Monday, April 22, 2013

Trying to get back in the groove..... of blogging

It's been about six months since my last real post, I believe.  I simply haven't made the time, and I am not happy with myself about that, because I really like having my little online journal of family happenings and crafty projects and quilting fun.  

Maybe it was this....


I'm kidding.  It was the best day ever, the most beautiful celebration, and I enjoyed every single minute of Laurie and Jason's special day.   I was tired after we got home, but not six months tired!  I do have one funny story about the wedding I need to blog soon, or my feeble mind will forget the particulars!  

But in the last six months, there's been a lot of just normal life going on.  I continue to battle adjusting to the hearing loss I experienced in September.  It is permanent and it is a pain in the derriere.  Oh well! So be it!!  I have roughly one half of one ear left, and I am just going to be grateful for that! :)

Christmas came and went, the New Year was rung in, renovations have taken place around the house (new floors upstairs, etc) and with every possible opportunity, I've gotten together with my friends to sew, or been in my sewing room stitching away.  

I recently attended a lecture given by one of Karen's favorite professors ever, and now I understand why she was always in the very front row of Doc's classes.  He kept me spellbound for the entire talk.  He is a treasure!


Also recently Karen adopted little Penny, a 4.2 pound chihuahua who is four years old (five this month!) and won her heart the moment she spotted her at a Petco adoption fair.  You gotta be careful when you walk in those places, I tell you!!

She makes us laugh, and due to her size, she often gets into spots that the other dogs don't....  as you can see here.

"Just making sure you have the dishes loaded properly, Grandma", she says!  Karen is her mom, so she is my grand dog!

She gets along with all the other dogs just beautifully.  This was taken on Mani-Pedi day, when they all got nails trimmed. (And two more were at home waiting for their own trip to get trimmed!  Yes, there are six here now.  Quilting is my passion; dogs are  Michael's passion.  Somehow, we make it work!!)

On the quilting side of my life, I've been working on GrandmothersChoice quilt(s).  I'm making two of these quilts.  I held my own until right about the wedding and then started slipping a bit.  I was told by Ms. Brackman in the comment sections that "Y" seams were important to learn, and I agree.... (and I love the feeling of accomplishment when I succeed with them!)  but I've been very relieved that I haven't run into any more just yet! heehee!  There are some "Y" seams in future blocks on the horizon, but I'll cross that bridge when necessary!  In the meantime, I've enjoyed trying to catch up with the patterns Ms. Brackman posts weekly, and making these:





Laurie especially liked the umbrella blocks!

Yvette, Beth and I are working on our "Ode to the Thirties" quilts.  Beth had started this quilt a while ago, and has many of the blocks done already, and they are beautiful.  Yvette and I pick several blocks each month to complete and Beth so far, I think has had the ones we've picked, already completed.  These are the blocks I made from two months ago.



And this is the four blocks we chose to do last month.  I was under the weather and ended up making mine at home alone, keeping my germs to myself!


The dog sitting opportunities come up now and then.  I spent almost a week staying with this pretty girl, who was an excellent walker and very sweet.  I set up my machine on the kitchen table there, and when we weren't hiking around keeping her exercised, I worked on some 12 inch blocks from an old web sampler pattern that I am remaking in 30's fabric scraps that Nancy and Beth and Yvette passed along to me.  When I gathered all the scraps together, the total pile has turned out to be enough to make an entire scrappy sampler quilt (and probably a child's quilt too!).  



I think I have four more blocks to go and that quilt will be ready to assemble.  Yay!

I've also been working on my Four Star Generals quilt.  Yvette suggested we make one set of four stars a month and that is working very well.  I'm making mine scrappy from my Civil Wars stash.  You can see on my OleFrogEyes page that I have reached the halfway point on this quilt.


Two from this month's block are done, and I'll need to make two more.


So now I'm going to hit "post" (and hope that not that much has changed since I last posted a picture-heavy entry and it will work!), and take myself off to bed.  I've been fighting some sort of icky crud germs for over a month, and I think I've had about enough!  I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!  Hopefully the current regimen of antibiotics will wipe out what my doctor says is strep throat.....  I've not had that since I was two years old and had my tonsils removed, so it's been kind of discouraging the way it's dragged on.  

But I'm going to do what the sign at my vets' office suggests! 


:)

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Happy Birthday to Us!

I haven't posted in forEver, but I will be resuming it as soon as possible.  I miss keeping a record of what I am working on, family events, etc....

But if you happen by here today, please visit my sister's blog and wish her a  Happy Birthday!  That's right, it is the birthday of Snoodles, of  Lilypadquilting (with the adorable Padsworth and Dragondrop, and all the fun giveaways, reviews and let's not forget the duck adventures!!).  And it's my birthday too.  She's the best birthday present I got, the year I turned three!!  

Yes, we share a birthday, but we are not twins.  How special is that?!  For many years, we shared a cake and blew out candles together.  It's been a long time since we were together to do that, but we will do it again someday!!








Love you, Sister!!  Happy Birthday to us!

Joy Denise