Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Traveling Day

We are traveling today to Maryland and Washington DC.  As I won't have internet, I won't be posting but my girls will find hot spots to post at so check out their blog http://historyexperience.blogspot.com/.  We will be at the 8/28 rally, also Monticello, Philadelphia, NYC and more of Washington DC.  It'll be a great experience.



Monday, August 23, 2010

One-room Schoolhouses

All the photos I've put on these pages are places that are within about 5 miles of each other.  They are places I biked or drove by most every day when growing up.
Right down the corner from where I lived at each end of the road were one room schoolhouses. The Pine Lake Schoolhouse is a family home, or was when I was growing up.
This photo is the Eureka Schoolhouse.  It's been empty all my life but still stands there.  My Grandpa Steiner (the preacher) taught school in there when he was quite young.

This is the East Lewistown schoolhouse.  My grandpa Mellinger went to school there.  When he married he bought the building and raised his 4 daughters in that house.  We would go as children and have Christmas there, play 4-square with my cousins in the driveway in the summer, and eat grapes from their grape arbor. I spent a lot of time at their house.
This photo is both of my grandparents, Grandpa Mellinger and Grandpa Steiner when they were young. They were good friends and were courting their future wives at the same time.
My children have finished their first phase of schooling (which wasn't quite one-room, but almost) and are now in the second phase called life.  They can even learn while on vacation.  Grandpa is a good instructor.
They do fight over who's going to drive the tractors. That is something they really look forward to when they come here.
The girls are helping Aunt Jo right now, but they'll also get their chance to mow later.  The yards are so large here, everyone has zero-turn riding mowers. When young, I rode our mower and it took a full day to mow our yard. What a life! Singing while I mowed.(No one could hear me!?)

P.S.  Those girls aren't really helping right now (maybe they did some) but they're riding horses with their 2nd cousin.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Sister Churches and Family

I grew up in a Mennonite Church community of  3 sister churches and cousins.  In the horse and buggy days the Bishop would travel to the different churches each Sunday and preach  taking turns. The churches were
5 - 7 miles apart.  In the early 1900's my great-grandfather was the bishop and traveled to the churches until they all had their own pastors.  These churches still closely relate to each other as sisters.
This is the church I grew up in as I knew it.  The North Lima Mennonite Church. My grandfather was the pastor here for many, many years.
This is it now.
These churches all have their cemetaries.  My mother is laid to rest here.
This is the Midway Mennonite Church which is next door to my Aunt and Uncle. My grandparents and other relatives are buried in this cemetary.
These churches are so related that through the years intermarriages happened quite a lot. When I was in high school, I look at family history trees and saw that I was 3rd cousins with most of the other children in my generation in these 3 churches. With some I could say I was a 1st cousin and a 4th cousin because my aunt and uncle who were 3rd cousins married.
I now live in a church community where the same thing is starting to happen.  The sister churches are farther apart, but the marriages are happening within the churches.  I see it continuing to happen as the Word of God is preached here and the children build into the local church.  It is exciting to see this happen amongst us.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

My Ohio Farm

I grew up in eastern Ohio on a small farm.  My parents bought the farm when they married.  It was 40 acres for $15000.  What a deal!  This is the house when I was a young girl.

This is a photo after my dad added a room - my high school days.


My brother and his wife purchased the farm about 30 years ago when my parents built a new house on my great grandparents land.  It made me so glad that my brother bought our farm and kept it in the family.  I knew I wasn't going to be living here.  But I can show my children and we can still visit when we come back.
  This is the house now.  My brother has really fixed it up and made it look nice.

But what I really have liked about our farm was our barn.  I played in it as a child.  We played in the loft, making houses with the bales of hay.  We had old church pews up there underneath the hay and also the mother cat would keep her babies up there.  We would hunt for them and when we found the kittens, she would find a new hiding spot for them. That barn was full of memories.  When I was in high school, I drew a house plan of the barn with my 20 children living in it.  They all had their own bedrooms, sharing a sitting room and bath with another sibling.  There also was a swimming pool in it, plus everything else a house must have.
4 years ago (just before we came to visit in 2006) part of the barn fell in.
A couple of weeks ago more of the barn collapsed (just before we came to visit this time).  My brother says that Mariellen married him because she loved that barn.

We talked about making a miniature barn from the wood in this one. I don't think we'll have time to do that.  We may take a fragment home as a memory.???
Check out my girls' blog for more pictures of our trip.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Eileen's Quilt

This is the second quilt I've done for Eileen.  The last one was the pink roses which was beautiful.  This one is batiks and she does an excellent job of piecing.  It is a joy to work on a quilt that doesn't ruffle or have quirks, like mine sometimes have.
She wanted stars, so that's what I did, but I made the squares with some feathers and I thought it looked a little like flowers.  I wasn't sure how she would like it.  But after she took it home and looked at it, she called back ecstatic about how wonderful it looked.  It's always nice to please a customer.  I love the bright colors.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

How Do You Dry Your Clothing?

Our dryer finally went out on us.  We've been expecting it to for the last few months.  It got a loud banging noise and it wouldn't turn off by itself.  I had to set the timer or just keep track.  That didn't always work.  When this all started happening, we considered buying a new one then, but at that time money was a little tight and I thought we could just wait.  It dried the clothing very nicely.
 But Sunday it went out and money is more plentiful right now.   The weather is beautiful and I also have friends.  The jean loads I dried outside.  This is another use of my backyard.  I don't have a clothesline.  With the help of capable sons, my new dryer should be all ready to go this evening. And it's propane, not electric.  I hear they are much faster.
This is one of two hydrangea bushes I own.  The other has no flowers.  This one has 2.
It is in a shady spot and this is only it's second summer.  Maybe that's the problem.  But the flowers are gorgeous.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Making Progress

I'm on the last applique section of Eva's quilt which is on one of the mitered corners.  The whole quilt is put together and after the applique is done, I will finish marking the quilting lines and do the trapunto.


My knitting on my stole is moving quite well also.  It is half done.  One skein did 30" so I think it will be a 5' stole.  It already feels nice around my shoulders. I'm looking forward to using it.
When my brain gets frazzled from reading the pattern (which is getting better as I am learning it by heart) I am knitting a baby sweater. It took the same size needles.  Once I figured my gauge out,  I borrowed my daughter's needles.  I don't like hers.  Since I use circular needles, I now have both projects on the same needles.  It's working out fine that way.
__________________________________________________________________________________
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt not bear false witness against they neighbor.

What does this mean?  We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, nor defame our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.

                                              Martin Luther's Small Catechism

Friday, August 13, 2010

Evelyn Received Her Gift

And all she had to do to get it was to be born.  Isn't that great?

Sometimes she even does things that make other people (like her Mom) have to quit whatever they want to do and take care of her.  She gets hungry and messes her diaper and I'm sure she cries because she want's something.  And she doesn't make any money or help clean the house.  Why should she get gifts?


 Because I love her.  It doesn't matter if she can ever do anything to benefit me.  That's the way the Lord thinks about us.  He wants to give us gifts, even though I'm always sinning.  Evelyn is receiving her gift. Sometimes I fight it off, or back away from it.  But the Lord only wants to bless us.

I'm sure Evelyn will enjoy this quilt.

It was made just for her.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Check out this movie.  It's great for longarm quilters and their customers.


Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Trying Out Some Ideas

This quilt is one I'm quilting for my guild.  It's a great time to try some things out that I can mess around with.  I've been enjoying the work of Judi at Green Fairy Quilts.  I put some of the ideas she's used on her last quilts here.  This was the perfect quilt to work on with all the blank spaces intermixed with the patchwork blocks.
I did not use the stitch regulator on this quilt, which is pretty new to me trying not to get little bird's nests in the back where I pause.  I did get better at that.  I also was doing designs with no marking on the quilt.

I practiced no mark feathers doing them different ways and just trying to get neater and not rush so much.  I don't know if I really accomplished that.  The swirls were great also.
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THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt not steal.

What does this mean?  We should fear and love God that we may not take our neighbor's money or goods, nor get them by false ware or dealing, but help him to improve and protect his property and business.
                                    Martin Luther's Small Catechism

Isn't this great?

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Helen's Quilt

She did her quilt out of vintage dress fabrics. They were very sheer and took some care.  I had  a problem with one portion puckering on the back.  I think it's because my knob was stripping that holds the quilt taut. I ripped out some but didn't want to do too much because of the sheerness of the fabric. At least the back is busy and doesn't show much.
This shows the flower I did in the center of the squares with leaves surrounding them.

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The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.
                                                                                                                                           Patrick Henry

Monday, August 9, 2010

One Weeks Progress

I'm doing better than I thought on my stole.  But the more you do it, the better you get.  I can do approx. a repeat and a half each evening.  And it doesn't take as much concentration as it did, although it still takes some. I have 13 repeats done.

It's not as wide as I had hoped it to be.  The pattern didn't give a gauge and I went down 2 needles sizes because that is my norm in any pattern.  I could have gone with the asked for size and had a wider stole.
Can you find a mistake in this picture?  I do have a few in there, but for a beginner, I don't think it's bad.  I have done a lot of carefully taking out and also counting back to see where my mistake might be.  One time I couldn't find it and just had to make the adjustment to have the correct amount of stitches.
When I get tired of concentrating and want to relax, I've switched to other knitting.  After all, evening knitting is supposed to be relaxing, at least that's what I think.  So I'm making dishcloths out of all my scrap cotton.  I needed something to do with that yarn.  I don't like the idea of just throwing it out because there's not enough to make something.  It's not exactly the colors you'd pick to go with each other.  I did another out of blues also.

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THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

What does this mean?  We should fear and love God that we may lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed, and each love and honor his spouse.

                                           Martin Luther's Small Catechism

Friday, August 6, 2010

Problem Day

The weather is cooling down, so I won't be sitting outside doing my applique for Eva as I have been doing for her quilt everyday.  I've been taking on the pressure of having to get it done by her wedding, but that is something I don't need to do.  It'll be a great heirloom even if she gets it a year late (which she won't).  When the pressure comes on, it doesn't become enjoyable anymore, because you have to get it done.  I do really enjoy this  quilt.
Today I'm cutting out the outer borders and am going to trace my pattern for the trapunto onto them.  After making the pattern, I traced it onto one panel and then realized I should have started from the center as I had made the panel longer than needed.  So I washed the blue out and it's in the dryer now.  I think I'll sew the whole quilt together first and then trace to make sure everything works out right. My border as I'm drawing.

I spent the morning on my longarm doing a customer quilt. At one point, I saw the back had a wrinkle in it, so I'm ripping out to ease the wrinkle in.  I never had that happen before.
 Also I think the screw got stripped on the knob that keeps my quilt taut at the top of the frame. So saggy quilt.  My son can fix that. I have a spare knob if need be. I just have to wait til he gets home.
I did get most of the quilt quilted and the pattern for Eva's quilt is ready to go.  So things are moving slowly along

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

My Porch and Backyard

Summer is here and I love it.  I have shown pictures of my yard, but the photos never did them justice.  You couldn't feel the breeze and hear the water and they looked rather bland.  What helps make a yard a great place is the people in it.
Having some friends over.

The children enjoying the man-made creek

 Getting wet even!  It's not very deep.

 


We have parties in our yard.

School children sometimes take field trips through the woods and have lunch in our yard.

Sometimes the twins have photo shoots to show off the clothing they sell.

They ride in carts,

chase and catch chickens,

and swing on our wonderful tree swing.
Sometimes we even do work in our yard.

 There's also mowing that we do, but I have no pictures of that.
Sometimes games
 We've even had a volleyball net set up and played, but that's gone now and no pictures of it.
Our Porch - a wonderful place to sit




and share with others.  My sister and family from Kansas were here.  They enjoyed the cool 85 degree weather.
My husband enjoys reading

And I like quilts hanging off my railing.

  
 Many times we end the day with a campfire in our nice big pit, roasting marshmallows and making s'mores.