It has been WAY TOO LONG!!!!

   It has been 2 months since I have posted anything!!! Shame on me!!!  I have gotten alot done and there has been alot going on.....My mom got sick in April and has not gotten any better...in fact she has gotten worse!!  She went back to the doctor (AGAIN!!!) yesterday, and they called her this afternoon and told her to go to the Emergencyy room to be admitted, so that is where she is tonight, and is now in an examining room in the ER waiting to go to a room...lovely!!!  I am in Slidell, LA where I am visiting my husband, he is no longer in Knoxville, TN working, he is now in New Orleans, LA.
    We got the donation quilt made for my cousin that has a brain tumor, and instead of donating the quilt for the fund raising auction, we gave Tommy the quilt, I think he really liked it, and I hope that it keeps him warm and gives him some comfort!!  When my dad was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, a few of the ladies in my moms quilt guild that she was in when they lived in Virginia, made and sent dad a lap size quilt, he loved it and it brought us a lot of comfort just knowing that someone had cared enough to spend their time making him that little quilt, and it was a perfect size for when he was sitting in his recliner, he loved it!! We still have that quilt and it reminds me of my dad everytime I see it!!  Here are some pics of  Tommy's (my cousin that has cancer's name is Tommy and I had posted earlier that my grandson was going to be Tommy, but they have decided to call him Thomas instead of the nickname Tommy....) quilt...

It is very scrappy, and I love the fabric that we found for the back, it has little flags on it...perfect!!!  Mom and I both worked on it, she worked on it whenevr she felt like it, we ended up having to bring her sewing machine downstairs to her room because she just couldn't go upstairs.

     My son went to court, and he goes back in August for sentencing, and I still believe that this is a huge blessing in disguise, I am still 90% of the time dealing with his situation pretty good, I do have my moments though!!  He has accepted 100% responsibility for his crime and has such a positive attitude, I see such a change in him as far as maturity, he has grown up so much, and I am still so thankful that he is alive and that the drugs did not kill him, and even though the drugs did cause him to act totally out of character, and do something seriously wrong, he is going to have a chance to start his life over when he gets out!  Please continue to keep JT in your prayers!!

     My husband, Jeff came home after working all day on Friday the 18th just to do laundry, sleep about 4 hours and then get up and ride with me to just east of Shreveport, LA to the benefit for my cousin, where I got to meet a bunch of cousins that I had never met before, we had a great time, and I can't wait to go back this Fall and spend more time getting to know everyone!!  We gave Tommy his quilt, and spent the night with my Aunt Catherine and Uncle Willis and then on Sunday morning we got up and came to Slidell, which is just across Lake Ponchartrain and New Orleans, I have been busy sewing for the past week and a half, I made Thomas a flannel blanket, and several burp cloths, and I made curtains, which I will have to post a picture of later because we have to get a curtain rod to hang them on, but here is what I have got finished...Here is the flannel blanket  and the 2nd pic is of part of the front and the back and a matching burp cloth.And here are 3 more burp cloths, I still have to make matching bibs to go with all of the burp cloths.  These were really quick to make, my mom had made these for me when I had my first son, and the back is terry cloth....I loved them!!!!  They were my favorite burp cloths!! 

Donation Quilt...and one for me!!

     I am going to Shreveport, LA in June to a benefit for one of my cousins, who has been diagnosed with Gliosarcoma, a malignant brain tumor.  My mom and I are making a quilt to donate, they are having an auction, and a bake sale, and a dinner, a band....it is going to be alot of fun!! 

     This is my dads side of the family, and I only have been in touch with them for about 2 years.  My dads, father, Warren, was killed in WWII, and my grandmother remarried and "lost touch" with that side of the family.  And, to make matters worse, Warren was raised by his maternal grandmother, and his mother remarried and had several children who all thought that Warren was their uncle, and not their 1/2 brother.  So, 2 years ago I got in touch with my Aunt Catherine, she is Warrens youngest sister, and the only living sibling, who had only in the last few years found out that her "uncle" was really her bother, and now I have all of these cousins that I have never met!!!  Last April, my Aunt Catherine, her daughter, Deborah, and her nieces, Ruth and Marianne came to MS and visited with us for a few days, it was awesome!!!  I am so thankful to have found them, and can't wait to meet the rest of my long lost family!!!  I only hate it that my dad is not here to enjoy this side of the family that he so longed to have known for his entire life, but I know that he knows, and he is with the rest of the family that were there ahead of him and those who have joined him since, and I know that they are celebrating together as well!

Mom and I started this quilt out of scraps, and I decided that it would look wonderful made of old shirts, so here are a few pics of the quilt that we are making only in shirts, and I am keeping this quilt for myself!!  It reminds me of my dad because he was very patriotic!

     We thought that with the auction being in mid June that an Americana quilt would be good since it will be getting close to the 4th of July.  I love it, love it, love it!!  I can't wait to get them both finished,  I will post pics of the one we are donating in the next few days.  I am trying to work on both of them at the same time because I know me very well, if I get the donation quilt finished, I will be tired of working on this pattern, so I have to work on them at the same time, so that it doesn't end up as a UFO (UnFinished Object, for those  non-quilters out there!!)  We are going to have the donation quilt quilted by a longarmer, and I am going to quilt mine with stipple and stars!  

     I went this past week and bought my grandson a baby bed, and my sweet-tart was going to come home this weekend and put it together, but working late tonight and weather kept him from heading home this weekend, so....next weekend he is planning to come home, or I am going there...it has been 4, I repeat...FOUR weeks since I saw him and I miss him terribly!!!!!!  I will also post pics of Beans bed.  My daughter-in-law, Jackie and her daughter got all moved into their new apartment this past week, and little Tommys' room got painted and I can't wait for the bed to be put up...I know that Jackie can't either!  Only one more week!!!

My mom has been sick, and went to the doctor last Monday, she still isn't any better, so she has an appointment with a specialist on Teusday.  Hopefully, everything will be ok, please keep her in your prayers.

Speaking of prayers, go to Youtube, and look up "The Katinas" their song "Thank you" is my very favorite song!!!  I love it!!!  Back when my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and we knew that he was not going to make it, it seemed like everytime I got into my car that song was on K-LOVE...it reminded me that even though I was going through the worst thing that had ever happened in my life until that time, that I still had so much to be thankful for!!! I was thankful that I had had the father that I did and that I had had him as long as I had!  I was thankful that there was nothing "unsaid" between my father and I, and that we had a close relationship.  I was especially thankful that I was able to be thankful at a time that was so hard and that I realized that God is truly with us at all times...especially the worst times!!!!

Well, I guess that is about it for me, well, for now anyway!!  By the way, Tommy is Beans' real name, and I guess I should start calling him Tommy instead of Bean, but it is hard to do!!!

Busy week...

     Boy has this been a busy week!!!  Monday we had quilt guild meetings in the morning and in the evening, we went to lunch with our friend, Mary Jo, and then went to play at the casino for a little bit before our evening meeting.  Both meetings were really good, our program was "favorite thiings in our sewingroom..."  we all had to bring our favorite gadget, tool, etc.  I took my ironingboard table, mom and I each made one from a small folding table, it is a little bit bigger than a TV tray, we folded 2 layers of warm and natural batting and mom made a cover with a casing that we put elastic in and voila....a perfect ironing table for right beside our sewing machine!!!  I love it!!!!!  Here is a picture...

It is wonderful having it right there for ironing, and I also use it with a small cutting mat to square up small blocks etc. 

     Another thing that is one of my favorite things in my sewingroom is a film that goes over my windows that blocks the UV rays, it helps keep it cooler in the room, we used it in our first sewingroom when it was downstairs, there was an East facing window, and the room was HOT all day...my sewingtable was right in front of the window because I loved the view of the pond and the trees, and when I put the film on the window I could sit there at any time of the day with the blinds open and it would not even be warm!!!  Your fabric will not fade either, I have learned that it is better to put it on the storm windows instead of trying to cut it into the little window paynes, it is a little bit dificult to get the backing off at first, but it is well worth it, it helps on your utility bill also, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!  I got mine at Lowes, and it is at Home Depot, about $28. a roll, but it does several windows.

    The third thing that I took was......my MOM!!!  She has been quilting for 30 years, and since I have only been doing it for about 2 1/2 she is great to have around!!!  She knows how to make binding, she knows what is wrong with the machine when it starts acting up, she knows so much, she is fun to mess with, and I do...ALOT!!! LOL!!!  When I have a question about something she most always knows the answer, I love having her share a sewingroom with me, we have lots of fun and we laugh, laugh, laugh...ALOT!!!Here she is throwing her iron at me...I am sooooo abused!!!LOL!!!!  I was messing with her about something and she said "I am going to throw this iron at you" and I picked up my camera and "dared" her, so she pretended to throw it and I took her picture....you know as "evidence" !!!!  We have a really good time together...when she isn't in "Billville" (her boyfriends)!!

     Wednesday was the 8th anniversary of my dads death and mom, Bill and I went to the casino to play...again!  Dad loved to go to the casino, and he told my mom that he wanted her to go every year on the anniversary of his death and play for him...and we have every year except one.  Well, you would think that he would show up and bring us a little luck....but noooooooooooooo, he must have been celebrating his 8th Birthday in Heaven, because he wasn't hanging out with us that day!!! 

     Thursday mom and I went to the car dealership where she bought her new car and we saw one of our dearest friends who is also the General Manager there, we used to work with him several years ago when we worked at the Cadillac dealership.  We spent several hours catching up, and he will always have a very special place in my heart, he helped me with several things when I had problems before and after my back surgery, and before my dad died, and he is one of those people that I will always care about, he is very special. I was so glad to be able to see him and get caught up on his family and fill him in on mine, it was a great afternoon!!

    Today, I went and helped my daughter-in-law move some of her stuff to her new apartment, did I tell you she was moving into an upstairs apartment?!?!?!  We got 4 car loads done, in the morning I have to go pick up my step-son and his wife and we are going to go and help my husnbands grandmother move from an assisted living facility into a "more assisted" assisted living facility....fun, fun!!  I am tired just thinking about it!  I also have to take my dog and drop her off to be groomed and hopefully get her shots in the morning before I go, she has never been shaved, but she is this year, I know it will make her feel better now that it is really getting warm!! 

     Here are some pics that I took of our sewingroom, we had to send in pics for our guild, we are doing a "virtual tour" or everyones room, so here are some from our room...Here is mom again, that is one of Beans quilts hanging up on the design wall, this baby is never going to be cold!!!LOL!!

Here are some of my thrift store shirts, I am using Bonnie Hunters' "Scraps and Shirttails" book and making quilts out of 100% cotton mens shirts....love it!!!

Here are some of my scrapbooking supplies and quilting magazines.

I love buttons, and I screwed the lids of some canning jars into the bottom of a shelf and then I can just unscrew the jar when I need to get into it and I have doubled the use of my shelf and I don't have to dust the jars!!!!

My sewing table, with my little ironing board right there all handy!!!!

Here are some more of my old shirts in plastic storage bins, I really lilke being able to see what colors are in them, it saves alot of time.

I found this shoe rack that fits perfectly in the window seat, and I am making the use of the space there so it

is not wasted!

God is Great!!

     My daughter-in-law is 17 weeks pregnant and had bloodwork done a few weeks ago.  Last Thursday morning they called her and told her that her bloodwork results had come in and that she needed to come into the office at 1:00 and the doctor would discuss the results with her.  I went and picked her up and we went in and talked to the doctor.  The results indicated that there was a 1 in 10,000 chance that the baby could have Down's Syndrome, that is good results he said, and a 1 in 16,000 chance of Spina Bifida, also good he said and then we were told that there was a 1 in 10 chance that my grandbaby was going to have Trisomy 18 or Edwards Syndrome...these are not so good results....this is where the 18th chromosome has an extra component, instead of one chromosome from each parent there would be three altogether and if the results are correct this would result in a stillborn or the baby would only live a few minutes, hours or possibly a few days. 
     I refused to believe this could happen to my only grandbaby (we all call the baby Bean), and I prayed to God that these results were wrong.  I know that God answers prayers and that everything happens for a reason, and with everything that has gone on with my son and is still going on with him (he goes to court next Friday) I know in my heart that Bean is supposed to be here, there is a reason that Bean is coming into our lives at this time!  I gave this child to God and asked Him to protect this baby, and if it was His will that Bean will not survive to show us what we are to learn from all of this.  So, we went to a high risk OB and genetics specialist on Tuesday for an ultrasound and consultation.  Bean was very active during the ultrasound, but Bean now has a real name...Thomas Christos, Bean is a baby boy!!!  And, praise God, there are no defects, he looks perfectly normal!!!  If he had had the Trisomy 18 there would have been severe defects that would have been very apparent on an ultrasound.  When we talked with the genetics specialist, she told us that she had been on the phone with several other labs because the results of the bloodwork were so out in left field from where they should have been that they think that the test was bad or something and offered to do it again...no thanks!!  The ultrasound results disproved the bloodwork so I believe that God answered our prayers and is giving us a healthy baby!  God performs miracles everyday, but we like to give "other" explanations, like...the test was bad, was it?!?  Or did God perform a miracle, I know what I think...what do you think?  Have you or someone you love experienced a miracle?  Just something to think about...

Funny True Story....

     My sweetheart and I went back to Pizza Palce tonight and got their incredible onion rings to go with our Hardees cheeseburgers for dinner...I know it sounds totally crazy, but sometimes we just have to face the fact that we are!! LOL!!!  Anyway, they gave us some catsup in these little plastic cups, you know the ones like you get at church when you have communion.    
     So, we are headed to Hardees to get our burgers and all of a sudden my dear husband starts cracking up laughing, and asks me if I think that the little cup looks familiar..."no, why?" I ask.  He says think "Church" and I get it then...
     Several years ago we went to visit a church for the first time, and it happened to be first Sunday and they were having Communion.  Well, we stood and we were about to pray when several couples were called up to the front of the church to help pass out the "body and the blood"....well, they have these two loaves of bread and also two big bowls of grape juice. I see this and automatically start thinking to myself.."I am not going to drink out of that bowl that everyone else is, I mean where are the little cups?!?!?! (that is the only way I had ever had communion) and as I am thinking this, out of the corner of my eye I see Jeff shaking...I look at him, and by this time we are supposed to be praying, and he is laughing so hard that he is in tears!!!  "I already know what you are thinking" he says, red faced, tears streaming!  I am in a near panic at this point because what am I going to say when it is my turn...'well, I'll take the body but not the blood..."  I mean seriously!!!  By this time the people at the front of the church are filing out of their pews one row at a time, and heading to the back of the church where communion is being served, I am trying to decide if maybe I shouldn't just skip communion, but I really wanted to partake, because my dad was dying of pancreatic cancer at the time, and I just really felt that I needed all of God that I could get! 
     So, our pew is next and we get up and start heading to the back and I am totally stressed out about this, I knew someone that went to a Catholic Church and they actually drank wine at communion and they did drink after each other, apparently the alcohol kills any germs.  We get back to the back and low and behold, they are breaking off the "body" and dipping it in the "blood" Praise the Lord!!!  I really felt like yelling that!!!  Now, if you really knew me, you would know that I am not a cookie dunker, I don't do biscuits and gravy, I don't like anything "soggy", so my new, very brief, panic is soggy bread!!  I got over it quickly, I was so relieved that I didn't have to drink after 150 people!!! 
     We partake in communion, and head back to our seats, and again, out of the corner of my eye I see Jeff shaking again....I look at him and give him the 'what now' look, he has to look away, and then I get tickled to, I had to turn in my seat away from him...they are playing music while the rest of the church is finishing up in the back, I stop laughing and Jeff stops also, he scoots closer and puts his arm around my shoulders, and then I get tickled again, then I feel him shaking...again!!  He gets so tickled that he had to get up and leave!!!  After a few minutes I am wondering if I should follow him, or is he coming back!??!!?!?  Finally, he comes back in and sits down, the preacher is winding up the service and I am determined not to look at Jeff, and then the preacher says something about communion, and the shaking starts again, I tried to be strong and give him the look that a parent gives a misbehaving child, but when I did, we both got tickled.  I was so thankful that the service was over and we could leave, by this time a few people were really starting to look at us like we were insane!!!  We made a mad dash for the door as soon as the service was over and totally lost it in the parking lot, I don't guess we will be coming back to this church I say on the way to the car!!
     My husband is one of the most serious people I know, especially when it come to church, or anything serious...so this was totally unlike him to laugh in church, but he started telling me that as soon as he saw those bowls, that he knew I was going to get stressed out about drinking after other people!!!!  He said, he wished that I could have seen my face when they brought them out...apparently I turned completely white, and I got a panicked look on my face!!  I am glad that he knows me so well!!  Well, most of the time I am glad! LOL!!  I felt bad for a few minutes, but with all of the stress that we were under about my dad, we decided that sometimes laughter is the best medicine and I am sure that God has a sense of humor, I have thought so for many years now!! 
     We never did go back to that church, and I hadn't even thought of that story for a long time, but I just thought that I would share it because I think that we need to remember to laugh, especially in the most difficult times of our lives!!  It truly does make you feel better!!  Have a blessed day!!!

Happy Sunday!

     Just a quick post...my sweetheart just left to go to Hardees to get us breakfast.  We don't have a Hardees in our area and they have the very best biscuits!!! I have slept too late every morning this past week to get there in time. I brought my sewing machine with me and have yet to unpack it or work on anything....but, I am going to get it out and sew, sew, sew for the next two days before heading home. 
     The bed in this room is horrible...and I guess that is why I am not getting up and getting moving in the mornings, I am too stiff and sore and it is getting worse everyday that I am here!!  I can't wait to get home to my own bed, but don't want to leave Jeff.   We have put a foam eggcrate mattress pad on here, but it is one of those Walmart ones, actually Jeff has had it since last Fall when I came up here and he moves it with him whenever he changes rooms, it just isn't helping very much.  Oh, well, I think maybe we need to get another one and put ontop of this one!! 
     I may get my machine out today, Jeff is going to go and change the oil in my car after breakfast, and we are going to go to Margaritas for lunch later, and then I am thinking that there is a race on today.  I have to get Jasons quilt done, it is at the top of my list! 
     Have a great Sunday!!!

Reconnecting with old friends...

     I found an old friend on facebook last night and sent a friend request, this morning she had responded.  I am glad to find friends that I went to school with and see how they are doing now!!
      I also called one of my oldest and dearest friends that I have known since 6th grade!!  I moved to Lynchburg, Va in February '77  and was "buddied up" with 'Twitty' (her nickname) since we were in the same homeroom and road the same school bus.  We became great friends, and were in each others homeroom for years to come!  We really went through alot of stuff together during school and even after we graduated... boyfriends, breakups, makeups, job stuff, and even after I had kids we remained close.  Infact my oldest son had his first "crush" on Twitty.  They became buddies also!  She is the first person I told when I found out that I was pregnant with my youngest son....we have really been through alot together!!!
    I moved away from Lynchburg in 1991 and we lost touch for awhile, and then we reconnected again several times over the past years.  Each time I vow not to let it be so long this time, but, this time I really mean it!!  Whenever I talk to her it just takes me back to when we were young and all of the fun things that we did, the trouble that we got in (or could have gotten in had we been caught!! LOL!!) we really had some great times, some of the best in my life actually!  I wish that we lived closer, we have another friend, Joanna, and we were all three very close, I miss them very much, our lives have all taken different directions, and we all live in different cities.  I hope that we can all arrange to get together soon and catch up!!!  But for now, it was just really great to talk to her, she made a difference in my life!!!

My second quilt show in less than a week......WOW!!

     I went to the Smokey Mountain Quilt Show today and it was really nice!  I saw some really beautiful quilts, it is amazing how talented people are!!!  I have got to learn not to be "scared"...I mean it is only fabric!!!  Am I right!?!?!?!  I want to just go home and sew, sew, sew...forever!! LOL!!!  I am sooooo inspired, I have so many things that I want to do, I just have to start doing them!!!!
     My big purchase today was this shirt for my sweetheart....

     I really need to change the date on my camera, I don't think about it until I upload pictures and everything becomes 3 years ago!!!LOL!!!

      I also found something that my mom was looking for, a Square In A Square ruler, and a book.  One of the ladies in our quilt guild did a wonderful presentation at this months meeting, and apparently it is a "must have"!! 

     It was great to see all of the wonderful quilts, and I am looking forward to going to a quilt show with my mom, hopefully soon!! 

     Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend, it is supposed to be sunny and warm here this weekend, I have had the windows open since I got back to the hotel, and it is so nice!!!

Late to the show!

     Well, I made it to Knoxville!  I had planned on getting up and leaving at about 5 a.m. last Saturday, that way I would have time to go to the quilt show and then I would be able to go back on Sunday in case anything "haunted" me!! LOL!!  I didn't leave home until about 10 a.m., so needless to say, I did not make it to the show on Saturday!  Jeff and I went out to grab a bite for dinner and rented a movie at the 'red box' and I stressed to him how important it was to get up and leave the hotel by 9 a.m. the next morning....I mean this show was being held in two separate locations, I had no idea how big it was going to be, or how crowded, I wanted to have plenty of time to see everything and go back to the first one if need be (I didn't want to buy too much at the first stop and then find something really wonderful, but if I had to go back I wanted to make sure that I had tiome to do so!!).  We talked about it several times that night, and I set my alarm for 8 and 8:15 a.m. I had my clothes ready to go, we were going to pick up a biscuit at Hardees (my favorite!!!  I wish we had Hardees at home still!!) and we would be there by the time the doors opened.  I checked the website to write down the directions and realized that the show started at 9 a.m......not 10. Oh, well, I can still leave by 9, I tell Jeff of the time diference and again how excited I am to be going to my first quilt show, and I can go by myself if he doesn't want to go, but he assures me that he wants to go with me.
     Ok, here is where the fun begins!!!  My first alarm goes off, I get up and go to the bathroom, come back and lay back down, knowing that my second alarm is fixing to go off in just a few minutes, and it does...Jeff gets up and goes to the bathroom, so I turn my alarm off and continue to lay there waiting for him to come out of the bathroom.  I guess I dozed off because the next thing I know, I am waking up and he is sitting there playing playstation...."What time is it?"  I say rolling over to look at my phone..."Oh, about 11 I think" Jeff says.....at this time my feet are on the floor and I am furious!!!  "Were you going to wake me up?!?!?!"  I ask, not believing that he has not attempted to wake me! "Well, I thought you needed your rest, you turned your alarm off..."  I am in shock, "What part of 'we have to leave here my 9 in the morning' did you not understand?!?!"  I am up and heading to the bathroom to hop in the shower, at this point I am wondering if it is even worth going since one of the locations closes at 3 and the other at 4, and it is at least a 30 minute drive to Pigeon Forge, so it will at least be noon before we get there.
     I came out of the bathroom dressed and ready to go and needless to say Mr. Jeffrey was dressed and ready to walk out the door when I came out!!! LOL!!  I won't go into the rest of the conversation that we had, but I am sure that you can imagine!  I did manage to make it in time for both shows, I saw some incredible quilts, and met some really nice people, and even managed to buy a few things that my wonderful husband insisted that he carry for me! LOL!! 
     I think even Jeff had a good time, we were done by 2:30 and then went and had some wonderful Mexican food that had a buffet for $6.99, the best tacos I think I have ever had out, the shells were very fresh and crispy!!! 
     This weekend is the Smokey Mountain Quilt Show in Maryville, TN, which is only about 20 minute from here, so, I am going to go...by myself...in the morning!  I am looking forward to it, I won't feel rushed, and I will be there early.  
     Tuesday I went to several of the local quilt shops, one was having a going out of business sale, everything 50% off, I managed to restrain myself and not go too overboard, but I did buy a quilt backing and a few other pieces.  I could have really hurt myself there!!  Yesterday, I went to a few more quilt shops that I had not been to before, north of Knoxville, and I have decided that I would really love to live here!!!  It is just so beautiful here, and everyone is so nice everywhere that you go!!  I love it here!!
     Well, I will write again tomorrow and let you know about the quilt show!!!!

Going to my first quilt show!!!!

     I am heading to Knoxville to see my sweetheart!!  It has been 3 weeks, and I can't wait!!  It also just happens to be the same time of the Quiltfest of Pigeon Forge...actually, I had planned on going to this quilt show since my husband is working in Knoxville.  I have never been to a quilt show, and since I have only been quilting for a little over two years, and my mom has been quilting for about thirty years, she has been anxious for me to be able to go to a quilt show for a while now.  She wanted us to go to my first show together, and we almost had it worked out, but it doesn't look like it is going to happen that way.  I am going to go and drag my unsuspecting husband with me instead!!!  It may happen that my mom and her boyfriend will get to go, but his brother has been in ICU and she doesn't want to drive that far alone, and I want to be able to stay for a week with my husband so if things get better she and Bill may drive up on Saturday and come home Sunday or even Monday morning (I am crossing my fingers anyway!!). 
     I am taking my sewing machine again....and yes I will remember the foot pedal this time!!!  I am planning on working on a few things next week while Jeff is at work.  I love being there with him, I miss him being at home, ladies I hope that you appreciate your husbands being home at night, even if they leave their socks on the floor, if they snore, or if they complain that you are sewing too much!  LOL!!  I am sure that you all do, but I know how easy it can be sometimes to take things for granted.
     I am sure that I will post more about my trip and post lots of pictures!!  Have a blessed weekend!!!

New projects...

     Well, I have been busy the past few days...I have been working on 2 new projects...actually 3 new projects!  I really need to stop and finish the ones that I have already in progress and the ones on my list to start and get done, but noooooooooooo, I have to start not 1 but 3 new projects!!  Is there like a Dr. Ruth or something for us quilters, or crafters in general?!?!?!?  I need help!!!  Anyway, here are pictures of what I have been doing, the first one is a baby quilt top, still need to put borders on, but it is a Kansas Troubles pattern and I love it done in the light and dark blues (I did have to buy a few pieces of light blues because I didn't have enough of the lights!).  I really need to find some more blues, they are so wonderful in this top, and I would like to make a diaper bag and maybe bumper pads etc. to go with this.  This is going to be baby "Beans" quilt..if he is a boy, of course!!

     I also pulled out some 4 patch squares that I made out of old shirts a year ago and started just sewing random width strips to them into log cabin blocks.  I think that they turned out really good, if I had planned it out I would have turned the center blocks so that the dark squares were top left and bottom right on each of the blocks (some were) and then when put together they would kind of round out the blocks a little bit.  I think I may just sew all of these together and put a border on and make it a table topper, it would be good machine quilting practice!!

See the first block at the top left, and the one under it, and the one to the right of it how the dark blocks kind of round out the center and then the second block on the first row is turnes different!!  I wish that I had planned it instead of just random, it would look nicer, but, sew and learn!!!

And, last, but not least, here is the other new project that I have started...it is just a scrap quilt, and each block has an opposite that goes with it, I actually have 42 blocks done, I am not sure how big I am going to make this one, and it is an ongoing project.  I will probably put it up for awhile, I just went through some of moms scraps and cut pieces big enough to do these blocks, I have lots more fabric to go through, but hey, you can never have too many in a scrap quilt right?!?!?  So, I am off to the great upstairs...again to "clean-up" so that I can work on something, but I am not going to start a new project...well, not today anyway!!!  Have a blessed day!!!

Basketweave is done...almost!!

     I have the top of the basketweave quilt done, well, except for the borders!  I am so excited and it looks so good!  I needed to take a break, I have been working on it all day.  I am going to go and pick up a BBQ sandwich, come back and work on the border!  But, here is a picture of what I have so far...

Happy Valentine's Day!!

     I hope that you all have a Happy Valentine's Day!!!  My sweetheart didn't get to come home this weekend since he had to work yesterday, so, this is our first Valentine's Day apart!  I told him that it was okay, because everyday with him is Valentine's Day anyway!!!  And it works out good, I get to sew today, and he gets to watch the Daytona 500 interruption free!!!  I wish that he was here, but hey, we have to look at the positives in any situation right?!?!
     I got the binding done on my nephew, Myles, baby quilt and I gave it to him yesterday!  His mommy loves it, and it even works!!!  She wrapped him up in it and he went right to sleep....oh, and did I mention that it was past his nap time?!?!  I guess that helped...a little bit!!  Here he is, he is so cute!!!  He is even cuter when he is awake!!!!

     My F-I-L and B-I-L came over yesterday to fix my car...had to have it towed home on Friday after visiting with my son.  It wouldn't start, jumping it off didn't do a thing for it, we tried everything.  Thought it was the alternator, but they think it is the starter.  Bless their hearts, they worked on it for about 6 hours and didn't have the right tools, and couldn't really get at it good, so they gave up, and my F-I-L called a guy he knows that is going to meet him at his house sometime today and fix it!!  Yay!!!  It is always something!!!!
     Today I plan to clean a little, wash a little, go upstairs and sew a little, that' the story of, that't the glory of love!!!! LOL!!  When I wrote "clean a little"  the movie "Beaches" came into mind and I could hear Bette Midler singing about my chores!!!!  Anyway, I have all of the blocks for my basketweave quilt done (except for the outer border, which is different than the other blocks and it turns out I may not even need them!), and I am going to finish putting the blocks together for the top today!  I can't wait to get it done! 
   

Which quilt to work on....

     I am heading upstairs to work on a quilt.  I am not sure if I am going to work on my basketweave quilt, or if I am going to work on Jasons Black and White quilt...decisions...decisions!!!  It is cold and icy here, a great day to just sew, sew, sew!  I haven't even been in my sewingroom since I got back from Knoxville!  I have done a little shopping though!  I did find a great fabric for the back of my basketweave quilt, and bought all 9 7/8 yards of it, I don't think it is going to be enough, but I can make a few strips of the same blocks that are on the quilt top and just piece the back.  I also went to the Goodwill store in Nashville on my way home and found several shirts and then hit one of the stores here when I got home, so I have washed them all, cut the buttons off and got them all cut apart!  So, all I need to do now is go up and cut the yokes into strips (did I mention that this quilt is made entirely of the yokes of the shirts that I have been collecting?). 
     I also need to start thinking about getting my sewingroom cleaned up, our quilt guild is having "virtual tours" of all of our sewingrooms...that will be fun to see where everyone creates all of the awesome quilts, bags, etc. that they make!!  Have I told you that my husband and I bought a house with my mom 5 years ago?  We share a sewingroom, and I have all of my scrapbooking stuff up there also, it is very scary at times!!  Ha! Ha!
     I hope that you have a great day!!

Exciting News!!!

     I have the most exciting news!!!  I am going to be a grandmother....even though I am not really old enough!!  LOL!!!  My youngest son and his wife are having a baby, and I am excited, as this will be my first grandbaby!
     I should say here that the timing is not so great, and without going into too much detail, I will just say that my son is currently incarcerated and waiting to go to court.  He has had a problem with drugs after getting addicted to pain medication after a knee injury a few years ago.  Drug addiction makes you do incredibly stupid things, and yet I am thankful that this has happened because I do believe that JT (my son) has learned and is learning some very important lessons.  I have debated on whether or not to share this information on my blog, and have decided that I am, because I know that there are other mothers out there with children with drug and/or legal problems, and also because it is a very important part of my life at this time, and this is my blog!  I am not ashamed of my son, disappointed in his actions, yes, but I am thankful that he is alive and is now drug free, and will be able to learn some kind of pain management, since there are legitimate ongoing pain issues.  I believe that this baby will give him hope for a wonderful future! 
     I would ask that you keep my son and his wife in your prayers, as they have a very dificult road ahead of them! 
     I have started a journal for this new baby to let him/her know that they are loved and wanted, and since we don't know yet if is a boy or a girl I have decided to call this little one "Bean" so, I have started Bean a book all about his/her journey into out lives!
     We are hoping that on Jackies next doctor visit in March, we will know the sex of Bean and then it will be time to get busy making baby quilts, layettes and such!
     So...that is my exciting news!!  I believe that babies are a blessing from God and have their own perfect timing, it may not be our choice in timing, but hey, that is Life!!!  Have a blessed day!!!

Heading Home

     I have most of my stuff packed up and am planning on heading home early in the morning.  I am going to miss my sweetheart very much, but he will be home next weekend!  I know my puppy girl will be happy to see me...she doesn't get a chance to miss me like she does Jeff, and she is always so happy to see her daddy when he comes home!! Now it is MY turn!!!  I am going to have to stop and get her a bone or something,  I mean I can't be gone 2 weeks and come home empty handed right?!?!?!?
     I have all of the blocks made for my basketweave quilt, I have decided to change up the border, so I don't have to make more 6 1/2" blocks...yay!!!!  All I have to do now is sew them together and add borders. 
     I guess I had better try to get some sleep, I have a long day ahead of me! 

New Old Shirts...

     It's always something...Saturday I ordered something online and went to get the credit card I was going to use and couldn't find it...hmmmmm, where was the last place I used it?!?!?  Mamaws Thimble Quilt Shop....of course I couldn't call because I already knew that they were closed due to the weather so I had to wait until Monday.  I was on the phone bright and early yesterday, and yes that is where I left it (that's what I get for talking about fabric...it makes me forget other stuff!!).

    I didn't get alot done yesterday, I did make it to BigLots and found a quilt book that I had wanted about a year ago, but it was just before Christmas, and I couldn't justify buying myself a book that close to Christmas, and after the holidays it was gone!!  BigLots had it for $5. and I would have paid $22.95 for it at Hancocks, the book is "Log Cabin Quilts with Attitude" by Sharon V. Rotz.  I love it, it has several neat things in it.

     Today I decided to get out and go to some thrift stores...well let me just say that the thrift stores around here are very proud of their stuff!!!  I found the best deals at AmVets..yellow tags were 50% off this week and green tags 25% off!!  Here are the shirts that I got today, I only got 8, but they were all good colors.  I have already taken the buttons off, will wash them when I get home and get them cut up to go into some quilts!

Merrily I Sew Along...

     I have been steadily sewing on  my basketweave quilt today, and I have several crumb blocks started.  My goal is to have all of the basketweave blocks done and hopefully sewn together before I head home.  I keep thinking about Arnold Schwarzenegger...I keep hearing him say...."you can dooo it!" LOL!!
     We are still getting "wintry mix" snow at times and rain/sleet, it has just about stopped though I think, at least slowed down alot.

Snowed in...or should I say iced in?!?!?

     I am staying another week with my sweetheart!!  Thank you Mother Nature!!!  We have snow, and it is almost 2 a.m. and it looks like it is either sleeting or raining now...fun...fun!!!  I wish it would stick everywhere but the roads, and the power lines!!  I hope we don't lose power!  I hope nobody loses power!!! 
     I had to go to Joanns tonight before it got too bad and get some more thread, it may be a few days before I could get back out.  I am working on my basketweave quilt blocks and I started some crumb blocks out of the scraps, so I am working on two projects at one time.  I feel like I am getting something accomplished!! 
Stay safe and have fun playing in the snow!!
Sherri

Taking One For The Team

     Well, I have to say I have really been sacrificing!!
     Since I am in Knoxville, and my mom and I and several of our friends are coming back in March for the Pigeon Forge Quiltfest, someone needs to scout out all of the quilt shops.....I volunteered!!  I am going to save us so much time (forget GPS, and Mapquest!!)  I mean really, it is better that someone knows how to get there, who carries what....I think it is a good idea!!  So, today I went to Pigeon Forge/Sevierville to the quilt shops there, so we will know exactly where to go, and I also went to Harry and David...again!!
     Jeff and I went last Saturday, and we got some awesome Charred Pineapple and candied pepper salsa....Oh My Goodness it is AWESOME!!!!!  I had to get more, plus they had given me a coupon last week that was good today thru Saturday, $5. off $25. purchase, not a problem!!!  I went today because I was afraid the weather may get too bad for Jeff and I to go on Saturday.
     I may end up being here longer than I thought, if the weather gets too bad.....that is not such a bad thing!! LOL!!  I am just glad that I brought my sewing machine and my laptop!!!!

My week in Knoxville...

I have had quite a week!
Monday I went and did a little shopping at Mamaws' Thimble Quilt Shop in Knoxville while I was waiting for my foot peddle to get here. I love that store, they have a huge selection of fabric and even have a big clearance section of stuff 50% off!!  Everything is very organized, and everyone is very friendly!  I stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few things and when I came back to the hotel my phone had a blinking message light on it....the mail must have come!!!  Sure enough, my foot peddle arrived safely (thank you US postal service)!!
 I made a huge crockpot full of chilli yesterday, and Jeff took a bunch of it to work today for the guys to have for dinner tonight.  I had chilli for lunch and I am planning on freezing the rest to leave for Jeff so we ordered pizza from Moes Pizza, it was awesome!! We got 2 large pizza's for $10.98.....that is with tax and an extra topping on one of them!!!  Dinner is covered for tomorrow night!!

 I have been trying to work on my oldest sons quilt blocks, I am making him a black and white quilt, that I have been working on for awhile now......did you guess 2 years?  You would have been right!!  I had started making blocks, kind of a "wonky log cabin" with the center being a fussy cut picture of Mo from the 3 Stooges fabric, it kind of reminds me of my son, I was going to make one block with the picture of my son in it (kind of like "Where's Waldo")....I put a 1/4" border of blue fabric around the center block and have now decided to use black around the center, and I am not going to make the blocks "wonky" after all.  So, basically, I am starting over completely!!!  I will use the blocks that I have already made on the back.  Here is a picture of  a few of those blocks, I need to find some more of the 3 Stooges fabric if I am going to start over!   

So, I have been working today on more blocks for my basket weave scrap quilt, I have 50 more started, I think that should about do it. 

I am trying to decide if I should go home tomorrow or stay until Monday as planned, the weather could be a problem!  What to do, what to do!!!  I really want to stay, I love being here with Jeff!!  I don't want to drive over the plateau in ice or snow, that would be very stressful!!!  It is supposed to warm up by Monday though, so I am leaning towards staying!

I am almost finished with the binding on my nephews baby quilt.....here it is and also a picture of the back, I made a jumbo 9 patch on the back.  I will be glad to get this finished and checked off of my list!!!
I guess if I stay until Monday I should go and check out a few more quilt shops, I mean it would be so wrong not to!!!!

Finishing My Sweethearts Quilt!!

Well, last week I finally finished Jeff's Denver Broncos rag quilt...I only started cutting the squares over 2 years ago!!! I had a hard time finding enough Broncos fabric, so I improvised and used some all over football fabric instead, I think it turned out great!

I got it finished and washed it several times (I also slept under it for several nights, I had to make sure that it slept good right?!?!?), and then I headed to Knoxville yesterday and remade the bed in the hotel room where he is currently "living" while he was unloading the car. He was very surprised!!! I am getting good at keeping secrets....about presents anyway!!

We went to Pigeon Forge today and I found a quilt shop there, of course they closed at 1 p.m. I was only 35 minutes too late!! Oh, well, I guess I will have to go back this week and try again! I will have to do that on Monday, since I can't sew!

I had everything all packed up for my week with my sweetheart...iron, sewing machine, thread, rotary cutter, extra blades & needles.......foot peddle for sewing machine.......ooops!!!! I was an hour and a half away from home when I realized my horrible mistake!!! I even remembered what got me off track when I was packing up the machine...I was lifting the machine out of the sewing table and realized that I was going to have to find the "table" (I am not sure what it is really called) that fits onto the machine since I was taking it out if the sewing table, so, I started looking for that and totally forgot about the foot peddle!!! I am going to be here a week....what am I going to do?!?!?!?
Aren't mothers a wonderful thing?!?!?!?!? I called mine and told her what I had done and bless her heart, she went home and checked and sure enough, there it was right where I had left it...under the sewing table!!! She went to post office and packed it up and sent it here to the hotel for me...hopefully it will be here on Monday!!!

Here are a few pictures of Jeffs quilt, and also some of the squares of a quilt I am doing using mens 100% cotton dress shirts, in a basketweave pattern. I laid them out on my moms ocean waves quilt, so you see some of that quilt on the right side but on the bottom you also see the borders of that quilt so I can see how my quilt will look with borders!!

Have a blessed day!!!

Sherri