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Monday, September 26, 2011

Home again...

Well, I'm home. It's a mixed bag of feelings. There is nothing better than getting home and being back in your own digs, but leaving the place I love more than anything is hard to do.  It was not an easy trip home. Late planes, and luggage that could not be loaded...  I am still missing my suitcase with all my quilting projects in it!  ARRRRGH, but after doing some investigation myself, with luck it should arrive in Denver today. (keeping my fingers crossed)  I probably wouldn't be nearly as anxious if it was just my clothes, but my quilts, now that's a different story!!  You know how us quilters are! :-)




I watched fall emerge over the three weeks I was there. From the first day to the last day I watched the colors change.

  And while I complained I saw no wildlife, I must have lied!
:-)
While stopping to take this beautiful photo, I stumbled on this guy/oops gal, I mean!


These two were strolling the harbour in Homer.


Now this thing... Have you ever seen?                   I thought it was strange for a brown mouse...     No mouse, but a shrew. I have heard the name, but only in Taming of the Shrew.                     Who knew it was really an animal!   :-)  :-)  It lived right outside the patio door and came by to visit many times a day! It really didn't seemed bothered by people much at all???
                                                                                           Swans on Turn Lake


                                                                                                Then were was that one perfectly clear day where Mt Redoubt showed herself on the other side of the inlet!
And Exit Glacier showed her glorious colors!
The Harbour in Seward overcast and cold! But still beautiful.

Mushroom hunting was great again!




and YES!  I finally got to see it for real...
Any Deadliest Catch fans out there?  I was taken back, by how small it really is. I am glad I am not having to spend weeks at a time, at sea on it.





I even had time to play with some artsy photography :-)





Then I stumbled on this great sign, which made me smile. Cause don't ya know it kind of says it all 'bout me!
On that note, I am off to try locate my luggage, and lament about having to go back to work tomorrow.
 :-(
Always the down side of a great vacation, huh?

                                                                                                                                                                                        

Friday, September 23, 2011

Did someone mention Harvest?

I love that time of year, when colors change, and there is a chill in the air. It makes me want to dig thru all my fabrics and get ready for a long winter quilt season.  Nothing warms the soul better than stitching a quilt! 

This year our Halloween/Fall swap at Quilted table yielded the perfect fabrics for me to make this runner for my partner.  You see in this swap, we send our favorite fabrics to our swap partners and they turn them into a table runner and mail them back to us!  It's all great fun.

These fabrics that Jane sent me, just screamed fall colors, and "Harvest Pumpkin" from Laundry Basket Quilts was just the one!  Check out the wonderful designs they offer. My personal favorites are under the Raw Edge Quilt Patterns tab. There are some spectacular patterns in there.  I did a little adjusting to change a wall hanging into a table runner for her. 

I was delighted to see the photo she posted once it arrived. She wrote me, that as soon as she opened the package she went and pullout out her fall decorations. Now does this look like her little wagon was made to match or what!! 





So...  Now I have to have a Harvest pumpkin for myself. (Mine is a wall hanging)   Isn't it amazing just how a look can change with different fabrics?  I think I like Jane's best!

And we finally got some sunshine here and I was able to take some of those special fall photos!

Even though this looks like it could be a framed picture, it's really the view out the window. :-)


  



Mt Redoubt












Fishing in the Kenai




Views from the back yard and fire pit.


The bear infested yard. :-)

Tomorrow I have to go home. :-( 
I am definately not ready to leave!

Psssst...  Did you hear that Accuquilt is having a Facebook special? Better run and check them out. Click "Here" and you won't be sorry!  I'm ordering my Halloween dies, and a couple other goodies!  :-)

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

More Accuquilt fun-Tumbler die

There is nothing more satisfying than being able to cut out an entire quilt in 30 minutes. That is exactly what I did before I went on vacation. The tumbler die makes for a great travel project, and a rainy day was perfect to sit and play with them.  I should mention, that sewing them up was a dream. You really can't miss with the perfect cut outs! :-)  :-) Yeah!

Oh-the choices.

I had to do some playing to see what I liked best!



                                                      Each layout has it's place, but for my project, I went with the one that lets my eye rest a bit.  It's a busy quilt, since I used so many of my beloved Halloween fabrics in it.  Once I get home this will get a wide black border with some fun applique on it. Hummm, that means I am going to have to go order some of those great  dies they keep coming up with now doesn't it?
 You know these would be perfect! I am very excited to see the new two toned foam too. While the solid has not been much of an issue for me personally, I know the two tone is going to be a great hit!

As I said, I pre-cut my tumblers before I came, but I actually had enough left over to make a table runner too.  BONUS!  And I love those happy surprises!
So as soon as I get home, these will get their special finishing touches and some quilting too!  Oh Baby GO, I do love you!
:-)

Now for another Alaska update:

It was a scary time here last night. Remember those bear tracks I showed you last post??  Well I was sitting here watching TV and heard a noise. I thought my son came home from work early and was dumping trash, but he never came in, so I went over and messed with the light switches to find the one that turns on the yard light.  Hummm... nothing accept the freezer door is open?????? Now that's strange. My first thought was bear, so I watched for awhile before I opened the door, closed the lid quickly and got back inside.
After telling Mike the story when he gets home, he goes out and locks the freezer.  Later on as I am cleaning up the kitchen we hear a big bang, and Mike runs to the door and lets out a big ole "oh crap"! By the time I get there, I see nothing, but there had been a very big brown bear looking in the window at him. This time the bear had moved the freezer about 2 feet from the house. Now who is shaking harder at this point, was hard to tell. He gathers his firearm and a rubber bullet gun just in case. We know we have to get the freezer in the house, this bear is not leaving, but it's dark, do we really want to go out now???  All the yard lights go on, we remote start the cars, make tons of noise and make our way out. I have no knowledge of guns, so my holding one would be stupid, we would both end up hurt.  Mike holding the gun heads out with me in tow. I need to move this freezer that is full. Yeah right. I have no idea just how this bear managed to get it moved!! But that adrenaline thing kicked in and the two of us managed to drag it into the house. Need I mention, that it was almost impossible to sleep last night after that? Every noise we heard we jumped.



With the light of day we explore to find that our friend found it's way to a Rubbermaid Roughneck tote that was under the 5th wheel in the lower part of the yard. There was nothing but dry goods and spices in it, but he had his way with em all. I have to wonder just how a box of dry mac and cheese really tastes including 2/3rds of the cardboard box too!  YUMM!!

Don't ya just love the size of that claw?  YIKES.  I would hate to have had to deal with the freezer damage he could have inflicted!

And yes, I take back my comment about all the wildlife leaving the state as soon as I got here  :-)

Monday, September 19, 2011

Halloween fun





It's only a flimsy, but this was one of the projects I managed to get pieced when I wasn't out playing in the fall sunshine!  Halloween time is my favorite time of the year, and this will be going on my long arm as soon as I get home. 





Don't you just love the fabric?? It's such a cute whimsical print. Only to be outdone by the fact that I found it at Wooden Spools, where they sell fabrics leftover from someones stash, at half the regular price. If you live in the Denver area, check them out.Nothing beats a bargain and an adorable fabric right?  :-)

The pattern for this is  "Times 3", from Mountain Peek Creations. Check out the "Just Can't Cut it" tab.  FAST and easy. It's a great pattern for those prints, that are so dear to your heart!

On an Alaska update, I am convinced that all the animals in the state ran and hide the moment they heard I was coming for a visit!  :-(  :-( 

As of date, 2 weeks here, I have seen only 4 eagles, and 1 moose that was parked in the yard when we got home from Anchorage at 1am. No photo op there, unfortunately. It was just too darn dark. But on a walk this morning not 100 foot from the back door I saw these moose tracks. And yes, I knew we had a moose, but this one below stopped me dead in my tracks!

I believe that would be a bear track. While I am a city girl and have no idea just how old it is, I chose to cut my little walk a little shorter today. No sense in taking chances, since they are packing on the pounds preparing for hibernation. With my extra pounds, I didn't want to look like a juicy pork chop for any bear OK!!  Call me a wimp, I am good with it!

And by the way it was as big as my foot, so I doubt it was a lost baby bear!
:-)

The weather is definitely changing, it was 37 the night before last, and there is a very real chill in the air today. I hope that I have not missed the best photo op for the fall colors, but fear I have. The high peaks on the mountains have now got their first dusting of snow, and they say that means 2 weeks and it will be on the ground here in town. Burr!!