A little celebration!

This past Monday was Memorial Day here in the U.S.  I reached a little milestone that day. It was Memorial Day of 2008 when I first began blogging, just a few weeks after my dad, Melvin, passed away. You've seen photos of him, and of the quilts he bought at farm auctions. Most of them have appeared on my "What's on the line?" feature on Mondays. You've also seen photos of my mother, Mary, and quilts she's made and bought, too. If you follow my blog, you know that she fell and broke her hip in March and has moved to a Care Center. And things have been so busy because of her move and health issues and family stuff that I just haven't blogged regularly at all! So, I've been telling you all that I'm getting back in the swing of things and I am!!  Have made some plans to share some fun stuff this summer including some "Christmas in July" fun, some giveaways, and more photos of quilty projects.........including a "finish" for this quilt made from Jacquelynne's "Happy Town" fabrics.

 

I started it in early March and then, well..........you get the picture.  One of my upcoming giveaways will be some more fabrics from this line, so stayed tuned. Also, "What's on the line?" will return this coming Monday. Slowly, but surely I'm working my way back to regular blogposts!

Oh.........and what about the title of this post? .........A little celebration!  Well, I thought it would be fun to put together a little "grab bag" of quilting goodness..........you know.......a little fabric, a pattern, a quilting magazine, whatever I feel like stuffing in a USPS Flat Rate envelope! Just leave your name and e-mail link for a chance to win the "grab bag" of quilting goodness. I'll have my Random Number Man draw a winner on Sunday evening, June 2nd and will announce the name of the winner in Monday's "What's on the line?" post. Good luck and have a good day!
Sandi 

Remembering..........

It's Memorial Day, the day that we remember loved ones who have passed on. The tradition began after the Civil War and was originally called "Decoration Day". That's the name I remember from when I was a kid. And the day was special, always the end of the month of May and not a three day weekend like it is now. Oh, yes, there were picnics and family gatherings but the real meaning of the day seemed.........well, more real. As I think of those that served our country, I think of my dad, Melvin, and I think of the quilts he enjoyed buying later in his life. This is a favorite and is one he bought and then my folks gave to me as a Christmas gift. As you can see, the photo was taken in sunshine which is missing these days. Lots of rain here so I pulled this photo from a couple years ago..........

 

 

And as I think of my dad, it is hard to believe that it has been five years since he passed away. Miss him always but smile just at the thought of him.  :-)  I've shared this photo before but he never minded sharing stories of the time he spent overseas and was very proud to have served in the U.S. Army.

Wishing you all a very lovely day...............
Sandi

I'm still here, it's just a ...........

Busy time........will get back to blogging soon.........
Sandi  :-)

A lovely spring weekend!

Minnesota finally got some real Spring weather!! Temps in the 60's and 70's blew in on Friday and stayed through the weekend. That was great because my brother, Doug, drove up from Iowa to vendor at the nearby Pioneer Power Swap Meet east of LeSueur, MN. His spot was kitty-corner from all this fun yard-art...............

 

I could see some of these critters in our flower garden, when we finally plant one. In the meantime, if you see something you like, just check out Garden*Designs&Sculptures

for more info. 

 

The goat was too cute........so were the chickens........

 You can have your own zoo...........

And a lighthouse would look cute if you have a cabin at the lake. We don't but ya never know........

 Here's my brother, Doug..........

His spot was near the newest building that has been added to the Pioneer Power site........this old church........

My husband, Steve, and I walked around a bit but then he decided he was more interested in visiting with Doug...... 

 

and since I've seen my brother a lot in the last few weeks, I took off on my own and started heading up one aisle after another. I found some vintage Valentines that "called my name". Just had to have them. LOL! Picked up a pretty teacup from Doug's friend, Steve......

I love booths with lots of dishes!  At this swap meet, though, you can buy everything from dishes to tractors to old washing machines, all that yard art, quilts, .........

and tools, vintage windows, toys, furniture and even dollhouses. Would have loved that red one when I was a kid!

And there was good food! You know the kind........French Fries, mini donuts, and more. A sure sign of spring and summer was this produce vendor...........

Now the bananas and oranges clearly were not grown in Minnesota and most of the other stuff probably wasn't either but soon there will be fresh tomatoes, corn, green beans and more. I can hardly wait!
Good weekend all around! Last weekend was good, too, and I just never got to sharing about it. I went to the Mankato Quilt Guild show. Look for my quilty post about it on Monday. Still not good weather for hanging quilts out "on the line" but I saw plenty of pretty ones at the show that will keep me and you inspired!
See ya tomorrow!
Sandi

January snow arrives in April!!

Here in Minnesota, we are getting more than our usual share of wintery weather! And it's coming at a time when it's supposed to be Spring!  Just two weeks ago, there was no snow on our deck and I was thinking it wouldn't be long til the warm weather arrived and we could enjoy some burgers on the grill. And then, Mother Nature decided to give us another blanket of snow..............

The photo above was taken the day after I got back from Iowa. My mother is doing well following her hip injury but the time had come to transition to the local Care Center. It is, as many of you know, a tender time when these phases of life take place. Not something that I can easily write about at this time.
Before I left for Iowa, I decided to put spring flowers in the pot that sits on our front porch. Interestingly, it looked really pretty with all that snow covering the flowers...........

I still haven't removed my Christmas tree from the front porch but at least I took all the ornaments off of it. It, too, looked pretty and just like it had been "flocked" and ready for Christmas. But it's not December, it's April!  You can see that Kaiser is looking to get outside.

 and so, out he went.............

Those pictures are all from last weeks storm. I thought that was the end of winter storms but dear Mother Nature had other ideas. Yesterday, she gave us rain and then this morning, there was sleet. And then the snow began and it's still falling. This is what the Christmas Tree looked like on my porch at 11:00 p.m.

This is way too much snow! We got two January snowfalls in April! I am not the only Minnesotan who is ready for some warm weather. The one thing I remind myself of is that all this moisture puts an end to the drought condition of last summer and fall.  Knowing that, I won't complain too much. Maybe just a little.............
I'll get back to regular quilty blogging soon. In the meantime, have a good day and great weekend! And thank you to all of you that comment and send good thoughts and prayers. They are very much appreciated!
Sandi

What's on the line?

After last week's windy attempt to photograph a quilt, I decided that a "re-run" of a past quilt was in order. I chose this pretty pink star quilt that also features a lot of really lovely green grass and green leaves!

The area where I hang the quilts is really quite muddy and not yet ready for quilt-hanging. Maybe next week, things will be a little less muddy and damp. If not...........well, there might be another "re-run".  :-)
Have a great Monday and a good start to the week!
Sandi

A book Giveaway of "The Giving Quilt" ...........

Recently, I received an e-mail that asked if I'd like to review Jennifer Chiaverini's latest novel, "The Giving Quilt". Of course, I said YES!  I am almost finished with the book and once again, it is a lovely story of the connections that are made when one is quilting. I'm not going to "giveaway" the story line, but I am going to host a giveaway and one of you will win a copy of the book and the three pins that you see in this photo.............

 

All you have to do is tell me if you have made a quilt and given it to someone else. While I make many quilts that I keep just for me, I also make quilts to share with others. There is something about giving a personal, handmade item that makes it a very special gift. So, just leave your comment about a "Giving Quilt" and your name and an e-mail or link back to your blog. If there is no way to contact you, I can't let you know if you are the winner!  Contest begins now! and ends April 13th at midnight. Winner will be notified and will have 24 hours to respond or another name will be drawn.

Best of luck and have a great weekend!

 

Sandi

 

 

And the winner is Karen O! I've e-mailed Karen and she has replied.

The pins and book will be going in the mail this Friday!