Saturday, November 19, 2011

Photos of the day!

Whew!  I'm tired!!  I'll definitely sleep well tonight.  We all worked very, very hard today.  Today, we backfilled behind the new retaining walls.  Last year, when we had the septic replaced, they left us a large pile of dirt- mostly clay from where they excavated for the new tank.  The septic guy offered to spread it around for us, but we knew we had plans for that pile of dirt.  And today was the day!!
I14 and I took turns with the mattock, hacking away at the clay to loosen it up.
 Love the action shots!
 He and I worked on filling the dump wagon attached to the lawn tractor.
 V helped fill and empty the wagon at either end.
 And J17 and K11 filled and smoothed behind the walls.
 All in all, it went pretty quickly.  We filled behind both walls in about three and a half hours total.  And we've still got half a pile of dirt left!  Probably a good thing since I'm sure that the fill will settle when it rains.  And we've also got some filling to do again as the septic continues to settle.  You'd think that after more than a year that it would be finished settling but we still need to add some more dirt over the top- again!
But, lest you think the day was all work and no play.  No such thing! This morning, I went to the fabric store while V was at Kum Do since I needed some batting.  Of course, I lucked out that their fabric remnants were all half price.  Hmm, so I picked up a few for coordinates for my new project.  I've been going through the stash.  The scrap stash.  And it's got some treasures!!
A number of years ago, one of my aunts passed away (Aunt E).  She was a quilter and crafter and since I was the only quilter in the family, I was gifted with her fabric and scrap stash.  In it were some wonderful vintage fabrics that I have never used:
 They will be great for my new project:
I had so much fun making that last little pot holder, I decided to whip up a few for holiday gifts this year.  I must be out of practice (I haven't done any quilting for probably at least 4 years!!).  I noticed that one of my points is a little off. Grr...  But not enough that I'm going to rip it out.

9 comments:

  1. Wow, talk about working hard as a ditch digger! You all exercised some muscles today and you should sleep well tonight. (Hope there are no aches and/or pains tomorrow!)

    That old fabric you have is a treasure. What fun to have that to work with. Be sure to show us all you end up doing with it, okay?

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  2. hey! i was excited to see a post with 'photos' in the title... i am still so behind on reading all your updates! but it's good to 'visit', even if i do feel like a lazy blog friend. i am in civilization again for the winter, but still close by. i'm in memphis, mo just ten miles or so from my little home. if you're ever stopping through, let me know and i'll give you a tour!

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  3. I think the quilt square came out really nice! I love the fabric stash!
    Quilting is something I would like to tackle some day-I made one out of applique but it took me 3 years to finish the quilting part! A bit of a turn off:)

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  4. Great action shots. It's amazing how hard work is the best sleeping "pill" around. Good use of that dirt!

    I've been thinking about returning my hand to quilting too, though it's been longer than 4 years! Vintage fabrics are a wonderful thing to inherit.

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  5. Mama Pea- feeling a little stiff this morning but not too bad. I think the key will be to stay active today so I don't get sore.
    The fabric is a treasure. I just wish the pieces were bigger. The largest I've got is maybe half a yard.
    hennalion/Joan- Long time no hear from you!! I feel bad that we didn't get down to visit you this spring like I had hoped. Things got a bit crazy around here with chickens and V's book writing. I do still want to come visit sometime!!!
    Linda- I love, love, love the design and construction stage but I'm not so much a fan of the quilting part. But, that is why there are people who have long-arm quilters who will do it for you :)
    The only problem with the farmer's market is that here it is so hard to get a space. The market is huge but there is a waiting list for spaces and the market board will only allow a certain number of each 'type' of vendor to have a space. And it costs quite a bit for a space. I know for the winter market alone it was $150/space for 2 weekends a month for the 6 months of the market. so 150 for 12 market days. I don't think I'd ever see a profit.
    Leigh- we all slept really well! Who needs drugs! Quilting was always my 'winter' activity but the past few years have been so crazy and I haven't had room. I'm excited to see what I can do this winter since I've now got a sewing room and construction has slowed down.
    Judy

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  6. LOL! Part of my comment to Linda was actually a response to her from my last post. Wow. I obviously had not had my coffee yet!!
    J

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  7. Don't feel so bad because I didn't even notice! And I did have my coffee! LOL!

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  8. Lookin pretty good there!! Big job moving dirt. Back breaking work. I bet you have trouble getting up in the morning! ( I hope not but...) I love to make pinwheels! Yours looks pretty perfect to me!! Like your fabic. I love to look at fabric, so many Beautiful ones out there...debbie

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  9. I am so happy you are getting some time in with sewing and quilting! Looks like you need a warm blankie and a back rub from your dear hubby pronto after seeing those photos!

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Glad you stopped in. I would love to hear from you.