Alien bugs in Nebraska....

Say hi to Mr.H.S.Doodlebug
Hes the newest addition to Leona's collection of alien bugs. Don't worry hes harmless. Eats very little and he makes little noise.

This is the latest block done for the swap im in with the 12 ladys I chat with at quiltchat.com.
This is a doodle I used to do while bored in school. He and all his friends were all over my book covers and my friends book covers. it was fun bring this little doodle to life persay on fabric. This has been fun doing!

Opportunity knocks?

Tagged by Swooze...

Ive been Tagged by swooze when I wasnt looking lol~

Here are the 7 things about me...
1)When I was little, like 4 or 5 years old, I really didnt like to have my hair washed,My grandma would tell the story to all that would listen about me running out of the house butt naked and running down the farm road.

2)Sometimes I enjoy the company of animals more than I do other people.

3)I have found that there is something about me from when I was a teenager, people trust me, will tell me things they dont even tell their family members. Or will ask me question of what they should do. This was handed down from my grandmother to me,and I spent many years helping older people day to day. Ive always felt like the unofficial dear abby. Now my youngest daughter has it handed down to her. It can be a blessing or a curse.

4)Im truely a Virgo from the get go...I need my quiet time, my space, my order.

5) I love to cook strange foods and experimenting foods. There is not many things I wont try eating.Ive eatten Rattlesnake twice and loved it, eat most every thing from the ocean. where I draw the line is BUGS. I have gotten my daughters to eat most all foods and they will even go where I wont.

6)I love Chocolate! Dark is better than milk.
and finally #7
7) I have a large purple haired (favorite color) Troll baby sitting on my computer desk watching over me. I found her/him at a yard sale this last summer. I used to have a collection of Trolls and so did my daughters but all of them are gone now.
The Trolls was on of my favorite things when they came out in the 70s.


At this time I really dont have 7 people that I can tag but when I do I will finish the tag.

Mommy's little girl....

Taffy Tug n Pull.
Born Oct 21 2007, she is quite the little personallity. She is very smart and remembers when told something pretty much the first time of being corrected. Most times she sleeps by my head at night on the pillow. She loves all her toys even the broken and chewed up ones.
She got her long name from in the first week she was with us she grabbed Sugars tail and started pulling her but she was so small she really had to tug to move Sugar.. Pommys have such bright eyes and there is such soul behind them. They really have the heart and soul of there ansesters of long ago. The Spitz dogs and Icelandic dogs are their heritage. They still have the heavy under coat of the sled dogs and are prefectly happy to be out in the snow. Our big boy Bear Bear loves to sit out in the snow or play in the snow. One of the big things I love about the Pom is there is very little grooming with them. They groom them selves like cats keeping their faces clean and the fur is very easy to maintain. We brush the puppys to keep them knowing what a brush is so when they do throw there coats at 6 months its not hard for them to get brushed. After they get in there adult coats they just need the occational brush. They do have very strong wills, and have to be reminded all the time who is the alpha dog (us). Even the puppys have to be shown who is boss. I growl at our puppys if they get snippy and there not behaving. Poms are not for everyone for sure, but its very rewarding the love they show us being one of their pack members.
I dont feel we own our animals like you own a car or a house, but our animals are part of the family, with the dogs we are part of the pack and with the cats we are part of there pride. Even some of the dogs are part of the cats pride its funny to see the cats curl up with the dogs.
There is a harmony in our madness here. Even Falcor is considered part of this pack/pride.

quit that smoking quilt top.

Well this is what ive been keeping my fingers busy with. I started right around the mid part of November, at the same time of quiting smoking. I have sewn this totally by hand, It has been quilt the experance, ive never done so much hand sewing in my life. But its good way to keep my fingers active so I dont eat so much. I have quit smoking but the craving is still there 24/7. Its more mental need than physical need. I wish there was a magical pill or something to take me back to when I was smoking my first cig and not let me do it. I think quiting has been one of the hardest things ive had to do for my self ever. I hope everyone in quilt chat understands I really still have a hard time sitting and just chatting, I really have to keep my hands busy all the time.

Anyway I have sashing to do on 2 sides and this will be done. I havent deciteded yet if this will be the back to an other hand sewn top or if this will be the top and Ill start a new top.
All the colored fabric is real 1900's to 1930's fabric. The muslin is new. and its 100% hand sewn.
I want to enter into the fair this summer here.

I have started the next eather top or other side to this top or bottom how ever it turns out to be.
The other will have real fabric from the 1900's to 1930's also. I have also gotten patterns from that time period that were from the Kansas City Star. One of the blocks is a baby fan applique that I will be using and the other block will be 4 patches in a design called the Carrie Nation Quilt. Which I will totally hand sew also. After thats done I will decide if the two tops will go to geather as top and bottom or rather 2 tops to seperate quilts.

Puppys....and more puppys

Samantha's new puppy with Lacy above.

Puppys...Puppys and more puppys....

Sugar is looking at Taffy. The other puppy is Samantha's new puppy, she is not named, we just picked her up on 01.07.08, she is next generation sugar's sister. She is also a Pom.

Samantha will come and pick her up maybe the end of this week. SO we are trying not to get attached. Its kinda hard tho when she does the snuggle up thing when sleeping. Right now in the house you have to watch where your walking cause every where is puppy crossing.

Happy New Year

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New year. One that is happy and healthy.

We had a very nice christmas in Mn, with Seans family. It snowed all day christmas day and was just so nice to watch the snow falling and and all the fun with the family. My older daughter was with us which made very nice, was the first christmas for a few years we were all togeather for the whole holiday. I spent alot of relaxing and ate to much for sure. The time always goes way to fast!

Puppy was a hit with everyone, she was totally spoiled over the 3 days there. We named her Taffy. Jessica wants her full name to be Amazing Laughy Taffy but im not sure about that.

We had snow here while we were gone and again the day after we got back so we still have quite a bit of snow on the ground. Its all so pretty.
Ill have some pix up in the next few days....

Have a very Happy New Year and be safe.

New Puppy 12/07

This is my Xmas present, Her name is eather Taffy or Toffee I havent made up my mind. She is a Pom and just a bundle of joy.

My Mysi's block Navajo Sandpainting

This is the block for Mysi, her theme is an Indian theme. This is Mother earth and Father Sky, as a sandpainting. The Navaho used this sandpainting in ceramonies to bring wellness to there tribes.

Maudie-mae's block

Finally finished Maudie-Mae's block for the appy swap im in with the some of the girls from Quiltchat. Maudie's theme is anything school related. I came up with the idea thinking about my grandma and her teaching in a one room school house. One of the most important things to her was reading. Her thoughts were if you couldn't read you couldnt do anything else in life.

The little girl has no face because she is not representing one child but all the children of the world that sit down with their very first book to read. This was a fun block to do and even tho it gave me fits along the way I enjoyed doing it.

Been a while......

Well its been a while, how time flies. Almost the end of October and ive only made what one post on here, guess im slacking. I dont know if my days are getting shorter but it sure does seem like it. Seems the more I want to get done the less I do.
Ive been working on the fabric in the pix above. Its real vintage 30s fabric, some I had picked up at the yards sale marathon late last month and some I bought off ebay to add to what I had. The muslin is not vintage, but im using natural to make it fit a bit better. Im hand sewing the whole thing. Much a challange for me, being ive never hand sewn a quilt before. When I was young I hand sewed alot of things so that came easy to me. Ive gotten over 300 pattern squares sewn on to a piece of muslin. then im sewing them into strips, putting them on the diagnal to make a patchwork quilt. These are all 2 inch blocks and im makeing a 1/8 inch seam. Some of the fabric is older than the 30s even back to the early 1900's, some is shirt material scraps.I would like to have this done by next spring or summer to put it in the county fair. I plan on making the back not just plain muslin but use whatever I have left in the prints to make a design on the back. Im not sure how big this is going to be im kinda playing it by ear. The binding will be made of smaller 30s fab I have that is only 1 1/4 inch big. Yes you may think im nuts, I guess I am, but I want to try and beable to say I did it.

I think hand making a quilt means so much more in making it. Yea everyone can machine sew, but to sit down and hand needle the whole thing some how means so much more. And why vintage fabric like this? It brings back memories of my grandmother and the fabrics I saw around the house she had all the time. During the early days on the farm for my grandparents it wasnt easy. They scrimped and saved, put there blood sweat and tears into the farm, at the end of the 40s they sold that farm and move to an other farm about 10 miles away and started that land, Like starting all over.
My grandparents saved everything like most familys that went threw the depression.

I can remember feedsacks being used as dish towels and for our clothes. Being on the farm we were far from in fashion ever. I wore dresses over pants in the winter and dresses in the summer. There was a value of things back then, you didnt just run to the store and buy new stuff all the time. We made things last, reusing things over and over. There is such a contrast of how I was brought up and how my daughters are brought up. We live in such a disposable age. Shoot there is even disposable cars now. When I was little on the farm I learned a value and how to be humble. Something ive tired to teach my daughters but wiht there friends and pressure its hard for them to understand this. At Christmas what I would get from family and santa claus
I appreciated so much, there was not alot of things and I took care of everything I I would get. I still have my kids books and one of my first teddy bears and one of my dolls. My grandmother sent me a trunk full of stuff from when I was little she had saved it all for me, It was wonderful getting it.

My Grandma was a very special lady, I know most will say that about there grandmas but she was I think over and above most.
She was from a large family like most familys back then, she was sent to live with her uncle and his family at a young age, some of her family was moving to California to look for better prospects I think. She helped take care of her uncles kids and the neighbors kids also. She did this becasue she had to, even years later when telling me about this it kinda brought a sadness to her, I think she had dreams she was never able to realize. Grandma had a huge heart and a kindness unlike anyone ive ever know. She passed down to me a morality in life to live by and gentleness and kindness. She would never say a word bad about anyone. She always would try to find the good in that person.

Now this lady I speak of was not my real grandma she was my step for my real grandma passed while haveing my father. My real grandma and her were teaching in a one room school house on the south side of Red Cloud when my real grandma was pregnent. So she new my grandfather during this time and the familys all knew each other. A few years after my real grandma passed my grandfather trying to raise a baby and run a farm (this would have been at the start of the 30s)Found he need a mother for the boy (my father) so my step grandma and my grandfather were married. The school district decited they needed to have teachers that were acredited teaching in the schools and they were building a more centralized school that they built in Red cloud and one in Guiderock. So she became a full time farmers wife, with all the things that went with that.

When my grandfathers family moved from WI to MO then to NE it was in a covered wagon, in 1872. They lived in that covered wagon while they built the house, and they lived off the land, shooting game and farming. There was horrific storm, blizzards and drought.While alot of other familys moved away they stayed and toughed it out. Im proud to know my family stayed in the Republican Valley and made a name and life for them selves.

My grandparents spent the 30s and most of the 40s south of town, and in 1949 the year my aunt was born, them moved to north of Cowles Nebraska, on to land my grandmothers family had, the moved the house from Cowles out to the farm and that is the farm and house I know and lived in for 11 years. My grandma raised me from 6 months to 11 years as her own, I knew her as mom. I miss my grandma alot, she passed in 2003 and as an adult Ididnt get to spend the time with her that I wanted to.
But the time I did spend with her was very special. She was in her 90s when she passed of poor health and in lots of pain which shouldnt have been for such a wonderful woman. I feel everyday there is something big missing from my life.That nothing will ever fill.

There has been so many times I wanted to pick up the phone and call her about good things in my life or when Im just down about something. Then I feel that pang in my heart knowing she will never know.

I feel my life is richer having had the family I had when I was little, to have been taught the things like manners and morals and values like I was makes me feel like that has made me a better person in this world. Having been brought up in a simpler life makes me appriciate things more I believe. Im able to be alone in my thougths.
Im able to live in a place where there not alot of people and be happy.
I treasure the thoughts of my grandma and being brought up the way I was. This is the time of year that brings all the feelings and emotions of life on the farm back to me for my favorite time of year is Fall. THe harvest, the cool air, the smells of baking, and the warmth of the house. I had a wonderful childhood and its wonderful to beable to look back on it and feel warm about the memories.

marathon of yard sales last weekend

Last weekend we went on a marathon of yardsales, estate sales, and antiques shops.

Nebraska held there Junk Jaunt, for 3 days for 250 miles in middle Nebraska many many people were getting rid of there stuff and junk and treasures to all that would buy.

This picture is of the Middle Loop river, the day was cold and rainy but us diehards were still out looking for that deal around the corner.

Along with many others on this quest we started filling up our truck from the start. We decited since it was a bit of a drive to go home every night we camped out at Victoria Springs state camp ground. Very nice place with tall trees and lots of shelter from the wind, thank goodness. Saturday nigth we had a storm blow threw with 70mph winds and it hadnt been for the trees we would have been blown way. There was even at threat of a tornado.... what adventures right?

We were looking for stuff to hold us over the winter to sell on ebay, and of course I aways quest the fabric, patterns, books and all that good stuff. We did get alot of good deals, but alot of the stuff for sale was high in price ( guess they loved there stuff). If they thought it might be old they put a fancy price tag on it and ask for an arm and leg for it no matter what condition it was.

Sean has such the luck, he had people giving him stuff every where he went. He found a trolling motor for 5 dollers in great condition, and old electric grill cooker vintage about 1950 ive never seen one like it,and all kinds of that boring man stuff. It was alot of fun but by sunday I was tired and cold, and wanted to go home. Id say we went to at least 200-300 sales over the course of the weekend and we miss quite a few.

I saw old quilts, old sewing machines of every shape and size, thousands of kitchen utensils from way in the past, pickle crocks were very common at alot of the sales. I talked one lady into keeping her mothers quilt that she wanted to sell. Saw a queen size 30s quilt in all triangles for sale all hand pieced.

I did pick up some 1930s fabric and some other vintage fabric along the way even a cutter quilt. And lots of newer fabric from ladys that were cleaning out there sewing rooms. Also added to my bits and pieces of fabric I seem to have quite the collection of now.

Ive had requests to show off my finds so I'm putting up pix of my sewing room, alot of what ive gotten over the summer is all ready sorted and put away, the last two weekends of yard sales I havent gotten sorted yet so my sewing room is a mess.

In these pictures are some of what I got this last weekend like I said I havent gotten it sorted.

The next pictures are my stash................

These 2 pictures are the inside of my sewing machine table, above is current fabric Im using or have been using and hasnt made it back up stairs. Below is manufactures samples. Things can get out of hand really fast seems I just cleaned up my sewing room and sewing table not to long ago. I really need to spend a day and do it again.

So anyway we had lots of fun, met alot of neat people and saw lots of animals. But im glad its over for an other year.

Well of to do something constructive.......

Sunflowers and late summer

Don't seeing a sunflower just make you smile, I know it does me. So here is 2 smiles....

I guess it has been a while since writting last here. What have I been doing?

Well we went last week end on a garage sale thing in Kansas, we probably hit about 30 in the weekend, its hard to hit and run to get full advantage of time we have. Hit and run garage sales is walk up all serious, with a purpose in mind. Say hi to the seller of the yard sale but don't get into long drawn out converstions with said person. People in the central plains can really talk.

Anyway scan the tables, shelves and ground for things that pop out, IE: fabric, sewing machines, for Sean its men toys, fishing poles, and all the manly stuff. Once its been decited there is no of the above things then scan for ebay items that will keep me retired. Once it has been decited that there is only stuff you dont want, you move on to the next one rinse and repeat.

Well this last weekend didnt really go that way, the serious with a purpose kinda went out the window. First we get started late on Friday, so we only had a few hours to get to alot of them.

We were kinda dragging abit I suppose. We had nice weather for it, In the 80s with a breeze.

We did hit quite a few in little time but as time went on our purpose started degratting.

Puppys and owners started getting in our way, side tracking us, you might say. "oh what a cute dog what kind is it?" 20 min later we are still taking to said pet owner.

I did find a large box of flannel and Sean found fishing stuff, and we added to the pile of ebayables. A little less then 45.00 later and as the sun was going west we hit the last few that were open and called it a day.

We had many many more to hit the next day, this yard sale extravaganza went from Colorado to Missouri along road 86, that is like 400 miles, no way no how would we do all that so we decited just to do Norton and the next biggest town west. And we would do a few that were a short distance east.

So we get up Saturday with this purpose in mind, get to as many as we can before looseing light.

Oh yea it was cold and windy and over cast not a good way to start out. The first sale we hit started us on that slow slippery slide down hill. with good intent we went in looked around then our first mistake we started talking to the said seller. One thing went into an other and 45 min later we had seen all the horses,cows,llama,cats,dogs and goats they had. Almost forgetting what we were even doing there. And of course they had little Pommys so we had to see them.

We finally get back on the road, get to a few more sales freezing our butts off, scanning and running back to the shelter of the truck. We hit most of the yardsales in Norton by lunch and headed east.

The sun was starting to shine a bit and it was warming up. We hadnt found anything ot any importance to that point. We we found the first one east about 6 miles out of norton and they had a lot of stuff, and in this huge pile out in front of it all was the FREE pile.

This seller was tired of all this by then and just wanted to get rid of it Im thinking. We found alot of good stuff in this Free pile. That was one of the better sales to that point. I did also get a nice photo printer by hp for 5 dollers, she said It had no paper work or drivers. We get home and find all that in a free box we had pick up there also. Very nice printer.

We were on a roll, next sale my eyes focus in on 3 big bags.....fabric! Dont want to look like im running up to them, so looking around walking fast bingo cotton fabric ! and 2 PVC frames for embroidry or quilting. All of it for like 2 dollers. Feel great im ready for the next one.

The big bingo of the day was an estate sale in an old barn type building, boxes and boxes of stuff to look threw. Pattens, books, and fabric, the full worth of someones sewing room. So I picked out a few vintage old mag and books.

I hummed and howed about the fabric with the seller finally she said take it all for 10.00.

OH MY GOD!! Yardage upon yardage. Thought I died and gone to heaven. Or at least maybe she knew it had been my birthday and she wanted me to have a good weekend. We also found some more things to add to the pile for Ebay.

We were doing pretty good but it was taking way to long at each sale, talking and admiring animals or searching boxes to long. By the time we got to the next big town it was time for most of the sales to end there. I did pick up alot more fabric for like 2 dollers tho and a few more ebayable things. I saw like 3 Treadles, and a few random other machines from the 70s.

Next weekend is the JUNK JAUNT in Nebraska, starts at Kearney and loops up north and back down to Grand Island. I look forward to doing this, probably will be the last of the yard sales till next spring now. So the junk jaunt will be the last hoora for this year. Im sure there will be a few estate sales and there are auction all the time. But auctions can be tricky here, there are the professional ones that the prices are really high to start then there are the estate auctions that you can get boxes for pennies on a doller.

I have been doing some sewing, first ive been hand quilting the lizard quilt, and ive been putting togeather a cover for the couch, which is random large and small blocks in blues and greys. and when im tired of doing that I have been working on a baby quilt for a friend. I havent worked anymore on the nine patch, I pick up that again once I get one of these others done.

Oh and the other thing ive been doing is house cleaning uggg.

They came out and put the new electrical service to the pole an a new box. With that the electrician came out put a new line from the box to the house. Next they will run a new line down to a new entry into the house to the box inside. I feel we are coming up in the world. I can run the air conditioner and the dryere at the same time now! There is so much more electric to up date before I can get insurance on the house. But we are getting there.

Tomarrow the 21st is Eager Beaver Days in Beaver City, a town event every fall. Parade and all. Crafts will be sold in the town hall and im not sure what else there will be. There will be at least one garage sale we will hit.

Today we went to one in town picked up a few thing but it wasnt anything fantastic to write home about.

We that is pretty much the whole story of what ive been doing, short of the really boring stuff.

Elsie's Block

This is what ive been working on the last week, its for ElsieD from QuiltChat, for the appy block trade we are in with 10 other girls. Her theme is Around the pond.

Click on the pix to inlarge it.

Happy Labor day weekend, we went to a cookout yesterday. Had a really nice time. I cant believer Aug. is over and done with, where did it go, time seems to be rushing by. I saw in walmart they already have the christmas stuff up for sale, I sware it gets earlyer every year.
pretty soon they will just leave it all up for the next year.

The pix above is the start of my 3-D quilt. Its going pretty good just havent had alot of time to work on it. I felt like doing some appliqueing so I put it aside and worked on cat appy. I should never try to do anything when im tired and when its late. I took alook at it the next day after working on it and gesh i have some unsewing to do. Im pleased with how the ninepatch is coming out and its going to be huge. The pix above shows on half of one row, and there are 4 more rows to go plus the sash that goes around the out side. Its all done on point except the ninepatch blocks them selves. SO im really brushing up on my point sewing.

This week I recieved the appy swap package from one of the quilt chat girls im doing it with.
I have started her block, theme is around the pond. So im doing a swan with lilly pads and an abstract wave with some special fab I found that looks like the top of a pond looking down in to it. I have it layed out and I will start sewing it today. I will put up pix when i get done with hers and ill take a pix of hers also and put it up here to. Elsie did a real nice job on her block to start her theme out.

I havent been taking to many pix as of late, seems ever time there is a pix event im with out my camera. I need to get back into taking the camera with me more. Posting up on ebay has been keeping me busy and Jessica being back in school keeps me also busy to.

Well I guess ill get to sewing while I have a chance......

One of those weekends.......

Ok ive had one of those sewing couple days that I could just scream! Ive been working on the round the world and everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.
first didnt make enought blocks for the size I wanted. Then got it 3/4 the way done and put on the last section and stood back and looked the last quarter is all wrong.
So I unsewed more than what I sewed. and Im still unsewing 18 rows worth. There are some times I think I should not sew, it would be better in the long run.

I cant believe its been almost 9 days since my last post, how time flashes by. Jessica started school this last week, And so it begins the school routine. She has 2 years to go, I can do this. She spent the weekend babysitting 4 kids from age 9 months to 9 years old. She had her hands full for sure.

Its just been to warm to do much outside, picked tomatoes yesterday and there are so many more to go, guess ill be sick of tomatoes before the season is over. We had days of 104 last week that was not to much fun, were down to in the 90s now it almost feels cool comparied. Im thinking soon it has to start cooling down and we should be getting some rain again before long. The corn field out around the area looks good, big ears and there starteding to dry up. Im sure harvest is just around the corner for the farmers.

I guess this coming week we will be back working in the bedroom, I know Ive said this before but we really need to get back in there and finish before it gets cold.
well thats all for now, I know not to exciting.....

Old buildings,sewing and freeezing for winter.

Above are 2 pix of the old part of Omaha that I took when we went to see my daughter Samantha a few weeks ago. Such a contrast from the old to the new in the background.
Below is a pix of my property from a few years ago. It looks still pretty much the same as then tho. Our property is sorta a wedge to the north (top of the pix) is a line of trees that is 3 trees deep all the way to the back of the corral. and on the south side (bottom side of pix) is a broken line of trees all the way up the driveway. north is a pasture and south is a wheat flield or milo flield depending on the year.

Ok what did I get done this week, My daughter came to see us on tuesday, her new boyfriend flew here and they stayed until thursday. It was nice to meet him, he seems to be a really nice guy. We went fishing on Wednesday in the heat (97 degrees) and didnt catch a thing, think the fish are much smarter than us. Then Sam and her bf camped out at the state park where we had gone fishing. A nice quiet get way for them after all the busyness of there lives in Omaha. Her boyfriend is studing to become a commersial pilot.

I worked on the ninepatch, got all the ninepatch blocks made and started putting the 3-d part of it on the blocks. It is slow going, never was really to good at sewing on point. So this is going to give me lots of pratice. Also worked in my sewing room to get things more organized. Today I got the kitty cat quilt ready to quilt.

Today also cooked and froze all the beets I had pulled, about 15 quarts of them.
Froze some squash also. My tomatoes are starting to all get red alittle at atime and there are lots to go yet. Cherry tomatoes (my favorite) are starting to turn and there are alot set.

Tomarrow I will try to get some of the machine quilting down on the kitty quilt hopefully. and who knows what elce.

The 3-D quilt in progress, Raccoons and dinner

Before I get started, I hope everyone that might be in Minn,MN were not close to the bridge when it went down. I hope all is well and my deepest sympathy goes out to those that had family members lost on the bridge disaster. Sean's realitives are all ok and werent at the bridge at all, thank goodness.

Well, ive gotten all the pieces out and started sewing the blocks, my travacy with cutting 100 pieces wrong and running out of fabric because of it, is behind me. I was not able to get the same fabric that I started with so I had an other fabric that I had yardage of that I will use also. So 2 rows of the 5 rows will be of the original fabric and the other 3 rows will be the new color. There isn't much difference other than on is solid and the other is a bit marbled but there that same shade and color. I have changed what fabs im using in the ninesquares, Im going to use all calicos. Im excite about how its going to look now.

I have started up a picture album threw Flickr.com. SO I will be uploading alot of pictures there for everyone to have fun looking at. Right now there is only a few there, but in time I will have lots lots more. If you look to the side bar over here
------> you will see the link to it.

We went to Omaha yesterday 8/1 to get my younger daughter Jessica to bring her home from her sisters house, shes been spending a month there before school started. We went down to the old town part of the city where they have converted the old buildings into all kinds of store and eateries. Samantha took us to the antique stores and we walked around the park that runs threw the area. It was pretty hot and humid and we had a bit of rain so the weather was not really on our side to be out side. She really wanted to show me the fresh water jellyfish in the water there. It was very hard to see them let alone get a pix of. The biggest one was about 1/2 inch across.

There was some really interesting things in the antique stores that I would have loved to had but maybe an other time. A beautiful trendle sewing machine in a beautiful cabnet was one of thte things that caught my attention, but I wasnt were up to carrying it back to the car ( about 4 blocks away).

We decided to go to eat at a little place a bit out side of main part of omaha, Its all the Alpine Inn. Well it was a very special neat place not because of there food ( all they serve is chicken) but the attraction they have out side the windows where you eat. Many many raccoons and cats all in the same area eatting the left over of the people that eat there. We were sitting no less than a foot from some of these raccoon on the other side of the glass window. It was one of the neatest thing ive ever seen. The man that owns the inn has been feeding the raccoons and stray cats for 30 years and the person that they bought it from had been doing it be for that. There was mommy raccoons with there babes and mommy cats with there babies also. It really didnt matter if the food was good or not I really didnt even notice it if was or not Iwas so busy watching the raccoons up close and almost personal. They have a large shell shaped watering thing for them and the raccoons not haveing saliva glands would go over and wash there hands and drink the water with the cats and kittens. The raccoons use there paws just like little hands in the same manner as a monkey would. There hands are very soft looking and infact look very much like a monkeys hands other than there thumbs are different. Raccoons sleep off the ground at night in the trees and many of these raccoons went up the trees around and took short naps. They are not scared of the humans around just on the other side of the windows, they look in quite often as they eat as if we were part of there group. At one point with babies and mommys there was about 20 raccoons we could count but im sure there was more than that. Each mommy had at least 2 babes, one had three.

The next pix is of the cats after we got finished eatting and going back to the car. Some were friendly but most were wild Sean is petting one of the was that was really friendly.









Anyway this was the neatest eating experience ive had in a long time. Below are pix of some of the cats and raccoons while eating.






We had alot of fun watching the raccoons interact with each other. Its a must see if your ever in Omaha Nebraska.

A memorial for a sweet puppy

Teddy or Teddy bear as we fondly called him was born in 2004, his mom and dad were Maltese and Pomeranian, he had 2 siblings in the litter. Teddy was a very happy little dog, always looking at us with a smile on his face and a wage of his tail. Teddy got along with all the other animals and had a very mellow nature. My older daughter just fell in love with im from the start.So we kept him for her, she had to go to school and move out and was not able to take her so he just became one of the clan. He was a bit the chicken tho not wanting to do alot of the things the other dogs did. He would stay close to home when the other dogs were out adventuring. He would love to sit with us when we would have our bonfires inthe back yard, and hes was the one that stuck close to us when we fired off the fireworks like he wanted join in on the fun, not scared by the loud fire crackers. When ever we were out side doing something he would always be there to help, including trying to catch grasshoppers with me. We had some pet names for him, Sean called him Rubbler lips becasue of the shiny black look of his lips and I nick named him Theodore Dumdum, a silly fond name for him for his silly things he would do. Teddy always tried to show that he was top dog over the others but we all knew where he stood in the pack. The other dogs would just let him think that he was. He was a very funny little dog, and a joy to have around.

With heavy hearts we layed Teddy to rest yesterday July 28, 2007 after being hit by a truck. He was for the first time in a very long time tagging along with the other dogs out by the road.The other dogs are car smart but he wasnt to much, I don't know what possessed him to follow them, but he did. The man did not see him and by the time he did it was to late. He didnt suffer at all which was a blessing I guess.

Little Teddy will be missed very much by all of us even the other dogs. He touched all of our hearts from the start. May he rest in peace and god bless his little soul.

What to do on a hot Saturday afternoon

Well it was just one answer to that, cut out a quilt. Yes I got 200 parallograms cut and started cutting the strips for the ninepatch.The quilt above is not by me but its what this pile of fabric will look like when I get done I hope. Only the burgandy takes the place of the green. My problems now is going out side my comfort range in colors matching. I'm already seeing im trying to do everything in burgandy shades and that isnt what I wanted so ive got to search my fabs for colors that go with it but that dont really have to blend totally. Im hoping this will be for the new bedroom when its done, the colors will be copper, burgandy, and brown. It took me most of the late afternoon and night to get those cut out.

Also what I did today was work on my around the world, Ive got all the blocks cut into strips for the other 3/4 of the quilt. Now I need to sew them and then pick them apart and sew them togeather. Really dont have alot to do for this one it just sitting down and doing it.

Anyway I guess for all the fabs ive been buying (but got some really great deals) I really need to sit my self down and do alot of sewing. (looks around at the other things that need to get down)
SO much to do and so little time it seems. What did I ever do when I was working, I cant imagine how I got anything done.
Oh well Im off to bed.......