Don't let the difficulties of the present moments overshadow the reality of God's promises. God's promises still stand. And God's promises are stronger than our failures.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Another Blogger Change...Does Anyone Know?

On my previous post one of my commenters, Rita, said she can't see most of the pictures on other people's blogs.  Is that a problem with her computer or with The New Blogger?  Anyone know or can advise her?

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Blogger Has Changed Things Again!

I really don't like change.  Really.  Well maybe sometimes, but not when I'm not asked.  I've been blogging for years now and all this time when you comment that comment comes to me in an e-mail and I can respond right then.  All of a sudden I have "The New Blogger" (didn't ask for it) and I get no e-mails when you comment.  I can't find a way to correct that.  I tried.  A friend tried.  It doesn't work.  Anyone out there have this problem?  Know the solution?  I have a sad face.  :(


Update!   I think I have it fixed...I hope I have it fixed.  I went in to settings, checked my e-mail address, it was correct, I deleted it and retyped it just like it was to begin with, clicked save, and it worked!  Makes no sense but it worked.  Thanks to all who suggested I check there!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

I Need Sympathy...Or Maybe Valium!

1.  Retired for 9 years; loved retirement; lots of time for stitching.
2.  Went back to work; must have been temporarily crazy; no time for stitching.
3.  Signed up for the following blog hops:


Link here for the schedule

Sew we quilt

Sew we quilt

Sew we quilt


4.  Working on the following BOMs:







5.  Participating in the following Stitchalong:



6.  Reading the following book: (slowly!)




7.  Now that I've written all that I'm sure it's valium I need.  Sympathy won't touch this.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Winner Announced

Congratulations to Susan from Montana - commenter #66.  She's won the Dots on Dots giveaway table runner!  I've e-mailed Susan and will be mailing this out later this week.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Guess Who Came To Visit?

Mr. Bear, that's who!



He walked right across the carpet we put in front of our camper, beside our steps, passed by the picnic table, and headed on across the campground.  Thank goodness he didn't knock on our door and stop to visit - we slept through the whole thing.  :)  And thank goodness he traveled through at night...if I'd been outside I think I might have screamed and run.  I know they say not to do that but I do think I could outrun a bear, couldn't you?

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Autumn is Tiptoeing into the Rockies

We're back in the Rockies - our favorite fall vacation spot.  This morning as we drove through Big Thompson Canyon between Loveland and Estes Park I saw the first sign of Autumn.
 When we got into the park I saw hints...whispers...of color.
 The elk seem oblivious to the quiet creeping of the autumn yellows.
It's times like these that I wish I were a landscape quilter.  Or a true artist with color.  As beautiful as I find the colors of autumn it's the amazing colors that only God can paint that I so badly want to capture with fabric and thread....and know that I never could.
 Honestly, what fabric could you possibly use to replicate the silver sunshine of the water?
 I love the days when the skies are clear and the sun illuminates everything on the mountains and in the valleys, but the gray, misty days have their own beauty.  I bought a fat quarter of black yesterday that is mottled, similar to this backlit peak...but not exact.
 The rain slipped in and out yesterday and in between showers the sun pretended it was going to come out.  It hinted at what it might show us, and then quietly slipped behind another cloud.
But even in it's misty light you can see just a toe print of color here and there on the sides of the mountains.

Sigh.  Oh to have that creative talent...to be able to reach out and grab that beauty and put it in a quilt.  I'd love that.

Looking for Dots On Dots?

Here's today's schedule:


September 18th
Mary Scharfenberg


Sunday, September 16, 2012

A Gardner I'm Not But Aren't The Colors Wonderful!

I'd love to have a great big garden.  My daddy always did, but I'm allergic to green growing things, dirt, trees, grass, you get the picture.  So digging in the dirt isn't in my future.  I do have a small herb garden which requires very little maintenance and every once in  a while I talk my husband into planting one or two things for me.  Since the last few years we've been gone most of the summer we've never grown anything I can harvest but I persevere because we're not always going to be gone in the summer and I'm convinced one of these days a miracle will happen and my husband will decide he loves gardening.  I'm not holding my breath.  But it could happen.  I'm sure it could.

This year we grew this:


Not much of a harvest but....just look at those colors.  Aren't they wonderful?  I need those greens for a quilt I'm working on.  Those exact greens.  Cabbage Green and Watermelon Green.  I invented two new colors.  I should copyright them.  :)

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Dots On Dots - My Day and a Giveaway

When I signed up for this blog hop I knew my primary goal would be to buy nothing...to work out of my fabric closet and to use what I have.  And I did it!  :)  First of all I had to decide what I wanted to make - would it be another mini quilt for my Ackfeld hanger, or maybe a new purse or a wallhanging, or what about a full size quilt (discarded that idea pretty quick!).  Then I remembered this wonderful book I've had for a year...or maybe four, but who's counting.  I've wanted to stitch this forever and when I thought about it I got that "let's do a happy dance" feeling.  For one thing I have a special blog friend I knew would love this and for another, it was just a happy kind of pattern.  This is the book I chose:
The name of it is Bunnies & More by Darcy Ashton and it's jam packed with the greatest bunnies.  I don't know if it's still in print or not - I've had it that long.  Don't say a word - you know you've had some that long or longer without using them!

I dug through my stash and found this wonderful brown and teal polka dot to make my first bunny.  And then I remembered that I had just done a Kona cotton swap with Jane and probably had a solid that would coordinate.  I found the perfect color!  This was the first little guy I made:
Isn't he just a doll!  How do I know he's a he?  Look at that face...that's a boy face.  Right?  Well when I saw him I knew he had to have a playmate so this is his friend:
How cute is that!  Of course two could never be enough and wouldn't you know, pretty soon they began to multiply like, well like rabbits.  :)  But at four I decided I'd better stop or they'd be taking over my sewing room and I have no litter box!  The last two I added were these:


I knew that bunnies would like it best in a flower garden, not in my sewing room, so I made them into a little table topper that will, eventually, make it's way out onto my deck.  But since I'm off traveling this week I'll just give you a peek at them as they look on the design wall:

 (I have no idea why this young lady is not behaving and turning rightside up!)




Now before you go hopping on down the bunny trail to see the rest of today's blog hop I promised you a giveaway.  If you'd like to win this little fall wallhanging leave me a comment telling me where you're from.  If you're a follower (and if you're not, why not?) leave a second comment for a second chance.
I didn't make this one - a friend made it and sold it at a craft show so I grabbed it knowing one of you out there would love to have it.

Thanks so much to Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt for the creation of the Polka Dot Blog Hop (I know it's Dots on Dots but I just love saying Polka Dot Blog Hop!) and to Corrie at Quilt Taffy for hosting us.  Be sure and check Corrie's blog for the full schedule.  Blog hops are a great way to insure that I get something new made so I'm grateful for that boost.  If you haven't joined one please do - it's lots of fun.  And now you're off to see the rest of today's lineup:

September 11th
Stitchin by the Lake  *** (this is me!)