Thursday, April 30, 2020

Really Random Thursday, 4/30/20

For the first time since shelter-in-place began, I didn't find any memes about what day of the week it is. My only explanation is (a) I just haven't been on social media as much in the past week, or (b) no one cares anymore.

I'm still not sewing. *sigh* However, I continue hanging quilts outside nearly everyday.

Friendship Circles

A Day in Disneyland

The Prayer

After our neighbor mentioned she thought I might be hanging them because they were for sale, and our mailman thought we were trying to keep the sun out of the dining room window, I decided maybe some signage was in order.
Today I added some sidewalk information.

Finding the Way to My Heart

X and +

Amanda Jean's 36-Patch
 We haven't been out for awhile and I forgot that for the most part these are the most common highway warning signs nowadays.

Terry and Cathy live in the country and one of their friends had a gorgeous 1953 Chevrolet Tin Woody. They remembered my dream of releasing a calendar with quilts photographed with classic cars. I'll give you a sneak peek, but only a peek because the photo shoot really deserves a blog post of its own.

I took my Basket Weaving quilt. Their son and daughter-in-law have been sheltering in place on their property. Shannon has done a lot of professional photography, so I wiped off my phone (we followed the details of proper social distancing) and handed her my phone. I know she is used to a "real" camera but she was able to get some beautiful shots. Plus she loves the staging aspect of photography. What better idea than a basket of flowers on a quilt with baskets of flowers. Am I right?
For a brief period of time, as we sat outdoors on an absolutely beautiful morning, even though we were sitting further apart than we might have a few weeks ago, we were able to forget about social distancing and life seemed "normal."

I brought along a second quilt, Delta Breeze, and took some photos on this old bike.
On the way home, we stopped at a fruit stand for some strawberries, and also a handful of sweet peas.
We went through Jack in the Box, and then took our lunch to the city park in Reedley. It was so relaxing.
Shannon has been learning to make macarons, and she sent some along with us. What a yummy dessert.

Last weekend, we spent some time cleaning out the storage shed in the backyard and also the garage. A lot of the storage boxes contained things from a former life when we vended quilt shows under the name Around the Block Designs. We came across this set of pictures that I think we put on our sales desk, pictures from magazines that had featured Mark's beautiful fused glass. I'm happy to report that he is getting back to work on fused glass. 
Close-up shots (excuse the reflections--anything shiny is super difficult for me to photograph).

We still have some of these available. Just in case you might be interested. :)


We are still enjoying our visits with family. 
They have some buckets with rocks, and encourage passers by to take a rock, decorate it and return it. They have a fun collection.
See that orange one? It might be my favorite--it looks just like a fish.

I still haven't been sewing. Because this rings true for me. I'm hoping May will be different.

Speaking of sewing, this is funny.

I noticed this the other day in our laundry room It is the ceiling light. Last fall, months ago, I repainted the ceiling. Apparently I meant to tape off the light to paint around it, but never got around to actually doing it. So I never finished painting the ceiling. And never noticed until the other day. Good grief.
If you are home schooling (and what parent isn't??), I really hope this does not turn into reality.


Have you been cooking and baking a lot more? We haven't had trouble finding supplies except for yeast. That seems to be nonexistent. We are attempting healthy eating as much as possible. But no way I'm giving up coffee.

While alot of you may agree with this one, oatmeal raisin is actually one of my favorites. But still, 2020, come on!!

I had had some bargello kits mailed to the grandkids after they enjoyed them so much at Christmas. There were a couple of different design options.

Gabe went completely off script and designed his own: a Harry Potter lightning bolt. Creative kid...

The neighbor's cat, Harley, visits quite often and is very inquisitive. She got a little tangled up here.
I guess that's it for this week's edition. Hard to believe tomorrow is the first day of May! Stay safe. Stay healthy.


Thursday, April 23, 2020

Really Random Thursday, 4/23/20

Once again it's the time of week when we ask, "What day IS it??"
Maybe you feel like this:

Or perhaps even this:

As the weeks go by, I find fewer and fewer "real" things to post about, although COVID-19 is definitely a real thing, so maybe the numerous memes qualify. In any case, I will intersperse some pictures of quilts I have been hanging outside for something very fun here in the Central Valley called "Central Valley Outdoor Quilt Show," where quilters around the valley are hanging their quilts outside. I have been hanging a different quilt each day.
My Swedish Ex
Yesterday I was sitting outside and a neighbor from down the street was walking by pushing a stroller. She stopped and said, "I just want you to know that seeing these quilts warms my heart," so it seems like the right thing to do.

I would love to say that I am becoming more focused. However, that so far has not been the case. I haven't been sewing any masks this week, but I also haven't sewn anything else. The other day I trimmed three quilts for binding, and cut out some fusible interfacing, and felt like I had been extraordinarily productive.

For those non-sewers, here are a couple of ideas:
My friend, Ruth, sent me this one.

Speaking of masks, Mark and I had to stop at the bank the other day. It was kind of weird.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has been releasing one of his musicals each Friday for 24 hours, streamed on YouTube for free. Mark and I had never seen Phantom of the Opera, so Friday night we watched the 25th anniversary edition, filmed at the Royal Albert Hall in 2015. It was amazing! The next best thing to being there.
On Saturday, Mark made a batch of fritters and oh my were they scrumptious. He made the version with apples, and we gave most of them away.

The traditional version is made with raisins, and since he then had a request for raisin fritters, he made another batch on Monday. We took some over to our friends, Al and Dotty, as Dotty is recovering from surgery. It was good to see her (from a distance), and their yard is absolutely gorgeous, as Al is a Master Gardener.

Other than daily walks, we rarely leave the house, unless it is a major outing to the grocery store. Once in awhile we get a carryout meal. I wonder if this is how we are going to feel if we are ever able to go to a sit-down restaurant again.

The Nest
We have been keeping the house pretty clean and uncluttered. That is not too hard because it's just the two of us. But I totally get this:

So often my thoughts go to the many, many parents who now have a full house all.the.time, and on top of that are homeschooling their children.

This one made me chuckle. I need to make sure Gabe sees this--he loves punny jokes.

Delta Breeze

I've also kept up with my "quatro colour" English paper piecing blocks--mostly because they are cheery and colorful, and I can actually finish at least one per day, so it's a bite-sized bit of accomplishment.
I would love to try this.

I'm still on the emotional rollercoaster. Are you too?


Amish Charm
We watched a couple of Hallmark movies on Sunday afternoon. I got pretty excited when I saw this version of the I Heart You quilt in one of the movies.

We are big fans of America's Got Talent. Now that production of TV shows and movie has come to a halt, I believe this is what we are left with.

As the weeks go on, I'm often discouraged by the projection of how long this will go on. Of course, no one knows, but I know it will be a very long time before we are back to life as we knew it, if that actually even happens. And as my feelings of being unsettled go on, as I feel like I'm not accomplishing "enough" with all the extra time I have been given, I think it is important to remember this, written by the sister of one of my favorite IG friends, Erika.
This is important. Read it. Take it to heart.
I'll end with this beautiful illustration by my friend, Molly (@tokodots). Stay safe. Stay healthy.