Saturday nite

I was getting severely beaten in my scrabble game so decided to add the quilt pictures to my blog.  

First is the baby quilt and pillow for Isaiah.

Second is the orange 'ugly fabric' table topper.  

 

Third is the fruit table topper for my aunt

Fourth is the patriotic table topper for my sister in law.

They are all quickly and easily done, and then given away.  

Quilt Plans

Now that I am done with my house quilt, I have to find another big project to start.  A group somewhere out East is making quilts for every injured vet of the Iraq war.  I planned to put together a top and send it to them.  (They seem to think that machine quilting is superior to other kinds of finishing--I disagree)  I have been gifted with 2 huge pieces of red fabric and purchased blue and yellow to fill in.  Now I've picked a pattern and find I want some off white to make it real patriotic colors.  I hope to get some at a bargain price...  

Other projects I need to finish or start:  1.  Grandmother's flower shower curtain;  2. fleece projects (another gift of fabric--this time sample swatches too small for anything individually, and too weird to combine, but I'll try); 3.  baby quilts for great nieces Amber and Isabella;  4. scrap bag for Vicki to give to Ben's new girlfriend.  That's all I can think of at the moment.

I'm back!

It seems like ages since I've signed in, and I had a little trouble getting here.  It's definitely time to get back into the cyberstream.  (I just read a news blurb that English politicians are not supposed to use buzzwords that confuse their constituents.  I don't much like jargon myself...)

I have decided to try to regularly post a sort of almanac of gardening, quilting, grandchildren and other important activities in my life.  I don't think anyone else will find it interesting, but if I am consistent, I should  have a good record of what I've done.  There are a couple reasons this is important to me.  1.  I like to know how my gardening compares one year to another.  2. It is good to have a record of quilt projects, just to be able to pat myself on the back now and again.  3. I'm going to have another grandchild in July and expect to have to brag a little.  

GARDENING:

I'll have to back track a bit to brag about the results of gardening efforts.  This spring was unusually cold, with snow well into April.  Apr 12 happened to be warm enough to stir the soil in my raised bed gardens and allow planting.  I put in radish, beet, spinach, lettuce and snow pea seeds, and with Mike's help put on a plastic cover to create a green house effect (sounds like a bad word).  I was thrilled that the seeds grew, and I had radishes, spinach and lettuce in May, before other gardeners were able to work the soil.  :-)  I replanted radishes and we've had the second harvest of them, and the third planting are showing second leaves.  My first snow pea is on the vine, and there are lots of blossoms.  The tomato plants are beginning to have blossoms, the bunching onions are skinny little spears.  The pepper plants look spindly

but I have hopes they will muscle up.  

This is our second year using the raised beds and we had to adjust the soil to produce root crops as well as green growth.  We added good southern Minnesota farm soil, compost, and bone meal to get a better balance of the ppk combination.  (I think those are the letters--potassium-phosphorus-etc)  The radishes assured me that we accomplished it.  Yea Mike and me.  

When I retire in the fall (yea me) I plan to dig out my flower beds, ream out the cherry tree sprouts, and seed grass in part of the area.  I have to thin the irises and day lilies, and decide what else to keep or throw.  Fun.