He Ain't Heavy...

...he's my brother...

Or, at least, that's what my husband considers him.  Frankie is my mother's cat, so he assumes he's her baby and since I'm her baby, too, we must be siblings.

"Did you feed your brother?"

"Did you put your brother out?"

"Where's your brother?"

Ok, so I'll play along....besides my real brothers are quite a distance away - one in Virginia and the other in Montana...I haven't seen either one in several years, and this furry stand-in is quite loveable!

Oh, baby brother....I'm going to miss you!

 

A new garden

I was totally caught off guard just the other day when my husband asked if I wanted to plant a Fall garden.  He grew up in a family that did a lot of gardening and thus he had to spend many hot days pulling weeds and picking veggies...something most kids don't enjoy.  So, I was surprised to hear him so gung-ho about helping me with a garden.  I really wasn't going to pursue it by myself but since he wants to be a big part of it I'm gung-ho, too!!!!  Last year I purchased some seeds but didn't have the energy to do it by myself.

 

It's a bit past the time to start seeds here but I'm going to at least plant the beets and turnips...I'll get seedlings for the other items we want to do.  Root veggies like beets and carrots don't seem to do well down South, but I'm going to try because I love beets and you can't get fresh ones too easily here.

 

My tomato garden decided to perk up a bit, so I did a little maintenance yesterday, tying up some of the lanky vines.

 

It was a mistake to plant in the shade of the mimosa tree so the new garden will probably be somewhere out on the other side - in the sunshine.

 

While I was surveying my options, Frankie decided to join me.  Oh...nice view, you silly cat!

 

He's a very affectionate cat and reminds me of Garfield when he does his crying (very pitiful) and looking at me with his "hold me" eyes!

 

He's headed back to "the hood" on Monday as we're going to Mom's house to spend a few days with her and do some repairs to her house.

 

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the weather and a few flowers in the garden!

 

 

 

"Cheep Talk"

I had a lot of fun making this quillow.

I started with a clearance baby quilt kit from Connecting Threads and added a few of my own fabrics that coordinated well...

Then I made my own applique on the pillow taken from another Connecting Threads "Cheep Talk" design and came up with this.

It was really easy to piece and simple handquilting around each "brick" was sufficient.

Cute as can be!   Doncha think?           As always, it's in the shop!  :)

 

Wishing...

 

 

So far on this lovely Sunday morning....

 

I finished my puzzle

 

 

Relaxed with Frankie in the living room

 

 

Watched my husband walk to the road to get the newspaper

 

 

Enjoyed the roses thru the window **

 

 

and wished a little bit that I was here

 

picture taken by my dad as he was hiking near Rosebud Lake in Montana

Wherever you are, I hope you're enjoying your Labor Day weekend, too!

 

** mental note to self - go outside and enjoy the roses and sunshine close up!!!

 

 

    

I did it again...

I usurped another room in our house for my sewing kingdom.

 

Since we are empty nesters and have a much-too-big house for just the two of us, I guess it's only fitting that I do my best to utilize it until the day we can sell it and move into something more reasonably sized. 

Daughter #1 moved out in June and her room has been gathering dust ever since.

I guess what prompted the desire to expand more so than just an empty room was that with my prior sewing machine arrangement, I had to get up and squeeze into my other sewing table.

 

Side note...I truly feel for those who don't have a sewing room at all and have to lug their machine out of the closet and use the dining room table - my heart goes out to you!  If my livelihood wasn't dependent on my sewing right now then I probably wouldn't have such a large sewing dominion. :)

 

Anyway, we decided to move my cutting table into the empty room and turn that room into a cutting area and the place to tie quillows.

 

I pulled my craft show table from the garage, cleaned it up and am using it for a table in my main sewing room.

 

We visited some Goodwill stores in the area last weekend and scored a nice bookcase for $10 that needed a little 'love', which my husband did quite well - he nailed it up, cleaned it up and delivered it so quickly it made my head spin!

 

So, I spent most of Monday afternoon, folding some pretty fabrics and stacking them neatly in my new storage.

 

I also found another cute little curio case my husband made for one of the kids that they left in the garage - cleaned it up and stacked some fabrics in it, too.

 

I rearranged my sewing tables so that I can move from one machine to the other quickly and easily.  This means I'll use my Brother more often because it is easier to get to.

 

All in all, it's a nice arrangement and I'm happy with it.

 

Remember this puzzle...?

 

...and the tutorial for turning it into a wall decoration?  (you can see it in my room in the above pictures)

Well, I'm just about finished with the next one and hope to turn it into a wall decoration soon.  I set it up back in May when my Mom was here for Mother's Day because she said she'd been wanting to do a puzzle.  She worked quite a bit of it and then left, so it sat for several months in the living room as I was busy helping build a house and such....too tired at night to mess with it.

 

I also found another on clearance at Connecting Threads and look forward to working on it next.

 

Well, now that I've given you a tour of my sewing kingdom, I must be getting to the Saturday chores - laundry and a bit of house cleaning (emphasis on a bit) and hopefully I can find time to sew today - I've got a wonderful stack of sewing movies just waiting for me!

 

 

Perhaps a banana cream pie is in the works, too!  Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

 

P.S.  Thanks to all for the well-wishes and suggestions about my achy feet - I really appreciate the comments and tips you gave!  I could only stand wearing my shoes in the house for one day, so I'm still working on a remedy! 

  

Make Peace with it!!

  

 

Shop Plug - CLEARANCE!!

Just wanted to give everyone with an interest in baby clothes a direct “heads up” about my September Clearance Sale. I’ve discounted the ready-to-ship ‘floor models’ on my pinafore sets in an effort to clear the rack in preparation for next year’s models. These dresses are discounted 25% and I’m sure they won’t last long!!

So, if you know of anyone with babies who wants a good deal, send them here!

 

"Off the Rack" September CLEARANCE Sale

Thanks to those of you who supported my shop this past season and I truly hope to see you back for the next installment of new outfits – I will have lots of new designs and fabrics!