I Love Thursday #61 – End of November
This is our 61th post of things we love for the week. We post these loves each Thursday along with LeeAnna on her blog at Not Afraid of Color. Several additional friends also share on a weekly basis – be sure to check them out. You will surely find something to inspire you.
Love #1
Andrea! Of course, we love Andrea because she is our niece and we’ve known her since her birth. She had high cholesterol before anyone ever heard of such a thing (she ate lots of cheese) for a child at age two. Before that, we thought she would never walk as she was very content to just stay wherever you put her. Later, her brother John was another story but I digress. Nowadays, she is Dominic’s Mom!! And soon-to-be Baby Girl’s mom. We can’t love her any more as it just isn’t possible. However, we do love that she brought Chris, Dominic and Baby Girl into our lives. Happy Happy Birthday, Andrea. We love you more than we could ever possibly say. Ever. Truth. ♥ ♥ (And she gets orange hearts because that’s her favorite color!)
Love #2
My friend Kimmee! This is my friend, Kimmee. I work with her, and she graciously agreed to pose for a picture. Coercion and nagging her may have happened a slight bit, and she may not know that this is being shared here. I did tell her but she didn’t believe me! Anyhoo, I just LOVE this top she is wearing. I am going to design a pattern similar to it in EQ8. Some day in 2019. A paper pieced pattern at that! Me – who doesn’t care for EQ8 because she can’t figure it out, and me who doesn’t care so much for paper piecing. The gauntlet has been thrown. I hope I remember, and still like it when I get around to it!
Seriously though, can’t you just SEE this as a quilt? Similar colors . . . random wispy leaves . . . black or very dark gray background. Yup, I can close my eyes and see it. Oh, that reminds me to remind her to water her plant! See it there over her shoulder – she forgets about it, poor thing.
Love #3
Thread talk. I was watching a video about beginning FMQ. It’s a free video on the website Imagine with Riley Blake. During the first segment, thread is discussed. I have used a variety of different types of threads by Gutermann and Aurifil. You will see in the pictures below that the first two brands are wound in a crosshatch pattern. The Americana thread on the right is wound in a straight method. The crosshatch threads should be dispensed vertically while the last horizontally to reduce twisting. I have only used a vertical method when cone-sized thread was used, without any consideration to how the thread was wound. What about you – did you know this?? Fascinating!
Love #4
Christmas cactus. This plant may be slightly confused over the name it was given, but then none of us get to pick our name. Some have to deal with funny spellings and some have to deal with never-before-heard words. This little cactus has to deal with not blooming during the holiday it was named. It prefers to bloom at any holiday before Christmas, possibly Thanksgiving. Three of its blossoms have opened, and there are plenty more to follow. Last year only three opened so I have high, HIGH hopes for this year. ♥ ♥
Love #5
Winter science experiment! A friend gave me these two little plants for my birthday in adorable little pumpkins. With beautiful flowers, I don’t know the name of these plants but they look like mums to me. Lately, each winter at work I try to keep a summer plant alive for the summer. Last winter, two Gerber daisies were lovingly nursed and babied. Surprise blooms in March made the whole experiment worthwhile, only to be drowned in a heavy rainstorm in July. They didn’t survive through the second summer, darn it. This year’s project is going to be these two plants. I think they are mums but I’m not sure. Aren’t the colors just gorgeous?!!
Love #6
Our boy Dominic had a very, very busy week again. I guess at age one, there are so many things to learn, see and experience that he is constantly busy. First up, he gets distracted going for a book to read when there’s a toy too near the bookcase. Then he patiently waits for dad by playing with his bus. They were going on an excursion to visit GG, grandma and his uncle on dad’s side. Thanksgiving eve was spent with Sue and I, watching Mickey’s Clubhouse. It looks like it was a good episode, doesn’t it?! Not as good as Puppy Paws apparently, as reflected in the fourth picture. He must sit on Auntie Sue’s lap on the floor to enjoy the Puppies. Thanksgiving night, after an exhausting day of visiting and trying new foods, he fell asleep. He likes cranberries and turkey, just like his Auntie Rose. Finally, would you like to hear a story? Dominic would love to read to you. ♥ ♥
That’s it for this week! We hope your week is filled with many blessings. Happy Thursday! See you next week with more loves. Our Linky Parties can be found by clicking the link for more quilting fun or in the sidebar of our website – check out what our friends are up to. Like/follow us on our Facebook page and share your likes/loves there! We love to see them. ~smile~
Your Christmas Cactus is so very beautiful! I love the white/pink blossoms! Mine usually bloom around Thanksgiving, but they are just budding right now, so I think they will be December Cacti this year. Your other two plants are lovely too! I’d agree with the mums designation based on the leaves, but I’m no expert. Good luck with your project to keep them alive! I have confidence in you! And happy Birthday to Andrea too!
Happy Birthday Andrea! Looks like mums and they are gorgeous. I have a Christmas Cactus which has been abused a lot by the cat. I have learned about the thread, I find it fascinating. LOL your EQ8 challenge with paper piecing. OH MY!
Lovely Dominic! And no, I did not know about that thread thing…can I blame it on why I have machine quilting issues. I must look at what I’m using and try to sort it out. THanks for sharing that info.
Meanwhile, I love your plants…anything with a bloom is special during this season.
How nice to have a great workmate. They make the workworld so much better. Great chats, I’m sure.
Hello Roseanne, My comment today is going to be short. I have a big smile and a happy heart after reading your love post today! I look forward to reading more about your plants/flowers and of course all of your family and the LOVE you spread to everyone with all of your talents also! I am waving and saying great job! Have a splendid day!
You already know that Dominic is so precious, but I’m reinforcing that judgment. =) Kimmee’s shirt is great, and so is her smile! My daisies are right where they get all the drips from the gutters, and that’s a lot! Last year, we had more sun, and they bloomed twice!
They come back every year, even if I cut them down to the ground. Mine were labelled “Gerbera daisies”, named after a German botanist, I think. The article I read said there are MANY cultivars, and it might be that the one I have is a hardier variety. It grows a huge bush with woody stems each year and looks so pretty, even when it isn’t blooming. It’s been through a winter with an 8″ snow and one with a 14-day freeze, so it is hardy!
Good luck with your new summer plants. Your Christmas cactus is more prolific than mine. The most blooms I’ve had was 5, and they also come when they want to, whether I put them in the dark, water them or not. AND … Happy Birthday, Andrea!
I love mums. And Christmas cacti. I have one that’s really an Easter cactus.
I recently learned that about thread as well!
I can see it! And all the fun it will be to paper piece (I like pp’ing) If you can jolly along a Christmas cactus you’re a better woman than I said Gunga Din. Thread, yep I knew that. It’s especially important when using metallics. And use the right needle for the weight thread (I teach a threads class) Your friend is so cute! It’s lovely to enjoy work mates! Those flowers are pretty, kind of like dahlia petals. Someone here should know what they are. Some flowers are annuals and you’ll get maybe one reflower, only. I like that you try to nurture them along… it says so much about you!
LeeAnna
I did know that about thread and that it should be either laid down or stood up on the appropriate pegs for unwinding but I can’t ever remember which is the right way. I should write it down and stick it to my machine!! Beautiful Christmas cactus. I have my grandmother’s that I inherited in 1979 at her passing. I’ve kept it alive all these years and it’s bloomed sometimes for Halloween but usually for Thanksgiving but by the time Christmas comes the flowers are drying up. However, this summer Tu-Na Helper decided it needed a larger pot and so he transplanted it. When we left in Oct for AZ, the poor plant had not recovered transplant shock yet and it’s shiny leaves were soft. Not sure how I’ll find it when I get back to ND for Christmas.
I have a feeling once your friend Kimmee finds out you posted her photo here, she’ll not let you forget about your advance new year’s 2019 declaration of designing/making a quilt based upon her blouse fabric pattern.
Ahem, you’re in for it, girl!
I agree, it will make a fine contemporary feeling quilt design…
Are you sure you don’t want to appliqué the leaves!? Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
I would love to have a story read to me – that’s always my favorite thing! Glad Dominic loves his books! I think your friend’s blouse would make a wonderful quilt design – good for you for taking up the challenge. I never knew that about thread and how it’s wound – makes me glad I have a vertical thread holder to sit next to my sewing machine!
Aw, all your pictures always make me smile. I also think those flowers are mums. Hope your experiment with them is a huge success!
Awww, he’s adorable! Looks like you had a fun time. Interesting info about the thread.I always try to chose a 2 or 3-ply twisted thread. I love Aurifil and Superior threads! And, as Wendy wrote, they have a great series on thread on their website!
I did know that about thread, but couldn’t recall which was which. Superior Threads has a series called Threadology; it is interesting and informative whether you use their product or not. Of course, little D is cute as always!
And there he is! The smile bringer…he is so dang cute! And those plaid jammies are to die for!