Saturday, September 29, 2007

Wonderful Treats in the Mail

Andy brought the mail in yesterday afternoon and said "You're going to be a happy girl!" and he handed me this box. It was a treat package from Sharon. Well, you know I couldn't open it without the camera...I wanted you all to share in the excitement. I opened the top and I found this cute note and lots of little packages inside.
 
I had so much fun opening all the little packages...look Sharon sent me one of her new wonderful little bags...it has the cutest witches on it...then the next package had this cute Halloween towel (Hubby won't be using this one)...then there was milk chocolate pumpkin bark (looks yummy), chocolate covered, candy coated sunflower seeds, and a bumble bee lemon cookie...OMG...this is like the ultimate treat for me...I'll have to work out a little harder but that's just fine...an extra mile on the treadmill is well worth it!
 

I wanted to show you a better picture of the little bag and look at that spider candle holder...I LOVE it!
 

And then tucked inside the bag I found one of Sharon's Kleenex covers...this was just the BEST mail!
 

Katie e-mailed us some birthday suggestions for Hampton yesterday afternoon...so since I'm going up on Wednesday for a week to help them get ready for their move I decided we'd get something off the list for me to take with me when I go...yes I must spoil him...so we went to Toys R US this morning...I haven't been in there in years and my oh my...one could go broke in record time in there. We were on a mission so we went straight to the Leap Frog aisle and got him a Little Leap Frog touch pad...oh how times have changed...put in batteries, put the special book on the pad and off they go...he touches and it talks. I guess I had better get more acquainted with Toys R US!

I'm off to finish my Scaredy Cat blocks...have a great Saturday!
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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

The Day Didn't start the Way it Was Scheduled

This day just didn't start out quite the way it was scheduled. We were supposed to take Zack up to the vet that fixed his knee. We were supposed to be there at 11. They didn't call yesterday to confirm, so Andy decided to call and just make sure we were on the books...yes we were on the books but since they didn't call we didn't get the message that Zack wasn't supposed to eat breakfast, just in case they had to needed to put him under to do all the x-rays they need to do...well, you guessed it Zack ate breakfast. So we had to reschedule for Friday...it really doesn't matter but I had just kind of gotten myself into the vet frame of mind.
So since we couldn't do that I did some sewing instead. I'm working on the Scaredy Cat fabric and it is just so fun...the pattern is very easy, quick and fun...first you make strip sets...cut them into large quarter square triangles...that's the stack of pieces on the floor

 

Then some of the blocks laid out to sew together
 

I won't show the blocks again until they are all together in the quilt top...I promise.

Here's the pattern in case you want to do one...Jellystone Park by Legacy Patterns...I ordered it from The Fat Quarter Shop  

I am so loving getting to sew whenever I want. I hope this feeling never wears off. Life is GOOD!
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Friday, September 21, 2007

The Boys are Much Happier

Their dad got home yesterday late afternoon, so the are out of their funk and much, much happier...life is so much better when everyone is home and where they are supposed to be. Zack is doing pretty well since his surgery...he's still doing a fair amount of limping in the house, but it is amazing when we go out the limp disappears...HMMMMM, wodner what that means. We have to take him back to the orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday for x-rays to make sure that everything is healing the way it's supposed to, that the bone is all growing together properly and to decide when we'll have the other one done...I don't want to think about that yet.

 
Here's what I finished while Andy was gone...my Celebrate Spring top for the guest room bed...I have a wonderful fally color quilt on there now, and when I saw the Celebrate Spring fabric I knew I had to have that for the guest room. It was too big for Andy to hold for me so I thought I'd just lay it on the bed...not the best picture, but you get the idea.

 

Now, my next project is to cut my Scaredy Cat jelly roll and get the Halloween quilt top done...I'll never get it quilted in time, but if I have it done for this Halloween then it will surely be quilted and the binding on before next Halloween. How's that for positive thinking?
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Monday, September 17, 2007

Very Sad Dogs

These are 2 of the saddest dogs I've seen in a very long time...

 

Andy and I left the house this morning...I dropped him off at the airport, he's working a conference in Las Vegas and will be home on Thursday afternoon. When I got back they were right here by the door coming in from the garage...they never moved...they stayed right here, just like this waiting for him to come home. They stayed in that spot for about 2-1/2 hours. They were just pitiful...this is the first time they've ever done this. They're much better now, we went for a very long walk this evening after the temperature went down a bit.

I got a fair amount of sewing done today...I decided that I would finish my queen size top that I started before everything started going crazy at the shop, the one with the jelly rolls and charms of Celebrate Spring...I know I should be working on fall or Christmas, but this one is moving right along and maybe I can mark it off the list this week while Andy's gone. I have a whole list of errands to run tomorrow, but I WILL finish the blocks tomorrow before I go to bed. Then Wednesday and Thursday I'll get the rows together, it isn't going to have a border, so I think this is a doable goal. I'll let you know.
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Saturday, September 15, 2007

Getting in Shape

Oh my goodness...as I wrote a while back after Andy retired, he decided that he would start working out with a trainer. Well he's done great and is faithful about his workouts. He started out going to Tony 3 days a week and then the last several weeks he'd only been going once a week. Well, he decided that since he can use the wonderful workout facitlites at Saratoga Springs out at Disney that he would do his own workout and only go back to Tony when he felt like he needed something else. Well, where I'm going with this is, that I decided, in all my infinite wisdom that I would start going with him. I've been reading about how our bodies start to fall apart as we age and that if we exercise we are so much better off. Well I'm here to tell you that after 2 days of working out with my Andy I think I'm going to just die. I have parts of my body that I never even knew existed...I sneezed before and I felt like my abs were on fire. Someone shortened my calf muscles when I wasn't looking. How did I ever get in this bad shape? It is pitiful...Andy assures me that it will get better. That before I know it this will all be a distant memory...I have to survive for that to be the case.
Well, he's going out of town on Monday and won't be back until Thursday evening...he has a whole routine for me to go through each day and then I'm supposed to go for a very brisk walk. And here I thought walking up the stairs to sew was physical exercise :) I know I'll be better for all this but oh my...Josh called this morning and Andy told him that I was working out. I could hear Josh through the phone across the kitchen...I took the phone away from Andy to find out what was so darn funny...he could hardly talk he was laughing so hard..."Mom, when was the last time you worked out...Jane Fonda workout tapes? Susan Powter on TV? OK, so I started his day out right...with a huge laugh and then off to the gym we went.
I'll keep you posted...Andy says I will have more balance and be more flexible in my really old age...no pictures today...it would just be pitiful.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Hometown Christmas-Section 4

I thought I had this picture in the last post, but no...I guess Blogger thought I'd sent enough pictures. Here's my Hometown Christmas Section 4...Book 1 is finished and I've ordered the other 3 books...

 

I told Andy I was making a Christmas quilt but probably not for this Christmas...he said "Oh, I thought we'd have a new one this year." Hmmmm, maybe I'll have to jump right into the the new books when they arrive. This is a really, really fun project. Thanks Kim, Vicky, and Sharon for getting me going!
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Hampton's Baptism

Oh what a wonderful weekend in Chicago...the weather was outstanding and Hampton is better...what a sweetheart...he is a happy, happy boy. He laughs all the time...and just entertained us all weekend. We had a great time with mom...everyone kept saying "Are you sure your mom is 85?" What a trooper...she didn't miss a thing...for a woman that said she wasn't traveling any more she was something else. We left our house at 6:30 Saturday morning...got into Chicago around 10:15...Josh picked us up and drove us all around the city so mom could see the highlights...we went to lunch at Potbelly...YUMMY! Went to their condo for the rest of the afternoon...at 5 we went on the Architectural boat tour up the river for about an hour. Josh took Andy and Mom to his office building and up to the 72nd floor so she could see the whole city...back to the kids for Giordono's pizza and then to the hotel at 9:30...she didn't miss a thing.
While we were at the kids in the afternoon we tried on Hampton's Baptism outfit...we had such fun
 

Sunday morning at 11 was church...Josh, Katie and Hampton
 

Our family...mom hates to have her picture taken...but she was a good sport.
 

Sunday afternoon...Grandy and Hampton having some fun.
 

I am such a lucky girl...wonderful, wonderful family and lots of good friends.

I finished section 4 of Hometown Christmas today and I thought it was here...oh I'm so confused...you all will figure it out :)
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Friday, September 07, 2007

It's their Birthday!

As promised yesterday, here are Howie and Zack enjoying their birthday cake...it was an especially happy birthday because their Nana was here to celebrate.
Here's Zack
 
Here's Howie
 

They blew out the candles...with a little help and now they are very happy boys.
 

We're off to Chicago in the morning...have a great weekend...I'll be back late Monday with pictures.
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Thursday, September 06, 2007

Chit Chat

Well, I guess you can tell by my title today, I'm just going to chit chat...not much on one subject, just bits and pieces of my life here today.

My internet was down all day today, I have no clue why, but it drove me crazy...I just knew I was missing something. And you know when you don't have something you can think of a least a hundred reasons why you NEED it at that very moment.
The mailman was very good to me again today...Ive been seeing so many of you with the Fall Back in Time charm packs and jelly rolls...well, you've probably already figured this out...I have no self control...so to the Fat Quarter Shop and Quilt Patch Lane I went again and ordered charm packs, inner border, outer border, backing, setting fabric and binding. I'm going to use the pattern that I posted in my last post.
 
 

Here's Section 2 of Hometown Christmas and I have Section 4 almost finished...I am really enjoying these blocks...I never would have done this on my own, but since Kim got us going, I'm in and am having tons of fun...it's like putting a puzzle together.
 
I had hoped to get all 3 of these sections done before we left for Chicago, but I don't think it's going to happen. I have too many things to do tonight, I going over to mom's tomorrow, we're having lunch, and then running her errands. I'll be bringing her home with us, since she's going with us for the Baptism. She really didn't think she was going to fly again,but since it's for Hampton she decided she would join us. She's very excited...I promise I'll have lots of
pictures to share.

Today is Howie and Zack's 5th Birthday...but we decided to wait to have their big celebration tomorrow when their Nana was here to share in the festivities...so look for Howie and Zack birthday pictures tomorrow.

Off to fix some dinner...have a great evening...thanks for "listening" to my chit chat today...we'll chat again tomorrow.
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Monday, September 03, 2007

Section 1 Done

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day! I certainly enjoyed the day...Andy and I went for a Starbucks treat this morning...we always go on Sunday, but usually not during the week, so this was a real treat. It was a very hot and sunny day here and I just didn't feel like being in the pool today, go figure, so I went upstairs and sewed up a storm. I got section 1 of Hometown Christmas done...I'm ahead...we'll see how long that lasts.

 

I got my swap blocks done...a little late but it's OK...I swap with very understanding gals. I got my Fall Swap (from a Primitive Yahoo group) surprise done and ready for the mail...my Pay I Forward is ready for the mail...I'm feeling pretty darn good. I also spent some time making a list of some things I'd like to get done in the very near future...I should probably post it but I'm going to try to just see if I can do it on my own...there will probably be a list here next month at this time. There's something about putting it out there for the world to see...

Enjoy your evening...take care!
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Saturday, September 01, 2007

Treats in the Mail

The mail person was very good to me today...lots of goodies :) I got sucked right into Kim's group of gals doing the "Hometown Christmas"...I didn't have the pattern so I did a search online and found the patterns...since I have tons of fabric I have vowed to do the entire thing from my stash...
 
I cut out the first section this afternoon, so I should get to sew them together tomorrow...OK so I bought new patterns, but I am using stash.
This next package came from Quilt Patch Lane...Kim had mentioned this online shop back the beginning of August and so I gave it a try. She had some Roman Holiday fabric left so I ordered enough for the back, background and binding of a quilt I want to do with a bundle I have. This was really pretty funny...I had the bundle and decided I wanted to do the Coventry quilt from the Comfort and Joy book...I had it all figured out, and I knew I still had the fabric in the shop...this was the day before the first day of the 25% off sale at the shop...I was home...I went in the next day only to find out that a lady had come in and bought all the Roman Holiday fabric I had left in the shop...she didn't want to miss out...so I had to go on a quest for what I needed. I was very pleased with the service that I got...very quick, and very nicely packaged...I will definately order from her again.
 
Then I had a Madiera bundle by Blackbird Designs and saw this Miss Rosie pattern...I ordered it and the charm pack pattern from Fat Quarter Quilter's...again great service...I also found the Sunshine and Shadows book from the same site as the Hometown Christmas, but my mind has left and I can't remember what the name of the site was...I want to say Mama's Log House, but I'm not sure what the address is.
 
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So I have lots to pick from, not like I didn't already have tons to pick from, but is there anything better than, good mail and new projects?