HOWDY!

Tonight we lay out our bedroll in Amarillo Texas. The picture above is courtesy of
www.butlerbags.com. and although I am just joshing you about a bedroll, the background snow may be a strong possibility in some oqf tomorrows photos, because the forecasters are calling for snow here tomorrow morning...I sure hope they are wrong because I had the impression we left all that white stuff back home and were moving to warmer climes...

Day 4: Miami Oklahoma to Amarillo Texas

A lovely sunny day. Lots of new things to see, new ground to cover. The countryside is changing. We drove through part of the Ozark Mts. yesterday, and through plains and rolling hills today. Yesterday corn fields and farm land, today acres and acres of grazing land for cattle. We saw the occasional little pumpers, because of course we are entering oil country.
Actually Mr. O said the landscape that we saw driving through Oklahoma reminded him of Australia.

Although these pics don't really do the countryside justice, but you can get a bit of a feel for what it is like. The red sand reminds me of Prince Edward Island.

The last two photos were taken while whizzing through Groom Texas at 75 miles per hour...and yes that is the speed limit on that section of Interstate Hi way 40. One is of a leaning water tower and the other is of a 19 storey cross that is visible from over 30 km away.
(Oops I accidentally deleted one of the photos and I stuck it in at the bottom of the post)
Groom has a population of about 587 and if it were not for those two structures hardly anyone would even take note of Groom...if you are interested you can get filled in by the good people at Wikipedia again
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groom,_Texas

Boston Methodist Church in downtown Tulsa is prominent example of Art Deco architecture, but this is what caught my attention ....

We followed leads to dead ends for the first 2 addresses we got on line; one was in a sub division in someones home and the other was in a pretty dicey neighbourhood and was just a rundown room with a long arm machine inside...apparently they do quilting but are not a quilt/fabric shop...I was ready to admit defeat because Mr. o had been more than patient driving all over the city, but he said, let's try one more and three times a charm they say, because we hit it big with the next one...apparently there were 2 more in close proximity but we figured we had done enough damage for one stop and continued on our way. The ladies in the shop were very pleasant and helpful and encouraged pictures. Mr O said, "see if they have the book Quilter's Companion", they did so he said "put it on the tab and I will go to the car and read while you shop". Well! He didn't have to tell me twice...

I will show you around the shop, but you have to wait to see what I bought because unfortunately I left the bag of loot in the car...

This shop is 5600 sq.feet and has 4500 bolts of fabric, not to mention oodles of samples. So much more I could show you, but I really don't want to over stimulate you and I am only half way through my day at this point...
We stopped for a quick lunch at Popeye's. another first for me, because as far as I know we do not have these in Canada. I jokingly commented on the menu...no spinach and no burger for Wimpy, but the fried chicken would put the Colonel to shame and the butterfly shrimp were crispy outside and lovely and juicy inside...did I mention the hot biscuits, cajun fries, corn on the cob, rice with black beans or mashed potatoes with gravy were options for a side?
Definitely not low cal but a girl does need to keep her strength just in case there is another quilt shop to browse after lunch...
We continued on down the hi way to Oklahoma City and BINGO! We hit a winner...I was so excited I forgot to take a pic of the store front, but here is a pic of some of the loot I scored there

This shop is called Oklahoma Quiltworks, and I have to tell you that from the front door to the bathroom there was eye candy!

Reading material, a bulletin board with announcements and for sale items and upcoming shows and classes...these gals thought of everything! Ok, out of the bathroom and on to the quilts and fabric...

See that pretty quilt with the yellow fabric and butterflies and birds, yup! I got the kit...

See that sample quilt hanging there, well the kits were sold out but they had a pattern left, so that baby is coming home with me!

It was hard to limit myself to 2 books but I did!

The girls that served me could Not have been any sweeter, I hated to leave. I mean how can you make "old " friends in just an hour...but quilters seem to have no problem connecting like that.

Laura on the left, Gigi on the right and Me in the middle.
It was a wonderful stop and you can be sure of one thing that I will be stopping by if I am ever back in this neck of the woods!

I really must get to bed though because I need to be fresh for tomorrow but how can a girl get any rest with all the visions of quilts and fabrics and shops dancing through her dreams?

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......


P.s. the "oops" photo is below

Resting our bones in Miami tonight...

Miami Oklahoma that is! Did you even know there was such a place as Miami Oklahoma?
Day 3: Indianapolis, Indiana to Miami, Oklahoma


Miami is a small place just inside the Oklahoma border, named after the Native American tribe of Miami Indians. The plan was to stop in Joplin Missouri, but they didn't have a Holiday Inn Express Hotel, so we continued on a little further.

I am jumping around and getting ahead of myself though. After a couple of hours of driving we took a couple hour break this afternoon when we reached St. Louis Missouri. The thermometer on the car said we had reached a high of +14 and so it seemed like a good time to do a bit of sight seeing so we found a place downtown to park the car, gathered up the cameras and headed out to snap a few shots. We could not cross the mighty Mississippi without taking a pic or two,

And of course the Gateway Arch warranted a photo or 2

An impressive monument!

Wikipedia says, "The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West,is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States. At 630 feet (192 m), it is the tallest man-made monument in the United States,Missouri's tallest accessible building, and the largest architectural structure designed as a weighted or flattened catenary arch."

A little retail therapy at Cabela's...YES!

Lunch at Cracker Barrel ...yummmmm

A little more shopping at Cato,

...and then back on the road again. This morning the weather report warned of extremely heavy rains, high winds and chance of tornadoes...they were bang on! I don't know if any tornadoes showed up, but let me tell you the heavens opened and it rained very, very hard for a while and the winds were "brisk" to say the least..even though it reached a high of 14 degrees, a jacket and scarf were a definite necessity while wandering around outside.

I found it interesting to know that hi way we were driving on was part of the Historic Route 66.

Again I will let Wikipedia explain;

"U.S. Route 66 (US 66 or Route 66), also known as the Will Rogers Highway and colloquially known as the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. Highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926—with road signs erected the following year.[2] The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in America, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before ending at Los Angeles, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km).
Route 66 served as a major path for those who migrated west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and it supported the economies of the communities through which the road passed. People doing business along the route became prosperous due to the growing popularity of the highway."

As I am writing this post Mr. O is checking out the website, "Quilter's Travel Companion" for quilt shops further up the road...hopefully that will be tomorrow's treat.(and maybe the next day too )

It's a long way...

From Northern New Brunswick to Las Vegas !
Day 1
Bathurst, N.B. to Syracuse,N.Y.
Nothing too exciting, just the way I like it on a winter voyage. We had a few snow squalls but nothing to compare to the high winds and 20 - 40cm.(10-18") I left back at home. We spent the night at a hotel just west of Syracuse. Big cosy king sized bed with lots of big fluffy pillows, the shower...meh!
Day 2
Syracuse N.Y. To just west of Indianapolis, Indiana
Another long day of driving, with an hour or two of "lake effect" snow that made driving a bit tricky but nothing serious. Lots of deer and wild turkey.
I knit a scarf for me and started a pair of fair aisle boot cuffs in Harley Davidson colours for my daughter.

This is my scarf.

Indianapolis skyline at sunset.
I wanted to show off a couple of projects I completed at my quilt retreat last weekend.

Again, not the greatest photo, but I made a couple of sets of pillow cases and I finally finished a rag quilt for my grandson. It's all clipped and washed and packed in the trunk of the car ready to hand deliver to him next month when we pass through Saskatchewan.
I also finished a HD pillow for my son in law.(pic to follow later)

I pieced,these very very old blocks together and sashed and bordered them at retreat as well. Sent it off to be quilted and received it back on Thursday...sewed on the binding and on Friday
I kissed it good bye and mailed it off to my sister for her birthday next week. These blocks have been hanging around in my UFO pile for fifteen; YES! FIFTEEN YEARS! High time they were made into a quilt I say...
Just as a matter of interest this was the project we made for our learn to quilt project. A little ambitious, and even though there is hardly a point left on any of the stars and definitely not a 1/4" seam to be found, I sort of like it, and almost hated to part with it.

I want to share a little bit of old news with you. We have a group of about 12 ladies who formed a bit of a satellite group aside from the guid. We have formed a strong bond and have been there for each other through happy and sad times over the last 12 to 15 years. When someone reaches a 60th birthday they are gifted a quilt made by our group...here is our latest.

It is a spool quilt pattern from Camille Roskelley. Easy to put together and such a bright and cheery quilt...great for scraps too!

The next little thing I wanted to share is a recipe I found on line.

I found the recipe here

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Spinach-Tortellini-Soup

Very yummy,quick and easy. A steamy hot bowl of delicious soup with a slice of fresh pumpernickel bread...the thing dreams are made of. Mmmmm

Ok, time to hit the sack...another long day coming up. I wonder what it has in store for us....

It's so nice to have a man around the house...

It has been a busy few weeks. Lots of jobs to get done...Mr. O has been really busy even though he has retired from his paying job. He has been care giver to a sickly wife...going to Dr. appt.'s and doling out meds.

I have had a sore throat, cold, stomach issues, bone scans, and a broken tooth resulting in a root canal. It has been quite a month!

Through all of that we have managed to get the basement stairs painted (3 coats of paint in 2 colours). Mr. O installed a carpet runner to finish the job. I'm pleased with the results. Nice to have that job crossed of the list.

We painted the den; again Mr. O was a major help with this job...He did all the roller work(which I absolutely hate to do) and I did all the trim and brush work on the ceiling, walls, and mouldings etc.

Hanging curtain rods and pictures and getting furniture placed back in the room is so much easier with two people!
After that job was done he installed my laundry tub in the furnace/laundry room

....and the together we reupholstered my sewing chair. My sister had brought a really cute piece of fabric when she visited last fall and it was just perfect for my chair. There was not quite enough to complete the job, but I had a piece of fabric in my stash that matched well, so we used it to cover the seat. What do you think?

Sorry about the poor photo, I apparently trashed the good photo and kept the out of focus one ...duh!
I really like the transformed chair though...thanks Barb!...and thank you Mr. O. For all your help.
It really is nice to have a man around the house...not only is he good company, but he makes the bed, does dishes, vacuums...not all the time mind you, but every bit helps.
We have both worked hard and now we are on vacation...packed a cooler, filled the tank with gas, locked things up and headed out this morning, thankfully avoiding the oncoming storm. Alarm system is on, friends and neighbours looking out for things at home and we are footloose and fancy free and headed to warmer climes. Look out Arizona; here we come!

A Favourite Schnibbel

At the beginning of January when we had the Schnibble Parade,  Sinta and Sherry said we would have a Parade of favourites this month...
We could show an old favourite or a make a new one.

More than once, Sue has mentioned that Hubble was her favourite. She decided that she would enter Hubble in the parade again.
Now you can't blame her for picking this one, because it really is a beaut! She loved the pattern and she also loved the fabric collection she used; "Countdown To Christmas". I know I can safely say she loves that collection because I think she has made 9 cushions and 3 quilts in that collection and has enough fabric to make another one or two more...

Our conversation about this months parade went something like this...

Me: I have to get busy making my Schnibbles for this month.

Sue: We don't have to make a new one...we just pick a favourite.

Me: Well I think Sherry said we can make a new one or show an old favourite.

Sue: Well I am showing an old favourite...I don't think I have time to make a new one.

Me: Ok. Well I am making one...

next conversation goes...

Sue I have decided which one I am going to make...

Me: I thought you were not making a new one

Sue: I know but ...

Me: (smiling) Oh nice...

You see, I know her, and I know she is just a teeny wee bit competitive, and she was not going to be the only one in the parade showing an old Schnibble...I mean what if everyone else made a new favourite one and Sue showed an old favourite??? I mean that would be like showing up at the prom with last years dress! 

So do you know what she settle on? Yup! You guessed it!

CHIP

You see Chip is just a baby version of Hubble. Sue made her baby Hubble from  Marmalade mini charm packs. What a cutie eh? So Sue's favourite really is Hubble (in any size)

Well done Sue! 

I sat and thought about what one was my favourite. Even though we (Sue and I) were a little bit late starting, back in March, I was so thrilled to finally have access  to Schnibbles patterns and be part of AYOS that I was tempted to think that my first(born) was my favourite...the one that was conceived in the Land of Ice and Snow...Bibelot 

Mine is the red one.

and although I like all of the ones I have made, I just knew what one I had to make for this month.

In an earlier post I mentioned that Mr. O has retired; well actually he has taken vacation time for most of January and he is OFFICIALLY retired today...Feb. 1st.

Now I know I usually refer to him as Mr. O but his name is Georges (no I did not spell it wrong..yes it has an "s" on the end because it is the french spelling of the name)

So you know where I am going with this...

My favourite Schnibbles is.......

GEORGE(s) 

I made George from a older Benartex charm pack. It is Victoria by Nikki Russell.

I only had one charm pack and really didn't have enough to piece all the sashings and borders with charms so I added a bit of fabric from my stash and made my sashings and borders with solid pieces. I am very pleased with how it turned out and just wish I had had a bit more time to get it quilted. 

As you can see, we are back in the land of ice and snow, but not for long...you see Mr. O and I are headed out on a trip...hopefully where the ice and snow will not find us. 

So there you have it...our favourite Schnibbles. Don't miss out on the fun, go check out the Favourites Parade.

Here    and Here

Thanks again Sinta and Sherry...it has been a blast!