dreamed quilt

While on our honeymoon, I woke up at 3:00AM with a quilt design in my head & unable to go back to sleep until I had sketched it on a piece of hotel stationery. Last night, I started working with it in EQ6 This first one is close to the original. I liked it, but didn't love it, so I kept playing. My next Idea was to make 1 block instead of 2 blocks, set diagonal & use sashing. Better, but I wasn't sure that I wanted such a big center piece in the block. This is a little more like the first design. I like it.

I like this one, too. I may make both as I need to make 2 baby quilts.

I intend to use paper piecing for the triangles with the acute yellow triangles. Does anyone know a name for these blocks? or did I come up with a brand new block. (unlikely)

coincidence or cause & effect?

A week ago, a gas company did a seismic survey along our road. They are mapping for fracking.* It shook our house like an earthquake from 50+yards away. Lots of rain since then. Yesterday, there was a mudslide including trees. We don't normally get mudslides in this area. Coincidence? or did the seismic shaking loosen the ground enough to make it happen? *For those who are not familiar, fracking or hydraulic fracturing, is basically giving the earth a high powered enema to release gas.

new toy-stovetop smoker

I'm cooking again tonight with my new toy- a Nordic Ware stovetop kettle smoker. Last night I did a pork steak & tonight I'm doing chicken & a few Cremini mushrooms. I've wanted to buy a stove top smoker for about 6 months, but was too cheap ($60-100) On Saturday we went to Unkle Joe's Woodshed & they had one marked down from $69.99 to $35.00-my kind of price. I was afraid that it would fill the house with smoke, but it releases less smoke than a candle.