I like the fabrics, but the "print" fabric is too large and the "solid" fabric needs to be one overall color instead of shaded. There are plenty of smaller print fabrics in my stash, but I have only a handful of solid fabrics. 
Finally, I made six more blocks for my Road to Indy quilt. There are many more blocks to go as you can see by all the open spaces.
Stitching progress on the pumpkin.......now that is a different story. You would think that with no color changes and a simple Amish-style design, I wouldn't have any problem. Wrong. I kept encountering knots on the back and counting mistakes. I did more ripping out than actual stitching. This is supposed to be relaxing ! ! ! 
For those quilting friends who read my blog, you may wonder if I am still sewing. Yes, but right now my sewing machines are sitting in my kitchen instead of my Quilt Studio. My friend Lindsay and I are helping the young people at our church make two quilts as a fund raiser. I was too lazy to put the machines back in place after last Wednesday's sewing session. Maybe after this Wednesday night I will have more ambition.
Speaking of the young people at church, they sold environmentally-friendly grocery bags and water bottles this past Sunday. In each bag was a piece of artwork by one of our talented kids. I can hardly wait to go grocery shopping and show off my bright orange bags.
The next project is a small one and hopefully pretty simple. Just one color, and I can finish it with some of my stash of Fall fabrics, making a decorative pillow.
Some how I got on a list of possible people for a focus group on computer games. Oops. An old retired lady like me? Computer games? After many, many questions to me about my age and my computer skills, the interviewing young man was ready to take a chance on me as a part of this focus group. It will be one hour long and I will earn $100.00. Pretty nice fee - especially when my budget is so tight. And if I bring in a collage of what computer gaming means to me, I can have a chance to earn an extra $50.00. This is a picture of my collage with puzzle pieces and Mahjongg tiles - the kind of games I usually play. Unfortunately the picture does not show some of the finer details such as the Swarovski crystals on the clock face. 
Most of my time though has been taken up with re-entering three months of data into a new program (part of my volunteer job) and my desk is piled high with reports, unsorted mail, bills to be paid, and assorted stuff. 
My goal is to get it all cleaned off tonight. Wish me luck ! ! ! ! 
It was a good time to do something about brightening up my day. I decided to work on my new quilt - Road to Indy. This is a fuzzy picture of the Electric Quilt print-out of my design.
Since I need 96 half-square triangles, all the same, I decided to take the easy route and use triangle grid paper. All were done in record time.
Now the task of ripping off the paper, ironing each one, and cutting off the corners will be saved to do during a good TV show.
And finally, it was time to begin the process of making the four-patches. A lovely pink and a bright orange helped me forget about the dreary, rainy day outside.
Having sewing time and colorful fabric will always brighten a dreary day!
The ironing took me all morning. 
It is nice to have it all done and all the clothes moved upstairs into my closets, ready for warm weather. 
While my cousin was here last week, we also went through all my clothes disposing of clothes that were too big (I have lost weight) and clothes that I no longer like. These hangers represent all the winter and summer clothes that I have donated to charity or just thrown away.
Finally, this afternoon, after doing some mending, I had some time to begin work on a quilt I hope to make for my cousin. I titled it Road to Indy. Here is a sample square and some cut squares. The "roads" will be all different bright colors and the corners will form a turquoise/blue star.
When you open the box, your merchandise is carefully wrapped in a soft cloth imprinted with the Levenger name.
This is the little "Circa" leather notebook I ordered (on sale) to use as an organization tool.
Inside is my identification card and I have added tabs to section off the areas I need to get organized - project lists, web sites to visit, books to read, etc. A pen holder on the side holds a smooth-writing ballpoint pen.
Neatly written in this new little notebook are my lists. 
Our accomodations were very nice and comfortable. The food was excellent. The space was perfectly suited to our needs - a meeting room, a chapel, and a coffee room. I had more pictures, but I found out that the place requested "no pictures", so I cropped this picture of my bedroom enough that no one could tell where the picture was taken.
My cousin went home, my visiting cat went home, and now I am all alone again with Mr. Bear.
The week was rich and full and wonderfully enjoyable. I'm planning on making the upcoming week rich and full and wonderfully enjoyable by fitting some sewing, stitching and knitting into my days.
Clothes shopping was first on the list. I hate buying clothes and hate trying on clothes and am definitely not good at picking clothes that look good on me. My cousin parks me in the dressing room and runs around the store gathering up things for me to try on, gives me honest feed-back, and I get enough clothes to last me for the next season. 
My laptop problems have been ongoing since the first of the year, but with my cousin's help and the WONDERFUL service at Circuit City (Kildeer, IL), I now have a new laptop that works perfectly.
We stopped at the new Home Pizza store on our way home from a walk and got a freshly made pizza to bake here at home. 
It has been a great week. Everyone should have a cousin like mine! 