HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

the girls wanted to do something different for Father’s Day this year and caitlin came up with a crawfish boil!

so she had 10lbs of crawfish shipped here from louisiana. the package said 10lbs would feed 1-2 people, however 20 lbs would feed 4-7 people.we couldn’t figure out their math so she went with the 10 pounder. wow, when the box came and caitlin opened it their were gads of crawling crawfish! far more than we could eat in single meal. 

so caitlin set to cooking and turned out a wonderful crawfish boil for her dad. as you can see from the picture above he sure did enjoy himself.

eric reminded caitlin how he would take her and her brother up to horsetooth on a friday night to crawfish dig. they would bring their loot home and he would cook it up for them, how they loved those dinners. note: i was working on these evening, i’m not a fish of any kind eater.

WORKING HOME

i have come to realize i have a working home! and i am thrilled that i have a name for it.

we have all heard of a “working farm”, “working homestead” but a “working home”?

what is a working home? i can tell you it is not a home that will ever make house beautiful or country living, but  a home that is lived in! a home that i and a friend encourage my daughters, her friends and  the next generation the art of  sewing, a home that i produce many of our daily needs like soap, laundry detergent and food, lots of food.

my home if you were to visit is one that i would say “ just throw your jacket on the chair, and even sometimes on the floor for there is where the only cleared spot can be found on a particular day.

my living and dining room for the past 3 months has been devoured with sewing machines, irons, ironing board and an extra cutting table. not a home most people would find “ put together” but a home where if truth be told one would have to acknowledge is really lived in. where several generations can come together for a common goal of learning and friendship.

and sewn we have done here! first a “come together” bag, then cute summer tank tops!

baby quilts have been pieced and quilted for friends expecting wee ones.

as has large reproduction quilts for family members.

pillow cases , dresses and work shirts and been loving sewn for special people

and one knitting bag that i am still swooning over!

but sewing nights are being put on the back burner till fall now.

for the my little homestead has a garden to nurtured and a back porch to day dream on while knitting and hand piecing.

so the sewing club “things” will be stored back in the sewing room till club resumes in cooler weather.

and the pulse of my home will move outdoors where i will share how my home continues to be a "working home”.

MOTHER’S DAY

liberty of london summer shirt for caitlin

tulips for me

box of cotton yarn “dishies". have been making dish clothes like no tomorrow

baby boy quilt for co-worker of eric’s

and mother’s day weather, special for us mom’s.

what a great day to help my daughter thin out her belonging’s then knit, knit and more knitting in the afternoon. eric is cooking for me all day ;)

happy mother’s day to all moms

past, present and future!

MAY...MAY SPRING BE HERE TO STAY....SHE WAS KIDDING { to be revealed in next post}

loading up old bushes

digging out cement

cemented posts gone

new fencing up

“good fences make good neighbors”

isn’t this tree BEAUTIFUL

Spring is such a fussy time of year, one day beautiful warm weather with trees that stop me in my steps to gaze and smell. the next day.....storms, with LOTS of hail and snow yet to come over the weekend. Never put away those sweaters in Colorado!

The winds last week took out 36 feet of our fence, so the pie lady girl came over and helped her Dad pull the old posts out. But that man of mine put those posts in with cement!!! uggg. Pie girl had too get us more help, and help she found. In 2 days we had cemented posts out and new fencing up. My man and I realized this past weekend that we are getting old and just can’t do some things we could in our younger years.....damn!

WINDY........forecast.....WINDY

beautiful cake made by a co-worker for easter dinner

which we had on the back porch.

grilling sunday dinner

The theme of the past week is WIND. It has been blowing for days now, the kind of wind that slams into the house and shakes the entire building,

Not to mention my poor white matter.  The irritability barometer is rising, everyone is tired of having mood and body blown { pushed} around. The hardest part is that one week ago signs of spring were everywhere, the sun was warm, I was being called to the garden, planting time!  All put on hold this week because of the ...WIND!

So this morning I went to my office and turned on this..

{ gotta love the flute, i mean really- when was the last time one saw the flute part of a band! the last time i have was at st. paul of the cross grade school. our band consisted of the flute and the triangle that clanged .....a lot. makes me smile today ;-)}

Yes, I got smiles !!!!! { from all those over 50 }.

I just try to do what I can to start the day off right.

Have been sewing up a windy storm, but more on that later

Keep smiling

soon the complaint will be “ it’s soo HOT”.

CHICAGO and LIFE

i made this quilt years and years ago, gave it to my son years ago and he uses it on one of his looonngg couches. it is two rows of maybe 18” blocks with sashing and borders. the quilt works great on this couch but what was i thinking making such a narrow but long quilt?

a question that will never have an answer.

the shawl with no name. i started knitting this shawl on my trip to rhinebeck last october. i lost the pattern early in the knit so as i just made it up as i knitted. no name, no pattern was gifted to my sister while i was recently in chicago on business.

i love a good warm- oh so soft  cap. and this was the ticket in the chicago wind to keep me comfortable.

the yarn is a 3 ply alpaca that is from my sister’s alpacas that she also processed and spun. this yard was pure joy to knit with. i will be test knitting several other of MM’s yarns.

a blue wool silk blend knitted into a cap, { disappointing! this yarn was poorly spun by a shop here in northern colorado, never again!}

i love this little knitting bag. the fabric is an old flour sac i found in an antique store in the east. 

the east coast and antique stores, be still my heart.

my knitting bag holds sock knitting projects ;-)

miss babs sock yarn and the sensuous soul by meg swanson.

between the amazing yarn and to die for sole stitch, these socks are a complete joy to wear.

while in chicago-the shopping always amazing.

a shop with a wall full of antique sewing machines

and UNOS pizza.....

the best.

the last two weeks i have been crazy busy with work.

the first week a group of us were given a BIG problem to solve in 4 days. we were “locked” up in a room and basically asked to fit a square peg into a round hole. miracles do happen and 10 of us solved the puzzle. 

the following week i was in chicago for a surgical convention lasting 4 days. i flew in a day early to visit my wonderful son and his girlfriend. what a beautiful couple! love you guys to the moon and back.

also had visited with a great nephew, my sister and brother-in-law, my oldest brother and his wife.

i must admit  the conference was good but seeing family was the best!

oh and the food in chicago is always worth a trip to the windy city.

SEWING CLUB

spring by the calendar is here, but with snow in the forecast we continue on the spring roller coaster.

just in case i forgot it was the first day of spring mr.p came home with a spring bouquet of flowers...ahhh, isn’t he the best guy ;)

having the day off today i worked on some projects that have been lurking in the sewing pile.

a blouse pattern that i can not recommend and will never use again, but love, love that liberty of london fabric. i made the blouse for me but hated it, caitlin tried it on and really liked the print. so i took it apart, cut it down to a caitlin small-resewed the seams and whala, a sweet summer top that can be worn by it self or over a tee.

last night the girls were here for our thursday sewing club and all the “sew together bags” are a whisper from being completed.
the next project should involve buttons, either on shirts or skirts.
thanks for popping in...see you soon.