My New Kitchen

Denny went out for a couple of hours recently, and he came home to a very different kitchen! I wanted it to be a surprise, so the paint and supplies were stored in Debbie and John's garage (and nobody let it slip!).

He was quite alarmed when he saw what I had done, but when I reassured him it was ok with Debbie (it was actually her idea!), he suggested we paint a wall in the living/dining room, and a wall in our bedroom, and the whole bathroom! "We" is actually me because Denny's not allowed NEAR anything as messy as paint, and he knows it!

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the color is Sage Green, so very soothing... I am tremendously happy with the results!!


Light off


Light on.


Light and fish plate over my sink. The sharp glare from this light was so intense when the wall was white that I never turned the light on. Now it's perfect!


I love the soft color behind the white cabinets and appliances.


My tea pot collection looks good with a sage green background, too!

I've painted a wall in the dining/living room, but no pictures just yet; soon, I promise. The color is... A SURPRISE!

Coffee Cuff

Here are my two original versions of the Coffee Cuff (also called Latte Cozies).

This one fits any size to-go cup. Talk about a win-win-win situation... It keeps your hand cool while drinking hot liquids, and it absorbs the condensation on cold drinks. And it's a fashion statement, too!


Pink pokey-dots with a bright pink fleur button! Just right for a modern girl.

I sell Coffee Cuffs, my original pattern, and kits. There are three fabrics to choose from: the pink fabric above, a blue and brown fabric, and the coffee-theme fabric on the jar below.
Coffee Cuff: $6. Pattern: $5. Kits: $7.



Farm girls drink from mason jars. Ask me how I know!

Here's my recipe for my favorite summer-time drink. It takes just a minute or two to blend and clean up, and the taste is soooo smooth!

COLD MOCHA FRAPPE
6 large ice cubes
2-3 Tbsp instant coffee
2-3 Tbsp hot water
2-3 Tbsp chocolate syrup
2 cups cold milk

Place ice cubes and milk in blender. In a mug, mix together instant coffee and hot water; add chocolate syrup to coffee and stir. Pour coffee-chocolate mixture into blender and whir 20-30 seconds. Pour frappe into mason jar and sip with a straw. Enjoy! Makes about 2-1/2 cups.

Other Projects

Here are some other projects that I haven't posted yet.



Quilt for Allyson Robertus (the 4th grade teacher whose class I interpreted in last year). It's about 70" x 70". This is also a picture of my "design wall" - 2 hangers on a closet! Necessity really IS the mother of invention! I can hang my white flannel and "audition" blocks here. The center block is a Little Red School House (blue for Allyson!) with star points around it. Flying Geese blocks in the corners.



I traced all the kids' hands (and the adult aids) with their names in the yellow border, and I'll include all their first and last names on the label on the back.


I liked this design so much, I decided to do one for me, too. My Little Red School House is RED, of course.


My favorite pin cushion. About 6 inches across. Mandi arranged the pins for me - more fleurs!


Detail of the embroidered fleurs.


I read an article about these yo-yo pin cushions, and had to try it!




Pot holders / handle mitts for my cast iron skillets - I LOVE these!

Stitchin' in the Park

I went to a local park a couple of weeks ago with Michelle, Terry, Mia and Tabby for a free performance of Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well put on by MSU Billings. Naturally, I brought a handwork project to work on (my Bible verses quilt), and before I knew it, all four of the little kids from the blanket next to me were in my lap!

The little girl in the dark pink dress (I’m guessing she’s about 3 or 4 years old) kept trying to touch the sharp, pointy end of my needle as I stitched and she finally told me, "I know how to do that. Wanna see?" They were really sweet, curious kids. I wished I'd had small samples they could stitch on!

Preparations for Montana State Fair

The Montana State Fair (http://www.montanafair.com/) begins this Friday, and I'm busy getting ready to demonstrate embroidery, crazy quilting, and hand quilting in the Heritage Arts building. I have 6 items entered.

This is my first time ever to enter the fair, and I'm excited that I'm going to demo my favorite heritage arts! I can't wait to see ALL the items entered in the Heritage Arts category.

Here are 3 of the 6 items I've entered in the fair.


crazy quilt pillow (all "fancy" fabrics - silks and velvet)


Autumn pillow in cottons (the pattern was a gift from Julie and Mandi; pattern by Crab Apple Hill)


my Mandi doll (my own design; completely hand stitched; tea dyed muslin)


She doesn't really look like Mandi, but she's still cute!

Changes

Denny called me from work yesterday afternoon and told me to sit down. What he said next is NOT what I was expecting... They fired him; he hadn't sold enough cars. (Next week his insurance would have begun AND they would have to pay him the "signing bonus" they promised.)

Well, the bad comes with the good, so we're not complaining. We'll just wait in hope and see what God has in store for us. (All things work together for good to those who love Him. Ro 8:28) Denny's already started checking the Classifieds.

In the meantime, it's a gorgeous summer day here in Billings, MT, and I hear country music through my open windows. Yesterday evening we had another 10-minute thunder storm.

Life is good.

And it sure is interesting, isn't it!

What Are You Reading?

Summer vacation is true luxury! I've been reading my Bible for hours each morning, while sipping my favorite drink (a very good imitation of those expensive coffee house blended frappes).

I usually get up about 5 or 6 AM to pray, then I take out my King James Bible, which is less than a year old (a lovely gift from Julie and Mandi!), so it's not marked up yet, and I'm doing my best to color and underline where needed. I fell behind when I got sick, so had to catch up, and I can't read for long at night, so my best studying is in the morning, and I love being able to do it for HOURS! What a great foundation to begin each day.

My night reading happens after I lay down and before I fall asleep, so very often it's only 5 minutes! Right now, I'm reading between two fictional series that are a lot of fun and very sweet.

The first series was recommended by my mom. The author is Alexander McCall Smith, who wrote The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and subsequent books about Mrs. Precious Ramotswe who lives in Botswana, Africa and becomes... you guessed it... a detective! It's an addicting series full of hope and sweetness and a lovely view of Africa. Here's the official web site in case you're interested: http://www.alexandermccallsmith.co.uk/

The second series is a quilting-murder-mystery series by Earlene Fowler (http://www.earlenefowler.com/index.html). Each book in the Benni Harper mystery series is named for a quilt pattern, and the heroine is a quilter, of course, and she's always doing fun and interesting things besides solving murder mysteries. Ms. Fowler is a Christian, so you don't have to wade through the disgusting, grisly, ugly details that other authors feel they have to include in their stories. The books are quick and easy to read, and good values are presented in a fun way throughout each book.

What are YOU reading?