Problem Solved

I've been a pretty regular walker since last February when I decided to lose a little weight.  It worked and I lost 20 pounds.  My legs, which were pretty darn skinny to start with, got thinner.  That wasn't a byproduct I was looking for but it was ok.  I'm never going to wear shorts or a bathing suit in public ever again in this lifetime anyway.  In Heaven I'm going to have Rita Hayworth's legs so I'll wear shorts then and that's for eternity so I'm willing to make the sacrifice here.  :)  But my arms don't get a workout when I'm walking.  I could lift weights.  Well, no I couldn't.  That's way too dedicated.  But now I'm working them out so much I know I'm going to be sore for a while.  Want to know what I'm doing?  I got an Accuquilt Go! Cutter and I'm cutting up my scraps like crazy!  A tad expensive way to exercise but...whatever works I always say.

Autumn Leaves Table Runner

Saturday I went to a workshop that our guild sponsored and that was taught by one of our members (thanks Ida!).  It was for a table runner, one I've actually made before and use all the time on top of my television cabinet in the den.  I wanted another one for fall and could have made it myself since I still had the pattern but somehow I couldn't get motivated.  If I sign up for a workshop that's motivation in itself.  :)  I love the pattern and it's pretty easy if you number your pieces and put them on a design wall before you start to sew.  Otherwise it can get confusing.  It's easy to make it shorter or longer...you just adjust the  number of pieces you add onto the end.  Making it shorter can be really easy if you accidentally cut off one of the end pieces when you're trimming - ask me how I know that!  We didn't all do fall - there was a real variety of fabrics used, including Christmas.  Mine is finished and on the bar in the kitchen - yea!  It wasn't one of my UFOs - it was a NBS (Never Been Started).  :)

It's a reversible table runner too so you could actually do one season on the front and one on the back - the back is just one fabric and I used a multi-shades of brown with coffee and cappucino and latte written all over.  It uses a little bit of stash fabric too - 1/3 yd of each of the 3 on top and whatever the length is for the back.  And another good thing - the leaf fabric was a gift a couple of years ago.   :)

One Thousand Blessings - Day 14

465.  Pizza with grandchildren
466.  Teenage church choirs
467.  Zebra fabric
468.  The sound of the wind in the trees outside my window
469.  The sound of rain on the deck
470.  Scarecrows
471.  M & Ms....any color
472.  Creamy Pumpkin Wallflowers by Bath and Body Works
473.  Old friends
474.  Oreo cookies
475.  Plumbers who show up quickly
476.  McDonald's Playland
477.  Reading glasses
478.  Other people who make lists like me
479.  A clean house
480.  Seasonal dish towels
481.  Quilt magazines
482.  Books on prayer that don't use guilt as a tool to help you pray more
483.  A crisp salad
484.  Children with braces
485.  Baby quilts
486.  Plants that bloom even when neglected
487.  The homes we grew up in
488.  Quiet country cemetaries
489.  Snow capped mountains in the distance
490.  The sound of ocean waves hitting shore
491.  Owls that hoot in the early mornings
492.  Chipmunks that scamper in my yard gathering nuts
493.  People who rake their yards instead of blowing the leaves off
494.  The scent of oranges
495.  Steel cut oats
496.  Hats on cold days
497.  The sight of a cross where you least expect it
498.  Memories of friends gone on ahead
499.  Circle skirts
500.  The sound a child makes when he's trying to sound like a car

Go Zebras!

When I was in high school in the early 60's our mascot was the zebra - The Pine Bluff High School Zebras.  And yes, we had mascots even in "olden times." 

Times were different then, but girls weren't.  We traveled in herds and we were very protective of each other.  If someone attacked one of us we circled up and loved on the one who was hurt, at the same time as we "brayed" at the offender.

I graduated 46 years ago but those friends still hold a corner of my heart.  This weekend 6 of them will come to my house for a weekend of laughter, whispered conversations in the dark, a glass of wine on the deck.  We will tell each other lies (you haven't changed a bit) and truths (I hated that guy you dated junior year), we will share tears over divorces, deaths, breast cancer, lymphoma, cheating husbands and weight gain that we can't blame on "that time of the month,"  and we'll talk until our voices get scratchy.  We'll confess to things we thought we'd never tell anyone in our whole lives, and we'll ask for advice we might or might not take.  We'll be fussed over and at and we'll love on each other.  We'll walk proudly into a restaurant, promptly put on our reading glasses, make multiple trips to the bathroom and remember when we could go from morning to night without even one trip (who wanted to go in the school bathrooms!), and agonize over whether to order the salad acting like we diet all the time or order the cheesecake and a side order of fries.  How do I know?  Because this isn't the first time we've done this.  Or the second. 

I never laugh as hard as I do when I'm with these women.  We're nothing alike, any of us.  But we're just alike, all of us.  We're tall and short, fat and skinny, married and divorced, wrinkled and....well, not quite as wrinkled.  We've walked some hard roads and some narrow paths.  We have so, so much in common, so many bonds.  We're all women and we're all Christians, we're all Pine Bluff High School Zebras, and we're all friends.  Sisters of the Heart - that's what we call ourselves.  And when we walk into that restaurant Saturday night we'll all wear shirts that say that because we're proud of it.  And of each other.  And besides, if we all dress alike none of us will get lost.  Reading glasses only work so far you know. 

I'm a Winter

The other day Madame Samm wrote a really interesting post about the seasons of our lives.  You can read it here.  Since I'm in the 50 and beyond category she says I'm in the winter of my life.  Others, depending on their ages, are either springs, summers, or falls.  I don't disagree with her at all - in fact, I think she's right on target.  I used to be afraid of winter.  I don't like the cold and I don't like the dark and that's what I thought it was.  But now that I'm here I see winter as sort of like a drive in the country and I think winter deserves a bit of explanation because a lot of people, when they hear winter, think of it like this:

Sort of like we're standing by the side of the road, most of our leaves gone, rather sparse old things, a bit blurry.  And it's true that our hair is thinner and some of us are a bit bent and we don't see as good as we used to.  But in truth it's more like this:

There are some unexpected spots of color that show up when you least expect it!  There's a lot of green there, and certainly a few brown leaves, but also some gold and orange and red.  Those are the times someone in the winter of their lives stands up on a stage and belts out a song that makes you cry, or walks to the front of the room in the senior citizen center and dances an incredible jitterbug, or signs up for a computer class or volunteers for a mission in Africa, or holds a sleeping grandchild on her lap or makes the most beautiful quilt you've ever seen.  Some of the most beautiful landscaped yards are done by winters and the best cookies are most certainly baked by winters and the most welcoming homes have a winter standing in the door beckoning you in.  You see, we've learned to let our pride go so we can embrace the best of ourselves.  We've learned that it doesn't matter if the furniture is dusted or the dishes washed...people don't care what our house looks like, they just want to feel welcomed and wanted.  And loved.  Loved first of all.

In all honesty we still have some mighty big curves in our lives.

You summers and falls think you have curves but ours are a bit closer and coming closer all the time.  We have health issues.  We sometimes can't bend over to tie our shoes so we've gone back to the springs we used to be and chosen shoes with velcro.  We have to run the confusing gauntlet of social security and medicare.  We are often shuffled aside by the summers and falls of our lives because of their busyness.  And we hear them saying it might be time to leave our homes and our things and our what-we've-done-forevers to live in a place where someone is always available to help and there will never again be any alone.  Alone is not a dirty word ya'll.  Oh, it might be a little scary to those of us who've never experienced it but when you  have your faith you're never really alone. We also know we still have a few  mountains to climb.

And they seem to be coming up fast.  There will come a day that I won't be able to drive any more.  And an even worse day when my hands won't let me sew any more.  I might not be able to hear well and diapers might show up in my shopping cart.  But we winters we're stronger than you think.  We know that right now we're in a beautiful peaceful place - far more beautiful than spring or summer or fall.  We feel like our lives are sort of like this:

We're a cool, shady place for you to rest when you're tired and need some loving.  We have mountains and valleys behind us that we can tell you about - things that will help you when you're crossing your own valleys or climbing your own mountains.  We have lots to offer to the springs and summers and falls that we know and love and to the ones we haven't met yet.

So, Madame Samm, you are so right and you said it so well.  You said, "you have more wrinkles to your smile".  If I might be so bold I would add that we have the most beautiful smiles and the laughter that comes straight from the belly and the joy that bubbles over and spills onto all those around us.  I see our joy in our blog posts and in our strolls through WalMart when we speak to everyone and admire the children, and I see our faith in our walks through the cemetary tending the graves of loved ones gone before us and I am so, so glad to be a winter.

Oreo Cookie Faces

There are no words to describe the relationship between a child and an Oreo.

A UFO Challenge

We've got this UFO challenge going on in my quilt guild.  We have to make a list of our UFOs and turn it in.  Every time we show 2 finished UFOs in the Show and Tell section of the meeting we get to pick a gift out of a basket of quilt type things.  And every time we show a finished UFO we get to put our name in a jar for a drawing that will take place next August.  The grand prize gift is a HUGE basket filled with fabric, patterns, notions, maybe even chocolate.  Or maybe I'm just hoping for chocolate.  The goal is to get lots of finished UFOs to show in our biannual quilt show next September.  I kind of misunderstood and turned in a list of 10 UFOs.  I thought 10 was all you could put on your list.  Really I did think that.  I'm sure someone told me that.  Or I dreamed it.  Anyway, we're not limited to 10 so I'm redoing my list.  Uh Oh.  I'm not sure Word will number that far.  I actually have finished two but I only showed one because I didn't want to show off.  Pride goeth before a fall you know.  Well, no that's not right.  I showed both but I didn't put both on the list.  Whatever.  This one:

is my favorite.  I love this redwork snowman - hand embroidery I might add.  I made a small wallhanging for this winter when things are drab and dark outside.  I don't think you can see it but I quilted (machine) stars in the border and stippled the white background.  He'll brighten things up a bit I bet.
And this one:

is my favorite.  Oops, I said that already.  But it's true - they're both my favorites.  I'm a mother so I learned how to do that a long time ago - have multiple favorites I mean.  This little Christmas mouse, which I showed you when I did the hand embroidery I think, I made into a bag.  It will make a cute "wrapping" for some Christmas candy or cookies I think.  Did you notice that I said hand embroidery twice?  I'm not bragging, I'm just sayin'.

Update on Previous Post

The other day, October 16 to be exact, I posted a question or three for you to answer.  If you missed it it's here.   Charlene S at  Geema's Wanderings said "If I could leap the tallest building, I wouldn't waste my time doing it. But leaping across the United States Quilt Shop to Quilt Shop would be a shop hop to remember."  Now that's a woman after my own heart!  I'm going to be sending Charlene a little gift.  Which I will make when I get home from babysitting with grandchildren.  As soon as I scrape the Oreo Cookie out of my hair and the Chicken Noodles off my sneakers and get the rollers out of my hair and the finger nail polish off my elbows.  They don't expect me to keep the house picked up, right?  Just make sure the children survive, right?

Edit:  It is the morning.  Early morning.  The two year old keeps crying for his mother.  The four year old insists on wearing plastic high heels across the laminate floor.  The eight year old wants to play school and wants the two little ones to march in line whether or not they want to.  And the toilets are overflowing.  I'm not kidding.

Looking For Me?

Looking for me?  I'm posting over here today.

Odds and Ends

1.  When I was at Sager Brown (mission trip) I frequented two quilt shops I found locally.  Well, about an hour away which is as good as local for a quilter.  One of them was The Borne Quilter in Lafayette, Louisiana.  It's a great shop with really nice people who were outgoing and friendly.  The husband of the woman who owns it writes their newsletter - under duress I think, but hey, whatever works.  Ya'll, he writes the most hilarious newsletter every single time.  I love his sense of humor and the way he talks about quilters and the shop.  You really should go read it - I promise you'll get a laugh out of it.  Just click on the link and then on Newsletter to get his take on the Houston Quilt Market.
2.  It's a rare occasion when I can't sleep but this was one of those times.  I hate when that happens.  Anyway, I'm up reading e-mails and thinking about that fabric from Riley Blake Designs that I won...when I got an e-mail from Kimbuktu at Fabric Fascination sending me this great link from Riley Blake Designs.  Look at this cute thing!

It's a zipper flower!  And in the middle...a vintage button.  :)  Want to know how to make it?  Here's the link.  I can't wait to try this - won't it be cute on a purse?  I am loving Riley Blake Designs more and more every day.  :)  They can surely send me fabric any time they want to!  And by the way, I have an idea for what I'm going to make - it's cooking.  Not done, just simmering.
3.  I told ya'll about buying a new car a couple of weeks ago.  Love it.  Love everything about it.  Especially OnStar.  I've never had that before so those of you who have can probably tell me all the benefits (feel free to do that because I don't want to miss a thing!) but I can tell you right now I love getting directions.  We have a GPS but I hate plugging that thing in and trying to find a place to put it because it keeps falling off the windshield, but with OnStar I just call the nice lady and tell her where I want to go and she sends me the directions.  I just want to go places so I can call her, she's so nice.  I started to call her and ask for directions to WalMart but since I go there several times a week I figured if I did that after a few times she'd recognize my voice.  But tomorrow I'm going to a friend's in another town to a stitching group so I'll call the nice lady for directions.  Yes I've been there before, a time or two.  Or Fourteen.  But she doesn't know that and besides I've already told you my memory doesn't always catch up with my brain so I might forget halfway there.  It could happen.
4.  While I was on the mission trip I ate in the cafeteria the whole time I was there.  I was faithful to walk every morning and tried hard to watch what I ate.  I made it to the last week without gaining weight but then all of a sudden there were 3 extra pounds showing up on the scale.  Now that doesn't sound like a big deal but I slaved for four months before I went on that trip to lose 20 pounds and I bought new pants two sizes smaller.  So three pounds can make a real difference in breathing or not breathing in those new pants.  And here's the part that has me worried.  I can't seem to get it off.  Oh, if I were back walking every day or counting points every day it would go...but I can't seem to get back in the rhythm of that.  This is bad, very bad.  What happens when you lose your rhythm - how do you get it back? 

Update On Blessing Number 464

Lest any of you be worried about how Christensen Wholesale got my name and address "by mistake" - they didn't.  It was me all the time!  (If this makes no sense to you, read the post below.)  This is the way it happened.  Over at Stash Manicure I won some Bliss fat quarters by Moda for agreeing to be a guest poster.  That looks funny doesn't it?  Not the kind of poster that goes on the wall, the kind that writes.  Anyway, Madame Samm told me I won and I was thrilled.  In a separate e-mail where we were exchanging information about the post I was going to write (October 21st, look for it ya'll) she mentioned the win again (or so I thought).  I had given her my address for the Bliss but I gave it to her again so I would be sure she had it - I wanted that Bliss!  What I didn't realize was that I'd won a second time....sort of.  I didn't really but my name and address went to Riley Blake Designs by mistake and they honored the mistake and sent me the fabric!  It's not often you see such nice people like that ya'll.  Madame Samm at Stash Manicure is just the sweetest thing.  If you haven't started reading that blog you really should - it has some great guest posters with information about stash busting that really makes sense.  And you should also go look at Riley Blake Designs too.  She not only has beautiful fabric but crocheted flowers, zippers by the yard, luscious ric-rac and all kinds of patterns, including the cutest kids clothing I've ever seen.  I keep telling people I didn't used to be a blonde (no offense intended!), but sometimes I am kind of ditzy.  It's because my memory doesn't keep up with my mind.  My memory seems to be in slow motion and my mind just races on ahead without it.  I don't exactly know when that started happening but if I slow down enough maybe I'll remember.  :)

Blessing Number 464

Ya'll know I'm working on One Thousand Blessings - a list of things I'm thankful for and have been blessed with in my life.  Well today one blessing is getting a whole post all by itself.  I suppose that indoor toilets should have had a whole post too because, face it, that's pretty darn significant.  But I couldn't honestly find a lot of things to say about indoor toilets that would have been "tasteful" so it just had a place on the list and I went on.  But this one, oh my, things like this just don't happen.  Not often and not to me.  Well, I'm really blessed all the time but you know what I mean.  It went like this.

The floor guys came today - and yes I'll do another post on that later so you can see what I chose - but that's not the blessing.  Well, of course it was A blessing but it wasn't THE blessing.  Anyway, I worked in the sewing room all day while they were here, just in case they needed me.  I don't know what they would have needed me for because I can't carry furniture or rip up carpet or scrape floors or paint on glue...but they might need a drink of water or something.  Turns out they didn't but I was definitely available.  All that's beside the point.  My husband got home about 1:00 from deer camp (no deer, missed the only one he shot at) and brought in a package that UPS left on the steps.  I never heard them...guess I was too busy being helpful.  It was from Christenson Wholesale in Utah.  I stood there and pondered what in the world it might be, double checked to be sure it was for me and sure enough there was my name and my address.  I knew I hadn't ordered anything.  Well, yes I had ordered 2 books just that morning but they were coming from Amazon and couldn't have come that quick.  The only thing to do was to open it.  So open it I did and this is what I found.

There are 21, count them, 21 fat quarters of Sweet Divinity by The Quilted Fish of Riley Blake Designs.  Gorgeous, every single fat quarter is gorgeous.  Beautiful colors.  I'm thinking already what I could make from them...and then it dawns on me.  I didn't order these.  You know I read somewhere once upon a time that when someone sends you something you didn't ask for and then tries to charge you for it you don't have to pay, you can just keep it.  I really did, I read that.  I remember reading it.  I swear.  However, I just couldn't.  I wanted to I confess.  But I couldn't.  So I looked them up online, found a phone number and called.

I talked to the sweetest lady named Collette (Hi Collette!) and explained that I didn't order this.  She said, "are you a quilt shop?"  Nope, I'm not a quilt shop.  I'd love to be a quilt shop if I could be a quilt shop, but nope not possible.  "Are you a designer?"  Nope, I'd love to be a designer but I have not one original thought in my head.  "Did you maybe enter a trivia contest and win this fabric?"  Nope, no trivia.  Bad memory so no trivia.  "Hmmm" she says, let me call you back.  Five minutes later she called me back and said, "Marlene, this is your lucky day!"  It seems they have a designer who's first name is Marlene and they sent me her fabric by mistake.  "Just make something pretty and blog something nice about us" she said.  I asked how they got my last name and address but she didn't have a clue.  Oh my goodness.  If I weren't so excited about getting to keep 21 fat quarters of this scrumptious fabric I might be worried about that.  No time to worry though...it's time to feel the fabric, imagine it in a quilt, and say something nice about Christensen Wholesale.  I love them.  :)

If I Were...

If I were able to leap tall buildings I wouldn't do it.  Why did Superman?  Remember that introduction they used to do for him on the television show?  Can't get it out of my head today.  :)  But here's a question or three for you:
1.  If you could fly, physically fly, where would you fly to first?
2.  If you were strong enough to bend an iron bar what would you do that you don't do now?
3.  And if you had ordered an Accuquilt Go! Cutter what quilt would you be planning to make first?

I ordered one and this is what I'm thinking might be first.  :) 

What does Superman have to do with this post?  Absolutely nothing.  Except I really would be interested in your answers to those 3 questions!  There could even be a little gift attached to the most interesting answer. Hmmm, wonder what it might be?

Fall Into Fall Giveaway

It's time ya'll - it's October 15 and time to announce the winner!!!  In my blog I told you someone would win this:

I added a few things to it....

I've included a copy of "my" book (it's a collection of short stories about quilters and I wrote one of the stories!), a pumpkin table mat pattern and 4 spools of thread for stitching it, a pink wool needle keep I made, a kit for some wool Christmas ornaments, a pattern for a very quick quilt from Fancy Girl Designs, a Schnibbles pincushion I made, a sweet little quilt stencil and 4 notecards that the receiver can plant - they have flower seeds in them!  That should sweeten the purse a little.  :) 

And now for the winner - I had my husband pick a number and he chose #113.  Wouldn't you know it - now I have to count down the comments all the way to 115.  :)  And the winner is:

Cindy at Kitsune Quilts - congratulations!  Cindy I've e-mailed you so be looking for it.  If you don't get it please e-mail me (address on my profile) so I can get your information.

One Thousand Blessings - Day Thirteen

For those of you who've asked what happened to the blessings list - I just needed to take a minute to breathe and ponder.  For those of you new to this blog I recently, well maybe not so recent any more, started a list of one thousand things I was thankful for.  It ranges from the very basic of running water, indoor toilets and toilet paper to the frivolous polka dot fabric.  We take so much for granted in our lives.  Millions of people don't have clean water or indoor toilets, our forefathers certainly didn't have toilet paper and polka dot fabric, well what can I say, everyone should have a bolt or two!  I continue where I left off:

426.  Painter's Tape
427.  Tiny little rollers for painting
428.  Ladders that are too heavy for me to move which means hubby has to do the painting
429.  New cars
430.  Seat warmers in new cars
431.  Separate temperature controls in new cars (can you tell I love my new car?)
432.  Grandchildren who have no doubt that when you pick them up you will have cookies for snacks and Toaster Strudel and PopTarts for breakfast even when you burn the roast for dinner
433.  Grandchildren who understand that when you pick them up in a new car you will not be stopping at Sonic
434.  The sound of leaves when you walk in them in the fall
435.  The sound of acorns falling on the neighbor's tin roof
436.  Temperatures that let you open your windows, even at night
437.  Early morning walks when your hands get cold but the air is sweet to breathe
438.  Swiffer Sweeper Vacuums
439.  Something you ordered being delivered several days earlier than they promised
440.  Windows Live Writer
441.  The picture of my mother-in-law laughing that's on my desk - I miss her
442.  Yarnell's Guilt Free Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
443.  Fresh haircuts
444.  Jergens Lotion, original scent
445.  My daughter's dog not having to have surgery
446.  Hearing the birds outside my window
447.  Early morning phone calls from my sister
448.  Bluetooth in my car
449.  High school friends who still remember my birthday and still send a card
450.  Amazon.com
451.  Finding new blogs to read and love
452.  Remembering how to make the ° sign on my computer (kind of complicated!)
453.  John Wesley's Rules of Life
454.  Finding a good book to listen to in the car
455.  Sleeping in my own bed after being away for four months
456.  Mattress warmers
457.  Doctor's office nurse who sends you a card to give you test results when she can't get you on the phone
458.  The beginning of deer season
459.  The end of the election season (it will end right?  please?)
460.  Mark Harmon - I think I might have said this before - I think I might say this again later :)
461.  Bloggers who are generous with their gifts, their comments, their advice, their time
462.  The U.S. Post Office (yes you heard me right - where would we be without it?)
463.  Moda Bliss fabric

Finally – Potted Geraniums

Do you ever have days when you feel like you’re just going from one thing to another to another?  Me too!  Today was one of those days – it started out with this:

I was there by 8:00 this morning, spent over, well let’s just say over my budget, only to get to the car and find I didn’t have the Diet Dr. Peppers I had paid for.  I went all the way back in to the service desk, all the way to the very back of the store to get another carton and back to my car.  You know the best part?  A good part of my exercise for the day was done – you gotta’ love that.  :)

Back home, unload, put away, change clothes and spend a couple of hours doing this:

The sunroom/den needed to be painted before the new floor is put in next week.  It has really high ceilings that require a ladder.  I can’t pick up our ladder, let alone climb it – it’s really heavy because it’s one of those kind that remind me of the robot toys that you turn this way and that and they become something else…know what I mean?  So I taped all the parts from about my eye level down and my husband did the top.  There’s really not much wall to paint in here because 3 walls are brick and most of the 4th is a rock fireplace.  And on the wall part are 4 windows and 2 patio doors.  Lots of taping.  Lots and lots of taping.  And more taping.  And then he painted while I supervised.  :)  Oh and “we” painted it Faded Burlap.  Really, that was the name of it.  You can see it, can’t you?

Next up:

I got to pick up two of my grandchildren from school.  In my new car.  Sometimes after school we stop at Sonic for slushies.  Not today.  Not in my new car.  I substituted Chips Ahoy and milk when we got home.  Blame me?

Time for supper:

Mexican Soup – this is so good and so easy you won’t believe it.  Want the recipe?  I knew you would:

2 cans Campbells White and Wild Rice Soup

1 can Chicken Broth

1 can Rotel Tomatoes

1 family size chicken – chopped

Heat and eat!  Of course you want to sprinkle some grated cheese on top, and maybe some chopped green onions, a dollop of sour cream and some crumbled chips.  My husband loves this and he hates soup!

Finally I got to work on this:

 

This is Potted Geraniums from Primitive Gatherings.  Aren’t those colors wonderful.  Honestly, their wools are to die for – hand dyed, soft and really spectacular to stitch on.

You know time is almost up for the Fall Into Fall Giveaway.  If you haven’t entered you’re gonna’ want to so go here to do that.

Beauty vs. Functionality – Where Do You Stand?

I’ve been looking at sewing rooms for some time now – magazines, books, online, pretty much everywhere.  I’ve gotten lots of good ideas from the articles and pictures and tips I’ve read.  I’ve seen some beautiful sewing rooms that I just want to clone and put in my house.  I’d love to have a cabinet like this one in Heather Bailey’s Studio. 

And how about a computer corner like this one in Murphy’s Studio?

But I’ve decided I’m just grateful that I have a room to sew in because I know lots of women who don’t.  Lots of you out there are sewing in a corner of the dining room, or you’ve got it all in a closet and have to drag it out every time you want to stitch a little, or maybe you’ve taken half the guest room and have to clean it all up when you have company.  :(

I use the smallest bedroom in our house and I have it stuffed full.  So full that it’s overwhelming to me right now.  I’ve worked several days this week trying to organize and declutter.  It’s getting better and it’s definitely more functional, which has replaced beautiful as my goal.  I started on these shelves and went through everything.  Everything.  I love my old PE baskets because I can see everything but the fabric is exposed to light and that is worrisome.  All of those baskets contain a UFO.  Well, not all because some have fat quarters in them and when I finish all the UFOs I want fat quarters in them all.  And yes, I have enough fat quarters to fill them up.

Unfortunately my design wall is also covered with UFOs.  I stopped counting at 40 because I was too…well, overwhelmed comes to mind and so does embarrassed.  Some of them just need binding, some need quilting, some need blocks put together.  Some will be quickly done but some will be pretty involved.  And I didn’t count the kits I have in drawers.  But I’m focused now.  Right, focused.  I’m determined, yes I am.  Help me out here ya’ll – I can finish those UFOs in 3 months, right?  Four?  Oh my.

I took everything out of this closet and started over.  Those are Christmas wallhangings that are hanging on the right and other seasonal decorations on the left.  I have large pieces of leftover batting in the big basket – they’ll be big enough for small pieces but not big quilts.  I have embroidery things in the small basket, ready to be stitched.  And that’s fusible fleece on the shelf.  I use it making bags – like the one I’m giving away here.

I put my batting up on the shelf next to the ceiling so I could check it easily when I need one, or when I see them on sale.  I mixed a little fabric in there to add a little color.  My feeble attempt to decorate a little! And over by my design wall I put bins with lace, rickrack, ribbon and other notions like that so they’ll be easy to get to.

Have you noticed something’s missing?  Fabric for one thing!  It’s in a closet and I have 4 shelves all neat and organized but the floor is full of fabric spilling over like Niagara Falls!  And where do I iron?  Couldn’t show you that either because I have tubbies under the ironing table overflowing with my wool fabric and my scraps.  And then there’s the cutting table.  It’s really cabinets with a countertop.  I’ve cleaned out two of the four cabinets.  Someday, maybe in a week or two I’ll be able to say I’ve gotten through those too and I’ll take pictures.  For now, I’m ready to sew!

I found this great fabric that glows in the dark.  :)

I prepped it all today and will make Trick or Treat Bags (a smaller version of the Everything Bag I’m giving away) for some very small children I know.  :)

This Is The Day…

This is the day that, 46 years ago, I said “I do”.  I didn’t have a clue what that meant – I was far too young to realize that it meant way more than love.  It meant love for sure, but it also meant days when the dirty diapers, the piled up bills, the unmade beds, the exhausting nights with throwing up babies, the misunderstandings and the crying kids swallowed up the memories of why I was saying I do!  After the ups and the downs of life I’ve learned that love isn’t just a feeling, it’s a decision.  It was the best decision I ever made and I’d make the same one again.  So what do you think we did to celebrate those 46 years?
First we walked.  We walked 2.4 miles to be exact.  He listened to a sports talk show on his radio and I listened to a book on my IPod.  Sometimes we took off the earphones and talked.  Not much talking though.
Then, after we showered and dressed, we went to the doctor.  It wasn’t quite this drastic but it’s a cute picture, don’t you think?  Together we went to the doctor.  Same room, same time.  He said, she said.  No secrets.  It’s too late for secrets after 46 years.
Remember this – that I bought on Monday?  As we left home this morning a light came on.  It’s a new car so it’s bound to have a few glitches.  I know that.  I understand that.  We dropped by the dealers to get it checked.  Three hours later they gave it back to us and told us to come back tomorrow.  It has a wire that isn’t connected or is pinched or whatever.  They have to “follow” it and it’s complicated and they need to keep it a while.  They need to keep it the better part of the day.  And I’m ok with all of that.  But we spent three hours of our anniversary sitting in the “lounge” of the dealership. 
Next – back to the Floor Store where we returned all of the samples I had gotten earlier in the week.  Rejected samples.  Didn’t keep any of them.  I can’t do tile – it’s cold and hard and it’s not me.  I didn’t like the laminate.  We can’t afford wood.  We’re looking at LVT – Luxury Vinyl Tile that looks like laminate to me but isn’t.  It’s really not that important; it’s just a floor.
Outback….dinner…steak…shrimp…good food, good company, just him and me.
Last?  Home, where I baked these for him to take to the deer camp with him tomorrow.  I’m on a diet.  I can’t eat these pies even though I want to.  But I baked them.  Why?  Because 46 years later I’m still saying I do and still having good days even when they’re like today.  And I'd happily say I Do all over again for 46 more years.  :)
 

I Could Use Some Advice!

I have a problem.  I have been for the last two days looking at options for new floors in my home.  I pretty much know I need tile in my “sunroom” because that’s where we come in out of the back yard/lake area.  The grandbabies will have wet, dirty feet.  The salesman, who is a good friend, says porcelain.  My friend says it will be slippery when wet.  Anybody know?  What do you have?  I’ll probably put the same thing in my kitchen so how is it with spills?  I don’t want to fall and bust my bottom!  

 

And for my living/dining/bedroom I want laminate.  I think.   Laminate vs “engineered wood” – any experience?  Dark vs light – opinions?  I don’t really like light wood much but lean toward a medium oak because I don’t want dark either.  What shows dirt the most?  Smudges?  Lint/dust?  Anybody?  Please?

 

I can’t think too hard about this because yesterday I bought this:

And I just want to go for a drive!  With my seat warmers on high.  :)  Can you say warm baby!

And besides, I need to be cleaning out this:

I don’t need to be worrying about floors – I have no time for that.  It’s sewing I need to be doing!  Or driving.  Sewing…driving…sewing…driving.  Help!