Back On The Road Again (Conroe, TX)

We have been back into our home on January 2.  I am so happy to be back home and back in a campground. So Happy!...that I have been staying busy with walks, enjoying my kitchen, making up for lost outdoor cat time, and of course, quilt projects.

I have to admit that living in the apartment for a couple of weeks wasn't too bad.  All three cats staked out their sleeping areas while Dan and I tried to form some kind of routine in our temporary quarters.  The hardest part was the traffic noise from the highway (only 50 feet away) and trying to fix meals.  The kitchen only offered a toaster and a microwave, so Dan bought a hot-plate to leave for the next tenants.  Lucky for us, we are quite happy with cold meals most of the time.

This is my throne. 
You can share the sofa with the other two minions.

 I had to share a photo of the Xtreme's office door with their graphic quilt block.  Pretty cool, right?

I went one time with Dan to check out the repair progress.  I'm really glad we did not stay in our coach.  The fumes were strong inside the bay area.  I noticed the workers wearing air-filtered masks and wished I had one!

As you can see, the work was worth the wait.  There was a nine-inch crack running from the bottom corner of the slide that almost touched the bottom seam above the tire.  There were several spots that needed touch-ups and fiberglass repair that were glaring before and now looks perfect.

 While we waited, we spent some time exploring Nacogdoches' walking trails since there was no place to walk around the business area.

 We ended up going to the park and walking several of the different trails.

The trail linked under the street from Pecan Park to Stephen F Austin State University with more walking trails through the campus' botanical gardens.  From the campus, we were able to cross over a bridge to another trail that took us into an azalea garden with artwork to view.  Which was great since there wasn't much in bloom at the moment.  I would love to be here in the springtime for the blooming season...or would that be the sneezing season?😕

The artwork below is my favorite.  It looks like a Tiny House with Attitude!

And speaking of houses, I just love this B&B house.  Isn't it gorgeous?  We came across this beautiful house while walking around the downtown area.  The Jones Family house was built in 1897.  The link has better photos.

Moving back into our coach seemed a lot easier than moving out and it went a lot smoother not to mention a lot faster.  Maybe my attitude had something to do with it.  I was in a hurry to get back into our old routine.  As you can see, so did Max!  He's back to his favorite spot on the dashboard cleaning his fur despite being close to the highway and all the traffic noise.  We were parked in front of Xtreme's building when I took this photo.

Dusty is back to his old habits as well.  Time for breakfast?  Time for Dusty's "give me attention" time!

On The Cutting Board

Even Hitch showed how happy he was to be back home by helping me arrange my Day of the Dead blocks.

Yea, you really should consider putting
a handsome kitty like me right here.

I'm way ahead of you, Hitch!  The following photos are the projects I worked on during our stay in the apartment.  This one is quite a challenge for me.  I'm trying to decide how to add this embroidered kitty's face to the quilt.  I might need to use fusible webbing with embroidered raw edging this time instead of turn-under appliqué.  To be continued.....LOL!

To make the waiting time in the apartment go faster I packed up a lot of handwork-only UFOs to take with me.  I did quite well with getting almost all the projects ready for the sewing machine.  I finished hand-piecing the last five blocks for the Southwest quilt.  Now I need to sew on the sashings and start basting the blocks for quilting.

I had two of the three Unicorns done before we moved so finishing the last one only took a couple of hours.  I just need to spend some time sewing all the blocks together.

I love browsing through Urban Threads for new embroidery projects.  The site offers machine and hand embroidery in the same design at low prices.  The cute Unicorns above and the Carousel Horse below are from Urban Threads.  I have two more Carousel Horses to embroider before sewing the blocks together.

This Christmas beaded project was the only decoration I took with me.  It was almost done.  So finishing this one kept me from missing my little tree and decorations this year.

Okay, one more photo of my second try at making the Twitter quilt pattern.   Coming up with a paper-piecing pattern for the 4-inch on-point windmill block made it so much easier.  I had finished the top before we moved but forgot to take a photo to add to my last post.  So, here it is!  Ta-Da!  I'm very happy with the end results.

Well, I feel like I have created a bigger pile of UFOs.  At the same time, I did manage to move all of them towards the finish line.  Now I need to start a 'get 'er done!' mode!😊

Happy Quilting!

Recycling Feathered Friends (Spokane, WA)

There is a tall tree right outside our motorhome's door with a nest that looks like it is made of fuzzy feathers.  For the past week, the Western Kingbird couple has been building the nest.  They have been quite entertaining while I am sitting outside with the cats.  

Western Kingbird

 Squirrels find out the hard way that the birds do not want any visitors in their tree.  I have seen them chase two squirrels away and I'm pretty sure there are no eggs yet since they are still working on perfecting their little nest.

Oh, and speaking of the nest...it is made of lint from the dryer's vent!  I found a piece of lint on the ground under the nest and thought...maybe I should get a closer look at that nest.  Sure enough!  It is lint.  This baby bird is going to have one safe and cozy nest to grow up in.

I read this quote online a while back.  I liked what she said and decided to keep it.  I just found it again in my documents.  I tried the link and it is no longer available so I will just share what I saved that day.

Birds are important because they keep systems in balance: they pollinate plants, disperse seeds, scavenge carcasses and recycle nutrients back into the earth. But they also feed our spirits, marking for us the passage of the seasons, moving us to create art and poetry, inspiring us to flight and reminding us that we are not only on, but of, this earth. ~ Melanie Driscoll, Director of bird conservation for the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi Flyway

On The Cutting Board
Whoo Hoo! The "Let Freedom Ring" wall hanging sold within 24 hours!  Thank you!!!

So, I decided I wasn't quite done putting together the quilt kits.  I dragged out all my material and put together a bunch of wall hangings. I have four 4th of the July wall hangings by Nancy Halvorsen and one tea party theme by Urban Threads. Urban Threads has unique designs in machine and hand embroidery patterns. I have ordered a few and have way too many favorites!

I slipped in the snowball/penguin quilt too.  I just love the penguin material!

There is still time to vote at the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I want to thank my friends and family for voting for me.  Much appreciated! 

Okay, back to the piles of fabrics and making more wall hangings.....or mug rugs....oh, and I have to cut some more fabric from my scrap bags......

Happy Quilting!