Finally!

I am finally headed to Florida. It has been planned and changed so many times I was beginning to doubt if I was ever going.

I have my sewing things packed and ready, new songs on my iPod and Billy Crystal's book "700 Sundays". Ray bought me a Garmin GPS thing so I won't get lost. Hope springs eternal! His mind must be slipping. :)

I am taking my computer so I can stay in contact. I am gonna be house and quilt shop hunting. Let's face it, we all know a house is important, but a LQS is absolutely necessary.
If you have any shops you think I should check out just let me know.

Later,
Diane

Home at last!

Today I was able to go pick up my Bernina 1230. :) I am very happy to have it home, so I can take it to Florida with me. I am preparing a kit of blocks to work on and really wanted to take the 1230, but was prepared to take my other machine if need be.
I tell you what, getting work done on a Bernina is not cheap. The bill was just pennies under $160. EEK! I am not too upset as the machine was a good price and I have only bought me two fun things after all my years of having my business, this and my iPod. I am pretty tight fisted with my business profits. I have bought other people gifts, but not so much for me. I am running on tonight aren't I?LOL
Ok, I am gonna go cut more blocks as I feel like I am making no sense...could be the hour...

Later
Diane

Thoughts, reviews and questions

Thoughts:
I have been away enjoying the company of my husband who has been away too long, and friends who live far enough away that we only see them about every two to three years.
We got to go to dinner with them on Thursday evening, but the visit was just too short, we hope to get to see them again before they leave to go home and we head to Florida for another look at homes.
I am starting to get a bit excited about the move. I am ready to see what is next.

Review:
Yesterday went to the movies. We have really enjoyed M.Night Shyamalan's previous movies so we decided to go see The Happening. If you think you may want to go see this movie and care to hear my opinion I would tell you to STAY HOME! I was actually mad when the movie ended. It was one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my LIFE! I can not express how bad this movie is. I am so disappointed. Next time I will read reviews before spending my money.

Questions:
Have any of you subscribed to The Quilt Show? I have never subscribed but I am interested to know if it would be worth it. Let me know if you subscribe and if you think it is worth it and why.

Do any of you subscribe to Mark Lipinski's Quilter's Home magazine? I have bought one magazine and looked at another and I like the look of the magazine and like the quilts in it. I don't think I will ever subscribe to it though. It just doesn't fit me. He seems like a really nice person and someone I could have a good laugh over dinner with, but the magazine feels to me like a cross between Cosmopolitan or Red Book and a quilt magazine. I don't mean that is necessarily a bad thing, but it just isn't me. I really don't want to spend my money to find out about any ones sex lives or lack thereof and how to fix it. But those of you who really know me know I am on the more conservative side of the street. If you have not seen his magazine yet, so check it out, you may like it.

Have you looked at the patterns and books that are being published lately? Is it just me or are they all alike? I am getting so tired of seeing squares and rectangles, or squares inside of squares or even rectangles in squares. It is like a couple of years ago when it seemed like evey quilt I saw had a black background. UGH! The next time you go to your LQS or even to an online shop look around. Let me know what you find.

Back to more visiting,
Diane

Twenty seven years ago today...

Ray and I made our vows before God that we would love,honor and cherish each other. I can tell you we have kept that vow. God gave to me a honorable man, who has never lied to me. He is a hard worker who provides for his family and takes good care of us. Our life has not always been easy, but I know I can depend on him to help me when it is hard.
I love my husband!
I hope one day my children can know this kind of love and trust.

Take care,
Diane

a visit to the doctor

Today I went with a friend to Pensacola. It was a real adventure getting there, but we finally made it. I'll have to tell you some day about the adventure.

We got to Pensacola and we met another friend at A&E Pharmacy, which happens to be one of the BEST "quilt" shops for many miles. I managed to leave there with a MUCH less $. Shhh don't tell the DH. He will find out soon enough. :c)

Anyway...after we giggled our way through A&E (I am quite sure they were VERY glad when we finally left) we drove over to take my 1230 over to the Bernina doctor. We arrive a full 4 minutes before closing, cool huh? To their credit and my surprise I was treated as if I arrived at 10am and they had all the time in the world to give me all the attention I needed.

Diagnosis...my "Nina"needs a full workup. She needs 2 new thread spool things, the light switch has a short, the gas pedal needs a new cord, and she needs a good cleaning and lubricating. Basically, I got there just in the nick of time. This is going to be a long stay with the doc. He said possibly 2 weeks. Oh well, you do what you have to do! Huh?

Tomorrow I will post a picture of all I brought home with me, and tell you what I intend to do with it.

Is there a statute of limitations on UFOs?

As I was cleaning out the downstairs closet I found a huge bag of dimensional bow tie blocks. I have lived in this house exactly ten years. These blocks were made and traded with a group of ladies at least 11 years ago and probably 12 years ago.

I have enough blocks to make a queen size top and still have a few left over to make a Linus quilt. Goodness! I can not believe I let this set so long,untouched. I have plenty fabric for borders and backing in my stash, so I hope to start sewing then together tomorrow.
I was thinking about listing all of the UFOs I have touched in the past two weeks but I am not so sure I want it in writing. That just seems like it would come bag to haunt me. LOL

Later,
Diane

It Arrived! and other random stuff

Here is my animated youngest son showing his excitement when his graduation present arrived.

He is so silly! :)

Daddy bought the extra security since he will be taking this to college. Lo/Jack was not available when our oldest son went to college, so he spent the whole time at school with one hand on the computer at all times.

The Sound Blaster card is just because everyone needs to hear those great tunes as best as they can sound.

This would be son on the phone talking with Dad (who is out of town) telling him play by play what he is doing and what it looks like while he is doing it.

How cute!

I have been spending so much time this week doing quilt related things but no actual quilting. :(

I went to Monday Bunch on Monday (appropriate name huh?). This is a group of guild members who like to learn new techniques and practice them by making a few blocks then giving the blocks to the Linus group. This was where I gave two bags of fabric away.

I went to Sew and Sews on Tuesday. This is the Linus group made up of a lot of Monday Bunch ladies and a few others. We had several tops ready for borders so we tackled them and sent them home with one of the quilters. This is when I gave away a bag of fabric and two partial bolts. Oh the FREEDOM! :^)

Wednesday I rested! I went to the quilt shop for a couple of hours. Joseph had to go to the bank and open his first ever checking account. Since he doesn't love driving my truck I had to take him.

Thursday I went to a quilt show board meeting. I didn't know I was going to do this so it kind of threw a wrinkle in my day, but I survived.

Friday I slept late and went to the quilt shop in the afternoon. Joseph and I went to Books a Million and I was so excited to find so many Jan Karon books on the sale table. I have been re-reading the Mitford series of books. I just love them.

I am surprised I did something everyday that had to do with quilts or quilting, but didn't actually sew a seam. Hmmmm, must remedy this TODAY!

I am so excited, my friend Linda (A) is back! She went on a cruise with her husband and I missed talking with her so much when she called me last night we talked for 276 minutes. Do you know how long that is??? Do the math, it is over 4.5 hours! We are crazy!

I might get to go see her in a few days so I am gonna keep my fingers crossed.

Later,

Diane

fabric fabric everywhere...

Man at the emails wondering if I REALLY cleaned the pig sty. LOL!

Well I have been working...

I finally have all the fabric in my sewing room folded and almost all of it in boxes for moving. Now after saying that you must understand that I still have fabric downstairs (not much) that was in the under the stairs closet and also all of the dyed fabric from my business (a lot!) that I still have not finished folding. I hope to get that all finished today. Yeah right!

The tall boxes hold pieces one yard or larger by color family and the short boxes have the smaller than one yard but larger than a fat quarter not sorted by color. I had run out of energy by that time and wondered if it was really necessary, I decided it wasn't.

My friend Linda in Houston who is probably the most organized person I know (she will disagree, but trust me) will be so proud of me. You know those Ziploc XXL bags you can buy at Sam's and Target? Well I gave away 3 FULL bags of fabric and patterns to my Linus group. Most of the fabric was snapped up on the spot for on going Linus quilts,so I am happy someone will use it and be happy with it. It was not really ugly fabric, just stuff I only had a FQ of or leftover from another project or just I no longer loved. I'm pretty frugal in my cutting and I don't throw out much but I was happy to let go of some fabric. Which if you know me, you know I NEVER do. LOL I am the one at retreats snagging the left over triangle corners so I can make half square triangles. But now I am just rambling...

I went through kits that I had bundled myself and put in clear shoe boxes and judged whether it was something I thought I would actually make or if everything was still in it or not. Some of them didn't even have the pattern with the fabric if you can believe that! What was I thinking? :)

I have stacked magazines I am giving away. I have patterns ready to go through to see if I want to cull any. I had several cans of spray baste that I knew I couldn't use up and knew from the last move I couldn't leave for the movers to move so I gave them away and I know the Linus group will be pleased to not have to pin baste all those quilts.

Today is the day I get to pick up my going away quilt from the quilter. I am so excited!

I will post pictures as soon as I get home with it.

Later

Diane

Walking and rambling

Do you do much walking? I don't. Not anymore at least. Since we moved to this town 10 years ago we no longer have the ability to do much walking. I mean we used to walk to the bank, to the dentist, pharmacy, park, etc. Now we don't do much of that. We could still walk to the pharmacy and the dentist but nothing else. I was reading on a Morning Ramble about the walk score in her area of the world. I go to the link she provides for your own walk score and discover mine is only 20. Mine is considered a "drive only" area. Too bad.



We are looking for place to live in Florida so I am going to put that on my list of things I would like to have, sidewalks and destinations. I love walking in the evenings but we don't do it much for fear of being run over.



I have been doing more playing around with the disappearing 9-patch. At the quilt shop we have some really pretty, floral print that just begged to be made into a quilt.



This is one that Candy the owner of The Cotton Blossom quilt shop made and I fell in love with it and made one very similar. Mine is still in block form but I hope I will have it in a top in the next day or so. I have so much on my plate trying to get stuff organized and ready to move,search for houses on the internet, clean out replant the flowebeds, pack up my dye business, etc. But sewing really keeps me from doing bodily damage to those I love.

Anyway, I am off to do more packing and throwing out.



Later

Diane