Sunday, September 30, 2012

Bouncing Along

I finished my Speck, the September Schnibble very, very early in the month...September 8th to be exact...now I new what the October Schnibble was going to be, either Bounce or Hubble, our choice, and I decided right then that I wanted to do Bounce...now the 24 thousand dollar question would be...did I start cutting and sewing Bounce then...NO of course not...I started yesterday...
...cut all of my Ruby fabric yesterday and the white today.

Unfortunately I'm still not back to 100% so it was pretty slow going and I don't think I have the energy to sew tonight.

Andy flew up to Birmingham on Friday for the weekend...a surprise for Camden and Hampton...Camden so wanted her Grandy to see her play soccer...so how could he say no.  He called this afternoon, everyone was sad...it started raining this morning and all of the games were cancelled for the day...best laid plans...but he's had a blast with the kids and helped Josh and Katie with some things in the new house.  And a bonus...today is Josh's birthday...our boy is 35 today...how in the world did that happen?  So Andy got to celebrate with him for the first time in a while.  Life is good!

See you tomorrow for the organizer winner!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Home Again...And a Giveaway

I'm home...left these cuties...big brother and little brother...

and our soccer player...
I had the BEST time...time spent with the family is beyond amazing.  Katie and I got tons and tons done in the new house...lots of boxes unpacked, lots of stuff put away.  My plan is to head back again in November to do some projects.  Katie has an idea for a reading corner in the playroom that will need my sewing skills and several other projects.  Can't wait!

Since I got home I've been a bit under the weather...guess I just tried to do way to much...mom would say I need to learn to act my age...LOL!  I think I can still go like I did when I was 30 but it catches up with me.  Staying up way to late at night, up early with the kids in the morning, and then up and down stairs carrying boxes and stuff all day, not to mention the 8 hour and 45 minute drive both ways...I was pooped when I got home, but still wouldn't give in.  Well yesterday I had no choice, my body said..."You're old...you're not 30 anymore" and I just gave out.  I think I slept the better part of 24 hours...oh my!  Today was much better, but I decided to take it easy, sit on the couch and do some binding.  I haven't even gone upstairs to the sewing room...there's always tomorrow.

So since I have no sewing to share with you I'm going to share a great calendar/organizer with you...

I won a giveaway a few weeks ago over at A Bright Corner I love it...I love it so much that I ordered another one from the developer of it...Picket Fence Publications 
It runs from August 2012 to August 2013... I love that it has 3 columns one for my schedule, one for Andy's and one for our joint activities or whatever else...

I love that it has a dinner planner and grocery list on the opposite page...

I love that it has these planning sheets for Thanksgiving dinner and a Christmas list right next to it so when you're with the family for Thanksgiving you can start your list...
There's also a Christmas dinner planner and final Christmas list...

I love that I can keep it in my purse (yes I carry a very large purse) and it doesn't weigh a ton...I just love everything about it.  So if you'd like one of your very own, just leave me a comment...I'll pick a winner on Monday at 11a.m. EDT...please make sure if you are a no reply commenter that you leave me an e-mail address.

Hopefully I'll be back this weekend with something sewing related.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Having Soooooooo Much Fun

Well I'm just not sure it's legal to have this much fun. Here are the big kids on their plasma cars for the first time...this was last evening when I got here...today they were flying so fast on them I couldn't get a picture.


Today we went to Camden's dance class...just couldn't be cuter...


And then there's our future linebacker...He's getting so big...and is always happy!


Haven't done any of the work I came up here to do yet...tomorrow...but I sure am having fun!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Got Blogpress

And I got a picture from my IPad...thank you so much for all your help!
Blogland is the BEST!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Over a Week...How Does That Happen?

Well I really know how it happened...I was away again for a few days...I did have my IPad, but I still haven't figured out how to blog from it and add a picture...guess I need to spend some time playing with it and figure it out. I'm heading up to Birmingham for a week with the kids so Hampton will probably be able to teach me how to do it.

I've been sewing today and got my Fat Quarter Shop BOM block done...
every time I make one of these blocks I love the fabric even more...Vintage Modern is just so darn cute.

I also finished this quilt,
I'm using it on my kitchen table, this week. I showed a little peek of this a bit ago...I'm ready to share the whole thing now. It's made from Hometown fabric by Sweetwater and I designed the pattern. This just sort of came to me shortly after mom passed away. I had the fat quarter bundle on my shelf and for some reason pinwheels came to mind
...and I even had a name...Fly Away Home...and it's dedicated to mom. If any of you are interested in making this I'll be happy to do a pattern blogpost...so just leave me a comment and let me know. It's a fun one to do and I think it would be great in whatever fabric you want to use.

Saturday, September 08, 2012

Speck

Speck is finished and I love it...
well the top is finished, it needs to be quilted but I have to wait until I can get some Marmalade yardage...don't need much but I have my eye on one and nothing else will do.  Thanks Carrie for the wonderful pattern and thanks Sherri and Sinta for picking the fun pattern for this month.  It really was FUN!

I just have to share this...just in case you haven't seen these yet...
yes Candy Corn M&M's...just what I need...I work my fanny off at Pilates 2 days a week and then I go into Target and Candy Corn M&M's jump right off the shelf and into my cart.  You've been warned...watch out for these! And yes you're seeing right, the bag is open...I had to try them out before I told you about them...LOL! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Friday, September 07, 2012

Happy Birthday Howie and Zack!

My boys are celebrating a big birthday...they turned 10...Happy Birthday to my Boys!
They made me promise I wouldn't do the birthday candle thing this year...they didn't mind it at all when they were younger but as Zack has gotten older he's gotten quirkier...sort of like his mom...and now he's afraid of the candle. So we were in Woof Gang's and they had organic, raised in America, processed in America pig ears so that was their birthday treat. You may be wondering about my need for made in America pig ears...our lab Norm, he was the predecessor to the boys, died at the very young age of not quite 7...he died of hepatitis which was traced back to the pig ears that we had given him...from China. He loved them...today was the first one the boys have ever had...they followed Dad...

they sat pretty

and they were happy boys!
Life is good at Howie and Zack's!

I'll be back tomorrow with a picture of my Speck...it was so fun and cute!

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Just a Little Bit

That's what I got done today...Just a little bit
...my plan this morning when I got up was that I was going to finish my "Speck" top today...well, best laid plans...errands and the grocery store this morning and then I just don't know what happened this afternoon...just not a chunk of time to get it done.  I had the blocks done yesterday and needed to just put them together today...tomorrow...I will get it done tomorrow.  It is such a fun little pattern to do....Carrie Nelson, the one who is not Rosie, has outdone herself this time.  These Little Bites are fun, very well written, and just as cute as they can be!  Thanks Carrie!  and Rosie too...I know you have to work really hard to keep Carrie on task  :)

Monday, September 03, 2012

Old Habits are Hard to Break

There's not going to be a single bit of sewing in the post today...I have to share a chuckle that Andy and I shared a couple of days ago.  As we were leaving to run a few errands I picked up my purse and said..."Oh Monday I have to change this purse out...this one needs to go away."  He looked at me like maybe I was running off the rails, but I wasn't...I think I must have been channeling Mom.  She was a stickler about no white after Labor Day or before Easter....well, last year the day after Labor Day I went over to get Mom to run some errands and go to the grocery, I had this purse on my shoulder...she looked at me and said "You know better"  What, there I stood, almost 60 years old, and my mother was telling me I knew better.  I had no clue where she was going with this.  When I asked, she said "Well your purse"...
What???  My purse, she'd seen that purse a million times, always liked it and now all of a sudden my purse was a problem. I guess I must have had a very puzzled look on my face and she said "It's the day after Labor Day and that purse is close enough to white to have to go away...bring it out again after Easter."  OH MY Word!  I sat down on her couch and laughed until I had tears running down my face...when I pulled myself together, I explained that I thought that it didn't count because it was REALLY white and that it really was my very favorite purse in the world...there I was 7 years old again...she got so tickled that she laughed and laughed and then said "I was really just teasing"....we both had a good laugh.

So today, we had another good laugh and "Yes Mom, it's up on the shelf, and I won't bring it out again until Easter"...what a fun memory!  Thanks for letting me share...I'll be back tomorrow with a sewing post...

Sunday, September 02, 2012

I'm Still Sewing and Still in Rehab

Well I saw several people post on Facebook and then I saw Darlene's post yesterday telling us about National Sewing Month...September is National Sewing Month...I had no idea...how did I miss that?  I knew we used to celebrate National Quilting Day but a whole month to celebrate what we all love...I'm In!  Darlene says we must sew all month...so I've taken her very seriously...spent the day today putting together one column of my Cotton Club...
this is going to be one tedious process.  This will keep me in BOM Rehab for a while. There are 40+ blocks and they all need setting triangles...there will be 2 more columns that look like this one and then 2 more with a bit more simple setting.  I've loved this BOM, the only thing I wish could have been done differently is having the finishing kit sent early in the program so these setting triangles could have been done a few at a time.  But I'll get it done.

Then as I was reading blogs I came across the Scrappy Stars Sew Along on Cheryl's blog and was immediately enamored...what could be better stars and scrappy...and 2 blocks a month...so I made one yesterday and one today...
and I love them.  I'm using my Civil War scraps and a hunk of background fabric that I've had for a while.  So I'm using stuff from my shelf as well...this is a win, win, win!

So I'll be sewing everyday, until I have to leave to go to Birmingham for a week of fun with the kids.  They'll be in their new house this Thursday and I'm heading up the 18th to help hang pictures and do whatever they need me to do...I'll even get to see Camden play soccer...she's so excited to be playing...last year when Hampton played she just couldn't wait to be old enough to play....oh it's going to be fun.

Have a great evening everyone!  Spend some time doing whatever makes you happy!

Saturday, September 01, 2012

Who Knew I Could Have So Much Fun?

If someone had told me several months ago that I would be back in my sewing room truly enjoying my time there and just plain having a blast I would have said "I really don't think so"...I just wasn't having any fun...I think I had too much time to think when I was upstairs by myself...I just didn't enjoy it...but after my trip to the beach everything just fell into place...that peace I told you about...I'm back sewing again and loving it.  A huge thank you to those of you that told me to be patient with myself...you will never know what your support has meant to me.  I've said it before...My Blogland Friends are Amazing!

My dear, dear friend Darlene e-mailed a week or so ago and asked me if I had seen the patterns by Sweet Jane...she gave me the link and told me to go take a look.  I was immediately in love with several patterns.  After a couple e-mails back and forth we agreed on quite a few patterns that we LOVED...ordered the PDF's...and decided we were going to sew one of them together...Darlene picked our first one...Tumbling Nine Patch...and we were off...cutting, visiting, laughing, sewing together...now the time difference tries to interfere, but we didn't let that bother us.  We sewed last weekend and by Monday my top was done.  Here's my Tumbling Nine Patch using Costume Clubhouse fabric by Riley Blake...
I think Hampton and Camden will love it...Peyton will enjoy it too.

Thank you Darlene for finding these fun patterns and for coming up with this fun idea to sew together...I'm ready to do it again!  But most of all thank you for checking on me, supporting me and being YOU...My Friend.  I'm a very lucky girl!