Checking in to let you know not much is happening here on the farm except cold evenings and I have one goat, Rosie, who is being bullied and not allowed into the barn. I just hate it and every night I try to go to the barn at different times to see if I can get her in. Now the truth of it is that she probably isn’t cold but I am and it bothers me to think she’s outside all night.
We had choir practice last night and I had a bit of a meltdown. Many choir members don’t make choir a priority and come to practice only when it’s “convenient” which means the cantata won’t be ready. Our director is making up for this by scheduling additional practices on Sunday afternoons! I NEVER miss choir practice and would never make other plans on Wednesday nights. If we needed more practices then why didn’t we start the cantata in October?????? So frustrating. Thanks for letting me vent to someone.
This morning Connie and I are meeting at Junkin Gal to take in our Christmas items for their Open House this weekend. Our booth space is small so it will be a challenge to fit everything in.
I enjoyed the World Series and since I have a good friend in both Atlanta and Houston, I just watched the game and looked forward to it each night. I did not pick sides and whoever won was fine with me.
Here are some quilts:
I love this scrap quilt and would like to start it today! Haha!
Just squares and I love it! Never underestimate to power of a square – I learned that from Mary Ellen Hopkins.
The following quilts were found online – Facebook, Pinterest, friends – I’m going to start posting pictures like these just because I like them. I usually like the simple quilts best so these are not heirloom quilts but rather examples of what I could figure out and enjoy making.
I don’t see a name here but this could be a reader quilt – sorry.
And now some random animal pictures:
I miss Blanche.
I drove Red to town yesterday with Hazel in the front seat with me – pretty fun to drive!
Enough reminiscing- time to get to work!
I miss Miss Blanche too, hope she is happy 🙂
Thank you for the pictures of quilts & animals. Your red truck is a post card picture. We had our first freeze 2 nights ago. All plants are inside for the winter. they are in our garage in front of double windows. Our garage does not freeze. Carolyn b Shenandoah Valley VA
Fun ride and everyone knows you are in town !!!
I love the quilt pictures. It is I interesting see what each of us is inspired by. Love the plaid quilt set on point.
I hope your goat decides “enough” and goes in the barn.
Mary,
I’m sure you miss Blanche. You love your animals with all that you are. What a loving solution you gave her.
Rose in Illinois…I love your quilt. Is there a pattern? I love your fabric selection. Just gorgeous. Mary, I love your addition of random quilt and animal pictures. Great feature.
Hi Carol, the pattern is Unruly designed by Kelly Young, My Quilt Infatuation and can be purchased on Etsy. It is a fun pattern and have made five quilts with this pattern. Rose
Thank you so much for your response. I love it!
I “feel your pain” when it comes to scheduling choir rehearsals! My choir director has the same problem so she tries to accommodate everyone by scheduling extra rehearsals and even then, the absent ones do not show up! I guess it is what it is, Mary! Our priorities are not priorities that matter to others!
Mary,
Thanks for sharing all the fun, inspiring pictures.
I enjoyed them all. Dogs, cats and quilts! ❤️❤️❤️
Bonnie
Whelp, my theory about temperatures in October in Tucson pretty much held true! I suggested that the month usually starts out with high ones – 90’s and above and ends in the 60’s. This year, we started with 86/62 on the First, and ended with almost the same: 86/55! Of course, there were all the ranges in between with the highest being 95😳 and lowest, 71. It is truly a lovely time of the year and we even have a few bushes/shrubs that change color to beautiful reds, oranges, yellows with the bright green below, giving us a small taste of seasonal change. Our three little dachshunds, Edith Ann, Hilda Boo, and Gertrude Jane, (Gertie) haven’t needed their sweaters for walks yet, but usually in January, it’s a necessity. Happy Thursday one and all! Barb in Tucson
I already planned on planting pumpkins for my grands next spring. After seeing that last photo, I think I’ll plant a variety, and lots of them! What fun that should be. Blessings Mary!
Thanks for the quilt and animal pictures. I enjoyed them. I am sure you miss Blanche but hopefully she is adjusting and happy in her new home. You did the best you could for her.
What a fun post 🙂
Loved the animals & the quilts!
I know you miss Blanche, it is never easy to part with our furry friends 🙁
It sounds like you did the right thing for her 🙂
Enjoy your day! Sunny but chilly here in Indiana
sandy
I just sat down with a cup of tea as I feel achy today adjusting to the colder temps and cleaning up flower beds , I hope, so very excited to see a morning blog post email to enjoy. . I love cantatas and understand it is a big commitment but also realize that everyone’s schedules change so fast unless you are like me and home every night now cause I gave up my evening groups I belonged to during pandemic and decided I am very content home at night not having to make decisions at meetings or overwhelmed at quilt guilds with all the enthusiasm to create. It’s hard getting young families to sign up for church committees too for their lives should revolve around raising their children and school activities seem much more intense today . I loved all the pictures today and see our wonderful designer Susan Ache (yard girl) keeps on using her scraps to make such gorgeous quilts. Have fun today setting up your booth.
Kathy in western. NY – SUSAN ACHE is my favorite designer an d colorist!
LOVE the quilt with the white background and sage green HST that are set in diagonal rows. So pretty and appears to be easy to put together. Beautiful!! Thanks for sharing.
Love the square polka-dot quilt.
Thank you Mary.
Love the pictures of animals n quilts. Hope the goat wants to go in the barn. I woke up to 28 degrees here Bethel Ohio. Lots of leaves on ground. I’m not ready for the cold weather. So sorry about your choir. I guess thier rehearsals not high on list.
Thanks, Rose, for telling us where to get the pattern for your gorgeous quilt. EASY, but clever cutting…right up my alley! 🙂
PS Quilt Festival did take place in Houston last week. Some big vendors noticeably missing and big, wide aisles, but so nice to have it back at all! Gorgeous quilts…
I don’t know about others but when I look at a quilt I see color first and then I look for the pattern. Is that usual for everyone? A great group of quilts and I would have liked to have met Mary Ellen Hopkins.
Yes, I have discovered Pinterest, too, but just the quilts, etc. When quilt magazines came in the mail, I was thrilled to have the pictures, patterns, ads – everything and I look at them over and over. Now, with Pinterest there are loads of pictures of quilts. The color combinations, patterns, all the wonderful ideas, even tho I seen them before, just keep me happy and smiling. And different ideas? We don’t need a pattern, just decide what size we want and go for it. A lot of the patterns I have……. Oh, what fun in a pile??
Fall is here, but we are supposed to have 70 today. Whatever. We just enjoy whatever we get.
Take care, everybody. This is good. Betty in Rapid City
When I first started to quilt, we learned how to draft patterns. Seeing all these quilts, I can draft the patterns and making them scrappy, I could get rid of some books…but where’s the fun in that!
It is irritating when any members don’t take schedules serious. The support group has to be on time, every time, the singers should too.
On the other hand, I had 3 friends catch Covid last week. All breakthroughs, one died from it. We must put the masks back on. Get our boosters. And be vigilant. Funerals are the pits.
Mary, you can vent anytime.
Dear Mary, You will never be able to go anywhere in your little red pickup and hope that you are unobserved. Your little red pickup will let everyone know where Mary is. What a fun vehicle. I bet Hazel loved her ride too. Have you let Rick drive it yet? Loved all the scrappy quilts today, they are my favorites. Enjoy these last days of fall and the gorgeous colors of trees and shrubs. It’s beautiful here in Colo., but I can see Trail Ridge and surrounding mtns. and they are already covered in their blanket of beautiful white snow. Which means winter in the foothills will be soon.,
Hi Mary, l made winter jackets from my husband’s old tatty woollen coat for the dog, saw similar ones for 100 dollars in shops! Maybe a warm coat for the goat , or her own area in the barn. Hope everyone is well, best wishes from sandy
Anybody know where I can buy the BOO pattern? I looked under BOO fabric pattern in eBay and Etsy. Nothing.
Quilts and animals – it doesn’t get any better! The two black cats could almost be my two – Magnus and Klaus. Klaus got out of the yard and into a cat fight this morning.I searched for an hour for him and then he just showed up at the back door. Now his brother hisses and growls at him and I have to keep them apart for a while. It’s back to the harness and leash for his morning outings now! Magnus never leaves the yard without me.
I’ve gotten all of the aloes that I’m going to save into the greenhouses. Now on to the other plants and cleaning up the annual containers. It’s been cooler but no freezes yet.
I love the picture of Little Red. Such a beautiful fall picture!
It’s very frustrating when people don’t show up for practices. They expect everything to go perfectly but if you don’t put the time in it makes it difficult for everyone.
Susan K in Texas – bringing in the plants is a huge job – glad mine are done but I am determined to get rid of some of them before I have to do that again.
LOVE the scrappy quilts!!
Yes, commitment is necessary for musical things to come out as they should – so frustrating to have people only come when they want to!! Needs people with a commitment like you have!!!
Love all the pictures, are those your cats? So sorry that the one goat is getting bullied, I hope that ends soon! Loved the quilt pictures too. I am off to Ironwood Springs next week for a retreat – maybe next year you can come to the November one – it would be fun to have you there!!!
Absolutely loved this fun post with all the animals and quilts. So many fun things to look at and enjoy.
Thank you!!!
Rose from IL —- I, too, love your scrappy quilt. Did you have a pattern, or just start sewing strips together at random. I love quilts like that. Scrappy is my favorite. Enjoyed all the pictures today, both quilts and animals. Also, that little red truck! I can just see Mary cruising around northern Iowa in it!
This was a wonderful post, Mary. The cat pictures were adorable.
Rose, your quilt is great; thanks for sharing the pattern info.
I loved the Mary Ellen Hopkins Quilt Sitters retreats. Disappointed that she doesn’t get the credit she deserves for her innovative approach to quilting.
Susan- I attended 3 retreats – maybe you and I met at one??? I went to two in Las Vegas and one in Maine. MEH has already written all the quilt techniques in her It’s Okay book yet others take credit. She deserves much more credit than she gets!!!
I especially love all the animal pictures and the house with all the pumpkins. The quilts are frosting on the cake. Our church choir is getting ready for Christmas too. Our tradition is to do a Lessons and Carols program. Readings from the Christmas story are interspersed with anthem type songs by the choir. The songs are different every year. I have been singing in a church choir since I was about two or three years old. When I was growing up, the children’s program at church was always on Christmas Eve. I am the same age as you are so that is a lot of singing in church choirs.
Gwen – as a kid and living just a half mile from our country church, our Kids’ program was ALWAYS on Christmas Eve! I’ve never known it any other way and now as an adult it just doesn’t seem right if it isn’t. Our kids program now is also on Christmas Eve but very early in the evening. Great memories!
Yes, great memories.