Mmmmmm. Chocolate.

Yesterday we had rain but no snow thank goodness.  Seems we moved just south enough.  :-)  

Today is an absolutely gorgeous day, though still quite chilly.
 
Saturday was definitely a stay-at-home-and-get-stuff-done day.  Even though I broke down and pushed the heat up a bit I just couldn't get warm!  So I dug out my Wristies to wear while sewing.

The Tramp spent quite a bit of time out in the cold garage messing with computers and parts and deciding which pieces to list on craigslist.   He keeps our servers, routers and what-have-you out there and the chest freezer makes a convenient work table....until you want to make lunch and need to get in it of course.

We had hamburgers to warm us up at lunchtime....which Charlie took full advantage of.

Some cupboard love from the dogs.  Seems it's been noticed I have food in my hand as well as the camera.  I assure you....I'm fully aware of my role in this household. 

Charlie was especially destructive playful yesterday and I of course spent quite a bit of time retrieving his toys.  He has me fully trained you know.   

Late in the afternoon the sky turned blue and we even had a few breaks of sun.  Yay!

This quilt is a rush order. I guess you can figure out the young man's profession without too much trouble.  I believe his family wants to give it to him before his next overseas tour of duty.

 

Yesterday, while Charlie was helping himself to my lunch, I was browsing cookbooks.  This morning I made gluten-free oatmeal cookies for The Tramp.

A gluten-free citrus pudding cake to take down to Mom and Dad's for Sunday dinner.

And to satisfy my cravings, some gluten-free brownies.  Yummy!  Hard to tell they aren't the gluten-full version.  Good old chocolate comes through again!  :-)

A little bit of this and that

Brrrrr.  Today was dreary, dark and cold and we have a freeze watch for tonight.  It was supposed to rain but nothing much happened.  At least we aren't in the path of the coming October snowstorm!  (waving to friends and family in New Jersey) Yeesh! 

I took this picture yesterday while I was sewing.  It was gorgeous.  The last beautiful, breezy, warm day I think.  Windows open, curtains blowing, leaves fluttering down.  Sigh.  Actually, if there wasn't a screen on that window I would have had leaves scattered all across the sewing table!

I was working on another t-shirt quilt, this time with polka-dot sashing!  I confess it made me a bit cross-eyed.  :-)

Charlie and the stereo keep me company.

While the dogs patiently (or not) wait for Charlie to toss them his leavings.  :-)

I finished the quilt top today.  I wasn't sure about the polka-dots, but it looks pretty good all put together.

The Sailor Son took Grands #1 and #2 fishing and I snagged a couple of photos off of Facebook.  Aren't they the cutest, lounging in their chairs with their feet up on the railing!

Stardust had her six-month photo session.  Perfect for melting a grandmotherly heart.  

The Tramp and I took the dogs for a morning walk.  It's getting more colorful around the pond everyday.

That's our house peeking from between the trees.  Even taking down the three persimmon trees won't make much of a dent in the greenery.

A warm sunny lunchtime on the back porch.  Maisy just sat there for a while like that, contemplating her navel.  The camera noise didn't even disturb her.

I took the opportunity to give them all a good brushing.  Sigh.  We love them because they're furry.  Right????

No Ngaire.  You don't get to share my grilled cheese.

LOL  Vampire Dog!

Hello

I'm here.  Just not taking the time to write so now I have to catch up.  The weekend before last the autumn weather came in with a bang.  We had a couple of really nice windy days with a cold front from Canada.  The Tramp and I went outside in the late evening to enjoy the wind in the trees and the dark pond.  I fooled around for a few minutes taking photos in the dark.  This one is about the best of the lot.  I totally amazed the Eldest Daughter by telling her the photo reminds me of the graphic on one of her Nine Inch Nails t-shirts.  Alternative music isn't my thing so guess it isn't something she would have expected her old Mom to remember!  LOL

I finished another t-shirt quilt.  It's all baseball related shirts and is very handsome with the red and black borders.

I've rearranged my sewing room a bit and Charlie is over by my sewing machine now.  Maisy doesn't care where Charlie is.  She'll wait anywhere for him to drop his (expensive) parrot food where she can gobble it up.  Sigh.

I visited the State Fair on Thursday.  The admission price that day was cans of Food Lion food for the needy.  What a good idea!  First I visited all the garden displays.  Well gee, that's what I want my front yard to look like.

Some were a bit more fantastical than others.  :-)

Love the pink flamingos!  Well done too.  It didn't look the least bit tacky!

I browsed all the craft displays.  Found my quilt.

And enjoyed seeing all the other entries.

I enjoyed the midways with all the big rides....from a distance.

And tried to eat healthy with roasted corn and a frozen banana.  :-)

The number of food vendors is incredible.  And an amazing amount of it is deep fried.  Candy bars, Koolaid (I can't imagine), mac & cheese, Oreos, Twinkies and even pickles!  Urp.

This weekend was absolutely gorgeous so we spent a good deal of time outside in the yard.  About two dozen geese showed up to enjoy the pond.  Right before I took this picture they had a huge flapping, honking argument.  Then they spent the next half hour or so preening and splashing.  Soothing their ruffled feathers I guess.  :-)

While The Tramp muscled out the rest of the azalea bushes, I concentrated on our mailbox post, sadly in need of attention.

I scraped as best I could and The Tramp followed up with the electric sander.

In between helping with the bush removal, coats of spray paint on the mailbox, and primer and paint on the post I enjoyed the sun and the scenery.

We made a mess of the kitchen changing the light fixture over the sink to one that actually works!  It was horribly difficult kneeling on the counter and getting up under there. 

While that was going on my first attempt at gluten-free French bread was cooling on the stove.  Frankly it looks better than it tasted.  So I'll find another recipe.

The mailbox was reinstalled and ready for the Monday mail truck.  

The house is sporting new light fixtures out front as well as over the kitchen sink.  And no more aggressive azaleas are threatening our view of the pond.  (Yay!)

And we both have all the sore muscles to prove it!  :-)