don't get paint on them while the dining room is being painted.

So, they can come and they can see.  That's all I'm gonna say.

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We no longer have a fenced yard.  But, Curt was nice enough to put a post there at the edge of the patio so I could put Tag's 20 foot cable line on it.  This means that I won't have to take Tag out on a leash every time he needs to potty.  YAY!  And, if I'm out on the patio, at least he'll be able to move around. 

Have a great weekend!