Mountain Musings

Galentine's Virtual February Sew-Along!

Happy First Day of February everyone! Happy Hearts Month!

What a great day to stay inside and get cozy with 5 inches of snow on the ground! Plus, it's a Monday, and there's no place to go, so let's sew!

February is normally when the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show is held in Hampton,Virginia, and my friend, Chris, and I usually attend the show each year. Afterwards, she hosts a girlfriends' sew-along at her home the same weekend.

In fact, here's a photo of us at our last Quilty Girls' Weekend in 2019 ready to enjoy the fun. Sadly, we missed the 2020 show last year, and this year it's an online event only:

Sew...what to do?  Chris came up with the idea of a virtual Galentine's 2021 Sew-Along, and I quickly agreed that it would be a fun thing to do.

We will check in with each other and text progress pictures throughout the month. She's an organizing, coordinating, prize-giving type of hostess!

Per her hilarious video texted to me this morning with all the instructions, this is already shaping up to be an enjoyable fun-filled month of sewing!

I'm holding red and pink fabrics from "my stash" and the pattern I will use--the Infinite Hearts quilt pattern--which you can purchase over at Quilty Love.

There's an Infinite Hearts Quilt Along going on hosted by Emily Dennis...her instagram account shows her progress updates with blue hearts, very pretty! I am just getting started with that Quilt Along, so I will use it to coincide with our virtual girlfriends' activity. This also coordinates with #SEW365Project...sewing at least 5 minutes every day this year!

And here's the pattern Chris will use--Kiss Me by Fig Tree and a Candy Kisses jelly roll by Sandy Gervais. As you can see, she has her Valentine M&Ms all ready for the sew-along to start, a necessity for any serious quilter! I also have a Moda boxed quilt kit by Deb Strain called Love Grows, which will be fun to work on, although it may need to be put on hold while the Infinite Hearts quilt gets done:

In addition, I found such a cute pattern on Instagram by Simply Eilene for a Valentine's mug rug. This would be a perfect small project to use up any of my red and pink scraps from the sew-alongs! Eilene's Etsy shop is here.

Today, before I even get started on the Galentine's 1st Week of Fun, I need to work on my last blocks for Moda Blockheads 3! This is what I'm doing today:

This year-long 56-block project is coming to a close with this week being the last block posted. I'm trying to get all caught up by the end of this week.

I'm copying Joanna over at Fig Tree with sewing all red and white blocks, and my design wall is absolutely overloaded!!  I'm running out of room! I will have to post a finished photo when it's all sewn together, and you'll be able to tell what it truly looks like!

Looks like a red, white, and pink Valentine-y kind of sewing month for sure!

~Deb

Yet Another Quilty Christmas ~ 2020!

Here we are at the end of an unusual 2020! We haven't posted as much this year...so if you're still coming around to check out what's happening around Mountain Musings, yes, we're still here and so far, staying healthy. We hope you are well, too!

Last Christmas, all the kids and their families were here at home with us to celebrate together. I wrote a blog post last December and commented that it was one of my favorite Christmases ever...all together, home for Christmas!

This year was different.

Because the long-distance kids couldn’t be here on Christmas Day this year…we’ve celebrated with them already earlier this month.

Round #1…Sarah and her family in Georgia traveled to Virginia in early December, and that was such a wonderful time with those four grandchildren! It's a blessing they came to visit for both Sarah's birthday and celebrating Christmas when they did!

 Round #2...Last week our oldest son Micah and his family visited for a few days, and we celebrated with them. The boys were a joy to have around. The time just doesn’t last long enough! But we’re thankful we could see them all and also celebrate a grandson's 12th birthday! Is there anything better than children and grandchildren visiting? Nope.

So it's been a fun-kind-of-busy time, working these past months on quilts for Christmas. And I couldn't show you here on the blog until they were gifted!

I made dinosaur quilts for both the 3-year old and the 1-year old. I think the quilts were a big hit for the little boys! This is Elizabeth Hartman's dinosaur pattern. Quilt #1:

And this little guy below posed in front of his dinosaur quilt...Quilt #2:

Our first granddaughter, this 7-month old little lady, seems to have fallen in love with her ladybug quilt already! Yay, another success!  Quilt #3...plus Quilt #3a because I made a mini-ladybug wall hanging for her room, too:

Quilt #4...I made this Daisy Quilt back in the spring for Sarah. I'm trying to make each of my daughters a quilt to display for each season, so check another one off the list...yay: Quilt #5...our grandson loves the color green...especially if it's neon green! So I thought I'd make him a quilt using a variety of greens (plus some blacks added in here and there).

The pattern is one I used years ago for a manly quilt for Jonathan in my very first quilt-along with Randi over at I Have To Say. This one is called The Road to Spring...quite appropriate using all the greens!

I also appliqued an E on the quilt for added interest:

Here's the label for this quilt:


Round #3 of celebrating Christmas...my sister, Betty, arrived from South Carolina this week to spend Christmas with us. After all the grandchildren and their festivities, it definitely seemed a change of pace! But we've had a very good day with family together:

Quilt #6...Back in the fall, Fig Tree Quilts started a quilt-along with a pattern called Trick or Treat. I switched the colors to oranges and browns instead of the typical orange and black....and I absolutely loved this pattern! I'd love to make it again in Christmas colors!

This quilt was made for Hannah for her fall seasonal quilt, and here she is after opening it this morning. Flying Geese is my favorite pattern, and this quilt includes quite the number of flying geese:

She knew I was making this fall quilt, but she had no idea that I'd had it long-arm quilted and that I was gifting it to her! Fun to surprise her!

Well, that about wraps up our three rounds of Christmas and the six quilts gifted this year. What do I start sewing on next? Maybe the ongoing Blockheads 3 quilt-along, which I'm very far behind on!

We are very thankful for you, our faithful blog readers. Leave a comment just to say hello and let us know how you're faring through it all.

From our family to yours...we want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

"Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!" ~ 2 Corinthians 9:15

~Deb

Welcome, November!

In our last post I wrote about traveling to Raphine, Virginia, for the Open House at Season's Yield Farm.

This weekend my sister was visiting us from South Carolina, and she wanted to go to their Saturday Bread Barn Day and experience all the action first hand after reading on the blog about our excursion! The vendors were set up again in the field...a variety of different and interesting offerings from the previous visit: Hannah was one of the vendors this weekend and introduced her goats' milk soaps to the farm visitors. Tom took along some of his cutting boards, and they also brought a few of Granny's baskets. Successful day of selling for all parties! Yay!

It was a chilly morning and in the 30's when they left to set up! Brrrr!

Since I didn't get inside the Bread Barn on the last visit, I really hoped to this time! The crowds and lines were more manageable this weekend. Here's the front of the Bread Barn with no long line at this moment:

We made it inside...

...but, sadly, all the morning buns were gone, and the shelves were getting emptier and emptier! This was a popular place all morning, I guess! But I did place an order this time for one of their wood-fired pizzas...it was delicious and worth the wait! Here I am browsing the vendors while our pizza order bakes:

This lady made some beautiful cakes for sale: It's funny...I didn't grow up on a farm; I've never lived on a farm...basically, I don't think I could ever pick up a chicken if you paid me; and yet, I always love the atmosphere of being on a farm out in the country.
Love this display!

We've had a good visit here at the farm with Aunt Bet this weekend, and Granny sure loved having her come see her. Bye-bye Season's Yield Farm.

~Deb

Fresh, Crisp October Morning ~ Welcome Fall!

iStockphoto/Ralf Liebhold

The month of September passed by in a blur with, alas, no blog post to update you on all the happenings around Mountain Musings! Be assured, lots was going on around here this past month!

With beautiful garden pumpkins everywhere for inspiration, I've been in the sewing room...creating pumpkin table runners, of course! One runner was for daughter Sarah, so I dropped one in the mail so she could decorate her fall table in Georgia and give her a little taste of home: My sewing room needed some fall decorations too, so I switched out the quilted American flag and put up the pumpkin block my friend Chris made...I love being reminded of her sweet creativity as I work: Remember in an earlier post I showed you a photo of a neighbor's barn quilts she painted for passersby to enjoy? She's been changing them with the seasons! Here's the newest one up for fall. I love seeing these quilt blocks outside every time I go out! Nothing says Fall like going to craft fairs and fall festivals...if you can find any open this year!

Our beloved Dayton Days which I usually write about was postponed until October, 2021. Last year Tom debuted his fine woodworking there, along with Hannah's soaps. You can read about their experience here. They will surely miss going this fall.

So, this year we heard about a local farm's Open House we wanted to attend....Seasons' Yield Farm! Isn't the farm house and grounds beautiful? I loved strolling around just observing and taking pictures: On the recent Open House weekend, which introduced their new Air B&B, lots of folks came to check it out and explore the Bread Barn and its wares. They sell loaves of wood-fired bread, pastries, and on this Open House weekend...pizza!

Here's the Bread Barn and part of the long line I waited in for almost an hour...and then, sadly, I gave up, and didn't sample their morning buns which had been highly recommended: The thought of a delicious wood-fired pizza, though, was almost enough to entice me to stand in line longer...maybe next time! Plenty of wood piled up and pizza boxes waiting for customers:There were a good variety of vendors spread out on the property from alpaca goods to just-picked apples, maple syrup, decorated cakes, and honey: Jonathan enjoyed talking to this vendor, because he and Hannah own a herd share at Creambrook Farm, and we pick up raw milk from them every week: This vendor sold a variety of apples, some unusual kinds I'd never heard of: Sarah, our beloved former resident cake baker :), should have been here to see this lady's decorated cakes for sale: An old truck, a pumpkin, a country flower garden...and sheep in the distance..this farm was right up my alley! I loved the flower beds...and there was a sign that said, "Pick yourself a free bouquet!" Soon it was time for the two of us to leave...Jonathan was headed in to work, and I was headed to the quilt shop. Bye-bye Seasons' Yield Farm...it was a beautiful Saturday for riding out and exploring the countryside! Well, of course, there's lots more fun that happened in September, including a visit on Labor Day from the grandsons who live north of us!

Always a special time to have this game-loving grandson come visit...we know all the game boards will be set up for sure! Count me in when Ticket to Ride gets pulled out!  But there's got to be some fresh air after all those games...here's Uncle Jonathan showing off his pear tree loaded with pears: Let's make sure we get a picture with Great-Granny! After they were headed back home, I realized I could have gotten in there for a 4-generation picture. Awww...

And last but not least, Hannah and I went out for National Daughter's Day last week to a local cafe we'd been wanting to try...Sugar & Bean. Fun outing with an absolutely wonderful daughter! I am blessed!

Looking ahead to October, Tom and I are looking forward to a Virginia fall getaway, compliments of the kids for our 40th! Hope I can get some great pictures of the fall scenery.

~Deb

Looking Over Our Shoulders ~ Happy 40th Anniversary To Us!

"Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together."  ~ Psalm 34:3

 

Tom and I just returned from our 2nd honeymoon...our wedding anniversary trip back to Chincoteague Island, Virginia, celebrating where we spent our honeymoon 40 years ago! How in the world can it have been that many years?

We started our anniversary weekend off with a Zoom call with the four kids, spouses, and the grandchildren for a long-distance 40th anniversary celebration party...that was a total surprise and so delightful!

What a special time of visiting together, opening unexpected gifts and cards, and viewing the "Look Over Your Shoulder" video Hannah put together with photos from our wedding day, the kids growing up, marrying, babies arriving, all through the years...what a tear-jerker, looking back over the last 40 years!

Looking back....

August 23, 1980 (Who's reading this who was at our wedding??)
Four kids came along pretty quickly...busy years, fun years...

And they grew up, and we started homeschooling them....dad teaching math and science and mom teaching the rest of the subjects: We went on dozens of field trips and enjoyed those 17 years of homeschooling immensely...and then all four graduated and ended that season of our lives... And two of them married and started us on the journey of being grandparents...

So that's where the years went! Looking over our shoulders this past week has shown us the Lord's wonderful blessings to us through the years!

Summer, 2020 (Recognize us?? Are we really those same young kids in the first photo?)

Hannah did a super job on our anniversary video using, with permission, "Look Over Your Shoulder," words and music by Heather Schopf © Forever Be Sure Music.

If you'd like to hear Mrs. Schopf and the Forever Be Sure team sing the song Hannah used, you can watch their official Youtube music video posted here. The words to the song are so appropriate...very poignant. (This is the music team's public video, not the private family video.)

We started our anniversary off with a car selfie on the road to Chincoteague! I'm so very thankful that Hannah could stay with Granny so I could take a few days away. Thank you, Hannah!

I would say this trip brought back lots of memories...but to be honest, after 40 years I didn't remember anything about the area, except the name of the hotel we stayed in both times...The Refuge Inn.

We crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and started seeing some beautiful scenery: Lots of water and beautiful inlets everywhere! Below we are crossing Mosquito Creek...I kid you not! There was a sign! I wasn't very excited about that...mosquitoes love me way too much! We arrived at The Refuge Inn, donned our masks made by Hannah, climbed lots of steps with all our luggage, and started settling in for a few days: Our room was nice, complete with a Smallwood Home wall sign which told us to Make Yourself At Home. I loved that!

Our number #1 planned activity was a boat ride the first morning to see dolphins and hopefully see the famous Chincoteague ponies, which we found out was not guaranteed...it all depended on where the horses were when the boats came around.

Tom's all ready for the excursion and looking forward to this adventure, as we had not seen the ponies 40 years ago when we were honeymooning. Yes, we did see dolphins, but they never jumped up...but it was exciting to see several swimming around the boat!

There were only four other people on our Daisey Island Cruise, plus the tour guide, and we were all socially distanced. The day was quite breezy at 10 - 15 miles per hour. Very fun two-hour tour!

We motored on to where the ponies could be found on the island...and success! They were there! The annual end-of-July pony penning and swimming across the island (which started in the 1800's) was cancelled this year. The event usually draws a crowd of 4,000 people to this small island. Instead, they ended up having an online auction which netted the local fire department $390,000, the highest amount ever raised any other year! And just when it was time for us to boat to a different part of the island, the ponies started their wandering trek back into the forest. We were there at just the right time! Our guide told us he's had tours that never saw the ponies. So very thankful! There they go... We hung around the ponies for quite a long time, and, Hunter, our born-on-the-island tour guide with a degree in marine biology, regaled us with much knowledge and many stories. He knew all the pony's names...Pappy's Pony, Starry Night, Cinnamon Blaze, Summer, Susy Sweetheart, Unforgettable, Bay Girl...and most famous was Riptide. We finished up our tour with boating by the Assateague Lighthouse:

It was an excellent tour and perfect day for being out on the water! Hunter is docking the boat in this next photo...neat island scene: That evening we borrowed the 1961 Misty of Chincoteague video from our hotel and watched the story of the horses on the island, which I had never seen or read about before this trip! Watch a 1-minute clip here. Have you seen the movie? Read the books? I enjoyed our movie evening! The next day we planned a bike ride (aka adult trike ride for an old lady! LOL!) over to Assateague Island and the beach there.

Okaaayyy....am I ready for this?? Citronella arm bracelets and anklets? Check. Tons of spray? Check. I love that trikes come with baskets! Tom's all set for his biking jaunt over to the beach:

We made it to the beach where we sat and watched the waves and lots of surfers for awhile...pretty beach, pretty day! I wish now that we'd planned a real stay-all-day beach day...but this was biking day and catching a quick glimpse of the beach before lunch type of day: Tom wrote on the beach like he did on our honeymoon....Tom (heart) Deb...40 Years! Awww...

Here's our selfie before we head back (smiling, even though dealing with literally dozens of mosquito bites from biking on the bike path through the woods instead of staying on the main busier road). Tip: Mosquitoes don't know what citronella bracelets mean....and...always take the main road. I'm sure there are lots of other photos from mini-golfing, Chincoteague Museum, Mariners' Point, visiting Island Creamery and Famous Pizza I could share...

But I'll close with a photo of one of the gifts from all the kids...a canvas from Smallwood Home with the wedding song Tom wrote and sang on wedding day. You can see the photo of him singing to me imprinted behind the words. I absolutely love this!!! So perfect! Thank you to all the kids for such a special gift!

Today precious friend, God makes us one

My dear love for you will never be done.

Let's seek Jesus' face and know Him anew

So that His love may be our love, too.

 

Oh, magnify the Lord with me

And let us exalt His name together

May our union bring more glory to Him.

 

My dearest lover to you do I cleave.

This marriage will last because God we've believed.

With service and truth our lives we now gird

To spread His good news in deed and in word.

 

Oh, magnify the Lord with me

And let us exalt His name together

May our union bring more glory to Him.

~~Tom Girotti, 1980

 

Then Samuel took a stone...and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."  ~ I Samuel 7:12

Happy 40th Anniversary to us!

~Deb

New Girl On The Block!

This past weekend we celebrated Great Granny's 92nd birthday!  Wasn't it just yesterday that we celebrated her 90th...twice? with two parties? (Party #1 and Party #2)!  Here's Great Granny all excited about her big day:

We were absolutely thrilled that Sarah, Eric and their children drove in from Georgia to help us celebrate. We hadn't seen them in over six months! What a fun, fun time!

And the reason for all the extra celebration? Our first granddaughter (after all boys!) was arriving! Here's a four-generation photo with the new little girl on the block: We're thinking all these little munchkins are some of our very favorite people. Here's a family picture we took while they were here: And, of course, we all took turns holding this delightfully smiley baby...all weekend she was just as content as could be. I wouldn't mind if they forgot to bring her back home with them!

Even Uncle Jonnie made it home from work in time for some cookies and cuddling...and put her right to sleep: Grampa was the tractor driver and gave the boys a ride on his wagon, which was a big hit again this year, along with T-ball practice, and the slip 'n slide. Grampa truly was the best ever Grampa this weekend! There they go again...Aunt Hannah holding her nephew's hand who would rather walk the route: Great Granny opened her birthday gifts:

And blew out 92 birthday candles (sort of) on her cake, before we dipped up the homemade peach ice cream Hannah made: Another evening of their visit, we made a small bonfire, and the boys roasted marshmallows for the very first time for S'mores: Fireworks followed as we sat around and enjoyed the evening and each other's company:

Here I am (Granny) holding my first granddaughter:

On their last evening in Virginia, we were entertained by Jonathan playing some tunes while the boys played on the deck:

It sure was hard to say good-bye to this crew this week, but it definitely was a very special visit....Great Granny had eagerly anticipated meeting this new little girl! That, I'm sure, was her best birthday gift!Thankfully, they're safely back home now...the slip 'n slide is put away, the wagon back in the shed, the pack 'n play waiting til the next time, and this house is way too quiet.

We're certainly looking forward to whenever we can see them again. Grand-parenting from a distance is hard. But...we're oh so thankful for today's technology to keep in touch so they won't forget us!

~Deb

Social Distancing With Some Texas Friends

Well, it sure felt odd to give "air handshakes" and "air hugs" to our friends...but those are the times we're living in!

Our long-time friends from Texas stopped by to visit us this week as they were passing through, and we had an enjoyable time of catching up with them.

Here's David talking with Tom before supper. Interesting fact: he's the only person we've ever known to have the exact same birthday as Tom...same day, same year.

David had driven with his daughter Kandace (below) on a three-day-long trip to help an aunt move to Virginia. They enjoyed getting to converse with Granny on the deck as we awaited supper: Hannah and Kandace caught up on each other's lives, as it had been 11 years since their whole family visited us here.

You can read that long-ago blog post by clicking Texas Meets Virginia! We also traveled to visit their family three years later in 2012, and you can read that post by clicking Deep in the Heart of Texas. It sure was a walk down memory lane as we re-read these blog posts ourselves!

We've written about the Spring 100 recently and how Tom, Hannah, and I are trying to walk 100 miles this spring. Kandace is also a participant.

So...we decided to walk together around the property and count our miles as part of our weekly goal. Here we are just getting started on a chilly but beautiful evening: On our walk we passed the garden and talked about what we were growing this year (hopefully a garden post is coming soon): Kandace and Hannah walked ahead of us oldsters...across a newly mowed field of hay. I love this picture because I love the old barn on the next-door property! It was a very fun walk.

Nearing the end of the walk around the property, we stopped for another photo:

Time flew by way too quickly, and it was time for them to get back on the road soon after our walk. The men did elbow bumps to say good-bye, and more air hugs to Kandace as they were leaving...including sending an air-hug to my friend Krista, her mom, who sadly couldn't come on the trip.

Jonathan made it home from work just in time before they left and was able to get in a quick hello / good-bye before they pulled out headed to Williamsburg. This visit was very refreshing after being quarantined at home for so long, and it was so good to see familiar faces. Thank you all for coming to visit for a couple of hours, even if we had to social distance! It was fun!

~Deb

Missing in Action

Well, hello long-lost blog! Hello, faithful blog readers!

Yes, missing in action applies to me. Here's my lonely sewing room....everything is in the exact same spot as it was over two weeks ago when a family emergency happened.

Unfortunately, Granny fell and broke her shoulder...oh no! I was actually sitting at my sewing table when I heard her scream and Hannah calling for me to come quickly!

The local rescue squad arrived and took her to the hospital where we learned the humeral head of her shoulder was broken, a break on which surgery is not normally done.

She was in the hospital a few days in quite a bit of pain, before being transferred to a rehab facility for a week until we could bring her home for more comfortable accommodations, definitely better food, and her family's loving care.

This week a home health nurse, physical therapist, and occupational therapist arrived to begin twice weekly care to get her mobile again. They'll be in and out for the next two months before more range-of-motion outpatient physical therapy starts.

Here's Granny, still smiling and glad to be home after all her hospital and rehab escapades:

We were able to get outside on the deck one warmer day this week to get some fresh air and sun. She's still quite weak, and we need to be oh, so careful with that arm/shoulder:

Before this accident happened, long-time friends were scheduled to stop by for an overnight visit on their way to Florida. We definitely wanted to see them and didn't want to cancel even with Granny in the hospital. So...with a little maneuvering, I was able to be in both places at just the right times. :)

They have fond memories of Granny and were so sad they didn't get to see her this visit. Here we are with Tim and Donna from Connecticut. Tim was Tom's best man in our wedding...40 years ago this summer.

Needless to say, we ask for your prayers for Granny as she recuperates and especially that her shoulder will heal quickly and properly...and for us as we care for her.

Tomorrow we go to the orthopedic surgeon for new x-rays; he's performed all her previous back surgeries and, I'm sure, will be so sorry she's having to go through this.

And for those friends who have already sent cards and flowers, she appreciates them all.

Hopefully, I'll be back making daisies this week...or soon.

"Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice."  ~ Psalm 51:8

Thank you for your prayers!

~Deb

It Was a Quilty Kind of Christmas!

I've been a tad busy quilting the last few months...as most people are this time of year getting their crafty gifts ready for gift-giving! So if you didn't see much of me here on the blog, it was because I was burning some midnight oil on the sewing machine.

I first started making a quilt for Jonathan back in the summer when I saw an airplane pattern on Instagram called Aviator by Lella Boutique. Since he works at the airport and is all about airplanes, I thought this pattern was perfect for him.

He was very surprised and loved it! Maureen, at The Quiltery, quilted it with little propeller airplanes flying all over it...such a fun quilt! Here he is holding it up after receiving his new quilt on Christmas Day:

Next, I secretly started Hannah's quilt in August while she was away from home, busy helping out when our 5th grandson was born! It was the perfect time to work on it to surprise her.

This time I chose Lella Boutique's pattern Home Again in Little Tree fabrics making Christmas colored houses. It turned out quite lovely! Maureen again long-arm quilted this for me using a holly and berries quilting pattern.

Here's Hannah holding up her quilt:

Then in September and October I worked on a gift boxes quilt for Sarah using a Thimble Blossoms quilt pattern, Handmade with Love. I used novelty Christmas fabric which I had won years ago from Henry Glass fabrics called One Crazy Christmas Eve, by Beth Logan.

Maureen's long-arm machine at The Quiltery was getting yet another workout using a pattern with four different trucks quilted all over it, including a dump truck and loader truck.

This whole quilt was very unique, and I think Sarah's three boys will love curling up in it and pointing out all the trucks! I had told her to pick a pattern kids would love.

Here's Sarah holding her quilt:

Granny was visiting my sister in SC for the month of November...so I thought this was the perfect timing to get an improv quilt made for my sister so Granny wouldn't see it and know what I was doing.

I had never made an improv quilt before so I researched online and watched Youtube videos to learn how. Here's my first whimsical block in progress: I really had fun with this one using up tons of colorful scraps...lots of scraps weren't even from my own scrap fabric bin...they were from quilters all over the country, sent to me when I won their scrap giveaways! A special shout-out to Silly Mama Quilts...I think I won at least three of Brooke's giveaways...here, here, and here. I spot some fabrics in her posts which I used in my sister's quilt!

Since this was a smaller lap quilt, I straight-line quilted this one myself, and here it is all laid out before gifting. I called it Color Explosion because it was totally a riot of color, along with some wonky stars added in: Here's my sister checking out her new improv quilt after she opened it! I think she loved it!

Sooo, I wanted all four of the recipients to line up so I could take pictures of the quilts. Here's the result of that photo shoot...first, out back with the barn quilt in the background: And then out front with the Allegheny Mountains in the background:

And then Hannah suggested a wrap-around styled photo. Everyone was a good sport to participate: So once the holidays are over and the new year arrives, it's time to get back to work in the sewing room....I had so much fun making the improv quilt, I think I want to do another one. There are plenty of scraps left!

We had a wonderful Christmas here at Mountain Musings! Great Granny was with all 5 of her great-grandsons (and their families) this Christmas....what could be better? And here are Granny and Grampa with the grandsons...

And here's our whole crew...Micah, Hannah, Jonathan, and Sarah, home for Christmas!!....and 5 grandsons! Counting our Blessings for sure!: This has been one of my most favorite Christmases ever! Absolutely loved having everyone here!

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy New Year! Thanks for reading the blog all these many years. See you in 2020!

~Deb

Girls' Day Out in Lynchburg!

Girls' Day Out...what activities come to your mind for a mother/daughter outing?

Well...Hannah and I planned our special girls' day out trip to Lynchburg...mostly based on an Instagram account I follow! 

Our day included browsing the Meanwhile Back on the Farm pocketbook factory, stopping by a friend's new apartment to say hello, having lunch in downtown Lynchburg, visiting more friends for a special gift presentation, enjoying tea and scones with friends at an additional stop, and concluding our day by...yes, visiting more friends while we were still in the Lynchburg area! As we walked in the door, sewing machines were immediately in front of us, and we watched employees sewing, cutting pocketbook lining, and selecting the leather for the purses. It was all very busy and interesting: We browsed these display shelves with the finished leather and canvas purses and various straps. There were handbags classified as hobos, shoulder bags, magazines, and backpacks: These were the two colors that stood out as very striking to me...yellow and poppy--these were buckled to be used for backpacks, so not my choice of style, but I liked everything else.

I was not only deciding if I even wanted a purse for myself but also back and forth with my sister via text two states away sending her pictures of all the different choices!  The lady who was the factory assistant for customers was so informative and helpful. She held up her own purse to show another style that was sold out in their inventory: I made a decision and didn't leave with a new purse...but...the factory is currently in the process of making one exactly like I wanted: color, style, and lining! It should be mailed to me within a week. Thanks, Granny, for a very nice Christmas gift!

It was so interesting to visit Meanwhile Back on the Farm! I'm sure you would enjoy your time there if you checked them out: Lunch was delicious at R. A. Bistro, a restaurant we'd never heard of but was recommended to us for our special outing. We would definitely go again!: Next stop after lunch...after much crafting and anticipation of this gift, I presented their grandmother's refurbished antique sewing machine drawers to three sisters, Anna, Abigail, and Elizabeth. I think they were surprised! Here's the story....

Their dad, many years ago, gave his mother's (or ?) grandmother's antique Singer sewing machine to me because he knew I loved quilting and would appreciate it; and rather than throw away an old machine, I was the recipient!

I've kept the machine in the he-shed until I could get it refinished and usable as a table. So I've had this idea for the drawers in mind for awhile...surely these girls should have a part of their grandmother's old machine to treasure rather than me!

Tom volunteered to sand the dilapidated drawers and stain them for me between working on his other projects. He used a variety of stains for the four drawers, including brown mahogany, antique oak, fruitwood, and early American. Each girl received a different stained drawer: I was in charge of obtaining old Scrabble tiles and super-gluing them to the front of the drawers. I used 1953 antique rounded-edge Scrabble tiles found on e-bay: I, too, own an antique sewing machine drawer given to me by a friend. I decorated my drawer with the word QUILT in Scrabble letters, and I use it for lots of sewing notions.

Here's my drawer...I love the front of it with the unique carving for the knob, although my drawer hasn't been newly sanded and re-stained like the others: Hannah was a big help as we brainstormed appropriate Scrabble words to make each of the girl's drawers unique to them. Here's what we came up with CREATE, NOTES, and GATHER: The fourth drawer on the machine was given to Hannah, and she picked GATHER for her word. She also picked the brown mahogany, a darker stain for her drawer: So here are the girls after the presentation and after I told them the whole story behind the project. Happy smiles!

Next stop was tea and scones with a mother/daughter/granddaughter for part of the afternoon. What a wonderfully, delightful time! The table looked so inviting with beautiful tea cups, all kinds of tea flavors, and apple caramel scones--along with a mixed fruit dish and Lindor chocolates! We enjoyed a relaxing conversation and delicious food...a good slower pace to catch our breath and fellowship with friends.

One final stop was to see more friends on the way home before calling it a long day! Hannah and I made it safely back over Afton Mountain on a cold, dark, pouring rain night.

But what a wonderful day it was! It was a great time out with Hannah and a very good time visiting friends. Thanks everyone for hosting us...even the quickie visits just to say hello!

And since this is my last post this month....we want to wish everyone a very safe and grateful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

"All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."  ~ 2 Corinthians 4:15-16

~Deb