Whiz, Bang, I'm gone again...

I've been home just over a week,running around trying to get work done on the house and see friends, now I am off again.
Early in the morning we jump on a plane to Colorado for a couple of days. It is a short working vacation. Ray goes to meetings in the mornings and in the afternoon we meet up for sightseeing.
While he is in meetings I will be checking out the quilting museum and a couple of stores.

Now I need to finish packing...I hate packing. I am always afraid I won't have what I need, but don't want to pack too much. I have books loaded on my iPod, magazines I have refused to look at all week so they will be new on the plane and I am debating taking an applique block...hmmm...I don't know if I will actually work on it...why bother...Oh well I will set it out and if I want I will grab it in the morning.
I have decided to leave my computer home so no checking email or reading blogs. I may go crazy, but I think I will just be too busy to bother with it.

Until I get home,
Diane

out and about with friends

Tuesday the workers were at my house painting and needed to have the electricity turned off so they could get to the second floor without frying themselves on our power lines. I was NOT going to stay in my house in south Alabama in mid July without A/C! I decided to go to a workshop my guild was having to prepare for our upcoming quilt show boutique. I had a lot of fun. I made a "space saver". This is like a placemat for your sewing machine, but it has the benefit of pockets that hang off the edge of the table to hold your scissors and seam ripper and other various things you need while sewing. I was told it was called a space saver because it "saves your space" at a retreat or class when several people are using one table. It saves half of the depth and half of the length of a 6" table for your space. I am the worlds worst about my stuff growing all over the table. This keeps me more in line. I know my table mates appreciate it! :)
I also made an applique block carrier. This is much harder to explain than it should be. I will look for a picture of it to post.

I need to do laundry..
Later
Diane

Back in Mobile

We arrived back in Mobile after horrendous rains all day yesterday. There were several times on the freeway that we were barely moving 20mph due to the heavy rains. The drive that normally takes Ray 8 1/2 to 9 hours to drive took us 10 1/2. I was so road weary when we got home I could have cried.
It was so good to get my arms around my youngest. I missed him so much. We all sat up and talked a bit last night but finally off to bed with us. It was so good to crawl up in my wonderful bed after 2 weeks on the worst hotel mattress ever made. Joseph told us this morning he slept better than he had the whole time we were gone. Poor baby.
We had to drive the rental car to New Orleans airport today and return it. Ray got us a great deal on a rental with Hertz by agreeing to pick the car up in Orland and return it to N.O. The regular cost of a rental for a week was over$200. We only paid $79.00 a week. Plus while we were there to pick up the car they had problems with no computers working for you to "self check" and there was a waiting line of over an hour. We got a free upgrade, a free GPS (that came in handy more than once) and a $50 certificate for our next rental which I will use in 2 weeks. Then today when I returned the car the lady asked me how everything was. Well, I didn't want to be blamed for it so I told her that the previous person had spilled milk in the floor and it has soured in the carpet. She without hesitating gave us $25 off my bill. So I drove a Toyota RAV4 SUV for two weeks for a total of $146. Not too shabby!

Tomorrow we work some more on decluttering. Fun,fun.

Later,
Diane

Hurry up and wait

That is where we are right now. Rush, rush, rush to get all sorts of paper work filled out and delivered, just to be told they would call us when they had more information. UGH! The only thing I hate more than change is waiting!

So I have been sewing!

I have 14 houses made. I don't know why I chose to make houses except that is what I have had on my mind a lot lately. They go together really fast.

Yes, these are the houses from Bonnie's Quiltville site.

All from my scrap bins.

Yesterday my sweetie took me to check out the local Joann's. He decided to spoil me with the new Gingher rotary cutter. I thought it was too much to pay for a cutter especially when I have at least six of various sizes and designs at home already. But let me tell you it does feel good in the hand. I have problems with dropping things and I have dropped my rotary cutters many times. I have thought about buying myself steel toe boots to wear while I am cutting! This cutter feels so balanced I hope I don't have that problem anymore.

I'm gonna go back to my houses.

Later

Diane

What I know..

1. House hunting is not for the faint of heart.
2. You will never find the "perfect" house.
3. Realtors are some of the scariest drivers.
4. Husbands are not so good at helping you make the final decision when you have it narrowed to two and they add another to the list.
5. If you are going from owning a home to renting a home, you must chant this to your self constantly..."I'm not buying this home, just renting it".
6. Bigger is not always better.
7. Formal living rooms are a waste of good space.
8. Location, location, location!
9. Check your elevation and flood plain!
10. Musts for a happy home, close proximity to grocery store, pharmacy, bank, library and QUILT SHOP!

House Hunting

Like I stated in my last post, I am in Florida hunting for our new home. We have decided since our last move that we would try our best to never buy right off the bat again. That gives us time to really get to know the area.

I have looked at so many homes my brain is all confused. I know Linda I stay confused, but if you can believe it, I am worse now!

If I counted correctly I have seen 16 homes with the realtor in 2 days and one of those homes twice. Then after Ray left his office I took him back to look around the homes I didn't take off the list.

Right now unless the realtor comes up with anymore to look at I think I have it narrowed down to 3 possible homes. One house keeps coming to my mind as the perfect house. It has all we asked for plus it has a pool and spa and it is only minutes from Ray's office. How nice would that be?

Homes in Florida are way different than homes in Texas and Alabama. I have not seen one wood frame home, they are all stucco and none of them have fences of any kind. One back yard just opens right up to the next. I guess it isn't bad, just different. I will have to get used to the fact I can't go in the backyard in my gown to put out the trash anymore. Believe me the neighbors will appreciate that!

This is a picture of the kitchen in the house that keeps coming to my mind as the house we need to rent. Do you think I could handle a kitchen that color? Hmmm...

What do you think of the pool? I can just imagine me in the spa every evening relaxing the knots out after a long day of quilting. Ahhhhh...

I'll keep looking until I know for sure.

Later

Diane