How did I do?

Does anyone remember when my garage looked like this?  So lovely, sigh.

  

                  Well, Now it looks like this.  Okay, I've cleaned up a bit but it's still a disaster!

Oh, well that's what happens when I do stuff involving saws, drills, and screws. 

From my yard and garden list I finished and installed 4 raised beds in my garden and have the other 4 ready to assemble, fixed a crooked board in the fence, and (not on the list added 2 new hosta plants and moved two.)  What didn't I get done?  I didn't finish digging out the gate area and building a small wall there didn't happen either, and I didn't get the wall built at the end of the hostas.  

In the house, I did build and install some new shelves in the basement for food and misc. storage. Moved the studio around and cleaned up the mess I made! Yeah, me!  I did not get the bathroom floor finished-I'm putting this one off for a while, I 'm not happy with my tile job so I don't want to finish it.  Will think on what I would like in there.  Not on the list:  moving the desk stuff back to the office and organizing up there.

 In stitching, I finished the hash tags, actually I made more than usual.  I've been making 10 each month and a light bulb went off when I realized that 100 6" blocks would leave me with a 66" square quilt - I don't like square-I decided to make whatever fabric I came up with.  Once these are cut they go really fast chain piecing.

The big blocks are finished.  When we did Light green for RSC I made a bunch of little 1 1/2" four patches before I found the leftover blocks so this time I did some light, bright and dark greens.  I didn't get the flip flop blocks finished yet but I will this week while I cut pink.

  I did complete the next segment of the red and Black Squirrel project and I did begin the backstitching on Ryan's Stocking.

 I didn't get any other stitching finished.

Cooking wise I made this shrimp and veggie pasta dish from a Cooking for Two book.  I ate it for three meals! I also tried a Chicken Curry from that book which was tasty but bland.  they were both good and I will make them again. I will adjust the spices in the curry. I made Raisin Bread, Cinnamon Rolls and Japanese Milk bread in Sourdough versions that I liked and sourdough waffles that I didn't like.  So I more than covered my goal of two new recipes!

I din't get any non-fiction books finished although I did read a bit in one.  

All in all I did quite a bit but I found that I didn't much like the pressure I put on myself. Plus, lots of things fell through the cracks and that just can't happen for me to be happy.

Will definitely have a goal list for next month but I think it'll be less ambitious.  I want to take time to just enjoy sitting on my patio reading and looking at my flowers among other things.

At work in the basement

 In the basement, where the studio is, I have a long skinny room.  I holds the furnace and hot water heater and is stubbed in for a half bath.  Since it's unlikely that I will ever install said bath  there's a lot of room just hanging out not doing much of anything.  I had basically dumped all the empty totes etc from the move in there but it was a mess!
As I've decided to develop a bit of a food stockpile I knew I would need someplace to PUT it as my kitchen isn't much for storage.  So, one day last week I hauled out all of the boxes and empties and measured the space for shelves.  I decided to follow Ana White's plans for making storage shelves using 2 by 4 studs.  I ordered 22 8 footers and some 3 inch self-tapping screws--those have to be one of the greatest inventions EVER!  Sunday, I set about making them.  Can I just say that carrying all those 2 x 4's to the basement was no fun.  When I got to adding them for the self itself I realized that I didn't order enough so today I picked up 11 more but it is finished!  The totes on it have craft stuff or food in them all labeled.  It is so tidy, I love it!

Of course, I still need to deal with this!

 Most of it will be organized and stored under the stairs.
Some of the ones with no lids (or lids with no matching bottom) will be let go in the recycling or used to haul things for donations.

Then there's this mess!  After watching Leonie Maree's (on the Facebook group Love and Hugs form Australia) lovely video on using pool noodles to layer your quilts I just had to try it and it needs a long table. Not to mention the pool noodles which can be found at the local Walmart!  Fortunately, my two IKEA cabinets are on wheels so I re-arranged the studio.  I have to finish cleaning that mess up as well.

Why does cleaning always make such a mess?

 

This week's work and Friday Night Stitching

 First off, the two large garden beds are in and planted.  Building the frames was easy- loading in dirt and compost not so much!  (It took 14- 40 lb bags of top soil and 5-40 lb bags of compost to fill each one!  My back hurts even though I drove the truck back closer to them!
I have tomatoes, peppers, and basil plants in and seeds for green beans, cucumbers, squash, radishes and beets.  Small amounts of each but enough for one!

Lettuce is up in a planter, another couple of weeks and I'll be eating it!  IF it warms up!

 All week long I've been working on this piece and it was part of my Friday Night Stitching.  Almost finished with the candies!  There's a ribbon and a big star yet to go before I can begin to back stitch.  I'm excited to be this far!

 All week long, and last night I worked at sewing the rows to add to the secret squirrel.  I began adding them to the finished part last night.  See the yellow pin?  That row is in up-side down!  Un-sewing is never fun but I'll get it turned around later today.  I realized this week that there was NO WAY I was going to have enough fabric for this thing. Panic, dread, fear, I know I bought this a couple of years ago so there is no way to get more.  I decided to hope that I could get something that was the same basic color even if the pattern wasn't the same (these squares finish at 3/4" so pattern isn't really such a big deal.)  So, yesterday I took my mask and headed to the Quilt shop hoping, I mean REALLY hoping, that I could find something.   I DID!  I will mix the two reds and two oranges together until I run out of the original and finish in the new-that way it won't be so obvious that I changed fabric.

Several of you have wondered what in the world I'm doing here.  The piece I'm working on goes on the bottom of this.  It is a mathematical mosaic.  That's all you get to see, except the bit I'm working on!



I did bake bread again-comes around about once a week- this time plain white bread, my Granna's recipe converted to sourdough.  Again, I had more starter than I needed so I tried some sourdough waffles.  I wasn't impressed, will just use my old faithful waffle recipe from here on out.  Last night I made a Chicken Curry in my little 1.5 Quart crockpot.  The crockpot's adorable!  The curry was okay but too bland, I may make it again after reading other curry recipes and tweaking the ingredients some.  Since there is only one of me I'm always looking for recipes that have been downsized to 2 servings or that I can freeze in individual servings.  I've more than met my goal of 2 new recipes this month but there will be more, I'm on a roll!

Today, I have to mow, AGAIN. Happens every week about this time.  Later, I have an order to pick up at Lowe's for more raised beds and some shelves.  I won't go in, they will bring it out and load it for me.  Of course, I will have to UNLOAD it when I get home!  The shelves are tomorrow's project. Then stitching.  Not so busy this weekend.

FNWF and other stuff

I've had a spectacular week.  If you consider the fact that I've accomplished nearly nothing spectacular.

I did bake raisin bread again, tweaking the filling a bit.  It is quite tasty.

I had an over abundance of sourdough starter so rather than throw some out I also made cinnamon buns.  There's no photo cause they've all been eaten!  I took the majority of them to my daughter's house to be eaten by her family.  (She has teenage boys need I say more?)
That covers my two new recipes for this month but I think there will be more.

I decided this month that I would focus on one project on the machine instead of trying to do them all.  (I really do not like changing thread!)  So, I began the  week and Friday Night with Friends by working on the secret  squirrel project.  I had been laying out 10 rows at a time but with this segment it got confusing so I've been laying out and sewing one row at a time.  When those are all sewn I'll add them to the rest of that unit.  I stopped last night as I ran out of cut black blocks and even though the strips are cut I just didn't want to do that.  I'll continue on that project until the end of next week, at least.

I switched over to working on Ryan's Christmas stocking.  The Nutcracker is finished and I am working on the sweets that go around his legs.  It's slow going as I have to change threads -tie off, tie on- often but its coming along.

I stopped rather early as I was cold.  May decided to return to oh, March and my studio is chilly anyway.  I had neglected to turn on the heater so I just came upstairs and got ready for bed warmed by the heating pad!

I have a busy day planned today:

I have to change the back wheels on my lawn mower-one broke and I ordered replacements for both as I figured it was only a matter of time before the other one broke as well.  I replaced the front ones last year so I shouldn't have to do either of those any time soon.

Then, I have to mow. Or Quinn will get lost in the tall grass-okay not quite that bad but I can't leave it.

After that, I'm going to air up the tires on my garden wagon.  Might be a slow leak there, might be I should go buy the "never need any air cause they're solid tires for it?"  That will have to wait until more of the Stay Home order has lifted.

Then, I'll load up all the parts to the raised veggie beds I built and haul all the stuff out to the back corner to finish putting them together.  That sounds easy but probably won't be easy to get and keep it square, sigh.  When they are set in place I'll set about filling them.  I have a sneaky suspicion that I don't have enough dirt!  That will take another trip to Lowes, but not today.

The Stay Home order for the State of Missouri has ended but the one for Kansas City and Jackson County (where I live) continues until the 16th.  Some businesses have re-opened, including my quilt shop but masks are required as well as using the hand sanitizer they supply.  Since I am rather high risk cause hey I'm old, I will continue as if quarantined for a few weeks, at least, even after it ends.  I expect my fellow countrymen to go nuts with the easing of restrictions and then another spike will occur.  I have such faith in my fellow man!  NOT.  Recovery will take a really long time.

On that depressing note, I've off to begin getting stuff done!

Goals for May

Maybe not as ambitious as April!  I always seem to try for too many things and add things as I go along!

Stitching:

Rainbow scrap challenge- dark green:  10 hash tag blocks, 7 big blocks, however many flip flop blocks (placemat, hot pad or trivet blocks) as there are green four patches and tumblers ( I used all the green ones when we last did green, but I forgot to add the blue tumblers and I have a whole tub of those.  Again, it's however many come from the 3/4" strips.

Cross-Stitch:  finish Ryans stocking!  So that I can begin Izzy's in June!

Civil war:  Again, I'm going for two rows assembled and combined.  It will take more effort as I have to make the nine-patches this time.

English Paper Piecing:  Continue Hexie basting and assembling 12-15 flowers

Secret Squirrel:   Finish the bottom segment and sew them all together.

Cut: Scraps and Flannels-  My cutting table is a disaster!

Non-stitching:

Read 1 non-fiction book

Finish the bath floor, trim and touch up paint

Try 2 new recipes- I've already made a Challah bread recipe converted to Sourdough-a very nice bread.

Move the Blog-this involves finally figuring out Word Press-thinking I'll just set aside an afternoon and just do it.  Maybe one where rain is forecast.

Finish the raised beds, fill them and plant veggies etc.

Dig approach to the gate to the back yard so the it will open and I can drive the truck back to unload dirt, etc.  Really DO NOT want to schlep what seems like hundreds of bags of dirt.  It will need a small retaining wall built as well.

Put the extra dirt from the gate along the side of the house and add enough more to slope it away from the house.

Build storage shelves in the little storage space in the basement.

Fix the fence- a few boards have warped and need flipped and screwed down.

There are two more that if I get to them great if I don't June is fine: 1. Put pavers in the muddy spots  so Quinn will be out of the mud.  There's no hope for grass in these spots! She really creates work for me!  She's worth it though!
2.  Pull grass from the fence.

Twenty-eight days, I'll be busy.

I'm going to spend today in the studio, cleaning and sewing.  My knee is being quite loud about how much heavy stuff I've been doing so I'll rest it today.  After all Sunday is a day of rest!

FNWF and April Sewing

 Last night was Friday Night with Friends.  First I finished the blue four patches.  The two large pieces will be placemats and the smaller ones are for either pot holders or trivets.  I didn't get any of those made this month.

 Then I changed thread and worked on the Secret squirrel.  I finished the few rows I had left on the segment I wanted to finish in April and then had to pin it to the design wall to figure out where the two units fit together.  They still need to be sewn together.

In other unfinished sewing, I still have three hexi flowers to baste, I managed to get one row of the Civil War quilt sewn together-I had hoped for two.  I made progress on Ryans' stocking but it isn't finished.

I did finish all the blue for Rainbow Scrap challenge.

Flip-flop blocks

Hash tags

Big blocks

The big extra project was 36 face masks for the family. All were received quite quickly via USPS and are appreciated.  I know I wear mine.

Tomorrow, I'll post The May goals.  

April Goal results-Not Stitching

First off on the list was to try two new recipes- only did one truly new one. Chocolate sourdough cake. I did make both white bread and raisin bread from recipes adapted for sourdough, both were excellent.

OOPS, forgot a progress report on a biggie!  I did not finish the bathroom floor and trim, sigh.

Next on the list was the repurposing of the Victrola Cabinet (which once belonged to my Mother's Grandparents).  I used legs from a side table that needed refinishing (not going to happen.)  It was tricky as the bottom of the cabinet isn't level-one of the legs is wonky and at some point it may bother me enough to attempt fixing it.  Right now though it is sturdy and holds my coffee paraphernalia, looks nice and freed up a huge amount of counter space.

Organize the workbench.  Yay, Done!  It'll never be perfect and at the moment I'm using it nearly every day.

 Hang the broom/ mop holder--Done!

 Fence off the Hosta garden.  It required weeding first and it's been quite muddy but it is done.  This is an attempt to keep Miss Quinn from having a nap in there and digging roots up.  I know she can jump it but so far that has not been attempted-WIN!

This is the big extra.  Another keep Miss Quinn out of the mud and let the grass grow back project.  It also defines my patio space nicely and will be very pretty once the flowers have grown more.  I did have to spend some time out there this week as the top rail kept blowing off-smashing plants.  12 Inch bolts, nuts and washers where purchased and using a very long drill bit installed to fasten the top rails to the bottom and I added an extra cement block to this one.  It is quite windy today but so far there has been no catastrophe!

All the flowers are planted or potted,

 Build the raised beds for veggies.  Sadly, this one isn't finished yet.  I ordered a lovely raised bed garden which has not arrived and I can't wait any longer to get the veggies in.  So this weekend I'm building one or maybe two.  Hopefully, they will be done before Sunday as it's to rain again.

Also in the not finished area:  read 2 non-fiction books, read lots of fiction though, Finish setting up Word Press and moving the blog-Nope, and Work on windows for the doll house.

Some of this not finished was because of the weather, some to extra sewing and some to the Hermiting blues.  Oh, well.  I still finished quite a few things and May is here!