jingerbread ranch has moved to Nevada...

Surprise! Here it is 16 months since my last post. Forgive me, (father, for I have sinned...just couldn't resist), but a lot has happened in my life these past months, and it has been very hard for me to get back into the normal daily routine that my life was before the night of August 28, 2012. A horrible fire swept through our mountain community and decimated 14 homes and 20 outbuildings. Our home was the second to go up in flames. My s/o and I barely got out...we could see the fire as we drove up our driveway. No one came to tell us to evacuate, we knew we were in trouble. We packed a few meager possessions (we WERE coming back to a whole house), and away we went, following the other evacuees off the mountain.There is a longer version to this story, so I will leave most of it out, as it would take days to tell it. The shorter version is...we lost our beautiful log home of 17 years, 22 acres of trees, and all our possessions except was what in our duffle bags. Nothing we could do...fire is an unmerciful beast, and all you can do is get out of its way...
   Fast forward to today...November 16, 2013...we decided not to rebuild in Montana, and headed for our "snowbird" state of Nevada to rebuild. Making new memories in our single-story 3BR,2Bath home. It isn't 22 acres, but we've lucked out with some very nice neighbors, and life goes on.

   Not going to try and catch you (or me) up on this past year-and-a-half, but rather start from today and go forward. This is the first time I've felt that I could put words down as my grief for us and others who have lost has been great. I thank God every day for his love, and the kindness of friends and family who have touched us with their compassion and sympathy. Also, those who shared their material possessions with us, homes, money, gifts, etc., in our time of need. You know who you are, and I am grateful.

Anyway, this has gone on long enough. Today is a new day, and my normal routine is somewhat like my other...only I'm doing it in the desert! It is still hot here, gardening season is just starting, and I am planting! Vegetables, herbs, and flowers. There is no grass here, so everything is done in raised beds. I have a 25 x 4.5 foot organic garden, and a smaller flower/herb garden. This is my first season here so everything is pretty much experimental from this point. I hope to write about my gardening adventures as well as other new projects/hobbies I have taken up(and the old ones). So...tomorrow is another day for another story...

    

I missed June...now here's July...

At the end of April I purchased a plane ticket to go visit my home state of Ohio. My mother, older brother, daughter, grandson (1 of 3), cousins and various other relatives are still there, and I try to get home as much as possible. This time 2 years have passed. I'm leaving on the 18th of this month, and am almost ready to go. I'll be staying a month, and will be staying mostly with my daughter, who is my only child. Classmates and I have made plans to try and get together...hope I can see all of them!

As for sewing...I still haven't finished my 2 wall hangings I started...they are in the same stage as when I wrote last. However, I have started a new project...which is very typical of me...so now I have 2 more UFOs to add to the pile. I swear I'm going to finish those wallhangings when I get home! I've also managed to sew some more HSTs to add to the Birthday Depression Blocks I received. All has not been in vain.

My new project is called the Sunny Lanes Quilt Saga. I found a quilt online made by a quilter on one of my much visited quilting sites, and fell in love with it.  The block is called Sunny Lanes and can be found on http://www.quilterscache.com/. It is a site by Marcia Hohn, and she offers a gazillion and one free quilt blocks for the making. I've got one made, and lots more cut out to be sewn. It's a scrappy quilt, and I love scrappies! Lots of four-patches to be made from 2-inch squares, and I have been saving those forever! Kind of like a fabric history of my stash.  Here's the block.....



I decided to iron most of the seams open to make the block lay flatter. Right now, I've put everything on hold, and will start sewing the blocks together when I get home next month. Feels good to have this much done. I will post a picture of the quilt tomorrow that was made by the other quilter. This has gotten too long already!!!

Long week @ jingerbread ranch.....

Seems like all we did last week was run to town every day! We live right in-between two towns and they are 17+ miles each way. Three yearly check-ups for my sig/other plus follow-ups on some added testing. Everything came out ok, just needed to add more of a couple supplements he's already taking.

Needless to say, I got zero sewing done! The wallhanging I'm quilting on is still under the needle. I've spent my free moments the last few days going through books and magazines picking out a scrappy quilt to make. I've got to do something with all these scraps! Well, I managed to find more than a few patterns, so now I need to choose one...maybe I can work on more than one at a time...most contain four or nine-patches, and I could just sit and feed them through the machine all day...hmmmm...maybe...

BUT...I've still got my two wallhangings to finish first!The one with the pink posies is still hanging on my design wall, and the one under the needle ain't getting done while I'm sitting here! I've got most of the SID done, next will be the fancy work, which means simple fancy work for me. Maybe just some curliques around the border...hmmmm...maybe...

Wednesday @ jingerbread ranch

A new month...May...it conjures up for me the budding trees, tulips breaking ground, my asparagus peeking up to see if there are any bunnies ready to snip their heads off, and our mountain bluebirds searching for the perfect box to make their nests. What I didn't expect this morning was 30* temps and SNOW!!! But, yes, there it was...of course, by noon the sun had come out and melted it. Actually we usually have cold weather up until June 15th, hence the short growing season up here in the mountains. I start my seeds indoors to give them a head start, and plant them after the 15th. Everything always tastes better when you plant, grow and harvest it with your own hands.

I belong to a fabulous online quilting group, and this winter we decided to make Birthday Blocks for one another. Ten ladies from the group signed up, and we were off! We each picked a favorite block, decided they were to be scrappy, and waited for our birth month to roll around. Mine's in February, and the "depression block" was my choice. Oh, how I eagerly awaited for all my "presents" to come in the mail!!! All nine blocks (I'm the 10th) were beautiful! some of the ladies sent extra fabric, leftover half square triangles, and one sent a smaller version of my block which I've decided to make a label from it for the back of whatever I make from them. I probably will make more of the block to make at least a twin-sized quilt, but I thought I would show you what the ladies sent... 

Monday @ jingerbread ranch

Well, I think this is a first! Two days of posting in the same month! I know sometimes it only takes a minute to post, but to find that minute sometimes seems impossible. This morning we got up early and headed into town for an early dr. appt., went to breakfast, stopped to visit some close friends, hardware store for a part, post office, feed store, and then home! Whew! I'm ready for my nap!
I did do some sewing yesterday, and am proud of myself for getting this far. I'm not a fan of borders, and this project had FOUR!!! It did turn out nice. This wallhanging is a pattern from Nancy Mahoney, and was featured in the Fons & Porter Love of Quilting magazine March/April 2006 issue. I've had the fabric that long! Told you I was way behind in my UFO's!!! Anyway, I just fell in love with it, and wanted to do something with 30's fabrics, so here it is...

I still need to make a backing for it...I'm using up the leftover yardage from the front and white muslin.

Well, I finally got brave enough to go to my blog...7 months(!!) have gone by since my last post!!! Thank you Wilma, from Wilma's World for not kicking me off your blog list...I'm hopeful I can move up from the bottom!
I'm not going to try to play catch up for the last 7 months as I try not to live or dwell in the past. I thought spring had arrived here in the mountains, but I woke up on Thursday to 1.5 inches of snow...how pretty!! Of course, it's melted now, but the cold temps have lingered.
I've been trying to start finishing up some older projects that I put together last year. I've got one down to the binding, and one hanging here on my design wall to layer. A lot of these will be guinea pigs for practicing my free-motion quilting...nothing fancy...I'm still trying to get meandering down! Most are scrap quilts, and the better ones I will take my time marking and sewing S-L-O-W-L-Y. Practice makes almost perfect in my quilting world!

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.