And So Begins the Back Alley Barn Quilt Project!

Here we go, folks! Many of the shoppers here in our little Antique City must drive through the back alleys to pick up their items. Larger pieces that need to be loaded will be done behind the building. In an effort to beautify this area of our town, and create a little surprise, we decided on "Back Alley Barn Quilts"! The craze of putting quilt block patterns, painted on wood and attached to the sides of barns is a big craze these days. We are taking it a step "inside" and bringing them inside the city limits of our town!

Several of our shops are involved in this project and our City has been very kind about budgeting some funds to pay for materials. Not only will we be doing the quilt blocks, but also a major clean up effort and landscaping to include flowers, shrubs and such!

Here are me and Cheryl taping and getting ready to paint our first block ever! A little nerve wracking but tons of fun.




Primer on, base coat on, taped and ready to paint the basket for Sow-a-Seed!

Keep watching for final results.

And yes this is putting a damper on my Internet business work, but I'm having blast!

My Texas Pictures

There is absolutely nothing more beautiful!

I thank God for allowing me to see His Glory in these sights!

From Fascination to Focus!

Even tho we are still in the throws of winter snow and ice, my sister, Kris has (once again) inspired me to get my ducks in a row, my life in order, my priorities straight and my act together! How quickly things get out of control and without even a wink, we are overwhelmed and blinded with busy-ness and disorganization.

My visit with her was not only fun and relaxing, but inspiring and motivating.

So I'm home now and find myself brainstorming on how I can be like her! :)

If you know me, you know that I tend to get myself into more than I can handle. I fill my plate because my eyes are bigger than my stomach, so to speak. The end of 2009 brought the end to several obligations and commitments I had made which has freed up a lot of my time. I now must be careful not to "reload".

Not being much for New Year's resolutions, I try not to list out my goals. Maybe that is more because I feel if I don't list them, I wont have to keep them. It becomes another thing in the mental list that keeps me frozen and near unable to accomplish much.

Where Kris was very intentional and exact with her lists and goals, I may be a little more vague. I have a list of "ideas" and am not at all sure how I will put it all together or "ger er done"!

She and I discussed the adrenaline rush we get when we see or hear of a new project or idea that we want to try...we get all involved and then get bored quickly. That is the way of creative people, I think...I hope. She said someone told her we become very "fascinated"... Thus my motto....I want to go from Fascination to Focus.

My goal is to first see "where I am on the map"! Go through all my projects in my sewing room, sort and separate. Look to see what is done, near done or will never do, then go from there. This is a bit of a scary thought since I have been sort of throwing things in piles in my attic sewing room for the last 6 years and I'm pretty clueless of what is there anymore. At this point, as far as the sewing part of my life, this is the first and only step I will "focus" on right now. I will keep you posted on my progress!

As for the business end of life, things are actually pretty good. I have my etsy shop and I manage Cheryl's shop too. Ive been good at the listing and the shipping. Its the bookkeeping and the marketing that I have fallen back on.

My immediate goal n the bookkeeping side would be to prepare for 2009 taxes. That is a daunting task for sure. Again, throwing things in a box for a year doesnt make things easy.The second part of this goal will be to implement some new methods for 2010 that will make this time of year in 2011 much smoother

The marketing to me will be the fun part. I must be careful not to "focus" only on the fun parts. Balance should also be one of my key words for 2010...I have some books on marketing that I am planning on reading and using new ideas and methods to market my little online shop.

So there you have it! I hope to keep myself accountable by using this blog, so I hope you will come back and watch my progress.

Happy 2010!

What is it about Cats?

Simply decide to change the mattress pad and believe me, you will ask the same question!

Ricky could not stay off or out of our new heated mattress pad as I was attempting to put it on our bed. I got it it out of the package and in a heap and in seconds all the cats were there.

Here's a question for you. Are cats like ducks? When they come to you as babies do they then think of you as their mother? I think they do...

When a female cat that lives in the wild has a litter of kittens, she creates for them a nest. They stay in this safe little place with their mama (or without her when she commands it), for protection. She releases them for food, play and potty breaks.

My cats think our bedroom is their nest and that I'm their mama. In the morning, they wont leave the "nest" until I get up. They have various ways of annoying me to get me to rise. They run across the bed, they knock things off the dresser, they stare...they touch their nose to my face. Lucy's favorite way...tap on my glasses which are on the side table just enough so they rock and make a very irritating noise. Ricky's favorite way....perch on the high dresser and jump onto the bed and run! Possum's way is to very quietly tip toe onto my chest, hunker down and stare into my face...for a long time.

As SOON as my feet hit the floor they fly to their food dishes or the litter box. Now if the door was shut so they couldn't access their leftover food from the night before, or their boxes, this would make sense, but no, the door is open, the boxes are available and they have food...they just want their mama to release them. Or else they have a pact with each other to be annoying in the morning.

Our Bag Lady Christmas!

Roberta's daughter in law served us...what a blessing to be so spoiled!

Roberta's son ( a real life chef!) serves up our delectable dinner!

A good motto: eat dessert first! Got these loaded backwards, but oh well!

Chicken Marsella! One of my very favorites!

Our beautiful handmade menu on a table fit for royalty!

Rosie, Me, Pam and Roberta!

Kandi, Kathy and Corliss

A night of fun, laughter and a splash of sadness!

One of my very favorite nights of the year is the Bag Ladies Christmas get-to-gether. I have been a part of this wonderful group for at least the last ten years. I've had so much fun and been so blessed to be one of this group, that I cant remember not being with them.

Mix together dry humor, a bit of "twitchy-ness", boldness, lots of intellect and a boat-load of creativity and you will end up with the Bag Ladies. We are named thus because of the "bags" we tote to our meetings. Bags filled with various items, such as magazines, unfinished projects, completed quilts; you name we we bring it. Sometimes its grand kids in tow (for only a minute or two, we must show off, you know), sometimes it's photos and sometimes its even just our keys and a huge sigh of relief to be able to recede from the hectic-ness of home life and resort to the welcome arms of our friends. This is reminiscent of days of yore when there were "quiltings" which were really more about friendship than bed covers.

As the pictures uo top show, the night was filled with fun and laughter and the delighted feeling of being spoiled like little kids. Everything was so special, from the handwritten menu all the way to the coffee and cheesecake. Perfect in every way....except one.

We lost one of our beloved Bag Ladies this fall. Our Ardy Olsen had a very unexpected heart attack. To not have her with us was a void, a sadness to our hearts ,a cause to reflect,and remember her wit and elegance. We gave a hearty toast to our friend. The time to begin loosing friends is much too soon.

In honor of Ardy, we had her most favorite dessert of all " Death by Chocolate" and yes, it did just about kill us after all the other wonderful offerings. Love you Ardy, and Merry Christmas!

Splash Park Raffle Quilt

This is a little quilt I made as a donation to Walnut's Splash Park fundraising. Hopfully they will make lots of money! If you would like tickets, please contact Walnut City Hall....

All 3 cats are in the picture, can you find them all?

Been busy...My heart is always open to a new kitty..but

This is Little Miss Tippy-Toes. I happened to go into the Humane Society a few weeks ago. I like to go there and just look around. Not to shop, as I have 3 kitties and that is my max! I like to think that my going in there, saying "hello" and maybe giving a few a loving pat will help their day be a little brighter. It warms my heart to think they find some happiness in that.

Tippytoes was in her cage, laying sort of miserably there, with her spay scar showing...her ears flat and a look of pain and lonliness in her eyes. Even tho she was behind glass, I spoke softly to her and basically fell in love with her on the spot. As I was speaking to her, I realized the scar I was seeing was not the incision from her spay, but in fact, it was the place where her left hind leg had been.

A note on the window of her cage stated the leg had been injured beyond repair and had to be amputated. Poor baby! I went home, wishing I could take and wondering who I knew that might be looking for a beautiful little torty. My Friend Pam came to mind. I called her and, in a nutshell, we went and got her. It took a few days to get the deed done, but little Tippy is now at home with the Witt family.

As you can see from these pics, Tippytoes is just as happy as can be. I must say she is the most loving cat I have ever been around. She just melds into your body when you hold her and her favorite place is in a lap. Her vet check went very well, and we found out that her leg was injured by another animal. So we know, that Tippytoes went thru a horrible ordeal. For her to be so trusting and loving is a miracle. She is calm and purrs softly all the time. She is happy to be alive, and so are we!

**Adendum: Miss Tippy Toes passed away in January 2023 - a beloved family member of Pam Witt and her family

Just a Hang'in

The Kitties have been really funny lately! SO maybe hanging a produce basket from the ceiling wasnt such a great idea after all. Here is Ricky "hanging" from it. Possum fell asleep over the chair arm and hung there for an hour!

Seriously, an hour!


Here, Ricky is just a hangin' on the other chair..

Lucy has just been being her usual beautiful self, so I highlighted her in my header pic. Hope everyone is having great day.

Not a whole lot going on around here.

We are just sort of hanging today...our mom says she has so much to blog about, but no time to do it.

We are just a little upset that we cant go outside anymore, so we get into just as much trouble as we can. We spend a LOT of time looking out the door and trying to get mom's attention by eating pins (pretending just to get her dander up!) and crawling in spaces not intended for us.

She promises to add a new blog soon. She said she realizes she hasn't even posted pics of their San Francisco trip or her visit with nephew's and niece yet! She is behind!

In the meantime, you get to see us!

What do you Mean International Cats in Boxes Day is OVER???

Well, my 3 dont understand why the heck InterNational Cat in Boxes Day lasts only one day...they are confused!

All the mess is due to me getting my etsy shop back up and running and bringing my "inventory" to our new place, so I can ship. Of course I have NOT been able to keep away from the thrift stores and have found some fun new things to put in my shop. Check them out!

Cats in Boxes...a few days late!

International Cats in boxes Day! Soooooo...squished in a plastic bin is apparently comfortable enough for Possum! This was taken while I was sewing. She loves being near...I knew my room was messy, but I wouldn't think anyone would find this comfy....she did!

In celebration of International Cat in a box day, I'm sharing the pics I took a few days ago, just for this occasion. I took an empty box, laid it on the floor and within 10 seconds I had "takers". Lucy sits in the box immediately! "Hurry-up! Take your dumb picture!"

Ricky sniffs for anything to make him actually want to sit in the box...

Nope! Nothing there...he walks thru the box...fully annoyed.

Box???why no, Possum would much rather sit above the peons...in the cupboard...a type of box, I guess. An elevated wooden one! I should buy a new magnet so the cupboard stays closed, but I hate to ruin her fun.

I love my kitties!

Spring is here finally and the cats like it!

So much to blog about and no time...but I wont bore you with the same old blog for long. So quickly here are a few pics of my flowers and my kitties...the only thing that sets off these kitties eyes better than a quilt is a flower! Hang with me gang, I will be sharing more interesting things very soon!

NEWS FLASH!! This blog was chosen by MishKat to receive the award for super comments! We are honored! We will be passing the award on as soon as I can remember how to provide the live link with the name...LOL...Im pathetic!

What am I doing today?

Woke up early this morning, early for me anyway, 6am.  It feels like its the middle of the night because its dark and wet outside.  Lots of thunder and lightening.  I have lots to do today, its just picking what I will do that is the challenge.  I shouldnt be on the computer or my quilting machine because of the storm, but whaaaaaaaaa!  I want to!  

This morning Im posting the next pictures of the pretty quilt Im making for my friend, Carolyn.  Do you like it?  I know she will look on here today and I know she is going to be happy to see that it is about ready for it's trip to the eastern US.    I only have to get it quilted and bound and it will be ready!

so!  Its off to a cup of coffe and the weather report...if I cant use my machine, I will piece the binding and clean a room...yuk! I would rather sew than clean....

Working on a New Quilt!

You all know me and the floral bug...I cant keep away from them.  I used them for both of my kitty quilts I made and now am working on a small-ish quilt to list on Etsy( www.katsfabricsnmore.etsy.com  )   I'm posting these pics of the quilt in process for my Etsy friend, Carolyn.  She already purchased a quilt from me and wants another!  I hope she will like it. These are sort of string blocks and will be set alternately with this periwinkle background.  I will add a pretty border and fun quilting.  Hard to imagine at this point, all flat and creased, but I just know it is going to be really pretty.

Nuts! More Snow!

Lucy Lamenting the Weather!

  Nothing too new to post, just that winter has decided to stay in rural Iowa for eternity!  I'm not kidding.  Its cold and snowing outside today.  We have winds up to 40 mph and the tree in my neighbors front yard is "creaking".  Walnut is famous for losing its old trees on windy days, the only problem is, my house is in the way!

On the plus side, I see that my lilac bushes are budding, my tulips and daffodils are popping thru the ground and the nubs to some of my peony bushes are showing..this is, I guess, proof that winter will indeed end.

Larry is supposed to fly out today.  We are waiting to see if flights get cancelled or not.  I dont think the snow will stop him, but the wind might.  We have until 1pm before we have to leave for the airport!

Jeff and silly Kaden taken two weeks ago at Lauren's...

Little Fingers Stitch Gratitude and Love

During the past few weeks, Ive been honored to work on a Quilt of Valor with Mrs. Hansen's 2nd grade at Walnut Community School.  The eleven kids first drew pictures on fabric and colored them in with crayons.  I took the blocks home, set them in patriotic fabric and quilted all but their blocks.  I returned to the class yesterday so they could each "quilt" or tack their own block.  We had a great time!  I am hoping to take the quilt to Brooks Army Medical Hospital this spring.  It will be given to a wounded service person recovering there.  I must say that this quilt will be most appropriate for a Navy person.  The kids all know that my son is in the Navy, so there are several pictures of "Navy School"s on it!   The kids were so cooperative and fun.  I really enjoyed myself with this project.  More that that, I saw how the kids, at seven or eight years old, already have a sense of community and service.  Being President of the Community Club, I have conversed with the 2nd and 3rd grade teachers to help the kids develop this sense of community and pride by doing some service projects in town this summer.  It looks like the kids will be helping to maintain 3 memorial rock gardens at Peace Haven Retirement Home, help with some clean up projects in town and I think I will use them at the next blood drive to serve food to the donors.  Here in Walnut, it seems we have a lack of volunteerism, maybe we can boost that!

The Owl and The Pussy Cat (s)

Spending a considerably restful day at home on Sunday, I peeked out onto the back porch to see if I had left any kitties out there for too long, before remembering that they were actually on the 2nd floor balcony enjoying some sunshine.  

To my surprise...at the window by the back door I saw the back of the head of what appeared to be an OWL!  I rushed to the dining room window and sure enough a little owl was perched on the porch rail enjoying the sunshine.  Aren't owls nocturnal?  I thought they hid somewhere during the day.  I tried to get a pic thru the window, but because of glare, the screen and dirt (need to wash windows), I couldn't get a good shot.  I quietly went out the front door and snuck (sneaked?) around the house to get as close as I dared without him flying away.  The funny thing was that then, I realized that Lucy was watching the owl too!  It was all too cute!  Oh, did I mention that Possum could have cared less???

O country living!

I got on the net to see what kind of owl he is and he's called a Long eared Owl!  I hope he lives nearby and will visit us again real soon.  I will be watching.  I'm Pretty sure Lucy will too!

Side note:   After retelling this story to many, I was made aware of how dangerous this owl was to my cats and the fact that they were hanging off the balcony taunting him, could have led to their demise!  YIKES...a city girl in the country has a lot to learn!

A Rare and Beautiful Moment

It is a rare and beautiful moment that I have all 3 of my cats in one place at the same time, and all of them willing to look at the camera!  This shot took six tries, but I finally got one that worked.  They are such fun and such a delight...except when they want attention and then they can drive a person nuts!

Today is my birthday and I have been blessed to receive greetings from many of my friends and most of my family.  I got a bright and early call from Larry, then Lauren called twice.  A surprise phone call from Jeff in Japan came right as I was leaving for a meeting, so I'm glad I didn't miss it!  I came home from the meeting to a special voice mail message where 3 of my grandchildren serenaded me the traditional birthday song.  What a hoot!  I guess no matter how old you get, those cards and personal greetings never get old.  I actually received a portrait made by my grand daughter, Faith.  It is so precious...I will post tomorrow...I really am blessed with good friends and a wonderful family!  Thanks for lunch and supper Cheryl!  Potato soup and American Idol were just what this birthday girl needed tonight.

Quilting Tip of the Day!

A hanging shoe caddy makes a great see-at-glance fat quarter holder!  Look for these caddies at discount and home improvement stores.