Helping Dad

I couldn't resist doing a quick post this morning. I opened e-mail at 4:30 this morning (don't have a clue why I was awake so darn early, good thing I wasn't at Sharon's LOL) and found a wonderful e-mail from Katie and Josh with new pictures of Hampton. I just had to share a couple with my friends
Helping his Dad work on the computer...OMG he looks so much older than he did when they were here in November.


Each month the kids have taken a picture of Hampton with his Steeler bear...when he was 1 month old the bear was WAY bigger than he was...now look...


Sharon sent Hampton the cutest pillow with a firetruck and dog...he loves it...he loves firetrucks...the whole time they lived in Chicago they lived really close to the firestation and it was one of Hampton's favorite places. Isn't this a fun picture...he is fascinated with the buttons.

And this last one I just couldn't resist...what a happy boy and how about that hat:-)



Just back from the gym and grocery shopping...I'll be back later....Hopefully I'll have some sewing to share.

Helping the Economy

I tried to do my part to help out the economy of California...and I had a blast doing it. When I looked at my pictures I realized that I bought patterns, both stitchery and quilting...I also bought fabric, but was a very bad blogger and put it on my shelves and now it's all mixed in so I'll share my wonderful patterns with you.

Sharon and I both bought this one...it's the first month of the Four Seasons Block of the Month at Country Loft...Sharon already has her stitchery block done for this month, all ready to sew the pieces on around it.
I need to get mine traced off and stitched...Sharon says she's going to keep up with this one...you know I can't be outdone. LOL!
These 2 pattern also came from Country Loft and were designed by Donna Yackey...I think Sharon had them on her blog back at Christmas time...I fell in love with them then and then when I saw them I just knew I had to have them. I need to get stitching so I'm ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas.



I told you I fell in love with stitchery and so I had to have this stitchery from Country Loft too. It was a block of the month, I think from last year and it is just wonderful..."Light the Night"...just the best primitive Santas...I must get stitching...I think I said that before.

Look at all these great patterns and the Mostly Tablerunners 3 book that all came from Quilters Coop in Temecula...that was a great shop too.
Oh if I lived in Southern California I'd be in big trouble all the time...I'd need to chain myself to my sewing machine and never leave my house.

Here's what I got at the show from the Bird Brain Designs booth...we both got this wonderful Easter stitchery and my favorite purchase at the show was those little containers that hold the balls of perle cotton. With the little hole in the top for the perle cotton to come out of I never have to worry about the ball falling out of my lap and unrolling across the floor with the boys are chasing behind. I love those hoops that I got too, the oval one is great. And I got Bohin embroidery needles that I'm nuts about...they pull through so nicely.

So now all I have to do is get busy...stitch, stitch, stitch!

It's Pretzel Time Again

Things were humming in my kitchen today. Two of my neighbors are giving a baby shower tomorrow for anothr neighbor down the street, the baby's a girl. They all loved the mix, which I renamed Santa's White Christmas back in December, so I made a batch of that with pink and white M&M's...are you wondering how I got pink and white M&M's...well, I didn't go to the M&M store...I bought bags of the Valentine M&M's and took out all the red ones...we ended up with light pink, hot pink and white...perfect! Then I spent the rest of the afternoon making pretzels...pink chocolate, white chocolate and sprinkles.



Now you know I couldn't have done all this in the kitchen today without the help from my boys Now you may think that they are resting, but they really are helping because they aren't under my feet. Howie's usually right under my feet hoping for something to fall.

Now I know I told you I'd post pictures of my California goodies...I just ran out of time today...I promise I'll do it tomorrow. Have a wonderful evening everyone.

Annie's in My House

Look who's living in my house...it's my very own Annie that Sharon had on my bed when I arrived...isn't she just the cutest...now don't get alarmed, Sharon really did give her to me...she's not a missing Annie. She is on the table right next to my bed, so I see her all the time. I think I'm going to need to order some more Annie's...I just love them!

When I got home from my wonderful vacation with Sharon I had a package waiting for me. This wonderful package came from Karen...I won a giveway drawing over on her blog...look at all the treats in this box...a kit for a cute Miss Rosie pattern, a magnetic pin cushion, 2 wool patterns and 2 little signs...oh I love getting mail.


Thank you so much Karen! You made my day.

I'll be back tomorrow with pictures of all my goodies that I bought at the quilt show and shops...I think you're going to really like some of these patterns I found.

Fun, Fun, Fun

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had at Sharon's...OMG...she is the hostess with the mostest...my room was so comfortable, quilts on the bed to keep me warm, her pretty pink bathroom, yummy meals, trips to the quilt shops and quilt show, party with Blogland friends, teaching me how to crochet, sewing all day for 2 days in our PJ's...I ask you could it get any better? We had the best time...I know I haven't laughed so hard in a very long time. Anyone would have thought that we had known each other for years. We were a perfect fit from moment 1...



Here are a couple of pictures from the Blogland Friend party on Friday night...oh my was that ever fun...see the basket of goodies...Sharon made those gift bags that she made for everyone...Sharon sure knows how to throw a party.

Saturday morning we got up and went to San Diego and visited Country Loft...oh my what a great shop...look at this stitchery we found there...can't wait to get this one going.



Sunday was a very relaxing day...we spent the day in our PJ's...watching football, I was crocheting and Sharon was sewing bindings down...OMG she got so much binding done she ended up with a hole in her finger...she doesn't like thimbles. Here's our lunch...will you look at the size of these calzones...and these aren't considered large...the delivery person came and the house instantly smelled good. Oh and was it ever yummy...

We got this pattern at Quilter's Coop in Temecula, cut it out Thursday night and started sewing...we finished our quilts on Monday, our second day in PJ's all day...this pattern is by Darlene Zimmerman and it was so much fun to do. We both said we'd make another one of these.

I'm going to close for now because I'm afraid I may be pressing my luck with Blogger and all these pictures...Sharon taught me how to get more than 4 pictures on a post...YIPPEE! Hopefully it works...I'll be back tomorrow with a picture of my cute little Annie that Sharon had waiting for me...she really did give me this little Annie...I promise I didn't kidnap her. And I have to show you the wonderful package I got from Karen over at My Yellow Farmhouse...I won a drawing that she was holding and it was a great prize.
We'll talk tomorrow.

We are Having Some Fun!

I know, I know...you're wondering where in the heck we are...I got here Wednesday afternoon and we hit 2 quilt shops before we headed home. By the time we ate and talked and laughed and talked and laughed I was pooped...Eastern time to Pacific time...YIKES! Thursday morning we got up bright and early and headed to the show...we could not find a place to park the car...the lots were FULL! We finally found a place where a bunch of cars were parked and as we were leaving for the convention center a man said the owner was calling the police to ticket all these cars...you guessed it...we were out of there. Can't keep us down...we went to a quilt shop. We went to Quilter's Coop in Temecula and was it ever cute...what a great shop. We bought some fabric and put some of Sharon's with it and almost made a whole quilt top last night. We just have to put the sashing and borders on. Fun, fun, fun.
We headed out for the quilt show at 8 this morning...got a parking space and we were in the door without any trouble today. Bought lots of goodies...but since I was a Ding Bat and forgot the cord for my camera I'll have to wait until I get home.
Tomorrow we're going to San Diego and Country Loft and a couple other shops...you know we're going to be in some trouble there. I can't wait.
I'll check in with you all again.
Have a great Saturday!

My Bags are Packed

My bags are packed...I'm ready to go...leaving on a jet plane...can you hear me singing? Yes, that's the sound coming from Central Florida...LOL!
I have everything ready, suitcases lined up, yes suitcases...I'm taking one with barely anything in it so it can come home FULL! Shhhhhhh, don't tell Andy my plan. LOL! Tomorrow at this time I'll be with Sharon...she's picking me up at the airport and we have 2 quilt shops to visit...could I be more excited...I DON"T THINK SO!
Have a wonderful week everyone and I'll be back online next Wednesday. I'm sure Sharon will fill you in on our escapades during the week.
HUGS!

I'm so Proud of Katie

You all saw blocks of this quilt back around Thanksgiving. Katie started this quilt for her friend's new baby girl while they were here for Thanksgiving. She finished putting the top together and sent it back to me last week, I had told her that I would sew the borders on for her because she had never done that and was a little nervous. So today was the day for the borders and tomorrow I taking it to be quilted while I'm gone...Didn't she just do the best job...I am SO proud of her.

 

Yesterday I worked on another Hometown Christmas block...silly me...I thought this would get me caught up, WRONG, when I checked again this was actually the block for Dec. 30...so I still have one more block to do to be caught up.

 

Once I finished the block I decided that I would sew 2 rows together...I'm really liking it and I'll have a new quilt ready for Christmas. YIPPEE!

 

I'm Making Some Progress

I'm happy to say that I'm making some progress here this week even though I feel like I've been spinning my wheels...running a zillion errands, haircut, nails (regular maintence before my big trip) laundry,cleaning, working out...but I did get Hometown Christmas Section 5 done today...a big WOOHOO going up here...it was only due on
Dec 15th...tomorrow I plan on getting Section 7 done and then I'll be caught up again. OMG, where does the time go?

 

Look what came in the mail yesterday...I called Donna Yackey, the designer and spoke with her...what a small, small world...Donna came to Orlando several years ago and came to my shop...we had tons of fun and so I was thrilled when I found out that this was her pattern. We chatted on the phone and plan on seeing each other when I'm in California next week. She works at Country Loft and doesn't live too far away,so if it's not her day to work, she said just call and she'll come down. I can't wait to see her!

 

I'm getting beyond excited...I don't know whether "my man" is going to be able to survive the next few days with me, but I'll try to be on good behavior. I'm so excited to be able to see some blogland friends at the show...oh we're going to have some fun! CALIFORNIA here I come!

Welcome to Blogland Karen

Just want to take a minute to welcome Karen to Blogland. Her blog is called Log Cabin Quilter and her address is karen-logcabinquilter.blogspot.com. Now I know you're thinking, why didn't Carol make a link...well I did, and then checked and it didn't work,Blogger wasn't playing nice...so I deleted the other post a redid it. Karen is very talented and very prolific, so check back often to see what she's up to.
Check out those wonderful house placemats, I was one of the lucky recipients of 4 of those placemats at Christmas. YIPPEE! I LOVE them.
Karen is in the group of gals that asked me to join them to sew. I am so honored to be a part of their group. Very, very talented ladies.
I'll check back in later but wanted to welcome Karen this morning. Enjoy!

All Over The Place

When you read my post today you will probably be shaking your head from side to side, saying "she's all over the place"...and guess what, you'd be right! LOL! I've got 2 different projects posted here today and I've done swap blocks for 3 different swaps, prepped some stitchery blocks and pulled fabric for another project, all in the past 3 days and you know what...I had a great time! Tons of FUN!

I've had Cheri Saffiote's Christmas quilt on my list for a while...and I decided it was time to get going...I prepped a block from the top right corner, that's the star block and I added the wool heart, and the bottom right, that's the pear block and instead of regular cotton to applique the star and the stem, I'm using wool. Don't ask why I didn't start with section 1, like any organized person would do...those 2 blocks just caught my eye and I was off pulling fabric.

 

A very good friend of mine has a son graduating from high school in May, so this is for him...I'm using a Holly Taylor line of fabric...he's a real outdoor guy, loves to hunt so this will be perfect for him. This is one of the 4 large blocks that make up the quilt and then there are several borders...I used one Jelly Roll and the "Trail Adventures" pattern from the Strip Crazy book. It's going together so fast. YIPPEE!

 

 

I have to share this book with you...Howie and Zack gave this to me for Christmas...it's a tiny little book with a very powerful message. Anna Quindlan hit the nail right on the head with this one in describing what dogs bring to our lives...if you are a dog lover this is a must read...make sure you have several Kleenex.

 

Now for a bit of a rant...I am just having a hard time believing a phone call I got today from Josh, but I know he wasn't making this up because mom called and told me the same thing. It seems that Josh and Katie sent mom a card and a whole stack of new pictures of Hampton. Katie said she took it into the post office, handed it to the man, told him it was pictures for their grandmother of her great-grandson. The man was very nice, he had her write on the envelope "Pictures...Do Not Bend". Skip forward to yesterday when mom got the mail...the envelope was there and she was so excited...Hampton pictures...well, she said someone had clearly cut the envelope open and there were no pictures inside...the note card was there but that was it. Mom was almost in tears, Josh promised to resend the pictures, and they were both just perplexed and saddened. So they each called me separately to tell the story and get my thoughts on why someone would do that. All I can think of is that they thought maybe there was money in there, pulled out the pictures, no money, and threw the pics away instead of putting them back in. Mom was so excited because these were new ones that we haven't gotten from the kids over the Internet, these were special for her and they're gone. I just don't get it! Why can't people just be nice?

Hello 2008-Happy New Year

I know I'm a little late with my Happy New Year wishes, but I've been contemplating the coming year and didn't want to post until I felt like I had it figured out...so before I begin I'd like to wish all of my Blogland friends a very wonderful 2008, happy, healthy and full of time to do what makes you happy. That leads me right into what I've been mulling over yesterday and today as I looked back on 2007 and forward to 2008. I've been reading with interest the past couple of days lots of resolutions not to buy fabric and to finish the UFO's...and I've come to the conclusion that I am going to spend this year doing the things that make me the happiest...now please know that this are my thoughts for this year and I don't want to step on any toes, but we all need to do what works for us and what is important ...if there's a UFO in the pile that I really want to finish then I'll get it done, but I'm not going to spend time finishing something from years ago, that I really don't like or care about any more to say that I finished a UFO...the old cliche says it all "Life is too short"...time is too limited to spend it on something I don't really want to do. There are zillions of things I really want to do, that will bring me much happiness. So when I come upon a UFO that I don't want anymore, I'm going to bag up all the pieces and the pattern or book and give it to a guild or group that can use it...it will bring someone else happiness and that's what matters.
2007 was a year of great changes for us...Andy retired in April and I closed my shop and retired the end of August...this has been a huge and wonderful change for us. We are enjoying spending time together, we either work out at the gym or walk every day, we both feel better than we've felt in a very long time. I've been invited to start sewing with a few gals, which I am so excited about. I'm doing some swaps that I'm really loving. I've got a donation quilt ready for a binding. I have time to do the things that make me happy!
My first exciting thing in 2008 is that I'm going to California in on Jan 16 to visit Sharon, go to Road to California, and go wonderful quilt shops. I can't wait. New patterns to see, projects to get excited about...lots to look forward to.
In April there's the quilt show in Chicago...YIPPEE! And in August Andy and I are going on an Alaskan cruise...this has been a dream for a long time and we're doing it. In between all this excitement I'm going to sew and stitch, spend time with mom and get to see Hampton (and his mom and dad) as much as I can.
So I guess what all this long, ramble is saying is, I'm going to do what makes me happy, as Darlene said in her New Year's post, "what gives me joy" and I'm not going to feel guilty for one moment. Life is too short! Life is Good! Let's have a happy 2008!