Rest & Relaxation

I took a couple days off last week.  I needed the break.  I had no plans and that's exactly what I did.  I even managed to forget the one important thing I needed to do, and I have no regret.  

I spent my time watching television and quilting.  I got a lot done on the hand quilted Cmas quilt.  It's really starting to get some dimension.  I'm loving where the circles intersect and am thinking about some fun bit of quilting for those little spots.  I quilt the first circle as a circle and when I've done four, I quilt the next two echo lines as curvy squares.  

I haven't shown this whole quilt in a while.  Here's a shot of it.  It's all hand pieced and quilted.  I started it when I used to do things like that.  It was unfinsished for many years and I pulled it out in late 2019 or early 2020 to finish it.  I completely changed the layout and got it assembled and sandwiched and basted and started the quilting and then it sat in the frame for another year.  And, because my hands hurt today, it will likely get put down again for a while.  We have a bajillion Cmas quilts, so we needed one more.  Actually, we better need two more because I have a kit I ordered several years ago that I'd like to make.  One day.  But, it won't be hand pieced or quilted.  

Rob saw a picture of a hexagon quilt yesterday.  He reminded me that I have a hexagon quilt started.  I ducked my head down into my collar in shame.  I'm not sure where it is.  He hit the nail on the head, tho.  It started out as something simple and then it turned into something else.  Something huge.  Once again, my ambitions exceeded my attention span.  

My unseasonal daylily bloomed.  It was very fun to have a daylily bloom this late in the year.  I kept paying attention to it, afraid the blooms would wilt before they opened.  But, they didn't and even though it's hot as hades out there, they didn't fade during the day.  

I grew this in the greenhouse.  I was weeding one day and accidentally pulled a tiny Gerber daisy baby.  I potted it and kept it watered and now it's blooming.  None of my other Gerbers are blooming so I'm really enjoying this one.  

We started calling this the beanstalk.  I was afraid Rob was going to climb it and try to steal the goose and harp.  It's a volunteer.  I had several come up in the garden and lawn and I dug the ones from the lawn and moved them into the garden.  They were so cute.  And, this one grew and grew and grew and grew.  It was just short of 7' tall when I cut it down the other day and was shading other plants and preventing them from blooming.  I pulled another one that was shading a rose bush.  I don't know if they're going to bloom, but they won't get a chance if they all grow this big.  

It's butterfly season here.  I haven't gotten many in the past, but they're all over this year.  I get pics of as many as I can.  

Y'all know I love my sweets.  When I had those days off, I baked the pineapple upside down cake and yesterday, I made two cobblers.  One went down the disposal.  New recipe that had too much sugar in it and the dough wouldn't get solid.  It just kept bubbling up and growing larger than the pan.  Where it dripped it turned into something hard, like candy when it cooled.  So, I poured that one out and started again with my old recipe.  

That's it for me today.  I'm over work.  I'm ready to retire, but retirement is a long way off.

Well, not that long.

Everybody have a great week!  Take some time for yourself and take some time to do something you really want to do, even if that's nothing but sitting and quilting.  

Lane