We are getting ready for Santa!!

My how time flys, the triplets are 4 1/2 months old. Anne is expecting a grandson and when I saw her counter I went over and found one for the triplets... I love it!!!

Oh it is hard being so far away, I am so happy when I get new pictures. I am instantly joyful when I see a picture like this:

The boys are having fun dressing up in there holiday attire!

Hayden in a little santa hat...

Ethan giving his best Santa impersonation...

Hayden and Jaxon watching for Santa and his reindeers out the window, Grandma is checking Orbitz right now for the best airfare...Grandma Teresa made covers for there carseats, aren't they just a hoot... There my peeps!

To Cauute Grandma Teresa, they will stay warm in the cold blowing wind of Omaha...

Jaxon with Uncle Ty, already wearing and adult hat....lol...
I'm just saying, DH, MY GRANDKIDS NEED ME , I GOTTA GO!!!!

Christmas Blessings, Carrie

Log Cabin Mystery, Wanting your advice.

I have been working on this log cabin quilt this fall. I am at the point of needing to choose a setting. I am hoping for some opinions from all of you, my class is Saturday and I am so excited to see all the different quilts in class, but first I must sew this together!!!

I have put two pictures up for comment, I was also hoping for comments on borders. Do you think it needs to have borders? I am loving the applique borders I am seeing on pieced quilts and thought this would be one idea!
#1 Ribbon Star

#2 Fractured Star
OK let me know which setting is your favorite, and your ideas on borders!!
Thanks, Carrie

Slide Girl

Some of our friends say we are crazy, some days I agree. We started in 2000 by getting a new breed of hunting dog. A pointer, to be specific, a German Wirehair Pointer. One of the first things you notice about the GWP is their coat. They have a double coat, a short tight one then a longer wirey coat with facial features. Eyebrows, beards. We call them our bearded ladies. Some family members call them ugly..........WELL!!.....lol......hey there is a company making money off that description... you can buy t-shirts that say " I hunt with an ugly dog." So there......lol......

My DH had such a good time hunting with Daisy Mae ( Joe's Lil Daisy Mae) that after 4 years he wanted to double the fun and hunt two dogs at once. Enters Pepper (CH Proulx's Hot Shot Pepper). Daisy and Pepper have two different hunting styles, so this was not working very well...........after a year of storing telling (whining) I decided I needed a dog, to share with DS #2. I knew of an upcoming breeding that I was very interested in, the Dam's hunting style was very similar to Daisy and the Sire was Daisy's brother. June 5, 2005 the litter was born. Only two pups, but one was a full liver (coat) just like her mother. Perfect, I was falling for this pup immediately!

Look Closely both pups are there with mom.

The two pups were given names after the Dam's favorite ice cream, Hot fudge and Dublin Mudslide. Nicknames Fudgy and Slide...... Oh they were just the cutest!!!

They got weighed in daily and how cute is this, eyes and ears still closed.

They grow so fast and at three weeks they were introduced to the outdoors, a wonderful landscaped area with a stream bed. These two pups had free run over this for the next three weeks, giving them an amazing experience. It was fully fenced so no way to wonder off or let other dogs in. Just a watchful eye out for hawks and Eagles.

I think Slide was looking a bit like a Char Pei at this age. With only two pups to share in the feeding she was very healthy girl.

Growing fast and getting cuter everyday.

Slide and Fudgy were so bonded to each other it was sad to separate them. They had a special place to grow up and they were so fun to watch. But like all animal movies, you know the good ol Disney ones, times change and nothing stays the same. LOL.......I have learned first hand, don't raise two pups together....even though at this time I would have ignorantly done so.....

We brought "Slide Girl" home with us and Fudgy went to live with a family in California. Lucky girl, two veterinarians with two children. Fudgy's name is now River and she has a very good life.

Slide Girl, Black Pearl's Treasure JH, was named after a theme in the breeders home. The Dam's name was High Seas Smuggler, JH. About this time Pirates of the Caribbean was out on DVD, I love the story and Johnny Depp's not bad either!!! LOL... So this is how she got her AKC registered name and we still call her Slide.........hmmmm. I deferred to my son, who loves her too. I was thinking Pearl would be cute, but alas......she already responded to Slide and I was just being a girl......not a practical dog person......lol..

We had a lot of fun introducing her to the one thing she was bred for.........bird hunting. She was just having a blast. One of our first trips was to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon.

She did great and we were seeing she was going to be that hunting mate for Daisy Mae.
At least as far as we were concerned, Daisy had other ideas at first.....
Next big trip was to Condon, Oregon. This beautiful area is steep and full of Chukar. I hunted with my camera and had fun taking pictures of her on point. She was full of natural ability.
At six months of age she was honest and backing Daisy's point. I just love these young pictures of her in her orange vest. Her dark liver color made it hard to spot her and I was not wanting to loose my litte girl......
GWP's make great companions as well as hunting dogs. Hunting season is 4 months, so after the season ends we have fun being involved in new activities. AKC has programs you can get involved in and earn titles for your dog. We are involved in Hunt Tests, Field Trials, Conformation and the latest for Slide and me is Obedience. These are high energy dogs and left alone, well lets just say don't leave them alone without giving them lots of exercise. LOl........you may not be very happy if you do..... LOL... We are active in a local club, German Wirehair Pointer Club of Central Oregon, you can visit the website to learn more about the breed. There are some good links too.

This is a picture of Slide after she passed her first leg of Junior Hunter. You need to pass 4 times to earn the title. Actually not a hard task to accomplish but a good place to start with your pup, and they love having the extra bird time, and working for you.
This is not your best conformation pose or grooming but hey we were hunting......LOL....
Slide won her first Major event for conformation this past May at Walla Walla, WA at the age of three. We started showing her at 6 months and she has always shied away from the judge, so I am pleased this shyness is behind us because conformation gives me hot flashes. I definitely feel out of my elements in the show ring.

Daisy loved going to visit Slide before we brought her home, her favorite spot was watching the Coi on the cool rock. Daisy Mae is one leg short of earning her Master Hunter title.

Pepper is why or is it how we got involved in field trialing, she was a big running, long ranging girl. Joe later declared to Pepper as they lay on a bed together looking in each others eyes.....

"At first I wasn't happy with you, but that was because I didn't understand who you were." Ohhhh.....Pepper was so pleased to have her masters praise.

Ya..... who's smiling now after she took 3rd place in Derby at Nationals.... The next day she won the Futurity. OK he is definitely hooked.....

Slide playing with Jake and Casey. Enters the boys in our pack. DH has two new field trial buddies.

Jake is showing promise by placing second in his first puppy trial, he has beautiful conformation and a major win at six months old. He needs one point to be a champion. Jake came to us from a breeding that we couldn't resist.

Enters Casey, Jake was 9 months old when Casey came to live with us. Yikes, two pups at once, have mercy..........please........ don't let this cute little guy fool you...... We also loved both Dam and Sire and couldn't resist getting a pup from this breeding.......are you seeing the pattern here.....it reminds me of shopping for fabric and wool........you just have to have it.........LOl..

Yep, he is a climber just like his Dam and Sire........

Casey is fitting in well, and we love his coat. A much tighter coated dog and I won't be spending hours at the grooming table. And he is the last GWP that will be coming to live with us for a very long time.......... LOL......We will not be needing anymore for goodness sakes........LOL....

We now feel we have children again..........but we wont be in trouble for putting them in a kennel....lol....

It is hunting season so the wirehairs are very happy......right Casey!!!!! Hunt em up!!!!!

Carrie

Goodbye to my litte silver!

Oh Dear, What is a blogger to do without pictures......

My little camera gave up the ghost......and on Thanksgiving weekend, all those missed family pictures and fun places we visited in Seattle.
Actually as my #1 grandson, Tylor, called it when he was 3....FAKE Seattle. LOL.... Yes, Bellevue, Bothell was declared to be FAKE Seattle. The Real Seattle has the skyline including the infamous Space Needle. After one Thanksgiving we took my daughter to the amtrak in downtown Seattle, she needed to get back home for work, Tylor looked around the city and saw the Space Needle and declared " Now this is Seattle, that other place is FAKE Seattle."" We all got such a laugh at his declaration.....no one was fooling him!!

Here is my now 14 year old #1 grandchild celebrating #14 with us in August.....he came to have a Sushi dinner.......


We had such a good time eating some very different cuisine!!! Kobe beef cooked on a hot rock! That was fun, and his dessert was a triple presentation of chocolate!!!

Yesterday I received a Christmas picture from the Family in Omaha. I LOVED the picture, and I especially liked that my son and daughter-in-law look, well like they used to before 4 months of bed rest during pregnancy.........no sleep...... lol..... Just one beautiful family. I am prejudice, I totally admit!!!! The boys are 4 months old and Ethan and Jaxon are sleeping 8-9 hours, Hayden wakes up after 5 and goes right back to sleep. How cool is that!!!


I am taking this time without a camera doing my Christmas decorations, sewing up my log cabin quilt, JLW projects and a couple BOM projects that I am determined to keep up with.
We have our neighborhood dinner sunday evening which is always alot of fun. It will be held at the Cricketwood B&B directly across the road from us. Jim and Tracy are so wonderful. We love having them as neighbors. They have an 18 hole frisbee golf course that my DH enjoys challenging Jim on. What a fun game it is, we hear laughing coming from there yard all year long as guests and Jim play along.
Next week I am back up to Seattle to visit with my sister and mom. Mom is delayed until after Christmas to make her trip to Yuma so we will have a few girl days in Fake Seattle and maybe to Seattle too.....

Christmas blessing to all of you......

Carrie

Mystery Class, Shopping, Audrey's Big 5-0

I went to my Mystery Class this morning and......... I was 5 minutes late......:(( darn, missed some peeks at block show and tell....... I am lucky I woke up at all....LOL..... I'm not a late night person, but I stayed up much later than usual. Enjoying the quiet of an empty house, sewing, enjoying an old movie on TV (Sabrina) , a fire in the fireplace..... doesn't happen often but it is fun...... Actually doing some power sewing Anne!!! LOL....
Otis likes it too.... the wirehairs are off hunting bigger game and he gets to move around without the nosey pests........Thats how I looked at 6:50 this morning, but I needed to be out of the house by 7:40....... LOL

A few posts ago I showed a mystery quilt I made, well this quilt came for show & tell from the same class.....I love the setting, it is soooo different from mine, I love the way her trees are offset and the pieced border goes around the trees........the striped fabric has great movement, busy up close, it is the fabric that directed the setting process, I love the way it turned out.....

I did some fun shopping, how can I help myself, I missed the sale last weekend, I just waved as we drove by the store.......The Stitchin Post is good eye candy....so I took a few pictures...

I can spend alot of time in the yarn section,

Over the top of the yarn on the upper right is a log cabin that calls my name everytime I go in this store....It has a kit and is made from vintage pieces that I love.....I am hanging in there because I have a nice selection of those fabrics in my stash.....but not all their choices......Argh...gets me everytime....boy that 35% discount last weekend would have put me over the top...Lordy Lordy ......LOL.......

The quilt in the middle is new to me, I loved it, such a happy picture!!!!

A trip to Sisters is not complete without going to Sisters Coffee Co. located conveniently on the block behind the quilt shop. It started in a little house, which a short time ago was moved off the property and a new store was built. It is our favorite coffee place anywhere, and what is served at home too.....Winfield, Joy and family are the nicest people too.....This is a picture of the original building hanging inside the new building.....

This is the new building, where the old building sat is a landscaped garden and seating area.
The sun made it difficult for a good pic.....

Inside there is a fabulous fireplace and sitting area, internet hook-ups and just a cozy place to visit with a good friend. One of my twisted sisters, Linda, lives in Sisters and have had good visits on their couch.

Here is what I purchased, I did get the class discount :)) , a few items for my Christmas gift baskets. Twigs is a part of the quilt shop and full of great gift items, some for me, like the rug and Caldrea dish soap, some tea, dish towels, cute dishes, soaps, glasses with pine cones ( love pine cones) new birthday cards.

Just some things I love and love to give to others......

Some Moda flannel for Christmas pillows, Kiddie Christmas by Chloe's Closet. I got enough to make two but wouldn't three little pillows be cute.......for you know who......

I just couldn't resist these little plates.....6 different patterns and the box they come in....love it. I could have bought 2 sets and kept one......someone I know will be tickled about them in her basket.

I am off to Eugene today to celebrate Audrey's big 5-0 birthday, I will get some pictures for sure and it is going to be fun. You just have to know Audrey and her oldest darling daughter Mandy, who made this invitation. It says alot about what fun this party is going to be...........

It is so cute and I know you stampers will appreciate it, isn't she a cute baby, well she is a beautiful person.... Love ya Audrey!!!! Here is her gift package, I just can't get someone one thing, gift baskets, in this case Treenware Amish Scoop, are so much more fun. With some Mountain Woman Coffee, she loves Sisters Coffee too, and I think she will get a hoot out of it, Cinnamon Cider Potpourri, scented shea butter soap and a message card picked with her in mind. Its a milestone to be celebrated........

Hope you are ready Audrey......were coming ready or not.

Now it is Over the River and Through the Woods....there really is a sign on the pass like that and this time I am going to get a good picture to share with you!!!! I will stop and take it instead of the drive by shots I always try to get with my DH driving.....LOL....

Fall Blessings, Carrie

Quilting time and Ethan Smiles

Oh my it has been along time since I posted.....and what a gorgeous day it has turned out to be in Central Oregon. Blue skies, the mountains with fresh fallen snow......hmm...good thing my window looks east instead of west. Cause I do not need one more thing to distract me, does anyone else have a big problem with distractions. And the worst part is I have created them all myself, I have no one to blame but me......lol....

My favorite distraction this week has been my new BOM from Farmhouse Woolens. It is a wool project with the cutest baskets of purple violets, yummy wool, I know I repeated it but it is yummy. The basket is made with a plaid that has nice texture, one of my favorite things about wool is the texture. I am going to really enjoy making this little quilt. If you haven't been over to Karen's new site take some time to do so, she has put together a very nice assortment of goods.

Yes, I opened it up that afternoon and got it all ready for the button-hole stitch. I may do a more primitive stitch on the smaller pieces. I like that because I have never been great at the tinier stitches. I used steam a seam for the flowers and flower centers and leaves but just pinned, with small applique pins, the basket. I really like the small applique pins, they don't poke me like the longer silk pins do. Blood is not an easy liquid to get off your piece.

Do you ever buy the border prints you see at the quilt store. I have been making kitchen towels for myself and gifts. My grandson and I made them together one year, he gave them as gifts. The local quilt shops have woven towels by Dunroven, they are woven and some are homespun.
I really like this first border print, I took one to my mother when I visited her, she will take it to Yuma.

This is a cute Christmas print with snowmen and birdhouses.

This fabric is a Moda print by Jennifer Sampou, from a few years ago. I love chickens and especially this print. It is not a border but I will use it for a towel too. I really like this chicken fabric on the black and white check.

The towels are nice to give as hostess gifts too. My friends who don't sew think I do magic, lol...well I do like giving useful gifts and they love them.

I showed you this project last time, I am almost ready for class this saturday, I just have to finish up the dark blocks. I am liking it more everyday, more nubby texture with these fabrics. I can see alot of possibilities too for settings.

My light blocks:

The traditional log cabin blocks with dark blocks in progress:

My sewing area never looks this organized, I did straighten it up for the pictures..lol....had to behonest and clarify.........

See the little light on my sewing machine, it has a flexible arm. Well this light is fabulous. A bit spendy but worth every dime.......$49, but if you have JoAnns or Hancock Fabrics and use the 50% coupon, that would be a great deal. It has made such a difference for my eyes. It is a true color spectrum like the Ott lights. It is removeable too. Would make a perfect gift for Christmas.

I love Blackbird Designs, and this project has been ignored for a few months, sad but true! LOL... and not because I don't like it. I love it, but I didn't like the way my machine applique looked. I am changing to smaller needles, maybe some embroidery thread. And I am trying a new technique suggested. It will take a bit more time at first but I am really going to like the end result better. It will look more like traditional applique to. I don't necessarily like changing in the middle of a project but in this case I will. Gee, I don't plan on ever entering any contest, I wouldn't put any judge through that....LOl...but this quilt may make someone scratch their head in about 50 years. What was she thinking........ this brings to mind, maybe if I put it on the label they will know what I was thinking.... This winter this project is going to take shape, it's turn is coming....

Last but not least is our little Ethan. This picture just makes my heart flutter, Ethan Smiles!!!!! ALL THE TIME!!! I am writing a little story about Ethan, goodness sakes writing stories for me is like going back to school........ LOL......but I want to tell this one so check back and I will not be a whiner, I promise......

I have really enjoyed all the "Thankful Posts" in blogging land...thank you all sharing......we do live in a country where we have been so blessed..... we have such good lives, even so we know people who are having hard times with the economy and other issues, so it is going to be our blessing to reach out in friendship whenever we can.

Fall Blessings,

Carrie