Flowers and Quilts and Stuff

It's a quiet day at our house.  We're hoping for some rain. Hubby removed the railings from our front porch :: something we've been agonizing over for quite some time.  The pickets were made from pine (Grrrrrr.....) and one by one they've started to rot.  All seventy-seven of them.  We decided to live "picketless" for a while and see how we like it. I'm thinking some big beautiful pots of fern will fill the empty space quite nicely.

An impromptu visit to the thrift shop this week turned out to be quite a treat.  A few things pulled at my heartstrings and I left with a great big smile.

The Hydrangea blooms came from an enormous bush on the side yard of my mom and dad's house.   It performed exceptionally well this year, causing neighbors to stop and comment on it's beauty.  We cut some this morning and I loaded them into my mercury glass vase.  So. Very. Pretty.

We finished the quilt top a few weeks ago.  Forty-eight flowers in all and every stitch done by hand.  It's the work of many. The backing was a tad short on width so a patchwork strip was added down the center.  It lends a cottage feel and adds a little pizazz.  A group of Mennonite women have agreed to hand quilt for us.  How happy it feels to finally pass it on.