Sum Sum Summertime!

Wow, it has been a busy summer! We spent the 4th of July week with my sis in law and brother in law in Pittsburgh PA. They are such a fun couple to be with and we always have a great visit with them. It is our tradition to go out and have a big breakfast to start off our 4th of July morning.

We always go to a little spot in the country on a par 3 course called Chubs Place. 

How yummy does this look? That Pittsburgh Italian bread... OMG I can't get enough of it when I'm there!

We also spent time with our niece and her darling little family.

 It was a good week flooded with many fond memories of growing up in Pittsburgh. 

But all good things must come to an end and before you know it we were on the road heading home to our Daisy. Our cooler was packed with some of our favorite Pittsburgh foods. We stopped for lunch at a rest area along the road and had chipped ham sandwiches, Wise potato chips and cupcakes to celebrate our 45th anniversary!

Lots of wedding events happening as the big day draws closer and closer for our cute couple.

Here is our sons beautiful bride to be at the lovely Bridal shower her sister gave her. They are going to need a bigger kitchen lol. 

Once home it was time to pack my totes full of quilts models and goodies to take to Hutchinson Kansas. I spy a protester on my tote here! 

It was such a pleasure to present trunk shows to both the Heart of Kansas guild and Evening Star guilds in Hutchinson. Two wonderful guilds that share their love of sewing and also support their community with various projects. 

Before leaving Hutchinson Hubby and I took a unusual tour we had read about. The Hutchinson Salt Mine has a museum "Stataca" which allows you to go 650 feet below ground on an excellent guided tour. I was a little nervous at 1st, but my fears were quickly laid to rest and this was a unique and really cool experience for all age groups. 

Hubby collecting a salt rock sample.

Upon returning home again to a happy Daisy, I released my latest pattern"Harvest Moon"

This runner is just so pretty for Fall, made from wool it measures 12" x 34". You can find it now on my website at www.cleoandme.com and my Etsy store: Cleo and Me Patterns.

And now it's time to get running. Next week we'll have our Oklahoma Grandsons for a visit!

It looks like August will be another busy and full month.

Happy summer!

Friends

Jon Leonards quote" It takes a long time to grow an old friend" is so very true. Our dear friends came and went. Our visit went by way too fast, we had such a great time!

We managed to do a little bit of everything. We visited The Ems Hotel & Spa in Excelsior Springs Missouri. When healing mineral waters were discovered here during the late 1800's, thousands of people poured in to this town for cures. We had never been before but it was on our list. About an hour out side of Kansas City, this hotel is known for it's history, beautiful grounds and luxurious spas.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch here and then toured this beautiful hotel. I hope hubby will bring me back some day (hint hint) perhaps for a special occasion. That spa looked amazing! 

Some shopping was done at a favorite spot of mine, Cockrell Mercantile Company in Missouri.

I love the Fiesta Cottage and added a few pieces to my collection. What you see here in this picture is  not even 1/10th of all the Fiestaware in stock, it's Fiestaware heaven! 

We worked our way through some of the cuisine Kansas City has to offer, saw a movie "Brooklyn" which I highly recommend. And then we drove to Saint Louis for our final day together. Where we ate our way through this city also lol! We had a wonderful lunch on The Hill at Amighettis and bought Italian bread to take home. Followed by a visit to The Missouri Baking Company for Italian cookies and pastries to also bring home to our cute engaged couple.

We toured the Saint Louis Cathedral Basilica which is so amazing pictures will not do it justice.

Followed by dinner at Charlie Gitto's on The Hill, where we were treated so wonderfully and I had lasagna like a pillow on a cloud. The next morning we each went our separate ways, us home to Kansas City and our dear friends to Buffalo NY. Almost 40 years of friendship, it's a wonderful thing!

Home to my normal routine again. I just released a new design for you.

This little quilt features wool applique on cotton. It is a perfect project to take along on your summer vacation, fast and fun, when done you'll have a gift for Christmas or yourself because you love it so much!

Happy October!

Happy October! Temperatures are up and down here in Kansas, the heat went on this week and I put an extra blanket on the bed. I have a new design for you, "Fall Blooms Basket" was stitched in wool and looks perfect on my sideboard this time of year. You may find it on my website:http://www.cleoandme.com and also as a instant download in my Etsy shop under pdf patterns at:http://www.etsy.com/shop/cleoandmepatterns?ref=hdr_shop_menu

I will be spending the better part of this week in my sewing room. We are having some remodeling done on our kitchen and it's pretty crazy in there. Poor Daisy is confined to the laundry room and not so happy about that. Well maybe she can do a few loads of laundry for me lol! 

Enjoy your week!

Barbie Jo and Daisy

80 degrees with a chance of snow tomorrow lol!

We've kept busy here this funny month of March, with the weather reaching almost 80 degrees one day and snow flurries the next! Hubby and I put the wintry days to good use updating the guest room. New paint, new bed and fixings to make our guests more comfy. This room of course comes complete with your very own kitty if you wish!

During the sunny days Hubby was in his glory golfing and I hit the back patio with my book to soak up some nice vitamin D and catch up on my reading.

March is also Hubbys birthday month, I made all of his favorites for his celebration dinner, plus Texas sheet cake.. not shown. We ate mashed potato casserole leftovers for a week... but it is so yummy!

Finished this new cute snowman pattern. I know many of you are tired of snow now, but this guy is so darn cute you will want him hanging around all winter long! You'll find him on my website under "new Product" at www.cleoandme.com.

I love snowmen! Sadly I didn't get my snowman fix this year because we had so little snow. 

My printer has been whirring away as bunny patterns have been multiplying and hopping out the door. I have a new runner back home after being beautifully quilted by Brenda and so another pattern to write. Lots going on here... keeps us young right? 
Have a happy week.... 
Barbie Jo and Daisy

Start your leaf blowers..

Fall is here again, the leaves are showing off for us. We turn our heads every which way when leaving the neighborhood, one tree prettier than another, Mother nature sure does produce one glorious show!

Doing a little Fall decorating, my new pumpkin head dollie arrived from Valerie Weberpal at Harvest Moon designs. I just love her work, isn't she fun!

I have a new pattern design for you! "Oh Holy Night"...the stars are softly shining.

My wool wall hanging features a shepherd tending his flock on this most special night. You can find it now on my web site at www.cleoandme.com.

A lambie close up... they are just the sweetest!

And speaking of sweet.. my Daisy is growing up, she doesn't fit in her favorite cozy dish anymore, but she still tries LOL! She has her winter coat right now, she's super fluffy!

Glad you stopped by to check in on us, we hope your week is super great!

Kittens and chocolate!

On chocolate overload after a sweet Valentine weekend. Hubby and I always celebrate Valentines Day at home, cooking a special dinner. We long ago decided in some ways this was more relaxing than going out. The dining room is all decked out. And you may wonder why there are baby kittens hanging from my chandelier. Well... I have been waiting for a litter of kittens to be born. You can view them here at www.houseofstewardragdolls.com. They were born on the 13th and I am on the waiting list to adopt one. I am beyond excited and I will keep you updated as the process moves along!

Back to Valentines Day, I slaved away in the kitchen all afternoon. Making a yummy dessert and......

our favorite dinner! Who doesn't love steak, green beans, potatoes grand mere and a glass of wine by candle light. It was YUMMY!!

With a side of chocolate. I got Hubby the giant size box this year, he said oh my goodness this is way to much chocolate... ha ha... I'm sure someone will help him out with that. 

And now it is time to move right in to spring! My latest design can be found on my website at www.cleoandme.com. This bunny is cute as can be! Dressed in his overalls he carries a sack of colored eggs and a bouquet of flowers. Colorful "penny eggs" accent the bottom edge. My model was worked all in yummy shades of wool. 

And now it is time to start our Sunday dinner. Hubby likes spaghetti on Sundays so that is what he shall have. I better hop to it! Thanks for stopping by!

Special Delivery

Brrrr… its a cold one today. Minus 2 degree start but the sun is shining and I know some of you have it much worse this week so I am not going to complain. Its a good thing I ate my Wheaties this morning as UPS delivered a nice big box of wool felt. And just pretend you don't see those fake poinsettias on my entry table…. they are not really there :)

I finished writing my new pattern this weekend and it is now available on my web site. My pretty model is all stitched up in yummy wools, just in time for Valentines Day or any special occasion. My heart is always very happy to see a finished pattern. Because usually there is another nipping right at its heels. 

This week I will be busy writing the pattern for a new Easter design. Cuteness abounds in this one and you are just going to LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Also working on a pdf file for a small design. PDF patterns are new to me and I am anxious to see how it turns out.

And now its time to lug all that wool felt upstairs. Enjoy the remainder of your week and stay warm!

Who's got the button?

The days are swirling by just like the leaves from our trees. So many things to do this time of year I can hardly sleep while my to do lists grow longer and longer. This past week I received a nice big package of wool in the mail. Very excited, so many yummy colors to work with. And so my Spring design work has begun, having so much fun with new ideas! 

Looking for 2 matching lavender buttons in my old button stash here, what are the odds. Score! 

So happy!

I store my loose buttons in this old kitty cookie jar, it is full to the tippy top.

My new buttons are now in my Hello Kitty lunch box :) Do you have a button jar?

I thought I would share progress on my "Oz" stocking. It's looking good, but I have burned out on it for now and am sitting it aside until I get my stocking mojo back. 

Our Christmas cactus has teeny buds on it! We are so excited and hoping to see blooms for Christmas. 

We started this cactus from just 2 little segments from Grandpa in Florida's plant. It was so easy to grow and we feel like we have a little bit of Gramps here with us every day! 

Time for me to get back to my sewing. Enjoy your week, every day is a gift!