Sunday Quilt Inspiration: C A N D Y

Happy Valentine's Day! I thought we might find some inspiration from the candy that sweethearts tend to rely on as the perfect gift. I hope my sweetheart brings me one of these: 

maybe one of you could give him a call and tell him.  Be specific. Say, "Go to Walmart and buy a Whitman's sampler for Mary for Valentine's Day. No other kind. Whitman's. Just Whitman's." Then write it on a piece of paper and hand it to him. Yes, it's like that.

Forget that I told him what I'd like. Then I told him what I want. Your job is to remind him that it's Valentine's Day and what, exactly, I want for a gift.

And as always, quilts in the theme...

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day. May you get your favorite candy and lots of it!

Spoiled and Happy

I am.  I'm very spoiled.  I expect all manner of wonderful things from my darling husband.  36+ years have taught me that he'll do things for me that many other husbands don't do for their wives.  Not that we compare in a "na-nanny-boo-boo" kind of way, but wives do talk about their marriages and husbands.  

This business of being spoiled really shouldn't surprise anyone.  My sisters accuse me of being spoiled and my friends long ago agreed that Richard does too much for me.  

What's a girl to do?  Tell him NOT to be sweet and kind and thoughtful?  No, not, nada.  Instead, I just spoil him back and try to keep up in the thoughtful department.

Really this post is about something I read thanks to a FB friend.  You know how people love to "recommend" some article or whatever that they found on a different website?  I have several friends who love to share.  I might click on half of the sites. This is one about dating (like I'm into that!) and how chivalry is not dead, entitled "9 Chivalrous Habits Of A True Gentleman That Make Women Melt."

Being spoiled, I was curious about what I might be missing. These are the nine habits and a few ways that Richard spoils me.

1. Opening doors

Richard does open doors, but he also remembers to lock the door when we leave the house.  All I have to do is pull it closed behind me.  Yes, I’m always the last to walk out.  No, he doesn’t complain.

2. Saving the last bite of food

Admittedly, he doesn’t do this often.  However, he does serve my plate of food before he serves himself.  Okay, I serve him, too.  It turns out that whoever gets to the table first takes care of the other one--that's just our way.    

3. Spending time with your family

Not only does he spend time with my family, Richard did what he could to help care for both of my parents, and not just during their illnesses.  Together we made the decision years ago to remain in Louisiana and care for our parents.

4. Suffering through a girly movie

Yeah, but I have seen a few guy movies in my day….keep in mind that we raised three boys.

5. Sending flowers

Richard does, but the best gift I ever received from him was the year he replanted a complete rose bed for my birthday.

6. Walking on the outside of the sidewalk

That, plus watching for traffic at crosswalk and in parking lots and any other safety deal he can conceive of.

7. Kissing your forehead

Richard’s a sweetheart, so he kisses my forehead, holds my hand, hugs me in public, winks and blows kisses on the sly.

8. Filling up your gas tank

The last time I put gas in my tank was in early summer.  He “forgets” about once a year just so I remember how nice it is.

9. Putting your jacket on

In his defense I rarely wear a jacket, but he helps the granddaughters, especially the little ones to button up and put their shoes on, so yes, he pretty thoughtful.

To all this I would add one more sweet thing that my hubster does: he leaves me love notes.  Sometimes the note says only "Love You,"--like the sticky note he left in my classroom closet while helping me over the holidays--sometimes it's much more, but always it's wonderful to receive.

Would I be spoiled?  Oh, yes, definitely.  I'll be the first to admit it, but it can't be helped since he spoils everyone--the children and grandchildren, his parents (as he did mine), and anyone else he can.  I guess he just can't help himself.  

Quick and easy goes it

Things have been a little quiet around here.  After the whirlwind of rushing through the last quilt project, I wanted to rest.  Not that any of the last three or four quilts have been difficult, of course; they were just rushed.  

Add to that the stress of working full time, trying to learn several computer programs for school, and keeping up with a library, and I just needed some down time.  

To that end, I found two simple, easy little projects.  The pincushion I saw on Pinterest some time ago.  I didn't have a pattern, but that was easy enough.  I simply cut out a heart shape!  I wanted to make this pincushion only because I had this cute heart fabric.  

 The little bag I made with Dusti in mind.  It turns out that she really doesn't want it.  She doesn't carry a bag or purse and felt that it would just be something else cluttering up her room.  Imagine a 13-year-old saying that!  

I was surprised but not terribly.  Still, the bag is really cute, so I think I'll give it to someone else around Christmas.  Surely at a school of 400+ I can find someone who would like it.


I made the bag, like the pincushion, because of the  fabric.  While digging around in my stash, I discovered the pink flamingos, then found a solid pink to coordinate, and zipped up the bag in about two minutes.  Those flamingos were wiggling and dancing in an effort to get my attention and convince me to do something with them!
The bag is small and the handle is short so that it fits close to the body when worn on the shoulder or can be worn on the arm.

I put in a small Velcro closure for the top.  I think it will work well for carrying around small electronics and such, though I didn't intend it for that.

What are yo working on?  Any small projects on your "to do" list?

Sweetheart Roses

When she was young and able-bodied, mom had such a pretty yard.  She worked in the field with daddy all day, growing and selling fresh vegetables, then came in to tend to supper, the house and clothes, and her yard.  One of her favorite plants was roses.  She tried her hand at some of the hybrid roses, but was most successful with the older roses.....those that she could snip a cutting from and stick in the ground.

Of the roses that she grew, she especially loved the little pink roses she called sweetheart roses.  She gave cuttings to most of us as we grew up and moved into our own homes.  I had several plants in front of the porch at our first home.  The boys tried with all they had to trample the little plants, but each spring a new bunch of pink sweeties opened up and laughed at them.

When we moved to our current home, I got new cuttings--some from mom and some from the plants at the old house.  I planted three cuttings on each side of our front porch and they've done very well for about 15 years now.  

However, a week or so ago, I noticed that the winter weather killed off two of my bushes.  Luckily, I had dropped a brick on a wayward limb last fall.  As a result, I had a new little cutting rooted in place.  Richard dug it up and moved it to the spot where the other two were, so there's no longer a huge gap on one side of the porch.  I'm hopeful that the new plant will spread and fill in the space. 

What plants are special to you?  Leave a note and tell us why.