Rainy day Saturday...time for cleaning

I actually plunked down a bit of money to buy curtains this summer. Usually I make all of my own, but thought it would be a treat to buy some ready-made (if they matched my room, of course). These are the beauties I got at Country Curtains.

My friend, Ronna, sent me the tablecloth ages ago, and I got it out, ironed it all up and set it out. Very clean looking (German made, so that figures!!). The box on the table is my tea box from my father.

View from the kitchen. We love to eat in this room when we have company. It's so sunny in here.

A close-up of the colors/textures/patterns on the curtains. I had told Deb that I wanted something floral and striped if I could find it. They were set up in the store just like I had imagined I would do it!

The tomatoes, peppers and eggplants from my neighbor's farm!! I will be making sauce tomorrow and Monday!! He will bring me more when I need it too. Having the canned fruits and vegetables from summer on my pantry shelves makes me smile all winter when it is so cold and barren outside.

Thinking about the holidays already!! New Aprons.

I made this apron for a swap at MaryJanes Farm. Of course, I love Halloween, so a swap for that holiday is always a go for me!! I used a panel from a novelty print to make the pocket, and attached a piece of crocheted lace along the top.

Isn't this pocket the best!!?? Reminds me of my teacher friends and me after school!! (At least that's what the kids probably think!)

Close-up of the top of the pocket and the lower part of the top.

To make it more efficient, it's reversible, with a Christmas holiday print on the back. The pocket on this one is along the bottom and divided into four spaces. I topped it with big green rickrack.

I hope my partner likes it! I almost hate to part with it, but rest assured, I did buy enough fabric to make more of the same one!! This weekend is going to be another stormy one, so I plan to stay home and make spaghetti sauce (a neighbor who farms left me a few bushels of everything I need!!) and put up new curtains (from Country Curtains!!!). This is my last week before going back to school, so I usually use that time to make the house all clean and spiffy so I can concentrate on cooking and sewing at the end of the day once I am working all day.

First day outside for the chickies

Today was the first day outside for the chicks. I use an upside down laundry basket to keep them in one place. Of course, someone has to see how secure it is right away.

Here they are inside checking out the grass and bugs.

Caught 'ya!

When it's time for a nap, they fall asleep wherever they are. This one slept like this for a few minutes. Funny how they have the same exact grass inside, but they wanted the grass outside of the basket. Just like us I guess!

A look at the ocean

Hurricane Bill is off of the Atlantic Ocean now, making some big waves not far from us. Kenny and I went to take a look this afternoon and saw some pretty big ones. No one is allowed to swim in the ocean this weekend because of rip currents. Of course, the surfers were still out there, but I think the park police were chasing them out all afternoon.

There were so many people out on the beach today! It was pretty hot and the sun kept coming out, so it was kind of cool to sit there and listen to the roar of the surf.

This afternoon I finished tearing out my summer garden to get ready to plant for the fall/winter (I cannot believe I am saying that!!) crops. I am only going to plant carrots, radishes, shallots and spinach this year. In another month, I will plant lettuce in the cold frame. We ate the peppers with dinner tonight and I made an easy eggplant dish that was so good. So far, I did have two good tomatoes for dinner. They are heirlooms called Black Krim. They were excellent. A few more are on the vine getting ripe.

It must be love!!

Evelyn has really become smitten with the baby chicks!! She even asked how they were when she called from work last night.

Maybe she is a real farmgirl after all. She was attacked by a rooster way back, so she has a ligit reason for being afraid, but we only have females now.

Rob loves anything to do with farming and livestock! Wish we had a bigger place to have it all!

You know it's hot when Ken wants to go to the beach. The weather here was HOT and humid for the past few days. It looks like it will carry on for a few more days at least. We had a nice swim in the Long Island Sound after work last night. Usually it is freezing cold, but not now.

The meanest cat EVER and the babies are here!!

This is our cat, Calisto. When Rob was a little boy, he loved watching Zena, Princess Warrior, and on that show, there was an evil warrior always fighting with Zena. Her name was Calisto and since Rob loved that character, he named the cat after her. By the way, this cat was purchased by Rob for one dollar at the church yard sale! Well, she is kinda nasty--most of the time. She hisses to go out, hisses when you feed her, and if she graces you with her presence on your lap, you had better not move, because she will hiss some more. She does love my mom, my sister-in-law, and Evelyn though. Always has. Well, at least she has good taste in people!~

How exciting to get a phone call at 7 am today that my chicks had arrived at the post office!! I ran right over there to pick the darlings up.

I only got six for now, just to add to my flock which has diminished ever so slightly due to aging out. Since it is so hot here, I will not need heat lamps or anything, which makes it easier than spring babies.

While Evy was sleeping, I placed two chicks in her arms to wake her up. Funny how she looks like a little girl when she is sleeping. Evy is not a lover of my chickens at all, but she was charmed by these two babes and let them snuggle for a bit with her.

A day at home

Penny and Millie got these toys for Christmas last year, but I had to fix them because Penny likes to nibble at the seams to take out the squeaky thing. Today I sewed them up and gave them back. Penny was afraid of them until she saw Millie take one.

Millie is happy to have her baby back. She carried it around all night last night.

This pie was made by my neighbor who happens to be a guy!! Look at that lattice work. He is a construction worker, so I guess he is used to precision!! I had made him some supper last week because while he was at work, someone broke into his house and stole his television. We don't ever have that happen here, so he was really upset to come home to that.

Side view of the pie. My family was really thrilled with this pie--it was so good. He also brought us vanilla ice cream to go with it.

To round out the day, Kenny got me these flowers for the dining room table. He even picked them himself! Not a bad day!!

Quilt for a favorite baby!!

I started this quilt in the winter for my friend's daughter who had had a baby in September. At first I really hated it!! Not the design, but the wild colors I was using. Surely they would never meld together the way I wanted them to...

The baby's name is Ryan Zachary, but I put his nickname "Oatcakes" in large letters because the baby was named after my friend's son who was killed in the car crash last year, and she has never been able to call her grandson Ryan yet since it is so painful. I put his real name in small letters on the bottom of the block.

Here it is all done. I hated it even last night, but once it was all together and the center block was done, I loved it. I chose a red and blue border to tie it all together and used a blue stripe as the binding. Right now, I am so happy that I saw it through to the end!

The blue stripe finished it off nicely!! Tomorrow is the christening, so we will give it to the baby at the party. I know the babe's mom will love it and it makes me happy to know in some small way, I will keep little Ryan warm and cozy.