Everyone Needs a Little Goat.....

Therapy!!
This is a picture of my daughter, Jenn, receiving a little lovin from "Spider". Spider is one of Star's babies. He was born almost two weeks ago with very contracted (stuck in a bent position) legs. Becky worked on stretching his legs and vet-wrapping them in place. Her treatment was the answer, because, as you can see, he is in great shape now and quite affectionate!
This is Spider and his little brother using Jenn for climbing practice.

Jenn and I spent the day on barn cleaning detail....but rewarded ourselves with several sessions of goat therapy. Check out my farm blog for more baby pictures.

I Just Might Be a Bag Lady!

There is something wonderful about always having a place to keep your "stuff". I love bags! I love big bags, little bags, all types of bags. I started out making grocery bags and decided to branch out a bit. Now I am trying bags of all shapes and sizes. Who knows, maybe luggage is next! These little numbers were really easy and took barely any time at all. But then, they are small and will carry barely anything at all!!

Welcome to PA, Sheryl!!

What a wonderful afternoon I had. Sherl-lyn (my friend from MJF, by way of Long Island) and her friend Deb are in PA for a girl's getaway. They are staying at a B&B in Lancaster; learning to make soap, shopping for antiques and visiting quilt stores. Today they travelled a bit farther and came to see me. We spent the afternoon at the farm playing with the goats. I only wish Sheryl lived closer and could visit more often....we had a blast! It was a beautiful, temperate Spring day here....sun shining, birds singing.

I think Sheryl is ready to add a couple of goats to her menagerie (You will need a little fencing, Kenny, although Sheryl mentioned keeping them in the house!)

Back from North Carolina

What a wonderful trip I had. I learned to drive horse carriage. Here is a picture of the horse and carriage that I drove. They belong to my neighbor, Ann (pictured). This horse is a Friesian, from Holland, named Roelof. What a blast we had. Southern Pines is beautiful horse country.


Aren't these fellows magnificent??

One Last Apron.....

......before I go. Well, early tomorrow morning I am leaving town for the rest of the week. My next door neighbor (and terrific girlfriend) and I are heading to North Carolina horse country, Southern Pines. She winters her horse Roeluf (beautiful black Friesian) there each year. While we are there I plan to take some driving lessons so that I can eventually start carriage driving my horse, Moonbeam.

This is a picture of the barn at Dragstra Stables. We will be staying in a small apartment above the barn. During the week we will drive Ann's horse, help out with some farm chores and do a little investigating of the town of Southern Pines. Hubbies are joining us on Thursday. More pictures to come.........

Embroidery Lessons

Yesterday I had an appointment at my favorite quilting store for a lesson with my embroidery machine. Up to this point, I have been making aprons with it, piecing a quilt together, and using some of it's fancy stitches. Venturing into the embroidery feature has been a bit daunting. So, after a 2 1/2 hour lesson I was ready to start....the only problem was....no time left in the day to practice. I had an appointment at the hair salon for a color touch up and ended up with a polka dot (fixing it took a little extra time!)

I made up my mind that this morning I would take a little time and practice what I learned. I have several sweatshirts that my stepmom had given to me to cover up an old logo. Here are my first attempts in transforming her shirts.....not the best, not the worst.....just a starting place. Hopefully by the time I finish the rest of the shirts I will get a little more adept in placement.







This is how the shirt started out.










This is my first attempt.....off just a bit.






And another try....still off.....oh well, back to the drawing board. Still, all in all it was great practice with the machine.....boy am I going to love this feature!

It seems like forever since I made an apron. I made this reversible one yesterday and gussied up the pocket with some fancy stitches on my new embroidery machine (yes, Jack got me an embroidery machine for my birthday. I know, I AM spoiled. I AM overjoyed with this machine....the possibilities are limitless now!)

How Many Baskets are YOUR Eggs in?

From time to time I will hear someone say to me..."all I ever wanted to do was....". This phrase is often followed by a lamentation about how that person's happiness has been diminished due to the inability to accomplish that one life's goal that they held. Hearing this reminded me of the saying: "Never put your eggs in one basket!" Although sometimes it seems more like we hold too tightly onto just one egg.

It has taken me 50 years, tons of life experiences and a couple of really great books to come to the conclusion that we too often tie our happiness into one single thing. Our perceived source of happiness might be another person, a hobby, a sport, or an occupation. Or perhaps that one single thing is whatever lies around the next corner...that is...some event in the future that will bring us happiness. It seems to me that making just one goal the source of your happiness is a recipe for disappointment. There is one certainty in life....change is inevitable, we grow older, and tomorrow never comes. Today is all we ever really have.

I truly believe that setting goals is necessary in life...especially if you ever want to accomplish anything. But happiness cannot be dependant upon accomplishing those goals. Happiness has to be found in whatever the task at hand is. My conclusion is this. Develop lots of interests...don't be afraid to try new ideas, new hobbies, new paths. The more varied the activities that you involve yourself in, the more diversified your "happiness" will be. In other words...find lots of different baskets within which to place your eggs. And, perhaps even more importantly, don't hold on to just a single egg....carry lots of spares with you....just in case one get's broken.

In Search of Wild Orchids

Jack and I took a walk yesterday to search for wild orchids that are coming up by our nearby stream. It seems so unusual to me to see something so exotic growing here in Pennsyvania. I have to do some more research into what these plants actually are. There is quite a bit of "skunk cabbage" coming up around them. Jack thought that perhaps they are a precursor to that. If you happen to know what these are, please leave me a comment!

Inspired!

I have been asked by several people...."How was the quilt show?" Well, as I stood with gaping mouth staring at amazing works of fabric art, all I could come up with was.."WOW!" Now I have more ideas than time left on earth. But I am going to try my hardest to think outside the box and get creative with my fabric stash. I actually did not spend my wad of cash as I had anticipated. Funny, when you have money in your pocket that you decide to spend, you suddenly become very picky about what you spend it on. Also the fact that I was totally overwhelmed contributed to my difficulty with shopping. Besides....there are always more quilting shows to come....I have to pace myself!

So, as soon as I got home, I immediately got out the fabric that I had earmarked for a quilt for my daughter Jenn and got to work. This quilt is going to be a patchwork made from 2", 4", and 6" squares and stripes...with coordinating sashing between panels and a few embellished patches just for fun. This picture shows the first panel and one patch onto which I appliqued a coordinating flower. I will put a border in one of the dark brown prints around the entire thing and then finish it with binding in the same fabric as the sashing. This grouping of fabrics is very popular with young gals, it seems.

Today's forcast is rain, rain, rain, but I am not bothered by that in the least. I am planning to drive to Lancaster for a huge quilting show. I am so excited! The laundry and housework are done, so my conscience is clear. I am going to spend my day getting my creative juices stimulated. It is great fun to see the creations of other quilters and stroll down the aisles filled with fabric, patterns and such. Woo Hoooooooo! Off I go with a little stash of cash and my camera......

Something Different

I needed a quick project over the weekend....so I tried this. I call it a folded star, but I am not sure what the official name of this is. I used a few Amy Butler fabric fat quarters that I was saving for something small.

Everytime I go into my sewing room I am tempted to start to cut out my next quilt. I am using a group of fabrics in chocolate and aqua that are just yummy. They have been laying there staring at me for a week now...fairly driving me crazy. I just can't seem to gather enough time together for a sewing day. Spring is such a busy time. But, the fabric is not going anywhere; and when I finally have enough time I will begin this next project. Until then...just small things like this hot mat.

This Just Struck Me Funny!

We were hiking through the woods on Saturday and came upon a tree that Jack had decorated years ago. Seems poor Woody caught a cold and has a runny nose! It is good to know that there are spiders out there with a sense of humor.

Happy Easter!

I am hoping, dear friends, that your Easter was full of blessings. We began ours with our farm animal friends and ended ours with a long drive to take Ryan back to Penn State. It was a beautiful, crisp, blue sky day. Yesterday's snow has melted and there is once again the promise of Spring in the air. The long car ride gave me a chance to count my many blessings. I am so fortunate to have good health, the love of a wonderful man, children who are happily making their own good lives, true friends and the ability to enjoy my varied endeavors. I am a very lucky woman. Life is good.

I finally got a good picture on my first quilt finished and hanging outside the barn....

Finished!

I had hoped to take a picture of this quilt outside, but it is way too windy today. So for now, I will post this picture. I am happy with the end result. Saturday I will hang it on the wall of the living room in the farmhouse.

Final Three Blocks

Well, the final three blocks have been made. The sashing and border have been added. Now it is time to assemble the quilt top with the batting and the backing. Then on to the task of quilting it all together. I hope to have this finished by Saturday, so that I can hang this quilt on the living room wall of the farm. This quilt has been so much fun....I could hardly wait to begin each new block before I had even finished the previous one. This has given me much practice in the machine applique technique.

Pretty soon enough blocks to make a quilt.....

This little tractor represents my John Deere tractor/mower and our other two farm tractors. Our favorite is "Tin Lizzy"...a vintage 1950's tractor that still runs, but most of the time serves as decoration by the barn. Our other workhorse is a Cub Cadet that looks a bit more like this quilt block, but is all yellow.

This second block represents the day lillies that grow everywhere around our farm. They line most all of the roads in our county. They are sometimes referred to as sh__house lillies because they would grow around the outhouses on local farms. Regardless of their name, they are quite lovely and add another touch of beauty to the landscape all summer long.

This morning's quilt square commemorates the 100 blueberry bushes that we planted last Memorial Day. We hope to some day have a high enough yield to open a pick-your-own blueberry field. We envision a place where families can come with a picnic lunch and pick blueberries and see the animals. At last week's inspection it seems that all of the plants have made it thru the winter and are starting to show buds already.

Today's Quilt Block

Happy St. Patty's Day....today's quilt block has nothing to do with St. Pat's. The inspiration for today's quilt block came from the grape arbor that Jack and I built together last winter and the grape vines that we subsequently planted around it. Last summer we harvested 5 grapes.....yes, I said 5 grapes.....just a taste of what is to come in the future. Hopefully we will have enough grapes to someday produce our own grape jam with the excess.

Spring Rejuvenation

Saturday was spent outdoors. The weather was warm. The sky was clear. The ground was finally drying out. I spent a good deal of time with the goats...brushing O'Malley and harvesting lots of angora wool, and petting and holding our new goat babies. Jack and the girls and I went for a walk through the magic forest (our 88 acre woods) armed with camera and video. All around us were signs of Spring. Some of the brush was beginning to bud, crocus and snow drops were blooming. The wild orchids had broken through the ground. The moss and ferns were bright green. We picked up a rock and found a salamander...not yet ready to venture out of his protected den.The bluebirds were nesting and all around us were the sounds of birds singing their cheeriest songs to attract prospective mates. It was sunny and delightful....making it almost impossible to bear any return to snowy weather.

More Blocks....

Yesterday's sewing yielded these two blocks, representing the strawberry patch and the pond which is stocked with fish. I especially like the fabric that I found for the fish....it is a print that looks just like fish scales to me! I must tell you that this is the second fish that I did. The first one (and they are not quick) I assembled the fish parts and very carefully appliqued and embellished to the wrong side of the fabric. When I realized what I had done, I tried cutting the fish out and using fusable web to adhere it to the right side of another block, but it looked cheesy....so I started from scratch and made another fish. I actually like this one better anyways.

Log Cabin

This patch represents our 200+ year old log cabin that sits by our driveway on the farm. It is very rustic. You can see a picture of it on my farm blog (in the title area).

Another Day.....Another Block

Today's quilt block is in honor of the fainting goats....this one looks a little like Chip.

A New Quilt Takes Shape

I completely finished my first quilt (which I will post as soon as I get it outside for a photo in the sun.) My next quilt is beginning to crystallize in my mind. I am making it one block at the time and designing each block after something significant on the farm. This will be my official Bee Have Acres quilt. Here is what I have come up with so far. I still have to applique the corn and the bluebird blocks shown on the right. And I have more blocks planned...such as a goat, a horse, strawberries, blueberries....and more that have not reached my consciousness yet.

Back Home Again

(This is Andy, my son.)

Wow! What a lot of driving I did. Seven and a half hours to N.C. on Friday and the same on the way home Sunday. But the inbetween stuff made the trip well worth it! It was great to visit with Andy and spend a bit of time together. We took a trip to the Biltmore Estate on Saturday and toured the house and the winery and did a wine sampling. The weather was beautiful....a great taste of Spring. The Biltmore is more like a castle than a house...and the grounds are vast and beautiful. Daffodils and tiny iris were blooming (meanwhile it was snowing back home!).
It is great to be home again and I look forward to Spring here in Pennsylvania!

Heading Out of Town.....N.C. Bound

Well, a week has passed and I have not gotten a single chance to sew....How can this be? And now that my work and errands are all caught up and potentially I could sew for he next three days while my DH is on call and busy with work....well, no sewing for me now, either. I am leaving this morning to drive to North Carolina. I checked on flights, but they were astronomical. It would be lovely to arrive in 1 1/2 hours rather than at the end of an 8 hour drive.....but I just cannot justify that expense simply for the comfort of my Bum!!! So, down interstate 81 I go in about an hour. The drive is actually quite lovely and the reaization that the further I go, the warmer it will be is delightful.

My golf clubs are packed...in case. Perhaps Saturday we will take a trip to see the Biltmore Estate. Our itinerary is open for now. We always have a great mother/son time so I am not worried. Andy is my youngest... an engineer, 23 and single, and quite handsome if a Mom is allowed to say that! He is in the process of searching for his first home to buy. So I think we will look at a little real estate also.

Well, I will be back on Monday with pictures. Have a lovely weekend!

My First Machine-quilted Quilt

After what felt like hours of assembly, I finally finished putting together my quilting table. I am now ready to machine quilt my first "official" quilt. Although I have made previous crazy quilts and hand tied them, this is the first that will be quilted with a machine. I spent most of yesterday afternoon and night on the floor with what seemed like hundreds of metal parts...that eventually fit together (with a couple of problem areas.....a hammer worked fine on those). Now I have enough space to quilt even a king size quilt. There is not much room left over for any other activities in that room! Oh, but what fun this will be!!!

I Am

If you think you know who I am,

By the words that I write,

You are wrong.

I am not my words.
I am the space between them.

(B. Frankeny)

My Little Chickadee

Grey sky, frozen ground

Howling wind, the only sound.

Garden sleeps, awaiting Spring

Chickadee cheeps and spreads his wing.

(B.Frankeny.2008)

If you like Chickadees....you will like this website!

Dark-eyed Junko on a snowy morning.