Indian Summer Quilt

This quilt began back in October 2015 when a friend and I spotted this fabric at our little local quilt shop:

                        

We both  fell for it immediately. I had been eyeing this pattern:

                                          

And the 2 just seemed like a good combination although I altered it a bit and used a single square for my square in a square blocks. I wanted something that would put that floral in the spotlight and when I placed it against a brown solid, it just shone:

                            

To make it scrappy, I pulled possible fabrics from my stash when I got home and began cutting strips:

                            

My friend and I exchanged some fabrics as we found ourselves in various shops throughout the year and gathered a few for more variety.  I  really wanted this for a backing, but couldn't get my hands on enough of it

                            

so I settled for this green that I found on a clearance rack:

                             

It's not my favorite, but it was 108", and I guess the green is a nice compliment to the salmon-y pinks, and it works. I don't know why, but I do not enjoy piecing backs. Jackie quilted it using a black thread and a pantograph called  Linna's Charm:

                             

And it is 86" x 98", perfect to brighten up the guest bed in late summer, although it looks awfully nice across the back of the glider my FIL made for us:

                             

I am still completely smitten with the inspiration fabric and have enough left for something else and I'll make it just big enough to use that backing I love. :)

This past weekend when we were at my in-laws' home, I had lots of quilt holders at my disposal

                           

as well as a lovely setting to photograph this finished quilt that makes me smile every time I look at it:

                                      

A No Sew Day

We received another inch of rain throughout the night on Friday, into Saturday morning, saturating the ground and making for a lovely day to sew. DH had a Safari Club fund raiser to work, in another town, so he left at 6. The rain quit at 6:30 and the pups and I headed out on our morning adventure. It was such a pretty morning. Doesn't look much like a desert these days:

                           

Ya'll are going to get tired of seeing puppies splashing through the marshy water,

 but right now, this is my life and I'm not complaining.

                               

 I just get so tickled watching these two

When we got back to the house, I tended to some cleaning, called my mom to visit, and cleared the rest of the day to sew. I had big plans. Then the electricity went out at 8:30. Hmmm. What's girl to do? Why, cut out new projects of course!

Ever since I saw Carole's, at From My Carolina Home, mystery quilt from a few years ago, earlier this year, I've been itching to make it using 30's in my stash so I pulled out my bin and started cutting:

                                               

Then, still no electricity so I began to pull out fabrics to make this quilt:

                               

In this book, which is my favorite ever:

Pulling fabrics from my stash is probably my favorite part of making a quilt. It takes me forever, and in the end, about all I accomplish is making a big mess, but it's just such fun.

                                

I still need to cut sub-cut these, but there's just so much cutting I can do in a day. I cut on the dining room table and my back doesn't like it after a while. I need to fix up a table that allows me to cut at a proper height.
                                 

The electricity came on at 6 p.m., just in time to shut things down for the day. The electric company mudded their way out and eventually found a pole down. So not a stitch was sewn, but new projects are ready and waiting in the wings.

                                                     

Adventures With Skeet and Harvey

I had too many photos for one post about the rain and I really do think the puppies deserve their own post because they just had way too much fun after the rain

                             

can you say happy?

                                  

They were completely perplexed by the sound of the croaking toads. The toads are in the water and can't be seen, but their serenade can only be described as deafening and the dogs just couldn't figure out where the offenders were located

                               

Skeet spent much of his time in full alert

                               

And Harvey spent his chasing after Skeet

                                

Oh, those 2 had more fun than a barrel of monkeys and I think Harvey is enjoying being a ranch dog

                                 

At one point, the dogs were on the opposite shore from DH and I and he whistled to them. Harvey dove right in

                                           

sank

                              

oh, I spy a nose!

                              

and swam 20 yards

                               

across the dirt tank that's about 6 feet deep, using his tail as a rudder

But Skeet whined for a second and then made a beeline around the dirt tank

                               

splashing through the shallow edge:

                              

We cheered for Harvey as he reached the shore:

                                      

Skeet loves the water as long as his feet don't leave the ground

                                

Although he doesn't mind being airborne:

                                

Go Skeet!

                                 

I got as much joy out of watching these two kick up their heels as they did playing

                                 

This is what pure joy looks like

Our girl is in Hawaii this week and she's been sending us pictures. I texted her and jokingly said, "You're not coming back, are you?" and then I sent her this photo with the caption: Harvey's on his way. :)

I can't think of a better way to spend the morning and I think these two are definitely living life with gusto:

Toad-ally Blessed

God has certainly poured His blessing out upon us this week

                           

 On Friday evening we had .8" of rain.  On Sunday evening our rain gauge at the house collected another 1.6".

And Monday afternoon and evening we had another .8". Not a lot for many of you, but here in the desert, that's just huge!

Other parts of the ranch are too wet to get to so we're fairly certain even more fell in those areas.

We didn't have a very big sale at the sale barn on Monday and I was off of work at 2:30. I headed to the grocery store to pick up just a couple of things when our boy called as I was going through the self checkout and asked whether I was enjoying the rain. It wasn't raining in town, but he was driving past the ranch on his way to work in Texas and he said he'd never seen it rain like it was. He pulled down our road and visited with DH until the storm had passed. When I hit the ranch border, the water was just standing and running everywhere although the hard rain had let up and it was just lightly raining, It's a good day when water is standing in the pastures

                                 

The culverts were running water at full capacity

    

and I swam my way down river road:

that was washing out in numerous places.

                               
As soon as the sun dawned, we pulled on our muddy boots, I grabbed my camera, and we made a rain run down the highway. It's too wet to get to very many places but the ranch is dissected by a 2 lane paved road and we can drive 10 miles and still have the ranch on either side.  The bar ditches were full

                          

And the rain had washed out some pipeline at the highway

DH wanted to take inventory of the damage

The fence held up well. The water had pushed some debris against it, but no fence repair will be needed. We were only able to get to a few rain gauges, but it's nice when you have to pour them out 3 times in a week

                                         

And when it rains around here, the phone starts ringing as rainfall reports are big topics of conversation
               
                             

Too wet to go any further after this rain gauge

These culverts finally got a break and did a good job of keeping the road from being washed out:

This young buck was enjoying the cool morning as we drove by

Sights like this mean we'll have good grass to see us through the winter

And sights like this make me realize that we are abundantly blessed

I took both of these photos standing in the same spot. I just turned around and saw this. To God be the glory

Our girl snapped this photo years ago, but it's just too cute to not share again. After all, it's the perfect depiction of how toad-ally blessed we've been