2007 In Review

I just spent some time reviewing my blog to see if I can figure out what I have accomplished this year. After waiting for each page to load (yes, still on stinky ole dial up!) I decided why not just look back through the pictures. That's where I document almost everything.

January found us working on the house, new floors and a bathroom remodel. And October has us working on the kitchen and on the shop. December has us not finished!

I've spent time knitting. Remember I taught myself to knit in December of 2006 to keep me on track with my not smoking and it has worked. 13 months smoke free. I've knitted 4 pair of socks and started and torn out a few more. I've made lots of dish clothes, hats and scarves. Carpel tunnel has slowed me down but I do have a couple projects on needles because I just can't stop. And I have a growing stash of yarn!

I've made 3 trips to Arizona. The 3rd trip was to help Crystal and Mike pack to move back home. Jenny and Lonnie moved to Austin, Texas. Then they decided to move back home so I didn't get to visit them in November like I had planned. That's OK! I don't have to ride on the scary freeways that I've heard about.

I adopted a new dog, Uggie. He is part of the family now and it's like he has always lived here.

I "retired" from my job of 10 1/2 years. I have never felt better. I love being home. I love being able to visit with my family and friends. I can go out to lunch, shopping or stay home, which is what I do more than anything. I've put more hours on my new sewing machine in 6 months than I did in the first years I owned it. I've decluttered a lot, I have a bit more to do but I don't want to run out of projects too soon. ;-)

I went to an outdoor Brad Paisley concert. I went to 3 retreats at Royal Ridges. By the 3rd one, I was retreated out. I already have 4 scheduled for 2008! I spent time with my friends at 3 different quilt show and a day at the Clark County Fair.

Poppy bought a new John Deere lawn mower. I have never driven it! We were gifted an old Caterpillar 966 loader from my father. Thanks Dad. She sits out beside our old Caterpillar D7 bulldozer. I went with my husband to an outdoor tractor show and now I am on the lookout for him for an old fixer upper tractor.

I've quilted several quilts and still have a pile of my own to do. I finished 10 of my UFOs and added 4 more to the list. I have 3 WIPs and don't intend to let them become UFOs. I embroidered on most of the Christmas gifts this year.

I've surrounded my self with my family this year and I am quite happy about that. We added a new baby girl. How could I not be happy? My life is quite good. I am a very lucky woman.

I discovered a new blog today. It's called Life Is A Quilt. She had a post listing her quilting accomplishments for 2007. I want to keep track of my accomplishments for 2008. I am trilled that I am starting the year being current on the mystery from Quiltville. I have a list of projects to start and a long list of projects to complete.

I think 2008 is going to be a fun ride. I hope there aren't many bumps in the road.

Happy New Year

Christmas Sewing Report - Part 2

Sewing continues as the big days is approaching at a faster pace than ever before.

These towels were made for Doug's girlfriend Lacey. She's kind of the outdoorsy type and she loved them. Now I want to get some more towels and make some for myself.

I made 2 of these teepees for the grand dogs. One for Dee's house and this one for Jenny's house. I was so shocked when the dogs went right inside. Now I have to make one more cuz there is another grand dog at another house that needs one.

These are some of the gift bags I made. I am not a good gift wrapper and have decided to make bags instead. I think I came home with half of them. The little girls wanted to keep theirs.

This is the best Christmas present we received this year. Little Miss Clella is 12 days old today and is growing so fast. We went in today to put some Gramma smoochies on her. I tried to give her more but Poppy was being a baby hog.

Christmas Sewing Report - Part 1

I tried to upload 7 pictures but Picasa2 says I can only do 4 at a time so I will make a Part 2 in a bit. I wanted to show off some of the stuff I did for Christmas gifts this year.

For each of the kiddos, I embroidered either their names or their initials on a set of towels. The boys each have a set of face and butt towels and the 3 of girls have fancy monograms and Clella has a set with her name on them. That's 10 sets of towels.

For my 3 girls, I made them each a table runner using the instructions from Quiltbus with the center square being an embroidery design that I found free on the web. Probably at Ann the Gran. That's were I find a lot of my freebie designs. Now I want to make them each one that isn't for the holidays but for every day. I just need to find a longer day somewhere.

I made 2 sets of these dish towels. These are more freebie designs. I figure since we have to do the dishes, we may as well do them with fun towels.

These towels are at Dee's house. I was there yesterday and I loved seeing her table runner on her table and a towel hanging from her stove.

Introducing....

...Miss Clella Mae with mommy Crystal. Born today, December 17, 2007. Weighing in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces and 19 inches long.

Welcome to the world Miss Clella! Momma and baby are doing fine. Gramma, however is exhausted. Brother Elliot is fighting sleep knowing that Gramma is exhausted. Poppy is in visiting his girls. Gramma is exhausted.

Guess What This Is Gonna Be

If you guessed a Christmas gift, then you guessed right! Give yourself a prize!!!

Actually, I am thrilled with the way this design--free from Ann the Gran --turned out.

About a year and a half ago, at the Clark County Quilter's quilt show, there was a rummage sale. I found that little baggie full of brand new spools of metallic thread for $5! I love thread and I know that many spools is a real bargin. Well, I brought it home, hung it on the thread rack and looked at it every once in a while.

Today when I'm getting thread out for this design, I decided to put in a metallic needle, slow my speed down and try the thread. I wish you could see how sparkley it is. I didn't have any trouble at all. I only wish I would have used more of the metallics. Now I might have to make this design again for myself.

I've been busy finishing up gifts, making gift bags and thinking about baking some goodies. Mmmmm, fudge. Maybe I'll make that tomorrow. Or maybe not.

Funny Bone Kind Of Day

I absolutely love it when I have a day where little things tickle my funny bone. Today has been one of those days.

First thing this morning, I look in the mirror and some funny looking ole hag is staring at me. Her hair is wild and full of gray and she has more than one chin. I could have been scared to death if she wasn't laughing at me.

I had to go to town and I followed a car with the license plate of 859 WIP. Well my mind says if I have that many but I'm certainly not gonna advertise it on my car!!! For you non quilters, whoever you may be, WIP means work in progress. I thought about that all morning and it too made me laugh.

Then I am waiting at a crosswalk for a lady to hurry across. She's all bundled up in a long winter coat with the hood pulled tight around her pudgy face. As I'm watching her waddle, I notice she is wearing a long denim skirt with sweat pants under it. I also see she has on socks in her thin little slippers. I don't know why that stuck me as funny but it did and I smiled and waved to her when she crossed in front of my car.

Every store I was in today was full of happy children--it was still early in the day and not quite naptime. Clerks were happy and so were customers. Then I went to the Dollar Store.

I kind of lost it when the teenager behind me thought he needed to be as close as he could get to me while waiting in line. When I asked (ok, I told him!) to back up away from me a bit, he had to get nasty. Silly guy, my feet hurt and I still have to get groceries and YOU want to get nasty with me! You are an idiot! Do not argue with a woman with tired feet that is still facing the grocery store! After a minute, he backed up out of my space and I kind of chuckled. I also felt like maybe he was gonna stick his hand into my bag and borrow my wallet. That would have not been funny!

How do you like my abandoned church picture? It's on the road where you turn right (Jen) to go to the Kah Nee Tah resort. It really is a cool looking building and it's too bad its in the state that it is. I think it would make an awesome quilt shop somewhere other that where it is.

Gotta go, got things to do and Oprah's almost on. :-)

Bonnie Is At It Again

Bonnie Hunter over at Quiltville isn't busy enough planning a move, she started a new quilt project and turned it into a mystery for all of us Quiltville junkies. You can be a Quiltville Mystery junkie too. Just follow this link to the Quiltville page and you will be on your way. Don't be shy, join this Yahoo Group and see what everyone else is up to. All 865! members.

I wasn't going to do it, I wasn't going to join. I have enough to do. I love mysteries and I love Bonnie's projects. So my step one rail fence blocks are done and pinned in piles of 10. My step 2 9 patches are started. I hope I am caught up by the time she posts step 3.

Darn Her!!!

Will I Ever Get There???

Where am I going? I am on a long trip to Organizational Heaven. I don't know if I will ever arrive. I've never been there so I don't know what it will be like. But I'm willing to be adventerous and I just might like being there.

Over the past several months, I have been trying to get my sewing and quilting stuff "together" but I don't know if there is an end in sight. I have 2 more of these bags stuffed with scraps that need to be cut. I spent all of one morning on one bag. (I'm not complaining, I got to watch a really good movie.)

My 2" bin is overfull, as is another 2 1/2" bin. I have been cutting, squares into 10 /12", 2 1/2", 5", 3 1/2" and rectangles into 5 /12" x 10 1/2" and 2 1/2" x 4 1/2". Then there are the strings I keep that are at least 1" wide. I also found a few orphan blocks. That bin is getting pretty full too.

It felt pretty good to get those piles put away and the empty bag ready to be filled again. I love looking in the bins and seeing all the neat strips. I also know what they will look like when I am ready to start another project.

Today has been a strange day. I woke up at 4"30 with an aweful headache so after the big guy left for work at 5, I took some ibuprofen and went back to bed. I think that's only the second time I've gone back to bed since I retired. Then I got up at 9:30, still had the headache, and took some more ibu. I have done next to nothing today and my list is pretty long. I think I will start the washer and then sew the binding onto a quilt so I have something to sew on at night.

I picked up a baby quilt yesterday that I want to get quilted and returned ASAP. I don't think today is a good day to start it. Tomorrow has to be a better day. Maybe I'll take a nap!

Happy Birthday Taylor

Happy Birthday Taylor Marie.

Didn't Aunt Cryssie and I tell you that you couldn't be 8 yet! We were going to skip today so you could be 7 for another year. You are so grown up and we aren't quite ready for that.

I don't know how to stop the hands of time from turning so fast. When times zooms by, I always think of my Gramma telling me how fast time goes when you get older and I never understood that until now.

As they say, Time flies when you're having fun and for the most part, I'm having fun.