I just haven't felt like doing much of anything lately. My sewing room is calling me, but I can't get myself in there for some reason. I can't even decide which quilt to make for my future grandbaby, I keep looking at that very cute fabric I got, but can't decide what to do with it. Not the first time I've been in a slump like this, so I'm just waiting for it to pass.

So, because I haven't been making headway on my own projects I'll just show you some of my husband's grandmother's quilts. Her name was Mae Marie Glenn and she made some beautiful quilts. I think I may have shown some of them on here before. Her hand quilting was amazing, small consistent stitches even when she was in her 80s.

I have a few of her quilts, this tulip quilt is one of those. It's so white that I'd be scared to use it, we don't have the kind of house where something like that would stay in that condition very long. So I just air it out once or twice a year on a nice day and put it back in the pie safe. It should be in great shape for future generations.

The Broken Star quilt is one that I'm lusting after. It's so amazing, I can't even imagine how much time it took to piece it, much less hand quilt the whole thing. I wish she had kept a record of all the quilts she made, she sold quite a few of them & gave some to family members. She loved to show them to people, so I think she'd be pleased to have people looking at them on the internet.

Not much going on around here, just enjoying the summer. It's been really dry, but we actually got a decent amount of rain today (finally!). Not sure if it's enough to help the corn crops around here, they've been looking really stressed out. This weekend my husband will be starting on the fence between our house and the neighbors because there is much truth to the saying "Good fences make good neighbors". Especially when the neighbors like to poach deer and steal large rocks off your property. I have a hard time understanding people like that. Last weekend they got their 5 acres logged out, of the trees that are left many are damaged, it's just a sad sight to see a lovely woods decimated like that. It doesn't make a lot of sense since they burn wood to heat their home and he likes to hunt, but I get the impression they don't really think things through. Hopefully we'll have the fence up all the way back by fall so he won't be hunting on our land this year. Oh yeah, and they have a pit bull that they don't have control over (named COOTER) and it keeps coming over here when it gets loose. Sounds like something straight out of a Will Ferrell movie, doesn't it?

July 4th

It doesn't look like there will be too many fireworks in this area today, at least I hope not. We haven't had much rain and most people seem to be taking the warnings seriously, usually we'd have been hearing them pretty regularly for the last week. Hopefully they'll keep the gunfire down to a minimum too, it freaks out our dogs. After all this time you'd think they'd get used to it.


I wish I had a red, white and blue quilt to show you since it's July 4th, but I don't have one, so my blue and white blocks from the $5 block class will have to do. I think I'll actually like the quilt I make from this year's blocks, but plan to remake a couple of them. I like the different shades of blue, but don't like the aqua colored ones.

I finished another quilt for a charity, do you think anyone would want something this wild and crazy? The photo actually tones down the actual colors a bit. Usually I make very normal babyish quilts in sweet baby colors, I swear! I have all these bright prints and thought I might as well put them to use. Actually I made my niece's baby one even wilder than this, it seemed to suit her much more than a pink quilt with princesses and ballet shoes would. Though I love princesses and ballet shoes and all that girly stuff at times.
Yesterday was one of those up & down days that give a person a new gray hair or two. My daughter woke me up early (I won't tell you what hour is early for me, I can't sleep until the wee hours of the morning most of the time so I sleep later than most humans). Anyway, she had reason to be worried about her pregnancy, so we went to the doctor's office & they did an ultrasound. They said the baby is doing fine, and I got to see my grandbaby's heartbeat (!). That was truely awesome. Pretty much can't make out anything else, the baby is about the size of a peanut at this point. They said she's 8 weeks and two days along and gave her a due date of Feb. 11th. Can't wait to meet that little person. The little sweetheart sticking his tongue out at you is the son of a friend of my daughter. Actually she's one of my 'other daughters' now. So I get to be Grandma Sue, great practice for me! He's really a great little guy, happy almost all the time & fun to have around. This house needs children running around, it just doesn't feel right with no kids in it.

This last pic is a quilt in Lolly's Quilt store in Shipshewana, Indiana. I'm trying to figure out how those Mennonite & Amish women get their stitches so small and neat. I used to think it was practice, but it doesn't seem that way for me. Some days I do pretty well, some days I don't, but past a certain point I don't think I've gotten that much better due to practice.

That's about all the news for today so I guess I'll get back to watching The Painted Veil. Happy Independence Day!