When September Comes...

I cannot believe it is September already and school has started!  Time has really gotten away from me!

Since "Life" has settled, I settled into a more "normal" routine. So, after a full day at work, I pick my little one up from the twins, and take her to:  cheer practice, CCD, Brownies, and cheer practice again.  When home again, the evening routine, dinner (which I usually don't plan in advance so I'm running around like a maniac trying to figure something out), homework help, bath, bedtime.  I'm lucky if I get to sit by 9:00 pm! Then the routine starts all over again at 5:15 the next morning.  Wow!  I sound really whiny!  I'm not whining -- I'm just tired. It usually takes us about a month to get back into the swing of things sooooooo...

I really hope to get back to my dear old friend soon!  Until then...

Cheers!

Busy Busy Busy

So life has started to settle a little...or I've just gotten used to the craziness of it right now.

I've been up and down state doing what I can.  My brother has taken our dad in and I am still amazed at how well my dad is doing.  Last week, my brother and I were reminiscing...telling my nephews stories from when we were kids...and we were all laughing and howling and there were a few times that my dad recognized the story and said, "that was me!".  He was laughing so hard that he was crying...Amazing! 

As for the twins?  They have moved into their new home and are getting settled, organizing, meeting neighbors.  They seem to be happy.


Me?Well, I've managed to visit my dear, old friend (my Sewing Machine) for a moment here and there but haven't actually accomplished much.  I need to make something small...like a p!illow or something...so I can feel some gratification.  If I can manage that, I'll post pics... 

Cheers!

MIA

Wow! Sometimes we just can't catch a break!

So my aunt has recovered and I have been spending every second of free time working on the house for the twins.  Now, my dad's wife is very sick and my dad, who has advanced stage Alzheimer's, is in assisted living while his wife is in the hospital.  It's taken the specialists over two weeks to figure out what is wrong with Dad's wife and they still haven't decided how to treat her or what her prognosis is.  And my dad is so confused!  My brother will be taking dad to his house to live on July 1st so that should help some...we shall see.  They all live three hours away and that throws in an added complication. So dear sweet hubby has taken the trip up and back in a day with me to visit dad and his wife.

So needless to say...I haven't seen my sewing machine in over a month and at the rate life is moving, not sure when I will again.

Pray for my family...Please.

And Happy Father's Day to:
        Dear Sweet Hubby!
        Best father-in-law!
        Best Daddy ever!
and all the other dads out there!




   

It's Done!

I've finally completed two of my five UFO's...

I started the quilt on the left so long ago that I can't remember which book it came from but I do know it is one of Debbie Mumm's patterns.
I turned the barns so that I could use it as a tablecloth...

I think the quilt on the right is a bear claw, but again, I pieced it so long ago I'm not sure where I got the pattern from. 



I still have to sandwich two and put blocks together on the third.  Progress for sure...but...I really need to start another quilt!  So I've decided if I can sandwich at least one of the quilts, I'll give myself permission to start a new one.

AND...

Small parts and Bolts, neatly labeled

Giving the parts a bath

Yuk!

.Drum Roll Please...the Cabriolet is Done!  Brightly painted and labeled - and just in time for the warmer weather! 

Check out that Green!

No mistakes here!

That's my sweet hubby for you - he takes care of the little things that make life easier...

Cheers!

Hope everyone had a Blessed and Happy Easter!

The Move - #1

I did it!  They are out.  Couldn't have done it without the world's best father-in-law ever.  He stayed at the house all day with the movers...and stayed longer to help me sweep and clean up when I got there after work.  The new homeowners started moving in before we were even done cleaning up, they were so excited.  I hear they're doing lots of work...the house needed serious updating but it's a good, strong house.

Now, we're doing some work on my mother's (as in two) new house.  I want that house to look like a brand new house when they walk in!  And they've put total faith in me for all decorating and design choices!  Imagine that!  What fun!

Wish me luck!

Life...again...

Wow!  Life can be so crazy!  So I've been quiet for a few weeks with good reason. First, a little background...I have two mothers...my mother is an identical twin. She and her twin have lived together (and worked together) their entire lives.  They've been in the same house for nearly 50 years!  They live south of me and it's about a 30 minute drive.  They have never driven to my house - they only drive locally.  So last year, my mother had some health issues.  She kept going to the emergency room and they kept sending her home.  The problem was that by the time she got to the hospital, her blood pressure was sky high and everyone focused on that and ignored her chief complaint.  She was hospitalized twice - once in June, and once in July.  Fortunately, they figured it out and my mother is back to her old self.  But while mom was sick, Auntie had to do everything until I could get down there. Did I mention that they are 80 years old?

Soooooo, after all that, they decided it was time to sell their house and move closer to me.  That was the easy part.  A neighbor's daughter and son-in-law bought it and we didn't even have to list it.  We found a smaller, level (no stairs) house right around the corner from me.  (They did not want an apartment or senior housing).

Then...my 80 year old aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer.  The prognosis was really good - stage 0, lumpectomy and she's good to go.  Not so - still stage 0 - but now she needed a masectomy.  Oh boy...She had the masectomy on March 29th and came out like a champ - God Bless Her!  And even better news - they got everything and she's okay - no chemo or anything - Thank You God!

Meanwhile, we get word on March 27th, that the buyers must close on the house by April 10th! Are you kidding me?!  We haven't even started packing!  And remember - they've lived in that house for 50 years! Well, I've been packing and tossing and donating like crazy.  We closed on both houses on Thursday and the buyer gave us until Monday (the earliest we could get a mover) to clean out the house.  So this weekend, I'm heading down to finish up.

Despite this, I did manage to spend a little time in therapy - I finished one quilt completely and machine quilted another!  So I have to attach the binding on Quilt #2 and sandwich, quilt and bind quilts # 3 and 4.

I also have to paint and decorate my mothers (as in two) house!  Hopefully I'll remember to post before and after pics!

Wish me luck and say a prayer for Auntie!

What I've been working on...

Bits and Pieces

I'm currently working on "Apple Crisp"  from the October issue of American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.  Here's a link to the picture with color options:

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/magazines/americanpatchworkquilting/oct-2010-color-options_ss17.html

I also love, and plan to make, the "Granny Squares" quilt from that same issue. 

My plan is to actually quilt this one before I move on to something new.  We'll see...I still have two quilt tops that I have to sandwich together and quilt those as well.  And...one more that I started quilting ages ago but have yet to finish.  I pulled that one out to see how much I've done and I'm sorry to say, not much.  So I'm leaving it out and hope to do a little quilting on it this week.  And the final quilt - I've attached the binding and will finish it this week.  So that makes four UFO's.  For some reason I thought I was in much worse shape.  But four isn't so bad. I'll post pics as I finish.

Life...

I drive a VW Eurovan.  I love love love my Eurovan!  But...repairs are expensive...AND...they don't make them anymore!  So my van has to last FOREVER. 

So, to keep the miles down, my sweet hubby bought me a Cabriolet.  Not a brand new one (they don't make them anymore either) but a 1991 VW Cabriolet, Teal with a white top.  I made the seat covers and the little seat organizer.

So, about two months ago, the "coolant fluid low" light came on.  I was about an hour's drive from home and didn't want the car to overheat.  So I stopped at the next rest stop, and proudly added coolant to the overflow tank.  (My sweet, patient hubby showed me where it was).  And being the sweet hubby that he is, he put water in my trunk for just this purpose.  So the light goes out and I drive home.

Hours later...I'm talking to sweet hubby's dad (who is the absolute best father-in-law a girl could wish for) and midway through this story, I freeze...and it dawns on me...(Oh No - sweet hubby is gonna kill me)...I didn't put water in the overfill tank...I put windshield washer fluid in the overfill tank!  (Remember, I have a dear, sweet hubby...who also put a water bottle filled with windshield washer fluid in the trunk because my washer tank is really small.)  Soooooo...on one of the coldest weekends of the year, my sweet hubby is out there draining my radiator and everything else so my engine doesn't die!

And of course, nothing is ever simple, right?  So now, I have a leaky head gasket (don't ask) and my cabby is in pieces with the top half of the engine off so my dear, sweet hubby can fix this car and get it moving again.

You know I feel really, really awful about all this...I mean all that work that sweet hubby has to do to fix my mistake...and what does sweet hubby say?  He says I saved him a lot of aggravation because you know the first hot day that we took off for the beach would find us stranded on the side of the road somewhere and we'd have to pay more than we spent on the car to have it fixed and we'd miss the great beach weekend.  See how sweet sweet hubby is?

I was just thinking...

So...I was just thinking...Maybe I should explain my title.

First, bits and pieces.  Bits and Pieces of what, you might ask.  Bits and pieces of fabric...and life.  Maybe that's why I love quilting...you take all these little pieces of fabric and put them together and what do you have?  Something beautiful...or scary...or happy...or sad.  Life's like that too, don't ya think? 

Now for the UFO part...well, I love to piece quilts together.  Actually quilting them - not a fan.  So I've got a bunch of quilts that I need to finish and I'm hoping that this blog will actually help me get them done.  I know, I know...that makes no sense!  But if I think someone is actually waiting for one of these quilts, I will get it done.  Hopefully sooner than eventually.

Cheers!

I'm a "newbie"

So here I am.  I decided to start a blog because I've been so inspired by others.  Then, reality set in.  What was I thinking?  I mean, Really!  What would I say?  What should I do?  I felt sorta like I did the first time (who am I kidding, every time) I had to speak publicly...Really.  What was I thinking?  So here I am.  And I hope that as I get more comfortable with this blogging world, I'll be able to inspire someone else out there.  So wish me luck!