It was a great afternoon at church – we all celebrated Reed’s Great Grandma Pearl’s 100th Birthday! Yes, 100 years old!
https://www.country-threads-chicken-scratch.com
Here is a picture of Reed with the birthday girl, Pearl Barkema.
Pearl lives at Concord Care where Mom was, too. When Mom turned 90 in September, 2009, I passed on all the leftover 90th birthday napkins because Pearl’s 90th birthday came right after Mom’s. So I thought about my mom a lot today. It was a nice party – lots and lots of people!
And it was Joe Tesene’s birthday last week, too, so Connie sent me this nice picture of Joe, Nina, Claire and Ben.
And then there was this one of the kids – Connie brought along fun surprises!
Some of you said you didn’t get the picture of Christmas Gameboard – here you go! As you can see, this pattern is a perfect table topper made in seasonal colors.
It won’t be long now before our shipment of A Country’s Call arrives at the farm. An autographed copy is $33 which includes tax and postage. We’d appreciate an address label included with your order.
Here are more of the quilts you’ll find inside the book – with the prettiest cover we’ve ever seen!
And Hazel says “hi”! I’ll try to get a picture of the chicks tomorrow – I do not think we’ve lost any but they’re so hard to count! It’s getting colder all the time and one of these days I’ll ask Reed to help me herd them into a pen in the barn. I just hate to lock them up before absolutely necessary because Mama Hen likes to lead them all over the goose pen and goat pasture.
I’m hoping for calm uneventful week. I’m also hoping you get these pictures. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
I can’t wait to get your new book! Love those patterns!!
100 years young. That is so exciting. Love all of the quilts in the new book.
I did get all the pictures and closed 6 or 7 adds. I will be sending my order in with a mailing label. What a fun and special party for Reed and his family. Blessing Jennie
Got all the photos and enjoyed them all. The new book looks lovely. I enjoyed seeing Ben looking so healthy and that CLaire is a cutey, although both kids might need an appointment with an ophthalmologist… worst case of bug-eye ever!!🥴
One hundred years… you’ll get a lot if quilts done, and kittens and chicks and succulents taken care of if you’re so blessed!
Hi Mary, I’m finally on here with you all! Hazel sure looks happy, has she stopped itching? Your quilts are breathtaking, I’m only a knitter! Wish I wasn’t so far from the Junk sale; get ready for the snow! 💕ginger from Powell wyoming
I was cleaning out some of my sewing room looking for something. I found a Country Threads Barn Dance book. I made two barb dance quilts – one for my mom and one for me. My parents have a barn that we have barn dances in. Basically we have family get together a with food and music and games. I love that book and may have to make another quilt from it. I’ll have to send you some pictures.
Will you please share more information about the Junk Sale that is coming up the end of this month in Ganger? Dates, times and location would be great! Thanks so much!
How special that Pearl is 100 years old and Reed and family can share all these memories together.
See this link for more information:
http://gypsyjunkfest.com/
Love the patterns and designs in new book. Will place my order in the morning. Very nice party for Reed’s great grandma. Carolyn b Shenandoah Valley VA
What a treasure of a picture seeing Reed with his grandma…..she sure looks beautiful.
Such wonderful quilts to look forward to making in your new book. Thanks for posting them.
Love the new book cover too!
Happy birthday to Pearl and Joe. Pearl looks good for being 100 and Reed is such a handsome young man. Joe has a nice looking family. We’re still in the mid 90’s here in Texas though a cold front came through this evening. So the highs for the next couple of days will be in the 80’s. Cooler but still warm for October. My husband retired the end of September and is building a new greenhouse to replace one that is falling apart so the warm dry weather is a blessing right now.
I love your stories and learning about your goings on there. What a blessed life!
And, you should already have my check….can’t wait for the book to arrive!
I love all the pictures of the quilts, can’t wait to get my book. Love the kids with the goggles. I sure wish I had your energy.. Nice pictures Reed with his grandma.
Such a darling picture of Reed and his great grandma! What delightful day for her and all her loved ones. So nice to see Connie’s Son and daughter-in-law and the grandchildren too! Ben looks healthy and happy! So wonderful. Can’t wait for the new book, looks like quite a few that I will want to make. Hazel is so cute! What fun to see her peaking out! Your mother is looking over you with love!!
Wonderful pictures of Reed and his grandmother and those from your new book. Will get my check in the mail soon.
Hi Mary,
I enjoyed all the pictures you shared today! Hazel is such a ham 🙂
I especially loved the picture of Reed and his GG Pearl and noticed the family resemblance!
My mother, Ethel, will turn 100 on Nov. 1, and naturally we are also planning a big party.
I’ll put my check in the mail later this week for your beautiful new book!
Thanks for a very enjoyable blog!
Bonnie in Oregon
Wow! She looks great for 100!
I LOVE the little bit lighter colors of the quilts in your new book❣️ Another must have book. Looks marvelous!
I could on,y close 4 of the 6 ads tonight.
Hope you have an excellent week! We may actually get some rain tomorrow. At least our temps are getting more fall -like. Hoping those 90’s are gone till about next August! 🤞
Happy Birthday to Miss Pearl, she is looking lovely! and those googly eyes are too funny.
Happy Birthday to Great-Grandma Pearl! How wonderful she has blessed her family for so long!
Can’t wait to get the new book. The cover quilt and the one with stars in squares look like “must makes”. And the American flag one too! So many quilts—so little time!
Hazel and the googly-eyed kids are so cute.
I am almost ready to sew the blocks together for Hiding in Plain Sight.
I am way behind you with HIPS! Started the 4 patches last night.
Mary, is the Christmas Game Board a pattern or is it in the new book coming this month?
That’s a special photo of Reed and his Great Grandma, wonderful memory for his family.
Gameboard is a pattern which sells for $5 and a SASE.
Thanks, Mary.
What a beautiful birthday girl and handsome birthday boy, Pearl and Joe.
And look at Ben, power of prayer.
Hazel peeking out for us, what a cutie.
Thanks, Mary for always great posts.
Love the quilt on the cover Mary,wish I had great colour sense!
I love all your photos. So inspiring to me to get started on a new quilt topper for a table. Hazel is just a added surprise!!! Lol
Got all the pics. Great blog today. Closed 4 ads.
Wow! A centennial birthday is certainly a cause for great celebration; how wonderful! You make the new book very, very tempting– you’re a great saleswoman; and I agree– that cover shot! Wow!! Such a cute picture of Hazel peeking out, adorable. All the pics came through just fine, three ads were closed too.
Happiest of Birthdays to Pearl!
Attended auction at YO Ranch near Kerrville on Saturday. I went as an observer with no intentions of buying anything. However had to sit on my hands & keep my eyes down when a breeding pair of bongos came up for auction…my warped since of humor kept telling me buy one. Can you imagine..I would have to name it Llama.
However, in a weak moment I did purchase Bella…at least that is what I named her..a female buffalo…I know, I know..I wasn’t thinking!!! Will email picture of Bella the Buffalo, my son says never, never name them.
So excited that the book about to arrive, can’t wait.
Oh, my Nikki! My younger sister raised a buffalo! As it grew larger it was able to jump their highest fence and follow her children to the school bus stop. I wish you luck with your Bella!
Everyone tells me have lost my mind… maybe so.. was just one of those things…I usually am not an impulsive person but…
Got the pics tis time and only ads to close. They did not have an x but they had a down arrow and I pushed it and it closed. I love the photos from the book. Paula in ky
The blog worked beautifully today, thank you for the great pictures and all the wonderful farm -life information! Blessings to all in your family circle, you make us smile even on a Monday!
I enjoyed all of the photos, Mary. Even though I am not a quilter, I love seeing what others can do. Reed and his great-grandma look so nice! So did Connie’s family. Fall weather is here (finally) and gone are those terrible, little bugs that bite. Thanks for all of the interesting things you post in your blog plus all of the lovely photos. You most certainly brighten my day.
Happy Birthday Grandma Pearl. The picture of Reed and grandma is just priceless. The quilt pictures are so wonderful and I will be ordering the book. Have a blessed week everyone.
Hazel is the cutest!! She put a smile on my face!!!
Happy birthday to Pearl! I do think Reed and Grandma Pearl share the same shape in their smiles. She looks lovely for any age.
All the pictures are beautiful! Your books are always wonderful and I love this one. Each quilt is stunning.
Glad one of your blog friends is getting something done in the dry weather. I have 50 daffodils to plant and our ground is truly like cement. We really need rain. Very dry in Maryland.
All the pictures came through just fine. What a beautiful Great Grandma Pearl! Reed is such a special young man. He looks so proud with his GG. Thank you for the wonderful post.
You got me with all those beautiful quilt pictures so yes I will be ordering your book!!
Wonderful picture of Reed with his Grandma Pearl – priceless. Oh that Hazel is just the cutest!!
She put a smile on my face this morning!!
I absolutely cannot wait to get my book! Such a lovely cover.
And speaking of lovely – the picture of Reed and his Great Grandma is just that.
Hi to Hazel peeking out in the picture.
Wonderful blog Mary! Birthday wishes to Pearl who looks so pretty. I am putting my check in the mail today for your new book. Got up to cooler temps in TX this morning. 80’s will feel wonderful. Closed several ads. I would love to give Hazel a hug!💌💕
I love the flag quilt from the book. Looks like all plants need to be in by Friday predicted 30 degrees here in Alden Iowa.
Happy Birthday to Grandma Pearl! That’s amazing. My Dad in Oelwein will turn 93 on Friday the 11th. It is so wonderful that he is doing so well. I love seeing the pics of the quilts. I can’t wait to get my copy of your new book. Have an awesome day!
I got all the photos, Mary. At least, I think I did. There are lots. I need to send you my check and label very soon. I love your new book.
Pearl is a very young-looking 100 years old. Happy Birthday, Pearl. And, I see a strong resemblance of her in her great-grandson. Does anyone else see it? Strong, handsome faces.
And, I see a cute little white dog peeking out. lol
Lovely, lovely pictures today. I, too, always think of my parents when their “classmates” have celebrations and I wonder what it would be like if they were here, too. Life is funny–who goes when, who stays. Pearl looks wonderful, and it’s clear her family is appreciating their time with her. That is so good to see. Thanks for sharing this happy post.
All the pictures came through beautifully but there were a few empty advertising boxes. The staging of the quilts and photography for your new book is truly amazing! Can hardly wait to receive my copy! The weather in northeastern Oregon is supposed to be a perfect 76 degrees today then drop down into the 50’s. The trees are turning those beautiful colors so fall is definitely here. Reed’s GG Pearl looks really great at 100 years young. Just think of all the stories she could tell! Hope you have a joyful day!
Tina W. In Oregon
Ad to close and all pictures came through today. Wonder what happened to the blog with the HIPS and
# 5s. This technology can be such a mystery to us.
Closed 7 ads today. All the photos came through also. Hazel is so cute. We are finally cooling off around here. It was 99 yesterday afternoon. Will be about 85 this afternoon. We have had some of the hottest months ever recorded this year. The local weather records go back to the late 1800s and only in the mid 1930s have the temperatures been close to what we have had this year.
I’ve loved all your books, and particularly like the color palettes in this one. Great job keeping to the reproduction look while also bringing a light, fresh feel. Fabulous!
I’d love more info on the Nancy Tiede basket quilt. It’s lovely.
Reed is super lucky to have you in his life to love and inspire him, Mary. You’ve been his mentor and a wonderful “grandmother” in his life. He’ll look back on your time together and reflect on all the gifts and positive things you’ve shared. Those life changing moments will last forever. It’s wonderful for us to have been witness to these times through your blog. Thank you for that.
Your newest book looks like another winner. Beautiful quilts! Thanks for letting us peek inside.
Was it Reeds grandmother’s birthday actually on the 6 th?
It was my 75 th on that date and we had a lovely evening with the Popes last night.
No, Pearl’s actual birthday was a couple days before. Glad you had a fun evening with the Popes! And Happy Birthday to you!
Thank you Mary!!!
Got all the pics in this post-all of the quilts in the new book are lovely. But I will not live long enough to finish all of my UFOs, so better not order any more books. Too many ideas, ha ha.
Hazel is such a cutie.
Great pictures! Happy Birthday to Pearl! I absolutely love the quilts in your new book. I’ll be sending a check (along with an address label). That picture of Hazel just cracks me up! Warm here today in MA. A good day for the Topsfield Fair. The rest of the week is supposed to be rainy. I hope the forecasters are wrong. We are all waiting for our first real frost to end this terrible Triple E threat. So scary. Jan in MA
We are almost at peak color foliage here in northern VT. The town is full of buses, and even on this rainy day it was beautiful. I loved the picture of Reed and Pearl celebrating her 100th. He’ll never forget being fortunate enough to witness such a momentous occasion. Everything on the blog seems to be working perfectly—adds to close and wonderful pictures to see. I’m always so happy to see it in my inbox.
Thank you, Pat! How long will you be there? Better enjoy those beautiful fall scenes while you can, huh?
Every picture came thru‼️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻