My Crafty Goodness

I can't help it, "Crafty Goodness" is in my blood! It seems as if I've always got some kind of "craft" project going on, LOL! And poor Hannah, she's getting a quadruple dose of Craftiness! I'm currently teaching her how to crochet- I bet that you didn't know that I could crochet did you, LOL! It's not one of my stronger pursuits- but when you are a young girl growing up and one of your mother's passions is for crocheting...you learn to crochet!

So here we are with yarn in hand...Hannah cracks me up, there's one comment in particular that made me smile "Mom how can you do this and not get a hand cramp?". To be perfectly honest, that's why I don't crochet anything more than a scarf here and there...hand cramps, LOL! I love how she just rolled her eyes when I answered her. That girl and I are 2 peas of the same pod!

Besides the crocheting, I've also shown her some basic cross stitching, and basic sewing...but will have to start over with sewing again as this time I want her to make an entire project on her own from start to finish. She can stamp, make greeting cards and does scrapbooking too. Yes, my passions have crossed over to my daughter and in her pursuit of crafty goodness she is interested in many different kinds of crafts :-)

Now my son Andrew has inherited his Dad's gift of being able to work with machines and the boy is very mechanically inclined. He enjoys building and repairing things much like his Dad. So working on cars and other items gives them much joy :-)

Quote of the day

The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.
~Henry Miller

Quilting News- Store Merger!

I forgot to tell you all this little tidbit of news...while at "The Quilt Corral Too" quilt shop on Sunday afternoon I learned that the "Quilt Corral" at Mistletoe Ranch in Hill City is merging with "The Quilt Corral Too". I knew that Mistletoe Ranch (it's a year round Christmas store) was up for sale, so I was wondering what was up with the quilt shop part of it and now I know :-) I'm excited to see that we will have an even larger selection of fabrics to choose from and all in Rapid City too! They've already started bringing fabric from the Hill City store to the Rapid City store, I'm giddy with excitement!

quilts, quilts and more quilts!

I woke up at 2:30 am and could not get back to sleep until close to 5 am. No it was not the creative process taking hold of me, it was more like I was in the firm grip of pain. There's nothing quite like being wakened by pain. I'm taking a new pain medication and it really does help to relieve the pain BUT there's a nasty side affect- nausea. I haven't thrown up yet but let me tell ya I feel as if I could a the drop of a hat! Now while I was up during the wee hours of the morning I went into my scrapbook nook and matched up some fabrics for yet a 4th quilt top. This one will be a twin sized Christmas quilt. One of my goals is to make Christmas Quilts for each of the beds in our house.

Now to get on with being creative...I'm ready to get cutting on Andrew's lap quilt, and to sew up another baby quilt! I've found in my stash of fabric some left overs from something I made YEARS AGO. This Peter Rabbit fabric is making a come back (I recently saw something similar in one of the local quilt stores). So I'm going to make 2 of these Peter Rabbit lattice baby quilts- just to have on hand. I'll have the tops done and quilt them at a later time. I really want to get to work on the lap quilt using those yummy brown and turquoise batik fabrics!

Time to usher the kids off to school and for me to get working on the final stages of putting this baby quilt together.

Quote of the day

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.
~Michelangelo

Be Creative Every Day!

In reference to my quote of the day I AM a Science Geek to be sure BUT I have this creative side that can not be turned off or tuned out. I enjoy being creative, it's as if I always need to be doing something with my hands and brain :-) Be it creating something in the kitchen, in the garden or in my scrapbook nook I keep myself continuously busy.

I'm looking forward to warmer weather, when I can be out in my future flower garden. I want it to be swimming in flowers! Gardenias, Lilacs, Hydrangeas, Azaleas, Peonies, Hibiscus and of course more roses!

So here I am with some new quilting ideas and fabric to work with- this turquoise and brown batik will make an awesome quilt for Andrew, I've got a fantastic pattern to work with and now all I have to get is some turquoise watermark batik fabric for an accent color to use as the binding.

This next couple of photo's are what I made for Kim's baby shower...here you see the baby card (the stamps are from Stampin Up). And next you see the lattice baby quilt done with pink, green and yellow....I adore that daisy fabric! I used pink with white dots fabric for the back of the quilt. It was a huge hit at the baby shower :-) Now for me to get with it and finish sewing on the binding so Kim can have it back.

Quote of the day

People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition end by starving the best part of the mind.
~William Butler Yeats

useful information

I just came across this interesting web site and wanted to share it with you
The Sewing Machines Guide-information for the consumer.

going Hawaiian

The baby shower for my friend Kim was a crack up! Hawaiian was the theme and the company made it great. I had a friend ask me afterwards if everything was okay as I left before everyone else did...you see, my foot was hurting something terrible. After being there over 2 hours I just wanted to get home and take a stronger pain killer.

Back to the baby shower...it was so refreshing to see the out pour of love and friendship we all have for Kim. It was a great assortment of gifts from the heart from our small group of friends. This was NOT one of those blow out type of baby showers that looked as if someone just broke into a baby boutique and a toy store and took everything off of the shelves and placed it in front of the new Mom to be. This was a small and intimate yet very fun gathering of close friends. The Hawaiian theme was perfect for our bitterly cold, windy soon to be very nasty winter weather. Somehow I don't think that Kim will miss this kind of weather once she gets to Hawaii ( I know I wouldn't). I've got a little bit more work to do on her baby quilt so I can give it to her for keeps. There's nothing like showing a partially done quilt at a baby shower to tease your friend with. :-)

Fabric on the brain

I hate it when I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. So there I was, in blissful sleep dreaming about what? Fabric! But not just any fabric, I was dreaming about batik fabric and creating a lap quilt for my boy. Dreaming about patterns and colors of batik fabric and which quilt pattern I'd use in creating something for him. Then I thought about some fabric I saw at a local quilt store that was on their clearance table (it's probably no longer there). It was marked to down to $5 a yard and I'd need at least 4 yards of it to create a twin Christmas Quilt. I think that paying $5 a yard is a lot more reasonable than paying $10 a yard, don't you?

Yesterday's freaky snow storm threw me through a loop. The air was cold, but then the sky just turned black and the wind picked up and was howling- suddenly everything was plastered with snow-it was blowing sideways. The snow had stuck to everything, the ground was covered everything was white. This is one of the reasons it scares me to live out here- bad weather can whip up fast!

Quote of the day

It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, 1999

Quilting- my newest hobby aka obsession

I did it, I sent in my application to join the Black Hills Quilters Guild. I'm excited about my new venture into the realm of quilting. I see the Quilters Guild as another opportunity to make new friends, to learn new things and a way to be a part of something that does a service to our community.

I've also decided that I want to purchase a 2nd sewing machine. After reading many articles on the subject and realizing the other day how handy a 2nd one would be...I've made up my mind on the matter! I want to have a 2nd one for many reasons- First off it would be nice to have a 2nd one to take to classes and quilting workshops (leaving the nicer one at home). Secondly, It would be nice to have it set up just for straight stitches when my HT is set up for quilting and Thirdly, it would be a great to have a 2nd machine so I can teach Hannah how to sew (without her messing up my good one). I know that Hannah would love to take some sewing classes and beginner quilting classes, and having a machine that's going to be our tote around "class taking" machine will be good for both of us. I've decided to get another Janome brand sewing machine as the sewing feet will be interchangeable and for me, the needle threader and drop in bobbin system is a MUST! Now for me to break the news to my husband...this will really make him roll his eyes!

It's Saturday!

Today is the baby shower for my friend Kim...I've got to get with it and finish up the baby quilt (and take some pictures of it) and make a couple of cards for the shower. I must have at least 1001 thing to get done before I leave the house-ugh!

Quote of the day

I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
Martha Washington (1732 - 1802)

A Quilters Shop Hop

There's currently a Quilter Shop Hop going on of the Black Hills area of South Dakota. I was able to go to 4 of the 9 quilting stores here in our "area". The special thing is that you get a FREE quilt block Pattern designed by Pearl Louise of The Thimble Cottage.



In case you are like me and didn't know that there were 9 stores let me give you that information...


Dakota Quilt Co.
1004 North Main
Spearfish, SD
605-642-2939

Fabric Junction
1609 Junction Ave.
Sturgis, SD
605-347-2235

The Thimble Cottage Quilt Village
902 Mount Rushmore Road
Rapid City, SD
605-341-6569

The Sewing Center
120 Knollwood Drive Ste A
Rapid City, SD
605-348-1010

The Quilt Corral Too
120 Knollwood Drive Ste C
Rapid City, SD
605-348-2600

The Quilt Connection
318 Mount Rushmore Road
Rapid City, SD 355-0178

The Quilt Connection at Mistletoe Ranch
23835 Hwy 3852
Hill City, SD
605-574-4197

The Quilt Shop
325 Mount Rushmore Road Ste 4
Custer, SD
605-673-3606

Nuts and Bolts Fabric Shop
500 Second Street
Edgemont, SD
605-662-5758
http://www.nutsandboltsfabric.com/

With the price of gas being the way it is, and now it's snowing...not to mention that I have no one to pal around with me on this venture...alas I'll have to be content with my 4 quilt patterns.

Quote of the day

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?
~George Elliot

How my day has been so far...

Okay... so I didn't win the top honor of being named the EAFB Civilian Volunteer of the Quarter but it was an honor to be there representing the Ellsworth Officers Spouses Club as their volunteer of the quarter. There was a great show of support from our local community as well as our military community.

After I came home I got back to work on my latest quilt...oh is it ever CUTE! I'm trying to get as much done on it as possible since Kim's baby shower is this Saturday. I had originally planned to host one myself but have been hindered my my "foot issues". I can't begin to tell you how happy I was to have received an invitation to a shower for Kim...hosted by friends. Now I can concentrate on showering her with oodles of baby gifts that are certain to become family heirlooms. This is also her farewell party so I'll have a gift for that part as well. There's even a theme, it's"Hawaiian - how perfect since she and her family are moving to Hawaii!

Now for me to sandwich it all together and get this puppy ready for quilting!

The big day is here...

...and I have butterflies in my stomach (yes I'm trying to get them to fly in formation). What big day you wonder? The EAFB Quarterly Awards ceremony is today and I've been nominated for recognition at the Awards Breakfast. This is a nice way to recognize those military members and the civilians that volunteer their time in our local communities. I'll have to let you know how it goes...I'm off to get ready as I have to be there at 7am- eek!

Quote of the day

Anyone in a state of SEEKING can never be happy. Only those who are constantly FINDING are fulfilled. And finding is not something that happens to us-it is something we DO.
~Alan Cohen

Spring Cleaning anyone?

I'm on my quarterly drive to get rid of stuff that is overrunning my house. Most of it being "stuff" that belongs to my children. Why is it that the older they get the less they care about having a clean room?

So yesterday I started with one bedroom and then went to the other. I found things that made me shake my head...half eaten sandwich and other interesting items that make me wonder about my children. I let them know how lucky they are not to have bugs invading their bedrooms (it's the Mom in me that makes me say that).

I should have taken before and after pictures, if only as a reminder to my children that they need to pick up after themselves on a daily basis.

Now I'm off to look at my fabric stash ans create a new baby quilt. I took the seam ripper to one I made before I had my ¼ inch seam allowance sewing foot. Nothing matched up, the squares and rectangles were off and the corners didn't align properly (that's probably why I put it aside and didn't work any more on it). So I was able to reuse most of the fabric, some just has to be cut down in size to work with this new pattern.

Quote of the day

Housework, if you do it right, will kill you.
~Erma Bombeck

All of us have moments in out lives that test our courage. Taking children into a house with a white carpet is one of them.
~Erma Bombeck

Today is a double serving of Erma Bombeck, her insight into children, friendships and life in general are humorous and precious.

I have...Paint Envy

I have to keep today's quote up front in my mind as I think about my neighbors and their home.

I went inside of B&K's home yesterday and it's GEORGOUS! It's not their furnishings (as those are very similar as to what we have in our own home) but rather the paint on their walls! Oh my word it's out of this world fantastic! The colors are ones I would use in my own home and they even have the Tuscan style gold textured looking wall that I want. This is terrible, I have Paint Envy, LOL! You see, the hardest part about figuring out what colors to paint our walls have to due with a couple of different factors...1- us being here another 2 years and worrying about the colors we choose to paint the walls to have an effect on our resale and 2- the fact that we have VERY tall ceilings.

So now we have a ladder that will reach tall heights and it ours doesn't do it, then we can borrows B&K's ladder :-) The colors in their home are bold yet warm, rich and inviting...I want that for our home!

Since I can't do too much today (the flooring people are supposed to show up) I'm gutting my closet from all of it's winter wear. Sure it's still cold out but I'm sick of seeing sweater central in my closet! So out it goes and in with Spring and Summer wear!

Quote of the day

Before you try to keep up with the Joneses, be sure they're not trying to keep up with you.
~Erma Bombeck

Home Improvement

We've been here a year and we're still not done with home improvements. Sears is having a sale and I encouraged my husband to check it out. He came back with some pretty cool stuff. The best thing I saw was the ladder, a really nice one that folds up but can reach some tall heights :-) First thing- get a window treatment up in that half round window in the foyer! Mission accomplished!

He also bought a cool cabinet for the kids bathroom- they needed some extra storage. Hannah needs more storage because she's a girl and they need more space in general, LOL! Andrew because he wears contacts and just makes a mess of the bathroom in general, LOL! My wonderful husband installed the cabinet last night and now to get it organized :-)

Quote of the day

The time is always right to do what is right.
~Martin Luther King Jr.

Dreaming about...Scrapbooking

I don't know if you ever dream about crafting but I most certainly do and last night I dreamt of creating scrapbooking layouts. I haven't had a dream like that in such a very long time! I may finally be getting my scrapping mojo back (I can only hope). I think that working with the various prints and colors of fabrics is keeping me in the creative world, I may not be scrapbooking but I am creating heirlooms none the less :-)

Yesterday I quilted and last night I finished hand sewing the binding on my Fathers Day present for my Dad. His chief complaint has been that it's too cold in his room. So I thought that a lap quilt would be great for him. I miss him a great deal. Now do I wait until closer to Father's Day to send it or do I send it along with my Mother's Day lap quilt for my Mom?

It's a beautiful Sunday morning, I'm going to take in some of this splendor and have coffee on the deck.

Quote of the day

You can never learn less, you can only learn more.
~Keith Degreen

Here I am...

... writing a letter to my sister and I thought...hey this would work great as a topic on interest for my blog...or not, LOL! What am I writing to her about...quilting, cooking and scrapbooking of course, LOL!

I'm writing my sister about a recent visit I paid to a local quilt shop. I've been to this shop several times in the past few months and although her shop shop is lovely, it's also very old fashioned looking - and not a single display has been changed in months. Every quilt displayed in the place has an old fashioned antique look to it or was done with country calico fabric - there are some that may find this charming but there was nothing on display done in modern fabric trends. There was not one thing done in bold vibrant colors, nothing done with batik fabrics and all of the baby stuff was done in these washed out muted pastel colors- blah! There are tons of great patterns to be had, but the inspiration was rather lacking. I did enjoy the themed rooms but alas some of the stuff was a bit too country looking to capture the eye of younger people. I felt that the displays needed to be updated with a more modern flair to fit the designs tastes of today. To be honest, I've not bought any fabric there.

I also wrote my sister about the intimidation factor of buying a sewing machine. I'm sure that I'm giving her quite the chuckle. I don't think that she would have ever thought that they could be so very expensive. You see, my sister is not a sewer, not by any means. My sister likes to work with yarn, her hobbies are crocheting and plastic canvas work. So like my every growing stash of fabric, my sister I'm sure has amassed quite the stash of yarn from her hobbies. :-)

My mother-in-law confessed to me that she has got quite the "stash" of yarn going on at her house. She loves to knit and crochet and takes every opportunity to buy yarn when she finds it on sale. She was telling me about some sort of pigeon hole cubby display shelf that she got when the men's clothing store she worked at was being remodeled. It sounds seriously cool and I'm looking forward to seeing it. For someone who loves to work with yarn...it sounds like the perfect way to keep everything organized and it's a great way to see what you have on hand.

Quote of the Day

When I am old I'm never going to say, "I didn't do this" or, "I regret that". I'm going to say, "I don't regret a damn thing, I came, I went, and did it all".
~Kim Basinger

I survived...

a year as OSC Programs Chair - that's going to be my new t-shirt slogan! I'm officially done, okay not off the book or anything but I am done. Next months function has been taken care of by the Scholarship Chair (woohoo).

Now as far as having a board for next year we have a parliamentarian, a President, 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents (charitable and non-charitable) and maybe even a recording secretary...other than that everything is pretty much open.

The meal was excellent...then again not too much can go wrong with a baked potato bar. The ladies looked great and I have to give many thinks to Kristy M. who did such an awesome job with the ladies hair. I'm so impressed that I'm going to make an appointment with her to get Hannah's hair cut (she's been on me to get her hair cut for a few days now).

Now for some coffee and to get to some things that I want to work on after the kids leave for school.

Quote of the day

Make a true estimate of your own ability, then raise it 10 per cent.
~Norman Vincent Peale

I just want to get tonight over with!

Tonight is my last function/program as Programs Director- and it's been my hardest one to pull off! Originally there was another person helping me to put together this program and I found out at the last minute that she did nothing what so ever and left me holding the bag (so to speak). That left me doing a lot of last minute scrambling to pull this off.

The Make Over function is the one program that just about all of our OSC members look forward to attending every year. But this year it wasn't to be as years past. Competition for attendance being - Blue Man Group is in town playing a concert that same night. This one I feel, was doomed from the word "go". It has been an uphill battle to get this function off of the ground, from getting OSC members to volunteering to have makeovers (free haircuts and make-up done by professionals) - I only needed 4 and was able to get "2" after sending 3 e-mails begging for participants. Then I find out that our cosmetics ladies can't make it- but they can do the make up at the store before the event. Then the woman who was supposed to do the hair can't, which made have to find another hair stylist at the last minute- ugh! I'm not sure if we'll be getting the goody bags that the cosmetics ladies put together for our group, I'm not sure if we'll have a door prize, I'm not sure of a lot of things for tonight's program. I think I'm developing an ulcer. If it wasn't for my dear friend Kim, this entire night would be in the crapper.

I'll be there wearing Crocs with my beautiful skirt and sweater set. I'll feel like a total idiot, but alas what else am I to do? I have to attend the function and I can't wear any other shoes because of my intense foot pain. Damn, this sucks!

Quote of the day

It's alright to have BUTTERFLIES in your stomach. Just get them to fly in formation.
~Dr. Rob Gilbert

I wonder, is it really just a coincidence?

Playing off of my quote for the day...my girlfriend Kim e-mails and asks me where best to get some fat quarters and a quilting pattern for a table runner...as she wants to give these as a gift to a friend who is PSCing (military term for moving). You are never going to believe what I made yesterday...a table runner. I made it yesterday with no one special in mind, all I have to do it to quilt it and sew on the edging. I kid you not, I really put one together yesterday on a total whim. I better take a picture of it in case Kim decides she wants to buy it, LOL! The Lord truly does work in mysterious ways :-)

Quote of the day

Chance is the pseudonym God uses when he does not want to sign his name.
Anatole France

Time spent with friends...

...is time well spent. I had THE BEST time yesterday with Peggy and the other ladies that make up our paper crafting group. I can honestly say that I don't remember a time in the past few months where I have laughed more than with this group of friends. Even though we razz one another it's never done in a mean way and we are always laughing if not at one another than at ourselves. Yesterday was so terribly funny...Sarah for the life of her could not get her folds scored correctly and me...oh my gosh, I'm such a gimp when it comes to the stamping wheel! Donna was having a rough time with the stamping wheel too- Peggy was laughing right along with us.





So let me share with you some of the items we've made...



What a great bunch of pocket cards! tuck in a check, some dollar bills or a gift card into any of these!


This one was especially fun since it requires to cut apart a paper lunch bag :-) I'm looking forward to spending National Scrapbooking day with Peggy and our group. She's also got a couple of workshops coming up...I can hardly wait to make that project...it's just too cool for words!

Quote of the day

If you aren't going all the way, why go at all?
~Joe Namath

The seasons of South Dakota

If you didn't know it already...you can experience all 4 seasons in the span of a week here in South Dakota. We've had rain, snow and sleet just within the past few days and today it's supposed to be near 80º's. I don't dare go out of doors these days without and umbrella or without apply sunscreen, LOL!

Now as promised, here's a picture (or two) of my latest finished quilting project. I love the fabrics that I used to make this table runner. The project was challenging for me, especially considering that this was my first time working with triangles and working an "on point" project. By doing smaller projects, it's helping me to gain experience and confidence in my abilities- so I can tackle larger and more difficult projects in the future.

Now I'm off to get ready for "Stamping with Peg"...I can hardly wait to see what she has in store for us today! Stay tuned....

Quote of the day

If you put a small value on yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price.
~Anonymous

Baby Showers...

I am amazed at how many of my girlfriends are pregnant. I found out last week that there were 2 that I didn't know that are expecting...WOW! All I have to say is "drink bottled water!". Some of my girlfriends know the sex of their baby and others don't want to find out until the birth (talk about the ultimate surprise present), I'm okay with that. But that limits my choices and makes me feel rather challenged. I've gone and checked out the registries for the showers I've been invited to and so far everything is rather BLAH! No room theme's what so ever, I find that rather strange. I suppose that I could whip up something in yellow and green but will it be appreciated? I know that when I'm feeling VERY motivated I can get just about anything done. I did make a lap quilt top in an afternoon, so I suppose that I could get it done in time. I have to think a little more on this. I would prefer to use what I have on hand and not have to go out and spend any money. But since one theme is yellow and green, well I might have to go out since I have next to nothing in the realm of yellow printed fabrics- how sad is that? LOL!

Scrappers Block

It's early, way too early for me to be up and awake on a Sunday morning. So here I am with my faithful kitty and a steamy hot mug of coffee in my favorite pink mug. I'm contemplating the day...what I'll do after church.

If you all haven't figured it out yet...I've got scrappers block. I've had it for a couple of months now. I've got these great pictures from our cruise (even had them printed) and nothing. I've got a layout sketched and I know what I want to do for a title and so forth but alas, that's as far as I've gotten with that bundle of pictures.

Quilting on the other hand...Holy Catfish Batman! I've taken off with it and there's no turning back! I've gone and quilted two table runners yesterday, hand sewn the binding on one and am half way through sewing the other binding on. One of the draw backs of hand sewing...oh is my right middle finger is ever sore for being poked with the quilting needle! Obviously I should be using a thimble, LOL!

I had recently bought a few quilting magazines in my quest for more knowledge of the craft/hobby. One of the table runners I made came out of the "Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting- Easy Quilts" summer 2008 issue. The project that I chose is called "Paisley on Point- table runner". I liked the pattern but the colors and such that was used on the project although were pretty they were not to my personal tastes- not to mention that I didn't want to be on a treasure hunt of sorts trying to find those fabrics (this is so very much like trying to copy a scrapbooking layout). The really funny part with this is that I had bought the fabric for this project while my m-i-l was here and I thought that I liked it all...I did buy 2 different fat quarter prints for the "cream" colored sections and would make my final selection at home. The funny part is that I ended up not using either one, instead I went with a piece of fabric that I bought at the so called discount fabric store. Although I saw no real discounts on any fabric in the place I still managed to spend $30 there on a few choice pieces of fabric, LOL! Okay so no real true money saving bargains BUT there was a HUGE selection of beautiful fabrics to be found! Okay back to my project...I found 2 out of this world floral fabrics at this store, and I bought them! I ended up using both of them to make table runners. I am in love with how they both turned out! I showed you one of the fabrics (see my Tuesday April 8th post) and the project I made using that fabric (it's now quilted with the binding on). Flowers are my thing, always have been always will be!

My m-i-l went home on Wednesday and that's when I got to work on my 2nd table runner. It too was a challenge for me, I've never worked a project like this, on point process was new to me, the working with triangles was the biggest challenge and getting the points to match up and adding borders... well needless to say my trusty seam ripper proved to be a most handy tool! But I made ti through the process and am proud to say that I'm nearly done sewing on the binding! Look for a picture later on today or tomorrow of my latest little quilting project!

Quote of the day

Good timber does not grow with ease; the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.
~J. Willard Marriott

The challenge of interior decorating

I woke to a pounding headache. Could be all of the stress I've been under just coming to the top and trying hard to escape. Some warm delicious coffee will fix me right up, of this I am sure!

As I'm sitting here at my little computer desk I'm thinking about decorating this room. It's a mish-mash of Air Force memorabilia, my Mary Engelbreit pillows and table runners left over from Hannah's bedroom in Virginia and my collection of sea shells. The comforter on the bed is one that we used for our guest room in Virginia. That room had a New England Blueberry theme to it, the white and shades of blue were very restful. But alas, we're back to having our computer in a bedroom of sorts (at least it's no longer in the master bedroom). With 2 rooms to make window treatments for I find myself at an impasse. What to make, what theme to decorate the bedroom in? I'm keeping the pillows regardless of their theme, I'll just have to take the pillows out of the little covers and store them for later use.

I've been longing to do a tone on tone beach/sea shell theme for a room. To turn it into a restful haven. But will my spouse go for that idea? Especially since we are living in the mid-west, no beaches here with exception of a prehistoric beach (hence the finding of sea shells in the Crystal Cavern area in the hills). I dearly miss the ocean, I miss the smells and the sounds, I miss being able to walk on the sand and the cool water lapping up around my ankles, I miss squishing the sand between my toes. I hope to one day live near the ocean... again.

So do I go with my heart and do an ocean theme? Or do I go with an Americana theme? While in Texas (a very patriotic place to live by the way) every other home had an Americana (red, white and blue) themed room or two. My friend Renee Smith had Americana themed everything! From her dishes, to table linens heck- her entire house was done up in a rustic red white and blue theme. The theme fit her and was perfect for that house style... it was charming beyond belief. Granted, it was a little too rustic for my taste, but it was totally charming none the less. Whatever the theme, I'll be making everything for the room. I'm going to do some more thinking on this...

Now for more coffee as it has my headache slowly melting away :-)

Quote of the day

Our mental attitude is the X factor that determines our fate.
~Dale Carnegie

What a yucky day!

The weather is not fit for man nor beast! It's not rain and it's not quite snow so it must be SLEET! Did I tell you that I really and truly dislike sleet? Our roads are a mess, cars are sliding all over the place and it's just a matter of time until I hear sirens. The sleet/snow mixture is sticking to all of the windows of my house and I am unable to see out of them- It's like have extra heavy duty frosted glass windows, the kind you see people doing for privacy.

I've already had to go out once in this mess...had to buy food, haven't done it in over 2 weeks. We were out of all of the essentials. I also dislike having to wear my veggies in poor weather such as this. My shoes were full of snow and freezing cold water. My feet were bright red from the extreme cold , so when I got home first thing to come off those shoes and wet socks! Unfortunately I do have to venture out again...orthodontic appointment for the eldest child.

So what to do on a yucky day...for me today is all about making comfort foods. My family will be happy to come home to a hearty home cooked meal that will satisfy even the hungriest of the bunch.

Signs

I think that the Lord talks to us in ways that make us stop and listen- sometimes the way the Lord speaks to us is not so much with words but with any means he deems necessary to get his point across to us. I think that my constantly hurting foot was one of those signs telling me to slow down...I didn't listen and now I'm going to be having surgery- again I see this as a sign for the Lord that he wants me to take a break from things and to stay at HOME :) I'm supposed to put my feet up and take it easy. Once my foot surgery takes place I have to stay off of my foot for at least 6 weeks. Talk about a challenge!

One of my favorite movies is "Signs", I know that some people deem this a horror Sci-Fi kind of movie but to me it speaks volumes on being able to see or read the signs that the Lord sends to us. To have faith, to know that we are not alone, that the Lord is always with us.

My having to "stay off of my feet" is putting a damper on my volunteering over at the base Thrift Shop. I have thought long and hard about applying for the manager position but now with my upcoming foot surgery, well that just doesn't make sense for me to apply for a job that I'll have to take 6 weeks off from in the near future. I do hope that others apply for the position. As far as I know, I was the only one to show any real interest in it...and now I'm forced to rescind any interests I might have had in working as a paid manager.

I know that the Lord is with me and he's helping me to be the best person I can be. It's because of him that I've taken up quilting. Last night as I was taking out a few incorrectly placed stitches in my latest project I realized what it was that had drawn me to quilting.... It the fact that I'm putting a part of myself into each quilt I make. I like to think that I'm putting my heart and my love into something that will be wrapped around my friends and family, that I'll be with them no matter where they are in the world.

The chicken of despair...

I woke to this stupid song on the radio the lyrics were about everyone being pissed off at the person singing it from the hair dresser to the bus driver so on and so forth. I know that it was a "joke" song made up to make people laugh, but it didn't make me laugh. I've had so much on my mind these days, so much going on that I don't talk about. I try to be upbeat and put a positive spin on everything...and things SHOULD be that way but there are times when they are not. I'm generally an upbeat and happy person but so many little things are just needling me, I feel as if the chicken of despair is pecking at me...I need another vacation to escape it all.

Quote of the Day

Follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.
~Joseph Campbell

Doing something nice for someone...

Here I am, putting some items away and I find that my m-i-l left some of her sweaters here. So with that , I'm able to take a little oversight and turn it into a golden opportunity to do something nice for someone :-) So my m-i-l will find packed with her sweaters an added little bonus, some quilt batting for her quilted table runner project :-)

We were without water yesterday for the better part of the day and I hope that the problem has been resolved and that we do not have a recurrence of it again today. I've got laundry like no one knows...and I really need to get it all washed - today if possible. Oh the glamorous life I lead, LOL!

Quote of the day

Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things...I am tempted to think...there are no little things.
~Bruce Barton

It's the little things...

that are after all the things that really matter most. Take for instance my foot pain- saw the Podiatrist this morning and since the other medications aren't working I'm now going to be having surgery on my foot. Am I excited? not really, but I did have an inkling that I would wind up with foot surgery. So now a referral for surgery has been submitted to my health insurance company and now to wait for approval then once that happens then we set a surgery date.

My m-i-l left this afternoon to fly back home. I'm kind of sad to see her go, as I've truly enjoyed her company this past week. She promised me to start working on her quilted table runner project (it's the same pattern that I made the other day). I'm anxious to see how long it takes her to get it done. Now that I'm thinking about it, gosh I wish that I would have sent her off with a piece of batting for the middle! It just dawned on me that we didn't buy any quilt batting- sheesh!

It's seriously WINDY today! And the rain is just pounding!

After my doctor appointment I took Bette to Hancock Fabrics (the last fabric store on my list). She bought some fat quarters and a couple of other sewing supply items. Myself, I bought a spool of thread, some blue fabric for making some bindings and some muslin for backing my table runner. Now I'm ready to get working on my little project and finish it up so I can use it on our dining table :-) It started pouring rain while we were in the fabric store, by the time we got out of there is was really coming down hard! I was soaked to the skin and feeling like a duck by the time we got to the car.

So we come home to find that the Water Main has once again been ruptured- nice! Again it's at the front end of our subdivision (seems that's where it always bursts). This time it was the power company's fault...my question is this- don't they pay attention to where things are located underground? I made a couple of phone calls and was told that it's supposed to be fixed within a few hours...it's now 5½ hours later and still no water, hmmm. Thank goodness that I have some bottled water here -which reminds me, I'm going to stock up on some more tomorrow.

Quote of the Day

Far too many people are LOOKING for the right person, instead of trying to BE the right person.
~Gloria Steinem

My latest quilting project

After a trip to yet another local (and yet new to me) fabric store yesterday , I found myself feeling rather inspired to create something. I loved the huge selection on fabrics that this store had to offer. I found this printed fabric and knew right away that I wanted to make something with it. The floral pattern just spoke to me.

Here you see what I made...my m-i-l bought this pattern at the Quilt Corral quilt shop in Hill City. I thought that I would "whip one out" before she left with her pattern (insert small chuckle here). I've not sandwiched this yet, but I do have the binding made and ready to be sewn on after I do the actual quilt work on the table runner. The colors and the pattern of this fabric are amazing! It reminds me greatly of scrapbooking paper...no wonder why I love quilting so much :-) The binding is the same floral pattern so table runner will look more uniform. The snow was blowing sideways yesterday while I was cutting and sewing this table runner together. It made me feel warm and cozy to create something that reminds me of bright sunshine filled days.

So... if it's a snow filled day where you are...pull out something to work on that reminds you of warmer days filled with the warmth of the sun :-)

Quote of the Day

Perseverance is a great element of success. If you knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Every day is an adventure

Today is one of those busy crafting days, I can feel it! I must have at least a dozen (if not more) different kinds of crafting projects lined up for myself. From counted cross stitching to scrapbooking, card-making and quilting. I'm excited to work with my hands creating items that make others smile.

Last night I watched the 2nd installment of the PBS Masterpiece Theater "Sense and Sensibility". I have to let you know that it was AWESOME! I loved the original (directed by Ang Lee with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet) but this one is superb! I liked the duel scene and the other scene where Willoughby comes to see Marianne and Elinor rebuffs him and turns him away- LOVE IT! I am going to order this on DVD, there's no doubt about it! The actors and actresses were wonderful...right down to the charming little Miss Margaret Dashwood!

Quote of the Day

Don't regret what might have been. Accept what is and rejoice in what is yet to be.

Confirmation Day

Bishop Cupich from the Archdiocese of Rapid City lead our Confirmation Mass this morning. He gave us a wonderful homily. The children or should I say young men and women who were being confirmed were in awe of being in the presence of such a revered man of the cloth. Have you ever felt as if you were in the presence of the Lord? I felt that way today and felt uplifted throughout the entire Mass and am still feeling that way now. With us now having our son Andrew confirmed in the Catholic Church, it'll be 3 more years until it's our daughter Hannah's turn.

Quote of the day

Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.
~Rumi

Touring the quilting stores in my area...

Since my mother-in-law's arrival, we've gone out to visit a different quilt shop every single day! I've taken her to Spearfish to see the little quilting store up there. They've got a great selection of Batik Fabric- I'm going to place a phone order in the the next few days as it's a 110 mile round trip and it would cost me more in gas than postage, LOL!

Yesterday we drove up to Hill City to visit the original Quilt Corral- LOVE that store! I really enjoy the way she has her bolts of fabrics and fat quarters arranged. It made perfect sense to have the fat quarters in little cubbies right underneath the bolts of fabric in which they were cut from. The way she arranged her fabric made total sense too (it's the way I arrange my scrapbooking supplies) in a rainbow. Beige with beige, pink with pink and so forth. None of this- oh here's a grouping of blue and yellow, here's some Americana, here's something else and so forth. It made t easy to find what I was looking for. Will I go back there? Oh yeah!

Quote of the day

The only soil in which liberty can grow is that of a united people. We must have faith that the welfare of one is the welfare of all. We must know that the truth can only be reached by the expression of our free opinions, without fear and without rancor.
~Wendell Willkie

Playing Tourist

While my mother-in-law is in town I'm taking her to see the various quilting and needlework stores. Today's adventure takes us to Spearfish. I'll report back later on what we find :-)

Quote of the Day

Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family... in another city.
~ George Burns

Nothing is impossible...

Just some things are less likely than others. Okay so this in no way mirrors my own life- Yeah right!

Take my foot issues for one- the pain is through the roof this morning and I'm having a very hard time walking around. To be truthful I'm almost in total agony from getting myself to the kitchen for a mug of coffee. I'm calling the Podiatrist today, he's got to be able to do something for me, the pain is just getting out of control!

Things on my Wednesday to do list (these are in no certain order)...

*write my OSC Programs Board report- yes I know that it's rather last minute since the board meeting is in a few hours, LOL!

*attend OSC Board meeting- get Programs on agenda

*e-mail Theresa and let her know that my performance report is almost done

*Pick up Bette (my mother-in-law) from Airport

*buy self new seam ripper- old one is getting worn out, LOL!

*take Bette (my m-i-l) out for lunch

*call flooring people for the 3rd time- come fix the flooring in the foyer

*call Podiatrist -fix my foot pain!

*Put table cloth of formal dining table

*finish my letter to my sister

*send card to my Dad

*sandwich and pin Autumn Walk quilt top

*pin quilted table runner (it's already been sandwiched)

*bring quilted table runner with you today and sew binding on while waiting at board meeting and airport

*get cash -I kind of need to have some cash if I'm to get out of the Airport parking lot, LOL!

*get kids to empty recycling bins-they're flowing over as I type

*take Bette to Hobby Lobby after lunch for the big yarn sale :-) As she really loves to knit and crochet :-)

*call Mary B @ church and let her know that I'm bringing a meat and cheese tray instead of finger sandwiches.


My day is packed...lets see how much of it I can get done.

Quote of the Day

"Nothing is impossible. Some things are just less likely than others."
- Jonathan Winters

Another day in my life...

Happy April Fools Day! My husband was the first (and so far the only) person to attempt to "get me" with an April Fools prank. But being a little more with it about the weather (and having checked the school close line) I already knew that school was starting at it's regular time- HA! We had some more snow over night but not enough to warrant a late start for the kids. So much for having a "Snow Day". But it didn't keep my husband from trying to pull a fast one on the kids this morning, LOL!

My mother-in-law arrives tomorrow and I've got to get things in order for her visit. I like to have the guest room set up just for her, I like to have a little basket of goodies in the room for her to use. I like to have the guest bathroom set up with her favorite shampoo, conditioner and hairspray...things that she doesn't need to worry about packing in her suitcase.

I think that if I ever write a book about my experiences with quilting the title will be "The Seam Ripper is my Friend" :-) As I was distracted and accidentally sewed something on backwards yesterday- I can look back at it and laugh now but yesterday I wanted to poke myself in the eye for not paying closer attention to what I was doing.

alright I have dilly dallied long enough...time to get this show on the road!

Quote of the Day

"I quote others only to better express myself."
~Montaigne

this is so very true of my own self.