The Final Fall Cleanup and A Christmas Fabric Giveaway

Last week was a very busy week around here for me, much busier than some of those beavers out there. The snow, cannot be too far behind Jack Frost because there was frost on the pumpkin this morning.  BUT what woke me was the sound of my neighbour scraping at the frost on his windshield, brrrrrrr just thinking of snow flying around outside makes me begin to think about Christmas and all of the sewing most quilters are planning these next many days before Christmas. 
Before I tell you about the CHRISTMAS FABRICS I am giving away this month, I just have to show and tell you the mess we created on our property this week!  
For the past many years this property was surrounded by trees, which we loved when we first moved here three plus years ago, but, now that the fall is almost over, and on close inspection of the rag tag looking branches and limbs, it was noticed that something was definitely eating away at their insides.  Consequently, all of the diseased trees and nuisance trees have been evicted from their nested places, cut down, unfortunately in their prime, or so we thought until we spied the hollowed limbs.  What a mess!  I hated to have them chopped down but when something is not well and won't get better then it is time to have them removed. 

Limbs and branches from the front left garden

More piled up from the back of the house

All of the climbing rose bushes were trimmed back

Now the back garden is taking shape

Hey, we can see the street corner now

There is a fence back there!

More leaves to add to the yard waste

Another pile begun

These leaves seem to be endless

The following pictures are of the piles of tree limbs, tree branches and more leaves we have waiting to be carted off the beginning of next week. 
Hopefully when Tuesday rolls around next week all of this debris will be tidied up before the bad weather decides to set in.  Can you believe it, today is November 5th and our weather here in the Bay remains absolutely beautiful, with temperatures ranging in the mid 60's by the time noon rolls around making it very nice to work outside.  I feel a but saddened by the loss of the trees and I am certain all of the birds who nested in them will find it a loss as well.  We are planning to plant  new healthy trees come spring and hopefully a nice landscaping plan will fall into place.  
 All this outside work on the grounds left little time for sewing.
BUT this morning I stole some time from the outside.  I listened to what my best friend said about that Tribble Trouble block I shared with you this week.  She was so right, it was out of color kilter, and this morning I frog stitched and reworked the blocks and this is the end result.  What do you think of it now?  Not as dark and dreary as first sewn?  I believe it looks like it was meant to now, 100% better, don't you think so too?   Thanks Els!!!

Christmas is coming, only 50 days from today which is really just around the corner!  In the spirit of the Christmas and to get you into the spirit,  I have selected FOUR count them, 4 of 9" X 44" pieces of Christmas Fabrics for you to win.  These are simply wonderful!

~Here's how to enter~

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think you might make with these wonderful  

CHRISTMAS THEMED FABRICS 

(one entry)

Become a follower of my blog ...make sure you leave me a comment so I know that you did

(one entry)

Blog about my giveaway...make sure you leave me a comment 

so I know that you did

(two entries)

The giveaway ends on Saturday, November 12th at 11:59 (CST).

The winner will be randomly selected and announced on 

Monday, November 14th. 

Good luck everyone! 

Thanks for stopping by and visiting for awhile this afternoon.  I wish you a very pleasant day. 

Another Great Weather Day

Hello, it's another fantastically gorgeous day here in the Bay which simply could not be ignored.  The temperature in the low 60's and the sun shone for most of the day.  Rain tomorrow, but, hey, we have had several wonderful weather days lately we simply cannot complain.
Sadly, we have lost another senior family member this morning, but he was ready to leave us behind and now he has gone.  Unfortunately we are too far to travel for the funeral, but, we are saddened for ourselves with our loss. 
As promised, I began working on the Trible Trouble blocks, hmmmmm, if you don't pay attention your going to be doing a lot of frog stitching, just ask me, I rediscovered frog stitching today.
Here are the first of the four I managed to correct and look as these are supposed to according to the diagram I have (no pattern, but I did manage to find a diagram).

The colors are not as true as they should be with these blocks, the white you see is actually a light contrasting beige with tiny white stars on them, however, I think once I add more blocks and the top grows it might be interesting.  
I am still pushing for comments and hoping to send someone my small prize.  
There is nothing like exploring your skills when working with a new block, but I am certain many of you have made this quilt block before.  I realize when putting these together that I sometimes have them sewn the wrong way and hence the use of the frog stitching, have any of you this similar problem when your working with this type of block?
Thanks again for stopping by, as I continue to enjoy what is left of the rest of this glorious day, I wish you a grand day too whatever is left of it for you. 

November 1st Already

Welcome to you this bright and chilly November 1st. At least it is very bright and sunny here in the Bay!  Rick Hansen has been and gone, on to other cities and towns and won't return to his native British Columbia until next May 22nd, 2012.  Boy that man has stamina and courage to trek across Canada in the winter.  I wish him and his relay tour much success. 

Halloween is over for another year and last night the little tricker treaters were busy in our Town gathering up all of the candy the residents in Town had on offer.  I loved the costumes and the smiles on the faces of all of the little ones.  I am so pleased and proud of the children who knocked on my door last night, there is nothing but praise for the parents of those children who displayed the manners these children displayed.  They were smiling and respectful and to the end of the evening each and every one no matter their age managed a smile and a thank you for their treat, I would say that is something to be proud of.  Wouldn't you?
Just before Halloween truly began I actually watched Christmas commercials, Christmas - Halloween hadn't even arrived and already the commercialism of that wonderful season has begun.  So get out those lists, check them twice and get ready to wrap your wonderfully created quilted items up because from here until December 24th you'll hear nothing else but Christmas commercials, music and get all of the store sales flyers...oh my goodness.
So, now it is time to get back to the decluttering and make some sense out of this mess I seem to be creating.
TODAY however, I am taking the day off because the notion has come upon me to try that Trible Trouble quilt block and to see what I can do with this abundance of fabrics that I have.  I need to come up with a Silent Auction quilt for the upcoming Seeley's Bay FROST FEST in February of 2012 and this block seems interesting enough of a challenge for me at this particular time.   I have chosen a south west patterned Cranston print with a milk chocolate brown to use as the background, what do you think of this selection?
I am happy with my selection and want to see how the colors pop against this brown.  I am thinking the block will do justice to these two fabric choices. 
I don't know about you, but I find it terribly difficult to choose a block sometimes as opposed to choosing an actual quilt pattern to follow, mostly I see a quilt which I like and aspire to making one similar to it.  This time I decided to choose a block and see what I could do with it. 
Tomorrow I should have a few made to show you.
I also have difficulty in just sitting watching television, so, if I haven't one of those "must read" novels at the ready then I enjoy the time hand sewing those addicting hexagons.  I have completed another round of flowers and am now working my way around them with the white connecting hexies.  I am thrilled at how the time flies when my hands are busy. 
REMEMBER this week is my small GIVEAWAY and I would be very happy to send these off to you, give it a shot, you could possibly need a set of seat belt covers if making these are not what you do.  Comments keep bloggers inspired and I have a need of your inspiration.
Thank you for stopping in today, this 1st day of November, I hope wherever you are in this wide wonderful world that your day was or is a great one.