beanie g

oreo cupcakes

2012-02-02T19:57:00.004-05:00

My husband brought home a cupcake that looked like this (only it was wrapped in tin foil and looked as if he had tried to not let anything happen to it). It was delicious.

It probably helps to know that we're a pretty chocolate-loving family

(except for my oldest, who'd rather eat chips ... I like chips too).

And, at our house Oreos are a staple.

Maybe if I didn't buy them, we wouldn't eat them. Bahhahha.

I set to the task of recreating the recipe (and I didn't even look on the Internet).

It was really easy.

To make these tasty treats, do this:

Mix up a chocolate cake mix as directed.

Have a kid in your house (or you) drop a full-sized Oreo into the bottom of each paper cupcake liner.

Put the cake batter in the cupcake liner as usual.

Bake normal time.

Make some type of white frosting (I made butter cream).

Crush up some mini-Oreos
(I guess you could use regular size, but we chose not to waste them like that).

Frost cupcakes.

Garnish with a teeny-tiny Oreo
(you know, the ones where you have to eat the whole bag).

This is what happened to them at our house:

We'll be making them for the Super Bowl this weekend.

(And, yes, we used Halloween cupcake liners in January. Better than Easter ones.)

What treats does your family enjoy for the Super Bowl?

block exchange swooning

2012-02-01T10:41:00.001-05:00

I'm a participant in a cool block exchange group that I've blogged about MANY times before.

One of the reasons that I like it is that we meet in person.

We share a meal.

We laugh.

We listen.

We talk (there's a lot of talking).

We make each other's blocks.

This year, our group's organizer, Ruth, is moving to Minnesota.

It's her home.

It's a great opportunity.

It's near her family.

We'll miss her terribly.

And, although we will still meet in person,

we are moving pictures and posts to an online home:

block exchange bonanza.

With some help from a little girl (who doesn't think she's little),

we started a blog for the block exchange.

I've chosen to do my Swoon (Pattern by Camille Rosekelley) quilt as my block exchange this year,

not because I'm trying to torture people (I'm really not).

But because I really want these blocks to get into wonderful quilts,

and that's all I ever get from my block exchange friends:

Wonderful quilts (and much, much more)!

new machine

2012-01-30T00:25:00.001-05:00

One of my goals for 2012 was to get a new machine.

Specifically, I was looking for a Janome. So I did a quick search

Craigslist and found one.The owner (now former owner)

was a lovely woman willing to part with this machine.

It's a Janome Quilter's Expression and is very easy to use.

Although I haven't spent a ton of time sewing on it (about 4 hours so far),

I really like it.With a 1/4-inch foot, I'm totally in business

(all the gals in my block exchange will be happy too).

It also came with a walking foot.

Probably the best thing is that I met another quilter,

who obviously loves the craft and wants others too as well.

One resolution for 2012: check.

Thanks, Susan!

eye chart

2012-01-16T20:36:00.002-05:00

There are few people in this world for whom I would answer 'yes' to a

Dec. 5 text that says 'would you make Bill a quilt for Christmas?'

My sister is definitely one of them.

A new-found phenomenon, I'll admit, because when we were young I'd have stepped over her on the street (okay, maybe not, but I defintely would have pushed her down).

That's why kids grow up, so we can be best friends.

And so, I said of course I can make Bill (her fiancee) a quilt for Christmas.

Wait, Christmas 2011? Whoa.

We first had to decide on colors.

Orange. That's his favorite color.

Okay but the first fabric stack I showed her included orange, teal and gray.

Not working for her.

What was I thinking?

I did what any sister does. I called my mom.

'How about navy?' my mother suggested.

'Just like Syracuse.' I could hear her laughing.

And the Bears ... and Illinois ... and they live in Chicago.

I'm saying this aloud: My mother was right.

I started with this for inspriation: from Ashley's blog, but since the quilt was

in fact for Christmas 2011, I cut some corners (or sashing).

My plan was to do an off-centered 9-patch with a large piece of the coordinating fabrics next to them.

That didn't work like I thought it would. It needed to be a queen-sized quilt.

Hmmm. Insert me doing math around midnight or maybe it was 1 a.m.

It wasn't really pretty: It involved a calculator and me thinking ... 'I'll just press the #@$% out of it.'

Yeah, that'll work.

Eventually, it DID work. And, although it's not yet quilted ... it will be soon ...

it's nearly done, and will only be six weeks late.

I'm dubbing it 'Eye Chart' since Bill is an optometrist and it reminds me of any eye chart.

Fabrics: Scott Hansen's Blogger's Choice from Fat Quarter Shop

Solids: Navy, not sure what, or who, my LQS had it available.

Couple others from my stash ...

Yes, it needs ironing (done).

This is one of my favorite fabrics. Bill loves fishing, and I thought this fit him pretty well.

I grabbed the measurements, so I'll post a tutorial on this pretty soon.

not-so-square granny

2012-01-04T09:47:00.000-05:00

Here's the second quilt that I did on my friend Wendy's long-arm machine

(and the second-ever long-arm project that I've ever done).

It goes into the 2011 finishes (and was started WAAAAAAY before that).

It was a quilt kit by Tammy Tadd which I originally saw on HGTV's Simply Quilts.

(Yes, that long ago.)

It's paper pieced and I used it as a block one year for Ruth's Block Exchange.

We don't do paper piecing anymore ... somebody had to figure that out.

It's done, and that's that.

organic bricks

2012-01-03T08:25:00.001-05:00

This is one of my 2011 finishes

(doesn't matter when it was started, but I think it was 2010).

It's all done with Birch Fabrics, Circa 50's, an organic fabric.

It's also the first quilt that I quilted on a long-arm machine. My friend, Wendy, is an awesome long-arm quilter and when I asked to learn, she said yes. (She's an awesome friend too.)

Anywhoo, there aren't any puckers in the backing, which is good for the first time out.

I went with an overall loopy pattern (because it's all that's in my cadre of

long-arm quilt patterns that I can do myself).

I gave this one to another friend, Mary, whose friendship I would

certainly be the less without, and whose kids are

the cutest ever (her hubby's a peach too).

PS If you came here for the awesome photos, you're obviously lost. I didn't pay attention to light and shadow in photography class ... oh, wait, I didn't take a photography class!

hands around the christmas tree

2012-01-02T09:12:00.000-05:00

These are the hands we've added to our Christmas tree skirt over the years. It's one of those things, not sure how I came up with it, or why, but I'm glad I did, especially this year.

I thought that this year the kids might balk at it, thinking that tracing their hand on Christmas fabric would be too dorky. I told them that if they wanted to stop doing it, they could.

They didn't, and I even let them choose out of the 'good' Christmas fabric.

(Really, what am I saving it for?)

I took some pictures of each kid's hand over the years to see how much they've grown.

It's absolutely incredible that we've been blessed with these happy, healthy children.

And, I'm looking forward to watching them grow in 2012.

catch up

2012-01-01T14:32:00.000-05:00

Here's a little catch up, my poor little blog has been suffering the consequences of its owner biting off more than she could chew for Christmas sewing.
Some of the projects included (NOT to be sung to the tune of the 12 days of Christmas, but took me longer than the 12 days preceeding Christmas):
1-commission quilt for my sister's husband-to-be (not finished)
1-scarf for my bff
1-purse for my other bff
2-American girl outfits for my nieces
2-little girl, matching-their-American girl outfits for my nieces
3-purses for a friend to give to his sisters and mom
3-messenger bags for friends to give to their daughters
4-gift bags for holding gifts

Photos follow (there aren't photos for everything ... somethings just are done and out too quickly):

3-purses for a friend to give to his sisters and mom

2-little girl, matching-their-American girl outfits for my nieces

first now + snow day

2011-12-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

We had our first snow earlier this week and it lead to a day off of school thanks to so much snow.

As the two younger ones played outside in the snow at night, building a snowman,

laying on their backs looking up at the snow covered trees and anticipating a possible day off,

I thought about how we view the same things so differently.

My thoughts:

I hope the roads are good enough for Matt and Costa to get home from basketball practice. What if there is a snow day tomorrow, how are we going to swing that with work? Where are the #@$% snow pants, and aren't there ANY gloves that match in this house?

Maybe we can squeeze Thomas' foot into last year's boots, where are those boots?

Maybe they should come inside that snow looks like it's bending the trees,

what if a branch falls onto the house?

Or the kids in the backyard? I should heat the water for hot cocoa, did I buy hot cocoa?

Did Costa eat dinner before he went to practice?

Can I dry that Ana's new winter coat in the dryer,

probably should have checked that before I bought it.

Athough I didn't do any scientific research, I'm pretty sure my kids were thinking this:

This is AWESOME! Roll that giant snow ball over here!

We are definitely NOT having school tomorrow!

This is AWESOME!

I hope we have hot cocoa!

This is AWESOME!

I caught myself somewhere between the hot cocoa and snowpants thought (worry)

and looked outside at the beauty of the season. The waiting that we're doing right now.

And for a minute (maybe two) I did enjoyed the quiet that the snow brings,

okay, not in my backyard, but overall.

It was nice while it lasted

(until the next morning when I was shoveling 8 inches of snow out of the driveway).

guest blogger: AnaKate

2011-11-27T18:39:00.000-05:00

Today, we have a post from a guest blogger, AnaKate.

She's been working on a few projects and we decided to list them in my etsy store.

And, yes, she's my daughter!

Okay well, I am new to all of this blog and Etsy stuff. I make beaded things like earrings and bookmarks.You can see and even buy my stuff in Etsy! My design name 'little bean' is very close to my mom's, but my dad calls me little bean so I decided to go with that. I think my stuff that I make isn't even close to as good as my mom's but it's pretty cool. The earrings are very fun, cool and funky!

Thank You,

little bean

happy halloween

2011-10-30T20:08:00.000-04:00

This little guy greets guests at our house during October.

He's made from felt and a tomato cage.

A friend had one of these, with lights added to the tomato cage, so he would light up.

I traced the ghost shape onto felt, sewed it together and made a cute face.

I didn't add the lights. We have enough stuff that plugs in.

Happy Halloween!

daughter's choices

2011-10-26T15:56:00.000-04:00

After making this bag, my daughter said she wanted a new one for school.

So she picked her fabrics for the outside (including patches from an old pair of her jeans).

And, she picked fabrics for the interior.

And, she picked fabrics for the outside.

I don't always agree with or like her fabric choices.

I do, however, love her a lot.

So she got all that she wanted without me inserting any of my own opinions.

She uses it as an overnight bag ... not a school bag, like I thought she would.

And still, my mouth is shut (mostly).

drygoods design online

2011-10-24T23:39:00.000-04:00

I ordered some fabric from a new-to-me shop drygoods design online.

In addition to the good prices, the fabric arrived quickly,

with a note and a 10% off coupon for my next order.

Oh, did I mention they're doing FREE shipping until the end of the year?

That helps.

facebook give-a-way

2011-10-23T10:27:00.000-04:00

I did a give-a-way to get some fans for my beanieg facebook fan page.

This is the purse I gave away to Alice.

Alice, it's on the way! Enjoy.

shop update, aprons and classics

2011-10-12T22:34:00.000-04:00

After a very long while, I finally updated my Etsy shop.

Etsy's made some improvements to how you upload pictures, which I love, much easier.

In other news ... we're suddenly and not surprisingly nearly addicted to MeTV.

It has all classics, like Taxi, the Odd Couple, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Hawaii Five-O and many, many others ... this is fun.

who gives a hoot ... diaper bag

2011-10-06T08:32:00.000-04:00

This is a diaper bag that I made for a friend to give to another friend.

Not sure if the gifting is complete, so I don't want to say too much.

The polka dot is a shower curtain from Target (the fabric ones make great bags) and the corduroy is a print from JoAnn's. I bought it last fall or winter, but I saw it there again this fall.

The owl applique just seemed like it should be there.

I'm still working on applique (machine and hand) and patience.

Evidently they go together.

summer time sherbet

2011-10-04T23:23:00.000-04:00

My daughter's bff, Lilly, wanted a new school bag.

Middle school is, afterall, a pretty big deal.

(I wouldn't know, we did K-8 in one school and traded teachers in 6-8 grades.)

Lilly picked her fabric.

I didn't have quite enough of the 'sherbet' fabric with the pink background.

So I prepared to punt with another polka dot.

I happened to run by a LQS and find the 'sherbet' fabric with a peachy background

and added it to the mix.

I loved quilting this because I just mimicked the design of the fabric.

Seems to work. Word is she uses it and appreciates all the room for her homework.

Middle school = a big deal (with a lot of homework).

winner

2011-10-04T07:53:00.000-04:00

Winner is #5 ... Linda.

I'll keep it warm for you until next week!

If you want to read more about this guy, you can check out my friend Mary's blog.

ruth's block exchange: part 4 (and a giveaway)

2011-09-30T14:56:00.000-04:00

So this is the final part of Ruth's Block Exchange Wrap Up.

I don't think I had pictures of everyone's blocks (like I think I missed Roxie's).

This one is Ruth's. It's a Christmas quilt.

We made the square-in-a-square blocks, Ruth made the lighter ones.

I love block exchange for a million reasons:

I always end up making a quilt

(even if it's not for me, and, yes, 17 blocks IS a quilt ... or can be);

I love that it's a great chance to eat great food (of course we have a potluck)

and sometimes I even get there for dinner.

I love that there are as many different quilters in our group as there are quilters in this world: appliquers, hand-sewers, machine sewers, people who like reproduction fabric, modern fabrics, arty quilters, traditional ... everything. I love that whenever I have a question (mostly about quilting) but sometimes about kids, parenting or anything, I trust these women to give me answers ... and they do.

And, now, for the give-a-way:

I pulled fabrics (or similar fabrics) that I used in everyone else's blocks

(11 fabrics in all) and am giving them away.

The smallest piece of fabric is about 8X10," largest pieces are fat quarters.

Leave a comment on this post, and I'll pick a winner on Monday, Oct. 3.

ruth's block exchange 2011: part 3 wrap up

2011-09-29T16:41:00.000-04:00

This is part 3 of Ruth's Block Exchange 2011 Wrap Up.

These blocks are Carol's. Not difficult to make, a lot of pieces and a cool idea for sashing, no?

(see the piano keys at the top?)

Carol always has a great block for us, must be the teacher in her.

She knows more about sewing than anyone I know.

In fact, I bought my sewing machine from her. I use it all the time

and have only recently thought of replacing it (shhhh, don't tell the machine).

This one is Linda's. It's almost all together.

We made blocks from four batiks and some black squares.

It's a super effect, and the stars really pop out.

I think Linda should call this one 'Almost Amish.'

It has that Amish quilt feel to it (and is likely the closest

thing she'll ever make to an Amish quilt).

These are a few of Bonnie's blocks. The entire quilt will be very scrappy.

Of course she has more blocks, but we used these since she couldn't make the meeting.

Lisa's quilt is a Christmas quilt (obvious? maybe).

We each made two of these churn dash with a star inside blocks.

They're 8.5 inches finished, which means that the four star points are 1.5 inches square.

That is small.

And, not my favorite thing to do: work with teeny pieces.

However, this block was pretty easy and could be set on point as well.

Lisa's plan is to use the Grinch panels combined with the churned stars.

I'm sure it will be very cool, very much like the quilter Lisa.

This concludes part 3 of Ruth's Block Exchange 2011 Wrap Up.

Last part AND a give-a-way: tomorrow.

ruth's block exchange 2011: wrap up part 2

2011-09-27T18:46:00.000-04:00

This month was the last meeting of Ruth's Block Exchange for 2011.

This is part 2 of the wrap up. Not sure how many parts it'll take to

wrap it all up, but I'll let you know when it's the end.

Terry asked everyone to choose a musical for her very musical daughter, Erin.

(The same Erin who somehow grew into a lovely young woman and goes to college now.

This is the same Erin who was little when I started with this group.)

So, Erin loves musicals and we picked from a list. I chose RENT, although I've never seen it. Truth be told, I haven't seen many musicals. Working to correct that each year though either by bringing the kiddos or my husband (guess who likes to go more).

This one is Beth's. It was a very easy block that packs a lot of punch.

So many ways this one could go, in terms of design.

Beth is an author and a blogger (Quilt Doctor). She knows a TON about quilting (and I try to get some of that info to rub off on me every time I see her). Currently, I'm reading and working through her book: Block by Block to put together one of my current UFO's.

This is Georgia's block, which, for me, was due in September.

Yes, this month (no rules about finishing more than 15 minutes before the deadline).

There are a lot of pieces in this block, and it's quite big.

I do love the overall effect of the blocks together.

It's in the running for my 2012 Block Exchange, different colors, but definitely in the running.

Also, no rules about using someone else's block the next year.

Though if someone decided to do a Lavender Pie block, there might be a revolt. It's a long story.

This is Jan's. We completed two blocks for Jan's quilt.

The 'on-point' square in a square and the four-patch.

At first, Jan didn't like these blocks together but she added the sashing and

the really fabulous border, both of which pulled this into a work of art.

Jan is presenting a program during next month's guild meeting about her GIANT bike ride

(from Florida to California, not even kidding.)

I can't wait to see the pictures and hear her talk about it. She has a great sense of humor.

This concludes part 2 of the Ruth's Block Exchange 2011 Wrap Up.

Check back tomorrow for more!

ruth's block exchange 2011: wrap up part 1

2011-09-26T23:07:00.000-04:00

This month was the last meeting of Ruth's Block Exchange for 2011.

Theoretically, we all have our blocks (I think we do, I never count).

And some have begun deciding on putting the quilts together, some already have them together

and others are clearing out space on their UFO shelf for their blocks (me).

Because I took so many pictures and they're taking f o r e v e r to load, I'm doing this in parts. Not sure how many, but I'll let you know when it's the end.

drumroll ... please:

Daisy's self-described 'last king-sized quilt.' Daisy, 84, has been a member of Ruth's Block Exchange since before I was a member (I think a long time before that).

You might guess that she's a big fan of brown.

She said she's looking to do the piano key border you can see on the right

(or the bottom, depending on which way your head is turned).

Several of us were trying to talk her into a thin blue or turquoise strip before the keys.

This one is part of Louise's. She's already got a few other pieces of it together.

Louise is one of those people who puts things together and gets them done (and they look amazing).

She collects orphan blocks and turns them into quilts.

Just tonight she showed me a quilt made of some orphans that I gave her.

(I'm counting that as a done project for both of us.)

Cindy's quilt is together.

She's a member of the Habitat for Humanity Board and always

makes quilts to donate the H for H.

This one will be a quilt for a Habitat family.

I loved that although you didn't notice the mirrored colors

right away, (orange block, blue, purple and red lines)

I immediately noticed them when I looked at the picture.

This is Dorothy's quilt. We did the rose blocks last year (2010) and the green and white this year.

It's a DeLoa Jones pattern, and is completely lovely (just like Dorothy).

The blocks are much easier to piece than they look, but the

look is just stunning, don't you think?

This concludes part 1 of Ruth's Block Exchange 2011 wrap up.

Tune in tomorrow for another installment.

some thoughts ... for no particular reason

2011-09-07T16:31:00.000-04:00

One of my husband's colleagues sent him these thoughts.

I thought they were worth passing along ...

It's Not Easy

Let's be honest. Ethics is not for wimps.

It’s not easy being a good person.

It’s not easy to be honest when it might be costly, to play fair when others cheat, or to keep inconvenient promises.

It’s not easy to stand up for our beliefs and still respect differing viewpoints.

It’s not easy to control powerful impulses, to be accountable for our attitudes and actions,

to tackle unpleasant tasks, or to sacrifice the now for later.

It’s not easy to bear criticism and learn from it without getting angry, to take advice, or to admit error.

It’s not easy to feel genuine remorse and apologize sincerely, or to accept apologies graciously and truly forgive.

It’s not easy to stop feeling like a victim, to resist cynicism, or to make the best of every situation.

It’s not easy to be consistently kind, to think of others first, to judge generously, or to give the benefit of the doubt.

It’s not easy to be grateful or to give without concern for reward or gratitude.

It’s not easy to fail and still keep trying, to learn from failure, to risk failing again, to start over,

to lose with grace, or to be glad of another’s success.

It’s not easy to look at ourselves honestly and be accountable, to avoid excuses and rationalizations,

or to resist temptations.

No, being a person of character isn’t easy. That’s why it’s such a lofty goal and an admirable achievement.

first day of school 2011-12

2011-09-06T13:30:00.002-04:00

Away we go on grades 7, 6 and 3.

Ever since my daughter's kindergarten year when she started crying in the lunchroom because it was too loud, I've taken the first day of school off of work.

It's always a mix of me doing the happy mom dance:

"Any cleaning I do will stay that way for more than 15 minutes."

And the melancholy mom: "Where did the summer (last 12 years, etc.)

go and why do they have to get so big so fast?"

In fact, when my 8-year-old suggested that I find another mom to talk to when we got to his school,

I realized that my kids can do most of this stuff on their own.

Walking to school, to the bus, finding their friends, classes and meeting teachers, yep,

they can do that part on their own.

I'm not whining about how my kids don't need me. They do. Seriously, who else would knock herself out to make sure ALL the laundry in the house was done before school started.

(I'm sure my 8-year-old is very concerned about the mophead being clean, right?)

My kids need me and my husband for the more difficult stuff: Limits on phone, Internet, television and video games, who they can hang out with, what classes they should take (remember they're in middle school), what time to go to bed, driving to practice, and much more.

Let's face it, the days of diapers and naps are long gone, as are the reading me a story at night

(though they all still appreciate that).

Our job as parents gets tougher by the day.

It's not about waking for a 2 a.m. feeding.

It's about staying awake until 2 a.m. wondering if the schedule of classes will be right.

It's not about how early they wake up.

It's about waking them up early enough to make the bus.

It's not about feeding them 12 times a day.

It's about helping them make good decisions about friends, food and fun.

There aren't three kids with whom I'd rather ride this roller coaster

but given the choice, I'd rather change diapers.

back on track

2011-08-31T20:18:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe it's been more than a month since my last post.

THAT was unintended.

HOWEVER,

we did manage to fit house cleaning, vacation, back-to-school shopping, house cleaning, work, art camp, swimming, sleepovers, growing up, house cleaning and something else ... into that month. Seems like enough.

Back to school, back on track, back to reality, normal, whatever you call it, IT is here.

This is a bag I made for a friend's daughter who's starting her sophomore year.

She brought me a bag from American Eagle that she used last year and we talked about some adjustments that she wanted: zipper on the top, bright colors.

She picked out all the fabrics, which was great.

We've got another in the works for my Ana, who's headed off to middle school next week.

Hardly seems possible that this baby girl:

has somehow morphed into this 11 year old lady:

I'm still in awe.

modern barn quilt paint along

2011-07-28T08:07:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Heather of Olive and Ollie for hosting the Modern Barn Quilt Paint Along.

She featured a bunch of people who painted blocks.

Nice to be in such great company. Check out Heather's post here.

These are the other two blocks that I worked on.

It was never my intention to do more than one but after sending my husband to the home improvement store, he came home with a 24X48 piece of plywood. Seems they don't sell those suckers in squares.

Then, we removed a shelf from our closet to make room for more hanging clothes.

Guess what size that shelf was? Yep, 24X24 (roughly) plus it was a nice heavy piece of wood.

So the red and gray is for my mom. I completely forgot to bring it the last time I drove there, so I'll either have to bring it to our vacation, or the next time we head east. I'm not mailing that thing.

The more modern, colorful one is my experiment. Although I love color and use it pretty liberally, I'm still working on 'wonky' (and by wonky I mean purposeful wonky,
not the usual wonky that happens just because I got distracted, or whatever).

Hope your day is great. Thanks to Heather for coordinating this.
Someday, I'm making the trip to Cincinnati and taking a class from that woman, she rocks.

block update

2011-07-18T21:24:00.000-04:00

Update: I'm still here and working on blocks ... for the Skill Builder and Summer Sampler Series ...

don't even ask ...

2011-07-10T22:04:00.000-04:00

There are several reasons I should NOT participate in this quilt a long.

But sometimes, you just have to go against the grain ...

I'm in.

We ARE doing it! Skill Builder Sampler

2011-07-08T13:44:00.000-04:00

Although we're doing this long-distance, my mom and aunt and I are having a good time comparing notes on the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler by Leila at Sewn.

These are our second blocks, pretty straighforward. I admit, I had to rip out a seam because I got it wrong ... I suppose I chalk that up to skills too right?

Chrissy's is the first, my mom's is the second and mine is the third one.

The third block is churn dash, which is my mom's all-time favorite (wonder how many

times she'll have to tell me that before I make her a quilt in it?).

Chrissy's is the first, mine second. Still working on getting a photo of my mom's,

maybe some handy-dandy Skyping will get a photo of it.

Chrissy took a shot of all her blocks together. She's good like that.

Hope your summer's going swimmingly well and is relaxing ... still waiting for the latter here!

modern barn quilt paint along (minus the barn) ... swoon

2011-06-26T10:39:00.000-04:00

I love the new Swoon pattern by Camille Rosekelley. And I bought it.

In fact, my plan is to make it and put the finished quilt on my bed.

However, sometimes two events (or several more) converge and don't

allow you to get a lot of sewing done. (Procrastination, sunny day, kid stuff, summer.)

So, you join in on the Modern Barn Quilt Paint Along with Heather Jones.

Because you need one more thing to do (TOTALLY WORTH IT)!

I recently received a late birthday gift and it's in my family room with my red couch,

so I figured these colors would go perfectly to tie the elements together.

Plus I'm not sure I'll get buy in to repaint the entire room (built-ins and all) from my husband.

Not surprisingly, the hard part was really the math ... how big is the board? How many squares (bah, squares) ... Good to know I'm consistently challenged by the same thing, eh?

The entire project took several hours (because I was working on three boards

simultaneously) more on that later.

But I'm very pleased with the results.

And, it's swooning in the family room already!

We Can Do It! Quilt-a-Long: Block 1

2011-06-19T19:54:00.001-04:00

As told previously, my mom, aunt and I are doing the We Can Do It! Sampler Quilt-a-Long that Leila's doing at her blog.

This is Block 1: Log Cabin or Courthouse Steps.

These are the blocks that I did. I'm loving the brights.

And, I've always wanted to do a log cabin with whites and beiges ... living on the edge, I know.

But for me, neutrals is a big departure from normal.

This one is Chrissy's log cabin/courthouse steps. I'm not sure but I think this might be Bliss.

This one is Mary Kay's (aka my mom). She opted to go with the log cabin and dark browns.

Still time to join the We Can Do It! Sampler Quilt-a-Long over at Sewn.

sampler ... we can do it

2011-06-17T11:44:00.000-04:00

My Aunt Chris and my mom and I are doing a sampler quilt-a-long by Leila, blogging at Sewn.

Looks pretty fun and I've never done a sampler before. The first block is already up,

so I better get to work.

Still getting my sewing room back together and re-organized after the Art Fair (and the end of school festivities, not sure I'm feeling very festive about the end of school ... yet).

Join us if you want! I'll post my blocks (and Chrissy's & Mom's, if they send me pictures ... hint, hint).

best surprise of all

2011-06-04T13:42:00.000-04:00

This was in the mail today for me.

It's from one of my most favorite people, my aunt Chris.

It's a birthday gift (my birthday was in March).

And I'm adding that to the many things I love about Chrissy:

Doesn't matter when your birthday was, you get your gift when she sends it.

It was an awesome way to continue the celebration.

Thanks, Chris. Love you tons!

MSU Arts & Crafts Show 2011

2011-05-18T22:57:00.001-04:00

This post has been edited! Linda is the winner from the give-a-way!

Just a few more pics of items available at my booth for the 2011 MSU Arts & Crafts Show.

If you're planning to come, please stop by my booth, which is on the west side of the MSU Union in the circle drive (same as the year before last).

There's a map for downloading here.

Wish me luck! I hope I don't bring home as much as I bring there!

~~Still one more day on the~~ ~~give-a-way~~.

Edited: Winner is Linda! Linda, I'll see you at the show!

art show give-a-way

2011-05-17T21:11:00.000-04:00

Remember these?

Well, in light of the fact that we'll be at the MSU Arts & Crafts Show this weekend,

I'm giving one away.

Don't worry! I'll save it for you and not sell it!

Just leave a comment and send some good thoughts for warm weather this weekend!

Thanks.

christmas card photo? or not

2011-05-15T17:08:00.000-04:00

Hello? Grandma's taking the photo, look this way!

Almost, Ana decided to put on the 'my family is so weird and this dress makes me itch' face.

And, we're all telling Ana to please smile.

There we go ... wait, who's that in the back, Waldo?

No, it's my neice, who doesn't mind having her picture taken at all!

So our kids are at the age (which I thought was over at 3 or 4) where getting a

family photo taken is nothing short of impossible ...

The out-takes are all here. It's not pretty.

Guess we'll have to try again for the family Christmas card photo, eh?

christmas in may?

2011-05-14T08:37:00.000-04:00

It's not Christmas ... yet.

(Note: Evidently you can do a Christmas project or shop for Christmas gifts any time of year.)

Who knew?

This table runner is made of blocks that Jan asked us to make, in Ruth's Block Exchange last year.

They were so cute, I decided to do a few more.

They're supposed to look like they're scattered on the table runner, not sure if I'm feeling that or not.

This will also be available at the MSU Arts & Crafts Show, May 21 & 22.

patchwork purses

2011-05-13T14:15:00.000-04:00

I'm totally in love with the gray and yellow color combo ...

wondering if anyone else is obsessed as I am?

This is a Simplicity, Sweet Pea Totes pattern.

Super easy and looks very awesome.

I did a bunch of these for the MSU Arts & Crafts Show, May 21 & 22.

This one, however, is sold.

I had a little helper during the photo shoot ... he's very cute, and there's only one of him.

through the window

2011-05-10T21:47:00.000-04:00

We interrupt this lame-acting blog for some real-live photos of real-live projects!

I've been buried under LOADS of stuff for the MSU Arts & Crafts fair slated for May 21&22.

Yes, I know how close that is to now (and I'm freaking out, not just on the inside either).

This is one of the items that will be for sale at the fair.

It's a window pillow with Valori Wells' Nest fabric (you just can't have too much of a good thing).

Stay tuned, more to come!

naked bed challenge

2011-04-07T09:45:00.000-04:00

I wish I had a picture of the quilt that I have on my bed.

Truth is, there is no quilt for my bed.

My children all have them on theirs, but not me.

I do have a red and green quilt that I put on my bed,

over the duvet at holiday time.

Truth is, it looks kind of stupid in the summer.

That's why I've joined the naked bed challenge.

You can read more about it on either Sara's blog,

or on Cara's blog (didn't even realize those two rhyme).

Prizes are available.

The best prize of all though, might be that

I'll have the quilt I always dreamed of on my bed ...

Until I dream up another.

Good luck!

disney's prom ... can suck it

2011-04-02T09:09:00.001-04:00

Occassionally, I use this space to talk about people, places and things that in some way push the edges of my emotional envelope (let's face it, the edges are usually pretty frayed and the envelope's not really that big, so I tend to do this a lot).

The latest discussion in our house: Disney's soon-to-be-released movie, Prom.

For the record, I've been to Disney, on a Disney cruise (although I've paid for neither myself) and am the parent in our house who thinks we should go back. And, another note for the record, I loved high school and had way too much fun there.

Back to this ill-conceived, idiotic movie. Correct, I am not giving it a chance. And here's why:

This movie has been advertised non-stop on the stupid Disney channel (hey, I'm in marketing, I'd do the same thing) to my 10-year-old daughter. And when she saw the trailer at another movie, my husband told me her eyes got all starry and she said: "I want to go to that."

He wasn't sure if she meant the movie or the actual prom. (Houston, we have a problem.)

Seriously? Why on this freaking Earth would I EVER let her go to either???

Don't get me wrong, I know prom a celebration and should be fun. I don't disagree. Hell, I went to a couple proms (and so did my husband, though we didn't go together, whew).

Having only seen the trailers -- which continue with a phrase that makes me, and everyone else who took high school English a little nervous ("Who are you going with?" Um, hello, isn't that word still a preposition? And aren't you supposed to NOT end sentences with a preposition?) -- and assuming there might be some actual meat in the plot, (okay, giant leap, I know) I know I'm jumping to conclusions.

I assume that there's way more emphasis put on who's going to the prom with whom than the latest round of college acceptances. I assume more appointments for up-do's, manicures and pedicures have been made than appointments will college or high school counselors. I assume there are plans for limos, dresses that are way out of price ranges for some families and other things that I won't talk about just in case my 10-year-old actually reads this.

I assume, based on one trailer in which a character actually said: "Prom, it totally makes or breaks your high school career."

Really? Does it?

Four, sometimes three or five, years all wrapped into a few hours, when everyone gets all dressed up, makes, or worse, breaks your high school career?

How about the 40 hours a week you spend in class? How about the additional hours you spend studying (okay, maybe not)? How about the hours you spend in the gym, the pool, the court perfecting your sport or craft, knowing that once you walk out those doors, the chances you'll play competitively again are gone? How about the friendships, hours on the phone, sleeping (or not) over at each other's houses, and yep, even texting each other?

No worries, I have no intention of being the mom who tells my 17-year-old daughter, or sons, that they can't go to prom. By that time, they hopefully won't romanticize it or entertain the notion that this is a 'make it or break it' night. It's another event in life's calendar.
I guess I'm just not willing to let Disney send my 10-year-old a message that she should be looking forward to prom now. Or her four years of high school can be condensed into four or five hours when she's wearing a fancy dress with an up-do.

They're the slowest and shortest four years of your life, riddled with more ups and downs than any of Disney's amusement parks, and, not everyone wants to live them over again.

quick hsq tutorial

2011-03-30T20:54:00.000-04:00

I'm obviously not the first one to think of this idea, but I did use a quick

technique to make these half-square triangles.

I didn't do any math, but I see that Christina over at the sometimes crafter did on a guest post.
There's a GREAT video on this by Missouri Quilt Co. on how to do these too.

Here's what I did:

I used a layer cake, then cut the solid fabric to 10 inches square. Layer them right sides together. And,

Sew along the outer edges (as if you're sewing a pillow, but don't leave an opening).

Here's a close-up of my questionable quarter inch seam allowance.

Slice into quarters, diagonally.

Open and press.

Here's what I did with mine.

There are millions of ways to arrange hsq's, limited only by your imagination.

Mine aren't sewn together or trimmed yet since I'm adding a few more.

I'm pretty enamored with this layout so I think I'll be stitching it up soon.

Lots more to come, including: aprons and the MSU Arts & Craft Show

half-square triangles, obsession or new passion?

2011-03-29T11:19:00.000-04:00

It was me and a layer cake on a Friday night.

And look what happened:

Fabric: Kate Spain Central Park & Kona solid 'khaki'

Nothing's trimmed or sewn together yet, but hsq's might be my new obession.

The kids and I had a blast laying them out in different patterns, and making adjustments to the design.

Best layer cake I've ever had!

Stay tuned for a quick tutorial on these babies.

40 yards o' fabric

2011-03-28T14:43:00.000-04:00

I promise this will be the last birthday post!

I recently celebrated a big birthday (hint, it's in the title).

And my friend, Iris, who is not a quilter but can sew when she has to,

organized several of my friends, near and far, to send me a yard of

fabric each, or 40 yards of fabric total.

The 40+ yards included fabric from people I know love to shop for it

and people I can't imagine in a fabric shop (like my husband, yikes).

And, I loved it all.

Thanks, everyone!

Pictures by my daughter, Ana.

(Who will shortly be the official photog for this blog!)

Round-a-Bout

2011-03-18T11:23:00.000-04:00

I think I've blogged these before, but I am in love with them! And, now they're all done.

Choosing a border fabric is a bit challenging, but then Lisa stopped by and looked at them with me.

I would love to know what you think.

It's a pieced border that completes the diamond shape along the sides

(that's why I have the gray and white fabrics there).

Let me know what you think, will ya?

let's call this one A

let's call this one B

this one's C

And this one's D

Let me know what you think! Thanks for the help!

Facts about the quilt:

Pattern: Round About,

by Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka's Treasures,

October 2008 edition of American Patchwork & Quilting.)

Fabric: Valori Wells' Nest fabric.

happy st. paddy's day

2011-03-17T15:09:00.000-04:00

No big St. Paddy's Day plans here.

Just basketball and wearing green:

For St. Patrick's Day and the Spartans!

Go GREEN!

happy birthday to me

2011-03-16T17:44:00.000-04:00

I've been saving this fabric (Amy Butler's Lotus) and some matching fabrics to make myself a purse.

So, since I turned 40 on Sunday, I decided (on Wednesday) that I should have this bag for my birthday.

No problem, right? I was leaving Thursday morning (at an ungodly hour) for a girls weekend in Florida.

I was very pleased that this journey bag by kati cupcake took only a few hours to complete, including the cutting.

I didn't have a magnetic closure, so I didn't use it, just left it without.

The grommets are cool and I loved the idea of not having to cut the fabric to make these work

(that always scares me because I'm a bit liberal with the cutting).

It's a really good size bag and it's the small one.

I love the bag but it pales in comparison to the great time I had in Florida with my sister, my mom, my two aunts and my cousin (she's actually my cousin's wife, but it's a heck of a lot easier to say she's my cousin).

Here's a shot of all of us with our leopard print clutches:

We managed to eat out several times, drink a few fancy drinks, get some sunburns

and use up most of the oxygen by talking our heads off!

It was the most fun I've had on a birthday since we played 'drop the clothes pin

into the milk bottle' on my seventh or eighth birthday!

If this is what it's like on the other side of 40, I'm so in! Thanks girls!

For those of you already on the dark side, what's the best thing about it?
For those of you not, what do you fear the most about turning 40, or 30, or the next big age?
Next up: round-a-bout block progress

catch up with the diaper bags

2011-03-15T13:26:00.001-04:00

Trying to play a bit of catch up here. These are diaper bags made for some folks in my hometown.

One is already on it's way, the others will be headed there in a week or so.

This pattern is pretty straightforward. I got it from my Aunt Chris who also made it. It's a Simplicity.

Next up: My birthday gift to myself ... I turned 40 over the weekend. Great celebration with great women!

and, I'm out ... for a couple of days

2011-03-09T22:08:00.000-05:00

I'm on a quick vacation ... and didn't get to posting some of the following before I left:

diaper bags

new birthday purse

round-a-bout blocks

my start on cathedral windows.

See you soon!

wristlets

2011-02-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

These are some zippered pouches I made following a tutorial I found here and adjusting

for either the combination of fabrics as in the green one or adding a wrist strap.

I love these suckers because they're pretty easy to make (considering they have a zipper)

and don't take too much fabric.

It's way easier when you cut out a bunch and do them all at once.

These will go up for sale at the East Lansing Arts & Crafts Show, if I get in.

And, if I don't, I'll put them in my etsy shop, which is currently empty.

Happy Sunday!

wishing spring here

2011-02-26T09:45:00.000-05:00

I'm working on one of my quilting goals for 2011 (I know, already).

I saw this pattern, called Round About, by Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka's Treasures, and loved it.

(It appeared in the October 2008 edition of American Patchwork & Quilting.)

I also was loving Valori Wells' Nest fabric.

So 'two' of a good thing can only make 'a great quilt'.

Here's the math:

Pattern that looks harder than it is

Beautiful fabric

Great quilt

I'm not quite done, but making great progress on this.

Best of all, after I got a few blocks done, I realized they kind of form a nest for the birds.

And with a foot of snow still on the ground, I'll do just about anything to think spring.

What are you working on?

baby boy quilt

2011-02-21T12:58:00.000-05:00

So my friend, Mary, who's one of the best people I know, was preggers with her fourth this fall.

Having three boys already, I assumed she would have another.

That's why I made this quilt.

When she didn't. I made this quilt.

Now, I have a baby boy quilt with no owner.

I'm sure someone I know will have a boy sooner or later.

(I'm just realizing that there are no good pictures of this up close and personal, so apologies.)

Fabric: Felicity Miller, Kites in blue. Kona solid and the red is from my stash.

PS Mary asked me to teach her to sew (which is way more fun for me than for her, I'm sure). Loving it already! We made produce bags. Any ideas for projects for a beginning sewist?

produce bags

2011-02-18T08:19:00.000-05:00

These are produce bags that I made for my mother-in-law. Her birthday was earlier this month.

When they were here for Christmas, she was complaining about all the plastic at the grocery store.

I had already printed (yikes) the pattern from daisy janie, whose organic fabric is to die for.

I have a fq pack of her blue, green and brown geometrics.

These are not organic fabrics, but I thought they fit the 'produce bag' bill perfectly.

They take a fat quarter of fabric and literally took less than the time it has taken me to do this post (okay, not quite but they took 30 minutes ... for all three!)

The tutuorial from daisy janie is here.

Here are all three together.

Nancy's purse

2011-02-02T14:53:00.000-05:00

My friend Nancy wanted a purse, I was happy to oblige.

The only requirement was that she likes purple.

This is what I came up with ...

I've done a similar one before, with a zip and a flap, but not with the different colors on the flap.

It's a pretty good size, about 16 inches tall and 12 wide.

Two pockets on the inside for stuff like your cell phone (which I can never find in my purse when it's ringing).

Fabric is Riley & Blake's Andrea Victoria.

quilt a long

2011-01-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

Cherry House is sponsoring a quilt a long, and although I have no intention of following the letter of the quilt a long, I intend to follow the spirit of it.

My plan for this is to use it as a back for a quilt for my 12 year old son, who's twin sized quilt is really too small for the full sized bed he has now. So, I'm off to do some math (which undoubtedly will make my head hurt) and make this sucker a full-sized quilt.

double pinwheel tutorial

2011-01-27T15:56:00.001-05:00

I'm not the inventor of this block, in fact, I've seen it lots of places. The one place I saw it and really fell for it is a quilt that I purchased from my friend, Cindy.

It's really great (and as soon as I find the darn picture, I'll post that).

So this is tutorial for my annual block exchange.

Here's what you need:

4 pieces of white fabric (4X6)

4 pieces of white fabric (2X6)

4 prints (4X6)*

4 prints (2X6)*

*I like to use different prints to make it scrappy

Sew the 4X6 whites to the 2X6 prints (as shown below)

Separate into piles, press and trim to 5.5" squares

(most of the trimming will be done cutting across both fabrics)

Cut the pieced square diagonally

Be sure to cut some this way, and some the other (so your triangles match up) into squares and you don't end up with triangles that go all the same way (NB: experience is probably the best teacher here but I'm trying).

This is the fun part (as if the rest has been torture ... c'mon, you could be washing windows)

Layout your blocks like this:

Then, add the other pieces (the ones you cut on the opposite diagonal)

Like this:

Yep, I had to go back and make some more (I mean cut some the other way too).

Sew along the diagonal lines to make blocks, then piece as a four-patch.

This makes one block that will make a top like this:

DON'T throw those extra pieces away. We can make another block with them

(yes, I am going to make you wait to show you that one ... only because I still have to put it together!)

Next up: Cherry House's Quilt A Long (with an ulterior motive).

block exchange by ruth

2011-01-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

So tomorrow starts Ruth's Block Exchange and of course, I'm still getting my act together. This little number was my block last year. It actually makes two blocks per set. I asked my fellow Block Exchangers to put this block together, then return the other pieces to me.

I mixed up the rest of the pieces, then put them together. Since I have 20 blocks of each, and would really like 45, so the layout is 5X9 blocks, I'm doing this block again for Ruth's Block Exchange ... I know, I live on the edge.

I had some plans to do another block but I made one, and the next thing I knew, I had five done ... oops.

BE meets once a month, at yep, Ruth's house, January through September. Tomorrow's meeting will involve me complaining that someone has too many pieces in their block (not Linda though, she says her's is easy peasy). I think this is the tenth year that I've been involved in this exchange, and it's been going on longer than that.

I'm continually challenged to create something that hasn't been done before, use fabrics or a technique I haven't used in the past in this group. I'm sure this year will be no different.

The Block Exchangers is a great group of women to be around ... I always have tons of fun!

Next up: Tutorial for this block.

quilting goals for 2011

2011-01-11T21:27:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, you just have to say them out loud.

Although it makes me nervous to do so,

I know I'll be so proud,

When I do create them,

And then you'll all be wow-ed.

(Not bad for simulatenously helping with homework, watching an overtime

college basketball game and writing a blog post, eh?)

This list does NOT include my works in progress, which doesn't mean they're not goals.

Just means I haven't blogged (or looked at them) in a while.

Next up: Ruth's Block Exchange block

a girl and her quilt

2011-01-09T20:39:00.000-05:00

In an earlier post, I showed the quilt for my friend Mary's daughter, Stella. This is Stella with her quilt.

If there's a way she could be cuter, you'll have to tell me, because I'm not sure what it is!

I love that her skirt, tights and shoes are all together.

Wouldn't you wear skirts a lot more if they were all attached to each other? I would.

Next up: 2011 quilting goals. What are yours?

resolve for the new me-year

2011-01-08T00:11:00.002-05:00

Okay, so slow start to the new year, acknowledged.

This year, I'm making no resolutions to do more, buy less, etc.

I'm resolved to make this year about me.

Sounds pretty selfish, right?

I turn 40 this year ... yep, the big 4-0.

In honor of me, my forty years and all that,

I'll be working to make sure I'm the person I should be, want to be and like to be.

I'm resolving the following:

To smile and laugh more (so I can have great smile lines on my face).

To take care of myself (so I can meet my grandchildren, or at least see my kids move out).

To work on projects that I love, for people I love (and for some I don't know that I love yet).

To love my family while they're here.

What are you resolved to do in 2011?

PS This fabric arrived in the mail this week (because I ordered it).

Nest by Valori Wells will go for my block in Ruth's Block Exchange.

Denyse Schmidt Hope Valley and Kona Solid Fat Quarter Pack was just so awesome that I couldn't resist.

Both are from sewfreshfabrics.

christmas projects, anyone?

2010-12-01T19:52:00.002-05:00

It seems like I end up with a list longer than Mr. Claus' each December of projects I'd like to make, have to make and probably should make.

This year is no different, and since I've got a long list, I thought I would share:

pillow for a friend
quilt for another friend
stockings for my family
stockings for my sister and niece
quilts for other siblings and their families
purse for a friend
purse for a teacher friend for Christmas
teacher gifts
table runners
great ideas for tree skirts
flannel quilts for the family room
pillow cases for godchildren

Ahhh, see how easy it is to get going on the idea parts? Yeah. I say this every year ... Did someone move Christmas up this year?

scrap-tastic winner

2010-11-14T13:53:00.003-05:00

According to random.org, the scrap winner is ...

Remembrances said...

I would use the scraps for projects with my Sewing Circle at church. Karin

Karin, I've e-mailed you to send me your mailing address.

I'm thinking of doing a scrap exchange after the new year ... who's in?

Keep sewing!

back to front baby girl (surprise) quilt

2010-11-12T18:18:00.001-05:00

My friend, Mary, who has three little boys had a new baby two weeks ago.

Since I'm such a great friend, we spent most of her pregnancy talking about how there's no point in her having a girl now and God wouldn't do that to her, right?

So, I started a baby quilt ... featuring blue.

Turns out, God had other plans for Mary, Chris and their trio of boys ...

Stella

Yep, a girl.

As much as I think girls can love blue (my daughter does) and especially a girl with three older

brothers should probably be able to defend herself

(okay, so I probably should've just bought a hockey helmet instead).

Bye, bye blue quilt.

Hello, pink!

Fabrics:

Flutterby by Tula Pink

It's a Hoot by Momo

Backing: a flat crib sheet from Target that I purchased years ago.

Binding: Robert Kaufman basics

I love that I had all of these, although the Momo was a new charm pack, everything else was in my stash.

P.S. Scrap give-a-way is still going on. Entries accepted until Sunday!

scrappy give-a-way

2010-11-09T22:41:00.000-05:00

Jodi, at Pleasant Home, has been getting folks to part with their scraps. Not an easy thing to do, for sure, but I'm pretty sure of a couple things: 1) it's always easier when you know they're going to a good home;

2) it's always easier when everyone else is doing it (don't tell my kids I said that).

So, here goes: I'm giving away the latest batch of scraps. Truth be told these aren't ALL my scraps. These are the ones that haven't been 'filed' or boxed into the color bins that I keep with the yardage pieces.

Lots of good stuff, including some basketballs and planets, birch fabrics (organic) and a pile of five inch squares (technically, not scraps, I know).

There's a bit of Pillow & Maxfield, some Felicity Miller 'Kites' and a whole lot more.

The scraps have been used in projects like these (not-yet-blogged):

Leave a comment telling me what you'll do with the scraps and why it's fun to have someone else's scraps.

I will choose a winner on Sunday, Nov. 14. Good luck!

hide your hooters

2010-10-31T22:12:00.001-04:00

Yep, that's what they are ... hooter hiders, or nursing cover ups. My mom made my sisters-in-law some and I just couldn't resist. They're so easy. I found the tutorial at mamamonster and they seriously could not be easier to make.

These are flannel, but they don't have to be. I just made them out of flannel because the new babies and moms using them will be doing so during the winter first. So, of course, when I was buying the fabric at Joann's, the woman (who was very nice) asked what I was making ... I knew I was blushing when I said 'hooter hiders.' (Evidently the words: nursing cover-ups just wasn't coming to mind.)

These go out this week, with some other prizes for big brothers ... all told five big brothers and two new babies (one's a girl who has three big brothers ... more on her quilt(s) later!

I tried sewing standing up today ... I might be hooked. Anyone sew at counter-top height, standing up?

at the edge ... and a winner!

2010-10-29T14:24:00.000-04:00

I've been saving selvages or selvedges for a while now, not really knowing what I'd do with them. There are cool patterns all over the Internet about what to do with them, but I have yet to find one that I absolutely love.

Of course, Venezie Designs is doing a cool selvages for fabric exchange. So I'm thinking about doing that. I had to transfer these suckers into this plastic container (formerly home to a very large zoo of animal crackers) because I was running out of room in the box I had them in previously. That may be the sign that it's time to do something with these, eh?

And, to our winner, random.org generated #4 ... the winner is Rebecca. So, if this is the Rebecca I think it is, I'll save the postage and bring them to you on Monday. If your name is Rebecca and you're #4 but I don't work with you, e-mail me your address and I'll send out the charm packs.

Have a happy Friday!

Halloween treats, a bit early

2010-10-27T21:48:00.001-04:00

Today, Robert Kaufman did a give away on Twitter. And, I won.

You had to give a favorite Halloween memory and in 140 words, exactly, here's what I said:

I fell off my bike when I was 9 and broke my front tooth,

my mom let me be a ghost (she never let any other sibling do that)

Of course, there's a story and here's what it is:

When I was 9, my best friend, Debbie Lapp, and I were riding our bikes. I hit a bump in the sidwalk and went over the handlebars. It was Halloween and I was scraped up from forehead to chin, and had a broken front tooth. When you're 9 and you finally get your big teeth, this is pretty traumatic.

For what seemed like forever, I had been asking my mom to be a ghost. She always said,

"No, it's too dangerous to be a ghost."

(You know, you can't see through the eye holes, you might trip on the sheet.)

An aside: I know all these things now, but when I was 9, it seemed like utter nonsense. And now, that I'm a mom, there's no way I'd let my kids be a ghost, or anything else dangerous like that. Those were the days when people talked about dangerous costumes as in safety,

not whether or not we should celebrate Halloween, or give kids fake weapons, or whatever.

Back to the story: So here I am screaming like a banshee on North Street with my face bleeding

and my broken tooth no where to be found. Sad for me.

Guess what? My mom let me be a ghost (I'm sure it served two purposes: covered my face so the neighbors wouldn't think anyone beat me -- although I'm not sure anyone in the neighborhood missed my screams -- and, it served to cover my face without make up.

As a mom myself, I can almost imagine that my mom felt really terrible for me. I would for one of my kids (I'm the softie, so it rarely takes a broken tooth). Now I know that she was being super cool. Now I know she probably guessed it would be tough for me to eat candy

(hello, it's me! not tough, I can eat around my front tooth).

I remember the next day, going to the dentist and showing up late for Sister Kathleen's third grade class. My son asked me if anyone made fun of me, they didn't. Even if they did, I'm not sure I would have cared,

I got to be a ghost. That was cool.

So, all's well that ends well. 30 years later, I end up with a super cool fabric roll from Robert Kaufman.

Happy Halloween!

PS Don't forget about my give-a-way! It's open until Friday!

101st post give-a-way

2010-10-26T15:38:00.000-04:00

Wow! Where the heck did THAT 10 days go? My apologies for not getting back here sooner.

I assure you it's not because I haven't been quilting, sewing or buying fabric. In fact, I've had lots going on here. I'll post that stuff later, though, and get you straight to the celebratory give-a-way.

Two Moda charm packs of opposing seasons -- on is Figgy Pudding by Basic Gray (Christmass-y) and the other is Summer in the City by Urban Chicks. I love them both and feel like its time to share!

Leave me a comment to be entered for the give-a-way. I'll pick a winner on Friday, Oct. 29, so enter now. Just leave me a comment on this blog and I'll choose a winner randomly.

Habitat for Humanity and 100th post

2010-10-12T21:52:00.001-04:00

My friend Cindy is on the local board of Habitat for Humanity. They're having a big benefit dinner at the end of the month. During the dinner, they're auctioning off some small art quilts to raise even more money. The above quilt is my contribution to the cause.

I was pretty excited to use the Tufted Tweets fabric ... because, generally speaking, it's awesome. The background fabric is a recycled dress whose zipper broke (it may have had some more help). Although I intended to replace the zipper, after doing the math (time it takes to take the zipper out + time it will take to eventually get to it = not gonna happen). It's brown linen. By the way, I used this awesome new thread called Aurifil (maybe you've heard of it, I hadn't). It was great to work with! Like butter, even better!

I added a couple new aprons to my etsy shop. I'm getting used to working with it, and sold a bag already. I gave away those diaper bags, and sold a few more (which haven't been made yet).

Incidentially, today is my 100th post. I'm thinking that a celebratory give-a-way is in order, eh? We'll do it next post ... end of the week!

and then there were three

2010-10-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

For some reason whenever I know someone having a baby, I know several others. My sister-in-law just had a beautiful baby boy in August. Another sister-in-law is expecting one in November, my favorite friend is expecting one in October-November, another friend is expecting one any day, and a new friend's wife is expecting next week.

Whew. That's a lot of babies! (I lost count ... hold on ... five!)

In honor of some of these babies, I made these diaper bags (no worries, other friends are getting other baby gifts).

Here goes:

Since a couple of these are gifts, I'm not saying which ones are for who ... or however that goes.

school bag

2010-09-08T22:16:00.000-04:00

My friend's daughter asked if I would make her a bag for school. Um, yeah, of course I would.

It was a day late, but all okay for her.

She picked the outside fabrics.

This bag is based on the diaper bag pattern that I made for my one of my sisters-in-law, am making for another one and for a friend (I have an extra one cut out).

Although I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get to these bags, we just found out that the kitchen re-do is happening on Monday, instead of next month. So, since we're painting the kitchen and ceiling and pulling out the upper cabinets ourselves (not to mention emptying and sorting cabinets and moving some furniture), sewing may take a backseat to some of that stuff.

I'll post befores and afters! Wish me luck with getting all this stuff done!

first day of school

2010-09-07T10:48:00.004-04:00

Today was mercifully, and a little sadly, the first day of school. This year we sent our oldest to middle school, which means a bus ride, lockers, six or seven teachers (I can't keep track), a schedule, a dress code and a thousand other things in which I am only peripherally involved.

Comments like this: Mom, if you come to the bus with me I'm so gonna get shoved in a locker. Mom, don't show up at school, please. Mom, I neeeeeed a cell phone now.

I walked him to the bus stop because he said I could (it helped that his friends and their mom showed up too -- hey, at least I didn't have my camera). We had to do the annual back to school picture inside this year, so people didn't see (not sure which 'people' he means, unless my elderly neighbors are secret spies for middle school bullies -- highly unlikely).

I never went to middle school because at Holy Family, you went from Kindergarten to 8th grade in one of two buildings -- one 'the old school,' which was freezing and contained the cafeteria, which doubled as the room where people took their noisy kids during Mass; and one the 'new' (relative term) school, which usually smelled like vomit and sawdust.

We thought it was a big deal when, in seventh grade, our teachers switched classes so that one taught all the math and science, and one taught the English and social studies. Ahem, it was a big deal.

I have no advice for a sixth grader going to school in a really new building, with lockers, schedules and more than one teacher. At least that what I was thinking, until last night when he finally broke down and told me he WAS really nervous.

Me: You'll be fine. You're smart and cool, and all that stuff.
Him: You have to say that about me.
Me: No, I don't. (Hey, I changed this kid's diaper and dressed him in sweater vest for the first four years of his life. I know he wasn't always cool.)
Him: What if I get shoved in a locker?
Me: You won't (remembering that those lockers DID look big enough to sufficiently contain a sixth grader (or, heck, a seventh grader who hadn't hit his growth spurt).
Him: Are you sure?
Me: You never would have been promoted if you weren't completely capable of doing this. You'll be fine. (Making sure not to turn that into a question.)
Him: True. You're right. (See, someone ELSE said he could do it.) Thanks, Mom.

I had basically pulled this stuff out of my, well you know. And he bought it.

Funny thing, even I believed me. He is smart, and cool -- and has a great sense of humor. (Quoting Napolean Dynamite on the way to the bus stop included, something about chapstick ... I'll have to watch that movie.)

So, today he hugged me at the bus stop and we begin this journey. Me here -- him, on the bus, at school, in class, maybe even shoved in a locker (he'll never tell me).

I still have no advice for a sixth grader. But I'm sure he'll be fine ... right?

anticipayyy-tion

2010-09-06T17:44:00.000-04:00

Although we have thoroughly enjoyed summer, it's time to wrap it up and get back to the grind -- which we did NOT do this weekend (okay, we did do some cleaning, but mostly it's been savoring the last days of summer). We visited campus for the first Spartan game and the boys stayed -- fun for them.

Ana & I spent the day watching the game on television and sewing. All fun for us!

We're anticipating the first day of school -- tomorrow. With one of us starting middle school, riding a bus for the first time ever and having more than one teacher, it's sure to be pretty stressful. (I'm making brownies today, for the stress tomorrow -- definitely for him -- and kind of me.)

I'll be sewing the day away, celebrating the first day of school in my own way!

quilt show

2010-08-05T22:30:00.002-04:00

Last weekend, Cindy and Lisa and I went to the quilt show in Ann Arbor. It was great to see all the awesome quilts, truly inspired me to get working on some that I've got going here. Naturally, it also provided us a great opportunity to shop for more fabric -- not a necessity, but I'm an adict.

After the show, we went to Ikea, since Cindy had never been. By the end of the day, we were spent -- okay, I was. It was almost too much eye candy.

The pictures that follow are shots from the show, in no particular order.

Awesome, eh? What are your favorite quilts to look at?

Improv(E) Your Butt Challenge

2010-07-30T09:39:00.000-04:00

Sew Katie Did and her friend Jacquie have started a challenge for those of us who sit ... a lot. Since I'm one of those people, I joined. Plus, it's a good way to track what we're doing.

So, here's what to do ... set your goal for the week and once you've reached that goal for the week, take that many pieces of fabric and improv some blocks. I have NO idea what I'll do with 10 pieces of fabric (we're talking scraps here) a week. But I do have lots of scraps and a ton of patterns, so I'm sure I'll come up with something.

To join, head over to Sew Katie Did's blog post and read up on it. Join this site and send Katie your info for it. She and Jacquie are keeping track of team 'quilter butts,' and it's pretty impressive so far ... almost 400 miles in four days.

For those of you who already do stuff -- like bike, run, walk and swim -- it's a great way to see progress on a map.

camera strap

2010-07-10T08:52:00.000-04:00

Since we're going on a trip and my intention is to take a TON of pictures, so it better be comfortable.

It's a combo of Michael Miller and Anna Maria Horner fabrics that I purchased as a pack and have been dying to use. I didn't follow the directions very well (not shocking to anyone who knows me), so after I quilted the front (which I expected to be the front and back) and realized it wasn't wide enough

to sew and turn, so I added a back and sewed it up.

I love that it's not too girly, so it won't look weird if my husband's using the camera.

I'll be posting infrequently, if at all, over the next couple of weeks due to vacation

and a major work project after vacation.

winner ... is a perfect 10!

2010-07-08T22:06:00.000-04:00

So, the winner is #10 in the comments (and since Ruth commented twice) that's Chris!

Chris is also my aunt who's an awesome quilter and even better person.

Chris, seven of those half-yardish pieces are on their way to you! Enjoy!

disappearing 9-patch

2010-07-08T07:15:00.001-04:00

I decided to finally try a disappearing 9-patch. I loved Allison's instructions on her blog Cluck Cluck Sew.

This fabric is David Walker's Painted Robot fabric. An on-line purchase that I thought would be cute for a variety of items for lots of friends and family who have little guys. I've even got enough left to do a pillowcase for another friend's son. (Thanks for the brainstorm, Dad.)

The back is a sheet from Better Homes and Garden. I thought it was 100% cotton, but it wasn't, so I was a bit concerned that it might not shrink as much as the top. It worked out just fine and because

I bought a twin size, I've got enough left to back at least one more baby quilt.

This one goes out in the mail today to my husband's former assistant coach, who had a baby in February (yes, I know that was a long time ago). And, with the heat we've had lately, I'm not sure they'll use a quilt for covering up, more likely for laying on top of!

Still doing the give-a-way, comment before today at 9 p.m. to be eligible.

Hoping for some rain or at least a cold front to blow through today. We turned off the air because we just can't take it any more ... what do you do to beat the heat?

where did the weekend go?

2010-07-06T18:07:00.000-04:00

Whew! That was a quick weekend ... I promised a give-away, so here goes. A couple of weeks ago, one of my friends who is a science teacher gave me the dyes left over from the kids in science camp tie-dying their T-shirts. I dyed fabric -- which is cool to do, but I wouldn't want to make a living doing it, too unpredictable.

The results are pictured above.

Since my youngest turns 7 this week, and I have 14 half-yard-ish pieces,

I thought I'd give away 7 half-yard-ishes (variety of colors).

Since I hate when there are 58 rules for give-a-ways, this one's simple --

Rules: Leave a comment on my blog by 8 p.m. (EST), Thursday.

Randomly, I'll choose one and send them out on Friday.

prairie rose by fig tree & co.

2010-07-03T15:36:00.001-04:00

Originally, I cut this bag out for my sister-in-law, Lauren, for her birthday. That was in May. Now, I know there's nothing that says I can't give it to her ... but we're going on vacation, and I was thinking this would be a really cute purse that will fit all my stuff, without being a huge bag. Besides, it definitely needs to be 'tested.'

So, Lauren, looks like you're outta luck for now (I'm sure she hates it anyway).

The pattern is Prairie Rose by Fig Tree & Co. It's supposed to have a ruffle around the flap, but I'm not really a ruffle-y kinda girl, so I ditched it.

Fabric is Joel Dewberry (upholstery weight) and lining is Patty Young's Mezzanine.

Have a great day!

owly drawstring bag

2010-07-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

My daughter serves as my tester for several bags. She also loves fabric. When I saw this cute owl fabric by Amy Schimler, I knew it would be a really cool bag for Ana.

The pattern is Chelsea by Venezie Designs. It calls for fusible fleece, which I almost never use. I used some interfacing instead. It finished a little bigger than I thought, but I still like it. Next time, I'll pull the tunnels for the drawstrings down a little bit more.

No pictures of Ruth's Block Exchange because I forgot my camera, which would have been the biggest deal if it weren't for the fact that when I got home, my husband was at the emergency care with our six-year-old, who thought it would be funny to put one of those arts and crafts pom-poms up his nose and blow it out.

Didn't work out quite the way he planned ... it got stuck.

A pair of long tweezers later and he was good to go. I think he learned his lesson, though, because he told me that the doctor said only fingers up your nose. Good advice.

We hand-dyed fabric last week and will post pictures soon.

Also, come back for a give-a-way this weekend!

diaper bag

2010-06-28T17:14:00.000-04:00

So here's the diaper bag for my sister-in-law, who's pregnant with their third baby.

Word is this baby will be a boy, but the mom has to carry the bag, so it has to be kind of girly too, right?

I've had the outer fabric for years. My intention was always to make my daughter a pair of capris, but she's told me she doesn't like them now and she's not crazy about me making clothes for her either

(she didn't tell me that though).

I borrowed the pattern from my Aunt Chris, who made the bag for my cousin, too.

I guess all the new moms in our family will have these.

Ruth's Block Exchange is tonight, so I'll have pictures to post of all those blocks later this week.

purse emergency

2010-06-27T21:47:00.001-04:00

My friend, Iris, had a purse emergency this week. Her purse broke and she needed a new one, with a zipper. The emergency alone would've moved her to the head of the pack, but she pays cash, so that worked too.

Adding a zipper to this style was new for me and I didn't think about the handles until I had the outside done and the zipper in. No way was I going to take that sucker out. I used a couple of "D" rings for the handles.

Fabric is Woodland Delight by Paula Prass.

And, for a little fun, I added a zipper flower.

I've been meaning to try one of these since I saw them on tops in the mall.

Turns out they're super easy. I made it as a pin and pinned it on with a safety pin so she can move it around.

The diaper bag is done. Will post tomorrow!

bags of the week

2010-06-18T16:43:00.001-04:00

I made two more bags this week. Both for people at my kids' school who saw the ones I made for teachers. The red and yellow is Heather Bailey's Pop Garden with some graduated blue polka dots. It's a pattern that I've made a few times before and will be used, in this instance, as a sewing bag.

The blue and orange is for a woman who's a big Detroit Tigers fan.

After this picture, I added a belt because she wanted some "bling." I liked it better without the bling.

And, here's the latest addition to my fabric family. It's monaluna's Circa 50, 100% organic. Purchased for several reasons, the most rational of which is that I intend to use it in a quilt to be gifted to a family member.

Bags on the docket next week:

1 Diaper Bag

1 Venzie Designs Chelsea bag

Several quilt blocks for Ruth's Block Exchange for which I am miserably behind

school's out for summer

2010-06-13T08:43:00.000-04:00

Whew! What a week. It was the kids' last week of school and we found out on Wednesday that Thursday, instead of Friday would be their last day. Something about state requirements, blah, blah, all I heard was ... "Crap, now I only have one night to get the last teacher gift done!"

That's why there are only two pictures of teacher gifts, instead of three.

We've been packing the days with "to-do" lists already. So I think we'll all be happy when we get into the routine of summer camps, baseball games and triathalon practices.

Hope summer's sprung for you! What are your plans?

rainbow around the block

2010-06-04T16:11:00.004-04:00

When it comes to quilting, it's always hard for me to say no. But when Anna Maria asks, it's even harder.

She's started this super cool project called Rainbow Around the Block to make quilts for those in Tennessee who were flooded out of their homes earlier this spring.

Basically, you make three quilt blocks and send them to her. Couldn't be easier, right?

That's what I thought. Now, let's get to work.

And, for my not-yet-quilting friends who would like to learn, comment and we'll get something started so you can learn to make a block. This is the perfect project to get started, or at least give it a try.

Find out more at Anna Maria's site here: www.annamariahorner.com/rainbow.html.

happy birthday

2010-05-10T15:37:00.003-04:00

My husband turns 40 today. He's been acting like he was 16 since I met him. We had a surprise party for him on Saturday and semi-roasted him.

Here's what I said:

We have a picture of Hugh Jennings on our family room wall.

For those of you who don't know, Jennings was a Major League Baseball player and manager from 1891 to 1925. And no, Matt was not alive then.

As a player for the Baltimore Orioles, Jennings was hit by pitches 51 times, in one season. That's a lot.

In fact, Jennings holds the record for being hit by the most pitches. He obviously wasn't ever afraid of taking one for the team, if it meant he would get on base and have a chance to score.

As a manager for the Detroit Tigers, Jennings was known for his antics, hoots, whistles and his famous shouts of "Ee-Yah" from the third base coaching box.

In fact, in the picture on our wall, he's jumping up and down on one foot. And that's not the only picture of him in that pose.

Remind you of anyone?

I know all this from Wikipedia. Just kidding.

I know all this because when he was a senior in college, Matt completed an honors project on baseball, John McGraw, Hugh Jennings and their ties to St. Bonaventure University -- our alma mater.

I remember thinking that was cool. And he was cool, just ask him.

Just like Jennings, Matt's one of those people whose passion is easy to see. Anyone who watched him as a young kid, athlete, coach or dried his clothes after he fell into the pool trying to get a kid's attention, or has talked to him for longer than 10 minutes knows that.

He's passionate about a lot of things: his family, his friends, his team, swimming, history, a good book, sports -- the list goes on.

What's not always so easy to see is how his passion -- once like Hugh Jenning's -- rough around the edges -- has developed into a dedication that doesn't wane. He's still the most passionate person I know.

He might not fall into the pool any more while he's coaching, but I've seen him fall head over heels for three kids. He may not shake his fist in the air any more while he's talking -- nah, nevermind, he still does that.

Just like Hugh Jennings, Matt takes a few for the team because somehow he knows that by taking a pitch, he'll give his team -- us -- a better chance to score.

So, whether that means standing up for a swimmer, crossing the globe to be his coach; coaching daily before 6 a.m.; ensuring he knows what our own kids -- and his 50 swimmers -- are doing in school; making lunch and sometimes dinner; staying in touch with his family and friends; or just being there to hold a hand -- he knows that sometimes when the pitch hits you it stings.

But more often than not, it makes you a much better person.

I'm proud and lucky to be his partner in this journey.

Happy Birthday!

cool photographer

2010-03-20T08:34:00.004-04:00

You know in the movie Monsters Inc., when Mike Wasowski says ... "I'm on the cover of a magazine!"?

I'm sure my cool sister-in-law Andrea didn't say that but I did when I saw all of her shots in WellWed in New York's spring edition.

I've known her since she was 16 (and I was a little older) and she's always had a great eye for cool stuff. Now, the world can see it too.

I'm so proud of her success.

Check out her photos in WellWed here: WellWed in New York. She's featured on pages 6&7; and pages 106-111. (There's also a picture that my brother took, but I was unable to find it-- I'm sure it's great, Ryan.)

Enjoy these lovely pictures!

cool quilt blog

2010-03-17T15:47:00.002-04:00

Just found this cool blog --Modify Tradition -- through Quilt Dad who always seems to have way cool stuff. (They have a cool button you can grab for your blog too. I'm definitely adding these chicks to my reading list!)

Thanks for sharing, John!

What cool blogs do you read?

a grandmother wish

2010-03-05T12:54:00.000-05:00

There's a picture of my grandmother that I talked my mom into letting me take ... I think she may have given it to me ... but I think about her when I look at it. And here's what I think:

My grandmother died before I was born. She was 44. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if she had lived. How would our lives have been different?

We grew up in the town where she lived. That might have been fun. Fun to say, "Hey, Mom! I'm going to Grandma's!" And off we might have walked or ridden our bikes.

She might have hosted Sunday dinners for our family -- which would have been nice because as a family of nine (seven kids and two parents) we were rarely ALL invited anywhere together.

My sister and I might have found relief from a basketball team's worth of brothers at our grandmother's home. Although with five sons herself, she may have not known what to do with us.

I think about how my mother and her siblings' lives might have been different. She might have helped out after babies born. Served as counsel for trouble during marriages or difficult children (of which I name myself). She may have been a listening ear for daughters and a refuge for her sons. She may have been the cute little grandma sitting in the front of the church during baptisms, first communions and weddings.

There's little doubt in my mind that my grandmother would have been perfect.

But what if she wasn't.

What if she annoyed my mom, and me and my siblings? What if she came to live with us, in old age (as if you could fit one-more-person-in-that-house)? What if she wasn't as perfect as we needed her to be? What if she wore crazy hair rollers and dentures?

She probably wouldn't be.

Sometimes, I wish though, that my mom had someone like her.

Someone who she could bounce ideas off of. Someone to whom she could cry about her children who wouldn't eat, or who kicked her, or who yelled at her. Someone who would tell her, "I didn't always do it right, but this is how I would do it now." Someone who would make dinner on Sundays when she felt like she just couldn't lift another finger to serve her ever-demanding family.

That's what I think about when I look at that picture of my grandmother.

valentine, do you have to ask?

2010-02-11T17:06:00.007-05:00

After the kids were in bed, my husband (from his usual position on the couch) said, "Hey, uh, am I gonna be on the hook for flowers or Valentines stuff?"

(This question may have been prompted by a tweet I sent him earlier in the day, pointing out that he could save $15 on flowers -- to which I'm sure he thought, "$15 is a lot of money to spend on flowers.")

When you put it that way ... Of course, I don't want anything. Do I really need flowers, candy, a new phone, jewlery, fancy dinner, wine, etc. as proof of your love for me?

The truth is I really don't need any of those things.

But here's a list (just in case) of things I want for Valentine's Day:

1) Roses: Red ones, delivered to work so my co-workers all think he's romantic (which he's not) AND some delivered to the house, so all the neighbors think so too.

2) Candy: Chocolates, from Fabiano's (if you don't live in Lansing, you won't get this) in a heart-shaped box -- that the kids can't eat and that won't make me gain weight.

3) An iPhone: with all my stuff already installed on it, all the cool apps and some cute boy to show me how it works (it would be great if that boy could be on standby just for me).

4) A quiet romantic dinner: Where I don't have to get the sitter, arrange dinner for the kids or put panty hose on (so I guess pizza in front of the TV with my fat sweatpants works).

5) Jewelry: Although I've become morally opposed to diamonds, I'd really like to have some god-awfully giant rock that everyone looks at and says, 'wow, your hubby's got taste' (which he doesn't).

Don't lie to yourself, and say -- I don't want those things -- of course, you do ... every girl does.

I've got something better though:

I have a husband who gets up every day before dawn and works himself silly for our family. He's the first one to say that his job coaching college athletes is full of fun. But I've seen the times when it's not so fun.

Regardless, out he goes every single day to make the bacon, so to speak.

For more than 16 years, we have carried on this love affair. (And, for the record, this is the longest I've ever done anything -- not including eating and breathing.)

Sometimes it's creepy how well he knows me ... yet, he keeps coming back. We have three kids who know where all our buttons are and regularly push them, just to watch what will happen when they do. And he sticks around.

I'm not the easiest person to be around. I'm moody and mean. I say stupid things and get irritated when things don't go my way. I have allergies and get colds (like I have now) where my face gets all swelly and stupid looking.

Generally speaking, I'm a crappy housekeeper -- that's because I'm a slob. And, I have a penchant for shopping for designer fabric (my husband would say, 'and clothing' but he doesn't even know what designer clothes cost ... Target does NOT equal designer).

He loves me still.

He loved me when we didn't have $6.95 for a pizza once a week. He loved me when I acted crazy and started crying for no (real) reason. He loved me when I gained a million pounds when I was pregnant (times three) and afterward too.

He's loved me through some crazy outfits, paint colors and 'here, try this-type of dinners.' He's loved me through days when I didn't love myself.

It might sound pretty boring, but truly I have all I need AND want for Valentine's Day.

block exchange and more

2010-02-10T19:55:00.004-05:00

These first two quilt blocks are from Jan for our block exchange. I'm giving her one -- mainly because the other one is done wrong (but I figured out that they're actually BOTH wrong, so I'll give her the less wrong version ... hope that's okay.

Speaking of Jan ... she's doing this TOTALLY awesome bike ride from Florida to San Diego and I'm following her journey -- religiously -- here. Jan is the kind of cool I want to be -- she should be Nike's new spokesperson: Just do it!

This block is the January installment of Bonnie's Block of the Month. Because I hate to be left out, I begged Bonnie to let me in -- in February -- which meant I have to do a couple of blocks this month to catch up. I'm using pink and orange (and evidently some green too) for these blocks. I love hand piecing and these go really fast!

Just so you don't think I've been sitting on the couch eating bon-bons (more like cough drops and cold meds), I completed Georgia's block for Ruth's Block Exchange. I always have Georgia's to do first -- maybe it just seems that way. The centers are strips of shirts and shirtings foundation pieced to muslin, then cut -- we added our color for the HST's (half square triangles) and I had to add royal blue (that's what Georgia wanted).