I Like Thursday #52

What a week! My cousin arrived in St. Louis Tuesday from New York. On her way through, she & her son did us the honors of stopping by for dinner. They also brought us a bottle of wine as a thank you. I'm excited to try this brand because my neighbors shared with us a bourbon barrel cabernet sauvignon but from Woodbridge.

Because all the excitement was going to happen here at my house Tuesday afternoon, Mom stayed past her usual Monday departure. We enjoyed sharing a meal with our guests but mostly I liked spending time with them. What a nice group that could share ideas and frustrations on current events without the conversation becoming heated. We are family and we respect each other's opinion. There was love and I liked that very much. (Forgot to take pictures though. Rats!)

I'm liking that my neighborhood is getting into the spirit of Fall and Halloween. Gracie & I spied these three houses all in a row on our walk the other morning.

This last house pictured also had this display as well.

We are really enjoying our St. Louis Cardinals this week and earlier. Besides clinching a spot in the playoffs, they won 17 games in a row! Love our Cardinals!

I'm enjoying another new season of Survivor. It's a shortened season so there are extra twists and tricks. So far I haven't figured out who my favorites are but one or two usually become apparent soon. As for NCIS, we're enjoying that as well and were happy to say that we enjoyed NCIS: Hawaii a lot better this week than the first week. Maybe there's hope for this one yet! Anyone know when Bull or Blue Bloods start up this year?

I liked the book sale at C&T last week. I ordered these books that arrived this week. There are so many quilts that I want to make!

We've been unseasonably warm here this week which was quite a contrast to last week's Fall chill. Gracie and I are looking forward to cooler walking weather that out meteorologists are promising is on the way next week. In the meantime, we been enjoying the sunrises, We've noticed that the nights are really getting longer.

Last year's crop was corn. This year is soybeans.

I hope your past week was great and that your upcoming week will be even better!

Enjoy other I Like Thursdays posts at Not Afraid of Color.

Got Some Orange Done!

This week I managed to get all three of my Irish Courthouse Step blocks done and they are so pretty, even though each is so different.

Yellow-orange with a pretty floral

Halloween-esque!

Who says you can't mix dots & stripes?!?!

See what I mean? Even the shades of orange are different and that last one? A bit wild, eh?

I also grabbed the remnants of Sew Spooky and squared up a couple of HSTs. There were leftover candy corn triangles that got sewn into semi-circles. Now what? Hahaha! They were going to be my table topper for Joy's Table Scraps Challenge but, as usual, my "process" takes so much longer than most.

I finished the knitted mittens and will share pictures of them after blocking. I love them! So with those done, I cast on a pair of socks. Look! Orange!

That's all I've got for this week. Orange you glad I didn't make more? Hahaha! C'mon, man, everyone's (over?) using that joke this month! Hahaha!

Linking up with my friend Angela and the other Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilters HERE,

Have a great final week of September!

I Like Thursday #51

Well, well, well, here we are again at an I Like Thursday post. Thank you to LeeAnna for gathering us together to share our likes for the week. Starting off this week I like that, in spite of Fall's arrival and the Fall-like temps we experienced yesterday, this beautiful datura was blooming. My neighbor gave me this plant last year, I over-wintered it in the basement, it bloomed this Spring, and I'm getting a 2nd bloom right now! Just look at that blushing pink flower!

Another neighbor shared this picture of the monarch butterfly that she raised from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. It completed its metamorphosis and it was time to release it. Earlier she sent away and received butterfly tags so she can maybe keep track of where it will migrate to later.

I like my new front door. The old door's window frame was made of plastic. It was yellowed and cracked. I don't think it fit the frame too well anymore either. Here's a picture of the old door.

And here's a picture of the new door. I really like it! That glass just sparkles in the sunshine and it seems so crystal clear.

My neighbor got a new concrete patio poured this week. Instead of tramping through his yard with the cement truck, they pumped the concrete in OVER HIS HOUSE! I really liked that. It was an incredible piece of machinery but all the noise and the size scared poor Gracie.

A couple other likes for this week: I like that I'm almost finished with my book. Only about 20 pages left to get through. Basically it's just the wrap-up. This book has been hard to read to the end.

I like that the St. Louis Cardinals are making a final push to make it to the playoffs. They've now won ten games in a row. I'm glowing Cardinal red! Ha!

I like that some of the new TV shows have started their new seasons. In particular I've liked NCIS and Survivor.

To finish off my Like List this week, I'll say again that I like Autumn. Folks in the neighborhood have started putting out pumpkins, scarecrows, and hay bales. Here's the tree in the neighborhood that leads off with the leaf color change. I think I'll make a run to Dunkin' Donuts this weekend for pumpkin spice and/or apple cider doughnuts.

I wish you all a good week! Don't forget to notice all the good things in your world. It's way too easy to only notice the negative. I'll be linking up at Not Afraid of Color and checking in with the others as to what has rocked their world this week. Bet I learn some new things and it's a great way to keep in touch with my virtual friends.

Friday Night with Friends & Rainbow Scraps

Our lovely hostess Wendy gathered us together for our monthly sew-in. We meet virtually every 3rd Saturday of the month and it's so much fun to see what everyone has been busy doing. Last night I worked on Irish Courthouse Steps, a pattern from Bonnie Hunter. I caught myself up on the last turquoise/aqua block. It's pretty blah in appearance but, wherever there's a party, there's bound to be a shrinking violet, right?

Using the above as leaders & enders, I worked on the 2021 Twisted project which is hosted by my friend LindaLee. I now have all ten of these blocks worked up. I'm really enjoying the Studio 180 rulers for this project.

Earlier this week I worked on the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month. September is orange, the perfect excuse for finishing up BOO. On Thursday's post I told how I found this really cool fabric on the Free Table at guild and knew it was perfect for BOO. This week I pieced the back, quilted, and bound BOO. Check out ALL THAT ORANGE!!!

A look at the front!

A look at the back!

Those owls just kill me!!! The striped fabric used to stretch the owls and also used for the sleeve were remnants from Sew Spooky top that I finished up earlier this year. The binding was a scrap that was earlier used for the "B" in BOO. If you like this easy, peasy pattern, you can pick it up at Susan Marth's website HERE. Her patterns are wonderful!

Earlier in the week I finished up the dark blue Irish Courthouse Steps. Finally caught up to ORANGE!

So I started an orange one. Here it is under the needle. So pretty!

And here are the other two waiting in the wings.

And because I have my hat in a lot of rings, here's the start of last month's BOM with my guild.

This week I plan on starting the quilting on this project. It's due at next month's 2021 UFO Challenge through my LQS. After quilting it, I'll turn it into a pillow. I plan on making a zippered back. If you know me at all, you know I'm shaking just at that thought!

I think I'll be busy for a while. How about you? Have a great week doing whatever you have planned!

Linking up with Wendy at Sugarlane Designs and Angela at Super Scrappy!

I Like Thursday #50

Sure wish I had a super-duper list of likes for this #50 I Like Thurs post but I don't. Just know that it is a special one. I'll like that!

Like of the Day: My beautiful orchid is now in full bloom. It started opening up the first bud of seven on a stem weeks ago. Every week one would open, sometimes with the next bud enlarging. Yesterday #7 opened up.

Side one showing four flowers

These flowers last for weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if I had at least one flower for Halloween!

Side two showing the other three flowers

The other day while at the store I spied other colors of orchids in pots. Almost picked up another one but there wasn't a price on it so I passed it by. I was looking at a white one with purple spots, just in case you were wondering!

On the TV like list would have to be the season finale of American Ninja Warrior. Such challenges those courses presented. Looking forward to the next season but in the meantime I'll enjoy the return of Survivor. I like that show too!

While watching a cooking show with Mom, someone wrapped some filling (I don't recall what they were using) in a tortilla, folded it up like a burrito/egg roll, and then browned it in a skillet with a little melted butter (seam-side down, then flip).

I really like doing this now with any filling I choose! This one had some pulled taco-seasoned beef and, of course, smoked cheddar cheese.

So crunchy and delicious! I've done several variations and they all turn out good. Just don't overfill the tortilla or you will have a hard time wrapping it up.

Keeping current on the book I'm reading, "The Disappearing Act" by Catherine Steadman: Blah! I told Mom I finally figured out what is bothering me about this book. I just don't like the main character! There's nothing to her, no substance, no anything. I'll finish the book because I'd like to see how this wraps up but I could care less about the heroine. She's a flaky, vain, airhead. 'Nuff said.

Let's talk quilting for a minute. I like my guild, Hearts 'n' Hands. Most meetings we have a Free Table where members drop off things to giveaway. Sometimes there's plenty to choose from, sometimes it's slim pickins. Most times I don't even tempt myself because I'm really stocked with fabric (ahem!). At the August meeting, my first in-person since way back when, I had a few things to drop off and some fabric caught my eye. Probably because I knew right away where it would be perfect!

These orange owls with purple eyes on a black background = LOVE!!! Goes perfectly -- color-wise and theme-wise -- to my "BOO"! It's already in place and the grand finish will be shown in Saturday's post. Stay tuned!

That wraps up my likes this week. There are others that also share their weekly likes at Not Afraid of Color. I'll be linking up there too and you can read ALL the likes there as well. I'll bet you come away with a chuckle or two!

Not Much Orange Here Yet

It's starting to feel a bit like Fall here in the St. Louis area and that makes me very happy! We've enjoyed the last couple of walks in the mid-50s with highs in the low 80s. LOVE IT! There's a certain smell in the air that says summer is winding down although we're going to have a very warm weekend (think mid-90s!). Ugh! On my walk this morning I noticed there were leaves starting to fall and acorns crunching under my shoes. All good signs in my opinion. Even the sun this morning didn't look like it much wanted to light my way this morning.

On this 11th day of September we remember the tragic events in PA, NYC, and DC. What an awful day etched in most of our memories that day twenty years ago. But long before 2001, September 11th was a wonderful day -- my Dad's birthday! I think I'll make a chocolate cream pie in his honor. He loved it with a graham cracker crust and whipped cream. Many wonderful memories come to my mind when I think of him. ❤

As for us Rainbow Scrappers, Angela has chosen orange for the month. Even Polly was getting into the color last night. Ha!

Yesterday I finished up my aqua/turquoise Irish Courthouse Steps block. Turquoise was August's color.

Did you notice where I had to improvise when I mis-cut one of the fabrics and couldn't find any more in the scrap bin? YIKES!

I really haven't had a chance to think about orange yet since getting back from our trip to Cleveland to celebrate my friend's recent retirement. However, I was reminded on a fellow blogger's post that I never finished up my BOO mini wall hanging. I think it's about time to do that and to also pull out the scrap bin for some orange Irish Courthouse Steps blocks, don't you?

Have a great weekend!

I'm linking up with Angela at SuperScrappy to share my not-so-orange post and to see what the others are making. Join us!

I Like Thursday #49

I'm baaaaack! We spent last weekend in Cleveland. We left last Thursday and didn't return home until Sunday. The reason? We helped my BFF celebrate her retirement from the State of Ohio! It was so much fun to meet some of her co-workers which, of course, I'd heard much about over the years. So I'd start my I Like Thursday post with: I Like Friendship. When I say friendship, I mean Real Friendship. We've known each other since she moved in next door to me in 1987 while both of our husbands were stationed at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. We spent four years together as neighbors and then the USAF had different plans. Our husbands got orders elsewhere and we went on our ways. All these years later, after our kids grew up, graduated from school, got married, gave us grandchildren, we still talk almost every day for 20-30 minutes. What could we possibly talk every day? Our everyday lives! That's what friends do. We communicate our feelings, our goals, our disappointments. You name it! So today, while I have no pictures to share from our trip, I'm starting my I Like Thursday post with "I LIKE FRIENDSHIP"! ❤

If you know me, by now you know that I can't resist many sew/knit-alongs. I recently signed up for a new knit-along (KAL) with Joji Locatelli. Her patterns are awesome! Sign-ups are now through Sept 18 with the KAL starting on the 20th. You can get 20% off her patterns until then also. I signed up for three items to knit. Wishful thinking? Yes. I fell in love with her new patterns called Ready for Fall. This skein of yard will turn into her Caramel Sauce socks. I'll probably start with that project using this yarn. It's not quite as pinky as in the picture but it is a coral color.

I've also set myself up for Change Your Mind hat and Some Me Time shawl. I may start with the hat because I promised myself a new hat for this year's winter walks. The yarn might come from my stash but it's undecided as of this moment. IF there's time, I'll go to the shawl. I like the simplicity of it plus it's deep in length. I like that too.

Speaking of knitting, while I wait for the #jojifallkall2021 to begin on Sept 20, I'll continue on with the mittens that I started right before our trip. I finished the right one while speeding along the highway in the car and during hotel down time. All I had to do was get the thumb knitted when we got home. Here's a picture of the palm & thumb. It hasn't been blocked yet so it looks a little funky (but cool!).

Of course there's got to be a food "like" today and there is. I like, make that LOVE, that my son will smoke just about anything. Last Spring he sent us home with some smoked cheeses. I already ate all the smoked gouda. I took some smoked sharp white cheddar and smoked jalapeno jack cheeses to OH. One of the dinners there we had a taco bar. OMG! Everyone said that those were the best tacos EVER and it was definitely because of the YUMMY smoked cheeses! I went back for seconds and there was just the normal taco cheese. Boo! I think the tacos were also extra yummy because we used garden fresh tomatoes from my friend's garden and we also used some of my neighbor's tomatoes that I'd brought.

Yesterday I made a grilled cheese sandwich with smoked sharp yellow cheddar and a sprinkling of mozzarella for a little cheese pull. So good! Thank you, Jared!

I finished my book "If It Bleeds" by Stephen King. It was really good! All four of the short stories were different. I feel like there was a lot of personal bits thrown into some of the stories. As always there was some weirdness but nothing too absurd! Fun read!

In the meantime I've started "The Disappearing Act" by Catherine Steadman. We'll see how that turns out. You can read about it HERE. It sounds intriguing but it seems to be written a little YA. On a side note, Catherine Steadman is the actress that played Mabel Lane Fox on "Downton Abbey".

That's it from me this week. Did I also mention that I like to be home safe & sound too?

Linking up with Not Afraid of Color. I'll be checking in there later today and tomorrow for some liking and happiness!

I Like Thursday #48

Good day and happy September! I am looking forward to cooler days and even cooler nights. I have a bit of yard work that I'd like to accomplish this Fall and then I'll settle in and quilt over the winter. At least that's the plan!

And speaking of plans, LeeAnn has a plan for us to sit back weekly and think about all the things we've liked over the past week. You can see what we all liked at her blog Not Afraid of Color.

My like list this week will be short as we are leaving this morning on a short trip. More on that next week. This week though I'll start off with my sweet tooth. If you know me at all, I like my sweets and this flavor put out by Oreo is delicious! Really got my Autumnal taste buds kicked into high gear especially since we enjoyed those tasty pumpkin spice doughnuts last week! Ha!

Not to be out done by Nabisco, I made up some chocolate chip cookies for our trip. It's really tiring sitting in a car for hours and sometimes you need a little sweet to last the journey. Hahaha! I really like the Mrs. Field's $250 Cookie recipe. I've had it for years and it's the best chocolate chip cookie recipe in my opinion. I don't grate any Hershey bars but I use 2 kinds of chips and this time I used 3 cups of leftover nuts from hubby's birthday gift from our daughter. It consisted of salted pecans, roasted pecans, and cashews (which I'm not a fan of but they're OK in the cookies!). If you Google the recipe you get a bunch of choices. If you don't want to do that, just click HERE for one version.

On TV I've been enjoying the tennis this week. In case you didn't know, the US Open started Monday and will continue through to next weekend. I felt bad for Sloane Stephens having to first knock off Madison Keyes and then Coco Gauff, both of which are American and good friends of hers. Oh well, it's the job! Hopefully her skill and hard work will pay off with a trip to the finals!

My orchid started to bloom a couple of weeks ago and I've forgotten to mention it. It's called an Ice Cube Orchid because you supposedly only have to give it 3 ice cubes a week for water. I give it rainwater from my rain barrel with a little fertilizer. So far I've got 4 flowers opened and three more buds. They open up every 5-7 days and these flowers last for weeks! I bet I'll still have a pretty plant come October!

The other day I started a new knitting project. I don't want to give too much away since it'll be a gift. Here's a picture of my early start.

The edge is a Latvian braid. There will be another round of it later. I just love it! You can find out how to knit it if you check on YouTube.

That'll be the end of this week's posts. Alarms are going off and I need to pack my bags. Have a great week!