Nina wanted some more interesting facts about me...

so I went onto this website and dug up these little known facts. By the way, I found this website thanks to Deb R over at Red Show Ramblings.

Prepare to be shocked!

1. Sarah N can jump up to sixteen times her own height.
2. You would have to dig through four thousand kilometres of Sarah N to reach the earth's core.
3. There are 336 dimples on Sarah N! (no, I am not telling where!)
4. Sarah N can smell some things up to six miles away! (chocolate chips cookies, fresh baked bread, and hot apple pie!)
5. If you keep a goldfish in a dark room, it will eventually turn into Sarah N.
6. Sarah N can squeeze her entire body through a hole the size of her beak!
7. New Zealand was the first place to allow Sarah N to vote!
8. The average human spends about 30 days during their life waiting for Sarah N.
9. In the kingdom of Bhutan, all citizens officially become Sarah N on New Year's Day!
10. Sarah N will become gaseous if her temperature rises above -42°C. (well, that explains a lot of things!)

OK, Nina! Are these more exciting tidbits about me?

DH just came home. He has been gone since Wednesday morning and will leave again on Monday morning. His studio at Auburn designed and is now building a Habitat for Humanity house over in western Alabama. They have to have it completed by May 15th. I think I will go spend some time with him!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I know you were waiting to learn...

6 weird things about me. I have been thinking about this topic for the past several nights as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep. Probably not a good thing to do - obsessing about my oddities while trying to relax and fall asleep!

Here you go!

1. I must have my shoulders covered to fall asleep. No matter how hot it is I have to sleep in pajamas. And I like to pull the sheet up around my neck.

2. I am the world's pickiest eater. Most of my food issues are caused be texture problems. Fresh tomatoes - don't like the slimy part around the seeds. Celery - too stringy. Mushrooms - it is a fungus! Broccoli - Ugh - its a little tree. Are you getting the picture? My mother is dyeing of shame!

3. I love doing laundry. Gives me a sense of accomplishment in an otherwise (usually) messy house. Now if someone would only invent a dryer that dries a full load in the time it takes the washer to do its cycle, I would be a happy camper.

4. I can a nap at any time of the day. Tuesday I fell asleep at 9:30 a.m. and slept for an hour and a half. I am the Queen of naps.

5. My husband's side of the family seems to attract younger women. I am a year and 4 months older than my husband. My MIL is a year and 5 months older than my FIL. My SIL is a year and a half older than my BIL. My DH was 22 when we got married and I tease him that I married him young so I could train him up the way I wanted!

6. The longest I have ever lived at any one address is four years and it was when I was 30 to 34 years old. I have been married almost 13 years and have had 8 addresses in that time. My DH on the other hand lived in the same town (not the same house) from the time he was a year old until he left for college. His parents still live there.

Now that I have bored you all to tears, I think I will go sew for a while!

Obsessed or possessed or just easily distracted!

"SPRUNG !"

Anyone care to guess what I did with the rest of my weekend? Is it green enough? I am still thinking about some kind of border. And the quilting is stumping me. Maybe stitch in the ditch? Ok, all you long-arm quilting divas out there - what would you suggest? You can click on the picture to get a better view of the fabrics.

This morning I finished getting the rows together. When I got it all together, I discovered that I like it sideways better. When I was laying it out, I had the longest curves going up and down, but I like them better horizontal.

Then when I was cropping the picture in photoshop, I started playing with the different filters. I like the look with the more dramatic colors!

3 months, 21 days, 10 hours

Hello. It's me. I am down here, under the wagon. That would be the "no-buying" wagon that I fell off of today! I blame it all on the Girl Scouts. They don't get blamed for nearly enough things in my opinion. Anyway, today I drove Maddie down to a GS camp outside of Columbus, Georgia for a brownie day-camp thing. Four hours long. Too short a time to drive the hour+ back home - so what is a girl to do? Come prepared! (Isn't that the boy scout motto?) Being the overly prepared person that I am (stop your snickering Nina!), I Yahoo'ed quilt stores before I left home. I also looked up the address of Hobby Lobby. When I pulled into the Hobby Lobby parking lot, what do I spy but a store called "Sew Much Fun". Not something that turned up on my yahoo search. Very cute store. One slightly crabby clerk, one nice clerk! How can someone be crabby working in a quilt store? I succumbed to my lust - caved in and bought some lime green fabrics. All for me! I have been wanting to make a lime green wall hanging for my sewing room. I think I may use the free hand curve technique. Something along the lines of this. Can't wait to get started!

The rest of my purchases were more along the predictable lines. I was hoping there was enough of the brown with pink flowers for the backing of the full-size pink pineapples quilt, but of course there wasn't it. So it may end up being the border. Or maybe it will end up as something else!


The other three were too cute to resist, especially the two on the right because the were on sale for half price. I know, I know - really lame excuse!

OK, I am now climbing back on the wagon - at least until June 19th. This is the date me and Nines are meeting in Tennessee for our own mini-retreat! I am making no promises for my spending behavior that week. I am counting on Nina to help enforce some sort of restraint on me!

Wow! I actually accomplished something!

Looking at my house, you wouldn't think anything got done today, but you would be wrong. I folded and put away at least 6 loads of laundry. Changed the sheets on my bed. Did two loads of dishes. Cooked pancakes for dinner. I also managed to sew a little. First of all I finished assembling the rows for the backing for this quilt. It is kind of scrappy, no? Uses up only 56 of my pre-cut 10.5 inch blocks. Seems like a backing should use up more squares than that! Seems like a lot more fabric when you buy yardage for it.

When I was walking through the kitchen, I noticed this Ball canning jar that I got from my Grandma a few weeks ago. Why, you may ask, would someone want a huge canning jar? Anyone, anyone? Where in the U.S.A. were Ball jars originally made? Still don't know? Muncie, Indiana! Home to our family for four wonderful years. So when I look at this jar, I don't see a jar, I see Muncie! I think of moving there with my new baby daughter and buying our first house. I think of meeting my kindred spirit and learning to quilt (in spite of a certain someone - K.B!). I think of Maddie and Evie playing together. I think of taking hypnobirthing classes with Bill and Nina. I think of Nina rushing to my house when my mom called her because my sister had just lost her twins and was she worried I would go into premature labor. When I think of Muncie - I think of Nina and her family. Amazing what a little canning jar can bring to mind!

Enough of my rambling! I also managed to get the binding on this baby quilt. I am in love with this one too! I just want to run out and buy some strawberries and some chocolate! I don't know the mommy-to-be very well so I hope she likes it.

I delivered the 30's baby quilt last night. Little did I know that the recipient was right there. Oops! I hope the grandma wasn't trying to keep it a secret. They both seemed to love it. The daddy complained that it wasn't really big enough to cover him up adequately! Now, I just have to hide this money away so I can spend it at my mini-retreat with Nina in June! I am definitely going to go searching for some of those fabrics that Susan showed on her blog today. Remember to bring comfy shoes, Nines!

All dressed up and somewhere to go..

I am in love....

with this baby quilt! I want to keep it! I finished the binding and the label today and now the quilt is hanging on the curtain rod above my sewing table. I plan on leaving it there until I have to give it to my friend! I just love the bright colors, the stripes, and the polka dots. Wouldn't this be adorable in pinks? Hhhmmmmm!

The kids are prancing around the house in their new finery for tomorrow. Ian is a very dapper kind of guy. He loves wearing button up shirts - and not just to church - any out of the ordinary occurrence calls for getting a little dressed up. Anyway - he decided he needed a white, long sleeve button-up shirt to wear to church tomorrow. Then he caught sight of a navy blue blazer. Luckily, we were able to borrow one from a friend. And of course, what is a shirt and a blazer without a tie? So we found one at Sears today. He should look very handsome! I will post pictures tomorrow of both of the kids.

Hope everyone is having a nice relaxing weekend!

Binding, binding, binding!

The antibiotics may be kicking in, finally. I still have to keep on top of the decongestant and the cough medicine or I will have coughing fits, but I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Me and Ian ventured out to Walmart today and the trip wore me out.

Yesterday I managed to get the binding put on the 30's baby quilt. I hope to get the label on it by Sunday so I can deliver it and get paid! My printer was out of black ink so I couldn't print out the label. Today I bought a new ink cartridge and printed out labels for this quilt, the bright blue baby quilt, and the pink and brown baby quilt. Fit it all onto one sheet!

Today I started working on the next pink pineapple quilt I need to make. The little girl that it is for will be getting her new bedroom in July so I hope to have it done by then. I think I may actually run out of fabric on this one! I made the blocks an extra strip bigger (put one more round around the outside). So the blocks end up being 12.5 inches. I need to sit down and figure out how many blocks I will need for a full sized quilt.

Off to a girl scout volunteers meeting. UGH! Nina reminded me on the phone this afternoon that I volunteered for this "job"!

Can you say "Bronchitis"?

Yesterday, I finally got to feeling bad enough and coughing all the time, that I caved in and went to the doctor. I was trying to avoid it because we don't really have a regular doctor; we usually just go to the walk-in clinic. They hand out antibiotics like they are candy. Since I assumed it was just a virus, antibiotics wouldn't have helped. But when I got there, there was a new doctor! He did some blood work and ordered a chest x-ray, thinking I might have walking pneumonia. No pneumonia but I do have bronchitis. After picking up my $75 (with insurance) worth of drugs, I headed home to collapse on the couch. The cough syrup he gave me for night time really knocked me out. It's effects are still hanging around this morning! It is taking some real effort to move at all! I am feeling better though and am not coughing as much.

I sewed on some pineapples this morning. After finishing the 5 blocks I was working on, I discovered I already have 31 blocks made! That's enough for a nice lap sized quilt. Ian keeps asking me who this quilt is for and is not very accepting of the answer "I don't know!"

I think it is time to go read in bed for a while!

Look, Abby! I am working on it!

I have gotten my sweet son back from the grandparents and life in the Norman house is back to normal (read that as "kids are back to their normal bickering!") I think I may survive whatever the crud is that I have been suffering with all week. I have most of my voice back, but I am still coughing and it feels like a small child is sitting on my chest.

My mom was commenting that with all the quilting I got done this week, I still haven't finished my niece's quilt. She wanted to know why poor little quiltless Abby was at the bottom of my list! So today, I slapped some borders on, pieced the backing (ugh! Too many little pieces!) and got it on the machine. I have gotten two passes quilted, a nice big meander. I figure with the crazy fabrics and the YBR pattern no one will notice the quilting anyway. I am even using HOT PINK thread! I am hoping to talk my parents and sister into coming down for DS's birthday in a few weeks and I can give Abby the quilt in person! I talked to her today on the phone and told her I was sewing on something very pink and asked what she thought it might be. She squealed "My quilt!"

Did everyone see our very own Judy in the newest issued of AQS American Quilter magazine? Yeah, Judy!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

What I am (not) doing today

I was suprised to receive a phone call from Nines this morning. She calls me once in a blue moon (even she will admit this!). Usually I am the one that does the calling, but maybe she felt guilty because I had been trying to call her for three straight days with no success! Plus the fact that I have given her at least three 60 minute calling cards (HINT, HINT, HINT!!) In any case, I am always thrilled to hear from her.

Pretty early in the conversation, she asked what I was up to today. The above picture is today's only accomplishment. Puppy chow! Chex cereal covered in peanut butter and chocolate, then tossed with powdered sugar. Warning - it is highly addictive!! So I made a batch, sat myself down on the couch, and haven't moved since. I am still coughing and sound like a frog, so I may spend the day resting on the couch.

I was telling Nines about this quilt that I saw in the latest American Patchwork & Quilting magazine (June 2006). It made me think of her. In case you haven't heard, Nina loves ORANGE. This quilt reminds me of cantelope! It is made from five assorted pink tone on tones and five orange tone on tones.

Busy, busy, busy!

I am still here, just trying to get lots of quilting done while DS is at the grandparents' house. 4 quilts in 4 days! Not bad! All I have left to do is Abby's pink quilt and that scrap quilt with the vintage green in it. Actually there is a blue YBR sitting here to if I get everything else done.

I am fighting a sore throat. I sound like a frog and I have to lead the Girl Scout meeting tonight - so I think I'll go take a nap!

Smithsonian Quilt tour

If you ever get the chance to go on this behind-the-scenes tour, DO IT! It was so cool! The guides took us to the quilt storage room and there we spent the next 2.5 hours gazing at amazing quilts. Some were from as early as the 1750's - the newest one was from 1976. We got to see one of Martha Washington's UFO's! She had pieced the middle medallion and then her daughter or maybe daughter in law added on to it. It had not been quilted and is in very frail condition.

Here are a few of the quilts I saw. You can view more of them at the Smithsonian website.

This first one was pieced by Frances Jolly, an African-American, in 1839. The guides think she must have been a free woman because she lived up north and then at some point moved to NC. The quilt was made in 1839 and has her name embroidered in the center medallion. The quilt reminded me a lot of today's folk art quilts. She did a buttonhole stitch around all the applique pieces instead of the usual hidden applique stitches. The quilt is beautiful - great rich colors.

This second quilt is very well known. It is called the Bible quilt and was made by Harriet Powers in 1886. She lived in Athens, Georgia. The panels depict different scenes from the bible.
This quilt is one of my favorites. A mother made this quilt for her son to take with him as he went off to fight for the Union in the Civil War. 2 of her 3 sons did not make it home. This is the quilt of the son that did come home. Nines - this quilt is supposed to be from Noblesville Indiana! I am putting this quilt in my "to do" pile! Maybe as a wall hanging?

So far, I am on track with my grandiose quilting plans for this week. I have gotten the 30's baby quilt quilted and have loaded on the bright blues baby quilt to do tomorrow. I also worked on my secret project yesterday. This involves the challenge quilt me and Nina are supposed to making each other. Here again, are the rules:

1. The finished quilt is due next year on our birthdays (mid-June 2006).
2. The finished quilt should be lap size, about 60" x 60".
3. The supplied fabric must be the featured fabric. Not just used, but featured.
4. Other fabrics used should come mostly from our stash.
5. You can use any pattern or block you want.
6. Next year, Nina gets to make up the rules.

Let me warn Nina right now, that I may break some rules. I am not sure all of the fabrics are going to make it to "featured" status. Maybe I can use it as part of the backing. My mom already thinks that the blocks I have finished are kind of loud! Me and Nina wanted to share photos of our challenge quilts with you but don't trust each other not to peak! I guess you will have to wait until June and the big unveiling!

Time for some oreos and milk and then off to bed!