Tuesday To-Do #34: An Epic Novel

Today I'm linking up to Tuesday To-Do hosted

by Texas Quilt Gal.  I was a little hesitant at first

because I don't exactly have quilt accomplishments

to show but I did finally get around to a photo

session with my Positively Fearless quilt and I went

on a shop hop where I took pics and made purchases

so all that counts, right?

Firstly, YES, the West Point Choir BBQ was a huge success!

The goal was to give these cadets a wonderful

home-cooked meal and a place to unwind!

For this to-do:  DONE!!!

The menu included pulled pork, chicken and

hot links, all courtesy of hubs and his smoker.

We also served pasta salad, calico baked beans, chips and

 fresh veggies.  And for dessert, brownies and cookies galore.

With the rain holding off, the weather could not have

been prettier for an evening of outdoor games.

And after the sun was gone, our own soldier lit

a fire in the pit and they continued on!

He was allowed to stay with us but early the next

morning came the quick goodbye, and

just like that, it was all over.

We'll get to see him again in a few weeks,

and again at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

And goodness knows, the weeks are flying by.

Meanwhile, I had to get on the road.

No time for rest--it was Shop Hop day!

Normally, when I recap the Shop Hop on here,

I try to give a lot of details and explanation.

But I gotta tell ya, I'm pretty wiped out so....

hey, here are a bunch of pics from the Shop Hop!

(No blogger awards earned today!)

(Well, maybe for "Longest Post"!)

I do have to show this section every year.

So many fat quarters!

And precuts!

A go-to store for precuts and fat quarters for sure!

I left the snack table in this pic for size-reference

on those quilt pieces.  A cute one!

Sweet jumbo spools of thread, what a playroom!

I spy KS Troubles?

Super cute for a child!  Though I have to admit,

the stickler in me immediately thought:

 Um, prop planes don't create jet streams.

And they're not correct for crop-dusters either.

What can I say?  I grew up around planes (incl my dad's)

and my hubs works for a major aviation company.

Don't mind me, I'm just being picky.

A kid would love it.

Christmas love.

Halloween love.

This store always has a great Halloween section,

though you can't really see all the fabrics here.

Love the fabrics/colors, the chains and 9-patches, too.

Every year I look for one fall project that just calls

to me--this is the one!  I snatched up the book

and I already have fabrics in mind.  I usually just put

stuff like that on my Christmas list so this was a treat!

I love the pillow, too, though I'm not sure about the

info on it.  Btw, if there is anything in these pics that

you might need more info on, I'd be happy to see

what I can find out.

Now, what did I buy?  Normally I prepare for the 

shop hop very well, going through all the future

projects I might want to make and/or taking any

current projects that need fabrics but this year,

as previously stated, I was all in a tizzy about

a bbq so I planned NOTHING for the shop hop.

Instead, I only did some completely random

and senseless [sort of] buying.  Full-on therapy.

Here are my spoils:

Clearance finds, from left to right:

8 yds green/red fall fabric (for a backing?) $5/yd

3 yds neutral/vine (background?) $5/yd

1 yd brown plaid (binding?) $6.50/yd

2 yds gold plaid (binding?) $6.50/yd

Freebies:

Patriotic FQ--Shop Hop theme fabric

Brown FQ--a door prize

A little something to hang fall minis from.

Complete impulse buy: 12 KS Troubles Fat Eighths

because I can ALWAYS put these to use.

And my book-treat, with many quilts that I'm eyeing

but especially that pumpkin one as pic'd above.

I made it back home before dark and hubs took me

for Mexican food--no, not on my diet but once again,

I was out of energy!

The next night we had family over to help us eat

up leftover bbq food.  The night after we had a great

group of friends over to enjoy the cheese, wine and other

spoils from the Great Wisconsin Foodie Road Trip of '21

out under the lights in the pergola.  I don't have a pic

but this was like a scene from some wine ad.  Oh my

goodness did we enjoy this!  And I sooo needed it!

The NEXT evening, hubs took me golfing...

and this brings me to now, Monday night when

hubs is at his Men's group and I can't seem to get

my tired boo-tay off this sofa.  Can you blame me?

Pretty sure there is a long soak in the bathtub

calling my name as soon as this post is completed.

But first, let's talk a little gardening to-do's:

Previously, the veg garden had tons of weeds

(especially the pathways!) and everything just had

that overall unkempt thing going on.

Imagine this ratatouille garden looking like one huge,

hairy shrub of a tomato plant, with a side of eggplant.

(Squash previously removed due to squash bugs)

Voila.  Thoroughly pruned and looking loved again.

I really hacked away at them--it's just less to deal

with when the freezing temps set in any week now.

Most of the pumpkins and gourds were pulled too.  

I'm very sad about the paltry amount in my decorating,

but since I had to buy them this year, well...those things
add up.  It's much more fun when you can just go to

your garden and pick to your little fall-loving-heart's

desire.  But anyway, the garden again looks loved.

I've mentioned getting all of our other gardens

back in shape (I don't even know how many we have!)

so I have to share a little funny.

I don't sleep well--probably 95% of the time.  And with

all we had going on, I was my usual self, taking at least

an hour or so to fall asleep and waking up at 4:30 am

to think and think and think and finally getting up and

doing things like painting the deck in the pale morning

light.  Day after day.  So yes, I was getting very tired,

but also enjoying it--don't get me wrong!  I love getting

caught up on things, and I was enjoying decorating too!

But anyhoo, one particularly tired morning, I went

out to weed another garden.  Setting down my gloves,

my purse and my speaker--wait.  MY PURSE???

I literally took my purse out with me to pull weeds.

Oh, what a hoot.

Here are a few more pics of what I've been doing...

Added mums along the [weeded] paths to the garden.

Random placings of pumpkins...

My welcoming fall scene.

More mums, new mulch and....good grief,

new weeds have set in already!!

More welcoming pumpkins and mums.

Care to sit a spell?

Fall decor everywhere!

From all angles!

Walking around back...

Mums the word!

(Note newly-painted deck & weeded herb garden)

All the touches.

Sunflowers out in the pergola.

On to more quilty things....

Remember this?

I finally got full-finish pics of Positively Fearless.

How long has this taken?!?

I hope to get it listed, along with two other quilts,

over the next couple days.

 I did do one tiny bit of sewing:

I made 5 chicken aprons in just over 30 mins.  That's

kinda code for don't look at the sewing--they're for

chickens for crying out loud and anyway, I didn't really

have time to be doing it.   I'd put it off for months but

now with winter coming, they really need to get

their feathers growing back out asap.  

Firstly, the rooster just kinda pecks at them, ahem,

anyway but when you get too many in one space,

there will always be some who get pecked at

(thus the terms "pecking order" or "hen-pecked").

I ended up receiving 4 extra hens in my last order;

I was already pushing it with 15 in that space!

We really should butcher a few but after having

to do that with our last batch, I just don't want to.

(Some farm-girl I am, huh?)

OK, so looking toward next week!  

(Yes, I'm declaring some to-do's this time!)

1) Find my lost mojo.

2) Get my WP quilt labeled, bound and listed.

3) List Positively Fearless.

4) List September Glow.

5) Update Etsy pages.

6) Make progress on my fall quilt.

Until next week, happy fall quilting!