Yee Haw!

Wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

They're here - gusanos dos puntos oh (Worms2.0)
My new worms are all settled in their bin and happily working away. I didn't realize how much I missed having them. They have all winter to make compost for the first garden in New England.
Last week after I posted about the lack of Mexican cuisine, I decided the only thing to do is to take the bull by the horns and learn to make my own. With the internet, any ingredients that are not readily available in the local market can be easily obtained.
My first recipe was shredded beef flautas.
Labor intensive, for sure. But well worth it, once we sat down at the table. The recipe yielded enough for 3+ meals. I now have some happy freezer bags at the ready for next time.
On the quilting front, I got some quality time at the sewing machine yesterday. I worked on blocks for Marcie's Christmas Punch pattern. One stack of blocks is all put together.
And I have the pieces and parts ready for a second stack.
After a trip to the market to pick up the remaining items for our Thanksgiving dinner, I'll be back at the machine this afternoon.

Changes. Over the last 8 months our family has experienced a lot of changes. I haven't always just rolled with the flow. Some of the things that have happened were not easy to take, but we are adjusting - trying to find a rhythm and routine to the days.
Some of the changes are simple things. Hubby is working on ridding our home of this:
and replacing it with this.
Ahhhh. That's better. I love the look and an added bonus is you can enter a closed room with full hands just by using your elbow.
Enough time has elapsed that I feel a little more comfortable finding my way around. The feeling of being constantly lost and disoriented is slowing going away. Now that I can find my way to the local supermarket, you'll find me in the aisles still looking confused.
We have found a couple of places to purchase Red Vines - the official movie candy for our family.
Do not confuse them with that other brand. They are not the same and there is no substitute. We didn't have to change our brand of mayonnaise. That's because it just goes by an alias east of the Rockies. I am perplexed by Vermont cheddar cheese. Why is it white? Oh, it tastes like cheddar, but confusing to the eye. I have learned to look deeply into the refrigerator case until I find the orange cheddar.
Then there is the mystery of tortillas.
Why is it heralded that there are 10 not 8 in the package? Tortillas are usually sold by the dozen out west. Eight is the number for hamburger buns or sandwich rolls not tortillas. Still I'm grateful to find them at all. Things like burritos have reached 'comfort food' status. We are used to having a choice of this, this, this and this all within a little more than a block. Now we drive 18 miles to the closest Taco Bell.
It's a good thing I still have quilting.
It has a universal language all around the world.

For most of this year I have only dabbled with quilting projects here and there. So many other things had to take precedence. My quilting suffered and so did I. This week I decided to take the bull by the horns and work on completing a few things that have been languishing in my basket. So I headed down to the still unpacked quilting supplies and dug around until I found a fabric I knew I had. (Why is it no matter what I'm looking for is in the last box I open?)
Eureka! Just enough of what I was looking for on hand to make a ruffle.
Later today I will attach it to this along with some fabric on the back. Voila! A new pillow sham for our bed.
A companion for this one that I finished last year. I think it's going to look great on our bed.
Also down in the bottom of the basket were these little blocks. Finally I trimmed them down and assembled them into a top.
Now to find a batting scrap and make a sandwich. The whole piece is only about 13". I bet I can get it hand quilted in just one evening. When it's all done, I'll wonder why I waited so long.

Happy 234th Birthday to the United States Marine Corps!

Painting. Just when you thought that all the painting was complete, out come the rollers and brushes once again. Our goal is to have all painting done by Thanksgiving. A quick glance at the calendar will tell you we'd better get a move on!
I spent Thursday and Friday applying coats to the downstairs hallway. Why two days on such a small space? Because our original color choice just didn't work. What was a nice creamy neutral on the chip and in the can turned into a pale sunshine yellow on the walls. A great color, but better suited for a bedroom than a transition area.
This new color is called English Tan. As soon as it started going on the walls, I knew I was going to like it. Back to Home Depot I'll go for more. It's going in the hallway upstairs, the stair case and the kitchen, too.
A quick look out the back door will tell you that fall has fell. Almost all of our beautiful fall colors have now dropped to the ground. The neighborhood is abuzz with all manner of leaf taming equipment today. It's fun to see just how each family copes with the piles and piles of leaves.
In the mailbox, I got a package from my favorite quilt shop. This bundle of fat quarters represents each the different colors available from the Aged Muslin line from Marcus Brothers.
I want to make some window coverings for our family room, but didn't want to pick my fabric sight unseen. The good news is I now know which shade I want. I'll place my order this week and ask for a piece from one of the other choices to add to my stash.
Ordering muslin only didn't seem like fun. So I asked for a bundle of the brushed cottons from the new Brannock/Patek line Blessings be included. Funny how I had no problem deciding on that sight unseen.
I've not got a project in mind. I'll add them to the stash. Just the right thing is sure to come along. When it does - I'll be ready.

Does it seem like I'm rushing the season just a little?
It's really more of an - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em attitude. We have 8 boxes of 'stuff' that won't be unpacked until after the first of the year when we do a remodel of the kitchen. Right now the cabinets are stuffed to the gills with pots and pans spilling into the laundry room. So rather than look at cardboard boxes for 2 or 3 more months, I decided to use them as holiday props. The rest of the Christmas decorating won't happen until after Thanksgiving. But these boxes are sure a lot more pleasing to look at disguised as gifts.
Rest assured that fall is still all around us. Harper and I took the camera on our walk to the Common one day last week. Our town had sponsored a scarecrow building event. They provided the frame and stuffin' and you provide the head and clothes. Here is a collage of just a few, everything from traditional, to youthful, to political. They'll be on display through this week. I hope next year Hubby and I will be able to build one, too.
Back on the home front, look what I spied out the kitchen window!
He seems to be giving me 'the eye.' I will say that the New England cousin of my California nemesis is a whole lot cuter and much less mangy looking. Maybe that means they can easily sustain themselves without making a salad bar out of my garden. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.