Fall is in the air

Fall is my favorite time of year, and I always have more energy after the heat of summer. I've gotten a few things finished up, tried a new knitting technique, and oh yeah, taken pictures of the dog:

Finally wove in the ends to the Tweedy Vest. It's been sitting done since May-ish, right about the time it got too hot to wear. I'm pretty happy with my first sweater attempt. The collar is a little floppy, but I know it's because I picked up too many stitches after I shortened the body by a couple of repeats.

Tried my hand at entrelac. It's not perfect, but now I understand what it involves. I'll probably make this into a small pouch and line it with fabric.

Picking Up Speed

I've gotten a few things done around here lately....it must be the unseasonably (very unseasonably) cool weather we've had around here for the past week. I mean, 60's and 70's in Arkansas...in August!? All I can say is...hallelujah! Especially, since for the last month it's been, oh, about 150 around here. This is what Shepherd usually thinks of August in Arkansas:

But these days, it's more like:

Anyhoo...I finished the four patch. It was completed handpieced and handquilted. And I loved every minute of it. There's probably not a square corner on it, but I don't care. I love it, and I named it "Shepherd's Coat." For obvious reasons.

I also got the stitchery framed and hung in my sewing room. Lovely $1 dollar frame.

And we were given a couple of pounds of fresh figs, so I made fig preserves. Boy, oh boy you talk about making the house smell wonderful, and fall-like. And what beautiful jars they are.

Quilting Fever

Hot, hot, hot...it has been too hot around here! 108 degrees earlier this week...blech! For a family that loves fall and winter, that is not good news. It was even too hot to enjoy the kayaking last weekend.

So, indoor pursuits are in order for the next month. Namely, quilting. My quilting fever has returned with a vengeance, and I'm taking advantage of it. The bbbq (blue basket bed quilt) is coming together. I'm piecing the rows together and I hope to layer and baste it soon.

I'm also working on a small doll quilt, which I'm handpiecing. It's a Jo Morton pattern from an old Quilters Newsletter Magazine. Just a simple four patch, but a lot of fun and very quick to do.

I don't post enough photos of the furry one, Shepherd, so I thought I'd throw one out there just 'cuz.

I've added a "quilting blogs" list to my sidebar because I've been discovering so many great quilt blogs...I seem to be adding to the list daily!

Road Trip

Whee! We just got back from a great road trip, and came home to a happy dog. We used a pet sitter for the first time, and it worked great. She took care of Shepherd and the house, and we didn't have to put him in a kennel ( I just don't think we could do that anymore, it's just too heartbreaking). He got to stay in his home, on his bed, with his things and his routine. And it certainly made it easier for us to enjoy our trip!

I got a few granny squares made while we were travelling, and read the magazines I'd saved up for a few weeks. The weather was great, we had a few cool days, which were wonderful. I love sweater weather! And managed to bring home plenty of treasure, which I'll give you a peek at later this week.

We were up in Ozark country and it certainly is beautiful. Mountain View and Eureka Springs, Arkansas and Branson, Missouri. Yes, Branson. We love it there. We don't go to many of the "shows", but we always go to Silver Dollar City and historic downtown Branson, and the new Branson Landing is fabulous. We stay at a great B&B in Mountain View called Country Oaks. It is a fabulous place, and the best breakfast in the world!

A Furry Haze

This beautiful creature, here, has lost what I know must be 100 pounds of fur. And it's all over my house. Why does he wait until almost fall to do this? Good thing he's cute.

So, until the fur flies (as in, away) I've been enjoying some blog surfing. And I've discovered (or re-discovered) some wonderful blogs:

http://fabulousfifi.typepad.com/chez_fifi/

http://happylovesrosie.blogspot.com/

http://www.sewsally.blogspot.com/

http://www.mellyandme.typepad.com/

http://oneredrobin.com/

Ah, fall. The crafting desire blooms again!

8 Random Things

I was tagged by Karen at Simply June for the 8 Random Things meme. So here goes....

We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.*Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.*People who are tagged write their own blog post about their eight things and include these rules.*At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and they should read your blog.

1. I'm 100% deaf in my left ear. I lost the hearing in it when I was 14 and got the mumps. It's really hard for me to hear people talking in noisy restaurants and places where there is a lot of background noise. One on one I'm just fine. It comes in handy sometimes, actually.

2. My husband and I have not watched TV for the last 4 years. I mean, we have a television and can watch DVD's and VHS tapes, but we don't have cable, or satellite, or an antenna. It's amazing how much our society revolves around television and "celebrities." There are whole gobs of shows and celebrities we know nothing about, and it's interesting how many people think we're insane because we don't care about that stuff!

3. I do not own a cell phone, nor do I want one.

4. I'm crazy about fall, it's my favorite season. The colors, cooler temperatures, apples, cinnamon, leaves...yum!

5. My husband and I sit down to a hot, cooked breakfast every morning.

6. With hot tea. We are avowed hot tea lovers. Our favorite brand is PG Tips from Great Britain...delightful!

7. I get in painting kicks. I'll paint several rooms in the house over a few months. I'm kinda at the beginning of one now, since I just painted my sewing room closet and new shelves. Now I want to paint the utility room, Jimmy's music room, and the kitchen.

8. My eyesight is terrible, but I'm too cheap to go to an eye doctor and get an exam and get prescription glasses. So I just keep buying stronger and stronger reading glasses at the drugstore. I really need to stop that.

I don't know who to tag since I've seen several folks who've already done this. So, if you haven't done it and would like to, consider this your tag!

Summer Sojourns

Well, I didn't mean to take a blogging break, but that's about what it amounted to. And it's all Summer's fault! We have been enjoying the warm weather in a bunch of ways around here. The garden is in full swing, we've gotten lots of zucchini and beans, cucumbers are now getting plentiful and tomatoes are popping out everywhere. The lettuce is about done for until cooler weather, and we're still waiting for the carrots to stop looking like miniature carrots.

Jimmy got a new lawnmower over Memorial Day weekend and he's in love. It's a Husqvarna...too bad a free sewing machine didn't come with it!

And we've been back in the water doing some kayaking. About 10 years ago I had a couple of kayaks and just loved them. I had to sell them after my mom died so I could pay bills, but I've always wanted to get some again. Right now, we have a nice inflatable kayak for two, but we're drooling over a couple of recreational kayaks to paddle in hopefully by next year.

Not to mention, I'm rearranging my sewing room! Yikes!

And also not to mention...I'm typing this post on our new laptop. It's a Dell Precision M60, and we got a great deal from my husband's employer. Lots of fun, but I haven't transferred any pictures or my photo editing program, so I need to get that done.

The summer is just flyin' by!

Gratuitous Dog Pictures

We used part of Shepherd's back yard for our garden this year, so we extended it on the other end. We finished the fence this past week and he's been getting used to the new area (he does not like change!)

He was laying in the ivy so I tried to get some pictures of it, but of course the minute I get the camera he gets up. But we did manage a couple of good ones...!

Post Holiday Amusement

Well, what can I say...the dog must match! After I knit the two hats for Jimmy and I, it only seemed right to give Shepherd a matching "something." So I knit this little cuff...we call it his "fetching cuff" because he looks so very fetching in it (yes, we're goofy...we know)! You gotta admit...he's cute. It's the same yarn as Jimmy's hat and he's been wearing it when he goes for walks for a couple of weeks now. He thinks it's just part of the rest of the gear he gets to put on, along with the harness and leash. Or sometimes...the raincoat

Proof that we love our boy so much, we'll take him for a walk in the pouring (and I mean pouring) rain, just so he gets his walk. (I'm pretty sure that most of our neighbors refer to us as the nice- basically- sweet- but- slightly- eccentric- couple that live in the house on top of the hill.)