B-I-G Box!!

It was like Christmas tonight! I forgot what I had ordered from The Fat Quarter Shop, and this was fun to open! But 17 lbs! Yikes!

Jelly rolls of Madeira and The Hamptons, backings for a couple of quilts, Moda U's kit this month using the Allspice Tapestry line, some yardage, a pattern ........ fun, fun, fun! Everything is always so wonderfully wrapped and packaged! It truly is like opening a present!

This heat is really taking its toll on me. 104 today. I had to get out in it twice, and my glasses steamed up when I got in the car both times. Good thing I don't wear them to drive! Everyone at work today was talking about the rain and lightning and thunder last night. I'm sorry I slept through it because I don't think I've heard thunder for a couple of years. I love the rain. I don't even care if it's real stormy rain. I love it. Always have, even back home where it rained almost every day. I just think there's something soothing about listening to rain.

Just one more day to wade through before the long weekend. I don't even know what I'm going to work on, but I do want to spend one day working on the giterdun borders. I need to get that thing out of my life! I guess I need to get organized on the Thimbleberries Hometown Christmas project, and I'm sure there will some appliqueing going on. But whatever else I do this weekend, I must buy food! Jane baked up a batch of my favorite peanut butter cookies, and my dinner for the last two nights have consisted of three cookies and a bottle of water. Man does not live on cookies alone! Well, he might! But I shouldn't!

I'm off upstairs to snuggle in with my new DVD of "Steel Magnolias"!! Thank you, Jane!!

Gratutides:

~ A/C is on the top of my list today!

~ A good, productive day at the office.

~ Deciding my next applique project!

~ A/C! Did I mention that already?

An Observation in Target

I mentioned going to Target a couple of nights ago and only spending $56. Hooray! I couldn't help but overhearing a mother/daughter "conversation" just as I walked in the store.

This mid '30s mother was hustling herself and her 10ish year old daughter towards the door. The mother was literally screaming at the girl.

"You were ARGUING with me!"
"No, Mommy, I wasn't.
"YES, you were."
"No, Mommy."
Even louder, "You were! You were arguing about whether those shoes had high heels or not."
"No, I just said --"
"You WERE arguing with me. You said they were high heels and I said they weren't. You were arguing with me."
"But --"
"See? You're arguing with me! If I say something, don't argue with me. Why do you always have to argue with me?" It went on and on until they were out the door.

This is where my mother, Minnie, would have quietly said, "Just wait until I get you in the car." Yeowie! We all know what that meant! ROFLOL

Maybe this is why I only spent $56. Hmmm...........

Blast from the Past!

Wow! I had totally forgotten about this UFO until someone asked me about it tonight! Ignorance IS bliss!

I really want to get back into this one, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to take the class again. I remember being so confused. I managed to get the footballs all made, but was having trouble getting them sewn to the goalposts. Does that make sense?

Well, I'm in no hurry. It's been in a dresser drawer for over two years. But I did say tonight that if this one isn't finished in my lifetime, that I'm taking it with me!! LOL. So back off, all you dibbiers!

It was 102 today. I had to run an errand in the middle of the afternoon and I couldn't even touch the steering wheel. It's a good thing I just had to go around the corner. I drove with my knees! Oops, I shouldn't admit that, I guess.

I keep pulling stuff out the stash room and hauling it downstairs. You should see this place! Now this is on the dining room table. That was about the only clear surface in the house! LOL

We're not Building a Piano Here!

That was what my dear Dad always told me when I'd get so frustrated trying to do some perfectly. I was such a little perfectionist growing up. Things had to be perfect; otherwise, I would do them over and over and over until they were. When he'd see me just about fit to be tied, he'd mosey over and say, "Bebe, we're not building a piano here." I heard that my whole life and didn't truly understand what it meant until I started quilting!

Most of my friends already know the "why" part of why quilting was so difficult for me at first. It was so totally frustrating for me to try to do something and have it turn out so terribly wrong. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't even remotely perfect. Not even from that galloping horse. Just when I'd be at the point of chucking the whole thing in the waste can, I'd think about that gosh-darned piano.

I was reading Kristie at http://quiltharvest.blogspot.com/ tonight and I thought of Dad again. She mentioned being scared to cut into a Thimbleberries kit, and then tried to point out to us some points that she perceived as not perfect points. Well, Kristie, that quilt looks perfect to me! A perfect piano!

I told a new appliquer last Thursday night that she wasn't building a piano - and she looked at me like I was chewing bugs! I should have 'splained that one to her! LOL. I'll save that one for the next time she's frustrated!

I guess the whole point of this blog -- besides the fact that I miss my Daddy terribly, even though he's been gone 34 years -- is that I've finally given myself permission to make mistakes! I don't lay awake at night worrying about them. If it's fixable, I fix it. If not, I move on and chalk that one up to experience. I've decided that every quilt made by me and by you will end up being loved by someone, perfect or not!

Gratitudes:

~ Countdown to the long weekend!
~ Making it out of Target for only $56 last night!
~ No boxes on the doorstep tonight. That's a good thing!
~ Pianos!

Hometown Christmas Challenge

Knowing that Kim over at http://www.kimsbigquiltingadventure.blogspot.com/ is a Thimbleberries fan, I mentioned to her that I had unearthed the Hometown Christmas kit from the bowels of my bedroom closet. She said she had it also, hidden somewhere in the dark recesses of her studio.

Then Sharon over at http://www.redgeraniumcottage.typepad.com/ admitted she had it, too.

So Kim suggested that the three of us hold hands and do it together. Kim mentioned it on her blog a few days ago, and discovered others who wanted to do it with us. I've have a couple of folks email me about joining in.

The rules are simple. We start on September 1st, and must do one section by September 15th. Then the next section by September 30th, and so on. Two sections a month. That's very do-able!! Check out Kim's blog for the specifics. This is going to be fun, and it's a way to eliminate just one more of those kits clogging up my stash room!

Oh, one more thing. Although Kim may be the fearless leader on this project, Sharon is already cracking the whip! Man, it hasn't even started yet, and she's already harassing me!! :)

Join in if you can!!!

Welcome aboard the Hometown Christmas train!

EDIT: Last night I found one set of these books on sale at http://www.backdoorquiltshoppe.com/. I also saw at least one full set on eBay - I'm sure there are others out there - if you're interested and want to do a little searching for them.

Another All Things Christmas Block

Finished the third All Things Christmas block!! I just love this project!

Guess I'll be prepping another pumpkin block this week.

I'm starting to get my holidays mixed up here!

Queen for the Week

Birthdays are wonderful, but whole birthweeks are fantastic.

I can't even begin to describe how blessed I feel today. Thank you to everyone - and you know who you are - for all the wonderful goodies! Books, patterns, a needle saver, red and green fabrics, Yankee candles and candle holders, jelly rolls, luscious charm packs, an electric knife (there's a story there!), birthday cards, cake, online wishes, wonderful emails, phone calls, dinners ........ who went and elected me Queen for the Week?!!

I was going to put everything away today, but I think I just might keep it all out and pet it some more! While everything will return to normal next week, the wonderful memories of this week will last forever! Thank you so much!

Gratitudes:

~ I LIKE being 56!

~ Birthday cake for breakast! I can do that. I'm 56!

~ Leaving everything out to enjoy for a while. I can do that, too, because I'm 56!

~ How about birthday cake for lunch? Yep, you guessed it, I can do that! I'm 56!