Category Archives: Country Living

Grandmother’s Choice Catch Up

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Woohoo!!!  I’m all caught up with the Grandmother’s Choice Block of the Week (it’s about the only thing I’m caught up on :-) ).

Last week was an Ocean Waves block. The bit of history that Barbara Brackman touched on in her blog was regarding her friend Erma Hughes Kirkpatrick and the other women in the military.  Erma had joined the WAVES.  Here is my Ocean Waves block – I thought the aqua blue was appropriate…

28-Ocean-WaveThis week’s block was Seven Pointed Star for Australia.  Barbara tells us about the very successful Australian suffragettes.  Be sure to read her blog for some interesting history.  This block is a challenge – a geometric challenge.  I had a couple of starts and stops and restarts before this end result:

29-Seven-Pointed-Star-for-AIt turned out bright and springy.  The Flickr web site has a lot of amazing quilters making up their versions of these same blocks.  Be sure to check them out!

Also turning bright and springy are the woods behind my house.  They are changing every day from that drab winter gray brown palette to the brightest green you ever saw:

Spring-GreenHave a bright and springy day, y’all!

JSS Quilt Retreat Winds Down

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Today was the last day of our wonderful retreat.  We are full of food, our bags are full of finished (or at least started) projects and we are full of plans for the next retreat!

Thanks to Lani’s dad, Jerry, we had an excellent photographer for a group photo shoot:

Considering the fact that we’ve had 2 hours of sleep in the last four days, I think we look fabulous!

The design walls were busy today!  Barb finished her hand pieced baby quilt:

How cute is that?!

Newbie Vicky finished her very first quilt ever – a large T-Shirt quilt:

Cindy’s beautiful finished quilt top appeared on the wall briefly:

And Suz worked on an Art Quilt!  Now that is a phenomenon!

I finished up the labels and binding for my two Faith quilts:At one point this afternoon I caught a glimpse of these beautiful horses running out in the field next to Compass Centre.  By the time I got my camera and ran outside they had found their destination – dinner!

Now we just need to pack up and catch some sleep before we ride off into the sunrise tomorrow morning (ok, not that early, but it sounded good).

Have a great day, y’all!

Back to the Farm

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Spring has sprung and the vegetable garden is looking GREAT!  My fabulous farmer hubby has all kinds of goodies growing – tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, squash, radishes, lettuce, peppers, asparagus, onions, garlic and lots of different herbs.

Since it looks like a real “farm” I decided this farmer’s wife needs to get back to the Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt.  The challenge is to make two blocks a week from The Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt book (by Laurie Aaron Hird).  There is a wonderful Farmer’s Wife Quilt Along Group on Flickr with lots of support, encouragement and pictures.

I picked back up with Block 44 – Gentleman’s Fancy – here pictured among the tomato plants (yes, it is April and we already have good sized tomatoes – amazing!).

Next is Block 45 – Grape Basket.  It is photographed in the potato plants (no, we don’t usually have a tomato cage in the potato plants :-) ).

And then I had to get both blocks in the strawberries:

The fabric I chose for this project is primarily Aunt Grace and is so bright and cheery that it feels like the perfect project to celebrate a beautiful and bountiful Spring.

Bluebonnet Bonanza

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The bluebonnets in Texas have been simply stunning this year!

We’ve had a mild winter and finally some decent rains so mother nature has provided us with beautiful views along the roadsides and out in the pastures.

I’ve always loved bluebonnets and back in the dark days before I found quilting, I stitched this little piece.  Seriously, that is what the fields around here look this year!  They are just covered with blue as far as you can see!

My bluebonnet quilt below hangs in our dining room – a bright and cheerful place with a constant reminder of the beauty we are blessed with each Spring here in Texas – especially this Spring.

I hope you find your Spring to possess a beauty as splendid as ours!

Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo!

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We went to the Fort Worth Stock Show PRCA Rodeo last week.  It was my first rodeo!  Yes, I’ve lived in Fort Worth for 40 years and this was my first rodeo!  We had a great time!  I thought I’d share with you some of the events and my “city-girl” interpretation of what was going on.

There was Bronc Riding – both with a saddle and bareback.  I think the rider throws his arm up for style points.

I don’t understand how this guy could stay on the horse!

There is something missing in this one – the rider!

Another event was Barrel Racing – which is primarily a cowgirl event.  They race around three barrels and out of the arena – I’m not really sure why.

There was Calf Roping where the rider catches the calf with a lariat and then jumps down and ties 3 legs together with a rope he’s holding in his teeth.  A well-trained horse will hold the lariat tight while the cowboy ties the legs:

Then we have Steer Roping and Steer Wrestling. Gets complicated, doesn’t it?  Steer Roping is when two riders with ropes catch a steer by the front and back legs and pull it apart (not really all the way apart).

Steer Wrestling event is when two riders chase after the steer and one of them jumps off and wrestling it to the ground, all without losing his hat.

But by far the most exciting and scariest event is the Bull Riding.  In this event the rider attempts to stay on a mad, raging, bucking bull for a full eight seconds.  This has been called the “most dangerous eight seconds in sports.”

Notice the bull below is completely airborne!

Also notice the Rodeo Clowns.  The one above looks like he is about to be impaled.  Actually the clowns are there to distract the bull after the rider is thrown and about to be trampled and gored.

This bull was kind of ornery.  The clown was kind of playing with him until the bull backed up, pawed at the ground and was about to charge:

Eventually he allowed himself to be led away … maybe he heard the dinner bell.

While this may have been my first rodeo, I doubt it will be my last.  We had a great time and I look forward to putting on my boots and coming back again next year.

The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo will be in town until February 4th.  Be sure to check it out if you can!

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