When Good Friends Come Calling -

Me, Melinda & Wendy!

Melinda is on the go and gone, her schedule rivaling mine!

Or maybe the complete opposite of mine – when I’m here, she’s gone, and visa versa.

Several weeks ago she sent me an email with photos and the message: “I’ve got a new patio set – do you want the old one for Quiltville Inn?!”

ABSOLUTELY!  But it needed to wait until she and I were both within the same state at the same time as she lives a about 1 1/2 hours drive from me.  In the WRONG direction – toward Charlotte.

Still – with all orders out the door by 2pm yesterday, and an email verifying that yes, she was home – I hit the road to go pick up load number one in “Operation Porch Furniture!”

It doesn’t look so full in here -

But there is a large rectangular dining table with glass top  - legs removed and laid flat.  A small accent table, a porch swing, 4 chairs and a box of votive candle holders that will be perfect for around the porch – citronella candles burning to keep the evening bugs at bay. 

She was even kind enough to throw in the chair cushions!

Two matching rocking chairs and some other things remain that we couldn’t fit in – so load number two of “Operation Porch Furniture” will happen on Friday as I make my return trip home.

I just have the BEST FRIENDS!  I am amazed at how all of this is pulling together.

When I arrived at Quiltville Inn last evening to unload, I found this small package waiting for me:

A stamped cross stitch beauty!

Do you see it?  Upper corner? Bonnie from Massachusetts even personalized it with Quiltville Inn 2020!  I WILL be getting this framed.  It will hang at the Inn where all can see it and enjoy it.  I can’t even begin to imagine the hours and hours that went into stitching this.  It’s perfect in every way!

Yesterday’s Electrical Adventure.

In order to free up some electrical panel space in the Quilting Quarters, we took the former garage turned workshop OFF of the house electric and had the electric company put it on its own meter.  Now the house as ALL the space we need to be sure we have enough electric for 12 machines and travel irons at the work stations, and for stand up full size ironing stations in designated areas.

There is enough to add the overhead lighting I want in the Quilting Quarters, and the dining room as well.

All of these things have to be done in a certain order, and one by one all of these boxes are being checked off the list.

Getting there!

They had to dig up some lawn right next to the building, but it will grow back.  All of the wires are buried, and the workshop is now running on its own meter.

Oh, the funniest thing over the past week or so – Once or twice a year we are allowed “big item pick up” for trash.  This includes furniture, mattresses, toilets, old ugly rugs – and we are only allowed 10 items.

We learned quickly to put stuff out early, because folks would drive by and pick stuff up, allowing us to put out MORE to reach our allotted 10 items. 

The BIG UGLY YELLOW RUG that has lived on the front porch through the winter because it was too heavy even for 2 people to lift was drug OFF the porch with a winch behind the 4-wheeler.  LOL.  It sat at the curb for 2 days, but I did the happy dance of joy when the text message came that “Big Yellow Ugly is GONE!”  LOL.  Someone evidently wanted it.  I’m just wondering how the heck they managed to get it OFF the curb and to their vehicle.

With that gone, I quickly sent the message of “Get the ugly sink and handicapped grab bars out of the Post Office bathroom!”  As of last night that sink was still there, but someone was coming around collecting all metal items (likely for recycling) and the grab bars are gone.

Today is pick up day.  Needless to say, there were way less than 10 items at the curb to be picked up this morning.

Next big item pick up?  I hope to have the 1970s harvest gold pendant lamp GONE from the stairwell and out to the curb.  Just wondering if ANYONE would want to pick that thing up??

I took some time this morning to compile all of the Show & Share quilts from my time in Slidell, Louisiana for you to enjoy.  Click to Play:

The quilts were MANY, and so beautiful! I am so inspired by the colors and all of the stitching time that went into creating such beautiful quilts.  Thank you for bringing them, and for sharing them!

Today’s plans.  I’m headed to the Inn.  There are some things I want to tackle this morning, and then meeting up with friends Martha and Toni for a girls lunch and “who knows what.”  I’m game for anything and I want to talk to Toni about framing Bonnie from Massachusetts’s cross-stitch as she does custom framing for others.

And that machine is calling my name – this girl longs to sew!

Quiltville Quote of the Day

Vintage Carpenters Star found in North Carolina.

How true is this! Quiet the mind and listen to your heart.

I think the simple act of sewing pieces together puts me in the right place to listen, as for many of us.