Snowy Day, February 19, 2025

 We had a little more snow today.  Maybe 2".

Thankfully, it wasn't a work day for me but I have kept busy.  Finished this little baby boy quilt for a co-worker.  Hope she likes it.

...and I started two loaves of sourdough this morning.  The pics below are from some of my other loaves I've made.  It's my new obsession.  It is such a SCIENCE project - ha! I've been working at this for a few months now, but have finally learned a few things to help the starter mature and grow.  Just look at this lovely loaf (oops, I had already cut it before I snapped the pic)....

I'm having such a good time, trying to figure this out.  I think I've got it, but I must say I've really made some sumptuous things from the discard the last few months - tortillas, pancakes, waffles, rolls, sandwich bread, brownies, cookies, homemade pop-tarts. So many things you can add sourdough starter to for an extra depth of flavor and some good probiotics.

The baggie, was something I read to help the starter have air, rather than a lid. It seemed to help.  Also doing a 1:4:4 ratio (starter:water:flour), that really boosted my starter.  Anyway, I'm having fun with it, and lots of people really love sourdough so It's a great gift to others.

My next project is to make waxed cloth bread bags.  I'm awaiting on my organic beeswax pellets to arrive.  Then I'll have a nice little package to store the bread in.  Supposedly, the beeswax has antibacterial properties and the cloth bags allow the bread to breathe a little, and it doesn't mold or go bad as quickly as in a plastic bag.  We shall see.

 January 28, 2025

We've had some really cold weather, and the snow even made its way to New Orleans.  The grandkids were ecstatic! They got 10 1/2" of snow and matched a record from 1895.  We had about 3-4 inches the week before.  My beautiful DIL and handsome son.....

You can tell the wind was really blowing!

Time to get out the valentine's quilt.  Puzzle loves it.

I did the Bonnie Hunter mystery "Old Town" this year.  Just finished it this evening and hope to get it quilted in the next few days.  She has the best instructions on her mystery quilts. I've done a few of hers and even though they seem so complicated, she makes them doable, one step at a time.

I've decided 88" square is a good size for a king bed.  It makes like a coverlet, over my white duvet coverlet. It can also be used on all the other beds in the house, even the twins. I think this will be one I'll put in my rotation.

I learned to make the best, easiest pizza.  All you do is put a little oil in the skillet, and spread sourdough discard around to form a crust.  Cook on one side, flip, and while the other side is booking add your toppings.  So yummy and so incredibly easy.  Took maybe 5-8 minutes to make.

I'm still trying to make all the things with my sourdough starter.

New Year's Eve

 2024 is on it's way out, and in rides 2025. Long post, no pics.

Let's do a recap of 2024, first quilting, sewing, crafting:

    - 6 baby quilts

    - 1 quilt published (OBW in fall colors)

    - 1 bed size quilt (Bonnie Hunter paper pieced pattern)

    - 1 wall hanging

    - 1 Memory quilt made

    - 1 Christmas throw quilt made

    - 5 quilted bible bags (large size)

    - 15 quilted crossbody bags

    - 5 denim bags

    - Two leather belts

    - multiple rope baskets

    - built a bench from a live cedar board

    - Painted 5 bird pictures in Acrylics (copied another artists work)

    - Made 3 bowties

    - Sewed a new skirt and pants

Next other happenings:

    - Jesse Neutron, our 15 year old cat, passed away :(

    - Saw the Northern Lights twice from our home

    - Quick trip to Paducah for the Quilt Show

    - Updated master bedroom (new bed, night stands, lamps)

    - Puzzle lost an eye in a fishing accident :(

    - Did the "Hello Garbage" epoxy-like finish on our car garage and screened porch (still love it!)

    - Had a visit from the kids for two weeks in July and a week at Thanksgiving

Books Read (all were 'read' as audible books):

    -  Killing of the Witches by Bill O'Riley

    - The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel

    - Secrets We Left Behind by Susan Elliott Wright

    - Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers

    - Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

    - Masters of the Air by Donald Miller

    - Homefront by Kristen Hannah

    - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson

    - Band of Brothers by Stephen E Ambrose

    - Once We Were Brothers by Ronald Balson

    - I was Anastasia by Ariel Lawson

    - A Woman of Words by Angela Hunt

    - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

    - The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

    - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawson

    - The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jake

I am so, so, so thankful for all the experiences I've had in 2024...the crafts, sewing, learning, reading.  All of these wonderful hobbies that enrich my life so much.  I'm constantly in awe of all there is to learn in this big beautiful world God has given us.  2025 is expected to be my last year of working.  I've worked about 20 hours a week for several years, after my 'official' retirement in 2015. One more year to go, but then I have days like today where the 10 hours passed so fast and I was doing something I really enjoy.  Jim thinks I might want to just cut my hours back to maybe 8 a week in 2026.  That is an idea.  I have to stay busy and I don't rest well, and don't enjoy watching TV.  Always active doing something.  Although I have watched two movies with the hubby since Christmas.  That's probably one more than I've watched all year, ha!  We watched Six Triple Eight (good movie about the black female soldiers in WW2), and Carry On (thriller about terrorist in an airport).

Resolutions for 2025? I have a few thoughts.

    - Read the bible through (I've done this the last several years using the Grace to You website. It's great!)

    - Run a few races.  Would love to do another Half Marathon, but don't know if I have it in me at, soon to be, 66.

    - Continue running 3x a week and try to get outside on some of those

    - Have more people over to share a meal at our home - at least one a quarter.

    - Submit a quilt or two for publication in one of the quilting magazines.

    - Read a book a month

    - Make a large denim, leather trimmed back pack

    - Make a leather purse

    - Make a scrap quilt from my stash

    - Purge my craft closet

    - Organize the pantry

    - Do some more painting

    - Finish the board and batting on the remaining two Dining Room walls

    - Spread love, kindness, joy, compassion to others. (this isn't always easy with my introverted self)

    - Practice thankfulness every. single. day.

I love lists.  Lists help me accomplish things, and keep me on the path I want to go.

Again, so very thankful for this, another year, in the books.

Smile, do great things, spread kindness!

  

December 2024

 I've continued to make bags.  I gave ten away, then sold another 9 or 10 with the proceeds going to our local food pantry, Hands of Mercy.  

I love the little backpack purse in the above picture.  I kept it and use it a lot.

After getting my fill of bags, I found a free stocking pattern online by Fancy That Design House.  I loved it when I saw it and decided to make a couple.  Well, two turned to three, then to five, and I stopped at six!  

The kids got to come for a visit the week of Thanksgiving.  We took them to the Comedy Barn, and they loved it!

While they were here we all did a Turkey Trot 5k.  The kids' first one and they did great!

Lots of playing with Puzzle. She adores those children.

                                    Emma and I had matching hairdo's one day.  :)

Lots of playing outside.....every......single.......day.  Very thankful we had good weather the whole week they were here.

Time to get out all the Christmas quilts.

                                                Puzzle with her new toy, and her daddy.......

                                                        Pose for a treat, Puzzle!!

I recently learned how to make cranberry juice. Easy, peasy, and tastes so good with sparkling water.

Today was a busy day, making bread, Christmas Jam, chex mix, and potato soup.

......And I did finish a quilt recently.  This was a memory quilt made for a widow friend, out of her husband's shirts.  He passed in August, and I wanted her to have it before Christmas.  A great, quick pattern for a lap size quilt.  Tried a new quilting pattern and I really like it.

                                                    Merry Christmas from Rachel and Jim

                       

Newest Bag

 Still making bags.  Plains_and_Prairie has put out a new pattern (get it on Etsy) for a crossbody bag.  Just had to make one.  I barely had enough of the last little quilt I cut up, to make one more bag.

It's a fun little bag with two outside pockets.

I've since changed out the black canvas strap for leather, and yes, I realize I put the one of the zippers going the wrong direction.  Guess that means I'll need to make another one, ha!

Seriously, I do want to make at least two more.  Have them as gifts in mind. I've gifted five of the bags I previously made. They seem to make great gifts.  They are definitely one of a kind bags. I do love making things.

By the way, I wanted to post my latest one block wonder quilt.  It is the the fall issue of McCall's Quilting.

It's been four years since I had a quit published so I am excited about it.  I love the quilt and now have it hanging in my quilting/craft room.

It is made using the One Block Wonder process on six of these panels.

We had the little ones here for ten days and boy was it wild and fun.  Not without a few arguments though but such is life.  I pray they remember their times here with Mamaw and Papaw.  After reading JD Vance's book Hillbilly Elegy, I have a new understanding of the value of grandparents in a child's life. Jim and I also watched the movie on Netflix.  A lot of language, beware, but it was the way his Mamaw talked, and others in his life. Still his mamaw was a decidedly good influence in a turbulent world he grew up in.

Excited for fall around here.  We are still having trouble with our upstairs split unit, still waiting on an estimate for some deck work, and I'm still waiting on another business to complete something I've paid for.  I've been very disheartened lately with some business people.  It seems they don't return calls timely, blow off your concerns, and just aren't people of integrity like in the past. Makes me sad.

But I have so much to be thankful for, and these two are some of those blessings.....