Country Loft Wool Crazy Potluck and Oh yes Christmas Decorating

                                    Dinner is off the table the pans are soaking . Hubby enjoyed my dinner and I can send off my post of my day in Southern California. Maulie is not being a good little shitzu coming in when I call her tonight . Now I have to say cheezer to get her in the house. Cookie doesn’t seem to work anymore. I sure had an enjoyable day!                 


 

                                Ho Ho Ho !!! It's Country Loft in Southern California

Country Loft is ready for Christmas…I was so busy trying to take pictures before the potluck so my blogger friends could enjoy my part of the world.



 I love those Snowmen that sparkle



               Cheri Payne Quilts and patterns

                                          

                                                      Kathy was busy cutting wool in another room

Today was Wool Crazy author JoAnn Mullaly wool crazy classes potluck. Also JoAnn writes for Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine.It was a time for different classes to share how they’re progressing on their quilts plus a potluck is usually a time to learn a few more recipes. The Country Loft decorations can’t help but get you into the Holiday spirit. The dolls are JoAnn patterns that are fun to do.This is JoAnn's blog
 http://woolcrazy-jam.blogspot.com/

                                                      There are so many kits to choose from


                                                   I had a gift certificate so I bought some linen for my newest rug and a winter issue of A Simple Life I am drooling over the pictures. This is a great issue with a piece written by Tasha Tudors daughter.
I have a rug hooking design I created that I am looking forward to starting after Christmas.




 

 JoAnn author of two books on projects using wool
and a wonderful person.

   Can you see by all the smiles how much

 fun we were having!

A gift from beth

                                                                          Yummy

Block of the months starting in January  

 An interesting way to show fields and sheep 



           What a great purple quilt



    

                                                      I like Suzy's colors in her quilt

                                                                          Peace







 

Read More

Wool Crazy potluck

                                                            I just got back from the Country
                                                     Loft Wool Crazy potluck so much fun
                                                     more tonight ..This is Suzy's Wool crazy quilt
                                                    she is working on
                                                       

                                                           more wool crazy quilts tonight !         

Read More

Jacks Christmas stocking progress

Christmas projects and deadlines.....

                                                               Train Theme

.                                           
I am getting there.The center stockings were made by mother in law Alice.
I still have to add more bling...
More bling on star and here and there and mini stocking. I am hoping to be done by Sunday.


Country Loft wool crazy potluck and show and tell tomorrow.I have seen
the pics on other blogs should I still take pics of the store decorated for Christmas?

Read More

Southern California gardener working away this Thanksgiving weekend

The weather has been mild and the gardening bug has it me. Now most people show on their blogs the great pics of their yard after they have worked on it and are sitting in an easy chair with a couple of aspirins in their tummy. Well not me the good the bad and the ugly. I want you to know how hard I have been working. I should have had some aspirins before I started !!
I can't believe how many people were having a nice day walking their dogs and seeing my mess. There was this sweet older man who was using his walker and he had his whole
family walking with him encouraging him.He stopped to rest for a scond and see what I was doing.There is nothing like working on your front yard garden to get your neighbors to wave and smile.Even if you don't know them.

I had a nice neighbor lady around the corner from me a couple days ago walk by my house while walking her dog. I was  weeding closer to my deck and so she couldn't see me.
Barbara  said to me "Cheri I know your in there , I just wanted to tell you I love your back in Crest"
(Barbara also has chickens ) That sure made me feel good!

Yesterday I spent the whole day working on ice plant that was going up my front yard fence. I want to be able to see my fence and not the ice plant  that is weighing down the fence and causing it to buckle.


I don't like the eucalyptus next to the fence and  they're on my list to go!
at least cut to the top rail of the fence. Then they can be a little privacy screen.



Living on a dirt road that get pot holes everyone throws the ice plant or leaves in the road and in a couple of days it’s flattened and the road stays flat. So I would toss over the ice plant that was heavy then rake it onto the road.

I have a good chunk of ice plant off the fence and I  know this week I’ll be able to get the rest of the ice plant off the fence.

Why is it that I can only grow the plants that are annoying they thrive but the others it's me against nature.



 Do you know how thick heavy wet ice plant is?



I also started putting used bricks for borders. I came in to tell hubby about I was doing and he said usually you put sand down . Well I just wanted a quick border and this is fine. A little uneven but I will let it settle a little bit and then move the bricks around.

Southern California is a Mediterranean climate and so we get mild winters so to me this is kind of like spring . We don’t get snow for Christmas which would be nice and to us a rainy day or a cool day for Christmas is as close as we’ll get. Today it feels like a Santa Ana because it’s warm and the wind is blowing like crazy!



 My action shot I think there are chickens in the house across the park
from me.

 I tried taking pictures to show you how hard the wind was blowing but my camera I guess can’t do action shots.

                                
                                                      That's a climbing rose behind my daisy plant.

                                                        This is what ice plant looks like

The door just blew open again as I am writing this post.

Back to work. Cheri

Read More

The week that was

I am working away like a little elf on my projects. I can’t show what I am working on yet. Wednesday I went to the nursery with Linda and I bought another dwarf pomegranate bush and I also got a dwarf butterfly bush. I still have to plant my chives. We had a nice time at Thanksgiving.

 

Janet's Christmas rug she is working on! 

                                          



Wow look at all those people staring at
me.

  So today I  went off to rug hook with some girlfriends. I am trying to get the right colors on some stems in a rug I am making. The color value is so important and there is never enough of the right colors at home. So frustrating. I may have a green but wrong color value.Janet shared her greens with me for the leaves. I had a happy surprise when I got home. My Turkey rug was the featured rug in Rug Hooking daily. I was so excited! Lol



Last night Hubby heard coyotes out in front so I am going to be sure and insist Morris stay inside at night. I did get some wonderful news on the way to my daughters it's a long drive so Hubby and I have a chance to talk. I  asked if we could get chicks in the spring. There is a story to hubby’s not being in love with chickens it involves a blown out bicep and two surgeries .But I think I am going to get some chicks in the spring . Oh Boy!

Read More

What are you Thankful for?

What are you Thankful for?




Life is a wonderful challenging ever changing series of events that can break our heart fill our hearts with joy and make us realize how important our loved ones are to us every day.

.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful day to appreciate what we have. This Thursday I will be surrounded by  my  daughter and her family and so I thought why not blog early since it's going to be a busy week.

I  am Thankful for my days with my Jack ,Maulie and Morris. As we get older I appreciate it even more. I am Thankful for my new grandbaby Jack who is the joy of my Life. I Love and appreciate my daughter and her hubby who always are in my thoughts. I am Thankful for having such good friends that are with me as I trudge along thru Life and of course my blogger friends who share their lives with me .

I love hearing about everyone’s new dogs, Hooked rugs of course, cows,grandkids. I realize how alike people are all over this world with the great blogger writers that are out there taking pictures of their lives.

I truly miss the family that is not in my Life anymore but am Thankful I did have those wonderful Thanksgiving in the past. So as I chomp on a turkey leg pass the ambrosia salad and Smile at Baby Jack and think what a lucky person I am.I will miss the family and friends that are not at the table this year but I am so grateful for the new little baby Jack who might get to eat a little bit of mashed up solid food this Thanksgiving. Blessings Cheri

Read More

Whew!

Every now and then even the blind squirrel  finds an acorn

Today Hubby and I have been busy reorganizing the room for a book shelf to fit in the front room.
I needed a bigger bookshelf for all my books that I know someday I will read.I couldn't stand it and I remembered  there is a bookcase in the old garage.I sure love my Rug Hooking Magazines,Early American Life ,Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine .I save my magazines for ideas and love revisiting them whenever I feel like I need some inspiration.

I needed a little organization I hate to say.
So Hubby brought in from the garage the book shelf his Dad had made many years ago and while he was doing that I almost dropped the computer! ! I was moving the computer desk and it leaned over and I caught it before it fell. Shortly after that  the monitor was not showing a clear picture. Then the computer started making a beeping sound that would not shut up! It reminded me of a crying baby that won't stop no matter what you do.It was coming from the computer without the speakers being on very weird.I unplugged all the cables and then reattached everything. Now the dumb keyboard and mouse were not lighting up .  Unhappily I thought a trip to the computer store was looming over my head.Well Jack suggested opening it up and I thought he is good at fixing things.

  Jack took it apart opened the computer dusted the inside which was dusty.Really dusty! He checked for loose connections and wires.Then he put it back together. I think he unplugged the motherboard too.  I mentioned to him "Well you could try it one more time!" He replugged in all the cables I couldn’t believe  when heavens to Betsy it worked. There was no beeping noise from the computer.We both were dumbfounded. I was so relieved I couldn’t imagine if I had lost my blog and everything on my computer. He has no idea why it worked but this squirrel will be happy with her good luck. That's my Saturday were suppose to have rain coming Sunday.I am happy to say my firewood is all cut up and I am going to have a nice warm Sunday with a fire going all day.

Read More

Primitive hooked Turkey

Gobble Gobble Gobble

When I was a little girl I recall taking the bus to school and the route was up and down hills and a round about way to pick up all the kids. Staring out the bus window as we drove by the turkey farm with a mass of turkeys I enjoyed seeing those big boys. Well you can guess it was kind of sad when we would drive by and they were all gone.

So to all those Turkeys in honor of your sacrifice I made a Turkey Rug and recall those days sitting in a bus looking out a window and enjoying those mass of feathers. 

 Give Thanks

Read More

A dog lover post in San Diego

Fiesta Island after a storm         



 Beach smells



 Broken shells

 My little shitzu  had seemed a little depressed lately since I have been gone from home a lot the last couple of weeks. I suggested to hubby lets take Maulie to Fiesta Island which is an undeveloped area with access to the beach in San Diego. It’s a bit of a drive from where we live but it’s worth it for a smile on Maulies face.

You don’t have to have your dog on a leash and your dogs have a fun time playing in the water. It’s been a while so Maulie was pretty excited.Maulie looked so cute playing with all sorts of dogs and running up to people. My little shitzu thinks she is a person she would rather run up to greet people then dogs.


Lab retrieving a ball


A lot of people were out with their dogs . The only bad part this dumb Chihuahua ran up to Maulie and tried to bite her then ran away and did it again. I swear I could have bit that dog! The good part Maulie has a thick coat and she wasn’t upset she just ignored the dog . I made hubby pick up Maulie. After that every time I saw a Chihuahua I made Jack pick her up.


Hurry Up! 




Path up



 These two dogs were having a great time 



You meet the nicest dogs on a walk



  All the big dogs were nice and friendly and there were some big labs and German shepherds boxers they all behaved. There was even a horse at fiesta Island getting ready for it’s ride. It was a beautiful day after a storm.

I love the smell of the ocean. There is nothing like a walk at the beach without one little pit bull Chihuahua.

                                        I don't know if I would have a horse near all these dogs

Read More