Red Geranium Cottage

I've accepted a challenge...........

I'm back again.  Just like the old days when I used to post everday.  I know I just did my blog yesterday but I have accepted a challenge of sorts. Not really a challenge but I was asked to join Karen from My Yellow Farmhouse blog and Anne from Cottons n Woolens in making a Christmas Quilt.  Of course I said yesssssssss.  I was very excited. Here are my new partners in crime.  Anne's friend is also participating but I think she doesn't have a blog.  I hope I got that right.  You'll have to go to Karen and Anne's blog to see their blocks.  

  I had already started this quilt a year ago.  But knowing that I was joining these two Prim girls, I quickly did a whole new block today. Yes today!!  I had to.   I just did!!   Well they didn't make me, I just didn't want to outshine them and their dark blocks.  :)  This is my block #1 that I did a year ago. Get your sunglasses on first!!!  Then look.  

Now if any of you are working on this quilt and would like this block, let me know and it's yours. Not everyone at once ok?? haaaaaaaa  

Here is the one I'm doing now. The one I whipped up today.  Not done with all of my stitching yet but that's ok.  These are the colors I'll be doing my quilt in.  This is block #1.

I took my pictures tonight so I just couldn't get the lighting right.  I do love the block in these colors though. I'm going to be using a lot of Primtiive Gatherings new line along with others that I have.  

Comfort & Joy is the pattern and if you'd like to make one I can still order it for you.  Just send me an email. It really is a fun quilt.  And it's a big one too.  

I'm off to work on block #2 now.  Yahooooooo

 

 

 

 

Nothing much over here!

How's your New Year going?  So far so good over here.  But we're only 6 days into it so I won't get too excited.  

Today is my wonderful Mother in law's birthday. We miss her so much.  She was the best lady, and the best gramma to both of my boys.  Wasn't she pretty?  

Today is also the day that Hunka and I first met in San Diego.  25 years ago.  Who knew time would fly by so fast?   Yep we met on his momma's birthday.  At least we never forget the date right? 

My poor Pfaff had to go to the sewing machine doctor.  I turn her on and she has a seizure for about 20 min. I just couldn't stand to watch her anymore suffer like that.  Yesterday we dropped her and it was a sad day for me. I'll have to wait for two weeks before I get to see her again.  :(    Oh yes I have other machines. Lots of them matter of fact, but none stand up to my Pfaff.  I've probably had her for over 24 years.  Hunka bought her for me at a Home & Garden show in Ca.  That machine is a work horse.  Do you have a favorite machine like that at your house?  

I wanted to show you a couple things I got for Christmas.  One is a quilt and pillow cases that Nancy made me.  

Isn't it cute? I think I'm the one in the middle with the red dress on and she is the one standing next to me with the green skirt on. 

And King Sized pillow cases to match.

Beth made this one for me.  Sooo cute.  Love Civil War fabric.

While I'm showing quilts I thought I'd show these again.  Hunka made this quilt hanger to fit in a hallway when we lived in Ca. We brought it with us and it fit perfectly at the bottom of our stairs going into my sewing rooms.

These are two little mini's I made. Not too hard but fun to make and quilt.  I'm into the mini's now.  I'm running out of room for quilts in this house.  My boys have so many they say, NO MORE!!   All I can hope for is a couple daughter in laws that will want them.  

That's about all I have for now.  Not a lot going on over here.  I'm still taking down Christmas and putting it away.  Bringing out my Valentine decor too.  It's always fun to see it after a year of hiding.  

Thanks for stopping by!!

 

 

Decorating Part Deux

Look at me speaking French.  Impressed aren't you?  :)   

Now with gifties galore.  And I still have wrapping to do.  I'm not diggin the wrappin scene. 

The fancy gifts are Boo's. He and Hillarie wrapped them.  I'm very impressed.  

Speaking of Boo and Hillarie. Here they are.  They were here this weekend.  Isn't she cute?  We liked her so much.  She's even wearing my favorite color.  

My little helper.  

This was before we did our lights.   I love the Christmas quilt.  It's fun to change them each season. 

and after......

We weren't even going to put lights outside but I think I hinted so much Hunka decided to do some.  Next year will be better but I'm happy with them.  The problem is we had all these decorations and lights that we put on our house in Ca. and since we've moved here we haven't planned on the lights for this house. That's going to change next year.  

I decided to bring up a couple of my red suitcases.  Put this tree in my bedroom. Now I have two in there. 

I like pictures without the flash.  

Do you like my little tree mat?  Wendy made it for me.  I love it so much.  She also made me a cute little coin purse.  I'll show you that too.  Talk about a nice surprise.  

Here's the cute little coin purse Wendy made me.  Love it.  Thank you Wendy.

 

Love my old birdcage.  I could not decide what to put inside. Then I found this big box full of red ornaments.  PERFECT.   

This is one of my favorite Christmas quilts.  Just noticed it's hanging upside down.  haaa

This year I decided to hang my Christmas cards from Baker's Twine using red and white polka dotted clothes pins.  Sorry the pic is so blurry.  I tried three times. 

You can sort of see it through here to the right. 

Ok there's part two.  Be back again with three and probably four.  Who wants to come over and help me take all this down in January???  Anyone???? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decorating part 1

Ready for some decorating? I have to just stop and put the rest of my stuff away. I could go on for another month dragging out stuff.  Only to have to put it away in a few weeks.  So I am done. 

We have had these wooden guys for years!  This is the big one and we have a little guy. His brother.  haaa  I really need to buy them some clothes.  They hang around the house all naked day in and day out. They don't really seem to mind though.  

My white and red tree.  Love it!!!  I have a few pics of it.  I just couldn't get the right lighting.  

I love my little chick. Not sure if it's Christmassy but in my house it is.  

This three jar thing I got in St. Charles.  Not sure yet what I'll do with it.  I think flowers will go in it in the Spring.  

I know the date is wrong. That's how long ago I started my decorating.  

See the little glass jar? It's itsy bitsy. And you stick the light bulb from the tree inside them. I have a bunch fo them on the tree.  I bought them last year. This year I couldn't find anymore at the shop.  

You probably can't see the candle and the holder well but you clip these onto the tree. They are a rusty tin candle holder with a clip to attach to the branches.  The candle isn't even 1 1/2 inches tall.  

This wall isn't that bright. Like I said, I had lighting issues.  And other issues but we won't go into those.  haaaa  

This cute red sleigh basket I bought last year too.  It's so old looking.  And the little tree is new this year.  It came with the decorations on it. Of course the red bench hunka makes. 

My country tree in the dining room.  Didn't mean to cover up Annie's face.  Poor thing under there and she can't see a thing.  

Again, with the lighting.  Boo bought me this antique sleigh during his last visit.  I absolutely love love love it.  It is just what I've wanted.  Red and all.  I was going to put it out on the porch but I wanted to see it so I left it inside.  It's awesome.   

Love my houses.  This santa is the perfect size to stand by the house.  

Ok, there's part of the tour.  Much more to show.  I'll try to come back soon. This month is flying by and I am no where near ready for  Christmas.  I still need to go shopping. Usually I'm all over that part but, not this year.  Just can't get going.  I must be ill.  :)  

Thanks for stopping by!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time march's on and on and on and.........

  How about our St. Louis Cardinals?? They are rockin it.  The last time I remember all of this excitement I was giving birth to my second child.  Boo as you guys know him. It was  in 1982. His dad, wanted me to name him Ozzie after Ozzie Smith and I said without hesitation NO!!!  Now I think Boo might have been happy with that name.  Tell me, does he look like an Ozzie?  This was Boo last year. He just turned 29 on the 9th of this month.   One more year and my baby boy will be 30! YIKES!!!  And I'm only 29.  

Now that I've had my Halloweenie decor out for a couple months I'm ready to roll out the......ok I won't say it.  I sent Nancy a text pic yesterday of a Christmas tree in my bedroom and aksed her,  "is this too soon?"  lolol   She of course said YESSSS.  I left the tree up anyway.  I'm enjoying it.  

I even bought my first Christmas Annie's of the season.  Oh yea Nicole's already whipping them up over on her site.  They go fast you better get over there.  

I went to Mexico, Missouri the other day to visit Homestead Hearth and there is a great antique shop along the way.  They had all of this Christmas stuff out. Not antiques obviously but still,  I managed to bring some home with me. Half of the store is either seconds or leftovers from some store I imagine.  I just love holiday's. Can't wait for the next one, Thanksgiving  to begin.Not to mention that's hunka and my anniversary. Yep we were married the day after Thanksgiving years and years ago. Ok, so it wasn't that long ago.  1989 to be exact.   

This made me think of my BFF.  Why you ask?? Because it's a cat.  She's not a cat but she loves cats. 

Hunka and I were at the grocery store last week taking pics of these.  Haaaa can't you just hear them all laughing??  Sort of scary really? Yvette, are you afraid??

Loved the purple hair.

Sort of jumping around here. But I bought two quilts at local antique malls recently.  This is one of them. 

Here's another.

This is what I made Nancy for Halloween. The photo is not good, hopefully she will get a better one.  It's an old Thimblerries pattern.  I loved it. Tried to make two but just didn't get around to it.  

Before I forget Leisa your the winner of the PKM fat quarters. When my fab comes in I'll get them out to you.  

We have a beautiful hotel in the Wildwood Center close by our house and they have turned the fountain water a shade of red/pink. I can't decide if it's pink for breast cancer awareness or a light red for the Cardinals. So I'm saying it's for both. Either way I think it's cool.  I see it everyday, it's in the center where my local Starbucks is. 

Isn't that hotel pretty? And all the trees in the background changing colors.  I love it here!!  Have I told you that lately?

When I woke up the other morning I noticed the Holly Berry trees blooming. I love the RED berries.  These trees have gotten huge.  We are way up and the trees are taller than my window.  I want to reach out the window and cut some of the branches and bring inside. 

Can you tell how high up we are??  That's the fish down there.  We don't have a two story house.  It's because of the basement I guess that we are up so high.  From the front of our house it looks small.  Anyway, that's why we pay someone to clean our windows. Remember hunka falling off the ladder when we were selling our Ca. house? I don't trust him up there anymore and I'm for sure not going up there.  

Alright then, that was alot of stuff!!  Sorry to jump around but I take so many pics and don't get around to showing them.