tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37534348478390552932024-03-12T23:31:32.577-04:00B.J's Bits and PiecesA journal of sorts with my thoughts and ideas about my hobbies which are quilting and knitting. At times there may be other ideas about life.bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-30009733775795752662013-01-26T16:04:00.001-05:002013-01-26T16:04:26.029-05:006 months later....starting with August 2012
We were so lucky to be invited with friends to go behind the scenes at the Columbus Zoo. During that tour we got to see and hold the new 6 wk. old tiger boys. What a thrill!
Some penguins were in there as well. Cute!
Petting and feeding a white rhino was something Mark was brave to do. The rhino's tongue is pointed...weird!
A cute baby leopard....love bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-87374175896887258012012-07-25T21:51:00.001-04:002012-07-25T21:51:46.642-04:00We're sure having a hot summer here in Ohio!April brought one 5K and the opening of golf season for us, May took us to the Finger Lakes in N.Y. for a vacation through the wineries for our 23rd wedding anniversary, Memorial Day weekend I ran a 4 mile run in the unbearable heat to benefit the Honor Flight, June was the fabulous National Quilt Assoc. show at the Convention Center with my girlfriends from our old neighborhood in northern Ohio bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-69783945658747926862012-04-03T14:05:00.000-04:002012-04-03T14:05:36.682-04:00March was such a wonderful month!Not only was the weather perfect with some record breaking 80 degree days, but we had another Spargo Sistas Weekend..... plus Mark and I went to Arizona to visit family and had the best trip!
So the first set of photos are the 'creative juices' ones:
This is Beth's block which is from a Civil War quilt she is working on.
This is one of Linda's Crimson Tweed blocks that is embellished. Love bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-85598133307770172012-02-25T13:34:00.000-05:002012-02-25T13:34:00.937-05:00Photos from our Spargo Sistas Weekend on Feb. 17th.....
Paula got her basket quilt center blocks pieced during our Spargo Sistas Weekend. That always feels like quite an accomplishment! It's very folksy and will look great hanging on her railing as you come in her door. Most of the blocks have sayings embroidered on them. LOVE it!
Linda worked on her borders for her Magnolia quilt. I just love looking at her embroidery bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-75186477111133218572012-02-17T11:46:00.000-05:002012-02-17T11:46:29.978-05:00
Three 5Ks, holidays and two pet deaths later......
I have been in a blog stall. This may be a longer post than you care to read because I've not posted since last April. I have some finished projects to show and tell, vacations, updated grandkid photos and 5Ks that I've participated in.
I finished this little sweater for our niece who had her little girl inbjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-73387525723945659362011-07-27T18:31:00.000-04:002011-07-27T18:31:54.515-04:00Thank God for a/c, even though he really didn't create it!This hot weather is not conducive to productive knitting or quilting, but I was determined to have something to show before I would post again. I don't remember the heat bothering me when I was young. That story has changed since I went through menopause. While wallowing in our air conditioned home and riding in the car while Mark is driving, I managed to make progress on a few bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-22506644426780935692011-06-09T17:40:00.000-04:002011-06-09T17:40:32.744-04:00Wow is it hot in Ohio!!!After all the rain in April and May we jumped right into August heat and humidity even though it's only the beginning of June. My projects are moving along slowly....I'm not sure I can blame it on the heat, but it does seem like planting the flowers and weeding have taken precedence over my knitting and quilting....oh, and a little anniversary vacation took place too which was followed by bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-89333230550541068062011-04-08T16:53:00.000-04:002011-04-08T16:53:47.799-04:00Spring has sprung in our neck of the woods.I'm enjoying the forsythia in bloom, the daffodils and hyacinths and the buds on the weeping cherry are plentiful. The temperatures are getting milder and we've begun sleeping with our windows open. Glorious, gorgeous spring!
My finished Breast Cancer socks which I wore to the James Stitching Sisters Annual Quilt Day. This is the 7th year. I've been attending this event bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-24143931805066565532011-02-26T21:32:00.000-05:002011-02-26T21:32:08.938-05:00To Chicago we all went.....February 16th was the 30th birthday for our youngest two. So we surprised Matt and Little Jenny in Chicago on the 12th when we took turns knocking on Matt's condo door....one couple at a time. LJ (Little Jenny) and her hubby, BJ went to visit Matt (who is the only one of us who actually lives there) to take her scooter for him to sell. They were surprised for sure and we had a bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-85411951912546918382011-01-29T11:08:00.000-05:002011-01-29T11:08:43.797-05:00We've had lots of snow, but I love it!You'll see from the photos this time that most of them revolve around snow....even the dogs. I do enjoy snow and like driving in it too. After shovelling last year and hurting my back, we purchased a snowblower (Mark secretly has been wanting one for years now)....after all, we aren't getting any younger. All I've had to do is use a broom a few times. Mark is really bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-84756376301207443542011-01-05T12:12:00.000-05:002011-01-05T12:12:38.981-05:00Back to life as we know it......The holidays are over.....so sad. I love our family get togethers and the build up before the big days. We had a really nice Thanksgiving here at our house as we gathered around the table. The main theme this year seemed to be that we were all thankful for our health, having jobs and the fact that we have family to share our love with. The events that had just bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-18884940654238096402010-11-23T20:16:00.000-05:002010-11-23T20:16:05.020-05:00We are going to be grandparents again!Our youngest daughter is having her first baby next June! We are so excited! She's been married a year now and was ready to add to their relationship.
I've been preparing for our big Thanksgiving meal. All 5 of our kids will be coming plus 3 son-in-laws and 3 grandchildren. It really is one of the best family events we are lucky enough to celebrate.
I'll be sure to bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-62066205081031920162010-10-26T12:35:00.000-04:002010-10-26T12:35:55.609-04:00Fall makes me happy.....This is my favorite time of year and I'm enjoying the cooler temperatures so much. I sat on our patio lastnight until after dark enjoying the 60 something degrees which felt very warm. It was nice to sit around because I went with Mark in the afternoon to shop for a used car, which is more exhausting than you would think. He's been driving his car for 5 yrs. now which has to be bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-25601981806766806002010-09-27T21:38:00.000-04:002010-09-27T21:38:19.316-04:00I think I have taken a significant vacation from my blog. What do you think?I'm sure you weren't holding your breath for the last 5 months...if you were, lets take a deep one now and get caught up.
Ahhhh....May. The month of Mother's Day, planting all of my flowers, walking in the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure and the celebration of our wedding anniversary. 21 yrs. of bliss and laughter which isn't only from drinking wine, but also from my fun husband. bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-39491436635227922382010-04-20T15:47:00.007-04:002010-04-20T17:28:06.948-04:00This was the 6th year for the annual all day sewing event for the James Cancer Center.....I have sewn each year with the James Stitching Sisters for this big event. This year there were 170 quilters who were either piecing quilts or quilting them. We make them for the breast cancer patients who are going through chemo. There were 304 quilts turned in this year so far and it's only April...isn't that incredible?
My friend Linda Henderson pictured above quilted 4 quilts.
My bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-83947667292042046762010-02-17T10:36:00.009-05:002010-02-17T11:58:38.161-05:00Long time no see.....or should I say blab?Remember that quilt I made for Bailey? Well, I forgot to put a label on it, shame on me....but, have no fear, I will be seeing her in person in March and will take the label with me to Seattle and sew it on while I'm at her house. Phew! You should always label your quilts for history's sake.
I'm finally quilting Luke's quilt I made for Stef's baby shower. Well, the holidays got in the way after bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-20777210596790003412009-12-31T14:21:00.020-05:002009-12-31T17:10:42.065-05:00All of the projects can be posted now....I wasn't able to post a photo of the little sweater I was making Luke for a Christmas gift because Stef reads my blog and I wanted it to be a surprise for her, so here is the photo I wanted to show you. This is a Debbie Bliss pattern called the Weekend Slouch sweater. Can you see the little pocket on the left sleeve? That's for all of the important things that a baby needs to put in a safe place.bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-31838785184663865922009-12-17T23:25:00.002-05:002009-12-17T23:44:34.782-05:00We Wish You a Merry Christmas~~~~~and a Happy New Year!! Look at our 6 month old, Luke....doesn't his crib look like a fun place to be? I have been enjoying watching him every Monday while Stef works a half day for her hubby. We go for walks when it's nice out and shopping at the shops in Mt. Vernon. We've also visited the Art Gallery two times. The downtown area is really cute.
My granddaughter, Maya, made me this clay turkey for Thanksgiving. bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-57371392390890723742009-11-22T16:38:00.004-05:002009-11-22T17:17:24.262-05:00We're still enjoying the fall weather here....This weekend we had our dear friends, Theresa and Brian down from Minerva for some relaxation and good food. Mark and Brian always cook for us on Saturday night which is such a treat for me and Theresa.
Today we went to German Village for lunch at the Mohawk. It was my first time to eat there and I really enjoyed the Black and Blue Burger with homemade kettle chips. After lunch we walked bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-16293493037687436492009-11-09T19:45:00.004-05:002009-11-11T18:25:32.696-05:00Fall in Ohio plus a trip to the Alum Creek Dog Park.....
This is Lily....tired after chasing her new friend, Gunnar the gray labradoodle.
Ivy isn't too interested in chasing dogs, she's just looking cool.
Lily playing Sherlock Holmes..."Hmmmm, I wonder who peed here"?
Lily doing her Forest Gump impersonation...."I was running".
Gunnar, the labradoodle and his owner on the left, Lily on the right of the tree and Ivy coming back to me because bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-69813327300676757052009-11-09T19:14:00.005-05:002009-11-09T19:40:31.910-05:00Lots of photos to look at this time.....
I'm not sure if anyone really looks at my blog because no one posts comments on it. I'll still post to it though.
I believe I made mention that I was working on a baby quilt, but couldn't post the photos yet. I have finished the quilt and mailed it to the recipient, Bailey K. Meyers who lives in Olympia, Washington. I knew she would be a free spirit so created a quilt that I felt would suit herbjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-26057162506258268792009-10-19T19:57:00.005-04:002009-10-19T20:35:35.462-04:00Back from a week in North Carolina.....We decided to take a week in October to rent a cabin in North Carolina. We chose a pet friendly cabin so we could take our dogs on their first vacation with us instead of going to doggy camp. We left on October 12th and checked in. The cabin wasn't exactly what we were expecting quality wise, but we made due. Mark built many fires in the woodburning fireplace, made us martinis several nights bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-46452042489752262412009-09-10T19:55:00.003-04:002009-09-10T20:17:26.514-04:00September 10, 2009One of my dear friends bought me the book to make this sweater for Christmas last year. I thought this sweater was so great when I saw it on display at my local yarn shop, Knitters' Mercantile. It does seem like I should make it too because it's named Jeanne, which is how my middle name is spelled. I have the back done so far. I'll start the front tonight while we watch the opening NFL game.
bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-5230967499548553562009-08-29T14:50:00.008-04:002009-08-29T16:13:35.753-04:00What a perfect summer we've had.....
Besides the photo on the side of this page on the right, here's another newer photo of Luke. He's growing and changing alot.
This is how far along the lace scarf is that I knitted on the airplane in May on our way to Italy. I haven't worked on it since then. I've started making the Jeanne sweater for myself. My friend, Theresa, bought me the book for Christmas and I bought the suggested bjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753434847839055293.post-23812488560772199452009-08-10T20:33:00.003-04:002009-08-10T20:55:33.133-04:00Our daughter is now Mrs. Swaggard.Jenny before the wedding looked very cool, calm and collected!
Mr. and Mrs. B.J. Swaggard...yes we now have two B.J.s in the family and two Jennys.
Here's Luke at 8 wks. now. He enjoyed the wedding too.
Here's the little guy in the Slouchy Weekend Sweater that I knitted for him. It kept him warm and toasty on this cool evening. Can you believe how great the summer weather has been herebjkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317821698357203020noreply@blogger.com0