Tired Monday

I seem to have quite a pattern going on Mondays...come home and collapse!  I'm just so tired when I get home from work on Monday's I'm lucky to get dinner made. 

Found a pair of ladies work gloves that have tiny gripper dots all over the palm surface and fingers.  They were at the grocery store, of all places.  I bought them for less than two bucks and intend to use them in my free motion quilting.

Making it an early night...

Side tracked...again

Today I wanted to get those green Jacob's Ladder blocks done.  Well, as it ended up, Johanna came over in the morning and we visited and played gin.  She wants a protective cover for a new device she has, some thing like a phone but not a phone, like an ipad but not an ipad, I really don't know exactly what it is.  Anyway, she picked out material for me to make not one, not two, but three covers for her.  Sheesh.  Well, I made one and I'm going to wait to see her again to make sure it's right before I make the other two.

And while I was working on that, Nick saw me and asked what it was.  So then he proceeds to ask if I would make a sleeve for his laptop!  How can I say no?  sigh.  I'm taking advantage of this time between her coming back to make sure the cover works, and him picking out fabric to just get what I can done on the green blocks.

Baby top pic

Here's a picture I finally got uploaded of the baby quilt top I made from a New Year's Eve Mystery on one of the Yahoo Groups.  It's going to be for my friend Lori's new grandbaby that is due in March.  Will have to get busy quilting it soon!

Last night I didn't sew but was up in the sewing room doing some dreaded pressing.  Ugh.  I've got the pieces for another mystery quilt all ready to be sewn together into blocks, but the half square triangles and four patch blocks all needed a good pressing.  And the dog ears on the half square triangles needed trimming, too.  So I sat there and pressed and trimmed and pressed and trimmed until my eyeballs were about to fall out.  I did have something on the t.v. to watch, but it wasn't all that interesting either.  So I only stayed up there a little over an hour.  I have more to do, but the bulk of it is finished and I would like to get the rest finished so I can put these blocks together already. 

I peeked at the final layout, and they are a Jacob's ladder block.  The mystery directions have the blocks being made in two different settings and combined, but I think I am going to stick with one setting.  My blocks are made with 8 different greens from my stash and 1 light green background from stash.  If it gets finished, I would like to give it to my dad for his birthday late next month.  He just created a little man cave and I thought this would go nice in it.  And green is his favorite color.

Ev is supposed to work tonight, so I'll have the evening to work on sewing.  Until he heads out to work, I have so much to do, I just don't know where to start.  I want to make some homemade bread, so I should get that put together and set to rise.  I have laundry coming out my ears, as usual.  The humidifier needs it's weekly cleaning (by the way, still no nosebleeds since I've been using it - very happy with that fact!).  There are dishes to be done.  And I have got to get the rest of the holiday decorations boxed up and taken downstairs.  I have them all piled in a corner, but needed some boxes from work to put them in.  Brought the boxes home this past week so I have no excuses now!

So I  better get off this computer soon and get busy!

A little bit of love

Here's the finished wall hanging!

Just walk away

That's what I had to do with the wall hanging.  I just had to walk away from it tonight.  I spent an hour remaking the hearts in a deep red color that I really like.  I stuffed them with fiberfill, rather than using a thin piece of batting as with the pink hearts.  I stitched everyone's name on a heart.  Now, they are pinned to the wall hanging and I'm not sure if I should leave them in the spots they are in or move them around.  Hence the 'just walk away' title of this post.  Going to sleep on it tonight.

A work in progress

This wall hanging is NOT done yet.  I have the background quilted, but I need to figure out what to do with the hearts.  I just wrote our names on them in fabric pencil, but that is not going to work.  I'll have to stitch our names on in a dark thread.  Then I'm just not sure about the placement of the hearts.  Any suggestions or comments?  Also, I will be putting the word 'family' down at the bottom, possibly in a heart also.

That one heart just totally fades away.  Maybe I should remake the hearts in a darker color and stitch the names in light thread?  hmmm.  Have to mull this one over for a bit.

My son and I were acting quite goofy tonight.  He has some karaoke songs on his computer and we started singing along with a microphone.  Sure hope no one heard us!

Oh my aching back

Actually it was my shoulders.  Oh, did they hurt!  After my marathon sewing session on Sunday when I sewed for over five hours, my shoulders were just screaming at me.  I barely slept Sunday night and was like a zombie all day Monday.  I did make it through the work day but when I got home Monday night I just crashed on the couch.  Went to bed real early and when my head hit the pillow, that was all she wrote!

I need to post some pictures soon.  The Valentine's wall hanging is something I dreamed up and I'm pretty tickled with it.  It has 2" squares that make up the center panel, then a thin border and a wider border.  The sqaures are left over four patches and were in all different kinds of pinks and neutrals.  I have the top of the wall hanging finished and need to pin baste and quilt it.  After that is done, I intend to applique hearts on it with all the family members names on them.  As our little family grows, I can add more hearts.  I was teasing my daughter today and told her if she married someone I didn't like I would put their heart on the quilt with velcro rather than stitching it down... haha.  I need to get it done quick, though, because I want to enjoy it for a while before the holiday gets here.

Johanna was home briefly today while her dad was there.  I happened to call home and was talking to Ev when I hear Johanna start going on about a blue quilt.  She discovered Bethany's quilt and was telling Ev that I should give her the quilt!  I had to have him explain to her that it was already given to Bethany and that she just didn't have room in her suitcase to take it home with her.  That did make me feel good, though, that she liked my work.  All the same, I told Nick to go to the Post Office today and get a box so we can send it to Bethany before it turns up missing!  heeheehee.

Five plus

I sewed for ovver five hours today. Loved every minute of it. Worked onn the mystery tthen onn a Valentine wall hanging.

A few hours of Netflix and quilting...what a life

I am so thrilled to have Netflix on my Nook Color!  I sat and watched shows on it while I was cutting four patch units for a mystery I'm working on today.  I could have hooked up the play station and put netflix on it, but it was so much easier to just do it on my Nook!

I got my 'Word Play Quilts' book by Tonya Ricucci in the mail yesterday.  Looking forward to reading it and having some fun making some new projects.

Finally remembered to change the furnace filter today.  I also cleaned the new humidifier again.  I have got to keep on top of that.  It was so yucky the first time I cleaned it from the hard water we have here.  It's not a big deal to clean, just a little time consuming.  Well worth it.

Slipping and sliding

It was sure a tense drive home. We have freezing rain tonight and the roads are as slick as glass! I just hunkered down in the big chair with my Nook and Netflix watching Sons of Anarchy.

Is it really only Thursday?

This week at work it is going really slow.  Really slow.  I'm extremely thankful to have a job, don't get me wrong here.  I guess it's just getting back to normal after the holidays that is making it drag.

I didn't do any sewing yesterday.  I'm at a point on the mystery where I need to press and cut again.  And we all know how much I love to press.  And cut.  haha.  I should go upstairs tonight and sit in front of the t.v. and do these mindless tasks.  Depends on how I feel when I get home after work, I guess.

Last night I put three drumsticks in the oven that I lightly browned first, then baked with a glaze over them of apricot jam thinned out with a bit of water.  They were very good.  Made a side dish of mac and cheese for Ev to have with them.  I had a bowl of soup.  I really like that Bear Creek brand of soup mixes.  If I'm not going to make the soup from scratch, that brand is the next best thing.

Political (maybe) post about internet blackout today

Wikipedia is blacking out it's website today to protest laws that Washington is trying to pass.  I think, as a quilter, this might actually affect me.  Here's what Wikipedia says to do, and if you go to their website they will link you up with contact forms:

Call your elected officials.


Tell them you are their constituent, and you oppose SOPA and PIPA.

Why?

SOPA and PIPA would put the burden on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary blocking of entire sites. Small sites won't have sufficient resources to defend themselves. Big media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for their foreign competitors, even if copyright isn't being infringed. Foreign sites will be blacklisted, which means they won't show up in major search engines. SOPA and PIPA would build a framework for future restrictions and suppression.

In a world in which politicians regulate the Internet based on the influence of big money, Wikipedia — and sites like it — cannot survive.

Congress says it's trying to protect the rights of copyright owners, but the "cure" that SOPA and PIPA represent is worse than the disease. SOPA and PIPA are not the answer: they would fatally damage the free and open Internet.


Okay, my quilty friends, I'm off my soapbox.  Do what you feel you can to support the cause.  And if you have opinions to the contrary of this cause, I respect your opinion, just don't share it.  Please respect mine.  Thanks!

Half an hour of sewing today

Since today was the first day of work for the week, it felt like a Monday and on Monday's I typically just come home and crash.  I did, however, go upstairs and do some sewing for half an hour.  I'm working on a mystery quilt again and am doing it a little at a time.

I made Ev a turkey noodle casserole for dinner.  Don't know if he will like it or not, but I thought it was pretty tasty.

A mysterious three hours

Well, maybe the three hours weren't mysterious, but I did spend three hours working on another mystery!  hee hee hee.  Baked another batch of sugar cookies.  Took some to my uncle here in town and froze some to send to my uncle in California, along with some jar bread.  Probably mail that off in a day or two.  I like to freeze the breads, then put them in vacuum seal bags.  I think they stay fresher that way.

Had today off for MLK day.  Back to work tomorrow.

Sunday laziness

Just having a lazy Sunday afternoon around here.  I have tomorrow off for MLK day.  Did a little cutting and pressing for a mystery that went on yesterday.  I didn't get to any sewing, but that's okay.  I'm going to do some today, probably.

Nick asked me to make quilts for his online groups of friends.  I don't know if I'm going to tackle this project or not!  There are a lot of kids in that group.  They have overnight parties where they hook up all their computers and play games.  Usually the parties are in a warehouse, so it's pretty cold.  They have air mattresses and crash out when they feel like sleeping.  I was thinking I would try making some of those wonky letters that I've seen on one of the blogs.  Lazy gal quilting is the blog, I think. 

Office cold

My office was so cold yesterday, when I came home it took me a good hour to finally warm up!  I sit by the window and door at work, and the temp in one spot INSIDE was 55 degrees.  BRRRR!!!  So today I am wearing many layers, plus have those 'hot hands' packs shoved in the toes of my shoes.  A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do...

Cutting and marking stars

Tonight I spent an hour in the sewing room cutting and marking pieces for three stars in the 'oh my stars' quilt a long.  One hour to cut and mark three stars.  One hour.  I just can't see me doing this for 110 stars.  Granted, one reason it took a long time was that I was cutting them out from two different disassembled men's shirts, but still.  One hour.  I'm sure you are getting the drift by now that I feel that is way too long to spend cutting and marking pieces for three stars.  Maybe if I cut them out of yardage, rather than shirts it wouldn't feel like such a chore.  I don't know.

One thing I did not do tonight was make a block from the mystery quilt.  Well, really I didn't sew at all, just cut and marked. 


I made breaded chicken patties for dinner and put them over noodles with some sauce and cheese.  I hope Ev likes this home made chicken parmesan.  Nick and Bethany made home made pizzas from the dough I froze last weekend.  This was the first time I froze pizza dough like that and I'm really pleased with the outcome.  I may have to make up a batch of dough and freeze it so we can have home made pizza more often!

Today we learned of a tragedy at the place Ev used to work.  A man was killed in an accident there.  It shook both of us up quite a bit.  I pray the man's family finds peace.  I am so thankful that Ev doesn't work there anymore.  Thank You God!

Random pics

Wanted to share a picture of the quilt I finished for Bethany for Christmas.  It was a mystery quilt a few years ago.  I made the top and it languished in my sewing room until this past Christmas season when it finally yelled loud enough at me to be quilted and given away.

It is square and not overly large, but Miss Bethany had to reach up quite a bit to hold the edge, so I think it will be just right for her!  Here's the back side.

My machine quilting is coming along.  I really feel that I need to keep doing it, to stay in practice, or I backslide and have to relearn how to do it each time I attempt it.  Bethany commented it looked like puzzle pieces, which is exactly what I feel that meandering is supposed to look like, so I guess I did okay.

Just a goofy shot of Nick folding the quilt while eating a sucker.  Could we maybe call this picture 'eye candy'?  haha.


Here's a picture of the 'Zelda slippers', as the kids like to call them.

Again, these were made from a felted wool sweater from the thrift shop.  The pattern was on the web and it was the easiest slipper pattern I have ever come across.  And speaking of slippers, it's been two days since I have seen MY wool slippers.  I'm starting to wonder if Ivy didn't get a hold of them and no one is telling me.

I did a little sewing tonight.  I made another block for the mystery I was stuck on.  Then I cut apart two mens shirts and pressed the material.  I've chosen two shirts to make three different size star blocks for the 'oh my stars' quilt a long.  The quilt a long started a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting in on the fun.

A quilty post now

Here's what the baby quilt, mystery quilt, from New Year's Eve looked like before I put it together.  The borders are the purple, pink and light green and the binding will be the yellow.

Another online group is starting a mystery next weekend.  I'm going to jump right in.

Frustrated

This isn't quilting related - well maybe it is because when I'm aggravated like this it's hard for me to quilt.  See, my darling son is having some academic issues.  His GPA sucks, to put it bluntly.  He's nearing the time when he must have a better GPA than he does to transfer into the four year college.  He is going to have to get straight A's from here on out and then some to raise his GPA.  I don't know why I get so worked up over these things.  I just want him to succeed. 

It could be a total different scenario, and I know this.  He could be like one of his former classmates from high school who is in college and just got his girlfriend in a family way.  He's going to have to get a job and keep going to school to get his degree.  Or he could be like some of his former classmates who aren't even going to college.

The worse that could happen, I guess, is that he just gets the Associate Degree for now and then gets out in the workforce.  He will have to continue on a little at a time to get the Bachelor's Degree.

I just have to pray that he figures this one out.  And soon. 

A little or this and a little of that

Baked some banana nut bread today.  Going to send some to my uncle out in California later in the week.  I might make a batch of apple pumpkin raisin and send it out there too, but not going to commit to anything. 

Was upstairs for a while doing a little sewing.  I got to thinking that the reason I came to a halt on one of my projects it was that I just didn't care for the way it was turning out.  So, I went upstairs and sewed one of the blocks together, and, yup, that's pretty much the reason.  Sigh.  It was a mystery quilt and I have all the pieces cut and most of the clues sewn.  I have decided that when I go upstairs for the next 30 times, I will sew one of the blocks (the one's I don't like - there are 30 of them).  They alternate with other blocks, but I'm not even thinking about those right now.  When it's done, maybe I'll like it more.

I also made a house block in a larger size than the scrappy houses pattern calls for on Bonnie Hunter's site.  Here's a pic of three smaller and one larger block:

The smaller blocks are 7.5" and the larger one is 10.5".  That seems kind of big.  I was having trouble with the other ones.  You can see the chimneys on the top left house aren't the same, because that strip just wouldn't come out the right size.  I'm sure it was my seam allowances or cutting the pieces wrong, but it was aggravating.  Those houses are probably going to end up potholders.

My dog is a dork

The way our house is laid out, the bedroom is right off the front room.  If you are sitting in the recliner, it is angled toward the t.v., but you can see right into the bedroom, also.  You can just see the corner of our bed.  Where my dorky dog is laying, with her head pointing at the front room so she can sleep with one eye open and still know what is going on in the front room!

This crazy part of my brain wants to make another 36 patch quilt.

Unbelievable weather

It was close to 70 degrees today.  That's just unbelievable for January here!

Today was our baby girl's birthday!  I can't believe I have kids this old...

Didn't sew tonight.  I have made three scrappy houses this week.  Not real sure where that's going, but they are fun to make.

Ivy is a sleepyhead

Everyone who knows me, knows that I go to bed pretty early.  I like my sleep.  Well, apparently my dog likes her sleep too.  She was sitting in the front room with me tonight, and before 6 p.m. she gets up, glances at me, then goes to the bedroom and lays down on the bed.  It's a dogs' life.

I love games

I saw an article about a local area inventor who created a dice game and just had to have it.  Nick and some friends were going to St. Louis tonight and I found the game at a store on the way there.  They picked it up for me, and now it's after midnight and I'm checking out different ways to play the dice games online instead of sleeping because I have to get up for work in the morning!

Now all I need is someone to play the game with!

I did go upstairs and make another house block this evening.  Just doing them on a whim, because I think they are cute.  Might make a wall hanging or maybe a lap quilt.  Not committing to anything, just having fun making the blocks right now!

Just another day

Not much going on today.  I've started watching what I eat, using the Supertracker program on the government website choosemyplate.gov .  So far, I like it.  I'm still figuring it out, but it has a lot of very good information on it.

Might go up and make another house block yet tonight.  Or not.  Just taking it easy.  Thankful for all God has given me.  As much as I want some material things, I really am blessed with all that I have.  I am truly thankful!

Day 3 of the year

Went back to work today after having four days off.  The day seemed pretty long.  Lori came over for a while right after work.  Showed her the quilt top I made over the weekend.  It's for her new grandbaby that's due in March.

I didn't do anything on the baby quilt today but I did go up for about an hour and make a cute little house block. 

Cold today

It really felt like Winter today. It was in the 20's. Brr! Saw a few snowflakes this morning, too. Can't complain. We have been lucky up to this point.

I sewed the rows of blocks together and added three borders to the baby quilt from the New Year's Eve mystery. I like it! Now, I have to just keep myself moving on it and quilt it. I just don't know how it would feel to have a baby quilt ready for a baby a couple months before it's due... Usually, I'm burning the midnight oil right before the baby shower. Hey, I haven't finished it yet, so I better be quiet!

Back to work tomorrow after the New Year holiday. Went to Wal Mart today and was going through their clearance rack. Found a nightshirt with frogs on it in Santa hats. It was real cheap and I need night shirts, so I got it. Sent my mother a picture. She had a lot of fun with it!

Made a big pot of chicken rice soup today. That's for tomorrow or another day this week. We had steak for dinner. I had planned on cooking them yesterday, but Ev wasn't in the mood for them. Actually, I thought about cooking them on Saturday night, but we had eaten too much at lunch to be very hungry.

Oh what a lazy day...

Didn't do too much of anything today. Went to church then sat around reading a book on my Nook.

I am reading The Help. I had seen the movie and enjoyed it. Really enjoying the book too.

No sewing today. After almost 8 hours of sewing yesterday, I think it was okay to take a day off.