Sister's Choice Quilts

Have an Ohana 4th of July

Our national day of independence, the 4th of July is this Saturday.  If you celebrate, I hope you do so safely and with those you love.  We are having a small family barbeque at Eva's daddy's house.  He is a fantastic cook, so whatever we have will be amazing. 

Eva is with her mommy this weekend, so it will just be our "ohana" family, consisting of my (ex) son-in-law, his new wife, his new mother-in-law, my husband and me (his former in-laws).  This may seem to be an odd coming together of people unless you are familiar with the Hawaiian term "ohana".  Ohana means family, but not necessarily the family you were born into.  Ohana is a very embracing and extensive use of the term "family", it can mean those you are related to, those you adopt, or those who you intentionally include in your family group.

With Ohana, nobody gets left behind, and all are welcome and loved.  Many blessings upon you and whomever you consider your family.

Patriotic Tiered Tray

Thought I'd share my Patriotic Tiered Tray decor with you.  I've had that little Humpty Dumpty for decades.  I used to keep him above my desk when I worked at the University, but he now plays a role in my decor May through July.  He works perfectly perched on the edge of the tiered tray, about to topple down to his doom.  He is made of painted cloth, so he never really comes to any harm.

The wooden stars, firecrackers, and stack of "books" are new this year, from a shop on Etsy called The Wooden Owl.  The items are cute and not too expensive, but took a month to get to me.  Did not love that.

Here are some other angles:

The little beads and flag painted star are from Hobby Lobby.  They reopened recently and when I was on my way home from my dad's this past Monday  my car, all on it's own, veered off the highway and ended up in the Hobby Lobby parking lot.  I figured it was Fate, so I donned my mask and went in for 40% off 4th of July decor.  I was out in less than 10 minutes, having spent less than $15.

How cute is this?  They are salt and pepper shakers.  Less than $5.  They are so fun.

I had Eva all day yesterday.  We spent time at the pool, did some reading, and enjoyed her newly redecorated bedroom.  She is so pleased with it.  Here are a few pics of what we did.  New headboard, new desk and chair, new lingerie chest and new little dresser in her closet.

I'll announce the winner of my book giveaway tomorrow. If you haven't yet entered, feel free to comment on yesterday's post for a chance to win.

Re-Organizing

No, these aren't my quilts.  But I have just about that many.  I have been storing my larger quilts on some high shelves in my bedroom closet and over the past few years they have gotten progressively more disorganized.  I really was losing track of what I had.  Changing quilts out seasonally was becoming problematic because I had no clue where various quilts I might want to use were stacked.

So, yesterday I got up on a ladder and took them all down.  I went through them and culled out the sad old quilts that I know I will not display again.  Some of my first quilting efforts brought back some sweet memories, but I know in my heart that I do not need to have these quilts at hand to display around my house or on my beds.  We purchased some tubs to store them in, and now my shelves have just those quilts that I actually will use throughout the year.

I laundered a good number of them, and I was able to re-fold them all to fit nicely on the shelves.  Sorry I didn't take a "before" photo, but that may be all the better. 

Above you can see one half of my collection.  And here is the other.

I plan to drape a couple of sheets over them to try and prevent any fading from the little windows in my north-facing closet.

Now I am able to see what I have.  I stacked them according to color, season and holiday.  What was really helpful is that I could really make an inventory of what I have, what I will actually use, and what I might want to fill in.  Guess what?  I may need another Halloween quilt or two...just saying.

This was actually a fairly monumental undertaking.  Up and down the ladder umpteen times, and wrestling with all those big quilts to get them folded just so to fit nicely on the shelves.  It was a lot of work and I am pretty beat as I type this.  It was a job that needed to be done, and one that, if I am honest, should be done annually.

Do you sort through your quilts regularly?  Do you launder them after using them?  How do you store your quilts?  Please share, we need all the ideas we can get!

My New Succulent Garden

One of my nephews has a green thumb.  He specializes in cacti and succulents and has an amazing collection.  He propagates his own plants from cuttings and even from seeds.  Growing cacti and succulents has been his passion for years and he is very good at it.  I think he does sell some of his seedlings to nurseries.

Can you even imagine? Those are dozens of tiny cactus plants he started by seed.  He should start his own nursery someday!

Anyway, when I visited my father last weekend, my nephew generously gave me 8 or 9 cuttings and baby starter offspring from his collection.  We got a handsome black dish to plant them in, and I cannot wait to watch them grow.

These are the tiniest ones he gave me.  The round one on the upper right is about as big as an M&M peanut.  I think as they grow, they will send out shoots and begin to trail.

This one has a fuzzy texture that makes me want to pet it.  I am refraining though.

This one is a perfect rose shape.

I know not to water them more than once a week, and that their soil needs to drain well.  They like lots of light and some direct sun, but newly planted succulents can scorch if left out in the scorching heat and sun.

I am new at this and really want to succeed with these thoughtfully gifted plants.  If any of you have had success with growing these sorts of plants, do you have any tips or words of advice to share?

Nice Long Weekend

I had a great visit with my dad on Saturday and Sunday.  I made him soup, his favorite thing to eat.  It was so rewarding to see him eat every last bite of it.  He has gotten so thin and frail.  I suppose that is to be expected at the age of 94.  All in all he is doing great though.  It was so good to see him with my own eyes.

If you are interested in the soup, it is Chef John's Ham and Potato Soup and was absolutely fantastic.  I could eat it every day too.  Over 700 people have reviewed it and it has a five star rating, which tells you something.

I got out all my Memorial Day through 4th of July decorations and changed things out around the house.   I have ordered a few new things for my tiered tray, so I'll share that with you once I change it out.

We had our "Quaranteam" over for a bbq yesterday.  Eva, her daddy and his soon to be wife.  We pass Eva back and forth every day, so have been sharing the same germs since forever.  My husband grilled a tri tip, and I made macaroni salad, cowboy beans, coleslaw, and homemade ice cream.

Even the front porch got a festive new look.  The other quilts I had out there are getting so faded and sad looking from three years out in the daylight. Those particular quilts I had made eons ago, they weren't my favorites and I didn't mind if the light faded them.   I won't leave this one out though because I want it to stay nice.  Do you ever use quilts outside?  If you do, I would love to hear the details:  if you use good quilts outside or in a bright sunroom or porch, if you bring them in every night, if you've had fading...

Do any of you know this plant and enjoy it?  It is calibrachoa and is just about the only thing I can grow.  It likes warm weather and lots of sun.  6-8 hours of direct sun a day.  It can take less, but you will have fewer flowers.  I have heard that it is a relative of the petunia, but don't know if that's true.  It blooms for a longer season and can even return for a year or even two if you cut it back in winter.  They are amazing in hanging baskets, but mine are just starting out so they don't look so lush yet.

These two pots that are going gangbusters are from last year.

This one is new this year, but it will fill out and be beautiful too.  They never fail.  Do they grow where you live?  It is so interesting to me what plants will thrive where.  For instance, hostas.  They are such cool plants, and come in so many varieties.  But I sure can't grow them in California where I live.   Those girls love their shade.

What annuals/perennials do you like to grow?  Any secrets for a wonderful "pot garden"?  (No, not that kind of pot),  I love having lots of color on my front and back porches, and pots are the way to go.  

In other news, the Clark's leopard print sandals arrived and they are keepers for sure.  So comfy and so darn cute.  I got mine at shoe.com for under $40!  I think the regular price is twice that.

Hope you all have a great weekend.  I am going to go see my father.  I can fix him some good food and at least run the vacuum in his house, which hasn't had a good cleaning in a while since his cleaning lady is sheltering in place.  Mainly, he is craving company and that I can definitely provide.

Rockin' Around the House

Hope you all had a splendid Mother's Day, if it is a day you celebrate.  Here I am, enjoying one of my Mother's Day presents--new rocking chairs for my front porch!  And of course, there is Ozzie, plaguing me while I am trying to enjoy my book.

We have a super long front porch, and this one section has been left unadorned, with all of our sitting and dining areas towards the other end.  When we bought the house we purchased a "sitting set", consisting of a love seat, a couple of comfy chairs, and a couple of tables.  We also got a matching dining table which you can kind of see way down at the end of the photo.  The porch wraps around on one side.  It is really an extension of the house's living areas, and we use it 8 or 9 months out of the year.

I am fortunate to have so many nice places to sit around the house, especially during isolation times.  I can't imagine being stuck in an apartment with no place to go for fresh air.   I have long maintained that any porch worth it's salt must have a rocking chair.  Finally, my wish came true.

My reading mojo seems to have come back and I finished three books last week!  A five-star, a four-star and a three-star.  The five-star book gave me a book hangover, and it will be a while before something touches me as much as that one did.  Ok, I won't make you wait.

Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon was SO good!  First of all, I love historical fiction and I really really love a good pioneer saga.  You know, settlers going West across America to California or Oregon in search of the American Dream, experiencing all sorts of hardship with stiff upper lips.  This book was so satisfying.  There was lots of action, a slow-burning romance, brave strong women, plucky children, noble Indians, wretched Indians, (noble white people and wretched white people too) conflict, this book had everything that ticked my boxes for the genre.  A wagon train leaves Illinois in 1853 on the Overland Trail, bound for California.  The hardship and adventure that was encountered were both inspirational and heartbreaking.  The author's storytelling was first-rate.  This book gets a big thumbs up.  Best of all?  You can get it for $4.99 on Amazon for your Kindle!

Binding

Every week on my To Do/Planner I write "Bindings" in an effort to complete the massive pile of bindings that I need to sew onto my finished quilts.  I just do not enjoy sewing bindings.  I know, lots of people love doing it.  Well, I wish they would come sit on my porch with me and sew mine while I watch.

This week, I decided I really mean it this time.  Really. Mean. It.  So dragged out a quilt that needs to be displayed from May through August (it has flags on it) and started in.  And would you believe that on the second corner I came to one of those dreaded situations that sometimes happens to us all?  Yes, the seam on the binding was perfectly lined up with the corner of the quilt so there was no way to turn the corner neatly and perfectly.  Arggghhh.

Luckily I still had some of the binding fabric leftover and could actually find it.  It meant taking off a big section of the binding and cutting it and reattaching a new strip with the seam falling anywhere but on the exact corner.  My mission was definitely sidetracked, but I persevered.

It still isn't all sewn down, and Ozzie certainly does not give a flying fig, but it's all ready for me to complete today while I sit out on the porch.  There are worse things to have to do.

Speaking of Ozzie, can you all believe he is going to be 13 on June 21?  Some of you may remember puppy Ozzie.  Gosh, he was a mischievous dog.  Still is, as a matter of fact, but at least he isn't destroying shoes and irons anymore.

Here he is back in 2008 after tearing some knitting project or other off my knitting needles.  He killed that for sure.  Thanks Ozzie.  If you want a smile, click on my right hand side bar where it lists "Categories" of my posts.  Click on "Ozzie" and it will take you on an entertaining journey you won't soon forget.

Have a great weekend everyone!  It is the weekend, right?

 

Just Hanging Out

I've been spending a lot of time out on the front porch.  It is so quiet.  My view is pretty unchanging--just a sloping hillside with some scrub oaks and the occasional deer grazing.  Hummingbirds too, during the day, and bats at dusk.  It is so peaceful.

The weather has been gorgeous and I have a lot more annuals to get in pots for some additional color.  Meanwhile, I am just enjoying the silence.  In normal times, I can sometimes faintly hear the traffic off in the distance on highway 4, but honestly lately, there has been no traffic.  It's so quiet.  Hardly any planes in the air either.

The roses are going crazy, but the deer will discover them soon and munch them all away.

I finished the puzzle I bought for Eva.  She spent about ten minutes on it and I compulsively did the rest.  The granny on her front porch kind of reminded me of me and my porch.  I don't have as much "stuff" out on my porch, but the feeling is similar.

I have heard that the state I live in will be allowing golfers and fishermen and hikers to pursue their interests  in the next week or so.  That's great, but I live for the day hairdressers, manicurists and restaurants can re-open.  And apparently that is going to be awhile.  We have been told to continue to shelter in place through May31, and then the situation will be re-evaluated.  I had a FaceTime chat with my 94 year old dad yesterday, and he is so lonely.  I am about two and a half hours away from him and haven't visited, but one of my sisters lives a bit closer and has been visiting him at least once a week and cooking him dinner.  He sounds very lonely.  I resent the fact that this quarantine is infringing on my remaining time to spend with him.

Times are so crazy, friends. I have a reader/friend who lives in New South Wales Australia.  She and her husband live half the year in the US and half the year in Australia.  They have homes in both places.  Her husband has an elderly mother who needs care and they need to go back to Australia to see her.  Dianne was telling me she and her husband have to fly out of LA to get to Sydney, where the Australian government is putting them up in a hotel for a mandatory 14 day quarantine.  They cannot set foot outside their room.  No fresh air, nothing.  Just those four walls for two weeks.  Can you imagine?  If my husband and I had to do that, only one of us would leave that room at the end of 14 days.  Just saying.

Getting Outside

I had to take a break and go outside today.  The weather still isn't very nice, but my pansies seem quite happy with the rain, grey skies and cool temperatures.  I am longing for warmer days spent out on the porch.  I see myself surrounded by hanging flower baskets, wearing my white jeans...Oh wait, they don't fit anymore because I have spent the last month indoors eating comfort food.  Am I wrong, but doesn't it seem harder to eat fresh healthy salads when you can only go to the store once a week?  I have been ending up with enchiladas, stuffed shells and tamale pie.  Chocolate cake, scones, ice cream bars and pound cake.  This.Must.Stop.

I've been stitching away making more of these little blocks, and now have a total of 120.  For a full sized quilt I need something like 357, so I have a way to go.  I had an unfortunate realization after I had made a couple dozen of these blocks yesterday.  I had forgotten that the corner units need to be pressed toward the darker fabric in order for the blocks to nest nicely together when assembled.  I had been merrily pressing them all outward, as one does typically with these corner units.

That was fun, re-pressing all those blocks the right way.  Arrggghhh.

I started in on one of my new books, The Guest List by Lucy Foley, and it is really good.  In the style of an Agatha Christie Who-done-it, the story is set on a remote island off the coast of Ireland.  A house party assembles for a wedding and one of the guests gets murdered.  The twist is, the reader doesn't know who got murdered for quite a while because the story is told in flashbacks.  You understand that one of these characters is going to get what they deserve, you just aren't sure which one.  And they are mostly all odious, so half the fun is not only figuring out who did it, but who it got done to.  

As always, I hope your week is going well.  We are headed into the weekend now, but it doesn't feel any different than any other day, does it?  Wherever you are, whatever it is you are doing, stay safe and well.