Winter Garden

 

We had another snow on Tuesday, probably an inch or so here.  By Wednesday there was a coat of ice on the snow that had fallen and it was a bit trecherous walking the dog.  

The squirrels in our area seemed to have a problem finding their food.  By Wednesday we caught one enterprising squirrel on our Beauty Berry bush devouring the berries:

Thanks Barb for giving us the bush!  The birds will feast on the berries and the seed heads in our garden through the winter.

It's interesting because squirrels are always burying their food.  Whenever I dig soil, I find peanuts that they have hid in the soil.  The thing is they seem to forget where they have buried them. 

So this little factoid fascinated me:

What kind of wildlife are you seeing in your garden?

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

Shepherd's Pie

 

My family background is Irish/Scottish/Welsh/English with a wee bit of German.  When I was a child, there didn't seem to be any kind of potato that wasn't served on a regular basis.

On Monday when Beth and I talked about cooking ideas, we both settled on Shepherd's Pie for Tuesday's meal.  Now here's the thing...some foods remind of specific memories.  Shepherd's Pie reminds me of the lack of them.

I had never heard of Shepherd's Pie until I was in my 30s. Even yesterday, I mentioned to my mother that I was making Shepherd's Pie and she said, "What's that?"   This is amazing to me because the pie originated in the UK and was often referred to as "Cottage Pie".   I don't know of anyone in either side of my family that made it.

My Pop-pop's family came from Centralia, the town with the underground fire.  There's really very little to see there anymore.

My maternal great-grandmother had never made spaghetti or heard of lasagna until my Nana cooked it for them.   It got to the point that my great-grandfather would open Nana's front door when they visited and throw his hat in first and yell, "What are you making this time Betty?"  😃 An action that made all of us children laugh.

Nana's family lived in Shamokin, Pa.

After World War 2, many folks emigrated out of the coal regions into other areas.  All 5 of my grandfather's surviving siblings moved out to cities and one even ended up in Saipan (government work).

Anyway, I thought about all these things yesterday as I cooked my husband some Shepherd Pie.  It's funny how things come back to you when you are in the kitchen...or the lack thereof.  Does any specific food bring back memories for you?

The First Snow

 

Hello December!

Yesterday the first snow of the season fell.  It was a light snow.  Still my husband and I think it suggests a snowy winter when the precipitation falls this early. 

Lucky and I enjoyed our walk because we were both bundled up!

"Is this really necessary?"

I am grateful that we had replaced our front pathway and removed the slate path that was so slippery during inclement weather.

I'm not a fan of bad weather but I do appreciate the one thing it always seems to bring:  silence.  We didn't see or hear a car for hours and there was an unusual calm to our city neighborhood.

This type of weather makes me want to hibernate in the sewing room where I can watch the snowfall, listen to music, and hang out with Lucky and the snowing machine.  How's the weather where you live?  Have you had your first snow yet?

Have a safe and happy day!

Happy Black Friday

 

I worked retail a total of 17 years; I started as a teenager and kept working in retail after my first husband left.  Often it was a second job because back in those bad old days, the state didn't pursuit deadbeat fathers for child support.

But today is about celebrating!  For the last 30 some years, I haven't had to work on Black Friday.  Yippee! 

Soooo... here are some of my favorite memes for today:

Hope you have fun today and if you are out shopping, be nice to those haggard store clerks!

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to folks in the U.S.!

 

Tuesday's This and That: November 25, 2025

 

Lucky and I send holiday greetings!

Yes it's cool enough some days for Lucky to be wearing his coat.  Hope you are all doing well and having decent weather!

***

Well the Seamsters' Union has done it again.  They've made another Sunbonnet Sue quilt reflecting our current political and societal landscape.  You can see it here.  You may remember that back in the 1970s, the Seamsters' Union did a quilt entitled "The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue."  It was a protest against all the cutsie Sunbonnet quilts being made at the time.  There was a great uproar about it in the quilting community.  You can see that one here.

As a person who adored and collected Sunbonnet quilts and patterns, I will tell you that I never minded these quilts.  I understand why some people found these objectionable.  But the way I see it, everyone has their own opinion and...quilts like these make the pattern even more popular and relevant.

***

Haptic and Hue have a few new podcasts.  I haven't had time to listen to any of them but I'm particularly interested in the hooky rugs one that was released recently.  Marion (from Marion's World on Youtube) did a whole show about the rug making.  It was interesting.  You can see a list of the podcasts here.

***

Have a safe and happy day!

I'd rather be sewing...

 

Well it's been a busy few days again.  My husband is great; he's just not good (patient) at paperwork, phone calls, and other things.  With all the things that needed to be done, I ended up on the phone for most of last week....and again this week.  I worry about my husband.  His whole identity revolved around his job and it was the main topic he discussed with everyone.  He won't admit it but I know he is grieving the loss of his job.  I am just focusing him full-time these days.

Obviously, I haven't been sewing except for the binding on the red quilt I posted this week.

I might actually get to sew tomorrow (fingers crossed)🤞.  I'd like to get 2 very easy wall hangings done.  At our guild quilt show, I purchased a stack of panels that featured the 4 seasons.  This is the Autumn one:

I fell in love with these panels and have no idea who designed them.  My mom loved them too.  I made a little wall hanging for her, me, and Aurora, Jim's daughter.  I have 2 winter panels that I want to make for mom and me.  There are some spring and summer ones too.  I bought little clips to hang them from (you can see one in the top left corner) and we are enjoying them.  This job will take an hour or two plus binding time.  

Nora is my cousin's 1 year old daughter.  She will be 2 in February.  I always give the little ones an I-Spy quilt for their second birthday so I have to get a move on that.  I have the blocks completed, just need to assemble.

I need to finish assembling the set-up for my 2026 temperature needlework. 

And there are a few Christmas things I would like to make.

What are you working on?

Have a nice day!

Shoo---Pup?

 

Not sure why, but our dogs and cats seem to love to be on our quilts as we make them.  My friend Anna says they can sense the love we put in to our sewing.  I'll go with that for now.  😃

I finished another lap quilt.  I had made this top 2 years ago and then decided I didn't like it.  I don't use a lot of solids and for whatever reason, solids unsettle me.  I found myself questioning everything about this piece and debating if I should take it apart.

In 2024, I made a lot of shoo-fly blocks.  I just loved making them and used a lot of my vintage fabric and also 1930s repro quilt scraps.   I made this quilt from them:

I also made a ladder quilt but for whatever reason, I can't find a photo.  Maybe I didn't take one and need to.

Then there is the red one.  The thing I remembered is that Lizzie, my machine quilter, can take a piece like this to the next level.  I wish you could see her quilting better.

Here's a close-up.

Unfortunately we've had a lot of cloudy weather so I'll take photos again when it's a sunny day...maybe today?

Have a safe and happy day!

Been Busy

 

So...my husband got layed off.  We will be okay. 

It's just a lot of stuff to do these days.  My husband and I were already collecting social security and all summer I had been preparing and cutting things off to prepare for his retirement...well, if he agreed to it.

The problem is he loved his job and even though he pretends this doesn't hurt him, it does.  It's not even anything wrong he did.  His company was bought by a financial firm and they want to sell it for a profit in a few years.  More of my friends are telling me this is happening in their families as well.  As one friend said, "it's like Richard Gere in the movie, Pretty Woman."  The companies are dismantling, not building anything.

So just want to tell you what is going on and why I won't be blogging very much for a few weeks.  For now, he needs me to be around.  I'm confident that he will get consulting offers and be back to doing some work soon.  But for now, it's a lot of paperwork and meetings.

Talk to you when I can....

Have a great weekend!

 

I spent the weekend cleaning the sewing room again.  The little 2.5 squares I used for the last top really generated a lot of threads and lint.  I think for the rest of the year, I'm going to concentrate on making some things from my scrap drawer.  Still, doing a thorough cleaning made me assess my stash.

Do you have favorite fabric designers, collections, eras?  I still love my vintage fabrics and the 1930s reproductions.  They are so happy!  For a while I lost my enthusiasm for 19th century reproduction fabric.  Now I'm a big fan again (good thing, because I have a good stash of it).  

And then there is that other fabric...you know, the fabric too good to be used.

I know a lot of people who love Tula Pink and some don't even use the fabric in their stash.  Beth loves Tula but she does use her fabric.

Tilda seems to be the other hot designer these days.  I like (and have) one line by Tilda called "Chic Escape".  

I guess if I have one resolution for the new year it is to use some of the "good fabric".  

Other than that, I'll keep plodding along with my projects.

Wishing you a bright and happy day!

Flower Friday Surprise

 

We had a little rain last week, then a little warmth, then...a little surprise.  A cone flower rebloomed:

And then the rose did as well:

But the biggest surprise was the perineal gladiola which suddenly decided it wanted to be seen again:

I wish you some nice flower surprises as well!

Have a great weekend!

The 510 Top

 

My husband refers to my latest project as an adventure in craziness.  Hence the photo above.  😂😂

I had a lot of 2.5 inch squares.  I kept wondering what to do with them and then I saw a video from Lessons Learnt.  The scrapbuster featured on that channel used 6.5 inch blocks and lots and lots of 2.5 inch blocks.  Cowabunga!  

So during the last three weeks, I've been putting this top together:

Here's a better photo:

  

So the top took 480 squares at 2.5 inches and 30 squares at 6.5 inches.  I'm actually really happy I could use so many of the 2.5 scraps.  It also helped that they were already cut and even stored by color.  I only have a small container left!

The one big problem is that all those little scraps create lots of threads and lint.  I need to clean the sewing room again and run the air purifier a lot during the next week.  

Today I'm off to get another cortisone shot in my hand.  The right hand is fine but the left hand gots shots every three months.  It's been painful lately so I'm relieved to get the shot.

Wishing you a safe and happy day!

Updates on Sachet/Boudoir Pillow?

 

Hello everyone!  In the U.S. we are now on Daylight Savings Time and set our clocks back.

 I heard one of my British Youtubers mention they had turned their clocks back as well.  Do you live in an area where you change your clock?  I know some states here do not follow this.  

Are you enjoying an extra hour of sleep?  It doesn't make any difference to me.  I tend to get up the same time every morning.

On Thursday I talked about a pillow that I picked up at the Flea Market that seemed like a sachet/table sachet/pillow?  You can read that here.  Sue texted me that she had similar pillows in her collection.  Here are front and back images she shared:

Sue said these were boudoir pillows.  The first one is "flat as a pancake" as she put it;  the second is overstuffed.  Sue wrote, "they were intended to be decorations."  I suspect this was the real purpose.  Boudoir decor was popular during the first half of the 20th century.  If you check here, you can read about boudoir dolls.

To me, the pillows seem like a nice alternative and more affordable than the boudoir dolls.  

Sue also pointed out that why would you want the opportunity to stain your work with food?  Excellent point!

Nann wrote too, citing that:  "I've seen, or read about, hot pad mats with clove/orange scents though as I recall they're more like stuffed potholders than the lacey one you showed. I've never been inclined to make one, let alone a bunch of them."

From pinterest (but so cute!)

I have to say, I don't think my husband would appreciate the smell of clove and orange while we are eating dinner.  I can see using this for a pot of tea because I tend to drink Constant Comment tea with clove and orange.  But not for anything else.

Thanks for your input everyone!

Have a safe and happy day!

Things That Go Bump in the Day or Night

 

Happy Halloween!

Today's post is about some of the things that Lucky is afraid of...some logical some not.  To outsiders, he seems like a fierce dog all full of growling and jumping.  They don't know that a shadow or a leaf falling on the path can frighten him.  I still don't understand why he's afraid of garbage cans (except they are so much bigger than him).

They added some new features at the park.  Lucky was afraid of this duck.  It took him about a month to realize it wouldn't hurt him.

***

This fountain was terrifying.  

He growled and barked for anyone who would listen!

 ***

But one thing unglued him more than anything.  We walked along an alley in our neighborhood and Lucky could not run away fast enough.  Actually, I can't blame him! 😄

I would like to tell you this was for Halloween but actually it was July when this happened.  I had to look twice before I realized they weren't growing vegetables...

We live in an odd--but interesting--neighborhood.😂😂😂

Hope you have a wonderful Halloween!

Have a safe and happy weekend!