Monday update

I must say, I haven't accomplished much in the sewing department lately. January is one of my busiest months and that translates from late days at work to no desire to do anything but hit the couch when I get home.

I have been slowly working on my version of Bonnie's Mackinac quilt. I need 480 HSTs and I'm down to needing just 155 more. Woot!

What do all y'all do with the dog ears that you trim off your HSTs? Many moons ago I saw a neat clear glass Christmas ornament partially filled with dog ears. Ever since I've been saving mine in this old canning jar. The jar keeps them pretty neat until a naughty B&W cat gets in to them...

This weekend my nephew turned 13! A teenager!! Eeeek!! I can remember changing his stinky diapers just like it was yesterday and I've got pictures to prove it. LOL.

Anyways...the boy is a hockey fiend and he's been playing since he was 4 or 5 so I decided that he needed a hockey tie. I won't say that tie making is the easiest or hardest project in the world but it sure is fiddly work.

I think the tie was a hit but Tyler had been up half the night with a sleepover party and just finished a game before he opened presents so, yes, he does look like he's half asleep. A highlight before their game yesterday was the team posing with a local professional hockey player who is going to the Olympics in a couple weeks. Good luck Brian Gianta!!!

No, I didn't watch the super bowl yesterday but I did have a wonderful snack. A s'mores mug cake. I've stalled using this book for a while because most of the recipes make 2 cakes but it finally dawned on me that this rarely used soup mug would be perfect to make an entire recipe. It's not in the photo but I also added a scoop of homemade root beer ice cream. Thanks Janet!!

Happy Monday!!!

Genesee Country Museum

So...it only took me 10 days to get these posted but I am finally sharing my photos from Mother's Day at Genesee Country Village & Museum, which is a recreated village of 18th century buildings moved from around NY state to this location. BTW - one of the pictures on their homepage today was a woman piecing a baby block quilt and I am guessing it's EPP!!!

As you may recall, I said that Mother's Day weekend was opening weekend for what we affectionately call Mumford (the name has changed in the last 20+ years and it's located in Mumford, NY). It was also Chocolate Day - I didn't get many pictures of the chocolate but there were samples of the authentic 18th century style choco that the museum sells.

You can see the show was held in a huge barn with lights and a runway :)
The girls here are in chronological order.

One of the first activities we enjoyed was a fashion show. It included an antique or reproduction outfit from each decade between 1790 and 1920. It was fascinating to see how trends come and go and then come back again - especially waistlines, puffy sleeves and hemlines. There seemed to almost always be some aspect of the outfit that originated from men's fashions - hats, sleeves, collars, walking sticks.

Some of my favorite outfits - the hat on the left and the striped dress on the right.

Height order, which is just plain silly for documentation of the outfits.

After the fashion show we walked from building to building. I know which building each photo came from but for the life of me I can't remember most of their names. Forgive me!

Isn't this a fab tea party idea? The chicken salad was served in the tulips - which are edible.

Check out the stenciling on the walls! This house had a quilting bee going on for anyone to try. I was reprimanded for doing the rocking stitch - it was all stick and stab back then. The workers were having tea from this great tea tray. Gunmetal tea, if I recall correctly. I have some from Gettysburg that I still need to try...

One of the choco displays showing flavorings and the Metate & Mano in the center that was used to grind the cocoa beans. We were given hot choco samples at this stop.

Mom and I sort of had a tea party for lunch - I packed choco chip scones, cheese, crackers and jerky. Mom brought bottled iced tea. It was fun.

One more tea photo - a pantry full of tea pots, cups and saucers. I wish I had this space for mine...

Last stop at the museum was the dying exhibit. I forget the word but it was a kind of sap being used to dye the yarn various shades of brown - milk and dark chocolate colors if you will. HaHa!

Once home dad grilled dinner and afterwards my brother's family stopped over. The boys were happy to decorate my hair with flowers from the yard but one particular little monkey didn't think I could catch him on film! Gotcha!!

playing in the garden

Last week I hired my first official landscapers!! OK, so they are only 6 and 9 but Tyler is saving money for an iPod Touch and I am all for learning the value of five bucks. That and I hate picking up sticks.

Unfortunately, the weather was kinda nasty so the boys didn't come over.

I did have 2 other helpers but they just aren't so good at stick pickin'.

The pine cones are leftover from our pine cone war. Fun must be had :)

Fast forward to Monday night and now only one landscaper was still interested in earning some cash. I was mighty impressed tho as Tyler did a fantastic job as we picked sticks, removed the rest of the leaves from the flower beds and trimed some plants. Yeah, I am not a good gardener and waaaay behind schedule.

We still had a snoopervisor this week and, surprisingly enough, he was quite social with Tyler. Score one for Zorro!

Hmm..should have retaken this photo after we trimmed the plants...

The yard is looking better and my pear tree looks exceptional this year.
Next step? When the rain stops, I can finally drag out the mower.

Be Prepared...

...when you lend a 6 year old your digital camera...some of the photos might be pretty good...

portrait of the artist



current obsession



Out of focus but I love how it's framed



no head but this is the perspective of a 6 year old



Not afraid to take portrait photos, even tho my mouth was full of yummies



We played with the macro function, altho he doesn't quite grasp the concept yet. I just need to figure out how to get him to slow down and focus before pressing the shutter. A lot of interesting shots/subjects but he was moving so fast they are just completely out of focus.

All on his own, he decided to do some motion shots - while twirling around the living room he would randomly push the shutter button. 

Quite the creative kid - don't cha think?!

Design Wall Monday - 2/7/11

Midge had the right idea this weekend - I sew wanted to be in that quilt with her!

I worked on these Blendable Curve blocks. They are relatively easy, even with the curves, but it just got tedious. I should have made more yesterday but I just couldn't make myself. Instead, I puttered around doing a little of this or that. I pressed, I trimmed, I made 170 more half square tri's for the Roll Roll Cotton Boll quilt, I trimmed the black border I need for the fireman quilt and of course two rescue calls and a bowling party for Tyler's Birthday. OMG, how did he get to be S.I.X.?

Here's a sneak peak at my UFO for the month...will post more on Thursday.

Doesn't that look like a Glamour Shots pose?

Design Wall Monday - 1/17/2011

Bronchitis knocks the wind out of you…really, it feels like you can’t breath and the hacking to get the crap out of your lungs is no fun either so once I got home Friday night and got into my comfy pjs – that’s how I stayed until dinner time on Sunday. I can’t remember the last 2-full-day-weekend that I just did what I want when I wanted: sewing and reading and sleeping in and staying up late. Be sure to check out my other post today to see why I really wanted to do “nothing” all weekend!

Friday night I hit the LQS after work and came home to dinner and time in front of the boob tube. Saturday morning the sewing marathon began. I won’t show pictures of everything so I have some fodder to talk about later this week but this is what I accomplished over the weekend:

1. Remember the pink alert? I finished 6 little treat bags for my tea party that got postponed until next weekend.

2. The center of my t-shirt quilt (UFO #6) is finished but I didn’t have enough border fabric so I’ll have to go back to the LQS. Will post more on Thursday…

3. Remember DWM last week with the experimental windmill runner? I finished the top but I think it leans towards failure. I just don’t care for it although I am sure someone else will. It was a good study to see how a row of all of the same fabric charms works - maybe that is the problem: one row might have worked but not the black and cream rows. It will be a good sample for class but I won’t do another with rows. I like 2 fabrics, but not rows. I am not sure if I will bind it in the brown or the cream color...leaning towards the cream to pull it in more (it does match the wheat fabric).

4. I finished the last 2 green and cream Turning 4-T blocks. This was supposed to be for my b-day so I’ll work on it some more tonight. I am designing this quilt myself and it’s turning into a design as you go kinda thing so I have to decide how I want to proceed. I’ve only changed it 3 or 4 times so far.

5. I also worked on 2 sections of my Roll Roll Cotton Boll blocks…will post more another day….

A Rising Hockey Star

 #1 nephew, Tyler,is learning to play hockey. He's #84 for Team Timbits! The team is sponsored by Tim Hortons, they have practice Tuesdays and Saturdays and if the kids wear their team shirt to Tim Ho's after practice on Saturday they get a free drink. It even says so inside their shirts: "I just played Hockey and I'm Thirsty." For a five year old who had never skated before October, I would say he's pretty good. He just got his stick last night and while he needs to learn to keep it on the ice, he can shoot a puck and do all kinds of skating tricks as best a 5 year old can. Oh wait - man down!

And on the sidelines, #2 nephew, Ryan, cheers on his big brother!

Design Wall Monday - 6/28/10

My muse hit the lotto this weekend and I didn't really get much else done around the house. I also had a visit by Kristie and my nephews to see the snow peas but didn't think to photograph the boys while they devoured crisp snow peas they "harvested" themselves.

EDIT: Erin the Librarian was impressed that I listened to nine CDs of an audiobook while working in the studio and thought I should share...each CD is about 70 minutes.

Remember the tube quilting blocks in Friday's post? I happened across some WOW fabric already in my stash and decided to run with it, including taking apart those 4 blocks from Friday and putting a white corner on them to create 8 blocks. The process is so easy, I had all these blocks done by early-Sunday, after a good share of Saturday at the Farmer's Market, working on the inventory grant at work AND working on some other projects I will show another day. There is still some work to put the top together but nothing that can't be accomplished in a few hours. I'm sorry that the stars don't show up as well as they did in the online design I was copying but I'm willing to make another since they are a great stashbuster.

This is another technique I saw online - basically a slash and shuffle design from the Layer 'Em Up book. The author's video demonstrated how to use 8" blocks but with some simple math to get the proper ratio, I made these with 6.5" blocks. I still need to square them up but I will finish with 30 blocks from 5 fatQuarters. Basically, the stack of squares in the background is cut into that mock-9-patch design and several pieces are shuffled 1 or 2 spaces and then sewn back together. Again, another couple hours should have all the blocks completed. I've also seen other designs that work with the slash and shuffle concept and hope to try them soon.

Play Ball!

Friday night was Ty's last home t-ball game and the whole family was there - both sets of grandparents, his immediate family and his (obviously) favorite Auntie Sarah. I'm the only aunt on the Ballinger side and the only aunt within so many miles - that's gotta count for something? Right? I thought so! I never did catch which side won but the kids had fun and some of them did particularly well for 4 & 5 year olds.

While Ty (bugjuice grin and all) waited in the dugout for his chance at bat, his little brother played in the sand pile. What you can't see is his green t-shirt that advises to "Lock up your daughters." Watch out girls!

Great follow through - too bad it was a foul ball!

Castile Bicentennial Playground

2008 was the Town of Castile Bicentennial Celebration, of which my mother was chair as the Town Clerk. Luckily there was money left over after a year of festivities so with more donations and dad as a playground committee of one, they were able to purchase a new playground for the Village Park. With installation costs we are looking at a $20,000 investment in the Town and oohs and ahhs from the little ones makes it all worth it!

We installed the playground with (mostly) volunteer efforts last Thursday and Friday and I took both days off to help - the entire family was there. What was to have been a three day project was completed in less than two thanks to the many volunteers who labored in the gorgeous weather.

(the village DPW studies the blueprints after the auger cut the electic lines, cutting all power to the park)

Ty came to the park after am pre-school so he got to be first down the big slide.

Ry kept saying "open?" since he has to wait until the playground is officially opened Monday. In the meantime, he built a stick farm in the horseshoe pit. Good improvise, little man!

Saturday was spent watching Ty's t-ball game (they won!) and Sunday was spent outdoors getting the rest of the veggies planted and mowing and mulching and...and...and... in the yard before grilling sausages. 4 days of perfect hi-70s weather made it hard to come back to work today.

Oh BTW - did you hear about the 1936 wheat penny dug up in my veggie garden or the deer that ran thru my (village) yard?

National Quilting Day

Tomorrow is NQD and I'm not even sure I'll have time to step into the studio :(

In the morning we have the second half of our ice rescue training...it seems the lake will still be in good shape so we will be out on (unstable) ice in the 50-60 degree "heat" - spring fever has hit us all.

After training, I'll be babysitting my nephews. My SIL asked if I could sit at some point this weekend so they could go to the city (Rochester) to the educator sale at Borders. I offered to make it an afternoon and evening so they could use the movie tickets I gave them for Christmas. ok, so that means I can also watch tv when the boys are asleep!

Have a good day tomorrow!

Cuties

This is Tyler - he's 4 and a half. He over-smiles when you want a picture but who could resist a little bundle of trouble that yells Sarahhhhhhhhhh as he runs towards you for a hug or secretly asks you to stay and play.






This is Ryan - he's one and a half, a bundle of energy but also Mr. Serious. He's all boy as he tries to imitate his big bro and ends up with scratches and bruises. Ry hasn't grown out of his mamma's boy phase yet but he is getting better at pointing towards me and saying 'Sa' when I come to visit.