I Like Thursday #147

Happy Thursday, friends. Today is the day that I'll be sharing likeable things I've discovered during the week. I'd like to start with I love my country and am wishing the United States a happy birthday on this Independence Day. Our republic has stood for quite some time and I hope for many more years to come. Politicians and media folks talk really big about being kind, doing the will of the people, and getting along but it's hard to see that with all the blather we hear everywhere. Instead of shooting off our mouths, let's shoot off some fireworks and celebrate just how lucky we are to live in the "home of the free and the brave".

I have been remiss in not sharing with you my good fortune to win a FQ bundle from Island Batiks quite some time ago. All I did was leave a comment and next thing I knew they pulled my name! Check out these beautiful fabrics!!!

Fabric Line: Fire & Ice

I finished "Yellowface" by R. F. Kuang. All I can say is it wasn't worth my time. There wasn't really a story to interest me, the characters were nasty women (dare I say bitches?), and there was definitely a political breath behind the words. Blah! I did manage to get to the end. It may have been recommended by Reese Witherspoon but not by me.

I've just barely started "The Women" by Kristen Hannah. I hope I like this one!

Our monthly sleep-in-your-own-bed retreat was last weekend. Those ladies are fabulous! We always enjoy ourselves and it's always good to catch up with one another. I worked on flying geese units for the Red Threads project. Loads of Kansas Troubles fabrics in here.

27 pairs of 56 total

I'm please to say that we had some rain this week. Of course now we worry about flooding! In the meantime my crape myrtle has started to bloom -- even after I gave it an ugly cut earlier this summer!

Cute little rogue sunflower too!

I hope you have a great week and can celebrate America and for everything she stands for.

Linking up with my I Like Thursday friends HERE.

I Like Thursday #137

Here we are enjoying and appreciating another week. What's not to like about that? Today I'm sharing a few "likes" that come to mind from earlier this week. Won't you join me? You can also join my "Like" friends HERE if you choose.

This year, Lent is early so from now until Fat Tuesday (the 13th), it's Paczki Season!!! These Polish doughnuts are so delicious and we look forward to eating our fill each year.

One of my favorite blogs is Stitch with Lisa. It's run by Lisa Bonjean of Primitive Gatherings. She has one of the best shops and blogs, in my opinion. By now you're familiar with my Twilight Stars blocks. This QAL is through Primitive Gatherings.

Well, periodically she picks winners from those who have commented on the blog. Recently my name was chosen. My package arrived this week and check out these goodies! There's a wool Valentine pattern with a couple of wool starter pieces, PG chenille wool applique needles, a seam guide, a couple of quilty stickers, and two pieces of scrumptious caramels.

Check out my orchid!!! It has seven lovely flowers blooming! It's been blooming for quite a while but I finally remembered to snap a picture.

My poor little grandson had a double ear infection that progressed to a ruptured eardrum last week. I just loved this picture of him waiting to see the doctor.

Here he is all set to get back to school, feeling so much better.

If you remember Tim (the Tool Man) Taylor, you will appreciate this video. I just love it!!! 💕

I'm still reading "The Ink Black Heart" by Robert Galbraith, aka J K Rowling. I'm almost 600 pages in with about 400 to go! Yee! Haw! Progress. The book is interesting and you can read the synopsis here. Thankfully it's really starting to pick up the pace because I've renewed as much as possible and will be due back to the library soon.

My friend Sharon & I had a quilting road trip this week. I won a Janome Serger from the All-Illinois Quilt Shop Hop. The store that sponsored this prize was Times Square Quilt Shop in Jacksonville, which is a little over an hour and a half drive from my house. Of course we found some fabric to buy also. It's a very nice quilt shop and we had a great visit with the ladies there. On the way back we decided to stop at another shop, Dora's in Brighton. If you live in my neck of the woods, I highly recommend a visit to this store. Sharon & I thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Not only did we enhance our stash, but we had such nice conversation with the owner about anything and everything!

I hope you had a nice week too. There is always so much to like if you only take a moment to reflect on your day. I wish you a wonderful week!

I Like Thursday #119

Look at this haul!!! 34 fat quarters and 8 half-yard pieces!

Last week my LQS had a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate their new extension of their shop. They are now 3 shops wide, one of which is mostly dedicated to the longarm rentals. Throughout the store on the big day they had stations set up to visit and to learn, i.e. embroidery modules, marking tools, cool steam iron, longarms, Accu-Quilt, the store's app, and more including a cupcake at the end! As if that wasn't enough, there were prizes: a brand-new Janome sewing machine, an embroidery basket with a load of threads, and a Bernina chair. I did not win a grand prize but I did win one of the door prizes! I cannot believe how much fabric there was!! So many beautiful colors!

Speaking of color, my front garden had quite the array of colors this morning so I snapped this picture. Can you find the yellow, the white, the purple, the red, and how about that pink???

As for the book I'm reading, "Demon Copperfield", I'm still rolling along with it. The book is well-written and I'm still enjoying the story and wondering where it will go at the end. My ebook expires today but I'll see how long my Nook holds it for me. Sometimes it goes more than a week! I'll need it too since I'm only about halfway. I've already looked to see where I can pick up a hard copy if I need to to finish up .... just in case! Still recommending it so far.

Our prompt this week was all about the ice cream truck. We did in fact have one that came through the neighborhood while growing up. My favorite treat was a bomb pop. Tasty and patriotic. We also have an occasional ice cream truck come through where I live today. I live on a cul-de-sac so sometimes they don't come all the way down. However, I do know when they come because Gracie goes NUTS! Our previous dog, Gus, loved the ice cream truck to come through too. His response was a little different. The music made him howl! We always chuckled that he was singing with the ice cream truck!

That's it from the home front. I hope you have a great week and can find plenty of smiles. Here's one last funny we spied at a local restaurant. What a deal! Hahahaha!

If you'd like to read more happy posts, go HERE where we all share our LIKES for the week!

FNSI and a Bit More

Last night was the third Friday of November, meaning Friday Night Sew-In with the virtual ladies. Unfortunately I was too tired to stitch since I'd been up since WAY before dawn. My hip (did I mention I think I have bursitis?) was really ailing me, enough that I couldn't lay still. So I got up. It may have been since I'd sat in the car all day Wednesday to go to A to Z Quilt Store to get my All-Illinois Shop Hop prize, the AccuQuilt Go! Baby cutter. Or it could've been that walking all over the Scott AFB BX and then the commissary the very next day was just too much hard-floor walking. Might also have been a combo, right?

So earlier in the day I finished the "innards" of the next Illusions Sampler BOM. This is October's block. Did I ever mention how much I dislike sewing square-in-a-square blocks? Haha!

Later that evening it was all I could do to knit a bit on a sock I'd started earlier in the week for FNSI. I'll look up the particulars of the pattern another time. Last night I started the gusset after turning the heel the night before. I'm using a pretty gray yarn that I got from Invictus Yarns. I'd won a $30 gift certificate through a Ravelry knit group called Verybusymonkey Knitters. I love Stephanie's patterns and she's behind Very Busy Monkey. Anyway, here's my progress.

Right now I'd also like to give a shout-out to Aaron for the fabulous job he did cleaning and tuning up both of my Berninas. He used to work out of Batiks Plus in St. Louis but the shop is closing or may already have closed. He's currently working on landing in another shop. In the meantime, he picked up my machines on Tuesday, cleaned and adjusted them, and then returned them to my door on Thursday! A 2-day turn around! Amazing!!! If you're in the area and need your Bernina to get a spa-treatment, contact him through his email, aaronsmachinerepail@gmail.com . Correction: aaronsmachinerepair@gmail.com .Your machine will thank you!

So that's my latest! Have a great weekend!

Linking up with Wendy @ Sugarlane Designs for Friday Night Sew-In and also with Angela @ So Scrappy for Rainbow Scrap Quilters.

I Like Thursday #94

Back to my weekly I Like Thursday post. LeeAnna has prompted us to talk a little bit about Thanksgiving traditions, food or otherwise. Since I like to cook, I'll tell you that one of the things I like to make and (most importantly) eat is Jalapeno Cranberry Relish. I always used to serve jellied cranberry sauce from the can. I still like it but now it's my #2. My husband doesn't like cranberry of any kind and he absolutely hates anything spicy so this is a win-win for me. The recipe I use is from allrecipe.com and you can find it HERE. And let me tell you this stuff is really, really good on leftover turkey sandwiches!

As for the normal "likes" for the week, the book I'm reading has me wanting to read during the day. That is unusual for me since I like to read right before bed only as a rule. The book I'm reading is "Fallen" by Linda Castillo. You can read the blurb on goodreads.com HERE. The book begins immediately and you won't want to put it down. There's a new book with the same heroine available through my library. I just put  "The Hidden One" on hold!

Have you heard of the All Illinois Shop Hop? There's other states doing it also, like Missouri, the Carolinas, and more. Anyway Illinois was divided into 5 regions and we had August & September to get our passport stamped. You could do the entire state or concentrate on your region, which is what I did. This was very enjoyable and hubby & I visited all 12 of the shops by doing it over 4 or 5 Fridays. I also managed a couple of bonus passport stamps while out shopping with a friend. Anyway, prizes were drawn for those that did the entire state and those that did only their region. I'm happy to say that I was a regional winner! The quilt shop A to Z in Quincy (which is 115 miles from my home per MapQuest) donated an Accuquilt Go! Baby and I picked it up this week. I've never used one but I hear they're wonderful!

When we got home, I found these beautiful flowers waiting for us by the front door. They were from my sister and her husband as a Welcome Home (from vacation) and an Early Happy Anniversary. What a wonderful surprise!

Of course Polly had to check them out!

We've had a couple of minor snowfalls this past week. Gracie & I love it!!! It's cold, it's pretty, and we're all alone on the trail!

We've barely said good-bye to the leaves on the trees but there were still a few hold-outs. I love this pair of gingko trees. The leaves turn a brilliant yellow. Follow the yellow-leafed road! Ha!

The other night I pulled out of the freezer the last corned beef I'd bought on sale from a St. Patrick's Day sale. I even went so far as to make a complete Irish meal -- corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. It was so yummy! I can't believe that there are people out there that only make this dinner once a year!

That's been my week and an exciting one at that. I hope you take the time to realize all the things there are to like around you!

Linking up at Not Afraid of Color to see other positive posts.

I Like Thursday #90

It's been another good week and I want to 1) thank LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color for inviting me and others to share the good things from the past week, and 2) thank you for checking in on my "likes" again this week!

Let's start with Mother Nature. The other day I saw these two beautiful creatures enjoying the corn that my neighbor had thrown out in their backyard. From what I understand, these two stop by for breakfast most  mornings.

Mama Deer

Baby Deer

While refilling my own bird feeders this week, I discovered that my clematis is re-blooming! They are the usual Jackmanii variety and just beautiful.

How could I go through an I Like Thurs post without a few food pics? We came across a good deal on beef tenderloins and Fred nailed it on the charcoal grill. I loved mine with a baked sweet potato. He and Mom had a baked russet.

Another night this week, I cooked up some thick boneless pork chops using the sous vide method. They also turned out perfectly seasoned and wonderfully juicy. Applesauce, steamed broccoli, and homemade mac 'n' cheese rounded out the plate ... along with a little wine in the glass, of course!

Gracie & I came across this contraption tied to the post on the bike trail the other morning. The post has a sign that explains the rules of the trail and also a map of the trails.

Close-up of the "Contraption"

Contraption tied to the post

The trail maintenance guy was weed-whacking so Gracie & I stopped to ask him what the contraption was all about. He had no idea, called his boss who also had no idea. It's still there as of today.

Let's go ask the Trail Maintenance Man, Gracie.
Head for the light!

Here's some fabulous news. I was a winner in Week #1 of the Island Batik Give-Away. I won a stack of 26 beautiful Baroque fat quarters! Just goes to show, you can't win if you don't play! They are so pretty!!! I'll have to come up with a good project to do them justice!

I hope you had a good week with another good one on the way. Me? I've got a quilty road trip with a friend happening tomorrow. The trip is coinciding with the first day of Fall and the weather is going to prove it. Falling temps -- 93 degrees today with an expected high tomorrow of 69 degrees! Yikes! Grab your sweatshirts and enjoy the changing season.

I Like Thurs #88

Another round of "LIKES" for and from all. What have you liked this week? Anything make you smile? This post is exactly that from me and others joining LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color. You can see the others' posts HERE.

On my walk the other day, I thought I spied a fried egg laying in the grass.

Upon further investigation, I discovered it was a funny-looking mushroom!

The Limelight Hydrangea that I mentioned last week is huge. Here's a picture so you can get an idea.

It's now September which means the St. Louis Cardinals are working hard in the final stretch to make the play-offs. We've been enjoying (most of) the games. On other sports networks, we've also been watching the U.S. Open Tennis tournament being held in New York City. The competition has been wonderful and, since it's held here in the USA, the court times are only one hour different. We enjoy the matches from morning until night. Here's a picture of Labor Day dinner: BBQ pork steak, apple sauce, corn on the cob, scalloped potatoes, and TENNIS. Oh! Don't forget that glass of wine! Ha!

The new neighbors brought a kitty that likes roaming around a little bit by day. She's a sweet little kitty named Val. Val walked through our front yard while Polly was watching birds in the front yard. Here's a picture of Polly tracking Val's movements!

My last photos are scrumptious pictures of two beautiful fat quarter bundles that I received in the mail. They were in appreciation of the Twistie quilt I sent to Mercyful Quilts. I got these fabrics from Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts as a thank you for participating in the quilt drive. Aren't they gorgeous??!!??

See that one between the white and the yellow? My favorite -- it has radishes! Yum!

And that's it for me this week. Look around this week ... bet you find something you can like too!

Positivity Quilt Completed!

Today I am going to share my Positivity Quilt. The pattern was designed by Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts. It was a fun and easy pattern to sew. Preeti is actually the one to challenge us to make a 60" x 80" quilt using her pattern and timeline. The finished quilts will need to be mailed to Bernie @ Needle and Foot. She has a charitable organization called Mercyful Quilts and all the quilts will be donated to this charity.

I chose my "plus sign" fabrics from a jelly roll that I had won from a local quilt shop, O'Sew Personal. Isn't that perfect? Free fabric is destined to be used for charitable opportunities if you ask me. My background fabrics and binding fabric came from my stash. The backing came from yet another local quilt store, Itch'n To Be Stitch'n.

The quilting was easily completed using my Bernina 153 sewing machine. The quilting stitch I love to use is what I call "Preeti's Quilt Stitch"! It's a serpentine stitch which is the #4 stitch on my machine. I leave the stitch width at 5 and I increase the length to 3. I love how easy it is to remember: 3-4-5!

On to my Positivity Quilt! The photo shoot took place yesterday while the weather was decent. It was only 90 degrees but little humidity. Today we're supposed to go to 92 with so much humidity that it will feel like 105! Ugh! So I did manage to take advantage of the better temps. First up is at the top of the deck. I can really see the "S" pattern in the middle as suggested by another blogger. Let's call it S for Smile!

Hanging at the bird patio in the backyard. I thought it was so sweet of this volunteer sunflower to bloom right here. I suppose this could be called S is for Sunflower!

Laid back in a chair by the bird patio. S is for Sigh. Ahhhhhh!

Sitting peacefully by my favorite hydrangea called Limelight. S is for Sweet!

And lest I forget the back, here is S is for Sitting Pretty.

And how about S is for Sun-Dappled?

Here's a good close-up of the quilting and the beautiful, paisley backing fabric. S is for Squiggles!

Did I mention how much I enjoyed sewing Positivity with friends and for such a good cause. Thank you, Preeti, for getting us the pattern and then keeping us on-track to finish. Thank you, Bernie, for forwarding these beautiful quilts on to those in need. I'm sure they will feel all the love sewn in to each and every quilt.

Linking up with all the other Positivity quilters HERE.