Quote, Amy's graduation, Purdue quilt

I hope your dreams take you to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known.  ~Author Unknown

 

 

May 11th we were honored to celebrate our granddaughter Amy's graduation from Purdue University.

 

We are so proud of her and excited knowing that she will definately make a difference in this world.

Congratulations Amy!

Challenge, quote

The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth. ~Niels Bohr


This weeks challenge by The Diva is titled "ebony and ivory".  

Challenge, quote

The artist is a receptacle for the emotions that come from all over the place:  from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web.  ~Pablo Picasso

The Diva's challenge this week was so much fun, that I did a second design using the new tangle called Kuke.

Challenge 118- Kuke, quote, sharing tangles

Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul — and you answer. ~Terri Guillemets


 The Diva''s challenge this week is to try a new tangle pattern called Kuke by Katy Abbott.
Here's mine:

 
 

challenge 117, quote

Be nice to those you meet on the way up.  They're the same folks you'll meet on the way down.  ~Walter Winchell, 1932

This is my zentangle created for the Diva's challenge this week.  The challenge is to use a new zentangle just created called "schway".

When I first saw schway, I didn't think I would like it; but once I starting drawing it, it became a pattern that just began to create itself.  

Challenge 115, Quote

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.  ~Native American Indian proverb

The Diva's challenge this week was to express your feelings about Earth Day/Mother Nature.


Today is such a lovely Spring day after many days of winter returning and lots of rain which is causing flooding all over Indiana and the midwest. 

Quote, challenge 114

Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands.  But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny.  ~Carl Schurz, address, Faneuil Hall, Boston, 1859

This weeks challenge by "The Diva" is to create a zentangle design using the theme "Stars".

Quilt, quote

Life is like a camera
Just focus on what's important
   and capture the good times;
Develop from the negatives and
   if things don't work out
Just take another shot!

 

This is the quilt I just finished especially for my neice Jennelle.

The quote above is the label I attached to the back of the quilt.

 

 

I just discovered this wonderful blog full of quilting humor.  It's called Mrs. Bobbins - definately worth checking out.  http://mrsbobbins.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

Quote, Knitted baby sweater

The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent.  ~Sam Levenson

Recently, my friend became a grandmother for the first time.  This is the sweater I made for her new granddaughter.   I can remember the thrill of becoming a grandmother for the first time.  Now, 14 grandchildren later, the thrill is still there!  Grandchildren are wonderful and I love them all.

Diva Challenge #113, quote

Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch. ~Walt Whitman






The Diva's challenge this week is to create a design using a square within a square, within a square theme as the design "string".

Zentangle challenge, quote

The best angle from which to approach any problem is the try-angle. ~Author Unknown

This week the Diva challenged us to try something we've never tried before using zentangles.

Recently I purchased a small spirograph and have been wanting to incorporate a spirograph design with tangle patterns.  Here's my design:

Quote, Diva Challenge zentangle

Challenge 109   The Diva challenge this week is titled Zenquest.   Here's my take on  the challenge.

 

 

 

Here's my quote for the day:  After spending a couple of weeks with a nasty virus and lots of time in bed recovering, I can attest to this quote!

 

 

Valentine Creations

 

Happiness is a perfume which you cannot pour on someone without getting some on yourself.

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-Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

 

My granddaughter Nikki came over yesterday to spend a day with me.  In addition to having lunch together, she wanted to make a quilted wall hanging.  She drew out the design on a piece of paper, picked out some fabric from my "stash" and I helped her bring her design to reality.  This is her finished wall hanging.

 

 

Last week I was organizing my fabric stash and ran across left over blocks from the quilt I made for my granddaughter Amy several years ago.  I put them together into a wall-hanging. 

Valentine wall hanging, quote

Recently my brother made two new quilt shelves for me, so I've been happily creating new quilts for them.   Here's the latest - a valentine crazy quilt wall quilt.  I used muslin foundation blocks and fabrics from my stash.  No new fabric, except one valentine print which was purchased a few weeks ago:

My goal, like many other quilters is to use more of my "stash" fabrics this year.

Quote, Challenge 102

Accept the challenges, so you may feel the exhilaration of victory.
     -General George Patton

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This week's challenge by the Diva was to create a zentangle using only two tangle patterns:

Auraknot & Bunzo

I must admit that the use of only two tangle patterns in a design does create a difficult challenge for me.   My first thought was to just skip this week, but I sat down with pen in hand and started drawing.   Here's my result:

Fabric post cards, Self-care

Just created these fabric post cards.   Simply secure the fabric to a stabilizer, then quilt or add beads, etc.  Add a 4x6 blank index card on the back,  fold 1" fabric strip around edge and secure with stitching.  You're finished.  Quick and easy and fun.

Also, I just found this on Pinterest and thought I'd share it with you:

challenge 101, quote

If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito. ~Betty Reese

 

This week is "The Diva's" first Challenge this year.  She challenged us to create a zentangle design using her new tangle pattern "Phicops".
Definitely check out her blog this week (click on the app here on my blog) as it's fun to read how and why this particular tangle pattern came to be.

Happy New Year, quote, quilt

Happy New Year!  Wishing you a healthy, happy year.

 As usual for Indiana, we've started the year with freezing weather and leftover snow, but at least the sun is shining.

Below is a photo of the lap quilt I made from my brother as a Christmas gift.  Of course he loved it as he's a big IU fan. 

 

Christmas Wishes

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Memories

Not the end of the world yet, so time to keep living and enjoying life!  Thought this cartoon was cute.

As I grow older (which is not bad, when you consider the alternative), I have given thought to "stuff" that never occurred to me years ago.

One thought which I hope never happens is that I would be confined to a nursing home (or what ever the politically correct name - assisted living, etc.), what I would like people to know if for some reason I cannot communicate anymore.

As a child, I loved dolls and paper dolls.  My Mother apparently loved dolls as well because she always made sure I received lots of dolls for Christmas, birthdays, etc.   My uncle even made me a "doll closet" from an old TV cabinet one Christmas.  It was one of my all time favorite gifts.  It also qualified me for the "biggest" present that year.  My brother and I always seemed to take pleasure in receiving the "biggest" gift and he usually won, but that year won out with that doll closet.  As I grew older, my dolls disappeared and it became my shoe closet.  With shoes put in shoe boxes and nicely stacked within the closet.  Hmmm - now for the life of me, I don't know what happened to that closet.

Paper dolls were a pleasure to me as well.  I didn't play with them as much as I liked to cut them out.  Perhaps that pleasure led me to my love of rubber stamping and card making as well as quilting today. 

Back to my original thought:  I need to tell those I love that if for some reason I cannot communicate and you wonder what will make me happy.  Just buy me some scissors and keep me supplied with paper dolls to cut out.  I will neatly cut them out and put them in a box and be as happy as one can be in those circumstances.

As a reader of Pinterest I've been delighted to find lots of links to paper dolls which bring back those wonderful childhood memories.

This is a paper doll I recently found on Pinterest.  I don't remember ever seeing this one.  It is called the "Lucky Strike doll".  I'm surprised I didn't have this one as both my parents were smokers.  Of course this could not be on the market today because of anti-smoking laws, which is a good thing.  But I found it interesting.

Zentangle challenge #100, quote

"Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling." ~G.K. Chesterton


I always look forward to Mondays (I know it's Tuesday already), because "The Diva" issues a new zentangle challenge on her blog.  This weeks challenge is special because it is her "100th" week.   Here's my challenge for this week:

Christmas is only a week away and I still have some small wall-hangings that I need to quilt for my family.  But at least my back pain is relieved.  The shots in my back have finally taken away the pain.
I hope I never have to go through pain like that again.  Thanks to all who expressed concern.

Quote, Diva challenge zentangle, recipe, less pain

    I've been thinking about my blog lately and have decided that I will be sharing more of my happenings and thoughts than I've done up to now. 

Today it's about 60 degrees here in Indiana with a little wind and a lot of sun.  While I was out shopping I saw several convertible cars with the tops down.  I don't even have a sun roof on my car, but I did open the window. 

My back is feeling better after the shots on Thursday - hopefully when I go Thursday for another shot, it will relieve all the pain so that I won't have to have surgery.


Today's challenge is #98 by The Diva.  She challenged us to use the tangle pattern called "keenes" by
Donna Hornsby.  I like the pattern and in my mind I always think of the song, "Teeney Weeney Yellow Poka Dot Bikini" whenever I use that tangle in one of my zentangles.  Anyway, since the pattern is a round shape and I'm in the Christmas mood already, here's mine:

 

 

Since I am feeling better, I even decided to bake.  I looked through the pantry and for some reason, I had 4 cans of pumpkin.  Why?  Who knows but since they were so many cans, I chose to make pumpkin bread.  I searched through my file for a new pumpkin bread recipe because I haven't really liked the recipe I've been using. When I say my file, it's actually a big box with recipes from magazines, friends, family, etc. that I just knew I'd get organized.   Eureka!  There was a hand-written pumpkin bread recipe (in my hand-writing on a scrap of paper so who knows where I got this recipe.).    The results using this recipe is the best pumpkin bread I've ever made.  It's spicy, but not too spicy and very moist:

 

Pumpkin Bread

 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

 

1 cup liquid oil (corn oil is what I used)

4 eggs

15 oz. (appr. 2 cups) pumpkin (I used Libbys pumkin)

2 1/2 cups sugar.

2/3 cup pumpkin ale beer (or water if you prefer)

 

Mix the above ingredients. 

 

Mix together :

 

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

 

Add the dry ingredients to the first mixture and mix well. 

Add apprx. 1 cup chopped pecans, and mix well.

 

Pour into two greased lg. loaf pans filling each 2/3 full.

 

Bake for 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

 

 

I forgot to mention, that since you use only 2/3 cup of pumpkin ale, drinking the rest of the bottle while mixing the dough could be a good thing (if you like beer  - I don't, so I'm saving the rest of the bottle for my hubby after he gets home from work).

 

 

 

Well, since the bread turned out so well, I've decided to make some chex-mix.

It's in the oven now.  I don't know if being in so much pain is the reason I've been so hungry this past week or what, but I've eaten every package of chips, etc. in the house. Honestly it's like I have a tape-worm.    Thus, the reason I'm making the chex mix. 

 

Hopefully tomorrow, I will feel even better and I will get out the Christmas decorations.  That will add to my festive mood even more. 

 

 

Quotes, zentangle and some pain relief.

Two quotes today and a new zentangle. 

Thursday I had my first injections into my back.  The Dr. said it would take a couple of days before I would know if the injections are going to relieve my back pain.  This morning, I woke up with a lot less pain than I've been experiencing.   Halaluja!   I'm still in pain, but at least it's more bearable.

Thank you to all of you who have included me in your prayers and expressed kindness while I was suffering with the horrific pain. 

Thanksgiving blessings, quote, zentangle

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."
Oprah Winfrey

Yesterday was a good day - our Family shared a wonderful dinner prepared by my brother.  It was nice to catch up with the activities of our neices and nephew and our grandchildren.  And the persimmon pudding was delightful!


The Diva's challenge this week is to create a zentangle without starting with a "string".  The idea being to challenge yourself to design freely.   As I've progressed in the art of tangling, I've found that I really like starting without the basic string.  Especially if I want to try a new tangle pattern.  Starting with a pattern, then adding other patterns as I go seems to bring out more free motion style tangling.
More curves, etc.  Here's the zentangle tile I did for the challenge:

Thanksgiving tradition, quote, zentangle

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. For several years now, our family has celebrated Thanksgiving on the Sunday after the traditional Thanksgiving.  We found as our children grew up, married and had children that it was so difficult for them to divide their time between their "inlaws".  Thus our Thanksgiving celebration moved which has worked out beautifully because we get to celebrate with more of our family members and they come to the table "hungry" rather than stuffed with food from all the other dinners on the same day.   My hubby and I are just ready to get into the car - bringing with us the persimmon pudding that I make each year.  Persimmon Pudding is one of our traditions and I enjoy making it from my Mother's recipe. 

So from me to you - Happy Thanksgiving Day (again).

Happy Thanksgiving quote, zentangle

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.  ~W.T. Purkiser

A Framed Zentangle, quote

Cats always seem so very wise, when staring with their half-closed eyes. Can they be thinking, I'll be nice, and maybe she will feed me twice? 

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-Bette Midler

quote, quilt

Men don't care what's on TV. They only care what else is on TV.
Jerry Seinfield

This is a small quilted wall-hanging I made for my sister-in-law.  She likes cats and the color purple.

Diva Challenge #96, quote, life

Live out of your imagination, not your history.
Stephen Covey

The Diva's challenge this week is to use the tangle pattern "zinger".    You will find the zinger pattern in my zentangle tile below - it's the stems with the coil-like ends.

This is the first time I've posted in a couple of weeks due to the pain I'm experiencing because of a pinched nerve in my spine.  After several more Dr visits and pain relieving prescriptions which did not take away the pain, I had an MRI done.  I have several bulging disks and am now awaiting an appointment with a neurologist.  Like most Mom's who have given birth, I can withstand pain fairly well.  But when the pain does not decrease and continues on for weeks - well it certainly has made me tired and weary.

In order to put the pain in the back of my mind, I've been making another quilt.  So off I go now to get that sewing machine humming again.

Quote, Life with pain and a zentangle.

About 10 days ago, I was raking leaves, moving furniture and
doing other tasks that I had been putting off.  The next day, I woke with a pinched nerve and the pain was terrible from my back down to my ankle.  After a couple of days, I figured out the the pain wasn't just going to go away, so I called the chiropractor.  It didn't help at all.  After a couple more days
of terrible pain, my hubby suggested that we go to "Urgent Care".   Sure enough, he said it was a pinched nerve - gave me prescriptions for a steroid pack, pain pills and anti-inflammation pills. 
 After a couple more days, I decided to try acupuncture and found a chiropractor who does both acupuncture and chiropractic treatments.   

So after about a week of constant, terrible pain and several more treatments and daily doses of pills, the pain is still there, but starting to subside. 

The reason I'm writing about this is to enhance the daily quote I posted above.  The constant pain has led me to wanting to eat anything "crunchy".  Somehow my body is seeking relief through eating!  Which is entirely the wrong thing to do for various and obvious reasons.  The only good thing about this situation is that I go to the sewing machine and start making blocks for a quilt.  My concentration on making 1/4" seams does keep me from thinking about the pain.


.  Hopefully, the pain will subside soon and I will be posting more often.