I admit, I have allowed myself to be distracted by some new and shiny projects: Pumpkin Spice Gatherings and Autumn Nights to name two. Cali & Co has fallen by the wayside and I am two months behind.
I made up for lost time yesterday and whipped together Block 8 in the Cali & Co sew-along Corey Yoder of Coriander Quilts has been hosting. It is a colorful, scrappy quilt with blocks that are made primarily of half-square triangles. You know me, I can’t resist a sew-along with free patterns. Plus, Corey does YouTube tutorials for all the blocks. You don’t really need a tutorial to make them, as they are all dead easy. However, Corey is a delightful personality and it is always fun to watch her. I like to have her YouTube videos on while I stitch the blocks for her sew-along.

Here are my eight blocks. Aren’t they adorable? I would have made the ninth one and gotten all caught up, but the housecleaners are coming tomorrow. You know what that means. I have to clear the clutter, make sure the toilets aren’t disgusting, and generally make it look like we live in a tidy and organized household. I also have to put all the fragile things away, because, let me tell you, this team of cleaners is not careful. They have only been here twice, so I won’t say more at this point, but I have my eye on them.
We had a major thunder and lightning storm last night, which was quite exciting. Archie was terrified, and get this: he managed to open up the velcro strap that closes his dog kennel. He escaped and made a beeline for my bedroom, where he snuggled with me until the coast was clear. Poor little guy, he is not a fan of thunderstorms.
Have a lovely weekend everyone!

19 Responses
My momma makes everything better is what Archie was thinking. One of my Mini Schnauzers did the same thing when he was alive. I do miss having a dog. My Karlin pasted away in February, and my husband is not onboard to get another dog. A dog is such a comfort to us as we are to them.
I would let Archie sleep with me every night if he were more reliable. I just don’t trust him not to pee on the carpet in my bedroom yet. He is fine everywhere else in the house; he rarely has accidents, but there is just something special about that new gazillion-dollar carpeting in my bedroom that he can’t resist.
I too clean toilets (and empty the garbage) before the cleaners arrive.
We have a white noise machine next to dog crates. If they are in their crates, it is on high. Helps a lot.
Vickie
I’d hate the cleaners to think we are slobs!
I’ve heard of something called Thunder Jackets that is supposed to calm dogs during storms. Wonder how that works?
Love your scrappy HST blocks – they are a delight!
We had a noisy thunderstorm in the wee hours last night, too. After today, our highs this week are all in the 70s*F, until Friday when it will be 65*F! Unless it changes, of course.
Hugs!
Thanks Barbara. This project has been fun to make.
We rarely got thunderstorms in the Bay Area, but now that we are closer to the mountains, they are not uncommon.
OMGosh I love all the color in these blocks!! I had a good chuckle about cleaners. The few times I’ve been blessed to have one, I was worried about the impression I made!! And poor Archie!! I don’t think any of our dogs did well with thunderstorms and certainly not fireworks. The only one who is unfazed is my daughter’s golden retriever. Stella is always laid back, happy and a little high maintenance in the belly rub department. The only things that get her excited are food and guests.
lol I know, I would hate for them to think we are slobs!
Ozzie used to freak out during storms too. All my dogs have been terriers, and they tend to be more nervous types. Especially compared to retreivers.
And THAT is a block!!! They are so bright and beautiful!
Fun, isn’t it?
Such a pretty block, nice and bright and happy colours. Poor Archie – I know how he felt. I used to be scared of thunderstoms – not the sound, more the lightening. My mum was terrified so I guess that’s how I came to not like them either. I made myself watch them with my children – they can sleep through them no problem and I’m beginning to get that way – as long as I can resist the urge to look at them, because lightening can be awesome to look at from a safe place. I don’t like being outdoors when one approaches though. But I too used to dive under the covers – remember my dad’s big hand holding my little hand during the night once. So Archie runs to mum for reassurance too. Bless his little cotton socks!
The lightning woke me up more than the sound of the thunder. There was so much flickering going on outside my bedroom window that I thought someone was out there with a flashlight!
It is such a lovely thing to have someone comfort you when you are afraid. What a great memory of your dad.
I’m really loving the bright colors especially against the pretty white background! One of our dogs was terrified of both thunderstorms & fireworks. I spent a lot of time sitting in her safe space in the walk-in closet with her. Thunder really echoes in the mountains which makes it even worse! I know what you mean about preparing for cleaning people! We’ve had the same woman for 15 years & she recently broke a favorite lamp. It was an accident, but I’m really missing it!
This team broke the hand off of an antique glass scupture that was given to us by a dear friend. It was an irreplaceable piece of art. We glued it back on, but ugh.I try to put the Waterford and the art work away when they come, but that’s a pain.
Love those colorful blocks.
One of the worse chores of my children’s lives was having to “clean” before the cleaning lady came. They were so abused!
That is actually pretty hilarious. I told my kids it was just “tidying”, but in truth it was a preliminary clean!
Such cute blocks! I am saving them all for the future. Those are just the right colors for that pattern!
I remember my 2 1/2 yr old grandson was here with his parents and a huge thunder/lightning storm began. We had that first really loud crack, we all looked at him while he looked at us, waiting for a response. We grinned, looked amazed and all said “Wow! “. He was happy.
On the other hand, one of our two elkhounds was terrified of the storms, and her half-brother didn’t even notice them. We tried everything with her but cuddling was the only answer. I’ve heard yes and no about the thunder shirt. We didn’t try it with her.
Isn’t it amazing how differently we respond to things? It is so difficult when a child or animal you love is frightened of something you have no control over!
Your blocks are too cute! Gotta love Archie, what a smarty!