Things I Like Aug 31

Greetings! Calling all Quilters:  Please note important info at bottom of this post.

I hope and pray everyone is happy and healthy.  I know there are many Texans and Louisianans  who are not and pray for them daily.  I was actually anxious to start my like list with number 1.

1. The citizens of Texas.  I am inspired by the citizens helping each other with total disregard for their own losses. We have been glued to the tv since last Friday which has been difficult to watch.  But we have been SO inspired by the Texans! Many homeowners were affected by flooding in their own homes, but went out and helped search and rescue people stranded in other locations. Good begets good.

2. The citizens of other states stop their own lives to arrive in Texas and Louisiana to help their fellow man.  In these disturbing times we are experiencing here in America, it's so heart warming and encouraging to watch people from all over the country giving to others without regard to race, political preference, etc.

3. The national organizations and government offices stepping up before and after the hurricane hit. They have their problems with accountability  but at least they were in the area immediately with help.

4. The local agencies scrambling to provide services to their citizens. Here is a list taken from the New York Times to help those in the Texas  area if you want to contact them to help:

Local organizations

The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund of Houston’s mayor, Sylvester Turner, which is administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation.

Houston Food Bank and the Food Bank of Corpus Christi are asking for donations.

The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center is reporting a critical shortage, and has extended hours at all of its San Antonio-area donor rooms. To donate, call 210-731-5590 or visit their website for more information.

Carter BloodCare covers hospitals in North, Central and East Texas. To donate, call 877-571-1000 or text DONATE4LIFE to 444-999.

To help animals suffering from the disaster, visit the Houston Humane Society or the San Antonio Humane Society. The Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has set up an animal emergency response hotline (713-861-3010) and is accepting donations on its website.

The Texas Diaper Bank in San Antonio is asking for diapers and wipes, which can be dropped off in person or mailed to 5415 Bandera Road, Suite 504, San Antonio, Tex., 78238.

The United Way of Greater Houston flood relief fund will be used to help with immediate needs as well as long-term services like minor home repair. Visit their website to donate or text UWFLOOD to 41444.

The L.G.B.T.Q. Disaster Relief Fund will be used to help people “rebuild their lives through counseling, case management, direct assistance with shelf stable food, furniture, housing and more.” It is managed by The Montrose Center, Houston’s longtime community center for the area’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population.

For more options, the Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends checking with the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster for a list of trusted disaster-relief organizations in Texas.

I have not seen the local list for  Louisiana cities, but hope it will be published.

 Even tho I donated to the American Red Cross, I prefer to also contact locally so the funds are distributed for a specific group or purpose immediately.  Those affected in Texas are going to need help for a very long time.  

Per Rebecca Ward ,the President of Kingwood Area Quilt Guild (next to Houston), they will act as a liaison to receive any size, color, pattern  quilts for Houston and they will make sure they get to flood victims.  Send them to Rebecca Ward, 5311 Dawnburst Dr., Humble, TX 77346  or  to Diane Floyd, 2026 Round Spring Rd., Kingwood, Tx 77339

Please hook up with Lee Anna at Not Afraid of Color for some more "likes".

Thanks for dropping by and best wishes to everyone.

mary

Prayers for Texas

Greetings. Just a short post of prayers for all those affected by the approaching hurricane Harvey in Texas.  In 1983 we were temporarily living in Houston when "Alicia" hit Texas and I was worried.

Coming from Arizona, I had never experienced so much water!  And the wind-115 mph.
There was a lot of property damage in our area but we lived thru it fine.
Our prayers go out for Texas.
mary

Things I Like Aug 24

Greetings!

Well, we made it thru another week without cutting my finger off, or a nuclear holocaust so I'm happy. Gheeze Louise.
THANK YOU BOSTON FOR SETTING A GREAT EXAMPLE OF OUR CITIZENS!

 I'm writing this on Tuesday so I can get a head start on the photos before Thursday morning, so we do have the Trump rally in Phoenix  tonite hanging over our heads. It's about 10 miles from my home. I pray all goes safely for everyone. I wish it was not taking place.

My life is pretty nice right now and I am very grateful.

So, here's my list of likes for this week:

1. The Ability to meet International Bloggers.  I know we take a lot for granted with the Internet, but I am in awe that I can click a button and read blogs from other countries! Some of my personal favorites are Sandra at Musings of a Menopausal Melon in Ontario Canada, Jocelyn at Canadian Needle Nana and Jenny at Elefantz in Australia.  They are all different in their hobbies/work but we have a common desire to create. These ladies also share their lifestyles, families, food, beautiful photos of their landscapes and open their lives to us.  Life is good.

2. My new end table toppers. I have many home decor items I need to make but get side tracked sewing other projects.  I finally stopped one afternoon and made 2 fall table toppers for my living room.

They are the same, I just turned one over so you can see the back. I think I like the back more (the photo at the top).  I prefer to cover my end tables for 2 reasons. One, for a little deco and two, to protect these really nice wood tables.  They get used every day for drinks, etc and there are spills.  I had some fall scrap fabric so I just sewed some strips together , quilted to batting, attached a one piece backing scrap with right sides together and OILA! 2 toppers were done in an hour. I really like them.

3. Two New Projects this week. The Christmas scraps are taking over the containers so I decided to just get some sewn together quickly.  I started another Christmas Table Topper using scraps and Miss Rosie's Cake Mix papers:

I sewed 4 sets of blocks , cut them and now get to sit in front of the tv and remove papers which is soothing. Later, I will sew the blocks together into a 20 inch table topper. More photos when they are done.

I also started joining many Cookie Exchange scraps into 10.5" Improv blocks probably for a quilt.

This Moda fabric is so sweet with recipes for Christmas. It feels good to sew up the scraps instead of them stuffed in bags taking up room in the stash.  I made  9 -10.5 blocks but haven't laid them out nor attached red check sashing yet. I plan to make a small quilt-hope it will be about 45 inches square.

As you can see, I've been in a lot of therapy this week. (hee hee)

Thank you so much for dropping by. I hope everyone is healthy and happy.  Please join us for more "likes" with Lee Anna at :Not Afraid of Color.
mary

Short update on Wednesday- the rally was disgusting to watch but the protesters outside were peaceful the whole time. Each group had to stand outside in 108 degrees for hours before the rally!  After the rally let the folks out, all was peaceful and people were leaving when a small (10) group of young thugs arrived who were not associated with either group and threw rocks/bottles at the police . They were just their to fight and were laughing! I am SO proud of our police for their tolerance and patience even tho the media exaggerated the scene.

Things I like Aug 17

Greetings!
I originally wrote this post with some serious thoughts that have me upset these past few days but I have removed them to a separate post if you are inclined to read them. Today, we will escape to lovelies.


Here are just a few of my likes this week:

1. Beginning to clean out closets.  If I start to clean out  now, then Fall (and cooler weather) must be around the corner. I packed away my old "work" fancy clothes since I retired a year ago.  I don't know why I'm saving them except for the cost incurred! I have no plans to return to work, unless there's a disaster.
I absolutely love not working outside the home and wearing casual clothing.

This is just the beginning of cleaning out stuff for donation. It feels so good.

2. A New cooler.  My freezer part of the fridge is old and not mine since I'm renting my home.  I keep a freezer thermometer in there for that reason.  It started fluctuating, so I brought a new Igloo rolling cooler from Target for $23 in case it was going out.... love that it's on rollers!

Isn't it cute? Anyway, as my life usually goes, the freezer has not acted up at all since I bought the cooler two weeks ago. I kid you not. Maybe now I can go on a picnic. And yes, I'm SO glad the freezer is doing well.

3. Safeway's Fall Display in the florist section. Isn't this adorable?

I usually don't like early holiday displays (it's still August after all), but this met me at the entrance of the Safeway - of all places. . I fell in love with the little doors with the ghosts. These pumpkins are made of metal as most of the parts are as well. The detail is so good.  I was happy just looking at them. I may go back and purchase one.

4. My new Gypsy Quilter Gripper.  Since my injury (see previous gross post) I purchased a second Gripper. I cannot find my first one purchased 5 years ago and only used once.  Originally, I did not like the feel of using one.  But this time, I've determined my tendinitis in my thumbs doesn't hurt so much so there's a dual reason to use this.

So, now I can start/continue making my Christmas projects. Thank you Gypsy Quilter. (and my local quilt shop for carrying one).

5. Christmas Cookie Place Mats. The fabric is from a Moda Frivols #10 tin with Christmas Cookie Exchange fabric.

They are 15 x 11.  I made 2 with a simple patchwork, one as a QAYG, and one with the Wedge ruler (which was difficult by the way). For some reason, when I make the wedge patterns they stretch out of shape a little.  I love these colors though  as a change from the traditional red/green. I just realized there is brown in the above photo. There is not any brown! That should be red. Should have caught that before posting. It's actually the same red as the piece next to it! How did that happen? Oh well.
The backing on all of them is the gray/white circles from Hoffman. It has a slight sheen to it. I like making these place mats because they are so soft (with a thin batting inside). They just get thrown in the washer and come out beautiful. Not sure if these will be a gift or sold at a craft sale.

I am so grateful to have the time and inventory to create, sew and quilt for therapy. It makes me happy.

Please join all of us at Lee Anna's Not Afraid of Color for our "likes" this week.
I pray we will all have a peaceful week. Thanks for stopping by.
mary

I feel like I'm in a Time Warp

This is not a fun post. Those are for another day.

Despite all the bad news we have seen in the last few days, I'm desperately trying to focus on things I like but finding it difficult.

 I am so tired of waking up every morning wondering what setback will come upon us due to the government currently in office.   But, what I saw over the weekend and Tuesday is disgusting and unacceptable. The horrible hate crime behavior of the Ku Klux Klan, Neo -Nazi's  and white supremacists on Friday and Saturday in Charlottesville  exceeds all other disasters this year except the threat of nuclear war. But then the Trump defensive comments on Tuesday were unbelievable and made the situation even worse.

Are you kidding me? I can't believe I must write these concerns! Either one! Are we back in the 60's? Did we not learn from our past mistakes? Nuclear war? Racism getting worse?   Violent hate groups attacking Americans?

 First we have the threat of nuclear war hanging over our head because of child like/ bullyish  behavior by the White House.  This is on top of many of our rights being threatened by this government in just 7 months in office. Now, we have racist hate groups rallying against our own citizens with Trump's support.

Our Congress and other leaders need to stand up against this group of people who are running this disasterous show in the White House and do their own job of representing us citizens. This is not how America believes or behaves.

Silence on our part condones the bad behavior.

SLOOOOWLY

Isn't that weird looking for a headline?  Oh well. Just wanted to share how weird my day was yesterday and is today.  For the first time in 5 years of quilting, I was cutting fabric for a new project when the ruler slipped and I cut my forefinger with the rotary blade:

At least I didn't share a photo of the finger after 4 stitches. REALLY GROSS. When I had the accident, I had to wrap the cut, change clothes and drive to Urgent Care alone which was okay but took forever cause I was keeping my hand higher than my heart to keep the blood flow down.  gheeze.  We take for granted having 2 hands!!! Receiving a shot before the stitches was the worst part but now all is good and today I will take it easy, sew a little (I hope) while binge watching "Homeland" (an excellent series I never got to watch when it was on tv). Showering should be fun since I can't get it wet till stitches are removed next week. Luckily, it's a free weekend (no responsibilities) and a clear week all next week. I'll only drive if absolutely necessary.  I'm also pleased it's not painful! But, typing is difficult with one hand. Oh well, it's all good.

Hope ya'll are having a wonderful weekend!
mary

Things I like Aug 10

Greetings!

 (I'm praying for you Guam) but  here are the things I do like this week:

1. Making things I'm not supposed to be doing right now- such as my Candy Apple Potholder

Isn't it the cutest? The layer cake piece was from an old I Spy fabric collection. The pot holder was made using Insul Bright which reflects the heat. I also put a layer of batting inside. The potholder is about 9x10.  I might sell it at a craft sale in the fall or give it as a gift.

2. Making things for my daughter-she is so appreciative and I can usually guess what fabrics she will like- this time I made a blue and gold mug rug for her morning tea:

 The first photo is the back

By the way, I used my MSQC half hexagon ruler on the layer cake pieces for both of  these projects. On this mug rug, I did not add a binding, just sewed the fabrics right side together with batting in between and then of course turned right side out with top stitching on the edge.

Either of these projects only took 1/2 hour to make. Very satisfying.

3.Preparing/cooking with new recipes. Yesterday I tried making baked chicken taquitos from a Facebook recipe.

They looked like they were ok. They were awful.  LOL.  I even reviewed the recipe to see if I did everything correctly which I did, but they just didn't turn out good.  My brother and I laughed as we tried to eat them! They were not edible.
The same day, I tried to make peach sorbet and it was so awful tasting I didn't even take a picture.  How could peaches, sugar and water not taste good. ... I think it must have been the frozen peaches I just purchased at the store for that recipe.
But, you won't experience good new dishes unless you try! My track record is really good considering, so I'll keep playing.

4. Blog sites that are not  about quilting and cooking.  Two of my favorites are Gabrielle at Design Mom and Laura at Decor to Adore If you get a chance to check them out I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

I hope everyone is safe, happy and healthy and thanks for dropping by.  Please check out other "likes" with Lee Anna at Not Afraid of Color.

Things I like Aug 3

Greetings!

Wow, where the heck did July go? I'm thrilled it is August which means we are on the second half of "summer" here and days will be cooler in a few months. But, I'm sad my tutoring of my grandson 2 days a week came to an end yesterday.  I have so enjoyed being with him these extra days this summer and feel we both learned a lot this summer!

Here's a look at my "likes" this week:

1. A new "pouch" for a friend. She gave me just a few  scraps and I quickly turned that around into a pouch for her.  She will receive it later in the week..

It's so cute at 8 x 10 inches. It would hold scissors, rotary cutter, and any other longer items.  I  lined it with a cute dotted fat quarter.

2. Crock Pot "Roasted Potatoes".  I did not copy the place on the internet where this was mentioned on Facebook so I just played it by ear and tried it myself. I quartered about 6 Yukon Gold potatoes and put them in the cooker. I sprinkled garlic powder, thyme, salt, pepper, rosemary (at least  1/2 tsp each) added 2T olive oil and 2T chopped butter.  I just stirred it all up, covered it and cooked them 3.5 hours on low.

Yes, they were that good!  I had no idea this could be done (and so easy). nor that they would turn out perfect. Granted, slow cooker temps may vary but I'm sure time would be close to 3.5 hours for you.


3. My new Pink Party Purse.  Sometimes, I need a small purse (with a zipper) to go to a friend's party, or the theater and don't want to carry my usual larger cross-body purse, so I made this one from fat quarters and scraps for the lining. I even used one fat quarter for the straps. The purse is 10 x 11 x 3.

I usually don't go for "girly" purses but this was so cute and fun to carry to a family party Saturday night. I think the pink zipper and pink handles really add to the sweetness. I used slim cotton batting instead of heavier stiffer Interfacings which made the bag so light.

Well peeps, that's all my fun things for this week.  Thanks for dropping by.  Please join all of us by linking to:Not Afraid of Color