Friday, June 29, 2018

June's OMG... well really an OM

June's OMG - One Monthly Goal was to really finish this whole quilt - But!! that didn't quite happen - so I am calling it an OM.... I got it 2/3's of the way done!!

But that is progress - and as for how crazy busy our June was - I will take it!!

So here you go!

my OM:

The Top - is finished!!

The Back! is prepped!!



and now it just needs quilting
but check this out!
Isn't that a funny name for a food stand??


Linking up with



Thursday, June 28, 2018

Wandering Camera

Over at Whims and Fancies - there is a hosting called Wandering Camera .. I loved this last year when Soma hosted it - and thought - I will join in again.... using.... My Cell Phone!!

and so.... here is my version of June's Wandering Camera...hope you have a cup of coffee

Or if you are me... a glass of ICE WATER!!!


This is from my deck - watching storms move our way. I love the Panoramic feature of my phone!



On some of our many trips to Denver
This hay bale gets decorated every so often
Cookie Monster is my favorite!

Down in Denver on the Metro State University Campus
they re purposed some old buildings 
I thought this one was cool


Out in my pasture
This Fence brace really isn't needed anymore
but I like the way it looks so I won't let them take it down
Someday! I am going to take my quilts there on days like this


This was watching a storm come over my house
It was freaky


Oh Look - my crooked house
So there is something to remember about taking a Panoramic photo
Don't shake!! go slow and quit moving funny
But you get the gist!



Three of my buddies
I fondly call them my Chocolates
They don't get it

We were coming home from a trip and just got so lucky
to catch this. I loved the look of the sun setting and the clouds with the train



And you know - 
My Fire
Just cuz - this is a cell phone photo!!!


At a roping
We roped and watched this storm come in
The last roper went just as it started to rain
Perfect timing right?


I was asked to take photos of a family
and they took me to their ranch

I really didn't want to leave
and I do want to go back!




Well I wandered a few more spots but these were the most interesting


Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Quilt of Valor Inspiration

Happy Late Morning!!
It was so cool this morning we got up and went riding - and then I remembered.... It was Wednesday!! I need my Quilts of Valor!!!

So here you go:
(I'm eating my cereal too - so if you see me spill.... blame it on the dog ok??)


so this first one - the blocks in the center were a part of a block drive and were sorta the leftovers.... the pinwheels were made by the wife of a WWII veteran - and Charlene in our sew group put them together - I love how it turned out!!


This one - is two pics - the front and the back. Kim B made it - totally - pieced it, quilted it and!! Bound it!!



This is a nother one that Kim  did - I think she needs to take more strings from our string bin tho and make another!! I love these type of quilts!


This one Kathy and Connie made
Its really beautiful!

and the back! 




and andother by the Dynamic Duo!!
Connie and Kathy did this one too



Hope you all have a great day!! Get a little quilting in... have some fun.  Me.... I've had fun already - so the day is good!!


Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Quilts of Valor - Being Awarded!

You all love to make these Awesome Quilts of Valor - and so do I! But the best part is getting to see them awarded.... and hearing how awesome it is!!


So -
Here are some photos of some recent awards



The guy in the White Shirt Doing the Awarding of these two Quilts of Valor is a VietNam Vet -
We awarded his quilt a few years ago - and he joined our team - its awesome!!

Don't the smiles just sorta say it all?


I was telling the story about Quilts of Valor - and told the Story of this quilt, all the while with another VietNam Veteran looking on... When I got to the point that said we made this quilt for him

 and I called his name - he was a tad shocked - it was way cool!!


Here is us - getting all ready for our Sew day - well some are overachievers and were already started!!! WE had a good group 25 quilters that day!!


Go Forth and Quilt!!!

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Fire Burns, Fences and Fun

A follow up to my fire on the prairie post.....

So the thing about fire.... its way unpredictable...
Check out how it burned to this fence line.... but then stopped

but if you notice in the top right - it burned again 


And my Pano... i just thought it was so strange



A few posts looked like this - on our fences - I think we had 4 to replace - so not that bad!!!!


Then you know -
Black and white
Just because


A look over the pasture
maybe you can see the erratic burn pattern
but its all good - killed some sage brush
the grass will ( fingers crossed) be green when it comes back


Another sort of pano shot - just cuz



Where they firefighters had to cut through fences - they left these little orange flags. I did not know they did that - and was pretty glad they did - so easy to figure out what had to be fixed first!





You had to dig out the old posts - and wierdly some of them had continued burning under the ground


We teased that it was like grown ups making sand castles!!


and then! We were done!  oh well we had to replace a gate too -
but that wasn't as much fun

Then we got to go play

My girl


and My Girls Momma



we rode and rechecked things that are easier on horse than on truck ( or in truck? or truckback?)

Anyways it was a great way to end the day - relaxing and knowing everything was fenced back where it should be ;-)


Friday, June 15, 2018

Fire and a somewhat sleepless night

Wednesday Evening started Out pretty normal  - we did our chores, we rode a little bit, we talked about what we were going to watch in the evening .. you know summer - you get to stay up later. ( why I have no idea - someone still makes us get up really early - but the idea is there)

We sat down to eat about 8:30 and heard fire trucks go by. Not uncommon - there are some pretty bad accidents out here. and the we started seeing more lightning - and hearing the booms.

About 30 minutes later more fire trucks.   Hmmm - this may be more truck than our department has, and then we noticed they were trying to get on the ranch one section to the east of us.

Heading out I looked south and could see why:


This was just up over our hill
And ps - these are all cell phone pics 





As it got darker - it got meaner looking
and we had winds of 30-45 mph


unfortunately the winds decided to turn in the direction of my house


My husband wasn;t worried 
Me - I might have been a little panicked



Here is where the panic started
This really blurry photo
those oil tank batteries
they are 1/4 mile from my house


And then I really panicked
( ok not really , but sort of)

We had a fire truck and a tinder truck come up to our house and get between the fire and our structures

My neighbor showed up with his MASSIVE tractor and 30 foot disc
ready to start a fire line

and we knew we had mowed all around our location,
and that we had removed weeds around our fence lines
and that we had about a 100 ft strip replanted with native grass that was not quite growing yet

So we really had fingers crossed that all the fire mitigation would work
but....


it did!!
That fire hit our low spots and the other fire trucks and firefighters that were on it had a chance to get ahead of it.  my firefighters ( Yep - you know me well - I had claimed them) said we see a chance to get ahead of it - and they took off that way

it had gone east of us too - so between the 15 departments and over 80 personel
by 2 am it was 100% contained

They say the whole fire burned 8000 acres 
mostly on my neighbors to the south
it looks pretty desolate


yesterday we spent making sure everything was contained
today we will fix fences for real
and praise our firefighters

 and that is why I have no quilts to show..... yep - totally my excuse this week ;)

PS -  I should mention - there are 2 other huge fires in our state right now, and another 1 that is on the wyoming/colorado border

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

QOV Wednesday

Good Wednesday Morning!

Got a little Quilt of Valor Inspiration for you this morning.


The first two are Tops
Charlene and Bernie 
Participated in the QOV Mystery called The Patriot
and these two are their creations!




On one of our Sew Days we used strings and made the half square blocks
I was given a set to make a quilt with 
and I had a Star Idea
So I made 4 squares for each star 
and 
Ta Da!

PS - I quilted it
It will be bound at the next sew day


This cool one came from Nancy C in Loveland CO
I really like that white background fabric!


This beauty was pieced by the Tumbleweed Quilters in Arizona
it was Quilted by Jackie W
Isn't it cool!!!



Hope you all have a chance to stitch today!!
Enjoy!!