LABOR DAY WEEKEND

Out and about.

Bird Bingo

Love a little boy who can put on his own pants! Inside out and backwards!

Smoke  from Cameron Fire, Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park.

Thanks Julie for photo, My Sister Knits.

Sunrise Sunday

Smoke cloud over house

Our weekend was full, with the littles for a sleep over on Friday. This is the kids favorite day and they know what Friday means...."Sleep Over at Mimi's house". We eat dinner, (and a not very healthy one at that), then it's bath time, popcorn (their favorite), a movie and the grand finale; "sleep over".  Pretty simple stuff makes a 2 and 4 year old happy. Saturday, out for a walk, (before the smoke moves in), and Gus mastered the balance bike. Bird Bingo was a BIG hit as well.

By Saturday afternoon the smoke from the Cameron Fire was covering Northern Colorado. Window closed and the air turned on, it was also 100 degrees outside. Yes, I am soo over these high temps and the smoke clouds covering us are also dropping lots of ashes. I have had a sinus headache all weekend. But, the BEST news, SNOW! Yes, I will be like a little kid this afternoon with my nose glued to the window waiting for a 60 degree temperature drop, and the.....glorious snow! Oh, how we need this, 1) it will help the fire that now has crossed into Rocky Mountain National Park on the NW side and has moved further down the canyon, 2) we need a break in these ridiculous high temps. Besides isolating from people with COVID, lately I feel like a mole hiding in my basement from heat and smoke! Tuesday morning I will be outside with woolens and boots on, looking up and being grateful for cold-wet snow! 

While holding up in the basement on Sunday, I started this twilling dress for Betty. Today the buttons will go on, after I watch a You Tube tutorial on using Bernia button system. Buttons are my nightmare in the garment making adventure, I just cannot seem to master this much needed technique. Any help would be appreciated. 

 

KEEPING IT SIMPLE while THE WORLD IS ON FIRE

The kiddos were here on the weekend and I came up with an art project that, 1) they loved and 2) lasted most of the morning....BINGO that's a win! I had used up some fabric on a few bolts and hated to just toss the cardboard , so I decided to put them on the table with a bunch of art supplies and said 'go for it'. 'Go for it' they did, what started as making -'people board's' went to pure unrestricted artistic expression. I love that kind of kid art! Let them run with imagination.

We have a GIANT fire burning about 50 miles up the canyon from us and the smoke is awful! It has been blocking out the sun for days, some days worse than others. So besides for COVID reasons, we are locked inside our homes due to the thick smoke. Oy Vey, what else is 2020 going to throw at us?

A few projects that I have completed are:

--sweater for Gus

---rainbow socks that I am keeping for me

---the disaster quilt for Gus

I call it the disaster quilt because of all the mistakes in the quilt. One would think- this is the first quilt I have ever made and I have close to about 150 under my sewing belt. One thing that I finally cried "uncle" on -is my straight edge ruler. It must be 15-20 years old and has few markings  left on it that I can read and the edge is all gouged and nicked. I ordered a new one! If Disaster quilt was not going to little Gus I would of thrown it out. It almost landed in the trash several times but I thought, Gus is just going to drag it through the dirt, stomp on it and use in fort building....well now, it may just be perfect for him. Betty saw it and thought it was so "beautiful" and asked if it was for her?

Me: no Honey this is for Gus.

Betty: But Mimi, Gus does not SHARE! 

Betty:  I know, You can make me one too!

Me: Of course I will!

The quilt is made from scraps and I mean true scraps. I have buckets of small scrappy quilt fabrics. I can't bear to throw out fabric, it's expensive and I can always make something from the scraps. 

I'm anxiously awaiting a Di Ford -BOM quilt and book to arrive, it will be the first Di Ford quilt for me. Lots of piecing, (so glad I ordered that new ruler), and some appliquéing, best of both worlds. 

Also on the agenda is a Hexie Quilt that will be done by hand! Hope I live long enough to complete this beautiful quilt, another quilt inspired by Di Ford.

Presently, I am machine quilting the Brown and Pink Reproduction Quilt. 

Reading:

The Good Lord Bird by James Mc Bride

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

Needled to Death by Maggie Sefton

Joining Kat - Unraveled Wednesday

WEEKENDS

We spend a lot of time at parks through out the city

Neighbors trampoline (what a monster) blew into our yard weekend before last and Eric spent 2 days taking it apart to remove it, returning it to rightful yard and putting it back together again. 

Why do HOA's allow monster trampolines but not clothes lines? 

Weather here in NoCo has been rather, bipolar, is the only word I can think of that accurately describes the past weekend. Friday and Saturday sunny and in the 70's, Sunday cloudy, snowing and in the 20's! Expecting snow through Wednesday this week then a warm up, though Halloween will be cold for the little ones out trick-n-treating. 

Warm or cold, I got my walks in-2 miles daily!

Working on a pair of socks that have been on the needles way, way too long. On the second foot now so hopefully soon, very soon they will be on my feet! 

Very little work done on wool rug..ugh!

Finished a smallish quilt for a donation. (Pictures to be posted later.)

I met my goal of $400 food bill for the month of October!! Wahoo!

Grand total $400.96, ( yes, I see the .96 cents, but I am calling this a win, win!)

To be able to cut our food bill in more than half, I have been cooking at home just about all meals and from scratch. Very little frozen and or canned foods used, this will change a little entering into winter and the fresh garden produce almost gone now. I am also back to baking bread once a week! 

Reading: The Zimmermann Telegram(audio)

-Roosevelt and Churchill(audio)

-The Erma Bombeck Collection

-I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness (this book is so good)

Stay warm!

MONDAY MONDAY......

Another super bowel survivor, i am sorry that the patriots won and the only good thing about all the politics last week is that i did not have to listen to the super bowel frenzy hype for a week...haha!

the weekend here, weather wise was extremely warm, like not normal warm! but, since i can't do anything about the weather, i decided to enjoy it by spending an entire afternoon on the porch in the sun --- knitting,  and it was grand! never underestimate our need to shut down the computer/tv and get outside. vit.a and vit.b can change my whole out look on the day and even life itself.

i made great progress on my wolf river sweater, enjoyed listening/watching  birds and looking off to the foothills in the distance. today, is another warm one here on the front range and guess where i will be this afternoon! yup...you got it.

baby b getting her  first look at a cow needing milking, she is so dressed for this chore;-}

pot roast sandwiches for supper while watching the game;-/

dinner was great;-}

game ;-[

happy monday

BASILICA OF SAINT MARY

While  in Minneapolis my daughter, sister and I went to tour the Basilica of Saint Mary. Not even understanding what a Basilica was we had some research to do.

[the term came to refer specifically to a large and important Roman Catholic church that has been given special ceremonial rights by the Pope.] (catholic encyclopedia)

So, a Basilica is larger and grander than a cathedral and a cathedral

is larger and grander than a catholic church. The basilica having more ceremonial rights too.

{The first church in the United States to be designated a basilica was the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis (February 1, 1926).}

How many Basilicas are in United States?

Mary, Erin and I were in the very first Basilica built in United States and it was amazing. The organist was playing as  we walked through the Basilica and when we walked by the pipes....Oh my! This tour was absolutely breath taking and a sense of calmness was felt inside here.

We lit candles and looked at all the pictures, statues and windows, (hard to photo the windows with the sun shining through the stained glass). My daughter asked where the pictures of the nuns were? They sure did have a lot of pictures of the priests that served here at St.Mary's. My sister and I looked at Erin and said: 'well honey, this is one of the sad things regarding the Catholic church, they are not big on women, they have to be content being "brides of Christ"'  

Erin: 'oh, no different than any other Christian church then.'

Us: 'Yup-Tradition'

Touring the Basilica was a high light of being in Minneapolis. 

Oh, Minneapolis you do not disappoint!