So… catching up

You’ll be hearing more about the Breast Health Project later, please make a block for our quilt – you’ll be glad you did 🙂

So, what have I been doing since the project started? Well! let me tell you –

We planted flowers, in the yard and some baskets for the front porch…

The flower baskets are quite underwhelming so far, but they will grow big and bushy. We planted Wave Petunias on both sides of the front walk, and they’ll spread pretty fast now that the sun is out. We started some planting in the tiers in front of the house, some Candytuft to hang over the edge with the Creeping Phlox – in the fall I’ll plant some yellow tulips in the Candytuft – it’s a lovely spring treat. The Iris’ were already here – who can get rid of them? I mean really – if you know how to get rid of them, let me know! And the most wonderful of all – my Hydrangea bush. I’ve wanted one forever – but it’s much too dry in Idaho. Even with all the rain we get, we still have to water it! It’s my pride and joy 🙂

I’m toiling away on the June issue of Cotton Spice – it’s a good one!

Knitting? Well, I made a pair of cotton slippers for Mom –

They look pretty funky without feet in them, but she tells me they are VERY comfy. They are adorned with some vintage pearl buttons I received in a Freecycle haul of the century. More on that later.

I finished a pair of mittens for Macuwita sni for Mitten Quest 2008-09 – our goal is to send 250 mittens in the fall –

and another pair OTN (on the needles for you non-knitters)

I started a shawl. I’m falling in love with lace knitting. It nearly beat me, but all of a sudden something clicked and my friend Robin showed me a few things and presto chango…I’m knitting lace!
I’m using bits and leftovers from my sock yarn stash, 100% wool, so it will be pretty and warm!

I’m working on some gift-ey things I can’t talk about it yet.

We did have some wild weather a week or so ago. An F4 tornado just south of us, didn’t touch us at all, but damage and destruction was huge. Almost 20 people died and many injured. Please remember to pray for them, many of them have lost Everything.

My quilting web guru friend Tammy Harrison is coming to visit me on Monday. I’m so very excited to meet her in person. We’ve been virtual friends for about 2 years now, much of what Cotton Spice is now, is because of her and her work. She makes the techy stuff work.

Now, my confession, where you find out exactly what kind of hostess I really am. 😦 She was traveling to see her nephew graduate from college and had go thru Joplin to get there. The plan was for her to stay a night going to, and one night coming back. Well… she arrived right on schedule, but I thought it was the next week… wasn’t prepared for her at all and even worse… we didn’t answer the phone. Yes… she was stranded in Joplin, with no way to get a hold of me and then had to get a hotel. The next morning when I checked messages – I was mortified. Absolutely mortified. I couldn’t believe what I’d done.

We finally connected and I have to say she’s such a gracious lady. She laughed it off and it’s been good joke material for the last few days. But she will be here Monday afternoon – she’s reminded me several times – and I’m looking forward to a wonderful time. And from on, I will be answering the phone unless it’s an 800 or 866 number.

Ok… my Freecycle haul of the century. I answered a Freecycle email about 3 bags of fabric w/notions, buttons etc. I’m still not real familiar with the area here so when she told me they lived in (I don’t even remember the town now) I just said Great! We’ll be out to pick it up when Mike gets home! Well… she lived 50 miles away!!!! Maybe not many miles for you city people, but it took us 2 hours when you count getting gas, getting lost, driving a curvy country road for much of it, but it was SO worth it!!!!

There were the 3 bags of fabric PLUS – bags of zippers, bias tape, notions of all kinds, lace, ribbon, little girl dress patterns (SO cute) and the jackpot – an antique candy tin full to the brim of vintage pearl buttons. All kinds from huge to tiny. Some on original cards which are so pretty, some strung on thread. But every one of them absolutely gorgeous!!!! I will get pictures of it soon. It was like Christmas!

Ok.. enough from me. I’m not sure if I’m caught up, but that’s all I got right now! 🙂 Happy Saturday!