Motivation Friday

Time to check on my goals--

Finish red album blocks--Done
Finish patriotic album blocks--Doe
Work on flag wall hanging--Yes

Sometime this week I did lots of sewing??!!  

Three patriotic red/white/blue album blocks.  The flag wallhanging is partially quilted and I hope to finish it next week.

I like to cook/bake.  If you have ever used the propane stove in a camper you know it can be challenging.  The stovetop heats the camper and there is ON or OFF.  Well, there are more settings but it seems like those are the only two.  Lots of burnt offerings at the camper.  Potholders and pieces of paper, not just food!  Pat has an induction burner and loves it.  More campers were using them so I ordered one.  

This is mine, its a Duxtop 9100 and it works beautifully!  Lots of different recipes were tried, puddings and frosting, melting chocolate chips, perking coffee, stir fry, bacon and eggs.  Ahhhh!  The cake, well, its was in the picture!  Pound cake with fresh blueberries.  I shared it with Brady and Bonita--it didn't last long!  I can bake (kinda) in the propane oven.  The round Nordicware cake pans work the best  I use "cake pan wraps" to keep the outer edges from cooking too fast.  (Cake pan wraps are used by professional cake decorators--mine are 4 layers of flannel sewn together.  WOF strips about 2.5" wide, you wet them and wrap around the outside of the cake pan and secure with a stick pin.)

~LORI~

FLOOD!!

Saturday we had a sudden downpour.  2.50" of rain in half an hour.  The Visitor Center's unique building looks very nice, but has some design flaws.  The rain downspouts are inside the walls.  This is what happened when one of them was clogged--

flood2.mp4 from Lori Haase on Vimeo.
vc flood

Luckily the quick response of Cecely, Neil, and Dani contained the flooding to one area.  They removed the Bald Eagle, a Great Horned Owl, a Kerstrel, and a Wood Duck that were mounted on the wall.  All of them (the rangers) were soaked!  Thank you Cecely, Neil, and Dani.  Servicemaster was called and by Sunday most was back to normal.  

~LORI~

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

Last night I finished this album block--

The RSC color this month is red.  There is no red in this block!!  I saw the black fabric with glass headed pins on a clearance table and I had to buy it.  My favorite motif on fabric is polka dots, and these are kinda like polka dots.  Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.

While shopping with Lorri2Rs I bought this little gadget--

It was my favorite color--green.  Usually not one to buy gadgets, this was on sale for $16.  And another 25% off for SENIOR CITIZEN DAY.  It can be either battery powered or plugged into an outlet.  I wound a bunch of bobbins and it worked perfectly.  I hope it holds up, its small and easy use.

Weekly Goals--

Finish red album blocks
Finish patriotic album blocks
Work on flag wall hanging

I'm close to the top of the Queen's list on Stashbusters, #4.  The flag wall hanging has a deadline so its at the top of the "to-do" list.  I may be crowned queen but there will be a week to produce a finish.  This weekend is a Girls Weekend so no sewing.  We're planning antique/junk store shopping, the Omaha Zoo, Penzey's Spices.  Just FUN things!  Maybe no pictures--what happens in Omaha stays in Omaha!!

Its cloudy, humid, and wind gusts.  Not sure if it will blow up a storm or not. 
Chicken is cooking for stir fry, a big bag of broccoli from Costco jumped in my cart last week.  YUM!

Have a great week!

~LORI~

Sunday Stash Report

New numbers this week--I purchased 7 yards this week.

Stash in this week--7 yards
Stash in YTD--198.25 yards
Stash out this week--0 yards
Stash out YTD--162.5 yards  

Stash is ahead 35.75 yards!

Lots of sewing has been done this year.  Several tops still to quilt and I'm planning four quilts from my RSC blocks.  At 15 yards a quilt 35 yards is nothing!  The Mojo brothers are working overtime and new starts have been added to my bucket list.  Please see everyone's stash reports at Patchwork Times.

~LORI~

The week is flying by, time to check on my goals-

3 RSC RED album blocks--in progress

3 RSC RED Monkey Wrench/9 Patch Blocks--in progress

Embroidery work on Eagle--in progress

No pictures of finished blocks.  I've volunteered 3 days and Lorri2Rs and I shopped in Sioux Falls one day.   We went to Costco--really--the place should be banned!  Lots of necessities jumped in my cart!  Cell phones/internet make purchases so much easier, I wanted to buy Max an outfit but couldn't decide which one, so Lorri2Rs held three up and I sent Laura Beth a picture--

 
Glad I did, he already had one of them!  Lorri2Rs had told me about the cute sweatshirt she bought her grandson Karsen and I HAD to buy them for Mason and Asher.  They loved them--they sent me a picture wearing them with their pajamas.

Spiderman and Batman!  There was also Ninja turtles and Marvel Avengers.   The sweatshirts have flip down mesh masks in the hood!  

Lorri and I did buy fabric, I needed a little fabric for another wall hanging.  The project is 6"x9".  Really, 7 yards of fabric purchased for it??  I confess, there are more parts to this wall hanging, but the one I need to make now is small.  I want the additional parts to coordinate so that is why I purchased that much fabric.  One shop had scrap bags, I bought one of neutrals (neutrals go fast) and a small bag of civil war repros.  Both can work in my wall hangings.  Lorri generously shared her bag with me, and I picked out two gold fabrics to use in my wall hanging. 

Its been very hot and humid the last few days.  I've picked summer squash from my garden, the peppers are developing and the cucumbers are covered with blossoms.  The tomatoes are slower but hope the warmer weather will help.  

~LORI~

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

Last night the final seam on the flag was sewn--

Simple quilting to finish I think.  Thank you Kat at Scrapbox Quilts for the pattern/tutorial.  Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

3 RSC RED album blocks

3 RSC RED Monkey Wrench/9 Patch Blocks

Embroidery work on Eagle

Its another busy week, summer is going so fast!  I have several album blocks bits sorted and ready to sew.   Nancy said the planning and prep take the most time.  Nancy is an inspiration to me, she's made 64 (? maybe more by now!) QOV.  

Today I'm watching the birds at the feeders, bright sunshine through the window.  I'm going to pull my album bits out and do a little sewing.  

~LORI~ 

Confession is good for the soul!  Well, I haven't been BAD but I have added to my stash.  The new numbers are--

Stash in this week--15 yards
Stash in YTD--191.25 yards
Stash out this week--0 yards
Stash out YTD--162.5 yards  

Stash is ahead 28.75 yards! 

I bought patriotic fabrics for my patriotic blocks and two wall hangings I'm working on.  My stash didn't have any except for a few strips.   Please see everyone's stash report at Patchwork Times.

~LORI~

 

Rainbow Scrappy Saturday

This month the color is red, so I worked on R/W/B patriotic Monkey Wrench/9Patch blocks--

Neil held one

 

 

And David

 

And Toni

The Floor held two too!

I'm lucky to work with such fun people!  Please see everyone's posts at SoScrappy.  

~LORI~

 

Motivation Friday

Its been a busy week.  Lots of volunteering.  I found a little time to sew.  I'm working on a patriotic flag wall hanging--

Its from ScrapBoxQuilts blog--thanks Kat!  Next is to blanket stitch around the applique.

A favorite summer pastime is watching the birds at my camper.  There are all sorts of birds, but a favorite is the house wren.  Last year I made PVC birdhouses and a pair of bluebirds started building in it and then abandoned it.  I cleaned it out and a house wren pair is nesting in it.  The male sings all day flitting from perch to perch near the nest.  Sometimes he sits on the roof and leans over singing to the female inside.  How romantic!!  Toni and I checked the nest (its easy to do with these birdhouses) and inside are 4 eggs-

The birds are unafraid of me and I will pick up some meal worms for them.  

Its going to be a warm weekend, I'm either volunteering or going to stay inside and sew.  Are you sewing?  Vacationing?  

~LORI~

Wednesday Rainbow Scrappy Mid Year Update

The first six months of the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge is over.  Time to post my progress--

13 Red White Blue Album Blocks

8 Monkey Wrench Blocks

7 Red White Blue Monkey Wrench Blocks

16 Album Blocks

16 More Album Blocks

9 Album Blocks

That's 69 blocks and I found 3 more.  72 blocks for the first six months.  I'm on track as I'm planning 4 quilts.  Please see everyone's progress at SoScrappy.

~LORI~

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

July's RSC color is RED, so I made three album blocks with RED in them.

Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.

I also packed more stash to sew with at the camper--

A large tote and a smaller one.  Whatever caught my eye and a box of scraps.

I precut pieces for 10 album and 10 Monkey Wrench blocks--

All sorts of choices in those piles!

Weekly Goals--

4 Album and Monkey Wrench blocks

Riverboat Days Challenge quilt

I have a busy week, three days of volunteering and a picnic.  Those goals will be enough.

Friday night was my 40th class reunion.  Relaxed and sociable, it was held in a local mechanic shop owned by a classmate.  (Thanks Dave!)  Even air conditioned and decorated!  Yes, big potted plants and bar tables and long picnic tables.  Lots of food (grilled pork loin and whatever else someone brought).  A power point program ran all night on the wall, it had our graduation pics, current pics, and any information we sent in, family pics, address, etc.  (Thanks Jim, Theresa, and anyone else who worked so hard to put this together)

The gentleman in the front is not a classmate, but a former teacher--my favorite!!  Bob C. who taught band.  

I have company this week in the camper--

Ruby the quilting dog!  She was laying in front of my chair, she warms my feet.  I thought she might whine when Ken left but I bribed her with a cookie.  

Its cooler today, storms went through last night but we missed most of them, some rain, that was it.  I have my door open and I am sewing, listening to a male wren singing.  His mate has a nest in a birdhouse I hung on my campsite.  They are not scared of me, and I love to listen to him sing.  Sometimes he sits on the edge of roof of the bird house, and leans over singing to his mate who is sitting on eggs. 

~LORI~