What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Y’all, the weather has been GORGEOUS! We haven’t had to turn on the AC in four days! These breezy, dry and cool days are just amazing. 

I’ve been playing pickleball every day this week and working on a Halloween quilt that I have LESS THAN 10 DAYS to finish. Have I made all the blocks yet? Nope. Am I starting to question my timeline? A little. read more

You already know that I’ve been making more time for fun stuff. That also includes hanging out with my friends!

When the kids were little, so much of my time and energy revolved around them and their homeschool lessons and play dates. And now, little by little, they don’t need me quite as much. The house is quieter. Everyone has their own schedules, their own activities, their own lives happening.

And I’m realizing that this leaves a little more room for my people, too.

I’ve been having lunch with one friend every other week, playing pickleball ...

I feel like I’m getting better at figuring out what I actually want more of in my life… and what I could stand to live without. 

I’m slowly letting go of some of the things that feel heavy and forced and adding more of the things that make me happy.

Sometimes it’s something big. And sometimes it’s as simple as cleaning the house with the music BLASTING when nobody else is home. read more

Last week, my husband and the kids went to New Orleans to attend his grandmother’s funeral, and it’s one of those things that makes you stop and think about just how short this life really is. 

We’re all here for a little while and none of us get to know exactly how long that “little while” will be.

We might as well make the most of it.

The good days. The hard days. The ordinary Tuesday afternoons. The celebrations, the disappointments, the belly laughs, the tears, the mess, and all the stuff in between.

It’s all ...

One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is how important it is to try new things.

I’ll be honest I have never really had a problem in that department. lol. I’ve always been down for trying something new. But I’ve noticed that raising teenagers requires me to push a little more on this idea than I used to when they were younger. Pre-puberty they were ready to try anything! Now, not so much. 

As they get older they aren’t as easy to sign up for new adventures and experiences as they were when they were ...

Yup. I know. I missed last week’s newsletter. It was bound to happen. 

My husband left town for 5 days, life got a little extra busy around here, and by the time I came up for air, the week was over. Sigh. 

I could’ve spent a bunch of time feeling guilty about it, but instead I decided to just pick up where I left off… and feel just a little bit guilty about it. read more

My son turns 17 tomorrow.

SEVENTEEN, y’all. 

I remember when I was 17 like it was a few years ago. HA! But now I feel like I blinked and somehow the little guy who used to show up in my videos is now almost 6’3″ tall. read more

This week, my 16-year-old son drove himself and his younger sister to high school.

Alone.

It’s his senior year and I can hardly believe it. But the even bigger shock is that the “baby” of the house is in high school now, too.

I was not ready for this. 

There’s something strange about watching your kids grow up because you can feel two things at once. I’m excited to see who they’re becoming. But there’s also a part of me that’s grieving.

I miss the little boy who loved to sew with me and ...

Baking your own sourdough bread can be a fulfilling and delicious experience. On and off for over a decade, I have been making sourdough bread. I recently decided to start milling my own flour. This is a new experience for me and I am excited to share the journey and insights I have gained in the process. With the help of some organic hard white wheat berries, a healthy homemade sourdough starter, and a few simple steps, I have been able to produce artisanal, homemade sourdough bread with unique flavors and textures. I have made almost a dozen loaves of ...

Baking with wild yeast has been a tradition for centuries, and it is a great way to make delicious, artisan-style breads. Sourdough starters created with wild yeast are particularly special, as the living organisms in the starter create a unique flavor and texture. Making a sourdough starter with wild yeast requires patience and knowledge, but the results are worth it. In this blog post, we will discuss the process and tips for starting a wild yeast sourdough starter, so you can make your own artisan breads at home. With some practice and attention to ...

Catch up on on Episode #4 of Crafty Gemini’s new LIVE video series called Fiber Fridays! In this LIVE event Vanessa will share projects she is working on, new yarn purchases, share updates on new pattern designs, fiber related resource books and answer audience questions. This new series will air on the 1st Friday of each month.

If you are specifically interested in fiber related crafts including: Knitting, Crochet, Circular Sock Machine Knitting, Spinning, etc. then this is the show for you!

Join the FIRST Crafty Gemini Knit Along!

Join our first Knit Along + Supply Kit: https://craftygemini.com ...

Tough summer weather in Zone 8b- North Central Florida can be a challenge for gardeners, but it’s do-able. Seed starting in Florida this time of year isn’t as hard as you may think but it ca n be tricky. It’s hurricane season here and it’s rained every day for 1.5 months now. A lot of gardeners who are not familiar with growing food in our hot + humid climate struggle to wrap their head around why my garden looks like this right now. Many Northern gardeners are in peak harvest season right now. Florida is different ...

Calendula has to be one of my favorite flowers to grow on our homestead in North Central Florida.

Here are just a few reasons why:

1. Easy to start from seed and transplant.
2. Beautiful flowers that attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
3. Has beneficial medicinal benefits, it’s edible and and can be used as a natural dye!

If you’re new to gardening I think calendula is a great place to start growing something!

Note: I’m talking about Calendula officinalis in this post. While some people call it pot marigold, common marigold or Scotch marigold it is not actually ...

 ...but I couldn't be more excited!

Cracker Barrel is re-decorating and getting rid of their wood cookstoves that they use for display.  I saw it on FB, so it has to be true!  LOL

Remember the Pioneer Princess I wanted???  Well, they aren't as big (or as nice, frankly), but I have scored!

I told Hubs about the FB post and that all the Cracker Barrels were selling off the display units.  While I was on a call this morning, he went to the nearby CB to check it out.  I count on him to check out fireboxes ...

I have some Amish friends in Berlin, Ohio.  When the kids were younger, we used to take a weekend and camp on their farm.  There were 3 farm ponds for them to play in and it was a great getaway for us.  Sometimes my sister and her 3 kids would go with us.  Sometimes my almost brother and his 3 kids would go with us.  Sometimes it was both.  (Alvin even asked us once when it was ALL of us if my almost brother was Mormon to have 3 wives and 9 kids.  LOL)  We were awakened in the mornings ...

We try to take Sunday as a day of rest.  Grandpa & Granny never let us work in the garden on Sunday - especially planting.  They said "nothing good wood come of it".  So, we try not to.  It's hard for us.  Yesterday we kept talking about all the things we needed to do.  I knew we would fall into the trap of working, so I suggested we take a little drive.  I was antsy to get some work done and knew I didn't have the willpower to hold back.  I always feel that way after I have had a ...

Bear with me, I have a LOT of photos today, but the sun was shining during my little morning walk.

As I was pulling the pics off, these were still on from Monday.  Two of the grands came to see the baby bunnies - Stella and Luciano.  Visitation is done in the garage on a moving blanket to keep them from escaping and becoming wild bunnies.  LOL

I'm a fan of the Alaskan shows.  My favorite is probably Alaska the Last Frontier.  I love how they work as a family and have such a strong work ethic.  While watching Life Below Zero a LONG time ago, I fell in love with the Alaskan Ulu knife.  I told Hubs I just had to have one.  He offered to make me one, but time passed, we were busy and it just didn't happen.  He surprised me with one for Mother's Day.  He had started one for Christmas when he got his shop all set up, but ...

It’s Spring and our garden is in full swing here in North Central Florida, Zone8b. As I post pictures and videos of my garden on Facebook and Instagram I’ve received many requests for more YouTube tutorials on the topic. I did a similar video about 8 years ago but wanted to give you an updated version. So, I made this video tutorial to share how I start my seeds for the vegetable garden. As you’ll see I grow a lot of different vegetables, and herbs so, I plant A LOT of trays full of seeds. I always ...