I've been busy...

It's done!!! The deck curtain is done & looks great with the new awnings & cleaned/washed deck. We can now enjoy being outside without the sun in out faces . The fabric was bought at my local Jo Ann Fabric. I must admit, it looks better than the picture. But...it's quite lovely even if I must say so myself.

After much deliberation, I went with the purple border on this baby quilt. The (stash) fabric is from some fat quarters that I picked up on my travels with my friend Olga. Yesterday I got it all sandwiched together and was ready for my first (attempt at) free motion quilting. I went to get my quilt foot for my machine...couldn't find it. Damn. Guess I packed away everything from my studio too well. Carpet's not being installed until the first week in June so it will be awhile before I can get to it. Unless. My dear sis Susie lets me borrow her quilt foot. It would mean a 2 hr. drive each way, but I'd get to see her in addition to being able to work on it quicker.

I got the blocks done for a 'swap' I'm in. All I have to do is sign my name on the white fabric on all 100 blocks! They're not due until July 1 so I'm way ahead of schedule. pats self on back

This fabric is Verno by Kate Spain for moda.

Room Update

We've decided on new carpet in all the bedrooms (hoping for living/dining room, too). Moved all my sewing paraphernalia into our guest room and painted last Sunday. Everything's on hold while we wait for the carpet. Got one estimate yesterday and other is coming in today.

So...I might have to move one of my machines onto the dining room table so I can get some things done IF I can get to it. Everything's neatly put in the guest room, but it's a matter of not killing myself on my search.

Today is deck cleaning day. First it was way too cold to do it, then the rains came. I'm willing to help get it done so I can get my curtain panel up and have the deck finished. THEN I'll post pictures.

My travel buddy & I decided we 'needed' another trip and are planning to go to Indianapolis when she's on break between quarters from school next month. This will be a mid-week trip and only 1 night. Even though we just went in March, I guess this will make up for not going last year. I've never had a 'project' in the making on any of our trips, whether it was knitting or sewing/quilting. THIS time I plan to have a specific project in mind. Last time we were there we hit some really great quilt shops and will probably focus on that rather than yarn shops.

...off to drag a sewing machine downstairs to get some sewing done before we start on the deck.

May Already?

Yes. It's May already. Woke up at 4:30 to thunderstorms and rain coming in the window. After closing the window, then a potty trip...I couldn't get back to sleep. So downstairs I went and got caught up on some dvr watching.

This week was productive. We decided to replace the awning on our deck. Bill & Parker torn apart the old one and Bill & I headed to Jo Ann Fabric for some outdoor fabric. We also have a curtain on the west side of our deck so we can actually eat dinner outside without the sun killing us. We found some really neat lime(ish) green stripe for the awning and coordinating fabric for the curtain panel. They're done, ready to put up...but it's been raining ever since! Hopefully in a couple of days we can get them up and I can get some pictures taken and posted.

This week Parker & I are starting our 'room switch'. I'm clearing out my current design studio (aka sewing room) and painting. Then we're moving all Parker's stuff in it. THEN I get to paint his old bedroom and re-organize all my sewing tables, machines, plastic containers, etc. I've pretty much decided now is the time to replace the carpet in both rooms, while they're empty...now to tell Bill about it!

Time for lunch.

Winter is Here!

This is what we woke up to on Saturday. It was soooo pretty. It started Friday morning and continued until Sunday. Our first shoveling was about 8" and then shoveled another 4-5" later. Parker said it was the snow kids dream about for the perfect snowman.

We had Darby over the weekend and she really loved playing in the white stuff. She tried to 'climb' on top of the snow, but to no avail. She didn't even mind the iceballs she got on her legs every time she went out to play. And she was such a help shoveling...until 'Grandpa' accidently met the shovel with her jaw. After that, she just supervised form the porch...at least when there were shovels in sight.

Our first 2 weeks of the new year took us to Florida and Alabama to visit Bill's sister Jan (FL) and my sister Jo (AL). It was a very relaxing trip and we really didn't do much, which was fine with us. We drove the entire way to Florida in one day (almost 18 hours) and over 1,000 miles! Boy, were we ready to get out of the car. But...we listened to an entire book and I got the back and both fronts of a cardigan done on that leg of the trip. On the trip from Fl to AL , I 'frogged' a cowl and made a scarf. On the final leg home, we listened to another book and I started on the sleeves to my sweater. S0...it was a very productive ride for me since Bill always seems to do all the driving.

The week after we got home, I ended up at Urgent Care to find out I had pneumonia in my lower left lung. That had me home-bound for a week with many naps and drugs. I could have left the house sooner, but it was so cold that week, I just didn't feel like breathing that cold air when I didn't have to. I didn't realize it would take that long to recover from pneumonia! Or how weak I'd be. Sure hope that never happens again.

...another storm is on the way and they're predicting another 8-12 inches of the white stuff. It's always nice to have 'fresh CLEAN' snow cover the dirty stuff. I went to the grocery today, made a big pot of chicken soup, so we're good to get snowed in...again.

Thanksmas

Yesterday we had my family's 'Thanksmas' (combination of Thanksgiving & Christmas). We were at my oldest sister's. It was a very enjoyable day. Marshall & Kendra had a wedding to go to, so they didn't go with us. The food was great...the company even better.

Oh...I finished the BigFoot Socks!!!!! They turned our great! I'm sure Parker will be wearing them to work tomorrow.

He cracks me up! We got our 'family' Christmas present this week, a Blu Ray player. The guys were fiddling with it and Bill ended up putting on a knitting You Tube. I said something to Parker about learning to knit so he could make his own socks. He said that's NOT what he wants to make. Get this...he wants to make a pair of sweat pants!!! Said he'd love to wear his hand knit sweater, socks and sweats!! He was trying to figure out what color to make. So...now my mission is to actually get him to knit. ...updates to follow.

Finally Back!

Boy, where have I been?

September brought our family to vacation (oceanfront house) on Corolla Beach, NC. We all had a wonderful time, especially Darby. Her maiden voyage to the beach was her heaven! The beach we were on was very dog-friendly and she ran to her heart's content, made a few (pooch) friends and slept very well (mostly with Uncle Parker to the disappointment of her mom). Most of the week she was at least 'damp' and loved it. She did encounter her first set of burrs and had to have a little ear-trim. Because of that, on her short jaunt to the steps that led to the beach, she had to be on a leash...after that she was free to run!! We were all totally lazy and did nothing, which is what we all needed. I managed to start/complete a shawl while being introduced to hours of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. (what a hoot that show is!!) We took turns cooking and only went out to dinner our last night there. (what a treat to be in a house with 2 dishwashers!)

October slipped right by, with me still working on the BigFoot socks. The last day of the month, 20 minutes before I was to leave work for the week, I lost my job. I'm not going into the details, but it kind of sucks to get fired when you did nothing wrong. But...I was a great, loyal employee and it's definitely their loss. Bill & I went into the office over that weekend, loaded up my personal things, deleted stuff from my computer, left my keys and I was out of there.

Now I'm wondering how I had the time to work full-time! My 1st week of unemployment was just relaxing around the house. Then I went to Lexington, KY to my sister's (Susie) to help her pack up for her move to Chicago. Came home and 4 days later went to Florida to visit Bill's sister, Jan, and was there a week. Thanksgiving took us to Union, KY to my niece's for the holiday. This past week, Susie came to Columbus to visit us and left yesterday.

Oh, I almost forgot about our new 'toys'. We got a new refrigerator and stove (gas...hooray) and I love them. There was a little glitch and we ended up having to have BOTH of them replaced with new ones. Bill says that's why they're so expensive...it takes 2 appliances to get a good one! We've pretty much used all the gadgets on the oven and tried all the features. Even though we both enjoy cooking...new appliances sure makes it more fun.

Now I need to get my act together and finish decorating for Christmas. The tree is (almost) done. St. Nick comes tonight (yes, my dear offspring think they still need their stockings filled & their annual Christmas mug). But, that requires putting the stockings UP. (Parker just reminded me that the stockings need to go up so they can be filled...they never grow up!)

Luckily, I don't have much shopping to do this year. The kids all seem to want big ticket items, that they need to pick out, (aka not getting wrapped) so it will look a little bare under the tree. Kendra & I are going out this Thursday, then Marshall & I are doing a day next week. I actually got a 'verbal' list from Parker...guess that's better than nothing.

I'm about to get a good laugh. Parker's going to an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" party. He raided my closet, found a long, v-neck cardigan (complete with shoulder pads)from about 15ish years ago. He's got a cranberry dress shirt to go with it and dug out a Christmas tie from Bill's closet. He plans to wear the tie short so everyone can see the Santa + the Tabasco bottle that's on the bottom of the tie. Unfortunetly, I gave my camera to Marshall yesterday, but Parker promised me he'd have someone take a picture so I can see. I'm sure by tomorrow someone will have posted some on Facebook.

...off to find the stockings to hang.

MY New Toy

Well...I've had my new toys for 2 weeks now and love, love, love it! The Demy (see previous post) is the best invention. I've already got about 100 recipes on it. Plus I've figured out how to put knitting pattern on it, too. Hooray!!!

I was in another yarn/tea swap on ravelry and got some absolutely wonderful Peruvian alpaca, in an off white. I just had to cast on that oh-so-soft yarn. I'm doing a very simple shawl (free pattern on ravelry). That put Parker's purple socks on the back burner for a few days. I've almost got his socks to the heel flap, then several more miles of knitting the size 15 socks. Between stretch marks and knitting miles of socks...he's definitely indebted to me.

Heading up to the boat tomorrow. Friends are coming on Saturday. The 2 guys are dropping us off at Put-In-Bay while they fish. We plan to rent a golf cart and drool at the houses, plus do a little shopping, then join the guys for lunch. Weather forecast is in our favor so it should be a very enjoyable trip.

Less than a month till vacation and I can hardly wait. We're going to the very northern part of the Outer Banks to Corolla Beach. I'm leaving Friday (Sept. 11) after work with Parker, Kendra & Darby. We'll stay somewhere (that takes dogs) and finish the trip on Sat. Bill & Marshall are staying to go to the OSU/USC (night) game on Sat., then head east. I'm sure they won't go too far before they stop. They'll get to the beach house on Sunday. By the time they get there, we'll have all the grocery shopping done and be all settled in. We're having a family meeting soon to plan our menus and pick meals to cook. We've all pretty much agreed that we'd rather buy some great food and cook it at the beach house...why leave a house that has such a great view of the ocean?! It's going to be a lazy vacation for all. I'm sure the guys will get some fishing in and Kendra & I will do some serious knitting. Kendra's really looking forward to introducing Darby to the ocean. (as much as she likes our pool...she'll love chasing tennis balls on the beach)

...off to finish some laundry.