Decided...

 "Mom, you got a package!"

Those are the words that came down the hall to my sewing room yesterday afternoon.

A package from my Fat Quarter Swap partner came in the mail.

Aren't the fat quarters pretty?  I think so. There is also embroidery thread, a cute strawberry needle book, a sample of hot iron cleaner, a sample of Sugar shower gel, Blistex, and a package of gum.  This was all inside the cute bag.  The bag had a panel of sayings in the bottom.









I visited a new quilt shop (for me) this weekend.

Cozy Quilts and Things is located in Mulberry, AR.  I will be visiting that shop again.  There is a good selection of fabric and the prices are good too.  The owner of the shop, Linda DeWater, makes you feel at home and is very helpful if you have any questions. Here is a link that tells about the shop. http://766491663590433070.weebly.com/
She helped me get my brain wrapped around doing a scrap quilt, which is totally out of my normal quilting frame of mind.

My daughter has decided on the type of quilt she would like.  She picked a modern scrappy quilt in colors of the rainbow, so I was glad to have some instruction and inspiration on how to go about making one.

Until next time,
Hugs,
Sonia

Blossoms of light..

It was good to be back in my sewing room this week.   It all started on the weekend when I made this small baby quilt and large receiving blanket.  These two will go the our local COS.

30" square

 I started working on this little quilt a week or so ago.  I finished it this evening.  It is 8" x 12".
It is a representation of what's been going on with my dad.   Though there have been dark days, there has been small blossoms of light along the way.
I have added three beads in each block, representing the Holy Trinity and how God has helped each of us through this long process.  I quilted it in a way that represents the roller coaster ride we have been on with the good days and bad days.  :)  I used metallic thread to quilt it, representing dad's strong will.
 Dad is beginning to have more good days and is getting stronger.

~ Sonia

Scrappy Beauty

Happy Left Handers Day!

I helped host the Logan County Fair last night and thought I'd share the Grand prize quilt with you.

Isn't this a scrappy beauty?  It is hand quilted.

Judging started yesterday and I think some continued today.

The "Bargains Galore on 64" is in full swing through the weekend.  Hwy 64 runs through the town I work in, Ozark, AR, and the traffic was very busy today.  I saw a beauty today though as I walked back in after lunch.  I saw a vintage pink Cadillac with tail fins and rag top.  I found out later, when telling a friend about it, that the car is owned by a lady who works in Ozark and she drives it every day.  How have I missed that beautiful car all this time?

The garden has done pretty good this year.  The squash is done but we still have peppers, tomatoes, carrots,watermelons, etc. growing.  We have two raised beds.  Here is the last "big" harvest I did.  David has harvested more, since this picture, but I thought it made for a pretty picture.  There's kale, jalapenos, banana peppers, okra, cherry tomatoes, pearl onion, squash and eggplant.  I took this picture right after I washed them.

The weekend is drawing near and I hope to be able to work in my sewing room this weekend.  There are so many things I want to get done and I just haven't had time, of late, to do them.

This little poem came to me this evening.

Rushing here,

Rushing there,

With no time to spare,

Sewing machine is collecting dust,

Afraid it might begin to rust,

Fabric waits and thread looks on,

Beads, buttons, and yarn wonder where I’ve gone.

Need to slow down and relax,

Bring out the fabric and thread packs,

Put that machine to use,

Bring out the yarn, beads and buttons too.

And don’t forget the scrapbook pages,

To share all the wonders in life,

A sunrise here,  

A flower blooms there,

When you slow down you see beauty everywhere.

                                                    SParham 08-13-15

I guess that's it for now.

Chat with you soon,
Sonia

Three stages... :)

Have you ever had a day where you experienced three different stages of tears?

Today, I did.

My son came home for a visit this weekend and had to leave this morning.... tears of sadness.

About mid-morning I was working on something that really stresses me out... tears of stress.

Then about thirty minutes before leaving work I and two ladies I work with, received some very good news.... tears of joy.  (I can't go into it but in regard to the thing that brought on the tears of stress, this was actually an answer to prayers)

Talk about a roller coaster day, at least it ended on a good note.    

Sonia

P.S.  Hope to have something "crafty" with you soon.  :)

Been Awhile...

Hi, it's been awhile since I last wrote.   It's been awhile since I was in my sewing room too.  Earlier in the week, I made a commitment to myself to get back in my creative space and dedicate at least an hour of my time each day.

So I bought a tool to help me stay on track.  I set it for an hour and when the alarm goes off, if I decide to continue that's fine, if I'm ready to stop that's fine too but at least I get an hour of creative time.

Today, I made long sleeves to wear when I crochet for long periods of time.  I made them out of an old t-shirt I no longer wear.  The reason I did this is because a rash develops on top of my arms when I crochet for longer periods of time.  Its not on my hands or forearms.  So I was thinking maybe it is from lint or fuss that might come from the yarn.  So I'm going to try this and see if it helps.  If it doesn't then I will try switching to a crochet needle made of a different material than the ones I use now.

I've entered a Fat Quarter Swap! 

 Interested?  

Check it out by clicking the link below.

http://koolbeenz-blog.blogspot.com/2015/07/82-days-left-to-sign-up-for-august-fat.html

So what else have I been up to?  I found this cute little guy and cross stitched (or made an attempt at it) the bib he is wearing.  This was part of a baby gift.

You know I like to go to flea markets and such and last weekend I found this little treasure.  It's an instruction book from 1941.

Yesterday I cut some roses from my ground cover rose and took cuttings from one of my philodendron plants and made a small arrangement.

I think the major change from bringing them in from outside was to hard on the roses though because they were very wilted this morning.  So I took the roses out but left the philodendron cuttings as they will root.

 It's been very hot and humid here in Arkansas.  When I went outside somewhere between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. it was 95°F, this after it had started cooling down.

Yesterday was the first day, my dad sounded like himself in some time.  He has been in the hospital since June 4th, trying to recover from Guillian-Barre Syndrome.  He has been moved around so much, from facility to facility, that it has affect his dementia. He's tired of being in the hospital; he's tired of the time it is taking for him to recover and regain strength and mobility, but he is determined.

Okay... well I guess that catches me up with you all.   I hope all is going well for you and yours.

Hope to hear from you soon,
Sonia

Thursday Favorite

As the 4th of July approaches, I'm happy to know my dad is getting stronger every day and my niece Chloe is on the way and is scheduled to be born tomorrow.

New beginnings, new birth... isn't that what our country is all about?  The freedom to worship when and where you like; the chance to start all over again, learning from your mistakes and making better choices; the right to have your own thoughts and to agree or disagree with what's going on around you and the right to voice those thoughts.

Ben Franklin said "Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature".

So as you spend time with family and friends this weekend, whether grilling out and shooting off fireworks, or just chilling out watching a fireworks show, remember to thank God for the freedoms you have.

Hugs,
Sonia

One day down...

Hi, hope you had a great weekend.   Weekends never last long enough for me.  :)

Friday evening I caught this picture of the beautiful sky.  It was as the sun was setting after a storm.

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I tried out a recipe for Caramel Rolls.  I had to tweak it a little as I didn't have all the ingredients, but they turned out good.

Here's the recipe.

For Caramel:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut in slices
36 pecan halves
For Dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
For Filling:
2 Tbsp soften margarine or butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Cinnamon

Heat oven to 450°F.  Place 2 tsp brown sugar, 2 tsp butter and 3 pecan halves in each of 12 muffin cups; place in oven until melted.  Mix ingredients for dough, pour out on a floured surface, forming a ball and knead about 5 times.  Roll dough out into a 9" x 15" rectangle.  Spread the softened margarine/butter, brown sugar and cinnamon on the rectangle except for about 1/2" around the edge. Roll tightly from the long edge and pinch closed.  Cut into 1/2" pieces.  Place each piece on top of the melted caramel mix in the muffin cups.  Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. When rolls are done, immediately turn pan upside down on a heat proof serving dish. Leave pan over rolls for 1 minute, then remove and serve (Remember leave pan on rolls only 1 minute, I left mine a little longer and some of the caramel wanted to stay in the pan).

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There's a great opportunity coming up for you to share your creative space with other bloggers.

Check out http://www.mydesertcottage.com/2015/06/its-party-time-again.html

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Also check out Vicki's giveaway.  http://vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.com/2015/06/summer-love-giveaway-for-you.html

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One day down... only four more days until the weekend.  :)

Until next time...

Hugs,

Sonia