Blue

 I've been doing a little last minute doll knitting.

Some knitting, some painting and some reading...

I am enjoying these last days before Christmas.

b

Santa

 I was playing around in my little sewing sweatshop a few weeks ago 

when Mr. B gave me a pair of his worn out jeans.

The bag size is too small for my needs so I'm hoping a granddaughter will claim it.

This picture may need a few tweaks but I wanted to keep it loose.

We are enjoying every day leading up to Christmas. They just go by so quickly.

b

Giving

Dont you just love a thoughtful gift? 

And a house decorated beautifully for Christmas? I wish it was mine but no it's my sister's where we spent a night dog sitting for her and her husband. 

My November stack of books finished a week late.

b

Steamers

 Making shower steamers is easy.

Just a few ingredients is all it takes to make your shower a little nicer and as it looks like a busy week here one of these will be perfect.

b

All the signs

 of November...

A loaf of pumpkin bread in the old cast iron pan.

When the frost is on the pumpkin the squirrels are happy.

We have turkeys in our neighborhood.

Have you started your Thanksgiving shopping list?

b

Leaves

 My 'Falling Leaves' quilt is finished and ready to use...

and just in time for our 'Falling Temps'.

Dakota Man made me this sweet little barn quilt for the house.

It's a busy little house that we live in.

b

Door County

 We got to eat at Door Counties famous Al Johnson's restaurant for my birthday last month. The one with goats on the roof. We ordered Scandinavian pancakes with lingonberry syrup and meatballs. We were not disappointed.

                                       Afterwards we browsed their cute gift shops.

We came home and made the cute pixies we saw there. I'm always on the lookout for projects we can make together. Dakota Man turned the wood and I did the painting. One for each of our granddaughters.

b

Flowers and other stuff

                             It's finally cool enough to cover up with the quilt I'm binding.

          I couldn't resist buying a bottle of kombucha at the farmers market Saturday.

I resolve to buy myself more flowers.

b

Fall

 Dakota Man made me a new scarecrow. He even did the painting.

I picked up pumpkins and a mum while we were in Door County.  They were doing a lot of decorating for fall there which inspired me. 

What's not to love about fall right? Help a pumpkin farmer out and go buy a a few or ten.

b

Fall finally

Happy fall y'all. 

           We survived another hot summer.

We hit a farm stand Saturday, one of my favorite things to do this time of year. It won't be our last stand either.

I wonder if I have any pearl buttons in my button box?

This is for you daughter knit and pearl...

On the merry-go-round at the Lark Toy Store in Kellog Minnesota.

b

Home again

 We took off early yesterday morning and headed home.

We were camped on the Wisconsin Minnesota border by the Mississippi River.

There was fog rising above the cornfield as we left.

Today I have been back in my routine making soup and bread.

It was another great fall trip for us.

b

Sailing

            Two more outfits I made the grands for their dolls before we left on our trip.

Now if I were going sailing today I would wear the cute pants and top then come back and put on the dress for a nice seafood meal on the wharf.

b

Fall trip

We are on our fall camping trip. This year we drove east landing in the beautiful Preston Minnesota area with its Root River. There is a bike trail that we got on close by our campsite. There is also a beautiful golf course on the grounds that Mr. b took advantage of.

Today we are on Door County, one of our favorite destinations.

This morning we had their famous cherry jam on our toast and Door County coffee in our mugs.

b

Back to school

 I went back to school in the late 1950's in a dress similar to this one. Plaid, puffed sleeves and skirt with a slip underneath it. If you were a lucky little girl the slip was a can-can style even if it meant sitting on that scratchy thing all day.

Dresses were mandatory all twelve of my school years.

In 1970 I wore mini skirts like this. I sewed most of my own clothes. 

Dotted swiss and rick rack trim was popular.

I sewed these dresses for our granddaughter's American Girl dolls.

Life was good.  

b

Peaches

 Peach crates are in the stores! The first thing I made with them is peach jam.

We had a cat named Peach Jam

 when our kids were young. We called her PJ. She was a snooty Siamese but she was a loyal cat. 

This morning I painted peaches in my art journal.

Today sounds like a good day for a peach cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream.

b

Minestrone

 When I make a quilt I have to name it and this one made me think of minestrone soup.

I loved the upcycled sheet I used for the back of it.

With the quilt done I made soup...

Minestrone soup.

b

Green with envy

Friends of our daughter put up a large greenhouse and we enjoyed seeing it yesterday. It is a beautiful structure containing exotic fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, passion fruit, along with all your normal garden fruits, vegetables and herbs.

They sent us home with an abundance of basil which I dried immediately.

I used it today in my homemade tomato basil soup.

b

Some of

Some of this...

Some of that...

     Some of the other.

b