Independence Day Festivities

We had a great celebration for 4^th of July that actually got stretched into a few glorious days.  On Thursday I decided I needed to do some patriotic crafting so I made a pallet flag.  It was so much fun and also very easy!  See the previous post for the tutorial. 

On Friday Michael took the little one with him to check cows so I got to have a few hours in the house alone and I used to it clean.  Like a crazy person.  It was fantastic.  I was able to scrub down the kitchen (again), dust, sweep, vacuum and scrub the floors.  The house smelled so clean and looked amazing!  What a great way to start a long weekend.  We then ate donuts for lunch that Michael brought home from town as a special treat.  YUM!  Clearly, we are some healthy eaters.  Logically, donut consumption was followed by lounging and napping.  About 5:00 PM we went to the park in town and went sliding and swinging and rolling all around.  The little one loved every second of it.  Once we were done at the park we went to watch the fireworks that the town put on.  They were fantastic! The winds changed shortly after the show started and brought the fireworks right overhead.  Although probably dangerous they made for one of the best shows I have ever seen.  The little one was mesmerized by them and just watched them in silence and awe.  I was so pleasantly surprised he didn’t get scared!

Saturday we got to sleep in until 8:00 AM, even the little one slept that late!  We had a fairly normal morning with errands and our usual afternoon routine.  I ended up preparing some meat that Michael’s parents had bought and froze awhile back.  I had never heard of pork brisket bones so guessed on what to do with them and just made a rub, seared them quickly on the grill and then wrapped them in foil and cooked them at a low temperature for a few hours.  They turned out great!  They were a cheap cut that filled us up well!  We made our way to Michael’s parents for the evening.  They had watermelon, cantaloupe, potato salad, baked beans, cherry pie and a strudel to go along with the prepared meat.  It was all scrumptious and I was soo full!  We got done eating in perfect time to watch fireworks that their town was putting on.  They were delayed from Friday night as they had some flooding issues after a big rain that had come earlier in the week.  The show was great although it didn’t compare to watching them right overhead like the night before.  It was a late night getting home but worth every minute of it. 

We had such a fantastic time celebrating Independence Day!  Did you get to do anything fun?

First time sliding at the park!

 

A perfect evening for play in the park with Poppy.

 

The best and most simplest pleasure of life, family.

 

Waiting for fireworks to begin.

 

Family on the 4th.

 

I know it's dark but I just couldn't resist his precious face and how intrigued he was!

 

Pallet Flag Tutorial

I decided last minute (July 3rd to be exact) that the house needed some patriotic décor not only for Independence Day but for the summer.  We have so many pallets around and pinterest has been bleeding with pallet DIYs I decided I had to try one myself.  Probably the last thing this world needs is another pallet tutorial but that isn't going to stop me.  This project was done in under an hour!  So here is what I did to get my patriotic yard décor.

I used super cheap (+/- $1.50 at Walmart) spray paint for the red and blue and then cheap white house paint that was about $3.50 for a small jar for the white stripes and stars.  I used regular paint instead of spray paint for the white so I had more options when it came to making the stars.

 

I selected this pallet from the pile as it had lots of slats and all were in good shape (except for the bottom one that had the bottom half of it gone).We have so many pallets around the farm, Michael was excited to see one gone!

 

I rolled up newspaper in tubes and placed it on each side of the slat I was painting to keep it from getting on the other boards.  I moved the paper after each area was done.

 

I laid a piece of paper down where I wanted the blue to stop and sprayed straight up and down so it wouldn't leach onto the red (the paper isn't picture here, imagination time!) This probably could have  been a little more precise if I used tape but I was way to lazy to go look for some in the house.

 

This is where I would show you a picture of me painting the white stripes.  Except for I didn't take a picture.  Use your imagination, let it soar!  It was epic.  I made that $0.98 paint brush work hard!

 

Ta-Da!  Stripes are all done!

 

I had no idea what to do for the stars so I cut a potato in half and carved out a star.  I am going to play it off that I was going for the artsy/craftsy/Americana look so it is totally acceptable for it to not be perfect.  In fact, I think it enhances it! Honestly, it was just the best I could come up with as I knew free hand painting would have been tragic.

 

And now the stars are on and it is complete!  For the record, I am 100% aware there are only 18 stars (thank your for continually reminding me, Darling Husband). 

 

Doesn't an Instagram filter just change things for the better?

 

We now have the flag propped up against our favorite pecan tree in the front yard and it really makes the house look fantastic!

WIP Wednesday

This past week has been pretty slow on projects as we were out of town for a wedding for a few days and then I spent some (much needed) time on the house.  It is still a disaster but it is slowly getting better.  I have a few blocks to catch up on as quilting groups meet next week and the following. Maybe tomorrow will be my day!  Here is what I have been doing in my few spare minutes the last week or so.

The latest block from the "Twist It, Change It, Rearrange It" quilt. I haven't started on the compliment block to this one yet.

 

My design wall with all the complete blocks to the "Twist It, Change It, Rearrange It" quilt.  There are seemingly endless options but I will probably finish it at 12 blocks.

 

 

Two more blocks for the 1930's mini-quilt.  I have four complete so far.

Cherry Time

Last week we wanted to finish picking cherries before the birds got them all.  We had a net to cover the tree but the tree has grown so much that it only covered about a third of it.  Once the birds get one taste of the berries we don't stand a chance at getting any.  Michael took the time to finish picking what was ripe and we took to processing them.  We washed them and then ran them through a crank pitter that we borrowed from my mother in law.  It was a slow, sticky and messy project but it was a success!  This is the first harvest we have had from this tree and probably could have done another light picking but we were cherried out.  We ended up with three, 2-cup bags that we froze.  Michael loves cherry pie so maybe we will make one for the 4th of July. 

Do you have any 4th of July plans?

An action shot of Michael working the pitter.

Long Days

This past Saturday was my favorite day of the year, summer solstice.   It means the start of summer and lovely long days.  When I was working it was ideal because it meant I would have so much daylight after I was off work I still had time to do things like garden and ride my horses.  Now that I am not working it isn’t as big of a deal but I still love the long days of summer. 

I will say being married to a farmer/rancher makes this time of year a little bittersweet.  I love the opportunity for more time outside but it means I see less of the man I love.  Although there is great flexibility with being self employed it also means there are seemingly endless and exhausting days.  In the winter when the days are short and pecan harvest is done for the year we get to spend lots of time together.  However, in the summer the daily schedule is pretty much sunup to sundown 6 days a week and then the occasional Sunday afternoon when there are jobs that just must get done.  It also makes for long days with a little one in the house.  When the bedtime sleepiness has set in and your little one can’t shake the crankiness but also can’t settle down it would be nice to have someone to help out.   I know that this is seasonal (mostly) so it will pass but sometimes it is hard to remember that in the midst of chaos. 

I think that the flexibility and wholesome lifestyle associated with farming can be a little misunderstood and over idealized.  The hours and days and months that go into making food for people is just astounding.  Remember, next time you are sitting at your table eating dinner with your entire family there is probably another table across the country that is missing a person or two because they are out working to make food for the masses.  Enjoy and savor every bite you take and bask in the company of your family, it truly is a special time. 

Summer Time and the Living is Easy!

Summer is off to a fantastic start, even though summer doesn’t officially start until this weekend.  The excitement of the change of season really has been different for me as I am no longer working.  There is no anticipation for the summer break and vacation time.  Now, we can go on vacation or sneak off for a night away anytime without having to submit leave requests and the like.  It really sweetens the experience.  Although, with the busy farm this time of year little escapes are a rarity.

Rufus enjoying a summer afternoon in the backyard.

 

                We have our garden in and it is coming along well. We had some bouts of cold nights and so a few of our first plantings died but we have been able to replant and everything is doing well now.  I was so sad that all the tomato plants that I had started inside from seed got taken in the cold.  They were all from seeds that were saved from favorite tomatoes so we can’t just go to the store and buy more packets.  I was upset about it to begin with but have since settled down and accepted the situation.  What else am I to do?!  Our artichokes are in full production so we have been eating them like crazy.  We boil/steam them and then eat the meat out of the leaves and savor the hearts at the end.  We use garlic butter and Heinz 57 for dipping sauces.  The process of pulling apart each leaf and sucking out the meat reminds me of summers at home eating fresh lobster.  I miss those days but embrace what we have now.  Again, what else am I to do?!

 

 Fresh artichokes picked from the side of our house.

 



Our first cherry harvest.  A little green but had to get them before the birds. They still taste fantastic but of so tart!

  

 

Roses from the garden.

 

Our rose patch.

 

            I have been on a big sewing kick lately and just can’t seem to get enough hours in front of my machine.  There are so many different projects I am working on.  They are all so different which is fantastic for providing entertainment when I get bored with one project I can easily just switch to another.

Some of the crazy quilt blocks I have been doing.  Trying to use up my scraps and try something different!  Also, in the bottom corner you can see one of my 1930's mini block.

 

A new wall hanging done and ready to be quilted.

 

 

  

A couple of the mini blocks I have been paper piecing for a 1930's mini quilt.  These blocks are 4.5" unfinished.  So much fun to do!

 

 I hope this post finds you well and happy!

WIP Wednesday

For “Work in Progress Wednesday” I am only going to go into two of my many projects that I have going on.  To be honest, I usually have about 8 projects that are in some stage of production.  It sometimes overwhelms me but usually is just refreshing.  If I want to change the pace from what I have been doing I can just pick up right where I left off on something else.  No need to go to the fabric store, spend hours drafting and thinking what I want, I can just go to it.  So, check out what I am working on this week!

 

The quilt group that I am in is doing a few projects this year and the one I have started on is called “Twist It, Change It, Rearrange It”.  This quilt utilizes the same block components and by switching color value or the organization of the pieces change the look of the block.  There are a few things I really like about this project for a few different reasons.  First off, it is easy.  It is a quilt that I can see myself completing this year.  I want something that I can reasonably complete before each monthly meeting of the group.  I don’t need to have award winning quilts, sometimes I just need to sew some (semi)straight lines!  Second off, I am trying a new color combination (black and white with a splash of red) that I have wanted to try for a very long time. The limited colors make this fun as usually I pick lots of colorful fabrics for my quilts.  Lastly, it is giving me some inspiration to try changing simple things in some of my favorite blocks/patterns to make to change how it looks.  The variety is fun!  So here is my progress on the two blocks from January.

 

 

This is the same block with the exception of alternating the "peaks" and "valleys".  In the block on the left there are white valleys up against the red center and on the right it has peaks that face outward.

 

The other project still lurking on my design wall are my star blocks that were last year’s block of the month project.  I have 13 blocks done and want to finish two more but haven’t been inspired to do so.  One of these days my inspiration will kick in again and I will get it finished up! 

 

 

What projects are you working on this week?