Summer Days Block 12- A Bowl of Tomatoes

Good morning, sweet friends. It is a beautiful Spring day. In fact, it is supposed to get up to 87 degrees today.

 The other day Mr. Pinker went to flip the switch to air on our central air and heat. All of a sudden we heard a RUMBLE and BUMBLE and then a CLICK and CLACK! 

"What  is all that racket?" I asked  .

 "Oh, no," Mr. Pinker  said with a sigh. "I think the Central air is going out."

 Mr. Pinker then made a bee line outside.  Meanwhile, I listened intently at  all of the ruckus hoping it was something else going on outside like 2 raccoons in a brawl  with a coyote or something like that . And all of  the while , I was ignoring the fact that no cool air was coming from the vent.  

A few minutes later , Mr. Pinker came back in with an exasperated look on his face. 

"What was it ? I asked excitedly . "Was it 2  crazed raccoons beating up a coyote????!!!!" 

 Mr. Pinker looked at me like I was plumb nuts. "What? What are you talking about ?" he asked." Nope it was nothing like that. It was our central air  unit going out. " 

Then Mr. Pinker pulled out his old trusty phone and made a call to  the good ole' Mr. Heating and Air  Man  and - no answer.🦗🦗 So he left a message. And........ we are still sitting here .😳😳🦗 LOL 

Two days later ,  I asked , " Where is Mr. Air Man?"  

" I have called him 3 times and have left messages, "said Mr. Pinker. "OK, I will call someone else. "    So  Mr. Pinker  called 3 other companies, talked to the secretaries  and guess what ? 🦗  Well no one has showed up.  Fingers crossed we will get a response soon . Lol. 

So today  I will be spending the majority of the day on the porch  for some good ole' porch stitching. Hopefully there will be a breeze.🌬 

            

And I just know I will be entertained by new birdies that have hatched out. 

On a good note-today is embroidery Thursday, and I have finished up the last of the Summer Days blocks. 

The last block is  a Bowl of Tomatoes. Summer is just not summer without fresh vine ripened tomatoes. I was telling Mr. Pinker just last night that I would love to have a nice BLT sandwich with fresh maters. Doesn't that sound yummy?

Click here for the doodle.

 I  believe I have decided how I am going to set my blocks. I am going to gather my fabrics today. As of right now, I am thinking reds and blues. I should have something completed by next Thursday. 

Last night I worked on a few teeny four patches. I will make a few more today. 

Well, that is what is going on in the quilt nest today. What fun projects are you working on? 

Thank you for stopping by for a visit and as always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

 If you have missed any of the previous blocks, check out the links below to go back to the previous posts for the jpgs. 

Previous blocks include:  Little Blue Birdie  ,Time to Plant  ,   A Bowl of Berries ,  A Basket of Blooms , Buzz Buzz  ,  Red , White, and Ewe , Summertime Treat  , Lemonade  , Sunflower Basket ,A Jar of Coneflowers  and Home Tweet Home . 

There ain't nothing better in life than true love and homegrown tomatoes.

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗❤🧵

Dedicated to my sweet sister, Amy. I miss you more and more each day that passes. 

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 needleworkers to meet. 

Pat at  Life in  the Scrapatch for Stitch , Sew and Show- Wednesday

Jennifer at Inquiring Quilter for Wednesday  Wait Loss- Wednesday

Denise at For the Love of Geese for Put Your Foot Down- Thursday

Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday- Thursday

Tuesday Truckin ' Along in the Freedom Truck - A Patriotic Stitch

  What!!! Two post in one day! Well , why not?! Lol

Happy Truckin' Tuesday!  Why Truckin' Tuesday ? Well, I am in a stitch along with my friend, Joan. We stitch anything truck related on Tuesdays. If you want to join us, just jump on the tailgate with your needle , floss and your favorite truck pattern and go to town!!!!.  

Speaking of trucks.  If you are on Instagram have you seen the Tonka Tuesday posts ?There are several creative ladies who love all things, vintage , rusty , crusty and old and they create the cutest displays with Tonka trucks or vehicles on Tuesday. I do not have that many Tonka trucks so I haven't been able to play along with that hashtag yet. Lol. 

Any whoo. Today I wanted to share with you my newest stitch. It is part of my Truckin' Along series. 

            

To be honest  I have only created  and  stitched one other truck which was the Luck Truck , but I am going to stitch more so I am calling it a series. 

Freedom Truck is being driven by Martha, the Eagle . In the back of the truck is George with Ole' Glory and some fireworks.   They are ready to celebrate. 

 Can you believe it ? The United States is going to be  celebrating 246 years this year.  I am so thankful for our founding fathers and all of those who have protected our rights and liberties since then. 

If you are interested in stitching Freedom Truck , please check out the links to the jpg's below. 

Many of you know , but I always like to leave this little disclaimer.  

I stitch my little designs for fun and to decorate my home. I feel very blessed by this community and love sharing my little charts, but I am not a professional designer. And I do not have professional software. Thank you for understanding that I  have to put each page on separate links because of the devices I use. I apologize for that.  These are images of the chart and not downloads.  And I am always grateful for your kind encouragement , your visits, and stitching my little designs.

Click here for the instructions. 

  ( NOTE: I added a side note to the instruction page  . I used DMC 310 to back stitch the fuse on the firecrackers) 

Click here for the colored chart. 

Click here for the black and white chart.   ( Sorry this jpg is catty corner)

Today is a beautiful day so I believe I will enjoy some time on the porch with my needle and thread.  I am off to work on a new truck.  Thank you for stopping by for a visit. As always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

Enjoy the journey! 

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗❤🧵

                  

Dedicated to my sweet baby sister. I miss seeing you Truckin Along on the farm, Amo. Love you. 

It's a Beeautiful Day!

Well, hello there my sweet friends!

 I just wanted to pop in to share with you my most recent finish. It is a freebie , from my dear friend, Vicki at Stitchy McFloss blogspot. This is called Be Blessed and is available in her May 3, 2022 post.

 Eeeeeh ! I mean BUZZZZZ!🐝🐝🐝 I am so excited!!!

 Are these not the cutest little bees? I mean look at those eyes!  

This is a super quick stitch . Just buzz on over to download this sweet gift and you can have it stitched up as quick as a wink. In fact. I stitched 1 bee in 30  minutes as I was a yammering away. Lol. I bet I could have stitched it even faster if I was not busy talking. 

Mr. Pinker cut out a little round hornbook out of a very rough scrap of plywood ( that's all that we had). I painted it black. 

           

  I placed my little stitch on mat board which was covered with batting and then ripped a few strips of fabric , made a ruffle and Wah Lah! I had a finish!!!  I can not wait to add it to my summer decor.  Right now I have it paired with the darling bee skep , that dear Pat sent me last year. Her sweet sister made  it .So sweet of them both.  Pat also sent me the precious crocheted doily that was her mother's - what a treasure . It stays out year round in my living room.   Aren't stitchy friends just beeeaautiful?  I sure think so. 

Now if you missed Miss Stitchy McFloss's other freebie  called Love that she posted on Feb. 9, 2022 , hop on over to get this delicate design as well. 

Thank you so much, my friends, for buzzing on by for a visit. Hope your day is as sweet as honey. And as always...

Happy stitching, ya'll

Melisa 

A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey inside. - Winnie the Pooh 

Hugs and Stitches!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who had such a kind and generous heart too. . Love and miss you. 

Happy May Day

Good morning, sweet friends and Happy May Day to you!!!! 

As a young child, I remember making posies in school for May Day,  and I  have heard of dancing around the May pole though we never did that.   Being  a Curious George that I am, I decided to look up more about May Day.

 May Day's roots date back to ancient time in celebration of the changing of the seasons and the beginning of Summer.  Over the years, it has also became a day also  to celebrate worker's rights. If you are interested in learning more about May Day and some of the traditions  the Old Farmer's Almanac has a great article on it. . 

I am Bringing in May with a look at some of the blooms in my yard. 

                              

Pear Tree Blooms

Coreopsis in bloom. 

                  
The  cherry tree looks gorgeous in her pink  blossoms. 

One of my  most recent finishes is With Thy Needle and Thread's May Day Basket . A freebie from Brenda Gervais found in her April 26, 2009 blogpost.  I stitched mine in jeweled tone colors in honor of my Nanny whose birthday is May 2nd. Oh, how I miss my Nanny.  The best words to describe my Nanny - She was  rootin, tootin fun and very loving !!!!  

In celebration of May Day and in honor of my Nanny, I am working on a new start called A May Day Sampler which is a freebie by With Thy Needle and Thread in her May 1, 2010 post. 

For my Slow Stitching Sunday work- it is time to bind my Berry Basket quilt. 

 I will also put in a few more stitches in Blackbird Designs, Spring Blessings.

So tell me - how are you Bringing in May? Thank you for the sweet visit, my friends.   May your May Day be a great day.  As always...

Happy stitching and quilting, ya'll

Melisa 

May your days be bright and joyful. May good fortune shine upon you always.  May you keep smiling. 

 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.  

      Kathy at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday

Kate at Life in Pieces for  Stitching Stuff ( Sunday) 

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework for Oh Scrap - Sunday 

Beth at Love Laugh Quilt  for Monday Making

Judy at Small Quilts Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Linda at Texas Quilt Gal for To Do List Tuesday - Tuesday

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. Love and miss, ya. 

Nine Patch Saturday

Good morning, ya'll. Last week , Kathy of Kathy's Quilts , shared her start on Primitive Gatherings "Oh Say Can You Sew" Mystery Quilt. Seeing how much fun she was having , I had to join in. If you have not seen this, Kathy provides a link to Clue 1 , but you better hurry because  today is the last day.  Each month of the mystery a clue will be given the 1st Monday of the month so Clue 2 will be given Monday May 2nd .  You can also watch Lisa Bongean's Youtube channel , Stitch with Lisa Bongean in which she explains all about it and where you will also find a link to Clue #1. 

Yesterday , I began  piecing strips for my nine patches. 

 Soon I had 31 cute teeny nine patches. 

Clue 2 will be using reds and whites. Eeeh! 

April came and went and I only got in a few pink blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

 Last night , I did get this block pieced.  It measures 16 1/2" unfinished. 

 

Boy, do these need to be pressed . 

Two wee four patches to add to a future quilt. 

I recently had a request to see this little cross stitch.  In a previous post, you may have seen a tad of it. I stitched this piece called Amy Lou the Bunny Keeper last year . 

At the time I was celebrating , my sister's love for animals. Little did I know that we would only have her for a few months longer.  

Many of ya'll know that a lot of my stitches are about my family, but this was the first one that I have done of a living family member at the time. I have vowed that I will never stitch a piece about a living person again. I guess that is the superstitious nature in me.  I will probably share this one in the future, but I will have to wait until my heart finds a bit more peace and my sweet sister whispers in my ear to do so. 

Well, that's my quilting adventure for the day. Have a beautiful day.  Now go create something AMAZING!  Thank you for the sweet visit and as always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

The universe is still a place of mystery and wonder.  

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗❤🧵

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 needleworkers to meet. 

Alycia's of  Alycia's Quilts for Finished of Not Friday

Michelle  at From Bolt to Beauty for Beauty Pageant  - Friday

Wendy at Wendy's Quilts for Peacock Party - Friday 

Frederique at  Applique Patchwork Quilting   for Patchwork & Quilts     - Saturday

Angela of  So Scrappy  for Scrap Happy Saturday

Pat at  Life in  the Scrapatch for Stitch , Sew and Show- Wednesday

Jennifer at Inquiring Quilter for Wednesday  Wait Loss- Wednesday

Denise at For the Love of Geese for Put Your Foot Down- Thursday

Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday- Thursday

Dedicated to my baby sister, Amy. Love and miss you. 

Strawberry Saltbox - A Spring Freebie

A very berry good morning to you , Cupcakes!  I am feeling Fridaylicous! How about you?  

I could not say goodbye to April without sharing a saltbox stitch with you.  

 If ya'll saw my Strawberry Hutch Tour earlier this week , ya'll  know that strawberry season is upon us here in the South.  

Lots of reds and anything berry related. 

So I just had to stitch myself a Berry House.  Eeeh I hope you like it!!

 You know me and reds. This one makes my heart go thumpity thump. 

 I debated and debated on whether or not to frame this one or to make it into a pillow like the others. Well the simple pillow finish won out. 

      

If you are interested in Strawberry Saltbox , please check out the links below where you will find the jpgs. 

Many of you know , but I always like to leave this little disclaimer.  

I stitch my little designs for fun and to decorate my home. I feel very blessed by this community and love sharing my little charts, but I am not a professional designer. And I do not have professional software. Thank you for understanding that I  have to put each page on separate links because of the devices I use. I apologize for that.  These are images of the chart  or JPG s and not downloads.   I am always grateful for your kind encouragement , your visits, and for stitching my little designs. 

Click here for the instruction jpg. 

Click here for the Colored chart in jpg form. 

Click here for the Black / White chart in jpg form. 

If you would like to include your initials  like I did . I have included an alphabet from a previous chart or you can create your own.  You can see that I used a different "V" than what was charted. 

Click here for the alphabet/ numbers chart. 

With fresh strawberries ripening on  the farm, you would think that I would prepare something yummy , but I haven't had the opportunity yet. But I did find a recipe  in our monthly CO OP magazine that sounds rather interesting, and I thought I would share it with you. 

NO BAKE STRAWBERRY TORTE 

PREP TIME: 20 minutes   CHILL TIME: 8 hours

INGREDIENTS: 

11 ounce ( 1 box ) of vanilla wafers

2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips, divided

1/2 cup of strong coffee

1/2 cup of cream , divided

2 cups of whipped cream

2 cups of strawberries thinly sliced

1/2 cup whole strawberries for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a 8 x 5 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving extra on the sides to fold over the top. 

2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine 1 cup of chocolate chips, coffee, and 1/4 cup of the cream. Microwave on high until the chocolate is completely melted . Stir until smooth. 

3. Cover the bottom of the pan with a single layer of vanilla wafers. Lightly drizzle some of the chocolate over the wafers. place sliced strawberries in a single layer over the chocolate. Repeat layers as many times as needed to fill the pan. Fold the plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. 

4. Turn torte out onto a cake plate and spread whipped cream over the entire torte. 

5.Melt the remaining chocolate chips and mix with the remaining 1/4 cup of cream until smooth. Drizzle chocolate over the torte. 

6. Garnish with whole strawberries . Serve immediately. 

Doesn't that sound yummy?

Well, I am off to see what the day allows. I hope your Friday is  like a Bowl of Strawberries- filled with sweetness!!!! As always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

Stand out like a strawberry in a bowl of peas !  

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗❤🧵

If you have missed any of the other saltboxes, just click on the names below and you will be whisked back to a previous posts for your reading pleasure, and you will also find links to the charts there as well. 

      

 Candy Cane Cottage , Thanksgiving House,  Autumn's Saltbox , Susan's Summer Saltbox ,    Crow Creek Saltbox, Ophelia Manor on Punkin Holler Lane ,  Willowisp Manor of Holler Lane  ,  Turkey Creek Manor ,  Winter Saltbox  , and Dorothy Mae's Spring House   ,  Spring Green Saltbox  ,  Katie Anne's Saltbox , Sarah Jane's 1776 Saltbox , Aunt Bea's Summer Home  ,  Christmas Eve Saltbox  , Edna Viola's Saltbox ,  Winter Manor  ,  Elizabeth Hartline's Saltbox  and The Tulip House .  

Stay sweet!

 Dedicated to my dear baby sister, Amy. The strawberry field looks mighty lonely without my dear sweet sister walking the rows and picking, I love you , Amo .