Flowers Are Free

Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritation and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.
  ~Mark Twain

Well, it's Wednesday.  The middle of the week and I'm in the middle of lots of projects.  But then that's nothing new.  Life has been pretty calm around here lately.  Not much happening - just day to day life.  So where am I going with this?  I'm really not sure.  So it's off to the sewing machine for a little mental therapy and hopefully get to get closer to the end of a project instead of stuck in the middle.  I think I need a little bit of the top quote today.   Hopefully Wednesday is where you want to be.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Mules

Today is National Mule Day.  A mule is a hybrid animal, which is created by the mating of a jack (male donkey) with a mare (female horse). A female mule, known as hinny, is formed as the result of the breeding between a jennet (female donkey) and a stallion (male horse). Hinny is much rarer in comparison to a mule, owing to the fact that it is difficult to produce hinny. Though the breeding process is different, mule and hinny look similar in appearance. Since the prehistoric times, the mule is being used as a ‘pack and draft’ animal. It is also used for riding, farming and transportation of agricultural products. The animal finds great use in United States. It was George Washington who first bred a mule in the United States and now, it is mainly found in the southeastern states.

* A mule has hard skin, which is not much sensitive to sun and rain. It has hard hooves and can carry large weights on its back. It is naturally resistant to diseases and insects. Hence, it is more preferred to horses.
* Mule is similar to both donkey and horse, not only in terms of appearance, but also in nature and behavior. It is highly patient, sober and tolerant like a donkey and courageous, vigorous and strong like a horse.
* In comparison to its parents, mule is more intelligent. It is highly curious in nature and generally does not allow the rider to lead it into any dangerous path.

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SWAP FLOWERS

Last weekend I received late blooming flowers......

Lori was my July swap partner in the Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap and got a little behind in flower making.  To make it up to me, she made me a bouquet of flowers.  Aren't they great?!?  I especially like the cat flower in the lower right corner.  Those faces are just adorable and I like the way Lori fussy cut the names, too.  Thank you, Lori!!

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FINAL HALLOWEEN HEXIES

For One Flower Wednesday, I made two more Halloween flowers....

Bats, bats and more bats.  These are rather evil looking bats but they made up into a great flower. 

Here's Looking At You, Kid.....They Eyes Have It......sorry, I couldn't resist.  This is just a fun flower with eyes galore.  That's the end of my Halloween flowers.  I think my Grandmother's Flower Garden/I Spy quilt will have plenty of Halloween themed flowers in it.

Don't forget to give Karen a shout of thanks when you click on the link to see more hexie flowers out there in blogland.

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FREE MOTION QUILTING

Yes, I've been practicing.  For some reason I forgot to share one on Monday.  Didn't realize it until I hit the Publish Post button and then I was too lazy to go back and fix it.  So here is what I've been doing.....

Friday's practice piece is called Grapevine.  This was fun but some of my grapes look like they've already withered into raisins.

This practice called Heart Vine went rather quickly.  My hearts ended up being fatter than they should have been.  I wasn't at all happy with my tracing over the vine lines so I added lots and lots of thread lines, adding texture to the vine. 

Mitosis was my favorite practice of the three days.  Mine turned out a bit different than Leah's but I still like the effect.  I can see this pattern used in a sashing.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I hope to get a little more organized.  I have mega piles once again and can't seem to find what I'm looking for.

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GIVEAWAYS

A Crafty Fox is having a giveaway.  You could win a $30 gift certificate to WestWoodAcres on etsy.  This giveaway ends today, Wednesday, October 26.

Craft Buds is having a giveaway.  You could win a $50 gift certificate to Mountain Of The Dragon.  This giveaway ends today, Wednesday, October 26.

A Stitch In Time is celebrating her first year blogiversary with a giveaway.  You could win a charm pack of Rose Parade by Moda.  This giveaway ends Monday, October 31, at 7:00 am EST.

Love Affair With My Brother is having a giveaway.  You could win 4 charm packs of Etchings.  This giveaway ends Monday, October 31, at 11:59 pm PST.

Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her weekly Mystery Monday giveaway.  You could win 5 fat quarters in your favorite color.  This giveaway ends Saturday, October 29, at midnight MT.

The Pickledish Patch is having a giveaway.  You could win a GO! Baby Cutter and 3 dies of your choice.  This giveaway ends Sunday, November 6, AEST.

Quilty Habbit is having a giveaway.  You could win MyMemories software.  This giveaway ends Sunday, October 30.

Jackie's Art Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of The Devil's Puzzle by Clare O'Donohue.  This giveaway ends Monday, October 31.

The Mad Quilting Librarian is having a giveaway.  You could win two charm packs of Chez Moi for Moda.  This giveaway ends later this week?

The White Weathered Hutch is having a giveaway.  You could win set of burlap placemats.  This giveaway ends Monday, October 31.

I {heart} Nap Time is having a giveaway.  You could win a $50 gift certificate to Poppy Seed Fabric.  This giveaway ends Saturday, November 5.

Living The Dream is having a giveaway.  You could win a $25 gift voucher to Intrepid Thread.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, November 1.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Thought I would leave you with a chuckle today......