Prairie Grove Peddler

We have winners!

2012-02-01T06:21:00.004-06:00

Wow, there were LOTS of entries! Way to go ladies- and since there were so many, I'll draw 2 names:
Eileen from TX and Darlene from IL.
You both get your pick of 4 titles. Congratulations. I'll send them this week.

As for everyone else who entered this week, I'll send you one of your four choices for entering!

Thanks for checking in and following, it's been kind of hard to balance all of the extra schoolwork and everything else in the last few months but my second class just ended and I'm only in one class at a time for the next six classes. Then I graduate! Who-hoo!

My husband and I have been working on a doll house for my 5 yr old grand-daughter Grace. Her birthday was a few weeks ago and we are way overdue to finish it. I promise to photograph it when it's finished, but not until then. Last week on Friday I set my mind to getting it done. I worked on it all day, until late in the night, then got up at 5am on Saturday to work on it again. I stuck with it all day except the six hours I babysat for my grandsons. When I came home that night, I went back to work until 7:30 am. I really thought I'd get it done. NOT. Close but so far away.

Let me see if I can give you a visual- it's 3'wide by 4'tall. It's all wood, 4 levels. Shabby chick white.
The bottom floor: laundry room and garage
next one up: living room and kitchen
upper floor: open porch, 2 bedrooms
top floor: nursery
OK, so you noticed, no bathroom. We'll build an outhouse later.

1. I have wall paper in each room- it's all part of a single line of Moda fabrics from 3 Sisters (peachy pinks)
2. there's carpet in the bedrooms and living room (chenille)
3. there's carpet in the nursery (peachy pink Minkie)
4. there's wood floors in the laundry room and upper porch
5. there's tan fabric in the kitchen to resemble tile
6. there's gray fabric in the garage to resemble concrete

we made a wood washer/dryer, fabric sofa & love seat, wood tables, wood kitchen cabinets w/ stove and sink, an island, beds, cedar chest, lamps, a wood porch swing, baby bed (rocking), toy box, wood patio furniture w/ tables, quilts,

we still need to finish: ceiling lights, lampshades, ceiling fans, door knobs, cabinet knobs, window boxes, curtains, kitchen shelf, garage tool box, and a second coat of paint on a lot of the furniture.

It has been a labor of love. I have no time to do it but I'm consumed by it so until it's done, that's probably all I'll be doing besides schoolwork. I hope to have it finished by Friday and post pictures.

Wait, what?

2012-01-25T02:40:00.006-06:00

It's almost February? Where did January go? I just took my tree down last week, I think, or was it several weeks ago? I guess time flies when you're having fun! What fun- I just finished two paper for school- one was 50 pages, the other 20. I have a 5 (yep, that's FIVE) page paper to do and wouldn't you know, it's the hardest one. I can't seem to get it done. My internet has been coming and going lately and it seems that every time I wanted to blog, I couldn't get online. UGH.

I got a big box of Weeks hand-dyed wool cuts last week and I've already started some new patterns. I love, love, love working on wool. Hopefully they will go fast and I can post pics later on.

The cardinal quilt is finally back from the quilter and I'll get the binding done soon and photograph it. What I thought would take a couple of weeks turned into a couple of months. When I sent it, I was in a hurry. Obviously,

~~I got over it~~

The new fabric line is in the Benartex warehouse. They are shipping orders. Hopefully, they will be posting pictures on their website soon.

Well, I promised a drawing and we will have one this next week.
How about:
TWO winners- winner chooses 4 free pattern or charts.
Can be spring- or winter- or whatever!

Who is ready for spring?

Email me by January 31 with the word SPRING in the subject line.
Put your name, mailing address and 4 pattern/ chart titles in the body of the email.

I'll choose a winner on February 1st and contact both of them. I'll post the names here, I promise!

I made a Business Page on Facebook- you can see it at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Prairie-Grove-Peddler-Pattern-Company/255555811179254

Click on the link and click LIKE.
I haven't figured out how to add that LIKE button on the blog yet.

2012

2012-01-06T00:49:00.003-06:00

Well I know they say it's Winter but it hasn't actually started in the Mid-west yet. It 50 degrees here each day this week and no snow yet. I don't mind so much for myself but my husband and son snow plow in the Winter and they are rearing to go! Looks like another great week ahead!

Christmas was wonderful for us. My sister and brother-in-law were here and we had a relaxing time. I know it's time to take the tree down but I'm just not ready. I like looking at it all lit up still so maybe next week.

I'm almost finished with the new cardinal pattern called Winter's Harmony. I got the first quilt back from the quilter and waiting on the second one- the one I'll photograph for the cover. Betty is sewing the next quilt design for me and I'll get to start applique on it when I get it back from her. I'm waiting patiently for the next line of fabric to show up so I can start those new designs. Quilt Market will be here before you know it.

Still doing homework, writing papers and I have two classes right now so it's really busy around here for the next month. I still have a 4.0 GPA and I want to keep it. With each class, the pressure gets greater! This is the last time I'll take 2 classes at the same time. It's getting harder to juggle it all. The classes are getting harder too - still have a few to go like Business Law, Business Accounting and Financial Management. Oh the pressure of it all!

I am doing some new projects in wool also and I may offer them as a drawing soon. We'll have another drawing for next week so check back. I am updating the website again also.

Reminder about the Sale

2011-12-29T07:31:00.001-06:00

Remember the sale on the website ends this week.

Check out the Home page for details!

www.prairiegrovepeddler.com

Do We Have To Take The Tree Down?

2011-12-27T01:28:00.003-06:00

Christmas is over and it seemed to float by too quickly as usual. I cooked without ruining anything for a change, we ate a lot, we played even more. It was slow paced and easy this year. The grand babes had a great time and have a whole new selection of toys to choose from for the coming months. Everyone loved their quilts I made them and the boys are snuggling with theirs in bed already. I wish I had taken pictures but I never have the camera next to me when I need it.

I got wonderful box of chocolates from Benartex this year and everyone at my house has been enjoying them. I made lots of cookies but sent them home with everyone so I'm free from temptation! Let the diet begin.

My sister and husband were here for 4 days and we all had a great "adult" time when the grand babes weren't here. My husband and I especially enjoyed the blissful quiet time once everyone left. The house was once again silent, well, except for Toto and her morning conversation voice. She's very chatty in the morning! It's like she wants to catch up on all those hours she didn't see us during the night.

It's time to start thinking about work again, after taking a few days off. I guess I'll spend the week working on designs and ordering fabric. I could use a day to clean my desk also! Amazing how fast it fills up. There might be something important under there, after all!

How was your Christmas?

That Golden Day is Here!

2011-12-17T05:48:00.005-06:00

It's cookie time! I have all of my ingredients laying all over the kitchen, just waiting for the mixing to begin! I would have started yesterday but my husband beat me to the kitchen- he spent the day making and baking deer sausage. Needless to say, the counter was too full to compete with my cookies. I haven't baked in a while and I'm anxious to get started.

My favorite cookies at Christmas are peanut butter with those little Hershey's kisses on them but some how I don't think I'll be making them much more. MY little Grace is highly allergic to peanuts and we try not to have any in the house if she'll be "in house". You know, just in case anyone else eats them and gets near her. Those food allergies are scary stuff. Sarah keeps an Epi -pen with her at all times.

I do plan to make chocolate chip cookies, maybe some no-bake cookies and sugar cookies. I'll have to make fudge, after all, what's Christmas without fudge? So much for that diet I was going to start. Too late now! I have a great recipe for Mrs. Fields cookies, made with real butter and chocolate chunks. I will have to make Rice Krispie treats too. The kids love them!

I'm thinking pies- maybe pecan, chocolate cream and coconut. Funny story about my Coconut pies- a few years ago I was going to make 2 pies for Christmas. Well, sort of. I was in a hurry, company was already there. I mixed one batch for two coconut pies and got busy doing other cooking and left it too long so it burned on the stove. The pan was black. I think we eventually got it clean but it took a lot. Meanwhile, I had baked two pie crusts in the oven and forgotten them also. They were pretty brown but the time I remembered so i had to throw them out. I was all stressed out, wanted the stupid pies.

I was in a pretty bad mood by this time but I was determined to not let the pie win. I found a graham cracker crust in the pantry, so I started a new batch and watched it like a hawk. It turned out OK. I thought I was finally on a roll.

I put it in the graham cracker pie crust and started to move it into the dining room to cool, out of the way. To my horror, the entire foil pan buckled in my hands and the runny pie dumped all over the carpet. Needless to say, I cried. I spent the next half hour cleaning the milky coconut off of the carpet while wiping the tears out of my eyes. There was no comforting me that day and it took a few years to tackle the pie again. Did I learn any lessons? Probably not, as I still get busy and forget- things burn and I can only blame myself.
One lesson I did learn-
I always get extra ingredients now. Just in case!

I promised Toto she's going to get her long overdue bath today. It's been raining and snowing and really muddy out. She's a mess and confined to the kitchen until the bath. She gets her first grooming appointment later this week. I wonder how she'll do there? She hates the brush, even though I try to brush her each day. It's never been her friend. I think she'll get a little Christmas bow this week. I'll be sure to take a picture.

I'm going to start with the Christmas cleaning today, you know the kind- washing the windows, vacuuming under the beds and dusting the mini blinds. That stuff you don't do very often unless company is coming. The countdown begins. Are you done shopping?

I still have one quilt to finish for Grace, other than that, I'm ready, until you count the cleaning, baking and wrapping. I guess I'm not so ready after all. But I will be! Don't forget about the 25% sale on the website through Christmas.

Have a great weekend!

Never Enough Time

2011-12-13T01:52:00.016-06:00

I don't know about you but I can't seem to get enough hours in my days. I have such a list to work on and what I think I should get accomplished in a day ends up short. I sent the last two days in bed with some sort of flu again. I've had this a few times this year and it's getting old.

I am working on two "big boy" quilts for Nathan, who will be 4 next week, and 2 year old Patrick. They've been dragging around their baby quilts I made them, you know, pastel greens and blues with chenille, and I figured it's time for darker colors plus some puppies, trains and cars in them thar quilts! Nathan's quilt is shades of green and Patrick's quilt is shades of blue. I'm working on the bindings tonight. Fabrics are from Benartex.

I couldn't leave Grace out, she gets a pink one with Girlie Girl fabrics from Moda. They have ballerinas and lots of flowers. I am tacking them and using fleece on the back. No batting. It makes them so soft, like a quilt on one side and a blanket on the other. After these are done, I'll tackle another baby quilt for Lilian Joy, due in February.

I am pretty much done shopping and decorating, just waiting until time to bake. I am making pumpkin roll this year for my son who can't be with us. That is going to be interesting to send in the mail! I am patiently waiting for the newest cardinal to return from the quilter. When it arrives, I'll get a picture posted. It uses the new Wintersong fabrics.

If you haven't noticed, there's a sale on the website posted on the Home page. 25% off on patterns until after Christmas. the code is christmas, all small case. Type it in the voucher space at check-out.

Pre-Christmas Website Special

2011-11-26T10:43:00.007-06:00

Happy Holidays- it's coming. I just listed a bunch of quilts on the quilt page of the website. We also have a BLOG special this weekend on our website. It runs through Wednesday, 11/30/11. Order any patterns, charts or pre-finished stitchables on the website and get 20% off the entire order. Finished quilts are not included. Sorry!
The voucher can be used multiple times through Wednesday. www.prairiegrovepeddler.com

When you order, type the word

prairie

into the voucher box at check out for the discount.

I'll be cleaning the house and putting up my Christmas decorations this weekend. I did a little bit of shopping yesterday and the crowds weren't too bad at the Mall, in my opinion. I stayed away from Toys-R-Us though!

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

2011-11-21T23:53:00.004-06:00

My turkey is thawing and the grocery shopping is done. The house cleaning, awe, not so done yet but it will be. I finally got the magazines shipped out to the winners. Watch for them later this week. I just sent my next fabric designs to Benartex so I got that off my list. It's been a really busy month but I can finally think straight.

I did have a funny thing happen this past week though - someone told me my fabric was the kind that a Mid-western grandma would like. Well, I am a grandma and I live in the Mid-west. I also like the fabric! I guess it's true! I didn't know it was classified that way though! Now every time I talk to my BFF Barb, she reminds me that I design fabric for Mid-western grandmas.

I had a bummer of a week last week and Barb sent me flowers to cheer me up. Sometimes life just doesn't go the way it should and we feel like we're pulled in too many directions. The card said "Next week will be better, hang in there!" What a sweetie Barb is! They are beautiful flowers also. Thanks again Barb!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends,

signed,

a Mid-western grandma!

Lots of Winners

2011-11-10T23:25:00.002-06:00

Winners of the QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour magazines are BillieBee, banjo 795, Kris in WI, and Lisa Marie. If you are one of these people, please email me at PGPeddler@aol.com with your address and I will send you a free QuiltMaker's Vol. 4 magazine this week.

As for the winner of the fabric panel- and I'll throw in a free magazine also- it's Kathy in GA. If you are Kathy, please email me your address and I'll send it right away.

Thanks everyone for all of the nice comments. There are a lot of nice blocks in this issue. I think there's more applique this time around also. I do love my applique! Hopefully we'll get to do it next year in Volume 5!

Welcome to the Blog Tour!

2011-11-10T00:20:00.010-06:00

It's time to reveal my block in the QuiltMaker Magazine's 100 Blocks issue- block #309 on page 22. I do love my applique whether it be needle turn or quick fuse. I also love my poinsettias! I called this bock Winter Blooms. It can be made with red flowers also. I kind of like the white ones myself. I made it into a table runner as follows-

I would be a nice addition to a festive table. I added a 2" border. I also repeated the block for a small wall quilt. Here is one with a 1-1/2" sashing and 3" border. It would also be nice if the flowers were all different shades of reds or golds on black background. I'm honored to be included again this year. I'll have a drawing for a free copy of the QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks magazine. Leave a comment and I'll draw several winners later today.

OK, a last minute thought, everyone who comments today only is also in the drawing for the new panel I designed, Wintersong, shown at the right. The entire fabric line will be in your local quilt shops in January.

QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour Has Begun

2011-11-08T04:53:00.005-06:00

In case you missed it yesterday, the 4th annual blog tour has officially begun. You can follow it at http://www.quiltmaker.com/blogs/quiltypleasures/. Each day there are new designers highlighted. If you visit each blog, you can enter drawings for a free magazine and other great stuff. It's fun to see what the designers are doing also! My special day is Thursday of this week.
This is the second time I have been featured in the magazine. I noticed there is a lot more applique this issue. Ohhh, I love my applique! I can give you a hint on my new block- it's called Winter Blooms. Can you guess what it is? It's not pictured on the cover so you'll have to check back to see it.

Stop back on Thursday for a look at my block featured in the new book plus some finishing ideas for it. We'll have some drawings for a few free issues also.

4th Annual Quiltmaker Magazine's 100 Blocks Blog Tour

2011-11-04T00:11:00.003-05:00

Yep, it's here already- it starts next week. If you follow the blog tour, you can enter a lot of drawings each day for goodies! Click on the button to find out more. Next Thursday, I will personally have a few drawings for some magazines.

More Quilt Market Pictures!

2011-10-31T15:54:00.008-05:00

Today was the last day for the International Quilt Market. I spent most of the day walking the aisles and getting inspired by the beautiful quilts hanging in the show. I ran into Gail from Shannon Fabrics. They make a wonderful fuzzy fabric for baby quilts and rugs. You can see the projects in the picture- the monkey was designed by Gail. She used to work at Benartex which is why I went with them on fabric design. I think I've known (and loved her) since my very first market. It's so fun to see old friends and catch up, even just twice a year.

I ran into Sharon Crescent working in Patti Connor's booth- you know her by SamSarah Design Studio. We visited for the better part of an hour. Patti is doing quilt designs now along with her cross stitch charts and she will be coming to the quilt markets in the future.

Sharon was just there to hang out but I know she was inspired by all the beauty around her! Who wouldn't be? Sharon has new trims that are hand-dyed along with her floss. She's working on her website so it's not all on there yet. She also has beautiful frames.

I got to sit and visit with Ricky Timms for a while. He used to live in St. Louis where I came from. He knows the son of one of my childhood/ church friends and we had a great visit. I didn't take a picture of him- I was too embarrassed to ask! What a nice guy though.

It was a great time had by all, in fact, I don't remember having a better time at Quilt Market! The only thing that would of made it better was if my BF Barb was there. Barb is suffering right now, sort of- the New England snow storm cut her power and dropped her trees like tinker toys- especially her apple tree in front of her kitchen window. ~~sigh~~ She's really, really sad about that one. Fortunately she has a generator and not totally in the dark or cold. Hugs to you Barb and Dave, Harley and Annie!

I head home tomorrow then back to work. I guess it's time to finish all of the new patterns and start on the next batch.

Sunday in Houston

2011-10-30T17:54:00.008-05:00

Well, I've been away all week and I hadn't had a chance to get online until now. Quilt Market is always wonderful- it's great seeing old friends. I've been going since Fall of 1993 and you meet new people each year. Some years we are next to old friends and some years we make new neighbor/friends at the show. I didn't have a booth this year and it's a first for me since 1993. I did have a lot of fun so far walking the show and playing! I was able to capture a few pictures to share with you.

My new line of fabric is called Wintersong, by Benartex, Inc. Here is the panel that goes with the line. It is available after the first of the year at quilt shops near you. I had my trusty camera in my bag!

This is Cindy from Cotton Ginny's. Cindy was across from me at my first Quilt Market (1993) and we became fast friends. Cindy has a wonderful line of children's apron patterns and her booth always looks fresh and fun! You can see more of her at http://cottonginnys.com /
Barb from Vanilla House was there to help her and hang out. It's always important to have help so you can run around when you need to. Barbs website is http://www.vanillahousedesigns.com/

Next we saw Sue at Whistlepig Creek. She always has the greatest kids patterns, bags and fun stuff! She has the cutest critters! She designs fabric for RJR so when you get a chance, you should check out her site.
http://www.wpcreek.com/

Last but not least is Tammy from Happy Hollow Designs. Tammy has been in the business quite a few years longer than I have and we go way back also. I pretty much knew her when I started or the following year thanks to another friend-Norma of Freckles. We all shared a room at Paducah for a few years in a row. If you've even gone there, you know the rooms are very hard to come by and sharing is the only way to stay close.

She has lots of cute designs and always shows her kits and patterns in the cutest of ways. This time she had Chinese carry-out boxes and milk cartons. Once upon a show many moons ago, I made pumpkins to decorate my booth. Tammy convinced me to make them into a pattern and I did- the Pumpkin Patch, #163. Went on to be a huge seller for me.... and Tammy bought all of my models after that show to decorate her house for Halloween that year! I think she still has them! http://www.happyhollowdesigns.com/

Quilt Market Here I Come!

2011-10-25T23:57:00.002-05:00

I leave in the morning for Houston and I'm trying to get things finished up here before I go. I'm not near done with anything but I've got quilt tops to take. I'll be at the fabric booth most of the time but I do plan to run around and play a bit also. Looking forward to meeting my sister there and walking the show with her.

I'll try to post pictures of the show while I'm there as I'll have my Netbook with me. I've been pretty bad about taking pictures lately but I am bringing my camera and plan to use it. My new Wintersong fabric line will debut this week so I can finally post the panel and all of the fabrics.

Fabric Winner Announced

2011-10-17T22:59:00.003-05:00

The winner of the brand new fabric sampler collection is Velda from MO. Congratulations Velda! There's a lot of jealous women out there right now. We had a lot of entries on this one! We'll do it again soon with more of the fabric.

I leave for Houston soon and the fabric will debut there. I'll try to remember to take my camera and post while I'm there. For now, I'm still working on quilts. Applique anyway. Directions will follow. If you're in Houston for Quilt Marlet, stop by the Benartex booth and say hello!
We got tickets for the King Tut exhibit at the Science Center while I'm down there. I'm really excited about that.

Update on my only B grade: I emailed the professor on the last test because I knew something wasn't right. After him checking a few things, it was decided that the answers were all correct and the grade was adjusted. I now have perfect A's- 4.0 again. What a relief! I know I'll probably get a B again somewhere down the road, but I just couldn't let that last one go without a fight! One more paper to finish before I leave for Houston, and one more year of class to go!

Isn't It Monday Still?

2011-10-11T00:15:00.004-05:00

OK, so another weekend slipped by again! And I lost a Monday. Must be my old age but man, this time flies by too fast. My son was in the hospital all weekend and my mind was elsewhere as you can imagine. I didn't forget about the drawing though. Read on.

I am working on pattern directions tonight. I do my best work late at night when everyone is asleep and the distractions are at a minimum, including the puppy. I made a quilt (a new pattern) for Benartex, Inc. to use with the new line of fabric and need to ship it to them tomorrow. Tonight I proof read! I am thrilled to be close to being done with these new patterns.

Toto is doing great at playing ball. She sits, and speaks. She's 4 months old now. She still potties in the house wherever she wants but she's cute! It seems like she won't ever be totally potty trained. It's a struggle.

For the drawing, I'm going to offer a small sampling of my new fabric line. It won't be available for sale until January so the winner will certainly be the first to have it.

To enter, email me by Saturday midnight 10/15, at PGPeddler@aol.com
Put Fabric in the subject line.
Put your name and mailing address in the body of the email.

I'll choose one winner next Sunday and post the winner here.

Another Beautiful Autumn Weekend!

2011-10-08T01:06:00.002-05:00

Wow, the weather has been so wonderful and actually pretty hot for Fall. We've had 80's all week and I have to admit, I'm ready for those 70's coming next week. My Fall allergies are kicking in and I find myself sneezing day after day but there's still just no season like Fall. My anniversary is coming up this month - 33 years- and I was just thinking the other day that both of my married children got married in October also. I guess it's just a great month all the way around.

The trees in Missouri are turning beautiful colors and the breeze is scattering them around.
I guess we best enjoy it because it will be snowing before we know it and I'm not ready for that!

My youngest grandson Patrick turned 2 today. We're celebrating with a birthday party tomorrow. Sarah found out what gender her baby is yesterday but she won't tell anyone until her big Fall Bar-B-Q and hayride next week. Not fair. You'd think she'd tell her mom! 4 yr old Grace knows already and she may spill the beans tomorrow at the birthday party. I don't think you can tell a 4 yr old a secret and expect it to be kept. It will be a fun time, I'm sure!

I hope to finish the quilts this weekend. I know I need to stay home to do that. Seems I've been out playing all week. I will post pictures soon and offer a drawing this weekend.

Midweek Mayhem!

2011-10-06T01:05:00.002-05:00

Been home all week with the stomach flu. Seems like I've gotten sick more this year than ever before in my life! Must be an age thing or I really need to start wiping off the grocery cart from now on! Ever feel that way?

I'm getting a flu shot next week, just in case!

Still on puppy potty patrol. Man, this little stinker is almost 4 months old and she still does not go potty outside all of the time. She can be out there playing for 2 hours and come in and immediately go potty on the carpet. ~~sigh~~ It's like the outdoors is her playground, and the carpet is her toilet! I am determined to get her potty trained by first snowfall but I may lose my mind doing so! She is confined to the kitchen from now on until we get a grip on this. Any suggestions?

I know I've mentioned before that I am a college student again. I have about 1 year left for my Bachelor's Degree, going to evening classes to a local University. Until now I have had a perfect 4.0, an A in every class. This week I got my first B. I was devastated. I admit I still can't believe it. We had a final test with only 3 questions. Three. I missed one of them (wouldn't you know). That's all it took to end my perfect grades. I guess there's a bright side, I don't have to work so hard anymore in the rest of my classes. It's still sad though. Sad that one wrong answer changed my grade and ended my perfect gpa.

Quilts are coming along slowly due to being sick but I will start taking pictures very soon and posting. I think next week is a good time for a drawing of some kind. Maybe some of the new fabric?? Hmmm, stay tuned!

Just a Quick Note!

2011-09-29T05:49:00.005-05:00

I have been so busy working on new patterns and the website that I totally forgot about my Blog again. ~~sigh~~

I got the new fabric line in last week and I've been feverishly working on new quilts day and night. I'm trying to get a lot done before the quilt market in Houston. In my spare time, I keep adding more quilts to the website. They are selling like hotcakes and we're shipping them daily around here. I guess one of these days I'll run out but for now, there's still quite a pile to go. If you haven't looked lately, check out the new ones just added.

I just listed a Winter's Song finished quilt for sale. I've got a Winter's Majesty quilt in the pile to be offered soon also. It feels so good to let it go!

Thanks for all of the kind notes I keep getting and updates on your families! It's funny but I always assumed everyone would post their comments on the Blog but I get most comments in private emails! I enjoy it though so keep it up.

Did I miss it again?

2011-09-20T02:10:00.006-05:00

I totally missed another weekend. I do not know how that happens. Too much on my mind I guess. I changed the look of the Blog again, do you like this one?

I have had puppy duty each weekend and Toto, or Taco, as my husband calls her jokingly, is training up really well! She can play ball for an hour, and sit, speak and come. She doesn't, however, shall we say, poopoo outside every time she goes. ~~sigh~~ We're still working on that one. Let's just say I use a lot of Pinesol on the kitchen floor these days!

She's a keeper though. She sleeps through the night now which helps after getting up several times a night for potty breaks and hugs! She officially weighs 3-1/2 pounds now.

She is so happy to see me in the morning and she follows me everywhere with the sweetest little conversational growl. It's her way of telling me everything that happened in the night I guess. I just go along with it since I have no idea what she's really saying! It's so cute though. She truly warms my heart!

I haven't had an inside dog for 30 years. Shameful, I know! I had a indoor cat for 8 years and after sneezing all those years, I decided not to have another inside pet for a while. I'm so glad I changed my mind although I spend a lot of time playing now instead of working.

Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, right?

I got my fabric last week and been going through it and trying to decide which fabrics to use on the new quilt designs. I'm having a harder time trying to decide (could be puppy sidetracking). I have my favorites and I want to use them on everything! Can't happen though. The fabric won't actually be available for sale until January so I'm not posting pictures of it yet.
~~another sigh~~
Hopefully after Quilt Market ....

I have been listing quilts on the website and they are selling like hotcakes. This is a good thing because I need room for new designs and I'm a pack rat as it is. Some are my favorite quilts over the past few years but I'm learning to "let go". Some of them had two or three models of the same title. It was time! I still have a pile to list so check it out when you get a chance.
http://www.prairiegrovepeddler.com/quilt.html
It changes frequently.

Other than that, I'm working on the new quilts in between puppy play time. Market in Houston comes in late October.

WOW- We have LOTS of Winners!

2011-09-11T14:29:00.005-05:00

OK, only 1 or 2 people actually got every single question right. Turns out, some of the questions were tricky I guess. Surprise? to even me! I started off correcting all of the wrong answers but it was taking all day as there were LOTS of entries. SO, I just left it alone and told everyone to email me with choices. It went much faster. Check your email if you played the Scavenger Hunt.

Also wanted to mention, I have 2 Facebook pages. One for Quilts and one for Cross Stitch. That was the question missed the most. The Contact Page on my website has both links on it.

I am working on fabric designs today and trying not to watch too much TV on the 9/11 tragedy. I'd sit here crying all day if I did. I'm sure you all know where you were when it happened and we will never forget. I also lost a high school friend last night so I'm so saddened for his family today.

We're on a Roll!

2011-09-09T05:22:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday!

I just listed a bunch more quilts on the website and refreshed everything. I sold a few quilts so I had to remove them. I'm loving being able to control my own website. I should have taken it over years ago. Check it out when you can. www.prairiegrovepeddler.com

While I was in the design mood, I changed the look of the Blog. How do you like it? I decided to go the shabbyblog way. It's a fresh new look and I'm loving it also. Homework's done, house is clean, puppy is learning tricks, so there's nothing else to do but design. After all, what's a girl to do, right?

I heard from Benartex, my entire new fabric line is on the way to me so I'll be doing some serious sewing later next week. I'll have to check with Benartex to see when I can post pictures of this next line.

Don't forget the contest this week if you get the newsletter. Deadline is Saturday night. I'll be contacting the winners next week for choices on patterns.

Better Late Than Never!

2011-09-07T00:26:00.003-05:00

I don't know where my time goes but it seems to fly these days. I finally got all of the updates done on the website. I corrected everything that I could find and I added new graphics to the cart. OK, now that it is done, I can move on to better things like working on a quilt. Still waiting on fabric to show up. Oh, the drama of it all.

The puppy is doing great- she's a sweetie and I think my blood pressure has gone down since I got her. Nothing like a snuggle with a sweet puppy to warm your heart! The weather is wonderful finally and almost chilly at night. Considering it was 98 degrees last week, a high of 72 this week is a delight. Fall is almost here. It's time to consider where to set the pumpkins for decoration. Oh, decisions, decisions.

I got a newsletter out to both lists yesterday so if you are on either the Quilt list or Cross Stitch list, check your email. There's a little Fall Free For All Contest and you could win a free pattern or chart. The deadline is Saturday to turn in your answers by email.

What a Beautiful Week!

2011-08-31T02:20:00.005-05:00

I ended up with a summer cold last week and I was out of the loop for a few days. Fortunately, it didn't last long and didn't require much medication. The weather is still hot here but cooler days are coming next week, and oh, I'm so excited for fall weather to finally come to Missouri. I've been watching the news on the hurricane damage in New England and just feel heart sick about everyone who lost homes to the flooding. Those covered bridges, how sad to lose such national treasures. I'm equally worried about my best friend who lives up there. I haven't been able to talk to her since last Saturday.

We got an 8 week old Yorkie puppy last week and you can probably guess routine around here these days. My son and I are taking turns training her all day and all night. She's definitely ruling the house but such a joy to have around! That little tail wagging- well, her whole 3 pound body wiggles when she wags her sweet tail. It just makes my heart sing! I get up about 6 times a night now. Sometimes I don't get back to sleep for along time and she's up again! I've taken a bunch of pictures but the little thing just moves like lightening. I finally got her to hold still.

Waiting patiently for the fabric to show up, well truthfully, I'm really starting to pace the floor. I'm anxious to get the quilts done. Quilt Market is coming very quickly and I want to be ready. I am not staying for Festival this year. It will be the first time in 20 years that I'm not there. I'm really sad about that because not only do I love to be a vendor, but I love to shop the show also.
It's huge and has everything you could ever want in the way of crafts and sewing. Have any of you ever gone to Quilt Festival in Houston?

I can't stay this year because of my college classes. I don't want to miss any of them. I'm almost done with my Ethics class and going to start Economics soon. Lots of homework going on these days but learning is so fun and interesting.

I can't wait to share the new fabrics. Stay tuned, it seems to be a continuing story.

The Website is Done!

2011-08-23T22:30:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to say that the new improved website is ready. ~~whew~~ it took forever.
see it here:
www.prairiegrovepeddler.com

I know it should have been an easy thing but I had problem after problem. It didn't help that I wasn't here each day to work on it and it was done in bits and pieces. I spent some time at the hospital last week with my son and he is home and doing well now. There's always something, huh?

Well, the website is up and running. Please, if you encounter any problems, email me. I'm sure there's a link in there somewhere that's broken. I added a few patterns, had a great time making new graphics, and tried to smooth down the look a bit. My new fabric is due any day so I got the website up just in time. I'll add a Fabric link when the fabric is available. Please scroll through and let me know how you like the new look.

Sunday Post

2011-08-21T11:13:00.002-05:00

I don't think I've even been so aggravated in my life. I have been working on my website for weeks. It's done- it looks good, I'm happy with it. In order to keep things simple, I tried to transfer my domain name from the old company to another and it failed. I tried again and it failed again. I've spent all weekend trying to get the new site up and running. NOT. I called the new server who is open 24/7 and talked to 8 different people over 2 days time. There were only 2 that I could actually understand. More frustrating. Each one told me different things to try. I did them. NOT.

I tried to publish the new website through the old server and it failed. The old server is closed on weekends so I can' t deal with that. At this point, I'm just ready to scream. LOUDLY. Can you hear me yet? I will have to wait until tomorrow, Monday to do anything now. OK, I've vented.

I am one of those people that hate to leave things undone. I can't concentrate on anything new if I don't finish what I have started. It's going to be a long day. BUT- if I can get it up and running tomorrow, do check in and tell me what you think. I'm sure there are plenty of errors to fix so if you find one, please let me know. Until it's posted online, I can't really check everything so I'm anxious to do that.

I'm running a fever today so I didn't go to church this morning. It's probably from the stress of the weekend but I'll keep the germs at home, just in case. I'll post on Twitter, the Facebook pages and here when (and if) I ever get it up and running.

Still waiting on fabric to show up. School starts soon. Looking for a puppy- preferably Yorkie or Chihuahua but open to options. Checked the Humane Society and 2nd Chance Shelters yesterday but nothing for us.
Still searching.

Winners & Websites

2011-08-14T18:12:00.003-05:00

Been a busy day so sorry for the delay in posting. We had a lot of entries this week so I decided to pick 2 winners for the punchneedles and patterns. I just emailed them both so check your email. Winners are Sheila from TN and Cindy fro TX. Congratulations ladies.

I have been finishing up the website changes and it is almost done. I'm really happy with the way things are going and can't wait to be done. Hopefully I'll be ready to publish it early this week. I'd love some feedback on it so I'll post here when it's up and running. Once it's ready, I'll post some special things so stay tuned.

Thanks for the Birthday Wishes!

2011-08-11T23:05:00.003-05:00

OK, it's true, I'm a year older today. Thanks to everyone who remembered and emailed me. It was great and I appreciate the kind words. I was lazy all day, thanks to an earache and swollen glands, but I enjoyed it so much. I seldom just hang out all day so I did have a good time.

I am back to working the website this evening and hope to finish and publish it this weekend or early next week. It's looking pretty good to me. I'll post everywhere, Facebook, blog and Twitter, when it's ready for some feedback in case there are faulty items I don't see. I've added patterns that were somehow omitted through the years and added sizes to a lot of the listings. All of the pictures have been redone and they are so much clearer than before. I'm going to do away with the mailing list with the new website since I have this Blog and it's easy to post anything new here. I will send out one more mailing to the list to announce that when I'm up and running.

My daughter just found out she's moving back to mid-MO so we're all celebrating with her family. Her baby is due this winter and I'm so happy they'll be fairly close to us. Life is good.

Don't forget the drawing this weekend for a Punchneedle and pattern of your choice. It's a good time to start a new hobby, right?

We have a Winner!

2011-08-07T13:24:00.006-05:00

Thanks for all of the comments you all sent in the emails . I thoroughly enjoy reading them . Another hot week here in Missouri and most of you mentioned having hotter than normal weather . I've spent the week updating pictures and graphics in my files . I'm not near done yet , I'm only about 1/3 way through. It's takes a lot of time to change it all . I'll probably change a lot of my website when I'm done . The new pictures a re so much better . It's something I've been putting off way too long .

I only had one punchneedle winner this week but had a lot of entries and a lot of comments . Most of you mentioned never having tried punchneedle . I think we'll extend the drawing one more week because I think everyone needs to try punchneedle . It's really relaxing and fun . To enter for a free punchneedle plus punch pattern of your choice :

Email me this week at PGPeddler@aol.com before Saturday midnight 8/13 ,
and put PUNCH AGAIN in the subject line .
Put your name and mailing address in the email and I'll choose a name next Sunday .

My daughter is expecting her second child now and busy writing a book . It will be my 4th grandchild . Meanwhile, my 2 little grandsons got their hair buzzed this week and my heart was broken when their beautiful white hair disappeared. I know it will grow back but their daddy , my son Kirk , had the most beautiful white curly hair as a child (see the picture on the right when he was under 2 yrs old) . I just love curly hair! Here's a picture of the bald trio on the left !

Riding the Waves!

2011-07-31T06:26:00.002-05:00

Have you ever seen anything so cute? I had a Praying Mantis on my antenna for about 10 minutes the other day. He was riding the waves for sure. He danced, he flew, he hung on with one foot, he prayed with his hands together, he spread his wings. He eventually made his way to the top and flew off. I was going really slow once I saw him so I didn't hurt him. It was quite the circus act though. I didn't know they grew so big, he was huge. He thoroughly entertained me during the ride.

Our 100 degree heat wave continues for another week. Hopefully fall is just around the corner. It's my favorite time of the year.

I'm up early this Sunday piddling in the office. I haven't cleaned off my desk for a week and it's getting scary in here. I know there's probably a bill under here somewhere that's getting close to the due date. Sarah and Grace are coming this afternoon to stay the night and we plan to do some designing together. She is pregnant with her 2nd child now and we are all excited about that.

The corn is in Ziploc bags the freezer thanks to my husband Keith. The tomatoes are growing but it's not the best year. We've had some but not nearly as many or as big as years past. Zuchini and cucumbers are producing profusely. Today seems like a BLT kind of day. We're trying not to use the stove or oven much these days with the heat index about 110. We had a little rain last night and the humidity level just spiked.

I've been working on graphics for my website for the last couple of weeks, you know, changing pictures and drawing up some new stuff. It's been fun and I can spend 8 hrs easy on graphics without even stopping for food. I'll let you know when I get it all on the site for viewing. I have a few quilt designs ready, just waiting for my fabric line to come in. Should be in the next couple of weeks. As soon as they let me, I'll post pictures on the Blog.

I think it's time for a drawing. This week, I'll offer a 3 needle Punchneedle and Punchneedle pattern of your choice (you can pick from my website). If you have never tried to punch, now's the time to learn for free! There will be one winner.

To enter, email me at PGPeddler@aol.com by midnight next Saturday, 8/6/11.
Put "PUNCH" in the subject line.
Include your name and mailing address in the email (for faster delivery of the winnings).

I'll post the winner next Sunday.

Good luck-

We're Having a Heat Wave, a Tropical Heat Wave.....

2011-07-23T02:59:00.003-05:00

Just singing around the house these days, "we're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave". Remember that really old song? Today it's supposed to be another 100 degree day for the Midwest. (Ugh). I'm having company this weekend so I'm up early getting laundry done and the house cleaning finished. It was too hot to do it yesterday. Got my pot of coffee and creamer so I'm good for a few hours. I'll have to take a nap later.

I've had trouble getting motivated to do much all summer. I don't know if it's the heat, old age, or whatever. I can't seem to Blog, Tweet, or sew. I hope it passes soon. Anybody else having motivation troubles?

I spent the week semi-working on a new quilt, I have the quick fuse applique pieces ironed and cut out, background colors chosen and everything laid out and ready to iron. All I need now is a day to put it all together. There's like 200 pieces in the quilt, 30 blocks in all, so it was no small fete. I like it so far. I love designing, playing with fabric and choosing colors.

My little 20 month old grandson broke his collar bone last week jumping off the couch. He's pretty active and fearless. He has a little brace on him to hold one arm to his chest right now. The trouble is, it leaves him off balanced and now he falls more than ever without a hand to catch himself. The other day while I was over there, he fell on the floor in front of me, and while gently crying and trying to catch his breath, he said "I'm OK". He's just so cute. I love my babies.

I got an email this week that I got another block included in the next QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Magazine. So, this fall, we'll have another Blog Tour to be included in along with more giveaways. Still waiting on my new fabric line to show up for the new designs I have for Quilt market. Won't be long now.

Another Week Closer to Christmas

2011-07-10T19:51:00.002-05:00

It is a scorcher today. I'm talkin' 96 degrees out there. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse. I am so looking forward to Fall. I have been fine tuning my new designs, expecting my new fabric most anytime. I will post it here just as soon as they allow. I have also been tinkering with my website. I think it's time for a change. I am always planning some change or another but this time I'm going to redo it quite a bit. I'll keep you posted but I think I'll start on it this week. I want it to be ready for the unveiling of my newest fabric line. Won't be long now.

I have been taking some evening classes, trying to finish my Bachelors of Science degree. I stopped school when I got married. I can tell you it's not the same going to college now as it was in the 70's when I went before. It is so much easier now. You have the internet, email, Word- which corrects everything, and even does your citations for you. I am really loving it so even if it is a bit of work.

What is everyone doing this summer?

Countdown to Fall

2011-07-05T01:03:00.007-05:00

I don't know where my time goes but here it is another week. I blinked and lost an entire weekend again. Fall will be here before I know it. This past week I was blessed with 10 ziploc bags of blackberries from a neighbor. My husband is picking up 5 bushels of peaches from my Amish friend Anna on Wednesday. Some for us, some for friends. No ripe tomatoes on our vines yet but they're growing. The second corn patch has been planted. Summer is moving along. I am still playing with applique but have nothing worthy of a photograph yet. I do have 2 new ceiling fans in my office and studio thanks to my husband. It's hot flash season - again. ~sigh~

We had a small coyote pup in our garage yesterday, it was only about 12" long. Our miniature beagle had alerted us and cornered it. We had to tie up the dog and whoosh it out. It is strange to have one so close to the the house, especially in the garage. He was very happy to show us his teeth and let us know to stand back. Awww, life in the country. Last week it was a dead possum on the driveway (thanks to my beagle finding it as road kill and wanting to share the joy with us).

We had a great bar-b-q last night with friends and they read the Declaration of Independence.
I looked it up tonight and found this on the original signers. It's pretty sad at what they gave up for freedom. Here's the article if you want to read the whole thing. http://usff.com/usff/sacredhonor.html

Of those 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. One lost his 13 children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word. Their honor, and the nation they sacrificed so much to create, is still intact.

Here's another about it: http://www.snopes.com/history/american/pricepaid.asp

God Bless America. I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day.

Happy 1st Sunday of Summer

2011-06-26T08:54:00.005-05:00

We just got back last night from a Haynes family reunion/ trout fishing trip. We got the suburban unpacked, most things put away, and the mail sorted. The laundry is started and the email has been skimmed through. I think that's enough for a Sunday. I took my camera but the batteries died after 1 picture. That's just ONE picture. That's what I got. Such as life. I took a couple on my cell phone so as soon as I figure out how to email them to me, I'll add them to this post.

Meanwhile, Kathy Shope sent this great picture of her mom with the Winter's Majesty quilt that Kathy made for her. She painstakingly spent three years working on. It's hand quilted and I think she did a beautiful job.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T08:24:00.011-05:00

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there. My dad passed away in 1977 but I still miss him sorely. He loved kids and I know he would so enjoy his five grand kids and great three grand kids. I'm the one in the middle of the picture with the skinned knees (1961). Notice the matching purple dresses.

We had another night of storms in the Midwest. We've had SOOO much rain- another 2" overnight alone. I wish we could shift it south to AZ, CO, OK, and TX where there are fires because of drought. This weather's a mess. I do think the excess rain has changed the Cicada noise situation though- they are all dead in heaps all over the ground now. I'm not sure if it was their time to go, they drowned, or just committed suicide due to excess rains, but they are much quieter these days.

I spent last night fine tuning a few quilts and today, after church and Father's Day festivities, I'm planning to piddle with quick fuse. Is piddle a word? LOL. I'm anxious to get the quilt tops done and see how they look. We're going fishing one of these days and I want to get set up to take some hand work with me for the down time. I still don't have any of my new fabric lines to use so I'll make these first quilts from stash.

I do know now that they are showing my two lines(#2 Fall and #3 Holiday) this Fall at the Intl. Quilt Market in Houston, so I should be able to post pictures by late summer/ Sept hopefully. Pretty exciting even though it seems to have taken forever from start to finish. The first line took about 2-1/2 years from start to sale. These two are taking 1-1/2 years. Shorter but still seems forever.

Winner? Do we have a winner? I had a lot of entries but can only pick one. The prize is a $50 gift certificate for patterns on my website. The winner is Colleen from New York. Congratulations Colleen. I'll do another drawing for a gift certificate soon.

I had a few comments on my daughter's jewelry- here's the latest that she added and here's link to her Etsy store. She is still donating 1/3 of every sale to the Joplin tornado cleanup through Operation Blessing. Her jewelry is beautiful.

http://tinyurl.com/4xndlwy

Have a great day.

Another Week of Storms

2011-06-15T05:44:00.007-05:00

Does it ever end? I think not. I lose so much sleep to thunder these days. I forgot to post a drawing on Sunday so here it is. I searched and searched for the perfect prize and came up empty. It's not that I have nothing to offer because I have a lot of things here. I just wanted something really special. So, I decide to do ANOTHER $50 gift certificate to my website- any patterns or charts plus the shipping will be free.

Email me at PGPeddler@aol.com by Saturday midnight, don't delay as there's not much time left. Put GIFT in the subject line. Add your name and mailing address to the body so I have it for the order when you win. Will it be you? You'll find out on Sunday -and don't forget it's Father's Day. If you haven't purchased your card yet, hurry, run, go get it.

I'll post the winner on Sunday.

My daughter has an Etsy Store where she sells beautiful hand made repurposed vintage jewelry. She donates 1/3 of her sales to the Ralpha House in Joplin, MO. Ralpha House provides a safe haven and programs for sexually abused and exploited children. She was there last week volunteering with a crew from Operation Blessing while they rebuild Joplin. There's a great story about them in the local news.

http://tinyurl.com/5shlcay

Another Sleepless Stormy Night

2011-06-11T04:00:00.009-05:00

Well, here I am again at 4 am. A thunderstorm came through about 2:30 and once I heard the thunder, I was wide awake. I know there are many people who sleep soundly through thunderstorms but I am not one of them. I think it came from my retriever Rusty when I was first married. He was deathly afraid of storms and moaned frantically through them and always kept me awake. Rusty, seen here with Sundance the beagle, has been gone since 1983 but I still think of him every time it storms. Amazing! He was such a beautiful and smart dog!

I have a pot of coffee, an amazing bottle of Cinnamon Vanilla Creamer and a net book on my lap. I guess life could be worse! In fact, I was just thinking about the tornado victims in Joplin, Missouri, about 4 hours south of me.

My daughter was in Joplin this week with the cleanup and she shared a lot of sad stories when she came back. She worked on a house with her team from Operation Blessing. In three days, they had it gutted down to the studs. The roof was partially destroyed and the windows had blown out during the tornado. After the high winds a additional rains, the house was covered in mold on the inside. Everything was lost and had to be removed.

The two homeowners had recently canceled their Homeowners Ins. due to loss of income. I'm sure there are sad stories all over Joplin similar to theirs. Operation Blessing went in and will have the house completely redone by the end of next week at no charge to the homeowners. The roof was already on and the wiring was in place by the time Sarah came home. 1/3 of the city is gone, demolished and it's not a little town, pop. 49,000. There were 8000 structures damaged or destroyed. 150 people died.
Here's a website that talks about Joplin, the city and the tornado damage.

http://www.joplinmo.org/#

They still need volunteers down there and will for a long time. If you have time to help or want to donate, contact Operation Blessing.

http://community.ob.org/site/PageServer

I took the opportunity to play on the Blog again tonight. I'm trying to be quiet for everyone else and the computer seems to be the safest place to be. Let me know what you think of the new font. I'm not sure if I like it or not. I need feedback!

It's been a few weeks since we had a drawing and I think it's time this week. I'll post it tomorrow so stay tuned!

Friday Update

2011-06-10T04:29:00.004-05:00

It's coffee time! Yummm. As you can tell, I am up early. I decided to do some changes on the Blog- color, content positioning, I even added a search feature. What do you think?

I mowed the yard yesterday since my son wouldn't due to the Cicada dive bombers. I didn't actually mow ALL of the yard as we have 2 acres around the house but I did mow a LOT. I was aggressively attacked by the intruders in the yard at every turn. They are coming in clouds these days and every tree in the yard was covered. There are Cicada "shells" on the ground by the hundreds, you know, those little empty bodies they leave behind that little boys love to play with. We certainly have a bumper crop!

Found this little song about cicadas on YouTube http://youtu.be/OvJrEPEx27A

I am thrilled for Friday! Not only do I get to babysit the "boys" today but I have a lot of reading to do this weekend that I am so looking forward to! It's hot out, a good time for reading, maybe a movie! I might tinker with my new quilts but sometimes we (OK, I really mean ME) just need to step away.

I might go looking for a watermelon or some fun fruit for the weekend. I'm thinking summer now. I wonder what else I can whip up for the weekend? I need ideas....

What is your favorite thing to fix in the summer?

Memphis, Floods, Cicadas

2011-06-05T20:43:00.007-05:00

I just got back from Memphis after a visit with my mom. I expected to see a lot of flooding on the way down through Missouri as the news has been so bleak all month long. There was some flooding but it was mostly near West Memphis in the flood plain along the Mississippi River, an area that gets flooded each time the river is up. There was some flooding of crop fields near Cape Girardeau along a river that runs out to the Mighty Mississippi but all in all, I'd say it looked pretty good down there. The farmers were planting in the fields and that's a pretty good sign. It was HOT! 102 yesterday. My moms A/C was not working properly so we were hot. Hopefully they got it fixed for her today.

On the way home I was dive bombed by the cicadas. It was honestly like driving into a paint ball fight. They didn't leave a small mark, it was a huge splat on the windshield each time they unfortunately for them found me. WE stopped frequently to clean the windshield. I now notice the shrill sounds outside. All I can say is, I'm glad the A/C is on and the windows are closed! It's noisy out there. They are clung to the house and trees and cicada shells litter the ground. We were warned, this is their grand year! They sure are noisy little boogers!

On a bright note, my clematis is gorgeous! It is heavily blooming now, climbing up the light post which you can't see as it's so inclusive!
I am looking at a catalog to purchase another one, possibly pink next time.
I'd like to get a trellis and plant it in back. I just love clematis. This purple one is pretty old and well established thanks to the previous homeowner.

It's supposed to be in the 90's all week in Columbia so I think I'll stay in and get some work done. I am still playing with the applique but I'm leaning toward doing a few of the first quilts with quick fuse before I start the needle turn applique. Seems like I get to this point each time- it takes so long to start the needle turn that I get discouraged and jump into quick fuse which is, well, "quick"! Creature of habit I guess, good ones and bad ones.

Do you ever do needle turn applique? What is your favorite applique method and why?

I am cutting back on coffee these days, I haven't had creamer in 3 days. There is hope for tomorrow, I know!

Blooms Galore!

2011-06-01T04:56:00.009-05:00

I hope you had a wonderful weekend with family. I didn't do much but work on quilts. I did take a tour around the yard, my clematis is starting to bloom. I get hundreds of blooms on it and it seems like it should pull down the lightpost that it grows around but it doesn't. They are so pretty!

I have these other hot pink flowers, perennials, and I think they are called Dianthus. Wow, they came back really well this year, even larger than last year. I'd like to get some more of them!

Well, I've spent the better part of a week drawing out little applique pieces on freezer paper and now I'm cutting the little things out. I have a gazillion quilts in the makings and can't seem to stop and work on one at a time. I know, that WOULD be a better system! I have fall market on my mind and my two new lines of fabric coming out. Now they say they'll release them at market this fall for January delivery. SOOO, I have a little more time for the quilts using that fabric. The last time I designed fabric it was delayed a whole year also. It seems to be routine.

Hope to get stitching on some applique soon. I may do the first quilts as quick fuse. It's just so fast! Hard not to like that!

Meanwhile, I have other quilt designs to finish for market. I normally do festival (the retail show following market), in fact I've done it for 19 years in Houston. I'm usually gone for 2 full weeks. Not that it isn't fun, I love to go to Houston, it's like my second home. My sister lives there and I get the spa treatment when I go. Houston offers the best restaurants, great museums and wonderful pedicures!

This year, I'm thinking about not staying for the second week. I guess I'm getting older and it's getting harder to do the retail show. I hate being gone for 2 weeks as I'm such a home body. It's getting harder to haul things in and out- I have bursitis in both shoulders from years of pulling dollies filled with heavy boxes through show floors for set up and tear down. I have the contract now and I have to decide if I'm going or not. Decisions, decisions!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-05-20T03:26:00.008-05:00

OK, I know it's the wee hours of the morning (top o' the morning to you!) but I have a zillion things on my mind and needed to get up and start doing them. Sipping my coffee (yes, with creamer) and on a roll. Don't you love it when you can get up early and have those bonus hours in your day?

Anyway, I'm updating my Etsy site and adding a few Fall and Winter items. After all, it is time to think about fall sewing! I have a new quilt that I'm working on for Fall market, it's applique and I'm actually doing needle turn applique for a change. I generally do quick fuse but I love the look of needle turn. I'm using freezer paper and it's really fun. Have you ever done needle turn applique and if so, how do you do it?

I just got the latest 4 X 4 back from the printer-
It's called 4 X 4- Winter. Has 4 designs and projects. It's the last 4 X 4 for a while since I have other things to finish for market.

I'm excited to do some fall sewing for myself. A long time ago, I had a great pattern for a 5 foot scarecrow that stands alone and remember that pumpkin pattern I did in 1998? Well, I think I'm going to make them again and put them on my porch for Fall. Some patterns are just classics. I have such fun making the fabric pumpkins also. I make a lot of them from quilt batting and chenille and then paint them with different shades of orange. I add coffee to the paint and it gives the pumpkins a great aged look. I use real wood stems- grape vine painstakingly cut by my husband, and that's not fun either as they are very sticky when you cut them! Fortunately, they dry well! I know it's not hot here yet but I'm already looking forward to Fall.

Don't forget to enter the drawing for the quilt by Saturday night.

Sundays are my favorite day of the week!

2011-05-15T14:30:00.007-05:00

It's a great day here- we have rain and about 55 degrees. It's only great because I have nothing to do outside and it's the kind of day you can snuggle up under a blanket and read a good book! With summer coming, there's not a lot of those left. I'm sitting here watching old Newhart reruns with Larry, Darrel and Darrel.

I was trying to cut out creamer again as I'm trying to start a diet (again) but my addiction got the best of me. Yesterday, I slept in because I knew I had no creamer in the house- hence no coffee for me. I can't drink coffee without my beloved Cinnamon Vanilla Creamer. I was totally depressed- really! I moped around most of the day and had no energy to do anything. It finally dawned on me- I missed my morning coffee. My husband finally went to the store and got some for me after seeing me suffer all day. I feel like an addict going through withdrawal. I guess somehow I'll work the coffee/ creamer into my new diet. I won't survive otherwise! I always say it's a sickness with me- now I'm sure it is. ugh.

We do have a winner for the $50 gift certificate- it's Linda from AZ. Congratulations Linda! Check your email.

As promised, I have a finished wall quilt this week for a drawing. It's called My Secret Garden.
All you have to do to enter is email me at PGPeddler@aol.com by midnight Saturday night, May 21.
Put SECRET in the subject line.
Stick your name and mailing address in the body of the email for easier shipping for us.
I'll choose a winner next Sunday, May 22.

Good luck!

A New Day, A New Winner!

2011-05-08T13:41:00.006-05:00

Happy Mother's day everyone! I hope you are all enjoying a great day with your family. We went to church with my daughter-in-law and two grandsons and had a great dinner. It was a first for us- salad and pizza! Usually we do big dinners on Sunday but today was a no nonsense kind of day for a change! It was fun! We have a winner for the magazine- it's Glenna from Canada. Congratulations Glenna, email me with your mailing address.

For today- the very last QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks will go to one last winner. Comment TODAY- your chances are very good to win! I'll be sending them out this week.

It was exciting to be a part of the QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Volume 3. It was a lot of fun to read all of the comments all week. Today, in honor of those who commented, I'm offering a chance for a $50 gift certificate to my website- www.prairiegrovepeddler.com.

All you have to do to enter is email me at PGPeddler@aol.com by Saturday, May 14 at midnight, put your name and address in there and GIFT in the subject line.

I'll draw a name next Sunday and post it here.

Next week, I have a quilt for a drawing. Stay tuned!

Sorry for the delay!

2011-05-07T09:48:00.007-05:00

Sorry for the delay- I had a late night last night, my son's first prom/formal. It was great- they had old fashioned ball room/community dancing like in the movie Pride & Prejudice and every couple danced and had a blast. It was so fun to watch. I stayed and worked at the cake and punch table with a few other mothers (a mothers job is never really done, right?). My daughter and her husband are here and well, between all of the visiting, I just got behind!

We have a winner for the MUG! It's Kathleen. I'm not sure which state she is in but she is the winner! I emailed her and I'm waiting to hear back from her.

Congratulations Kathleen! You won the coveted QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Vol.3 coffee mug!

For today, comment and I'll select one more name for a free copy of the book- QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 3. I have two more copies to give away, one today and one tomorrow.

Stay tuned, next week the drawing prize is a quilt!

2:45 pm UPDATE- no word from Kathleen yet. I know she's out there somewhere. We'll give her a few days to respond. That's the only bad thing about blogs- there's not always information to get a hold of someone who comments. The first choice today came with no information- no way to contact them, and signed anonymous. :(
We had to pick again. Normally when I do drawings, I have you email me so I can at least contact you when you win!

Please, if you enter today- give a hint of who you are if you are listed as anonymous!

9:00pm UPDATE- I finally heard from Kathleen- the winner of the mug. Congratulations Kathleen!

I'll check the comments early in the morning and select a winner for the book. If you don't win tonight, try again tomorrow- the comment numbers are dropping quickly so maybe you'll have a better chance then!

Having A 100 Blocks MUG Giveaway Today

2011-05-06T07:31:00.006-05:00

OK, I know there's a lot of you who really want one of the 100 Blocks Coffee Mugs with all of the blocks on it. It just so happens that I got a special cup sitting here and I'm dying to share it with one of you. Comment today and I'll choose a name from the comments to receive it. I'll post the winner tomorrow right here on the blog.

Just added- I was away all morning and came back to the comments! Wow, there's a lot! I have to physically post the comments, as they are moderated, so sorry to everyone who thought their comment didn't arrive. They are all posted now. I wish I had 100 cups to give away but I only have one. I'll choose late tonight and post the winner here. Good luck!

OK, one more post- I will be out for a while this evening. When I get back, I'll post the rest of the comments (so don't think I missed you) and I'll pick a winner before I go to bed tonight.
Good everyone!

Tomorrow, I will have one more drawing for the last 100 Blocks Magazine that I have. Be sure to comment to have a chance at it. Thanks!

Two Winners for The Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Magazine

2011-05-03T00:01:00.016-05:00

I was reading the comments on the QuiltMaker's Blog tonight and I noticed all of the comments about applique and the lack of knowledge of it. I just want to mention that it is beautiful to do needle turn applique but I often use Steam-A-Seam II and do quick fuse applique. It's really fun, fast and easy. It's like gluing your fabric down with an iron. Steam-A-Seam is a wonderful product and I've used for many years. It is made by the Warm Company- you know, the ones that make Warm & Natural Cotton Batting.

It makes a permanent bond if you pre-wash the fabrics you are using. The directions are on my website under the heading Steam-A-Seam http://www.prairiegrovepeddler.com/ . All of the quilts on my site were made with Steam-A-Seam II. It really is easy to do applique the quick fuse way, I promise. All you need is a pencil, scissors and and iron.

Here's a mock up of a small quilt using 9 of the blocks, sashing and a border......

Here's an idea for a table runner in different colors...

There were a lot of comments all day so I chose 2 winners instead of 1 for the QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Magazine. I'll be contacting the winners for addresses- they are Janet from South Dakota and Marcia from Florida. Congratulations ladies!

Thanks for all of the comments- it was an honor to be included in the magazine and fun to read the comments. I hope you all visited the other 19 blogs for Monday and entered the contests there also. Remember there will be 20 new blogs highlighted each day this week. QuiltMaker will also have 2 drawings later this week for a goodie basket with lots of things in it.

100 Blocks Blog Tour Begins Today!

2011-05-02T07:55:00.001-05:00

The Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour begins today- Monday, May 2.

Check out their website - http://www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks.html

There are a lot of other designers featured this week. They have
giveaways and lots of fun things going on. There are some beautiful blocks in the book, all hand signed by their designer, and Quiltmaker Magazine is giving each of the 100 blocks away during the week.

Winners of the first two books- My block is the purple flowers on the cover, under the "B". It's not my normal look but I guess I can't fool too many! The first two ladies who guessed correctly are Kimberly B. and Martha S. I'll be sending a free copy of the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks books to them this week.

I'll be giving away a another copy today- just leave a comment here on the Blog. I'll choose a winner by the end of today. I'll also include all of the email responses I have gotten so far today in the drawing. The magazine is on sale starting May 10.

Good Friday

2011-04-22T19:26:00.007-05:00

Happy Friday and a special one indeed, Good Friday. I got my stitches out and have nothing left but 2 steri-strips. It's feeling pretty good and I'm back to typing without pain.

I'm excited to mention that I am a participant in Quiltmaker's Magazine 100 Blocks Blog Tour, for Volume 3, May 2-6.
I am thrilled to have my block pictured on the cover of the new magazine. Can you guess which one it is? If you want to guess, email me at PGPeddler@aol.com. Describe it to me with the colors used. The first two people who guess correctly will win a copy of the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 3. I have some copies here already!

I'll let you know the answer this next week. Follow the 100 Blocks Blog Tour daily May 2-6 at www.quiltmaker.com/quiltypleasures for giveaways and a lot more! Look for the new Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers in your local quilt shop, or purchase it at www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks. The magazine is on sale May 10 for $6.99.

I pray that each of you have a Blessed Easter.

Sneak Peek

2011-03-30T02:59:00.009-05:00

I got these two ready and thought I'd share with you. The first one is

#66 Little Candle Mats- Floral Wreath , it is 9" across. I was thinking about Mother's Day when I did it. My mother loves pink as do I. It retails for $7.50 at your local needlework shop. Since I have a drawing going right now for the craft bag on the blog, I thought I'd offer a drawing on Facebook for this one.

The other new one is another 4 X 4- #391 With Love. 4 designs X 4 projects- easy, quick and fun to make. It has simple designs with quick fuse applique. There's the Say It With Flowers wall quilt, Two Bells counter mat, Hearts table/ candle mat, and LOVE pillow.

The best part about the 4 X 4's is that they all interchange. Any of the 24 patterns released so far can be used on any of the projects. Next up is 4 X 4 Winter, probably in June.

What? Again?

2011-03-27T09:27:00.005-05:00

Looks like it's true- we got snow, again. Just when you think the nasty weather is behind you, it rears it's ugly face out there. Hopefully it will be melted by tomorrow. It was a very pretty snow to look at.

I got a kindle this week. I downloaded about 40 books and I'm all ready for surgery. I know I won't get to read them all but it was like a kid in a candy store. I want to read this, I want to read that, too easy now! I figured I'd be reading one handed after surgery so, what's a girl to do? right? It's justifiable.

I didn't finish the studio yet, two walls to go but got busy in other places. I'm trying not to stress about it so I may not even get it done before surgery. My office is nice and organized now. I'm upgrading the computer and getting a second monitor. So exciting!

My 4 year old grand daughter Grace will be here with us some this week. I already have art projects for her to work on, as she's very crafty and loves art. I plan to make cookies with her (she has food allergies so they are limited). Maybe we'll shop a bit. I spent last night cutting out paper dolls for her (she loves paper dolls). Any suggestions on what else we can do this week? I'd love to hear some thoughts on this!

We have a winner for the Carrot Hop quilt. It's Susan from Colorado. Congratulations Susan, I'll send it to you this week.

Let's do another drawing this week for a tapestry craft bag - it's just full of little pockets and zippers. So many places to hide your stash!
To enter, email me at PGPeddler@aol.com by midnight next Saturday night, 4/2/11.
Put "Bag" in the subject line. Put your name & mailing address in the body of the email.
I'll draw a winner next Sunday and post it here.

Good Friday Morning

2011-03-18T05:57:00.003-05:00

I'm up and at 'em early this beautiful Friday morning and listening to I Love Lucy on the Hallmark Channel. They sure don't make them like that anymore. I'm also an Andy Griffith fan. I guess I'm stuck in the 50's. ~sigh~ Enjoying my wonderful coffee with cinnamon vanilla creamer. yum!

I've been working on my office/ studio all week it's really coming together. Lots of room after throwing so much out. I still have several walls to paint in the studio but I'm getting closer and the office is completely done now. I hesitate to say I can see the light at the end of the tunnel as my husband always says it's a train coming. Knowing the train wreck that I end up with a lot, it's an ever present thought.

I went with gold walls for all of the rooms. I had a choice and I considered every option. I have moss green rooms, blue rooms and lots of tan rooms. I even have a pink bathroom. I was searching for a new color to use and something inspiring. I considered red and purple and ended with gold. Later I thought about burnt orange but by then, it was too late. I like the gold- called Yukon Gold. It's dark but very rich and inspiring.

Sarah and Grace are visiting these few days so I am putting the remodel on hold for now. It's great to see them and the grand kids are having a blast playing together. Four year old Grace has changed so much in a month. She is going through a growth spurt and getting very long, skinny legs. Nathan is only three but states the entire pledge of allegiance perfectly. Patrick is one but actually answers your questions. He's the only one year old that answers "yeah" for yes to just about everything. Most little kids say "No" to everything! My, they're all growing so fat.

What a joy to be a grandma!

Don't forget about the drawing this weekend. I have something in mind for next week also so stay tuned. Have a great Friday!

Too Busy To Blog?

2011-03-13T18:37:00.005-05:00

Sounds silly I know but it's true. I've just been too busy to blog recently. I finished working on fabric line #4 just in time to start a minor remodel. Lines #2 and #3 release dates have been pushed back until Fall now. We have been working on my studio and what a job it turned out to be. It's like moving all over again. Everything had to be hauled out and once it was done and ready to be filled, I just couldn't bring everything back in. Lots of it had to be sorted, filed and sadly, mostly tossed out. I guess it's my Spring Cleaning. It feels good though. Someone told me once that you spend your first 40 years collecting "stuff" and you spend the next 40 getting rid of it all. Hence, I am in the later 40 years!

I am having Corpal Tunnel surgery on my left hand next month and I'm determined to get all these things done before then. I already started working on designs for fabric line #5 so I'm anxious to finish those before the surgery. This past week everyone in my family has also been down with the flu (including me) so I am definitely challenged on time.

Here's a picture of my newest 4 x 4 pattern (4 Designs X 4 Projects). It's called #390 4 X 4 -Flowers. This week for a drawing, I'll offer one of each of the 4 x 4's to a single winner.

To enter-
Email me at PGPeddler@aol.com by next Saturday midnight 3/19/2011.
Put "Flowers" in the subject line.
Add your complete mailing address in the body of the email.

Next week, we'll have a drawing for something special. Stay tuned!

Better Late Than Never!

2011-03-01T01:37:00.002-06:00

OK, I'm a day or two late (and a dollar short- as my dad would say) but I do have a winner for the craft bag. I ended up going to Memphis for the weekend to visit my mom. I had a lot of entries this week and it was hard to give only one craft bag but I do have more craft bags and we'll have another drawing for one again soon.

The answer was 21 years (on the About Us page on the website). Most everyone got it right. A few thought it was the year my current web site was done. I actually started in 1990. Thanks everyone for entering. The winner is Kathy L from Louisiana. Lucky Kathy is a repeat winner. I'll offer another craft bag soon.

Beautiful Almost Spring Sunday

2011-02-20T13:59:00.014-06:00

Well, maybe not Spring yet, but it is pretty nice today. The snow is almost gone and no snow in our future. That ground hog really knows his stuff, doesn't he?

I'm almost done with the two newest 4 X 4- one called "Flowers" and the other is called "With Love". Each of the patterns includes 4 designs X 4 projects. They are really fun to make and small little simple projects. These are pictures from "4 X 4 Flowers"-

I am down to photography now and then off to the printer with them. I love it when a new design gets to that point. These pictures are from "4 X 4 With Love"- I know, also flowers. What can I say, I'm in a flower mood I guess. I'll post the full pictures when they are finished. I have a few more designs to do eventually and not flowers either, in the 4 X 4 series but first I am working on another line of fabric.

I usually lock myself in my studio for a few days when I initially work on fabric but I haven't had the chance this time around. I've been trying to help out with my two grandsons lately as their momma has been so busy. They are so fun and I have really enjoyed all of the nana time together.
I'm feeling a fabric designing lock down coming this afternoon in the studio but I thought I'd make a challenge today first.

Do you know how many years I've been in business? hint- the answer is on the website somewhere!

If so, email me at PGPeddler@aol.com before next Saturday at midnight. Put "Years" in the subject. Put the answer in the email with your name and mailing address. I will draw one name from the correct answers. The winner will receive a new tapestry craft bag (filled with lots of zippered compartments for storage). I purchased a few of these to use for drawings. They are so cool!

By the way, we have recently updated the entire website with new, clearer pictures. We also added a few more patterns. There's new craft patterns pictured also. Take a look when you get a chance!
Now, off to lock the door!

Up & At'em Early

2011-02-08T04:51:00.004-06:00

I got up early this morning to finish working on pattern directions for the new 4 x 4's. Only problem is, I'm sleepy and can't see straight and it's hard to get into it. A few more cups of coffee with my yummy Cinnamon Vanilla creamer and I should be ready to go. I can tell you, I am consuming a entire container of Cinnamon Vanilla creamer each week now. Maybe it's the winter, maybe it's just the cold, maybe the addiction, but I sure can go through it these days. I don't make my coffee really strong so it takes a lot of it to wake me up I guess!

I just turned Karen Carpenter music on the I-pod. It's nice and mellow and I do find myself singing to it this morning. I haven't listened to it in years but you never really forget the words from 35 years ago, right?

I listed a few more things on Etsy recently and and lowered the prices on the quilts that are still on there. I still have one more little pile to list eventually but there's so much on there, it's hard to sort through it all. I wish I'd quit yawning! Maybe I should go back to bed and start over later! It's definitely an option.

Oh, wait a minute, I just noticed old I Love Lucy episodes running on the Hallmark Channel right now. Now that's worth staying up for! Out with Karen, in with Lucy. OK, I'm on a roll now.

New Lower Quilt Prices on Etsy

2011-01-30T15:41:00.003-06:00

I just finished updating my Etsy site. I lowered the prices on the finished quilts and added a few more listings with free buttons included. If you are in the market for a finished quilt, we have a wonderful selection on there. Most are under $40. There are finished table runners and punchneedle on there also. Most of my duplicates are gone now and I'm down to the final finished products.

Check them out at www.prairiegrovepeddler.etsy.com.

Just Another Winter Sunday With Four New Winners!

2011-01-23T10:03:00.006-06:00

It's snowing again today. Seems we have seen a lot more snow and colder than usual this winter. Where's that global warming when you need it?

WE have winners for all six American Folk Art patterns! There were a lot more entries than usual so I drew 4 names today instead of 2. The winners are:
Marian from Ontario

Rose Mary from AL
Debbie from VA
and
Linda from AZ

Each of you were sent an email from me this morning. Congratulations ladies!
We hope to eventually see pictures of the quilts you make.

As promised, this week we'll have a drawing for a winter table runner. It's called Twinkle, Twinkle Winter Star and made of hand dyed wools.
To enter, email me at PGPeddler@aol.com and put Twinkle in the subject line.
Send your name and complete mailing address in the body of the email. I'll choose one winner next Sunday.
Don't forget to check out the finished quilts for sale at www.prairiegrovepeddler.etsy.com
I'll be adding more quilts to it today.
I'm also going to post giveaways on Facebook- both the cross stitch page and quilt page -so check them out when you get a chance. I'm in one of those giveaway moods I guess. Feels so good!

Lots of Quilts

2011-01-20T23:13:00.003-06:00

I listed a lot of quilts over several days time on my Etsy store this week. I am hoping to get rid of some and cut down on the collection that I have. I think I am bordering on hoarding at times. I have another batch of quilts to list that equal what is already on there. You can see them out at www.prairiegrovepeddler.etsy.com.

It's my week for cleaning I guess. We got 10" of snow last night so it's beautiful here. We had about 30 cardinals in the back yard today at the feeders, such a welcome sight- all that red in a sea of snow white. I need to bring those feeders closer to the house so I can photograph them better.

Sunday is the drawing the American Folk Art series as noted in the previous post. Don't forget to enter. Next week we may have a drawing for a winter table runner or quilt so stay tuned! I can't help but have winter on my mind. We are getting another 2" of snow tomorrow and another 5-6" on Sunday on top of the 10" we have. It's hard to think of anything else.

Spring has to be on the way, right?

2011-01-16T09:21:00.003-06:00

It's finally done- #720 from the American Folk Art- House & Tree. It's the final pattern in the series. It will be on the website in the next week. All of those back orders can finally ship out this week. I don't know why it took so long except there was a delay all along the way with everyone!

We have been updating the website all week and we're not done yet. If you visit and find a page down, check back. It's pretty much an ongoing ordeal! Hopefully it will be all done in another week.

I am doing some Spring cleaning and have a lot of quilts I need to let go of! You all know by now what a hoarder I can be. I have about 9 big tubs full of quilts. My goal is to end up with only 6. That's a lot of quilts to go. If you have a favorite quilt and want to email me for availability, please do! I am going to list them this week on my Etsy store for a great price so check it out when you have time. I also added a special $5 Section for some older patterns so check it out.
www.prairiegrovepeddler.etsy.com

I'll let you know if I stick some on Ebay.

In honor of the release on the final American Folk Art pattern- we'll have a drawing this week for the whole series.
Email me by midnight on Saturday January 22.
Put AFA in the subject line.
Include your complete name and mailing address.
I'll choose 2 winners next Sunday and post the names here on the Blog.

We Have Winners!

2011-01-09T15:48:00.002-06:00

I had so many people enter this time that I just had to choose 6 names instead of 4.
Winners are:

Debbie from VA
Sharlene from CO
Vivian from Canada
Susan from CO
Marilyn from WI
and
Velda from MO

Congratulations ladies- I'll be sending them in the mail tomorrow. I changed the look of my pattern covers recently so let me know how you like the new look.

I'm working on new cross stitch designs, not quite done, but anxious to finish and get them to my stitchers soon (you all know who I'm referring to). I finished a lot of quilt models this week and they are ready for quilting. Moving right along. Feels so good. I'm finally on a roll. Stay posted, we have good things coming in the future.

Facebook

2011-01-06T04:26:00.002-06:00

I've been on Facebook for a while now for family photos and such. It's a great way to connect with distant relatives and see lots of fun pictures along the way. I just started a Facebook page for cross stitch and another one for quilts. I didn't do business pages because they were weird about everything but I started regular old pages as though the business is a person. I will put updates on there when I get them and possibly have a few Facebook only specials so you might want to check it out.

You can go to Facebook ( www.facebook.com) and search prairie grove peddler for the quilt page or prairie grove cross stitch for the cross stitch page. You can join either one or both so you can see the updates as they come or just check back every now and then to see them. I'll be posting a special on there very soon.

I have a new cross stitch chart ready and will be sending them to Hoffman Distributors tomorrow. I'm also almost done with the next 4 x 4 patterns and the last of the American Folk Art series.

A Brand New Year

2011-01-04T03:28:00.004-06:00

It's been a while since I blogged and I don't even know why. I've just been so busy I guess. Christmas was a wonderful success for us. It snowed. A beautiful wet- stick to everything - kind of snow. It was a real treat for my sister and brother-in-law from Houston.

We also had an ice fog one day while they were here. If you've ever see an ice fog, you know just how beautiful they are. Fortunately, we didn't have to travel on either day. The ice fog left about an inch of fuzzy crystals on everything.

We spent New year's Eve watching the Marx Brothers movies all evening. I fell asleep on the recliner about 11:00 so I went to bed early. I felt pretty sure the New year would come whether I stayed up or not. My husband and son stayed up to usher in the new year for me.

The Christmas tree is now taken down - only just a memory for another year. I vacuumed up the last of the pine needles and packed away the last box this morning. The beds have been stripped, the leftovers are eaten, the candies long gone, the trash has been picked up and life moves on. It's a brand new year after all.

I spent today cleaning and organizing my work room. I had left it in a heap making Christmas presents. I just closed the door to the guests and truthfully have not thought about it until today. Time to get back to work. Watch for a drawing later this month. It's been a while. I'm almost finished with the next Little Candle Mat. Hopefully this week I'll be posting pictures.

Merry Christmas Eve!

2010-12-24T01:23:00.004-06:00

I must be getting better because I actually made chocolate chip cookies today and didn't burn any of them. I also made 2 pumpkin rolls (yum) and 2 more batches of rice krispie treats. Nathan got to pick sprinkles to put on those rice krispie treats so now we have blue ones and red/green ones. Very colorful treats!

My sister and brother-in-law came to town tonight so let the festivities begin! Tomorrow my kids and grandkids all come. It will be a wonderful family gathering. My only regret is that my mother couldn't come. She is older and afraid of traveling in the bad weather we are expected to get so she cancelled her trip. She will stay in Memphis with my Aunt Jean where it's warm and toasty! I know they'll enjoy their time together.

I got our beagle a new plush doggie bed for Christmas and she hasn't come out of it since (just kidding of course!) She does love it though. Kristi came today and we filled all of the stockings and wrapped the rest of the gifts. As they say, I am ready for Christmas now.

It's so late but I'm watching Narnia- Prince Caspian tonight. You know how hard it is to turn off the TV in the middle of a good movie! Sooo, I have a pot of coffee and a laptop and I'm taking advantage of the quiet before everyone gets here tomorrow.

A very Merry Christmas to you all!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

2010-12-23T06:13:00.009-06:00

Well, the weather outside is frightful,

but the fire is so delightful.

And since there's no place to go-

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

We are expecting snow tomorrow, just in time for Christmas. I feel sorry for everyone who has to travel tomorrow. I know it will be a mess in the midwest and probably lots of other places.

All I have left to do is bake cookies. I made fudge yesterday but it didn't set up. My husband was delighted as he loves fudge sauce on his ice cream and now he has an ample supply! We even joked when I made the fudge that if it didn't set up, he got it! I think he jinxed me!

I have to admit that I'm not the best cook anymore. Years ago I was a great cook but as I got busy and I didn't cook much, I lost the touch. Maybe it's the desire more than the touch. A few years ago I tried to make 2 coconut pies for Christmas dinner. The first batch burned as I had the heat too high and walked away for "just a moment". You know how that goes! Anyway, I was disgusted and started over. The pan was beyond repair at the time and I think it took weeks of soaking and boiling water to get the black off. The second batch went fine and I added the mix to a purchased graham cracker crust. The minute I picked it up to carry it into the dining room to cool, the foil pan buckled and the entire messy pie covered my carpet. I was so upset, I cried. I just wasn't meant to have coconut pie that year. I'm a little more careful these days in carrying food around over carpet!

I have the ingredients to make coconut pie this year but the memories are still quite painful. I might opt for coconut cake this year instead. I am making pumpkin rolls today along with a few varieties of cookies. If I can get them done without burning a pan, I'll be doing good!

Meanwhile, Patrick has found a new favorite toy. He is enjoying the plastic ornaments I have in a glass basket on the coffee table.

I just painted two of my bathrooms recently and redecorated them. I did a flower arrangement for my new pink bathroom. What do you think? I have a lot of off white shabby chic in there and it's so feminine now. I won't let the boys use it!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

It's Very, Very Cold Outside!

2010-12-08T02:53:00.006-06:00

Well, I've finally started to think about Christmas shopping. I have a whole 1-1/2 weeks to do it so that should be enough. We're going light this year as most Americans, I suppose.

I had the girls over last week to make stockings for everyone we were missing and now I just need to fill them. The decorating is done and the house is organized. I stocked up on candy canes. All I have left to do is shop I guess.

Sarah and David took Grace to a Holiday concert this week and got their picture taken so I thought I'd share. Nathan and Patrick were also over. Patrick is finally a Nana's boy. He doesn't normally like anyone but mom and dad but somehow, I won him over. Finally. Now he follows me around with his arms raised to be held. What a joy- he's such a cutie! Nathan will be 3 in two weeks. My, how fast those babies grow. This Christmas will be pretty special for all of us.

By the way, Grace saw the Salvation Army volunteer at the store ringing the bell the other day and Sarah explained to her about why we give money to them. The next time they went, Grace donated a dollar from her piggy bank for what she called "kids that didn't have homes." Sarah was raking the leaves later that day and she said that Grace stood on the porch ringing the wind chimes for a good half hour yelling "stop and give money for kids." Someday she'll be a bellringer I guess!

Lions, Tigers & Bears- Oh My!

2010-12-01T03:26:00.006-06:00

I talked to my neighbor yesterday - she called with alarming news. We have a mountain lion in our neighborhood. Wow, that's hard to imagine. It's not like I live in Colorado or Wyoming. This is Missouri, you know, the Midwest , with homes and farms everywhere. I knew there were black bears in Missouri and I guess I knew there were mountain lions but who knew they were within a mile?

It's pretty creepy really. Another neighbor has found two dogs that were killed and the remains of a deer with a huge cat paw print nearby. I think he is going to set out bait to photograph the animal. You can't shoot mountain lions in MO, they are protected. Our Conservation Dept has released breeding pairs in past years and I think they have collars on to monitor them. I know they mostly eat deer but I seem to be creeped out now going outside after dark, not knowing what is lurking out there.

We have a miniature beagle but she is a tough little thing and I don't worry too much about her. She chases away even large dogs and coyotes- she got plenty of experience at our last farm. She is a cow girl so to speak. During the day, she hangs out with the cows across the road. When there are calves, she breaks them in with play! She probably thinks she's a short cow. She even cuddles and naps with them on occasion. Hopefully the big cat won't mess with her or the calves.

There is one calf over there right now that's black and white. It looks like a goat from a distance but I saw it in the road last week and it's definitely a calf! Those calves like to sneak under fencing for the better grass near the road.

On a lighter note, I am all decorated for Christmas. I have a few sewing needs this week to finish before we have lots of company for Christmas. My husband has a
really old favorite rocking chair. You know, the kind you keep in the basement and normally don't let people see. Well, he decided he wanted to plant it in the guest room so he can read in there at night. I found some great fabric that matches my curtains in there and I'm going to cover the cushions. I doubt he'll even notice but I will! Isn't it pretty?

We've been busy redoing the bathroom fixtures and painting. New faucets, lights, towel racks, it really looks pretty good. Next year I hope to change out the sinks. It's too close to the holiday for that much of a mess for me. It can wait for now.

Black Friday

2010-11-26T04:42:00.006-06:00

Dishes are done. House is cleaned. Leftovers in the frig. I even have a pot of navy bean soup cooking in the crock pot for tonight. The turkey was good, my husband cooked it this year. I got the tree put up last evening but the lights didn't work so what's a girl to do? Toss them and shop for new ones. I went out to Wal-Mart last night looking for LCD lights for the tree and they had none. Imagine- not a LCD package in sight. So, I headed to Michaels. I got 2 packages of 100 lights each. We'll see if that's enough to make the tree glow!

I'm excited to decorate the tree this year- our first Christmas in this new house. I opened a box with my nativity set and found quite a surprise. Apparently, I haven't set up my nativity set for a few years, 6 years to be exact.

The last year I put it out was when we lived in Iowa and I moved from Iowa in 1994. I have been looking for our Christmas stockings for about 6 years and I found them in the box with the nativity set. I now have an additional son-in-law and daughter-in-law plus five grandchildren. I guess I have a few more stockings to make. I also found a great tree skirt I'd made and completely forgot about. Another duh moment for me! It's great though and I'll be using it from now on.

I hand painted the nativity set around 1985. I had a kiln and taught ceramics in those days and I love to paint. My husband went deer hunting that year and took my two small children to my mom's for the weekend. I was in Heaven! I painted all night long and never slept that weekend. I was determined to get it done before they returned and I did. A few years later I painted a second set for my mom. I've been moving the set around for these 25 years and it's held up pretty well. I am finally putting it out on display this year.

I'm headed out soon to do a bit of shopping. (I'm out of creamer so I can't have coffee until I shop anyway!) Starbucks, here I come! I'm looking forward to a little Christmas shopping. I've studied the ads, made my lists and checked them twice, so to speak. I'm headed to Penney's for a few more of those great blankets to start. Have a great Friday!

Beautiful Autumn Morning

2010-11-21T08:33:00.008-06:00

I just love it when the heat comes on in the morning in early fall and there's that smell. You know, the one that smells warm and cozy. It's probably the dust burning off of the furnace but it has that smell that reminds me of when I was a child and getting ready for school. I remember getting ready on the bedroom floor next to the heat register. That was before the days of programmable thermostats and everyone turned their temps way low at night to save money. Brrrrrr. That smell always brings back those cold morning memories.

OK, just got another cup of coffee so I can keep going. I've done it again- I am addicted to my cinnamon coffee creamer again. It's almost winter, it's cold out and coffee is just so good in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, you know, just anytime. I'll work on my addiction in the Spring. My secret motto these days- why do today what you can put off til tomorrow? I guess it's a Fall thing, the motivation to work fades and I'm in more of a mood to clean the house and re-organize for the holidays.

I'll be putting up the Christmas tree next weekend so I have a lot of shifting and cleaning to do. Yesterday, I took my beloved13 piece Queen Ann dining room set to an antique shop near St. Louis to sell. It is from 1920 and a huge set. We were the third owners, having purchased it at auction in 1978. I wanted to sell it when I moved last year but didn't find time. I have no dining room now and it is a huge set and needs a lot of space. My last dining room was 16' x 20' and it took up every bit of the space.

For the last year, my dismantled 9' table was leaning against the wall in my hallway, the 6' buffet was in my kitchen along with my credenza, oak desk and table set, the china cabinet was in my living room along with all of my living room furniture, a book case and two curio cabinets. The chairs and leaves were scattered all over the basement. It was time to go. I know I'll move again someday but I don't plan to get a bigger house at this stage in my life. It's so empty here this morning! The hall is so big now!

I did do a drawing this morning and I was surprised at how many entered for the new quilt project patterns. There are two winners, chosen by my husband.

They are: Jan from FL and Diane from MO

Congratulations ladies!

I also want to say thank you to everyone who faithfully reads the Blog and I'll also send one of the 4 x 4's to all of you who entered this past week. I'll be emailing you for your choice. Thanks for entering.

Oh, one more thing- I shopped at Penney's yesterday and got new blankets and, oh my goodness! I LOVE them. If you need blankets, check out the Chris Madden LuxPlush blankets. I'm having seven extra people for Christmas and needed a lot more bedding and there's no better place for bedding than Penney's. I had purchased their plush blankets which, by the way, are on sale for $19.99, any size, mind you! A great deal in itself.

Anyway, yesterday at the store, I needed a purple one (I am coordinating colors for my two new granddaughters- one loves purple and one loves teal, so what's a grandma to do?) and the only kind that had purple was the Chris Madden ones. I also got two new lap quilts for the living room in the same brand. Last night, I didn't want to leave the recliner and neither did Austin. The blankets were heavenly. It's worth taking a peak if you need some- they cost more but are so worth it. I hope this link works....

http://tiny.cc/zl18e

Nothing like a quick post ( I know, too late) Watch for an email from me on your choice of 4 x 4. Have a great week ladies!

What a Week!

2010-11-16T02:27:00.005-06:00

It's late and I'm not sleeping yet (about 3 am.) I thought I'd take this opportunity to post since I've been so negligent on Blogging recently. The new patterns are pictured on the website at www.prairiegrovepeddler.com.

Houston Quilt Market & Festival were great but I'm so glad to be back home (and sleeping in my own bed). Two weeks away is a long time even though we spent most of it visiting old friends and my sister. Actually, visiting my sister is like going to a spa for a week. She has a beautiful home with all of the amenities of a great hotel. There's even a pool in the back yard if the weather is warm enough to enjoy it.

Last Thursday I had an outpatient surgery - it was uneventful for the most part and I slept for pretty much three full days afterwards. My only drawback is that I broke blood vessels in both eyes following surgery and I have to say that after 4 days, I still don't look very good with blood red and yellow eyeballs. It's kind of creepy actually! I feel very fortunate that things went as well as they did.

The good news, all orders have been shipped. The bad news, pattern #720 still is not ready. With all of the surgery stuff going on, I forgot to get the last project to my quilter Marilyn so it is not ready as of yet. Hopefully another week or so and I'll be shipping the rest of the orders for it.

This week, even though we're getting a late start, we'll have a drawing for the new 4 X 4's (all 4 of them).
Email me by this Saturday at midnight-
Put 4 x 4 in the title or subject line.
Include your name and full mailing address (to make shipping faster).

I'll draw two names on Sunday and post the names here on the Blog.
Possibly next week or the week after, we'll have a drawing for the new American Folk Art Series. I have to finish that last one first.

Quilt Festival Time

2010-11-04T22:30:00.005-05:00

We've been here in Houston all week and it's been a busy time. Last week was the wholesale show- Quilt Market. This week is the retail show- Quilt Festival. It's hard being away for almost 2 weeks but sure is fun! Here's a pic of the booth we set up for Festival- well, half of the booth anyway. We have a double booth for Festival and we demonstrate Steam-A-Seam II fusible web. I've used it for 15 years ever since my Quilt Market booth was next to Dawn (at Warm Co.) and discovered how great it was. Dawn and I have been friends ever since and I still love Steam-A-Seam. Here's the other side of the booth-

My sister Charlotte helps me each year with Festival. We get to visit during the show and enjoy it. There's also a lot of shopping going on when we can get away.

I was reminded today that I met Gail Bird (Igolochkoy Punch needles) about 15 years ago also when across from her Quilt Market booth and we get to visit each market also. Gail's here at the show demonstrating Russian Punch needle. (WE miss you Ellen!)

Tomorrow is a new day for Festival so I better turn in. Good night from Houston!

Quilt Market

2010-10-31T21:37:00.003-05:00

Well, we made it down to Houston with the new patterns and finally got them on the website. There is 2 new series- one is American Folk Art, six patterns of projects that can also make a quilt. There's also a series called 4 X 4's, four new patterns- 4 designs X 4 projects in each pattern. There are more 4 X 4's to come each month for a while. They are simple and quick projects with quick fuse applique. Check them out when you get a chance at www.prairiegrovepeddler.com. I'll have a drawing on the new ones when I return. I've seen a lot of old friends, gotten a lot of hugs and seen some new things that I can't live without. Does life get any better? I think not! Have a great week!

Crunch Time

2010-10-14T14:47:00.002-05:00

I have about 2 weeks to go before I leave for Houston Quilt Market. I am working pretty much day and night to finish everything that I'd like to take with me but I can see that I may not get it all done. Procrastination. It's a word that I seem to know very well these days. Maybe it's my old age, but I just can't seem to get things done as fast as I used to. Go figure! I can go without sleep and end up with extra hours in each day but it's the organizational skills that seem to fade as the years go by. It seems like it takes me longer to get started on projects than it used to.

I do play a lot more than I use to also. I already have three grandchildren and I just got two more last weekend. They now range from an energetic one year old to an eleven year old bookworm who loves arts and crafts. I guess we can see where that is headed! I'm sure there will be a lot of crafting going on around here in the future. I also stocked up on vintage earrings for a "strap fest" with the girls in the future. They both love the shoes also so I got them each a pair. We'll post pictures when that happens.

This weekend I hope to have pictures of a few new patterns to show. I better go get back to work!

What a Week!

2010-09-19T13:39:00.002-05:00

I had so much fun this week. My husband's cousin Judy was in town all week and we did a lot of visiting and eating out. We also enjoyed a few good meals here along with pancakes and fruit smoothies. I know, they weren't on my diet, but I just had to cheat a little this week. I'll start back on the diet tomorrow. She's a grandma now and she made her first baby quilt one day while she was here and it turned out really sweet. I think she started about 4 pm and finished it around midnight. She went home yesterday.

Meanwhile, I'm back to Quilt 101 and trying to finish projects. My problem is that I start so many things and then have so many to finish. Quilt Market is about 5 weeks away and I'm determined to get all of these done by then.

The drawing was very interesting this week. This was the week to enter!

Everyone who went to the website and actually counted pumpkin patterns, whether correct or not, will receive a special package from me this week.

On last week's posting, I mentioned that if you went to the website and counted the pumpkin patterns, I would enter you twice. Turns out, the winner was entered twice. It is Trish from Canada. I'm also sending Trish a special treat, along with the quilt, for going to the trouble to count them! Congratulations Trish!

It's a Mystery!

2010-09-12T18:25:00.008-05:00

Ok, I know, sorry I made you wait so long this week for the winners.

I'm supposed to be working on quilts but I took a little detour this weekend. First, my sister and niece came to visit yesterday. I had to clean extra special (don't you know) and make sure everything looked just right. Sarah and Grace were also in town and my son, his wife and 2 boys were also here. By the time they all left, I had to clean again! Go figure!

My sister was in a bad car accident about 3 months ago. She was hit from behind at full speed while stopped to turn and broke her neck among other things. She has a halo bolted to her head and neck and she's been sleeping in a chair for 3 months. She finally gets it off next week and I know she'll be so happy. This was her first trip in quite some time. I was pretty excited to have her come.

I started a baby quilt for Patrick a year ago and never finished it (I know, ~ holding my head low~ what kind of grandma am I? I ask myself that same question all the time!) Anyway, I decided today was the day. After all, little Patrick is almost 1 year old and he can now drag the blanket around with him everywhere he goes. Just in the nick of time, I say- err, I mean, I planned it that way! I have a few knots to tie and I'll be done with it. Nathan and Grace have one like it in different colors. No batting inside, just chenille, Minkie and fabric. It's so cuddly and soft.

I also started a toaster cover, coffee pot cover, mixer cover and table runner for my kitchen. They aren't near done but they're cut out and ready to sew. Maybe tomorrow. Seems like when you have company, it reminds you of all of the things you once started and never finished! Well, pillow covers are next. Remember when I bought the fabric for them? It's been a while so it's time to start them also before anyone else comes to visit.

I know I just decorated when I moved in 8 months ago but I'm already changing wall color. That will come next week. I'm on a roll to fit it all in between the quilting. I actually got up at 3:30 am this morning, sewed until 10am, got ready & went to church and back to sew after lunch. I think tonight I'll tie the baby quilt, photograph it for the Blog and take it easy. It's been a long day. I did have creamer today, in case you're keeping track. I can go days without sleep- if I have my beloved Cinnamon Vanilla creamer. It's a sickness, I know.

I have winners for the Mystery Drawing this week. They are

Cross Stitch: Jan from FL

Quilt: Ruth from FL (also)

Craft: Monica from AR

They each win 5 pumpkin patterns or charts in their category including my newest ones. Congratulations ladies!

Next week- the prize is a quilt. A Pumpkin Quilt, or a big ole pumpkin rag quilt to be specific. To enter:

Email me at PGPeddler@aol.com with OLE RAG in the subject line.

If you add the number of pumpkin patterns & charts that I offer (on www.prairiegrovepeddler.com , I'll enter you twice. Someone will win this quilt next Sunday, will it be you?

Put your name and address in the body of the email.

Entries without both are not considered.

I do not keep the addresses nor do I send unwanted emails of any kind. I don't sell the names. I just want them so I can send the prize out to the winner a lot faster. That's all. I promise!

Have a great evening!

Mystery Drawing Winner

2010-08-29T15:45:00.004-05:00

Wow, there were so many entries this week. Amazing what the word "mystery" stirs up!
The prize: all 4 of my ornaments charts. Merry ChristMoose, Christmas Ornaments, Christmas Ornaments 2, and the brand new Snowman Ornaments. Charts for 16 different designs in all. That's enough ornament stitching to keep anyone busy this Fall!

I decided to pick 2 winners. Drum roll please-
The winners are Kimberly from GA and Janice from Spokane. Congratulations ladies, I'll be sending you each a package this week.

OK, this next week, it's more pumpkins! The biggest one is a whopper- about 12" across. They are all fabric and from my Pumpkin Patch pattern.

To enter, email me with "WHOPPER" in the subject line by midnight next Saturday night.
And very important- you must put your name and mailing address in the email. If you forget, you won't be considered for the prize. I'll chose one winner next Sunday. I'm thinking September will be pumpkin month so stay tuned. It's going to be fun.

Tweeting Nuisance & New Charts

2010-08-25T16:51:00.005-05:00

Every time I try to tweet on Twitter, it tells me it is over capacity. SOOO, I haven't tweeted in a LONG time. Good thing I have a BLOG!

I just added 2 new charts on the website. I'll post pictures on here later. When you get a chance, go take a peek-

www.prairiegrovepeddler.com

Look under Cross Stitch.

They'll be shipped to distributors in a few days.

Pumpkin Winner

2010-08-23T00:17:00.003-05:00

I had another busy day and ended up with company that put me behind on blogging. I have been ironing for two days and I haven't gotten tired of it yet. I just love applique. I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing right now. I have so many new patterns to finish and I'm on a roll so I don't want to lose the momentum!

I went to my local fabric store three times lately and stocked up on yummy fabrics. I have to admit I am in the $500 club now for the week but it's needed for the new patterns. That's how I justify it anyway! I did a quilt series last year that went over very well and I'm working on another right now that is similar and having a blast. I'm also doing some smaller things and it feels good to sew and iron for a change! Next I get to hand embroider the detailing.

We do have a winner today and she actually has a birthday on Halloween! How cool is that? Lisa from FL will receive the three pumpkins from the drawing. I have more pumpkins so stay tuned for another pumpkin drawing before Halloween.

This week, we're having a "Mystery Drawing". I know, you think I already have it picked out but this is the way to have a drawing without preplanning anything! Just lazy this week I guess.

To enter, email me at PGPeddler@aol.com by Saturday midnight with "MYSTERY" in the subject line. Send your name and mailing address. I'll choose a winner on Sunday.

The Rose of Sharon

2010-08-18T23:00:00.009-05:00

We have had the best weather the last few days- a preview of things to come this Fall. It's been overcast and cool and I just love it. We had 2 months of 90 temps before that so the overcast skies are actually kind of nice for a change!

The Rose of Sharon in my yard is blooming and they are so pretty up close. The tomatoes and cucumbers are producing more than we can eat but not enough to make juice this year. No zucchini on the vine and we have no idea what happened there! A couple of weeks and the tomatoes will be winding down. I must say I am looking forward to Fall but not looking forward to Winter (particularly driving in ice and snow) and one tends to follow the other. I think I'll enjoy my garden for now.

I'm back on my diet again and avoiding my beloved Cinnamon Vanilla creamer. I went a month without it before and I'm sure I can do it again. I've been a yo-yo dieter most of my adult life and I'm not about to quit now! I figure I'll diet for a month at a time and take a break so I don't feel too cheated on all of the good stuff that makes me gain weight to begin with. Hence, the name yo-yo. Maybe I should call my plan the "Over-weight ladies guide to effective yo-yo dieting for a lifetime of ups and downs" so far, so good, anyway!

Don't forget about the pumpkin drawing this weekend!

We have winners!

2010-08-15T13:47:00.003-05:00

There were two winners this week: Sheila from TN and Debbie from VA. WE actually drew a few names this week and believe it or not, there were NO mailing addresses included. What a shame. We ONLY take entries with the mailing address included- lucky for Sheila and and Debbie!
Thanks for entering everyone. We'll be sending out the new charts tomorrow.

I have been on ironing detail- literally all weekend long (except for church). I'm working on a few quilts- all quick fuse applique- and I'm surprised my iron hasn't burned itself out. I love applique though. I use Steam-A-Seam 2 fusible web and personally love it. I have done needle turn applique but I don't consider myself experienced enough to photograph any such quilt for a quilt cover. Once I get these originals done, I may try my hand at it again for a second quilt. Any tips are appreciated!

This week I thought I might offer something different in a drawing.
Pumpkins. Three finished fabric pumpkins. It's almost fall and fall decorating is just around the corner, after all! These three finished pumpkins are from my #163 Pumpkin Patch pattern from 1998. It was a great pattern (oh, the memories!)

My husband had cut grapevine in our woods for the stems. Keepsake Quilting carried this pattern back then and even offered the cut grapevine for sale in their catalog. One week alone they called three days in a row and ordered 400-500 patterns each day. My husband was crazy trying to cut enough grapevine for the orders and it also had to be dried! I was trying to keep up with the patterns. Ahhh, the good ole' days! I still have a good sized box of gnarly grapevine stems to use.

To enter the drawing, email me at PGPeddler@aol.com, by midnight Saturday night, 8/21, with your name and MAILING ADDRESS included -please don't forget that part. I'll choose one name next Sunday and post it here.

Ok, back to my ironing board!

Tomato Recipes

2010-08-13T13:17:00.003-05:00

Susan in Colorado emailed me a great recipe today for tomatoes (from her daughter) and got me to thinking. I wonder just how many other great garden recipes are out there that I don't even know about? If you have a recipe that you love, please feel free to share it. I'm thinking I might send a newsletter (which I seldom do any more) and include the recipes.

My birthday was this week and I had such a great day.
My kids and grand kids took me out to Chevy's (Tex-Mex) for dinner.
I endured the Happy Birthday song and the sombrero on my head and ended up with the free dessert so it was a good time had by all. I did share the dessert with 3 yr. old Grace and 2 yr. old Nathan. Our 11 month old grand baby Patrick had been very sick for the last 5 weeks and lost a lot of weight, weighing in at just 17 lbs now. They finally got a diagnosis of an intestinal blockage and he's now on the road to recovery. It's so good to have three happy babies again.

Don't forget about the drawing this week. Enter by tomorrow night. I'll be drawing two names on Sunday for the new charts.

Is it Fall Yet?

2010-08-10T03:52:00.008-05:00

Man, it is so hot. We are having yet one more week of 95+ temps and heat indexes of over 105. Does it ever end? This has been such a hot summer for the Midwest. It is helping the tomatoes as we have an abundance of them now. I bought more bacon today for BLT's. I also bought another gallon of milk for home made ice cream. Yum. Can we ever really get enough? I think not. I am going to try peach ice cream this week, and maybe lime. I always like to experiment.

I gave in tonight and had coffee with Cinnamon Vanilla creamer. It's been four weeks since I had any so I think it's safe to say I am not addicted anymore. It sure was yummy but I think I'll drink it sparingly. I'm pulling a late night tonight as I do so often. I'm on a roll, as I like to say.

I went down to Memphis this past weekend to visit my mom and her sister and I took Sarah and Grace with me again. I just love it when they go. I tell you, Grace is such a good traveler. You'd think being 3 years old that she would have issue of being in a vehicle for 8 hours but she does so good. Normally the trip would take 6-1/2 but traveling with a 3 year old makes for a lot of stops! Other than many potty breaks, she pretty much plays, sings songs and naps the entire trip, each time we go.

We visited the duck pond again. I think it's Grace's favorite thing to do in Memphis. She feels like she has the duckies trained. She calls and they come running! It doesn't hurt that she has food to share also.

I decided to do a giveaway this week. I know it's been a while. Email me with your name and mailing address by Saturday at midnight and put the word "Memphis" in the title. I'll draw two names on Sunday. The winners will each get both of my new cross stitch charts.

2010-07-02T07:25:00.005-05:00

We have had beautiful weather all week and it's hard to stay indoors to get any work done. The corn is tasseling and the tomatoes are growing. Ahhh, life in the country! My husband is finishing the brick trim around all of the landscaping, which is no small feat considering it goes all the way around the house and we have several beds in the yard also. He said now he isn't so embarrassed! He's a landscaper and a landscaper's yard should be the best looking in the neighborhood, don't you know? It does look pretty good! I got 5 new Hostas in back near my Impatiens and another burning bush planted yesterday.

Grace got her first ballerina jewelry box last night. She is so enamored of it with the dancing ballerina. I have a feeling the ballerina will be gone within a week but she's certainly proud!

I saw Twilight/Eclipse yesterday with Austin. Loved it. I'll have to go back and reread it now.

A New Look

2010-06-21T11:27:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd change the Blog a bit. I hope you like the new look!

The Heat is On!

2010-06-21T10:34:00.009-05:00

A full week of 90 temps coming up. Last week was the same. We sort of missed our Spring. We went from cold and wet to hot (and wet). A little fertilizer on the corn and tomatoes and we're in good shape. I counted 65 tomatoes on the vine so far. Yum! I know, you'd think I'd have better things to do than go count green tomatoes but it was exciting, none the less.

Grace had her first dance recital this weekend and despite
falling asleep on the way, she performed very well. The whole
group was as cute as could be! She's been singing and dancing around the house ever since. Sarah got her a peacock outfit at a garage sale and she is the princess, let me tell you. Tail feathers and all. She makes up her own songs and sings and sings!

Here's a picture
of Sarah and Grace. My sister was in an accident this past week and broke a bone in her neck. She had a successful surgery and now has a halo bolted to her for 8 weeks. You'd think wearing a halo would make her feel like an angel but I'm not sure she feels quite that way. Keep her in your prayers!

Just Another Hot Friday In The Summer

2010-06-18T13:01:00.003-05:00

Another week has passed and I really believe the summer is going to be over in no time. The corn is growing, we have 56 green tomatoes growing on the vines so far and the flowers had to be pinched back already.

Tomorrow there's an auction at the next farm down the road. I told my husband we should go over there for lunch, you know there will be a hot dog stand! It's a funny story abut that farm really. They had an old huge white dog, probably a Great Pyrenees. He came over to our house on a regular basis and left his "special package" in our yard.

Every morning I would leave very early to go walk in town, and he would be laying somewhere along the road. The bad part, was that there was a sharp curve in front of his house, and that's always where he would sleep in the road. I kept thinking someone coming through that area would not slow down if they didn't know he would be there.

One morning I left about 5:30 am. He was laying across the center of the road (and he was huge) and I just happened to be watching for him. He never moved a muscle as I drove around him. I was sure he was dead, probably hit by someone in the night. I told my family about it and I felt so sad that day, I just wanted to cry. I was sure he had died. The next day my son saw him laying in the yard and I was sure it was where they pulled him to get him away from the road. I started looking every time I drove by and still didn't see him anywhere. Even my husband saw him laying in the yard and still I looked, not finding him.

Well, finally, I saw him after about a week, alive and well. I don't know how he did it, but he was the luckiest dog around. After that, every time I drove past him laying in the road each morning I just smiled, so happy to see him alive and well and thankful some someone didn't fly through there in the night and hit him.

They have since moved on, hence the remaining auction tomorrow. It's sad now for me really, that each morning, I don't have that sweet old white dog to watch out for. I miss him! I don't miss his gifts in our yard, but I miss him!

It's a Bloomin' Day

2010-05-31T12:32:00.003-05:00

My Clematis is so pretty right now- it looks like a hundred blooms easily. When we moved in, it was dormant at the light post. We had no idea what color it would turn out to be. Now the light post is completely hidden by the purple blooms.

My Peonies continue to bloom even though it seems so late this year. Usually they bloom by Mother's Day. We keep cutting them and have a beautiful vase on the counter in the kitchen. The bad thing about Peonies is that they harbor ants so we have to shake them really well before bringing them inside. We still get a few hitchhikers on the counter for a few hours each time.

Today I'm going to play with new quilt designs and maybe see a movie later with my son. We've had Bar-B-Q's for two days and I'm ready for a change! Enjoy your day.

Sunday Evening

2010-05-30T21:27:00.002-05:00

I had the sweetest emails this week from some of you and they really did help me feel better. I've noticed I don't get a lot of comments on this blog but I do get a lot of private emails and I enjoy them. Thank you for the well wishes.

I had a smaller number of entries this week for the drawing, probably a lot to do with a holiday weekend also, so I decided to let everyone who entered have the chart or pattern that was listed as your choice. If you forgot to tell me which title you want, and a few of you forgot, I will email you this week to decide. One of you forgot your address, oh my, but that to will be OK this time around!

Remember to honor the fallen soldiers and those who have served our country tomorrow during Memorial Day. The sacrifice to our country is felt closer to my home than many realize. I had a son-in-law who was killed at age 21 during Marine Recon Training in 2002. Please pray for our troops.

The Sunday Evening Post

2010-05-23T17:28:00.002-05:00

What started out to be a great week ended with a upper respiratory ailment. I guess I picked up germs on the grocery cart and here I sit out of breath and still coughing. The good news is, all I had to do all week was design. I really had a good time and designed enough quilts for a year. OK, maybe that's a exaggeration but I did a lot of drawing this week. I lost my notebook last week and never looked back. I now possess a new one. To clarify, that was possess a new book, not me being possessed, even though I'm sure I fall into that category on occasion. I am rearing to go now with some sewing. The bad news is, I don't feel quite right yet so I'll have to wait a little longer to get started.

I'll have two new cross stitch charts out next week so watch for them.

Sarah is recovering nicely and back at home. I've enjoyed the company and after a while, she was actually taking care of me! My garden is slowing down due to excess rain but at least I don't have to water it. We had 89 degrees today and a few more very hot days coming in the future so it should jump start the tomatoes. My Clematis is blooming (purple) and I have a vase of pink Peonies on my kitchen counter. I sure looks pretty around here. Sorry I don't have the energy to go snap some pictures. Maybe tomorrow.

I did promise a drawing this week and I don't want to disappoint. To enter, email me by Saturday midnight with HOT in the title. Include your name and mailing address. I'll choose 2 winners to receive the cross stitch chart or quilt pattern of your choice. If you want, go check out the website and include your choice in your entry email. That will speed things up if you win! Thanks, and have fun looking! www.prairiegrovepeddler.com

New Week, New Adventures

2010-05-19T07:37:00.002-05:00

I feel like last week my life was the "Perils of Pauline" so this week started off a lot better. Sarah is still with me and recovering nicely. We don't have to get up nights anymore. She still can't step down but she's got crutches and hobbles around. It's been fun having her hang out. We've watched a lot of movies together this week.

I never found the notebook but started a new one with fresh ideas, and it was probably time for that also. I can't wait to have some quiet time to get started on them. We've had a lot of family stuff going on this past month and I am getting more and more behind in work it seems. I've found that as I get older, I get less structured in my work routine. I play a lot more and spend more time with my kids and grand kids. It's the "future" empty nest syndrome I guess. My 15 yr old will be gone before I know it so I'm tying to savor each moment with him before he gets the "attitude". Thankfully, that hasn't happened yet. Meanwhile, the grand kids need attention also. I think I'll offer to babysit this weekend.

Sunday starts a new drawing so you'll have to check back to see what's offered.

Where did the week go?

2010-05-15T08:06:00.002-05:00

I don't know how that happens. One day it's Monday and you blink, then it's Saturday. How does that happen? My life is a blur. Sarah had surgery on her foot this week and she's been here for me to take care of. It's a constant routine- setting the alarms at 1 am and 5 am for pain pills and ice packs. She's doing pretty good but still in a lot of pain.

When I got up at 5 this morning, the water was running pretty fast. After checking it out, I found that the softener had backwashed at 2 am and never shut off. Great! I shutter to see the next water bill! We just bought the Culligan a few months back so I'm waiting for them to show up any minute. I actually called Culligan at 5 am this morning and someone actually answered, not a machine. That's service!

I have been working on new designs this week around caring for Sarah. I did spend a lot of the week searching. I lost my notebook with all of my drawings and notes for future designs. I take it everywhere and it could be anywhere. I ripped this place apart this week and still never found it. Heart broken, I started a new notebook. What's a girl to do after all?

I'll still keep my eye out for it but I started a whole new notebook with all new designs. Out with the old, in with the new. Today is another day.

Welcome Weekend

2010-05-07T17:40:00.007-05:00

We finally made it to the local greenhouse this week. We have a lovely little place called Strawberry Hill here outside of town and they had too much to select from. As usual, I over purchased and have a lot of flowers leftover for pots. Grace and Sarah went with me and we picked out some beauties. I got them all planted this week and now I need a little Miracle grow once they take root. I can tell you they look better in the flat they they do all spread out in my flower beds! Time will change that though.

We have a great old tree that fell at one time in it's life and the previous owners left it to grow sideways. We now have a beautiful bed around it. It's hard to tell but the back of this tree is leaning! I also got Marigolds, Impatiens, Heather and lots of vegetables.

Other than that, I spent most of the week with family, making up for all of the time I ignored them when I was busy working in fabric. I did some babysitting and we had 2 year old Nathan over last evening just to hang out with us. It was a very good week. I guess I really needed a break.

Today's $40 Gift Certificate Winner

2010-05-02T14:27:00.003-05:00

This week just flew by me so fast that I didn't have time to think about it. Yesterday we had a garage sale, you know all of that stuff I found when I moved, and had a huge turn out. WE started at 6 am and by noon, I'd gotten rid of most everything. My garage got a good cleaning and most of the boxes being stored there are gone now.

After the sale, I ran up to Anna's house. She's my Amish friend that lives about 30 minutes north. We sat and visited for a while. While I was there, she got an order for 30 dozen eggs so the rest of the time together, we counted eggs. She told me the story of when her daughter Ida Mae broke her leg this past Winter. I knew she'd broken it but I didn't hear all of the details until yesterday.

On Christmas, Ida was milking the cows and her cow stepped back on her leg. She crawled away from the cow and her husband helped pull her away from the rest of the cows. He had to hitch a horse to a buggy to travel to his mothers house to get help to get Ida out of the barn. He then had to travel 4 miles with the buggy to use a phone to call a ride to the hospital. They can't afford an ambulance so they had to find a driver who was home that day.

Unfortunately, once they got to the hospital in the nearest town, there were no surgeons due to being Christmas Day and they gave her pain medicine, casted her leg and told her to return the next week for surgery.
I just can't imagine the pain she endured for those hours between the actual break and the ER visit.

This is 4 months later and she can finally move around the house as she was bed ridden for months. I know she has small children and I know her life was tough for a long time and she needed a lot of family to come and help her. Even using the outhouse would be a major ordeal when you think about it.

The reason I even mention it is because I was thinking how good we have it today. We have indoor plumbing. We get our milk from the grocery store. We don't have to start a fire early in the morning just to feed the family. WE don't have to scrub the laundry by hand and hang it out to dry. We all carry cell phones and have access to emergency services. We have cars for transport. We are so spoiled today when you think of the way our grandmothers lived. My grandmother also used a wood stove for cooking and had a well for water plus an outhouse. I really have a new respect for technology and I'm so thankful I live now.

We do have a winner for the $40 gift certificate-it's Lynn from Nova Scotia. Congratulations Lynn! I'm going to skip this week since Sunday is Mother's Day and I know I'll be busy all day with my family. Watch for next week for an all new drawing. I plan to do a lot of planting flowers this week, I'll blog when I do!

Rainy Days & Mondays

2010-04-26T10:03:00.007-05:00

I'm sorry for not posting sooner but we have been really busy here. It's been raining for days in the Midwest, we had 7" of rain over the weekend. I do look forward to planting flowers but I think it might be a bit longer waiting to dry out. I do plan to hit the greenhouse this week for my extensive selection. I've made my list and I'm sticking to it.

Moving always presents new possibilities for flowers. My husband has made me numerous flower beds plus we have four gardens so far. He planted a field of sweet corn last week and plans to put in about 100 tomato plants. Can you tell we love tomatoes? I'll can a lot of them and we'll put up juice with the rest. I love spring!

We are almost finished shipping all orders from the Online Needlework Show. It was a great show and we got a lot of new customers. Thank you for your orders. We are down to three more orders to ship this week. All others are on their way. We had drawings each day during the show and gave away 32 charts in all. Four of our Blog readers won a new charts also.

I finished my fabric designing finally. Yeah! I sent it all off and now I can breathe. It's been such a busy month. I am doing two different lines and I'll share it with you as soon as I can. I have a long list of things to start now and I'm anxious to get going on them.

This week, on the Blog, I'll do something special in honor of Mother's Day. The drawing will be for a
$40 gift certificate
good for your choice of any patterns or charts listed on my website.
You can choose something special for your mom!

To enter for the drawing- email me at PGPeddler@aol.com by this Saturday- midnight.
Put "Gift" in the subject line and include your name and full address.
I'll choose one lucky winner on Sunday.

We Have Blog Drawing Winners

2010-04-18T15:22:00.003-05:00

We have 4 winners in the Blog Drawing from last week. They are Beth from PA, Sandra from MD, Kerry from Canada and Vicki from CO. Congratulations ladies, you'll receive a new chart this week in the mail. Thanks for taking the time to view the Online Needlework Show. It ends today, in case you haven't had time to see it yet.

In the Online show, I also had winners for the daily drawings. They are Adriana from WI for Thursday, Lisa from NY on Friday and Saturdays winners was Felicia from MI. They each receive 2 new charts. Shops who have won so far are Cross Stitch treasures and Threadneedle Street.

Sunday Evening News

2010-04-11T19:29:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry for not posting before now but I ended up spending this week visiting my mom in Memphis and I just got back tonight. It was a nice visit but I'm glad to be home. Sarah and 3 year old Grace went also and Grace charmed everyone she met. She's quite the song and dance little lady. Her newest performance is Old MacDonald's Farm. We spent a lot of time at the lake feeding the geese and ducks near my moms. Her sister, my aunt Jean, lives down there also so we all got to visit and we took a few walks together. She's 88 and still does sit-ups and walks everyday. What an inspiration! I'm really tired tonight but have a lot of work to catch up on tomorrow so I can't rest for long. I took a lot of pictures but I'm too tired to load them so I'll post tomorrow.

We found a winner for the punchneedle design, it's Sheila from TN. (funny, I was just there!) The sad part is we chose someone else but the address wasn't included so we chose again. Please remember to include your address when you enter as it's the only way you'll win. Congratulations Sheila! I'll be sending the punchneedle design to you tomorrow.

I'll post the new contest tomorrow also so check back. Good night!

A Wabbit Winner!

2010-04-03T10:30:00.006-05:00

Well, we had the drawing this morning, and you know what they say, the more you enter, the better your chances of winning! Our winner is Kathy from Louisiana. Kathy has been entering for a long time and has won before and believe it or not, she actually won a quilt the last time she won also! She is one lucky lady for sure. Congratulations Kathy!

This next week, there will be a new drawing. It is for a finished punchneedle design called #602 Spring Bouquet. I designed this one in 2004. It's framed in a white shabby chic frame.

To enter, email me by Saturday, April 10 at midnight. Put "Punch" in the subject line and include your full name and mailing address. I promise that I don't share your address with anyone, I don't even keep them on file. It just makes it easier for me to send the prize to the winner. I'll post the winner next Sunday.

I hope you all have a blessed Easter.

Morning in New York

2010-03-24T05:59:00.005-05:00

It's definitely less noisy in the early morning here in NYC. The rain has quit and we're expecting a sunny day. We thought about going to ABC News this morning but dragging our feet a bit. One good thing about NYC, there's a Starbucks on every corner!

WE are headed back to the fabric company later this morning and I can honestly say that it is such fun! To see an idea move into each stage and become fabric- I'm really enjoying it more this time. The last line I did was a few years back and I was learning. Not that I know everything now, but I know a lot more about what I want this time around. The new fabric line will be out next Spring. I'll post more about it later in the year. Nothing like being around a fabric company to get your creative juices flowing! Wow, you just can't imagine!

Well, off for coffee.

Sushi in Soho

2010-03-23T21:44:00.007-05:00

We've had a great trip so far. Our generous hostess Ruth and her husband were able to take us on a driving tour of New York City today. We saw the World Trade Center area. Here's a picture from across the Brooklyn Bridge of the construction going on.

We tried to see Wall Street but they have the road closed so we saw it from every angle except the front. Here's a picture from up the street. We got pretty close.

We took a trip through the Bowery, Little Italy and Chinatown. We saw the old seaport, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The rain finally stopped today so we finally got to dry the umbrellas. We stopped in Soho at the cutest little Sushi bar and had lunch. Yesterday we went to Mood, in the Fashion District, so today we checked out Purl in Soho. There has been a lot of shopping going on. I think we'll have to make a stop at UPS before we catch a plane home! Sarah's such a shopaholic!

We met my sister tonight for dinner at a quaint little steak house. Sarah got a martini and actually got carded. (She's 29). Funny, my sister (pictured) and I didn't get carded. What's with that?

I am exhausted tonight and have a full day ahead of me at the fabric company. It's really coming along though. I am truly blessed.