Today's project

Today is the first time all weekend that I've done any sewing.  My son really likes Bow Ties.  A friend gave me a patten.  So far, so good.  VERY easy.  I couldn't find the appropriate fasteners to make it adjustable, so I will have to wait until he gives me the length of one that fits just right.  I made two in no time at all!

Garages

Garages get so nasty.  At least ours is.  I've spent the last 2 1/2 hours trying to clean up some of our garage.  I started with the windows.  It took me over an hour to clean one window.  They are 3' x 6' with those big 2 inch blinds.  Yukky.  One down, one more to go.  The sun is finally out, so I am going to quit for a while and go walk at the walking trail at the lake.

Batik Beauty BOM number 4

I love this one!  I didn't like it at first because most of the pieces are cut a little big and you have to trim them.  However, I can tell now it makes the finished block much more precise. Block four is the top one.

I am off to New Mexico tomorrow for a work trip.  Jim will hold the fort down here.  I am taking a couple of new books to read on my ipod and my cathedral window.  Hopefully I can get some work done on it in the evenings.

Civil War Month 5 BOM

Finished the blocks for month five of the Civil War quilt.  Whew.....I keep telling myself this will be worth it.  My machine messed up on the stitch width and I didn't realize it until the block was finished.  So one block is a bit smaller than the others.  I'll make it work when I put them together.  I am not a perfectionist, and I love to "make things work"....

Cathedral Progress

I spent several hours today putting some more white squares on my cathedral windows quilt.  I have a couple of trips coming up and wanted to take it with me to get some hand work accomplished while on travel and vacation.  Amazing how many hours it takes just to get the white squares on, and that part is done on the machine!

The kids are coming home tonight.  I can't wait to see them!  Katie's parents are also in town visiting her grandma.  Elijah is one of four "preacher boys" preaching tomorrow.  Monday is Elijah's 25th birthday.  He always likes my sweet tea, so I have a pitcher full in the frige and I made a Texas Hot Cocoa cake for him for his birthday.  That was a favorite of his when he was little. I listened to a message today from Ann Graham Lotts, and she talked about how Jesus said that he goes to prepare a place for us.  He knows us as his own and loves us dearly.  She related it to when her kids come home she always has something prepared that she knows they like -- I've prepared sweet tea and chocolate cake. Jesus is preparing a place with many mansions.....

Another Star quilt

Another quilt for a baby girl.  I loved these fabrics, so this time I added some brown to match the nursery for this baby.

Englewood

My mom and I took a trip to Englewood today.  It is a tiny little town where both she, and my dad grew up.  We were returning a QOV quilt I finished recently. It was a nice trip.  Had lunch at the Tellico Junction cafe and met new friends Beth and Gene.  We made a couple of stops to see Mom's two sisters, neither of which is in very good health, but both with good attitudes. We stopped by a little fabric shop, Katy's Fabrics, in the center of town. It has been there 45 years. We also visited the Englewood Museum. Among all the historical pictures and items is a picture of my dad in a little wagon.  The sign on the front of the wagon says, 1926.  He was 8 years old. Englewood was the home of various sewing factories back in the day.  I saw where both my grandmothers lived, but I would not have recognized either place.  Funny, how it all looked so much smaller than what I remember....

Obsessive? No, not me....yeah, right

If you've read much of my blog, you'll know that I am somewhat (ahem...lol) obsessive.  Whether it is quilting, reading, cooking, and yes, even cleaning.  Right now I am obsessed with my homemade laundry soap.  I love it!  I highly recommend the book, "Dining on a Dime Cookbook" by Tawra Kellam and Jill Cooper.  It is kind of pricey at ~$25 (my sweet friend gave it to me...thank you Sherry) but so worth it, if for nothing else, the homemade cleaning recipes.  In addition to the laundry soap, I've made the counter-top disinfectant, the window cleaner, the all purpose cleaner, the daily shower cleaner, and the stain pretreater.I am not thrilled with the daily shower cleaner, but I am going to adjust it a bit.  The rest are great and cheap, cheap, cheap.

Blog friend

I had the neatest thing happen yesterday.  A nice lady stopped me at the greenhouse where we both were getting flowers, and asked if I was Rachel H.  She reads my blog sometimes.  Hi Teresa!  It was great to meet you!

Finished up the QOV

I finished the quilting on this one today.  I adore scrap quilts!

Laundry Soap

I've discovered homemade laundry soap.  The Dugger family (19+ kids) supposedly uses this.  I just hated paying $16-18 dollars for 100 ounces of HE laundry detergent.  Three simple ingredients plus water.  It says you can make this for about 40 cents a load, but by my calculations, it is much, much less than that - like just a couple of pennies a load!  The recipe makes 2 gallons.  I paid about $8 for the ingredients, but with the little you use of the borax and washing soda, those two ingredients alone will last years!!  This morning, I am washing everything in sight, trying to decide if I like it.  I do.  The soap mixture itself smells a little funky.  I added some lavender oil, but can't really tell if that makes a difference.  The clothes come out only smelling fresh, not funky. I can add a nice smell with liquid softener, or softener sheets.  Yes, I like it.  I love being frugal. If anyone wants the recipe, email me, or I am sure you can find it if you google it.

Next QOV

Isn't this pretty?  I really like scrap quilts.  I must make one like this.  This is the next QOV I am going to do.  The backing may be a little tricky for me.  It has some strips sewn in the center, the sides and the top and bottom.  I've got to figure out how to measure it so that I will be sure to get it centered on the back of the top.  Not something I am very good at.

Work Day

Today has been pretty much a work day here at the Hayes household.  Jim hired a guy to help us get some things done -- gutters cleaned, porches power washed (yeah!!), some new screens put in and the cat door replaced.  Here are a couple of pictures of the nice clean screened porch.  By the way, Carolina Pottery has these great outdoor cushions for only $9.99 each.  I've always had trouble finding a cushion long enough for our 60 inch swing.  I figured out yesterday that three of the big cushions fit together perfectly on it. My dad build me the swing about 17 years ago.  It is special to me.

First 5k!

My walking buddy and I did our first 5k walk today.  It wasn't as far as we would normally walk, but it was still a good early workout. We saw Abby Hamm there too.  She is one of the WBIR news anchors in Knoxville.  It was fun.