Clothespin apron swap and my coldframe!!

Kenny built me a nice coldframe for starting seeds and growing veggies in cold weather. It just got finished, so I simply used it to start a few seeds that I will be able to transplant in a week or so. In the fall I will use it to grow lettuce and a few other things to keep us going until the first snow.

Here it is!! I am so excited that I can hardly wait until the fall to see how great it will work to grow my lettuce and spinach!! (Ok, maybe I can wait, but it's something to look forward to).

I am in a clothespin apron swap and I had this FABULOUS fabric in my stash!! Can you believe it? Just sitting there waiting for the perfect project.

You love it?? I do. I have about a yard left to make something else for my kitchen.

Here is the finished apron that will go to my partner in Idaho!! I used ticking as the main body and then my laundry lady fabric for the front, which is a giant pocket for the clothespins. I hope she likes it!

Summer is coming!!

It was a really warm day today (in the 70s), so I cleaned the house and then took the dogs for their first swim of the season.

That's how Millie dries off!! Like a crab wiggling around on the grass!

Penny forces me to throw the ball in the water at least 100 times! She just never gets tired!

Here is where I sit and read, daydream and get soaked from demanding dogs who keep throwing wet tennis balls onto my lap. There is a goose family to the right of the area where I swim the dogs. The dad goose kept patrolling to make sure we did not venture onto their turf while they have babies. He was a little loud until he realized I was not sending the dogs near them. Then he just quietly swam around to keep an eye on us.

Apron swaps at the Farm!!

Last week, Kenny built my hens some new nesting boxes that are off the ground. They have to use these little "ladders" to go up into them. (No more mud and dirt on the eggs!!) But....

they have six "condos" to choose from, yet they all want the same one!! This is on the other side of the coop, with one on either side, yet they all line up for this one and the one next to it! It is funny to see them try to use their butts to push the hen sitting there out onto the ground.

This little spoon dollie came with my apron from a swap at MJF. She is blond like me!

This was the apron to match. Kathy (khartquilts) made them both. They are just the nicest pair. This apron looks great hanging in my kitchen ready to be thrown on when I come in to make dinner.

This is the clothespin apron from another swap. My partner was Diane and she did a great job! How about those retro colors!! I love them. This baby has already been put to work too. It is so great to have the clothespins right there when I need them. I am making one for her that is almost done. I found the perfect fabric for it, and cannot wait to show it off.

Wooden tea box of my own!! And a hen...

My favorite rooster died peacefully in his sleep a few weeks back. This hen has taken his place within the flock, if you know what I mean! I have seen that chickens do need the order that a rooster provides, and if the rooster goes, then one of the hens usually takes over his duties. Very true and kinda funny.

My dad made me this gorgeous tea box for no reason!! When mom and dad sent Evelyn's birthday present, there was the best present for me!! I am a tea drinker (even though the kids drink coffee, they both actually drink more tea than anything too), so I was thrilled to get this tea box. It came with a homemade card about how proud of me my parents are, "just because!" That was so cool.

Some nice, organic teas fill the box. There is a pomegranite tea in here, which I love.

Close-up of the top. Isn't it just awesome? It is now on my dining room table next to the box Dad made for Kenny for Christmas. I just keep opening it every time I walk by.

Kitchen quilt that was fun and easy!

When I was cleaning my attic, I found a bunch of old quilting mags and books. It was so fun to read them again!! Like they were all new purchases or something. This cute wall quilt was in one from 2006, so I kept it out and made it this week.

Another view. I have to add buttons to them where the pockets would be. I got some really cute ones at Micheals yesterday when I found out that I was off from work and I did not know it!! (I went to work only to find out I had two more days off!! We have NEVER had the day after Easter off before, so I never even looked at the calendar--it was like a surprise party for me!! LOL)

Close up of yellow apron with lace that I cut up and used to trim it.

I love red!! This one is so cute with white crocheted trim. No, I did not make the trim. I cannot crochet at all. My embroidery machine can make this kind of stuff though, so one of these days I will make some. When I get done quilting this project, it will have red binding, which will make it really old-fashioned looking. What a great project for such a rainy, dreary day. Back to work tomorrow...I checked!!

The craziest fabric/quilt store ever!!

There is a fabric/quilt store in Pennsylvania that is quite an adventure and a half!! It is called Obie's and is located in Goodville. It is literally full of fabrics from floor to ceiling. You have to climb on shelves of fabric to get to other fabric! This is what it looks like from the second floor.

Here is one of the aisles. When you reach for one fabric, it all comes tumbling down on top of you, or the person next to you.

Another aisle. This one has whites, yellows and blues. Yellow fabric came down when someone yanked one out from the middle.

I have been to this store many times and have not seen all of the fabric yet. It really goes all the way to the ceiling and is also behind other fabric. Believe it or not, the workers and the owner know where most of it is!! You have to ask for a color, print or theme and they will find it.

I started my garden a few weeks ago. I planted radishes, lettuce and spinach, but it looks like we are growing milk and water bottles. I took the bottles off this week and they are growing really quickly. Maybe there will be a salad on the table in a few weeks!! While I was away, I got some more seeds so Rob and I can start planting in a few weeks. Rob will do his garden at the river again this season.

Tea cosy for Jessica finally sent to her!!

I was in a tea cozy swap at MJF and I got my friend, Jess, as a partner. She has 8 kids, so I thought I would make her a cozy of the old woman who lived in a shoe.

I took pictures from her blog and copied them onto fabric and put them in windows I made for the house. She just got chickens and a dog, so I put chicken fabric cutouts on the shoe and put her actual dog behind the red house.

The tea bag is the poem of the little old woman who lived in a shoe. There is a family photo on the back of the tea bag.

I used my embroidery machine to make the designs all over the shoe. That was a lot of fun.

Here is one side of the tea cozy. It was fun to make it since I knew so much about the person getting it.

Meeting a favorite author!!

Jennifer Chiaverini is one of my favorite authors. She has written the Elm Creek Quilt series and has a new book out now. Tonight she appeared for a book signing and talk literally one mile up the road from me!! My quilt shop sponsored the whole thing, so I was able to get a ticket a while ago. She read from the book, took questions and then signed any books you had of hers. What a funny person she is. The audience was laughing the whole time. After being away in Washington, DC with 8th graders until last night, this was truly something to look forward to. The trip was awesome though and the kids were the best behaved group EVER!! That was something to be happy about and proud of.

Tomorrow in the morning, I will be heading to Pennsylvania for 4 days with my best buddy. More quilt shops and the quilt show!! Plus being among the Amish for a few days will be so relaxing. See you in a few days!!