The Beach, The Boys and a Give Away!

Not a whole lot quilty going on here that I can share...I've been doing some "secret" work for a designer friend of mine...it's been tons of fun.

I have absolutely no clue where this week has gone. I meant to sit down and do a post of our last day at the beach...the sun came out on Friday and it was gorgeous.

Mom sure enjoyed the day in the sun, reading her book...


As we were packing up on Saturday morning they were doing some tree trimming...I've seen lots of tree trimmers but never one like this gal...she went right up that ladder and trimmed away with the big old chain saw...she was way up that ladder...
Can you tell I've taken papparazi lessons from Sharon..LOL!

These pictures pretty much say it all about Howie and Zack...Zack the maniac...back chasing lizards again with his surgically repaired knees...he's sure they are under that grill...
And Howie just enjoying the sun and the flowers...

And now for the Give Away...my 2nd Blogiversary is July 31st...everyone that comments between now and midnight (EDT) the 31st will go in the drawing for a $25 Gift Certificate from Fat Quarter Quilters (www.fatquarterquilters.com)...you can pick out whatever your little ole heart desires. I have so enjoyed the last 2 years...when I began this blogging journey I never dreamed that I would "meet" so many wonderful friends. You all make my day...every day! Thank you!

Friday at the Beach

Well here we are Friday at the beach...haven't been in that lounge chair on the beach yet...we've come over here this same week for well over 30 years and never had a week of weather like this one...it has rained buckets and blown like crazy every day we've been here.
Haven't taken the protective wrapping off the sunscreen yet...LOL!
But not to worry...we have had a wonderful week...Mom and I have been sitting on the porch of the condo, reading (I'm starting book #6 this morning), visiting and having our wine every afternoon. Mom's having a great time. She keeps saying that she loves just being able to spend time with me...doesn't get much better.

Last evening we had a real sky show...this is the only sunset we've had all week and it was a spectacular one.

This is our last day...home in the morning to all my boys...Andy says once again Howie is spending lots of hours every day by the front door windows waiting for his momma to come home. Enjoy the day!

I'm Off Again

I'm heading to the beach for my week with mom tomorrow. This is a crazy summer...10 days in Birmingham...home about 2 weeks...off to the beach for a week...home for about 2 weeks again and my man and I are off on our Alaskan cruise (I'll tell you all about that later)...home for a couple of weeks and back to Birmingham...I'm going to take mom up to see the kids house and spend some time with Hampton. Whew, crazy summer...but I'm loving it...I've never been able to have this much fun...being retired is a wonderful thing.

The mailman brought a wonderful treat in the mail for me...Sharon sent me a Pay it Forward surprise.
I had to make sure I found a place for that cute little quilt where I would enjoy it all the time...you'll recognize the old sewing machine as the one from my header. That's in a cubby in my sewing room, and it's one of my favorite things. So what better place to put that wonderful quilt...I get to enjoy it all the hours I spend in my sewing room. I LOVE IT! Thanks so much Sharon.

I better go finish getting my stuff in a suitcase. This is an easy one to pack for...bathing suits, shorts...toothbrush, suntan lotion, lots of books and some handwork. I'll talk to you soon...from my beach chair...

Happy Birthday America!

Happy 4th of July!


Have a wonderfully safe and happy day!

DANGER! DANGER! Here Comes a Rant!

Poor Nicole has already heard all this...we're doing the same finishing kit for the Web Sampler so we've been chatting...let me change that...I've been ranting, Nicole's been listening. Thank you Nicole! This darn thing darn near made me give up quilting yesterday. I was so pleased with my Web Sampler blocks...the all went together perfectly...I did the setting squares from the finishing kit and put in the setting triangles...PERFECT! All those little triangles and I didn't lose a point...I ended up with exactly the size top that the pattern said I should have...then it all went crazy. I made the amount of red triangles for the outside border that the pattern called for...that wasn't enough...I wasn't anywhere close...so I looked at the picture that was on their website...counted the triangles...thankfully I figured that out before I sewed them on...that was way to many...I was on my own...got the right number to get in the ballpark and it didn't fit...so after hours of fudging, cutting, adding an extra piece of cream fabric on either end I MADE it work...there was supposed to be another border of black triangles just like the red one...WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not in my lifetime! I sewed on the outside border and called it DONE! Here's my version...
When I finished I put it on my "design floor" and took a picture...I can now see that I didn't do a very good job of smoothing it out...it really does lay flat.
I just don't understand selling patterns and kits without knowing that they are right...I know typos can happen in a pattern but this was just WRONG! In addition to the border measurements just being wrong they had us cut 20 some squares that I have NO CLUE where they were supposed to go. They were never mentioned in the directions again after the cutting part...somehow I just don't think when you spend that kind of money on a finishing kit or any kit for that matter...you just shouldn't have sit down and do all the math over again and make sure that it's correct. I'm no professional quilter, but I have been quilting since 1976 and I'm going to tell you that this thing really just about whipped my butt...I don't think I've ever been so frustrated with a pattern in all my quilting years.

That's it...I'm done ranting about this darn thing. Now I have to tell you how sweet Nicole is...she e-mailed this morning and offered me some fabric to do a piano key border...which would have been awesome on this quilt...but I just couldn't do it...I couldn't spend 1 more minute of my life on this thing. Thank you Nicole, you were truly the bright spot in this whole big MESS! Once again I will say...Blogland friends are the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!