Summertime..and the Livin' is Easy!

Summer arrived with a vengeance here on our red dirt road. This week temperatures are around 100 and the sun is blazing!! We usually don't reach 100 until July and August so I'm hoping this isn't an usually hot and dry summer. Thank goodness for a water well that will keep the flowerbeds and garden watered.

Sewing time gives way to taking care of garden produce as my sweetheart has been MOST SUCCESSFUL with the garden this year. We moved to the country a little over two years ago so last year was the first year for the garden. Over the winter, sweetheart worked very hard on enriching the soil organically and this year we are enjoying the "fruits and veggies" of his labor!!! We've been eating onions for weeks and the tomatoes are beginning to ripen. We're getting mostly Romas and cherry tomatoes right now but the big tomato plants are loaded. We're eating sweet green peas and green beans. Peppers, squash and radishes have started coming in as well. I'm freezing what we can't eat quickly and looking forward to garden goodies all year long. My sweetheart is already planning how to enlarge the garden for next year.

Meanwhile, we're enjoying eating our own fresh veggies produced by my sweetheart's labor of love.






We did have a fun outing a couple of weekends ago when we went to Pawnee for the Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show at the original Pawnee Bill's Ranch.

There will be several sewing projects and new quilt blocks to show soon.

Keep cool and happy stitching!!!

Is It Really June??

My goodness, I didn't mean to be absent from blogland so long!!! While I wasn't blogging or reading, I wasn't sewing either. I miss visiting with blogging friends and seeing everyone's new projects. But sometimes it's nice to step back awhile and be busy with other things...gives a fresh perspective and renewed energy.

What I have been doing is working with my sweetheart to get the garden well underway and the flowerbeds planted and blooming. We're eating green onions and should have ripe tomatoes by the middle of June. Peas, beans, squash, radishes, corn and lots of fresh veggies will be coming along. Yum...yum!!

These are some of my favorites in the front flower garden!

We've also been organizing our barn/garage. Everything is now in its place and all the things I couldn't bear to do away with are safely stored. We still had some boxes to go through from our parents' homes. When my sweetheart's father passed away, I got some of the boxes from my mother-in-law's sewing room. In them I discovered some real quilting treasures. Here's some of the blocks that were in a box. I'm not sure if the fabrics are from feedsacks but they are old. And the block fabric has turned brown on the edges. There are 14 blocks finished and another 13 that still need to be appliqued.

The applique stitches are so tiny and even. I don't know who made these though it might have been my sweetheart's grandmother or great-aunt. I know I can't match the background material so I'll have to figure something because it must be finished. It's too pretty to leave in a box.

There were also these unusual butterfly blocks.

There are eight of these so they would make a sweet wall hanging.

There are more treasures but I'll save those for another day.

I hope to visit some of my favorite blogs in the next few days. Hope you have a wonderful day!!!

Sewing Tuesday!

It was a busy weekend but now the garden spot is ready for a little more new topsoil and the final tractor work and I can already taste the green onions and tomatoes!!! Hurry spring!! I'm really not wishing time to pass too quickly but my sweetheart is reading the garden books and talking about what to plant and my mouth waters at the thought of home-grown veggies! He has also fixed a small area along the back deck to be my herb garden and I'm looking forward to that as well. I've never grown herbs but I read many of your blogs where you use the fresh herbs and freeze for later and I'm anxious to try my hand at it.

This will be a great day with a Lord of the Rings dvd marathon followed by the two Narnia movies and lots of sewing! I just need to put the flowered border on this quilt and it will be ready to prepare for quilting!

I'm also going to use these charm packs to work on two gifts. I can't do more than give a sneek peak of the fabrics.

I was thrilled to be the winner of Rose's giveaway. She was offering her own beautiful set of BOM patterns for Tender Moments along with some threads and needles. It is a gorgeous pattern and I'm thinking of making it to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary later this year.

If you enjoy stitcheries, please visit Rose's blog Threadbare Creations. She generously offered a complete free pattern you can download called Life's Treasures. It's lovely and would be special for yourself or as a gift. Quilters are so generous with their talents!! Thank you, Rose.

I'm off to sew. Enjoy your day and happy stitching. Blessings to you! Karen