HAPPY NEW YEAR and other stuff

Happy New Year all! Here is to a happy, healthy and non stressed 2007. Our plans here are very simple. I'm making some wings and cocktail meatballs and Mrs. S and hubby are coming to play Taboo and Pictionary. We are hopelessly geeky would rather play games with our kids, then go out to dinner with our other friends. Tomorrow is one of our all time favorite meals...sauerkraut, beef ribs and hot dogs, simmering all day in the crock pot and served with mashed potatos. None of that black-eyed pea stuff they do here in the south for us.

I received another message from Richard Michell. Although I feel a bit odd doing it, I am just going to cut and paste it in it's entirety.


I had never dealt with a Blog before and I tried to comment on your blog. It did not work. Will you consider posting the following comment for me?First, please let people know that the nice response from you and fromothers was very unexpected and is much appreciated. We do try to putcustomer service first in every way.Second, I would like to make a small sales pitch. If your blogger friends haven't tried products designed by Marti then they can't imagine how muchthey may be missing. Most quilters that use Marti's products love them andwant Marti's tools for all of their applicable projects. We only sell to theQuilt Shops were you can normally get good advise about our products. The"Perfect Patchwork Templates" have special corners that guide the patchworkfabrics into PERFECT alignment prior to sewing. (How vital to good resultsis that?) Experts and novices alike do patchwork more accurately and quickerusing her templates. As you know there are special rulers she has done, etc.The response on the Blog is interesting and I will take this opportunity to provide to the readers of the blog a less expensive way to get started with Marti's products. Our template Set Q is designed to be an introduction set.It is a 2.5" square, the square's half triangle and the square's quartertriangle, quarter inch seam allowance included. This set has extended instructions. Of course it has the special corners. For the next thirty days anybody reading the blog can order Set Q at half price, $6.00, normally$12.00, plus $5.00 shipping and handling anywhere in the USA. Call me at800-558-3568 to place an order.

Nice offer. In the last e-mail I recieved he told me that all of their postage is $5.00 regardless of what you order.

I'm off to get ready for our hoppin' evening! Be safe.


The picture is from this website. They say the graphics are free but just in case I misunderstood, I decided to post the webpage as referrence http://www.bigfoto.com/themes/fireworks/index.htm

Too Funny

This has definitely been my week for great customer service! First my machine and now this. In my last post I wrote about looking for the Marti Michell log cabin ruler, which by the way I did buy. Today I received an e-mail from Richard Michell, Marti's husband, stating that if I would let him know where I lived that he would try to find a local dealer for me to purchase the ruler. If that didn't work, he would send me a catalog. Just let him know. I was completely, utterly perplexed. Yes, I visited the MM site a number of times this weekend but had no idea whether I sent an inquiry to them or not. Well, I was reasonably sure I hadn't but if not then how did they find out that I, little old individual me, was looking for this ruler? Could they have known that I'd visited a number of online sites looking for the ruler? Could they have read my blog??? NO WAY! But that was the only logical explanation. But read my blog? Why would Marti or Richard Michell be reading my blog. How would they find the time or even care??!!.... So, I wrote back to Richard and asked him. It seems he did read my blog....well at least the part with Marti's name in it. He conducts searches daily on Google using various words associated with quilting. My blog came up. He's probably going to read this too! LOL! He also gave me the info on the Log Cabin ABC book I was looking at ;the cost, postage etc. Very nice. Now I know that MM and hubby are in business. But, unlike another quilt shop owner I know, instead of telling me that "this is a business and I need to make a living," (DUH!) I was given customer service which makes me want to purchase Not only customer service but unsolicited customer service! Wow!

Makes me shake my head in utter disbelief.....two gentlemen in one week! I feel like I've been kicked back a decade or two....and I like it.

Ongoing Saga

My Janome dealer is the best. I have been waiting since the week of Thanksgiving for my Janome 6600 to be fixed. Janome told them to replace a part and it didn't work. They then suggested they replace the entire circuit board. We were waiting for it to arrive. On Tues. I sent an e-mail to the owner to see if he could hurry Janome up and lo and behold the part arrived that day. I left them alone until today. I just couldn't stand it anymore. The repairman told me that the circuit board didn't work so the machine was boxed up and being sent to Janome to fix. AHHHH!!! I am going on retreat the second week in Jan. and the shop is 250 miles away. I need it to be ready for me no later than the 5th of Jan since I start back at work on the 9th! I told the repairman that I was going on retreat and could he please ask Janome to hurry. I never yelled, raised my voice or complained. I just told him I was getting frustrated. About 15 mins. later the phone rang and it was the manager. He told me that he is getting a new machine in this week and is going to trade my machine for it. He will then be the one to deal with Janome and the "never heard of " problem with my machine. I really think that is nice old fashioned business. Instead of leaving me to sweat it out he is taking the burden of waiting and reimbursement on himeself. I know, that is the way a business is SUPPOSED to run but it doesn't always happen that way. I guess the word I am looking for is customer service...an almost unheard of commodity in this day. I am so happy that I don't have to worry about retreat. I refuse to start my log cabin quilt on anything but the Janome. I sew a much better seam on it. (as a matter of fact, I had buyers remorse when I first bought my machine. I couldnt' understand why I HAD to buy a new machine. I mean I agonized over it for a year and just HAD to have a new machine. I now know why. This 6600 is fabulous machine. I have been sewing on my old Kenmore...
which when I bought it was an upline machine. I am having trouble with the fabric pulling to the left and wiggling under the presser foot. I finally understand that it wasn't me not understanding how to sew a straight seam but the machine.) So, sometime between now and the 5th of Jan. I will receive a phone call to go and pick up another machine. I can't wait!

Log cabin update. I am trying to find someone locally that sells the Marti Michell log cabin ruler and book. I love the concept of the ruler. I also found the Shar Jorgensen templates at Joanns and Hobby Lobby. If I use templates then I will be obligated to buy a rotating rotary mat. I am trying to figure out if I NEED either. I know the answer to that is no but I also know me. I don't want to use the June Tailor Shape cut because as much as I love it, I really think that every strip is just an ooch off. I also think that it wobbles just a smidge but enough to notice after you sew. I suppose that all this agonizing and worrying and planning is just part of the fun of this hobby but enough already! LOL!

OY! This is driving me crazy!

I CANNOT decide on what setting to put my log cabin into! I really want to know what I am doing before I begin to cut and assemble. Sooooo....here is the latest version created in my stinky excel program. I am always drawn to the sunshine and shadows setting. But after looking at nearly every log cabin in webshots, I've decided that it can sometimes fall flat. Mostly the ones that have no vibrancy are those that are two toned, no scrappy. I love, love, love, the quilt that Mary showed on Dec. 16. LOVE! I am trying to figure out how to do this quilt with brown and pink and cream...will I lose the pattern if the pinks and browns are not the same value? should I add a 4th color and if so what? I think I just need to start making log cabin quilts and do nothing else for the rest of my life so I can get in all the beautiful variations.

So I just realized that this is a barn raising setting....Aren't these terms interchangable???Sunshine and Shadows and Barn raising??

Two Bags of trash and an unused sewing machine!

I posted this once but blogger rejected it! It was witty and fun....I forget what I wrote....

In order for me to actually get into my room to insert the elastic on the pajama pants, get my nickel quilt going again or get ready for the log cabin I am about to begin, I must first CLEAN MY ROOM. When I described the mess my room was in, my Grandma promptly told me to "get busy young lady!" I cleaned for a bit, called her back and described what all I found amongst my disaster. Here is what all I unearthed and removed from my room. Duct tape, a thermometer,allergy medicine, Vicks type mentho medicine, phone book, an empty water bottle, an empty water glass, an empty box from a griddle we bought, two cordless phones, two bags of trash and an used sewing machine. The last two I sang like the end of the song 12 days of Christmas. This time she giggled. It's always a good thing to make your 91 yo grandma giggle.

Mrs. S. has now inherited my White Quilters machine. 1) she needed it, 2) I never used it 3) I now have an empty spot where I can put other stuff. YEAH!

Can you say YUM! This is mmm, mmm, good latkas frying in the pan. Yes, they are artery clogging, fat inducing, greasy, bits of potato, onion and matzo meal but is there any better smell in the world? Unfortunately, the smell lingers for days and days and ceases to be delightful or welcome. We grew up dipping our latkas in sugar. We finally figured out that this tradition must come from a specific area in Europe. Not sure of the exact area but it is the only explanation why so few have adopted the tradition. I have met only a few others that do this and their ancestors are from the same general area as mine. Most dip them in sour cream. We have learned that if you are sneaky, you can put the sour cream and sugar close to one another on your plate and serendipitously get a bit of sour cream and a bit of sugar in every bite.

Could anything be funnier than frying the latkas in shorts and a hawaiian shirt? Not terribly Decemberish but I suppose since the temps were around 80 it was appropriate. I do miss cold temperatures. It just isn't' the same sweating while you make your Thanksgiving turkey and Hanukkah latkas! DH would DIE if he knew this was online!

Life in blogland

I've been thinking about Nancy's post. Do we post only because we have quilty things to say? As our posts progress and bits and pieces of our lives leak into our writing, we become friends. No, not the friends that show up at your doorstep or the ones we discuss our deepest, darkest thoughts, but friends of a different sort. Well, for lack of a better term, plain ol' cyberfriends. We share our ups and downs, our accomplishments and downfalls, our lives magic moments, life cycle events and moments of tragedy. That applies to quilting and non quilting issues. No, not with the depth of an "in person' friend, but as with all things in this ever changing world of the internet, just friends of a different sort.

What keeps us going back again and again to one blog? Is it concern? voyeurism? great writing skills? Is it the quilty content only? Why do we keep up with this ones surgery or that one grandchild? I know that when Nancy didn't blog for a while, I became concerned that everything was ok (thanks for putting up with me using you as an example). For me I think it is a combination of all of the above. I like to be able to say "Hey, didn't do much today but had this thought, bought this quilt mag., got PU'd at the quilt board, ect. It also doesn't bother me when others do the same. Mundane day to day life is a good life. Nothing exciting is sometimes a good thing. It not only means that the rotten things aren't happening but makes the exciting things worthwhile. I for one like to "hear" about the normalcy. So for my money, keep blogging about the ordinary. This cyberfriend is always interested.

sniff, sniff, ugh!

I have a cold! I suppose it comes from wiping noses and being sneezed on but, UGH! Some years my kids don't get to me but this year I have caught everything they've brought to school with them. I HAD to bake Hanukkah cookies today and HAD to go buy one gift. I HAD to finish the insides of the purses today. I skipped going to my buds Hanukkah party because, UGH! Luckily it's not moving to my chest but my nose has sent in a request for it's own zip code. On the plus side, I have at least fused appliques to Hanukkah table runners that were supposed to be ready yesterday but may make it next year. I also worked on my Nickel quilt. I'm off to find the decongestant and hit the sack because tomorrow I MUST make latkas! That is a job that requires energy!

Pictures

I finished the last purse yesterday so held off on posting the pictures. I am very pleased with the way they all turned out. Hopefully the girls will like them as well.

Ms. A is graduating in the spring with a degree in Deaf Interrpreting. I found the fingerspelling fabric and couldn't pass it up. The blue batik is a Hanukkah fabric. I used the back and the pattern sorta shadows. Oh well, that is the under the arm part.

Pictures tomorrow????

Or whenever I find the digital camera. It's the one the school lets me use. I keep it year round, use it to take a gazillion photos of my school kids, maintain a web page of only their pictures, while I have it use it for my personal use and, oh yeah and its the one that I CANNOT FIND! AHHH! It's not mine!!! I'm sure it's just somewhere at school but until I get back to tomorrow I won't know. Wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The fear of not finding the $200.00 camera has been killing me so I just jumped up and looked in an obscure place. Voila'! I don't have to be fearful of going to school tomorrow.

That means that tomorrow I will be able to share pictures of the purses I have made for Mrs. S and Ms. A. They are simple but cute. I think I'm in love with making purses right now.

My machine is STILL in pieces on the workman's bench. They are waiting for a new circuit board. It should run faster and jump higher when I get it back. I sure hope it is soon as I really miss that machine. My Kenmore serves it's purpose but I miss the bells and whistles.

I am going on a retreat in January and received my secret sister's name. No I'm not a glutton for punishment. This exchange actually works the way it's supposed to. We go to the Red Barn Retreat. They were actually featured last year in Southern living. It is pure bliss. The owners serve wonderful food and we quilt the entire time. We have a secret sister exchange at every meal. We have clues of what to give like, "Give something you received for free." They are not large items that we exchange and it is loads of fun. My SS this year is SO, SO easy. They could have removed her name from my "likes and dislikes list" and added mine and no one would have been the wiser. It is going to be so much fun to assemble her gifts because they will just be things that I would like!

Look ma! NO Kvetching!

I'm thinking again....#2

Questions, questions.....How do people in blogland answer questions?? Post again? Put it into the comments? Change the color of the font and put it into the original post? It isn't always feasible to reply to an e-mail as blogger sends the comments as a non-returnable e-mail. Soooo, I've decided to just post the answers here.

I would like my quilt to end up king sized. The one on my bed right now is 108X108 so 112X112 isn't really too much bigger. I could tuck the pillows and use it like a bedspread, something I haven't owned in many, many years. Plus, 90X90 just isn't big enough to cover both DH and myself. He's a blanket hog even if he doesn't admit it! (he also denies snoring....).

On the secret sister front....yup I knew exactly how rude my last years sister was. It didn't bother me as much as I felt sorry for her being so obnoxious. This year my SS is a dear lady but I just don't think she was expecting what she got. It's ok. She is gracious and kind and said thank you. That is all that counts. Last years lady just stomped off in a huff! LOL! Her problem, not mine! I was just amazed at the generosity of these women. They definitely made good use of their 50% off coupons!

If it hasn't been realized yet....I like to kvetch....uhm, complain, whine....kvetch! I do believe it is my middle name. However because I kvetch it doesn't mean I don't see the generosity and goodness of those around me. I fear for my poor children as I will more than likely be a miserable old lady! Ha! Maybe it will make up for the teen years!

Enough of the motor mouth. You can always tell when DH is out, I "talk" even more then usual!

I'm thinking again

I have been playing around with my crude rendition of EQ...namely, Microsoft Excel! LOL! I really prefer this version of the log cabin I want to make. If I do this though I have to make the blocks with 3 rounds to finish at 7" and it will end up being 112X112! YIKES! I like the multiple stars on mine but also like the fact that the version Kim did is much smaller...less work. But with Kims version (just scroll down to see it in the link), I will need to add borders and I HATE borders. (I have a finished top waiting for borders for the last 2 years) But, with my version, I'll be working on this until I am old and gray....well, older and grayer. Pro, con, pro, con.Anymore pros...cons...

Secret sister gifts....I am never doing this again. No matter how hard I try I never give the right thing. Our group has a minimum of $10.00 gift. I really like rules. Maximums not minimums. With a minimum gift I don't really know what to spend. (hey I'm even like this with DH cause he loves to outdo me) Someone may spend $10 on a gift and another person may spend $30 or $50! Well last year I stuck to the MAX of $10.00 (which were the rules then) and my secret sister was so TICKED OFF that she left! Yes, yes, it was ungracious of her even though I bought exactly what was on her list but others gave their SS yards and yards of fabric, books ect. This year I decided to go to $15.00. I really think these gifts are tokens not all out whoopdee doopdee gifts. After all we are buy for acquaintances not family. I bought my SS the Fiskers scissor sharpener (which I love) some Coats and Clark triobal thread (she asked for gold mat thread. didn't understand it so bought this because I just used it and loved it) put it into a lovely carved wooden box I bought last year and included 1/2 yd. of batik. Her face fell when she saw the scissor sharpener. I was so disappointed because I thought it was great. All I could think was OH NO I DID IT AGAIN! AAAHHHHH!!! What did my SS get me? (not the same lady) 3.25 yds. of quilters cotton fabric from Joanns, a yard or so of another fabric, made me an angel (really neat from wrapping paper and hair extensions) and a stocking. What did the girl next to me receive? Two full sized books and about 4 plastic sleeved patterns plus two rulers. OMG! Why didn't I learn my lesson last year! LOL! Never, ever, ever again! I will not subject others to my poor gift buying skills, I will not subject others to my poor gift buying skills, I will not subject others to my poor gift buying skills......

Don't know how...

....I messed up but I did. I knew there was another Calico Cat but honestly (no offense) this is not the blog I read or was refering to....I was referring to Amy at thecalico cat. No idea how I linked to the wrong one but sorry to Calico Cat! Sheesh! This can be confusing! : )

Questions answered

It seems that when I receive an e-mail on comments, I am unable to reply as blogger sends it a return address of something non-mailable. In other words, I can't send a reply back my mail is returned as non deliverable. It drives me crazy. So........I need to answer questions here.

Why didn't we turn on the heat. A number of reasons with the best one being .....we are too cheap! If we can keep our electric costs down in the winter, our summer "equal payment plan" will be greatly reduced. Alsothere are generally one or two chilly/cold days. If it were actually cold more then a day or two I wouldn't freeze my tushie, I'd turn on the heat. By tomorrow the temps will be back up in the 70's. Plus, ever since we moved to Texas we can hardly stand the heat on. The air gets so stuffy. You can get whiplash from the heat, no air condition, no heat during this time of year. If it seems more logical, we also sweat in the summer! LOL! We are equal opportunity on the furnace!

What post was I agonizing over from Calico Cats' blog. It was the one about what makes a quilt Jewish or Irish or Amish.....I was only linking in case someone wanted to know who Calico Cat was. Have no clue why a 2002 post came up. Sorry bout that. Also probably shouldn't have linked.

I have to laugh! My little red headed girl weather center has a Christmas Tree! She didn't have one yesterday. I don't suppose tomorrow she will pop up with a menorah..........................

Little red head girl

About the little weather girl I added.....she could be my daughter as my girls both have red hair. Come to think of it so did DH before he lost both the color and the hair!

Today is brrrrr....for us. Yes I know, in the grand scheme of things our temps are not cold in comparision but when you are used to 90's, 50's are cold. It is currently 65 degrees in the house and I refuse to turn on the heat. I am washing and drying clothes, making stew/soup...anything to warm it up and keep warm but not turn on the heat. Poor DH is cold....poor baby! He'll just need to get up and move if he wants to warm up. I'm so mean!

If I ever get this soup mess cleaned up I am going to go and finish some gifts for the girls. I bought some fatigues bottoms and jackets at our JCC rummage sale and am going to make a bag and a skirt from them. They will be cute....well if you are much younger than I. I wouldn't dream of wearing fatitgues but the girls, as their boys, are thrilled that I bought them all jackets. I had to go tell the original owner that they will be seeing my kids running around town with fatigues that have their name on them. Actually Mrs. S wanted the jacket that had the original owners name on it. Funny, funny.

I haven't thought about or posted my "what am I grateful fors" as I've been busy eating worms. I decided I'd better figure out the gratefuls before the poor birds have nothing left to eat! LOL!

What am I grateful for today.....
1. Having the ingredients to make a nice warm soup/stew
2. Having the option to turn the heat on or leave it off.......many people here don't have
furnaces or plain can't afford to run the furnace or space heater.
3. Other peoples junk....my treasure
4. A warm, cozy bed....I slept almost 12 hours last night....whew I was tired!
5. People that understand me when others have no clue.

Nothing to Blog about

I was so ready to comment on a post by The Calico Cat but as I wrote it, I became upset so I hit delete. I had a tiff with my quilt board my feelings for the topic of the argument and the comment on the post began to run together. So... delete button it was. I'm now working hard to believe that I can rise above the hurt feelings and go on. Now I have nothing to say except I miss my Janome.............and I might need to go in the backyard and eat worms. I'm feeling unloved, unneeded and unimportant..... in my quilting life that is, not my home life.

I cannot believe it! Last week it was air conditioning and tonight.....SLEET! Mother nature sure has a sense of humor!

Here is an oldie but goodie photo. It is a wallhanging that I made for my grandma for her 90th birthday. The print was fabric from a challenge.

The banner

Sweet Pea made a super bowl banner so I went to have a looksee at the site. I couldn't resist this new banner. It's silly but here it is....let's see what happens once it counts down? I wonder if the codes go away??? If not will I need to delete...Oh sheesh, I just cant' think of that. Its too annoying. I have no recollection of where I inserted it....................

I checked on my machine and it STILL isn't done. They said that they have never had a Janome 6600 in for repairs! It seems my tension thing-a-ma -bob was malfunctioning (duh!) and Janome recommended replacing it. THey did and it didn't solve the problem so they are replacing all the electronics now. I miss my baby! Hopefully it will be done soon. Unfortunately it won't be soon enough!

Here is a picture of a chair? stool? ladder? I bought from a rummage sale. I have no idea if it is an antique or some dime store repo but I like it. The shelves slide out and you can change their location.






















In case anyone in the world cares, I was the big winner at Mah Jong tonight. Where else can you have so much fun and be the big winner at $1.60!

Lotsa stuff

Well after a long wait, we finally have seen pictures of Mrs. S's wedding. Some of the photos are good and some not so good. For instance...the top of DH's head is cut off in the only photo of us walking Mrs. S down the aisle....It is frustrating when you depend on someone else.....We had NO and I mean NO cameras. We were all in la la land on that account so the photographers rendition will have to do. Never mind...The photos do show the absolute look of love in their eyes.....

Thanks a million times to kim @ peachquilting for her multiple renditions of a pink and brown log cabin. I think I will do mine with a dark pink in the center and lighter pinks on the outside. Another question.....what are the opinions on using one tone of pinks say like civil war pinks or muted tones like thimbleberries and brights all in one quilt. I think it will look nicer to use only one tone or the other. Problem is I may not have enough of one or the other.
But I don't want to put this much work into a king sized quilt and wish I had done something else. I'm leaning toward the muted tones as I really don't think DH would like a bright pink and brown quilt on the bed. I don't think he would notice the muted tones.

Log Cabin

As I've mentioned, a friend and I will be making pink and brown log cabin quilts. We have been saving for a while now. I have never made a log cabin and have been looking for the perfect setting . I came across this on webshots . I LOVE it. The poster was kind enough to show her draft and I copied it and recopied it. It wasn't that easy because I had to start in Excel and then move it to Word, to print screen and put it into Print Shop. The stupid print shop won't recognize something copied from Word . (which btw does anyone like Printshop 20??? I finally broke down and bought it and EEEEWWOOOWWW! I hate it. I've been using PS for years and this version just plain stinks. I'm looking for a different program but don't know which to buy.)

(This was a true test in my computerability! I am so thrilled that I figured out how to post this photo! Had to put it into paint yada yada....noone really cares, I'm just happy)

The picture of this quilt isn't perfect, but it is enough for me to be able to make the quilt. I now just need to figure out how many blocks. I do have a question.....This is drafted for 3 rounds with 1.5"strips making a 7"block. Will it look that much different if I do 4 rounds? That way I will end up with a 9" block. I want to make this a king and at 7" blocks I'll be finished sometime in 2020!

Thanks

Thanks for all the responses concerning code. I now have quite a few sources to help me understand a bit about blogs, computer language and such. It seems that e-blogger help isn't written for me. I feel like I'm reading jibberish. I think my learning curve is more like a learning hairpin turn! There are a few other sites that seem easier for me to understand.

The bear quilt in the previous post isnt' a bear at all! He is supposed to be a dog and even I am calling him a bear. It is the Simplicity pattern 4993. I actually made two of them. I noticed that they now have a similar pattern with ladybug but I'm not sure which book I saw it in and can't find it online.

Forgot something

I stand corrected.....the temp dropped 35 degrees and the wind was ...gulp....nearly 60 mph gusts. Wind chill of 35. Brr...it was 80 earlier this week. I know many of you are in deep snow and ice. We have none of that. But 35 degrees colder is 35 degrees colder....If you are in the snow and ice area, stay safe and drive smart.

What am I grateful for today?

1. The internet, I took a new position at school and need all the resources I can find
2. a warm safe home
3. cell phones - I can call Ms. A 10X / day and visa versa with absolutely nothing to say
4. the look of lifes possibilities in the eyes of s newly married couple
5. Mrs. S, Ms. A and I sounding identical on the phone. It is the source of endless confusion and pranks on DH.....well and me too.

Cold and Blustery

I finally washed these rag quilts. The quilt is for DBIL and the bear is for my neice. They came out nice. I certainly qualify for the "can't create perfection as only G-D can do that" club. Can you find the mistakes?????? (No, the fact that the bear makes you chuckle because my feet are peeking out is just funny, not a mistake!)

Is there anyone in blog land that would like to explain to me how you get lists on the sides of your blogs? Do you all post through blogger or another site? You can post from bloglines but where do you go to post? If you post on another site does it show up here? I am trying to get a grasp on all of this. I am serious when I ask is there a source I can go to to get answers?

Our weather here dropped 20 degrees in about 15 mins. We were expecting it so went on the playground early to get in some "burn off the energy" time. It went from warm and windy to Brrrr and gusty in a matter of minutes. We have 31 mph winds with gusts to 47....................No, my fence didn't make it. Wonder how mad our "neighbor that won't share a the cost of a new fence" is today???? She had her trash can holding it up but it was no match for our wind gusts. Just so you know that we aren't total jerks. We have replace two of three sides this year. Both our side door and back door neighbors and us have split the cost. We do after all split the fence. (The fences run down the property lines here. Every single house has a fence in the backyard) Mrs. won't share the fence has some cockamamy idea that everyone owns the right side fence. Of course she didn't share that tidbit with her right side neighbors as they put up a new fence between their yards........Mr. & Mrs. "we won't share the costs" will just need to wait until we are good and ready to put up a fence....whether the other is on the ground or not. Hmph!


BTW the mistakes on my quilts are that Mrs. S. neglected to snip one of the seams on the quilt and I attached part of the foot on the bear backwards....it is not raggy in one seam. Not fixing it!

Fun Meme

I've made an executive decision. The fabrics are in the bag to go to the guild for some other lucky person to hold. They are all poly/cotton and I decided to be a fabric snob. No matter. If my stash stays as large as it is, it will be vintage too one day!

Took this Meme from Sweet Pea at Coffeetime Quilts. Her and I have a number of very similar answers. I find it very interesting how similar some of us are (that is blogging quilters) to one another.
1. What is your occupation? I always say my occupation is being a mom. I'm a mom at work-
after all, my kids are only 2 1/2 & 3 & I am a mom at home.
2. What color are your socks right now? pasty white. I'm barefooted!
3. What are you listening to right now? The cycling computer sound that my computer makes when I post on blogger, the refridgerator running and the ceiling fan clicking
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Peanut butter chocolate no sugar ice cream...shhhh don't tell DH!
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yup! We bought a standard shift car for me to drive that cost $500! It was all we could afford. Neither one of us knew how to drive it home and a friend had to go pick it up and take it to our house
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Deep bright pink
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? A friend that finished a nickel quilt while mine is still in pieces. Did I mention that while mine is in pieces, she mangaed to HAND QUILT hers
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I love her as I copied it!
9. How old are you today? Chronological age or mental age?
10. Favorite drink? Coffee with cream, no sugar.
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? In person.....Football...uh Soccer...uh Football.....yeah football. It would require me having another child at home to go watch soccer games. I watch football on t.v.....well, sometimes soccer........ in Spanish!
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? A better question is when have I not
13. Pets? No our dog of 14 yrs. died earlier this year
14. Favorite food? All
15. What was the last movie you watched? Some silly Hallmark Channel movie
16. What was the last book you read? Reading (listening to on CD) a book but can't think of
name
17. What do you do to vent anger? Scream, Holler, Yell, Pout
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? No idea any longer
19. What is your favorite season, fall or spring? Couldn't pick one. I find them both inspiring in different ways
20. Hugs or kisses? Hugs
21. Cherries or blueberries? Cherries
22. Do you want your friends to blog you back? They don’t need to blog back, but post this in
their blog would be cool
23. Who is most likely to respond? No idea
24. Who is least likely to respond? Don’t know
25. Living arrangements? House with two nice sides to the fence and one side that will be lucky to hold up to the wind we are supposed to get tomorrow....Or should I say two neighbors that realize we share a fence and one that doesn't.....................
26. When was the last time you cried? Well, if I wait long enough it'll be now. Wheel of Fortune
is nearly on. Yes, I am a doofus and cry when the people win "big money."
27. What is on the floor of your closet? bunches of stuff
28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to?
29. If there was a fire in your house what would you take with you? My photos and scrapbooks
30. Favorite smells? Coffee brewing
31. What inspires you? Other people and their amazing accomplishments
32. What are you afraid of? Death
33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Spicy
34. Favorite dog breed? The one that doesn’t live with me.
35. Number of keys on your key ring? No idea and I'm too lazy to go look
36. How many years at your current job? Well, I've been teaching here for almost 7 years but
had same job in Ft. Worth for 7 yrs. 14 yrs
37. Favorite day of the week? Monday, it's always so full of potential for the work week
38. How many states have you lived in? 2 Ohio & Texas
39. Favorite holidays? All the ones that my family is able to get together and enjoy each
others company
40. Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? Yes. Motorcycle. Didn't like the feeling and couldn't touch the ground with my feet.

Sorry but I just can't give one word answers!!!!!!

E-mails on Comments

A number of you said that you too are unable to get your comments in e-mail. I opened a yahoo account and the comment go there just fine. So that means it must be my provider not allowing it???????? Or maybe it means that my e-mail program won't let it on my computer????? I need to do more research..........

Pink Quilt Delivered

I took the pink quilt to its owner. She was so surprised and thrilled. It made all the aggravation over the machine tension and broken parts just melt away. I also went to Hancocks and not only bought a magazine I'd been hoping to find, but also got a great tip. The clerk suggested that I just add an extra strip to each side of the sleep pants that are too small. I think that's a great idea. They are after all just sleep pants. Then I went to another friends house and helped her with the mind numbing task of basting her quilt. It is finished as is my index finger from pushing the needle through. While I was there, she gave me two bags of stuff to take to our guild to sell. I looked through and found all this fabric. I am wondering if she should just keep it. I mean I think it is all 70's fabric. I figure we all race around trying to find vintage fabrics, these are half way there! The only thing is that I can't tell if they are 70's, 80's, or yesterdays. This is why I don't ever, ever buy vintage fabric or vintage looking quilts in antique stores because I can't tell the difference. So I'm posting pictures in the hopes that someone else can tell something. I can blow the pictures up. I'm not too sure if you can tell anything in a photo.

What am I thankful for today?

1. Friends to baste quilts with...either theirs or mine
2. DH arriving to his destination safely, with no delays!
3. A capable, interested, willing to work for her paycheck assistant

Someone MUST understand this!

Can anyone help me understand WHY comments DO NOT get sent to my e-mail. I can't figure it out. If I knew what was being turned away (IF it's my virus protection) I could add it to my accepted list). I am so frustrated by this. I see there are comments on previous posts that I didn't know existed.

Also, can you comment on a comment? Or do you just send an e-mail? Is there a "dummies" book for this stuff?

Finally a quilty picture

I have been very busy without my regular machine. First I have been cutting up the scraps that have been accumulating since this summer. I am nearly finished with them. Second I finished the pink quilt. I don't show my quilts until they are finished. I don't show tops only at quilt meetings and I don't post photos until my project is done. This keeps me on track. Because I SO LIKE to show my stuff this has worked beautifully. I began this rule last year while I was in the stashbuster UFO challenge. Because of it, I have only 1 new project this year that is not finished and will become a UFO in 2007. Since I want to take it to retreat in Jan., I may not have any new UFO's to add to my pile. So tada! The pink quilt. It took me less than a month to complete this, start to finsh. That is world record time in my house.

It is a faux log cabin ala Billie Lauder. Unfortunately I did something weird....I either attached the strips backwards or switched the order or something because short of burning out my brain cells, this was the only setting I could come up with. I like it though. If you kinda squint you can see the dark pink floating on top of the lighter.

I went to Joanns on Friday and bought about 25 yds. of flannel. I finished 5 pair of pajama pants and have the rest cut and ready to go. (another one of my new rules. If I buy something unusual like flannel or fleece, I must use it as opposed to putting it into my stash) I also did something that my DH is SOOOO happy about. I assembled the pants with my serger!!!! I have only owned the thing for about 3 yrs.....and NEVER used it. DH bought it for me thinking that when I said "I would like a serger," that I actually meant it! Over the summer I bought a new Janome and he told me that I could sell the serger since I've never used it. I just never had an application for it. Those sleep pants fairly created themselves on the thing. It is slick. I only needed to use the regular machine for the casing. Only one fly in the ointment. In the excitement of .99 cent flannel and the serger, I forgot that I hate to do clothes. They never, ever fit correctly. I made a small for Ms. A and SIL . SIL lives down the street so I had him come over and try them on. They were too small. He could wear them if he never rolled over or didn't move his legs too much. LOL. I wanted so badly to check the fit but couldn't exactly check the fabric in the hips and thigh like I do with my girls! He kinda stood on the other side of the room while I asked multiple questions. Too funny! Maybe the small will still fit Ms. A. She wears a size 5 jr. for heavens sake! Why do homemade pants always look rectangular as opposed to having shape in the hips and seat? (I looked at the pattern again and noticed it is for Misses, Men and teen boys. Maybe the small is meant for pubescent teens not shaped adults) Even though I'm nervous that the other pants won't fit the intended receipients, ( I figure they can all trade up. The smalls can take the meds., the meds can take the larges and then I can make more for for whoever ended up with nothing! Good plan huh!) I am very pleased with myself. I have almost finished all the flannel stuff and finished the pink quilt. Not bad without having my "baby" that is still in pieces on the workbench in Austin.

LAST DEVILED EGG!!!!!!!

This is a game we play. It comes from DH's family but we are merrily carrying on the tradition. No holiday is complete without deviled eggs. Everyone fights over the last one on the plate, so the game is that you have to call the "last deviled egg." Now this game has rules! Everyone must be present when you call last deviled egg. It doesn't need to be meal time but it has to be on the day the eggs are to be eaten. For instance, last night when I made the deviled eggs, DH started shouting "last deviled egg, last deviled egg." Didn't count. He was tempted to call the girls and claim it but knew they wouldn't fall for the ruse. Besides, you don't want to remind the enemy of the game. The key is to call it before anyone else remembers to do so. So my goal today is to be triumphant. Of course, I always cave and give the last one to someone else.

We are a game playing family. Not necessarily board games either. One day I came home and found DH, Mrs. S (formerly known as DD#1), and Ms. A (formerly known as DD#2), doing some weird thing with the laser pointer. They had devised this challenge to point the laser at the fan and see who could keep it most steady. Then it evolved to bouncing the beam off of the fan and onto another object. To this day I have no idea what they were doing when they concocted this game. They were there for a very long time, laughing, razzing each other and just carrying on with the nonsense. Another day, I came home and Ms. A and DH attacked me. "Can you do this??!!" They then proceeded to ask me if I could cross my toes. It seems they had been spending hours trying to do things with their toes. ... Pick things up, cross them, give the "thumbs" up. I just looked at them like they were nuts! BTW it really made them angry when I just crossed my toes with no problem! Neither one could do it. To this day, this is one of their fondest memories and they get a big kick when I still look at them like they are nuts.

How can you not be thankful for something as cute as this hat. These are what we made in our class this year. I should have made one for myself!

What am I thankful for today??
1. Silly games
2. Good health
3. Family - good,bad, ugly through "thick and thin" or "sick and sin"
4. A roaster for cooking turkey
5. My Janome dealer....fixing my machine

Happy Thanksgiving to all those that celebrate. Have a great day to all those that don't.

{sniff, sniff} Bad News {sniff, sniff}

The good news is there is a problem with my machine, not just a piece of thread as the technichan first told me. The bad news is they need to order a part so my beloved machine is 250 miles away from home, lonely and in pieces on the workbench!
When I tried to show the tech how the tension was messing up, the machine worked just fine! He kinda gave me that look that mechanics give me. The "yah right lady" look. Well as long as it was there I asked him to clean and check it. Took him a few times to test but viola' it finally messed up and he has now ordered the part. Now what am I going to do without my machine for 2 whole weeks??? Luckily I have my old machine and luckily I have finished all of my big projects for holiday gifts and luckily I have loads of little projects to do but STILL!! It's like being without my right arm!

Had a blast in Austin. The Honey Bee Quilt was having a fat quarter sale. Good thing is that I am not a no-buy stashbuster! Bought fat quarters and the Ultimate Quilt Pounce. I have been looking everywhere for this and hope it works well. I met up with a fellow stashbuster and we certainly did some damage to the fat quarter bins! Then I did the mom thing. Helped to clean and organize DD#2, Miss A, apartment. After several trips to WalMart, Target, and Lowes it looks much more organized.....if only Miss A could keep it that way! LOL! Luckily, I'll be back soon to pick up my machine and it will at least stay organized until then.

A clarification of sorts......I was in a really poopy, go in the backyard and eat worms mood when I posted about the boohooness of being an empty nester. Most days I love it. I get a thrill when I can just pick up and go without worring about anyone at home. We can eat dinner or a bologna sandwich. It makes no difference. I absolutely delight when I look at my brother and sister with their under 10 yo children . HA! I'm done with all of that and they are just beginning to plug away at ball games and girl scouts. It amazes me the number of parents in our school that are at or close to my age. How do they do it???? If the girls hadn't moved out, I wouldn't have my great sewing room or my great machine. Enough of this.

Just thought I'd leave you with a picture of how boring the drive from San Antonio home is....It was nearly dark so hard to get a good shot. It is two hours of n-o-t-h-i-n-g. Straight, flat, fields, brush and the occasional tree in the distance. NOTHING. Dull and boring and long. Now you can tell how bored I was because I was taking pictures and driving. Oh, did I mention that the traffic is ...well, there is very little. So the first picture is of the flat, flatness...and the second of the one of the refineries. They are really pretty at night but very difficult to photograph at 70 mph in the dark!

Who was that depressing poster?

I musta been in a pity party kind of mood this morning. SHeesh!!! I was considering deleting the post but promised myself when I started this blogging thing that once something posted it is posted. So it will remain. Thanks to Joyce for giving me a great chuckle in her "about me" section on her blog! I think I will adopt her philosophy!!!!!!!!!!

Just can't hide

My girls think it is H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S that I have a blog. I wouldn't give DD#1 my address so smarty pants SIL decided to look for it. It took him all of 10 minutes! (yeah, yeah, you two can stop rolling around with laughter anytime now).

So here is my question, when did I get old? I mean, I remember thinking my mom was ancient and out dated and whenever she did something that wasn't, I was surprised. (my mom was only 20 yrs. older than me and I am 21 yrs. older than DD#1). I don't feel different. I feel like I don't look different, although I do. I have been noticing this being older thing alot lately. Some of my school parents are in their late 20's. As a matter of fact, one of my co-teachers has her child in my class. Her parents came in to pick him up and I nearly died. HER PARENTS ARE MY AGE! Well, just a bit older but close enough. I relate to the co-worker as if we are the same age ect and then all of a sudden .....absolute proof!....I am aging. I mean it was really a bolt of lightening moment when I saw her parents. Mostly I've been noticing because my friends are all older than I. My age group here all have little kids. When we moved here 6 yrs. ago, we had absolutely nothing in common with those in our peer group because we had teen agers and they had pre-schoolers. My daughter got married and theirs are being Bar Mitzvah'd. We are in different places in our life. So, I developed friendships with people many years older than me. My girls have been gone for over a year now but it has really become an issue, this empty nest thing. I mean, noone is clamboring for your attention. Music no longer blasts and the door isn't constantly slamming from friends going in and out. I really feel OLD lately. Sorta like I am out of the loop. I don't know.................I've just been really, really bothered by this feeling old, out of the loop and not in the thick of things feeling. The problem comes in that I don't want to start ACTING old. I am about to switch jobs. I will still work with children, just not as their main teacher. I am so afraid that I will be even more out of the loop of things when I don't have those little ones to keep me moving. Don't get me wrong, I love having the freedom to come and go as I wish but...............Maybe the problem with empty nesting is feeling unneeded. I don't, by a long shot, think I'm unneeded but it's different now. I don't have children, I have adults. With their own lives. It's different than being mommy.

Don't know why I had this stream of conciousness typing going but I'm going to end the drivel now. Frozen turkeys are waiting for me to pluck them up and bring them home!

What is it??

Can you guess? I am so tickled with this silly little thing I made. My grandma does what I consider a weird thing. Unfortunately, she taught my daughter the same ridiculous habit and so I am making these for them. I saw this on the cover of the book "Quilt Block Leftovers," by Sarah Phillips. It is such a great idea! What is it already????? A glass cover. It seems my grandma is afraid of flies landing on her glass so she always covers it with a napkin. Now how many flies do you think find their way into my fastidious 91 yo grandma's house????!!!! But as I said, my DD#2 does the same thing now. (well, in her case, I can see it being a necessity! LOL) So when I saw this I knew I had to make one. The tiny half squares are leftovers from my nickel quilt. I have dutifully ironed and trimmed a million of these tiny jewels. The finished measurement of each half square is 1.25"Here is the cover looks like in use.

I think it is just so cute! I have some other leftover blocks and I plan on making a few for each of my phobic loved ones.

I'm bored....

Thanks to Calico Cat for this Meme...I'm so bored I need something to do....

1. Flip to page 18, paragraph 4 in the book closest to you right now, what does it say
Oh Good Grief! I'm sitting under an entire shelf of books. I just stood up and grabbed the first one I touched....These are all DH's book...it was The Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin. Page 18 was a picture. Picked a second book, another doosey, and the spine reads Plato, Epictetus, Marcu Aurelius. Page 18 is one long paragraph....forget it.
2. If you stretch out your left arm - as far as possible, what are you touching? BILLS!
3. What's the last program you watched on tv?Something on Thanksgiving on the food network. (same as Calico Cat). I've actually hit every station on my remote cause I'm bored
4. Without looking, guess what time it is. Guessed 7:00, actually 7:28
5. Except the computer, what can you hear right now? Emeril Lagasse
6. When was the last time you were outside and what did you do? This morning I was on the playground with my students
7. What are you wearing? Uhmmmm......this is a computer and we are invisible to each other.....let's keep it that way
8. Did you dream last night? If you did, what about?This is so funny because I NEVER, EVER remember my dreams but between snooze alarms, I had a dream that I was really mad at DH for not making the bed.
9. When was the last time you laughed? Oh sheesh, I'm so lame, I laughed at an episoide of Little House on the prairie
10. What's on the walls, in the room you're in right now?Windows on one wall along with a flying geese quilt hung on a very large wrought iron hanger...nothing else....
11. Have you seen anything strange lately? nope, I lead a very dull life
12. What do you think about this meme?it's my first, I'm no longer a virgin
13. What's the last film you saw?oh gosh, we never go to the movies. I saw the end of Good Morning Viet Nam the other night.
14. If you became a multimillionaire, what would you do with the money?Take care of my family and then share. With whom....let me win and I'll be generous.
15. Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know. Well, hearing people saying shhhhhhh....absolutely makes my skin crawl, my hair stand on end and my ability to control my motor mouth to shut them up virtually impossible.
16. If you could change ONE THING in this world, without regarding politics or bad guilt - what would it be?I don't know. I think education...make it a number one priority and teachers compensated accordingly
17. Do you like dancing? Sure, at home....with noone looking...
18. Last crafty endeavors? This is easy. Sewing doesn't count cause it's not really what I consider crafty. We made Thanksgiving shirts at school today. Good ol' hand print turkeys. Plus we made the most darling turkey hats
19. What do you want your childrens names to be? Obviously I already decided that one since DD#1 just married and DD#2 was her maid of honor
20. What amused you recently? Something one of my students said to me

Figured it out

Don't know why it does it but now know what is happening. It seems when I have my machine in the needle down position AND use the auto thread cutter, it throws off the tension. Once I turn the machine off and back on, it resets and all is well again. Don't know why or how one thing has anything to do with the other, but it's not for me to fix. I'll take it to the shop on Monday and hopefully it's not too serious. Got the rest of the quilt finally quilted and will post as soon as I bind.

The mess got worse

In an effort to help myself, I am posting these pictures for all to see the mess. I think there is something seriously wrong with my tension. I cannot seem to fix it no matter what needle or tension setting. Feel free to comment. H-E-L-P!

Ripping and Stripping

It is so funny, this blogging thing. My girls cannot believe that I have a blog. I mean what in the world do they think I'm going to post? Wild political ramblings? Pornography? "You have a blog?", they ask. They must be confusing me with the bloggers of their generation. I on the other hand go through my day and think, " Hey! That would be a great thing to blog about!" Sad, sad, sad. The initials with my maiden name were MM. My dad always called me MM, motor mouth. I have to laugh because I am still a motor mouth but now I need to type it.

Last night we played "strip poker" at our quilt meeting. (maybe I am pornographic!?) It was so much fun. I am the programs chair and a friend sent me directions to the game. I adapted them to fit our needs and off we went. It was a blast. I began the game with 25 strips and came home with 23.Not too bad. The big winner went home with 38 strips so she really had a blast.
Judging by the laughter it sounded like the others had a good time too. We now have something other than quilto to play at our occasional game nights.

I am still plugging away on the simple faux log cabin for my dear friend. This simple quilt has been very irritating. First, I assembled the blocks inside out, upside down, catywhampus and backwards. Then I quilted feathers in the wrong thread and ripped it out. Then I quilted feathers in white thread. Unfortunately, when I tested, I used the pink thread instead of the white (I'll talk about this later) and on the tester piece it looked good but on the actual quilt it came out lousy. So I ripped that. Then tested and quilted the white thread and it looked good. I didn't test the pink thread. I just quilted away. W-e-l-l-l-l, it was completely, utterly awful. Ripped it out! Now here is my gripe. Both the white, variegated and pink threads are the same type, manufacturer. Why in the world did the settings for one not work for the other? Color shouldn't have anything to do with it. I was so irritated. Plus my machine doesn't seem to like this thread unless I just haven't hit on the correct needle. It is Coats and Clark triobal thread. So this picture is a bit of the thread that I've pulled out. I'm going to try again tonight to see if I can finish this riffin' raffin' thing!

The only good thing that came of all that ripping was that I was thoroughly entertained while doing it. We live in a neighborhood that is just the right age for new roofs. We have all needed to get them in the past couple of years. My neighbor is having one put on now. The men that put on new roofs must be the happiest guys in the world. This goes for our roofer and all of the roofers our neighbors have used. They always have cheery happy music blasting. They laugh and whoop and AYE YAI YAI YAI, all the time. They talk a mile a minute. I only wish I could have understood what they were talking about. They just carry on and carry on as if they are having a hay ole' time. I think they may have been teasing one guy cause they were just laughing and laughing at him. I just sat, picked out stitches, tapped my foot to the music I didn't understand and smiled at the happy conversations I didn't understand. The strange thing is all of the houses around me have had new roofs and the workers always sound the same! Music, whooping, laughing ect. Male bonding. Gotta love it. (and they say women are yakkers. These guys talk rings around all of my friends.)

Enough motor mouth for today

Grandma Bosh would be proud

Great quilty weekend?....well Grandma Bosh would be proud! You see, my grandma sewed. She was a seamstress and also made most of her own clothes. She would have just died if she saw the price of fabric today. She used to tell me that if I could sew, I wouldn't need to buy the expensive clothes on the racks. Hah! She got me interested in sewing. When I was pregnant with DD#1, I decided to make baby buntings. I chose a pattern that was way out of my league. You see Grandma Bosh always told me, if fact it was one of her mantras, "If you are going to sew you have to rip sometimes." This was a never ending source of frustration to me. I hated to rip and it drove me crazy. I would take her things in pieces, she would calmly rip it apart, give me her mantra and put it together correctly. Well, the baby bunting, notice the single tense, I made, was flannel. I can still see the pattern on the flannel and is DD#1 is almost 23yo. I ripped the "V" where the buttons and collar go ( I can't for the life of me think of the name of that piece) so many times that after the first washing it was in shreds. I quite calmly took all the others already cut out to her, and as usual she assembled them. (she also made my girls millions of adorable sundresses and fitted flannel diapers to name a few items) This is the way it went for a long time. I began a piece of clothing for the girls, took it to her in tears, and she finished it. Well, this weekend she would have been proud. I began quilting a quilt. I got a medium sized section finished and decided I really didn't like the thread. (yes I pre-tested it all just didn't realize I wouldn't like the color on the actual quilt!) I knew it would need ripped but decided to come back to it. I switched my thread color, quilted the same size section again and liked it. I then quilted a l-a-r-g-e section - across the entire lap quilt. After I finished I looked at the back to admire my work and HORROR. It was awful. Not full of pulls and nests but bad enough that I knew it wouldn't hold up. This was the equivilent to 1/3 of the quilt. So Gram, I ripped. I ripped and ripped and ripped. It's still not done, but almost. The only saving grace was that the stitches were so hideous that the pulled out fairly easy. I have now requilted about 1/2 of the quilt. I talk to my GB when I quilt. Mostly when I'm ripping as can be expected. So my picture of something finished won't happen tonight.....

What am I thankful for?
1. Grandma Bosh and her voice in my head
2. Black light activated hand stamps...mind didn't wash off and I was able to get back in the
Peddler Show for free. Had to buy another jalapeno cooker.
3. Jalapeno cooker.....they were great!
4. Pumpkin bread in the freezer and cream cheese in the fridge...well, should I say our bellies
5. DD#2 hearing our mantra all these years. I never knew she was listening

Ouchy Day

I wasn't going to post but....

Had to have a tooth pulled. Suffice to say OUCH! (My tooth broke the day before my daughters wedding. I've been putting it off ever since. The oral surgeon was not happy with me for waiting. He had to push and pull and OUCH!)Then went to Rhuematologist + got flu shot. Suffice to say OUCH. Then off to the Peddler Show. This is the closest thing we have here to local craft shows. The Peddle Show just a fancy schmancy travelling craft show. Spent too much money on 2 really cool jalapeno cookers...suffice to say OUCH! I bought one for us and one for my new SIL. Never called him that before.

But, don't these look cool! You can stuff them with just about anything and yum! I also bought some dip mix and the man from the grill place said that he has also put it in the jalapenos. Mmmmm..... This is the where you can see all the choices of grills. I wasn't willing to spend the money on the big one, but wanted it! Now to get the big jalapenos. Mmmmm.........................http://www.irondesert.com/ Even my husband was Mmmming when I got home. Unfortunately they only had the wimpy tiny jalapenos. So tomorrow I will be on a tear to find big jalapenos.

I also inserted a link to a web ring in my blog. As one of my students would say, with arm out stretched, Dut Dutta Duh!!!! Have NO idea how I managed to do it, but I did. So whoopdie doopdie to me.

I haven't quite gotten a handle on this blogging business. Protocol, courtesy and all. I mean, it is strange to now be on this side and know there are people out there, total strangers, reading my mindless rambles. Weird. Also, I can see it getting very time consuming to post replies to comments, read other blogs, comment on them, respond to relpies ect. I read a few days ago on Nancy's blog her explaination/apology to anyone she skips, misses or doesn't respond to. I feel the same way. Don't be insulted if I don't respond to things. I get busy with annoying things like work and sometimes don't have time for the computer. Also for some reason my e-mail from the blog isn't working. Any ideas on how to fix?

I hope to post a quilty photo tomorrow....my quilting space maybe? We'll see......

i did it...YIKES!

I submitted my quilts to the February quilt show. I steathily snuck up to the house of the woman accepting the applications and dropped it in her mailbox. I half hoped the mail man would take it by mistake. Lo and Behold she called me a bit later to ask a question. She then convinced or should I say coerced me into having the thing JUDGED!!! OMGOSH! I really don't need someone else pointing out my flaws. I will just need to put on my biggest shoulder pads when I read the critique. Here is a picture of the second quilt I entered .(OH CRUD! I haven't the foggiest how to link to my webshots, and don't feel like posting the photos again so here is my webshots, if you care to look. I've been trying to figure this out for too long and my mah jong buddies are on their way over. It is in the folder named Quilts 2005 THis is the ONLY photo I have of an unfinished quilt...It has since been finished. I took it the first time I was going to enter it in this show but whimped out. http://community.webshots.com/user/morah2s )the first is the chuppah. )

Well duh, the second quilt is the flip flop quilt...Thanks for asking Sheila. I told you I was firmished about entering it.

I rearranged my sewing room and one day when the sun is bright, I'll take a picture. (Yeah like the sun isn't out here. I think the temp was 90 degrees. Yes you read right 90...in Novenber!)
I love the new arrangement because I have the best of both worlds, can look at the tv and out the window at the same time.

I love the idea of posting, or keeping track of gratitudes. When my kids were little, we said prayers at night and then each had to tell us something they were grateful for. It was a way of reminding them of what is important. This morning I found out that a dear friend of mine was sick and died without any of us knowing. (How do you have a dear friend die without knowing? They have two homes, across the country from each other, and tend to fall out of touch when at the other home.) I am very sad and it makes me want to remember what is important in our lives. Even on those days when all you are grateful for is your bed, solitude and a remote control.

What I'm grateful for today:
1. A wonderful husband
2. Healthy, happy, self sufficient children
3. Friends and family that love me
4. Finding the Hidden Valley Oyster Cracker coating on the first Google search (hey I have to
feed these mah jong ladies something!?)

Brown Day - a Blast

We made butter at school today. Now that may not sound so thrilling to most people but I have never done this before. We shook and shook and shook that cream and then all of a sudden ! There it was! BUTTER! Remember, my kids are all late 2's and early 3's so the translation is I shook and shook and shook. But it was still really neat. It went great on our toast. One of my parents brought in the neatest toaster. It is Mickey Mouse and plays a song when the toast has popped up. What will they think of next!?

I wimped out yesterday and did absolutely no quilting at all. Then, my favorite show was pre-empted because of the "talk ad nauseum" election coverage folks. SHeesh. The poor people in California are still voting and they are tallying ect. It's like someone clearing the table while you're still eating.

Today is do or die day. Tommorrow is the deadline for our local quilt show and I still haven't filled out my form. How do I calculate how much the fabric cost in the quilt? I've been talking the talk but quite honestly am afraid to walk the walk and actually turn the forms in. I just don't want to embarrass myself. I don't want to enter something that makes people wonder if I'm a beginner or just brave.

No pictures today. Didn't feel like posting the one of my belly in front of the toaster at school! I was trying to get out of the photo but instead stuck out my belly and that is the picture that was taken. Paints a real image huh! Thank goodness for cropping!

Rambling on and on

I have so many quilty things to finish by the holidays that I am beginnig to hyperventilate. I am making a quilt for a dear friend that helped tremendously with my daughters' wedding. It is a faux log cabin by Billie Lauder. Unfortunately, I did the whole thing upside down and backwards and couldn't figure out how to get a pattern so I ended up with simple streaks. I'll post a picture when it is finished. I have a rule that I do not show anything until it is completely finished. I want to make something else for another dear friend but don't want to say just what in case she reads this. I need to make about 6 pairs of pajama pants, two or three purses and a rag quilt. Plus I would like to make a number of chenille potholders for last minute gifts and postcards for holiday wishes. (the photo above is of the Rosh Hashana cards I sent to all my Mah Jongg buddies. I had to crop most of the back of the card to remove my address ect. )

Tomorrow is "brown day" in my classroom. We will be making butter to go on our brown toast, play with chocolate scented playdough, if I get into the kitchen soon and make it, glue brown paper, paint with brown paint and wear brown clothing. I've never attempted making butter in class so it ought to be a real experience. (Did I mention I work with older 2's...translation is that they are nearly all three by Jan/Feb). They absolutely adore making toast. It's the thrill of it popping out of the toaster. They never crowd around the boring toaster oven, just the cheapo pop out of the toaster toaster.

Working with children keeps me young, enthusiastic and able to enjoy the wonder of the world around me. You can't help it. When the shining faces come into the classroom everyday and
a child announces in a singsongy little voice "Dut dutta da! Mrs. H, I'm here!" how can you not love your job!

(shiver) My first Post!!!

So here I am....Jumping feet first into the world of blogging! I have absolutely, without a doubt, no idea what I am doing! I keep checking back and forth to see if this is posting! I'm not completely sure why I am doing this but feel left out because everyone else is blogging! I go by the name Morah online. I've been doing so for so long now that if I used my real name noone would know who I am! So, I will remain Morah. I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, preschool teacher, quilter, ....all of the things that count in life. I have been married for nearly 24 yrs. and have two grown daughters.

We are Ohioians stuck living on the coast in south Texas. It's not that Texas doesn't give us a good life, it's just that we still miss the northern climate and all the things we grew up with. We have been in Texas long enough that you'd think we'd be over it but we're not. Luckily we still have family in Ohio so go and visit at least once a year.

I love quilting and bought a Janome 6600 this year. I have been quilting up a storm ever since. My daughter was married last weekend and I made her chuppah (wedding canopy) with my new machine. The even feed feature helped the diamonds to come out great. I also quilted with a stenciled pattern for the first time on the chuppah. It is amazing what a great machine can do for your quilting. I do love to free motion and only wish that I had quilted with a pattern once or twice before doing it on such an important project. I think stippling is so relaxing and fun. I kept teasing my friend that planned out the quilting that she wouldn't allow me to stipple. She has a fantastic eye for patterns and was right but that didn't stop me from whinning!

The pictures posted are of the chuppah, detail of the quilting and the chuppah hanging. (no that is not me in the picture) We didn't use poles to hold it up but rather suspended it from the ceiling. My husband was a bit like McGyver with paper clips and fishing line. I then hung ribbons from the edges to give it more definition. The wedding and reception were in the same room and my daughter had a vision that after the ceremony she would dance with her new husband under the chuppah and that is exactly what happened. It was lovely. The bottom of the close up looks a bit crooked but isn't really. The angle of the one photo is me laying down under the chuppah and looking up to take the picture. Seems that it wasn't a unique idea as my sister and daughter both did the same thing before me. I have been saying that I am going to enter this quilt in our local bi-annual quilt show. The deadline is Friday and I am a nervous wreck thinking of actually going through with it. Two years ago I wimped out and didn't enter my flip flop quilt and have been disappointed in myself every since. I am working really hard to not wimp this year but time is running out!

Ok, let's see how this posts. It took me a couple of hours to get it right. I don't know what I've gotten myself into but look out world!!! I'm here!!!!