11/10/13

Finished!

Today I finished up the top for the Salt Water Taffy quilt, and I am so glad to have this done. I started working on it on May, 2012. Next month, I will tie and bind it and it will be ready for coziness. Here's where I left off yesterday:


Hm. I could have sworn I left it all nice and flat on the floor. Maybe the organization elves have been here "helping".

And here's my scrappy flannel quilt when I finished with it this afternoon.


These are the fabrics I have for the back and the binding. The blue on the right is for the binding.


Smitty likes it even better now that I made it bigger for him.


The only other thing I did today was to feed the birds and set up the birdcam. The birds have been neglected the past two weeks. I didn't bother with them while Mike was in the hospital. Since he's been home, it's been raining every day. It doesn't make a lot of sense to put the camera out in the rain since the only thing I'm going to get is pictures of is blurry birds through the raindrops on the lens. Also, when it's too windy, the blowing feeder sets off the motion sensor and I get lots of pictures of the feeder going sideways, but no birds.

So here's what I captured today. These first several images are of the House Finch. We have another kind of finch around here that looks almost exactly the same...the Purple Finch...but I'm pretty sure these are all House Finches.



I like capturing them with a seed in their mouths.









Yeah, quite a few of those.

This next guy is a Red-breasted Nuthatch:



And here's a Chestnut-backed Chickadee. Our sunflower seed got a little wet, and some of it has sprouted. He's holding one of the sprouted seeds in his mouth.





And this last one is a Dark-Eyed Junco.



I'm identifying the birds from a laminated poster of "Backyard Birds of the Pacific Northwest" that I got from the Backyard Bird Shop. If I've misidentified any of them, please let me know.

So that's it from me today. Tomorrow I'm going to muster all of my self-discipline and get myself to the pool for a workout. It won't be much of a workout since I'm out of shape, but it'll be a start at least. I had as my goal to force myself to work out regularly for the next 30 days, thinking that 30 days makes a habit, don't you know. Then, one of you informed me that you had learned that, actually, it takes somewhere in the neighborhood of 66 days to form a habit. Yikes. (Thanks, Kate!) So.......now I'm thinking I might have to force myself to do 30 days twice. We'll see how self-disciplined I am, won't we now? (Not. I can tell you that right now.)

Also, after said workout (cough), I'm going to start on the next door for my Doors of Ireland quilt.


There's the door. I have the fabrics picked out. I'm still considering how to do the name of the restaurant since the lettering is too small to applique it. I might trace it onto the fabric and embroider it before fusing it to the block. Haven't really decided yet.

I hope you had a good weekend and that you have a lovely week ahead of you.

18 comments:

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

I've heard thirty days of chocolate is a habit, but exercise??? Are you sure you got that right....giggle.

Smitty does have more room for sure...good job.

Andddd I'm in love with all your birdies!

NancyA said...

What a great birdcam! It takes amazingly sharp pictures, what fun!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I'm with Billie on the 30 days!! Love your snuggle quilt and the bird pictures are wonderful. Our Juncos have flocked and left with the little chickadees replacing them. They are the 'clowns' of the birds and love to watch them hang upside down on the feeders.

Tami C said...

I like your Salt Water Taffy quilt and think it's probably the organization cats that are helping you! I enjoyed looking at your visitors today. You've got quit a few different birds up there. I think it would work just fine if you embroider the name of the restaurant on your next door of Ireland.

Lyndsey said...

If it's a bad habit I have got it after 2 or 3 days. Good habits take me years! Love your bird visitors and your quilt looks so cuddly.

Dana Gaffney said...

I love the bird pictures, you're getting such great pictures without having to stalk the birds. The finch looks reddish so it made me laugh that there's another one that looks exactly the same, someone should tell the purple one that he should be, ,......purple.

Michele said...

Your quilt turned out great but I have to chuckle at the assistance you received when you weren't looking.

Angie in SoCal said...

Oh that snuggly quilt looks so warm and inviting. Lucky you. Love it's scrappy look. And those photos! Those birds look like they know something is going on - does the cam make an audible click? Looking forward to seeing your new door block develop.

Diane Wild said...

I also heard the everyday for 21 days makes a habit. That was in reference to quitting smoking so why wouldn't it work on exercise? Some of the birds look like they're sticking their tongue out at the camera. Great pics.

Heidi said...

Congrats on your flimsy finish - it is great to see you back in your groove.

gpc said...

Smitty has the look of a new owner, for sure. And no wonder he claimed it - it
s a beautiful quilt. The birds are beautiful for sure. And I'll withhold comment on your exercise fantasy . . . dare to dream. :)

Junebug613 said...

That is a mighty inviting quilt! (As Smitty has already demonstrated). I'm still enjoying the birds! I'm looking forward to seeing how your door quilt develops. Go exercise! ! You will feel better physically and mentally! I think everyone develops habits at different rates. Just set yourself a reasonable goal for you. Set yourself up for success!

Vicki W said...

Your bird photos are amazing!!

Dar said...

Your quilt looks cuddly and warm. It would be put to good use here tonight (in the 20's brrr). I love how sharp the bird pictures are. It looks like they are using their feet to get to some of the seeds too. I need to tell Santa about birdcam. lol

Karen said...

Your quilt is looking lovely. Great fabric selections for the back and binding.
The birds must be happy to have you back feeding them.
Good luck at the pool.

Brown Family said...

Can you program lettering on your machine? That might be an option! Love the birds.

Kate said...

Great shots of the birdies! My Guy would be jealous.

Congrats on the finish. It will be a warm and bright cuddle quilt.

The researchers did say that like anything else related to humans, there is a wide variation in how long it takes someone to form a habit. I think the range was something like 12 days to 250 something. Hopefully, you'll be on the shorter end of that range.

quiltzyx said...

Wonderful bird shots today! So nice & clear - they were ready for you this time!

Smitty will be so happy when you finish Smitty's Salt Water Taffy...