Hard work

I've spent the day doing some hard work, but I love it. The hubby left this morning for his annual northern fishing trip and I have a few days off to do my favorite things.......clean, organize, sew, projects. Today, while my kitchen backsplash was being finished (pictures to follow) I washed four bed quilts, two sets of sheets, a mattress cover, all my throw rugs (7), freshened up two mattresses using baking soda and a few drops of lavender, and cleaned up the big dusty mess from the tile job.....

Love this white subway tile!

He has to come back and caulk the bottom and top edges. It wasn't bad before, but the white brightened it up and just has that old-timey look that I like.

Before

After

Before

And now after...

In the after pictures I didn't turn the under cabinet lights on because it made such a glare. but without those lights on the old tile, it was very,very dark. Our handyman also replaced three light fixtures today. Yay! Now we can see in the garage and the laundry room. The old fluorescent fixtures went kaput.

There will also be some sewing and quilting this week. I put this little one on the machine and am doing some custom quilting on it.

 

Option #2

 

I kind of like this one better.

I started a "barter" quilt today. Love those! The guy who is replacing my kitchen tile backsplash bartered with me to make him a quilt, for his mom, out of his granddad's shirts. Isn't that sweet? I think both of us are getting a good deal!

The pattern is Bricks and Stepping Stones, one of my favorites for a remembrance quilt. Free on Quiltville website.

 

Words or no words??

Need advice here.....should I do the words across the center or just try to do some fancy quilting on the solid gray???

 

 

Bright Boy Quilt

I finally started working on this one. It is called "Oh Baby" from Heather Mulder Peterson's latest baby quilt book, Little Quilts 4 Little Kids. The charm pack was an old one I had in my stash. I love the gray back ground. The center piece (green) is designed to use with the child's name appliquéd to it, but since I don't have a specific recipient in mind, I may try to find some other words for it. Any suggestions?

I've still got a bit more sewing to do to finish up the top.

 

Quilt Class

It has been a long time since I quilted using my little machine, but I wanted to do it because that is how I am teaching the quilting part of the class. I did straight lines in the ditch and about 1/4" on either side of the seams. I like the look. About 90% of the binding is sewn on. I didn't do it all so there would still be a little left to show them. I also started the hand stitching of the binding so they can see how that is done. I think I've done enough so I am ready for the next class. Yay!

 

Purse Organizer

One of the ladies at the quilt class last night showed us a purse organizer she had made. I loved it. I went to the recommended website (google Jen Wesner purse organizer to find it) and it didn't take long at all to make this...

I made two.

She recommended some heavy fabric for the outside. I had the red ticking and it did fine but just wasn't very pretty. So I made another with regular fabric, cut it down a few inches, and put interfacing on both pieces of fabric.

Your wallet and planner, if you are like me and carry one, fit in the middle. You other things such as phone, keys, lipstick, ink pens, check book, chewing gum, hand sanitizer, etc., fit in the little pockets. It secures to itself with Velcro and forms a little circle.

So when you want to carry one of those "black hole" type purses, you just put your things in this little organizer and you'll be able to find everything in the purse and you can move the contents from purse to purse when you want to carry a different one.

What do you think? Let me know if you make one!

 

What to do with overripe bananas?

The hubby likes a banana in his cereal so like a good wife, I buy them for him. However he doesn't always eat them before they start to go bad. I hate to waste, so when it looks like they are getting too ripe I freeze them. Sometimes I make banana bread with them. Today I made a banana milkshake. Oh my! Delicious!

I used Mayfields homemade vanilla ice cream, a little vanilla, a little sugar, and some defrosted frozen banana pieces. Blended it together. Delicious!

 

Cades Cove

The hubby and I had a nice drive in the mountains today. We drove through Cades Cove, an eleven mile loop in the Smoky Mountains National Park. Beautiful weather and beautiful scenery.

Interesting, a blue eyed horse.

 

Summertime!

 

Grilled steak, baked potato, salad, homemade strawberry pie, tea with lemonade.....yum, yum...eating outside on the screened porch....wonderful way to end a beautiful day.

 

Cancer Survivor

My sweet husband brought me this today....

It seems weird calling myself a cancer survivor, but I guess I am. Not a survivor of breast cancer. That episode turned out to be benign, after two biopsies. But over a year ago some symptoms and a very thick uterine lining led to a uterine biopsy. It revealed a small bit of cancer. I prayed for God's mercy and healing. I believe He heard my prayers. No more was ever found. The hysterectomy results showed a normal uterine lining...thin.

I thought it was very sweet of my husband to recognize my experience, support the American Cancer Society, and bring me a gift. Love that man.

 

Another Degree

I wanted to post a picture of another SBTS graduation. My son, Elijah, completed the requirements for his second Masters degree and graduated on Friday, which was also his birthday. This one was a Master of Theology, typically thought to be a higher level master program than the MDiv, and some consider it equivalent to the first year of a Phd, which is his next goal.

He has worked full time on evening shift while attending school full time for this degree and for the majority of the time in his first Masters program. He jokes that the library gave him his own desk he was there so much. He is one smart boy (has an undergraduate degree in Chemistry) and this momma is very proud of him and his precious wife. She has supported him through all of this while working and attending school herself. I am so blessed by and thankful for these two and look forward to seeing how God uses them for his glory.

 

Bathroom Vanity Upgrades

Got the granite on the vanities. I am very happy with them.

Some before pictures...

And now the after pictures...

 

 

In other news today. I ran my third 5k of the year. In the pouring rain. Miserable. Didn't beat my last time, but I did well enough to win a second place medal for my age group. Of course, there may have only been three in my age group.....don't know.....lol

 

 

Protein Drink Review

I must say I love these protein drinks.

Each 15 ounce bottle is two servings. Each serving has about 16 grams of protein. Wow. The protein is from a combination of whey and soy. If you are trying to lose a few pounds, or just trying to get enough protein in the day, these are a great choice. I love the mango, chocolate, and the vanilla. Bolthouse farms also makes other drinks full of vitamins and minerals. Their Mocha Cappuchino is delicious. Each serving of it has about 6 grams of protein. Not bad for a sweet coffee drink.

I do at least two of my three weekly runs in the evenings before supper. I am not hungry at all afterwards but feel I need to replenish the protein. A half one of these is usually enough to get me replenished without adding a lot of extra calories.

I've found them at Kroger, Walmart, and Food City.

Try them and let me know what you think!

 

Quilting fabric

I found this cute fabric in a shop on Etsy. Love it! Retro owls. Called Urban Zoology and Remix.

Not sure what I'll make with it. Maybe make one of the little star quilts. This has been a no-sewing weekend, just thinking of sewing......

 

Momma and Strawberry Pie

In talking to my mom this morning I told her I was making a strawberry pie. She told me that in honor of Mother's Day, Shoney's is giving all moms a free piece of strawberry pie tomorrow. My mom will get hers as well tomorrow, but at our house.

My last one was a bit runny so I adjusted the recipe a little. Hopefully this one will be just right.

Here's to you Mom!

I think she was 17 and dad was 27 or 28 in this picture. Yes, he robbed the cradle, but their marriage lasted until he passed away 63 years later. Love you Mom!