The End of September

Wow! Where has this month gone to? I've been sewing a little bit every day, but have nothing completed to show you. Just finished up a wall hanging for Halloween which means I got the top done. Hopefully, tomorrow I will put batting and backing on.
Woke up this morning to a gorgeous sunrise...so gorgeous I put it on my header. We've gotten a reprieve from winter. All next week is supposed to be in the 70-80's. I'm not complaining! The garden is almost empty of flowers, the rhubarb is spent, and the asparagus has gone to seed. The birds are enjoying the new birdbath we purchased for them. They are such a delight to watch!! Better than TV.

August Mountains

I changed my header picture today. I'm still trying to get my page the way I want it, but every time I edit, the "gadget" ends up in the wrong place! I've always thought I was somewhat computer savvy, but I'm beginning to wonder.

The mountains really are beautiful this time of year, and yes, dear reader, there is still some snow on the mountains here in Montana. My mountains (as I like to call them) in the picture, are a bit hazy from wildfires happening somewhere in the state, and whatever smoke has snuck over from the Idaho fires in recent days. Fortunately for us, we haven't experienced any fires close by.

It's been a lazy day here at jingerbread ranch...hot in the 80's...we have just two fawns left that come around with their momma, and they are fun to watch as they are coming of age. Still spotty, but they will lose them come September and colder weather. Then the cycle begins again with rutting season.

It's already August at jingerbread ranch...

Summer has gone by too fast for me. I've been doing some website work for a friend who owns a quilt shop, and it seems I've spent all my time putting her inventory online. It's looking pretty good, but now I'm going to attempt to get the shop on Facebook, Twitter, AND start a Blog for the business!!! Can't even keep up with my own! I'm doing better on FB as I've made it my Homepage so it's the first thing I see when I boot up. Can't ignore all those posts! So I spend as little time there so I can get to my emails. Now, if only I could figure out how to have FOUR homepages...lol!

My S/O and I will be making a trip to Yellowstone on Monday. It's an exciting time for us...going back to the scene of the crime...we were both working in the park for Hamilton Stores for the summer, our eyes met...and the rest is history. For the last 17 years we have made a yearly trek to YNP, not just for the memories, but the beauty of the park never gets boring for us. We haven't tired of the hiking, food, sites, animals, you name it, we love it all!! Monday can't come fast enough for me!

As for the quilting and sewing part of my life, I've accomplished a lot more than I thought I would. Decided to put everything away that was lying about and get just one project out at a time. If I only get all the blocks finished so that all that is left is for me to sew them into a top, then I'm happy with myself. It has worked for me so far. Have finished up the 48 blocks I need for a Kim Diehl quilt, 25- 12.5" star blocks for a Glenna Hailey quilt, caught up on my BOM that I sponsored for my small group of quilting friends here in MT, finished and sent off various blocks for my online quilting group, and I am presently working on a panel quilt for our living room wall. They're still considered UFO's, but I'm further along with them than I thought I ever would be. I still have a cupboard full of this and that, but eventually, I'll git 'er done!

Will leave you for now...here's a picture of the Bear Panel I'm working on ...

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

I've really been remiss in keeping my word about this blog. Although life goes on if I don't post everyday, I still feel as though something has been left out, and think maybe I should say it aloud on my blog.
I have been doing quite alot these last few months...sewing, traveling, working on a friend's website, and the everyday things it takes to keep a household running. Winter took its toll on us as we had decided to stay home for the winter instead of traveling to our "snowbird" spot this past year. According to Montana "natives" it was one of the worst winters in 15-20 years. Of course, every "native" had a different opionion of the word "worst". Our driveway was impossible to get out of so we went to live with friends in town for a couple of weeks, but got so homesick we had to come home no matter what. Our good neighbors let us park at their place for the duration, but walking up and down that driveway got to be pretty old fast. Soooo...we took a 10-day vacation to CA. It was chilly there, but NO SNOW!!! Had a good time with all of DH's relatives, and confirmed my DH's reasoning for not wanting to go back to live in CA!
Anyway, we lived through it, and I changed my header picture to today's weather...it was 32 degrees this morning, but NO SNOW!!! We have missed spring entirely, and are awaiting the short summer. Still, we will plant nothing in the garden until after the 15th of this month, Hence, our short growing season.
This summer should be a busy one for us as we have several trips planned, I go for my first colonoscopy, and a big trip to Ohio in September for me to visit my daughter, grandson, brother, mother, other relatives, and most importantly, a quilting retreat with all my new friends from an online quilting group that I joined last year. Things are looking up here at jingerbread ranch!!
Chat soon!

Lazy Day...

Yesterday my DH started at noon to plow the driveway. Some 4+ hours later he was done! I went to help and spent over an hour just shoveling. We have about a foot of accumulated snow at jingerbread ranch, and I think most of it was on the driveway! I used muscles I never knew existed as the most workout I get everyday is my five toes pushing down the presser foot! That's sad...not the idea that I'm sewing, but the fact that I'm so sedentary.
Anywhoo...not much done today...picked out some fabrics for a couple of pincushions I want to make for a friend, and spent the rest of the day at the computer. We did get out to get the mail. Now that may not seem like a big deal to you city folks whose mailbox is at the end of your driveway, but to us here in the mountains it is a big deal. Our mailbox is 2.8 miles from our home! So we were glad to get out if only to get the mail.
Hopefully, I'll have something to show for my efforts tomorrow...

I'm Taking a Snow Day...

It has been snowing most of the day here at jingerbread ranch. DH has just come in from plowing the driveway and removing 6-8 inches of snow. We are 6000+ feet up in the mountains, and it is supposed to snow all night. We may be able to dig out by April...lol!

I've been catching up on some reading today, just generally goofing off, and trying to get a hand on this blog. My goal of writing here everyday has gone to the dogs, but I am not one to live in the past so today will be another start on my goal. I'm trying to master putting pictures on here, but haven't been very successful. With a bit of tutoring from my fellow blogger and friend, Wilmanc.blogspot.com, hopefully I can succeed this time!

I am a collector of things Mary Engelbreit. My DH remodeled (he didn't do the remodeling, but paid for it to be done) my sewing room for me in July, and one of the new additions to the room was a bench with a drawer in it. I decided to cover the pad with ME fabric, and make up a few of the many pillow panels in my collection to put on the bench. Well, last week I finally got the bug and sewed up four pillows, and covered the bench. I also hung a ME picture that was a gift from my friend, Lynn. She is a fantastic Mosaic artist, and all-around shabby chic person so we try to keep each other supplied with "objects of our obsessions". I'm going to leave you with a picture, and hope to be here again tomorrow...

Well, it didn't work so I'm going to leave as is...the cupboard beside the bench is my stash (or most of it).

Heat Wave

Been up in the high thirties these last couple of days. Some of the accumulated snow is melting, and just in time for the predicted big storms coming our way tomorrow and on through the weekend.

Work was slow yesterday at the consignment shop. If my friend, Lynn, hadn't stopped in I would not have seen anybody!!! Very, very slow! I did get a lot of magazines read and some pictures of the shop taken so I can post them here. I need to get permission from the owner first, then I'll post. Want to do things right!

So, I will leave you with a picture of one of our fawns sunning himself. The deer come visit us daily, and lay out on the lawn. They feel perfectly secure here as they know we are not hunters.

Evening at jingerbread ranch

I changed my template on the header, and it seemed to have centered my blog name. Thanks for the help, Wilma and Patty. Just learning the ropes here, and hope to add a lot more to my blog page as I go along.
Tomorrow I will be working at the Chic Shack. It is a small consignment shop in Whitehall that features some pretty talented ladies. The owner gave me about 50+ pounds of fabric and scraps so I told her I would put in a few days of work for her. I love going there, and can spend hours just looking at the items the ladies have crafted. The owner makes aprons (hence the scraps), and other small fabric items. Some of the other products are: pottery, rugs, totes and purses, candles, home decor items, re-purposed household items, mosaics, magnet cards, antiques, furniture, and its all packed into a 3 room cottage! Very well organized I might add. The owners DIL who is also a consignor does all the arranging, and is very good at it! I will take some pictures tomorrow and show you what I'm talking about.
Going to make it an early night....

QUIET DAY

Another quiet day here at the ranch...I put up a picture for my "only"(lol) quilter friend, Wilma, and will add some as I go along. The picture is of our meadow last week when we had a snowstorm. It's still cold here...in the 20's, but no new snow has fallen the last few days.
I spent most of my day just shuffling things around in my new sewing room as I just threw things in drawers and cupboards when we finished it in July. There are still a few things that need to be done...switchplates to be switched out to white, moldings and floor boards to be painted, and a foam pillow to be covered for my bench seat. I'm having a darn good time in my room!!! I'll post some pictures later, Wilma, although you've already seen them! lol. Patty and Roma, too! Ah, my faithful followers!

Another day......

New Year's Day 1-1-11

Ahhhh...just a quiet day at home with DH...him watching TV, and me down in my "studio" sewing and catching up on emails. I've been working on some UFO's from last year (and the years before!). A quilting friend and I have challenged each other to do at least one UFO a month for 2011. She called to tell me what she was working on, so at least we were on the same page today. I will be able to put on my binding tomorrow, and ,hopefully, cross that one off my list. It is a smaller project, but will be done nonetheless. I have larger tops finished, but have to wait for the money to be there to be able to take them to the quilter.