Really Neat Giveaway!!!!!

Wow! In case no one has seen the really neat giveaway - in honor of Hoki quilts 2nd birthday Miche'le Armstrong Hokitika from Westland, NZ is giving away a Moda Jelly-roll plus a matching set of charm squares!

http://byhokiquilts.blogspot.com/2010/05/birthday-give-away.html#comment-form

In order to enter this contest (drawing is on June 3rd) you have to (1) follow along in her blog, (2) Make a comment on her blog (I think it is moderated - at least mine didn't show up immediately), (3) post about the contest on your blog. Each item is a chance to win in the give away.

As I said - it's a really cool drawing!

This weekend.........or ........... the laundry says it all!

My son was nice enough to mow and till my garden (or most of it) for me on Thursday! Yesterday - Saturday and today I worked on preparing and planting the 3 beds he didn't have a chance to get to - the perrenial bed - which already had strawberries and asparagus in it - and down along the bottom rhubarb plants (which with the new rhubarb plants bought in makes a total of 4 plants. Yum!) I put some horseradish in the perrenial bed - but did NOT put (against my better judgement) the horseradish into a large pot for growing. What plants are growing there are VERY healthy looking - despite a major covering of leaves from last year. They now have added peatmoss, more leaves, compost as well.

The bed between the future tomato (after pay day this week) and perrenial bed I planted with potatoes - the new bought in, the store bought that was eyeing me quite well, and last year's potatoes - which I had forgotten about and - OH MY were the sprouts definitely overgrown there! The only ones I am truly worried about there are the ones I had grown - because I think the sprouts are TOO overgrown and may dry up and wither away - and not enough potato to start any more eyes.

After mentioning to everyone about the Sew in this last Friday - of course, I forgot! :( will have to make up for it probaby either tonight or tomorrow night.

DID however work quite a bit on a baby quilt - doing the final quilting, etc. Hope to finish that either tonight or tomorrow.

Managed to pick up either an allergy (as in hives), stinging gnats (I'm also allergic to them), a rash on tiny mosquitos (same here too!) - and my arms are nicely swollen and red and itch like fury! Even my favorite cure-all of vinegar is not helping completely. The reason I think this is allergy-allergic reaction to some sort of contact whatever - is that my innards feel scraped raw, throat sore, and inside my mouth feels like someone sanded it raw. Can I say whatever it is - it is throughout my system? UGH! Am trying to NOT head to the Dr. - but may have to after all if this gets a lot worse.

Haven't gone hiking at all this weekend - although I had vaguely (very vaguely) mentioned that as a possibility. I think if I am going to exercise I shall have to make appointments with myself - date and time and all. WOULD like to get it done say around 6 AM - however I like sleeping more! Thinking on this!

And to that end - I may stop this eat a thon I'm on and actually start dieting again!

Apparently I started something when I mentioned on one list that I had the Dear Jane book (actually I have 2 - totally by insanity - I wasn't paying attention to what I had JUST ordered - and did it again! :( ) Found a website on doing this paper piecing style. I have several problems with this quilt - one is the precision which everyone else does this (and which Jane did NOT do! - her points are as broken off as mine are, and seams look like I did them! Her knowledge of patterns however was great!) Then too - I think that although it is so neat and all I can't really appreciate each block in and of itself - it's too busy - thinking on this - and may do a much more liberated version (to do away with the precision Jane didn't do but her followers attempt), and perhaps not quite as many blocks (hmm - a series???? placemats, tablecloths????? Hot pads??? Wonky letters on the bottom saying Dear Jane or Dear Wendy???Dear Nathan????)

Oh yeah - my house sure needs it - cleaning and cooking - and laundry time! Tonight laundry and some cleaning. Cooking is on it's own! LOL

New Quilting things!

Oh wow~ Oh wow~ Oh wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week I recieved a FMQ CD from my dd - FANTASTIC! And then today in the mail I recieved an autographed copy of Dear Jane by Brenda Papadakis - AND have been recieving garden seeds all week!

WAS going to do the lasagna gardening thing (think sheet composting) and may still - at least in some places - BUT if possible someone else is going to rototill the main part of the garden - maybe! Regardless I want it DONE tomorrow!

My strawberries do look soooooo cute popping up out of the mulch - and the rhubarb is so robust looking (about time for me to harvest some! LOL) Asparagus - some I've been munching on already - but by and large it needs to grow another year - and I need to figure out where the REST of the plants are!

Oh yeah - the leeks that I thought were goners - came through the winter in FINE shape - having cream of leek soup tonight! And even so have a LOT that needed to be separated out and transplanted for optimum growth! Carrots I am still harvesting from last year too! Brussel sprouts have gone to seed however! MAN I'm anxious to get the garden in!

Also - made shopping list on line and printed it - and bought - and bought and bought - spent entirely too much but my little bitty pantry is full again! Do need more fruits and veggies though! And chicken!

Oh yeah - exercise - this is day 3 this week no less - that I've been walking with friends at work - 15 - 20 minute walk - has been lovely! And we're going to explore a different direction on Monday - has been nice!

ALSO - was asked by a couple of folks to attend a civic meeting this coming Monday evening - has to do with the major shock I got when I drove downtown here - and discovered that ALL the beautiful trees were chopped down, hauled off, and the square or roundabout looked like a dirt parking lot - and in fact will be one - for the bulldozers, etc. working on our streets! I am soooooooooooooooo mad! I loved that little park! And now it's gone! I came home and just cried! Anyway a couple of folks overheard my moaning about the trees and park and told me to come to the library for a town meeting on Monday. Darn it anyway!

Yesterday's Tomorrow which is Today!

staying home today - hopefully. Am so dizzy with the whatevers and hacking and sneezing - that I would be a danger to myself and others on the road, let alone being a typhoid Mary if I were at work!

Even so - in an effort to "get my head together" as it were (WHERE did that expression come from?) I am going to be doing things SLooooooooooooowly to eliminate possible in-house allergens (the outside is on its own! Besides I figure that if this IS allergen related it is probably allergen overload! if I dump some of the overload that hopefully my system will be able to handle it!

Also - I hope to spend some time quilting - since otherwise I would be sleeping in an effort to sleep this stuff off!

Appointments to be made - Kitties - their fur is doing its level best to take over the house, poor things. Definitely well beyond my usual brush and comb - so it is now time for their annual ..... SHAMPOO and SHAVE!!!!! YAY! (Yay because I'm not the one having to do this! I value my life entirely too much!) Garden also falls under the appointment category - maybe!

Also decided to do week 1 of yoga routine - let's see how sore I can make myself by tomorrow!

Today - in May..................

Yesterday and today I haven't been feeling good. We had a team "huddle" yesterday - and to day was jam-packed with meetings - first a really awesome training class - and then a team-meeting. Now this team - let me go on record - to me, at least is one of the most important teams in the entire work facility - and truly I'm honored to be on it! I do wish though that I could get caught up with some of the items that need to be done!

Anyway - yesterday - I almost passed out - several times. I know I scared folks - I must have been as pale as a sheet! And went to stand up - and almost passed out then! And if there are 2 things I hate in this world - one is nausea and tossing my cookies - and the other is feeling dizzy (which is why I don't drink!) Felt a little better today - earlier - but now - Oh MY! And I can think of all kinds of reasons from out of whack blood sugar to out of whack blood pressure to nasty allergens in the air due to spring, to allergens of mold and dust spores which abound in plenty here - especially since I've been focusing on either work, sleep, or cleaning upstairs (which is another whole ball game in and of itself - plaster dust! UGH!!!!)

What am I going to do about it other than kvetch?
1. Clean my house - slowly to be sure - but clean it - to get rid of allergens and any problems
2. spray any possible places where mold could abound inside (I think it is coming from outside - warm humid weather and LOTS of leaves!) with a clorox type of compound
3. Make sure my blood pressure is relatively normal
4. FINALLY get around to getting that blasted blood sugar test - yup - the 14 hour fasting one (the 14 hour is the part I have the problem with!) and find out what my blood sugar level truly is!
5. Get the back yard either lasagna mulched (preferably) or tilled and then lasagna mulched (very preferably) with someone ELSE doing the tilling (DEFINITELY preferably!)
6. Oh yeah - get around to searching out and discovering a new to me doctor! and then setting up an appointment. I am not in this world to be ANYONE'S person to be picked on, made fun of or be yelled at or be sneered at! I deserve better than that!!

Oh yeah - other things -
1. Garden - placed orders online last night and followed up on one that didn't go through today (was true - didn't go through - I probably screwed up something! was hard to see keyboard at the time!) Son and I also collaborated on some plants - I will probably pick up any remaining plants this weekend.

2. Quilt - um,..... - I bought a Dear Jane book. Am hesitant to mention - because I KNOW what my family will say - especially since I have so many books and WIPs now! HOWEVER I have truly lusted after a Dear Jane quilt for some time now - so it is time to make that a reality!

3. took a nap today. Wasn't sure I would make it home without falling asleep - despite my sleeping for a total of 10 hours yesterday. AM tense though - so tonight before bed - will do yoga, and then maybe take a pain reliever because that is why I wake up every so often through the night!

Geez! It doesn't take a rocket scientist..........

Geez! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out a seed order! At least one would think so! But then one wouldn't be LATE.... or greedy..... or want every seed in the book ...... or one would have the money - and space - to be able to do all this stuff!

Even so - I was SOOOOOOOOOO glad to hold the veggie seed stuff down to less than $100. Of course - this includes seed I have held over from last year (still good) and does NOT include plants - nor really take into account that I have to prepare the planting space (lasagne gardening? I sure have the leaves!) Nor does it take into account that I have a job, I'm ancient, have an ouchy back, and have a life other than gardening. Otherwise - who is going to pack away/can/freeze/dry/salt - or otherwise preserve this wonderful harvest (provided it makes it that far!)

Still - this is what I'm ordering - and have reviewed ad nauseum and ad procrastinatium (is there such a word? If not, there SHOULD be) this list. And have sent it off to son Nathan - who will promptly have apoplexy about the size of it all. I DID keep a copy of it for after son refuses to get 90% of the order - so that I can order the rest myself. And I DID order from Pinetree this year (has smaller amounts than the usual packet - and costs about half as much) - thank goodness - or the $$ amount would definitely be in the 3 digits! As it is - I am going to have to delegate space strictly!

Other chores for today - um... did laundry - EARLY this AM (before work!).

Also - news - the city road construction folks who are working down at the end of the block - not content with wiping out my phone last week (they had the phone guys down there earlier showing where NOT to dig - now reconnected TG), today sliced through a gas pipeline - had to evacuate all the houses on this block - and probably the next - Oh joy! Also had to re-route traffic (around the OTHER end of my block - took FOREVER to get out!) And - yup - the gas guys had also mapped out where NOT to dig! (And of course, I forgot that having all gas for the block radius shut off so they could prevent explosions - meant that my pilot light was NOT on!) My concern is that NEXT they will ignore where the electric lines are buried - despite clear enough signs! Ugh!

YAY - another Sew-in - Friday, May 21st!

What to work on????????? Hmmm - WIPs of course, Apple Cider quilt, Double Duty - or - ummm - square in a square charm? Have to think about it - probably the AC or DD though.

Grateful list.....
1. Thankful that my house did NOT explode!
2. Thankful that I FINALLY got my seed order together - and sent
3. Thankful that I FINALLY got at least most (except sheets and reds) of my laundry done

It's DAYTIME!!!!

Today I have to set priorities! Unfortunately not necessarily the priorities I want! I have 2 rooms to finish up cleaning upstairs (paint removal and all!), a basement I don't want to clean (think maybe Monday or Tuesday?), a garden that MUST be done (think maybe an hour a day?) and 3 baby quilts needing to be done yesterday - actually several weeks ago!

I DID get the friendship quilt sent off to Wendy - unfortunately it needs some adding to (this is why God invented tape measures!) - and I am now sending the "extra" friendship stars, extra fabric, the backing to Wendy. Wendy is to embroider the names on the quilt of the folks who sent the stars. And it was Wendy who discovered that my quilt was too narrow and too short! She has offered to add to my quilt for me - hence the extra stars, etc. going her way! And will do any extra stars as needed. When done - she will do the quilting overall. I suspect I will owe her my first born - except that she IS my first born! I am thinking this one is definitely a joint effort! Love ya, my daughter!

OK - priorities for this week........
1. Finish upstairs 2 rooms
2. post remaining fabrics, etc. to Wendy to Canadian addy
3. Baby quilt #1 - rest of quilting, binding, trim and finish.
4. Baby quilt #2 - borders, quilting, binding, trim and finish
5. Baby quilt #3 - the whole magillah!
6. House - actually this one fits in here with # 3 - 5 - it HAS to be cleaned. Same with.......
7. Laundry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This time put it AWAY!
8. Garden - set up beds. Will post more as I get to this one!

Grateful list -
1. For my 2 kids - son who has been terrific and put up with a LOT from me - and who has worked his franny off getting this place ready for tenants, etc. - daughter who has provided encouragement, and is working on one of my quilts for me. BOTH of them are a source of inspiration, amusement, moral support, - and just about anything else that's positive for me! I love them dearly!
2.