OK, so it is now two months later...

I just returned from a "Knit N' Sip" night. I've been getting involved with a fun group of knitters. They usually meet in Appleton, but tonight was in GB. I laughed so hard tonight. One of the women had a Gnome named Gnorm there. He travels from place to place. Well, tonight he drank a glass of wine and passed out. First he had his picture taken with us. He went to Lambeau Field earlier, and several Yarn shops. He's really meeting the laaaaadies!!!!!!

I am working on my second pair of socks. The second sock of the second pair. I love the feel of this yarn, called "Online" it is a self striping yarn, but so soft compared to the "Opal" of which I made my first pair of socks. I'll have to take a photo and post it.

I've been sick a lot this fall. First I had a horrible cold/influenza that wiped me out. I missed two days of school, a Thursday and Friday and was in bed those days plus both days of the weekend. I went back to school on Monday, but that whole week I came home and went to bed. I canceled out of all of my planned activities for that week and even for the week after. I started to finally feel better and now I have something else that is going around. My stomach cramps. Kids at school have it, too. I spent last Thursday and Friday (teacher convention days) in bed again. I missed going up to a friend's cottage to quilt. BOO! I feel better, but still not 100%. I am getting so tired of this! I decided to get healthy again! I am going to the natural food store tomorrow after school to see what I can start doing. I know I need to exercise. But I feel that I also need to get my body systems working better. I need to get eating better... no sugar. I know that now I will lose weight, because over the weekend I packed up all of my "skinny" clothes for St. Vincent de Paul's. Now that I am getting rid of it I just know I'll need it again! Oh well, I'll just have to vuy a new wardrobe.

I went on a quilting retreat with my online group two weekends ago. What a fun and wonderful group of people they are! I always have a good time with them. Meeting in person is great, and I feel that these women are some really good friends. This coming weekend I am getting together with my Dear Jane group at one of our member's house. We are having a retreat. One things we will work on is a crazy quilt made from wedding dresses that will be auctioned of for ... I think it is Breast Cancer. I'll have to check on that. I know that it will be fun, and I know that it is a good cause, but I sort of wish we were making DJ blocks. I haven't made any for ages. I seem to go in spurts with that. Some day I will finish!

I have been working on UFO's, and finished a quilt last month and will soon finish another. I just have binding left. I'd like to get more done, faster, but school takes so much time and then I have been too sick to do much.

We closed up the camper the last week of September and in a way I am glad that now I have weekends free... or would if I stayed home without being sick. I can't believe that it is already the end of October. Time sure flies!

Better get to bed. 5:00 comes awfully early!!

I had another interesting day...

From the Podiatrist to quilt stores...

I went to the Podiatrist first. I found out the "bump" on the side of my foot is a Ganglion Cyst. He "aspirated" it (sounds better than sticking a needle in it and sucking out the synovial fluid that I was in it). I also had "casts" made so they can make orthodics for me to wear in my shoes. He said they are very thin and will fit in most shoes. I also have an appointment to have a toe nail cut away so I can clear up a little "problem" (gross, huh?). But after that I drove to Madison and met a friend. I found some border and backing fabric for the lap quilt that I am making for my Mom (Yellow Brick Road). I also bought more sock yarn! I am not even finished with the first sock and now I have yarn to make 5 more! LOL I also bought a book about embellishing quilts with beads. I went to two other quilt stores on the way home, and found a binding fabric and another book which gave me an idea for what to do with my appliqued flower blocks that are still OK after that serious bleeding problem and subsequent ruining of 8 of the blocks. Now I am going to go to bed. Hopefully I will SLEEP tonight!!!

Can't sleep again!

Damn it! I am awake again, and can't relax. I had inservice today. The whole day was looking at data and goals. I was one of the presenters, since I do the goals for social studies. It just was such a boring day. No school tomorrow- the elementary teachers have their inservice tomorrow (there are too many teachers for all of us to meet anywhere all at once). Then Thursday and Friday are work days. I had them rearrange my room this summer, so we will see how that works out. I made a list of things to do while listening to our superintendent this morning.

Tomorrow I am going to Madison. Way back in June I left my school chair at the quilt retreat and a friend took it home. We are meeting tomorrow at a quilt store in Madison, and we'll transfer my chair to my car and also go out for lunch. I will be going to a few more places on the way home. The quilt store we are meeting at also has yarn, so I might see if they have some cool sock yarn. I still have to finish my first pair, of course. I'm going along well, though! =-)

One of the women from the campground died today. She was in her 40's and had an aneurysm burst in her brain. Her husband heard her fall and ran in the room she was in and called 911. She has been in a coma since last week. So sad. They have a daughter who they were taking to her first year of college this weekend. One of my co-worker's mother was killed this summer. She was getting the mail and a car tried to pass a tractor pulling something, and then realized there was a car coming head on, so he slammed on the brakes and tried to go back behind the tractor, but he lost control and hit my friend's mom broadside. Her father witnessed it, too. Just so senseless. I guess you never know when and how you are going to die (unless you are Owen Meaney).

Speaking of which, I finished my book tonight for book club. By John Irving, called _A Prayer for Owen Meaney_. It was a VERY good book. Sad, funny, thought provoking- interesting.

I finished quilting a lap quilt tonight. Next is binding. =-) This one is called "Tribble Trouble" after the Star Trek episode. It's in cream/tan and blues.I really like it. I started that one at a quilt get-a-way at Iron River years ago. I finished the blocks that weekend, added the border a couple of years later and now have it quilted.

I have it on my list to take pictures and to get the photos I do have off of the cards and into the computer. Then I can post some. =-) Yes, I am back to making lists... the only way I really get things done. If I write it down it gives me a goal, a purpose. I've been very lazy this summer, reading, gardening, knitting, beading, quilting... also cleaning, but less of that. But...

Summer's over, and I still have so many things I want to do!

I'm back from Milwaukee...

and it is good news! My mom only has some blockage in two small branch arteries in her heart, and the main arteries are all good!!! So much better than what we were expecting to hear! She still has congestive heart failure and a leaky aortic valve, but if she does some simple exercise she can build up her stamina and not get short of breath so easily! Since I was sitting waiting, or in Mom's room I was glad I took my knitting along. I am making socks for the first time. I bought the yarn over a year ago, It is yarn that was dyed using a computer pattern so a pattern knits in without changing yarn. They are hot pink, with gray, black and white in the design stripes. I had done most of the top ribbing before taking it along. I finished that and am done with turning the heel and am ready to knit the rest of the foot part. I think I have one more row on the gusset to get down to the correct number of stitches again. This is FUN! I'll post a picture when one is done. Then you have to make another one! LOL DB, did you ever make your socks of the same yarn?

We stayed at my niece's house in Milwaukee last night and it was fun. She is such a good hostess. It was so generous of her to offer to put us up for the night. We went out to eat after leaving the hospital last night. She took us to an Italian Restaurant (with real Italians) which had fantastic food.

I am glad to be home. I am extremely tired. It is emotionally exhausting when you worry about someone like we have been worrying. I am so angry at her regular Dr. who told her that she would just have a heart attack and die and that there was nothing they could do. He should have NOT said that to her. Mom was convinced she would not return home from Milwaukee alive. She even wrapped Christmas presents before she went! Well, she, and all of us, are feeling considerably better tonight.

I am working on quilting another quilt on my Nolting. "Tribble Trouble" is what it is called. I have it about half quilted with a maze type of pattern (free hand). I did that Wed. but didn't have time to finish. Of course, I also washed floors and did 4 loads of laundry in between quilting. I plan to finish quilting it tomorrow and get the binding on and ready to hand sew. I'll call the quilter's on retreat this weekend (where I had planned to be) but I am too tired to drive there for one day. Next time. DH is still going up to the trailer this weekend after he works tomorrow, but I just want to stay home and do some things here. I start back to school next Tuesday. Where does the time go???

I'm up early

I set my alarm for 5:00 this morning so I can start getting used to getting up at that time again, but have been up since 3:30 when a certain cat (who shall remain nameless, but I have only one cat) decided she would come purr by my face until I got up to feed her. I am trying what my Dr. told me to do, crawl in bed at 8:00 with a book (when I am home). Last night I didn't sleep until 10:00 but maybe as I get used to getting up early I can start to fall asleep earlier. I get so sleep deprived during the year otherwise. Well, I will see how it goes.

We are having a nice soaking rain, which we have really been needing. We have had drought conditions this summer. Despite all my work in the gardens they are not looking as nice as usual. I watered, but those weeks we were gone here and there really took their toll. Hopefully the flowers will rally and next year it will be better.

Yesterday the cable guy came with a new modem. I had trouble last week and when I called the guy set up an appointment to replace my very outdated one. The guy who came said he can't believe that they don't just call to set up appointments to change them with people who still have these old ones. It is making a big difference with the internet now. I can actually view "you tube" without waiting forever! Fortuitous problems with the internet!

I finished a quilt! All but the label. I finished the one that will hang behind the head board of our bed. Called "Stars From Hell, With Birds." Stars from hell because I decided to do them differently than suggested in my pattern and paid the price for it! It turned out really nice. I quilted it on my Nolting and did pretty good, if I do say so myself. Two weekends ago I put the binding on at the camper and worked on the handstitching part whenever I could. Last weekend I put the hanging sleeve on it. Today I should do the label. I have another quilt on the machine ready to go. I am trying to decide what to do on it. Maybe I'll get to that today, too.

Last week and this week have been different. I went with my Mom and Dad to my mom's Dr. appointment last week. She is going to Milwaukee on Thursday for a heart catherization. They are trying to determine if there is anything that they can do to help her. She has multiple problems. I feel so bad for her. She's so tired all of the time, and weak. She is getting depressed again, which doesn't help. She'll just give up. I feel fortunate to have my mom this long; she lost her mom young. But I still want her longer!!!

So the last few weeks of summer have been different than I would have planned. You do what you have to do. I won't be going to the quilt retreat at a friend's cottage this weekend. I may just stay home and quilt. DH has to work this weekend (one per summer) and he might go up to the trailer overnight, but I told him I thought I would just stay home. Next week school starts (inservice and work days) and I want to squeeze a bit more of summer out of my days. I did a lot this summer, but still not as much as I would have liked to. I was going to get into a regular exercise plan, but didn't. My diet hasn't done too well. I have not gotten myself under control, but have just drifted along doing what I felt like doing at any given moment. Some of that is good, but not as much as I have done this summer.

Well, the coffee pot "beeped", so I am going up to get some. I think I'll drink it upstairs and listen to the rain. I'll post a picture of the quilt soon.

It's WORKING!

I finally am quilting on my Nolting! I was struggling with the tension, trying to adjust it and I knew that the bobbin tension was messed up. Making any adjustment to that changes it a lot, so I was back and forth, back and forth. Finally I got a bright idea. =-) I pulled the bobbin case out of my Bernina, and started "feeling" what it felt like to pull the thread out and then I started adjusting the Nolting case to feel the same. When I thought it was, I popped it in, and with only minor top tension adjustment, it WORKED!!!!! Woo Hooo!! I did a bit more practicing, and put my quilt on and started to quilt. So Tuesday I started working on my quilt, "Stars from Hell, with birds". I have about a fifth of it quilted, and then I had to stop to go get a hair trim, and then we went down to see my parents and took them out to dinner. It was nice. =-)

On Tuesday I had discovered that our air conditioner wasn't working. Well, the AC was on, but no cold air was coming out of the vents. Checked the circuit breakers; it wasn't that. Went to look at the furnace and the fan on the furnace wasn't working. Before we left for my parents DH had called a repair person, who was to come Wed. It got so hot in our house, even with opening windows at night it wasn't enough to cool the house, because it had been so hot all day. I just couldn't fall asleep. I finally fell asleep by laying on an ice gel pack (large rectangular one), but only got 2.5 hours of sleep.

Yesterday I had to work, which meant getting up early. A day of working on a "Learning Plan" for a unit in our new curriculum, that had to be done before fall when the curriculum goes before the Board. I thought I would be really bored, and to my delight, I wasn't. Of course, I was going on a lot of caffeine! LOL We got finished what we wanted to. When I got home the AC was working, but it was still so hot; it must have just been fixed a short time before. I found the papers from the repairperson. The "board" had gone out on the furnace, which he replaced. DH had been home from work to let him in and write him a check. With the heat and the lack of sleep, I just couldn't quilt, so I went to bed after supper, making some phone calls, and reading my e-mail. Today I am going to a Dr. appointment and then I am going to quilt. We'll see how far I get. Quilting is at my house tonight. A couple of them haven't seen my new studio yet, and one had asked to see my run the machine, so we'll see. I have backing out for a second one. =-)

I've been watching DVDs of "Lost" while I cleaned up down here. I watched it on TV but I was always missing here and there and would get confused. So at a big sale (buy one, get one free, at Barnes and Noble) I bought the first two seasons. Trouble is, I can't quilt and watch at the same time! I think that I am on the last one of season 2 right now. So this afternoon when I get back I will have to play music instead. =-) When I quilt I go into a "zone". It is one of those things dealing with passion, I think. Well, off to have the rest of my day!

It's still July!!!

This is driving me NUTS! People are talking like summer is over already. Back to school sales are all over the place and I am starting to feel almost claustrophobic... it is closing in on me and I am NOT READY!!! So, I tell myself I have almost a whole month left, and my gardens are almost done (I've been rearranging things) and my house is clean (still could shampoo the rugs) and I now have a practice piece on my Nolting so I can work on getting the tension set OK. Hopefully tomorrow I will do that. Right now I am avoiding going to bed. I don't know why I do that. Part of that wanting to control my summer, I guess!

We were at the camper for the weekend, and DH did some new things for the new camper. He made shelves for half of the wardrobe in the "craft" room, and we got plastic boxes to put things in that are needed but cluttered, like replacement bulbs for our lights outside, small tools, electrical stuff, plastic bags, stuff like that. So now that is all arranged. He had also made some shelves for our bedroom closets (small, one on each side of the bed) because we bring clothes that is folded, and don't need to hang much. He worked outside on some things. We took labels off of things. We had our last "tour" at least for now (everyone has to see the new camper). We had some nice fires, one with some friends and DH made popcorn, and one with just us sitting on our swing and talking. It is so relaxing there. I finished another book and started yet another one. Right now I am reading _Flyboys_ about World War II. It is really something! Not for weak stomachs, that's for sure! Very interesting, though.

I called my parents and we are going to go down and take them out for supper. Mom is having a test for her heart on Tuesday, so I hope she will be feeling alright. Our son here and grandaughter will probably be coming along, too. The Doctors are really keeping tabs on my mom with her heart. That will be what she dies of they told her. Quite a lot to be dealing with.

Guess I really should be going to bed! G'nite!

I finished Harry Potter

last night, around 11:30. Then, this morning, DH forgot to turn off his alarm (5:39) and woke me up. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I am up for the day (may take a nap later!). As usual. I enjoyed the book, but thought it could have been a couple of hundred pages shorter. For an adult, it isn't the best writing, but I think it is great that so many kids are reading! Good story though.



I have people coming for quiltling tonight. Have to just do a bit of touch up cleaning on the house. Really good cleaning has been done all last week and earlier this week. I scrubbed the dining/kitchen/laundry room floors with a scrub brush to get that ground in dirt off. It was a hard job, but it looks good.



It didn't do much for my aching upper back muscles though... they were getting better and now hurt like heck again. I'm a glutton for punishment.



I lost 4 pounds, which I am happy about. I need to do a lot more in that department. I started walking, but this week it has been too dang hot and humid. I can't take that any more! It should rain tonight and be nice for the weekend.

Our trailer is soooo nice. The day it was delivered, I can't believe how well they did the parking of it. It was right where the other one was by our deck. I was impressed! DH was a nervous wreck that day. I haven't seen him that nervous for a LONG time! I was glad when it was in place. While it was being park everyone who was there that day (seasonals) all came and sat in our site on lawn chairs and watched. DH didn't sit- he paced. We had taken all of our things out of the old trailer, and that day got everything back in and most of it put away. DH put some shelves in the wardrobe closets in our bedroom last weekend so clothes is now put away (we bring folded clothes, not hanging up clothes). He replaced the railing on the deck with a new, better one, and he also added to the upper deck so it now extends longer under the awning. Now besides our swing we can have chairs up there if we want to sit out with other people. He made a new step to get into the camper (our old one had a step inside). He put the awning clips we bought (what we bought the day we saw the camper) on the deck so the awning arms are vertical. So nice! We had to change the path behind the camper to move it back since the camper is longer. I just love the craft room now! Didn't get any chance to use it though, because we were giving tours all weekend. We'll be up for a week soon and I will use it then.

I took the quilt I had on my Nolting off and got some cheap fabric to do a practice piece again... in order to get the tension right before I work on the real thing. I wanted to do that this week, but part of me must be scared because I keep putting it off. Maybe today or tomorrow I'll get the piece on the machine and start. I get frustrated with it. But I really want to get it working so I can quilt all of these quilt tops!


Well, guess I'll go procrastinate again... (smile)

Let the "fun" begin!

Diet and exercise, that is. I actually started last week, but am "easing" into it. I just walked a couple of miles and I am HOT! I've been gardening like crazy. I had removed sod for a new flower bed earlier this spring, and DH helped prepare it for planting. I am removing all flowers from around the Blue Spruce since it is getting so big, and moving them or removing them. But I not only am doing the new bed, but I am doing the entire garden: thinning plants, moving plants, adding plants; all kinds of work! It is looking a little sparse right now in some places, but it will be GORGEOUS next summer! It really needed to be better balanced with color and blooms all season, so that has been my goal. I find that when I garden, I don't get hungry, and I don't realize how much time I am spending out there. Yesterday I watered most of the flowers, and I watered myself a few times, too! =-) I still have more to do. I think that in the empty part by the Blue Spruce (away from it a bit) we will plant some clumping grasses and put the bird feeders there. That way sun flowers won't grow in the yard! I am also going to extend a flower bed along the side of the patio. I was waiting because we were contemplating putting a three seasons room there, but now we bought a new trailer instead!

Yup! a new trailer. DH and I were up at the camper a couple of weeks ago for a week. One day we went to a dealership to buy some clips for extending the arms of our awning straight down to the deck instead of at an angle to the trailer (which makes us duck under them). While we were there we were looking around and DH said, "Let's just look at a few of these..." Every one we went in we were saying that we wouldn't trade our present one for that, until DH looked at an Outback. He yelled for me to come look. He said, "You have GOT to see this!" It has a floor plan very similar to what we have now, except the bathroom is bigger (yippeeee) and there is another room in the back. It has a sofa "hide-a-bed", with a bunk above that pushes up to the wall (like a Murphy Bed) when not in use. Those are in a second slide out, which really opens up the room. Then, there is a place for my sewing machine in there! It faces a window looking out the back. It really opens up the living space without all of the craft things in there. They are in the back room now. =-) DH calls it the craft room. It is also for our DGD when she comes up. We even gave her two drawers for her clothes we keep up there. It is perfect for DH and me... we got it because it suits our needs so well. We got a really good deal on it and even though we took out a loan we looked at our finances and decided we could pay off the loan with the first payment. Better than paying all of the interest! I was saving for a new car, but I don't need one yet, and even if I do end up having to get one, I can do a three year loan with low to no interest right now. Our "car" savings has paid for the original trailer, our basement completing, and our upgrade to the new trailer. Who knows what will happen next! We want to get a new car before we retire, but I have 3-4 more years as long as my present car holds out. I like that car anyway... no, I LOVE that car! Even if I have to put premium gas in, a new car would cost a lot more than what I am paying extra for gas! Next car will get 40 mpg though!

I have been starting to work on my old physical therapy exercises for my back, to strengthen them. That's part of my "get healthy" plan, too. I really want to get rid of my excess pounds and be active and healthier again. It only takes a little while each day. I MAKE myself do this stuff... I really don't feel like doing it.

I've been reading, too. Three books in the last week.

What I haven't been doing is quilting. I put a quilt on my frame and am having tension problem's with it. I need to take that quilt off, and put muslin on and just work with it until I get it. Then I can get those tops quilted. I ordered some new thread for machine quilting to see if that helps. It should arrive today according to the tracker. Then I am getting at that next. I am almost finished with what I can do in the garden right now. I have a couple of days worth, but I will do it only in the morning and take my afternoons for quilting. Wish me luck! Look for pictures soon.

Well, I am going to go wash my dining and kitchen floors now, and clean my bathroom. Sounds exciting, huh? Once the house is clean I will feel happier. I will feel more like doing other things. I never got my fourth of July stuff out. I think I'll go to my "bees" theme this time. I haven't done that for a couple of years. I'll get the stuff down from the attic tonight after DH is home so he can spot me on the ladder and ledge! I can hand things down to him. Much easier than doing it alone. So I will have to get off of the computer and BUZZ around here getting things done. I must be feeling good. I even washed my foyer hardwood floor yesterday. Of course, that was after I had the door opened while I watered the front flowers and didn't realize that the water was coming in through the upper screen part of the storm door... oops! Off to work!

Seven things you might not know about me...

1. I took tap, ballet, tumbling and jazz dance lessons for 7 years. My mom put me in it to teach me how to walk.

2. I lived in a fraternity house, two in fact!

3. I blush easily.

4. As a child I couldn't draw and felt I was not a creative person.

5. I am the fifth of seven children, so grew up in a house full of brothers and sisters.

6. As children, one of my sisters and I coaxed a wild squirrel into our house thinking we could make it a pet. It freaked and peed all over the place before we were able to chase it out. Our mother almost killed us for that one! I attained a strange affilliation with squirrels after that.

7. I started sewing and knitting when I was 9 years old, and taught myself how to crochet, quilt, and tat from books.

Oh my gosh...

has it been that long since I posted? I guess that is when I must have started to feel down. I am now through with school for this year and will be trying to get myself together and physically fit this summer. So far I am not doing it! I set my alarm for 7 am today and turned it off and went back to sleep. I had trouble falling asleep lat night. But I need to get myself on a schedule and get myself exercising and losing weight. I am going to be in a study group for a drug company. My Dr. gave me the information and I signed up. Haven't gotten the first mailing yet, though. It is supposed to be a plan worked "just for me" and they also call you sometimes (a nurse) to see how you are doing. I have to fill out a survey every 3 weeks, I think. We'll see how it works. They work with you to make one change at a time so it is not overwhelming. That's what I need!!! So, I will probably be talking about that in weeks to come.

Another thing. I actually got a quilt on my machine ready to go. I'm a bit nervous of starting, but will do that today. I am looking for a pattern I was doodling to try. I might have to doodle it again! Doodling is FUN!

I went to a quilt retreat after school finished. I didn't bring my sewing machine, but worked on all cutting things out. I got the rest of my applique Santa blocks ready to work on, and cut pieces to do a Yellow Brick Road for my Mom. I bought rose fabrics about 2 years ago, and decided I had better get it done fast, since she has been told that she has a major blockage in her heart and it can't be fixed. I want her to be able to use it! I also want to do one for my dad. These are nap (lap) quilts.

I think my biggest "problem" is that my soul is not at rest. (No, I don't mean dead!) I mean that I am restless, and not at peace. I feel like I should be doing so much and then become paralyzed and do nothing. I have to break out of that. Can I allow myself a few days of doing nothing? Well, that's what I have been doing. I have to get myself on a schedule.

Today I need to pay the bills and also I have to go pick up my contacts, get blood drawn for a thyroid test, and go to Younkers where there is a big sale on. I am also going to look at a nursery for perennials since we have a coupon for money off. I have been working in the gardens, trying to weed and move some plants.

Starting Friday Rich and I will be going to our camper for a 10 days. He wants to go hiking, biking, fishing, etc. I want to read and quilt and do other crafts. Do we see a problem here? I will have to make an effort to do at least some of what he wants! I know we will go antique shopping and also go to his favorite winery to buy wine. there are a couple of quilt shops and bead shops I want to check out in Door County!

I have to get myself a DVD player for my quilt studio. I want to watch movies, but not just sit there and watch. I would be able to do a lot down here and still watch. I never was one to only do one thing at a time! Well, guess I will get going for today. I'm feeling talked into doing something! Gotta take advantage of that while I have the feeling!

Happy Easter!

Here I am, awake later, since I took a nap this afternoon. We are going to my sister's house tomorrow. I made a turtle cake to bring along. I have to frost it tomorrow morning. I got some ice cream to go with it even though she didn't as for it. Should be goooooooood!

I've been cleaning today. I washed the floors and put things away. Cleaned my bathroom, too. Then I started cleaning out the storage room in the basement. I know that there is stuff that I can get rid of in there and have it less crowded and messy. I am also looking for some things that I can't find right now. They must be in that room. I got part of it done and am taking a break. DH did laundry and carving stuff today and is up watching TV... or sleeping in front of it!

I worked on some post cards yesterday and got a couple of them done. I need to mail one out that is late. I'm fooling around with some other types of designs. I like making more abstract ones, usually. This time I an putting "cutesy" sayings on and making them with more realistic designs. I glued some plastic buttons (bees and hearts)on some after breaking off the shanks. I wonder if they will make it through the mail OK.

I brought some school work home to correct. I think I'll do it Sunday night. Why should I be any different than the kids who wait until Sunday night to do their homework? LOL I never seem to catch up. Oh! I just remembered... I can wait until Monday night if I want because I have a curriculum meeting on Monday so won't be at school! Our curriculum is getting written, but it is like pulling teeth. There are too many of us doing 8th grade and we agonize over everything. I get so bored-angry-uptight-crazy doing this. At least I know that it'll be the last curriculum I work on since I will be retired before they do it again! I'll still be teaching early world history, just will be starting later in time so that we can do more and make it more of a world view as opposed to the western European view only. I'll be teaching some new things, about Japan, China, small Asian countries, and will have more time for the Americas and Africa.

I guess I shouldn't plan to do all of the cleaning of the storage room all at once. If I do a couple of shelves at a time I can relax more and do some things I want in between. The problem is that I have things stacked out in my studio so I can't sew too well until it is done.

Tonight I wasted time by playing ten games of free cell. That game is addictive! I really like doing it. I like to do Sudoku, too, and both DH and I waste time doing those. But at least we know it will help keep our brains active to ward off dementia!

I've been taking DGD to swimming lessons. Last time she finally figured out how to float! Once she did, she was floating and floating on her stomach while the teacher worked with the other kids. I am checking out the summer program and I can get her into semi-private lessons for more money. I might do that because with additional guidance I think she could learn quite a bit faster. She is sooooo ready! With bigger classes they don't get to do too much, and at summer lessons they are only in for 1/2 hour at a time (now she's in for 45 minutes, but with 8 kids). She was so super thrilled about learning to float, but then was acting up in the shower and I got angry with her. We ended up not talking for awhile. I'll have to brag her up tomorrow at our family gathering. I never even told her how proud and excited I was about her learning to float.

DH asked me if I am going to church with him tomorrow and I said, "No." I am so mixed up about how I feel about religion right now. I just tell other people to pray for me as I don't seem to be able to do it for myself these days. Going would make me feel like a hypocrite right now. There, another secret out!

Lazy, lazy, lazy...

...that's how I feel. I think about what I could be doing, and go take a NAP! We had a snow day last Thursday. It also meant some parent/teacher conferences were canceled. We had day conferences on Friday, along with some staff development. We have another night of conferences scheduled for this tuesday night. Luckily it is a four day week. There is a convention day on Friday. I might not go. I am taking a class that is giving me a lot of staff development hours. Way more than I need, but I can "bank" some for next year.

I haven't done any more quilting on my Nolting since the ones for the show at the Rahr. I have fabric here to seam for the backing, and the top is ready and I have the batting here. All of it is here, and I look at it and there it sits. I am slowly getting things put away down here in my new studio. I LOVE this room! I guess it is OK to be lazy once in a while. Rich says it is... I am not used to being lazy! But.... I am going to do it anyway. Now I am too lazy to keep writing... Can you believe how lazy I am???

It's been awhile...

since I last wrote. I've been in such a crabby mood lately. I think I am having a bad case of cabin fever. I'd just as soon crawl in bed and sleep until spring than to get up every day and continue my regular life! I don't think I am depressed, either, just sick of winter. Well, maybe a little depressed.

I haven't done much of anything since I last wrote. I don't feel like doing anything. I was reading a lot today. I wanna be retired!

One thing I am doing is postcards. I joined a post card of the month (PCOM) for this year. Every month I am supposed to make a postcard to send to someone (different each month), with a theme for that month. Last month I did "Puttin' On the Ritz. This month it is "Hugs and Kisses."

One of the first is already mailed. =-)

Well, guess I'll go have a fire with DH. He's been asking. Be back SOON!

OK, I switched to the new blogger

So now I can finally upload my pictures!.















This is my challenge quilt for the Show at the Rahr Art Museum's Art Gallery. We looked at a painting in their collection and were to make something that it inspired us to make. I call this "November Sky Over Lake Michigan." It is looking eastwhile the sun goes down in the west. It was a beautiful time to be walking on the beach. Where I used to live, I walked on the beach a lot. I miss that. I hand painted fabric and then cut it up and stitched it back together to simulate waves, sand and the sky.











This photo is of the quilt I call "On My Way To Live Happily Ever After." I always say that depending on my mood, some says she walking toward the castle, and other days she is walking AWAY! You might be able to tell from the fabrics, that this is an OLD quilt top. I started it 18 years ago when there was a contest for childhood dreams crib size quilts. I was working on it and got hired for my first teaching job in Green Bay, which was to start in one week. Eighteen years later, I quilted it!

I was experimenting with piecing a background out of strips, and then I appliqued the castle, horse and princess. You can't see it in the photo, but the white on her gown is embroidered fuzzy white yarn to look like fur, and there are beads in the fur, on her crown, and on her belt. She has a long "Rapunzel" braid. The horse's bridle is braided floss, and there are little tassels on the horse's blanket. Of course, the horse represents "Prince Charming!









This quilt is a Round Robin Quilt. I made the center square of pumpkins and leaves using a Thimbleberries pattern from a book. Stitcher number two added the right and left vegetables. Stitcher three added the tan border with the vine, leaves only. Stitcher four added the top and left side orange and the flying geese and leaves. Stitcher five added the right and bottom orange and the squash and scarcrow. I adde the final purple border and then quilted it with a varigated thread using the colors in the quilt, yellows, oranges, etc. I just love how it turned out! Round Robins are a fun way to "stretch" yourself. I end up working with colors that are not my normal range and also it makes you get creative to come up with an addition that fits the "feel" of the quilt. I enjoy doing this, just wish I had more time to do it!



This quilt is called "Garden Pathways." I started this in a class with Jeanne Bliss many, many years ago. The center blocks are not pieced, but all of it is done with "mock hand applique." I'll tell you, by the time I prepared all of the pieces to applique, I think it would have been faster to applique by hand! What you did is cut out a freezer paper shape for each piece, iron it on the back side of the fabric, cut out with a seam allowance added, use a glue stick to glue the seam allowance to the back, and then finally used a blind hem stitch with monofilament thread on top and an fine embroidery thread on the bobbin. THEN you had to wet it to loosen the glue and cut out the fabric on the back so you could pull out the paper. This will be my one and only time to use this method to make a quilt. One weekend at a quilt retreat, all I did was prepare leaves. All weekend. Yeah.

The board DH cut to hang it on warped, which is what is causing the "ripple" on the bottom. It really turned out quite square and flat.



We had a fun New Year's Eve with our granddaughter last night (it's "tradition!") and she just woke up, so I am going to end for now. Happy New Year!