Home is best!

Hey, it's good to be back home again! If you want to hear John Denver sing it, check this out. I still find it amazing that you can find pretty much everything and anything online! He died in 1997, and while the internet wasn't what it is today, it was still there! So that makes sense, I suppose. 

We had loads of wind yesterday, but nothing that transpired into a storm—at least not where I was or where I live now. 

We had the windows open at the retreat house, and at several points, what we were cutting or even what was on the tables went flying. No worries - the breeze was beautiful, and no one minded!

While retreats are fun, I love coming home and emptying the retreat baskets and bags. I can "shop" for more fabric or put the projects and tools away. 

I see that the nice box I was using has come apart. It's only made of cardboard but seems to be pretty sturdy. I think I should be able to glue it back together, so the glue gun came out this morning, and I'll see what I can do. 

A hole in my retreat box

I restocked my toolbox—I needed to empty out the dull rotary cutting blade that I stuck in there, and I needed a pack of needles. These tools are NEVER touched outside of a retreat, so I know they're always good to go. 

The retreat toolbox

When I needed a seam ripper last week, I could only find a tiny one in the box. Hmm—I swear I had put a big one in there. So, I purchased a new one at one of the local quilt shops. Then, when I was getting the blades for the rotary cutter out, I discovered the big seam ripper. So, one stayed in the box, and the other went into the spare supply box. 

TWO seam rippers

I was sure I had more fabric for that scrappy Irish Chain quilt, and sure enough, I found it on a bolt. 

A bolt of the missing fabric

I cut the necessary pieces to finish the blocks. I left this project out, and I'm going to try to finish it today. 

The pieces are cut to finish the quilt

Then, I dug out some black fabrics to see if I had anything that matched the black on that black-and-white project. 

A variety of black fabrics

It's hard to tell in the photos, but not all blacks are the same shade. The ones on top match the black I used, and the ones in the bottom half do not. I did not cut the pieces I needed, but the fabric got tucked into the bag, and I put it back in the pile for the next retreat. 

Then, I went shopping for the orange to see if I could find more of what I was missing for the second black-and-white quilt. 

Shopping for orange fabric

I have two big baskets of orange fabric, and I had to go through both of them. I had already pulled a fabric I thought was a good match, but I was almost to the end of the second basket when I found the same fabric!! Yeah!!

More of the missing fabric!

I'm currently shopping for more of the white-on-black fabrics, and I'll finish that up this morning. 

Shopping for white-on-black fabrics

I'll cut the strips for that project and sub-cut the rectangles I need, and then I'll pop the rest of the strips in the split 9-patch bag and put both of them in a pile for the next retreat. So, I'm technically ready for the next retreat. The toolbox is ready, and several projects are waiting to go. I might throw in an extra one or two closer to the date—I'll see what I'm working on at that time. 

I put away a few things that I purchased. While I have a TON of orange fabric, I couldn't resist buying a fat quarter of this. 

Orange collage 

As I unpack more, I'll share with you what I got. I didn't buy much as I don't need much. And I have a few things on the cutting table that I want to deal with. These came from the current projects area and consist mainly of quilt backings that need to be made. It would be nice if I could move those along. 

Work on the cutting table

Everything I brought into the house got put back in its place. It is so nice when things have a home—it makes putting things away a snap! I still have stuff to move around before it's how I want, but I'm getting there. 

Before I left the retreat house, I managed to get that disappearing pinwheel block to this stage. I made and trimmed all the half-square triangle units, and then I stitched them into the giant pinwheel. The next step is to cut them into nine equal parts and sew them back together. I might give them a good press today and return that bag to the retreat basket. There are twenty blocks. 

The first part of the disappearing pinwheel

Despite working on the QUILTsocial project, I think I did very well with my time at the retreat. I'll be working on QUILTsocial again today, but other than that, there isn't much urgent stuff to do today, so I can tidy up some more! 

I snapped a quick picture of the creek on my way out of the farmyard. The water was much clearer but still wasn't as clear as before the storm, and the water level was still high. 

The water in the stream is a bit clearer

Once I had everything in the house, I sat out in the gazebo. AH—I did NOT miss the lilacs. The first thing I noticed was their beautiful scent. So I read a bit, napped a bit, and the girls entertained me a bit. 

The lilac bush in the backyard

The view from the gazebo. It was quite windy, but that didn't bother the girls. 

The view from the gazebo

Here's a picture of the gazebo so you can see the lilac bush. It's quite large and immediately behind the blue chair. The season is short, so I'm glad I get to enjoy it! 

The gazebo

The owner of Springhouse Retreat asked if we wanted some rhubarb as she was swimming in it. Oh my—of course. So when I got home, I cut some up to stew. I didn't cook it down to mush, and it was amazing. 

Stewed rhubarb

It's a bit sweet - I put too much sugar for the amount of rhubarb, but I have more rhubarb, so the debate is whether to stew more, make a crumble, or put it in the freezer? Hmmm - I don't really have enough to do all three. I'll see how I feel later today. 

Yum Yum!

And through all my tidying up, I had company. But what's with the ear? Her ears are either flopped over or close to her head. They do not stick out straight! Oh, Murphy -- what a silly girl. 

Mom -- I'm on alert! 

I had to stop for gas on the way home, and it was $1.70 per liter. Near my house, the price was $1.61. Is that why they call it highway robbery? I stopped at the big service station on the 401 highway to get gas. Oh well, I couldn't get home without it. 

The big question of the day will be, "What should I do?" QUILTsocial blog post - yes. There are piles of paper on the floor beside my chair that need to be dealt with, so I better do some of that. There are a couple of emails to send, and then I want to be downstairs getting some sewing done, and I should get a quilt quilted as well. Lots to do -- let's not waste the day!

I might even tackle a drawer. I'm pretty sure the drawers in the office desk are good, but it wouldn't hurt to take a peek to see if anything else can be tossed. I'll add that to the list. And let's not forget those digital files I need to deal with. I just made a list, and now I feel better - I like checking things off, and I'm good for the day! 

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!