friday again?

sure is a challenge to keep track of the days sometimes....with very few commitments for my time, a week seems like just one very long day...LOL!  sewing was at a snail's pace but picked up past couple of days...the featherweight has been humming with more of those batik scrap squares...

photo taken just before sunrise but you can see she is busy....i've also been working on the 3 minis for the rest of the year.  october top is done, november top in progress and fabrics pulled for december.  quilting on the gift quilt continues....october finish?  doubtful but close...and breakfast included some hot blues....only half gallons of milk in store, way too much for me, that needed to be used.

yes i do cook a lot....keeping to very low sodium intake demands it, but have streamlined quantity cooking and freezer is my best friend.  *** farmer's market slowing down but still some choices as no killing frost quite yet...not too far away i would guess.   *** october has got to be my favorite month.  in new england the foliage is outstanding, crisp air nights with warm days just right for anything, autumn fairs, aroma of apples baking, cozy flannel duds, luscious orange pumpkins everywhere, quilts back on beds...a quilty peep gave me permission to use this photo she took near her home....gladi porsche is an amazing quilter with many varied interests...if you haven't seen her work, you simply must.  she blows me away with her applique work and execution of beautiful quilts...thank you gladi for sending a bit of new england for me to drool over!

TGIF?

unlike when i was working, friday doesn't mean much anymore...without many diversions, the days just melt together punctuated only by weather changes...and whatever strikes my fancy!  this week it was cross stitch....

a bit more stitching on this...a pattern from modern folk embroidery....could be done for christmas...and this freebie from DMC website....

this will be a wall piece and i've got just the french general fabric for it...those reindeer get me every time!  also this week, my car had a sleepover at the garage for a few fixes.  *** and thanks to mary berry for this delish chicken wing recipe.  something i enjoy occasionally but forbidden until she demonstrated this recipe with almost no sodium ingredients--a bit of worcestershire that i pared down--and a few spices, maple syrup.  the maple syrup makes them a bit sticky but they are so very good!  

wings are ridiculously expensive right now but found a marked down package and grabbed them.

still recovering from vacation and a never-ending cold that just won't completely resolve.  not cardiac related, but annoying and keeping me in the doldrums without energy or ambition.  wacky see-saw weather affecting regular sleep habits not helpful either.  i did work on the october mini plus pulled fabric and patterns for november and december.  this weekend after chores, it's hand quilting on the christmas gift. ***  off to get more caffeine to rev up the engine...it's a fitness day!

brevity

 soaking weekend....

simmering soup....

sewing scraps....

friday goal met!

that would be the churn dash flimsy....i added the vertical row with a few squares left over...placemats anyone?  thank you chooky for organizing this sew along!  now to pick up a batting for it and get it finished....UFO be gone!

it looks very much like the pattern only smaller, although my colors are brighter....so i consider it a success.  *** also finished is this little fall cross-stitch piece that'll be a bowl filler at some point....

next up is to finish the christmas one...both of these got started on vacation.  and quilting on the gift quilt continues...that is october's focus.  the sooner it gets finished, the sooner another UFO goes in the hoop.  lastly, if you are not a regular reader of "quiltmania" magazine, i would encourage you to pick up the latest issue...

there is a feature article on my quilty pal Wendy Reed from Maine who is single-handedly responsible for the resurgence in potholder style quilts---but before that, she won many prizes for her beautiful and expertly hand quilted quilts.  even without the quilty part, she is a kind, humble, gentle and funny person whom I'm blessed to know.  ***  Ian has arrived with a rainy weekend in store...just perfect for quilting!

today's the day

the chooky churn dash sew-along ends and at least flimsies must be done...happy to say that i'm at least VERY close to a flimsy and by end of day today just might make it!

as you can see, have a pretty good layout and yes, the red is a bit strong, but i'm leaving it because i like that block....designer's prerogative!  i've enough blocks left of the 10" size to do a vertical row along the side, giving it a finished throw size at least.  i really didn't want the full size from the pattern and goal of using up many of my odd prints was met.  some are now gone for good and others have moved on to the scrap basket.  have decided to designate a month in 2023 to purely scrap sewing so stay tuned...

up early as busy morning ahead....get post done before morning meds slow me down....next cardio visit possible downward adjust of dosage...expecting a weekend visit from Ian so warming soup on the menu.  and since October is just a mere 18 hours away, i'll sign off with this...hoping my mom is putting up her "boo" piece too!

change

for good or ill, change is always present.  my september mini is titled just that...."change"....once again, linking up with wendy and other monthly mini makers!

it's the chinese coins pattern done with lots of autumnal fabrics.  i have a lot of them and it's difficult to choose just a few, so a perfect pattern.  only 3 more minis for me as i'll be giving up the sew along when 2022 ends.  my UFO list isn't dwindling as fast as it should and needs more of my time.  ***  fall weather is here finally!  *** growing up, "putting by" for the winter was an all-consuming task.  jams, pickles, veggies, fruit...all colorfully displayed on shelves promising a taste of summer all winter.  i no longer preserve anything but do try and put some veggies in the freezer for later.  and autumn cooking returns, firstly with these cider donut muffins.

the recipe calls for dipping tops in melted butter then sugar but i like them without.  next up is pumpkin bread!  ***  finally, finally getting over the nasty, stubborn cold.  no fever at all, but congestion that won't let go.  was it covid? don't know, didn't test, wouldn't have made a difference.  lots of extra rest and empiric treatment (cough remedies, vitamin c, tylenol and a bit of extra aspirin) slowly doing their job.  some of it was from exercise holiday AND more dietary slips than usual, so getting back into the cardiac lifestyle groove has helped also.  *** featherweight was unpacked and feeling more like sewing....the churn dash blocks are next.  "sunny", my mom's 1960s era singer, will be joining us late october. 

along with muffins, murder is back on the menu as well....LOL!  the bookmobile stops here regularly and i've lined up enough suspense to see me thru the winter!

the brevity of time becomes more apparent in autumn.   how many more years can i quilt?  sew?  read?  travel?  like the elders of my family, just keep on keeping on i guess, doing things as usual every day, ignoring the calendar and delighting in every birthday.  our family reunion in august once again reminded me of the resilience and fortitude in my genetic makeup....here we are, 140+, on the Whitney family farm in jonesboro, maine. 

and always, thanks be to God for His provision and care every day!

back to business....

but before that, just one last beach photo...i promise!

pesky cold has finally subsided enough for normal duties that got accomplished with energy left to pull out churn dash blocks for some work....this is the first of what will be quite a few versions, i anticipate.

because i opted out of the last size of blocks, cannot follow the pattern, so it's "design" time, scary as i am no designer, no way no how.  next will try rows of same size blocks to avoid spacer strips between blocks with maybe strips between rows.  it'll be colorful for sure.  i've got 'til the end of the month to produce a flimsy, so brain food is definitely on the menu....i need all the help i can get...LOL!

and in the cute department, a quilty peep and her husband are traveling australia and they sent me this photo of an adult emu with chicks crossing the road....australia was never on my bucket list until i followed her blog along...it is an astounding place!

"dash"ing off to the design wall!

sojourn ended....temporarily!

it was a VERY brisk morning at the beach...49 degrees...when we packed up to go.  bittersweet as always...already i'm missing it....when landing in baltimore it was 80! 

if you are weary of these vistas, scroll on past!  for me, the ocean is new every morning and i love watching waves, wildlife and people too...other beach hounds who revel in any weather..  the last end of our visit both mom and i developed colds, so we were less than perky and mine hangs on...covid negative, just a cold.  driving to airport, spied this sign from our favorite purveyor of those delish crustaceans....

if you can't see it clearly, it says lobsters here are $5.50 per pound....he is local with his own boat and tanks who sells out of his garage.  though we indulged frequently, i can always eat more lobster.  in fact, we dined on seafood for most of my visit.  ***  and yes, more lazy stitching was done.  abandoned the christmas piece for an autumn piece, but again, due to sniffles not much accomplished.

thanks to order online and pickup, necessary groceries waiting for me.  today it's stock up at farmer's market, make some vital chicken soup and self medicate with tylenol and cough syrup.  dirty clothes can wait a day or so.  ***  although the flight was uneventful, there was some water dripping down from the overhead bin.  could not find a leak of any kind and the attendant seemed to think it was just condensation from air systems or something.  since he wasn't alarmed, i was reassured and told him i didn't look good in yellow anyway (life jacket)....LOL!  ***  at the airport i had just missed an honor flight departing for home...i would have loved to join in the send off...no doubt my DAR sisters were accompanying.  ***  first item on sewing agenda is to quilt the september mini and then return to quilting my christmas gift quilt, both while i'm counting the days to another visit with my very dear family.  ah, such memories to keep in my heart!

Catching up

Heading down to beach in a bit so a brief post....weather is perfect....hurricane out at sea so big waves today....this year made it to the water...Last year was impossible so soon after hip break but delighted with progress...Stitching continues lazily...

Had to redo "j" and saw that "y" was off so that's a redo now...

Baskets continue with only 103 to go....

Will sign off with this idyllic view....

Thunder thighs and all!

It's heeeere!

 That would be mr. Sunshine!   

Summer weather from here on in....I can take that!  Two rainy days and this got done....

Some cross stitch and few more baskets....and lastly, down to the last lobster roll....me and mum bought 6 each, cooked and picked out, gave us rolls for a week plus some sharing.....I never got tired of eating them....lol!

One more that we will share and back to regularly scheduled menu items...

This post done on the tablet so forgive wonkiness....me I'm headed for sand and surf!