Author Archives: slfinnell

About slfinnell

Child care provider for 25+ years in my home. I feel so blessed to have cared for so many children. Spend my spare time creating items for Etsy and searching for vintage items that need a new lease on life. Blogging?, well I just enjoy it.

Kansas Quilt Trail-Fences/ThursdayDoors

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Well the title tells enough–but I’m still giving you more details this week as I continue on the quilt trail through south-central Kansas. This may well be another instance of dividing up the photos so I don’t drown you with them all at once. I rather like the soaking up of a small number at a time. And with blog challenges, most folks are trying to read several leaving little time for long, laborious posts.

And btw, lesson learned on captioning. It needs to show on the photo or directly underneath it. It just isn’t enough to click a photo to read the caption on a separate page. At least that has become my experience with readers. And again, I get it. Busy people require ease of reading. Let us hope WordPress ‘gets it’ pretty soon. I mean, how many times has the newspaper format changed?! Enhanced reader appeal still needs the basics. Don’t worry, this is my last rant on the topic. I doubt this little spiel will change a darn thing.

Mandatory Door photo inserted here.
Mandatory Door photo inserted here.

Native stone home. New windows and roof keep it going another century I hope.

  • Roadside Info Kiosk
    Roadside Info Kiosk
  • No More Open Range
    No More Open Range
  • Wabaunsee County History
    Wabaunsee County History

This was just past the town of Alma a few miles. Lots of rolling hills and then this roadside touristy spot.

The stone fence.
The stone fence.

I’ve read a fair amount on the Dust Bowl years and I’d venture to say this fence saw a lot of change over the last 100+ years. So thankful that tragedy is long gone and this part of history was preserved. Kind of surprised it wasn’t mentioned in the reading above though. Some close-up pics next.

  • Generations of Ranchers
    Generations of Ranchers
  • Little Bluestem,Brome and Switch Grass for hay baling.
    Little Bluestem,Brome and Switch Grass for hay baling.
  • 6-8 acres per cow/calf pair needed
    6-8 acres per cow/calf pair needed

Ranching is not for the faint of heart. Weather events, ample hay/grass and water are just the tip of the iceburg in success or failure. They have my complete regard!

Panoramic view
Panoramic view

And with a view like this every morning, I’d be spellbound for sure. Just spectacular!

  • Picturesque View
    Picturesque View
  • Miles of Stone Fence
    Miles of Stone Fence
  • Perfect Selfie Background
    Perfect Selfie Background
  • Quilt Block Alert!!
    Quilt Block Alert!!

So, can’t get enough of Thursday Doors? Head on over to Norm 2.0 for more entries from around the world. He’s happy to direct your path!

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Exceeded the Stop Limit/Inez’s Clippings

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“When life gives you hands, make Hand Made!”

Grandma Inez always had a project in the wings. The trait has passed down to my mother. And, yes, I’m right behind them. I’ll entertain you this time on the ‘clippings’ page with a few pics of how the handiwork commenced.

First and foremost, I have finished the Soccer Jersey quilt! So pleased on how it turned out. I considered just tacking it in the corners but in the end I took the plunge and line-quilted it. So glad I did as it will hold up much better to numerous washings. Tying quilts is an option too if you want to try this at home and don’t trust your machine with the slippery fabrics; after all it is an obstacle for some machines. Thanking my lucky stars for the Bernina about now.

  • Stitch in the Ditch quilting
    Stitch in the Ditch quilting
  • The dining room table serves me well in large projects
    The dining room table serves me well in large projects
  • Turning up the hem to bind the edge
    Turning up the hem to bind the edge
  • Zig zag corners, my choice
    Zig zag corners, my choice

A small comment to WordPress administrators….Allowing me to caption all photos is important. Much is missed by the readers who skim over the blogs. And I get it, people are busy. But the above option is much appreciated. So now, please allow this in all photo entry styles!! I’m getting a headache over this nonsense!!

Back to the quilting….. This quilt is for friends who have extended so much help to my eldest daughter during her years at KU when mom and dad are 2 hours away. I have a little clipping from grandma that I think they (& hopefully you all) will appreciate that has law enforcement humor. FYI, we are stauch supporters of our law enforcement community.

Miles Per Hour
  • Quilt completed
    Quilt completed
  • Back view
    Back view

Thanks for checking in on another Inez’s Clippings! Have a wonderful rest of your day!

Kansas Quilt Trail Part.3 –ThursdayDoors

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When I told a fellow quilt admirer about the Kansas Quilt Trail, they thought it was a fabric store hop. No, I informed them. It’s a trail of painted wooden quilt blocks that are hung on barns, homes, businesses or fences along highways and streets in Kansas. The map is given online–but it’s just a general guideline to finding them. You may drive past a few undetected, trust me.

Just so you know, the portion we drove past and photographed is just a small portion. I have quite a few in my stash I’m happy to say, so please understand I’ll be sharing these for awhile on the Thursday Doors posts–along with the doors discovered along the way, respectively.

Downtown Alma, you won our hearts with your Heart-of-America feel.

Painted curtains
Native stone building

These curtains were pretty whimsical and I didn’t notice until we were parked. Made me chuckle and of course they Had to be inserted this week. Thanks Alma for the smiles.

Kansas Log Cabin
Millinery Shop details
Oval glass makes this door!
Native stone building and metal doors

We loved happening onto this set of historical buildings. Other than the signage, I didn’t find any extra information on them. But I dearly love the oval window in the millinery shop! Not sure how original it is to the building but it fits perfectly in my opinion.

Block discovery.
Block discovery.

I wonder if they trade out blocks for holidays? This one is clearly in place for the July 4th weekend. Garage door included here. Looks like someone spends time grilling under that shade tree. Does a grill door count?

Bungalow with storm door
Bungalow with storm door

Clearly the caution tape is to prevent trespassing. I’d like to think they just got a new driveway entrance poured; but needless to say I didn’t plan on inquiring.

I hope you’ll come back next week for more quilt blocks and Thursday Doors. Also, please take time to visit our leader, Norm 2.0 for many more wonderful doors from all over!

Alma, Kansas Quilt Trail Pt. 2 /ThursdayDoors

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If there could be a perfect marriage of blog posts for me, it would include quilts and doors. And if you were able to read my blog week before last, you will know that I have found the way.

Alma, Kansas

We drove west from Topeka and our first glimpse of blocks started here in Alma. This is the county seat of Webaunsee County. County population in 2008 was 6,922. The sign above reads ” Alma 150th Anniversary – Independence Day Celebration – July 4th” We were a day late on the festivities. Probably a good thing for the purpose of viewing the ‘drive-by’ blocks.

Alma Creamery Information
Events and Map
Old time photos and extra information

We first stopped at the city park which had these posted for visitors. Very helpful and informative. A few ‘doors’ included if you look closely.

  • Door Find– stunning sky Divinely inserted.
  • The Alma First United Methodist Church

When doorscursioning, one must include churches. Thankful the rain moved on for us.

  • First Block!!!
  • Mill Creek Mercantile

Old door alert! Just propped but it counts. Would love to come back and see this store inside. Bet it’s got some great stuff!

  • Corner door




  • Stain glass above door
  • Quilt block on the balcony!!

A side note that this community was pretty near a tornado warning just a couple weeks ago(Aug.15). We get Kansas City news and weather and watched as they were tracking the storm. We were so glad they weren’t affected directly.

Photo Donation. Thanks Rach!!

Just in case you’re wondering what quilt I’ve got in the hoop lately, it’s this little number. Hand pieced double wedding ring quilt in red, white and blue –lap-sized and hand quilting a little each evening.

So many more photos to come of both quilt blocks and doors. Hope you can also visit Norm 2.0 for even more wonderful doors from around the world!! Happy Thursday!

‘Miss’ Understood/Inez’sClippings

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‘Miss’understood

With a ‘little miss’ in the hubby’s engine we are taking it nice and easy this weekend. Sharing a few photos. If you need me, I’m sewing. No stress allowed.

  • Tie method #1
  • Tie method #2

An apron using a Pinterest pattern find is hopefully a hit for the Fall craft show season.

Model of the day

And an actual model never hurts sales any. In this installment of Inez’s Clippings, May the Pies Ever Be in Your Flavor!!

Calamities/ThursdayDoors

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This was quite the week for the whole family.

  • Youngest daughter learned of her car eventually needing a new engine and warranty won’t cover it until it actually fails. This is pretty frustrating.
  • Eldest daughter was without electricity for 8 hours, hot water for 4 days, and then internet and cable were cut accidentally during repair of said hot water issue.
  • A ‘trustee’,aka convict, escaped from the Missouri State Fairgrounds who house these people to clean and work around the fairgrounds when most folks are in bed. (More on this in a bit)
  • And finally, the husband was in the hospital with afib and released Wednesday evening after a battery of doctors coming in an out with differing opinions. The VA is good at that. No offense. I could go on about this too but I will refrain.

First the Doors…

Double Door in the ICU -- Columbia, MO VA Hospital
Double Door in the ICU — Columbia, MO VA Hospital

Ron I’m happy to say has lost 80 pounds in the last couple years. But much of it is due to 4 stomach surgeries that involved removing tumors that have been bleeding. Thankfully they are benign, But if they keep returning it will involve a more involved surgery. This is a direct result of dismantling too many meth labs while in law enforcement before they really understood what the effects of meth were. I am very proud of my husband’s service in law enforcement. He fought the good fight. I know of many who are not so good, sadly.

My opinion is probably not appreciated
My opinion is probably not appreciated

With all that about the hubby’s career out there, you can summize that I know a few people in our local law enforcement community. There are many aware of my daycare that has been here since 1995, on the Katy Trail. I can only think that they felt I was in good hands with my husband’s presence and I didn’t need to be notified. Guess what?! He may not have actually been here. A simple phone call or text would have been greatly appreciated as I took it upon myself to do a self-directed lock down after my mother-in-law and a neighbor’s mother notified me. (Thank you both!) And oh, by the way, he was apprehended on the Katy Trail, albeit in the opposite direction. I’m pretty peeved at the whole incident. This is the not the first time the trail has been used by escapees.

Thank you to anyone who read the whole paragraph. I will not get on my soapbox any further. At least not today šŸ˜‰

To conclude today’s late Thursday Doors entry, I’ll ask you to please take a moment or two to visit Norm 2.0 and see all the week’s door entries, beginning with Norm. It’s a wonderful group of people and they won’t disappoint. Following with some blooms of the week from the garden.

  • Dark orange Marigold
    Dark orange Marigold
  • Marigold cluster
  • Golden Marigold
    Golden Marigold

Pepper Chicken/Inez’s Clippings

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It’s Sunday and time for another one of Inez’s Clippings. Grandma was often the butcher at the farm. It was nothing for her to head out to the chicken barn and grab a good looking hen (or rooster who was guilty of being too ornery) and take care of business –all the steps including plucking the feathers and readying it for the dinner table. I was never privy to learn the method as I was not considered old enough. I can honestly say I’m ok with that šŸ˜‰ I saw enough meat prep of all kinds to satisfy my curiosity.

On a recent doctor visit, I was told to eat less red meats in an attempt to lower the cholesterol. I’m guilty of being an honest to goodness carnevore and his instructions are going to be tough. After all we live in the middle of the Farm Belt and I reitterate the fact that meat is my favorite staple.

So with all that in mind, we used up some garden produce this weekend, starting with some lovely sweet bell peppers in a Pepper Chicken dish. Chicken is on the ‘good’ list. As long as it’s not deep fried.

The step-by-step photos are in the slides below. Notes: #1-We double recipes sometimes so we can have leftovers and use up extra summer vegies. #2-The link for the recipe is here. #3-The recipe states beef and as I stated above, we substituted chicken. #4-Another difference is we added julienned celery. Crunch is important….to us at least.

  • Our rice is cooked in beef broth. Chicken or vegetable broth works too. FYI the beef broth is cholesterol free
    Our rice is cooked in beef broth. Chicken or vegetable broth works too. FYI the beef broth is cholesterol free
  • Mushrooms are sauted first. This is not on the website's ingredient list.
    Mushrooms are sauted first. This is not on the website’s ingredient list.
  • Adding the peppers and onions next.
    Adding the peppers and onions next.
  • The sauce is whisked and ready to add later
    The sauce is whisked and ready to add later
  • Vegies removed temporarily to cook up the chicken
    Vegies removed temporarily to cook up the chicken
  • Reintroduce the vegies and add sauce
    Reintroduce the vegies and add sauce

To keep this gluten free, it’s important to watch soy sauce, oyster sauce and spice labels.

Plated Pepper Chicken Stir-Fry

Thanks for dropping in this Sunday!

Kansas Quilt Trail/ThursdayDoors

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July 4th weekend we decided to meet up at the eldest daughter’s place for some home-cooked vittles before starting out on a long day trip.

Out the window we caught a glimpse of this rainbow. Bye Bye rain!
Out the window we caught a glimpse of this rainbow. Bye Bye rain!

We enjoyed eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast—not to mention some ‘pour-over’ coffee. You know, I do believe she payed attention to my cooking tips. šŸ˜‰ Click on photos to see ‘Captions”.

Breakfast with Wonder Woman
And yes we cleaned our plates
Pour-over coffee
Cup courtesy of family in Okinawa

About the drive…..we headed off after this supercharge breakfast on the Kansas Quilt Trail. Here’s a portion of the map.

Starting point for us was Lawrence, Kansas
Starting point for us was Lawrence, Kansas

As beginners, we learned that there are no warnings of quilt blocks coming up. The map is just a general reference and you must be on the lookout for them. GPS markers would really help if anyone has the ambition to enter them(clears throat). In the next few Thursday Doors, I’ll be sharing our experience. To start here is a little taste of western Kansas.

TopekaKansas
EnterPrarie
ScenicByway
Flint HIlls marker on a slab of flint
Midsummer green

And for my finale, an official door to make this a proper Thursday Doors entry. Hope everyone takes a little time out to visit Norm 2.0 where there are so many more beautiful doors. He’ll direct your path.

On the Road to the Kansas Quilt Trail
On the Road to the Kansas Quilt Trail

Sleep Deprivation/Inez’s Clippings

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Sleep deprivation is a thing for many people. In our home, it happens to a couple of us—present company not included. I happen to think that my job is one of those that helps you get a good night’s sleep after the day is done. I am thankful for that. This is not to say that those who have sleep trouble aren’t working hard enough. A good night’s sleep is a mystery to many as apparently it’s a challenge to successfully treat.

You have to admit that Grandma’s clipping below is pretty cute.

I just love Grandma's sense of humor!
I just love Grandma’s sense of humor!

This weekend while everyone in Sedalia and the surrounding area is at the Missouri State Fairgrounds (working/riding rides/seeing a concert,eating corn dogs and cotton candy), I’m here at home working on a project for some good friends. They have recently moved but we have a common friend (our daughter) who will transport the project for us once it is completed. In short, I spent Saturday cutting soccer jerseys.

  • Tools for the project
    Tools for the project
  • I started with this blue and also used red.
    I started with this blue and also used red.

Of all the marking tools I’ve researched, I found these are the best for quilting. Just don’t use the orange. For some reason, it doesn’t wash out the best. As a daycare provider, ask me how I know this. šŸ˜‰

  • Cardboard template with center point marked
    Cardboard template with center point marked
  • Outline made
    Outline made

Hard to see in the second pic, but I’ve pinned the opening closed prior to cutting.

  • Measuring the length
    Measuring the length
  • Measuring the width
    Measuring the width
  • Cut 2 blocks at once for a saving time and for accuracy.
    Cut 2 blocks at once for a saving time and for accuracy.
  • Centered and Cut
    Centered and Cut

Some factors to consider when making someone a jersey/t-shirt quilt is that the shirts are not replaceable. For this reason, it’s taken me some time and contemplation on how to best begin. If you have a project someone has requested, definitely do the homework first so there are no regrets later. As in carpentry, measure twice, cut once. Don’t let it deprive you of sleep.

Block Cutting Complete
Block Cutting Complete

Stay tuned for the completed quilt in an upcoming post. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!

John Speer Farmstead Site/ Thursday Doors

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If you carefully read the story below, you’ll see that the farm land was owned by John Speer and the current house located here once sat diagonally across the street was not owned by John Speer. It was moved here in 2000 honoring John Speer, the founding citizens of Lawrence who showed great resolve in rebuilding after the Quantrill raid of 1863 as well as preserving the architecture of that time. Being a Missouri girl, I do not like being categorized as a ‘Bushwacker’ but since Kansas has taken such great care of my daughter’s college education, I will tolerate it just this once. šŸ˜‰

We were the only people present at the time. It was Father’s Day weekend and I’m sure many had made special plans. As you can see, our plans were bent on sight-seeing.

And being as we weren’t in anyone else’s way, we peeked inside a bit….

Leaving you this Thursday Doors with some extra photos below. Hope you’ll take time to stop at Norm 2.0 by clicking here to see his door display and the doors of many more entrants.