This post REALLY needs Pictures - You're out of Luck!

I finished quilting the Irish CHain Quilt. It was 115 inches square. That is a HUGE quilt. I wish I had took photos. I will when I get the binding on it. I was a little disappointed in the row of quilting. I KNEW it was coming & I KNEW there was going to be a little bit of "issues" with it. If you have ever tried to put border strips onto bias peices, then you know what I am talking about. I got wavy borders. Fortunately, only 1 border of 4 had some puckers/pleats. Overall, I am very pleased with it.

Tonight I load CP's baby quilt. Then I have 3 other "customer" quilts pending. I hope to be able to meet with her on Monday or Tuesday to give it to her. (Note to self: email CP)

Funny. I have weeks & weeks between "customer" quilts, and then when MY life is busy, my quilting gets busy.

Between award ceremonies, graduations, weddings, babies....mandatory training (job related) , I have one busy May ahead of me.

I'll post photos later.

Sam

Paducah Show

I went to the Paducah show on Saturday.

We left early enough, but got delayed with a detour in Clarksville. Someone tore down electrical lines & they closed part of the main road & detoured traffic through a less than desirable part of Clarksville. We passed this one house, y'all, that gave us all a giggle. It stood out horribly. sort a grecian design. Gargoyles on the roof. Naked statues. Gorgoyle lighting. Oh! And pink flamingoes. It was ummmm.....tasteful? No, I don't think so. I SO wish I had took a picture of it. anyway - we got through clarksville & got going northbound again into Kentucky.

We stopped at a rest stop before we got there. I made a bad joke: "You know you're a red neck & in Kentucky when they only make rest stops on ONE side of the interstate!". yes, there was only one the whole way between Clarksville, TN & Paducah , KY & it was only on the southbound side...we did the loop-d-loop thing to get to it! Ha Ha....

I drove my car & my freind, Kat, went with me & then in the other car there were 5 girls from my guild. We had a good time. Didn't get to see EVERYTHING. You really need to be there more than one afternoon to see it all.

I bought some really nice pink & brown fat quarters. A pattern and a quilt kit.And some continuoius line design books from sharon Schamber. (that lady has more talent in one finger than I'll ever have in my whole body, I'm sure.... ) I'll post pictures of all that on another day. I have quilting commitments that I must meet this weekend, and being on the 'puter isn't getting me closer to them !!!



This is "Me & Kat". I'm in Pink.

Sam

Architechture (sp?)

While we were at Montevallo College, we toured the campus. After 4 years of attending for DD#2, this was Prince Charming's first "real" visit (that didn't include moving furniture!)

the college is renovating an old, 1880's original house. they are turning it into an "arts" building. They have gutted the inside & probably won't have renovated INSIDES, but they ARE renovating the outside.

I failed to get pictures of the front of the house. it had a 2nd floor balcony & columns running top to bottom.

I absolutely love "Old South" homes. The Plantation Homes. This one was "it".

They were in the process of flooring the sunroom. The glass in this building is all wavy & bubbled.

I LOVE, love, love this sunroom!

Maybe sometime in my life we'll be able to buy a home that WE can renovate/restore/rebuild. Something that signifies the "old south" to me.

Or better yet, maybe if we ever get to re-do y kitchen, we can incorporate this type of floor to ceiling windows idea for the back side of the kitchen (which faces the yard...) can you image a bank of windows, the length of the kitchen with a huge long table for breakfast & dinner? One can dream.

the last kitchen we remodled only cost $15G, i think the southern Sunroom Kitchen Remodel would be over $50-$60...I'd have a HUGE time talking Prince Charming into that....maybe in 10 years.....but not right now!

Sam

Honoree

Yesterday , Prince Charming & I drove to Montevallo to see DD#2 inducted into the honor society.

She graduates college next month.

I am very proud of her. I always "see" my girls as toothless 6 year olds. I guess they'll never really be ADULTS to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT some hovering, over bearing parent. I just don't see them as grown women. Even though they are, and even though I treat them as GROWN WOMEN. They are still & will always be my babies.

I wonder if it's like that for all "Mommas"? i wonder.

On the sewing side of my week.......This week there has not been too much done. I feel lazy. We got all 4 of the Seminole borders sewn together, and I got 3 sewn onto the quilt. Then i have the outer borders to sew on. it will take PROBABLY all of 2 hours to finish & I just have not done it. My plan is to quilt it on Sunday. Or at least get it started.....i also am comitted to getting a baby quilt quilted for CP !! I promised I would have it done before the end of April. I have until next week...I'll do it! THEN...I have other "customer quilts" that are in line.

May is going to be SO busy for us.....DD#1 is closing on a house next week. DD#2 graduates in 2 weeks. Neice #3 (maybe she's #4 because 3, 4 & 5 were born all real close togeher...) anyway....she graduates in 3 weeks. Sister-In-Law #1 is flying to Alabama because neice #2 is having baby #3 the end of May. DD#1 has a wedding to get to too (hence the rush job for the Triple Irish Chain Quilt!) So? I'm busy, busy, busy in the next several weeks. i am SOOOOO looking forward to June!

the attached photo is of DD#2 - she is 2nd from the right. the redhead!

Sam

PUPPIES !!!

I took my Bourbon for a long overdue hair cut. I'll have to post his glamour shots another day...

The lady i take him to, lives , literaaly, in this holler in Centerville. She breeds Boxers.

Aren't they just SO cute?

Sam

Irish Chain Update

As you all know, my oldest daughter & I started a Triple Irish Chain Quilt this month.

This is a wedding gift for her very best freind & sorority sister that is getting married on May 16th.

I am currently sewing all the blocks together! 49 of them. Good thing they are 12.5 inches! (You are only seeing 16 of the 49 blocks, when you see the "quilt" in these photos!)

DD#1 is currently sewing all the strip sets together required for the Seminole border.

We are using the "Quilt-In-A-Day" by Eleanor Burns Book. DD#1 chose to make the "Yankee Chain" version, with RED being the dominant chain color. It is really coming out nice.

DD#1 said she isn't going to be making any quilts to soon after finishing this one......and for SURE, not a King sized one, as is this one.....I told her we were just getting warmed up.

I think we're going to make the deadline!

Whoo-Hoo!

Sam

I Forgot the ROCKS

I forgot to add the photo of rocks.

This is the 2nd load of rocks that I have put in that wagon. There are probably 10 more loads that need to be picked up.

I hate those rocks.

Sam

Back Yard Landscaping

Our backyard is where we have spent so much money. It's un-real. And we're not done.

the photo of the yard actually tells you nothing, as I neglected to get a BEFORE photo. Prince Charming rented a bob-cat & cleared all the underbrush from the yard and then we bought grass seed & fertilizer & put all that out. What you are seeing is 3 weeks old & we have had torrential rains & freezing weather! There is more grass there than I thought would be.

You see the dog kennels on the left? We are putting up chain link fencing within the next 2 months. The front of the fence will be right at the front of those kennels & go ALL the way back to the back of the yard where you see that huge brush pile. All for the big dogs. I hate keeping them in those kennels. They will be very happy soon.!

Prince Charming, me & DD#2 made the planters THIS weekend. That little area between the patio walkway & the house was nothing but ugly red mud & kept washing, so we built those 2 little retaining walls & backfilled them with top soil. We will plant some sort of ground cover in them, soon as we can decide what type of ground cover......That plant is one that my gracious neighbor gave me. It's an Angel Thrumpet. you should see those when they are bloomiming! Then Prince Charming decided that we needed the semi round one to breakup all the angular corners of the patio. Didn't it come out nice?

I am proud of our work. (wish it hadn't cost so much....) but proud, none-the-less!

Sam

Last Weekend's Work

last weekend, as I posted, we re-mulched the flower beds & trimmed all the shrubs & bushes.

I didn't get photos last week, so here they are now.

Please keep in mind that these pictures were taken on Easter Sunday. 2 days after all the tornadoes came through. Sirens going off everywhere on Friday! you can't tell by looking at these pictures, now, can you? Fortuneately, our neighborhood & surrounding area escaped untouched.

Sam

Irish Chain Update

DD#1 & I have completed all the HARD blocks for the Triple Irish Chain. There were 25 of those chain blocks. Now we are working on the alternating blocks. You know, the ones that have mostly background fabric....There are 24 of those. DD#1 has 12 of them already made.

I think we'll make our deadline!

Here's a photo of "Sewing Central"

Sam

Updating!

We have had a very productive weekend. It was forcasted to rain by Sunday. We have been a little lazy in the landscaping department of our home. SO? This past weekend we decided to trim the bushes & shrubs in the front & re-apply the mulch. We spent Saturday morning trimming shrubs. I have this "thing" about bushes or shrubs being taller than the average man. I guess it goes back to when I worked in Law Enforcement. If the bushes are smaller than the average man/woman then you can see someone walking aorund the house. I have never had to worry about that, but when Ilived in CA, I did. Old habits die hard, I guess? Anyway - I raked , and raked, and picked up, for what seemed like forever! We had to buy 11 yards of mulch. That was over $200. Had to buy an additional pitch fork too. It looks so nice now! All nice & fresh.
Then we have a little space between the house & the patio walkway, it slopes and we just can't figure out was to do with it. So, Prince Charming got some of those stackable brick/blocks and made 2 small retaining walls. We lack backfilling them with topsoil & then we'll plant some sort of low maintenence ground cover.
With the left over mulch, we laid down landscape fabric & mulched the hydrangeas.
It was hard work. Every muscle in my body aches. But I am sure that Prince Charming is suffering more than me. When he gets a project in his head, he's like the energizer bunny.

The "E-Mealz" program is going well. The meals offer a wide variety of meals. Very few things have been branded as "no, I don't like that". One was baked sweet poatatoes. I liked them, DD#1 liked them. Prince Charming did not. Sunday, after all our work, I offered to cook steaks. Nobody said NO!

DD#1 is buying a house. She closes escrow on April 27th. I am proud of her. It's about 11 minutes from us. Cute little single story home on a corner lot. Great starter home. 3 Bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1100 square feet . With an attached 2 car garage. I think our housewarming gift will be her new refridgerator & fencing.

Also - a stray cat come up to the house. Freindly little bugger. He's someone's housecat. I have printed flyers & we are going to take the golf cart out & put out flyers. DD#1 will take him if we don't find his family.

Sam

Trying Something New

I am an avid listener & follower of Dave Ramsey. No - he's not a preacher ( I couldn't spell evangelistist...) he's a financial advisor. Hard Core too. We live by some, maybe most, certainly not all, his recommendations/teachings....However, implementing SOME is a good way to live. However, we already practiced some financial frugalness BEFORE I ever started listening to him.

His motto is: "Live like nobody else, so that you may live like nobody else" STARTING his program is difficult, and even more difficult to live by when you get "stuffitis".

Anyway - I'm off track here.

He recommended a web-site that I joined called E-Mealz. It's $5 per month & they give you store specific (you can also choose "any" store) shopping guide & a menu for 7 days of dinners. Since we both work, we only eat dinner , rarely eat lunches (usually leftovers), and breakfast is toast or bagels or coffee...At anyrate. ....I am going to follow the menu for a week. I had originally chose the "any store" plan but changed it to "Wal-Mart" today because I didn't feel like I was saving $$$ with the "any store". The menu has a lot of variety & nothing takes a whole lot of preparation. I like the list. It's set up for how the stores have everything set out. My hardest thing was finding the "sizes" they had listed. I never did find a 4lb turkey breast. I ended up getting a 6 lb one....(and Wal Mart didn't NOT have any cucumbers or cantolopes...can you beleive that?)

Prince Charming is a steak & potatoes kind of guy...so we'll see how it goes. Certainly can't hurt. We need some variety.

You can choose low-cal too. We might progress to that - but I want to try it out first!

I let you all know how it goes...

Prince Charming put the table for the 6500 together today. i don't think I'll be able to use the "table" for anything BUT a Janome.

Sam

PS - no sewing on theIrish Chain. DD#1 was in Birmingham for a wedding shower. It's been quiet here! I dog sat the little dogs. How come they NEVER want to potty outside for me?

My Weekend

Our weather in TN has been a roller coaster. It has been in the 70's all week. Friday & Saturday we had thunderstorms and rain. I hope the rain didn't wash away all our seed & fetilizer in the yard.

I have terrible allergies. I'm allergic to alomost everything, but in the last 20 years, since moving out of california, they are not as bad as they were. Now I just go through bouts of runny noses, sneezing & headaches. Those symptoms are much less severe than they were when I lived in CA ! But this weather has had me on a teeter-totter....I wish it would STAY winter for a few more weeks or GO TO spring....this flip flopping back & forth is making me physically ill. I am too sensitive to take any type of antihistamine....As I write this post, it's too cold to go outside without a coat. A COAT! & Yesterday I was in short sleeves.....

I waited until the last minute to quilt a T-Shirt quilt. I've had the quilt for longer than a month. Probably closer to 2....So I loaded it up & began quilting it. I decided to use monofiliament thread, which was a great choice, because OF COURSE it's got no color....well I started (after a few test spots) and just could not get the tension correct. Then I thought I DID have it good, quilted about 10 minutes and hated the tension....I spent an hour and a half frog stitching....I hate monofiliament thread. I LIKE the way it looks. But that dang thread kicks my butt every time. This T-Shirt quilt was the best I've seen yet (from Mamie!) It was made from various Mickey Mouse T-Shirts and sweatshirts. This one takes the cake. Mamie is horrendously creative....At any rate, after I frog stiched for, what seemed forever, I used a Khaki thread. I thought it was the color that blended best. I thought it turned out very nice. That's one HEAVY quilt. Anyway...it was delivered to the carrier pidgeon (insert Deb here!) and we swapped quilts.

After that, Prince Charming and I (he came for the quilt swap....) went to WoodCraft. (A wood workers store) and we tootle-looed around that store, and ended up buying a "Track-Saw". We had previously only seen it online & it was $800. Got it for about $500 and it had a dealer "special" for an additional track. We are going back on April 11th, because they are having a one day sale & we want a dust collection system....I really want him to have a dust collection system.....by the way, Prince Charming is in his shop (as I post) staining the entertainment unit. Y'all - it's going to be beautiful! I think I'll be able to get 6 quilts in that bottom drawer. - One thing though - the quilt shop is in the same parking lot as Wood Craft. i didn't even want to go in! Aren't you proud of me? I am !

I sewed just a tad. And I mean TAD with my new machine. it's SWEET! My sinus headache is too bad to concentrate...

Talk to you all later!

Sam

Fon's & Porter's Fairies

I bought the Fon's & Porter's latest edition of "Kid's Quilts". In it is a quilt made from the newest panels out by Michael Miller fabrics. They are the fairies of Cicely Mary Barker 9I might have her name not only misspelled, but twisted)

Anyway , I thought it was JUST adorable. i didn't want to shop hop trying to find it, so I thought I'd order a kit from them. Guess how much they wanted for the kit???? Please remember that this is a child's quilt & it only measured 66 X 90....F&P wanted $73 for the kit. Well...I decided to surf a little...

I went to ebay and found the main "panel" for $6.99 and the accompanying smaller "panel" (10 or 12 images in the small )for $6.25 each. I felt like that was a good deal. I bought the YELLOW fairy panel (seen), and 2 matching smaller panels (you need 18 to amke the quilt and there are not 18 in one), the blue & the pink. that's enough to make 3 quilts ...for a grand total WITH shipping of $71.

No, I didn't get the border fabrics, but I figured I could/would find those somewhere someday when I was ready to make them.

I'm NOT making them anytime soon.

I thought I'd save them for the day i have grand-daughters. Which is extremely pre-mature of me, and I'll likely ONLY ever have grand-sons because I want to make girly things and smock sweet little dresses.....

Talk to ya'll later!

sam

Update

I finally got my design board in, yesterday. I erected it & MAN! is it big! I have not decided where EXACTLY that it will reside, but I took it down until I DO decide.

I have not had the chance to play with my *new* machine - been horrendously busy.

Prince Charming rented a bob-cat over the weekend & he cleared the back part of our yard. Then he seeded & fertilized. I think it's nearly a 1/3 acre (there's more, but not flat...) It felt like 13 acres, not a 1/3! I picked up rocks, more rocks & then some more rocks. Limbs, branches, and OH YEH - more rocks. And I'm not done.

Now I REALIZE that one does not need to be a rocket scientist to pick up rocks.....however....it is the hardest thing to do. My back is so sore. Monday night I came home & was picking up rocks & my neighbor hollered at me & told me that I was making HIS back hurt, picking up rocks & he gave me this little grabbing dealie....you squeeze the handle & it picks up stuff...you know what I mean? What a pleasure that is to use! I felt like I was harly working at all...until I had to UN-LOAD the wagon.....And guess what? I think I am MAYBE 10% done???Yeh, maybe 10% !

I placed an order with www.whittlesfabrics.com on Friday, got it Monday. Nice stuff, y'all, nice stuff!

DD#1 has a wedding to go to in May for a very dear freind / sorority sister. DD#1 decided that in leiu of a traditional wedding gift she wants to make a quilt. King Size. Triple Irish Chain. Seminole border. We went & bought fabric on Monday for it. I am going to set aside my Ocean Waves blocks so we can work on this together. It has to be COMPLETED by May 16th.....made, quilted, bound. By May 16th.

I love a challenge. I hate a deadline.

Sam

Janome 6500 Home Coming

I went & picked up my new Janome 6500. i also got a table. These were pretty heavy & that is as far as i got with them. Out of the car &into the garage/basement.
Prince Cahrming was really tired, so i didn't even ask him to help me bring it up. I can manage the machine, but not the box witht he table. It's much heavier than it looks!

Ah, the golf cart. No we don't golf. Golfing would likely be a full contact sport for me. I don't have the patience....we use it for toodle-looing around the neighborhood & it has a gun rack mounted on it. We go sporting clay shooting, trap & skeet & the occsional dove hunting. I'm good for about 50%, and that's it. If we had to eat what I killed, we'd be vegitarians. Because everyone knows that I don't have a green thumb either! Ha Ha ha

I can't wait to try out the new Janome! I am excited, excited, EXCITED!!! Maybe tomorrow. If I get home early enough, clean the kennels, play ball witht he big boys...maybe I'll just bring the machine upstairs and play with IT.

My feather pillows are calling, going to sleep now!

Nite for now!

Sam

TV Tray & Ironing Board

OK I failed to take step by step photos while making the portable ironing board.

BUT ! Here's what I did:
#1 Remove the legs. This really isn't neccessary. but it did making turning it around a lot more simple

#2 Cut 2 peices of Insulbright & 2 peices of Warm & Natural Batting the exact measurement of the top of the TV tray.

#3 Cut one peice of Duck Cloth about THREE inches larger than the TV tray ALL THE WAY AROUND.

#4 Layer the 3 peices of Insulbright between the W & N batting. Center the batting sandwich in the center of the Duck Cloth, put the TV tray on top of the batting sandwich (topside down)

#5 Starting on one side (doesn't matter if it's a long side or a short side) and wrap it up the side of the table & then tucking the excess in, staple the center of the side. We did this on all 4 sides. Just the center. & Then went back & filled in with staples.

#6 Reattach legs.

#7 Add optional handle. I REALLY like the handle.

We had a little problem with the staples. We were using an electric stpale gun & the staples did not want to go through into the wood. Prince Charming thought it was because the TV tray had laminate on the top & bottom or was finished with some sort of hardened glaze. WE had to use SHORT staples for the TV tray.

When we recovered my big board, #1 we removed the peices of wood on the long sides that keep the board assembly on an ironing board. Since mine isn't kept on an ironing board, it kept slipping around. We left one end on it & cut one of the peices we took off, and screwed it to the underside eaxactly where the table comes to.

We cut 2 peices of insulbright & 1 peice of W/N batting (that's all I had of scraps!) and a piece of Duck Cloth. Since the BB is made of plywood, the staples went in much nicer! No fighting at all.

Toted all back up stairs & what you see is what I have got!

If you make the TV tray / Ironing Board - try to find one of the ones that is made from real wood, it will be much easier on your stapler. Not to mention your vocabulary.

They both came out pretty well! and I think I'd like to have another TV tray ironing board - one for taking everywhere/anywhere & one to stay nixt to my recliner.

I could not have done it without Prince Cahrming. Well....maybe.....put it would have been much slower.

Sam

Well - Soon To Be *New Toy*

As you all have seen, soon as I lay something on the floor, the furry family members have to check it out.

So? I oredered a DESIGN WALL. Yes, I know I could make one. But I'm essentially lazy and since I had the $$ (thank you Uncle Sam & me over contributing...) from my refund, I bought the biggest one they have.

I read several positive things about this particular brand. Including how high the price seemed, but was well worth it. We'll see when it gets here. I have more than one place that I can erect it. And I am excited about getting OCEAN WAVES blocks put up on it.

(The photo you are seeing is a stock photo off the Cheryl Ann web site)

I will also show you all a photo of my finished portable ironing table. When we get it done....On Monday while I was at a guild meeting, there was a lady there with a portable ironing board. She had it set up right next to her & not on the table. She said that she & her husband made it. Guess what it was????? A TV tray! She said that they used 2 peices of insulbright, one peice of warm & natural & then covered it with the pillow ticking fabric & stapled it to the underside. HOW COOL IS THAT???

this week, while I was at Seinmart, I found a TV tray. The price was $21.99 but it was marked 50% off, so I got it. Today while at Wal Mart in Dickson - I was trolling around the fabric department & they had "insulbright". I'd never seen it before there. (The clerk said this was the first time that they have carried it & that they would not have it long as they are closing the fabric department this summer) I also found "duck cloth" there too. I bought about 3 yards of the Insulbight & 3.5 yards of the Duck cloth. I figured I can make the portable ironing board as well as recover/refurbish my big board. It's a little stained.....

At any rate. Prince Charming & I will work on the TV tray / Ironing Board tomorrow aternoon. I am also going to have him install a handle of some sort to carry it more easily. I figure that I can set it up next to my recliner for when I am ironing little teeny tiny pieces. As is the case right now with my OCEAN WAVES quilt....And then i can carry it to guild meetings too.

I'll try & take step-by-step photos because I don't know how to do "tutorials"!

I'm glad that little TV tray was under $12, I don't know who in their right mind would have paid $21.99 for it. It has wine bottles & cheese & wine names on it....sort of gaudy! Prince Charming & I were in Sears today & they had a 5 set of TV trays for $69.99 - how come I can't ever find these types of things at yard sales or soemthing?????????

Talk to y'all later!

Sam

Yard Geese - No Feeding Required

I stopped at a furniture store in Waverly, TN on Tuesday. I went in there to look for a farm house style table to use as a desk for our computer area.

I did not find a table.

I DID find these geese. Kinda cheesy, huh?

It was raining when I took the photo. And it snowed. (I know, not a REAL snow.)

AND...I am not a gardener.

We had geese when I was a litle girl. They were named Petey & Penny. We also had geese at the landfill in AL. There were 2 pair. I named them Morticia & Gomez & Petey & Penny (II)

I'll have to ponder names for these 2. I name everything. Sometimes the names are not very complimentary!!!

Sam

Just Stuff.....

This week has been busy & I am only half way through it.

I have spent the last 2 days in Camden, TN which means that my drive was 1.5 hours ONE WAY. that makes me SO tired by the time I finally get home.

Found out today that one of the fabric stores that I like has gone on-line. Check it out www.whittlesfabrics.com you CAN NOT beat their prices. They just got started up with the on-line part. it's a little less than an hour and a half drive from home, but well worth the trip. I am thinking of placing an order for fat quarters. they have them 10 for $12. how can you beat that? You can even "build your own" custom fat quarter bundle. I'm telling you, you REALLY need to check them out. I have only been there once, but the lady that waited on me was really nice. (I work in a primarily man-dominated business & i really relish my time with WOMEN)

I have been working on my Ocean Waves Quilt (s) (yes plural!) It's a slow go right now because i have the 4 HST's sewn into a 4-patch unit & I am doing that little pinwheel on the wrong side for where all the seams come together, to make them lie down flat & reduce bulk. You know what I mean? Well, for 2 OWQ's there are 288 4-patch units...it never seems like I am getting anywhere. I am reluctant to put this away & finish/start another project because then, i won't go back to it! And ONE Ocean Waves Quilt is the only thing / project that I want to finish for 2009. i don't care if i don't finish anything else, but I WANT to finish at least ONE!!!

OH! Did I tell you that I bought a new sewing machine? It's all Bonnie Hunter's fault. I bought a Janome 6500. I have to go get it. It's all paid for (except $100) I just have to go get it. I bought it from a shop in Huntsville, AL. Table included, it was under $1200. I couldn't resist it. NO...i don't NEED a new machine.....I WANTED it. Once I saw that demo on Bonnie's blog, and saw the automatic thread cutter...AND the knee lift for the presser foot???I was hooked! i think I told you about it all though.....it will sure makie sewing those paper peiced Pineapple blocks SO easy!!!!

Went to my guild meeting on Monday. it's a nice bunch of women! I enjoy myself while I am there. There is a LOT of talent there, I'll tell you that. I got acccused of being a glutton for punishment because I had brought all my 1A blocks for the Ocean Waves to "pinwheel" the seams on the back side of the blocks......I hope I get as much attention on the finished project, as I did with just the blocks by them self. I don't NEED validation, but doesn't it feel great for someone to tell you what a good job you've done, or how NICE your work is or how beautiful your quilt is? It is for me to hear it. Gets rid of SOME of my self doubt. I am my own worst critic. Aren't you yours?

One of the guild members, and her sister, are considering purchasing a longarm. They are going to Paducah to test drive any models that they have available. I offered to let her come & see mine. To put her hands on it & see how it moves. I told her/them that they really DO need to try as many machines as they can before saying "I want X brand" before even trying one. I also highly recommended buying used...

DD#1 has decided to take a 2nd look at a house we looked at 3 weeks ago. It's a nice home in a newer subdivision/neighborhood. 3 bedrooms / 2 bathrooms with an attached garage & it's not even 10 minutes from us!

I invited my freind, Kat, to come up from AL to go to the Paducah show next month with me. I don't want to spend the night, I want to make a day trip out of it. It would be a 2 hour drive , one way, for us. We'll see.....I hope she can come up. Even if we can't afford to go to the show, I hope Kat comes up. It's been August since I seen her. Maybe i should go down there on one Saturday & we can "have lunch".....it's important to keep freindships....it keeps/makes us feel appreciated...i know it does me....boy! I sure got off the quilt show topic didn't I?

Folks, that's all been up to lately!

See ya later.

Sam