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Snowy Sunday morning in the Valley!We were heading south to church this morning; and the farther we drove, the more wintry the scenery became. Soon we received the call that services were cancelled today, and we followed this truck off the interstate and turned around to go home.
Quiet and relaxed...an enjoyable Sunday with just us!
And now we're anticipating Wednesday's temps of 76 degrees! Maybe today really was winter's last hurrah!
~Deb
Since I first posted back in January about starting the Bee in My Bonnet Row Along quilt project I'm doing with a long-distance friend, I haven't posted any of my progress photos.
I've been sewing rows of butterflies, apples, flying geese, and cups of cocoa. Our schedule has been a new row every two weeks.
With snow on the ground again earlier this week, I was busy inside trying to sew a bit ahead for the row that will be due while I'm picking up Granny in SC. Here's a sample:And here are all six rows I've completed below. I'm not sure which is my favorite--maybe the apples!
In other crafty news, this week I sewed the 12th and final Block of the Month for our Saturday Sampler class at Patchwork Plus. Class is over...but much work still to be done to sew them all together for a quilt!
And finally, this week I put the binding on the table runner I made for my sister. The charm pack was a Christmas gift to her with a promise to make the runner and deliver it when I visited.
The fabric is Kate Spain's Sunnyside, and it's the easy Disappearing Nine-Patch pattern. Since my sister has a new yellow kitchen, I tried a bright yellow tablecloth to see how it would look:And here's another shot that may show the fabrics a little better:
So the sewing machine, long sewing table, and scraps of fabric have all been put away for a couple of weeks. More sewing projects when I return.
In the meantime, the girls are gearing up for the first Farmers' Market of the season--next Saturday, April 5th! Is it that time already?!
If you're local, why not visit them if you're in the market for Hannah's wonderful homemade goat's milk soap or some of Sarah's delicious pies and cupcakes. The Mountain Musings' kitchen is destined to be hopping!
~Deb
March 21, 1979...Tom and I met each other for the first time 35 years ago today at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in my hometown of South Boston, Virginia, when he arrived from "up north" as a college senior seeking an electrical engineering job.
I was the secretary who arranged his flight, rental car, and hotel for the interview...and the one who had thoroughly read his resume. :)
When Tom ended up turning down the job offer in order to be closer to Langley Air Force base in Hampton, Virginia, where he would be helping lead Bible studies for the military guys, I was impressed that a college student without a job would turn down the offer of one because he'd promised to volunteer in a military ministry.
I'm very grateful to my boss (Hi, Ron!) who passed along Tom's letter to me because he thought I'd be interested to read the story behind his decision. I decided to drop Tom a quick note--knowing I'd never see him again--just to wish him well and to tell him I'd be praying for him to find a job closer to Hampton.
Well, who knew he'd write back?? That began a penpal relationship many years and many memories ago. We tell folks that he turned down the job, but he took the secretary!
Today we celebrated our first-met-each-other anniversary downtown at a little lunch place called Pampered Palate: And here's a view from the opposite direction. The building was built around 1840 and is part of the downtown Historic District. I've brought many friends here for lunch through the years:
Here's that young college student treating me to lunch as we together remember our anniversary:
The tables at Pampered Palate include a round piece of glass overtop the tablecloths, and patrons can leave notes tucked underneath. Today I left this note:
"March 21, 1979 ~ Tom and Deb first meeting. Celebrated at Pampered Palate today, Friday, March 21, 2014. Fun 35 years!"
That's been my Friday. It's been good. How was yours?
~Deb
Are you ready for all those wonderful words above? What's your favorite word on the list?
My favorites are GARDEN and FLOWERS.
"For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." ~ Song of Solomon 2:11-12
Enjoy your spring day wherever you are!
~Deb
Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! We had yet another winter storm come through last night, dumping almost 8 inches of snow on us - rather unusual for March in Virginia.
This morning was spent in shoveling and snowblowing, and thankfully the snow came up easily and the driveway dried out well.
Last week I asked Mom if I could make supper tonight, and she said yes! ;) Did you know we have never had corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day before? I was determined to change that.
I looked up a ton of different recipes and ended up going with Pioneer Woman's corned beef recipe, with sides of Irish soda bread, glazed carrots and parsnips, a fruit tray, and colcannon (that's how I snuck in the cabbage!).
Notice how the fruit and the carrot dish are the colors of the Irish flag! Yay! And I also found directions on how to fold napkins in a four-leaf clover shape.
I was planning on making something new for dessert, but we had plenty of GREEN cupcakes left from church yesterday, so we just went with those.
The meal was not too bad, although I thought the corned beef was a tad salty. Everybody had at least a little taste of everything, even the colcannon. At least we can say we've had an Irish meal!
Now I'm sitting here relaxing with my shamrock socks on, writing this post. :)
How was your St. Patrick's Day?
~Sarah
Hello, quilting friends! How will you spend National Quilting Day?
A trip to your local quilt shop for new fabric? Well, I did that yesterday and bought some backing fabric for the table runner I'm making for my sister. I've already basted it, and it's ready to quilt! Will show you a picture soon.
Reorganize my sewing area? No, not today. Since my sewing area is basically in Granny's room when she's away, I'll be taking everything out of there in another couple of weeks because she's coming back in April!!! Yay!
Start a new project? Maybe, just maybe. How about starting on the Vintage Farmhouse block of the month from Fig Tree Quilts? That will be a fun and unusual project! Clean and oil your machine? Mine was just serviced last week...it needed it! Now, it's all clean and ready for sewing today!
Order a quilty item online? This morning I ordered a Magic Wand for ease in sewing half square triangles from the American's Quilter's Society because shipping was free in honor of National Quilting Day! I love free shipping!
How about eating a food that starts with Q? Quesadillas? Asparagus Quesadillas? Recently I found this recipe over at Organic Gardening for Asparagus Quesadillas. We bought all the ingredients, and Hannah will make it for us soon!
Sew? Sure! That sounds like a great way to celebrate National Quilting Day! Today I'll continue on the Row-Along that I'm doing with a friend and posted about here. I'm just starting on the 5th row and need to post pictures! (Typepad photo upload is out of commission this morning so I'll post soon!)
Enjoy your weekend and National Quilting Day however you end up celebrating!
~Deb
Last week, after more than 3 months of talking about it, Hannah and I were able to get together with some of our friends to have an afternoon of shopping at all the cute little stores downtown.
It was a beautiful sunny day, still a bit chilly, but so much nicer than it had been. It was great to get out and about after being snowbound so often in the last month. We enjoyed browsing through Grandma's Bait, Cocoa Mill, Made, The Emporium, Barrister's Books, and ended with Appalachian Piecework and Rachel's Quilt Patch.
The quilt below was from the 1800's, and the owner of Appalachian Piecework was repairing numerous worn patches. I like the blue and white colors! It was really still in great condition for its age. We were discussing the pattern, and we realized it's just a simple nine patch, but the blocks are set on point with plain white squares alternating with the nine patches.
After we were worn out from shopping, we decided to stop in at Blue Mountain Coffees to sit down with some hot drinks. My white hot chocolate was yummy!
Thanks, girls, for the fun afternoon!
~Sarah
Did you know that many vegetable scraps, including green onions, can be placed in water to re-grow? When chopping green onions for a recipe, simply trim the root end with a few inches of white away from the green part of the stalk. Place the root ends upright in a jar, covering the roots with a few inches of water, and set in a sunny window.
In the photo above, the onions on the left have been shooting upward for exactly 1 week. The onions on the right have been growing for 4 weeks and are ready (or past ready) to use. You can snip the onions at any time as needed, or you can wait until they are taller, cut them off near the roots, and begin the process again. This gives you a continuous supply of scallions! You may need to refresh the water in the jar after several days.
I'm glad we tried this experiment. It's nice to have a little bit of something growing while there is still snow on the ground outside. Have you done something similar with success?
~Hannah
"A garden is breathtaking when it's in full bloom! It is blissful relaxation, a quiet retreat, my refuge from the world." ~ quote taken from Country Gardens magazine Monday morning reality:
"All winter long, I envision what beautiful blooms I'll have...I can even smell them, their scents as wonderful as in my mother's garden." ~ quote taken from Country Gardens magazine
~Deb
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