Life has been busy--- I’ve been stitching here and there, and I had serious discussions with on keeping things in perspective. Not always easy when it comes to doing things you love--- like quilting. Warning: On the outside chance this could be my only post this week, it could get lengthy. Wednesday I walked into my office/Partsroom to find THIS at my desk--- complete with snow hat.
Just a gentle reminder from my boss to mail Bambi to sunny California to his sister. I kept putting it off for lack of a big enough box. But I think my boss was telling me to get creative. So I did and Bambi has been shipped to Sherman Oaks.

Saturday found us in Appleton getting my princess the perfect pink prom dress….
Here’s a photo—without the fancy hair and jewelry and primping. As a totally biased mother would say----she’d make a paper bag look good. We had fun and hit a couple of scrapbooking shops and had lunch. Believe it or not I handled her well. My husband told me to be careful at patting myself on the back. But truthfully, I don’t always handle Chelsey and her feelings and emotions really well. So from a mom’s viewpoint—I need to bask in the moment.


Ransom and I are still snowshoeing regularly. There has to be a perk with all the snow we have.

Conversation at the mall: “Mom I need a new purse”
“Chelsey, you can’t afford these purses, they’re expensive. Go to Shopko (Kind of like Wal-mart). They have really cute ones.”
“Mom—I can’t afford a Shopko purse either--- I’m really broke. If I buy the fabric—will you make me one?”

So—with $7 of fabric, a button and 30 minutes Sunday night I made this. There’s even enough fabric for a bag for the next girlfriend that has a birthday.

Tonight this fabric will be cut up for my Sunday school kids.
I found it a few weeks ago In Ishpeming. Photos don’t do it justice. It will become cards for the kids. The puppies are sweet.

Saving the Best/Worst for last. I still can’t believe I’m showing this.
My ironing board that Chelsey and I share in our room. Yep—there’s the “oops” in the corner we had by leaving it on and knocking it over…lucky we didn’t burn the house down. I keep intending to get a new cover – honest. But I want a cute one. I know other people have them, but I can’t seem to find one. And if I go searching with Don I get his analogy that the covers cost as much as the entire ironing board…. He just doesn’t understand…..

I’m getting my Sunday school classroom ready for the next quarter—putting a little Spring in to it. The quilting isn’t going anywhere and those kids are growing like weeds—I don’t want to miss out.

Tuesday – Chelsey made it home and Eric made it back to school. The snow has stopped for a little while at least. Last night after knocking out the daily chores I added 7 appliqued pieces to the quilt block I’m working on.

Amid the snowstorm last Thursday the mailman brought me a gift from a friend. The Blue willow heart now hangs on my wall in the dining room.
Knowing Chocolate is a girl’s best friend, her gift will warm me on the coldest of days—and I may even share. The fabrics are beautiful, It’s a toss up—to I cut them up and use them, or leave them whole and just hold onto them for a while. Tough call.

I’m getting a little hungry for spring, but I know I have a considerable wait. I’m just focusing on my quilting though my garden is not far from my thoughts.

Gratitudes:
Spaghetti for Supper
Snowshoes
Graham Crackers

It’s Monday Morning--- early. Surprise snowstorm hit Sunday. Eric had come home for the weekend. He ended staying till this morning because of weather. We were assured it was the right move when they cancelled his classes for today. Chelsey was downstate (Sounds like they were trading places) speaking for FCCLA. She had driven herself to Green Bay and flown to Midland from there. Coming home turned out to be an adventure. When she landed in Green Bay – she knew she wasn’t getting any further North till morning, so we got her a hotel reservation and she camp out till sometime today.

Don had taken Friday off to knock out the housework before Eric got home—what a guy. So I got up Saturday morning with nothing to do--- but quilt. For Valentine’s Day, He asked me if I wanted to order me some “quilt junk”, so I took him up on it. I had succumbed to peer pressure, jealousy and envy. I had seen photos of Carol’s BOM pieces and memorized the photos of a California quilt shop from Sharon’s posts. So, I voted for the gift that keeps on giving. The Four Seasons Quilt is what it’s called. Easy and relaxing are the first two things I think of when working on it. While ordering on-line is fun, there is something about placing the order to a real voice on the other end of a phone line. I dialed the Country Loft Quilt shop’s number and spoke with the designer of the quilt.

We chatted for a good 20 minutes about quilting, perle cotton—I had never used it before—the pattern pieces. She was wonderful. She even threw needles in my order at my request to make life easier. I’ll definitely be a repeat shopper.

My Mother-in-law gives me quilt money for my birthday. While my birthday is a month away – I got scared what I wanted would have disappeared by the time March rolls around. So I’ve done a little Pre-Birthday shopping at Don’s expense with an IOU on the credit card. Dawn had worked on a quilt a couple of years ago. It was way out of my budget and could only be found in Australia. I chalked it off to a hopeless wish. And then Colleen has it on the header of her web log. Again – a reminder of the quilt. I was wishing through Buggy Barn quilts and saw that they were offering it as a Block of the month and thought it was destiny. Again, wanting to order from a “voice”, I called the shop. I spoke with a wonderful lady. She called herself a “beginning” Quilter. All I kept thinking was, “Man, you have a cool job.” She was doing the quilt too. She offered tips and we talked about the houses and the colors. It showed up on my doorstep on Friday, so Saturday I put the block together.

Sunday I went back to work on the Primitive Garden. I have started studying the borders. When I’m on the Elliptical Machine I’m studying quilt patterns – it gets me through the work out. I probably could have made REAL headway on the Primitive Garden this weekend if I had just stuck to working on it. But I had so much fun doing some machine piecing and working on my French knots. And quilting is a hobby for me….it’s supposed to be fun…..

Take out pizza, movie rentals, listening to Eric practice his Russian (a cultural elective he opted for), and watching Don and Eric wrestle with Ransom topped off on of the best weekends in a while.


Gratitudes:
Safe flights for Chelsey
Valentine’s Holiday that seemed to last four days instead of one
Shoveling snow—Believe it or not… Don and I worked on it together Sunday… Everything is better in twos….

My humility block…. That’s what I think of when I see this block of my Primitive Garden BOM quilt. It seemed fitting to photograph it close to the garden, even though I waded through 18 inches of snow to photograph it. It’s lying on my planting table outside the garden gate. Why do I call it my humility block? Well, it was started the first week in December and cut out 20 minutes before I travelled to Louisiana. It was stitched on at various airports. It looks far from the pattern snapshot. But I smile anyway, because I remember a great trip. I remember working on it several nights when I couldn’t sleep worrying over teenage turmoil with my daughter. I remember stitching on it while Eric took his finals and travelling home for Christmas break. It really wasn’t a piece that I worked on meticulously like the others, but it marks an important time in the past year--- and it’s complete.


Sunday it was 18 below zero. The wind chills were far colder than that. I figured I wouldn’t have any kids in my Sunday school class, but I braved the winds and made it there. Our lesson was on Jesus healing the cripple woman and we walked up and down the hall with our hands on our knees--- a realistic effect to four-year-olds. We made these snowmen from socks filled with rice. The kids were so smart—all six of them.

An incredible week at work – I sold an airplane this week. Like Chelsey says, “ My Mom makes quilts… and sells aircraft.” I probably won’t make another post this week, so I want to share my Christmas gift from my kids. I haven’t lost my weakness for dishes.
While I’m wishing for a picnic in the photo – truthfully I wanted to show you--- These are Crème and Burgundy, not the traditional red and white. I’m totally charmed with them and I have a place setting for 8.
Who cares what you eat when you have dishes like these….

Back to the quilt block, after every completion I’m inspired to press on. I’ve got my last block prepped for appliquéing. So, I’m working on it a little each night. I’ll have it complete before you know.

Snuggle up with someone you love--- the nights are too cold not to.

A busy week--- Monday Chelsey turned 18. We gave her shopping money and she made her first solo trip to Green Bay and Appleton with a girlfriend. The weather forecast call for snow accumulations of less than an inch, but the ended up getting considerably more, so at 6:30 Saturday night, We called and got her hotel reservations, so she ended up with quite an adventure. Monday Morning I left this on the kitchen counter for her. Eighteen cupcakes, 18 cans of pop, 18 sticks of gum, Heart Socks: because I decided it was better to wear your heart on your sock instead of your sleeve.... There were Strawberry Shortcake stickers because her very first birthday cake was of Strawberry Shortcake. I made a fabric Birthday Card. The gift bag contained gold earrings---now she won’t be borrowing ‘Mom’s’.


Long days at work,, the summation of my quilting is wishing over quilt pictures hung in front of my desk. But the weekend is ahead. I did complete February BOM stitchery and I’ve been appliquéing a couple of pieces a night on my Primitive Garden.


Don turns 46 today. Does not like birthdays--- but has tolerated Chelsey picking at him about it all week. We’re going out for supper tonight. Should be fun. Tomorrow we both have the day off. Chelsey is speaking in a neighboring town and I’m going to listen. Don is going to stay home and knock the major stuff on the house so we have a free weekend---
I feel like it’s my birthday----

Gratitudes:
Bad Weather found friends and family safe this week.
I survived Chelsey turning 18—Maybe I’m the one struggling, not her.
A weekend without housework….

Usually after a project I’m sick of the fabric, never want to see it again. But after piecing my last quilt, I’m still in love with the leftovers. I made these Sunday afternoon in literally fifteen minutes. (Minus the button covering).
I’d like to tell you I’m looking out for the environment by making the lunch bags, but truthfully, they’re just so dang cute--- and easy. The Pattern came from Allpeoplequilt.com. I never have wrapping paper or a gift bag when I need one. I’m going to making 3 or 4 more different sizes and put them away for a moments notice. I hate pouring money into wrapping paper that will be torn and thrown away too. Two fat quarters is all you need and some interfacing. It’s a great way to lower the Fabric Inventory too.

Eric is traveling home this morning—The roads were to rough last night. Truthfully, as much as I want to see him, I hate him traveling and wish he would stay put. But the college kids are invincible.

No plans for the weekend--- and no complaining about having no plans. I’m going to knock out the house and relax…and enjoy my kids…