Catch Up Day - Sort of...

It's Tuesday, the day I try to get caught up with things (housework, quilting, etc.), but I haven't been too successful today. I started by trying to clean up some of the junk I've saved on my computer, thinking it would help it run faster and allow me to wait a little longer before I have to upgrade. I'll tell you what, I have duplicate files (just named them differently), duplicate pictures (saved in two or more separate files - why, I don't know) and lots of stuff that I can't for the life of me remember why it was important enough to keep in the first place.

Anyway, I was moving along pretty well until I got to the pictures of Quinn. I had taken some pictures this past weekend while they were here but I hadn't really looked a them. They are pretty cute. The weather was beautiful and we spent quite a bit of time outside. Quinn loved her lawn mower and swing!

Of course it was sunny outside, so she had to have shades! What 13 month-old doesn't like sunglasses?

I did do some sewing this weekend. In my previous post, I told you that my friend Rachel digitized some letters for me. Of course, I finished all five blankets and forgot to take a picture before I took them to the lady who wanted them. DUH!!!!

I also started AND finished a quilt top called Fiesta. The pattern is by Michele Scott and I found it in the July, 2008 issue of McCall's Quick Quilts. Of course I changed the construction technique because I didn't read the instructions correctly and I made a cutting mistake. Also I changed the pattern so that the quilt would be 72" x 72" rather then the original 59" x 71". I didn't really want it to be square, but I did want the design to be symetrical, which is wasn't orignally. I was going to make it bigger, but since I was using stash and I didn't have enough of a couple of the fabrics I decided square was better than buying more! I am in the process of layering the quilt, so I don't have a picture right now. I PROMISE to post one as soon as the quilting is done.

Maybe I'll get more done next Tuesday.............

Birthdays and shows, but no sewing

I'm finally posting again, after what, 2 weeks?

Jack, Lynn and I went to Cincinnati 2 weeks ago and visited Nikki, Zach and Quinn. We had a great time and the weather was fabulous.

On Saturday we all went to the Cirque Dreams, Jungle Fantasy and it was great! I can't imagine how anyone can be that flexible or talented. If you ever get a chance to see them, you really must go. There were contortionists, trapeze artists, acrobats, jump ropers, etc. I would be hard-pressed to tell you my favorite part of the show.

Check out their website: http://www.cirqueproductions.com

Quinn really enjoyed it. We were all surprised that she was so engrossed in the show that she didn't fuss at all and was dancing to the music. She fell asleep during the last 5 minutes or so, but I think that is amazing considering she hadn't taken a nap.

Saturday was Zach's birthday and Nikki bought him a grill. We got him some utensils and a grilling cookbook and some seasonings. Since we had gone to the 2PM show, Zach grilled dinner for us all and it was really good. We didn't celebrate Quinn's birthday yet, even though it was on the 9th. Nikki and Zach want to have a picnic/party at the park so no one has to try to have a ton of people at their house. It is also perfect for the kids because of the playground equipment, tennis courts, etc. Even though it will be almost a month after her birthday, the party is May 2nd. We figured that Quinn wouldn't care. Afterall, she's only 1!

Jack and I went to the Indians home opener last Friday afternoon. Lynn was there with some friends, but we weren't sitting close. It was cold and rainy and there was a rain delay. We all left after about an hour and half delay. Jack and I stopped to get something to eat and when we got in the car around 9:15, they had resumed play. I couldn't believe it. The rain delay was almost 4 hours long! I'm a big baseball fan and so far it looks like it is going to be a challenge to really enjoy watching Cleveland this year. I know, it's early!

I haven't had much time to sew. I've been busy at work and I was sick over Easter weekend. YUCK! It is driving me crazy to not be sewing. I've been trying to sneak in a few minutes here and there, but even that hasn't happened much the last coouple of weeks. I'm hoping for this weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures then also.

My friend Rachel digitized some letters for me and I have to see if I can save it to a USB stick and transfer it to my machine. I think I'll try that tomorrow morning before I get busy with the thirty other things on my list. Thanks Rachel! That was fast.

Short and Sweet

Jack, Lynn and I will be leaving in a couple of hours to visit Nikki, Zach and Quinn in Cincinnati so I thought I would provide a brief update before we go.

Nikki made the move two weeks ago and they seem to be settling in pretty well. We are taking a couple of forgotten items, or things that wouldn't fit in the car with us and they will be here in about 3 weeks so that should take care of everything. I'm going to try to "accidentally" bring something home with me that they really need so I have to make and "emergency" trip next week. Do you think I could do it and have no one figure out my plan? Anyway, it will be good to see them all.

Saturday is Zach's birthday and we are all going to see the Cirque Dreams, Jungle Fantasy. It should be fun and I'll let you know when I return.

Jack is doing much better. He did end up with another stent, which is what I kind of expected. He had some trouble during the procedure. There was a problem with the blood flow and he suffered a minor heart attack, but there doesn't appear to have been any lasting damage to the heart. He continued to have chest pains for a few days, but that has subsided. Also, now that we have his medications figured out, he is MUCH better - no more headache, dizziness or nausea. He took a walk yesterday and really enjoyed it.

I'm sure I will have pictures from this weekend so I'll try to post soon after I return.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Lots going on here...

Nikki is getting close to moving. She's planning on leaving Thursday morning, if all goes well. I helped her load a few things into the trailer this morning and then went back tonight to help get things packed and ready to go to the trailer. It is really hard for her because she is doing most of this alone because Zach is in Cincinnati already. If you can imagine trying to pack while you have an 11 month old with you, you can understand why she's not quite done. Also, there are things that can't be moved until the last minute because you are using them. She and Quinn have spent the last two nights here and will do so again tomorrow. Their beds are in the trailer, so they'd be sleeping on the floor if they weren't here. Of course this allows for Jack and I to see some things we'd normally be missing out on, such as Quinn brushing her teeth. She loves to have them brushed and she even likes to do it herself. Can you see those big front teeth?

Sheryll (Jack's daughter) was here this past Saturday. Sheryll is VERY talented and artistic and she has been bitten by the quilting bug! She has given me a number of feedsack fabrics and I've been playing around with them, but she has been working with some reproduction fabrics and made a bunch of 9 patches and triangles. Sheryll, Nikki and Lynn were playing around with the blocks trying to come up with a cool layout and I really like what they came up with. What do you think?

Thursday is going to be an interesting day around here. Nikki and Quinn will be joining Zach in Cincinnati and Jack is having a cardiac cath done. He's been experiencing some chest pain and the doctor wants to have a "look-see." At least this time we know what to expect. When he had this done 2 years ago, we were not prepared for the 4 stents that were put in. I've rearranged my schedule for the rest of the week so I can be with Jack., which means that tomorrow (actually today) will be very long and busy. I'll work from 5:30AM until about 2:00 and then teach my class from 5:45PM - 8:00. I'm sure I'll be tired but not be able to sleep. You all know how that goes. I've got to get some handwork to take with me to the hospital because I know that will help pass the time and keep me relaxed.

I'll keep you posted.

Out with the Old, In with the New

Isn't it amazing that appliances know just when to break down? Our freezer has been a bit temperamental lately and it finally quit working Tuesday. Actually, it still works, but as a refrigerator, not a freezer and only when it feels like it. For a while, it didn't even work as a refrigerator so we did lose some stuff. As you can tell, the new freezer is larger, especially since I had to throw out a bunch of stuff. Oh well, I'll start restocking soon.

I haven't had much time to quilt lately, just a bit of piecing here and there. I was hoping to get my retreat quilt done for Saturday's meeting, but I don't think that will happen. Plus, I didn't get any more done on the raffle quilt. I MUST finish that and get my "S" blocks done for the alphabet swap. Oh, I just remembered that I also have a pink and brown swap to get done also. Those won't take too much time though. My goal is to get all of the swap blocks done by Sunday and get really serious about the raffle quilt. I love how it is turning out.

I've had 5 embroidery orders this week that needed done quickly so that took precedence over quilting. It was kind of cool to be able to cut fabric while both machines were embroidering. I was cutting some more half square triangles for my Ocean Waves quilt, and there are a LOT of HSTs! Check out Bonnie Hunters website for a picture of the quilt. Her blog is on my sidebar and you can get to her site from there.

Nikki and Quinn are here tonight. Since Zach has moved to Cincinnati already, I picked up Quinn earlier tonight so Nikki could get more packing done. When Nikki came to get Quinn, she stayed for a while and just decided to spend the night. YEAH!! I sure am going to miss these overnights! They are planning to make the final move next weekend. BOO HOO!

For Christmas, Nikki made me a scrapbook and I love looking at it. Apparently, so does Quinn! More to come later....

Big News!!

Well, there has been quite a bit of news around here this past week.

Zach had a job interview in Cincinnati and he got the job! It's great that he found a job in the field that he wanted and that it is close to UC so Nikki won't have far to travel when she's back at school. The news is great, but kind of bittersweet at the same time. He, Nikki and Quinn were going to be moving to Cincy in June so I was ready for that, but now the move will take place much sooner. I thought I had some time to prepare myself, but I guess I have to get ready NOW. It sure will be hard to not see them so often. Quinn has been walking, actually running is a better way to describe it, for about a month now and she just jabbers all of the time. I'll miss that, but as Jack said, Cincinnati is less than 4 hours away, so we'll just have to make a lot of road trips!

I've decided to look at the positive side and recognize that there are a lot of quilt shops between here and Cincy that need for me to dicover them!

More BIG NEWS

Nikki and Zach are ENGAGED!

I'll get a better picture of the ring later, but my batteries were dying and this is the only picture I could get. What do you think? Are they happy? No date has been set yet, but it will not be until after Nikki graduates.

I've actually been doing a bit of sewing. I've been working on the guild mystery quilt, my letter S for the alphabet swap and the raffle quilt (Bonnie Hunter's Double Delight). I've also been working on some embroidery that needs done for an order.

I'm trying really hard to take care of my UFOs before I start something new, but I've got a couple of quilt designs that I'm playing around with and I want to start those NOW.

More to come later, and you can be sure that there will be pictures of Quinn.

Second Post of the Night (Of course that just means that I forgot something earlier.)

I forgot something in my last post.

I have a picture of the flowers that the gals from the Norwalk club sent me for my birthday Monday. When the guy delivered them, he said he had a birthday cake for me, but that it was non-caloric. It was a flower cake! How cute is that?!?