A Rare Day in my Sewing Room

 DH was away yesterday

and with the exception of chores...ie: horses, heifers, chickens, cats, bees, and Skeet...I spent much of the day sewing. I really wanted to get my Snuggle Season triangles off of the floor so I started there. 

And after 5 weeks, it's finally a quilt top. It took most of the day, as I starched a lot, and pressed the seams open each time I added a piece. I don't usually do that, but bias edges and triangles can get wonky quickly and those extra steps seem to help.

I pulled fabric and made the backing.

Then, as much as I really wanted to sew more, I had to tend to some piles

I have often considered taking the bed out of this room, but we really need it as a second guest bed. Alas, when not in guest mode, it serves as a place holder for fabric piles at times. I work on multiple projects at once and it's not unusual for me to be sewing, glance over at a shelf, and pop up to pull a fabric that caught my eye...sending me down a rabbit hole to hunt for coordinating prints and sketch out an idea.

Then that pile needs a place to nap for a bit as the idea grows.

1. My Christmas fabrics are staging a coup and and losing their patience, reminding me that time is of the essence if I'm going to get those stockings made.

2. My chaotic bin of blue strips is patiently waiting for me to get back to my Blueberry Cobbler project

3. A napping pile that is waiting for direction. Since it's a bear fabric, it may spend the winter hibernating. 😉

4. A pillowcase and craft apron for our granddaughter

5. Need to settle on a pattern yet.

6. Probably a 3 yard or gingham quilt

7. Another gingham quilt that I went ahead and cut out.

The stocking project will be prioritized, but the bed has been reclaimed for company...for now. 😉 

Under the Needle : October

 Much of October was filled with lots of things that kept me out of my sewing room...things that are more important than sewing, but I would walk in there and cut a few pieces, press a few FQs or stitch a row when I was able. Most days I was even too tuckered out to do that.

I drove past a quilt shop one day when I was leaving town after visiting my MIL and hit the brakes. I'm never in this town and didn't know about the shop. It's called Pins & Needles and sadly, it closed this month.

It's a very small shop, but I found some treasures for a hard to resist price. The wild child in me bought this piece that I thought would make a cute little quilt or 2. I like the way pink, green, and orange play together.

And then these treasures came home with me. I've never even seen these! 🥰

The first few days of the month, I pieced blocks and got this little baby quilt together that I cut out last month. I started taking pictures of pieced tops in an attempt to catch turned blocks before quilting after finding an oops in one earlier this year.

On a whim, I grabbed a stack of HSTs left over from a previous project one rainy day, laid it out, and pieced it into a top 

And my Snuggle Season fat quarters were cut and I started laying them out for a fun triangle quilt top, but they've been on the floor for 4 weeks.

The 1st Balsalm Gnomes quilt is currently keeping me company in the evenings as it slowly, but surely, gets a binding

And this Favorite Flannel quilt was finished and gifted.

Okay folks! Ready or not, November is upon us. October was insane and we are exhausted. I'm scaling things back and hoping November will include some quiet dirt road days, soaking in the season.

More Fence Prep

 DH finally has a date with his surgeon for a new hip. You would think a man that can barely walk and needs help with shoes and socks would be a bit compromised, but I am married to a different breed. 

Besides, thinking he needs to get the fence project done asap, he is concerned about a hunt he has coming up in January. He drew an Oryx tag and it's a once in a lifetime draw, meaning once you draw a tag, you are never eligiable to put in for another. And he needs a new hip before the hunt. 

Needless to say, crawling up and around these mountains to work on building the new fence has been challenging. A few weeks ago he built a couple of H braces and hauled them up top to fit the holes he dug. I have 2 good hips and it was a struggle for me to get up there. And once you get there, there's no level spot to really settle, but with Skeet's assistance

And hiking sticks for both of us

We did get all the measurements we needed

It was such a pretty day

And then we climbed back down, loaded the 80# sacks of Quikcrete into the buggy the next morning and drove as close as we could get

DH had saddled 2 of his horses, led them to our loading spot (just over 1/2 mile) 

and loaded 2 sacks on the one with the pack saddle

before leading them out

And up

To the top

4 times

And a 5th trip to carry the water

Getting off and on his horse was excrutiating, but he never said a word.

He waves it all off and says others work harder and I'm sure some do, but I also remind him that it's doubtful those others are doing it by themselves, with one hip, nor are they about to blow out 64 candles.

The surgeon is active duty military and he replaces hips for those who go above and beyond, but he said he can count on one hand the hips he's replaced that look as rough as DH's and DH has really good bones. He probably should have had this done 10 years ago, but I'm grateful he's having it done now. The 2nd week in November can't come soon enough.

Skeet agrees

But, until then, Skeet will keep a close eye on his favorite human.

Sharing a Poem Today

I don't read a lot of poetry, but I stumbled upon this poem a while back and it evoked a very unexpected burst of tears when I read it. 

 she sat at the back

and they said she was shy

she lead from the front

and they hated her pride

they asked her advice

and then questioned her guidance

they branded her loud

then were shocked by her silence

when she shared no ambition

they said it was sad

so she told them her dreams

and they said she was mad

they told her they'd listen

then covered their ears

and gave her a hug 

whilst they laughed at her fears

and she listened to all of it

thinking she should

be the girl they told her to be

best as she could

but one day she asked

what was best for herself

instead of trying 

to please everyone else

so she walked to the forest

and stood with the trees

she heard the wind whisper

and dance with the leaves

and she spoke to the willow

the elm and the pine

and she told them what she'd been told

time after time

she told them she never

felt nearly enough

she was either too little

or far, far too much

too loud or too quiet

too fierce or too weak

too wise or too foolish

too bold or too meek

then she found a small clearing

surrounded by firs

and she stopped and she heard

what the trees said to her

and she sat there for hours

not wanting to leave

for the forest said nothing...

it just let her breathe

-Becky Hemsley

My faith in Christ is very important to me and although this poem does not indicate Him by name, and I know He is ALWAYS with me, it is in this mountain forest that I am able to shut out the loudness of the world and truly feel His loving presence and just breathe.

Favorite Flannel Quilt

 I started this quilt in January after a conversation with our DIL. She had asked if I had a flannel quilt that needed to be adopted.  😄 I didn't, but as soon as we hung up, I went to pull a fat quarter bundle of Woolies Flannel and started cutting

I made a similar quilt using this design a few years ago, using 2 layer cakes, but I resized these blocks in order to make the best use of the fat quarters. I was able to make 4  7 1/2" blocks from each FQ 

That allowed me to make an 8 by 10 block layout...making a 57"x 72" cuddle quilt. 

I am trying to use what I have, but flannel is one thing I do not have so I found a green plaid for the backing and had enough for the binding as well.

I had leftover scraps and pieced those into the back. You can really see the fun quilting design Sandy used...it's called Mesa.

With everything we have going on at the moment, there's not a lot of sewing taking place, but after almost 2 months, I finally finished binding this one.

I really like this pattern and I'm sure I'll be making it again . The blocks come together so fast. I think it makes a great quilt and I hope that it will be well loved.

Chicken Fried Steak

 Cubed steak or tenderized round steak is a favorite cut of mine because of it's versatility. I use it for Steak Tampequena, Instant Pot Barbecue Swiss Steak, Chicken Fried Steak, Stir Fry, and Oven Swiss Steak.

I've been on decision overload lately and asked DH what he wanted. His vote was Chicken Fried Steak. Saturday was the first day we'd been home in 14 days and we were both looking forward to a homecooked meal. However, Chicken Fried Steak makes a HUGE mess, so be prepared. Make it for those you love. 😉

A wife of one of our camp men showed me how she made this years ago and it upped my Chicken Fried Steak game to gold medal status.

It's more of a process than a recipe. I use 3 pie plates. 

1. Buttermilk (I just add lemon juice to milk) + pepper, seasoning salt, granulated garlic, paprika

2. 3 eggs, beaten + pepper, seasoning salt, granulated garlic, paprika

2. Flour + pepper, seasoning salt, granulated garlic, paprika

* No measurements. Just depends on how much steak you're making, but taste the flour - it should taste seasoned, not bland. Seasoning all the layers makes a difference.

* Dry your cubed steak very well with paper towels.

*Then pull on it, stretching it in all directions, being careful not to tear it.

*Dredge it in the buttermilk. Then flour. Into the beaten eggs. Then back into the flour, pressing the flour into your cut of meat both times. You will use more flour than you think you will. Don't forget to season the flour, if you add more. Set aside on a cutting board while your oil heats in your cast iron skillet. And yes, the cast iron skillet is non-negotiable. I guess you can use whatever oil you want, but vegetable oil was standard, before it became villified.

And yes, I know this is not healthy, but we don't eat this often. We've been here 2 years and this is the first time I've made it since we moved. 

*Cook steaks slowly and do not crowd. (I have a gas stove and have the burner set pretty low - just high enough for the oil to bubble when you add and turn the steaks) 

*Using a metal spatula, kind of frequently lift the steaks up a little from the bottom as they cook. Turn when golden and repeat. Don't ask me why, but I'm not messing with the process because the end result is crispy perfection.

*Serve with peppered milk gravy and mashed potatoes. I made black-eyed peas, cooked a few asparagus spears I wanted to finish up, and the last of the garden tomatoes with it for us, but when I cooked for a cowboy crew, I'd add a few more sides and bread. I don't know how, but they'd eat all that AND dessert. 

This just really hit the spot. Afterwards, we hiked up and around a steep hill-side, measuring for our never-ending fence project so I think we burned the Chicken Fried Steak calories off. 😉

Class is in Session

 Our daughter flew to California this week to teach a Grazing Essentials course and I just had to share this shot she took and her clever caption. 😂🥰

Days Filled to the Brim

 Oye! It's been a crazy 11 days around here. We exceeded our bandwidth about 3 days ago, but we're shuffling forward.

My FIL called us, upset, on the morning of the 3rd saying my MIL had fallen again and was very confused. We told him to call 911, but he refused so we jumped in the truck and drove over. It takes us an hour.  When we got there, she was sitting up at the kitchen counter, still confused, but that's not unusual, as she has dementia and there were no signs of a head injury. We thought possible UTI, but they don't talk about those kinds of things and my FIL still didn't want to go to the hospital. We had ordered oxygen the day before. We called home health care (that we had just started 3 days earlier) and they said she needed to go in so we made them go. 

We stayed all day and then met up with our son, DIL, and granddaughter as we had a supper reservation 

To celebrate our son's birthday

We were also keeping our granddaughter for 2 nights as our son and DIL had to leave the house at 2 a.m. so our son could catch a 6 a.m. flight out to Delaware.

DH spent Sunday in the hospital with mom, while I kept little E.

Treasuring every moment

I drove our granddaughter to school on Monday and worked the book fair for a couple of hours before scooting back to the hospital. 

They kept my MIL for 3 nights so that she would be eligible for skilled nursing via medicare. My FIL was there for a few hours each day, but he is dealing with this by not dealing with it so we are tending to everything. Understandably, he is very overwhelmed. No one wants to be in this position, but we can't abandon my MIL. 

Now, don't get me wrong. My FIL is the BEST. He's just VERY old school and neither of them have ever had to deal with elderly family...ever. And if something is unpleasant, and they don't talk or think about it...it doesn't exist. Sigh. So we're very grateful that we are able to help them navigate this difficult season.

The hospital is 1 1/2 hours away from us and on Tuesday they moved her to a skilled nursing care facility, another hour away. DH called his sister, in Texas, and said she needed to come. Everyone needed to be on the same page. She stayed with my MIL on Wed. and Thurs. during the day and drove back to Texas on Fri.

DH drove 3 hours to tend to our cows in Texas on Thursday and made plans for us to wean the calves in November.

On Thursday, I drove to the town we do our business in and spent the day touring skilled nursing facilities, as the current 5 hr round trip to see my MIL multiple times a week is not feasable.

DH and I met up as he came back from Texas at 5:30 and grabbed something to eat. It was 8 when we got home.

Friday, he had to load his horse and drive back in because he is a judge for the 2 day ranch rodeo. 

I drove down and spent the day with my MIL, drove up to our gate just after 7 and realized I didn't have a gate key because we had given the one I keep in the truck, to my BIL when he stayed with us. 🙄 

No big deal, except I was just plumb give out. So I walked down our very steep hill to the house (a ways, but just 0.2 of a mile), in the dark, got the key, walked back up the very steep hill, unlocked the gate, and drove back down. You can see the pindots of light after you drive through the gate and take the curve...that's the house and barn

I fed horses, bees, cats (too dark to find the heifers), shut up chickens, and found a visitor in the barn. 😂 I just backed out and let the stinker be. I was too tired to do anything else. The thought of having to de-skunk myself or Skeet was just too much.

Saturday morning, I tended to critters, made a quiche so we'd have something to eat on Sunday, packed and drove to town to help DH, and meet up with our DIL and granddaughter for the ranch rodeo

and carnival at the fairgrounds.

She got to ride with Pap while he warmed up his horse

Concession stand hot dog...

And spiffy pink boots for the win!

A good friend puts on this ranch rodeo and he comps us motel rooms for the 2 nights so after getting DH's horse fed, watered and settled in for the night,

We hit the hay too.

We were up at 4 a.m., back to the fairgrounds to load and drove home on autopilot. 

We were gone every single day for 12-17 hours, 8 days straight. That's unsustainable for this 62-yr old, introvert, hermit. And boy howdy! I needed a little reset in order to tackle another week.

Most importantly though, my MIL is doing better. It's doubtful she'll be able to come home, but she's well enough to complain about the food and honestly, she's not wrong. 😉

DH is headed to see his mom today and hoping to get her transferred closer and I am spending the day at his folks' home, cleaning with Jesus.