UFO Alert

Look what I found lurking in the back of my fabric closet!  A pretty quilt kit that I bought a couple of years ago when we were in Maggie Valley and I stopped at Quilters Quarters.  Maybe eventually I can check something off my list of unfinished projects.  When it's done, it will stay with me.  After a year of baby and child quilts and craft projects, I think it's time I did something for myself!  

I've already starting the cutting process but first I took this photo to keep track of the fabrics.  I'm not sure how quickly this will go together, but an afternoon of football and an evening of Downton Abbey helped me get a good start.  I'll keep you updated! 

One down, Many more to go!

For the record, I'm working on some UFO's here.  This is a Block of the Month quilt from three years ago (I think!) at Among Friends Quilt Shop.  I haven't participated in the the last two years and I still have one other one waiting to be quilted. 

 I am really pleased with how Tina, the long arm quilter, finished this one up for me.  It turned out very pretty I think, though it is very "girlie" so I'm not sure where it will end up.  I probably could work on UFO's for many, many months and still have plently to do!  

Catching Up

I've been meaning to post this for quite some time but almost forgot until I found the photos on my camera card.  Another quilting project knocked out this Spring was another birthday quilt.  My daughters have birthdays too close together! 

The pattern was found in the February 2011 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.  It is called Row by Row and I chose to use the Happy Daisy by Moda jelly roll of that fabric that I'd had for some time.  I really like how it turned out and I think B did too.  It's almost twin size but plenty big enough to cuddle up with on the couch.  When I finally got around to photographing this one, it was one of those rainy days we've had so many of this Spring so it was hard to get a shot of the whole thing.

There are only about three more quilting/sewing  projects in my immediate future, but first I've got to stay home!  We just got back from a week with the RV and motorcycle in northern Georgia and southwestern North Carolina. We had a great time and managed to stay dry.  So I hope to get another blog post together soon to share some photos of our trip.  Thanks for catching up with me!

Edited 5/15/2011
Thank you Laurel for reminding me about Amy's Spring Blogger's Quilt Festival !  Hopefully it's not too late but I'm going to make this my blog entry for the contest.  Be sure to stop by Amy's to see all the beautiful quilts that have been entered.  This is always a great way to spend time on a rainy spring day to get some quilting inspiration!  Please go check it out!  

Finished Something!

Done!  This little kit was purchased from Daisy Cottage Quilting this summer and I finally finished it up this week. (See, Sharon? !!)  At least it's still a few weeks until Halloween so I can leave it out for a while.  The fabrics are Minick and Simpson's Halloween Night. Got to love that purple mixed in with the orange, black and chartreuse!

I had enough scraps left to make a little runner for my hall table too.  The pumpkin guy has been hanging around for a couple of years so he found a home here too. 

 We've had some beautiful weather here the past few days - once the summer temps finally left.  We haven't been out on the motorcycle as much as we'd like lately, but last Sunday we did take a short trip up through the Jackson - Washington County State Forest.  Most of the trees were just beginning to turn, but we found this one portion of a little scenic road that was in full color.  Pretty nice - huh? 

                                                                         HAPPY FALL!

Before, During and Other

I've been talking about this for almost two years now and I bet you all thought it would never happen. But we're finally ready for the next phase of the kitchen remodel. There's a before shot..... Now here it is during, complete with the mess of the contents of half of the cabinets spread across the counter tops. Since we are doing the demolition and re-construction in stages, I think I'll be seeing a lot of this.
And here's another "during" photo. The upper cabinets are installed, but doors and shelving won't be up until later this week. But what this doesn't show, are the completed lower cabinets, new microwave and the under cabinet lighting. So progress has been made! I'm hoping have most of it completed by Memorial weekend when we're expecting house guests. But since we've got a vacation planned for a few days before that - we'll see! Before the kitchen became a construction zone, I did a little baking. This is Rhubarb Crumb Cake using a recipe from Smitten Kitchen. We used to eat a lot of rhubarb when I was growing up. Especially Rhubarb crisp but this recipe combines the crumbly, sugary goodness of the topping of a crisp with a nice moist cake and not quite so much rhubarb. Yum!



On to the list of other random things here at the home front. Last year, the pink dogwoods were so beautiful around here that I decided to (have the garden center) plant one in our backyard.

Oops, someone planted a nice white dogwood instead! At least the garden center admitted their mistake and instead of digging this one up and re-planting a pink one, they gave me a good deal on a second tree. Hopefully, this one will be pink!

Sewing project this week was putting the binding on the little quilt that B pieced and I quilted for her little "peanut"! If anyone ever hears me say I'm going to put satin binding on a quilt, please, please, please, stop me! Maybe it was the combination of the Minkee backing and the satin, but I had the worst time getting this done and I'm not proud of my workmanship at all. But maybe little "peanut" won't care and he'll just enjoy cuddling the softness. I actually remember having a "blankey" with satin binding on it when I was very little and my mother had to replace the worn out binding because it was so well loved. I appreciate her efforts so much more now!

Hope you all have a great week. This will be a busy one around here!

Exercising my Quilting Rights

Yep, here it is, Monday again. Yes, that's Loser Monday! There's been an ever so slight decrease on my scales this week. Maybe close to .5 of a pound, but you know how that is. Tomorrow it could be .5 of a pound increase. But I'm not obsessing about this - that's the new plan.

Last week, Sharon asked if we would share some exercise hints. We all know we've got to do the dreaded "E" word as she says. I've tried to make it something I look forward to and some times it becomes my one consistent social activity for the week. Over a year ago I joined a new health club because they offered Pilates. I've done aerobics and water aerobics for years and though I've had good success with most of those classes, I was ready for something new. Sometimes your body just gets so used to the same movements the challenge is lost. And though I can't say that I've seen a huge weight loss with Pilates, I do feel stronger, flatter (in good places) and even taller! I wanted to take a photo at one of my classes last week, but figured they'd never let me back so you'll just have to imagine several women of varying ages and physical abilities lying on mats, with one of our awesome instructors challenging us to "tighten your core", "draw your navel to the floor" and "strengthen your bu-thighs"! Now I take a pilates class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Mondays and Wednesdays I do double duty with a class called Rep/Rebok (a weight class) followed by Hi/Lo Cardio (which is Medium Lo for me!) Honestly, some days I have to give myself a motivational talk to get to those, but I'm always glad I do. My BF, C has started going to these classes too; in addition, I've met some other great gals there and made some new friends. If it wasn't for these exercise classes, I wouldn't have taken up knitting (thanks to T). Of course there's the pilates girls for lunch dates after class and the lottery pool, but the overall effort will surely pay-off someday!

When I read back over all this, it would seem that I should be in great shape. I'm a long, long way from that but I exercise so I can enjoy those french fries once in a great while or have a little candy occasionally. And yes, that is probably one reason why I struggle to lose .5 pound in a month but I've found when I cut those treats out, I don't lose any faster. I'm aware that some people would tell me I should work out harder, or watch my WW points closer. It's not out of the realm of possibilities that tomorrow I'll think that too! It's nice to know that the rest of you "Monday Losers" who are struggling with the same will be there for support !

If you waded through all of that to see the quilt I've been working on, congratulations! This is the new grandbaby's crib quilt. I finished the quilting on this the other day, just it time for the mommy-to-be's birthday! This simple comforter was made using fabric from Ikea, bordered by blue and an outer border of green on green dots. I did some basic vertical lines of quilting surrounded by free motion meandering on the green border. Finally I'm getting the feel for the free motion quilting, but I've still got a problem with how the stitches look on the backside. Hopefully that's just something that will come with practice but I'm open to any suggestions or tips! There's still more sewing to do on other nursery items plus I think the little guy will need another quilt or two!

Since tomorrow is Miss B's birthday, I had to include her photo with the quilt. She has to work tomorrow so we had lunch today at a nearby Chinese restaurant. She and hubby N went crib shopping this evening. The nesting mode is setting in !
Happy Birthday to my baby!

Spring Riding Is Our March Madness

We've been taking advantage of every hour that's warm enough for riding the motorcycle. Yesterday, we took a quick trip over to Madison, Indiana for lunch and a little shopping at a couple of the shops downtown. Then we decided to take a little ride on past the town and loop back around to Madison and home again.......without our detailed Indiana map. A scenic ride, but we aren't really sure where we were for most of the time! But with a little backtracking to stay off some gravel roads, we made it home by suppertime.

Today was another nice day and after a little work on the kitchen cabinets (by D) and a quilt project (by me), we were off on the Harley again. We had to stop at Louisville Harley to pick up a couple of things then we were "on the road again" ! We headed down I-65 to Glendale, KY. The winter weather has been hard on that road. I thought I was going to bounce right off the back of the bike! Pot holes and rough spots in all the lanes most of the way to Elizabethtown didn't make for a very comfortable ride.

We had intentions of eating at the Whistle Stop Cafe but it was closed on Sunday. (Should have googled for the hours I guess!) But we did find that the former Depot Restaurant is now Tony York's on Main and it was open. I believe the Depot was a popular place a few years back, but had suffered a major fire and was rebuilt. It is a beautiful building, and not really the type of place we had planned on having a late lunch.

The dining room was very nice with white tablecloths and the works. As we were leaving we saw that some other folks (on motorcycles too) were enjoying the nice deck and patio area. We probably would have fit in better there with our boots and jackets.But we did have a nice lunch. I haven't posted a food photo in awhile so I'll show you my chicken salad on cranberry bread. We avoided the interstate on the trip home, but had to endure numerous stoplights on the route that the GPS chose for us. Next time we'll plan a little better but it was still a nice ride!

Otherwise, not much to report for my week. I did finish sewing the blocks for Connie's Siggie Block Swap but I've still got to sign them. I need to get some freezer paper so I can get them done and on their way. Saturday morning I drove over to Among Friends for the BOM. Here's my completed block for this month. It turned out pretty but I'm not sure if I'd make a complete quilt with this many little pieces. Tomorrow I take my car over to get the window fixed finally. They've been waiting for the parts and they finally arrived. I hope it doesn't take too long to get it repaired. At least when it's nice, D doesn't mind riding his motorcycle to work so I can drive the truck.

Beamer has been enjoying any sunny spot he can find on the floor. The other day my new red shoes were in his way, but he didn't mind. He is a big cat as you can tell from this photo. I really do have normal size feet (size 7) but he makes these shoes look like they belong to a little girl!

When I start to post photos of my cat and my new shoes I think it means I'm searching for blog material so I guess I have nothing else interesting today. Hope you all have a nice week and are enjoying the first few days of Spring or the first few days of March (basketball) Madness, whichever makes you the happiest!

Monday, Monday

Yes it's Monday. And you know what that means. Time to report to the Diet Master over at the Red Geranium. Still no big loss to report, but at least no gain again and the 1/2 pound lost last week is still gone. A weekend of cooking for family, including baking some of those valentine sugar cookies, did nothing for the scale but we had a great weekend. Just look at the last post to see why!

Thanks to Lori and Suzi, those classes at Total Fitness may finally be paying off as I do believe my jeans are definitely looser as well as my favorite exercise pants. By the way, I'll put a plug in for the best exercise pants at Lucy. They are sort of pricey, but worth every penny if you spend a lot of time trying to get in shape. They are super comfy, keep their shape and look good enough for the errand running after class. Plus, they come in a shorter length if you are vertically challenged like me:)

On to quilty things. I finished my January BOM for Among Friends today. This year the BOM quilt features the Perfect Patchwork Templates from Marti Mitchell. They seemed to work pretty good so far. At least this block looks good and it was fun to try something new. This year I'll be using the Spring Serenade collection by Sue Zipkin for Clothworks. Pretty, isn't it?

Back to my purse project addiction. This is the latest one. I'd have to go dig out the pattern downstairs to tell you what it is, but if anyone is interested, let me know. Just being lazy right now.

And for a hint at a little nursery project that is coming soon - check these out. I hope to start on some of this this week, so check back again to see how much progress I'm making. Grandbaby #2 will be here before we know it! Excitement is building!!!

Another Monday Report

With nasty weather most of last week I do have something to show for it. It was good weather to stay inside and do what else, but sew! I started a couple of new projects. This one is sitting in front of me now, waiting for me to get the nerve to do a little free motion quilting again. It's a table runner from the Dandelion Girl leftover jelly roll pieces using a pattern from Heather Mulder Peterson's On A Roll Again book. I think this one is called Pickety Sticks. Finally, on Saturday the roads were clear enough for the delivery of my new kitchen appliances. The cabinets are progressing nicely, but still not ready for installation. But since we're not changing the arrangement of the kitchen, I was able to go ahead and have the new fridge and range installed. Aren't they pretty! The stainless steel really brightens up the room and the gas range is going to be wonderful, once I get used to it. I was actually able to make pancakes on the griddle without burning the first batch! I need to do some serious cooking though to enhance my cooking skills.

I have to admit that this was a diet buster. These are what B and I are calling Brookies. I found the recipe at Bakerella. If you haven't visited her blog, you're missing some yummy recipes and food photos. Check out the box of "chocolates" she's got on there today! Sorry I got sidetracked - these "brookies" are actually a box of brownies, made according to the directions, then a package of chocolate chip cookie mix, made according to the directions, and then dropped onto the brownie batter. The final touch is a chocolate ganache - not shown here, but yes, I did add later! We had a few friends over to watch the Super Bowl so I really did have an excuse to bake. Most of them are now in the (awesome!) freezer of my new fridge, waiting for our next guests!

So now that you know what I may or may not have indulged in lately, I can report to no one's surprise that I did not lose any weight again last week. Oh well. At least no gain.

But there is someone who has gained weight! Not too much, but just the right amount and looking very glowing too! Isn't she cute! I was able to tag along for her OB appointment last Friday and was able to hear grandbaby #2's little heartbeat and meet her nice doctor. Then we made a short trip to the mall to find some new clothes to cover her expanding tummy.

One last photo. When the sun finally came out last week, nature's beauty was abundant. Too bad that so many people are still suffering without their utilities and that so many trees have been damaged by the ice. Luckily, the trees at the subdivision entrance were spared and proudly wore their icy decor.

See you later!

Classroom in a Box

I've gone back to school - well, sort of. At least I've got a classroom in a book. The other night I downloaded the free 30 day trial of Photoshop Elements 7. It's going to to take me more than 30 days to comprehend all that's in this book. Wish me luck. Hopefully one day you'll see an impovement in the photos here! Though I probably need a photography book too! Thanks to those of you who offered helpful hints and comments on my BOM quilt that I've been trying to assemble. It was not near as difficult as I was trying to make it! Once I took the time to re-read the instructions and square up the blocks, it went together quite easily. I was careful with the bias edges and was able to keep the puckering to a minimum. This photo does not do the fabrics justice (working on that - see above!) but it still is not going to be my favorite quilt. The borders will go on next - you can see them in the bottom left corner. Maybe I'll change my mind once they go on.
Yesterday we spent some time at the area Boat and RV Show. We're still dreaming of just the right toy hauler motor home or 5th wheel travel trailer for the retirement years ahead. Even though that's a ways off, it's still fun to look. Let me tell you that if someone had the money and was looking for a nice 5th-wheel, this is the time to buy. Units that last year were listed at near $80 K are now available in the low 60's. The dealers are hurting and were definitely wanting to make some sales. There weren't as many companies at the show as there was last year though. Tough times for these businesses too.

There's a forecast for a snow "event" here tomorrow. And of course a prediction means that many of the schools are already saying they'll be closed. We've lived here for eight years and I still can't get over that! Delivery of my new appliances is scheduled for Tuesday so I hope those guys can brave the elements! I might need some education on cooking on the new gas range but that should be easier than Photoshop!

Here's the Proof!

A few posts back you may remember I was whining about all the secret projects that were in the works and I was struggling to finish in time for Christmas. To prove that I actually did accomplish some things, here's a few of them.

This quilt for one Texas niece was actually pieced several months ago and in the stack of goodies sent to my wonderful LAQ(long arm quilter for you non-quilters) Sandy. I used a jelly roll of Fresh Squeezed by Sandi Gervais plus some coordinates.

And here's the lovely niece with her present.

These were both pretty small - just more of a throw than anything. But still a quilt is a quilt! This is another completed from lovely Dandelion Girl fabric. Using a jelly roll of course. I do love those, they make picking the fabrics and cutting so much easier.

And another lovely niece with her gift. In the background are the official grandbaby quilt and grandbaby's newest quilt. I think this must have been the comfy corner of the couch!

And here's Grandbaby J's newest quilt. This one took a little more thought to put together but I loved it when completed. Puppy dog fabrics and some bright primary colors were used and the pattern I found in the Summer 08 issue of Quilts and More. I believe the designer was Jean Ann Wright but she used clown prints. I think the puppy dogs are much cuter!

Of course I was in the purse business again too. Both of these used the same fabrics (Cotton Blossom I think) but in different combinations. I've made several from this pattern, so it might be time to move on. Expand my repertoire I guess!


These little purse tissue holders were last minute gifts and I think I made about 13 or 14 of them. This one isn't even like the ones I gave away and I can't believe I didn't stop to take a photo of all of them stacked up. The one in the photo was made using pre-quilted fabric but the ones I gave away all were free-motion machine quilted by me! Yes, I've made some progress with free-motion and I was pretty pleased with myself, if I may say so! I found a wonderful tutorial here and I'm now ready to move on to some larger pieces. A goal for 2009 I guess!You may have noticed the Diet Challenge badge on the left. Sharon at Red Geranium Cottage is trying to motivate us all with a challenge to stay on track. D and I had already made the decision to eat healthier this year so maybe this will help. We have been married for thirty-four years, (today as a matter of fact!) so we need to work on eating better so we'll both be around in another thirty-four years! Anyone is welcome to join along in the fun that I'm sure Sharon will stir up. I'm going to try to post some recipes occasionally and check the other blogs for the same. I'm not so sure about the posting of starting weights and photos though! Wish us luck!



This is all for today. Time to get ready for nice dinner out to celebrate our anniversary. Oh yeah - the diet challenge starts tomorrow!

I've Been Working On.............

Just to prove to you all that I really do have some projects in the works, here's a few photos of some things I've been working on.

This is the table runner that I made for E. A very similar one was given to J and J. Don't you just love those Mary E. fabrics! They were used in the little table topper I sent to my Polka-Dot and Rick Rack Swap partner too. If you would like to see her photo of the goodies I sent, you can pop over to her blog. I hope she was pleased with her package! Thanks Sharon for getting this swap organized! And by the way, Marcia has a contest going on too. Click on the icon on the side bar and you can go register. She's got a cookie swap coming up too. Sounds fun!
A couple of friends have birthdays this week, so I whipped up a couple of purses. Maybe "whipped up" isn't the right phrase, because I'm really not that fast at it! Sometimes it takes me longer to pick my fabrics than actually put the whole thing together! This one is my favorite. I used some Amy Butler fabrics I'd been saving for something special. This is the other one I made for my friend who's been my knitting mentor so it's more of a thank you gift than anything. She and I also share a birthday. I love the fabrics in this one too, though I don't know the designer. But I think I did a better job with the interfacing on the other one. As long as they are sitting side by side, I'm sure no one will ever know :)


Our little knitting group is getting together tomorrow. My last project I started on (about five times I've started on!) I discovered is still not right, so I'm thinking I'll un-ravel once again and start for the sixth time! There are no hand knitted socks or sweaters on my to-do list this year. Maybe in 2009 ! Something else to work on!

Until next time!

Blogiversary - A New Word

Greetings everyone. I am back in blogger land. After continuously getting an error message last night from blogger about Internet Explorer not being able to access the site, I finally am able to post. All I had to do was check out a few of the blogs that I normally read (translate: am addicted too!) and I found the solution to my predicament at Polka Dot Pineapple. Thanks Lettie!

The Gerber Daisy Siamese Twins continue to bloom! Doesn't this kind of look like an exotic bird face if you stare at it long enough?

So today is my blogiversary. You'll not find that word in the dictionary but it is the one year anniversary of my first post here at Blogspot. I've been debating if I should give away a prize in honor of my sticking with this little project for a whole year as so many of my blog friends have. What do you think? Maybe if I should get enough comments here at the bottom of this post I might surprise one of you! Just click on the comment link and tell me what you think. You don't even have to have a blogger account, you can comment anonymously but will have to check back to see what happens! I finished a bag from the new Amy Butler pattern yesterday. It was quick and pretty easy. (Could I be convinced to make a similar one as a give away?)

We were hoping all week for "the" call from the parents-to-be, but not yet. I know we're not near as anxious as they are! One of these days! In the meantime I have been working on a few things. Of course the purse above and then also this small quilt made from a Fresh Squeezed jellyroll. It went together pretty fast too. Now to figure out how to quilt it. I need some suggestions please. I also spent some time practicing my free motion quilting, but I still don't feel I'm ready to do a full quilt. Maybe I need to put this aside for awhile and keep practicing!
Today I've been experimenting with my newest toy. I'm upgrading my digital camera from the little Kodak I've dragged everywhere for the past few years. This is the Panasonic Lumix. I'm still studying the manual and trying out all the features. More than I'll ever need I'm sure! But it does have 10x zoom, optical image stabilizer and a 28 mm wide angle. I'll let you know if it becomes my new best friend!

Today we participated in a motorcycle ride to benefit the Eric Hall Memorial Fund. Perhaps you remember my mention of this young Marine, the son of friends of ours, who was injured in Iraq and suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. He disappeared last spring in Florida and was later found deceased. It is such a sad story but his parents have formed a foundation to help other veterans who suffer from mental health issues. Eric was a motorcycle rider so what better way to raise some money for the cause than to sponser a fun event for area riders.

Staging was in a local church parking lot with a local radio host, Francine, as MC. There were lots of donated raffle prizes and hot dogs, chips, watermelon and cookies waiting for us but soon it was time to hit the road.

One rider, a veteran who had helped search for Eric, rode all the way from Florida to participate.
Eric's parents thanked the 80 plus bikers and their riders for coming to the first annual Eric Hall Memorial Ride. They were pleased with the turn-out and hope to continue this every year.

We rode about eighty miles through some of the same back country roads that we drive on our own explorations.


It was a beautiful day to ride and this time we felt like we helped make just a little difference. No matter what your political beliefs, we shouldn't forget those suffer from the effects of war, even if their injuries aren't as noticeable as some. The Hall's have bravely dealt with their son's death in a way that will continue to honor him and others. There should be a website coming soon with info about the foundation. I'll post a link when it is available. Eric's birthday was August 5, so I'm to pass the word along that that date would be a good day for a baby boy to enter the world!

Thanks again for stopping by! Have a great week.