Checking In

Hello and how are you today?

I'm checking in after a very busy week.  At the last minute, a lot of family members came into town.  We hadn't seen any of these folks during Christmas so it was really wonderful to see everyone.  

It's February now!  Happily, there are only 44 days until Spring!  I'm looking forward to giving Lucky longer, safer walks (safer as in no ice).  Today it's supposed to be warmer so we will get some good exercise in and also working on sewing.

Oh and my friend just texted me.  Today is National Carrot Cake Day so enjoy!

I hope all of you are doing well!

 

Mangia

 

Ciao!

How are you making out during this cold cold winter?

We are doing okay.  Happily for my mother and I, my brother has taken up even more cooking.  He made chicken tortellini soup on Friday and that was such a nice warming food to have during the weekend.

I find myself craving oranges these days and have one every evening.  

But the main course I want is pasta.  Any kind of pasta and my brother has made some of that too.  I'm the lasagna maker but he makes his late wife's recipe for sauce which includes sausage, pork, and meatballs.  I know my niece and nephew are finding it comforting to eat Mama's food.  

And before you ask, no I'm not Italian (although my sister-in-law was).  Actually my mother's family never had spaghetti or lasagna until they moved from the coal regions down to the valley.

Apparently I'm not the only quilter to love pasta.  I found a number of pasta inspired quilt patterns on the internet.  You should check them out!

Spaghetti recipes patterns:

Spaghetti for a Crowd here.

Stars like Spaghetti here.

A free pattern for the Spaghetti Quilt Block here.

Meatballs here.

Other entrees:  

The Lasagna Quilt pattern here.

Split Pea Soup here.

So here's my question for you.  When you eat Spaghetti do you twirl it with your fork and spoon

or do you just slurp up the pasta?

Okay so how many are you making pasta for dinner now?

😀

Have a safe and happy day!

Finding Ways to Help

 

"My values, our values, aren't about pointing fingers.  They are about offering a helping hand."---Kathleen Blanco

On Friday, I read an article about a struggle many women face--finding a way to afford diapers for their babies.  You can read this insightful article here.

This article brought back memories.  When my oldest grandchild was born, our kids (the parents) struggled.  I retired and offered to watch the baby when my daughter-in-law returned to work.  We wanted to help them as much as we could and free daycare seemed like a good way.  But then we learned the price of things like diapers and formula and we made sure they knew that we had already purchased and had those items here.

These days, I don't really know how parents make ends meet.  My friends who are newer grandmothers tell me daycare is $1000/week.  The price of diapers range from $11 to above $30; the price is contingent on how many diapers one purchases.  Interesting but also telling...a lot of the boxes talk about weight and not how many diapers one is getting.

I'm not buying that much this year but I am donating what money I can and found a diaper bank in my valley and donated to it.  More importantly, I'm writing to my representatives to learn what they intend to do to help all families.

I urge you to do the same.  I know that many of you may understand that a lot of basic funding for poorer families and lower middle class families may be cut with the current administration.  No baby should be without basic provisions.  

Thanks and have a good day!

In the Garden

 

Happy Friday!

I've been so happy with a bush in my garden.  It is a Beauty Berry Bush and in the fall, it has purple berries.  Years ago, my friend Barb gave me a small seedling.

My brother Jim calls it "The Minnesota Vikings bush" because the bright purple is one of his favorite team's colors.  I've often read that the berries are edible and a favorite of birds.  Once in a while through the many years, I'd see a bird on the bush.  

But this year is different.  I have a daily visitor on the bush and it's a catbird one of my favorite birds.  Hops around the bush devouring the berries and seems unafraid of Lucky and me as we watch from inside the house.

I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying watching him.  I think I will get another bush for the backyard as well!

Hope you have a safe and WARM weekend!

Finishes

Hello and how are you today?

When I'm not caring for someone, Lucky and I are hibernating in our sewing room.  For 2025, I've mostly done handwork but I did finish enough quilt blocks to make a lap quilt.  More on that one later.

I actually finished the above fish quilt before the holidays.  It was for our guild's challenge this year.  We were supposed to feature a favorite film or book.  The kids in my family love this book I sent about a year ago:

The book is based on a true story and all the kids talked to me about the story.  I was going to make the goldfish all orange but the truth is, I thought that a kid would prefer the colorful fish.  I found the free pattern here at The Objects of Design blog.  

I've also made a second quilt that is different but features goldfish.  I'm binding that now.

Before hand surgeries, I was working on a calendar quilt featuring bunnies.  The thing is my hands started aching and also the June bunny featured a bunny getting married and I just decided to stop.  Happily though, I can use the blocks I did do for the tabletop banners.

Just as a whim, I decided to make quilt as you go hexies in a garden theme.  I just wanted to see how it worked out and I liked it.  I'm going to continue to make some more of these hexies because they are wonderfully portable as a project on the go!

More projects are in the works but none done yet.  I'm in no rush and am altering between a variety of projects.  

I'm having fun with my sewing and I hope you are too!

Tuesday's This and That: January 21, 2025

Greeting from the cold Northeast!

We received about 6-8 inches of snow on Sunday and now we are in the midst of the artic freeze.

How are you faring with the winter?

***

If you are hungry to look at antique quilts, Dana Balsamo is having another auction on Saturday.  You can check out the catalog here.

***

Since it is the week we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., I'm sharing this article (here) on the Underground Railroad.  

Harriet Tubman

If you are thinking about the book that stated that quilts were used for the Underground Railroad, please read this.  Barbara Brackman, our most prominent quilt historian debunks the myth.

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Wishing you a safe and happy day!

 

A Great Man