Summer Blooms

I am amazed at the growth of plants all around the house.

It is a good things that most of our plantings

are heat and drought tolerant!

Enjoy!

Becki Homecki's Favorite Things!

I think the one thing we all strive for these days is 

a healthy lifestyle. 

It is a daily challenge for me. 

 Knowing what to do and doing it are often two different things!

So these are my favorite foods to have for lunch.....

Ahhhh - I love Doctor Kracker!!

My favorite variety is Pumpkin Seed Cheddar.

These flatbreads are brimming with whole grains and seeds.

Each is delicious by itself but I like to spread a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese on the top and then 2 slices of Sara Lee Lower Sodium Turkey Breast.

All of the items are available at my WalMart deli department.

I had to plug Sara Lee since my daughter, Alison, works there!! 

Then top if off with several dark chocolate mini graham crackers 

from Whole foods.

Pure delight - indeed!!

I am also enrolled in Aqua Zumba at my local family YMCA.

All the benefits of Zumba - but in the pool!

It is sure to help with my ballroom dancing as well.

Try it!!

Sewing Space 2

I know it is a long time coming - but I am finally am ready to post 

some photos of my second sewing space in my home.

A little "picking up " was necessary - 

but I think a creative space needs to show you are using it!!

This is in my basement so some of the shots maybe a little dark 

but it is the best I can do.

As you can see I have a little bit of fabric - saving some of my favorites from my quilt shop - as well as a couple of racks.

This home to my Pfaff and I still love it for piecing!!

A fun bright wall to punch things into is a collecting spot.

 Here are a couple of shelves for overflow fabrics.

Yes, it seems, I keep gathering

more fabric from my sample making.

I am proud of how organized my ribbons are above the little door 

that hides things under the steps!

Here is my design wall and is home right now to my basket blocks - 

the final block of the month project at Crazy Eighths.

Stay tuned - I am really hoping to finish it this summer!

This is a very special momento from the shop - 

as it hung center stage very proudly there.

It definitely reflects Crazy Eighths.

I debated whether to show you this photo as it is

quilt tops to be finished - favorites I can't seem to part with.

I have tried to follow a plan to finish one a month but the truth is

I haven't been able to stick to that.

The good news is that each one has a backing fabric tucked in with it.

Need quilts??  Just let me know!!

Quilts of Summer

I realized this morning that I have not put my summer quilts out

 and about the house!

So I did!

This is a block of the month we did at my quilt shop and I look at it and wonder how I made it!  It is many paper pieced blocks but definitely a great representation of America.

This quilt finds a home hanging on the railing.

It is a much older quilt - pre-quilt shop.

This one is definitely a favorite of mine as I love red and red geraniums.

This is made from one of my five yard quilt patterns.

This wall hanging was a 4 month project at Crazy Eighths - 

that old quit shop of mine.

Sweet cherries are ready in Michigan 

but blueberries are delayed about 2 weeks because of all the rain.

Last, but not least, are the fruit ladies at the beach!

Take a closer look and see that their bodies are all fruit shapes.

I strive to stay in shape and be "banana girl".

Enjoy and have a safe and Happy 4th of July!!!

A Happy Father's Day!

We spent a delightful family day in Chicago yesterday.

Dinner at Girl & the Goat -

the restaurant opened by Stephanie after she won Top Chef - Chicago.

We enjoyed 8 different selections including

lamb tartare
chickpeas fritters
sauteed green beans
seared tuna with lamb sausage & blueberries
pan roasted halibut with asparagus
grilled pork ribs
and 
brown sugar cake for dessert!


Everything was a tasting delight!
It is so great to have both of our daughters close by in Chicago.

Happy Birthday to My MOM!!

                                  My Mom is 86 today!


                                 Hip Hip Hooray!!

I Wanna Be on the Cover of a Quilt Magazine

Michael Miller Fabrics recently placed some of my quilts in several magazines.

I have been published several times - 

but I have never made the cover - 

UNTIL NOW!!!

The quilt is Aromatherapy 

made from a fabric line by designer Patty Young.

The byline says it was made designed by me

and made by Cami - but she did the machine quilting only.

Fons & Porter also have a special publication called

"Quilts for Kids"

and I have landed three MMF quilts in it!

This quilt features all single knits - even the backing -

what a wonderful feeling!

Try it - they absolutely do not stretch because the quality is so good!

I must admit I did three different variation of baby quilts 

with this collection and they all turned out great.

Check out another variation at www.michaelmillerfabrics.com

And the Big Daisy is one of my favorites.

I love color and this makes every baby smile!

Thanks to Debi, Christine and Kathy at MMF for all the opportunities!

A side note - Fons & Porter is located in Madison County, Iowa.

This is where my dad grew up and where many of my family members reside today.  I will be headed to Madison County for a family reunion in July!

It's a small world after all!!

Lunch with Sue!

Sue and I go way back - 

as we were neighbors when my daughter, Alison, was born.

It's been awhile since we found time to meet half way, but today was the day!

And here is Sue with my find of the day....

Just had to have it and you will probably see this on my blog again

and again in creative ways!

And here is one of my favorite restaurants

where we stopped for lunch!

I have always wanted a t-shirt like this

and today was my lucky day!

I can't wait to surprise everyone at the dance studio tomorrow night!

Carry on!

Josie and the Strawberry Patch!

My friend, Josie, came by for a visit today 

and we decided to visit our neighbor's strawberry patch!

Lucy had to go, too!

The strawberries are a site to behold!

We picked our berries

 and it was time to head back to the house.

And now, we both have a bowl of fresh strawberries!

A BIG THANKS to our neighbor, Amy, for sharing!!

Back to Quilting!

Yes, indeed, I have been back to my sewing machine this week and have completed this 

Sorbet Collection Quilt

for Michael Miller Fabrics.

I like the variation of the log cabin block in these fabrics.

The colors go great with my bedspread!

It is hard to see the wonderful stripe fabric that is used in the binding.

Gotta' love the dots!

Have a great week-end!

Fresh Strawberries!!!

Our local strawberries are in 

so I made a trip to our farm market this week 

to buy a few!

I think my favorite way of eating them is right from the bucket  

on the way home!

My husband prefers them just like this - straight from the bowl 

with a little sugar!

A family favorite is a fresh fruit pizza - and I took this to our dance party last week-end!

 A day of making with fresh strawberries must include a batch or two of strawberry jam.

 And this is a childhood memory - taking the largest strawberries and freezing each one on a popsicle stick.  Our family went to a friend's farm so our parents could play cards.  She had a big strawberry patch and always did this.  So I thought, why not me?  This would be great in a chilled glass of sparkling white wine or white sangria.  Or a cool treat on a hot summer day! - or dipped in melted chocolate!!

 Last, but not least, I tried some strawberry sorbet this year.  It is really tasty!
I even had some  in my Trop 50 Lemonade.  Lookout Mc Donalds!!

Moving Fun and a New Home for Alison & Webster!

 I know our daughter Alison thinks it was a long time coming but relocating is like that.

Our family should know that when you count the number of times we saw everything loaded on a moving van!

So nice to have Alison close to the family and
we proved our worth on move in day.

Upper left corner is the new place and she and her dog, Webster, will reside on the second floor.

Dennis had many honey do jobs and here he is hard at work putting together the dining room table.

Only the resident can unpack the kitchen, so here is Alison hard at work.

On Sunday we all gathered for a family bar-be-que and it was great to have Natalie join us!

 I brought these individual fruit pizzas.

What fun these would be for a party - when everyone could make their own!!

Just bake the sugar cookies and provide the
cream cheese and fruit toppings.  Yummy!!

And a picture of yarn, you might ask?

The next best news is that Alison's place is within
walking distance of Nina - a very contemporary yarn shop.  I had never been there before but have heard rave revues.

So Natalie and I took a little walk - and she got some yarn  for a project, too.

I have been intrigued with Habu Textiles since our trip to Minneapolis to visit StevenBe.

And lucky for me - Nina carries it.  

And even more exciting, most of it was in the 50% off bin.

In the lower right hand corner you can se that I have started knitting with the linen paper.

I love new challenges!

There is a lonely sock yarn there on the right.  Just had to have it!!

Unfortunately, I do not think Alison will going there 

to take a knitting class with me any time soon!!