Adventure is Calling

 Big HELLOS, ya'll! It is a warm beautiful day here in my neck of the woods, and I am enjoying some time out on the patio.  There is a slight breeze, and I am in the shade so come on and join me. 

Last Thursday, after the grandbabies left Mr. Pinker and I headed off on a delightful camping trip to Guntersville Lake in Alabama. 

Mr. Pinker likes to fish there, and I just like to camp.  I couldn't catch a fish in a fish tank. Lol

                 

We were right on the lake and what a treat when we saw three eagles  flying above us.

             

 It was even a bigger treat when they landed in a nest two campers down from us. The nest was massive in a large pine tree.

                 

 Underneath sat a little camper. I wonder if any of the limbs which make up the nest ever fall on the camper. The camper across from it has a great view of the eagles. 

                              

 I was able to get a few photos. One eagle had a white head but the other two bald eagles had not turned yet. 

                  

 On Friday, I went kayaking and paddled around a little island . A  young goose put her head down low in hopes that I did not spot her as I paddled by. Oh, but I did! 

 Later, I had a visitor come to my campground ; I wonder if she is the same goose from the island.   I think she wanted a little din din.  "No treats here , sweetie". 

Saturday was a rainy day so we hit thrift shops in neighboring towns. I hope to post photos of my small haul later this week.  

Well let's get to what I am up to today . I do have laundry going on. Do I have any takers on folding clothes? Lol.😂😃  Ok let's talk about something more fun than laundry.  Earlier this morning, I pulled out my Days of Our Lives project which is Little House Needlworks "Old Red Barn". I always work on this at noon when Days comes on. I have the farmers in and hopefully will get a start on the words tomorrow. 

 I then went into the Quilt Nest and began cutting fabrics.

                             

 Lots of squares and binding for my Spring Chick Quilt. Lickety split, I sewed the binding on the chick quilt which I finished quilting last night.

                            

 This evening I will sit on the patio and do a little binding. 

Since my Dogwood trees are in bloom , I have also pulled out my Dogwood Quilt to work on.

 I spread it out on the hill so I could give you a better look at this "scrap happy beauty". 

I got this quilt top at the Goodwill for only $3.99 . It is a fun scrappy quilt that I am quilting dogwood blooms in. I love the green sashing in the quilt. I am quilting leaves in it. If I really worked on this quilt it would be done in no time. 

 I have a lot of catching up to do on reading IG and blog posts. It may take a few days , but I look forward what others have been up to these last few days. I am so happy and grateful that you stopped by to see me today. I hope to catch up with you more later this week so please stop by. I always love visitors. Have a beautiful day and as always,

Happy quilting and stitching ya'll, 

Melisa

I am joining these lovely ladies' link parties. I hope you check them out; they always have so many wonderful projects going on and provide the opportunity for other needle workers to meet.  

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework for Oh Scrap

Beth at Love Laugh Quilt  for Monday Making

Judy at Small Quilts Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Wander often and wonder always!

Hugs and Stitches. 

Spring Farmhouse - A Spring Freebie

 Good morning and welcome, ya'll. Please come on in and visit for a bit. I am dying  to share with you my little Spring Farmhouse cross stitch . 

This little farmhouse is based on my Nanny's home which is about a mile down the road from where I live.  I think it is the cutest.

 Last month, I shared with you Spring on the Farm which featured a  red barn, farm animals, and a tractor. If you missed it, click here to go to the post with the pdf. The barn was based on my grandparents'  red barn which was located behind the white farmhouse. It was used as a hay  and a tobacco barn.  

Spring Farmhouse is a companion piece to Spring on the Farm .

These stitches are all based on my life on our family farms.  There will be a 3rd stitch that I hope to share soon. It will be the pasture. I hope you come back to check it out. These would be so cute all stitched together. But since I was doing these at my leisure and on a whim,  I separated mine. 

My grandparent's lived in a little white Farmhouse that was built probably in the 30's. It had a large porch filled with rocking chairs, and a swing. The back of the house had a very low pitched roof. Behind the house was a clothesline where Nanny always hung her clothes out to dry until she got older, and then she opted to use the dryer. Large trees surrounded the house. There was not a tire swing at Nanny's, but we had one at our house. 

 Dad always parked in front of the house in his little red truck . Us kids would bale out of the back of the truck and rush up the steps to greet Nanny who was usually in the kitchen or her sewing room.  This brings back such fond memories. 

 Since we lived only 3 miles down the road,  we visited Nanny daily. We would always gravitate to  the kitchen where we would  eat something yummy that Nanny had prepared earlier during the day. Later, we would make our way onto the porch where we would  chat and laugh at Nanny's antics. She was an amazing, good humored lady.   

What is spring like on the family farm now? Calves being born, weeds being pulled, strawberries being tended to and seeds being planted. Busy time for my parents. The grandkids love to ride in the fields, take their fishing rods down to the pond or river, and they play in the yard. And of course there is porch sitting. On our farm, there are lots of little piggies that are tended to as well. 

I finished this piece the same as I did  the Spring on the Farm  piece which was in a Dollar Tree unfinished wooden tray that I painted white. 

I would be so honored if you added this small to your stitch list. You could have it whipped up in a day since it only measures 53 x 53. 

Many of you know that I always leave this disclaimer: I am not a professional designer, and I do not have professional software.  I do have to put each page on separate pdf downloads because of the devices I use. I apologize for that.  Thank you for understanding. 

Click here  for the instruction page. 

Click here for the colored chart. 

                          

Click here for the black and white chart. 

                           

 With "farmhouse" on my mind, I found the cutest free Farmhouse Printables that you might be interested in at the Cottage Market website. Click here  to find 9 sweet free prints that would look so cute framed or used in crafting. 

Thank you so much for visiting me today and allowing me the chance to share a bit of my childhood. It is nice to revisit days gone by even if it through stitching and chatting.  Have a very blessed day, my sweet peeps. And as always...

Happy stitching ya'll

Melisa

Hey, ya'll! Before I forget, I would love to see your stitch, please tag me on Instagram and use #pinkernpunkinquilting. You can always Direct Message me on IG or email me as well. 

Today is a good day for a good day! Let's make it happen. 

Hugs and Stitches

Weeding Anyone?

The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing and the sun is shining- what a glorious day. Happy Monday, ya'll. 

So how was your weekend? I hope it was good. We had a large Easter supper Saturday with ham , casseroles, pastas and lots of yummy desserts. My girls and grandkids were out of town, but they returned Sunday for Easter dinner which was leftovers. The grandkids also participated in a  big Easter egg hunt. It is always fun because we do make it a challenge for them- yep that means climbing trees, diving into bushes, and there has been a calf known to hold an egg in its halter. Lol.  The kids love it. It was so much fun and perfect weather for the kids to play outside. 

I had planned on doing a lot of gardening today- I mean some down and dirty gardening. Pulling weeds , tugging on bags of mulch and transplanting plants, but that will have to wait till tomorrow.

                

This garden does need some attention though. 

I found out that the grandson has a ball game tonight, and I do not want to get too grubby. So that means it is a perfect day to sit outside enjoy the warmth and the sounds of critters running about. Of course, I have a stitching project too.  

I have been doing some prep work on 4 new blocks for my strawberry quilt- 2 blocks are nesting bowls and the other 2 are cupcakes. They applique pieces are pinned in place and ready to go. I will be working on these little blocks this week. 

                

My blocks are slowly growing . 

I am still debating on how this going to go together. 

                   

I worked on my Days of Our Lives project this morning. What is a Days of Our Lives project you ask? It is just a project I dedicate to work on when I watch my soap opera.  My Days projects have always been Little House Needleworks. This time I am working on the Old Red Barn. I am using my own colors. I hope to work on the farmers this week. 

Tonight at 10:00 pm. you will find my sitting on the couch working on my Hart to Hart project. Lol.- that's the  project I work on as I watch Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers solve mysteries.

                     

 My H to H project is Abby Rose Designs, "A Joyful Heart". This was a gifted  chart by a sweet friend. Here is my progress the last time you saw it.  I might be working on the house tonight. 

Well that is what is going on in my neck of the woods today. Oh, please stop by tomorrow. We can do some chatting, stitching, and weeding. 😅😜 Lol did you notice how I slipped weeding in?  I got a little of my Nanny in me.  Have a beautiful day, sweet friends. Thank you so much for visiting. You make my day. As always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

I am joining these lovely ladies' link parties. I hope you check them out; they always have so many wonderful projects going on and provide the opportunity for other needle workers to meet.  

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework for Oh Scrap

Beth at Love Laugh Quilt  for Monday Making

Judy at Small Quilts Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Lynette at What a Hoot! for BOMs Away Monday

Tish at The Madd Hatter for UFO Busting #140

May all your weeds be wildflowers!

Hugs and stitches

The Quilting Blues

Happy, happy Saturday and a great big hello, ya'll!  How are you doing today?  Just a little bit of quilting has gone  on this week- not a lot.

  Worked on my Spring Chicks quilt.  It is in the hoop with one block quilted , but no, not finished.  Ohh! Maybe this  upcoming week. 

                                 

Yesterday evening, I realized that I needed to check  Angela's blog of So Scrappy to see what color is the month of April going to be for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Woo Hoo ! It is blue! 

                            " There are so many shades of  blues; 

                              Different tones and different hues....

                                What sort of blue are you?" 

I rushed to the Quilt Nest and pulled out a handful of scraps. 

Can I interest you in a pot of 1 1/2" squares? There are some blues in there. 

                   

How about a plate of chicken? 

                    

With my handful of scraps , I chose 2 blues and appliqued my little hen. 

Last month, I appliqued my green hen. I do need to go back and do catch up with a pink and yellow chicken. 

This was a short visit; wasn't it? But I am so happy you stopped by for a spell. I hope your weekend is filled with many blessings, and you are able to spend it with family and friends. Have a wonderful day and a very Happy Easter. And as always...

Happy quilting, ya'll

Melisa

I am joining these lovely ladies' link parties. I hope you check them out; they always have so many wonderful projects going on and provide the opportunity for other needle workers to meet. 

Alycia of  Alycia's Quilts  For Finished or Not Friday

Angela of So Scrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict  for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop

Michelle  at From Bolt to Beauty for Beauty Pageant 123

Wendy at Wendy's Quilts and More  for Peacock Party                                                                    

Today is the perfect day to be happy!!!

              Hugs and Stitches,

 

Thrifty Thursday and Easter Tiered Trays

 Happy April 1st and Happy Thursday, ya'll. Brr it is chilly outside. A cold front moved in last night,  and it is windy.  I moved all of my seedlings and ferns inside the house so the foyer is packed with pots and plants right now. Hopefully, by Saturday they will be back outside for some warm sunshine, and I will be able to play in the dirt again. 

 I thought I would share some thrifty finds today.  My favorite place to shop is thrift shops. You never know what treasures you will find. I had the opportunity to go to the Goodwill yesterday. I am fortunate in that we have one of the best Goodwill's in our area and is reasonably cheap compared to others that I have been too - though it has been cheaper in the past.  

                   

I scored. Woo Hoo!  

As I was looking through the knick knacks I saw this sampler leaning against the wall. I whirled around some shoppers and rushed my clickety little buggy over and snatched it up. Boy, was that a rush. 

            

 It is in a 16 x 20 frame and was professionally framed in Las Vegas.  I love it!!!

 I then continued on and found a Wedgwood saucer , a 1992 Crayola tin ( love advertising tins),  a 1992 calendar towel ( another collection I have ) and a shadow box. 

         

I also spotted this Americana cross stitched house.  I thought about maybe removing it from the frame and making a pillow, but I will decide later. 

           

When I went to the linens section, I about broke out into a happy dance when I saw this little snowman quilt, but I promise you I contained myself. 

What a "fantabulous thrifty day!!!  Lol I am still on a high!

I also thought I would share my Easter tiered trays before they are changed out. I have several throughout the house but will share 3 of them.  First stop - the kitchen. 

          

My kitchen two tiered tray is by my corner sink, and it is filled with flowers, chickens, and eggs.  

The top tier has a yellow chicken creamer,  a rooster and Walmart Easter eggs. 

The bottom tier sports, roosters in cups, Pioneer Woman salt and pepper shakers and more eggs. I filled in the spaces with Dollar Tree flowers and berry picks. 

 A little crocheted pot holder has a Dollar General red rooster on it. 

      

 My dining table is filled with a mod podge of left over Easter stuff that was gifted to me or thrifted.  

I pulled out my yellow and white tablecloth and placed a lace curtain as table runner. Yellow plaid placemats are each seating. On top of the runner, is my metal tray with a tiered tray that my daughter gifted me.

          

  Little bunny and Easter egg blocks are scattered on the tiers with lots of little eggs and flowers. 

                  

 Val's Little Stuff "Spring's a Buzzin'" is the little cross stitch- all finished into a little pillow. This chart was a sweet gift from a dear friend. . Did I tell you we are in the living room now?

          

 The sofa table sports a two tiered plate stand. 

        

I placed 2 large spring plates on the stand and then crammed them full with my white milk glass and a collection of pitchers. Those items stay there year round. I just change out the plates and what is in the milk glass containers. 

 The vintage pottery thermometer is a thrifty finds from years ago.  Little chicks , birds , and bunnies rest in the nooks and crannies.  

                  

The little stitched piece next to the plate stand is a Lizzie Kate piece that I stitched about 2 1/2 years ago. 

     

 The wool applique rug mug is a freebie design from Shabby Fabrics ; click on the link to go to all kinds of quilty freebies there. . I finished that in 2019  using pieces of wool clothing that I have collected over the years. 

Thank you so much for visiting me today. Just a few more days and the little bunny decor will be hopping back into their totes until next year.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend and a very Happy Easter. And as always...

Happy thrifting and decorating, 

Melisa

If it involves junking, I am all in!!!

                                           Hugs and Stitches