Halloween themed magazine covers...

is the sign that fall is coming!  I was in charge of doing the grocery shopping this past Sunday.   I admit it - the duty belongs to my husband & little man.  And it looks like he will be taking back the responsibility this coming weekend.  YEAH!  Anyhoo, I couldn't resist getting this (it was not on the list)...

it's a weakness of mine.  I love to see everything & anything Halloween.  I'm giddy just thinking about fall, the leaves on the trees changing colors, 'seasonal' pumpkin ice cream, cool weather ...you get the picture.  (In my opinion, IT'S THE MOST BESTEST SEASON!)  And yes you guessed it...fall quilt projects!  I can't wait to work on the 'Crazy Jack' wall hanging.  I'm hoping to get it completed (with a few friends) by the end of Sept. so we can hang them up Oct. 1st! I can feel the excitement of completing those wall hangings!!!  And I'm sure my friends feel the same way! (wink, wink!). 

GOOD MORNING!

I hope everyone had a beautiful weekend! My husband is doing much better.  I appreciate everyone's concerns & comments.  Needless to say, I have a lot of catching up to do.  Oh, and I can't wait to see everyone's completed projects for August!  Have a great day!

It's not his time to go.

It's been a very long, emotional day. 9:30 this morning I get a call from my husband saying he has been in a car wreck, the van is totaled, his chest hurts and that I should meet him at the hospital. He's very calm & cool in bad situations.  In a nutshell, someone didn't see him and turned right in front of him.  It happened so fast that my husband didn't have time to hit the brakes.  By the grace of God, my husband & the other person only suffered aches & bruises.  I don't even want to think about what could have happened if he was on his motorcycle (which is what he rides going to work - everyday).  The belt on his motorcycle broke last week & his bike has been in the shop since then.  It truly is funny how things work out the way they do.

I just wanted to say...

 Thank you Lord for not taking him.

I'm learning...

Over the last couple of weeks I've run into a few boo boos...

1. I ran out of thread. (I couldn't get myself to drive 30 miles (round trip) for thread.)
2. Then I realized I wanted my Simplicity throw to be wider so I had to order more material - had to wait for that.
3. I finally finished my top and the batting that I had wasn't big enough.

So yesterday (before work) my sweet husband was nice enough to stop at a sewing store and pick me up some batting.  We live in SE Arkansas, between Little Rock and Monroe, LA.  I've learned to adjust (alot) because moving from San Jose, CA to SE Arkansas - you have too!  Well, I'm just lucky my husand works in a town that has a sewing store!  Needless to say, I'm learning that it's going to take me some time to get into a groove.  Even though I've run into a few speed bumps, I'm excited to be on this journey.  At least I have my big spool of thread ready to quilt my quilt with...

Sweet.

I found Kelly and her blog (through her store) this past May and liked everything about her/the store/the blog. And since then, thanks to her:  I entered my first made quilt in the Charming Threads Spring Quilt Show - my first show.  I've done a quilt a long.  Joined a quilt club.  And it was in June I was given the opportunity to purchase a Gammill (Bessie) and she was kind enough to answer ALL my questions about long arm machines.  She has always had kind, encouraging words for me.  Oh, one more thing, thanks to her I started my own blog about quilting.  That's a lot of stuff in 4 months!  She is one sweet, funny lady and I'm thankful for her friendship. And this is the kind of person Kelly is, I ordered a layer cake and 4 1/2 yards of fabric with my GC from the Charming Girls' Quilt Club July drawing...this is what I got...

And this...

She is just too sweet! She had a note in there that said something like - she was still destashing and since I had some room in my box...she thought I would like it.  Like it? I LOVED all of it!

Kelly, thank you for your kindness!

Simplicity is done.

I completed my Simplicity quilt top last night! So that makes 1 completed UFO for the CGQC for the month of August.  YEAH!  It was a very exciting moment...because I realized that it means it will be the first quilt that I quilt on Bessie! (you haven't met her yet...)  It makes me scared/nervous/excited thinking about it! I know, I know...I'm just going to have to take a deep breath and just jump, no dipping my big toe into the pool to see if the water is cold - just jump in and at the same time yell 'CANNON BALL!'.

Do remember that? When you were a kid, at the pool on a hot sunny day and that feeling you get right before you jump in because you know the water will be cold.  Sorry, I digress - anyhoo, we still have 5 more days...

There's no place like home...

We had a fun visit, good food, lots of window shopping and the weather was WONDERFUL! - no sweaty knees! Anyone who has been near the south knows what I'm talkin' about. But now that we're back, I'm anxious to get back into the swing of things. And as happy as I was to see my husband, it took every ounce in my being from getting on the sewing machine last night! My little man & I got home around 4:30pm yesterday and my husband had my favorite meal cooked - dinner was ready! Meatloaf - with mashed potatoes & fresh corn on the cob. (I love a man who can cook!) And of course over dinner (which was delicious!) we were talking about our trip...blah, blah, blah and in the back of my mind I was itching to open my box from Cotton Charm Quilts - the sweetest little quilt shop. I'm sorry for rambling but I'm just so freakin' excited to be home & get quilting again! And as a reminder...if your in the

we only have 7 days left! I'm just hoping to finish my Simplicity top! Ok, I'm going to stop talking/writing for now because my mind is going a mile a minute. I'm just glad to be home!

Biloxi, MS

Even though today is Wednesday, it's my Friday! WhooHooo! I can't wait for the work day to end! I will be visiting my mom & sister this weekend...it's time I take my little one to see his grandma & aunt, usually once a quarter. They happen to live in a part of the land that if the weather is just right (which is everyday from spring through fall) - your knees will start sweating due to the heat & humidity! And for a healthy gal like myself - it's no fun! I just thank God for A/C.
So I used one of the tips from the CGQC tag - I sewed for 15 minutes last night. I wanted to do more but I had to get things ready for our trip. So the 15 min. made me feel like I made some progress. I also snuck in another 15 minutes to practice on Bessie. I'll be introducing her in the next week or so. Anyhoo, I hope everyone has a good rest of the week...happy sewing!

Bedtime Stories - the movie

We were watching Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler the other night and the first scene were Adam's character tells a bedtime story it showed a quilt on both the little girl & boys bed. I automatically blurted 'Look at those quilts!' and in the next nano second my husband blurted 'OMG!'. We both started laughing and then he proceeded to call me a freak. But I don't know which one of us was more weirder - me, for bring up the quilts or him - for actually saying OMG. Needless to say, all three of us enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it, it's a good family movie.

SOME BEACH! (It's also a title of a country song.)

I ordered my border fabric last week and I'm thinking it should be here by now...so I called & was told there was a 'mix up' with my order. My print out was in the wrong pile & someone was supposed to call me to let me know there was not enough yardage. There's no reason to get upset - it just sucks up good energy. Soooooo I started looking on the net & sure enough I found something else. Hopefully it will be here by Saturday...which really won't matter because I'll be leaving for Biloxi, MS Thursday morning. Which reminds me - I won't have access to the internet, which means I won't be able to see what everyone else is blogging about (I'm finding it hard too swallow). Sorry, I'm digressing. Hopefully my material will be here when I get back. Happy Sewing!

The CGQC members have been tagged!

1. Share your favorite quilting or sewing tip.
A pizza box...when working on a project, you can store all of your cut pieces in a (clean) pizza box. I'm using one now.

2. Share your best tip for managing time more effectively (what works best for you)!
Ok, the preseason football season has started & I have realized that I can quilt/sew at the same time I watch the game. During the game you can iron/press, pin and do any quiet quilting function. When a commercial comes on, I sew on the machine. I tried it the other night and it's going to work out nicely. I'm just lucky the floor plan of the kitchen, dining and living room area is open because the sewing machine is on our table.

3. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Being a former Army brat, I've been lucky to see different parts of the US, Korea and Japan. So if I had my pick, I would love to go to Alaska.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's answers, especially # 1...I could use all the help I can get! Kelly, thanks for the great questions!

the half way mark...

Today was a good day! I had a couple of hours to work on my secret dinosaur quilt! When my husband called to give me a heads up that they were on their way home, I scrambled to clean up and forgot to take a picture. But I managed to get all the pieces cut and work on assembling a few panels. I'm still waiting for my border & backing material but this is sneak peek of what my Simplicity quilt looks like so far (not happy with the picture but I got over it)...

I just love the pattern on this one - very simple and you can see all of the patterns in the line. I love it so much that I already plan on making another one using Peace on Earth, using a dark brown as the main color. I can't wait to that one get done. Well, I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

TIME...

I'm always appreciative of any 'time' I get to do whatever I want...and tomorrow I will have the house all to myself for several hours! Woooo Hooooo! You know what that means? That's right...I'll me working like a mad woman on the Dinosaur Uproar quilt.

I'm just giddy thinking about it!

Change of plans...

I won't be working on this...

I don't have the right foot for my sewing machine. So instead, I'll be working on these...

My husband bought me one of these jelly rolls at wally world, several months ago. I love it when he throws me curve balls, always doing things here and there that makes me say 'Wow!'. Knowing that I would need at least 2, I went ahead and got another one. So here goes another project! Let the fun begin!!!

It is now on my list.

The other night my husband & I were talking and out of nowhere he asks me 'Do you know where the National Quilt Museum is?'. I said probably somewhere in Ohio or Texas, I don't know. He starts laughing and says 'Some quilter you are.'. I tell him - I give, he proceeds to tell me it's in Paducah, KY (which probably all of you know). I told him that is where THE quilt show is held. I've seen it in magazines. He made some kind of reference to going there and I told him it's probably too far away and not in our budget. He then proceeded to get the atlas. We are about 380 miles away. And in the middle of our conversation, I straight up ask him 'You won't have a problem with me going by myself to the quilt show?', he said no. With that being said...I told him it's now on my list.

I'm done! Sort of...

Ok, I stocked up on some thread and sure enough I was able to finish the Simplicity top. Very exciting! I held it up to see how I did and I liked how it turned out (my lines are starting to match up better)...but something didn't seem right. So I went ahead and pressed it to make sure what I was feeling was true...yep, it's not wide enough (for me). I went ahead and ordered more fabric so that I can add a border. And of course I haven't been able to do any work on the dinosaur quilt because it is supposed to be a surprise. I guess I could stay up til midnight and work on it here and there but I'm not the spring chicken I used to be - know what I mean? So, I start going through my 'to do' list and I figure I will try to get a snowman/Christmas wall hanging done while I'm waiting for the fabric to arrive. It was a gift from a very sweet friend of mine, Louise. I think it would be nice to have it done before the next time we have lunch, next month. Ok, I'm going to zip my lips for now...hope everyone has a great day!

Here's a laugh for you...

I had 2 rows left to sew on my Simplicity quilt...I RAN OUT OF THREAD! Talk about disappointment...I was soooo close to finishing it yesterday. I guess that was a sign for me to do some laundry and other cleaning stuff (it worked). If we lived closer to town, I would have finished that top. I'm on a mission to finish it tonight!

A cool moment...

Yesterday was a nice, lazy summer day (& hot). So while the guys were outside mowing and 'working on stuff', I was able to do some sewing. Then later in the day, we decided to use up what was left in the helium tank (that was left over from the birthday party)...who knew it would fill up the entire ceiling of my little man's room. So there we are, laying on the floor looking up - giggling. It was 'one' of those pretty neat moments - know what I mean? The kind of moment I hope he will remember forever. What kid would not want a room full of balloons?

Whoa...

I received the coolest compliment today. A good friend of mine, Melinda, was talking to someone about my first 3 quilts and how good they turned out (considering I'm new to quilting). And by fluke, this someone has been looking for someone to make her a t-shirt/jersey quilt for her daughter. So I end up talking to her for several minutes about quilts in general and then she tells me what she would like done. Then the compliment: Would you be interested in doing it? - I am giggling (on the inside). I'm just so freaking excited that she would even think of maybe even asking me to do a quilt. She is supposed to come by next Tuesday/Wednesday to see what I have done. Even if I don't do her quilt, I still will be floating on a cloud. It was a pretty cool moment for me...

Have a great weekend!

August Projects for the CGQC

Well, the 7th is the cutoff time to submit your projects to Kelly for those of you who are in the CGQC. After going through my UFO's...there are 2 quilt tops I would like to get done by the end of this month. The one on the left, Dinosaur Uproar, is going to be a Christmas present for my little man. The other one is also going to be a Christmas present for my Aunt in Korea. The only problem is...I have to make the dinosaur quilt in secret! So I figure if I start now - I should be done by December. As of right now, I only have the panels cut out. So in the mean time, I will be working on my Aunt's quilt - Simplicity! I just love 3 Sisters! I found the pattern in Kelly's store. Love it because it's simple and you will be able to see all the different fabrics in that line. Having joined the Charming Girls' Quilt Club has helped me focus on what projects I want to get done. Happy sewing...

Something new...

Well, here it goes...I never would have thought, I of all people, would start a blog. I'm a private person. But thanks to Kelly at Charming Chatter & her quilt club, I have jumped off the edge. Ever since I started quilting, back in Oct08, it has been a wild ride...I HAVE FOUND A NEW LOVE! Honestly, I jumped off the edge back in Oct08 - thanks to a good friend of mine, Teresa. Needless to say - I'm a very lucky gal that I have a very supportive husband & a great kid whom seems to understand my new found passion. I wonder how long their enthusiasm will last?

So here it goes...something new.