Tuesday, 7-21-2020

My hands, arms and shoulders ached all night from moving that stupid rug – it’s going to find another home when I’m sick of it! Beautiful day here and it even rained a bit this afternoon – so pleasant to sit in the porch and watch it rain.

Connie has been at the lake with the grandkids, Claire and Ben. Look how they’ve grown!

Their favorite fun thing to do is to go to the middle of the lake in the boat – with Betty in her life jacket and they in theirs – and jump in the water and swim with Betty.

When they’re done swimming, they give Betty a boost using the handle on her life jacket to get back in the boat.

I wonder if Betty was afraid the first time they put her in the water – it looks like she loves it now!

Here’s a few more barn animal pictures:

The two amigos are still hanging in there!

FYI – this is actually Fred, the rooster. Daddio is so happy in his pen with his girls and he doesn’t come out anymore. He’s getting really old and I’ll be surprised if he’s with us next summer.

Dirty Dozen Quilts:

When the rain moved through late this afternoon, it was so pretty!

Ivy is coming tomorrow through Friday – I know she’ll love running in the grove!

Kayla and I are still working on opening our online store this Friday – we will continue to add patterns that have been popular in the past but feel free to suggest ones you hope to find available. We will probably add 4-6 per week depending on Kayla’s schedule. Did you like what she did with our Facebook page? I did!

Watch the blog or Facebook for more info before we open for business!

44 thoughts on “Tuesday, 7-21-2020

  1. Arrowhead Gramma

    Oh Mary, once again it just thrills my soul to see a photo of Ben looking so happy and healthy. He reflects the power of prayer and I still pray for him each day. ❤️👦🏻🙏❤️

  2. Arrowhead Gramma

    Oh Mary, once again it just thrills my soul to see a photo of Ben looking so happy, healthy and enjoying life . He reflects the power of prayer and I still pray for him each day. ❤️👦🏻🙏❤️

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Arrowhead Gramma – thank you for those prayers – they worked

  3. Beryl in Owatonna

    I’ll bet the rain was welcome!! The corn was getting so dusty and the leaves standing straight in the air asking for water!! They needed a drink and a bath!!

    The kids have grown and look like they enjoy the water!!

    It is always fun to see your animals and hear updates on them. Again, those chickens are just beautiful!! I love all the color.

    I really like the FB page too and look forward to the new store!!

    Thanks again for all you do. I get concerned when I don’t get an email!!

  4. Diane and Squeak

    Great pictures of Claire and Ben with Betty, the DD, and the goats and chickens and the farm. Always nice to see everything is looking good😊😊.

  5. Anonymous

    Your photos are so much fun today. Kids and Betty in the water and beautiful farm pics just shout Summer is Here. More great #5’s.
    Got to go to bed.

  6. Nancy K Walker

    Dear Mary, I would so love to have your wall hanging that has a Beagle on it and says don’t shop adopt! You’re patterns are very special and unique.very sincerely, nancy

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Nancy K Walker – Don’t Shop will be in the store very soon!

  7. Linda from Oconomowoc

    I am very happy that you are opening your shop patterns on the blog too as I don’t do Facebook. Your rooster is so beautiful! My son just started raising chickens this spring. He had to get rid of the one rooster that came in the mix. He did terrible things to some hens. I told him about you putting food on a string so they have something to do. His chickens did not touch the lettuce? I don’t have any grandchildren so I call them my grandchicks! I know it sounds weird but that is me.

    1. Marj in Western Wisconsin

      Recently heard you are losing your wonderful quilt shop, Ben Franklin. So sorry to hear that.

      1. CountryThreads Post author

        Marj in Western Wisconsin – OUR quilt shop???? Details of where you mean, please.

    2. CountryThreads Post author

      Linda from Oc – doesn’t sound weird to me! I don’t have any kids so I love these farm animals and pets as I’d they were my children! My chickens love any leftovers – especially watermelon rinds!

  8. Kathy Hanson

    Amazing how much Ben and Clair have grown! Amazing how they swim with Betty and get her back in the boat! Love seeing your animals always. My daughter just got a new puppy and named her Ivy Joy. She is so cute and cuddly!

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Kathy Hanson – what kind of puppy? Love her name!! Ivy Joy!

  9. Martha Engstler Gettysburg

    Fred is so handsome too. Don’t remember how old Daddio is, I wonder how long they usually live. Love seeing the finished #5’s.

  10. susie Q

    this blog post was put in my spam folder. I only mention it to let you know. I read somewhere that sometimes this is because of the way the sender sends the post. Perhaps when Kayla is finished with the store she can address that….

  11. Kathy in western NY

    How fast time flies as I remember when Ben’s illness needed our prayers and he looks so healthy! Good the kids are learning to swim so well but yes, I worry about the strain on the dogs too. They so want to be a part of excitement and sometimes can’t keep up. Just like us folks, right Mary, who want to move furniture like we did 20 years ago and wonder where our strength went!
    Love all the pictures of the serenity of your home and the great finishes.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Kathy in western NY – I hear you – Betty is a big girl and I hope she likes swimming but I also hope it’s not too strenuous for her – of course swimming is often part of rehab and easy on joints – unlike moving a huge antique rug! Haha!!!

  12. Carla

    I love seeing all the finished projects, but I’m beginning to worry I won’t finish! What happens then lol?

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Carla – we will forgive you if you don’t finish – just keep working – maybe you’ll finish by the end of August?

  13. Pat in Michigan

    I love all the farm pictures. How many goats are still around? The rooster picture is just perfect. And the DD, it seems as though everyone is doing an especially beautiful finish. So nice to be able to enjoy your farm through your “eyes”!

  14. Kay Crandall

    Mary, I LOVE the pictures you take of the farm – they remind me so much of my mom’s farm in Thompson and all the great times we had visiting her. The dark blue sky with the green fields make my heart beat faster! Working on my DD – it was a big project, almost from scratch and got stopped in my tracks with a knee that has gone bad (my sewing room is in a finished basement and I’m having trouble getting down the stairs). Have an MRI and CT Scan scheduled for the knee on Friday, but this has been painful for over a month now. I’m not used to not be able to do what I want to do!

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Kay Crandall – looks like you’re in line for a knee replacement!

      1. Kay Crandall

        Had one on the other knee four years ago that went well. If that’s what it is, I know it can be fixed and will be good again.

    2. CountryThreads Post author

      Kay Crandall – forgot to say – our area is just like that around Thompson – North central Iowa at its best!

  15. Mary Says Sew!

    Beautiful pictures – thank you so much for sharing so much of your life with us. Dare I say you’ve got lots of groupies?

    I’d like to request a pattern – it’s a wall quilt with goats and churn dash blocks and maybe some other blocks. I think there were three goats and three churn dash blocks. The colors I remember are reds, grays and blacks. I hope those are enough clues to identify the quilt!

    I’m looking forward to see what becomes available on your new store!

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Mary Says Sew – that would be the Goat Sampler – I’ll put it on our list! Thank you!

      1. Mary Says Sew!

        Yes, that’s it! I googled “Country Threads Goat Sampler” and found several photos online, and that’s definitely it. Thanks!

  16. SusanfromKentucky

    Mary,
    Is there a pattern to the quilt you have hanging that looks like birds flying in a circle? I love that one every time you show it!

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Susan from KY – I am drawing a blank – I’ll need more info – when did I last post it?

      1. Mary Says Sew!

        I bet it’s a Flying Swallow or Swallow quilt block, a variation of a Blazing Star or Lone Star. I sorta kinda remember it. If memory serves me correctly, your quilt has a lot of cadet blue in it.

        Google “Flying Swallow” and you’ll see plenty of examples.

  17. SusanfromKentucky

    It was done in reds, pinks and tan. It was a star pattern that turned out looking like it had birds flying in a circle. I have a drawing of it that I made.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Susan from KY – any chance you want to send me a copy of what you drew? Or take a picture and send it to my email.

        1. CountryThreads Post author

          Mary Says Sew! I stand corrected! This was so long ago I don’t even know the name of the pattern but I will search and it will go on – I’m not even sure if I still have this quilt – ok, I’m on a mission to locate this quilt or at least figure out its name!

          1. Mary Says Sew!

            There may be other ‘traditional’ or previously published names, too. And you and Connie may have had your own name for your quilt.

            Those of us of ‘a certain age’ get at least 48 hours to puzzle over things before considering we just plain forgot….

      1. SusanfromKentucky

        Mary,
        It WAS a flying swallows quilt block. Mary Says Sew! was right!

        1. CountryThreads Post author

          Susan – I’ve never done a pink and red flying swallows block

  18. Felicia Hamlin

    It is so nice to see Ben so grown up and his sister Claire is such a pretty girl. I did pray for Ben a lot and it does me good to see him looking so well. Betty seems to enjoy her time in the water, she is young and strong. Nice DD pictures and photos from the farm. We need rain here really bad. I bought the beagle pattern and I don’t even know where it is now. The story of my life.

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