Chelsey worked last night till 10:00 pm---wayyyyy past my bedtime. Don always stayed up and waited for Eric, whether it was work, a school thing, a date, or out with friends. I’m stepping up to the plate for Chelsey. She always likes to talk to me and we play catch up. There is no point in both of us losing sleep. At least we trade off.

Last night, I finish folding the fabric and got it back on the shelf.
I still have a basket of scraps, but we’re saving it for another time. I’ve said before, I teach Sunday school to four-year-olds. I send them a letter-snail mail- every week. We talk about friends, weather, minding their parents, and something from their bible story. We’ve been taking a letter of the alphabet every two weeks and being thankful for things that begin with that letter. They are mostly five yr olds now and there were several kids that didn’t know their ABC’s so it was an ‘open door’ for their parents to bring it up. ‘W’ is the letter for Sunday.
I found this fabric is the stack—I think it’s a Sandy Gervais print. I have no idea why I bought teddy bear fabric except that I just plain liked it. I’m not finished yet, but here are the beginnings of their card for this week. I used fusible webbing and attached them to construction paper.

It was a long day at work. Everybody has days like that. Don called and suggested eating out… no cooking. He didn’t have to ask twice. I’m off to run Ransom, play in the garden, and maybe quilt tonight. Chelsey pitched in and the house is all picked up. Those daughters---they come in handy every once in a while……

Gratitudes:
1. A summer of outstanding weather.
2. Letters from home
3. The oldies on the Radio--- nice memories.

No quilting this weekend, but here are pictures to show the honest effort at getting my stash of fabrics organized. I’ve got the blues (and not just a feeling about this project) and the gold fabrics left to fold. The bottom shelf holds my yardage pieces. I’ll tell you this, it’s a lot more fun to buy it and put it away the first time.
But I did find pieces that I remember falling in love with the first time---I’m pretty psyched to get back to quilting.

I used to work at a place years ago that had hydrangeas framing the building. I would dry the flowers for fall arrangements. I bought a hydrangea bush about 6 years ago. Not one flower has ever bloomed. Either the deer got it or I decided it was one of those Male/female things and I needed another bush. But At $20.00 a pop, I decided it was a nice green bush. Well lo and behold,
look what’s blooming this year. I’m just captivated. There’s not a day goes by that I’m not amazed….I guess I’m easily thrilled.

I did lots of playing in the garden. We’re getting cucumbers and tomatoes now. My gourds are really coming on too.


I shopped for Eric’s college dorm room stuff. This is his last week at home. We’ll get him settled in this coming weekend. He’s ready…I just hope I am.

Don and I logged over 20 miles on the bicycles this weekend. He took me along all the back roads in the woods. There were lots of cottages, hunting camps and I told him how I would decorate every one of them if they were mine. I would look at a place and tell him if the owners loved it or not. I told him where the swing should be and of course there have to be quilts and cool mailboxes… He says I’m all about emotion and passion…. I told him he was lucky…

Gratitudes:
1. Eight kids in Sunday school and the Mom that donated school supplies.
2. A job that makes it a lot easier to get the things Eric wants/needs for school away from home.
3. Beans, Corn and Cornbread with Sunday night’s supper.
4. A daughter that keeps encouraging me to sew.

When you show photos of a mess, I guess you see the real person. I started reorganizing my stash of fabrics. It was a lot neater on the shelf, but you know how you pull one fabric and three others come out to, well I decided to start from scratch. These are the before pictures. You bet I’ll post the ‘after’ ones too.

I have to get busy with it because Chelsey has been at Cheerleader Camp since Sunday and she’ll be home tonight and we share the sewing/scrapbooking room. I’m ready for her to come home. The camp the girls went to was seven hours away. Yeah, we got a call Sunday evening, the first day; they had to ambulance her to a hospital. They were stunting and a girl fell on her and knocked her out. Just what every Mom wants to hear. After x-rays and CT scans they say she’s OK, but I’ve been uneasy for 3 days. I’ll just be glad to get her home. I don’t want to be one of those Moms that lock them up, but it’s hard letting them have a life. I guess they could get hurt in the front yard…but heck….


I’ve showed you my buggy in the front yard, but I want to show it with all of the summer flowers. I’ve never had flowers this late in the season. We have deer running wild. No kidding, there were eight that I saw on the way to work. No, we’re not talking a herd of eight. We’re talking 8 separate sightings of does. About this time of the year they start getting real aggressive with their eating--- stocking up for winter. I’ve taken real good care of the flowers this year and kept them cover in this stuff called “Liquid Fence”. I swear by it. And the deer, at least so far, don’t like it.

I better get busy—
Until tomorrow, live up today.

Gratitudes:
1. Don & Eric toting 2 tons of pellets to the basement for winter.
2. Queen Anne’s Lace decorating the roadside.
3. Mail – the old=fashioned way from my Mom.

I started writing last night, but I was just plain exhausted, so I saved it and finished this morning. These are perennials blooming in my garden. And they inspired this:

It's my first fabric postcard. I worked on it last night. My sister-in-law sent me this stamp to use on the other side as a friendship gift. Isn't it the greatest??!!??!! I should have finished cleaning my sewing room, but I was rewarding myself for my 7 mile bike ride with Don this evening. I was going to wait until it was completed to share...but I couldn't wait. I'll finish it tonight---maybe. No promises, because this is about fun. No pressure, because I have realized that summer in the U.P. is winding down. I'm going to savor all of it I can. That means long walks, Bike rides, and incredible amount of weed pulling (it's really theraputic!!!) I realize working full time I have to make choices, while my love for quilting is first, I know there are other things that must get taken care of. If I don't exercise I might not be here for the next 25 years I plan on quilting. The U.P. winters being so long, I can make up for lost time quilting November thru April. Without the Laundry washing, We're going to catch colds running around naked without clothes--How much quilting will I do if I'm sick. And then there's Ransom... quilting would be pretty lonely without him, so he needs exercise and brushing to make sure he's around for a long time... I want to make Judy's quilt, but I think I'm going to be the cheerleader from the sidelines. Now I'm going to be disappointed if someone doesn't make one out of the country Thimbleberries colors (my favorites)...I can just picture how it would look. There are lots of changes going on at work and even at home with Eric getting ready to go off to school. I don't think I can sub-divide my focus another inch. Hey I'm not bumbed, recognizing limits is a huge step for me.

I was stressing to Chelsey about not being able to fit it all in.. and through the wisdom of a 16-year-old--believe it or not--her response was "Mom you'll get your turn, It's just not your time...But you will" You know, she's right... and I'm OK with that...I can wait.

Gratitudes:
1. Crickets
2. Coffee in the Morning
3. My scissors - Christmas presents from the kids

It’s Sunday evening. I’ve had a great weekend. Nothing exciting---that’s my kind of weekend. Grocery shopped and did the Wal-mart run Saturday morning. We don’t write a lot about grocery shopping, but that food doesn’t just magically appear in the cabinets. I like going early Saturday mornings before the crowd comes. It’s a little more peaceful that way. I had a bridal shower to go to Saturday afternoon. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but, at least for me, that’s when I have the most fun. It was really nice.I played in the garden, the rains have really made a difference. Don and took a 13 mile bike ride, I was pretty useless after that.

Not a lot of quilting going on, but don’t feel bad for me….I really worked on cleaning the sewing room out. Organization is the name of the game. I’m about half way through. I’ve got a hefty garbage bag full of old fabric—wools, corduroy, Halloween costume scraps that are going to St. Vinnie’s (our version of Good Will). As stupid as it sounds, I always kind of disloyal parting with fabric---any kind of fabric--- knowing the love I had for it. But after reading others journal entries and responses to mine, I’ve gotten unsentimental and parted with things I know I’d never use. And after all, maybe there is someone out there with a genuine use for these things. And it’s just wrong to hang on to something you’ll never use.

Among the cleaning I found these blocks.
When there was a quilt shop in town, she had a program for a while. For $2.00 you received a Ziploc bag of fabric squares that she had made up and you had to create a 12 inch block and return it by the end of the month. Your name was entered and there was a drawing to win the blocks. Of course the month I did it, the fabric colors weren’t exactly my favorites, but it was still fun. I won---- it’s always fun winning—my block was the first one in the second row. What will I do with the blocks??? I have no idea, but I loved seeing the workmanship of others. I have enough fabric to create a couple more blocks, which I keep all together with the squares. Maybe one day…..

I've got another workweek ahead, so I better turn in.

Gratitudes -
1. A weekend for afternoon naps
2. A husband that helps around the house
3. birch trees in the woods

This morning before work, I had coffee with the second family of Robins to use a nest right next to our back porch. The Momma Robin was taxing herself with the responsibility of taking care of three hungry mouths. My guess is by this evening these babies will take flight of their own. It was a hefty job she had; in today’s world if she were one of us I think it would be pretty safe to say she had little time for quilting.

On the drive into town to work this morning there was a doe with two fawns that she was protecting and ensuring that they stay out of traffic. A little further up the road, I stopped and waited as two Momma turkeys and 12 babies scurried across a country road. I’m reminded countless times in a day, the role a mother plays and how vital it is.

My heart went out to my neighbors up the road. I call them my neighbors because I couldn’t tell you their names if I had to. They’re a ’35-37’ ish couple with a 16-month-old baby. Quiet couple—they’re great neighbors… I pass their home daily when I run Ransom. We wave, talk about the weather, if they have the baby out I always gush over it. Well, yesterday, the same scenario starts playing out:

“Hey!”
“How’s it going?”
“OK, I guess, the baby took her first steps today”
“ Ah, man that’s great!!!”
“ Yeah, she was at daycare--- we missed everything”
My response….”Guys, she’ll have so many more firsts….many first steps in so many ways…Don’t worry about it. Hey, get a new daycare lady…. She should have never told you…”

By now I had walked up close enough that I could see tears on the mom’s face holding the baby. My heart went out to the family. I worked part time when Eric was little until he was about eighteen months old. I had a neighbor lady take care of him. We still see each other every now and then at the grocery store; we’ve since moved from next door.
Maybe it’s just nostalgia because Eric’s leaving for school, or heartbreak for this couple, but you know what I did. I wrote Eric’s old sitter a thank you note. I’m quite certain I missed several firsts (I was the definition of a ‘rookie’ parent), but she was so awesome, she loved Eric (and me) enough to never tell me… and Don & I thought we experienced every one of them first hand….

Whether it is that Momma Robin, a young parent, or that mother of a college freshman….I’m still awestruck and honored at the role of a parent….

Until tomorrow—live up today.

Quote of the day: “One amazing thing about a quilt is that something so priceless can be made out of something that is so common.”

No, I didn’t say it, but I wish I had. Roy Lessin did in a Patterns of Grace calendar I have. What is it about a quilt? I’ve tried to tell someone why I’m so into quilts and I’ve found it hard to explain. They get this “Aunt Bea” impression and something out of Mayberry RFD and this ‘Oh My God’ look on their face. Now I’m not a closet quilter by any means…but I’m very careful about sharing something that means so incredibly much to me.

The temps have lessened some but the humidity is on the rise. We’re having a thunderstorm this evening. Eric just left to bring his girlfriend home. I’m wishing he’d come home. Yeah, I know there will be rain at college, but there’s this thing about mothering them when they are under your roof I guess. Do you ever turn the “Mom” switch off?

I ran Ransom, worked on my kids Sunday school lesson for this week, laundry, and Supper. I did put on a pot of soup so Don and I would have lunches for the rest of the week. The Vegetable Soup has beans, onions and bell peppers out of the garden.


I didn’t do any major sewing but I did piece this together. The blocks were already made. They were part of a block of the month that I’m convinced will never happen. So, I regrouped and I’m going to make it a smaller project. I had a minor anxiety attack thinking I didn’t have fabric to complete it. Remember, we’re making no fabric purchases this month. It is the first day and I’m already in a panic. But look at the piece I found in my stash. It’s a perfect match. I don’t know what I’ll do next, but it will make a nice small project for travel and the back porch on warm evenings.

The Rocking horse was a gift from my late Father-in-law. We were walking through a craft show together. I admired it and he got it for me. That’s just the way he was. I think about him every time I look at it. He passed away 11 years ago. He was a good person.

Well, Eric made it home; I better hit the hay…4:30 am gets here awfully early.

My Mom’s gift is being UPS’ed out tomorrow. When this all started, I thought, let me make three---one for the teacher, my mom, and myself. I’m pretty tired of this one. Two is definitely enough. I think I like the blue binding on the first better, but after the centering issue, I stayed true to the pattern.

It was 101 degrees in the airplane hangar today. Needless to say, there was no so sense of humor. By the end of the day, I got tired of pretending there was. And what is it about people up here. I was born in Louisiana, lived there for 20 years and the second twenty I’ve lived almost in Canada. On hot days they say—Wow, you should be used to this---newsflash--- we didn’t live like this in the south---we had air conditioning EVERYWHERE…. And after 20 years you would think they would give me amnesty and let me at least pretend to be a northerner. Gripe of the day complete.

On the quilting front, I’m cleaning the sewing room if I can get all the chores accomplished. I don’t think I’m running Ransom; I don’t want him getting over heated. Maybe we’ll go real late. We’re definitely looking at some unfinished projects before starting a new one this week. Sooooooo, the Buggy Barn pattern is going to be tucked away somewhere, because I’m weak.


Another snapshot----Centering….That necessary evil that I always come up short on….Oh well, nothing that a little Heart in front can’t fix……

Until Tomorrow – Live up Today

Gratitudes –
1. Summer Grilling
2. Air conditioning in the Jeep
3. Oatmeal Cookies…no raisins.

Rainy day Sundays are perfect except when you’re not feeling so well. We got up and started getting ready for church. First, I made the comment of having a bad headache and feeling a little nauseous. Then Chelsey comes in the kitchen and says the same thing. It’ll pass, I think. I go into another room and Don comes in and says he’s not feeling so well and I shouldn’t infect the Sunday school kids, so I call and got someone to fill in.
We just felt bad for about 6 hours, but everyone is feeling OK now. Must have been a bug.


I finish the first of the two Americana Projects. It’s not pressed or had the ‘once over’ for thread cutting, but I wanted to get a picture before the rain starts. It was totally made from scraps and fabrics from my stash. It’s darker in colors than the original pattern. I used a fusible web to attach the appliqués and button holed around them. But I had an”oops”. The water pot spout moved when I pressed the iron down. I didn’t think much about it---thinking well, maybe it was meant to be there. BIG mistake. Upon finishing the project I realized it was off center. It’s that “attention to detail” thing that I suck at. But what I lack there, I think I made up for in creativity. I added the watermelon vine and a couple of leaves.Viola!!!

I made the binding colored instead of cream like the pattern so that really made the centering problem stand out. So be fore-warned and if you do this project or any of the cottage creek backdoor series patterns, I’ve been your guinea pig.

I’ve got just 3 more letters to embroidery and I’ll have my Mom’s complete. Pictures maybe tomorrow….

I’m on the bandwagon for Vicky’s 7/27/06 challenge to use stash fabric and no fabric purchases for the month of August. My husband will probably hug her neck. We’ve got College tuition, winter propane, and 2 tons of pellets for our pellet stove to purchase this month. I love a dare. I think I can do it.

Gratitudes:
1. New cell phone service—better reception in the woods.
2. My son helping me with the new phone.
3. Cheerios
4. Listening to Eric and Don laughing downstairs-Who's going to miss who when Eric leaves?

We woke up to some severe thunderstorms. It stormed for about 2 hours. We needed the rain, but the bad weather makes me uneasy. I took a couple hours off early from work on Friday and came home and got the weekend housework done. Chelsey and I knocked it out, so we could play all weekend.

Have you sat down and looked at your unfinished projects? I have. I’m one of those that likes to finish things or it bugs me… most of the time. Jeanne talked about that block of the month quilts weren’t her thing. I started thinking about my BOM projects. I’ve completed one in its entirety. The quilt in the photo is a BOM from several years ago..
I think it was when Thangles were just invented and they had patterns for free. Over the Christmas holidays I discovered quilting on the internet. I had more fun. It was the first time I could make a block and get another pattern. I put the maple leaf and the flying geese in the corners, my favorites. But look at the picture…Only nine blocks…I didn’t have the patience to wait for the other three. I completed another BOM quilt, but I started late, so I stayed entertained until the end. But guess what my 3 unfinished projects are…you got it…block of the month quilts. I just never realized what the common denominator was. One I just have some hand quilting left. Another, I just have the wool appliqués left to do. The last quilt, I’ve got tons left to do. Any quilt, even one you love, for me gets boring before you complete it when it drags out for so long…..twelve months. I thought they were great ideas. Especially for working Moms, because each month you would have a small victory.

I’m trying to give myself this talk that I should complete one old project and reward myself with a new one, and then go back and complete an old one and by the end of the year they may all be done. I’ve really got issues with wasting and right now, I feel like I’m wasting a potentially good quilt. I guess this is one of those ‘sounds good on paper’ ideas. But I’m still kicking it around…I’m just dead to work on the Buggy Barn Quilt.

We made our ten mile bike run today. Eric came with us. .
Don took a picture of him with his phone at step 410. Me, I made it up to step 50 and back…remember..in all things… baby steps.

Until tomorrow---live up today.

Chelsey got a job….that ought to let you know this has been a great week. It’s at a little teeny-bopper dress shop in town. She starts training on Monday. Let’s all stand up and do the victory dance. She has way too much time on her hands. I’m really glad for her. I think a lot of growing up has taken place and we’ve done a lot of talking about responsibility and such. Eric and she are 20 months apart. And I am going to accept blame to the fact that she’s always been treated as old as Eric and she’s just not. She’s always played with the same age toys, read the same level books, etc. She’s never had a fair shake at being younger and as these teenage years come into play…let’s face it ...she just is. And no matter how liberated we get, boys are different than girls and I can’t just assume she knows everything your brother does, it’s not fair to her. O.K., now that I said that---who am I trying to convince---you are me???? I just needed to remind myself.

I came home from work and walked Ransom his 2 miles. He kept chasing chipmunks in the woods, so I think he probably got a 5 mile run in. It was spaghetti night at our house. Then I played with my flowers and garden. Eric says he looks out the window and sees me smiling, I must be having fun. Someone at work was talking about the heat and said, “Oh well, in four weeks it’ll all be over.” My heart dropped. But they’re correct. The days are getting shorter. I saw Golden rod on the side of the road this evening. My Mom’s ‘old Wives' Tale’ says the first frost happens six weeks after the Golden Rod Blooms. That puts the date, the first week in September, which is just about right. I love every season, but you know me and change, even good ones…I struggle.

I wanted to talk about quilts, so I went on a mission to find something to talk about. I am still plugging along on the same project. Then I remember…. I have a quilt to show (without fall leaves, pumpkins or Christmas trees..just you wait). .
I think this is going to be a great quilt. O.K., give it a chance. It’s a Thimbleberries pattern, but it’s totally a scrappy stash quilt. You know me and fabric, there’s a memory for everything. The red plaid reminds me of old shirts my dad wore when we were little. The blue print was the last piece of fabric that I purchased from the quilt shop in town before it closed. The crème and gold prints are totally stash pieces I pulled together. Don’t give up on this....look at the quilt…are there gold stars or red ones? I want to get it machine quilted, I even have the backing fabric. It will bring it out. It’s not that I don’t have the money for the machine quilting; it just always seems to get tucked away for something else. I’ll show it again after it’s quilted, you’ll see. Can’t you just picture it on a table with a vase of Queen Anne’s Lace…?

Now, you’ve witnessed a first hand account of Quilt Ogling (is that a word?). I just wanted you to see things through my eyes….

Gratitudes:
1. Web log friends
2. Garlic Cheese Biscuits
3. Snap beans straight from the garden

We had thunderstorms last evening so the grass got a much needed drink of water. I still had time to play with Ransom and in the garden before it hit. I cooked my first batch of green beans from the garden last night. There’s nothing like fresh vegetables.

I’m still working on the Americana project. I’m doing the embroidery work now. Living where I do, if I want my Mom to get a UPS package the same week I mail it, I have to ship it either Monday or Tuesday or it is the following the week before she sees it. So I missed the window this week, so I’m going to keep working on it till next Monday. I’m at that point to where I want to rush to get through it because I want to start something else. But I give myself the talk----enjoy what you’re doing, be neat, don’t crank it out.---you know the drill.

I have a friend who’s Mom passed away about 6 weeks ago. She was in her 90’s and a quilter. They were going to take her old stuff to Goodwill, but sent me some boxes first. Much of the fabric was dry-rotted but I have about 3 boxes of stuff I kept.

Look at this box.
Chelsey and I marvel at it. Hundreds of little pieces she had cut out for a quilt. My money says they were each cut out individually. The curves make you know there was no rotary cutter used. Chelsey says, “ Mom you have to put it together,” But I still just have more fun looking at the different fabric colors and stacking the pieces in the box. I think it’s pretty safe to say that none of the fabric came from a quilt shop. My guess is the fabric all probably cost less than the designer fabrics. But I just love looking at it.

I wonder:
Why she chose those fabric pieces?
Who the quilt would have been for?
Why she didn’t finish it?
And in her mind, what do you think she picture it to look like?

Look at the lid –
It looks like they tried to sell it for $2.00 and no one wanted it….

Gratitudes:
1. Vegetables for Supper
2. Money to pre-buy our Propane for winter.
3. Discipline to ‘stick to my guns’ as a parent

Yesterday was Monday --- in every sense of the word. I worked ten and a half hours…but came home to air conditioning. Don even cooked supper. Remember I work in an airplane hangar, I was tired, hot, and dirty from lugging parts around. We’ve got a couple of big maintenance jobs so I have been busy trying to get parts lined up for them.

I have a picture of my grandmothers sewing box and my sewing box. My grandmother, in Louisiana, passed away two weeks after I had Eric. My grandfather passed away two weeks before I had Chelsey. Consequently, living so far away, I missed both of their services. I always kind of look at their passing and the birth of my kids as all part of that circle of life.

My mom says I’m just like my grandmother always having a needle in my hand. The sewing basket is one of a few things that were given to me after her death. It probably came from the dollar store. Most of her stuff did. I’m so glad I have it. It still had one of her thimbles, and some wooden spools of thread.

My sewing “tin” lives on the coffee table. It keeps two thimbles, 4 spools of thread, a tiny pair of scissors and a pincushion filled with pins and needles. I love having it there for quilting in a moment’s notice. But the silly truth is, I like having it there for sewing on that lost button from Don’s pants or hemming Chelsey’s skirt, or mending something of Eric’s.

I fuss at the kids about picking up after themselves, but no one complains about Mom’s stuff sitting there. While everyone thinks of it as ‘Mom’s sewing box,’ though it’s kind of comforting thinking that little sewing box is there….. for everyone…..

I couldn’t wait to post tonight. I’ve taken a week’s worth of pictures to talk about. I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s posts. Don will walk into the kitchen and be amazed, I’m writing to people I don’t know. I just look at him…’You have no idea…’

I finally did it. I made my first 10 mile bike ride with Don in years. .
I’ve been working up to it. Saturday I rode 5 miles took a 10 minute break and rode 5 miles home. Today Don and I tackled 11 miles non stop before it rained. I feel great. I used to ride with Don all the time. Then you have kids and we still rode some with them, but you worry about them getting hurt and someone is slower than someone else, and someone’s legs hurt…You get the idea. Well, back in March on my birthday, I go for my annual checkup. It’s religious with me. If I go the same time every year I don’t forget. Nothing is ever wrong. I have too many people counting on me so I do it. Well, in that one week, I failed a mammogram; they found a 2 ½ inch tumor on my thyroid and needed to biopsy my female organs. Great. Even the doctor says,” Mel, you were doing great until you saw me!!!’ The long and short of it, The mammogram was a false alarm, the biopsies came back negative, But I had to have half of my thyroid taken out. It wasn’t cancer…so I dodged a bullet.

I’ve just been kind of scared to do anything. There was always some reason I wouldn’t. Finally my son Eric says Mom, you don’t need to let your body go down hill because of this scare. You have got to get past this. So I started back working at it. I didn’t want to hold Don back by not being able to keep up. But this weekend he was so supportive. And I feel great.

.

On the quilting front, I have the labels done for the 2 Americana projects for the kid’s teacher and my Mom. I’m going to be real detailed like ForestJane recommended with dates, Names, towns, pattern name and reason for making the gift along with who the gift is for. I know I have broken about every ‘internet rule’ I have set for my kids, but I’m still not comfortable with spelling it all out there in black and white on line.

I sewed the binding on the projects but I was tired when I did it and consequently I missed three spots. So that means unsewing and re sewing to get it right. But after that bike ride, I feel like I can do anything…

Until tomorrow – Live up today
Gratitudes:
1. Popcorn
2. Bicycles
3. Rain this evening (boy do we need it!)

It’s Friday. I thought it would never get here. I’m ready for the weekend. No plans really. Just glad to be there to catch up. I wanted to include a picture and I didn’t have time to take a quilt picture so I’m including another.
No, it’s not my wooden screened door, but it would be really great if it were. There just needs to be a quilt on the bench. It just makes that house look inviting… anyone’s house. I remember the slam of my grandmother’s screen door. The aluminum hydraulic doors just don’t give that same sound…

Have you ever walked around someone depending on their moods? When you get around them, you kind of hold your breath and case out the situation and decide what kind of day it’s going to be? It gets old really quick. Then you have to decide the next move. I just keep telling myself, no one can get you down unless you allow them to. The day is going to come and go. Is it going to be wasted on things you can’t help? My days are way too valuable for that. And besides I’ve got too many quilts to make, flowers to pick, weeds to pull, Sunday school lessons to teach, and miles to walk Ransom….and the list goes on and on and on… At work I spend 9 hours (at least) a day—my best 9 hours. Why spend it worrying about things you can’t help?

Vent of the day…and now that is over. I’ve got all but the embroidery done on the Americana project. I’ll have to post a picture soon. I’m not that good at embroidery, but we are going to give it our best shot…

Hey, It IS Friday. Have a great weekend. Get an ice cream cone for me.

Until tomorrow – live up today.

I played in the garden and flowers beds yesterday. My gourd plants are big enough to start running on the fences, so I was tying them up. Don always laughs and tells me we would starve in the winter if we counted on my garden for food…. It’s still so much fun.

We ran Ransom and came home to Chelsey a little upset. Eric’s girlfriend was giving her stress. The heck of the thing is that she probably doesn’t even realize she’s ‘pushing Chelsey’s buttons’. It is just the strife of being the little sister. We listened to Chelsey vent, and then I went inside and call my sister- in –law. I’ve been married to Don 22 years, dated him 5 years before that. While I can’t pinpoint examples, I’m quite certain I dealt Don’s little sister grief. I apologized for the ‘probable’ sins of 25 years ago. We laughed and remembered. It’s nice to have her as a best friend.


I did three more thread colors on my appliqué project. Chelsey ‘scrapbooked’ in the scrapbook/sewing room with me while I sewed. She has been so busy; it was good to catch up with her.

They’ve changed work hours because of the heat, so I’m getting home a little sooner than usual, so that’s a treat.

I wanted to include a picture. The first is our dusk to dawn light in the front yard during the day. I decorate with petunias in the summer, mums in the fall, and bows and holly for Christmas. Here’s the same light at night There are no streetlights where we live so we have it there for safety. It’s always comforting to drive home at night and see the light waiting for you or looking out the window at night and see the light keeping watch….

Until tomorrow – live up today



Gratitudes:
1. My sister-in-law
2. Bug spray
3. Quilting time with Chelsey

Work was pretty tough today. The heat pressed everyone’s nerves. My office is in the back of the hangar with the mechanics. When I first started working there they offered me a window unit air conditioner. I was having a tough enough time changing jobs without locking myself away in an air conditioned office while everyone else suffered. Team play was real important thing to me, so I passed on the A/C.

The best news is Don called and he’s getting us air conditioning. By next week it will be it will be installed. I feel like it’s Christmas. Twenty years of living in the U.P. and I’m getting central air. Either the heat is really unbearable or we’re getting old….or maybe a combination of both.

I’ve got the label on my mother-in-law’s gift and I’m shipping it out tomorrow.
As for as quilting goes, I took everyone’s advice. I’m not trying to make entire quilt every time I sit down at the sewing machine. Baby steps. I worked on my Americana Appliqué project. There are 10 colors in the appliqué, I figure I would try to get 2 or 3 a night. Baby steps. I still feel accomplished.

My prayers are still with Judy and her family in the loss of her nephew. You never get ready to lose those you love.

Until tomorrow – live up today.

The weekend was outstanding. The temperatures hovered at 98 degrees Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We don’t have air conditioning. We don’t need it (ha! HA!) . We REALLY needed it today, but we keep telling ourselves we don’t. It’s just a few days in the summer that get unbearable. We all head to the basement. It’s cool, about 72 degrees down there. That’s where my sewing room is----thank goodness.

I finished my Gift for my Mother-in-law.
I usually hate everything I sew for about 2 weeks after it is complete, but I really like this piece. If I could change anything, I think I would have put a big black crow sitting on one of the pumpkins on each side of the table runner. I’m shipping it to her this week.

My piece for my Mom and the kids teacher is coming along well too.
Working on the pumpkin piece I ran out of thread 3 times. But it was always after I completed the portion that needed that color thread—there was always just enough. I need ten colors of thread to do the machine appliqué for my mom’s piece and amazingly enough I had every color. How often does that happen---very seldom. As corny as it sounds, I feel like when I do things for the right reasons, things seem to fall into place.

I had 6 kids in Sunday school. We talked about giving. I told them how it is not enough to give of your time or to help others if you do it begrudgingly. Your heart has to be in the right place. I think I got the point across, but that’s not an easy concept for adults much less 4 and 5 year-olds.

Don tilled in-between the rows of my garden for me, so that means less time weeding. It’s another one of those things he does for me that I never take for granted.

Say a prayer for Chelsey. She’s got another interview tomorrow.

Gratitudes:
1. Tall glasses of ice water.
2. Homemade salads
3. Air conditioning in my car.

It’s Friday evening. My kids just arrived home from their week long trips away. ‘Mom, can we have dates over—‘Sure. It just feels good having them close. Lots of stories to tell.

Revelation----My kids haven’t been here, and I still haven’t done much quilting. Yeah – they’ve been the reason, but I didn’t have them to blame. You know, I was bummed. I had a great week. Don and I did lots of great stuff. Hey, without the kids you don’t have anything to fight about. I worked full time. I had gardening to catch up on—which was fun. We walked Ransom 2 miles a day. Don worries about my heart (not the romantic way) but the health way. We have been doing some biking. We cooked together, the things the kids won’t eat. I just couldn’t fit everything into a 24 hour day.

I am just about finished with my MIL’s gift. I’ll have a picture tomorrow---I promise.
I laughed at my last posting. I said something about “whipping” up a thank you gift for Eric and Chelsey’s chaperone. Come on…get real. When do I have time to whip up anything? But this evening I half way finished the cottage creek quilts pattern I got in Appleton. .
I’m making my Mom and the teacher one. The colors are going to be a little darker than the pattern shows, but I like it so far. I had more fun picking out the scrappy pieces.

Yeah, Ransom and I picked Black-eyed Susans too.
So what am I complaining about??!?!? It’s not really a complaint. I just read about everything everyone is quilting on and I want to be doing it too. Don’s real understanding about it, but he keeps me grounded. Mel—it’s your hobby. It’s supposed to be fun. It’s not a race. It’s suppose to make you feel good not frustrated. I do a pretty good job (I think) of encouraging others on how to balance all the hats women wear, but I guess I’m not real good at practicing what I preach.


I’ve felt like I haven’t had anything to write about this week, but a few minutes in the sewing room changed my whole outlook. I guess for a little while, I’ll read about those quilts and be grateful for the time I do get. I’m learning tons…and I’m positive it’s the next best thing.

Until tomorrow --- live up today

After a great weekend, I’m back at the grindstone of work. Sunday we did go see Superman, I loved it. Don wasn’t real crazy about it. More of a chick flick than you would think.

I finished the appliqué on My MIL’s gift. It’s half quilted too. Of course, I ran out of thread, so I’m going to pick up some this afternoon and get it finished, hopefully tonight.

I had 10 4 /5 year olds in Sunday school yesterday. We’ve been taking a letter of the alphabet every 2 weeks and talking about all the things we’re thankful for that God gives us. The letter this week was… you guessed it… Q … for Quilts. We painted, some kids did pictures others sort of painted themselves, but it was an outstanding class.

The kids are having a blast in Nashville. They call us rubbing it in on the southern vacation. I think I’m going to try to whip a little something together this week for their chaperone. She’s taking care of a pretty important commodity…my kids.
Hopefully I’ll have pictures tomorrow.

Gratitudes:
1. Sunday afternoon walks
2. Coke Icees
3. Cold fronts in the Summer Time, cools the hottest of days

Well, the kids made it to Nashville, Chelsey called and on the agenda tonite was a paddleboat cruise for supper. She planned on eating something "fishy" she said---lobster, crab , or shrimp. I just laughed. When that child is happy, the whole world is full of cherry gumdrops....

Life is good at home. Don and I say a trip would be nice, but we get so little time alone at home, this is week is a vacation, and you don't have to leave home. We rented the movie 'Failure to Launch' last Night. Guaranteed Giggles. I highly recommend it. We also had Garlic Chicken pizza. I'm not much of an adventurer when it comes to food. I like what I like, I don't try many new things...Well I tried this and it was great.

When I was in college my roommates and I had this game called the Best Boyfriend award. Girls come back from weekends, compare notes and who was 'the Best Boyfriend??' Even after we 'grew up' and got married we still talked occaisionally and always said,'Law makes you a husband, but it's that great guy that gets the Every so Often Boyfriend Award'. I think Don got it today. You will appreciate it. We went to Appleton, WI shopping and for lunch. It's about an hour and a half drive. The first place he took me was the Patchwork Sampler. It's one of the nicest quilt shops I've ever been to. Remember it, I'm confident one day it well make the top ten list. Anyway they were having a sale and a fat quarter sale on top of it. Honey, I got my bag and started going for it. Then I stopped and thought. I have fabric at home. The idea of the group is too lower the stash. Well, with a whole lot of will power I put the fat quarters back. I did make the purchases below.
I felt like they were great deals for backing and I really have no yellow fabric so I felt it was legal. The Scrappy patterns were just necessary therapy.

Stay with me now, I pay for my purchases. and go to the car where Don is waiting. He pulls out and we start driving away. I tell him about my great will power and about my purchases (he even listens!!)Well, I tell him about the fat quarter sale, and he almost demands I go back in there for more fabric!!! I almost died...No , Don I'm Good. But Mel, if it's that good of a deal, let's turn around----last chance...

Just when you've got them figured out--bam! They go and do something nice---hence--The Boyfriend Award, any guy can be a husband, but it's that great one that is ...the Boyfriend....

Now we did do some window shopping for motorcycles (an incredible learning experience) and cars (you know the kind you'll buy AFTER the kids are raised).

All and All I had a wonderful day.

Gratitudes:
1. Safe travel today
2. Pizza
3. quilt shop sales

I am a Daffodil What Flower Are You?

"You have a sunny disposition and are normally one of the first to show up for the party. You don't need too much attention from the host once you get there as you are more than capable of making yourself seen and heard."


I'm not convinced.....but maybe.....

Both of my kids leave for Nashville, TN today for a week. They are competing on the national level of FCCLA – Family, Communities, and Career Leaders of America. They are representing Michigan. Who cares how well they do??? They are going to have a ball. It’s great that they are going together with their teacher because with Eric leaving for college in 6 weeks. It should be packed with lots of fun memories. They are so close; Chelsey is really going to miss him this fall.

I’m left home alone with just Don …. And Ransom…That’s not so bad either.

Time to change quilts around again.
This one will hang in the kitchen/breakfast area. When I saw the pattern at Thimbleberries club I thought—ugly quilt, I’m going to pass. But I saw a friend with it and it reminded me of summers at my Grandmother’s. It kinda spoke to me so I had to make it. She was a neat lady. She always kept a vinyl tablecloth on the kitchen table that looked just like the print of big red flowers in the border.
They grew watermelons, and she canned and froze every vegetable under the rainbow. I think of her every time I look at it. Hey – she quilted too.

So what makes you pick out a quilt pattern? Is it because of a season, a holiday, or a technique you want to practice?
I guess because I don’t get to quilt a lot, it always this sacred process of what the quilt means or what it reminds me of. Since I only get to quilt in little ‘spurts’, it’s got to have meaning to carry me over to completion.

Gratitudes:
1. Evening drives with Don.
2. Fridays
3. Sprinklers watering the lawn
4. Cinnamon Jelly beans

Yesterday was a quiet holiday… the kind I like. I’d like another right away, hey I’m greedy, always wanting a little more. The U.P. or Upper Peninsula of Michigan is 100 miles north of Green Bay Wisconsin. I remember Don asking, ”What would you think about living in Michigan?” I thought, “ Sure, I can live in the ‘Mitten’ state. “ But I had no idea --- we’re talking a lot further north!!!! But 21 years later… the rest is history.

I went to the parade. Here’s Chelsey marching as a cheerleader.
She was defensive MVP on the girl’s basketball team last year, but there were some coaching issues and many of the girls decided not to go out this year. She’s OK about it as long as you don’t talk about it. Extra curricular activities are about fun and friends—not becoming a pro ball player…I’m proud of her for taking a stand.

She had friends over in the afternoon. Just when you think they are “adults” look at what they did….Sidewalk Chalk Drawings.




She called me outside for pictures because she even made me quilt pictures. Kids…..
Back in January Chelsey and I were talking. She’s into journaling (She’s thinks Laura is the coolest Mom around) I had told her that I had always wanted to keep a journal of quilts I made. I’d put fabric swatches and pictures with dates and why I made each piece. I had never followed through. It was ‘one of these days’ kind of ideas. She said, ”Mom—you’ve got to do it. Start right now.”

So this year I did it. It will probably evolve more over time. But I look back over the 8 pieces I’ve completed this year and I’m glad I’m writing things down. Wal-mart makes it easy to do photos since you can order on-line. I’m taking pictures for the weblog anyway so I just send in a few pictures and place them in the journal.

Looking back over this posting, I guess you can tell I’ve been by myself too much, because I keep going on and on and on…I better get busy and get to work.

Gratitudes:
1. Safe travel for Family on the holiday.
2. Tacos with Chelsey
3. Daisies
4. 15+ hours of daylight right now in the U.P.

Happy Independence Day. It’s early in the morning and about 53 degrees. Don’s working today and Eric is spending the day with his girlfriend’s family. I’m going to our town’s parade this morning. Chelsey’s riding in it. Then I’m going to have an afternoon of gardening and quilting. That’s the game plan.


I have the leaves made to put on my MIL’s table runner so hopefully by this evening it will be stretched and ready for quilting.

Thanks for all of the comments on the webpage. I’ve said before, working fulltime outside the home and raising two teenagers doesn’t give you a lot of quilt time much less time for friends. There’s groceries, cleaning, laundry, cooking, and on and on. While I’m still figuring out how to add more quilt time I do feel like I have friends…. Thanks.


Have a safe and Happy 4th of July. Have a cup of coffee with me.

Gratitudes:
1. Freedom and those who fought for it.
2. More quilt fabric than I deserve.
3. My Family.

Look what stopped by yesterday for an afternoon break... Deer are really plentiful around here. yes, we have a dog. But the deer nor the dog get excited around each other. It's like they have an 'understanding'. The deer are definitely a problem. And even though 3 out of 4 of us in the family have hit one in our vehicles (Eric totalled a car the first week he had his license 500 feet from the driveway) I'm still amazed with their beauty.

O.K. Quilt stuff. I cleaned on the sewing/scrapbooking room yesterday. It is a neverending process, but I'm thankful I have a room and thankful it gets used. This is what I gathered. I read about this a couple of years ago. I save all the 1 inch scraps and thread pieces. When I get a basket full I take them to the back of the property and toss them out. It's recycling for the birds and squirrels. I go back months later and the pieces are always gone. They can use the scraps and threads for winter nests. It gets frightfuly cold in the winter up here.

And think about it... one day I'm going to stumble across a bird's nest and smile...it will be lined fashionably with a Thimbleberries print....

Your smiling now. Have a good evening.

Until tomorrow - live up today.