Asthma, Sheesh.

I apologize for no posts the past two weeks. I haven`t been well, spent a few days in the hospital and am home yesterday. I hope you stick with me.

I have a problem with asthma. This is new to me. A neighbor took me to the ER because I was short of breath. The first diagnosis was a heart problem. Thankfully after all the tests my heart is fine. It`s the dust. I love to garden and I love to dig and I live on a dirt road. That`s the problem. I guess I`ll have to wear a mask when I do yard work. 

I`m much better except for being tired from the stress of the hospital stay. I don`t like being cooped up! My poor husband had to drive 120 or so miles round trip. The bonus of being there was a six pound weight loss in 3 days and I know my heart is healthy.

Next week I`ll have pictures of my projects I scheduled for this weekend. They are small projects and I can finish them quickly. 

Thank you for visiting. I truly appreciate it.

Cathy

Shaken` The Pom Poms!

Thanks to Madame Samm for creating this fun Hop and to Thearica for keeping all us chickens moving in the right direction.

 
This Poodle is cross stitched on a vintage gingham apron.  I purchased the apron five years ago. After repairing the stitching and the open work I set the apron aside. When I stumbled on her again I knew a few pom poms would be cute.  I made them with Coats Pearl Cotton, wrapping the thread around my fingers.

Thank you for stopping by. Please visit the other participants at the links below. I know there are wonderful things to see.

I Like To Quilt Blog

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Thimblemouse & Spouse

Cate`s Linens

Around the Homestead

Buzzing and Bumbling

les passions de Cliodana

Bumbleberry Stitches

Sew We Quilt

Till Later,
Cathy

Shake Your Pom Poms!

Shake Your Pom Poms, the next blog hop starts this week, Wednesday 24 April.  My day is the 30th. I can`t wait to see the other participants pom pom creations. I`m just about finished with my projects. When I was young  pom poms were a big part of home decor.

Madame Samm is again the creator of our blog hop and Thearica from Pigtales and Quilts is our fabulous cheerleader. Can`t go wrong with these ladies.

I have a few wildflower pictures I took in our front yard to show you.

Desert Poppies

My View While Having My Morning Tea

Desert Poppies and Desert Mallow Along Our Rock Wall

My Prayers go out to those in the Mississippi flood zones and other areas suffering natural disasters here and in China.

Blessings,
Cathy

My Day April Showers Mug Rug Blog Hop!

This is my day on the April Showers Blog Hop.  I can`t wait to see what today`s other participants will  share !  We are making mug rugs with an April Showers theme.

Madame Samm is our gracious hostess and  Erin at Sew At Home Mummy is our hardworking cheerleader.  Giveaways and tutorials are offered by some participants. Please visit the blogs listed below my pictures. There are wonderous mug rugs waiting for you!

Here we are in the tree again, LOL. My mug rug is 10" x 8". A gift for my daughter in law and roomy for her desk. The front is made with 100% cotton vintage reproduction fabric purchased at Jane`s Fabrics. The pattern name is Bee`s Knees by Glenna Hailey. The trim is vintage cotton eyelet fussy cut from a doily in my stash.   April showers in  high desert bring wildflowers and then a bounty of bees.  This fabric pretty much expresses our April and blue is DIL`s favorite color.

The reverse is a 100% cotton tropical flower print. I love the bright colors and the palm fronds. Palm trees are easily grown here though in winter the smaller palms sometimes need cover. Date palms are prevalent south of us in places like Havasu, Parker and Yuma and of course in Phoenix.

Here is THE LIST! I hope you have time to visit these wonderful sewists / artists. Thank you! You are now at Cate`s Linens (me).

MONDAY, APRIL 15th

Cathy @ Cate's Linens

Nicola @ Sunshine Reflections

Martina @ Sunshinequilting

Judith @ Frimart

Anita @ Anita's quilts en handwerken

Linda @ Sew Nicely

Kris @ krislovesfabric

Laura Ann @ The Fuzzy Hat Quilter

Carol @ Just let me Quilt

Selina @ Selina Quilts

Mary @ Crooked Gulley Art Quilts

Marisa @ Passion et Couture

April Showers Blog Hop Starts Tomorrow!

Yea! Another blog hop! What do April Showers and Mug Rugs have in common?  The participants are making mug rugs with an April showers theme.

Madame Samm is our gracious hostess and Erin at Sew At Home Mummy is our cheerleader. I`m finishing up my mug rugs and I can`t wait to see what everyone else is sharing. Giveaways and tutorials are offered by some participants. I hope you visit. Tomorrow`s List is below.

MONDAY, APRIL 8: Erin @ Sew at Home Mummy

Patty @ A Stitch in Time

Jenny @ Squawk That

Stacey @ The Tilted Quilt

Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio

Lisa @ In The Boon Docks

Julie @ Jolie Maxtin: the project girl

Beluah @ Sowing Stitches

Karen @ Bungalow Bay Quilts

Cyndi @ Stitch, Stitch, Stitch

DeAnna @ Georgia Girl Quilter

What have I been doing? Lots of sewing, trying to keep dust out of the house, gardening and yard work. I have an unbelievable amount of lilacs. So many, that I`ve been cutting bouquets and sharing them with as many neighbors as will take them. I love the smell wafting through my house.  That`s all for now. Thank you for visiting! Cathy

Stitch Me Up Blog Hop! My Day!

Welcome to this marvelous Hop. Thank you  to Debbie at Busy As Can Be and Cyndi at Stitch Stitch Stitch and Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt for designing our patterns. A huge thanks to our fearless cheerleader Jane at Jane`s Fabrics and Quilts.

 I decided to stitch Madame Samm`s "Wee Tot".  This little cutie was "put through the mill"  , so to speak. I have a twin and this is very much how we looked at the toddler stage. Blonde curls and chubby legs. I am going to reverse the pattern and stitch it for my sister so we each have one.

I used DMC floss from my stash and embroidered on cotton. Next time I will use linen. The first time I stitched this sweetie I lined her eyes with pale pink. Looked like she had  pink eye, so I unstitched the pink. Then I added a little pink stitching to her left cheek. My husband said it looked like a pirate scar (well!!!), so I removed that. Her mouth had a sad pout, so that had to go and I changed her eye shape a little. She looked she was ready to burst into tears. More unstitching and I went back to Mdm. Samm`s original design. Teal and red are my favorite vintage colors so I had to put them in the dress. The picture was taken outside behind the clothesline, a little bright. I waited till the last minute. The best natural light was gone. Then a bird pooped on my head and that was it for me! I`m going to add Miss Tot to a pillow cover and then embroider Little Boy Tot. 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog and taking a look at my project. I enjoy the Hops a lot. It is so much fun to share with others. Please visit the links below. I promise you will see splendid sewing.

Jane's Fabric and Quilts

Dexterdays The WorldThrough Our Window

Sew Nicely 

thistle creek cottage

My Art, My So Called Life

Just Sew Sue

Co mne bavi...

life, quilts and a cat too

TeaTimeCreations

Read, quit, cook, pray

Cate's Linens

Shade Tree Quilting

Ladybug Dream

Anniversary Forty One!

Today is our forty first wedding anniversary. How fast time passes. It was a warm spring day at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Hubby was Air Force and attending a school there. His commander walked me down the aisle of the little chapel and gave me away. The pastor had just recently returned from Vietnam and we were his first wedding. The best man was a quick replacement for the person who was supposed to be there. It worked out fine. My flower girls were the four year old twin daughter`s of the best man. My bridesmaid was the best! Could not have put things together without her. And she sewed her dress! The next day we were on our way to Maxwell AFB in Alabama and a fishing honeymoon.

.

On the schedule today, lunch at a nice restaurant and a little shopping. I hope the weather in the midwest and east changes quickly so you folks living there can warm up and enjoy spring.

Wishing everyone a great day!

Cathy

Bloglovin

Most of us know that Google Reader is going away in July. I`ve made the change to Bloglovin. It`s an easy switch and I like the platform better.   Sunrise. Looks like the mountains are on fire! The Skywalk is about 15 miles beyond this view. I am fortunate to live in this beautiful area.  

  Spent the day taking care of my elderly pets. Cleaning, brushing and nail clipping. I intend to get sewing time in tomorrow and I have to finish my project for the Stitch Me up Blog Hop. The link is in my sidebar. Thank you for visiting.   Cathy

A Little Sewing and Fabric Shops I Like

Another beautiful spring day. Put my clothes on the line this morning to dry in fresh air and sunshine! I sewed the sides of two Nancy Drew Bags. The last of my Charm Packs.  One bag for my niece and one for my sweet daughter in law. Pictures when they are finished. DIL works full time and still managed to get herself on the Dean`s List this spring.

A vintage tablecloth I might decide to repair. It`s got several  holes. It sure does brighten the kitchen.

I shopped a few online fabric shops and I will shop all of them again. I bought fabric at Jane`s Fabrics on Etsy . It was good quality with a nice hand. And reasonably priced.. Shipping was fast with great customer service.

I bought my Nancy Drew Charm Squares at Quilt Taffy. Again, good customer service and a quality product. I purchased Nancy Drew yardage at Crazyquiltgirl Fabric Shop. Nice product, great shipping and fabulous customer service. I have nothing to gain by showcasing these wonderful shops. I just wanted to let everyone know about them.

Just for the heck of it. The white rocks in the wheel barrow tell hubby (the headless creature) how many buckets of dirt he runs. Sort of a prospectors abacus. This day he brought the dirt home to run it through the recirculating equipment. The buckets are dumped at the end he is standing, Water is pumped through the sluice box washing the lighter dirt down into a tub, leaving the heavy gold in the sluice box. There is lots of clay in the water which is very hard on the hands and it stains clothes. I don`t do the wet stuff anymore. I metal detect till the snakes make an appearance. Then I`m gone till winter. That`s what sewing rooms are for haha!

Time to start supper. Thank you for visiting.
Cathy

It`s Lilac Time!

The Nancy Drew Blog Hop is over. The participants created fantastic projects that can be viewed  at  Madame Samm`s Pinterest Blog Hop Boards.

The next Hop coming up is Stitch Me Up. It starts Wednesday, March 20. I believe my day is March 28 and I am very excited.  Embroidery, applique, who knows what the ladies will come up with. Click the picture below for more information.

    Spring is really here! The lilacs are in bud and should bloom in a few days. How about that desert yard! This is high desert so there is vegetation. Joshua`s , wild sage, arugula growing everywhere and crab grass. Can`t get away from crab grass. Temperatures are  80 degrees plus. Windows open and ceiling fans on. Love it!


I laid under the Joshua Tree to take the next picture. No snakes slithering around yet. Just a couple of lizards. Anyway, you can see the large green closed bud on the bottom branch. Just above are buds that opened a day or two ago. Boy, are they pungent!! Way too sweet smelling for me and not great if you are allergic. They`ll be attracting bees soon.


That`s all for now. Have a great weekend everyone!