So much SNOW!!!!

Im finding it hard to "work" this winter. Between the cat's sunning in warm spots, or in teenagers arms, there is always someone encouraging naps.

But I am getting quilts done. So many tops to finish, so many e2e patterns to love, so much SNOW to move!!!!

Just a peek at what's on the machine 

And what's outside the window!

With the chickens and the horses right outside my window, and all this amazing nature to look at, it is so very distracting. 

Hello 2022, and Everyone still clicking on this link!!!!

I guess it is a fine day to finally get back into this blogging thing, and try much harder to stay current and engaged. Sounds like a great 2022 Resolution!!!! To start, since my last entry, so much has changed, it seems like I should be starting a new blog. 

                                                                                         

In the start of 2020, we decided that life was too short to wait for better health, the end of the (new) pandemic, retirement, etc. So, we got back into the hunt for our dream home, the "one" we would live out the rest of our days. Some beautiful properties came up, but they never quite fit the bill. And then in a quite Serendipitous moment, the house I thought was IT, fell through, and literally, another landed in our laps. I had been watching the property for some time, and never in a million years thought it would be in our price range, or to Brians liking. And suddenly, we were calling our beloved Realtor and walking the property. It was perfect in each way we needed it to be, but yet, needed work that would allow us to make it specifically ours. So, we made and had an offer accepted, sold our house, and moved 6 miles down the road to our piece of heaven on earth. Land to roam, place for the horses, future (now) chickens, a pond, and a workshop for Brian. And quickly we came to find that it also "came with" the best possible neighbors one could hope for. 

Almost immediately after moving in, Brian suffered a life altering injury to his hand, involving a table saw, and our construction and improvement plans were put on hold as he faced surgery and months of rehab. 

And hey, why not add a new family member, so we brought home an amazing puppy, named Fiona. 

                                                                                                

But in the sping of 2021, we started the plans of a bothroom overhaul, converting a shed to a mini barn, building a chicken coop and run, and then on to the main barn. All while having trees cut and processed for the winter, as the house is heated by an outdoor wood boiler. Yes, we jumped in head first, eyes wide open, knowing there would be a lot to learn, a lot to do, and a lot to live! 

We managed to get the boys home at the end of August, and sadly, lost Jack 3 weeks later. He was an amazing first horse for Becca, but after 2 years of fighting a terminal condition, his health and spirit finally gave out. But we made a promise and kept it. He came home, he was put to rest here, and he will always be with us now, with his own special place and garden. Our new Barn will be named in his honor, Jacks Shack!

Meanwhile, I took a much needed "break" from My Quilt Corner. I needed to organize my new studio, unpack and settle a new home, help Brian with rehab, AND homeschool Becca through a year + of Remote home learning, thanks to Covid.  I also called on our amazing Realtor again, to help me find a home for my mother, who moved from Florida to Vermont, to be closer to me and the kids. I know, she went backwards, but hey, what's it worth, if you don't have family close? And then shortly after, my son and his girlfriend bought their first home, not too far from us. 

After a wonderful visit from some of our closest friends, we got the main barns outer shell up, and then the weather and lack of day light called it a year. So, it was time to move onto the best part. Getting My Quilt Corner back up and running. And this was the year I was upgrading from a wonderful sitdown mid arm, to the full LongArm I always dreamed of. And here she is! My HQ Amara on a 12foot Studio 2 frame, with Prostitcher and Designer. Now I can do Free Motion, Ruler Work, Computerized and Automated work, and any combination of. It takes a king size quilt, and makes it look almost easy. No more basting on the floor, tired shoulders, or frustrations over laying out quilt paths. 

I have decided the first step is to finish the collection of quilt tops I have accrued over the years, and list those in my Etsy store (well, the ones I don't keep of course) and do some work for my mother and a few other select clients. Eventually, my hope is to offer long arm services for finishing other peoples quilts, but not yet. 

But funny enough, I haven't gotten tired of the view yet, and it makes it hard to work. I can look outside from my studio and see the boys, the birds, and any variety of wild life. It's like having free Animal Planet on 24/7!! 

So in a nutshell, that is where I have been since 2020, and now, 2022 is here, and I hope to blog more, post more projects in my Etsy store, and learn all sorts of new and amazing skills that I can bring to the quilts I make! Thank you for coming back here, for reading to this point, and for sticking with me! See you soon!

2020 Has been a rough ride so far, hasn't it?

As always, time gets away from me and then someone (Mom) makes a comment that I need to make more of an effort to upkeep my blog. I have no real excuse since I work from home....well, most of the world has been working from home now for the last 3 months. 

2020 started off benign enough. We had some big snow storms, and I was motivated to get back to sewing. That came crashing down very quickly in February, when our Haflinger became very ill. Jack is our daughters horse, and the thought of losing him after just 2 years was NOT an option. What started out as a snotty nose, quickly escalated into a full blown drama, that required major surgery in New Hampshire. Thanks to our vets quick thinking, we were added to a clinic that was handling just our sort of odd case. But how to get him there? So, a week before my 15th anniversary, we bought a truck and trailer, to get him where he needed to go. It was supposed to be for a long weekend, and turned into a nail biting week and a half, just as Covid-19 was closing down the area. 

Ah, Covid. Yes, we drove down on our anniversary, dropped him off, and raced back 8 days later for him, never knowing my daughter wouldn't be returning to school again for the year. If there was a silver lining to that, it was that she was able to attend to Jack through his entire recovery. Twice a day sinus flushes, meds, and hand walking. When the expected recovery time came and went with no improvement, then it was more x-rays, more vet procedures (local thankfully), and more hands on from us. 8 weeks of daily care gave her and Jack time to finally bond. And boy have they.

Another silver lining is now having a trailer to use. We decided it was time to enjoy it, and did a test run with both boys. Where did we go? OUR HOUSE! What a hoot. Loaded them up, and brought them home. Went out to explore the fields and woods behind our house, and then filled a small fantasy of seeing horses in our backyard. It was magical. But, then it was back to the barn. Will have to share those shots another time!)

Riding more, has lead also to more interaction at the barn. Thankfully, we are a small, private barn, and didn't close during the shutdown. Bonding for the humans as well. We have started a Sunday tradition of large group rides, and I have been filming them for our own entertainment with my GoPro. Still learning how to edit, but wow. 

And now, here we are with one week of Distance Learning left, and then my last is no longer in Middle School. We will officially have our last High Schooler in the house. 

I have made several quilts for others, stared at the tops I need to quilt up and sell, and looked lovingly at all the patterns I have yet to make. I want to sew. I just seem to never make the time, between taking care of Brian, tending to our critters, riding, and keeping a teenager engaged in this new world we are living in.  

 

FUN NOTE:

One thing that has helped me is cooking, and Postcrossing. Instagram has a ton of amazing cooking pages that are promoting cooking with free recipes. And if you haven't heard of it before now, check out www.postcrossing.com .  It is an amazing way to share, collect, and connect with people from all around the world, with just a simple stamp and a postcard. No need to ever go to the post office. You can even buy your stamps and cards online now. www.usps.com will sell and send your stamps right to your house. And there are tons of sites that sell postcards of every topic.

So, here's to a healthy second half of 2020. And yes, Im sewing, just not much. But it will come back to me. Right now, Im just having more fun doing horsey stuff with my kid. Its summer finally, and given where the world has been, outside is the best place for me. 

Goodbye 2019 and Hello 2020!

I know Im early, but if I don't post it now, it won't be until next year that I say it.  2019 has been an interesting year of sorts, one of self reflection, rediscovery, and growth. 

I have taken a huge leap into self marketing my business. I am now an ETSY store owner, and I am starting to polish up my home website. I added an Instagram Business account, and linked my Twitter to it as well. And today, I ordered updated business cards. I am excited and hopeful that 2020 will be the year my little business gets noticed!

 Some of the tops and projects this year has been about. I saw this star quilt (red/green) and was just smitten with it. I then went on to make another version in Purples and Teals as a gift to the daughter of a very dear friend. It has become one of my most inquired about quilts. I am already thinking up another color path for it!

 Of course, it's not about sewing. Many miles and time went into riding this year, and we saw some very neat things, from Deer and Turkey, to how fast your silly horse can spook at a Butterfly. Becca and Jack continue to learn each other, and good or bad, they are making a connection. We also added another kitty to our clan, Mouse. And she loves to help me NOT work.

Some of the non-quilt goodies I am making for my store. Stars are especially popular because they are good for everything, not just Christmas. Gifts, gift tags, a pretty addition to that bottle of wine. Stinky car or closet? No problem, just add some of your favorite essential oils to one and you have a pretty air freshener.

Fabric gift bags are also fun. Last year I gave them as gifts to all the boarders at our barn and filled them with goodies for both horse and rider. 

Well, thanks for reading, and I will be back. With more updates and links of course to my sites. Check me out under My Quilt Corner on Facebook, and ETSY. I would love the feed back! And Happy Holidays and a Beautiful New Year!

No quilting, sewing, or relaxing.

As the title suggests, it has been a really HARD last two weeks.

One May 6th, my family made the very painful decision to let go of our 12 yo Pommie, Maggie. She came into our lives as a puppy, and was a great adventure. She was a little younger than my youngest child, and was a staple in our house as we added new kitties. She as a goofy girl with some very bad breeding, but a heart of gold. From a glorious maned Pomeranian, to a scruffy patchy old timer, she was always true to her family. Cancer eventually beat her down, and we gave her the best end we could muster.

The same day, Jupiter, the kitty that walked literally into our lives, and proclaimed my husband as his own, decided it was time to have a full medical crisis. So, back to the Vet we went to see what we could do to make him better. Into "isolation" he went with a treatment plan. The vet called to check on him a few days later, and I was pleased to report he was on the mend. So I thought. Shortly after that, as cats like to do, he tanked again. Back to the vet, and home now with a small pharmacy.

If it wasn't enough stress, the Vermont weather decided to take one more stab at Swinter (Winter behavior in Spring). Rain, rain, and more rain. Oh, and snow. Thankfully, on the mountains, and not down in our Valley, but the temps were NOT spring like.

My head decided it had an opportunity to strike and oh did it. A full on Migraine with Vertigo, Nausea, and a healthy dose of Panic.

And to top it all off, I was told by a VERY dear childhood friend, that their health had taken a very severe turn for the worse, and Hospice was in the immediate future. This is a person that I admire, enjoy talking to, and have shared health issues of both theirs and my husband. Parenting is tough, and we have talked extensively about helping our children through the trials of a very ill parent.

But, now it is the weekend again. My meds are starting to work, my friend's pain is being managed, time has reminded me that we focus on good memories and not dwell on the silence, Jupiter is his usual spunky self again, and my husband and children are well.

Not every week will be a stellar sewing week I realize, and sometimes, we need to slow down and see life for what it really is. A journey, and a series of hurdles, that make us wiser, stronger, and more prepared for the next round.

It's not a gorgeous sunny day, but it's warmer, and not raining. So, I will open the windows, put out the flowers, and maybe play with fabric. Or read a book. And absolutely, go to the barn.