May 10, 2024

Jim and I made a quick overnight stay at Paducah, for their annual quilt show.  We saw lots of beautiful quilts, and had some great food, and some good shopping at Hancock fabrics.

The local Boy Scouts always have their strawberry short cakes with ice cream out with the food vendors at Paducah.  It was yummy!

On our way!

A close up of this prize winning quilt.  Amazing.

I've made one of these and I have the book by Colleen Wise, who showed this beauty.  I have made one like this before and love it.

A quilt like a rug!

Bible quilt.

I admired this quilter's work at least at one past quilt show. 

As I posted before I've been "refreshing" our bedroom.  We've had a time with mattresses and bed frames, but we FINALLY have it figured out.  Initially I bought memory foam mattress like we have on the other beds in the house and love, but....sleeping on it every night was a little different and not as firm as we are used to.  We bought the black metal bed, which I was really happy with.....until we sold the memory foam mattress and got a more firm 12" mattress from the local highschoool band fund raiser.  This mattress needs to be rotated every two weeks at first, and then every few months afterwards. Well, my husband is disabled and can't lift hardly anything. The two of us could not lift the mattress up over the footboard to rotate the bed. And the footboard was close to the mattress making it hard to make up in the mornings for both of us. So luckily I was able to sell the bed for almost what I paid for it, and then purchased a high (14") king, black metal frame, and a nicer, taller, black metal headboard.  Oh my, rotating the mattress is easy and I can do it by myself.  I love the frame, because like the other metal bed, it is 14" off the ground for some storage if needed, or even a place Puzzle, our golden retriever, can hide out in.  The headboard is perfect, the bed is so easy to make up, and I am finally happy with our bedroom!

So here's some pictures of where we started and where we are now.  You know, as we get older, we really have to make some adjustments to our living, for ease in our older age. This bed is light so I can switch out my rugs, but sturdy and stable, no squeaking! First up the bed I built a few years ago, SO HEAVY!

First replacement bed and mattress.  Like the bed height, and the look, but too hard to make up and rotate mattress.

Ok, this is the bed!  I'm in love with it. Perfect height (no box springs or foundation), easy to rotate without the footboard and easy to make up.

And my new little bench I made.  I friend who works at a local sawmill gave me the small live edge cedar board.  All I did was sand it down, apply a clear coat finish and screwed on some black metal amazon hair pin legs.  The bedroom is finished, and I couldn't be happier.

Next up is some painting I've done recently. I found a youtube by Studio Wildlife and watched it over and over trying to copy his work.  He tells how he makes the colors, the strokes, and the really cool bokeh background.  I love his use of light!

I took a photo I made from his youtube, printed it out and put a pencil grid on it.  After I finished the background I put the grid on my painting.  Brilliant idea, it is easier to copy what's in a square than try to do the whole thing first.

Another one. I loved doing this so much and plan to try to make some more.

Puzzle the dog got some goggles...She had a boating accident with Jim a few weeks ago and ended up losing an eye.  She fishes with Jim all the time and loves to go with him.  She moved to his back right about the time, he threw the rod back to make a cast, and the hook caught her in the eye.  The doctors were unable to save it. Jim was crushed over it and even slept in the floor the first two nights with her, to comfort her.  She has done great, is back on the boat. He is more careful, and she is in goggles.  Not all the time, but mostly when he runs the boat fast, and she doesn't mind them too much.

There's not been any quilting going on lately.  Our other project we finished this week, was a new epoxy type floor in our car garage and screened in porch.  This was a bucket list project I've been wanting to do for several years and planned on doing before I finally retire.  I'm not retired yet but decided to get it done.

I am very happy with the results.  Check out these before and afters.

Now, if we can keep these outdoor spaces this clean.