Seattle 08

So I will be spending some time talking about the trip to Seattle.  I arrived at the airport around 2pm.  DH picked me up and we headed to our hotel, The Inn at Gig Harbor.  It was such a nice place.  We had to cross over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to get there.  We stopped once we got across the bridge so I could take a few pictures.

After unloading the car we drove to Gig Harbor, the town.  I thought this statue on the harbor was interesting.
Here is a view looking across the harbor.
I was totally fascinated by these unusual star fish.  I apologize for the image, but it was very gray outside and getting dark, so this is what I got.
Of course, we went to the local quilt shop and it was so nice.  The people were very friendly and I bought a little bit.  I tried to be restrained and I did pretty well.  It was called the Harbor Quilt Shop

You really should stop by and visit.  

Here is the view out of my hotel window.  It is the Olympic mountain range.  Dh told me that in all the times he has been there this was the first time he was able to see it!  I guess they were just showing off for me!! 
I will post more later.  I have a LOT of pictures and information to share. I didn't forget about the drawing and I did pick up some goodies while away for the winner.

My 100th Post...YIPPEE!!

So, for anyone that reads and follows this, this is my 100th post!  What better way to celebrate than with a few photos.  

I think I will have a little give away for a random person that leaves me a comment on this post.  I will put all the names in a hat and draw one out and send that person a little something.  I just need to say that I appreciate everyone that reads and comments and those who read and do not comment.  I hope you have enjoyed reading about my journey as I have taking the journey!

The other night before we left for Madison, I went out and got Chinese food.  I tossed the bag on top of the new antique fishing lure box I bought DH for  Christmas...well, apparently Jack thought this was a fine place for a nap!

We drove to Madison to bring DD1 her TV and armoire.  On the way to the town, down a steep and winding road is a place called Hanging Rock. Sometimes it is a falls.  This was one of those times.  I snapped a pic of DH with DD1 on the wall that was painted to look like stones!

Near DD's apt is a little quilt shop:

Where I met Margie herself!! 

It is a nice little quilt shop and I enjoy the patterns they make up in the shop.  I bought some fabric for a class I am going to take in Feb, One Block Wonder.  I will have to take a picture of it when I get a chance.  Thanks for all your help, Margie!

For anyone that wondered, things went as well as can be expected on Friday.  It's over!!  That's the good news.

Even more exciting news though.   Last year when I went to CA, I got off the plane and got a voucher for anywhere American Air flies.  Last week DH told me he was flying to Seattle, and I asked if I could meet him there.  so LSS, I fly out tomorrow and we have a wonderful 3 days together in Seattle!!  I can't wait.  I sure have a lot to do between now and tomorrow, including pick up my Bernina from the shop.  She is finally ready to come home!!  I am excited about that too.  DH will drive a bicycle up to DD2 at MSU as hers crapped out and we picked up mine from DD! when we were in Madison this weekend.  What a whirlwind.  I feel a little like Jet-Set Barbie!!

I will take lots of pictures in Seattle.  I have not been there since I was a little girl, it should be fun.

Getting Ready

I can't say I'm sorry to see this week end!! Work had been very hectic and I have stayed late every day. I have had something going every night too. Last night we had registration for lacrosse. I am so happy it is finished!! I just have to drop off the paperwork to the secretary to put it all together for the team (one advantage of being the President is delegation!) I have a quick trip to the post office and then the dreaded doctors appointment. I have to have a fluid retention procedure done. Gosh darn those babies for making my bladder drop. Things have never been the same! No longer able to cough, sneeze or run without some kind of protection (if you know what I mean) so last time I went to the gyno he told me there was surgery that could fix my little issue. Woot, Woot!! So off the the urologist I went only to discover that I had to have this done first as, of course, I had performance anxiety when in her office the first time and could not for the life of me make it happen.

Now if you have a queasy stomach you may want to skip ahead...They cath you and fill your bladder that way and see how much fluid you can take before you "leak". Kind of like a faucet! I am really dreading this as I HATE to be cathed!! I know I'm a big baby and I hope it won't be as awful as I have it in my head. Enough of that!

Jeanne at luv to stitch paid me a nice compliment when she mentioned my blog as one that inspires her. She certainly does that for me too! Thanks Jeanne.

We are packing up the stuff DD1 left here and bringing it to her in Madison today after I get home. I am excited to go there again. I really love Madison and of course DD1! DH and I will have time alone in the car (good or bad, I guess we'll see) People that know us wonder how we ever ended up together as I talk ...ALOT and he doesn't talk at all. What can I say? It works for us. LOL

Now, here is the exciting part of the post. I may be joining DH in Tacoma WA for a few days next week. I have a voucher for free airfare anywhere in the continental US that American flies but I have to use it by March (it was good for 1 year from issue) I love the pacific NW and have been to that area twice when I was a little girl. I am hoping I will be able to pull this off. I have to see if I can get off work, get a replacement for a lax meeting I am supposed to be at and make sure DS has someone to watch over his little 17year old self. Keep your fingers crossed!!

One last thing...my next post is 100!! I never thought I would make it to that number so quickly. I am trying to think up something to do that will be special. Thinking, thinking, thinking...OUCH!

Quilt Addiction

I was just over at Kim's Big Quilting Adventure (I still don't know how to link a name* so when you click on it it takes you to that place, anyone? anyone?) She was posting about being a quilt addict and it got me to thinking. I really did used to have a life. Since I have been addicted it has sort of taken over my life. It's what I talk about to all my friends, most of whom also quilt, it's what I think about in spare moments of time, when I have such a think, it's what I day dream about and it is how I choose to spend much if not all of my free time. I suppose there are worse habits. I taught my boss' wife to quilt. We work together so we talk quilting A LOT. We got another co-worker started quilting, although she is not quite as addicted as the 2 of us. We have a Japanese medical fellow in the lab and I taught his wife to quilt...total addict! Then there is the fact that Liz the quiltin whiz, aka my LAQ works one building over and comes to see us almost daily and has at least daily (if not more than once a day) quilt related email. Which, as a total addict, I love. We affectionately call it "morning (s)pam "... since my name is Pam. Yes, it's true, we crack ourselves up!

So my friend Ellen called me tonight and told me she and her DH were going out to dinner at a local place Bar Louie, for $1 hamburgers and $2 beer and I just spur of the moment invited myself and my DH to join them (both DH's are friends too). Now I must say here that Ellen is a quilt addict too. In fact it is really her fault that I became an addict. We met because our DD's swam together from the time they were 8 until they left for separate universities. Well Ellen used to bring her quilts to practice and sew binding on. One thing led to another and now I need the 12 step quilt program! At dinner tonight we were talking about, what else, quilting. I was telling her about Liz's parents and all the quilts they have done for the MBH and how much her dad has done with these quilts, when her DH piped up and said to my Dh, "Hey, if we ever get like that we need to be killed!" It was pretty funny. They are both good sports and support our addiction. When Ellen gave me my Christmas gifts tonight, some of them were fabric and both of the DH's just rolled their eyes.

I guess I can live with this sort of addiction. I do need to get out and exercise more this year and that is difficult because as soon as I get home and get the "have to's" done I want to quilt, not go back out and exercise. I'm working on it. I am toying with doing it in the am but I would have to get up at 5am and with the new addition of hourly hot flashing going on ALL night, my sleep is not great so we will see. I would appreciate any tips you all have for fitting exercising in. I just love to do my cutting when there is natural light coming in, which pushes the "have to's" back further and pretty soon I'm looking at 9pm and who wants to go and exercise at that time? Not me. I did take the dog out for a 30 minute walk tonight, it rained half way home, but darn it I got some exercise. Oh Gosh, when is that Bernina coming home??

Are you addicted??

Finishes

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately and many are talking about New Year's resolutions. I have made some. One of them is to finish as many already begun quilts as I can this year. This means those that are cut out and those that are only in my head. Do any of you make quilts in your head? I do it all the time. The only problem is getting the design (so perfect in my head) into a form that can achieve those results! I digress...

This weekend DD2 helped me "take down Christmas". This took all day on Sat. I am so glad to have my house almost back to normal. We still have DD1's new TV in our LR as she was going to see friends and did not want to have to unload it and re-load it into her car before she went back to IN. DS LOVES it because he can play guitar hero and Halo 3 on his XBox 360. It is where my sewing machine lives, so I am displaced, temporarily. It is ok for now as my machine is in getting a tune up right now. I expect her back any day now. I have the new portable one I got for Christmas, but I haven't even taken the time to thread it and try it out yet. Some of the ladies in the Ann Arbor quilt guild reccommended this Brother machine as many of them have it and use it for classes etc. My DF Ellen has one too and she loves it and since she didn't steer me wrong with my Bernina, that's all I needed to know. I have 5 quilts back from Liz and need to trim them and make binding, but it will wait. I think I have convinced DH to make the trip to IN next weekend to see DD! and bring her TV and the amoire too, woot, woot!!

With this enforced no sew zone I have going on right now, I decided to work on the hand embroidered quilt blocks I only pick up when I am really, really bored and now have another one almost finished.

A friend of DH's just had a baby on Dec 30. I made a quilt for his sister so figured I should make one for him too. I got the entire quilt done way before Christmas it is even all bound. I made the label too, I just needed to sew it on. Sounded like a good project for tonight so I started on it and look who decided she wanted to help!! I think she missed DD2 (her momma).


I think the label turned out quite nice.

Do you remember this quilt? Well one that was similar anyway, lol. I made a larger version for my friend Kimberly when she adopted a little boy.

I just love those bears!

Liz the quiltin' whiz worked her magic and did the cute little mice all over it too. If you are wondering why the airplanes on the back it's because my DH is a pilot and he flies with the dad of this new baby. I always have some kind of airplane fabric lying around.


I know that I still need to get some close up photos of the Texas quilt (it is AMAZING) but it is dark and the photos are so much better when I take them in the daylight. I am trying to organize the NYR but will post those soon too. I have to go back to work tomorrow so maybe I can do it in between other things.

WOW

BURRRR...Baby it's cold outside! We are at -1 here today!! I took these photos yesterday looking out my window at work. I work at the University of Michigan and we have a spectacular view out our window. Isn't all the snow beautiful? The weather man tells us it will all be melted by the weekend and it will be 50, we will see about that! Can't predict what the weather will be like but they can tell us all about Global Warming and how it will effect us...Really? You can tell me about Global Warming but can't tell me what the weather will be like a few days from now, sheesh!! I shouldn't get started down that path. Oh yeah, snow. Isn't the snowflake in the window cool?




One of my CL's did this quilt. I just got it back from Liz today. Shirley (the CL that made it ) has not even seen it yet. She hand appliqued all those little quarter circles down on that background. There are almost 900 3" blocks!!! She kept calling it the quilt she would never finish before she dies, but she did!! I gave it to Liz to work her magic on and voila...a masterpiece!

Shirley chose a plain back and just look at that fabulous quilting! Liz told me it took her a little over 12 hours and she did it all freehand!!! Amazing. Such talent.

Not the best photo of the front. but the best I could get without letting it touch the lab floor!

I just couldn't resist sharing! Let me know what you think...

What's On Your Bed?

I can finally play, "What's on your bed?" I have been quilting for about 6 years in Feb and have not made a quilt for my own bed. I cut up this "Flannel Brick Road" quilt and gave it to Liz the Quiltin' Whiz's parents who actually put most of it together for me. They gave me back the "left over" blocks, which I used to add on to the width of the quilt and viola...I now have a quilt of my own! You can even see it on my bed so you know I am not lying!!

I found this great cat flannel and bought it a hundred years ago. I picked up the other flannel on clearance (which I will not be able to do anymore, stash busting and all). I have used every bit of the cat flannel.

As you can see Liz quilted it with cats, of course!

I used all the rest of the cat flannel on the back. I guess I had a little tiny bit left after I trimmed it but I cut up what was left and put it into the cut bins for future use (Thanks, Bonnie for teaching me to do this!) What wasn't big enough for the bins but had a whole cat on was saved to use when I need a cat for a label.

As I was trying to blog recently, I had to step away from the computer for a little while and Autumn decided she would help keep the computer keyboard warm for me! Cats are so good at that!


So enquiring minds want to know...What's on your bed?

New Year's resolutions to come soon!

POKE-N-STAB Christmas Party 07

POKE-N-STAB quilt group are the group of Church Ladies (CL'S) that I am always talking about. I decided we needed to have a Christmas party this year so we planned it in the room we use at the church. Aren't my CL's cute??




We did a small gift exchange and everyone brought a gift wrapped and put it on the table. They all drew numbers and the person with #1 got to choose a gift from the table. Person #2 could take person #1's or a gift from the table. They had a lot of fun teasing each other that they were going to take their gifts! Here is Dolores (in the red) teasing my DF, Charlotte, that she is going to take the bag he (Char) opened! She didn't but it was funny to see how protective Char was, lol.


Drum roll please....you can finally see "Liz the Quiltin Whiz"!!! She is truly a blessing in my life! I don't know how I could get as much done as I do with out her!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

My, My how time flies!! I can't believe it is 2008 already. Christmas went past in a blur. Both of my DD's were home for the holiday. This made me very happy. DD2 helped me clean, decorate and bake cookies for the holiday. So I have a lot to say and will have to break it up into several posts so keep checking back and I will work on posting more! First there was Christmas with DH's family. We get together with his whole family on Christmas eve. This year it was in Kalamazoo at his brother's house. DH is the oldest of 7 and there are 15 nieces and nephews too so it is a lot of people and a lot of fun. Last year Williams and Sonoma came out with a pan that would make a train. Well, DH thought it would be fun to make 2 trains and bring them with candy and frosting for all the nieces and nephews to decorate. It was a HUGE success. This year they came out with a new pan...cars and trucks. We had fun choosing the candy and decorating stuff. Here you see Aunt Sarah with my DS (in the orange shirt) and 2 of the nieces.



This is my Godson, Mark. Even some of the older kids joined in making some and helping the littles with theirs. Isn't he a handsome guy??

Now, if you remember, I was making a quilt for my In-Laws but I don't think I posted any photos. Here they are opening it up.

This is a photo of the quilt. It is totally in their colors and they loved it!

Now I am moving on to our house. I took a few photos of the decorating but really the tree is the most beautiful, right? Here is ours on Christmas eve after Santa had come.

So before Christmas, I met my friend Yuki for lunch and to exchange some small gifts. We went to one of our favorite shops, Treasure Mart, in Ann Arbor. It is a consignment shop and seems to get a lot of antiques. So I found this beautiful armoir (not sure how to spell this). Isn't it just gorgeous?? Well, it was priced right too so I bought it for DD1 for her apt in IN. It was a steal at $125!!! (hope she doesn't read this, lol. She just loved it. It will stay in our garage until we can load it into our van and take it to her.

I guess no Christmas is complete unless someone is rolling in the papers, right Laxy??

Awwww, isn't he cute?? This was one of his favorite gifts. I also got him a fishing lure box at Treasure Mart. It was a chest off an old sail boat. He loved it! (Of course I stocked it with fly tying "stuff")

We bought DS a book on Sign Spotting and it had such gems as "Beware of invisibility" in it and DD1 abd DH were cracking up!

Then I took my girls and met my friend Shelby for lunch. My DD1 is named after her and she is one of my oldest and dearest friends. We had a good time. She lost her husband a few years ago to and aortic anuresim (again, not sure of the spelling. He was a great guy and we all miss him a lot. Funny story, since both she and DD1 share a name we were calling them big and little, when "Big" asked if we could call her something else, so to this day they were Aunt Shelby and Uncle Mike. We miss him but every day is better for her and it was a treat for us to be all together!

Happy New Year everyone. This is what we woke up to this morning! It is beautiful. I sure am glad I don't have to go out in it (except to play with the dog, lol)

Last but not least, Santa (aka DH) was very, very good to me. Here I am modeling my favorite gift. My new green clogs!!! I just love them!! I also got a new portable sewing machine to take to the church and to classes etc. It is a Brother and has 110 stitches on it, a 1/4 in foot and a walking foot and too many features to name here. I just love it. I plan to try it out soon as I took my Bernina to the shop for PM. Should be back in a week or so. I suppose that gives me time to put all the decorations away and get the house cleaned up just in time for her to come home. I have been reading with interest the stash busting posts and I think I will be joining in on that. I have also read some of the NY resolutions. I will be making a list soon for that too. I have a list of projects that I want/need to finish and I think that will top the list. I will save all of this for the next post so I can have some time to think about what I want to do and make sure I can stay with it. I did begin the 365 day challenge quilt today! I made one for my DF Ellen and my DD1, so we will see if we can motivate each other to keep up with it. I actually only have 2 rows of mine sewn but that gives me a month or more to finish it up. I guess that is the first one on the list! I also gave my DS his Texas quilt. He is in love with it. I will get pictures of it and post them soon too. Liz the quiltin' whiz did a fantastic job! (I have a photo of her and the CL's to post later) Wow, who knew there was so much work to do posting stuff??

I hope you all have a wonderful and productive and healthy New Year! What was your favorite Christmas gift?

Merry Christmas

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas. I was very busy but will post some photos and what was happening later.

Texas here I come

Texas is almost mine! muwahhhh. My firned, Liz the Quiltin' Whiz just sent me this teaser photo of the Texas quilt I made for my DS. She got a chance to work on the quilting over the snowy day we had yesterday and last night and guess what?? She is finished!! I didn't brave the roads today but she is at work with my quilt!!!! I am so excited. I was hoping to have it done for him for Christmas. Isn't the quilting on it so neat? She did all those little circles around every longhorn (there are 20)to make it look like leather. Then she did barbed wire fence in the sashing between the blocks!!! Ohhh, I can hardly wait to see it in person. I will take more pictures once I receive it.

Snowy Day!

Wow, who would have thought that we would be totally snowed in today! I had my Christmas party for my work on Friday afternoon. We do a secret Santa exchange type of thing. I guessed the person that had me. His mom is a big quilter so some of my gifts were quilt related, which was very nice. We had the party at my boss's house and it was a lot of fun. I had to leave early to get home to go to DH's work Christmas party. He is a pilot and it was at the hanger with the other pilots and their wives. It was fun too. Then yesterday it was time for the church ladies Christmas party. I got over to the church about noon and set up. Several of the CL's were there to help me too. We had so much good food. I invited Liz the quiltin' whiz to attend and she was able to make it too. This is when all the snow began. Not too bad but they expected 10-12 inches. We did a small gift exchange too where everyone draws numbers and then the first person picks from all the gifts and the second person can take person #1's gift or one from the table and so on. It was really a lot of fun.

Oh...but the snow...just kept on coming. Woke up this am with a LOT of snow. I didn't have big plans for today and it is a good thing! DD2 helped me decorate the tree and then put all the boxes away. We baked some cookies together today too. She threw in some laundry while DH took the snowblower to the driveway and sidewalks. DD helped me with all the Christmas cards, stuffing in the Christmas letter and putting on all the return address labels. I just have a few more to look up addresses from my email and then I need to go and buy stamps. I am grateful for the help! She wants to start wrapping, but I think I need to be done for today.

Speaking of Christmas letters...what are your opinions on them? I love receiving them as otherwise most cards would just have signatures on them. So...love em' or hate em'? I will try to take some pictures of the snow tomorrow and maybe even the tree and all the Christmas decorations. Sleep tight!

Quilts

I am still alive and well, just super duper busy! (Who isn't, right??) Well I was *trying*, (trying being the operative word here) to sew some binding on my flannel brick road Christmas quilt. When what to my wondering eyes did appear? Miss Autumn, see her tail?

AAAHHHH, now you can see her. She would not leave this quilt alone. I did finally get the binding sewn on but not turned yet.


These are 2 of the quilts I donated to the U of M quilt raffle. I designed the embroidered animals one. I first did the squares in all different colors and I HATED it...a lot! So I tried adding the white and making the squares the same color but with different fabric. I liked this much better. I did not repeat any fabirc in the colored squares. When I was a little girl, (a LONG time ago) I used to sleep under a quilt that my grandmother made. It was a crazy quilt made using feedsack fabrics (I am still trying to find this old quilt!) I vividly remember falling asleep while trying to choose my favorite fabric or seeing if I could find any that matched. I really wanted to re-create that for whoever ended up with my quilt. We raised $10,700 total for the charity!! WOO-HOO!!!


On to the most recently finished quilt. I made this baby quilt for a baby shower for a friend of mine, who's son and his GF are expecting. When the future DIL opened it my friend was announcing all the gifts and who they were from etc. She took one look and said over the microphone, "Oh no you didn't" But of course I did!! So I just nodded my head and she burst into tears as the DIL opened it up. Everyone in the room gasped and started clapping and wanted to know who made it. It was very embarassing!! I did not want to be the center of attention! My friend told everyone that the very first quilt I made had gone to her daughter 6 almost 7 now years ago. I had completely forgotten that. The panel is from Thimbleberries and was, of course, quilted by Liz the Whiz! Aren't the bees so cute?



I did not know the baby's name (which I now know is James) so I made this label. I used flannel on the back. I used the stamp my GF Yuki carved for me to jazz it up a bit too. The whole quilt was made from stash so that made me happy too.



I just sent another quilt off to Liz that is for a baby due in feb. The new dog is learning, although a little slowly for me, not to chase the cats. She and Jack are ok the others still HATE her. She is a sweetie but still a dog. Hopefully I will have some more photos to post later.