November 18, 2011

FABRIC FRIDAY FOR GRANDMA

I just love conversations with my Grandma!  We talk about weather, family, ways to get my mom into trouble and yesterday we talked fabric.  She has been looking for some coffee material and I knew instantly where to go.  My friend made me the cutest placemats out of the top four fabrics. 
Grandma, let me know if you like any of them and how much is needed for your project.  LOVE YOU!



Have you called your Grandma lately?
TJO

November 17, 2011

REMEMBERING

I am working on our Wedding Album (finally) and what a job it is.  Most of the time I find myself lost in the many, many memories.  What a great time we had.  It truly was the perfect day.

November 14, 2011

PROJECT WEEKEND


After a great day of shopping last Thursday with my handsome hubby, I spent Friday with a great friend.  We sewed, sewed and sewed some more.  It was so much fun.  A whole day of great coffee, great projects and great chit chat with a great gal.  Get my theme here?!  :)
I completed throughout the weekend, including Friday, 3 Origami Table Toppers (pictured above) and the Sassy Strips Table Runner (pictured below).  I made two of the Origami and the Sassy Strip for my upcoming Annual Meeting silent auction and door prizes for work. The 3rd Origami is going to be shared also.  I made up the striped backing out of the scraps and on a whim.  Took longer than expected (as usual) but was lots of fun.
Next project: Mug Rug Swap. 
Anyone want to participate?

What project are you working on?
TJO

November 9, 2011

ROUGH WEEKEND

I don't like to be the "woe is me" person, but I have to share this just because it is so surreal.
I started fall grass seeding at my work and it has been quite the adventure so far.
It took us 3 days in one field due to some unforeseen circumstances that arose, including but not limited to:
having to drive at 5 mph to the field,
learning where to set the seed cup feed rate
(this entailed about an hour or more of phone calls and frustration),
setting the feed rate too high and running short on seed,
more learning on the seed cup feed rate and a trip to the local grain elevator,
broken hydraulic hose,
wrong end put onto the hydraulic hose,
trip to town for a brand new hydraulic hose,
tractor driver seeding the wrong field,
hitting a fence post on the way out of the wrong field,
removing bent tire and not having the right tools to remove it,
and the big finale.....
getting the tractor and seeder stuck 50 yards from being completely done!!

This is where the surreal part comes into play.  We tried everything to pull out the tractor on our own with no luck at all.  We, my tractor driver and I, then went to town to ask around.  We "thought" we really got lucky when a county worker came into the local gas station and he said he would help us out.  We loaded up chains and led the brand new county blade out to our location just for him to get about 30 yards in and get stuck also!!!  I am well into meltdown mode at this point with no means to end in sight.  We, my tractor driver, the county worker and I, get into the truck and start searching for local farmers with possible tractors to help us all out.  The second farm we get to, we spot a tractor in behind the trees.  Straight into 4th gear we are after him.  Thank everyone we possibly can, he agrees to come help us with his HUGE buhler tractor.  This thing is massive!!  Also, lots of thanks to many that a local tree remover was around with some cables.  We shredded the first cable under the weight; my heart is coming out of my chest at this point.  The buhler pulled the plow out, our tractor and our grass drill out like they were wet towels.  It was amazing!  I have some many people to thank and no way to be able to actually thank them enough for everything and to do all of this on a Saturday, and to top that off it was opening weekend of deer season! Just typing about it stresses me out and makes me laugh because that is all that you can really do.  We are thankful that only a little blood was shed by myself loading the cables up and no equipment damaged.  Just crazy!!  Tomorrow I am taking a day of sanity to go shopping with my husband.  Is this really a sanity day or a continuation of insanity?  I will tell you on Friday!  :)
Did I just make your bad day seem good?
TJO

November 7, 2011

ITS HERE

Well......the white stuff arrived here yesterday.  It was inevitable I suppose. 

Thank goodness, we did not get much for our first snow.  Just enough for me to check my hot chocolate stash and run to the store for some apple cider.  Nothing like a warm cup of hot cocoa or apple cider on those chilly nights while under a fuzzy, warm blanket with good tv or an old movie.

What is your favorite  past time for cold, winter nights?

TJO

November 2, 2011

CHANGE OF SEASONS, ALREADY?!

With talk of that dreaded white stuff in our weekend forecast, I am looking back at my 2011 bountiful garden harvest.  I had quite the time this year between weather and weeds.  My first garden was wiped out almost completely by the wind and cold, so I replanted with whatever on sale plants I could get my hands on.  I had tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, squash, onions and pumpkins. I wanted to do salsa this year, but my tomatoes didn't turn early enough.  I LOVE the mini pumpkins, they will be on my yearly list now, but will plant them along the fence so they don't take over my whole garden again. The lessons I learn each year.
I just love gardening and learning new things with everyone I plant. I am on the hunt for an end of season sale on a greenhouse for next year. Until next year, I will be enjoying my garden tomatoes throughout the winter in my chili.  Yummmm........or maybe homemade tomato soup.......or maybe spaghetti sauce....or maybe.....
Enjoy the rest of your fall and keep doing your "stay away snow" dance please.
TJ

November 1, 2011

The Great Pheasant Expedition of 2011 


The Great Pheasant Expedition of 2011 



We spent a lot of this summer working on our home, so we decided we needed an expedition out before the white stuff shows up. We overpacked (as usual) and hit the road a couple of weekend's back.  I am not much of a hunter with a gun, but I love to walk the fields and hunt for the perfect pictures with my camera.  After many miles walked and many reprimands to the dogs, my mighty hunter got his first bird. 
Lucy our youngest pup has never been hunting before and was quite the character.  She does not like to go into the brush; she prefers the easy way around; she does not like the feathers in her mouth and she is very protective of her catch. 
Doesn't she look so proud?! 
We had a great time, ended up with two pheasants, lots of great pictures and many memories. 
Great idea hubby, lets do it again next year.  :)

TJO