Is the Limo here yet?

OK - I am almost all packed! I just realized that we are not returning until late Friday. I just have to blog more about this Tour of Las Vegas Quilt Shops that I am going on. This is a wonderful service. They will pick you up at your hotel, take you to 2, 3, 4 or even 5 quilts shops. They even provide you with boxes to ship your purchases home if you so choose! Wouldn't it be nice to have a business like that in your area? I cannot imagine taking visiting quilters to our area on a quilt shop tour - it would be a hardship, but one I would do gladly! I may have to check this out . . . Let's see, the itinerary might be:
Abigayle's Quiltery
Birds of a Feather
Quilts & Kreations
Sew Little Time
Country Fabrics
The Door Mouse
Black Swap Quilte Shoppe
Nautical Needle
Well, I need to get busy finalizing the hand projects I am going to take with me . . . more later!

Vegas, here we come!

We are going to Vegas for a week! Of course, I am going on a tour of Las Vegas Quilt Shops while my husband is at some IRS Symposium! This afternoon I had a pedicure and my toes are painted the prettiest candy apple red! I am so out of my element here - my first choice for nail polish color was Coney Island Cotton Candy - a pale pink iridescent - it was gorgeous, but the girls at the salon shamed me into the red. I really like it though it just doesn't feel like me. I have been getting some "hand" projects ready to take with me (like the Grandmother's Flower Garden that I have been working on for about almost 20 years)! Well, guess that's it for now as I taught a quilting class tonight and I'm beat. More tomorrow!

Gifts from Iraq

When my son was here this past weekend, he brought me some gifts from Iraq! Pepsi and Chocolates! As you can see by the photos, I have already inhaled one of the Pepsi's and several of the chocolates! It is so strange to look at the text on the labels - if it weren't for the Pepsi logo, I'm not sure I'd know what it was. The sizes are strange too. The can is really small, smaller than the small ones we have here.

So much news, but the battery is dead!

Well, this post is just going to be text since the battery in my camera is "empty", so bear with me . . . a lot has been going on around here.

We were without ANY cable services for a little over 24 hours. It was ugly: no phone (land line), no cable and no Internet. This was the second time in less than 10 days, so needless to say, I was really pissed perturbed. Then to add insult to injury, they changed the scheduled repair service from that day to the next and didn't even have the courtesy to tell me after I sat at home the entire day waiting for them. Pooh to Time Warner Cable. They are number 1 on my s*** list.


The back stairs that caved in have been completed. We didn't have a repairman fix them, he was a craftsman! Honestly, this man really was an artist. There are only 4steps, but it took him 4 days to complete them. Then he took another couple of days to replace some of the planks on the porch that had rotted. They were tongue and groove and the replacement planks were a quarter inch too wide, so he used a hand planer to make them fit - this guy was really old school, and he did a beautiful job. Then he sealed the new wooden stairs and the replaced floor boards and painted them with this neat paint that contains silica (sand) so we won't slip and fall when it rains!


My son and his wife arrived on Friday around lunch time! The 3 of us went to lunch and then went to pick up my grandchildren. We ate at the Wonder Bar for supper (it was Lake Erie Perch Nite) and ice cream from the Village Drive-Thru for dessert! All in all, a perfect day!

Saturday we spent the morning preparing and packing for our stay at the Kalahari Resort We arrived a little after 11 a.m. and went right to the waterpark! We were able to check into our room at 4 p.m., but we stayed in the waterpark until around 7 p.m. went the hunger pangs became too intense. We stayed in a huge suite, 3 queen beds and one king, 2 full bathrooms (one with a jacuzzi tub) and 2 balconies, a full kitchen, 3 flat screen TV's and a gas fireplace! Real, real nice! Unfortunately, in my quest to not forget anything, I forgot the most important thing, my camera! Our 3 granddaughters had an absolute blast. I am paying for it now, as my knees are totally shot. I feel like I need to get one of those scooters We left the waterpark around 2 p.m. Sunday and Aaron + Erica left for DC shortly afterwards. Well, guess that's it for now, as soon as the battery recharges, I'll post a couple of pictures!

Houston, we may have a problem . . .

Today I thought I would start something new and different. I thought I would put a little variety/spice in my quilting life! I started a BOM. Seriously, I think that I may need help with this obsession - I do not even want to count how many BOM's I have going at the moment (yes, it's double digits), but this one is stars, and it's a Judy Laquidara project, and I love, love, love Judy, and I love stars too! And this also has the potential to become a stashbuster, UFO, PIG, quilt top!

R.I.P.

I had to put my iron down yesterday . . . the lights were on, but there was no heat whatsoever. So yesterday when we went to Meijer, I looked for and purchased a new one! I didn't have too much of a choice though as I wanted a Stainless Steel Soleplate and there were only 2 to choose from. The one I finally decided upon was on sale, which I did not find out until I went to pay for it! Imagine that, I needed it, AND it was on sale - maybe I should buy a lottery ticket now . . .
On another note, have you tried this stuff? It's wonderful. It really removes those stubborn creases from the fold! It comes in several different scents, and you can get refills too. One of the LQS's that I frequent carries it and in a class I took there, the owner did an infomercial on it - I was sold! Try it, you'll like it!

One more thing - I just found out about a "Retreat House" in the next town over. Check it out - it's a really nice website and the facility looks great too. Oh, I smell a Quilting Retreat in my near future . . .

Another BOM done!!

I finished Block Eight today. Now on to Block Nine, but that won't happen until Monday as I have the girls this weekend since Amber is working.
I was checking out some blogs this morning and came across Once Upon a Quilt where I found what may be the answer to all those little pinwheels that I have been making from scraps from bowtie blocks and flying geese . . . what do you think? Of course, mine would be scrappy, but one like this just might work . . .

WAIT, WAIT!

WAIT, WAIT! I know it's after midnight now, but I was able to get another block done after the girls went to bed! It's the block to the right of the starflowers that I made the other day.

OK, OK, I can take a hint . . . .

Yeah, yeah, I know, I need to lay off the ice cream! The back stairs caved in last night as the girls were climbing up them. I think the twins are traumatized now, as I had to carry them down the stairs this morning after they woke up! When it was nap time, Haley was crying the whole way up the stairs and Emma proceeded to go up the stairs on her bottom.

Since the 3 girls were home with me today, I didn't get any sewing done, perhaps this evening!

Ice Cream - it's what's for breakfast . . .

Yes, I had ice cream for breakfast, with Hershey's chocolate sauce, nuts, jimmies and several maraschino cherries. Would have had a chopped up banana in there too, but the kids ate them all! Of course I had to hide in my sewing room to eat this, which made it taste even better :))

On another note, I finished another BOM that I am so far behind on, I may never catch up to everyone else in my guild! I finished Block 6 and Block 9 is due at the August 9th meeting. As I have been working on my "fallen behind" projects this past week, I was taking the bits that I trimmed from flying geese and making pinwheels from them. You can see them to the left of the star-flower block I just made, aren't they cute? They are 1 3/4 inch blocks. I've been constructing them as leaders and enders, so it's painless! My friend Carolyn saves these triangles for me too, so I have quite a few of them. Carolyn is making bowtie blocks for a quilt and she is saving the triangles from those blocks. As she trims the blocks, she places the triangles in one of those Kleenex boutique boxes and when it's full, she brings them over! Anybody have any ideas of what I can do with these pinwheels? I am sure that they will be all different sizes, so that's going to be a challenge. I found a picture on a blog that I like, but it wouldn't use all that I plan to make . . .

BOM Finishes

Finished 2 of my BOM's and an additional block from a previous month that I messed up and had to get some more fabric to correct! I like this block, it's called the Christmas Star. Did you notice the little pinwheels off to the left side of the blocks? I made them from scraps that I'd trimmed from the blocks. I will have to find some way to incorprate them in the top or borders . . .

P.S. My room is still clean!

My Birthday Sandals!

One of my sisters just stopped by to drop off my Birthday present (it's not until Aug. 26). She got me a pair of sandals that actually fit my fat feet - - and they're PINK (eat your heart out Olivia!). For the past month, I have ordered several pairs of sandals from ZAPPOS and have had to send them all back as I can't get my feet into them. It's really exasperating. I am so stoked, no more hot piggies! Now I have to get a pedicure . . .