The Love of the Puzzle and Dogs in Central Park

Hi Blog Friends,

Just a quick extra post this week.  All about jigsaw puzzles and dogs in New York's Central Park. 

I love jigsaw puzzles.  So did my dad.  The jigsaw puzzle has a long history in my family.  Each year when I was growing up, my dad would set up the card table in the living room, and we'd put a puzzle together.  Some of the fondest childhood memories are of those times.  A number of years ago, I resurrected this holiday tradition with my own family.  It turns out that the love of the jigsaw has passed from my dad, through me, to my three girls.  We do a jigsaw puzzle every year at Christmas (and, on the original card table, I might add). 

Except for this past Christmas in 2014.  Circumstances and logistics got in the way of our annual tradition.  So, in early January, I was needing my puzzle fix, found this puzzle and fell in love with it. 

Here's the particulars:
Name " Baby It's Cold Outside"
Made by New York Puzzle Company, 1000 pieces
Featured on cover of New Yorker Magazine Feb. 8, 2010
Frame by Denis

It was fun, and I love it!  I am thinking of getting more of these covers and changing them out as part of my seasonal display.

Till next time....

Life and New Pages

Hello Blog Friends,

I'm sad to report that Winter Woolies II is still in process.  Life, as we all know, has a way of sometimes getting in the way.  We seemed to have a busy week, but somehow did not get as much accomplished as we would have liked.  So, check in with me next week to see the finish of Winter Woolies II.

I did not sit idle the entire week, however.  Thursday night was scrapping group and we made some pretty cool pages.  As you know, my daughter Kristy is a Close to My Heart consultant, and she hold a group class once a month.  We make (3) 2-page layouts which are photo ready by evening's end.  This month we used the Hopscotch paper packet and coordinating accessories.  The sunburst elements were all cut with the Cricut machine in varying sizes.  These pages can be used for spring, or summer vacation pictures.  One of the members of our group is going to use them for photos from her winter vacation in Mexico.  Another is going to southern California this summer; these pages will be perfect for that!

Fun pages!  See you next week! 
 

Winter Woolies

Hello Blog Friends,

This week's post is all about flannel.  I love flannel.  I especially love the Woolies line by Maywood.  These are the flannel prints that look like wools, in herringbone, tweed, basketweave, dots, and plaid patterns. 

I was recently into Going to Pieces Quilt Shop in Appleton, WI.  They had a 5th anniversary celebration in January, and I was able to pick up a jelly roll and a layer cake of the Maywood Woolies flannel line.  I made two quilts from these precut packages:  a jelly roll race quilt and a disappearing nine patch.  Both quilt tops were finished in January, but just now getting close to finishing, just as spring is around the corner.  Not to worry, tho...they will be ready for curling up in next winter.  The jelly roll quilt will be the "car quilt", using in travelling on those frigid winter days.  The nine patch will be for our own use, for cuddling in on cold winter days and nights. 

Here is the jelly roll version of Winter Woolies.  I quilted it in a large all-over meander pattern. 

I'm busy working on the nine patch and hope to have it ready to show you in next week's post.

Til then...

I have returned! At last....

Hello Blog Friends!

Yes, it has been a very long time since I've posted on this blog!  As we all know, life has a way of intervening and sending the best laid of plans totally awry.  Between then and now, we went on vacation, suffered a major setback, the concrete business was crazy, I took on a new part time job, finished three quilts, 2 scrapping projects, and a quirky mosaic, attended two family golden birthday parties, and attended two scrapping retreats.

Shortly after my last post (way back in August of last year), Denis, my mom Fran, and I set out on a road trip to Colorado.  Our destination was Grand Junction, on the western slope.  Mom had lived there for many years, and went back to visit friends.  We planned to drop her with friends, then explore the mountains between GJ and Colorado Springs, spend a few days, and explore on our way back to GJ to pick her up.  Just 15 minutes after she arrived at her friends' home, she fell and broke her hip.  Her entire stay in GJ from then on was spent in St Mary's hospital in GJ (a fantastic facility!). 

We spent 10 lovely days in GJ, getting to know the area very well.  We tried to do at least one thing a day outside the hospital, just to salvage both our sanity and what we could of our vacation.  Mom spent one week in the hospital and two weeks at in-hospital therapy.  Three weeks after she fell, she left the hospital under her own power and flew home.  She stayed for a week with us, and finally was back in her own home exactly one month after she left.  It was a hell of a September!

I was away from my job for two weeks, and was jammed with work until the 1st of November.  It took me six weeks to catch up.  I worked a lot of extra hours, and also picked up a new part-time job...as bookkeeper for our church.  Before I could take over, however, I had to do a two year audit.  The records were in such a deplorable state, but after a month's time and 60+ hours of work evenings and weekends, I got them straightened out.  I made some changes, streamlined the process, and the books have balanced ever since.

I finished three quilts...Snack Attack was given to grandson Conner for Christmas 2014.  He is 12.  Patterns was given to daughter Kerri, who had to wait 31 years for her golden birthday on January 31, 2015.  Grandson Corey also received a quilt (named M&M Good) for his golden birthday this year...he was 10 on February 10th.

Snack Attack

 

Kerri (on right) and friend with Patterns

 

M&M Good

I finished two memory books for Christmas 2014.  Grandson Conner was victorious for the 3rd year in a row at the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby last February.  I've made him a book commemorating the achievement each year.  Here he is with the 2014 installment.

 

I made Mom a book highlighting all that we did together in 2014...a barn quilt trip, quilt shop hopping, the rodeo, Hamburgerfest, and the trip to Colorado.  Here she is with her book.  She is 100% recovered from her hip mishap.  Or, should I say "mis-hip"?  LOL

Finally, Denis' brother Gordon was not forthcoming with Christmas gift ideas, except for $$ for a fishing license.  In my opinion, money is a gift for birthdays, not Christmas.  He was insistent, however.  So, I thought that if that is all he can come up with, then he will have to work for it.  Out came the scrapping materials and our coin jar, and voila, the coin fish mosaic was created.  It was 12" x 18").  It was a great hit at Christmas, but instead of working at taking all the coins off (and the glue dots holding them on), he wants to hang it on the wall.  Really??

So, that has been my life since August.  September was spend dealing with a broken hip, October was filled up with accounting work, both at the concrete plant and at home, and November and December was spent rushing to finish Christmas gifts.

I've taken it a little easier so far in 2015, but I have actually been sewing for me!  I'll show you that next week.  I'll be posting every week on Sundays.  Thanks for visiting!

Catching up

Hello Blog Friends!

It's been a busy couple of weeks, I've had a lot going on.

We had a very sad day on Aug. 5...our beloved kitty Betty passed away.  She blessed our lives for 16 years.  Here absence has left a very large void in our lives.  We miss her so much!

I haven't been able to make much headway on sewing projects since my last post...last weekend we were in Seymour, WI to Hamburgerfest.  Yes, it is rumored that Hamburger Charlie invented the hamburger at the County Fair in 1885 .  He was selling his meatballs at the fair, but they weren't going over very well, so he flattened them, put them on bread, and voila, the hamburger was born.  There was a parade, a giant 190 lb hamburger, bands, ketchup slide and a hot air balloon rally.  No doubt about it, small towns in Wisconsin know how to do a fest right, no matter what the reason!

Here's my brother Dave playing in the band at Seymour.  His band is called No Schtick.

 

The Ketchup Slide

 

Balloon Rally

 

It was a great day!

 

 

Till next time...

Row by Row Shop Hopping

Hello Blogger Friends,

Another Quilt Shop Hop is underway...the Row by Row Experience including US and Canada quilt shops.  A number of Wisconsin Shops have joined in this hop, and some are offering unique fabric "license plates" for sale.  Please visit the Row by Row Experience website for more information by clicking here.

Here are a few of the ones I've collected:

I have plans for a quilt and will incorporate these. 

Denis and I were on a road trip recently with good friends Gary and Cathy, to the southern part of Wisconsin...we visited quilt shops in Oconomowoc, Delavan and Janesville.  We many times see unique and what we term as "odd and unusual".  We happened along a antique store (sort of) with lots of rusty and rusting stuff sitting outside.  What really caught our eye was the airplane:

Now, how often does a person see that?

We visited a nice shop just south of Janesville named Life's A Stitch.  The shop was housed in an old farm house and was a very nice shop.  The barn on the property was aptly decorated with barn quilts.  This barn has definitely seen better days...note how the cupola is listing a bit.

Thanks for looking!  Till next time....

Quilt Shop and Hodags

Hello Blogger Friends!

Last weekend Denis,  Mom and I went on a short road trip to Wausau and Rhinelander,  WI in search of (what else?) Quilt shops. 

Our first stop was in Wausau,  where we visited Sew Smart.   A very nice store with an antique  sewing machine collection, with some toy machines as well.  It is a store we will definately visit again.  We lunched in Wausau at a place called Wisconsin Burger Company.  VERY GOOD!!  I had Wisconsin Cheese Curds that were to die for.

After lunch, it was onward to the small town of Rhinelander.  There we found a very nice downtown, 5 to 6 blocks long.  We stopped in Sew Smart, a very nice quilt shop right downtown.  Yes, the two stores we visited that day are sister stores.  This one in Rhinelander was very tastefully decorated in a north woods decor.  They had many lovely fabrics and samples made.  Both Mom and I came home with fabrics...Mom got some lake loon fabrics and came home with some wonderful flannels.  After all that strenuous shopping (LOL) we have ice cream cones at this cute little stand.  I'm definately going back there again for more -- the ice cream is 96% fat free!!  (Does that mean I can eat twice as much?)

While in Rhinelander, we discovered the town's masct, the HODAG.  And, just what is a hodag, you ask?  Well, as far as I have learned, it is a made-up animal, created by a town resident in the 1800's to promote the town.  After the hoax was revealed, the town adopted the hodag as it's mascot.  The local HS team is, you guessed it, the Hodags.  There is Hodag Park, a hodag on the water tower, many businesses with the name hodag, and a fall hodag festval.  We found some hodag statues in downtown, gaily painted in different themes.

It was a great day.  The weather was summer perfect, I was in good company with Mom and Denis, ate wonderful cheese curds and fat-free ice cream, visited quilt shops, and learned all about the hodag.

Till next time...