I see sunlight

The tree is loaded with cherries.  I picked about 10 gallons and the neighbors picked as many as they wanted.  The birds will get the rest.  I pitted and put 6 gallons in the freezer and 4 gallon in the dehydrator.  Hmm.... if grapes are called raisins and cranberries are caled craisins... what are dried cherries?  Cheraisins?

In order to pick cherries that were higher in the tree we used a ladder.  Before we could get the ladder near the tree I cleaned bushes from the fence.

I kind of got carried away cleaning out the fence.  There's still a lot of stuff to cut on the outside of the fence but it looks much better already.  The fence on the other side of the yard is still a mess. 

After the fence cleaning and the cherry picking I worked on the quilting machine.  I have the borders finished on this quilt.  Today I'll work on the blocks.

I have another quilt I need to start when this one is finished.  I told the customer I would do my best to finish it by the 10th.  It's ok if I don't.... but I'll try.

Good weekend

I hope everyone had a good weekend.  I certainly did.  It was quiet and restful.  I talked with my son in southern KY for awhile until a storm came up.  There was lots of intense lightening for about an hour but not a drop of rain.  I stay off the phone during storms just in case I need to run for cover. 

I really enjoyed the freedom of talking to my son without stressing over the quilting work that wasn't getting finished.  I've got a lot of years to make up for with my kids and grands.  I'm hoping it's only going to get better.  I was unable to reach anyone else.  They didn't answer the phone so I guess they were busy with the holiday in their own way.   I've started thinking about getting a car again.  It's become more important to have a car than it used to be when I gave mine away.

My mother is staying quiet for the moment.  (knock on wood)  The neighborhood was pretty quiet too.  I worked on an idea for an art quilt.  I really hope I can create it the way I see it in my mind.  There's a stray line or two on it.  Like her chin area.  Those will disappear once I start making it.

I haven't forgotten my other art quilts (roses & horses) waiting to be quilted.  It's just that when I get an idea for an art piece my mind won't let me think about other things until I've got it started.  If I can create this the way I see it in my mind.... it will look great.  I've got a lot of hopes and dreams tied up in doing art work. 

I did a little blog visiting late yesterday.  I hadn't intended to get onto the internet at all.  I lost a crown off a tooth about midday yesterday.  You know how getting on the internet seems to magically keep you occupied for hours and hours?  Well that's what it did for me.... kept me from thinking about the tooth.  Today I'll see if I can get an appointment to have it pulled.

Well its time for me to go work on a customer quilt.  The holiday weekend is over and, like the rest of the world, I've got to go back to work.

Decluttering the bedroom

It feels like a bedroom again!  I've been busy clearing out the stuff that had been stored in my bedroom while my daughter and grand-daughter were here.

There's still some work that must be done in here, like putting the closet doors back up and taking out the bookshelves, but it feels so much more comfortable. 

My daughter bought me a new mattress set.  I need a step stool in order to get into the bed now.  What was she thinking?  My bed was already high with a regular mattress set.  It's an antique.  They were made higher back then.  Now the bed has what is called a pillow top set.  Both the mattress and box springs are double the height of the old set.  Actually, a 3 step stool would be better so I'll have to buy one.

My bedroom may be cleaner.... the formerly empty room isn't empty anymore.  Only for a short time though.  There is still some things of my daughter's in the other room.  When she gets that out then I can put my quilting stuff back into that closet like it was before they moved in. 

Before I go putting furniture in these two rooms I'm going to finish the painting that didn't get finished last year.  I didn't finish the trim around the windows and the doors.  After that I'm going to get the window quilts made and hung.  See.... I'm not quilting.  I'm taking ME time.  Maybe I'll spend a little time blog visiting now.  I haven't done that in awhile.

Holiday weekend

I took my door quilt off the machine and put a customer quilt on.  I have it stabilized but don't plan on working on it over the weekend.  I'll work on it today but that's it until Tuesday.  This is a holiday weekend and I'm not supposed to work 

In the past, when I was quilting for a living, holidays were used as extra quilting time to get more work
finished.  That led to me not spending time with family when most people were enjoying themselves.  Not anymore!  I will now use holidays as what they are intended to be.... times for rest and enjoyment and with family. 

You may wonder why I'm type-talking about my holiday plans?  Mostly to record it for my kids and grands to read someday in this journal.  Also to tell myself.... it's ok to take time off from customer work without guilt.  I'm a workaholic so sometimes I have to convince myself to slow down and enjoy life.  This weekend I will spend time with my kids for the holiday.  I haven't done that in many years.  It may be only a phone call but that's ok too.  If they didn't live so far away I might go spend a couple of days with them. 

Holidays are also reminders that some of my kids have passed on and there's no chance to hug them or find out what they are up to.  This is the most difficult part of holidays and probably one reason I so easily worked during holidays in the past.  If I was busy working I wouldn't be thinking about what had been lost.  This was unfair to the other kids.  Just because I had lost some didn't mean I should avoid the others.  I'm hoping to make it up to them by changing my old habits and creating new ones.

If I don't post again before Tuesday..... you'll know what I'm doing. 

Another quilt finished

I finished this quilt.  It's very long.  It hangs off the other end of my intake table.

I did weaving feathers on the outside border and curls on the inside border.

I did line dancing on the pieced area.

When I finished that quilt, I decided to put my door quilt back on the machine for a little while.  I'll work on it just a bit today and then get another customer quilt onto the machine. 

I also took some time from my day to put the plants into my little garden.  I still want to put a flower or two there too.  There's one more box that needs dirt before I plant anything in it.

The nice thing about being semi-retired is that I have time for me projects again.  It feels really good.  I'm slowly getting my rhythm back after my daughter's move.  I work on customer quilts in the morning and work on me projects in the afternoon.  I started pulling boxes out of a closet late yesterday.  Its nice to spread out and get reacquainted with all the fabrics and supplies I have boxed away.  The nicest thing is that I don't have to be in a hurry to pull stuff out.  I can do this at my own pace.