The final mystery plant has been solved

The last mystery plant is now producing.... first one was a Jalapeno and the last one is a cucumber plant.. There are two little cukes ... 4 or 5 peppers and one Tomato in my garden... LOL not doing as well as I had hoped, by this time in the season. Oh well at least I am having fun!!! My herbs have all died excluding one sage and my lavender. I will work this fall making new wood box beds for the deck next year.... I don't think the veggies like the containers that they are in.... the flowers are growing and doing nicely in the metal containers... just not the veggies.

Movies at the Museum

The DD and I went to the MKJF film festival this summer.

I was invited by a dear and sweet friend to come and see the movies.

DD and I saw two very interesting and thought provoking films.

One was about a young boy learning to be a great detective like his dad. The dad was the only man able to captured the bad guy in the story. One day the dad put the boy on a train to go see his uncle. There was a note that had a clue on it. The boy was to identify a secret man. The boy thought it was his uncle. The boy was actually kidnapped by the fathers nemesis. The boy was unharmed and learned a lot how to catch bad guys. The boy was returned safely. The reason all of this happened was because of the fathers girlfriend wanted the child to know his grandparents and what happen to his mother. She wanted the boy to learn the hidden secrets. That the dad would not talk about.

Official trailer link for the ZigZag Kid. 

The second movie was about a young woman that had downs syndrome.  The young woman was taken care of by her mother. They lived above the family shop. The young girl Anita was working in the shop when there was a bombing at the Jewish Synagogue. Several persons were killed along with the young girls mother. The young girl was hurt and taken to the hospital for treatment. Anita wondered off from the hospital. After the bombing Anita's older brother started looking for his family. His mother perished in the bombing and the sister was sort of a street person. The people that came in contact with Anita helped her. Some help was ok and other help was good. Finally she ended up with a nurse and she helped her reunite with her brother. 

Official trailer link for Anita.

If these movies are available in your area.. I would highly recommend them. They were worth the watch and read. Of course they were in subtitles for us Americans. ;)
LOL I think one was in Spanish and the other was in French. 

I really enjoyed seeing these movies and catching up with an old friend. Of course we went out for burgers afterwards :)

A whole month

Wow..... I can't believe its been whole month since I last posted here on the blog. After looking back at postings.. the recent ones were about my deck gardening. So far my little plants seem to be growing ok. The tomato plants have blooms and I am starting to get peppers. I noticed some banana peppers and some Jalapenos on the plants yesterday. I have two mystery plants. They did not have markers on them when I purchased them at the store. One appears to be a Jalapeno plant. We will have to wait and see what the vine plant is.. so far no blooms. It is still growing .. which I am happy for. I have lost about 10 of the plants that I purchased. I am so happy I have only lost so few. Some of the plants were in bad shape when they came home with me. The really bad ones surprisingly enough are doing great. The really healthy ones.. have died... crazy!

The really fun part of having this garden this year has been all the baby toads... I was on toad watch for days. I kept telling people if they came to visit.. not to walk on the side walk. I didn't want my toads squished. As time passed...all of my baby toads have moved on. It was fun looking to see if I spotted them among the plants each day. Hopefully they have remained in my yard, and they will eat the unwanted bugs. 

A fun Weekend

Jacquie C. from Enid Ok came up to Ta Town for a weekend visit. Just to see me and The Pitty... wasn't that nice.... she wanted to come see little ole me???  It has been a while since I last saw Jacquie in person, that was when we went to Old Cow Town a few years back. LOL she said to me ... I wonder if The Pitty will remember me... She did remember Jacquie... Lots of tail wagging and lots of The Pittys whining going on in her chair!!  Yes Jacquie is another great on line person that I have met through my blog. Jacquie has participated in several of the swaps that I held in the past. There was talk about the olden days and the swaps and how much fun they were. 

We spent our weekend eating out, shopping for fabrics, and yes sewing. Jacquie sewed and I pressed. I felt bad because we didn't get as much sewing done as she wanted to do... we just did to much fabric shopping. So many fun fabrics and so little money!!!

We talked about Jacquie's past sewing classes and some of her awesome homemade items that she uses in her class... she has promised to make me one of her really cool travel cutting and pressing boards. It was a great idea and when I get mine I will have to share it with all my readers... If I get permission that is :)

We exchanged ideas for a new pattern design. But alas there is one already out there.. but mine is somewhat different... and more functional... so we will see if it ever comes to fruition. 

It was fun seeing Jacquie again and spending time doing something that I love .. 

SEWING and FABRIC SHOPPING ;)

Thanks for the nice weekend visit Jacquie...

 come visit the Oleo Ranch any time!!!

Free pattern... I'm In!!!

I love this bag and I found out that if I link to....

Barnes and Nobel Here ...

and to.....

Amazon .. Here.

I can get this pattern free from Grand Revival Designs;

Grand Revival Designs has published the following book..... for ladies that love to sew fun and easy projects.
The Book is titled......

Sew what you love... The Easiest and Prettiest Projects Ever.

If I post about the book on my blog.... I can receive this pattern free...

There is also another free pattern called
Monterey Market Bag.

Which I also like .. but I was only allowed one free bag pattern :( so I chose the first one :)

If your interested in getting either one of the bags... go to the following web page:

GrandRevivalDesign to see what you need to do to participate in the free offer.

Over View of Book:
Grand Revival designer Tanya Whelan’s vintage modern aesthetic has made her fabrics and sewing patterns some of the most admired by sewers and quilters everywhere. In her first book, she presents a stylish collection of 30 easy-to-make sewing projects that are achievable by sewers of every skill level. Ranging from a pretty pleated clutch to a flirty French-inspired day dress and super-cute soft baby toys to a mistake-proof design-as-you-go quilt, each project comes with step-by-step instructions and illustrations, inspiring photographs, and helpful tips. These projects and patterns for children, adults, and the home are guaranteed to work well and produce a beautiful end result. Included are 3 pattern sheets enclosed in a handy pocket, providing everything you need to start stitching something you are sure to love.
 
With Tanya’s passion for sewing featured on every page, you’ll soon discover just how gratifying sewing can be.

Its Gardening time....

This photo made me smile......

I decided now that I am retired. I want to try and plant a few things on my deck. My time was limited before with work and all of my Dr appointments. I am looking forward to seeing how much produce I can grow with a few tubs of plants and some soil on my deck. 

I want to plant two tomato plants, one cucumber plant and for decoration I want a sweet potato plant. Lastly I want to grow some lavender. 

This is a must... I want to start some herbs. I have tried my hand at growing them before ... without much success.  I am going to try again. Nadine C. in WA has a really nice herb garden. LOL Nadine would pop out the front door to the garden and pluck up a bunch of fresh herbs.  She would bring them in ... give them a good rinse, chop them, and pop them in the pot... you could really taste the difference in the fresh herbs vs dried herbs in the dishes she prepared for our meals. 

I have been gathering up old containers for my deck gardening this week... I wanted rustic looking containers for the farm and I have found the perfect ones. I have acquired three or four old galvanized buckets and tubs. LOL they have seen better days with their rust and holes.... but they will be perfect for deck gardening. I even found an old children's wagon that is going to hold my herbs. Now I just need to find a couple of old wheel barrows. My others finally lost their bottoms.

Hopefully I can go shopping in the next few days. I'll get my soil, herbs and veggie plants.  I will have to keep my eyes open at yard sales to see if I can find the wheel borrows. Keep your fingers crossed I will find some soon ;)

Shame on Aunt Pitty Pat

Wow... its been several days since I have posted again. LOL where does the time go? I know setting in front of the TV watching KDramas... :) 

For Reals... I have been working out in the yard since the weather here in Ta Town has either been raining or at a nice sort of muggy 65-70 degrees. A lot of small trees sprouted up in the yard and I have been cutting them back. I am finally starting to see improvement with the growth and appearance. I can only working out there about 30 mins to an hour a day but its coming along nicely. 

Last night....  I spent a few hours with Bubba trying fix a clogged kitchen sink. We were unable to fix it last night so we will be starting on it again today after a parts run to the hardware shop. I am always trying to fix or repair my old farm house. Sometimes I wish I had a new fancy house but after watching my friend build a new house ... it seems like that was more of a pain in the neck.  

Speaking of Hardware store .... I love going in there because you can find fun and interesting stuff to put into your sewing studio... for example:

Nail a segment of sheetrock connector to the edge of your craft table and use S-hooks, Shower Curtain hooks, and binder rings to keep tools handy.  Idea found at Sew Many Ways

Hardware store - plastic corner protectors meant to protect your paint, 

can be used on the front of your sewing desk to catch tools and bobbins

A tool carousel

You can find these at Harbor Freight or at any Hardware shop.

Great for putting in bits and bobs in your sewing space.

A fun example of a tool carousel. 

After it was painted and embellished for a sewing room.

You can always find a tool pouch at the hardware shop. 

Great for storing your tools close by as you sit at your sewing machine. 

Plastic Paint Tray Liners 

An inexpensive way to separate and store your sewing and crafting projects.

An old picture frame.... some dowel rods and hooks 

and

 you have a great way to store your ribbons and papers.

Attach inexpensive 5-Pocket Waist Aprons on the wall 

(from hardware stores)

 to organize your craft supplies.

Conduit Pipe Paper Holder.

Find the tutorial at Sew Many Ways

Most of my images and ideas came from pins on Pinterest.. 

and a good deal of the pins were from Sew Many Ways blog... 

  

I have one final Idea that I love an want to do for myself....

A Mans rolling tool box...

Yes you see it right.. its a man tool box painted pink.

 I want to do this for myself to store all my bits and bobs.....

 isn't this awesome?

I am going to start watching 

Yard sales for the perfect box at a reasonable price ;)

I am addicted....to Korean Dramas

I spend a good deal of my time watching them. Only draw back is you have to read subtitles and you have to read fast!!! I find its much easier to watch them on my Ipad vs the computer. I also like to watch other types of movies where I have to read subtitles. I wonder if its because my brain works faster than the actors can speak. Reading the subtitles keeps my brain from working faster.. anyone that knows me in person knows exactly what I am talking about... who knows but I love this medium of film. 
If you haven't watched one yet you should try one on
 Netflix or Hulu... 
you can even watch them for free at....
DramaFever. 

Below from Wikipedia is an excerpt of what Korean dramas are all about...

Korean drama (Hangul: 한국드라마; RR: hanguk deurama) or K-drama refers to televised dramas in the Korean language, made in South Korea, mostly in a miniseriesformat, with distinctive features that set it apart from regular Western television series or soap operas. Korean dramas can be set in contemporary times or in historical settings, the Korean word for the latter being sageuk (사극). Different genres apply to these two types, from romantic comedies and action series to fusion science fictiondramas.

South Korea started to broadcast television series in the 1960s. Today's mini deurama format of 12–24 episodes started in the 1990s, transforming traditional historical series to this format and creating the notion of "fusion sageuks". Korean dramas are usually shot within a very tight schedule, often a few hours before actual broadcast.Screenplays are flexible and may change anytime during production, depending on viewers' feedback, putting actors in a difficult position. Production companies often have financial issues.

Korean dramas are popular worldwide, partially due to the spread of the Korean wave, with streaming services that offer multiple language subtitles. Some of the most famous dramas have been broadcast via traditional television channels; for example, Dae Jang Geum (2003) was sold to 91 contrites.

I am a Murderer!!

It's been a year ago this month that I retired from my job.... of 39 1/2 years. It's amazing.. it doesn't feel like a year has passed. When I retired .. I said to myself ..now you have all the time to do the things that you couldn't do when you were working. I lol and say yeah right!!! I know my retirement would be so different if I didn't have these health issues. I am learning to live and work with how things are... I have good days and I have bad days. Thankfully since retirement I am starting to have more middle of the road days. Not pain free but under control with Dr's care. 

When I retired... I told myself .....now..... you have the time to grow house plants that you love. I was unable to care for the ones that I had before and they died. There were to many Dr appointments and work. I became tired and forgetful. The poor plants were forgotten.  Now that I have time to care for them..... I shared on my Facebook page that I retired and did anyone have any house plants that they would share with me. I received one nice replay.

Below is the story of the little plant that I received though its long journey in the mail. 

*** I was thinking this morning about the little plant that I killed, I received it right after I returned home from Washington 6 months ago. The little plant had started out as a leaf..... that was rooted in water. Then Nancy put the little starter plant into soil so that it would get a good root ball for its journey to me. My little plant was rooted and was waiting on me to return home. As soon as I got home .. I contacted Nancy to let her know I was home. Nancy put the little root ball plant into a plastic bag with a moist paper towel.. for its journey in the mail to me. 

The plant arrived in a couple of days and it was very green and healthy. I had to put the plant back into water until I could get it into soil. That took me a few days before the plant was back in soil ... due to my foot being in a cast. LOL yes I broke my foot while in Washington. 

This funny spiky little plant came all the way from Flint Michigan. It was such an unusual looking plant. Everytime I looked at it I smiled. Now I have killed it.......

I don't know what happened..... Did I watered it enough or did I over watered it... I smile, laugh and cry, because Nancy told me its a crazy fast growing plant.... to me that means... almost indestructible. So I feel bad that I killed it after its long journey...... Nancy reassured me she would try and send another plant, if this one doesn't root from the remaining leaf. ***

Below is a photo of Nancys plant.. isn't it beautiful?

Fun Times Together

I noticed that the smaller town East of mine has a quilt shop. It's been there for sometime, but I have never stopped and visited. There are several reasons why I have never stopped. One of the main reasons I know for sure is.... the parking lot is very small and its always full when I drive by.  I keep thinking every time I drive by, I should stop and shop. Sister in law and I had just visited JoAnn's in Ta Town. We were driving by the little fabric shop and I told her " I keep driving by and think to myself I should stop... but for some reason I never do". Of course she said we're here we should stop. 

Everyone that follows me on my blog knows about my bad luck.... I pulled in the almost empty lot void of one other car. SIL and I got out and started to go in, only to find the shop was closed. Of course I was disappointed. I didn't realize that the shop was closed on Tuesday.  We were talking about the shop being closed.... When we heard the driver to the other car say.... I'm going in because I am getting a UPS delivery. Your more than welcome to come inside and look around. It was the owner to the shop (She was awesome). We looked around and found some great fabrics. Yes we purchased 6 fat qts to make bags for the SIL's up coming trip to the beach.  I really liked the little shop... The shop was in an older home... Each room was mapped out into sections for her fabrics... There was a room for Christmas and Halloween, Civil War, Modern, batiks, Color matching ... etc..... The owner even told me if I developed my own patterns or sewed items I wanted to sell she would audition them and put them up in her shop for sale. She called this a sewing co-op.  She had a lot of nice handcrafted items for sale. I know I will be visiting this little shop again.. its about 5 miles from my house. (Side note to Nadine C... this little shop is almost as nice as Charlotte's.. Sew Natural)

A few days later SIL and I got together and made 3 of the 5 drawstring bags that we were making for her trip. We had a lot of fun sewing, pinning, and pressing. I really enjoyed the time we spent together making the bags.. but oh my I paid in pain for it later.  SIL was not at her best when we were sewing the bags... I was sewing and she was doing the other stuff like.. pressing and putting in the drawstrings. LOL I handed her the ribbon and got her a safety pin and off she started... LOL she handed me the bag after putting in the ribbons and all the ends were on one side... she could not understand why the bag would not chinch up.... The ribbons were pulled out and reinserted... again the bag would not chinch up...  ) Once I saw the problem.. I told her how to fix it.. she once again put the ribbons in to find that it still would not chinch up. I smiled at her and told her .. oopsie... you did it wrong again... by now she was flabbergasted at her mistake. I showed her how to do it.. her third try she got it right... NOW I should not just point out her mistake.. I should tell you I also made a mistake... it was on the third bag and I was starting to get tired and my neck and back was really starting hurt. I sewed the front section on and was going to put back to front and realized that I put the front section on upside down... so I ripped it out.. sewed it back on. After all the pieces were sewn together .. .. I discover that the front section was sewn on right the first time.. I then ripped out the bag to put the front section on correctly.... I HATE RIPPIN!! 

Here are photos of the three finished bags... Aren't they cute?

I was trying to take photos of the linings... 

Sorry about the bad background on these photos.. my deck needs to be refinished this summer.

Talk about my wavy quilt edges...

My mom called me and asked me how to fix my sisters wavy border on her quilt edges... This is what I shared with her...

The sister either cut the fabric on the bias..... and didn't pin her fabric enough.

She didn't use a walking foot...

Or she started her border strip at one end of the quilt and just went for it.... 

All of the above can be wrong....

What you have to do is measure your quilt at the following points...

Top

Middle

Bottom

Add those measurements and divide that by three.

The final result will be the length of your border strip.

Next fold your quilt into 4ths and fold your border into 4ths and pin your border on to the quilt at 4ths. You might have to ease and stretch your quilt just a bit.. 

You have to PIN PIN PIN your border to your quilt... 

Having done this your quilt border should now be straight. 

Also don't forget to remove your pins as you go...

Sewing over pins could cause your needle to break and put your eye out or throw your machine out of time...

You will find two really good and well written tutorials on how to attach your borders... from 

Thread Bear Quilting. 

Quiltville Custom Quilting

Here are some video links from Youtube that you can watch.
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx8jijuxhQg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1CuzT9nMCw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1CuzT9nMCw

At a stand still

Oh my goodness for days my mind has been in a writers block. I don't have a clue what to write on my blog. If anyone has anything they want to learn about or share please leave a comment........ Since my mind has been so blocked... maybe I should share some of the free patterns I have been finding on Pinterest.... The following are a few patterns I have made and some I want to make.. please enjoy :)

Its going to be summer soon.. why not an adorable back pack?

This cute little back pack was found at All about you.

I just love these little drawstring backpacks made from up-cycled Tee shirts.. I have made a couple of these myself.. Love Love Love them!!! This was a Pattern I found at the blog Top10 Inspired. 

A fantastic idea is a seat belt pillow for your wee ones.. here is a good tutorial for one... at Meagan Makes. 

One of the things I like to have around when its travel time... since we all do more traveling in the warmer weather is a Travel Pillow for the car... here is a nice tutorial at Moda Lissa.  Pillow cases are very easy to make.. they make great gifts for family and friends....

Next you will need something to keep all your goodies in...... like a Round Trip Car Caddy @ Fabric Central. 

Lastly what would any car be without your trusty little trash bin.. here is a great one at A Spoon Full of Sugar. I love how the pattern calls for a Margarine tub. The tub is used to hold the fabric sides out so the bag doesn't collapse. 

One final fun thing is a nice cup cozy to keep all those tasty drinks nice and cold... 

I found a fun tutorial for this cozy at Positively Splendid. 

Ok... one last thing....

 I forgot to share with you....

a fabric insulated cooler that I found.... 

Here is a great tutorial from at Sew4Home.

After all of this.. 

I guess I did find something to write about after all...  

*Smiles*

Sewing tips links

Speaking of The Great British Sewing Bee..... I thought I would provide my sewing friends 

with a link for some great sewing tips.

40 sewing hack, tips, & tricks that you should know from: Andrea's Notebook

There you will find:

How to iron a hem

Installing zippers (regular and invisible)

Lengthening or shortening a pattern

Making bias tape

Pre-washing fabric tips

Sewing elasticated fabrics

How to sew a perfect circle

Etc etc etc etc.......

I would like to share with you some ...... 

Wonderful and fun free patterns I found out there in cyber world...

I have noticed recently that there is a huge interest in making your own travel cases. 

The patterns come in all shapes and sizes..... from cosmetic bags to coach bags. 

Speaking of sewing your own travel bags...

 I found this fantastic free Duffle Bag Pattern at: Robert Kaufman

An Urban travel bag at: Bag'n-telle

It would be great for your commute to work. Fantastic for holding your tablet or notebooks. 

It could substitute for a great bag for your weekend staycations....

or over-niters at a friends house.

My last adorable duffle I found is a very cute and versatile duffle back pack for children. 

I found the free tutorial at Thread Riding Hood, from Made by Me Monday. 

Speaking of sewing....... here is a very functional and cute quilted take along tote for your sewing needs. This great take along tote pattern was found at JoAnn's web site. 

Lastly for my sweet sewing friends I found this very different and adorable thread catcher.  Please click HERE to see the tutorial and pattern on how to make this cute and functional catcher.

The Great British Sewing Bee

I have spent the last week or so catching up on the BBC show The Great British Sewing Bee. I love it and am so glad it was suggested for watching through one of my sewing groups. Its everything I love about sewing. The creativity, use of fabrics, comradery, and just the plain love of sewing. If you don't have BBC you can watch most of the episodes on Youtube. Run over take a look see and tell me what you think. I know I am anxiously waiting for the next season to start :)

Chocolate Goodness!

So every once in a while I come across a recipe. A recipe that I love, love and go to all the time. Let’s just say, I stick with what I know!

These brownies, are just that. Amazing. And like the title states, they have a secret ingredient that I am about to share with you. This isn’t just any ingredient either. This is what absolutely makes these. So make sure your printer is hooked up or that you have pen and paper nearby because you are going to want to jot this one down…

Step one:
Grab your favorite brownie mix. I prefer Ghirardelli. And while you are at the store picking one of those up, make sure you grab two {2} symphony bars.
{I realize only one is pictured here but I did use 1 and 1/2 bars for this particular recipe!}

Step 2: Make your brownies according to the box. Put only {HALF} of the batter into your 8×8 pan.

Step 3: Lay your symphony bar {the secret ingredient} onto the batter.
On the left is the whole bar, on the right is pieces of the second. {I may have eaten the rest!}

Step 4: Spread the rest of the batter onto the top of the chocolate bar. Mmmmmm.
{Just looking at this and knowing the delicious outcome makes my mouth water!}

Step 5: Bake as directed and ENJOY!

{It will be really hard to let them cool all the way but you probably should. Just to be safe!  }
If you are impatient, it might be a little too gooey to eat!
xoxo,
Brooke @ Allthingsthrifty.com

National Quilting Day Observed March 21st

National Quilting Day is being observed on March 21, 2015. It celebrates quilts and those that make them annually on the third Saturday of March. The National Quilting Association started National Quilting Day in  1991.

In 1989, the Kentucky Heritage Quilting Society organized a "Quilters' Day Out" on the third Saturday of March to celebrate the rich tradition of quilt making in Kentucky. In 1991, the NQA officers were so enthused with the concept and success of "Quilters' Day Out" that they voted to take it to a national level. 

The first National Quilting Day was observed in 1992 and since then it has grown into a global celebration for all quiltmakers and quilt lovers. 

There are countless ways to celebrate National Quilting Day. Check with your local quilt shop to see what special activities are planned.

The winner of the 20156 National Quilting Day Design Contest has been selected. 

Congratulations to Danniele Bohannon of Harrisonville, Missouri. Her design  (Crooked Path) was published in the winter issue of Quilting Quarterly and is posted on the NQA web site www.nqaquilts.org. Danniele has been a four-time exhibitor at the NQA Quilt Show, including participating in the SewBatik challenge. The pattern for her winning design can be downloaded from the National Quilting Associations website. 

Text from The Country Register.. a local Ks quilters news paper. 

Courthouse Steps Block

 I want to talk about another one of my favorite quilt blocks. This block is called the Courthouse steps.. it's a very fast and easy beginner quilt block.

The Courthouse Steps pattern is a variation on the Log Cabin quilt block. Like the Log Cabin it's all squares and rectangles, no bias edges, no special rulers or templates, no fancy tools needed to create these lovely quilt blocks. 

The difference between the log cabin and the Courthouse steps?

Instead of sewing strips around the center of the block in a circular motion, like the Log Cabin. The Courthouse steps has two strips added to opposite sides of the center square first. Then two strips are sewn along the remain two sides of the center. The same back and forth motion continues until the block has grown to desired size. 

When making your Courthouse steps blocks you should also be mindful of your lights and darks to show off your pattern when making your blocks. 

Here is a lovely example of a Courthouse steps block.. made into a mug rug/mini quilt from hurrayic:baking

Here is a pretty example made into a pillow from Val's Quilting

A pretty quilt using the Courthouse steps pattern.

I still have my first attempt at a quilt top ...

 I selected the Courthouse steps pattern..

Yep ... it is awful and cut every which away.... 

Rumply seams and not square at all.

Not a good example of a quilt for sure.

I saw a quilt in a book and sort of went for it..

 NO instructions and NO idea of what I was doing... 

 Thank goodness I have came a long way since then!!!