Well it's almost Christmas...."are you ready?"  That seems to be the question everyone asks everyone else at this time of the season. 

I returned home 3 days ago from visiting my daughter, Michelle and her family in Delaware.  It was so much fun....we Christmas shopped, ate, visited, ate, did some sewing (which I will talk more about later) and we ate.  We went out to lunch a couple of times--I love going out to eat. 

I also got to make Christmas Candy in addition to the Christmas shopping with Michelle and Megan.  That was loads of fun.....and I personally think that is one of the best parts of the holidays....preparation with family and friends!!  So, I finished my Christmas shopping there and shipped it all home.  (Wow! postage is sky-high now)

The reason that I went to Delaware at this time of the year was to see my granddaughter, Megan graduate from collage.  She graduated with a Degree in Literature, which was no surprise.  Her whole life, she has been in love with books and would read a book in just a couple of days.........she could read in the car without getting sick!!   Amazing to me....I can't even look down for a second without feeling queasy.  She has always had a book close by!!  She is going to go on to school and go for her Masters -- maybe teach!!

We are all so proud of her, she has worked very hard to get to where she is........she has always had a job in addition to school too!  She is my first grandchild, and I have a special place in my heart for "My Megan"!!

Here is a pic of the graduation.........

Michelle, Me, Megan, Travis and Zach

    
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While I was with Michelle, we were able to get some sewing done during all the Christmas/Graduation stuff.........there is a "mystery quilt" that Bonnie Hunter is orchestrating  called "Easy Street".   I said I would do it too, but not on full scale because I just don't have that much time with working and all.  So, I have taken the numbers that are in Bonnie's instructions and divided them by 4, so my quilt will be one quarter of the size of everyone else's (that is the plan...may have to add or subtract some in the end). 

I was able to catch up on the steps that have been given.  It's fun.....the colors are a step "out of my box", but it will be lots of fun to see what it turns out to be.  Bonnie is amazing to me, and I know that it will be special. 

Here's a photo of the progress that each step has brought us to.......

Easy Street - Steps 1-4

 

 

 

 

 

I also got started on my "quilt-along-square" which has to be done by the end of this month.  That should be easy to finish after Christmas.  This has been an on-going project every month with a new 12-inch square.  I can honestly say that I will not be sad to see this quilt-along finished.  Working with all the ladies and getting to know them in cyber space has been fun, but the little pieces of these projects were not fun for me. 

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When I got home late Monday night, my youngest son, Matthew,  was waiting for me with his girlfriend - they had house-sat for me while I was gone.  I was wondering why they waited for me to come home instead of going on to their house, but I soon found out.....they wanted to tell me that they are "going to have a baby"..........so fantastic!!  I am so excited!!   This is the best Christmas present ever!!  

I am so blessed to have all of these grand children.......this baby will make "10".

Merry Christmas to all of you 

 I hope you have a super holiday!!

November 23, 2012 already!  Wow, time sure flies!!!  I said in my last blog that I was going to try and keep more current with this....well, that didn't happen!!

I changed offices in October, so have been crazy busy with work.  I sell real estate and changing offices can be very time consuming....have to let everyone know where you are!! Plus, business seems to be picking up here a little (in California), so that has kept me busy.....but, that's "a good thing".

I haven't had any time to sew.....except I did do my October quilt square for the Quilt Square Quilt Along group that I belong to........here it is

Today, I'm going to do the November square......it's almost the end of the month and that means it has to be done 8-)

Yesterday, was Thanksgiving.......that is always a sentimental day for me........because it has always been a big family day (which it should be, right?).  It brings back memories of my Mom and how she would plan for weeks ahead on what to fix and who would bring what.  She loved Thanksgiving......I think because it was the one day that everyone did get together.......seems like Christmas was always a little less, because some had to go other places.  My daughter, Michelle wrote on her blog about my Mom/her Nana.......her blog address is on the side bar
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This Thanksgiving was especially great because my grandson, Chad came with his girlfriend that I hadn't had the chance to meet.  He has not been with us for about 7 seven years so it was a treat "times 2".  She is darling and they are sooooo cute together!!

Chad & Lena -- Aren't they cute??

                                                
My son and daughter-in-law had the get-together at their house, and it was very very nice.  Mike (my son) cooked two turkeys - one was deep fried and the other was smoked.....they were melt-in-your-mouth good!!!  We all brought something, so no lack of food, and her Mom made the pies and they were fantastic.  Loved the day!!!  It would have been perfect if my Michelle and her family and my Matthew and his girlfriend could have been there....but that's is what happens when they grow up!!! 8-(

Now it is time to get ready for my trip to see Michelle and her family....can't wait!!!  Megan, my granddaughter, will be graduating while I'm there.  She is in England right now on a trip with her Literary Group from school........so, it will be fun to hear about her trip.

Zach, my grandson, will be home for a break at that time too.  So, both kids will be around - yippee!!

I have finished my Christmas shopping early because of going on this trip to visit them.  There are a couple of things left to make, but should be able to get them done before I leave on the 10th.  It's a good feeling to have this done!!  Usually, I'm last minute!!

I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that your Christmas preparations are fun!!  I will try to update this after my trip to Delaware and before Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings 8-)

I'm back!!  I really haven't gone anywhere.....just the time has disappeared!!  What happened to Summer?  It is Fall already!!  I love Fall!!!

Let's see if I can catch up on what's been happening here........

First, I made a quilt top out of Fruits and Vegatables (a charm pack)......I made it for a gift, but can't tell you who gets it because that would spoil the surprise, of course!!

I have sent it to Michelle to quilt it on her longarm.  It is meant to be a quilt for picnics and to take to the park, etc.  It measures about 60 x 60.  I'm really happy with how it turned out. 

I had decided to do a quilt for each of my children's family for Christmas, but the time is just going by too fast.  Maybe I will continue to do them for Christmas 2013.  I have some stress going on with my job right now, and I just don't want to be stressed when making these for my children -- they are meant to have fun with.  So, I have decided to just do fun things with my quilting -- which is the way it should be, right?

I have kept up with the Quilt Square Quilt Along....and, they continue to be challenges.  They are all made of little triangles and little squares......but I have finished each one every month......here are the ones that were completed for July, August and September.

July's Block

                            

August Block

September Block

 Taylor, my grand daughter, continues to sew and amaze us with the things that she makes....here a couple of things she has done with her new machine..........


Taylor in Class



Sleeping Bag for her doll

New Dress for her

Sleeping Bag with 26" zipper!!

                            

Quilt Square with appliqued photo of Diamond Taylor's Cat

Now that I have decided not to push myself with the gifts of quilts for Christmas, I feel like a load has been lifted........why do we put so much stress on ourselves?  At least, I seem to always.

I'm looking forward to the Fall........and, in December I get to go to Michelle's for a week.......that is always so much fun!!  The event is my grand daughter's graduating from college......wow!! 

I really like writing this blog........I'm going to try to do it more often.  Then maybe it won't be so rambling as this one.

I'm going to my other grand daughter's, Paxton's, 16th birthday party today (Taylor's sister).  I love these parties - almost all my children and grand children will be there.  Everyone except Michelle, Travis, Megan, Zach and Chad.  They are all too far away to be with us....maybe someday soon that will change....I hope!!

My Grandson, Zach is on his way to Mississippi for his 1st assignment in the Air Force as 2nd Lieutenant....so proud of him!!  His Mom and Dad are driving him there with all of his stuff to start his new career!!

Thanks for joining me here!!  Have a Happy Sunday!! 

I hope all of you are surviving in the heat of this Summer.  Those of you on the East Coast have really been getting a dose of the hot weather and with the humidity, yuk!!  It has been hot here in the 90's and 100's, but we don't have any humidity....so can't complain.  However, my favorite person in the whole world is the man (or maybe it was a woman) that invented air-conditioning.  I don't like hot!!

I made this my Background on my Computer

Just to remind me how lucky I am!!!

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I haven't been very productive in the sewing department this last month..... I don't get much done after work and my week-ends have been busy.  I helped my youngest son move - visited a close friend one week-end and hung 5 mini-blinds and shortened them in one of the properties that I manage. And,

I did finish my quilt block for QSQA for the month of June.  That was a BIG accomplishment for me.  I have to say, this was my very least favorite block that we have done so far.  There were sooooooooo many little triangles....I don't know how many......but the instructions had you cut a zillion and then put them together in sections......at first 32 sections and then 16, 16, 16 until you end up having 16 little squares.  I did  all of that which took me an entire day and a half because all the little bitty points have to match (rip, rip).....I then took these little darlings to the kitchen to lay them out on the table to arrange them,  and guess what!!  There were only 15.....I had counted each step and could have sworn on anything that I had 16....why wouldn't I, right?  So then, I looked all over for the missing square (another hour) and couldn't find it anywhere.  So then, I had to make a complete little square all by itself (another hour)....that was loads of fun!!  So then, I was able to lay it out and sew them together finally......that worked!  At this point, I felt since I had so much time into this, I was going to layer it and quilt it so I could hang it on the wall and worship it.....but, couldn't decide how to quilt it because it was so busy!  So I decided to do some meandering on it.......well, that turned out awful!  So about 3 rows into it, I stopped, ripped that out, and had to do something else (another hour).  I ended up just stitching in the ditch around the 16 squares, put the binding on, made some little hanger thingys and hung it up.  It was not fun!!!  I am not a tiny piecer!!!

Here is the little "award-winning for the longest to put together" quilt square...........

By the way, that was June 29th that it was finished, and I still haven't found that little square (I'm not a neat-nick, but my house isn't that bad).  I do have a theory as to where it may have gone.  My precious cat "Cali" likes to lay on the sewing machine table behind the sewing machine while I am sewing, as you can see in this photo.  Well, that day she was just loving me being there all day and didn't want to get down.  I was afraid that I was going to sew her tail or paw, so I made her get down......which isn't easy because she just won't go when you tell her.....I had to try to pick her up carefully so she wouldn't knock all the little pieces in the floor at the same time....(if she doesn't want to move, she will try to bite me).  Anyway, I think she stole the square and hid it somewhere really good in retaliation for making her move.  If that's the case, no telling where it is!

 That's her paw to the right of the needle......silly cat!!

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Oh yeah, I have been doing another thing......I bought Bonnie Hunter's book "Leaders and Enders" and have been cutting up my scraps and organizing them into 1-1/2", 2" & 2-1/2" squares and strips.  That's a good feeling!  I have a long way to go, but it will be worth it in the end.  When I did the chain piecing on this last block (as above), I did the leader/ender thing that she explains in her book...that works great to keep the sewing going and to have something else in the process.  I think I will just keep sewing them together into 9 patches, and then put all of that together someday.

Here is a pic of the little drawers that 

Wally World has to keep the little squares and strips in.......works super!!

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Well, when I started this blog this morning, I was thinking "what will I write about", and it all just came rolling out when I started typing.  Thanks for reading about my trials and tribulations of "tiny piecing".  By the way, I prayed that our leader "Jo" would pick an easier square for July......but the pattern set that we are working from doesn't really have "easier" ones......so July looks pretty challenging too.  My problem is that I said I would do this, and I feel that it is an obligation or commitment.  So I will do them all, and the best part is that I will probably learn something!! That is a really good thing!!

 QSQA Patterns

this month, we have our choice to do

 either the bottom left one or the middle right one

I haven't decided yet

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Do you read Bonnie Hunter's blog? She is just amazing.......I can hardly get one blog out per month, and she sometimes puts 2 out a day in addition to everything else she does..........amazing!!

Another amazing person is my daughter, Michelle......have you been to her blog to see what she accomplished this month.....she was practically in tears over that quilt repair, but she finished it and did a beautiful job.....I think she learned something with this one.

Here is a bit of trivia to cheer you up - there is only 170 days until Christmas.....eek!!  I have Christmas presents to make and I want to make a Halloween Wall Hanging, and Michelle gave me a Monthly/Calendar Block pattern that I want to make and so many other things....so much to do, and not enough time!! I bet you all know what I am feeling!!!

Thanks again for visiting!!

Happy July everyone!  Keep Cool!!

June 3, 2012

The last 2 weeks have been so much fun!!  On May 24th, I went to Dover, DE to visit my daughter and her family.  The visit was to see my grandson, Zach graduate from University of Delaware with a degree in Physics and to be at the commissioning for him into the Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant.  He is now going to go into pilot training.  I am so proud of him.  He is such a wonderful person, full of fun and love......I love being with him!!!

                                                            Zach

                                              Zach and Proud Dad, Travis

                                          Proud Parents Travis & Michelle

                                                Isn't this a great pic!!!

While visiting with them for this wonderful occasion, I was able to join my daughter in part of her life as a quilter.  She has a long arm and she let me play with it.....that was it, just play....it takes lots of practice to make it do what you want.   She does a beautiful job on the quilts that she does for herself and other people.  If you haven't used her to quilt your quilts, give her a try.  You won't be sorry!!

She took me to her Quilt Guild meeting, her "sit and sew", and to the Cotton Club evening of sewing..........oh, how I would like to be a part of that whole group of ladies,....they were very nice and it was a lot of fun!! 

Then we spent one of the days in Lancaster........that was incredible!  I have never seen so much fabric and the Country is beautiful.  Of course, some of that fabric was waiting for me to bring it home.......so much that I had to UPS it home.....wouldn't fit in my suitcase 8-).

                                           Beautiful Country, Lancaster

My other daughter, Jennifer, went with me to Dover and stayed part of the time that I was there.  We went to Rohoboth Beach while she was there.  Oh my, so many people on the beach - you could hardly get to the water!!  It was a beautiful day!  I understand that this is what East Coast people do - "go to the beach!!"

                             Umbrellas everywhere for as far as you could see!!

It was a fantastic trip.......I did not want to come home!!

Now, I am here trying to get back into the groove.  The quilt along group that I belong to submitted their squares and Jo picked winners (she has a drawing from all that are submitted).  I didn't win this month, but my daughter Michelle did.  Here is my square and this is the link to view all of the squares if you want to see joscountryjunction.com

                                   (Looks orange in this pic - it's really red)
                                                      May Quilt Square
This was a challenge!  Lots of little squares.  I had hoped that the square that was picked for June wouldn't be little squares (I don't think I am a "tiny piecer").  It's not little squares, it's tiny tiny triangles 8-(    Oh well, I love challenges!!

I think that I need to get back to getting things organized for the coming week.  So I'm going to stop now - this was a long blog!! 

Have a great week!

Just want to share what I did today.  I took my 10 year old granddaughter, Taylor to hear Sara Trail talk.  She is a 17 year old quilter and seamstress that has published a book and teaches sewing to kids.  She started sewing with her grandmother when she was 4 and has been making things since she was 6 -- her first endeavor at making $$ from her craft was in high school....she made scrunchies and sold them.  She has made a lot of quilts and is now making artsy quilts.  Check out her web page, she is an inspiration.  I have posted some photos here of some of her quilts - the first photo is of her and my granddaughter, Taylor.
                                          

                                                   Sara and Taylor

  Sara made this quilt when she was 10

              Not sure how old she was when she made this one, but she was very young

                            this is one of her artsy quilts she made for her church
Taylor has been taking classes at our local quilt shop, the Country Cloth Shop in Angels Camp.  She has been making clothes for her American doll.  In July she will be taking a 4 day class.  At that class she will get her own Bernette 46, learn how to use it, and will make several items while she is there.  She's very excited, and I am very proud of her.

                                      Taylor at class making robe for doll

                                                        The Robe

                                                          Doll Quilt

                                        P. J's she made for her little sister

           This is the machine that she will get with the class ...lucky little girl!!

Well that's all the bragging that I can do today!  I have to get busy sewing - haven't done much lately, and I things are piling up!  Never enough time!!  I get to visit my daughter, Michelle in 2 weeks!! I'm sooooooooo excited!! 

        HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU!!
                                                                                         

Wow!!  Time sure flies.....it's been two weeks since I created this blog, and I have 147 viewers.  That is sooooooo exciting!!  Most of my viewers have come from my daughter Michelle's blog, but that's fantastic.....thank you all so much!!


I have been doing a few things......first I had to rearrange my fabric.  Couldn't find anything that I wanted.  I can see that this will be an on-going job as the "stash" grows.  It is interesting to read how people keep their fabric stash.  Some in totes and some in closets with shelves (there are even films on u-tube).  I don't have a lot of room to keep it, so with what I have I just placed it in baskets, kind of by color on a shelf.  Taylor, my grand daughter was here yesterday, and she said "this is cool, you can find what color you want real easily".....that was my point and it worked, but as the stash grows, this might not work.  Here is a photo of how it looks.

Second, I had to finish the birthday present for my grand daughter, Megan.  Today, she is 25......can't believe that this is true.  They grow up sooooooo fast!!  Unfortunately, I finished her gift and forgot to take a picture of it before I mailed it off.  Maybe Michelle will when she sees Megan, and then she can send it to me to post here.


You may have seen what it is..........a little purse made from a Man's Tie.  They are so much fund to make.  Megan called me when she received it and said she really liked it.  I hope so!!


The last item that has been keeping me busy in my spare time was the "Quilt Square of the Month" that I have been doing.  I have appliqued before and love doing it, but it's been a while, and when I copied the pattern, I forgot that it would be reversed, and proceeded to do it backwards.  That was ok, but I also didn't read all of the directions before I did it and when it was finished the square that the bird and flowers were on was bigger then it should have been.  I didn't realize this until it was completely appliqued.  So, this meant that the squares around the center square were going to be too small........long story, short = I figured it out and cut them a tiny bit larger, and it all worked out!!  But, the whole square was too large to hang on my new hanger that I won last month, so I made a pillow.

 I think that this is it for now.  Thanks again for visiting me!!  Have a great Sunday!!