Around The House

Yesterday, I picked up my project piece for the Spring 2016 issue of Primitive Quilts & Projects magazine from my friend Lisa who did the quilting for me. 

After sewing on the binding last night, all that now remains is to attach the hanging sleeve which is used for photography purposes and that'll be another project that can be crossed off my 'to do' list.

I love finishes!  What a great feeling!  

So that's one down and another one to go for the Winter 2016 issue.  The design for that one is done.  Now I just have to 'bring it to life' but I've got lots of time to do that because the deadline isn't until later this year.

In the interim, Mr. Painted Quilt, Ollie and I have been working our collective butts off tending to the outside of the house.

Because of the health issues that have plagued me over the last three years, we had sadly neglected the flower beds to the point where the weeds were reigning victorious.

Two days and approximately 6 hours of work later, as of this afternoon, we have declared ourselves the winners against the weeds in the flower beds immediately surrounding the house. We have one more large bed to do in the back yard, the one that Mr. PQ dug for me the first summer we moved here back in 2011.  That's next on the agenda which hopefully we'll get to on Friday, unless it rains.

Our kitchen garden is right outside the back door.  It's small but mighty and provides us with fresh strawberry rhubarb, chives, beef steak tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and hot banana peppers, Mr. PQ's faves.

The gardens were horribly overgrown and neglected when we bought the house and as a result, we've replaced about 95% of the plants and shrubs in all the flower beds since then.

The side of the house gets the early morning sun and the Japanese maple, broad-leaf variegated hosta and hydrangea seem to flourish here.

This next shot is at the corner where the two walkways meet, the one towards the back entrance of our house and the one that leads to the front.

There's a huge red bleeding heart, an early blooming pink rhododendron, a red weigela, a favorite of the hummingbirds and a VERY prolific solomon's seal.

And that's when the camera battery died so there'll be more to come.

I did manage to take the next two photos of the house and grounds a couple of days ago after our first outdoor marathon with the flower beds and grass mowing.

The side...

 And the front...

Another week or so and we should be caught up.  After that, it'll just be upkeep, maintenance and enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Oh...and I've even managed to fit in some sewing time...but more on that later!

Happy stitching!