*~Old Cowboys~*

 

 

We are off to a good start this week....last week was full of stress and a lot of prayer!  My dad had quite a week and ended up having to stay in the hospital all week.  Let me just tell you an overload of calcium is nothing to mess with.  Thank goodness he is one tough old cowboy!

 

Would you believe he got out Sunday and today was building fence!  Can't keep a good cowboy down.  Mom is one tough gal, too I don't think she slept a solid hour the whole time he was in....I'm hoping by now she has caught up on some rest.

 

Well the wool dust has been flying....I have missed pulling loops and I'm on my second chair pad.  Once I start hooking seems I can't seem to stop.  Wish the binding bug was as strong :)

 

 

 

 

While I was sitting with mom and dad last week I did manage to make a little penny rug.  It's a great take along project that you can put down and pick right back up to work on.

 

Pati and I will be taking a little road trip to see Betty "PrimitiveBetty"  her grand opening of her little shop is this coming Saturday and I can hardly wait to see what goodies she has filled it up with. 

 

Well off to pull a few more loops!

 

Happy Trails....Ginger 

Penny Rug Class and Snowman Pillow Giveaway Winner!

 

It was a cold day today but we had a wonderful mini workshop on penny rugs thanks to Carol Weatherman and Dee Bartrug!

 

They make the most wonderful Early Style Penny rugs....they had kits cut ready to stitch and we had the nicest time blanket stitching pennies together and putting them on to a wool background!

 

 

 

These are just a few of the penny rugs they have made!  You can visit there shop "The Sampling"  to see lots of wonderful hand~dids and hooked rug patterns.

 

 

This is the penny rug I completed in the class.

 

Now to announce the winner of the Snowman pillow giveaway with a few little extras.....

 

The winner of the Snowman pillow giveaway is Jessica of Country Whispers!

 

Well as the afternoon came to an end the temperatures have dropped and rain has begun to fall and has turned to freezing rain!  So I'm going to cut more pennies and get to stitching.

 

Happy Trails.....Ginger

 

 

Running With Scissors Week 1

 

Are you one of those that feel like your overwhelmed with your baskets that are full of unfinished projects or are you one of those disciplined gals that start a project and finish it before starting another?

I'm a running with scissors kind of gal.....I run from one project to another.  I want to do it all and do it all now!

 It's time to start getting some of the mounds and I do mean mounds of half finished projects done!  So by hook or by crook I'll be working on some every week!  I'm sure I have plenty to last the whole year long and yes even  into the next few years :)

 

 

These little hooked  houses can now be used as mug rugs!

 

 

 

A little bluebird pinkeep ready to hold pins and needles.

 

 

I think this needle punch piece and the the one below have been in the basket for at least a year.  Finally finished :)

 

 

 

Then I finished a little penny rug of sorts!  I have a lot to learn when it comes to penny rugs.  I'm hoping to take care of that in the very near future :)

 

 

So each week I'll be running with my scissors (just kidding) getting some of these projects out of the basket and into the FINISHED  PILE! 

 

Happy Trails....Ginger

A Little Each Day!

I've steadily been putting in 10 minutes of hooking each night and the Peace On Earth Rug is almost done. It's been fun seeing how each part comes together. I can't seem to find any time during the day due to an active lil' boy. I caught him climbing in a chair today and up into the windowsill to have a closer look at the cows.


I did find a little spare time to make a new penny rug. Autumn days will be here soon and I've been in the mood for a little pumpkin making. I might even have to open up the cupboard doors and find some goodies to make some muffins.

Here's a tasty treat "Pumpkin Bran Muffins" and they are only 1 point on Weight Watchers.

Here is what you need:
2 cups All Bran or Fiber One Cereal
1 Cup Skim Milk
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Mix cereal and milk: let rest 5 minutes. Add pumpkin, egg, spice and brown sugar. Stir until mixed. Add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix together. Spray your muffin tin with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out cleanly.

Be sure to check back later this week I'll be having another giveaway.

Happy Trails...Ginger

Lemon Poppy Seeds Update Ready!

Here it is time again for another update on the LPS Shop. I finished up a penny rug and also added some other lil' items. Jenn has been busy needle punching lots of halloween goodies and we just need to finish them into different little offerings. So check back often to see all the great things she has been busy doing!

I have 2 more doodles ready for My Primitive Sampler that I'll be sharing this weekend.

Saturday evening we are having a fish fry here with family and friends coming over. If it doesn't rain the kids are planning on going to the pond to see if they can catch some fish. Thank goodness Dad caught plenty ahead of time for us to enjoy.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend with friends or family!

Happy Trails.....Ginger

~At Last A Day At The Beach~

At last I got to spend a day at the ocean. I've been lucky enough in my lifetime to see the Pacific as well as the Atlantic but have never spent more than a few minutes there until today.
We left Concord, NH today and did a bit of looking at antique shops. I saw some wonderful hand hooked rugs which I have shown below. Some were made as early as the late 1800's and also a great penny rug made in the 1800's.

We started out for Portsmouth, NH but actually went on up the coast a bit to Maine and what fun we had.


Just look at the wonderful lighthouse we found. Built in 1879, Cape Neddick is the southernmost of Maine's many lighthouses. It is also called Nubble Light, refering to the barran rocky island (the Nubble) on which it sits, just off shore. The 41 foot tower is constructed of cast iron plates lined with brick. Cape Neddick's fourth-order lens flashes red every six seconds, and is visible for 13 miles.

Cape Neddick is an extremely windy point, and viciously cold 100 mph winds caused problems with the flow of oil to the lamp for many years, until electricity came to the Nubble in 1938.





We drove up the coast just a ways to a place called Ogunquit Beach. There you can see the waves come crashing into the granite rocks and walk along the nicest beaches. Houses built near the shoreline were all along the pathways. One young man was brave enough to try out the water.












We then ate dockside at a little restaurant. Danny had clam chowder and I tried the fish and chips. MMMMhhh wonderfully good!
Here are just a few of the many hooked rugs and the large penny rug we saw today.










Tomorrow is sure to be another wonderful day but I'm missing my family and can't wait to see Sloan again!

Happy Trails.....Ginger

A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS ~FALL GIVEAWAY~

Don't you just love AUTUMN!


We will be leaving on vacation soon...and I can hardly wait. We will be traveling to the New England States and the colors there during the Autumn season are breathtaking!

We will travel to Vermont, New Hampshire, and make our way to Cape Cod. Just a relaxing time together exploring antique shops, a few quilt and rug hooking places, and of course Danny just loves clam chowder so we will be finding lots of wonderful places to eat!

I stitched up this plain and simple pumpkin penny rug...nothing fancy at all! I used some wool from my scrap basket and put it on some hand~dyed prairie cloth and I want to give it away to one of you. I'm also including a quaint little tart warmer that says Olde Crow Inn and some wonderful cranberry tarts.

All you have to do is leave a comment " a cherished thought of your childhood".


Here is one of mine~
When I was a little girl we lived in town. We had a big pecan tree on the side of the house and us girls would watch in awe of how our Dad would shimmy right up that big ol' tree. He would climb far up into the tallest of branches and go out onto one of the limbs. Then he would hold on and begin shaking and jumping on the limb...next thing you know the sky was raining down pecans everywhere. Then he would come down fast as lightening and we would help him gather up the pecans. Mom would shell them and we would try to eat them as fast as she shelled them. With 4 girls it was hard to get ahead. She would keep on working and before you know it mmmmhhhh...homemade pecan pie!

I'll announce the winner of the fall giveaway on Thursday evening Sept. 25th and if you don't have a blog just leave me an email address just in case your the winner!

Happy Trails....Ginger

Autumn Splendor Penny Rug and Jenn's Needle Punch

What a busy week where has the time gone. Here it is the last day of August and soon the leaves will be falling and pumpkins will be abound in all their glory.

I have been putting out some of my fall items around the homestead and our lil' grandson just ooh's and aah's at all the rich bright colors. He is amazed with the scarecrows. Isn't it fun to see life through a child's eyes.




Jenn finally found some time and came for a visit...The gal only lives four miles away but with work and trying to keep up with family her life stays busy. She has some wonderful needle punches she is offering at our Lemon Poppy Seed shop. She got in my crafting room and dug through some of my boxes and found some to use for goodie boxes and they turned out really cute. It looks like she would make her Mom one but so far I'm still waiting!

I'm working on a little giveaway for September. So be sure to check back in a few days and see what I've come up with.

The autumn splendor penny rug was lots of fun to make and with the hand~dyed wool that some of the gals at Country Collections had made it turn out just perfect. It is also over at the Lemon Poppy Shop.

Happy Trails to You and may you each have a safe and Happy Labor Day!
Ginger

Happenings down on the Farm

Don't they grow up so very fast. I so enjoy watching Sloan as he learns about this big world we live in. We go outside during the week when I have him for the day and we touch the leaves on the trees, watch the hummingbirds as they with hurried flight race from one feeder to another. He oohs and aahs at the sound of the morning birds and as late afternoon comes just before his Mom or Dad picks him up we go for a quick bicycle ride. He has quickly learned how to make the horn give it's loud squeak. Sometimes we make our way to the nearby small city that he lives in and grab a snowcone to share and head out to the lake. There we watch the Canadian geese that have made their way back for yet another year.




Lazily the geese swim watching for someone to offer them bread crumbs. They are very friendly and keep in groups as they travel across the lake area.


Just down the road someone built a little pond with a fountain. You can almost feel the coolness from the spraying water and at night it is lit brightly giving it such a wonderful glow.


I've been busily at night keeping my punch needle busy. I designed this little rug and just love the prim flowers. The little rug was made using 6 strand of floss and gives it a look and feel of a mini hooked rug. I wish I could hook with the wool strips as fast as the needle punch goes but I just can't seem to make that hook fly!


I also finished a really large penny rug that I designed. Depicting a simple family farm with a hit and miss penny border. For now I have it hanging in my sewing room. The stacks of pennies were done while on past weekend travels.



Also, be sure to visit the Lemon Poppy Seeds this week. Beginning July 1st...we will be having Christmas in July. Your sure to find lots of wonderful items by some very talented folks.

Happy Trails to you....Ginger

~*June*~ A month of Plenty

It's hard to believe we are already into June. The dog days of summer are here on the plains of Oklahoma with soaring temps into the 90's. Oh to be a kid again and run barefoot and play in the pool. It seems like work lurks around every corner.
Living on a farm brings work from every direction. Fences always need mending, cattle need worked, gardens need weeded and eventually hay will need to be cut.
June brings many birthday celebrations...my kid sister "Jane" will celebrate a birthday and a wedding anniv. Her hubby "Brian" also has a birthday. My nephew John hits a milestone and turns 15. Soon he will be asking for the car keys! My brother~in~law "Dennis" also has a birthday. Of course Father's Day will soon be here. It sure to be a busy month.

I did find a little time to make a penny rug or two and finish up a few needle punch pieces. Hope each of you find a little time to enjoy some quality time with family, friends, and a few of the things you enjoy!

Happy Trails....Ginger

~*Do You Have This Problem*~

How many projects can one person start? For me it is way too many. I think I need help! I at least finished the flower penny rug but I have two new quilts going on at once and that doesn't count the other quilts stored away. Then I guess I would have to mention all the needle punch pieces that are punched but not made into anything yet. Actually I think I have rubbed this bad habit off onto my daughter Jenny. She keeps bringing me needle punched tops with a line "I'll be back to make them into something", she has made one Halloween needle punch that I would love to have but we'll see!

Here are two redwork Santa blocks for a quilt I'm working on. Only another 10 or so to go. Dear ol' Claus gets worked on when I'm setting at Tractor Supply or Lowe's waiting on Danny. Mom actually caught me after church doing a few stitches while I was sitting in the truck waiting on Danny. Hey a gal has to stitch whenever she can find a spare minute.





I had hoped to have these finished by Christmas...I guess it all depends on how many trips we make to Tractor Supply!


Well for a few days I'm putting my stitching away. This little one is sure to keep us on our toes. Our son and daughter-in-law are on their way to Las Vegas. Sheena's youngest brother and his family live there. They are going for a surprise birthday party. Dan has never been to Vegas and I bet that it will be a sight to see.
So Sloan is ours for a few days. We have already taken a walk down to see the cows and he loved hearing them moo! He had a nice warm bath and a bottle and went down for a much needed rest.






The bottles are all washed, the supper dishes are done, and this old gal is about to call it a night. It's early for me I'm known to stay up until 2am but I think I better get some sleep myself before Sloan decides it's time to get up and play!

Happy Trails....Ginger

Early Style Penny Rug & Pinkeep

It has been a wet windy few days. We have seen heavy flooding rains and straight line winds. While some of our nearby neighbors have suffered damages to their homes and property we were spared except for picking up everything that wasn't tied down.

I saw a family of little ducks finding a swimming hole in one of the large puddles that still stands in some of the trees. I guess the nearby pond with it's choppy waves was just to much for a swim today.

Well with these cool days again and soggy grounds planting is put off but finding time to make a penny rug and pinkeep was just right. I have been wanting to try my hand at making a early style penny rug with farm animals with a look of simplicity. My scrap basket had some scrap wools that worked just fine and I blanket stitched the animals on with some hand~dyed crochet cotton. I used osnaburg linen that I primmed with some dye trying to achieve that look of olde. I even tried my hand at feather stitching and decided I like the look for bordering the penny rug.









I have so many scrap baskets guess I just can't part with the smallest of threads. So I went to needle punching this olde~style penny rug pinkeep with a hit and miss border. Seems as though the day is not complete until I take some time to do a little stitchin'....







Happy Trails to You....Ginger (nyafarmgirl)