Suggestions?

I found this combo of fabrics this weekend, and just loved them.  I really want to make a quilt out of them, but have no idea of a pattern to them justice.

Anyone have any suggestions for a fairly easy pattern???

AMW

Favorite Things Friday - Eagle Cam

It's Friday, so that means Favorite Things Friday again inspired by Shay over at Quilting in my Pajamas.  Check it out, and join in!

This week my FTF is the Norfolk Botanical Gardens' Live Eagle Cam.  It's just been turned on, and the viewers are anxiously awaiting the laying of the eggs.  The eagle pair have already been spotted mating on camera (eagle po.rn?) so the wait for eggs is on.  This pair have been nesting together in NBG since 2003.  This is their 3rd nest location, and they have been successful in raising multiple chicks most years.
Here is a breakdown by year:
2004 - 2 eaglets
2005 - 1 eaglet
2006 - 3 eaglets
2007 - 3 eaglets
2008 - A tumultuous year - 2 eggs laid, and intruder female forced resident female from nest.  Eggs not viable.  Nearly 1 month later, resident female returned, laid 2 more eggs.  A couple of nights later, something spooked her, she jumped up and broke both eggs and laid an additional several days later.  That egg hatched, and a couple of weeks later, viewers of the webcam noticed a growth on the eaglet's beak.  Eaglet was removed and examined and diagnosed with avian pox.  He was treated and is now thriving at the Wildlife Center of Virgina, unable to be released.
2009 - 3 eaglets
2010 - 3 eaglets
2011 - CAN'T WAIT TO FIND OUT!

Seriously - this is an addiction, with no cure.  I can't wait to tune in each day to see if there area eggs, then to see if they've hatched, then to watch them learn to eat, learn to stand, learn to stretch their wings, and much more.  And then, like anxious parents waiting for their children to take their first steps, we wait for them to fly. And when they do, we are overjoyed and completely devastated at the same time!

Male on the left, Female on the right.

It's amazing to me, that people from all over the WORLD tune in and watch this cam that is in my own back yard.  It's about 4 miles from where I sit to type this.

Won't you tune in with me this year???

AMW

Pay it Forward

So, there is a "Pay it Forward"  theme going around the blog-o-sphere, and I decided to jump right in with both feet.  I found out about it from Cynthia's post  at Home Matters 1st.  


Here is how it works:

1. I will make a little something for the first 3 people who comment on this post. Your gift will be a surprise and it will arrive when you least expect it.

2. I will have 365 days from today to mail your gift.

3. You must have a blog. Hopefully you will want to post about your progress.

4. Once you comment here, you must post about your "Pay It Forward" on your blog to keep the fun going. Please use the "Pay It Forward" badge.

What's the catch? To get a handmade present from me, you have to play too! This means YOU pledge to send a little handmade something for 3 readers of your blog. It doesn't have to be quilty - just handmade.



And that's it.  Whatever I make you will be just as much a surprise to me as it is to you!  But I WILL get it done!


Any takers?


AMW

FTF - Handmade

Last week was so much fun participating in Favorite Things Friday with Ms. P. over at Quilting in my Pyjamas that I decided to jump in again.


This week I want to show you all what I received from the Make My Christmas exchange. 


As I stated in my previous post, I was lucky enough to draw someone I knew, and really had fun making her a quilt.


But when my really good friend KimmyD announced that she had my name, I was elated!!  Everyone wants to have her draw their name, and for only my second year participating, it was amazing that she drew me!

Kimmy takes old wooden windows, and paints the American flag on the reverse side.  It's truly a sight to see!  And I couldn't have been more excited.


And just in time for the Progressive Dinner party this weekend, we got it hung on the wall in it's permanent spot.  It looks fantastic!

And just to show you a close up, here you go!

Imagine seeing the beauty every day, and sitting beneath it every night.


So this week, this window and handmade gift is one of my favorite things.  And so is my friend KimmyD!  Love you girl!


AMW

Uh-Oh

I made the mistake of watching the premier episode of American Idol season 10 tonight.   And being the reality show junkie that I am, that means that I'll likely watch the rest of this season.  The show pretty much jumped the shark last year, but this year, I just can't help but watch to see how it all plays out, and if they claw their way back.  And the new judges?  Well, I'll have to wait and see how I feel about them as well....


What (if any) reality shows do you watch?
AMW

Favorite Things Friday

One of the great blogs that I read regularly, Shay over at Quilting in My Pyjamas, has a regular feature called Favorite Things Friday.  And it's just what it sounds like.  She posts about one of her favorite things, and encourages others to do the same.

Her blog is definitely one of my favorite things, but today I'll share another one.

My wood burning stove.

It's winter here on this side of the world, and so far it's been colder than normal.  And to be honest - I don't like it.  I hate to be cold, and much prefer summertime.

But my wood stove makes it bearable, and even enjoyable.  It warms the whole downstairs of the house. It has that great "fire-burning-in-the-fireplace" smell.  You can even roast marshmallows in it.  What's not to love???

So that's it.  My first Favorite Things Friday!

If you have a FTF, stop on by Ms. P's blog, and add yours to the list, too!

AMW

From an episode of the Hoarders

For the last month or so, I kept expecting Matt Paxton to show up on our doorstep.  Who?  Matt Paxton is the host of the A&E's show Hoarders.  


Back in October, I showed you a "quick before and after" post of the office transformation, but in reality, it wasn't a very accurate "before" picture"  You see, since it is an office, it's been kind of a catch-all room in the house.  There were boxes and boxes of stuff from floor to ceiling.  So the before was actually an "after".  After all of the stuff was removed.  But before the room was transformed by the removal of the carpet.  


Did you follow all of that????  Me either.  


Anyway....  All of the "stuff" that came out of the office, landed in the living room.  Yep, we just moved it from one room to another.  Isn't that what everyone does?

There's a couch under there.  Really.

90% of the items in this picture came out of the office.  We were mortified when folks stopped by, and blamed it on the work that we had done to the house.


Fast forward to this upcoming weekend, where we are a stop for the annual Progressive Dinner party.  And we certainly couldn't have a house full of people over to THIS!


So, instead of just moving it to yet another room, or back into the office, we decided to take this past weekend and go through it all.  ONE.PIECE.AT.A.TIME.  Just like  Matt Paxton does on Hoarders.  There were trash bags available.  A donate box.  A sell box.  And the stuff we kept.  We bought storage bins that can be concealed, and away we went!  The only thing missing was a dumpster or a dump truck outside!


How did it end up???  Take a look:

As long as you don't enlarge these pictures, the room looks FANTASTIC!  And if by some chance you do enlarge them and see the layer of dust, then we'll just call it a protective layer.  We'll get to it this week...


Has your home ever gotten to that point that you thought maybe the mailman would call and turn you in?   No?  It's just us?  


Alrighty then....


AMW

Winter Retreat

A few months ago, I shared a little slice of heaven with you.  And when we were there in August, we bought another week, which happened to be last week.  The last week of the year.  


The beach in December?  Why would we do that?  Well, honestly, to relax.  


Pictures are the best way for me to tell you about the week, so if you'll humor me, here you go...

Snow, friends, and the beach!

Our home away from home.

The ocean was in a frenzy.

We're in the top floor, far right.

And while I was there, I had the opportunity to visit Endless Possibilities.  By all appearances, it looks like a great little boutique/crafty store.  But under the surface, it's a fundraising project for local hotlines and charities.  They take discarded clothes that were donated to local thrift stores, and are unsellable, and volunteers create rugs, bags, and more to sell. 


And more importantly, they have CLASSES!  

Here I am in the beginning stages of weaving my rug.

Taking this bin of scraps...

And weaving them bit-by-bit...

Into a rug.

And the back.

(I think it's going to end up as a wall hanging, and not as a rug....)




And the sunrises and sunsets are pretty good in the middle of winter, too.  See:

Sunrise, from right outside the door.

With a view like this out the window, what's not to love???


AMW