Pink Ribbon Quilt Block

This 12" Pink Ribbon block is the 25th and final block of my Starwood Sampler Quilt, created to tell the story of my home and community.  I made it as a block of the month with my quilting group, the Persian Pickles.  A friend and I chose the blocks, and we found this pattern free on-line at Quilter's Cache here.  Alternate blocks in my quilt are set straight and on point.  This block is set with the gold fabric as sashing and red fabric as the corner stones.

This block was made in honor of my dear friend Jodi, who has successfully battled breast cancer since June 2007.  She was a wonderful kindergarten teacher to two of my sons and to many other children as well.  I volunteered in her class, and later we taught at the same school.  We are in a Praying Mamas group together as well as a quilt guild and Persian Pickles quilting group.  As you can see, we have many interests in common!

 

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here.

Land of Liberty Quilt Block and a 4th of July Parade

 

This 12" Land of Liberty quilt block is the 23rd block of my Starwood Sampler Quilt, created to tell the story of my home and community. I made it as a block of the month with my quilting group, the Persian Pickles. We found the pattern free online at Quilters Cache here.

 

My oldest son, Sean, interned at our local newspaper after his freshman year of college.  He wrote a wonderful article about our local 4th of July parade.  Enjoy!

 

Tradition of Parade Makes for Memories, Visits to the Dentist

 

"In the summer of 1994, my family and I went to Alberta for two weeks to camp and enjoy the beautiful mountains in Banff National Park in Canada.  The people were friendly, the camping pleasant, and the scenery breathtaking.

 

"By coincidence, however, we were north of the border on July 4.  Canadians, I soon surmised, don't think anything special of the day.  It just didn't seem right.  To see no fireworks, no star-spangled banners, and, specifically, no parade was, well, weird.

 

 

"By parade, of course, I meant the Monument Fourth of July Parade.  No other day, no other event is as unique to this area, or personifies the area, like the parade.  It is a town's tradition built on the day dripping with national heritage.  And, with the rare exception, I go every year. 

 

"What must be said about the parade, I think, is that while it relates to people of every age, it is best when experienced as a kid.  When you're 7, you see things a little differently.

 

"My own, most unforgettable, epic parade experience occurred when I was about that age.  McDonald's had just arrived in all its glory.  (Understand how monumental an occasion this was for a 7-year-old in a town with nothing but a Village Inn, which, with its happy-face pancakes, is a nice enough place for a kid, but just can't match happy meals and Chicken McNuggets with honey.)  And Ronald McDonald, the legend in the flesh, the jolly fast-food icon himself, was the grand marshal of the parade.

 

"When the parade was over, after waving with an ear-to-ear grin for an hour and a half, Mr. McDonald was in need of a ride back to the restaurant.  By some mysterious act of fate, or perhaps because there were hamburglers in hot pursuit, when we piled into our Subaru, he asked us for a ride.  My brothers and I sat in the back and gazed, star-struck and open-mouthed, as the goofy, enormous red shoes stepped into our car.

 

Sean with Ronald McDonald

 

"I don't remember much about the next few minutes.  Petrified into inaction, I simply stared, regarding the back of the yellow suit and bulging red afro in front of me much as I would a deity.  I think my dad might have carried on some sort of conversation with him, asking him questions like, 'Is it uncomfortable in that suit?' but my memory is fuzzy.  We dropped him off - apparently he had a photo shoot and a few autograph sessions to do for the grand opening - and our hero was gone as soon as he had come."

 

- to be continued tomorrow -

 

 

You might enjoy reading my previous blog post here.

March Wind Quilt Block

This 12" March Wind quilt block is the 22nd block of my Starwood Sampler Quilt, created to tell the story of my home and community. I made it as a block of the month with my quilting group, the Persian Pickles.  Because I wanted to make a king-sized quilt, I added some blocks to the ones we all made together.  This is one of the extra ones.  I found the pattern in 200 Patterns: Best of Blocks from Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, published in 1988 by Leman Publications.  My mother passed this publication on to me some time ago.  Doesn't this block look just like wind to you? 

I used mostly fabric from my stash for my blocks.  Alternate blocks in my quilt are set straight and on point. This block is set on point with the dark blue fabric as sashing.

Who Has Seen the Wind?

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
                                          by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

I live where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains.  This means that we have Chinook winds or Chinooks.  Chinook winds are the warm, dry winds that blow down the east side of the Rockies during the winter and early spring, causing the rapid thawing of snow.

I found three fun Chinook wind folk tales at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinook_wind that illustrate the effect of these winds (with some slight exaggeration, of course!):

"A man rode his horse to church, only to find just the steeple sticking out of the snow. So, he tied his horse to the steeple with the other horses, and went down the snow tunnel to attend services. When everybody emerged from the church, they found a Chinook had melted all of the snow, and their horses were now all dangling from the church steeple."

"A man was riding his sleigh to town when a Chinook overcame him. He kept pace with the wind, and while the horses were running belly-deep in snow, the sleigh rails were running in mud up to the buckboard. The cow tied behind was kicking up dust."

"A man and his wife were out during a Chinook. The wife was heavily dressed and the man was wearing summer clothes. When the couple had returned home, the man had frostbite, and the woman had heatstroke."

 

                                                          

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post:
http://www.starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-house-block.html

Colorado Beauty Quilt Block

This 12" Colorado Beauty block is the 21st block of my Starwood Sampler Quilt, created to tell the story of my home and community.  I made it as a block of the month with my quilting group, the Persian Pickles.  A friend and I chose the blocks, and we found this pattern free on-line at Block Central:  http://www.blockcentral.com/qb-coloradobeauty.shtml.  Alternate blocks in my quilt are set straight and on point.  This block is set on point with the blue fabric as sashing.

Each season in Colorado provides its own beauty.  In winter, we have mostly blue skies each day.  When snow comes, we appreciate it because we live in a semi-arid climate and always need moisture.  But to children, snow means something entirely different.  Snow means the potential of a SNOW DAY from school!  

I teach reading in the morning and tutor students at my home in the afternoon.  Among my tutoring students, there are differing theories on how to encourage heavy snows to come.  Three elementary-aged sisters told me that they were going to wear their pajamas inside out; each girl was going to put a spoon under her pillow.  They were going to throw ice cubes into the toilet and finally do a snow dance.  The youngest sister said it was also important to wear your underwear inside out, but her two older siblings hotly denied that. 

Next came a middle-schooler with a completely different theory.  She said all of the other girls' ideas would only discourage the snow from coming.  She took the completely opposite tack.  Her advice was to say in a loud voice, "I can't wait to go to school tomorrow.  I can't wait to get up early to catch the bus and then work hard all day at school.  I don't want to sleep in.  I don't want to stay home, doing whatever I please."  Act like you could care less about having a Snow Day was her advice.  

Apparently, it is unnecessary to wear your underwear inside out to bring on a Snow Day.  At 4:20 this morning, I received a phone call announcing that school was closed for the day due to snow.  

         Snow Day        

        Snow day,

        Ten-below day,

        Bundle-up-and-go day.

        Pile three deep

        On the old wooden sled,

        Snow-crusted jackets,

        Cheeks frozen red.

        Scrunch, crunch, scrunch,

        Boots punch holes in snow.

        From three small balls,

        Watch a snowman grow.

        Cocoa sipping,

        Cookie dipping,

        One free night

        Of homework skipping.

        A friend’s toboggan

        Is ours to borrow –

        Please let there be

        No school tomorrow!

                      Carol H. Stewart

You might also enjoy reading my previous post:

http://www.starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2013/02/january-redwork-birdie-stitches.html           

Lady of the Lake Quilt Block

This 12" Lady of the Lake block is the 20th block of my Starwood Sampler Quilt, created to tell the story of my home and community.  I made it as a block of the month with my quilting group, the Persian Pickles.  A friend and I chose the blocks, and we found this pattern free on-line at:  http://www.mccallsquilting.com/patterns/details.html?idx=8078.  Alternate blocks in my quilt are set straight and on point.  This block is set straight.

Our community has three lakes.  In years past, this has meant a productive ice harvesting business, boating for tourists, and a water source for the trains so they could refill their water tanks and continue uphill.  Now, our lakes are sources of recreation as well as habitat for wildlife.

Winter Morning

On cold winter mornings

When my breath makes me think

I'm a kettle,

Dad and me wrap up warm

In scarves and balaclavas,

Then we fill a paper bag

With bread and go feed the ducks

In our local park.

The lake is usually quite frozen

So the ducks can't swim,

They skim across the ice instead,

Chasing the bits of bread

That we throw,

But when they try to peck the crumbs

The pieces slip anbd slide away,

Poor ducks!

They sometimes chase that bread

For ages and ages,

It makes me hungry just watching them,

So when Dad isn't looking

I pop some bread in my mouth and have a quick chew.

The ducks don't seem to mind,

At least they've never said anything

To me if they do.

                    Frank Flynn

 

 

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post:

http://www.starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2013/02/eating-jumbles-and-wearing-apron-with.html   

Maple Leaf Quilt Block and Pumpkin Day

This 12" Maple Leaf block is the 19th block of my Starwood Sampler Quilt, created to tell the story of my home and community.  I made it as a block of the month with my quilting group, the Persian Pickles.  A friend and I chose the blocks, and we found this pattern free on-line at: http://www.quilterscache.com/M/MapleLeafBlock.html.  Alternate blocks in my quilt are set straight and on point.  This block is set on point. 

In my yard, the Rocky Mountain Maple, aspen, scrub oak, and chokecherry trees change colors in the fall in contrast to the steady, dark green color of the pines and firs.     

Fall means Pumpkin Day.  My dad has a large garden in my parents' yard and, until recently, even an extra garden of pumpkins and corn in his neighbor's yard.  Each year, all the family gathers at my parents' home for Pumpkin Day.

My mom prepares a meal for all of us.

Pumpkin Day Dip

2 cups powdered sugar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

15 ounce can pumpkin

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1.  Beat the powdered sugar and cream cheese until well blended.  Blend in remaining ingredients.  Store in an airtight container.

2.  Serve with gingersnaps, vanilla wafers, and/or apple slices.  
       

Everyone chooses a pumpkin to take home.  Relatives from Sweden also came for Pumpkin Day one year.

          

  

Even Chloe chooses a pumpkin!

Pumpkin Picking

Let’s go picking in the pumpkin patch.

Now we’re jiggling the old gate latch.

Gate swings wide and we step inside.

Pumpkins spread like an ocean tide.

You take the one like a fat balloon.

I’ll take the one like an orange moon.

Hike to the house in fifty paces.

Then we’ll carve out the pumpkin faces.

            Sandra Olson Liatsos
 

 

 

You might also enjoy reading my previous post:

http://www.starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2013/01/hummingbird-quilt-block.html

Hummingbird Quilt Block

 

This 12" Hummingbird block is the 18th block of my Starwood Sampler Quilt, made to tell the story of my home and community.  I made it as a block of the month with my quilting group, the Persian Pickles.  We found the pattern for this block at:  http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltpatternsprojects/ig/Free-Quilt-Block-Patterns/Rosebud-Quilt-Block-Pattern.htm.  This block has several names - Rosebud, Maple Leaf, Bright Star, and Crow's Foot as well as Hummingbird.

In this quilt, half of my blocks are set straight, and half are set on point.  This block is set on point, using the blue fabric for the sashing.  

I continue with the amusing story my son Sean wrote about living so close to nature:
   

Close Encounters of the Wild Kind continued

My mom heard the commotion and sprang into action, lifting about ten encyclopedias (you have heard how adrenaline works in times like this) and placed them on top of the lid, assuring me that even if the animal was a small mountain lion it would not escape.  For what seemed like hours, although it was probably only a minute, we stood at the bathroom door in horrified, agonizing silence, holding our collective breath.

When the clamor had ceased (actually quite a bit later.  We avoided all action for so long that we were sure that the corpse would soon begin to smell), and after a lengthy silence, the father figure was brought in to perform the extraction.

Giant prongs in hand, he slowly, and quite bravely, opened the lid.  A mouse, we had thought.  Or a chipmunk, maybe.  “Oh my goodness!  It’s a rat!” he yelled, his face contorted with horror.  Actually, it was an Abert’s squirrel, and it had climbed into an opening in the roof (don’t ask me why we needed an opening in the roof that leads to the toilet) that has since been sealed.  It died an awful death, death by toilet.  It shattered my innocence.  I will never sit down with any security again.

 

You might say that living next to the national forest is a constant clash with nature.  We have had raccoons eat the cat food, a bear snap the deck railing, a pet cat eaten (this is purely circumstantial, and I contend it was by a mountain lion), and a Common Flicker (commonly known as Annoying Wood Pecker) who delighted in searching for worms in the absolute break of day and in the paneling of the house nearest to any heads resting on pillows.

But it isn’t all bad; most of the beauty of nature we enjoy: The wild turkey that struts by tauntingly on Thanksgiving Day, the mother duck and her ducklings that cross the road as stopped cars look on, the beaver and blue heron that make occasional appearances at the pond where the ducks live, the bossy orange hummingbird who, every year, rules the plastic roost of the hummingbird feeder, the chipmunks who scurry around collecting acorns – that is, until the aforementioned feline depleted their population.

 

 

Oh, the wonders of living as one with nature.  How we could get along without our friendly fauna I do not know.  Which may account for my sleepless first night of college last fall.  I listened to the rhythmic guttural snoring of my new roommate (a sound somewhat on par with, say, the pounding of the Common Flicker) and sighed, wide-awake.

It was then that I turned and looked out my window to see a little varmint snuffling through the garbage can.  Later, I was told that it was a possum, that it was ugly, disgusting, and not to be trusted.  But when I saw it that night, ten feet from where I slept, I didn’t care.  I feel into a deep sleep.

       

It felt like home.

Click here to read the first part of this story:

http://www.starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2013/01/bees-and-fields-quilt-block.html

 

Bees and Fields Quilt Block

This 12" Bees and Fields block is the 17th block of my Starwood Sampler Quilt, designed to tell the story of my home and community.  I made it as a block of the month with my quilting group, the Persian Pickles.  This is one of the extra blocks I made for my king-sized quilt.  I found the pattern free on-line at: http://www.quilterscache.com/B/BeesandFieldsBlock.html

Living next to the national forest has given us opportunities for many close encounters with wild animals.  In 2000 after his freshman year in college, our son Sean wrote a wonderfully entertaining story describing these experiences.  Enjoy!

Close Encounters of the Wild Kind

Once when my family and I were returning from a vacation in Estes Park, we came around a bend in the road somewhere in the mountains and were greeted by about thirty cars strewn all over the road and facing every direction.  It was not an accident, we soon realized.  It was more like, well, curiosity slowing.  Something, some animal, was on the side of the road and every tourist with a camera had stopped to see it.  We all excitedly wondered aloud at what it could be.  A bear?  A cougar?  Something strange and rare, for sure.  Something ill-tempered and with big teeth!

Dad rolled around another bend, and the fierce creature with which we were all enraptured came into sight.  It was a deer.  One very small, very plain deer.  We looked at each other, perplexed, had a good laugh and went on our way.

Ah, the jaded life we live.  We weren’t overly excited to see the deer, because we could just as easily see one in our backyard tomorrow.  You see, this is the beauty of living next to the national forest.  You are, quite literally, at one with nature – whether nature has feathers, a bushy tail, a stinger, or a sixteen-point rack

It is a common occurrence to look out the living room window and think you are seeing the neighbor’s golden retriever.  Then the animal raises its head up to its full five feet and Bambi looks at you quizzically.  Other creatures have found the plot of nature directly south and west of our living room to be a comforting habitat. 

What foresight my parents demonstrated in planning for a glass door in our living room, leading out to the back deck.  A young fox (apparently fearless in his adolescence) found it entertaining to sit on the deck outside the door and watch television.  “Wonder Years” was one of his favorites.  He always sat in the same place – right outside the glass door – and he always came when the TV was on.  Whether it was the flashing lights or the witty comedy that attracted him remains a mystery.  Maybe he just wanted to hang out.

 

He came so often that we gave him a name.  Filbert the Fox still joins us to watch our living room TV set.  He even brought friends this spring.  Several other foxes (I suspect they are female and most likely interested in Filbert.  He doesn’t come around as often.) have made their appearance recently, in the daytime, no less.  And while it is daring for a fox to be out during the day, there are some animals that are not bothered by any such distinction.  In the daytime, nighttime, in fact anytime, we have animals between our walls.  Small, stinging animals.  Stand too close to the south wall in my brother’s room and you will hear the constant bustling activity of thousands upon thousands of bees.  The bees have been in the wall for years.  We have tried to rid ourselves of them.  A bee man came once, dressed to kill and armed with a trap to take bees where bees belong.  They soon returned, though, and the only remaining option is to take out the wall connecting both my brothers’ rooms, remove every trace of honey and the bugs that make it, and hope that they find another home.

Though they are now our cohabitants, the bees have not made the most unwanted or unexpected wild appearance in our humble abode.  I don’t remember most of the times I sat on the toilet.  But I remember the one when I heard something scratching in the wall.  I had just sat down when what sounded like fingernails began scratching frantically on the wall behind me.  “Strange,” I thought, “this scratching, hardly a regular occurrence.”

And in one of the more intelligent or perhaps instinctual moments of my life, I stood up and put the lid down.  Not more than a second later, the fingernails and the thing attached to them were in the bowl, thrashing and slamming the porcelain for all it was worth.  I was paralyzed with fear, and perhaps the realization of what the animal would be thrashing if I had not chosen flight.

To be continued . . .

 

Forest Paths Quilt Block

This 12" Forest Paths quilt block is the 16th block of my Starwood Sampler Quilt, made to tell the story of my home and community.  I made it as a block of the month with my quilting group.  We found the pattern free on-line at:

 http://www.quilterscache.com/F/ForestPathsBlock.html.  The pattern first appeared in the Farm Journal magazine.  Half of my blocks are set straight and half are set on point.  This block is set on point.   

My home backs up to the Pike National Forest.  This forest is primarily an evergreen forest of Ponderosa Pines and Douglas firs, along with Gambol (scrub) oak, Rocky Mountain maple, and chokecherry. 

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village, though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

 

My husband happened upon this snow angel in the middle of the forest.  Isn't it wonderful?

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

And miles to go before I sleep.

Hot Cranberry Cider

1 (12 ounce) can frozen apple juice

1 (12 ounce) can frozen cranberry juice

8 juice cans water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon whole allspice

1.  Place frozen apple juice and cranberry juice in a slow cooker.  Add 8 cans of water and brown sugar.  Stir until sugar dissolves. 

2.  Place cloves, cinnamon sticks, and allspice in a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up the corners of cloth and tie with a string to form a bag.  Add spice bag to slow cooker.

3.  Cover and cook on low for 2-5 hours.  Remove spice bag before serving.  Makes 1 gallon.

This drink is perfect after a hike in the woods! 

 

You might also enjoy my previous blog post:

http://www.starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-simple-womans-daybook.html



Rolling Stone Quilt Block

This 12" Rolling Stone quilt block is the 15th block of my Starwood Sampler Quilt, made to tell the story of my home and community.  I made it as a block of the month with my quilting group, The Persian Pickles.  I added some extra blocks to mine to fit a king-sized bed.  This is one of my extra blocks.  I found the pattern for this Rolling Stone block here:  http://www.jinnybeyer.com/quilting-with-jinny/design-board/detail.cfm?blockid=24.  Measurements are included for making a 6", 10", or 12" block.  Alternate blocks in my quilt are set straight and on point.  This block is set on point using the blue fabric.   

We have a huge granite boulder behind our home.  When we built our home, our builder hit rock when he began to excavate our basement.  We ended up having to hire a dynamite crew from another town to blast the boulders beneath the ground so we could have a basement.  We were paying the crew by the hour, so it was rather unnerving to wonder how much it would cost.  We were afraid we might end up with a large, boulder-less hole in the ground with no money left to build our home!  Fortunately, that didn't happen.   



Going to hunt for and cut down a Christmas tree in our backyard

That's a bobcat under our boulder - taken from a distance!


Here's a recipe for some cookies that my mother always makes at Christmas.  I grew up with homemade cookies always in my home.

Russian Rocks

1 cup shortening

1-1/2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cloves

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2-3/4 cup flour

3 cups raisins

4 cups chopped nuts

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cream shortening and sugar until light.  Beat in eggs and water until light and fluffy.

3.  Add baking soda, cloves, and cinnamon and mix well.  Add flour and beat until well mixed.  

4.  Stir in raisins and nuts.

5.  Drop by teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Makes 6 dozen. 

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post:
http://www.starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2013/01/bright-hopes-quilt-block.html