RSC June Pastels and I Like Thurs Prompt

Let's start this post with an I Like Thursday prompt, shall we? LeeAnn asked ...

    "What would be your favorite insect and why? think about the good or pretty insects out there not just annoying ones... did you ever capture lightning bugs in a jar as a kid?"

Not being able to narrow it down to only one favorite, my answer would be dragonflies, butterflies, and bees with dragonflies narrowly being my favorite. I love the way they glide around and how shiny their wings look when the sun shines down on them. I wonder how the others are responding. I encourage you to check out their responses. It's always interesting to read their prompt replies and also to see what books, movies, garden flowers, and foods they're enjoying. Look right HERE.

Let me nail down the Rainbow Scrap Challenge next. Angela chose PASTELS for our June "color". She explained that using them would put a little sparkle in our scrappy quilts. Okay! I'm game. Yesterday being Friday and Mom's Hairdo Day, I took a pile of scraps that I thought would work. Here are three Grandma's Jewels that I managed to get prepped while there.

I think these will work, although the pink/orange "background fabric might not be a good choice. We'll just have to think about that. What do you think? Will it work?

So back to an I Like Thurs post. I am so bad at being a consistent responder but I like playing the game so I'll participate when I can. I've been enjoying the Ruth Galloway series of books by Elly Griffiths. Right now I'm finishing up The House at Sea's End which is the third in the series. Ruth Galloway is a forensic anthropologist so there's some sort of mystery to be solved. Right up my alley!

GoodReads synopsis

Thursday was a busy day around here. Being as it was the 1st Thursday of the month meant that we were off to the Troy Senior Center Luncheon. It was fantastic! We were served bratwurst, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon, and a cookie with bite-sized chocolates. Too bad our table was called last and my sauerkraut serving was a tad skimpy for me -- even though Fred didn't even ask for some! Lol!

Afterward eating, the Waterloo German Band entertained us and entertain they did! We learned a little history on the Swiss/Austrian cow bells as well as the huge Alpine horn. The woman on the accordion played so well and the chosen songs had us all singing along with the band. So much fun and man! did it tire Mom out! Hahaha!

Waterloo German Band

Learning about the Cow Bells
He Played a Couple Songs Using Them

Teaching Us about the Alpine Horn
aka Alphorn

Alphorn Song
Takes a LOT of Wind!

What a great week we had! And I didn't even mention how much fun we've had watching Roland Garros this week either! The smiles around here never end, do they? Here's to another great week ahead and I'm wishing the same for all of you too.

Don't forget to check in with the other scrappy quilters at SoScrappy!

I Like Thursday #177

Another good week here. I thank you all for the good wishes for my mother and our family. Mom had a follow-up appointment on Monday with NeuroSurgery for her back pain, osteoporosis, and back compression fractures. We met with Megan the nurse practitioner and she ran Mom through several tests. The conclusion? Everything we are currently doing for Mom is working and she is doing very well for a 92.5 year old with severe osteoporosis. While Mom is no longer feeling the bad pain she once was, if she does again we should do what we did before -- heating pad, Tylenol, and easy movement about the house. Above all, she is to continue with her PT as that will help her with balance and keep her muscle strength. Definitely no surgery, no deep muscle massage, no needles therapy, no twisiting, no bending down at the waist. This runs in line with her primary care provider and her Physical Therapist. We are so happy! Oh! And her blood pressure was 132/78, keep in mind she's not on any BP medicine. This doctor assessment was a BIG LIKE for this week! Mom had her own "like" too. She lost that pound that she gained from the last doctor appointment. Hate to tell her but that is not a good thing. Her PCP wants her to put on 10 pounds!!! Funny, he didn't tell me to do that! Lol!

Okay, okay, enough of the health report, even if it is a great like. I'm still enjoying playing with cross-stitch again. When Scarlett was last seen, this was my progress.

I'm happy to say that the stitching has been completed. Monday was Quilt Club at my LQS and I bought a linen for her back. I hope to get her completed this weekend. I really like the way she looks so far.

Speaking of Quilt Club, we had another Mystery Quilt finish shown. Isn't that green background pretty!!??!!

Of course, since Scarlett is finished up, I had to start another one. This one is called Sweetly Sayin' by Primrose Cottage Stitches. If you sign up for their newsletter, they will send you a free cross stitch pattern and a free quilt pattern each month. I liked that deal so I'm in. Here's my progress so far. I'm hoping for a finish before Valentine's Day!

This week I finished reading "Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate. It was an amazing read and I highly recommend it. It's a based-on-true story about the Tennessee Children's Home Society and siblings that were stolen to be sold through the adoption agency.

Read What Goodreads Says About It
HERE

Now I'm reading the 9th in the Cormoron Strike series by Robert Galbraith, aka J. K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame. This one is called "The Hallmarked Man". I hope it's as good as the last book which I might have liked best so far.

Read about it HERE

When my company left after their holiday visit, I was left with several very ripe bananas. I turned them into a dozen banana chocolate chip muffins and a loaf of banana walnut bread. In particular, I searched for recipes using self-rising flour.  Our family grocery shopper accidentally picked up a large bag of self-rising flour so it needs to go! The baked goods are safely frozen in the freezer because we've got enough food laying around here. On second thought, maybe I should sit them out by Mom. She could use a little encouragement to put on a pound or two!

Recipe HERE

Recipe HERE
I Added Walnuts

Our prompt this week from LeeAnna is: "Do you ever sing in the shower?" and, if you do, do you have a favorite song in there? I do sing in the shower. I sound so much better in the shower than out in the open. Hahaha! I don't have a go-to song though, just whatever is in my head at the time. Another place I like to sing is in the car. I really belt out the songs if I'm driving solo -- thank goodness, eh? Hahaha!

Head on over to LeeAnna's blog Not Afraid of Color to see if I'm in the majority of shower singers. Also maybe we'll get an idea for a "shower songlist"!

My Hexagon Obsession

Angela has chosen aqua/turquoise as the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month. Perfect choice since I've been obsessed with my Fishbowl Hexie project lately and there's plenty of aqua to be seen there. It's growing quickly as I assemble the main parts. There are more light hexies to go in the corners for the first outer border.

Currently 34" across at the Widest Point

Do you do English Paper Piecing? Should I remove all the papers now with the exception of the outer edges? Would that make LARGE assembly easier? I'd be interested to know your opinions on these questions.

Last week during one PT appointment, one hair appointment, and one podiatry appointment, I managed to applique just about all of both large flowers on Tangled Daisies (pattern by Jillily Studios).

Cross-stitching in the evening gives me a different kind of peace. I've been adding the lettering to Be Kind by Primrose Cottage Stitches. Slowly but surely, this project is coming along.

As for Gem Tones, I can tell you that both blocks have been fully cut out and the sewing may start this week. We also got our next clue for the mystery sew along from my local quilt shop. Maybe I'll work on that! Who knows what mood I'll be in later this week.

The All-Illinois Shop Hop started this month and will finish Sept 30. I've managed to squeeze in a few stores, one of which I didn't even know existed and is so close to me! Tarsha Homestead is a lovely small shop and the owner is just about the sweetest person you might meet on the hop! Maybe it's just that I fell in love with her "yard". It's full of chickens running around everywhere. She said she may have about 45-50! Here are some of her chickens

Strutting her stuff!

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

I had to call my brother, who also has chickens, to tell him about the beautiful chickens. My SIL sent me a picture of theirs -- including a rooster too!

In between all this fun, I've been trying to get some of the gardens under control. This was this morning's project. Check out the mess in the wheelbarrow!

My current book is Nightshade by Michael Connelly. How can you go wrong with that author, right? I'm in about 75 pages and all I want to do is keep reading! I think it's his latest book and it may have been recommended by my blog buddy Little Penguin Quilts!

Read about it HERE

I guess I forgot to let you know I finished Quilt City Murders by Bruce Leonard. It was pretty good and I like his style. It was fun to read also because I've been to the AQS quilt show in Paducah many times so the town's descriptions were mostly familiar to me. I'd definitely recommend it if you like a murder mystery and quilting! It's the first in a series of his books. I just noticed too that Nightshade is also the first in a series. Guess I know what I'll be reading in my future! Lol!

I think I'll wrap this up now. I don't think there's much more for me to share this week. Let's hear it for another week in the books. We'd love to say that things are cooling off here in the Midwest but not just yet. Summer is still alive and HOT!

Make it a good week!

Linking up at SoScrappy.

June Orange Coming to a Close

Time to start winding down RSC Orange for 2025. I did manage to get caught up on my LQS Mystery Quilt. Here's a peek at my Project Box. Oops! No orange ...

I finished the last two hexies for the Fishy Hexi project. Here's my layout. I think I've figured out how to fill it in. What a momentary nightmare trying to work with the fabrics I'd already bought and not having to buy more. Lol!

I'm also caught up on the A Quilting Life's BOM. I'm choosing to make the table runner size rather than the bed quilt size. Shocked, aren't you? Here is the final addition, RSC May's green block.

And here are all six blocks together.

Aunt Jane's Best moved forward this week also. The last of the blocks was embroidered and the fill-ins sewn up. I used my Caterpillar Glow lightbox to cut out the 3" embroidered blocks. I love this lightbox! Lightweight & portable plus one can rotary cut right on top with the mat!

Here's my scrappy layout.

Did you know I finished "Winter Garden" by Kristin Hannah? What a fabulously written book. I love her style, love her verbiage, love her stories. This one had some difficult passages to read as I had been warned by friends. I don't usually cry while reading books, but let's just say that a few tears were shed while reading this one.

My current read is definitely a lot lighter, "A Map to Paradise" by Susan Meissner.

GoodReads synopsis HERE

I also checked out from my library "Today Loves Food". It contains favorite recipes contributed by the staff and guests from The Today Show. The family recently enjoyed Siri Daly's Pull-Apart Monte Cristo Sliders and Jet Gila's Beef & Broccoli Lo Mein. Both of these recipes were easy and delicious. If you can get your hands on this cookbook, I'd recomment it.

Mom had a cookbook that I retrieved from her house called "Great Food Fast". Catchy title, huh? This week brought Indian-Spiced Chicken Burgers. They were served in pita pockets and the cucumber slices with the cumin yogurt sauce put them over the top! Yum! Yum! Enjoyed by all.

On my own, since I had pita pockets left over, I made a shrimp salad which were stuffed in the pitas along with some lettuce & Arkansas tomatoes. OMG! Another delicious dinner at the Hoover House!

I enjoyed the Shrimp Salad Stuffed Pitas
with Radish Slices and Chips

And that concludes my post for the week. How was your week?

Today I'm sewing with friends. I'll be working on the hexies and also taking an applique UFO (UnFinished Object). I would love to get this one finished up!

Please feel free to peek in on the other Rainbow Scrap Challenge participants. This is the last Saturday of June so there should be a lot of eye-candy being shared! Thanks to Angela for rounding us up each week at SuperScrappy.

This Week's Progress & FNwF

Sadly I really didn't make much progress this week for Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I did pull my RSC 2025 Tracking Sheet out and discovered that I need to make the May Green Gemstone blocks and now also the June Orange Gemstone blocks. That means there needs to be some green/orange sewing happening soon! I'll sort my colors and start cutting for those.

According to my sheet, I'm behind on A Quilty Life's SAL too. Those are small-ish 6" blocks so I should be able to pull that off easily as well. I didn't realize how far behind I'd gotten until I looked at my sheet. Thank you, Angela, for keeping us organized. You can find the RSC 2025 Tracking Sheet and all the colors so far this year right HERE.

As if that weren't enough, I discovered that I was also behind on the MQAL which my LQS is offering. I was happily making stars and apparently had only cut out point segments for half. Here is my stack of points for the other 20.

That's 80 Background Rectangles &
160 Scrappy Yellow Squares

I'm just about finished with the embroidery of Aunt Jane's Best. Only part of one leaf left to go. With the end in sight, I decided to starch up the cotton pieces in the kit so I can maybe -- just maybe -- finish this up this month?

The Bottom Right Floral was Finished
During Mom's Friday Hair Appt.
The Orange Flowes & Centers for RSC Win!

Bottom Left Needs That Last Leaf Done

 
Progress was also made on the Georgian Floral cross-stitch project. It's been with me during all the Roland Garros Tennis Tournament TV-watching. As you can see, I made a good dent in it this week! So happy that Coco Gauff won the Women's Singles Final this morning. ❤️

Photo From Last Week

Look How Far I Got!

I've continued to read when I can, especially before bed. My recent finish was "The Waiting" by Michael Connelly. He's a great author and this book was very good too. I recently put my name on the list for Connelly's newest book that just came out this year.

GoodReads Synopsis HERE

In the meantime, my library notified me that I had another book waiting. I've been anxious to read this one, "Winter Garden" by Kristin Hannah. She's a wonderful author and, 50 pages in, I'm enjoying it so far.

GoodReads Synopsis HERE

Last Saturday we enjoyed a picnic 50th birthday party with our niece. The cake was wonderful but the company was even better. What a great day!

Birthday Girl Blowing Out the Candles

My Piece of Cake -- YUMMY!

Our Gang with the Birthday Girl
(Mom, Me, Tanya, & Fred)

That's enough from me for now. We're off to the races -- watching the Belmont Stakes on TV, that is. Have a great weekend.

Linking up with Cheryll for FNwF and Angela for RSC. Check it all out on the links!

I Like Thursday #172

Welcome to my I Like Thursday post. This is where a group of us share things that have recently made us happy, gave us a smile, and/or just puts a positive spin on day-to-day life. After reading my I Like blog, please visit the others over HERE where LeeAnna rounds us up. OK? Got it? Let's go!

Last Thursday was the first Thursday of the month and that meant the three of us were headed over to the Senior Center for our monthly luncheon. March once again brought us the Irish dancers. Between performances, we were also entertained with Irish ballads.

Corned beef, cabbage, mashed potatoes, roll, and a fruit cup
Fancy cupcakes for dessert!

My west-facing dining room window is loaded with beauty. Three of the amaryllis plants are blooming!

Two of the blooming plants

See the other buds coming?

This starry-faced beauty is called Minerva

Hadeco was the first to start blooming
It's an orangy red

Meet Bolero who started blooming this week
She's a pinky-red

There is one other amaryllis in "the collection" that has a bud shooting up. I lost the tag so I have no idea what the name of it is but I'll bet it's pretty!

And speaking of flowers, Spring has started springing up in the yard!

Blooming purple & white crocuses

Twinkly purple crocus

The promise of my biggest show of hyacinths to come!

Flowers were not the only things making appearances in and out of the house. Look who stopped by for a visit!

I finished "The Quality of Silence". It really stretched out too long. I'd give it a 6 out of 10 stars so don't drop everything to read this one. I picked up my next book which was a recommendation from my daughter. Her book club read it. I'm about 70 pages in and it's interesting so far. This is a true story. Read about it HERE.

"Agent Sonya: Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy"
by Ben Mcintyre

In the kitchen this week, I made a strawberry pie for Fred. He loves pies! I followed this recipe since I've made it every Spring for years and it's a winner. Sorry no picture.

With St. Patrick's Day coming up soon, I'll be making Ina Garten's Irish Soda Bread. It is also a winner and I've made it in the past. Mom loves this one with a subtle taste of orange in the background. I don't use the called-for currants and instead substitute raisins. Scrumptious!

I hope you're still with me because I saved the best for last. Our family is growing! My niece announced that she and her husband are expecting a baby later this year!!!

We are all so happy and can't wait for the baby's arrival. Our family feels so blessed!

I hope you all have a blessed week and are able to keep a positive attitude. There are plenty of things around to appreciate ... sometimes you just have to look!

Thank you, LeeAnna, for continuing to host this weekly post where we can remind ourselves and others that sometimes you sometimes have to actually look around to find appreciable things.