>>>>

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Counting Small Joys -


These photos are right off the top of my camera roll from yesterday - 

Wednesday was a spruce-up-all-the-things type of morning - and with friend Martha to help get the beds made (And even most of the towel folding completed by the time I got there!) we had some time on our hands.

The offer of "Come ride to town with me, I need to pick up a prescription and we can have an early lunch at the diner" was just what I needed before the Stitch Mob arrived at 3pm.

This little diner is so reminiscent of the 1960s right down to the colors, the booth chairs, and the daisy printed Formica that tops the counter.

Check out those hanging lights!  I bet they are original too.

One half of the building is the pharmacy, the other half the diner - and they have the best milkshakes in town.

We also made a quick run through Dollar Tree so I could pick up some hand soap refills and some other needful things for the inn - but most of all it was a great getaway for chatting on the drive -

Talk of the Big Lots grand opening happening this weekend. (It's our first and only one!)

And even "MORE" progressive - they are clearing land for a Dollar General about 10 miles from me on the North Carolina side.

This is a BIG DEAL - when it is 1/2 hour drive or more to any store in any direction, 10 miles is CLOSE. And the rumor is, in this underserved food desert that we are, they are going to have produce.

We laughed that they are likely the ONLY Dollar General in these parts with a stunning long-range view of the Blue Ridge right behind their chosen spot.  Really.  

My inner teen-ager is aghast that I find excitement in any of this kind of thing AT ALL.  I've definitely come "A Long Way Baby." Bring on the SIMPLE.


There was time for this while waiting for the Stitch Mob to arrive!

I need a ton of these little units, plus some others so it will be in front of me for a while.

I was able to use up quite a few SHORT strips  to make these double geese units.  That drawer has gone down quite a bit.  HAPPY HAPPY!

I found that I could best work on two double-geese units at a time, using each set as a leader/ender for the other so I could keep the right background triangles together as a set and see progress being made without any long tangled chains of piecing to deal with.  Sometimes divide into small chains and conquer works best for me.


Double yolk for the win!

Housekeeper Susan brought me a dozen eggs from her chicken including this HUGE one (oh, poor chicken!)  and as it was determined that last night should be "breakfast for dinner" night, I watched as the Hubster cracked this egg and opened it onto the griddle.  What a beauty!

This small joy gave me a huge smile of awe and wonder in a huge way.


Another small joy -

Because autumn is around the corner whether we like it or not -


This tree is already starting to turn!

Which also brings thoughts of falling leaves and the once-again view of the mountains in the distance when the curtain of green is gone.

I love summer - and I love the green, but time marches on from season to season and I love to take notice of that too.


Small joys - enjoying porch time with these three.


More small joys -

I turned a corner in the hand quilting last night!

Turning corners makes me happy...until I remember that hexagons have SIX of them. Just keep stitching!


Small joys -

My thanks to the Naughty Room Quilters who left me nearly a full bottle of peppermint mocha creamer to enjoy with my morning java.  Thank you!

The Stitch Mob girls were nearly all there by the time I headed home for dinner.  I checked in later and all had arrived safely and were settling in and stitching up a storm.

It's going to be a great week ahead.

And hopefully I'll get more of those double-geese in the done column for that border.

What do you have on deck for today?


ONE WEEK LEFT!

It's finally time - Crazie Mazie PDF Pattern release time, that is!

This all happened last week and you can visit that post to catch up on ALL of the details and enter the Gift-Away.

I will be drawing for TWO lucky winners who will each receive a Crazie Mazie PDF pattern, a Rocky Road to Grayson PDF pattern AND: A Kaleidoscope fabric roll from  Cotton to Quilts!

Gift-Away drawing to happen Monday 8/29/22.



BOTH Crazie Mazie AND  Rocky Road to Grayson are on sale at 25% off because you've already got the strings out!


You'll find Crazie Mazie and Rocky Road to Grayson in both the Quiltville Store and the Quiltville Etsy Pattern Shop.


Price reduction good through 8/31/22 and reverts to full price on 9/1/22.  Hurry now and save!



Quiltville Quote of the Day -

I love this old and quite plain shoo fly quilt.. Humble little blocks, a wool blanket as batting and tied with red wool yarn.
This quilt kept someone warm through many cold winters.
Who made it? Who slept under it? What is the story behind each and every scrap? ⁣
There is so much love and beauty even in the simplicity of this sweet humble old quilt.
Challenge yourself to find beauty (and small joys!) in every day simple things…I’d love to know what you discover in the process.

Happy Thursday - go out and capture it!


 

10 comments:

Debra said...

What a quaint old diner!! Loved it.
What a great little visit to town..
Apples & Acorns bet it smells divine. I'm lucky to have the Yankee Candle 🕯️ mother ship store about 50 min up the road. We've taken many a trip up there.
our kitten went to the vet this morning. He's teething. And healthy.
He's strictly an indoor 🐈 Kitty as there are too many predators outside here.
Have a great Thursday!

beccaauen said...

Please be me It was my birthday this week and it would be great to win.

MissPat said...

I have been practicing meditation for almost a year and one of the things that is emphasized is being in the moment and being aware and curious about the simple things around us. It has helped me tremendously in dealing with the death of my husband last October.

Mary said...

Martha k ew just what you needed. A good milkshake is a great reason for a roadtrip. Fall makes me sad to see all of my flowers go away. Glad to find Joy in the grateful months. Christmas is only 4 months away. Dou le geese and double yolks, better buy a lottery ticket. Lol

Judy said...

I just notice the quilting on your hexie quilt it looks like diamonds. I had to really look at it twice before I saw it was the quilting design and not diamonds. Really beautiful. I finished mine and have it hung above my grandmother's tredel sewing machine, it is no where near the complexity of yours as it is only 18 large hexies of four rounds each.

UptownConnie said...

My birthday was yesterday!! :)

Lynn B said...

The pharmacy soda fountain brings back some great memories. My Dad was a pharmacist with his own store 60 years ago. It had a soda fountain and I got the BEST limeades and BLT sandwiches EVER!! Can hardly find a limeade anymore....... thanks for the memory jog!!

Gail Piper said...

Dollar stores have popped up in several small towns in our area to the point that my son has mentioned that our houses are only "4 Dollar stores apart"... :)
We do appreciate the convenience in our rural neck of the woods.

Annette said...

Would love to win

Grandma Kathy Quilts said...

Here in the Northwest the Dollar General stores are popping up everywhere. In fact they have already put the little community grocery store out of business in the next town over. Someone told me the Dollar General Stores are owned by foreign investors. Hummm! Here in our small town the DG started clearing the land and then the town council shut them down. Land for sale now. But we too love the Dollar Tree. Except now it’s 1.25. They sure deserve that raise. Lol.

Post a Comment

If you are commenting as "anonymous" please leave your name at the end of your comment.

Did you know that ad space on this blog provides for all of the free patterns and free mysteries and challenges at no cost to you? Without ads, this blog would not be possible.

Thank you for understanding the many hours that go into this blog 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year. :)