Sunday, November 28, 2010

Stash Report 2010 - Week 47

I don't even know why I'm continuing to report. Well, there's the comedy factor for my readers!

Busted this week were 9.75 yards that were given away. There has been absolutely no sewing done at all for months on end here.

Nothing purchased. After all, what could I possibly need? I know, I know. Since when has "need" entered into the picture? Seriously, though, I have my eye on one small kit at the Fat Quarter Shop that won't be out until later next year. I have a recipient in mind for that quilt. And I'm sure I'm going to want Charlevoix yardage when it comes out. Maybe some La Petite Ecole yardage. Other than that, I don't plan on getting much else in the coming months. Well, I guess I have a couple of BOMs on order, so the finishing kits and backings for those will be incoming. But my "want" list is much shorter right now.

The first six months of the year are stressful at work but I hope to at least finish up some UFOs and get them quilted during that period. I did that last year and ended up finishing about eight or so quilts. That reduced the bulk in my sewing room - although you can't tell because of all the FQS boxes sitting around.

I'm working on my New Year's goals. I need to get back to my "quilting core" here. Just need to figure out how to do that in a realistic, do-able fashion. It needs to be fun for me again. I need to stess less and enjoy more while sewing. I can do that ... I think!

Year-To-Date:

Busted: 412.02 yards
Purchased: 594.03 yards
Net YTD: (182.01) yards busted :(

Be sure to visit Judy's Patchwork Times to see how the rest of the quilting world is doing on their stash busting!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Snuggie

Penny received a present from her vet yesterday.



Doesn't she look *SO* happy? ROFLOL

Friday, November 26, 2010

Penny's Day

Penny had an exciting day today!

First, a trip to the vet. Since she had a bad reaction to her last shots, she had to have a benadryl shot first, so she was kind of loopy. But here she is coming out from the back with her best friend, Rachel. Even after all the mashed potatoes yesterday, Penny only weighed 10.8 lbs!



Then we stopped by Ginger's for a visit on the way home. In walked Ginger's DIL with a puppy! This puppy is being auctioned in a couple of weeks for a charity event. He's 11 weeks old, and Penny had a ball playing with him.



No, we are NOT going to the auction!

Black Friday. Anyone Shopping?

Me? I'm not. At least I don't think I am. Of course, there's always the Black Friday sale at the Fat Quarter Shop. I think I already have one of everything there, but I'll go mosey around just in case I missed something. There's a code for checkout, blackfriday. Don't forget to put that in like I do half the time!

Decided to get myself a new TV for Christmas. The one I had in my bedroom broke a year ago and I tossed it. I might take the one from downstairs upstairs and get a new one downstairs. Confusing? That's how I talk at 6:45 a.m. after gorging on turkey dinner the evening before.

I also want a laptop, but no rush for that. Maybe after the first of the year.

I also need a new vacuum cleaner. Mine is only about four years old, but the doggone thing is so heavy. Lugging that puppy up and down the stairs isn't good. I think I'm going to get an Oreck - or at least I'll go check them out. Need to find an Oreck store nearby.

Penny needs one more shot to be finished up for the year, so I'll call and see if I can't get her in today. And a mani/pedi. For the dog - not me!

The QuiltMobile needs an oil change and some recall work done. I'll call them but I really hope they'll full up this weekend, or their service department is closed for the holidays. Don't want to waste a couple of hours over there. My middle name is Procrastination!

I decided to clean up the sewing area yesterday. I moved mass around for an hour and then gave up. I'm designing my next house, and my sewing area and stash room will be on the same floor! Those stash report boxes are heavy!

That's it from here. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Countdown to you-know-what in 30 days or so.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving 2010 - and Winner!



Penny, the little snot, woke me up at 3:30 a.m. I went back to bed, but decided that this time I would awaken her! Good morning, sunshine! Up and at 'em!

We're heading over later to have Thanksgiving with Jane and her sweet DH. I'm sure Skippy is SO excited that Penny will be there. Really, I'm sure he's thinking how nice it would be to have a day without her! At least they'll both sleep well tonight!

I picked up a bottle of wine strictly for its interesting label. I don't hold out much hope for it as what's inside is only described as "smooth red wine blend." Also picked up a bottle of white zinfandel just in case. Jane and I really need to decide on another way to pick wine other than the label! But we've had a few laughs over our choices through the years!

Oh, I said I'd tell you my Thanksgiving story, so here goes. It's a sad tale .... so try not to laugh too hard!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Probably has something to do with my favorite thing in the whole world - pumpkins. As a kid, Dad would wake me up really early and we'd share a cup of hot chocolate and sit and watch the Macy's Parade. My dad died when I was 21, so I look back on those early mornings with Dad as so precious.

A couple of years after Dad died, I found that I'd be alone on Thanksgiving. So I went to the market the night before and got everything I'd need to cook the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I got up at 4:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning and started cooking. I cooked and cooked all day. Made enough food to feed an army. About 3:00 everything was ready but I wanted to wait until 5:00 to eat. I was in my new little house and I didn't have a dining room table yet. So I set the table on the bar in the kitchen, left the turkey and food in the oven on warm, and sat on a bar stool to comtemplate what a fine job I had done. I woke up at 10:00 that night when I fell off the stool. My dinner was "warmed" to cardboard status and almost everything went in the garbage. My Thanksgiving dinner at 10:30 that night consisted of scrambled eggs and some smothered green beans that hadn't been warmed to death.

I told you it was a sad story. Now quit laughing!

It's time to announce the winner of the Primrose Lane quilt kit. It was thoroughly touching to read all of your Thanksgiving memories. A few of you even made me cry. The little snot a/k/a Penny finally cooperated after much coaxing and pulled a name from the bag. The winner of the quilt kit is ....... GWEN!

Gwen said...
One of our most memorable Thanksgivings was during Desert Storm. Our youngest son was in the Navy and in the Gulf. We celebrated with longtime friends. One family's son was also in the Navy, the other's in the Air Force. That one was the only one at home. We all hosted trainees from local military bases. Signed up for 2 per family. When my DH went to pick up our guest he was told they needed hosts for another group that had just arrived the night before. He filled up the car and brought those home. Then he and the other husbands retuned to get four more each. 6 became 20! We had plenty of food, lots of fun and everyone called home after dessert!


Congratulations, Gwen! Since you don't have a blog, please email me with your mailing address!

But there was one more element to this give-away. I said that I'd be looking for something in the winner's comment or on her blog, and if I found it, then there would be an extra surprise in her package. A couple of posts back, I talked about Minick and Simpson and an auction they had for the Semper Fi Fund. So in that spirit, I wrote the word "military" on a Post-It Note and stuck it to my computer screen.

As you can see from Gwen's comment above, she totally met the criteria for the extra surprise. Gwen, I'm going to add seven yards of matching Primrose Lane fabric to your package for the backing for your quilt! Congratulations! And thank you for YOUR service on that Thanksgiving Day!

Thank you to everyone who participated. I'll host a couple of more give-aways before the end of the year. Please check back!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Thanksgiving Quilt Kit Give-Away

The promised give-way is Primrose Lane quilt kit. I love this gorgeous quilt, and it was a tough call on giving it away. But I finally realized that it may sit for years longer here, but someone else may make it up and enjoy it a lot sooner.



The kit contains 14.82 yards of Primrose Lane by Ro Gregg for Northcott/Monarch. The pattern is from Timeless Designs by Elaine Waldschmitt. A fabric key card and full size applique template pattern are included in the pattern folder. The kit comes in a zippered bag. Backing is not included. The kit was priced at $175.00.



The reason I chose this one is because of the applique. In my October give-away, the focus was on fusible applique versus needleturn. This quilt can be done either way, and the winner might choose a method different from what she/he normally would do. For me, the joy of quilting is all about stretching and learning new techniques!

To be entered in the drawing, just leave a comment here about your most memorable Thanksgiving! (My story is kinda funny, but I'll tell it when I announce the give-away.) The drawing will be random but it must contain your Thanksgiving memory to be eligible.

The drawing will be held on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday 11/25/10, at around 7:00 a.m. But don't call me if I haven't posted by then because I might be sleeping in for another ten minutes or so! Remember - if your comment doesn't link back to your blog, you must leave your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner.

ALSO, remember I said in the last give-away that I'll be looking for something in your comment or on your blog. If the winner has that, then an extra goody that I think is kind of nice will be added to the package! Hmmm, I wonder what it could be?

Good luck to everyone!

Stash Report 2010 - Weeks 45 and 46

I knew it was going to be bad, but even I was surprised.

Let's see if I can find links to everything that came in from the Fat Quarter Shop!

Luna Notte - six yards. That's three yards each of 108" backing fabric. Backings for two quilts. A good buy!

Prairie Women's Sewing Circle Kit - four yards. I love this club. If they ever offer something like this again, you must jump in feet first!

Civil War Chronicles - nine yards. It's 108", so backings for three quilts. I love this wide yardage because I hate hate hate piecing backings. Another good buy!

La Petite Ecole fat quarter bundle - ten yards. It's French General, after all, so another good buy!

Maison de Garance - 6.46 yards of layer cakes and charm packs. These things are like potato chips. Betcha you can't get just one!

And finally -- ta dah! -- Aurelia's Journey Kit! It's 14 yards and I don't even care! Fell in love with the book and bugged Kimberly to kit it. And since I have that bolt (rolls eyes) of cheddar, that will be the perfect backing! Or one of those wide backings mentioned above. Whatever! I am going to start this on New Year's weekend and I can't wait!

So there you have it, all 49.71 yards. Good thing there's a give-away starting here real soon of 16.82 yards. That nets me out for the week only 32.89 yards further in the hole.

Year-To-Date:

Busted: 402.27 yards
Purchased: 594.03 yards
Net YTD: (191.76) yards busted :(

I was hoping that within the next year I'd get over Kimberly's way to finally get to meet her. But judging from my buying habits, if I got anywhere near Austin, I'd best have borrowed this from my brother in Louisiana to haul the loot home!



I'm SO bad!

The next post up will be the give-away! Might do it tonight instead of tomorrow since I have this nasty report done. Stay tuned!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Minick and Simpson

That title sure got your attention, didn't it? :)

Well, I have to say ... I'm over the moon about the box that arrived while I was in Louisiana.

Back in October, Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson had an auction on their Minick and Simpson blog. The auction was for the Semper Fi Fund, an organization dedicated to serving wounded Marines and their families. I never in a million years thought that I'd win the auction, but wanted to help this very worthy cause.

Long story short -- I won both items! As my friends and readers know, I'm a huge Minick and Simpson fan. I love their designs, their fabrics, their colors. Okay, I'm a groupie! I'll admit it!

The quilt by Laurie Simpson is absolutely gorgeous! I have been collecting wool forever but was slightly afraid of working with it. After pouring over this quilt, I'm now ready to dive right in. I even have a bolt (or two) of this dark blue wool. The prairie points add an interesting touch to the quilt, and Laurie's hand quilting and hand applique are fabulous!



Polly's wool rug is stunning! My flash washed out the dark blue, but the picture on their blog is true color. I'm so in awe of rug hookers, especially Polly! She makes it look so easy, but it's not. Oh, how I wish I could make something this beautiful!



I received emails from both Laurie and Polly after the auction. Polly also sent a letter saying that the Semper Fi Fund is a labor of love for her as her son is a Marine Colonel.

Semper Fi Fund has been added to my list of annual donations. I hope that everyone can find a few dollars during this holiday season to send to the Fund. Those Marines, and all of our service men and women, are what make America the wonderful country that it is! God bless you, Colonel, and thank you!

Laurie and Polly, thank you for bringing the Semper Fi Fund to our attention. You are both totally awesome! Your rug and quilt will be cherished forever!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Only Took Four Pictures

I usually fill up a camera card on vacation in Louisiana, but this year I only took four pictures.

I've totally fallen in love with my brother's Jeep. I drove it every day back and forth to the hospital. I keep telling Don I want it, and he keeps laughing. Oh, well, I tried.



The last night I was there, my nephew's girlfriend and her mother took Gail and I out to eat here:



And we had this:



I won't bore everyone with another picture of crabs! :)

My internet is finally up tonight. Well, it was up when I got home, then went down again, and then back up. They're still working on the lines outside now. Everyone in the area was down. I hope it's fixed tonight for good.

This morning I pulled the next give-away out of the stash room. I'll get that up on Sunday. My heartstrings tugged a bit at the thought of giving it away, but I'm just going to do it. And the reason I'm waiting until Sunday is because it will push my stash report (gasp) one post down. :)

Monday, November 15, 2010

Adjusting to Home

I got home Saturday evening from Louisiana, and Jane and Penny were there at the house waiting for me. Penny is a little snot! When Jane left, she stood whining at the door for 30 minutes. She wanted to go back to play with Skippy.

I'm wondering how my brother did today with his blood work and doctor's visit. Still have my fingers crossed that he won't need surgery again. I'll call him in a little while.

My internet is down at home. I called the company and it seems the whole area is down. Expected to be back up hopefully by Wednesday. We'll see. Meanwhile, it's weird to have coffee in the morning alone. I'm used to drinking it with everyone in blogland!

When everything is back up and running, I'll pull together a give-away. Be looking for that by the weekend.

Oh, and I was wide awake at 3:00 this morning. My body is still on Central time.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Greetings from Louisiana

This has been a difficult trip. The day before I got here, my brother was admitted to the hospital. This is a repeat of a problem he had about three years ago. It looks like he might not have to have a very difficult surgery, but we're taking it a day at a time. Please keep good thoughts on this one.

Needless to say, I haven't been doing any sightseeing or picture taking. However, I did screw up their house alarm today and had the cops come pay me a visit. Sheesh! You just can't take me anywhere!

I've been driving his cute little Jeep Wrangler back and forth to the hospital, about 25-30 miles - down country roads - with sugarcane trucks pulling out in front of me - and getting behind them doing five miles an hour for ten mile stretches. The joys of country living. Driving, though, has given me the opportunity to see a little of the back country. There are some gorgeous homes off the beaten track. I would love to live down here. There's nothing prettier than tall sugarcane swaying in the breeze, the field surrounded by hundred year old oaks dripping in moss.

I did stop last night on the way home at a country grocery store that has the best fried catfish and shrimp in the whole world. Lordy, that was good! Will have to do that one more time before I leave.

I might venture around a bit tomorrow when I leave the hospital and see if I can't fine a few interesting things to photo. There are a couple of street signs in New Iberia that I want to see if I can find again. Too funny!

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Early Stash Report - Week 44

I'm so excited. My vacation begins Saturday, and I'm going HOME! For those of you who don't know where that is, Louisiana! Where everyone talks right and I don't have an accent! :) I'll be gone for a week.

No boxes came in this week, so my report remains the same as last week. I'm in the hole 158.865 yards. Still way the best report I've ever had for this time of year.

However .....

Isn't there always something else with me?

..... I poked a bunch of buttons this week. I really have to say that it's all Kimberly's fault. They have this feature where they taunt us with new things coming in the future. Oh, don't look puzzled. You know exactly what I'm talking about. It's that feature that says "Click here to receive notification when this item is available." Oh, yeah, THAT little button!

Of course, poking that button months and months before something is available is kinda fun! Apparently I was poking away some months ago - and I received a ton of "notifications" in the last couple of days. Sheesh!

And I totally forgot that I wouldn't be here next week. No way was I going to let Fat Quarter Shop boxes languish on my doorstep! Not a problem. I just asked them to hold and ship later, which they were happy to do! Of course, Kimberly asked me if I wanted it all in one box! ROFLOL. Yeah, I have a dolly that I can use to hoist that puppy over the door sill and into the foyer. A really big dolly!

So there you have it. Nothing ventured or gained this week. Maybe next week, too! But batten down the hatches for the week after that when the box(es) arrive!

Hope everyone gets lots of sewing done next week. I'll definitely have to figure out a give-away when I get back. Stay tuned!