Getting ready for the new Year

                                   A row quilt that I did this year.  Chose all the fabrics for it as well.

                     I have been working on finishing up all the quilts that I can before the beginning of the year.  I still have a few more to do,  but think that most will get done in time.  I have only two left to piece and 5 to quilt, which I will be starting in the morning.

                  The Framers started working this week on the house.  I will have photos of that next week since my phone is not cooporating and letting me download photos.  Hummmm.  But the framing should be done soon and them all the fun starts with having the plumer, electrician, the drywall guys, the finisher guys, the roofers and the tile man all there about the same time.

               Two more of the quilts that I have done,  the top one is the fall quilt from the quilt swap from MJF

                I got a new toy for the farm.   I am tired of walking thru the wood and getting my foot caught on vines or dead wood and faling.  so I bought myself something that will help.

                                   Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                                Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm.

A Week of Busy

                  Quiet time in the woods.   Sitting at one of the blinds waiting to see if I could see  any wildlife.  (Nope)

               We started mowing in the woods again.  I was out taking a walk and managed to get my foot caught in the weeds and nearly face-planted myself on a tree stump.  So I have the work crews out and mowing and burning  debris that is laying around.  We have also gotten some good rain and that is going to get stuff growing again, since the weather has been so warm.

       I have been out and about taking photos of Christmas and lights and all and having a great time with it.  I have also been busy finishing up all the farm girl quilts that we had for this year. as well as a few others.  I hope to have some great weather where I can lay the finished ones out and get some phots of them.    I have also been planning this years garden and getting things ready for that.  Right now we have Lima beans , squash and sweet potaotes growing.

                            Here is wishing everyone a great and wonderful Christmas.



                                  Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                                Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm.
 

Concrete

                  A welcome site this morning,  the concrete trucks pumping the slab for the house.

So,  at 7:30 this morning,  three trucks showed up and we now have the slab to the house.  Hopefully the framers will start Friday, or Monday at the latest an we will be on the way to a finished house.

  Something that I have been playing at for a show for this year.  I have several designs in my head and hopefully I will make all of them work.   Shows require a lot of pre-planning and  I need to get started know to get paperwork done and supplies in.

                                                           Foggy morning on the farm

                                 Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                                Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm.
 

Going in different directions

                                                         First Quilt on the new machine

   Well,  I got started working on the new machine.  I have had to learn its language, as it does not like some thread and wants to act up.  But all in all,  we are doing good.  I now have the second quilt on the machine and I am about halfway done.

  We went to Houston over the weekend to see family.  We had a chance to see some material that was bought in Carpathia and surrounding areas.   They were beautiful and very different.  Since so much of this can now be done by other nationalities, and is not hand made,  it was wonderful to see the artistry that went into making them.

   Nice view of some fountains that were in downtown Houston.   I am still waiting for the concrete people to finish the job that they need to do so that the pad can get poured on the house.  As soon as the pad is poured,  then everything will move quickly.  We got the wood floors in today. and the tile should be here this week as well.  Next week the cabinets should arrive.  So with everything here, we should not have a problem getting things done.


                                 Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                                Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm.

working on all the stuff for the house

                                          Christmas quilt that I need to finish.

  Well,  the furniture arrived from Indiana, and we filled three pods full with some left over.  I did some cleaning on some of it and got it where I needed it to go.  I still have stuff to clean and repair for the house.  One of the pieces that needs to be repaired is my grandmothers Hoosier cabinet.  They dropped it and broke a piece of the wood and damaged the door and unglued a side.  One of the pieces of glass also broke. So,  I am not really happy.

  Here is a good photo of Lacy checking out the scratch that I just put out for the girls.  she is enjoying watching the house being built.  Tomorrow the windows and outside doors show up and next week I should be getting the cabinets.  Ordered the counter top today and tile for the house  Going to order flooring tomorrow and then enjoy a nice Thanksgiving cooked by others in the family.

                                 Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                                Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm. 

Finishing up

                                         Ginkgo tree outside my grandparents house.

  I went up to Indiana to finish packing up the house and getting the movers there to bring everything south.  What a chore.  There was one closet that we had not packed and we ended up packing up another 45 boxes just out of that one closet.   I don't think that I have ever seen so much stuff,  and the problem was that it was all antique frames, and button collection and stamp collection and antique Christmas ornaments.  So the fun really is just starting as I now have to sit down and sort thru all of that.

     This is a photo of the old barn that belonged to my great uncle and great-great grandfather Dunnish Buckley.  The farm is now part of the Indiana Park system and they have kept everything well preserved.   I remember visiting Aunt Rose here when I was young and running to the barn and playing in the stalls and up in the hay loft.  It was fun walking around and seeing everything again.

   If you are ever traveling thru Northern Indiana,  take the time to go to Lowell, and visit the homestead.

   The last of the phlox from my uncles garden.   I will miss the house,  but  Memories should be a blessing,  Not a curse.

                                Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                                Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm.

Quilting aand more quilting

                                                   Working on another quilt

                             I have spent this week working on getting a few more quilts done and of course,  I am moving right along at a nice speed when all of a sudden the sewing machine decided it had done enough work and quit.  When I tried to get it started,  all it did was turn the thread into a birds nest , so it is off to the repair shop.  At least the other one which is at the repair shop is ready for me to pick up in the morning.  ( can not win for losing)

                           I need to go to the garden tomorrow and get some more peppers picked and get another batch of pepper sauce made.  As Well as getting some things organized in the barns for storage.  I hope to get all the Indiana house furniture down in the next week or so.  Then I can get that house on the market.

                         This is one of the Christmas wall hangings that I have done.  I have one more to do but this one needs to have the binding put on. Then I can work on some of the other smaller quilts and hangings.
                       The house is moving along,  right now the garage is almost finished.  Waiting on cement to cure before the framers start there.  I am beginning to see the end of this even though we have about another 2 months to go.

                          
                                  Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                                Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm.

Cooler temps this week

                                                    Cute  fairy house that I made this week

                      The temps this week have been a lot cooler then normal, I would say that fall is definitely here and winter might be trying to join in.    I have been getting a lot of small projects done and caught up.

                 The house is moving along,  The framers are starting and the kitchen cabinets have been ordered.  Just need to finish up choosing the flooring and a few other minor details.  and then I can stop worrying  about so much.

                     Here are some of the cute ornaments that I have been making.  Most are done with fabric, but some are done just using ribbon.  I hope that I can put up an ornament tree some where in the house next year.

                               Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                                Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm.

What a week

                                                              Doe out eating in the back field

            Well, I went out and sat in the back blind a couple of times this week at night fall.   I got to see lots of wonderful tweety birds and two piliated wood peckers and a great horned owl and a few hawks and two small deer.  Of course I did not have the big camera,  just the small one,  so things are not super in focus.  But I did enjoy watching her and her friend eat.

            My new long- arm quilting machine has arrived, and I am now waiting on someone to come and set up the table and machine. I have 6 quilts sitting on the side table  all ready to go and I can not wait to get them done.

            I also have been working on a cute halloween project and got the painting done this week.

  I will show the finished project next week because I have just a bit more to do to finish it.

   

            Also this week  we got to see the concrete footers and slab for the garage being poured.  Hopefully the slab on the house will be Friday.  as the gentlemen are still working hard on getting things done.

             I have been working on some paint by number pictures.  This next one has lots of little spaces to fill in..  Anyone got some good magnifying glasses?

                               
                                 Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                                Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm.

Pepper Sauce and Aprons

                                    A basket of Peppers from the Garden

Well,  I got out in the garden to do some work and ended up with a huge basket of peppers,  so I decided to makes some pepper sauce.  These peppers are not really hot,  more sweet,  so I added some onion, garlic and 2 Padron peppers , which are hot.    Blended and stirred and came out with

 a big pot of pepper sauce.   So then after canning,  I ended up with several jars of sauce and a big jar of pickled Padrons

        I also worked on getting some aprons made.   I used a very old pattern the Cathederal Window quilt squares for the top and a nice simple bottom .  I did two  different ones and gave one to a friend.

       
                                 Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                                Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm.      

Getting caught up with life

                                 

                                          Sunflower swap from Mary Janes Sisterhood

   I have had lots of fun getting all my swaps done and getting them in the mail.  and now I am starting all over for this month.  At the same time I am working on getting some Jewelry done and also some quilting.  My new quilting machine should be here next week and I am getting excited

      Along the same line,  they have finally started on the house, and I am getting excited about that.
 They are starting the foundation this week and hopefully we can pour concrete by the end of the week.

                                 Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                                Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm.

Getting stuff done

                                       Teal Mini quilt done for Ovarian Cancer Month.

                        I have been very busy this week getting some small but outstanding projects done.  I finished my teal mini quilt for the swap and now have it in the mail.  I have worked on getting stuff ready for the show next week and have everything packed for that.

                      We went back up to the house in Indiana and packed more stuff up.  Now we need to get a mover to move everything down here.   We also found out that we have are final permits for the house and can get started on that. I believe they are going to start next week.  I have been working on getting some Christmas ornament done and finalizing classes for next years shows.  I have a cruise in Feb which is being done by the Ft Lauderdale Bead Society which I am going to as well a a trip to Spain for some classes in Cold Porcelain Dolls.

                    I worked on repairing some of the teddy bears that got destroyed by the raccoons up at the other house

                          New eyes and paws stitched back up and stuffing added where needed.  You really can not tell that they were tattered and torn now.  I still have 4 more to get done and I think that I am missing some still.

                      Made a cute little apron for my partner in the Sunflower swap  Also found some cute little sunflowers to send her.
     
                       The rain has been coming down hard today and we are due to have several more days of it.  I believe it is from Tropical storm Julia.   So nice of her to share the rain. 

                                 Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                                Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm.
 

Hurrican Hermine

                                             Rain water sitting in the swale at the farm

   The hurricane was not too bad to use,  We were without power for 31 hours,  but we have a generator so it really was the neighborhood with out power.   We did lose two trees and had lots of limbs down.  But we also lost a really old oak tree that we will have to have someone cut down for us this next month.  the tree is about 100-140 years old and is rotten on the inside.

    I am doing a mini quilt swap for Ovarian cancer month.  I have pulled the fabrics that I want to ue and now I just have to cut and assemble them

    I think that the person that is getting this will really like it.

     I have been working on other projects trying to get them done, and think that when this month is over I am going to lock myself away for a week and work on some of my more outstanding projects ( by that I mean the ones that have been started and are now hanging around  unfinished.)

    I found this really cool looking mushroom on one of the oak stumps and thought it was really neat

                              Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                              Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                                See you next week. down on the farm.

Maggies first dance

   I have been working on a quilt block of the month by Jacquelynne Steves.    I have posted the first three blocks that I have done so far here and hope that every one enjoys them.     I have several more blocks to go and still more quilts to make.  so I will still be busy for the next million years :)

Trying to stay ahead

                           The cover done for the long arm machine. Basic black and white!

       I have really been working hard on getting stuff caught up.  I finished another long outstanding project this week and am quite happy that it is done.  I also worked on several others and got them to a good point.  I am trying to catch up on some block of the month quilts and row quilts, but also have some great designs for others that I want to get started.

   I actually had two crosses that I need to do and finish.  This one is made from broken egg shells that were glittered aand sealed in resin, and then broken.  The other is old stamps that was decopagued onto the cross.   I really like making crosses and have made several different ones.

   I was talking to the chickens today and they actually held still long enough for me to get some good photos of two of them.  Lacy, the silver laced Wyndotte, and Sophie, one of my Buffs.  Henny Penny just would not hold still and just kept squacking at me to give her more seeds.

        Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                              Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
     See you next week. down on the farm.