i've been busy and still no pictues!

march 31, 2012
although i'm retired, i seem to be as busy as when my 3 sons were growing up! life is so interesting! this week i've made 3 dolly quilts. they are cute and fun to make. i promise i will get my act together and post pictures of everything i've been talking about. my brother received his quilt and was quite surprised and happy. my sister and brother and i have always been close. growing up, they were my king and queen and i was their little princess. things weren't always rosy at our house but we always stuck togethr and had each other. i think that's why we have many good childhood memories! in my family, one thing EVERY woman did was some kind of craft. i loved going to my grandmother's house. she was a widow who had this small house that was really one huge craft house. she braided rugs, sewed quilts and clothes, knitted and crochet. she was a first grade teacher and also volunteered for many things. she was one of the original founders of camp waban which is a camp for the disabled. i can remember her stopping by my house and picking me up and taking me there to work with her for a few days at a time. i was never asked if i wanted to go, nor told that i was going ahead of time, but i don't remember ever minding. i had fun there and it made me appreciate how lucky i was to be healthy mentally and physically. chip and i had our sons volunteer for things (we let them choose what!) and they always seemed to get more out of it than the person or people they were helping. it is a good way to raise your children. well, off my soapbox! i am making a nice loaf of bread. i haven't bought bread since my oldest son gave me a bread machine for xmas. i figured out the cost and it is about 70 cents per large loaf. i make the country white most of the time because thats the easiest. we usually don't eat it all so i either make bread pudding with it or throw it out for the birds. i feel i'm still saving money as the good bread in the stores is between $3 and $4.  is anyone interested in the recipe? this week i'm working on organizing my sewing room......this is a new house and is only half finished. i'm also going to be making some more things to put in my etsy shop. (another thing on my to do list is to open up an etsy shop!) i'll talk to you all in a few days. enjoy your lives! nancyb

k's b-day, homemade bread and of course quilts

march 25 2012
hi everyone! i'm just getting ready to go to my granddaughter's b-day party. i've made her my famous "great day granola", a new slouch bag to put her dance shoes in, bought her a chatelaine (scissors holder) since she loves mine so much and we're giving her some money toward the new lacrosse equipment she wants. she's 11 tomorrow. amazing how fast the time goes by. she's a marvelous girl. she's so sweet and thoughtful and utterly caring. we're lucky to have her. yesterday i finished my brother's quilt. i realized a few years ago i'd never made him one! he lives in california so i've always thought it was too hot to bother. well, they do get some cold or rather chilly weather. besides that, i want him to have an heirloom from his baby sister that he can pass down to his children. i'm quite happy with it. tomorrow or the day after i'll take pictures and figure out how to download them and show you them! it is rainy here today with the weather in the low 40s. typical march weather for this area. they are predicting snow showers in my neck of the woods tomorrow. again, typical weather for new hampshire! my bread just beeped and is ready so i'll sign off for now. have a great and interesting day. nancyb

i'm new to blogging!

hi there! i'm new to blogging but figure i'll learn things along the way. i'm a quilter and crafter. my favorite things to quilt are I Spy quilts. i've made at least twenty of them. i plan on opening an etsy shop and am thinking about also doing a podcast about my quilting, crafting and life in general. i live on 50 acres in northern new hampshire in the great white mountains. the other day there were 14 deer in my backyard! my husband and i own a maine coon cat named nora jean who loves here new home but wants to go out! we've been living in our little retirement home since december. we are empty nesters with 2 grandkids. well, thats all for now. i'm going to try to open a website for myself and get on the etsy site and see what i need to do there. i think my biggest problem will be getting the pictures right. i'll try to check in once a day and blog several times a week. bye for now, nancyb