Thursday, November 27, 2008

Puzzle done

Thanksgiving night - our tummies are full and the puzzle is done - all 1,000 pieces are put together. We had a great day. Hope you did too.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thanksgiving Eve

Tis the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house.............
My cousin is working on a puzzle, her husband is reading a book, the cats are looking for laps to sit upon, and I'm sending out a greeting to all........... HAPPY THANKSGIVING


Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Precious cats

This is Elliott. He came for dinner. Well, he actually came to stay for a while along with his brother Rudy. They are sweet cats and very well behaved.
The first night here they settled down on the settee for the night, keeping each other warm. Such good guests!


Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Bling,Bling

Yesterday, on the spur of the moment, I joined two friends at a local bead store to get a lesson in crimping. The teacher (who was very good) made us do five perfect crimps before we could start on a project. I chose to make a bracelet. It sparkles and changes colors with different light. Too much fun! I can see myself going back, buying more beads, and getting involved in yet another craft. BUT.......we had a ball and in very little time I had a FINISHED project.

Monday, November 17, 2008

It is snowing here in surburban Chicagoland. It looks and feels like a November day. The table is set for company tonight. Two friends are coming over for supper and an evening of knitting by the fire. Food, knitting, cozy fire, chatting, and laughter - the perfect way to spend a snowy cold November evening. Since I am not a gourmet cook, I have taken the easy way out and used the crock pot. Just added chicken, chicken stock, veggies and rice - added some spices to give it flavor, serve with a salad and some warm rolls and I hope my guests will be happy.


Today Ifinished putting my Sudoku quilt together. Now I need to pick out a backing and binding, and of course quilt it. That will come later as I need to get back to some other waiting projects.

Today I am grateful for -
1. The crock pot!
2. My fireplace.
3. Anticipation of enjoying an evening with friends.


Saturday, November 15, 2008

Saturday Fun

It is that time of year - time to make cookies for the church Cookie Walk. These cookie baking supplies have been sitting on my counter all week. I picked the two easiest recipes to make today - ones that do not require baking. Just melt, mix and yummy cookies are ready to go.Chocolate with peanuts and Chinese noodles.White bark with peanut butter, mini marshmallows, peanuts and Rice Krispies - my favorite.On the quilting front, I have put my Christmas project away for a while so that I could work on my Sukoku quilt. The blocks are all together and on the design wall with the corner stones.And these are the plans I have for the borders - Sudoku spelled out on the top and bottom and the numbers lined up along the side borders.
Today I am grateful for -
1. Easy cookie recipes.
2. Colorful, bright fabric.
3. Good visit with my sister.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

More secret project

This is part of my secret Christmas project. Is it on the front or the back? I needed some trim for part of the quilt and dug around in my "Trim" box. What a mess.
So I took the time to organize and straighten up my trims. Looks much better now.

I've had problems lately doing free-motion quilting. It always looks awkward and it pulls out easily on the back. My friend Lindsay suggested that I play with the tension. I did that today and was pleasantly surprised when just changing the tension from 4 to 5 made a huge difference in how the quilting looked and how much easier it was for me to control the stitching. I still have a long way to go to get good at free-motion, but at least it is more fun to do when it comes out looking decent.
Today I am grateful for -
1. Leftover meatloaf
2. Time to play with sewing and quilting
3. Comfortable and cozy sweatshirts
4. A new journal software program that I am trying.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Messy Fun

My waste basket overflows. My scrap bin overflows.
My cutting table overflows.

But I am having so much fun working on my secret Christmas project. I'm actually doing...... (I can hear the gasping) applique! Shocking I know. Not hand applique - goodness no. All machine applique and I'm really enjoying the process. Amazing. And fun!


Today I am grateful for -
1. All the Veterans - God bless them for keeping us safe.
2. Time to play with fabric.
3. My electric blanket.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Good Day

It was a good day today. First thing this morning I cleaned up my desk, paying bills, pulling cookie recipes for the coming weekend when I plan to bake, starting a shopping list, and filling in the Stash Buster's Pledge for 2009
Have you made your pledge yet? It doesn't mean you cannot purchase new fabric. And I'm pretty sure there are no Pledge Police that will arrest you for infractions. It is just a fun way to plan on using more of your stash in 2009. I wonder how I will do.......... Although I spent the majority of the day working in my Quilt Studio, I still cannot show pictures as I am working on a secret Christmas project. I'm having fun with the project because it takes lots and lots of scraps of which I have an endless supply. Also, I am not cleaning up as I go so there are bits of fabric everywhere. It is a royal mess, but a few more days of this frenzied search through scraps and I will have the project done. Then it will be time to clean up so I can start all over on another project. Clean, make a mess, clean, make a mess, clean, etc., etc.

Today I am grateful for -
1. A full day at home with meals at normal times. ( I was brought up having breakfast between 7:00am & 8:00am, lunch at noon, and supper between 5:00pm and 6:00pm, and that is the way I like it.)
2. Getting a lot accomplished on my Christmas project.
3. Sweet butter lettuce.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Blogging

It is upsetting to me when I look back and see the last date that I posted on my blog. When I began blogging I had every intention of writing something every few days or at least once a week. It seems like the weeks go flying by and I seldom have the time or inclination to post to my blog. I'm gong to earnestly try to change that.

My favorite blogs are the ones that post every day. (See my favorites on the side.) Judy, Mary, Jeanne and Ree are women that I have never met, but I feel like they are dear friends because through their blogs I learn about their everyday lives. Of course there are many other blogs I read and enjoy, but Judy and Mary I especially admire because they get so much quilting done and their work is inspiring. Jeanne I enjoy because she is so honest and spiritual - and does such nice quilting and stitching - and she is the owner of Elvis, my very favorite dog. Ree of course is well known for her wonderful blog about her family and life on a cattle ranch.

Lately my life hasn't been very interesting. So much time is spent in the car driving to and from the nursing home to visit my sister. With that and church activities, there is less time for quilting and other crafts. I much prefer to post about quilting or stitching or knitting than about driving to and from the nursing home.

I did have one day last week when I stayed home all day and had a great time in my Quilt Studio. I wish I could show you what I was working on, but alas, it is for a Christmas present and the recepient would see any pictures I might post. I had a great time though and look forward to another day at home tomorrow.

Last Thursday night I met a friend and we went shopping at a local knit shop. Do I need more projects????? NO, NO, NO. Yet..........I ended up purchasing four balls of yarn on sale and started a plain scarf. Twenty stitches, only knitting. Easy. AND, I can work on it while visiting my sister at the nursing home. Therefore I have gotten quite a bit done already. I can't read a book, or bind a quilt, or answer mail when I'm visiting my sister, but straight knitting on something as portable as a scarf is just perfect. It keeps me happy that I am accomplishing something and I can still visit with my sister to make her long days more endurable.

Today I am grateful for -
1. Pecan crusted tilapia - yum.
2. Friends at church.
3. A recommended book from the library.
4. Sewing and knitting time.