Home is Good

I love to visit family but there is no place like home. We had the usual lovely time with the actual travel aspect; airline & weather delays, racing between terminals in Houston with seconds to spare...but we made it there and back in one piece and all is well. Family time was wonderful. We must have taken 300 photos over the course of a few days and I can't wait to scrapbook them. All in all it was fun. However, I am really, really ready to get back to normal. Our schedules have been nuts for at least the last month and I want to get back to the humdrum of everyday life.

I did meet my goal on finishing a stitchery while gone. I came home last night, woke up this morning, bordered it and it is now finished! World record for me, start to finish in 9 days. I did buy some fabric while away but it is something that I've not seen here and I don't feel one ounce of guilt. I take a picture and post it tomorrow. MIL bought me this book and this book. I am thrilled! I can't wait to actually put the designs to good use. In case you are interested, Pam Clarke has her own website for additional items. TTFN

Brrrr

So OKAY ALREADY! I've become a Texan! It's snowing here in Ohio and I am cold! Obviously nothing quilty going on.....Talk to you all when I return. Have safe travels, make wonderful memories and most of all, take loads of pictures to share with us on the flip side!

Lookee

I.
See my new banner??!! Cool huh! Both the banner and the fact that I am
A. old enough to have been married 25 yrs
B. young enough to be enjoying the next 25 yrs
C. lasted this long
D. haven't killed DH
E. haven't been killed by DH
F. still love him
and MOST importantly
G. HE still loves me!

II.
Lost another 1.5 lbs. just in time to go and celebrate with family!!! Whew! Hopefully the scales won't be too tilted when I get home! Didn't quite make it to where I wanted but that will NOT stop me. Look out Pizza Oven!

III.
Haven't touched my last borders on my quilt. I have however been trying to cut circles with the Easy Circle Cut by EZ Quilting. This has been an expensive little experiment. THe 45 mm rotary cutter (common size one, not the very large one) doens't work with the 2 & 3" circles. Bought an 18 mm.....too shallow of a cut with the template. Bought the 28 mm.....eehhh! (said like Aunt Janice when being asked how the pie tastes). It works but not so good. Suggestions?????

IV.
Since I can't seem to cut circle quickly for yo-yo's, I'll be working on a stitchery. My goal is to finish it before I come home. I've done it before so I know it isn't impossible.

V.
WHY do we need everything we own when we pack to go away!??? G-d forbid we should be without something!! Like I'm going to the wilds of Africa and there aren't stores if I forget anything!

Oooo! Stashbusting!

Oooooo! STASHBUSTING!! After months of kvetching about not sewing...I AM SEWING! It's like being a kid in a candy store; I just can't seem to stop...or be happy with just one! This week I...

1. cut and pieced an entire front! This is an unheard of accomplishment for me. I even added most of the borders! WHOO HOO! This was no small feat because I was determined NOT to buy any additional fabric and had to make what I had work. I also decided that I lie. I am not willing to share the picture of my quilt until at least the top is finished. I need to add one more border tonight (there is another border already added that is not in this picture) and then I'll show and tell. In the meantime, here is a teaser

This is the next border being created............

One more border needs to be added and then I'll share the entire photo.

2. started the mystery quilt being hosted by Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville. I don't usually enjoy mystery quilts but I have mounds of 1 1/2" strips already cut and not earmarked for anything. I am making this from strips leftover from a log cabin quilt so I have a variety of sizes. I have it all set up so I can mix and match. It would sure be faster using all the same sized strips! (see my perfect, wonderful, amazing Hanukkah present...the mp3 docking station. I LOVE it!)

3. decided I am not thrilled with the round Clover yo-yo maker. Am I missing something? It is easier to just do them on my own. Please comment.

4. got hand projects ready for travel

5. CLEANED up after myself!

I did have to go out and buy floss for my hand stitcheries. I suppose I could have just used the "wrong" color but just didn't want to. I am too anal to not use the color listed.

Oh and by the way... had to laugh at the picture of Ms. S and I (scroll down to the previous post). I am wearing one of my uniforms!

I'm proud of us....

...and not afraid to brag or accept kudo!!! Between Mrs. S and myself we've lost 110 lbs!!!!!!! Here we are at her wedding last October.

Here is us in July.....

...and here we are tonight.

Proud, proud, PROUD! I also think we both look much younger. Getting the weight of is the easy part. I just don't want to gain it again...IT IS SO EASY TO DO! (If you go back up and look at Ms. A...well, she is just disqusting! She is THIN! We tease her all the time that we don't know where she came from! ) But it is so weird to look at pictues of myself. I know that is me, I was there! It's just ...well, I don't FEEL like I look. I am by no stretch of the imagination thin. But when I look at pictures it boggles my mind. My self image is f-a-t! Maybe this public log will help to keep me on track for the long run. I mean my face, my much thinner face, is now out there is cyberville for all to see. I would sure hate to disappoint the millions that read my blog and gain all that weight back!

On the quilty front.....

I'm working on Bonnie Hunters mystery and almost have my retreat top done. I've changed my tune and am willing to post unfinished things so once I get the borders on I'll post my progress. It feels SO GOOD to be sewing again.

Happy Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah!

It's been a busy, crazy, tension filled but successful week and a big YEE. HA. WHOO. HOO. My party is over and seemed to go well. We celebrated Hanukkah as a family (Ms. A came home overnight so we could be together as a family for one night of Hanukkah.) I managed to eat everything I shouldn't have and the instant 5 lbs. is showing on the scale (it's not real weight but it's annoying nonetheless.) BUT, with this week over, I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off of my shoulders! For the next week I have nothing to do but clean house, sew and get ready for vacation. I am so relieved.

I thought I'd share pictures we took on Weds. night. I might be prejudice but I really think I have the most wonderful family ever! We had so much fun opening gifts. We decided this year to only buy "what was within our means." In other words, I didn't want the girls going crazy on us. I really don't enjoy buying presents so it let me off the hook to go very simple this year. We have this thing about wrapping presents. We are always running so late that it doesn't get done....we don't like to waste the paper... and generally we are lazy. Many years ago we began to use "instawrap." Instawrap is grocery bags, reused gift bags proclaiming the wrong event (happy graduation on Hanukkah, etc.), anything that will cover the gift but isn't' wrapping paper. We get really silly with this sometimes. One year for my birthday, DH used a Hanukkah gift bag, undies as tissue paper and a lighter as a candle on my cake! It made for a great scrapbook page!!!! This year we hadn't planned on getting together as a complete family at all. On Mon. Ms. A called and said she'd be home Weds. It was a mad dash. Actually, I already had a box to mail to her ready to go but dinner and everything else was crazy! We didn't even eat until 8:30 because Mrs. S is in school. None of us wrapped our presents....at all! Mrs. S put my gift in a Bath and Body works bag, I didn't even put a bow on the luggage I bought her and Mr. Fancypants and Ms. A put Mrs. S's gift in a bag and used a bed pillow as the tissue! We had a blast! We had to keep running out of the room to get the next gift! The gifts couldn't be in one room....nothing was wrapped! Fun, fun, fun~~~Chaotic to some....just plain family for us!

Since beginning this this morning, DH took me shopping. He bought me a docking station for my mp3 player and a new chair for sewing! I have no excuses left. Expect a quilty post tomorrow!

Happy Hanukkah to all of my Jewish friends and to those of you that celebrate Christmas, hang it there! Santa will be here very soon!!

Luggage tags..again

A number of people have asked for the pattern for the luggage tags. Well, I've been contemplating making a tutorial on them. There have been so many generous quilters out there that I would like to give something back. Give me a little bit and I will get it posted. I already have taken the pictures. It is not a published pattern to begin with (as far as I know). Plus I really changed the original alot. Again, give me to the end of the week to get it posted.

GOOD GRIEF IS THIS FUNNY!

TOTALLY NOT ABOUT QUILTING!
Oh my goodness! I cannot stop laughing! You have to make your own! Every time I see this I nearly fall out of my chair again!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1157042969

Stashbusting Sunday...on Monday

I finished all of the luggage tags and mailed my Pay it Forward!!! (I have two openings still if you are interested in playing). I'm waaaay ahead of the game. Here they are all finished....all 22 of them.

I need to apologize in advance ladies. I don't have the time right now to visit all of your blogs and checkup on your stashbusting triumphs. Keep it up the rest of the week and I'll check back next week. I may post quickly this week, but really have to buckle down and get things done. That will require limited computer time.

Mad doesn't cover it

As a mitzvah project for our school, we are collecting items for a soldier in Afghanistan. His wife is an assistant at our school. We are also collecting money to help defray the costs of postage. I left 5 - 1$ bills, intended to be used for postage, in a clothes pin clip, on my file cabinet. They were gone when I got to work on Friday. Mad would not be a word I use to describe how I feel. This is donation money. It's like stealing from the Salvation Army bucket!

1. Everyone working at my school is entrusted with children! We trust them to take care of them, be aware at all times, and teach them the right way to do things. Stealing would not be one of those traits we would like to instill in our children. How can we trust our employees with our children if we can't trust them with a lousy $5. (the money was taken after school hours, during daycare, when there are a number of very young girls employed. Plus, my room is out of the way, in the back and not readily available to the general public. In other words, you either need a reason or a purpose to be in my room. The girls cut through my room and also use the restroom. Parents almost never come to my room because it's in the back and they generally have no reason to come back there)

2. I went up to all the young girls that work there, one by one, gave them my best "I'm not sure if you did it or not stare" and told them, "Someone took donation money from my cabinet. Tell all of your friends that if they are hungry, come see me and I'll feed them. If they need money for bills, come see me and I'll help if I can. If they want a diet coke, they are in my refrigerator. If they just took the money to have it, Shame on them!" Every "little girl" that I talked to gave me those big "ok Mrs. H," eyes....like OH MY GOSH!, "I hope she doesn't think """I""" took it!" (these little girls are all 18-19 yrs. old) This was the exact effect I wanted to have on them. The "she thinks I did it but I didn't" complex. This will get them talking to all the other girls and perhaps they will figure it out on their own who took it and admonish the culprit!

3. It's not the money, it's the principle.

4. So I figured if they were in my room once, they'll be back. I posted this "note" on paper as big as the entire wall. I plan on removing it during the school day and re posting every night before I leave. Maybe I'll just embarrass the culprit enough to not do it again. If not, at least I feel better.

Stashbusting Sunday

Uhmmmm.... This week I didn't even remember I had a sewing room let alone needed to stashbust! I did turn a few of the bazzillion luggage tags I made but that's about it. What I did do was this
I added the labels to 4 sides of 150 dreidles for my school party this week. DH glued them all together and a friend and I put the labels on. I wish I were the sort of person that could come up with ideas that were NOT adult time intensive. I'ts overwhelming! I know the children enjoy the projects but it's wearing me out! I was so stressed this past week (about this upcomig party) that I needed to feel better about myself. So, I went out and had beautiful nails attached to my horrid looking ones. I may be feeling nuts and overwhelmed but my hands look good! (note to self....next year, attach the sticky back labels BEFORE having fake nails attached to fingers.)

Gosh & golly

I've been busy! I'm getting ready for a big party at school and the details are killing me. Plus, I always need to reinvent the wheel. I make myself crazy!

On the cold front.....you guys need not worry! We rarely turn our heat on. Usually I spend such a short time in the house that it doesn't seem worth the energy used. Sleeping, you're under blankets (actually, I've found myself on top of the blankets the last few nights) and the rest of the time ....put on a sweater! My in laws live in Ohio and keep their heat at 65 or so. Besides, by the time the furnace gets reved up, the weather has changed and it's time to go back to air conditioning!!!

I can't sew too much for the next few days because I'm overwhelmed with "stuff." but love reading what all of you are doing and working on. Just think, by next Friday, my whirlwind of activity will be over.....AH!

I don't wanna!

I don't want to exercise! No, I'm not dreading the sweat or muscle fatigue. I don't want to change clothes! It's cold in here and brrr! Now don't take this as a complaint. I love it cold. I get to wear my "uniform" and cuddle under the blankets. This time of year a girl could get whiplash switching between air conditioning and heat. We opt to do neither so freeze or sweat accordingly. Showering this morning was a testament to our fortitude! This is what our thermostat read....

Needless to say, it was a fast shower! It's just that the idea of taking off this sweatshirt for even a moment is painful! LOL! It's only cold in my head right now!!! SIGH! I suppose I'd better move before I decide to wimp!

Sunday stashbusting

Got in just under the wire here....it's still Sunday but not for much longer. It feels so good to be finally sewing again. Putting the anniversary quilt in a bag was just what I needed to get going. I also did something else. I've given myself permission to NOT make holiday gifts this year. If I end up with a few, so be it. If not, life will go on. I was out of the quilting mood for so long that to try to catch up now would be silly. So after I spent 6 hours on schoolwork (good thing I get such an incredible salary that compensates for my working on my own time, on a Sunday......ROFL!), I made luggage tags. As I said in my post a few days ago, they don'tbust alot of stash but fabric off the shelf is fabric off the shelf. This is as far as I got before I just got plain tired.

All they need now is turned and finished. I also cut out two aprons from some $1.00/yd denim that I just had to own......2 yrs. ago! 1 1/3 yds / each one and I still have leftovers!

Oh Bother! Quilt Happenings! Pay it Forward!

OH BOTHER!

I've been trying to get this %**&%$ weight off and can't! I go up a lb. down a lb. but never under 165. URH! How can I go to Ohio in Dec. and eat Pizza Oven PIZZA AND CHICKEN if I don't at least lose 5 more lbs!?!?!? Bother, Bother, BOTHER! I exercise, eat sensible.....Thanksgiving didn't blow the diet out of the water.....BOTHER! I exercise at the gym a minimum of 4 days a week (it's actually more like 5 days), dance 3 nights a week,+ regular life. You'd think with the size of my backside & the amount of physical activity that the weight would be hittin' the floor behind me!

QUILT HAPPENINGS!

I've been sewing! YEe Ha! I'm busting stash. Well, my luggage tags aren't that big so stash busting wouldn't be an accurate term. More like stash tickling. But off the shelf and in a project is off the shelf and in a project. These luggage tags are great for hanging on sewing machines, notions boxes (we all have the same tool boxes to carry our supplies. Sometimes it gets confusing), backpacks. They are too easy and too cute. I need to go to Joanns today to get some notions. The biggest problem I will have is NOT buying some cute male type conversation prints. I can do this.


PAY IT FORWARD

I have accepted the challenge from Ms. ATET of Quilting in Cornfields. Sure I'm a little slower to take up this challenge then others but I finally have a good PIF project. Here is how it works. The first 3 to post a comment and express an interest in PIF will receive a homemade gift from me. More specifically, a luggage tag. I promise to have them made and mailed in the next 90 days. (But in case you ask...noone gets the naked cowboy tag! He's all mine!) There is only one catch , You have to continue to Pay It Forward by offering the same deal on your own blog.

Luggage Tags

We made luggage tags at our annual guild event. It is a make and take evening. The tags we made were the size of the ones pictured but all personal information was exposed. I adapted the pattern so the info would be on the inside. Here are two of them closed.... Here they are opened. A business card fits in the clear vinyl pouch.
Can you guess which one is mine and which one is DH's???
Here it is completely opened...to the outside.
This is a closeup of the inside.
Fun, fast, easy and I only needed to throw away 2 prototypes. Of course, after that it took three more "not so good looking" tags to get the pattern down right. But, I'm there now.

It's cold here!

Take a look at my weather pixie. She is finally DRESSED! I was very worried about her peeling off layer after layer this summer. She didn't have much left to peel at 96 degrees. It was a nervous time for the poor girl when the temps threatened to hit 100! But today...ah! All of you north of here probably don't get why DH and I do a happy dance when the temps are cold (now don't laugh at my definition of cold. It's all realative. Cold in south Texas is a different definition then cold in NE Ohio) Being transplanted Ohioians, we miss the cold and snow. When the weatherman tells us it's to be cold, dreary and overcast the next day, we smile and wait in breathless anticipation. Then when it is cold, we put on our sweat shirts, open the doors and happily shiver. It was bliss last night to sleep under the blankets instead of on top of them. It is windy (yeah!) cold, (yeah) nasty, (yeah) cloudy, (double yeah) and not a speck of sunshine in sight! My FAVORITE kind of day! It's 48 degrees. (Weds. it was 87) I get to wear my "uniform" today. Many years ago, the first time DH went to Alaska, he bought me a sweatshirt. I wore that thing on a daily basis. He began to call it my uniform. When I stopped wearing it he was quite concerned. I had stained it and could no longer wear it out of the house. The last time he went to Alaska was earlier this year. He covered his bases and bought me two new uniforms. I've not worn them since. He keeps asking, "when are you going to wear your uniform.? Today is the day! I'm all snuggled in my Prudhoe Bay sweatshirt, and ready to take on the day! WHOOHOO! I'm in bliss, sheer bliss!

Ya' know the luggage tags I've been threatening to work on all week? Well, yesterday I finally adapted the pattern and began the work. Then DH went off his rocker at 7:30 last night and suggested we go out dancing. What's a girl to do I ask? Turn down a date with DH to dance (key here is his suggestion, not mine! ) for a date with a Janome 6600? I think not! So we went dancing. It was fun because it wasn't so crowded and our terrible dance moves went much better (translation, we didn't knock anyone over on the dance floor!) Plus we worked off just a bit of the turkey, ect, from the past two days. I'm off today to finish the luggage tags, make a few aprons and hopefully post a picture.

Today is Thanksgiving....

In our house that is. So.....I'm off to cook. Anymore, I totally dislike the whole process. I used to enjoy cooking but it has become such a chore the last few years. Here is our low carb (DH & I), Weight Watchers (Mrs. S) and "I can eat anything in the world because I am so skinny" (Mr. FancyPants) menu

Turkey
Low Carb Stuffing -this has the potential to be horrible....
Regular stuffing
green bean casserole-the low carb way
mushrooms-sauted with onion & wine
spinach salad with savory spiced nuts, dried unsweetened cranberries, and vegis.
homemade raspberry vinegarette - has potential as used Toriani sugar free syrup instead of raspberries
.......And the PIECE D" RESISTANCE ( yeah, I'm intentionally spelling it all wrong in a funny attempt to cover the fact that I know what I want to say but have no idea how to spell it)......
Sugar free pumpkin pie &
Mrs. S's homemade sugar free-low carb pumpkin ice cream....YUM!!!!

We are all (with the exception of Mr. FancyPants) trying to lose weight before we go visit family. Mrs. S & I have lost over 50lbs. DH has lost 20. Mr. Fancypants needs to GAIN 20! So, we decided that cheating on Thanksgiving was not an option. THe meal may be bigger than usual but it is within our individual "diets." You just can't use every holiday, birthday, special occasion as an excuse to cheat or you'll never acheive your goals. We still have to get through potato laktas at Hanukkah, eating at Grandma Lil's house, MIL & SIL's houses. It will be harder to manage being in our hometown and being strong then not cheating on Thanksgiving. Our ultimate cheat though......We want Pizza Oven pizza, broasted chicken and potatos when we are in Ohio. We love it so much that last year when I went to Ohio, I took pictures of myself with the pizza box to taunt DH!

No goal list today......cook, clean and workout. That will be my day.

Yesterdays goals
1. Grocery shop for Thanksgiving
2. Pre-prepare many of the dishes.....
3. Workout
4. Dance lesson
5. cut luggage tags....I'll get there one of these days

Movin' Along

TADA!!!!!!! I have decided to quilt these and add the paint to hold the appliques in place. I nearly threw them away trying to applique through the heavy duty wonder under. To add insult to injury, they are not staying down too well as I didn't wash the fabric before I began. These have been in the drawer for a year now.


I made two this color...One, the quilting is simple meandering and looks good..... (double click to see my l-o-v-e-l-y quilting.)
The other I got fancy and tried...again...to do feathers. The feathers aren't bad. I made a poor choice in the style of meandering around the feathers and it looks messy.


I quilted simple loops on this one.
I put the finishing touches on these. They've been in the drawer since April. They have curly wild hair like me!

Yesterday........

1. Workout (DH insisted that since I was not feeling well, it wasn't' smart to go....that's my story

and I'm sticking to it!)
2. Pay Bills
3. Finish the last two table runners
4. General clean up
5. Choose fabrics for purses (I started but by the time I got there I was so crud infested I

didn't care too much)
6. Cut luggage tags
7. Finish the laundry

Today.....

1. Grocery shop for Thanksgiving

2. Pre-prepare many of the dishes.....we are eating tomorrow night instead of Thursday. It's

Mrs. S year to go to her in-laws so we are eating together tomorrow night. That will leave a

relaxing leftover Thursday for us.

3. Workout - no wimping today even if I do have the creepin' crud

4. Dance lesson tonight-this is where my extra interest has been lately. One of these days I'll

blog about it. I just haven't been blogging about quilting enough and feel like I need to do that

first

5. cut luggage tags....I'll get there one of these days

Best laid plans

I started out great yesterday. My body had different plans. I've been working at getting sick over the past number of days. I successfully held it off until yesterday. As the day progressed I felt worse and worse. I was determined NOT to go exercise until I had a gentle reminder (in the form of an "ata-girl" comment) from Susan. I went and exercised but it didn't help. This morning...UGH! My throat hurts and feels swollen. I'm so glad I don't have to work this week. This feels like one of those illnesses that will land me in the Doctors office by Weds. SLow to make a home in my body....long to linger.


On the plus side my goals for yesterday
1.

Workout

2. Make 4 luggage tags - didn't do BUT DID quilt one table runner! WHOOOHOOO
3. Choose fabrics for purses and fuse DecorBond - found the DecorBond......
4.

Clean up for 10 mins. in Dining Room aka computer junk room

5. Laundry.... not much there - did some but didn't finish

No picture on the quilted table runner....I need to finish the last two first. Hopefully tomorrow.......

So here are the goals for today......I'll try but there is no guarentee. My body is in mutany mode!

1. Workout
2. Pay Bills
3. Finish the last two table runners
4. General clean up
5. Choose fabrics for purses
6. Cut luggage tags
7. Finish the laundry

I'm off to medicate....Don't tell my grandma. She gets mad when we don't allow ourselves to be sick. If you see her, just tell her I'm fine. I know I'm going to tell her just that!