Snowy Start to November

 

This is the view out of our back door on November 1. Snow definitely came to South Carolina - the earliest recorded snowfall ever and that goes back to the 1800's. You can see some of the branches and trees that came down. We have a little over 9 acres of  heavily wooded property so it's a mess. My husband works out there nearly ever day clearing up more of the fallen limbs, branches, etc. We have to feel fortunate that our vehicles and our house were not damaged.

We lost electricity for most of the day, but it was back on a little after dark so I have no complaints about that. However, our phone and internet service were gone until November 11. I still can't believe it took them so long. We have our lines underground and there was no damage anywhere along the road that should have impacted us. The final report was that a pin was out at the junction box. That means nothing to me and doesn't sound like the kind of repair that should take 10 days, but what do I know?

I finished my Scrappy Trips Around the World quilt which I made as the result of Bonnie Hunter's class for our guild last fall. I like how it turned out. I added the additional borders based on my personal preference and like them on there.

There has been a lot going on, but most of it is just normal day-to-day events. My Arabian horse returned in October. He had been living in North Carolina for about 3 years so my daughter could enjoy him. It took a little while to get the two horses used to each other, but they are pretty settled in now. They actually did really well the second day. Here they are eating hay together, but then the dominance games began. Neither is fully willing to concede that he or she is not the one in charge.

I'm sure to be working on Christmas gifts over the next few weeks so I'll be back to post some of my projects soon.

Pink and Brown Irish Chain

My list of UFOs is long... I finally decided to dust off my sewing machine and get to work!
This table runner is made from blocks that I received in 2009 from the GardenWeb Quilt Group Birthday Block Exchange. I love the pink and brown and Irish Chain block.

I hope everyone had a good 4th of July. The weather was so nice here. An unexpected treat because the summer is usually so hot and humid.

Happy sewing!

A Quilt Top Completed: Scrappy Trips Around the World

I took the Scrappy Trips Around the World class with Bonnie Hunter in the fall. Voila! Quilt top completed!

After I get it back quilted, I will post another picture so you can see the completed project. I'm sorry you have to look at it here over the coverlet on the bed. I know the toile fabric doesn't go well with "Scrappy."  The two cream borders with the alternating scrappy blocks inbetween were of my own creation and I really like the contrast. The binding will be black with a non-metallic gold in the print, matching the center panel of the back of the quilt  This should turn out to be reversible with 2 entirely different looks.

I hope everyone is tolerating the heat. I admit, summer is my least favorite time. I don't like heat and humidity so the only plus for me is the additional hours of daylight although I must admit I am quite a night owl, so after dark suits me fine as well.

Everyone have a safe and Happy Fourth of July!

The Garden in June

Happy International Picnic Day!
I was outdoors early enough this morning that I walked around the gardens and took pictures of some of the flowers that are in bloom. Fortunately day lilies love the heat and the sun so they are blooming away!

 

 

 

 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

Master Gardener Jamboree

This is a picture of my picture as posted at the Master Gardener Jamboree last week on Friday. I didn't win the hat contest, but I did have lots of fun. I restrained myself and only came home with 3 new plants. Part of that might be the problem in finding a place for them and having to deal with the hot weather and lack of rain that decided to show up recently (or maybe I should say the rain that decided NOT to show up recently; that seems more accurate). I am not ready for hot weather. My garden bloomed just beautifully in March and April, but now the struggle to keep everything watered begins.

Grandmothers, as you know, must mention their grandchildren. My new granddaughter continues to do very well. Can't wait to see her again. She is now 2 months old. My triplet grandsons in California are doing well also. They look so grown up in their recent pictures.


Enjoy a wonderful Spring!

Blessing of the Easter Food

This Easter season has me posting a lot more frequently!

Here is my basket.

My church did something we had not done before. We had the Blessing of the Easter Food this morning.
I had heard about this. It's a tradition dating back over 1,000 years and practiced quite a bit in Eastern Europe. In Poland, it's called Swieconka. On the day before Easter you assemble some of your Easter food and take it to church for the priest to bless. The basket is traditionally lined with a white cloth and is decorated with boxwood. It was a rainy morning here, so my basket was rather small - I didn't really want to carry a ham with me anyway! Attending the blessing was fun and definitely a new experience for me. Apparently in parts of the US, people make butter lambs to include in the baskets. Maybe a thought for me for next year...

Here's the scene of the blessing of the baskets at church. We managed to wish each other a Happy Easter in many, many languages.

Other than that it has been a sleepy day here with all the rain. Maybe I'll work on a quilt for awhile before it gets too dark. Happy Easter!

Easter Week

Easter Week has been a busy one for me. Just so I don't forget, I'm wishing you a Happy Easter right here at the start!

On Tuesday, my quilt guild met and we were wonderfully entertained by Cathy Miller, the Singing Quilter. If you have seen the YouTube with "You Can Quilt That Out", that's Cathy Miller's song. Also, I couldn't resist taking a comfort quilt packet home with me. Once it's stitched, I'll return it to the guild and it will be given to someone. Our guild makes quilts for so many deserving groups.

Are you a Snoopy or Peanuts fan? I think this is going to turn out really cute.

On Thursday, I attended the Lexington County Master Gardeners meeting. We had a speaker who provided information on that wonderful plant - the Hydrangea. I won a door prize and here it is! Look at the size of those hydrangea blossoms!

 

Arrangement with dried hydrangeas

So what did I do today? First time ever, I made pierogi (a traditional Polish dumpling type of food.) My husband helped. Some batches of the dough worked better than others. The fillings were one of two types: sauerkraut with mushrooms and onions - or ricotta cheese with onions. The recipe says to use farmer's cheese, but I've never seen that sold around here. I added some seasoning to each.

The bad part was when I got to the cooking instructions and it said to boil each one individually for 5-8 minutes. We made over 2 dozen! Anyway, we ended up putting them in boiling water 2-3 at a time and it worked fine. I thought we did pretty well considering I had not attempted this before. Here's a picture. As you might guess, it's supposed to look like a half-circle. This was photographed after the "taste tester" checked it out!

We have rain arriving today and apparently it's going to continue to be wet through to midday on Easter.
However, the Easter eggs have been boiled and dyed. I think I'll be ready for Easter Sunday!