Springtime Green by the Springbox

Lots of green in spite of all the snow and cold weather.

"Thousands have lived without love, no one without water.”
~W.H. Auden 

This post is linked with Weekend Reflections.

Fish & Fences; Skies & Shadows

I thought I had ruined this picture by having it on movie instead of photo on the iPhone. Well, dog-gone-it...I didn’t, and now I get to post it. Was putting gas n the car at a local truck stop where the gas is only $3.15, and I watched this truck pull in. When I focused in on the FISH, I knew I had to post it. To me, this is one of those one-of-a-kind change photos. The men were up on the top opening the compartments and sticking the pole in them.

Live Fish at the Raphine Truck Stop

Washington and Lee University and Lee Chapel 

where R.E. Lee and his horse, Traveller, are buried.

 Bud, atop Terrapin Mountain.
No, I did not climb it with him. This was taken by a friend of ours.
I just had to post it because it is such a great shot of him.
He looks so happy to be where he is.

Bud calls these “Phantom Deer.”

There was something about the vertical silos and the horizontal fences that caught my eye as Bud was driving...an iPhone 4 drive-by. It was another dark and dreary day.

This post is linked with Signs2, Skywatch Friday, and Shadow Shot Sunday2.

My World with It's Snow

SO MANY CHANGES IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS.

WE DID’T GET THE 4-8 INCHES, BUT WE GOT WAY MORE THAN I WANTED.

SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED AGAIN. THEY’RE GONNA BE GOING ALL SUMMER AT THIS RATE.

I’M GLAD I FINALLY RETIRED AND AM OUT OF THAT RAT RACE.

JUST SIT AT HOME WHERE IT IS WARM AND TOASTY AND QUILT.

Some of my daffs yesterday morning.

Here are some more after the snow started late yesterday afternoon.

      Yep...the snow did them in. Hope the ones in bud survive.

The crocus were popping up everywhere, but they are totally hidden by the snow today.

No picture....just snow...and no more budding crocus :-(

The chairs were out so I could photograph the birds and enjoy the warmer weather.

And here they are this morning...not very warm, now!

I’m definitely NOT sitting out there. Still in the 20’s.

This post is linked with Our World Tuesday.

A Bright Blue Friday

Today was all blue...so pretty and warm...

and snow is in the forecast for Sunday night, AGAIN!

It is definitely time to clean up the barn.

Our "Bridge to Somewhere” could use a bit more water flowing under it :-)
Once again the water table is low.

This post is linked with Skywatch Friday and Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Double Windmill & Cross and Crown

Well, we are getting down to the end of our block-along. Only two weeks left to go and 4 blocks...2 per week.  Since I have been sticking to my stash, my whites are a real hodgepodge. I’ve been using all the bits and pieces of whites I have in the bin. This is going to be a scrappy quilt.

 Double Windmill ~ #17

Cross and Crown ~ #14

Pretty soon I am going to have to start thinking about how I am going to join the 20 blocks and what fabrics I am going to use in the piecing. Here are how they were done by the talented quilters in our book:

Completed quilt without strips between blocks and white for the borders.

This example has strips and corner blocks.

DECISIONS...DECISIONS...WHAT AM I GONNA DO???
I think I like the style of the second one the best, but I want the white borders around it. I love how each of the blocks is trimmed with a different color.

I recently bought “The Quilter’s Color Club" to help me better understand how to select colors for my blocks. Here’s the link to Amazon. It explains hue, value, temperature, intensity and the color wheel in a way that I can even understand them. Then it gives the reader exercises to complete making blocks with different color combinations for different effects.  I am really enjoying it. It’s a shame I didn’t have it before I started this project because I had no clue to color use when I was cutting out my pieces for the different blocks...and you can tell it!

This post is linked with Sukie’s Vintage Quilt Revival Block-Along.

Lavender Candle Wicking Quilt

This week I am working on finishing up the top of my lavender quilt. One of the blocks was so stained after being squirreled away for over 25 years I had to use everything except the kitchen sink, but I finally got them out. I had 16 blocks to work with. I’ve pieced 3 rows and have the fourth still to do and the top strip. I picked the lavender floral and solid because they fit perfectly with the old blocks. Then I found the pink and lavender pansy with the light green background material to use for the back, but decided to also use it on the front. It looked so old timey to me. Now, I have to decide what color panels I am going to use at the top and bottom and on the sides. Think I will probably go with white, but I am always changing my mind.

This post is linked with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

One Bound Crazy Chicken Checkerboard Quilt

WHOOP WHOOP

I have finished sewing on the binding and have washed the quilt. I have to admit I really love it. Unfortunately my walls are all filled with either pictures or quilts so there is no way to photograph it hanging. I went outside in the frigid cold and the quilt was too long for any fencing and I could not get it to balance over a branch on the maple tree. Finally, I ended up putting it on top of the roofing to the steps going down to the crawl space under our bathroom.

This is where I need your HELP. From a past post, the consensus was to use some of the spare chickens on the back, but I have to make some decisions and I NEED HELP!

1. How many?  I have 10 to choose from.

2. Do I appliqué them with the black and white strips on them or without?

3. How do I space them?

ALL SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED :-)

I am going to use the one with the white strips to use for signing the quilt 

and my birthday note to my 43 year old birthday son.

 The chicken in the middle does not have any black or white strips on it.
YES, what  you see out the window is snow that refuses to melt and go away.

I am so happy to be linking my quilt with Friday’s 

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop over at Sarah’s Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Finally Figured Out Partial Seams

I only have 5 blocks left of my Vintage Quilt Revival quilt. I tried and tried to figure out what I was doing wrong with my Tilted Star block with its partial seams but was having no luck. Then I went to Sukie’s blog and to my happiness it is the block for Week 7 and the short tutorial is right there waiting for you. WOOHOO! I DID IT!!!! If any of you are having trouble, be sure to check it out. These are the 2 block for this week in our block-along.

 Tilted Star ~ Block 14

Wheel of Fortune ~ Block 12

 I have started whipping down the black binding on my Crazy Chicken Checkerboard quilt.

 The outline stitching of one end of my March topper is done.

And, I am starting on the strips for the 5th block of my purple candle wicking quilt.

This post is linked with:

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced and Sukie’s Vintage Quilt Revival Block-Along

Happy Memories

I am SO TIRED of SNOW (5 inches again today) I decided to post HAPPY shots from my birthday weekend.

Last month I celebrated my 75th birthday out at Douthat State Park where we go each year. This time it was special because all three of my children came...and, of course, Eloise, Jack, and Buster. It was gloomy and spitting snows off and on all weekend, but we still had a wonderful get together. There were so many of us that we had to have 2 different cabins this time.

 Gluten Free Birthday Cupcakes

My Birthday Sign Created by Eloise

I used to be teased with the Mrs. Robinson song from the movie, but now it is Lady Baga! 

Birthday Table in the Big Cabin

Opening Presents in My Traveling and Folding Rocking Chair 

Eloise and I always make her Valentines at my birthday wweekend. This is her Uncle Ridge. All I can say is...she ADORES him! This year she dipped her thumb in white paint and made thumbprints to make a bunny...Some Bunny Loves You. Then she added the whiskers, eyes, and nose with markers.

Most of the lake was frozen.


Yes, they are fishing.

The Dam

This is a typical Douthat hiking trail sign.

OOPS!

The skies were dark and dreary the entire weekend, but they were still beautiful.
Our cabin was the first on the right.

The reflection in this shot makes me think of a rotting canoe on its side.


I think the reflection of the fence is really neat.

This pond was absolutely beautiful.

"Thank goodness I have finally gotten a break from Buster."

"Where’s the birthday cake? I’m tired of waiting."

"May I please come in....I’m cold."

Eloise ready in her mom’s coat to race Ridge outside from one of our cabins to the other.

My Favorite Shots from the Weekend

Ridge Beside Lake


My Three Guys


Eloise and Mom...taken by Gene
You’ve gotts LOVE that red hair :-)

This post is linked with:

Our World Tuesday

Water World Wednesday
Black and White Wednesday

Signs2
Weekend in Black and White

Weekend Reflections

Camera Critters 

Saturday’s Critters