Trip to Amish Country

Last Tuesday we spent the day in Amish country.

We can go east or west and

we will be in Amish country.

This time we went west.

Central Ohio.

Beautiful.

Look at the clean farms.

Everything is so neat.

The yards and flower beds are perfect,

and most yards had clothes drying on the clothes-line.

Every road you travel has an Amish family in a wagon or horse drawn buggy.

So drive with caution.


These were my companions for the day.
My younger daughter Samantha and her daughter, Riley.


This was typical of every parking lot. Notice what they leave behind.
And they say cars cause polution.

This is one georgeous creature. And huge!

Just your typical work horse. We saw one wagon that

had four of these horses pulling it.

This will give you something to compare the size of

the horse with. Did I mention that he was

HUGE?




We did lots and lots of shopping.

And eating.

For the most part that is why we go.

We got there in time for breakfast which for me

was the best blueberry pancakes I ever tasted.

Makes me hungry just thinking about them.

There are a lot of bulk food stores so we stocked

up on spices...

dill

parsley

oregano

italian blend

dried onion

dried tomatoes

basil

thyme

garlic salt

lemon pepper

taco seasoning.

They were packaged in little plastic tubs

so for the most part we bought one tub

and split it later. But some of the things

we use a lot of we each bought a tub.

We also bought bags of penny candy, which of course

is no longer a penny. Several kind of dried fruit,

several jars of pickled artichoke hearts

a round of baby swiss and

several dozen amish cookies.

Then there were the farm markets where we

loaded up on produce like strawberries

potatoes, green onions, green beans, tomatoes,

squash, cabbage, leaf lettuce and on and on.

There were only three quilt shops. Most of what were

advertised as "quilt shops" sold quilts, which makes

total sense. But to me a quilt shop sells fabric.

Anyway, I found these darling note cards which I

could not pass up. Have already used some of them.

This wool kit was just too cute to pass up.

A couple of patterns came home with me.

And of course fabric...

and a little more fabric.

I guess I was in the mood for sherbet colors.

Have no idea what I will make, but love them.

This is a terrible picture of the thimbles I bought.

Sorry about that.

Have you tried these? They are so soft

and I prefer them over metal.

Plus I can see them when I'm searching in my

sewing box.

It was a fantastic day and I hope you enjoyed it also.

Happy Flag Day America

Quilt Show

Went to a quilt show today and wanted so share some of the beautiful quilts on display.

Beautiful colors.

The picket fence border on this house quilt looks terrific.

This was a small wall hanging made by my friend Polly. It was only about 18 inches square and the work was so delicate. All the flowers and leaves are embroidered.

Polly also made this lamb quilt. I have been thinking of making it and seeing Polly's gives me even more inspiration.

A closeup of some work by my friend Lea. Love the border on this one.

Lea also made this blue and white house quilt. She does wonderful work.

Here is the whole quilt Lea made.

It was a wonderful show but the air conditioning wasn't working right and I was way too hot, and when I get that hot I get sick, so didn't stay as long as I would of liked. I hope you enjoy the picks.

Another Stash-busting Project

As I continue to work with the stash I was given, I put together these blocks in an effort to use the pinks and grey with pink. So far so good. The green you might see in the picture is my cutting matt showing through, the blocks are not sewn together yet.

This and that of summer 09

Two years ago I agreed to take on the adventure of watching my youngest granddaughter and I enjoy it very much. I treasure every day I spend with her. They live in the country and this is part of my view from their deck. Riley and I have breakfast on the deck every Monday and Friday. The next pasture is thoroughbred horses. What more could you ask for.


Riley is now a busy 2 year old with energy to burn. If I could bottle her energy and sell it I would be rich indeed.

As she has grown our daily routines have changed. She is no longer content to stay inside. She wants outside the minute her feet hit the floor in the morning, turning each day into a new adventure for both of us. This is expected, but what I didn't expect, didn't see in my future was this...

Let me introduce you to Miss Marley.

Now I have two "babies" to watch, each with seemingly more energy than the other. Our first day together was interesting, with me trying to keep up with both of them. However, after thinking things through I decided...let them wear each other out. Brilliant! It is working like a dream. Riley still takes a two hour nap every day and Miss Marley takes a nap about every two hours. Life is good.

Summer has arrived in my yard. Love this oriental poppy. The delicate petals are like delicate super thin tissue paper.

Look at this clematis. Love that deep color.

This is my over-grow herb garden. I don't really care that it is out of control. I would rather have too much mint than a bed of weeds.

Last but not least I want to give a big CONGRATULATIONS to my darling sister-in-law, Jodie, who has received her wings to be an air-vac helicopter nurse. She has been a nurse for twenty years or so and this has been her goal for a very long time. Way to go Jodie. I love you and am so very proud of you. Fly safely dear.