Quilt ladder and more

 This is the "more".  Since we have lived here, we have put our tree in front of this window and the elk antlers hang above.  We decided the first year to decorate the antlers--last year it sported balls and lights, but this year, just lights.  It does require a bit of a balancing act, but after the tree was decorated and we lit everything...voila! The tree has grown antlers.

We as retirees are realizing that we need to downsize and are not exchanging any gifts..we don't need anything, don't really want anything (Amazon has that for us during the year) and we just get what we need and want when ever the time comes.  That is a blessing for us and we are fortunate  But I did want a quilt ladder as I have quite a few quilts that I would like to display during the year.  We had beautiful alder wood trim in our home and there were a few pieces left in the crawl space by the previous builder and owner.  I suggested that they could be used to make my ladder and the Mr., being the engineer and handyman, took this as a small challenge.  He does such precise and beautiful work.

 The cross pieces were ripped from a wider piece and glued, screwed, and clamped above.

 It is drying above and I might add that all of the trim was prefinished before he began the construction.

And here it is with some of my quilts displayed.  It allows for several in a small space and it is a Christmas gift I can take wherever I go.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night under a warm quilt!

Let it snow, let it snow!

 As I write this today, nearly every school in Colorado (that is where I get my news), is closed because of the mountains of snow we received.  We are actually just a few miles from the state line and in the valley between 2 mountain ranges, we are experiencing a true winter storm.

 I was up early today and when I let my little grey fur kid out, he barely got off the back step to do his duty and the snow was up to his little belly.  The major roads, the interstate is closed and it looks like the snowblower may actually get used today.

I spent the better part of one day last weekend making my Christmas cookies, so this post is just about that, and the snow.  I have boxed and delivered a few, but as our cookie jar seems to empty itself, I think I may have to break down and make some more.  These are sugar cookies, dipped gingersnaps, biscochitos (a Mexican cookie made with lard and anise seeds) .
So today as it snows and blows, I will be baking and watching Christmas movies and staying in where it is warm.  It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

More stuff

Remember that I told you about the little stools I made from the old chairs so that my fur babies needed to get up on the beds?  Well here they are and it seems that I should have a bed exclusively for them.  Oh wait a minute, they do have their own beds.  This is just for nap time.

Last weekend we went out to get our tree and you can see how pretty the forest was and the snow was deeeeeep!  We did however successfully get our trees and mine is up and decorated.  We had a beautiful day to do this and again ate our picnic lunch overlooking the forest.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to Sheridan WY with my friend and neighbor to spend a few days with her mother.  She lives at the foot of the Big Horn Mts and needless to say it is beautiful there also.  We shopped and ate and toured a mansion one evening with friends.
It was amazing and there were musicians and figgy pudding and apple cider and just felt like Christmas!!

Her yard is overrun with whitetail deer and wild turkeys and you feel like you have returned to the turn of century and see our state as the  pioneers must have seen it when first they came.

This is the trunk I have begun to paint, but today will be reserved for baking my Christmas cookies.  I have 5 batches of dough in the fridge and am late in getting started to it will be a marathon of baking today.  The trunk will wait!

WINTER PROJECTS

This is the first of several projects that are floating around in the back of my pea brain.  And thankfully, the Mr. just goes along with my ideasHe is always there to help with my requests although sometimes I have to step back and let him take charge.

What initiated this endeavor was the purchase of new beds and the inability for one of my little furkids to access the comfy spot he always claims as his.  The other little grey guy can fly but Roger has a body built for laps only.

Last year a friend had given me an old broken table and 3 chairs and her thought was that I might

 use the wood for something.  I did take the backs and make garden angels for her daughters, but I needed some stools to put at the end of the beds.  So the Mr. first cut off the legs, and then I took offnthe old grungy seat covers.

As you can see...very grungy and they had been stored in the crawl space for about a year.  There was another original cover under these fake needlepoint covers and a million staples.

My real surprise was that there was actually straw as the first layer of padding, followed by

some other kind of cotton or wool substance. And that meant that these chairs were really old. How long has it been since straw was used in padding furniture?

So as you can see, after using a couple of garage sale seat pads which had a nice 2 inch  foam, and scrounging through my fabric stash, I recovered them with a pleather fake tooled fabric.

My adventure with the staple gun was another story.  We have 3 and they, of course, use different size staples.  The electric one which we purchased at some time to make things easier

was jammed and neither of us could even figure how to open it so I was back to using one of the old arthritis aggravating machines.

I am however, pleased with outcome and the little furkids can jump up on the bed with ease.

Today we are headed out for another adventure.  We have our tree permits and this will be the 4th year since we have had Christmas here and we are very close to tree cutting areas if we can access them.  We got a really nice snow in our area Thanksgiving and that will determine how available the forest will be for us.

So with thermos in hand and turkey sandwiches, armed with shovels, chains (yes we have been stuck) and saws we will be on the "hunt" for the perfect trees.  I always want a tall skinny tree and our partners in crime usually get a big fat tree.  We will have the camera and intend to document this trip again.

I have an old trunk that my mother-in-law gave me years ago..a steamer trunk to be exact.  It was in really poor shape on the outside, but it is in good shape inside.

I have hauled it around for about 40 years and it has been painted several times and the paint has chipped so I am giving it another life and will be documenting it on one of my next posts....perhaps after the tree adventure.

Hope all had a nice Thanksgiving and a shout out to my sister who had a birthday this past week.

"He who has imagination without learning has wings but not feet." ~ Joseph Joubert

Bread

When I was in Washington state visiting our daughter, she gave me a "starter".  I posted earlier the other bread from her recipe and decided to get a little adventurous.  With the ability to search anything from my iPad I found some sourdough recipes and the first, pancakes was a terrific success.  Out west here, sourdough is popular and was a staple for every household from the covered wagon chief to the chuckwagon cook.  Being miles from any town, the ability to make bread was a necessity and you took care of your "starter".  After doing a little research on starters, I discovered that I wasn't caring for

mine properly.  You have to feed it once a week if you keep it in the fridge and twice a day if on the counter.  I don't bake with it often so into the fridge it went.  However, I put it on the counter and after a couple of hours, I checked it and it was bubbling quite nicely.  There is too much more to discuss here now, but as you can see, the pancakes, the bread, and the cinnamon rolls tasted just as good as they look!

The next post will be about my dilemma  to fix the problem of my little furkids ability to get up on our beds.  We ended up with two beds
and one footstool, so both pups had

to get up on the same bed. For some of you, this may appear to be a silly problem, but these are my babes and my blood pressure tools.  (sort of) And in addition, I have one dog who thinks he owns me.  He has a really chunky body and short legs, but he is not fat, just big bones.  He reminds me of a little bulldog in stature or shortsure.

With the Thanksgiving holiday this week, we remember how blessed we are and remember those who are less fortunate.  Be kind and pay it forward.

Back on line

 I took some time away from the blog...vacation, illness (bloody shingles), not bloody per say, but irritating, and just plain time away.  I am finally finding time to post and a friend and I are finishing some projects that have been sitting unfinished for years, one being this birdhouse I have had for about 8 years in this primed state.  It is still not completed, but is getting there.

I have much more to do, but it will get done!  I have also been working on a baby quilt, which is on it's way to the gramma, my sister.  In addition, I have been purging!  I have been cleaning cupboards, shelves, closets, chests, - anything that is storage for "stuff".  Who in the world needs 25 wine glasses?  I do not like clutter or trinkets sitting around. I have a few things that I collect, but my tastes gravitate to primitive and simple and I really like to repurpose rather than buy new.  So yesterday, after lunch, the Mr. and I worked over two dining room chairs that were given to me last year along with a table in pieces.  The wood was really pretty.  These chairs have been sitting in the crawl space after I took the backs off to use in another project.  We needed some small stools to put at the end of our beds so that our little fur babies could access them.  (yes our dogs are allowed on the beds--it is what we do)
So we cut off the legs and remaining back support and I recovered the seats and that will be my next post.

I have still been going to quilt with my pals on Mondays and it has been so rewarding.  We are nearly finished with our row by row quilt strips and they are really wonderful.  As we, the baby boomers age, I see those who have little energy, become "older".  They have no hobbies and not much contact with the outside world.  I learned so much from my father and I remember that as he aged, he and my mother stayed busy, went to coffee, played cards, went to rock shows, etc.  On the other hand, my husband's father retired and never left the house.  There were 20 years difference nearly when the two passed. Thankfully, the Mr. and I have been fortunate to have our health and are able to "get out and about" and are trying to keep our youth as long as possible.  With all that is happening in our world today, we are also thankful that we live in this little isolated part of the world where our power comes from small co-ops and we are not on the national computerized grid.  (That is another story.)

" 'Tis the gift to be simple. 'Tis the gift to be free." ~ Old Shaker Hymn

Vacation

The Mr. and I and Spencer and Roger (our little furkids) took a vacation and drove to Washington state to see our daughter and son-in-law.  We found plenty of "dog friendly" places to stay and they were great little travelers.  Our kids welcomed them with open arms, but Lulu her cat, wasn't as welcoming although she pretty much stayed out of their way and sight as they invaded her space.

The pot above, which I believe to be a rustic enameled chamber pot, was a find at a yard sale last year and I finally found a use for it. I really like reusing things with a former life.

 This wonderful piece of yummy bread is a gift from my daughter.  She gave me a starter which was she made from grapes as the active ingredient in the fermenting process.
It is a batter bread (no kneading) which is baked in a cast iron Dutch oven.  I was worried that the altitude had affected it as the top cracked so much, but she assured me that it was just fine and it WAS!  I will be using this for other recipes that I will be researching as I love to bake! (a testament to the roll around my gut)

Among my collections are these miniature rolling pins. As a child I had one and most little girls did get to help in the kitchen rolling out dough for pies or cookies.  So when I arrived at my daughter's, she presented me with 4 more!  I love them and it is a reminder of my childhood.  They are not easy to locate, but they do not take up much space and with once exception, there are no duplicates.

With the temperatures dropping, and the trees in their winter fall colors, which by the way, has been spectacular, I have been getting the gardens ready for the first real frost and the snows that will follow.  On our trip home, we passed through the town in Oregon on  Monday before the terrible shootings.  Each day is a blessing so hug your loved ones and live it as if it were your last.

Fall?

Maybe pumpkins in the Wheelbarrow? It is supposed to freeze tonight so the hoses have been disconnected and the garden?  Well it is probably done except for the root crops.  This week I scored a great find in this rusty ol' wheelbarrow at a yard sale.  I have had one before, and I love to plant in them in the spring so even though this has a flat and came with a spare of sorts, I don't care!!  I love it and may use it for my miniature garden...on my bucket list.  The enameled pot, probably a chamber pot was a $1.00 score and i think it is a perfect planter don't you?  I am a fan of primitive decor and I think

it is because we don't recycle enough. Things had a previous life and if they could talk! I would love it if I could rummage through the landfill here, but we are not allowed to do that and there is some great stuff there!  Call me nuts maybe, but that's OK.

The quilt retreat held here last month was such a success and this
is the table topper we did as a quilt as you go project.  However, I felt like it needed something more to really express the fall theme it reflects.  I had a piece of fabric with these pumpkins so I shared with my quilt buddies and now it is fall!

Row by Row

Monday was our row exchange and these are a row for my good friend's quilt.  Her original was a leaf and several rows have been added since with a variety of patterns.  It is paper pieced which I like to do.

This was a sad week for us as we had to say goodbye to Hildy, our old border collie mix.  She would have been 14 in December and was the best dog we ever had.  I could go on about the love she gave us and the joy having her with us always played such an important part of our lives, but anyone who has had a fur kid probably knows this.

The two little boys and the Mr. and I went for a drive to the mountains yesterday.  Although we did not camp but once this year, the area is so close that we can make day trips easily.  With lunch in hand, we headed up Black Hall road and eventually found a couple of neighbors who were camped there.  They had just pulled off the lake with some nice trout on the string and we all went back to their camp for lunch.  The trees are just beginning to change colors and there is still much evidence of the damage the bark beetles left, but still fairly pristine and spectacular.

There is so much logging because of the dead trees that the log trucks are traveling the forrest roads like freeways.  On our way back, we encountered several in a train behind a derailed truck with engine trouble probably.  Luckily we had enough room to pass.  The other thing we did was search for a couple of geocaches (sp). Two were located with ease and we did log in both and left a small toy alligator in one.  It was our intention to leave one someplace, but that will be for another trip.  It was a very good day!

"To be beautiful and to be calm is the ideal of nature." ~ Richard Jefferies

Summer fun

The Mr. and I have always taken some "Marvelous Adventures" here in Wyoming.  While I quilted on Monday with my pals, he and a friend loaded up the gold panning equipment into the ol' Land Cruiser and headed south for riches unknown.  His ultimate goal I believe (as we are still waiting for the riches) was to locate this old site he had read about and knew the approximate location.  He is a mad man when it comes to maps, and technology now allows him to "google" these locations with a touch of the finger on the keyboard.

There are a few remnants remaining at this site, including the old truck with the tree growing from the midsection as well as an old stove.  There are many of these old sites and some very interesting history attached to them.  Much has been written in various articles and there is still a lot of Marvelous Adventures to take. By the way, I did not see any gold nuggets, although I know he did reach the stream with shovel and pan.

So while I was at the library quilting, a wonderfully talented lady came in with this item and strolled toward me.  I immediately got up and was drawn to this primitive "make do".  A make do is something made to serve a purpose and is created with what you have.  You "make do" with whatever is at hand.
I have always loved primitives and perhaps that is because I grew up in an era where we always had to make do.  It was a way of life for us and a lot of others.  This gal had been at my home only once and realized it was something I would like.  I did not know when she approached our group that she had actually meant it for me.

If you look closely, the bottom pedestal is a glass candlestick, painted to look like rusty metal. The petals are felt and the pincushion is rug hooked.  (I remember my grandmother hooking a rug). Of course, the black crow is always used in primitive decorating.  So I love this "make do".  Thank you Kathy.

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." ~ Sir James Barrie

More quilt projects from our Retreat

 This shows a few of the girls' projects at various stages near the end, attaching the binding. These angles were different from a typical 90 degree corner.  The girls from the Rock Springs shop taught this table topper which was a "quilt as you go" project.  I learned a lot from this instructional and the bottom picture shows the finished project, with the binding attached on top rather than the bottom.  She used a decorative buttonhole stitch from her machine, eleminating any hand sewing!

We are experiencing a good deal of smoke from the fires out west and although the wind is blowing it out, it is blowing it in.  We need some

rain badly.  The prairie grasses are so tall and the fire danger even here is high.  We try to keep the
brush down around our structures, but if we got a prairie fire, it might be devastation for us.

This retreat was such a success and we are thankful for so many organizers and volunteers who made this possible.  Quilting arts are experiencing a popularity now that I have not seen in my lifetime.  Modern quilters are contributing much to prolong this manner of expression and are delving into the history of quilting.  Victorian women used it as a place to display and practice their needlework with the beautiful Crazy quilts using silks and velvets and our pioneer ancestors quilted on the rough trails to provide warmth for their loved ones using whatever pieces of fabric could be salvaged.  Black American women in the south used a different way of putting fabrics together and that documentation is available in museums and examples still in some homes.  All tell a story of sorts and we today have such a myriad of fabrics and tools to work into the art of quilting along side of the many, many experts who still quilt by hand.  Admiring this skill and hoping that this type of quilting does not go out of style, I have not yet and may not ever be a hand quilter.

Quilt retreat

With at least 21 quilters attending our 2 day retreat in the small town of Encampment Wy, I think I can speak for everyone in saying that it was a success. Held at the historic Opera House, the sewing machines kept buzzing until the power went off on Saturday for about 3 hours.
(It actually occurred to us that we may have put a strain on the power grid with our activity.)  Not so!  But with 2 paper piecing classes, two jelly roll classes on Friday and a "quilt as you go" class for all on Saturday we learned so very much.  Thanks to some dedicated people who supplied food for both days, including a local gentleman who

made a delicious fried chicken dish for our evening meal on Friday, we ate well and of course, there was wine and chocolate.

These pictures are examples of what these gals did with my paper pieced pattern, choosing to orient the 4 squares in different ways.  This was the first class in quilting that I have had the privilege to teach and I was pleased to see that most actually got their blocks finished.

There was much ribbing, giggling, teasing and my goal was to make this class relatively stress-free and to see that it was fun.  The Jelly Roll

class was held simultaneously with mine so I was unable to take it, but the girls were able to get far enough along to be able to finish on their own and they chose their own fabrics in advance so it will be fun to see the finished tops.

Rock Springs is the location of the quilt shop where our vendors call home and this is the second year that they have both held a class for us as well as bringing their store to us.  Like Christmas for quilters, bolts of fabric, precuts, tools etc were available for purchase and we did buy!!

Thanks to all for making this 2nd annual quilt retreat such a fun time and there will be more of the projects on the next post.

No time to die

Even though this may look a little like a voodoo doll or something similar and I did put "die" in my title, I read a quote that pretty much sums up how I feel.  "God put me on this earth to sew and finish things, I am so far behind that I will never die."  I expect to have a good many more birthdays and speaking of which....Happy Birthday to my little brother on the 14th.

I have been dying to make this garden angel!  I love primitive things and had acquired 4 of these architectural pieces and was going to make a birdhouse.  However, I saw a garden angel similar to this a while back and could not get it out of my head.  I also had saved some pieces from an old chair and while scrounging in my boxes of "funky junk"....her head appeared!  Wings from trim scraps finished her except for her halo.  (have to dig some more)

Scraps of wood, metal, and fabric of course, don't always get tossed.  They may have a chance at a second life (and not die) in my world. (there is no time)  So along that line, I am privileged to have been asked to teach a paper-piecing class tomorrow at our 2nd annual quilt retreat in Encampment.  I love paper piecing, but it is not for everyone.  One quilter says it is like ballroom dancing.  You have to move backward, in high heels while watching your feet in a mirror.  In other words, you are sewing in reverse, (something uncomfortable), and stopping to look and see if it is right.  But actually, it gives such precise points and angles, that once mastered, the outcome is reward and it gives scraps of fabric another life.

"Quilting gives me someplace to go when I have to stay where I am."

County fair

 First of all, Coalette is not a fair animal, although many 4-H kids do show cats.  Here she is perched on an 1 1/2" quilt padded rocker back.  Cat owners know that cats find the most unlikely places to hang out.  We find her upstairs in the bar sink, in the closet on a shelf of sweats and numerous other places.

 Our county is mostly ranching country and our fair reflects this.  When we first started going to the fair here, 40 some years ago, it was a place to find lots of needlework, crafts, gardening and foodstuff.
As our society has evolved, it is mostly 4H and ranching displays and believe me, these kids are talented and dedicated. I gathered eggs when I was a child with my sister.  I hated this task as I always got pecked until we teamed up to chase the hens off the nest first.  But I digress.  These are a couple of the chickens at the fair.  Aren't they pretty? (I get my eggs from a gal out here who even delivers them to me).

As we strolled through the barns, we watched the beef cattle being bathed and groomed and all of the hard work these kids do to prepare for this week-long event will pay off for the rest of their lives.  I did not photo the welding projects or the woodworking, but the amazing projects reflect the work ethic they are taught and what 4H does for our youth...the leaders of tomorrow.  There will be many Carbon County projects going to State Fair and more blue ribbons and best of show.

"Not the prize gives the joy, but the striving to win the prize." ~ Caxton

Art for the soul

We are still struggling to get these pictures from the iPad to the laptop and in the process the pictures are not always as we would like.  All 5 of us painted a birdhouse and one of the gals was responsible for the pattern.  This is not the first time we have had a painted project, as we always paint.  It is in our blood I guess and is my favorite project always.  This lady from Cheyenne has painted a mural on her wall and also on just about anything that doesn't move.  We all worked at painting a life size antelope several years ago along with quite a few other artists which were then auctioned for a fund raiser.

My two children had a wonderful art instructor and as a result went on to further their education in that area and although they are not always able to use this talent in their careers, my daughter has advanced hers as a result of her creativity and my son's talents are apparent in his home.  I have been just recently hearing about nursing homes and other facilities where the residents, some with various forms of dementia, are given coloring books and crayons.  One of my buddies spends time with the elderly and she tells me that these residents are really enjoying this activity.  Obviously, it is stimulating.  So to you two children.....just buy me lots of crayons, paints and coloring books and paper when you decide to institute me.  I will be fine!

"The mind grows by what it feeds on." ~ Josiah Gilbert Holland