I'm Excited!!!!

I'm excited!  I took a sample of my background material for my Double Duty quilt with me - and they STILL had a little bit of it left on the shelves!!!!  Yee Haw!  I can finish that quilt!  And I'm cheering!

That being said - what am I doing today?  Not working on that quilt - at least not yet!  Because I had gone to class last night for the Quilt in a Day Log Cabin.  And I like THIS method of constructing log cabins sooooooooo much better!  At any rate - I am correcting mistakes from last night (Ribbit! Ribbit!) due to the lighting and my head getting in the way of the light (at least that's MY excuse - and I'm sticking to it!) where I would invariably sew wrong side to right side!  Grrrr!  So - I'm doing that and trying to get the rest of the 36 blocks for the square Queen's LC quilt at least through the second round!  Then  I'm putting that away - and probalby collapsing - at least after I slice and dice the setting squares for the DD quilt! and read through and set up for the PP for that one blasted strip!

I'm not even worrying about housework today - although I could very easily do SOMETHING to make my life - and day - a little more productive - at least in terms of chores!   I DID do my morning routine - and everything looks pretty straight.  Tomorrow I'm doing my WHB.  May do some paperwork (MUCH needed) later - or may not - not sure yet!

Oh yeah - am using Bonnie's Orange Crush 4 squares as LE - Gosh those are cute cute cute!

My Carpenter Star

And there ya have it!  That's my Carpenter Star - and it's at Wendy's awaiting final quilting!  LOL - she changed her mind from meandering to Custom quilting - says the star is begging for it!  LOL  I'm just glad she's doing it because I know how insane her schedule is!  AND she is EXTREMELY good at quilting! 

Right now she says she is figuring out 3 different possibilities - and will send those to me when she is ready. 

As I said - I'm excited!  Can you tell?

Do you know how many squares 150 4-patches is?????

Egads!  I figured I was in trouble when I saw the 150 4-patches.  But - not to worry - I could sew 2" strips together then slice and dice them!  NP

Yeah - right! 
My first problem came when I realized that I DO NOT cut straight - and that the guiding lines on my ruler LIE!!!!  There is at least a micron difference between one side of the guiding line and the other!  And invariably by the time I've sliced and diced my way past the 3rd or 4th I'm well on the way to sewing curved lines!

Not to worry.... Maybe!  I just straightened the line out - best as I can - and then used my handy dandy slicer thingy to even things out.

Now I love to save fabric.  In fact, I'm a fabriholic!  As both my adult children will readily testify to!  But - do you know that how many times I'm wasting that little tiny pieces - just to "straighten out that line"?  And probably not succeeding terribly well at that!  Let's just say that my giblet bins are exceeding 2 oatmeal boxes as it is!  (although, to be honest, not totally from yesterday either!)

Speaking of saving fabric - one thing I love to do is sew strings together to make larger pieces of fabric (squares).  Somewhere in this mess I have bits and pieces of some Taz fabric - which I am using in a Taz-man quilt - and which I figure to have completed - oh say, maybe around 2025 or so.  Cute designs!

This morning I got a chance to peek at Wendy's (daughter) Orca Bay mystery quilt (Bonnie Hunter
mystery quilt).  If you get a chance, go see it!  She uses her string squares so effectively - just darling!

I can feel the urge to sew creeping up on me - I got 100 2-patches done (equals only 50 squares - don't get excited!) - but today is paperwork.  And HAS to be paperwork - or else the paper monster is going to rear right up out of those baskets/boxes, etc. and come get me!  Besides - I'm STILL looking for my passport which is somewhere in there!  IN A SAFE PLACE!  Ugh!  That and my studies! (which if I'm going to do them, I'd best get my rear in gear!)

Man - life is Soooooooooo much happier now that I can do paragraphs and such!!!!

Life here... - house LOOKS like it is cleaned up - relatively speaking.  The relative part is  because I STILL have a lot of things with no home at present (don't worry, Mom!  I know it is in the middle of the floor where I put it - but I'm building shelves next day/week/month/year....you get the idea! - and then we'll put stuff away!  I'll even help you!  (NOT!)

I'm slowly - as in sloooowwwwwwwlllly - unpacking and putting away the rest of the binsd I brought here to MA when I moved from IL.  I did say slooowwwwwwwly didn't I?  That's because I moved here in 2005 - Dec.  Moved to this place in 2006 August.  Remodeling so far over 2 years (and this year we tackle - gasp! - the two bedrooms).  Still not done. 

Seriously - we've acquired another house as well - and with remodeling that (easier - no one in it!) and there really isn't any time!  Also - with remodeling here - I may be moving to the other house - which has 3 floors (hmmmm - stairs?) and which may/may not be sold as condos - or rented out (for more $$$ than I currently allocate for my rent) 

Still and all - it has a HUGE back and side yard - just perfect for a lot of gardens - BIG veggie garden, along with herbs, flowers, orchard (mini) space. and playyard for kids!  Am seriously thinking of it.  I do love this house here though - but NOT the partying that the kids upstairs do!

Plus - I'm almost unpacked.  This would mean re-packing and putting stuff away again!  Ugh!
So - just thinking on it.
More later.

Later....

back from PT - and have been officially discharge - not because I don't need it anymore - but because my insurance runs out tomorrow - and I'm back on Sr. Citizen garbage starting tomorrow!  Most Drs. approach that like the Bubonic Plague - and apparently PT's are no different!  It is funny though - that those things we paid for most of our life (and, trust me, we DO pay for them - beforehand - from our paycheck and at present - from Soc. Security amount deductions!) that the actual benefits from them - while helpful - are NOT as good - and that Drs - most of them - REALLY hate Medi-whichever one it is that you have to be 65 or older for!  Why?  Outside of the fact that they are VERY slow to pay - they will disallow AT LEAST 20% of the actual bill (which means (1) EVERYONE'S bills get hiked up, (2)at the least the patient's bills are inflated to compensate for that 20% or more!)  MAJOR ugh!

That not withstanding - dd called - and instead of doing what I WAS going to do (every hour - 15 minutes study, 30 minutes papersort and/or process - I'm behind again!, 15 minutes house clean).  It WILL get things done - trust me! and the time is short enough I can stand to do that.

Anyway - dd called - I'll be doing that tomorrow - today is sewing day (which I was going to do tomorrow).  Yeehaw!

So far - I've gone through the rest of that tub, started on the next one - stuff put away or put in with laundry - or with ironing - depending.  I've sorted and gotten stuff together for a Bonnie Hunter Leader/Ender mystery - an old one - Orange Crush! =- and I'm ready to go.

Maybe more later - if not - tomorrow!

Today.....

Of course - now that I finished up the other post - what I want to do.....

1. Morning routine, of course
2. Send Non-Sew Swaps (REALLY - this is ridiculous - these are NON-SEW!!!)
3. Finish up sewing swaps for sending on Monday.
4. TOTH (Top of the Hour) - alternate between 15 minutes Sewing room sort and toss (yup - am actually tossing SOME) fabrics or Ironing some of the fabrics/blocks/yardeage already to go.
5. Would LOVE to journey out to SH Quilts and get my log cabin book - which of course, is probably the ONLY one I don't have!  I have IFmore than enough fabric so that I can do a light/dark scrappy one - and actually am looking forward to it!  Also am hoping that I can do this block without wanting to run screaming from the room.  I LOVE the overall look - but as fiddly as I am - I REALLY do NOT like that I fuss so blasted much over each and every stitch! (which invariably has to be done over again!)
6. IF I get my swaps done in time this weekend - or even today (I am setting a goal - just for today) - then I will get to (EXCITED tones here!) start on .... (notice the START on) Bonnie's Orange Crush quilt! 

I wasn't so thrilled origiinally at that particular quilt - as I saw it with all that ORANGE in the print out part.  But WOW - the final quilt is just delicious!  SOOOOO - I gotta do one!

I Have Such Wonderful Children...

Seriously - my kids are great!  Of course they're fully grown - one married and one certainly thinking that way! 

Anyway - Wendy gave me all the info I needed to "fix" my blogs so that there was PLENTY of spaces!  AND I have a FEW of the old pix save - but (sniff) not many of those I managed to earn!!!!  I rather imagine that if I contact the lady I got them from and went to an old website I might find them - certainly hope so!

I also hope to get my regular photo pix up and running as well!

BUT.... until then, I'm sewing up a storm!

Oh yeah - finally did send the Carpenter Star Quilt on to Wendy - will do a show and tell when it eventually gets back to me!  I know she's busy - and this may take a year or more to get there - but I don't want to push her.  She does such beautiful work!

Woo Hoo!  Wendy has TWO books coming out! - One is a collection from Breeze - that's a literary group she belongs too - most definitely will enjoy that!

BUT the OTHER one - that's an anthology of some of Wendy's works!  Oh so very cool!  Can hardly wait to see and read!

Congrats, Wendy!!!!! 

Son called yesterday - honestly - am so excited about the "other house" near here getting worked on - have been staying away.  BUT - we are also working on MY room, the sewing room, living room and dining room here this summer - and possibly upstairs as well - hopefully!  Would LOVE to have that front porch done as well - but we'll see!  I may move into the other house in the interim.  Do wonder though how much it would cost to rent this unit out - I REALLY do not like moving - although you would never believe it with all the moving around I do! (Upstairs to downstairs, to son's while my bathroom and kitchen were being remodeled). 

Besides he is wanting me to move orchard trees and garden over there - which I think would probably be a good idea.  Soil here is certainly better than it was for sure!  AND I would have a LOT of garden space over there - trees, a huge back AND a huge side yeard as well.  Hmmm - have to think on this one!  Briefly! 

Downside - it does have STAIRS in it - 2 sets - but is like a condo - sorta!  And I really like that!  Plus it will have or has soundproofing between the units - which is even better! 

Would miss my neighbours from here though - even if I moved only 2 blocks away!  Folks just don't like to really walk and visit like they did when I was a kid growing up!  I have neighbours from many different countries - and I thoroughly enjoy each and every person as well as the flavour and customs of each different culture!  So very neat!

And, too, all the big dogs (the ones other folks are scared of) know me and act like overgrown puppies around me - knowing that I love them all!  LOL - Frustrates my neighbours (especially the ones who say their dogs are fierce watch or guard dogs!  NOT!) no end!

Does anyone know how......

Does anyone know how to put paragraphs/indentations, etc. into their posts?

Mine seems to ignore all indications that I want a paragraph or any kind of spacing - no matter WHAT I do.... (and yes, I even would skip up to 2 and 3 LINES in order to give my - and your - eyes a bit of a break!!!

PS - Wendy just called - AND...... (Ta Da!)  I can now.... not only edit - but ALSO do paragraphs, identations and such!!!  (such an easy thing to figure out!  LOL)

Now that I Know HOW.....

Yeehaw - I can EDIT!!!!! FINALLY figured that part out!

Now to figure out how to take pix and upload to my computer - or to my blog - whichever!!! And to the owners of the blog - I apologize!!! Profusely! Even though I still believe that if something isn't broken - DON'T fix it!

More later - am off to a rousing morning of home-doned PT (they called and cancelled - yippee - saves me 3 hours! 2 of which are travel time!) and my "homeschool" (don't ask - I just re-set my studies - and already I'm behind!- so what else is nu?) as well as cleaning, paper sorting and .... and....

Oh yeah - this afternoon I plan on SEWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just saw a neat idea on Heidi's blog - I too have these hideous plastic crates that I use for.... holding my study books when not in use, a launching pad of stuff I NEED to remember to take to the car/deliver/drop off, holding my ironing (they aren't big enough for all my mending!) So - I may be working on that this weekend - along with a kajillian other things!

Other noteworthy events - I had planned on going out to lunch with some of my former co-workers (I'm the former - they're still current) - but one of my friends couldn't make it - so we're re-scheduling for February - am thinking of a bigger group anyway!d Should be fun! At least 2 management, 2 team leaders, including my adopted sister, and several of my co-workers! Hmmn - not sure how I'm going to do this! Oh well, I'll figure it out!

Former... - oh yeah - well - I was laid off - which is just as well since there was NO WAY I wanted to go back through another spring season there - I don't do well under stress and pressure - and boy, there is definitely stress and pressure.

Not in the negative sense because folks there are great - but it is the sheer volume of work and the fact that it ALL has to be ACCURATE which is my waterloo right there! Not that I'm not accurate - but when it usually doesn't count as much! When it does - OH MY!

Regardless, I love the folks there dearly and miss them terribly - and I know they miss me as well. I don't have sour grapes about it because they kept me on a lot longer than I would have in their shoes, for sure! Terrific people!

Other news - I just harvested the last of my fall cabbages - well, ALMOST the last one - and the last I'm going to attempt harvesting - there are 2 more - little bitty things! It has now gotten VERY COLD although today is warmer than it has been. And I've finally discovered the cabbages to put up for fall/winter harvest - Savoy cabbages - they don't seem to hold as much water as the other ones! Which is what I want for winter harvest!

This week - today I am thinking - I'm sending one quilt top to be quilted and by tomorrow at the latest will have 3 packages ready to send of row strips (TG!!!!!) - and with a bit of luck - that last of all my swaps as well!!!!!! Re the quilt top - it will take quite a while for Wendy to get around to it, I'm sure - but it will be gorgeous when done! It is just that she doesn't really have a lot of time - because she is now in an entirely different type of position than what she used to be and is EXHAUSTED by the time she gets home - so we'll see! Anyway - that's where I'll be re quilt tops this weekend.

Then for the rest of the month I want to work on last year's quilts - finishing up 2 of the 3 baby quilts - with the third one going on THIS YEAR'S list.

LIST - oh yeah, I goofed (amongst all the other times!) I got my list together s- then mostly because of my stupid computer problems and not being able to edit, etc. - I procrastinated on sending the info and URL to Judy L.

Result? I (sob!) missed the date for being ready to post the list! With (sniffle, sniffle!) the slight possibility of being able to identify what number is being posted next - I can still work on that one. If however I can't -= I'll download the hat and use THAT for identifying. OR I'll ask Wendy to close her eyes and pick one! (and NOT the hardest - least done one either!!!!)

That's it for now - more later as I modify/change/edit to my heart's content!

STILL FIGHTING THE "NEW BLOG FORMAT" - UGH!

Ugh - other than getting a DIFFERENT blog spot (which I may do yet) - I honestly don't know what else to do - I have indications that I can edit - but they don't! Instead I get an error message!!!! Ugh!

AND I've posted for help at least twice I know of plus have posted on the forum -= and found others who aren't getting the help either! What gives???? UGH UGH UGH!

Re my Siggies - they're gone! I have to save each of the ones I already have again - and then figure out where I can get others! My old computer crashed - of course - just about the time that the blog stuff was all changed around! Ugh!

Anyway - Quilt list - I'm posting here because I can't change my sidebar - blast it anyway!

2011 SUMMARY - one quilt completed (Carpenter Star), others actually worked on - Underground RR (almost done), Christmas Ribbons (um - fair to middlin'), Samplers (that's a whole other story here!), Double Duty (this should have been a separate number - and I'm STILL looking for my setting triangles =- which I KNOW) I have - in a safe place, of course! The other 7-8 - uhmmmm - yeah!

2012 - I'm carrying over some - and hoping I'll finish up the tad bits on others without them being otherwise mentioned. Oh yeah, I TRULY hope to figure out the camera/photo stuff this year and put that on the second (or 3rd) page. Also am re-vamping a lot of other stuff too!

1. Samplers - this one I MUST do this month - and will trade whatever other item for the numbjer is drawn - so this one HAS to be my January. Let's just say I'm overdue on swaps - and leave it at that. Now if the quilt police show up at my door mid-month - you'll know why! And - this is absolutely the LAST swap I will do - at least at this time - and then ONLY with my dd who understands why I get so uptight about it that I can't do the work!

2. Nathan's quilt - Nathan is my son - very patient - fortunately - and I'm NOT telling how long I've had this quilt WIP

3. Double Duty - I will have sorted all my fabrics - and shelved them by the end of January. Hopefully. So if I haven't tossed - or used them elsewhere I will find the setting triangles - and will finish this doodad up!

4. Block in a block

5. Springin' out all over - my design

6. Child's choice - re-vamping a much disliked other quilt - I think this one will be fun - sort of an I-spy in a box

7. Baby quilt 3 - this is the zoo one. Should be cute - although I think I will change my mind about the chinese coins for a surround! Egads! That's a lot!

8. Victorian Crazy quilt - not expecting to finish this one - just want to work on it

9. Charm around - this was a swap I actually did ON TIME. Only involved sending fabrics around. which is why it was on time! Now to design a quilt around it. Has to be special because the focus fabric I only have a dab of - but I dearly love that fabric!

10. Tobacco Road - this was a Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt - and fun for sure!

11. Row by row - uhm -= this depends on my January project - this was the swap I messed up BIG TIME ON - and then a ocuple of others - and it went from there!

12. Quick patch pink and blue - this is strictly a quicky - and is however big it ends up - possible twin bed or possibly a coverlet - not sure. Will be yarn-tied with blue. And there ya have it!

PS - FINALLY!!! I figured out how to edit stuff!!! Yee haw!!!!! Of course I STILL haven't got it figured out how to LIST stuff in the main blog!!!