Sundays' Pot Pouri

Can you believe it Sunday appears once again and if the weatherman is telling the truth we are expecting rain!  Wonderful glorious rain.  Maybe, if it does come it will do something to alleviate some of this oppressive heat.  I know I should not be  heard complaining about the heat, but, so many days without respite from that muggy humid air will really be nice.  I read of the horrors the heat is creating south of our borders and feel terrible for those who are suffering through it.  Do you suppose this is punishment from not being ecological minded over the past century?
I had a very interesting visitor this week, a generous lady from town came to see me and I wasn't at the door to greet her.  So I telephoned and during that conversation she told me she had a quilt for me and possibly I might want to have it!  A Quilt, have it!  You know I would never say no!  She told me she found i among her fathers' possessions and according to her father he believed it belonged to her mother, though she does not remember her mother quilting at all.  It measures 80" X 90" unbound.  It is sandwiched already, wonderfully basted, machine pieced, and upon further inspection someone (presumably her mother) had already begun hand quilting it.  I have promised to finish it, and once finished it will be raffled with proceeds going to her church's' rebuilding fund.  The same Church where I hold the Stitch 'N' Chat sessions (if it ever takes off!!!)LOL
Isn't this a striking Quilt?

Her mother (or someone) has actually begun the hand quilting.  I usually quilt with the use of my sewing machine because of my arthritis, however, when I looked at this quilt, it would be a shame not to finish it with hand work.  I am picturing red work done in those wonderful white squares, what do you think?
Here are the only two blocks where hand quilting is present, someone had love and peace and friendship in mind, I think!

 Can you see the bow?

Can you see the heart?
There are some tiny spots of mildew on it as well, but I believe I can soak those with buttermilk and somehow these tiny spots will disappear, don't you think?  It will be some time before I can get to this quilt though, I still have not finished binding the two twin quilts a lady asked me to bind.  
I have been busy seeking a new residence for myself.  Once I believed my search was over, but unfortunately that fell through.  I have seen some places and confess, finding something decent and affordable is difficult, but find a home I will.  Being summer time there are lots of places being offered for Students, because the City of Kingston isn't far from the Bay and all of these are short term or shared and I have no desire to share my space with anyone ever again.  I want my peace and quiet and sanity back!  LOL
I was visiting Bonnie Hunters' blog (I always read Bonnie, she's so interesting and talented), she took in SISTERS once again, and if you go for a visit with her she will take you on a wonderful walk through Sisters and you will see such colorful and well designed quilts hanging through town.  Interesting, very interesting to see Sisters through some other persons' eyes.  I find Bonnie very discerning when it comes to describing points which interest her, she makes you feel like your there with her enjoying the same scenery!  Thank you Bonnie!
There is also another favored quilter I so enjoy following, her name is Sue of "I Sew Quilts" blog.  She's returned from her visit across the great pond where she went to visit and take in the Vermont Quilt Festival.  Her adventures began in Boston on her arrival to the USA from England in June and she is just now returning with more and wonderful treasures to share with her readers.  You will love reading of her latest escapades in Vermont, I know I did!  So between Sue and Bonnie you'll be treated to some extraordinary eye candy!
Pinterest is becoming quite the place to see and be seen at, one such Liane Radford has a wonderful page with All Things Quilts, wonderful and modern quilt eye candy for your enjoyment. 
Another interesting blogger is Nikki - of "Nikki In Stitches" take a gander through her blog, it will really entertain you.  
One last blog of interest to share with you is Irene of "The Whole Quilt & Caboodle" your sure to enjoy your visit here!
As I begin to close up this post for today, peeking outside I still do not see any rain!  Overcast but no rain and humid, oh my stars it is humid!
Thank you for stopping by along your blog visiting route today, I ask  you to return tomorrow because I will begin to host my latest giveaway.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the gift I am offering.  Stay tuned!  Tomorrow will arrive much too quickly and a new week will zoom right past us once again, where does this time fly too? 




Today is your day!  Your mountain is waiting.  So... get on your way.  ~Dr. Seuss

Breaking With Dieting This Weekend

Its that time again in the dieting cycle when I capitulate and have something which is totally not conducive to good dieting practices.
My brother called last night and invited both mother and me out for a bit of a Sundae drive and I said to him, not this was Saturday, LOL, get it SUNDAE?   I know I should have declined, but, like all people who diet, the dieting cycle gets broken from time to time, and this was my turn to deviate from my 1,438 calories a day.  It has taken me close to one whole year to lose a measly 10 lbs.  You'd think I would be more mindful of the length of time it has taken me to lose just those few pounds, but the devil made me do it!   
After driving around a part of the country I live in and in three years haven't explored and seeing the massive new houses being built in a new sub-division we stopped at the DQ!  

Ten minutes later I sat in the back seat with a caramel sundae topped with lots of nuts and began digging in.  My sister-in-law had a cherry sundae - she just loves charries!  Anything at all which contains cherries and she'll have it.  My mother, bless her heart, she indulged in a chocolate fudge sundae, and my dear brother a huge vanilla cone. 

DQ Ice cream cones are sooooo delicious!

Don't these look absolutely scrumscious?

There isn't a member of my immediate family that are not ice cream lovers and Dairy Queen has always been the favored drive to treat place.

After having finished these scrumscious treats we were on the way home which is nearly a half hours drive from home. 
The road to home is very dark and we were moving slower than normal as the deer have been spotted coming out of the forests onto the road these pat few weeks and we didn't need to meet one of them on this dark road at night.  While we didn't meet any deer last night, we did see lightning streaking across the sky, huge beautiful streaks all compliments of Mother Nature.

When we arrived home I went in to close up the windows as the wind was picking up and with seeing the lightning I believed we might be in for a storm, my mother didn't believe me and decided then and there she'd water the flower beds.  I kept saying, it's going to rain, but nope, would she believe me?  After she finished that watering task in she came, locked the door and just before her nether end could come into contact with her chair the rain burst from the sky and came down in buckets!!  Not many times do I get to be right when it comes to my mother, but by golly this time I was right.  All that water used when it wasn't necessary.  

Oh well, now the flower beds are doubly watered and should last for awhile before needing a drink again. 

I finally came into the sewing room and completed a few more 4" stretched stars for the border of that Stretched Star quilt top.  Near 1 a.m. it really was time for lights out and a bed inspection, but before that, , I thought it best to make the rounds and make certain all windows and doors were locked, while doing that I looked outside and there they were, three little kittens romping through the front flower bed.  My goodness but they are so sweet, I am so torn as to whether or not to bring them into the house and look after them (mother included) or, to leave them be and let them grow and become a stray like their mother and more possibly their papa too. 4X trouble me thinks!
TONIGHT is our local Lions Club end of year party, oh boy!  BBQ chicken dinners all around and for some of the shut in seniors in town as well.  Every year our United Church puts on a Chicken BBQ and it is a great social event as well as a much needed fundraiser for the new steeple for the church.  The steeple was in sad need of repairs and they finally had to remove it from the roof rather than have a mishap or nasty accident while fundraising for much needed repairs. Watch this video of the steeple being removed, it is quite extraordinary.

Our Lions Club holds it year end party the same date as the church BBQ and nicely donate to the church while having a delicious dinner and get together all at the same time.  Two birds with one stone so to speak!  Seeing as I live across the river from where the party is being held I will collect all of the dinners and deliver them as well as mother and myself.  Can you just smell the aroma's coming from my back seat now?  I think you might.  There will be chicken, potato egg salad, coleslaw (all homemade by the way), hot buttered buns, and a side salad, then wonderfully home backed pies...now, here I go again, breaking out of the diet mode - you'd think by now I would have said no to the ice cream sundae last night know full well about all of wonderful food I would be eating tonight!  I will be taking the camera with me and making the good effort to get lots of photos, so, if you are not already bored, stay tuned for tomorrow's post when I get to show off what tonight's party looked like.
Now, have I told you more than you wanted to know?
Have a happy weekend and be mindful on those roads and by-ways if your travelling about, apparently the wild life in those woods are being driven to distraction by all of those huge and nasty deer flies that are biting them and so pose a hazard to vehicles especially around twilight.