Tales from the Pig

Pig Here!

I have lived with my new family for 20 days now - and I HAVE not got them trained properly!

They feed me and wake me OH! SO! VERY! EARLY! in the morning. The first couple mornings I would just lay there, under my heat lamp and will them to go away. But NO! They insisted on giving me water, and putting that yummy food in my bucket.

Some days I have to get up and eat right away - others - I just lay there and ignore them.

How long does it take to train humans?


By the way - I am not the redneck pig anymore, they moved me out of my trailer house into a permanent dwelling of my own.... I have neighbors!!

Holy cow - I really have to look up to them - but when I go *snort* they run!!! What a Fun Game this is!!!

Here is my new house... its still cold here in the mornings and evening, so they hooked my heat lamp up for me.

Farmer Boys dad sure helps alot.... But I love Farmer Boy the most. And he tastes good ....

Farmer Boy Sunscreens me - a lot - I am a very white pig, and am quite used to barns... but here I live outside! I LOVE it!!!

Oh Look Snow.... still....

I have two water buckets. One is kind of small, but the bigger one - I have figured out how to get in it!! My own pool - I am movin' on up.... to the east side.....to the deluxe pig pen in the country.....

FOOD!!!

Ya'all come back next week for the humiliation, the shame, the embarrassment of the Pig.......

More Progress

First off - It was Prom this weekend.

I was allowed to go take pictures

What fun!!!

And now - my Design wall

I got all my strips and pieces and junk together.

I sliced and diced

and made stratas

and re cut the stratas

 and framed the,

and I still have more work -

but it is fun!

a quick update on my Happiness Project  The hardest part?

Drinking 8 glasses of water before my Coke....

I did it, but that will be a challenge ;-)

For more design walls head to 

Patchworktimes.com

My Happiness Project

Have you ever read the book "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin?  I have not finished it, but started reading it this weekend.  In her intro she talks about being a generally happy person, but she just wondered if there was more out there... and she starts researching happiness.

This was quite intriguing to me, because I am a generally happy person. I try to dwell on the positives... and I try to be encouraging, and in general I LOVE my life.... but there are some days - at the end of the day... I am just grumpy... and no amount of chocolate can fix it!

I loved reading ( and am still reading) about her approach to happiness.... but her thoughts got me to thinking - what is it that makes me truly happy?

Of course - my children and my husband are number 1
and  my Quilting, and Photography and my Animals and my QOV project.....

On the flip side - those seem to be the first things that stress me too - how is that?

It made me think  Judys Getting it Done  project was sort of similar - it helped us to focus on things we want to do....and to keep us on track.....

As I was driving home ( from a rather trying place) I was really thinking about Happiness, and how I can make sure that not only am I happy, but how I can help make those around me happy, that I don't bring them down, and that I can encourage others. How can I incorporate the things I love into daily life, and make sure I am filled too.

The thing that popped into my mind first - was to work on being healthy. I am not fat, but I might be a little fluffy in places. I don't like to diet - it makes me sad - so I thought maybe I would try to figure out what changes I could make this next week to work on being healthier. And then if I was healthier I would have more energy , and then..... I could QUILT more.... pretty good huh?

So - diet - I don't know what I weigh - I don't really care...but I know that when my clothes get tighter I DON"T WANT TO GO SHOPPING.... I would rather buy fabric.....  and shorts season is coming up.... maybe... don't want to jinx that....

Here is my list this week:
* Eat 2 fruits every day ( you would think this would be easy - but I like, maybe 4 different fruits.... weird right?)
* Eat 2 servings of salad a day
*Drink 8 glasses of water - BEFORE I am allowed to have a Coke, Dr Pepper etc.
*No Snacking after 9 pm

Mind you-I can survive on Chocolate, Dr Pepper, Doritos and cheese..... so this will be a big change for me. Maybe I will have so much energy - I will try to *gasp* exercise ....

Wish me luck....

A Need to Finish

A Need to Finish  project!

A nice gal emailed and said she had some fabric - would I be interested in it? Well - YES!  There were some great big pieces for backs for Quilts of Valor, and there was this:

Log Cabin -ish blocks, but they are missing a corner..... so I kept digging....

And I found little triangles, they look like they could fit across the corner-less pieces.

And then I found these.....

And as I kept looking, I found bigger log cabin blocks, with more of a corner missing.....

And of course, every good unfinished project has a pile.

strips and big pieces - so I really should be able to finish this.

The only problem is... I don't really KNOW what it is supposed to be, or look like, or..... so tell me.... do you have any ideas????

Check out all the other projects at
http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/
http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/

Growing up and the Grasslands

One of the things my kids and I have always loved to do is hike. We started hiking the back country trails when they were young..... and I love it! 

A place we have discovered along the way is the Pawnee Grasslands. This is such a beautiful place - It is the setting for James Michener's Centennial!! ( which , by the way, I have NOT read - I should!)

This is my kids a few years ago..........

I always seem to be bringing up the rear...

Why is that?

Fast Forward to earlier this month

Sigh

The only thing that has changed is the arrangement

up top it is Kid 2, kid 3 and kid 1

below

Kid 2, Kid 1 and Kid 3

wow!

The very first time we went to the grasslands we were it.

Not another person is sight,

But for some reason this time, they had rearranged the trail head start.

and they added a covered place to sit and eat.

We still found our way to where we wanted to go, 

although there might have been a detour or two.

and a fence or three.

Can you imagine coming across the plains, 

heading west to your new home, 

and coming across a place like this? 

 I might have just stayed here.

based on the number of houses that you see, I guess not many did ....

The Buttes are made of sandstone - I loved the Color Combo.

Hmmmmm the start of a new quilt?

I love windmills!

And of course - there is always a photo op!

Because of natural gas drilling out here, the amount of traffic increased dramatically.

I didn't take any pictures of the drilling, but now wish I had - it is quite sad.

The disturbance of the soil, the dirt blowing due to no ground cover,

the amount of trucks zooming by.... not even at the 25 mph speed limit - 

and it all effects this ecosystem out here.  

 That was quite disappointing to see our grasslands treated that way.

I love this area - its vastness and its beauty. You can watch a storm roll in for miles, and see the whole front. I hope that more people will get a chance to see its beauty.

Most of all -

you realize that time won't stop

children get bigger

and they still let you bring up the rear.

4/24 Quilt of Valor Show

Welcome!!!

To the second edition of the Never Ending Winter show!

Tee Hee

This weekend, I was sunscreening pig, so he didn't sunburn.

Today - his heat lamp is back on... who knew?

Oh well - the one thing I can always count on is the beauty of quilts!!

This sunny Yellow and Blue one was made by Agnes in IL

And quilted by Michelle in Colorado

This cool black and white one was also made by Agnes

and Quilted by Michelle.

This one was made by Nancy E and her Peace by Piece Quilters!! It was also quilted by Michelle.

This one was pieced by Sue T and Quilted by Betty Ann of Linwood NJ

Dear sweet Sandi sent it this way!!!

This beauty was made by Kris B of PA

I love the chain look!!!

And in a wonderful surprise package - 

Pillowcases from the

Pride City Quilt Guild!

Quite a stack!!

Thanks Quilters for all your generous help!!!

You are wonderful part of the healing process,

and you provide a very warm thank you and a wonderful hug!!

Tales from the Pig

Remember in my last issue - when I told you that I was in a shed type thing, in a Cardboard box?

Apparently this is called a garage in the human world... and my humans didn't quite remember that pigs like to burrow and dig, and otherwise ..... Break Free!!!!!

I mean really - had they never listened to the song "Born Free" ? It's about me!

I was okay overnight, I was quite tired from my travels. Farmer Boy and the Dad came to feed me and water me in the morning, and check the temperature. They sure are nice.

A few hours later Farmer Boy brought a girl with him - he called her Mom. They came and checked on me every hour....So I was behaving myself. But... curiosity got the best of me!!

Sometime after their lunch they came to see me....and I was OUT! I was checking out the 4 wheeler thingy in that place... a scary thing if you ask me.... and it was yellow! But not very tasty.

That afternoon I made my first move. Originally my house was in a large pen, but Farmer Boy and his dad made a few alterations, and moved me back into that big blue trailer.

They put my warm lamp in there, and when they closed the door - I was toasty and warm...

Even though this was happening out side:

Farmer Boy's Mom keeps calling this the Never Ending Winter.

Have you ever tasted this white stuff?

It's cold!

For some reason Farmer Boy likes to watch me eat.

All those people who say they "eat like a pig"

They don't!

I am a dainty pig!!!

 Look!!! I can go free!!!

( Sort of)

I get out of my trailer house

( Oh Look - I am a red neck pig - Bwahh haa haa)

And I walk to the back end of the trailer

I get to snort and spin and make Farmer Boy Laugh!!

I wonder if I will ever get to move to my big pen?

Slicing and Dicing...

Got a little work in on my bright project...

I shall call it Randomness.....

or Crazyness

Of just plain FUN!!