Didja? Did you know what kind of flower bud I was waiting on to open?
This is what the bushes looked like yesterday:
Today:
Up close:
Hint...on a placemat:
It's a dinner plate hibiscus!
Later,
Debbie
Been busy for a few days...can't seem to keep up with all the mowing. I've been on the tractor for about 3 hours every day...can't stand much more than that! The heat is terrible, so I go out about 4:30 or 5 pm and stay until 8. By then, my clothes are drenched with sweat and the grasshoppers have had their way with me!
During the days, I've spent most of the time making and canning jelly
Blackberry/Mulberry Peach Mulberry
57 jars... plus
I've already given about 12 jars away. And, I'm still picking blackberries every other day. The blackberries are ripening at about 2 cups every two days.
I did take a day off and went to McCalla to visit 'Bama Girl and while I was there, I saw this precious little thing:
Meet Teddy!...aka Bob!
Ignore the berry stained fingernails!
Most of my flowers are doing bad in the heat...these are the only one that's thriving.
And these:
And these:
Do you know what they are? I'll show pictures as soon as they bloom.
Lots of cleaning up to do from the jelly making, so...
Later,
Debbie
To some of the best ones I know:
My husband, David!
My brother, Danny!
My brother, Dennis!
My brother-in-law, Woody!
Hope everyone is having a great one!
Later,
Debbie
Okay...I've started making an ugly quilt. No. Not on purpose. I "thought" it would be pretty...but it's not! Seriously! I liked the fabric...I liked the pattern. But as I'm sewing it together, I find I'm beginning to not like anything about it. And this is not the first time this has happened. I've had pretty fabric but when sewing the quilt together, find I hate the pattern; conversely, I'll love a pattern, hate the fabric! What to do?
This is the quilt in question (click on the photo and you'll see what I mean up close and personal!):
Just to clarify: I should have made it clear that there is an extra blue and white border, plus 3 more borders beyond that. I haven't cut them out yet because I don't want to waste fabric if I don't finish. Also, though the picture doesn't show it clearly, the yellow ribbon border actually yellow with a small white polka dot on it. (If and that's a BIG "if", I finish it, I'll post better pictures!) re-posted 6/17...8:20 pm
I'm just not loving it...I'm not hating it either. I guess I should say that I'm just not excited about it. I'm not sure if it's the fabric color choices or the pattern, but I don't know if I want to finish it! It's probably the pattern, because even though it's a perfectly gorgeous pattern...it's not me. But on the other hand, neither is the fabric. It's a "bit" tame. I tend to love brighter, louder colors...more pattern.
So...the question is: What would you do? Finish it? Stop now and start another that you really want to do? Throw it away? Put it away, hoping that you'll find it later and love it again? Finish it and give it away to your worst enemy? LOL!
On the bright side of my life...this is my new love!
For those of you who don't know...I love coffee! So, when William's girlfriend, Megan and I went to see 'Bama Girl, we went shopping and ended up at World Market. I bought each of us one of these ceramic coffee cups! I love it! I don't love paper coffee cups and am "trying" to be a little greener and I can take it into the sewing room and it doesn't get cold as quickly!
Hope you all have a great weekend (I'm starting early!!)
Later,
Debbie
You notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
You learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.
The birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground.
You discover that in June it takes only 2 fingers to drive your car.
I burn my tongue just talking about it.
Ba Dum Bum!
Yeah, it's hot! But the heat here is not the problem...it's the humidity. I'm drowning it's so bad. In Alabama it's usually not such a problem and certainly not in June! I got up and started bush hoggin' at 6:30 this morning...by 9:30, I could wring a gallon of water out of my clothes. Too hot to do anything! Even the pool isn't cool. I mowed the lawn about 7:30 tonight and decided I'd get in the pool afterward to cool down...it was like bathwater! I looked at the water thermometer...90 degrees.
I did get a lot done today of other stuff done today. After bush hogging, my nephew, Austin and I went back up into the pasture and picked mulberries:
Austin + Mulberries = Jelly!
I made 24 jars. Not bad for about an hour's worth of picking.
Austin is my brother, Danny and sister-in-law, Kim's son. He lives in Louisiana and didn't want to go on vacation with the parents, so he opted to stay with me this week. His parents are picking him up tomorrow...I'm sure he's ready to go back home (I work too much around here and there's very little to do except that!)
Unfortunately, he's not going to be here to help me with these:
Blackberries! I took this picture a couple of mornings ago, now they're a lot closer to being ripe...in fact, I think Austin and I may go out really early in the morning and see if we can pick the ripe ones. I'm sure he just can't wait to do that! NOT! He's 16...the only thing he really wants to do is play Xbox, get on the computer, swim, and text...text...text! Anyway...blackberries mean lots more jelly to make! The only problem I have with blackberries are ticks...chiggers...and snakes! Hopefully I won't see any of them! But if I do, I'll let you know!
Later,
Debbie
Hopefully this will be the last time I have to write this post. I've tried twice and in the middle of each one, my computer shut down. Whut? I don't know...it's just not been my day...or week!
Forewarning: Be prepared for heavy picture posting!
Today, I've been cleaning up the sewing room. It seems I don't do spring cleaning instead, I do "seasonal" cleaning.
But the reason I had to clean my sewing room and re-organize was not my fault. 'Bama Girl moved into a townhouse off-campus. She came home and took a "few" things, such as her bedroom furniture. Now her bedroom has become 'Bama Dad's office:
We still have a lot of work in there, but he's not home and I can shut the door!
What was more important was getting organizing this:
and this:
and finally...this:
'Bama Girl took the bookcase in which I was storing my fabric!
So...'Bama Dad bought me this (I love him so much!):
And now my sewing room looks like this:
and this:
also this:
and this.
And...this:
All because of this (I adore that man!):
Wanna close-up? (Don't be jealous!)
The sewing room is really...well, too clean! But it won't stay that way! I already have one quilt in the making (the two squares to the right on my design wall.)
It took me all day to get this organized...mainly because I stopped in the middle to make this (it's on the bathroom door):
Okay...enough pictures!!
Later,
Debbie
