Dale loves to go hiking, and I don't usually accompany him, though I'm never sorry when I do. Given bad knees, it's been a while since I've hiked anywhere. The last time I recall was after a double dose injection of steroids before my right total knee, and we went camping in Wyoming.
Recently he has checked out San Lorenzo Canyon, just north of Socorro, NM. The first time he was there, he followed a trail which unfortunately got him to the rim of the canyon with no way to get into the canyon itself.
The second time he scrambled up the rocky dead end of where you can drive to, and was rewarded with the canyon floor. He really wanted to take me there, though he wasn't sure I could make it up. In any case, the drive there is pretty, with lots of interesting vistas.
Once you get up this steep rocky area, you are walking on nice sandy gravel of the canyon floor. It does rise a bit, a little over a mile to the "end," at the largest of little springs along the way where we ate our lunch.
We waited until we had the best possible forecast weather, and we weren't disappointed. It was sunny, with nice breezes to keep us from overheating, though we each got a little overexposed with sun!
I was really happy I made it up the steep, rocky access to the canyon floor. Going back down was trickier, and I ended up just sliding down on my butt and inching my way back down. Fortunately my left knee isn't killing me this morning! I'm having to relearn coping with a bad knee...up with the good, down with the bad, but now my total knee is the "good," stronger knee.
I love blog giveaways and since I have a number of blogs I routinely follow, I frequently leave comments in order to win something! One of these blogs is While She Naps, which I've followed for a long while. Abby has been posting wonderful tutorials on making softies. I haven't been brave enough to design my own yet.
With this eBook I won, Anatomy of a Doll, I'm hoping to be brave enough to try. I have a number of "Greeter" heads that I hope to create a soft body for.
I'm nearing my 200th post here, and I'm thinking I should have a giveaway myself. Pretty paltry number since I've had this blog since fall of 2005! I'll try to come up with something good for the giveaway! Stay tuned!
It's great to have friends, even better when they like to quilt and contribute to your cause. I got so many tops at the retreat this year, and I'm working on getting them quilted up to give to Dr. Kaufman.
Dee made these three tops, and I had a nice, wide, decorator type fabric that worked great for backing. I was able to load one piece and put all three quilts on it. This largest of the three got a truck pantograph since I thought the colors made it boy friendly.
These next two, were more suitable for girls and I did an easier heart vine pantograph, which went a lot quicker than the trucks.
Dee also made coordinating binding to go with the quilts, making the whole process even easier. I must admit though that quilting and binding are my favorite parts of the process. Piecing becomes tedious to me rather quickly, especially when a quilt requires making the same block over and over.
We generally walk to the post office (less than two mile round trip) every day when the weather cooperates. When it doesn't, I drive, or don't bother to go at all if I'm not expecting anything. Lately the winds have been blowing rather fiercely, and on the few days we were able to walk, we made it back home before they kicked into high gear.
Dale went hiking and I walked to the post office alone. I was richly rewarded with the bounty below. All unexpected except for the 2.5" fabric noodles which were from a swap on about.com. The book was from Pat and the pincushion from Rosie. Now I just need a good pattern to start using the "noodles."
Spring is just around the corner, though sometimes it feels far away still. Hoping we have a peach crop this year.
I brought back a lot of quilt tops from the retreat in Phoenix. The first one I finished was a mystery quilt for one of the attendees. My own mystery quilt from the about.com forum is languishing in a project box--I abandoned it when one of the fabrics I picked wasn't quite enough to eke out the necessary number of blocks. I haven't found an adequate replacement. I used a pantograph which featured Saturn and stars on it, and her son is happy with his quilt.
The next finish was for one of three of Pat's nieces that's getting married this year. Two of them opted for homespuns, primitive, and Pat will also likely make the same quilt for their mother! I was happy not to be doing the piecing, and Pat churned out this quilt, just starting it at retreat and finishing it up on the Monday after it so that I could bring it back to NM with me. I used a Hibiscus pantograph on it which is dense to hold all those homespun seams together.
I had a deadline, since another retreat attendee was coming to Albuquerque for work, and I could send the quilt back to Phoenix with her. I also got lots of blocks at the retreat and I put this little quilt together as a diversion, or you could say (if you know me well) procrastinating on finishing the big quilt! I had the five pastel blocks and just added to it to make it a baby size quilt. Dr. Kaufman occasionally gets babies, and I figured she'd find a home for it. I used the Mandarin Garden pantograph again. I do really like this panto, and it's much more manageable on this little quilt. Wouldn't want to do a bed sized quilt with it. I used a satiny polyester fabric I found in my stash for a backing. It's really soft and light.
Had a great time in AZ at the annual quilting retreat. I won! I won! My postcard won first place in the postcard challenge--the theme was Home, Sweet, Home, and could mean whatever home meant to you. For me it was "enchanting" New Mexico skies with quilts and clothes on the line and cranes (which I drew in with marker) flying by.
I was inspired by the sky fabric sent to me by Pat since I was at Jackie's and woefully lacking any scraps or anything I could create a postcard with. I already spent my winning gift certificate on (of course) fabric from Keepsake Quilting!
I had to cancel my flight home and have Dale pick me up. I had way too much stuff even with Southwest's generous two 50 lb. suitcase limit. Talk about generosity...my friends at retreat sent me home with twelve quilt tops, a finished quilt, and lots of blocks and miscellaneous parts that will become quilts.
I found some binding in the stuff I brought home which worked perfectly for a quilt I had quilted before I left for donation. I will be dropping off three quilts to Dr. Kaufman today, and then will be busy with my favorite part of the process, quilting and binding all those tops.
Of course, because I was less than productive during the retreat, I had to work all day yesterday to get my sock swap blocks done. They are going out in today's mail, and I hope they meet the criteria for the Mary Lou Weidman's swap, since this is the first liberated kind of block swap I've been in. And as you can see, mine are very liberated! Looking forward to having a variety of these blocks!
Into the future...
And mostly all I've been doing is trying to keep warm. How quickly the days go by, but the cold ones seem to drag a bit.
Friday it will be two weeks already since I've been home. Nice to get reacquainted with all my old stuff and try to find room for my new acquisitions. Then there were birthdays...mine and Dale's. Found out through one of the Yahoo groups I belong to that I'm actually born in the year of the dragon instead of the snake, as I previously thought. Who knew the Chinese new years didn't start on Jan. 1st like ours! It varies from year to year, and would naturally affect those birthdays in January and February. My good friend Rosie although sharing my same birth year was born in the year of the snake, just nine days after me. I also discovered a birthday twin on the same forum.
What can I say...I love thrift store shopping. I got out again yesterday and found New Horizons Thrift store in Pueblo. It's a huge building and I spent quite a bit of time before uncovering the following bargains.
The green cotton fabric was a remnant that I found at an older Wal-Mart, which still carries fabric. It looked like hand dyed. The plaid is wool, and hopefully when I get back home I can make a couple more advent calendars before I lose my momentum, since I failed to get them done for this past Christmas.
I was intrigued by Julie's post and have joined this swap for sock blocks. My knitting of socks, however, has fallen by the wayside. I have found the Kindle is the perfect thing to read while rocking babies. I doesn't lose my place, isn't too heavy or hard to hold one handed! What a great way to read with a baby keeping me warm. Babies are napping now, and I better take advantage and get things done.
Saturday my son-in-law and I got out for a bit of retail therapy. I filled a box with fabric, some doilies, and the best treasure, a pair of tiny sock monkeys. The fabrics above were all my finds. I must admit there are a few which will be finding their way back to a thrift store as they were really thin, but most of the stack is usable cottons. I'm planning a project with doilies. I saw a wall hanging in Paducah several years ago with dyed doilies and I've wanted to do something along those lines ever since.
Here are the cute little monkeys for my twin grandsons. The monkeys are a lot less trouble, but I already knew that babies were a lot of work. And two, well the work increases exponentially.
I can't believe the twins will be two weeks old on Monday. It's been a blur of changing diapers, cooking, cleaning, and trying to give the parents a break for some much needed sleep, which is always in short supply.
Today I baked bread using this recipe with Wheat Montana Bronze Chief 100% whole wheat flour, that I found at Wal-Mart. I made three loaves and some cinnamon rolls. What great flour, and I'll definitely be making this recipe again. It made wonderful light loaves.
Being a grandma is great...all the fun without any of the responsibility!
