Pictures from the weekend

Divers getting ready to go off the dock. This was actually taken from our bedroom window while I hung out and worked on my applique technique. I took a hand applique class Thursday, so this weekend at the lake gave me the perfect excuse to practice. Since everyone but me was out diving, I had complete quiet...it was heaven!!! I wandered down to the shore a couple times and was amazed at how clear the water is at Beaver Lake (Arkansas). I went out on the dive boat with a group Sunday to just hang out on the water. I really think I could get used to living lakeside!
Cute man playing Loch Ness Monster.....
Absorbing knowledge from the instructor and water from the lake.....
View from the dock---it was sooooooo pretty! I can't wait to go back again!

The last guy that favored these hand signs had a little trouble with WATER too....For those of you young puppies, do a Google search for Nixon or Watergate...see you get a history lesson with this post!

Since he wasn't diving deep this time, cute man didn't put on his wetsuit. Needless to say, he got a little red this weekend...

We stayed in a cabin owned by the company he took dive lessons from (Pro Ski) http://www.proskiandscuba.com/ . They have trips down every weekend. Since the Cessna diving club organized this, there were a lot of Cessna people there and a couple others that weren't. It was really fun! I am looking forward to going again. Next time I am considering renting a small car and following the van. This will give me the opportunity to run into Eureka Springs while the rest of them dive to their hearts content.

Gittin' outta Dodge....

A Blurry Buddy picture, but the subject matter is so darn cute, I'm hoping it makes up for the crappy camera issue...

And for those of you English majors out there, I guess I pretty much ruined your day with two words of grammatical white trash Ebonics in the title.....Heck, I don't even think I spelled Ebonics right originally, but close is good enough right? And thank the Lord for spellcheck...I started to type the entire sentence above in Ebonics, but my brain started to twitch when I got to enuff.....

I thought I'd take time for a quick post while waiting for my mother to arrive. She is going to be supervising cute kids while we are out of town. I have fluffed the pillows and put fresh sheets, comforter and a quilt on the guest bed. Though I can't see it, I am sure the cats are contemplating a way to bust into the room and roll around on the beige comforter, leaving large amounts of dark hair on the beige comforter as they did yesterday....Evil little ones, they are.....

I will be looking forward to next week when we get some more furniture for the house and a frame for the guest bedroom. I think a headboard and foot board will give it more of a "feel". Plus it will help show off the quilts I am planning..ulterior motives abound! I read an article in one of the quilting books I own that states the best way to store quilts is fully laid out on a spare bed. Well, by golly, I just happen to have a spare bed at this time! Ever read the children's book "If You Give a Moose a Muffin"? This is the quilter's version...If you give a quilter a spare bedroom, she will notice it needs a new quilt. So she will ask you to go to the quilt store with her to buy fabric. While she is at the quilt store, she will notice the new threads and have to buy some...When she buys the thread, she will realize she needs fabric to coordinate with the original print....After she buys the fabric, she will see a pattern that would be perfect with the new fabric...You get the idea....I am going to write that book once I figure out if I can get sued for copyright issues...Getting sued would really put a bite in my yarn and fabric stash diet..You know that diet, it's the one where you actually benefit from gaining tons of inches and pounds, and they can be hidden in places nobody will ever see. Until you move. Been there done that!

Monday, Monday...

I did get a couple more boxes from the garage moved to the house. Notice I did not say they were unpacked, but at least they were moved into the house. Although the garage looks like it is filled to the gills when you open the garage door, I realized that there are a lot, but not an overwhelming amount after I opened the door that leads to the garage from inside the house. It is definitely something that I will be working on when we get back from Arkansas...

I have an applique class Thursday and I am really looking forward to it. Friday my mom comes down and Eric and I leave for Arkansas that evening. Since the applique and my knitting are more portable, I will be taking projects from both. It'll be a good excuse to pull out the needles again. I am seriously considering the Irish hiking scarf. That has cables so it will at least keep my attention. I am always late to knit the cool things. Usually 6 months after the buzz has subsided, I look into it...

On the way to work this morning, I discovered we have a Dunn Bros. Coffee shop http://www.dunnbros.com/aboutus.asp in old Town http://www.360wichita.com/Shopping/areas/OldTownDowntownWichita...I love Dunn Bros! They have them in Lawrence, Kansas. The barista said they opened 4 months ago---that must be one of the best kept secrets! It is right on my way to work...I like the atmosphere of the place. I have been trying to behave and make my coffee in the morning, so I did splurge on a really good travel mug from Dunn Bros. Ok-I admit, I am a label whore...I love logos....especially coffee shop logos. I am going to take my knitting downtown one evening and sit and knit there. It would be awesome....They have a fireplace--I think it is an electric one, but it looked pretty neat. If it turns out to be electric when I check it out again, I am going to get one for our bedroom.

I did dig my watercolors and watercolor paper out of the garage this evening---I am going to work on little paintings until I paint myself out of the fear of committing to a large sheet of white paper....I want to do artists trading cards. I am constantly amazed at what other artists are putting out. I have to learn to silence the art critic in my head. Here is a good website that talks about artist's trading cards: http://www.cedarseed.com/air/atc.html

Scrapblogging?

I found a really neat thing at this web page http://foxyartstudio.blogspot.com/ --actually the whole blog is interesting, but scrap blogging is not something I've heard of. I may just have to try it....let me know if you try it before me....http://www.scrapblog.com/partners/blogher/..
And I soooo want to go here http://www.fabricschool.com/index.html. But there is this little thing called living in Kansas as opposed to CALIFORNIA....sigh....

Bonus post day!

When Cute Man and the kids were at the air show, they came across this and of course, had to take a picture since there is nothing I have a greater disdain for than SPAM--not coincidentally Cute Man loves Spam. But then he used to eat MREs when in the Army so his taste buds are probably numb...I refuse to handle the stuff..it scares me.So he had to rib me....I pointed out that it definitely looked like the crowd was beating down their door for those free samples of congealed, blended and molded meat by-product.....

However, I did get a really good chocolate cake made from one of my community cookbooks while the boys were gone. Son #2 is not a big chocolate fan, so we compromised and used white frosting. I had canned frosting--which I usually don't use, but I discovered if you add a teaspoon of REAL vanilla to a can of ready made frosting, it tastes homemade...

Here is the recipe for the cake-if the above didn't make you queasy... Instead of the dried coffee crystals and water, I just used a cup of already brewed coffee from this morning since I like my coffee a little on the stout side...It's a good cake!

Black Magic Cake

From the Colden Country Cookbook (date 1982) by the Colden, New York United Methodist Women

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup strong black coffee (2 teaspoons instant coffee and 1 cup boiling water)

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first six ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients, beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Batter will be thin. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan or two 8 inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lazy Saturday for Mom

The boys and Cute Man went to the air show at McConnell air force base today while I stayed home and relaxed. I did get some things accomplished, but mostly I read and caught up on my sleep. It was great! I did get some more boxes unpacked, so it was not all play....The boys came back sunburned and tired (of course they claim they put on the sunscreen I gave them)...

A Little Time and a Credit Card......

is a dangerous thing...

I took one of my comp days off today to get things accomplished that I haven't done since the boys have been at camp this week. They come home this afternoon, and no, I still haven't accomplished much this morning except make a mean pot of coffee...and drink it....But hey, I got online and there was this very seductive email from JoAnne's craft stores spitting out a FREE SHIPPING siren call, so of course I followed it (like the little lemming that I am...). Yes siree--

This morning Sugar, protector of all-intimidator of none-was going nuts barking at the patio door. Coupled with chirps from outside the door, I had to investigate. It seems a baby robin has made it's way to my patio. Since it has feathers, I am assuming it is learning to fly and that mom and dad are nearby. Now I just have to make sure the cats stay inside and to watch the dogs since Cocoa (our hound dog) has been known to catch and eat birds in mid flight. I am really not in the mood to have to wrestle her to get a really cute birdee out of her mouth as I have done before. I would take a picture of the little fellow but I don't want to freak out his parents, who are surely in the trees watching him...It is hard when they leave the nest--this I know....

Lookee who's a come a courtin'

Actually this dapper little fellow is so full of youthful bravado, I think he is more likely telling the line of cats at the window that he would kick their rears if only they weren't too chicken to come outside....at one point he had 5 cats lined up at the window as he pranced around the deck chirping quite loudly. Three of the cats got bored and left--only two remain. Of course Smokey cat has such a short term memory, he probably thought it was a new bird every time he blinked....Speckles was sitting there because it was something new to growl at.

It has been a VERY busy week -- even with the boys gone to camp. We are entering a new contract year so I was getting nervous as to whether I would have a job. I'm not sure why since I have been there over 2 years. I got the news that I actually am going to get 5 more hours and a different job duty. It really sounds great, so I am excited about it! YEAH! I really do love my job, so I am REALLY happy about all the new changes. Especially since they are all positive!!

A Good Day

It started out as a so so day since I really didn't feel all that great this morning, but made myself go in since I had a lot to do---luckily there is a little flex built into my job (I have an AWESOME workplace) so I just went in an hour late and worked an hour later than normal....When I got there my supervisor told me they are changing the way the project I am working on is structured. I have a new task and a couple more hours a week. I am really excited since it is right up my alley. It was a good day.



The dogs aren't real sure of what to do with themselves while everyone is gone, but they'll adjust. I walk in the door to a symphony of howling dogs...and completely disgusted cats.



I am really craving a roadtrip! I want to run down to Oklahoma and visit friends and family. They have gotten an extreme amount of rain as of late and there is a lot of flooding. Thankfully nobody I know has been flooded out, but put everyone who has flooded in your prayers. We Okies can weather quite a bit, but I think all the rain is starting to get tiring for everyone there...

Happy Tuesday to You and Yours

The twins are at camp-oldest is in Iowa and Mom and Dad are left unattended. A sure recipe for mayhem....Actually we met a friend for sushi at one of our favorite sushi places, Sumo. It is a bit pricey, but good for an every so often treat. DH and I then went to Barnes and Nobles to read for a bit. I had found a really good article on constructing a lunch tote in a magazine at the other Barnes and Noble in town, but unfortunately the one we went to tonight didn't have it...darn, it figures. I guess I'll have to head over to the other one Friday. The twins come home on Friday and I am thinking about taking the day off to get things done before they have to be picked up.

I took my sewing machine into the dealer today to find out why it was vomiting thread on the underside of my quilt top when I free motion stitched...the salesman plugged it in...and it worked perfectly. Much muttering under my breath ensued. Isn't this the equivalent of taking your car to the mechanic for that funny noise that never happens in front of anyone who knows that you aren't crazy...well, at least not crazy to the point that you are being looked after by big men in white coats who don't know you've left the grounds of your home....at any rate, I left it there to at least get cleaned and serviced. although it did seem like I was rewarding it for being a bad child....I never did figure out that negative reinforcement thing in child-rearing.....I will go get my other machine from my friend tomorrow so I can at least some of my tasks done that involve my quilt I am working on.

Since Blogger won't let me post titles in the title bar....I will be improvising from here on out. If anyone out there has had the same experience and knows how to correct it, PLEASE email me with your advice. It will be appreciated!

The twins go to a three day overnight camp in the morning. That means DH and I will have the house to ourselves....Hmmmmm. Actually my biggest plan for the couple days is to get a second quilt started. I have enough in my stash to start one that will require a lot of cutting, but it is strip pieced so it should go fast. I also intend to get out a couple old unfinished knitting projects. It would be nice to be able to send some warm hats and scarves to Brandon and his girlfriend.
Iowas winters are probably quite a bit colder than here. I have already decided these will be made from either acrylic or super wash wool. Brandon forgets that wool needs to be hand washed. Did you know that a 6 foot scarf does not end up measuring 6 foot by the time you wash it in cold with jeans? I am sending my next felted projects to that kid. He can felt asto-turf!!

Cute dog picture.

After I shot the other pictures, Sugar decided she was going to navigate the stairs. Just take a look at that tongue sticking out in extreme concentration on the task at hand. I finally unearthed some of my knitting projects in the depths of the garage, so there will be some knitting content FINALLY. This blog started out as knitting focused and seems to have evolved into a little of everything, and less knitting. Sorry to those that are here for profound knitting knowledge! Hopefully I am offering at least a little entertainment to make up for the lack of knitting content.

The new cherry tree--planted by two really hardworking teenagers. Good work guys!

Jeremy on the soon to be replaced back deck of our house. I am looking forward to the eventual new deck! Excuse the mess on the back patio downstairs. It is in a little bit of disarray at the moment...
Sugar Baby, protector of all... intimidator of none..

It has been a pretty enjoyable weekend.

On Saturday the twins,DH and I decided we were going to explore some of the used bookstores in Wichita. I found three books I had been looking for and the boys found some for their summer reading bucket too. I found a really cool church cookbook. I love community and church cookbooks---I collect them like some people collect china and other things...I knew this one was going to be great when I saw a jello salad recipe that contained SOUTHERN COMFORT! The other recipes in the book looked really great too, but that one amused me that it was in a church cookbook. Having grown up in the South, I can attest that any cookbook and church gathering is rated by the quality and quantity of the jello salads---or also known as congealed salads...they are made fun of almost as much as fruitcake, but like fruitcake, I'm here to tell you, if you don't like it, you just haven't had a good one!...



After we went to the bookstores, we went to the Wichita Art Museum http://www.wichitaartmuseum.org/. They are free on Saturdays, so that it a blessing to the family budget. Unfortunately the top floor was closed for remodeling, but the bottom floor had an incredible exhibit of photographs by Eudora Welty and her contemporaries from the 1930's. since I am fascinated with that time period, it was fascinating to me. If you are in Wichita and have a chance to go, take advantage of the opportunity to see some really interesting photos. It was really a good day. We also got to wander through one of the nurseries here in town. The boys decided they wanted a fruit tree of their own. Jeremy wanted a cherry tree, which I bought Friday after work. I bought a dwarf tree that only gets to about 12 feet tall. This will help when it comes time to put nets over the tree to keep the birds from eating and disfiguring the fruit. I figured Mark would want an apple tree, but he is fixated on getting a pear tree. With Jeremy's sour cherry tree, we don't need another cherry tree as a pollinator ( you have to have a sour cherry tree to pollinate a sweet cherry tree though), but all the pear trees will require another type to pollinate. So next Saturday we will be looking for 2 dwarf pear trees...It will be nice to have fruit from our own trees, but we are definitely going to be maxed out on tree space after we get the pear trees.

DH and I went to brunch this afternoon with a friend and then to Barnes and Noble. I love that place. I found a good decorating book that was not only on sale, it has lots of really good ideas and inspiration. Our house is quite a bit larger than we had before and I am not quite sure where to go with the decorating. The book had some ideas I'm going to try--a lot of this I can make myself with fabric and a little sewing...

Oldest sounds like he is enjoying Iowa. It is still hard to have him so far away, but I guess they have to leave the nest sometime. I do think the reality of how much things cost has started to sink in though. We are sending a care package this coming weekend. We will be going to Iowa for a visit before the summer ends, so I have to get cranking on the quilt I am going to make for them.

The twins head off to a three day camp sponsored by the Sedgwick County Sheriff's department this week. The boys are really looking forward to it. There is supposed to be a SWAT simulation, so you know they are really excited. Jeremy is into anything law enforcement. He always has been.

For some odd reason I am unable to post titles to my entry today...it is so hard to tell...I think the gremlins got loose at AT&T again. To be truthful, from what we have seen from this DSL that we have gotten from AT&T, I do think AOL dial up is more user friendly. I can say that I would not recommend AT&T DSL to my friends....and don't even get me started on the fiasco I had to go through with AT&T to get our phone transferred to our new house....I still can't believe they screwed up so badly after a full week of daily communication with them.....

And a Happy Wednesday to You!

Oldest son got to Iowa and has called a couple times to tell me the town he is in is really pretty. We will be going to visit sometime in August before the twins start school so we can explore where he is living and bring him a car. His had to be left here since it needs to just be traded for something better on gas and more reliable.

Our 4th was relatively quiet compared to what is usually is. We usually have a really big get together but this year we were so busy with the move and getting settled that we decided to hang out quietly and just let the kids shoot off some fireworks. It rained quite a bit so we shot in between the downpours.

I did get strips for a queen sized quilt pieced this weekend, so all was not lost. I am having to search for my iron in the midst of all the boxes in the garage, so I am at a standstill until I get the seams pressed... I think I have just about decided that I am definitely going to send this one out to be machine quilted by a long arm machine---I am quilting a lap sized quilt right now and can't say I particularly like the process. I may just need more practice or to have my machine at a different height...I'll play with machine quilting on some smaller quilts. The queen sized quilt I am working on was a really easy quilt made up of charm squares. I picked up fabric for a border today after I got off work. One of my favorite quilt shops (Grandma's Calico Closet) here in Wichita has the best place for 1930's reproduction prints.....Of course, I have to get a new fat quarter of one of the reproduction prints each time I go in...

There is a marathon run of my favorite show "Dead Like Me"... it had been running all day, so I missed quite a bit. I love this show and it is no longer on air...I am going to have to find all the episodes on DVD. The thing I love the most about this show is that at the end there is usually an observation that usually makes you think about life and its meaning...I guess in the end we are all looking for meaning.

SLOWWWWW internet

Our Internet is running so slow today that I could probably hand write the post and deliver it in person to all of you before this one hits the air! Hubby says it is probably because it is a holiday and everyone is online....darn it!

It has been a pretty hectic week-I have tomorrow off and we will probably hang out and shoot firecrackers. The twins have pretty much spent most of the summer at home watching TV, which is making me feel a little guilty. They do have a three day camp in the middle of the month, but I am going to have to find some weekend excursions close to home.

I am still working on the "first quilt" and should finish it sometime next week. Then I can put on the binding and it'll be ready to wash, dry and be put into service. I have already started my next quilt. It is really a very easy quilt made from 2 series of charm packs (4" squares). I love them! The original charm pack was one that I won at a guild meeting. Since I had the one pack, I purchased 3 more charm packs of the same patterns and then mixed it with another charm pack series. Although I am usually not a pink fan, the predominant color in the charm packs is pink, so that is what I am working with...It is coming together pretty easily. I should finish this one quickly since it is made of simple squares. I am definitely sending this out to be long arm quilted. It should be queen sized or larger when it is done and I don't want to wrestle with something that large until I have more experience machine quilting.

Does anyone have any plans for the summer. Send me a post and let me know what adventures you have lined up.

Saturday.....

This is my oldest son's "MOM PUT THE DAMN CAMERA AWAY" face...I see it often...in the background is the bus station...can you guess what time it is? Let me tell you the story...indulge me for the moment...

We put our oldest on the bus at 3:00 this morning bound for Iowa...I think it is harder as they get older and start leaving. Of course he is young enough that this is a great adventure--it is scary as hell to me....but hopefully things work out, or he gains some life experience that doesn't harm him, just makes him wiser....and makes him realize Mom and Dad may know something after all. It started off a little bumpy because when we went to pick up the tickets at the bus station, I insisted on looking at them to check they were correct....We picked up the tickets on June 29 at 3:50 PM---the departure time/date on the ticket was 1:55 PM(!!) on the 29th! I pointed that out to Brandon and we went back in...the clerk was a little confused as to why it was wrong until I pointed out the time on the departure was an hour before the tickets were issued...I'm not sure why the system didn't kick that back, but it was a good thing I insisted on looking....I would have been going OKIE on their rears at 3:00 AM!! For those of you that don't know what that is---trust me, you don't want to be on the receiving end of that....it ain't pretty....At any rate, I'm standing there as the bus is loading trying not to cry and be one of those hysterical ladies that you really only see in the movies....so I took a couple pictures instead.

The twins are having to start learning some of his chores, so let's see how that goes.

I spent part of the night getting my quilt ready to machine quilt and then sat down to do free motion quilting. There is quite a bit more to free motion stippling than meets the eye. It looks easy---it is hard getting the uniform but unplanned look! Thankfully this is my first quilt and people will cut me some slack on it. I keep telling myself that this is a first quilt and I will improve with experience. I can tell you that I will probably NOT attempt to machine quilt anything larger that a full size quilt by myself. I will send it out to be long armed....I also realized the lighting in our kitchen is not even remotely adequate for working on a quilt. I am going to set up a quilting table in Brandon's room (that is going to be converted to the guest room). There is more space and the lighting is much better.

It has rained pretty consistently for the past three days, today started out drizzling, then cleared up...I was kind of sad about that--I really like the rain. I am one of those people that would have been really well adjusted in Oregon or one of the states where it rains all the time. I love it....It looks like it will stop raining for the day and just be warm (which means humid---not a good day to make divinity)...But the good side to that is it will probably save my carpet. Muddy feet and paws abound in this house.

Rain, Rain...

It is 7:30 a.m and it has been raining off and on all night and for most of the day yesterday. That's OK because I love rain. We've had quite a bit of rain lately, which is unusual for this time of year. Thankfully there was a small break when we moved..

Sue and I have almost finished OUR FIRST QUILT....We had gotten a little burned out from marathon quilting session to get it pieced, so there has been a little break in between piecing and the sewing of the layers. After last night we have decided that we both need more experience with the machine quilting part. My stitching in the ditch is not the smoothest. I am seriously looking at invisible thread next time. But since this was a first quilt, it was good to see the fact that I had problems staying in the ditch....not really, that's my self pep talk.....This week I will continue with some more stitching in the squares (free motion) and then we will tackle binding. Sue's quilt is a nice subdued flannel in blues and muted creams. Mine is.....NOT. Our pattern is called "confetti", although I've seen it called a couple other names too, and mine has about every bright color possible. It doesn't look bright in the picture, but trust me---it is. The binding is going to be either red, blue or purple...not sure yet....Doesn't son looked thrilled to be standing out in the rain holding my quilt? NOT!

Chillin'

I'm just hanging out and enjoying the quiet that is MY house right now. Hubby has taken one of the twins to baseball and the others are scattered throughout. I am sitting here listening to the new Maroon 5 album...it is quite good and has a great beat to knit to. Here is a link for a sampling of their new and past album. Both are really good...which surprises my kids that I like this...http://music.aol.com/artist/maroon-5/529962/main...I have a pretty diverse taste in music--just about everything is good except rap. I don't understand that stuff....

I am contemplating ordering some blackberry bushes to put in the back yard. If I do it this summer, then we will have blackberries for next summer....Blackberry-peach jam...yummmm. There is a peach orchard down the street that I usually buy peaches for eating and jam. Two years ago I found a u-pick blackberry farm and made blackberry peach jam..It was soooo good!The only problem was the blackberries were really expensive. I figure if I have a half a dozen bushes of a high producing variety, that's be awesome!! Our yard is smaller than the previous house, so these will have to be bushes that double as foliage/landscaping. I found a thorn less variety that is looking really good... I'm excited about finally having room to can a ton of jams this year. I love making jams. I usually give them for Christmas gifts too but haven't had the space to spread out and can in the past two years. This year, LOOK OUT!

Quilting

I found the most comforting quilting web-site at http://www.coveredporches.blogspot.com/ . Take a look. Doesn't it just make you want to invade her house and live there forever? Even if you don't quilt, you can look at it an just sigh...along with knitting and quilting, blog surfing is another passion of mine.
On the home front, we FINALLY got the bunk beds put together for the twins. Hubby and I went out furniture shopping and bought the mattresses for them, so at least their room is coming together. We got to look at other stuff for the house too, so it was a pretty productive day. I am looking forward to finally having the house put together! It is so disorganized right now. We don't have enough furniture so that is our ingoing project. Oldest son is due to move to Iowa in a couple weeks, and we will be furnishing his room as a guest/quilting room. It will take quite a few months to get all that we need for the entire house. My "goal" is to focus on one room at a time, starting with the ones seen by people the most and the ones most used by family.....

Friday Night Wichita KIP

Here are pictures from the Friday night Knit in Public sock class. I finally got to go! Yeah! I met new people that I hadn't met before and got to see Connie, one of my favorite knitters and the teacher for this class. There were a couple other ladies there, but my camera has an attitude and I didn't get the pictures. I have no pictures of my sock since I didn't quite get the hang of it and frogged it. However, I will be starting over and getting caught up to where the others are in time for the second class on Thursday. I'm not so sure I'm sold on the socks on circ needles business, but at least I can try. The other picture is of two bags----HANDBAGS (!!) knit by the two ladies that are modeling them. Kudos and credit to both of them!
It was good to go! I have been absent from that group for WAY TOO LONG!

Flashing my stuff!

I was going to post these pictures with my earlier post, but dear oldest child can't seem to remember to hook the camera up on the charger....here is a very small cross-section of the fabric I have planned for quilts. The skull and dragon fabric will be part of two quilts requested by oldest. They are neat in a strange sort of way...I have threatened to back it with care bear fabric to even out the karma....the rest are from my stash. As you can see, my taste varies wildly. And this isn't even half of the fabric...we won't go into the yarn yet....that is scary!

Thursday meanderings....

It has been an interesting week. We learned that the flooding on the back patio area was due to some fancy "rigging job" someone did in an attempt to prevent from having to clean the area under the sump pump out annually...the plumber found the problem quickly after snaking the outside drains and then coming in to look at the sump pump..I can't even describe the creativity involved in the original fix, but suffice it to say, after removing literally a foot of silt from the basement sump pump area with a shop vac, it now drains as it is supposed to. The sloping hill issue is going to be corrected this weekend, which will prevent the washout silt. That and a diversion of the drain pipe will alleviate the problem. We are learning little by little....This weekend we get to go out there and fix all the issues. I am ready to get it cleaned up--we've had quite a bite of rain, which equals quite a bit of standing water, which in turn left quite a good degree of silt. I am having visions of pots of petunias, begonias and ferns being sprinkled around that area liberally!

I have the sock knitting class tomorrow--I am psyched! It is on circulars. I have done soooo little knitting in the past year that it is pretty shameful. I am working on an area in our reading room where I can have a stash of yarn handy whenever I am in the mood. Since everything is still packed in boxes, it can be a challenge to find the yarn I need! I'm working on that...slowly but surely. I guess I have been more of an armchair knitter. And I have really become entranced with quilting. That would greatly amuse the high school home ec teacher that tried to teach me how to sew....

I finally went over to the junior college and signed up for two classes in the fall. Since oldest is going to Iowa to live, we will not have to pay his tuition for a year. That's how long it takes to establish residency..... we just can't swing out of state tuition. We'll pay for it once he gets in state rates...as my friend says "if it lasts that long".... I was in favor of them just visiting each other a couple times and figuring out the rest once they met face to face....they met over the Internet and are going to move in together...as a parent, that is scary. I know you can meet someone face to face and they still turn out to be scary-crazy (it's not like I don't actively work the cases like that when I do the domestic violence docket), but.......

I haven't disappearred, I promise...

It has been a rough month in our household. We completed the move, have started getting things arranged (notice I said started), and I get sick....figures. Luckily I have plenty of sick days built up, so using two days was not a huge chunk..However, being gone does not mean the workload goes away. I figure I will be up to my eyeballs tomorrow and Friday.

It feels really weird being in a larger home. Once I feel better, I am going to start working on some wall quilts. There is a lot of blank wall space in this house that I must compulsively fill up...

Our knitting group is having another sock class this Friday. I am really looking forward to it since they teach the toe up method. The lady that teaches it is a sock maker extraordinaire! She taught the class once before but I wasn't able to get to it. I am excited. Toe up seems to be a good way to do socks since you can adjust the length of the foot before it's off the needles.

I'd better sign off for now, but I'm sending warm wishes your direction.

A little move is good for the soul....

Hell on the body, but good for the soul....I am finding a ton of books I "was going to read", projects I was going to finish, yarn I was going to knit and of course a fabric stash of epic proportions. WHERE was all this stuff hiding?

I have more than enough to keep me and half the neighborhood busy. I found a ton (probably literally) of old Red Heart yarn from my "learn to crochet" days. I am going to donate part of it and them use a larger portion for some charity afghans. I know some people refuse to knit or crochet with red heart, but for projects such as baby blankets and afghans for homeless shelters that are going to get a lot of love and use, it can't be beat. It can be abused in any way and still washes up great. I should know, my kids still have some of their blankies from 11 years ago that were made with the stuff.

It feels really weird to have this much space. We have more than doubled our living space and it feels really good. I'm sure it will feel better when all the boxes are unpacked, but that may take a while. I plan to get motivated this weekend while cute man is putting the kids' bunk bed together. We have to find a futon mattress this weekend also, so there will be a shopping trip to the furniture store. It's strange that some of the furniture from the old house that seemed soooo big there, feels like it is in miniature at this house. I guess everything changes with the context of it's surroundings.

Cute man and I are planning a get away at the end of July. He won a scuba diving class when we were at the Cessna open house and there is a "field trip" for the second course at Beaver Lake in Arkansas. Non diving spouses can tag along for a small fee, so I am going too. It is pretty close to Eureka Springs--which is my favorite place! I plan to bring yarn, needles and fabric and just craft away while everyone else is diving. I take a beginning applique class at a local quilt shop on the Thursday before we leave, so that will be something to bring along.

I guess I'd better head off and get ready for work. It's Friday so I have lots of loose ends to tie up. I will post pictures of the new house this weekend.

Good coffee and warm wishes to you and yours!

I'm BAAAACK!

To say this has been an adventure would be putting it mildly! I have already told everyone at work if I EVER say I want to move again, PLEASE push me out the 5th floor window. It would be more humane and much less painful.....We finally got the old house cleaned and completely empty. I can't believe we got 5 people in that space! I am still in purge mode though. We moved an awful lot of stuff that I think I can actually do without, so the donation box is getting really full. The only thing left is to get the rose bush from the side of the yard, then we are officially done with that house....It still feels weird after 11 years. As a matter of fact, I had went to the grocery store with one of my sons, then proceeded to pull into our old driveway and shut the car off. My son finally said "Um, Mom, we moved...." Hey, if you are going to mess up, do it in front of your kids.....
I will post a longer entry tomorrow. I just wanted to check in and let everyone know I survived....

The Big Day

Tomorrow is the big moving day! Yikes, it seems like it took forever, then came quickly. I am really ready to get into a bigger place though.

One good thing about moving is that you find things that amaze and amuse (and sometimes horrify) you! I found the pattern for the Legacy sock! And this time I put in in the bag with the sock project. Once we move I will make copies of the pattern and put the original in my pattern binder (like it should have been)...I've also found books that have I have started reading and got misplaced. I figure I have enough "to read" books to last quite a while. Not that I am going to quit buying books...have to help support writers, you know!

After work today I am running by the machine shop to pick up one of my Singer Featherweights. I wanted to get it completely checked out before I use it. I am also looking for a sewing cabinet table to put on the other side of our bed. We have an empty one on Hubbie's side. It is taller than a regular bedside stand, which I like, so we are getting another. They had a couple at the machine shop. Some were empty, some had vintage machines in them for not much more than the empty ones. I'm eyeing one that has a stool and comes with a vintage (late 1930's) Singer model 66. It is electric, not treadle, and the owner of the shop has put a knee petal conversion on it so you use either the foot pedal or knee petal. He said it sews great. The older Singer machines were real workhorses. For piecing quilts, I just need a straight stitch, nothing fancy. I use my digital machines for actual machine quilting the sandwiched quilt.

I realized a couple days ago that we really have a lot of furniture we are going to have to buy! After living in a small house for so long, we really don't have enough to furnish the new house as far as seating! Yikes!

I probably won't be posting for a few days due to the move, but I'm sending warm wishes your way until I'm back online.

Twix bar recipe, as promised!

Several posts ago I mentioned that I would post the recipe for homemade Twix bars if they were good. Yes, they were REALLY good. However, they are best served cold since the caramel gets soft when warm. The chill brings out the flavors of the other ingredients also. They are pretty easy to make.

Keebler club crackers (I think I used one sleeve and had leftovers-don't quote me)
1 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup margarine
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Place one layer of club crackers on the bottom of a greased 9"X13" pan. In a large saucepan over low heat, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, sugar, milk and margarine. Let boil for 5 minutes (I boiled for 6 minutes). Pour mixture over crackers in pan. Cover with another layer of Club crackers. Melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips in a microwave or double boiler, stirring often until smooth. Pour melted chocolate mixture over top layer of Club crackers and smooth with a spoon. Chill and cut into bars. Keep leftover bars covered in refrigerator.
YUM!

Countdown.....

We close on the new house Wednesday at 4:00. YEAH!

It feels like it has been forever since we got everything else settled. I guess it has been a couple months of waiting. Hubby drove by the house today and said the current owners were moving stuff out of the house, so I guess it is getting really close.

I am finding out that it is impossible to get completely packed when you live in a small house! We have about half our stuff packed and are climbing over boxes and each other! We've had to stop so we could move around! We load a Uhaul Friday night with boxes so we can start taking stuff over Saturday morning. I am going to get the kitchen completely packed tomorrow night with the exception of a few pots and pans. That will be a task in itself. The biggest thing that will help is getting the furniture out of the house so we have space to maneuver.

I'm getting pretty excited and I am definitely looking forward to having more space! I am looking forward to having a dedicated space for my knitting and quilting. FINALLY!

Memorial Day

Today's post focuses on the soldiers both past and present. No matter what your opinion is about the war and previous wars, please take a moment to say a prayer of thanks for those men and women that fought for our country in past wars and the brave soldiers fighting in Iraq now.

Pray for those doing what most of us can't do for reasons that are defy political dogma in a place that most of us would not be able to survive. Remember this and keep all soldiers--past/present --male/female--in your prayers.

Amen

The "I can't think of a title for this entry" entry

I actually get to hang out until 11:00 before I have to be at work today, So I thought I would make a long and winding post. Actually court starts at 1:30 and I don't have to be there until 1:00, but I am going in a little early to show some of the girls how to make really neat stuff with rubber stamps and shrink plastic. It is probably a good thing that I just fill in there occasionally--they probably would never get any work done! I will be there again tomorrow, so I will not be at the main office for the rest of the week. That means Monday I will have to hit the ground running so I can get some stuff accomplished that I have on my "GET DONE" list.

I was so tired last night that I didn't even get up and wander the house during the really bad thunderstorm we had last night. Usually I get up and check the local weather channel when we have big storms--especially during tornado season--but last night I woke up, made a mental note that it was really storming bad and apparently checked out to La La land again....It looks like it may rain off and on all day today, but that is fine. I get to park in covered parking today...WOO HOO....ok, so it's the little things that make life interesting...Actually yesterday was so busy that I lost track of what day it was and completely spaced out going to a friends house to work on a quilt...Hopefully we will be doing that this evening since we don't have any kid activities going on tonight.

I am looking for activities and vacation ideas close to home this summer and I have found a couple ideas. The boys love to fish, so we are talking about renting a building at one of our local lakes for the weekend. I love to sit and fish too--I just don't like to take the fish off the hook, which usually is not a problem since we don't catch anything! They really don't have"cabins " like they have at most of the state parks in Oklahoma, but they will work for our purposes. We are also talking about finally visiting Cabala's in Kansas City. There are a lot of family friendly activities in Kansas City, so that will be a good idea that isn't too far. Plus there are some really neat fabric and yarn stores in that area...OK, ulterior motives....or would that be a multitasking vacation?There is also a really large Western theme park that opened outside Wichita. It looks interesting and will be the focus of at least once visit....

I recently purchase a magazine that had some really cute square pincushions featured on the cover and look what I found---http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/--and she has some really neat fabric designs too! These will be really easy projects for little stocking stuffers for Christmas. One can never have too many pin cushions. Plus, a lack of pincushions means there are probably loose pins lying about. When we were kids, my mom liked to sew. Unfortunately, not all the pins made it to a safe landing spot, so more than once we kids ended up driving a pin into our foot as we walked across the floor....and it's a wonder I EVER wanted to learn to do anything involving fabric....I took home ec in high school and excelled in all areas EXCEPT the sewing. I had this little twitch that surfaced when I thought about having to pin together the pieces.....I never did learn to follow a pattern, which is why I had to buy the Sewing For Dummies book recently to teach me all the things I zoned out on in high school! Who would have thought I'd actually find a use for needle and thread, let alone a sewing machine....But here I am, with multiple sewing machines and tons of fabric.....

The Best Laid Plans....

I had planned on going to work today--instead, I will do a sequel visit to the doctor. Same doctor, same parent, different leading man.....Mark went to the doctor yesterday. Today, his twin, Jeremy is going for the exact same thing.....thank God for insurance!

I did get to rest up a little today in between packing boxes for the big move. I still feel like I could sleep straight through the week, but I have a feeling that is just because my allergies are acting up. Oh well, could be worse! However, I am finding yarn stashed in places that I didn't stash it. For now, I am ending the mystery by blaming the cats for stashing it....I am going to keep a close eye out for proof they are using my knitting needles too since they are disappearing....

I did get a little snack made for the boys that hopefully is pretty good. It is for a snack called homemade Twix bars. They are a no bake, which is a really good thing when it is hot, but I'm hoping they are at least edible. You make the caramel candy topping to put between two layers of club crackers, then cover with a melted chocolate/peanut butter mixture. The only strange part of the recipe is the caramel mixture has a cup of crushed graham crackers in it....if it is good, I'll post the recipe tonight. I bought a book of no bake treats that I will be testing weekly. No bake is really the easiest way to go in hot weather and I'm all about easy! actually easy doesn't count unless it is also good eating!

Good Morning!

The boys are already starting the 1/2 day countdown until the end of the school year. Tomorrow they get out of school at noon. I will be in court until late, so unfortunately I won't get to see their "freedom faces" until I get home. I "stand in" occasionally for the Domestic Violence Advocate at the city prosecutor's office when she is not in the office. My job is basically to talk to victims and witnesses, then give it to the prosecutor. From there, he/she decides what they want to do. I really like it. I love the courtroom time. When we have trials, it is interesting to listen to closing arguments. That is another great thing about my job---I have been given excellent opportunities to get experience in a large variety of settings that I might not in a "conventional" law firm. I hate to use the term "conventional" but we are different in that we are registered as a not for profit law firm. We handle certain types of legal issues for individuals with legal fees based on income guidelines...It has been excellent job from the day I started as an intern years ago. It is rare to find a job that is both family friendly and female friendly as this office is.



Gardening season is here....I haven't planted anything yet since we will be moving in two weeks, but I am definitely looking into some blackberry bushes to plant when we get to the new house. I went to a self pick farm two years ago and really had a great time canning jams. I had also visited a peach orchard near our house and got a lot of peaches, so I had canned blackberry, peach and blackberry-peach jam. My favorite was the blackberry peach. The combination of the two fruits really tasted excellent. I love to can. Mainly jams and salsas, but I am going to branch out and put away other stuff this year. Jams are really easy and make excellent gifts. When I do get settled and can some stuff, I will post the recipes here. You really should try your hand at making jams--they are among the easiest to do. Marigold already has a jump on her garden, I'm jealous!
Hey! If it worked, I just linked Marigold's name with her blog--hopefully you just click on her name to go to her fabulous blog. Disclaimer: Remember I am new to this linking business, so if you get to Joe's Discount Sweat Sock Shop instead, sorry!

And a Happy Saturday to you!

I'm a little slow getting around this morning but it has already started out to be a good day.

The post person just delivered two quilting books to my door. Normally I shy away from book of the month type clubs, but I do subscribe to one called Zooba that lets you pick the books you want sent each month. You just out them on a list and one book from your list is sent to you each month. Since the books only cost $9.99 including shipping, I have saved a mint on a lot of my knitting books! I have a book on knitting sweaters from the top down due to come to me this month. I am looking forward to that one. It seems to me that knitting from the top down makes pretty good sense. They don't have a huge selection of knitting books, but I have received a pretty good spectrum and have saved a bundle ( a penny saved is a yarn skein stashed---ok, I took a little creative license with that quote, but maybe Ben Franklin would have said that if he was a knitter!)...

Can you believe the gas prices? Let me know what you plan to do to conserve gas and money. What is gas running in your area?As I stated earlier, I am bundling trips together, buying more online and just plain making do with what I already have (shopping at the Davis department store!)....I guess that puts a small hole in the different small town a month plan that I had at the beginning of the year, but maybe I will just be creative. Since I am 5 months behind in actually posting the small town pic and postings, I will get it started by the end of the month. The first batch of small towns that I visit and knit in will be around Wichita, although Salina, Kansas is really looking good. They are more than an hour away, but there is a beautiful yarn store in that town (it has gotten rave reviews from some of the Wichita knitters that I know) and there is a quilting/fabric store that is completely awesome too...it's like buying an ice cream sundae and getting a free sprinkle of chocolate chips!

I will tag 8 people tonight so I can keep up with Marigold's Random tag....beware, you never know if I'm going to tag YOU!! It is so fun to visit other's blog site when they leave a comment...I have found some of the neatest people that way, so leave a comment and let me know who you are...I'd love to read your blog!

Weekend is here!!!

This was a pretty interesting week.
Thursday the country singer Craig Morgan was shooting a video literally in from of our office. It was surprisingly painless. I was dreading the traffic and mayhem and people parking in my lot at work. That didn't happen. It was really well maintained. However, I now realize that a 3-4 minute song takes much more than 8 hours to shoot....All of us in the office have the first 10 words of Craig's song memorized, followed by the word "CUT". After the first 20 times they did the same 10 words to the song over and over and over again, it got a little old. Luckily everyone in the office agreed it was a really good song--even the ones that didn't like country, so we all got through it..... We were all feeling sorry for Craig and his band members after the 90th take...that would get soooo old. I guess it looks easier on the video than it really is. These guys earn their money. At one point Craig was playing around on a dirt bike--I got laughed at by some of the girls in the office because I REALLY wanted to yell at him for not having a helmet on....and the fact that one of the pick-up trucks had a very young child in the back....granted they only moved 5 feet, but still........It was funny to watch the people interact from our vantage point on the 5th floor. The girls in the brown/gold jeep got a lot of male attention....I have more funny stories to tell, but maybe later...So, as far as the video, it should be really good, however: CRAIG---WEAR A DARN HELMET WHEN YOU ARE ON A BIKE--EVEN FOR A HALF BLOCK!

Tagged! I'm it....

Marigold ( and since I am not techno smart, I have to do it the "OLD FASHIONED WAY)http://marigoldgirl.blogspot.com/ just tagged me. So here goes:

8 Random Things about Me:

1: I was born in Baltimore Maryland, raised in Stillwater, Oklahoma (Home of Oklahoma State University---GO COWBOYS!) since 1976. I consider Oklahoma my home state (because I grew up there).

2. I never saw myself as having kids-ever. I now have three and wouldn't mind having dozens more except for that "giving birth thing", which I don't do too well. And the fact that I am over 40 (small detail....humor me).

3. I love to watercolor paint. And scrapbook. And quilt....and....

4. I have a yarn and fabric stash that is so infinite, it will outlast my great grandkid's grandkids....and I don't even have Grandkids yet! Note to 20 yr old son: This is not an invitation to give me grandkids yet--FINISH COLLEGE!

5. I love chickens! And cows...

6. I worked three days in a dairy barn when the twins were babies. I have infinite respect for those that can do it. I couldn't drink milk for almost 6 months after.......Cows are sooooo much prettier from the front!

7. I have no piercings or tattoos either, Marigold. I am a wimp when it comes to intentionally choosing pain. Plus, at my age, if I got a cute bird anywhere on my body, it would be migrating South forever....I know, the visuals have now scarred you for life!

8. Every morning I wake up next to my hubby, I feel blessed. The best decision I ever made was to say Yes when he proposed 17+ years ago.

and because I can't follow a rule to save my life, here's an additional:


8.5......I can't follow a budget or a diet for the life of me!!! I can hold on to 50 pounds forever, but $50 just melts away..go figure!

That was fun! Thanks Marigold!

I will figure out who to tag this evening when I get off work. Hubby just called to let me know they mentioned that the roads surrounding the building I work at are closed because there is a country music video being shot there, so I have to figure out an alternate route to the parking lot...and to the front door....Great....that's what happens when you work in a building that also houses a historic theatre from the 20's.....Thankfully he called to give me a heads up. I would not have been amused! Which is another random about me---I am usually pretty mild mannered, but I can back down a marine when mad. Ask my kids, they've heard me do it to a pushy marine recruiter....

Good coffee and great friends to you and yours!!

Randon Cute Animal Pics

It's morning and I am really dragging, so I will distract and hopefully amuse you with cute animal pictures since I do not have the ability to compose pithy thoughts on the page...The top picture is Charlie aka. our $200+ stray cay and my son's cat, Socks, who is so at home in his element, that he does not feel the need to protect his soft underbelly....and yes, he is actually asleep in this position.

Have a great day. I will post this evening, when I have a better command of the English language!

This mornings post is just a short but funny blurb session. I wish I could take credit for these, but all the credit has to go to Barbara Lenz who puts out our church bulletins via email. These really made me giggle today and I hope they do the same for you!

Groans….

*I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
* Police were called to a daycare where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
* The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.
* To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
* When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.
* The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
* A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
* A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal.
* Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be charged with stalking.
* We'll never run out of math teachers because they always multiply.
* When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, UCLA.
* The math professor went crazy with the blackboard. He did a number on it.
* The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground.
* The dead batteries were given out free of charge.
* If you take a laptop computer for a run, you could jog your memory.
* A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two-tired.* Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
* In a democracy, it's your vote that counts. In feudalism, it's your Count that votes.
* A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
* With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
* Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat miner.
* When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.
* The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
* A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France, resulting in Linoleum Blownapart.
*You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
* He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
* A lot of money is tainted: 'taint yours and 'taint mine.
* A boiled egg is hard to beat.
* He had a photographic memory that was never developed.
* A plateau is a high form of flattery.
* When you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
* When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
* Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.
* Acupuncture: a jab well done.

Tee Hee!
Great coffee and giggles to you this morning!

Happy Monday to You

Wanted to do a quick post before I leave for work. It seems like morning is the best time for me to do posting since my evenings are so full.

On the home front: Everything is in place for us to take possession of the house June 2---I am pretty excited. I read through my blog last night and realized how many times I said "if we buy a house" or "if we buy the house we're in" or something to that effect. Isn't it funny how putting something in writing causes the wheels of change to move one way or another?

I spent a little time packing yesterday and found all kinds of neat things that had been hidden away. It's almost like Christmas....Hubby and I went to Target yesterday and looked at furniture. I'm pretty surprised at how nice some of their furniture is. We will probably wait to get new stuff until we actually get to the new house (no reason to move it twice), but we did snag some pretty well made gaming chairs for $78.00. They were marked down from $99.00, so we snagged two. I had been looking for some nice gaming chairs for the kids but most of the ones I've seen are flimsy---these are pretty heavy.

On the gas front: It is down to 3.06 a gallon (that is as of yesterday, we all know it changes). Not great, but better than what it was. It is still going to put a huge pinch in my errand running and buying. A friend from Wyoming said gas there was $2.89---lucky.....and then I think " $2.89 LUCKY?!! I want gas under $2.00 again!" Ever notice that it may go down, but creeps right back up, like the gas companies are slowly numbing us...I did see a funny thing this week though. When gas hit $3.10 in Wichita, one of our stations here still had it for $2.96--there was a line of cars 10-15 deep of really big cars and trucks waiting to get gas at that price. Here's my problem: If you have one of those huge gas eaters and are idling in a line 10 deep, by the time you get to the pump, you have burned off any savings, and probably wasted an additional amount of gas.....think about it.

I picked up the new Interweave Knits last night, mainly because it had a really good article about knitting toe up socks---the last couple issues I passed on because there was not enough "non sweater/shirt" stuff. I think they should have a little more accessory patterns, more socks, bags, hats, etc for those of us who are not ready to commit to an intricate sweater or camisole (I know, everyone's a critic!) . They do have really wonderful sock patterns and hat patterns and their stitch technique articles are incredible, so it is not like I never buy it, I just seek out the issues with a little more accessory patterns or easy sweater patterns for beginners. I will say that there is a cables sweater pattern (it has a sweater for the woman and a vest for the guy) that piqued my interest. I think I could see myself doing those....which is another reason to buy it. I will be able to look through it more this evening when I take a kid to soccer practice, so I'm sure I'll have more to say. However, I do have to add that if you see the new issue. it is well worth the cover price, s snag a copy.

I guess I'm at the bottom of my coffee cup and that is a sign I'd better get ready for work!
Great griends and good coffee to you and yours!

Sundays...

At some point today I have to suck it up and actually make it down to the basement to start packing it. It is probably a good thing that our new house is a bi-level and the lower level is actually a functioning part of the house (it has the family room, 2 bedrooms, a full bath and the laundry room, and a walkout to the yard) so it can't be a repository for delayed decisions, which is exactly what our basement is right now. On the sunny side, this will be like an archaeological dig I guess....

Cute bag pattern alert: http://www.cidermoon.com/cm0128.html I found this link by lurking in Brown Berry's site: http://thebrownberry.blogspot.com/ that I found by lurking in Cactus needles blog http://cactusneedlles.blogspot.com/ How's THAT for blog dropping!!!
I am downloading the pattern to do one of my very own when we get to the new house and I can pull out my yarn!

Gas Price Blues

I'm not sure what you guys are used to paying for gas in your neck of the woods, but gas just hit $3.19 a gallon here in Haysville...YIKES!!!! I am seeing a long summer of very little pleasure driving if this keeps up. I am already brainstorming ways to save gas or not have to use the car at all. Luckily although we live in a small town, a lot of what we need is either here in town or on the way to/from work. I've told the boys instead of getting in the car to drive the 1/2 mile to the video store, we are going to brush off the bikes. This could be a good thing--if I don't injure myself trying to ride my bike.....it's been a while. A LONG while. If we had public transportation from Haysville to downtown Wichita (where I work), I would soooo take it. as it stands, I have already had to make decision about the way I shop. I had a 40% off coupon from Michael's Craft stores that was burning a hole in my pocket--they have a quilting book I REALLY want that is $25.00....Instead of making the 15 mile trip into that side of Wichita, I got online and found a used-like new copy on Amazon.com for $12.00. Even with the $3.99 shipping, it was cheaper than running my car to the local store. As much as I like the idea of shopping local, it may not work for me if it not a store in an area I have several other errands...I guess one good thing is that I will be at home a lot more and will have plenty of yarn and fabric from my existing stash to get projects done....One of these projects is a paper pieced quilt from class I took a couple weeks ago. You know, the one that cost me $250 extra because I fell in love with the instructors 1940's Singer featherweight and ended up buying one on eBay....I have posted a picture of two blocks--one completed and one in the process of completion. Paper piecing is tricky at first because you are placing the fabric on one side, then sewing on the paper side. Once the block is completed, you tear away the paper and just have the perfectly formed square. It's really neat, but it was hard for me to grasp at first. The thing I like the best is this method makes perfect use of all those scraps that are too small to use normally....Plus you don't have to be a stickler for matching/coordinating colors....The colors in these blocks are from a quilt I am working on--my first quilt to be precise..

A Day of Rest

I ended up using my last comp day today instead of going in an working. I felt like someone was having a party in one side of my head, and while I was the host, I was only allowed to watch...not good. I ended up laying down and got up at 2:20! Talk about sleeping the day away! Oldest child just left for his history class at the junior college. I really do wish I could talk him into just staying put and finishing his college here. I guess we'll see how the summer goes for him.

I've got to run down to the sewing machine shop tomorrow to trade out the free motion foot I got yesterday -- after talking with the salesman, he definitely got the wrong foot off the rack. No biggie--I should have thought to ask when the packaging said for a memory craft embroidery machine....I thought maybe they were interchangeable...They're not. With gas prices the way they are, I will probably wait until tomorrow to go since I have to be downtown anyway for work. I am trying to package trips together so I am not using as much gas as I usually do running around. Realistically that is how I should have been doing it all along.

There is a knitting group at Panera Bread tomorrow. I would love to finally be able to attend one of their meetings--it has been so long! We'll have to see. Every time I commit by RSVP'ing, something happens that makes it impossible for me to attend, so I don't want to jinx myself.

Not so funny fact about my blond dachshund: She barks at air. Repeatedly. Loudly. While I am trying to sleep.....and no, she doesn't have a turn off button. I've looked. Just as bad is the fact when scolded, she lays on the floor and growls repeatedly with occasional yips at the offending entity which, by the way, doesn't exist! It sounds like a continual motor with an occasional misfire.........

New House News and etc.

We will be moving June 2nd and have reached an agreement with the current owner regarding how much he is to pay towards what needs to be fixed on the house. It was mainly stuff that started from lack of maintenance on the outside (deck unsafe, windows leaked) and the inside of the house has been well maintained, so we didn't get bitchy about splitting some of the costs...If I haven't said it before in this blog: If you own a house, inspect the windows and things around the house--fix the small things before they become big things. A little preventative maintenance goes a long way! Eric and I have discussed the fact that we have a friend that is a contractor and home inspector, and it would be worth having him come out every couple years to look around the house to see if anything jumps out at him...

And so begins the long process of packing. Do you realize how much junk accumulates in nooks and crannies if you aren't looking? One the good side: I am finding things that I lost and can really use now. One the bad side: I am finding things I lost and have NO IDEA why I bought them in the first place...I better get over this impulse buying....and that is before I address the yarn stash and the fabric stash!

Speaking of yarn and fabric: I haven't had much knitting content lately because it seem like I haven't really had the space or time to knit. I miss it. I will be able to have my stash out in the new house and will have a place just for me to knit. I am looking forward to that. I will also have a place for both my sewing machines and fabric. I think half the problem with a stash of any kind is that if you can't see it, you don't know if you have it and end up buying more (a direct allusion to the above paragraph)...

My oldest son is still planning to move to Iowa to live with the girl he met over the Internet. As a mother, I am just hoping this turns out OK. He is 20, so I really don't have the option of saying no...It is a little unnerving that he will not be going to college. We are currently paying for his school, but have explained that if he moves out and lives with someone, he is responsible for school from there on out. I really wish he would at least finish his college. I know, BREATHE....

I took a machine quilting class last night with my friend Sue. It was really informative and just what we needed to get us to the point of being able to quilt the lap sized quilts we have pieced and waiting for that step. Sue doesn't have a portable machine of her own, so she used my little Brother NX200, which is the one that misbehaved the last time and lead to the Featherweight "incident"--you know, the one where I had to use the instructor's 1940's featherweight and got obsessed to the point of buying one...anyway, it behaved fine. So did my Janome 6260 QC --right up to the point where we put on the free motion foot...I didn't have one for this machine so I ran by the dealer to pick one up yesterday. The dealer gave me one for the wrong model. Damn! Partially my fault for not trying it on the machine before I took it to class...I used the shop's Bernina. While it was nice, I am happy to say, I am not looking to buy one and I am more than happy with my machines! However I have come to the realization that I am blessed and spoiled.....I am going to start piecing a 9 patch quilt this month. It is a pretty traditional setting and it will help me work on getting my fabric cut and pieced so the seams actually meet. Since I know the basics now, I am going to work on making quilts for all the kids when we get settled in the new house.

I guess I'd better head off to work. With gas at $3.10 a gallon, I fully realize I am blessed to not have to sit in rush hour traffic. By the time I leave, it is pretty much a straight shot except for traffic lights. I am not happy about having to shell out this much cash for gas! Hubby and I are discussing getting a really small car for when it is just one person and saving the vans for when everyone has to travel together. The vans get decent gas mileage, but it could be better. We can't afford a hybrid--although that would be nice..

Have a great morning and good coffee to you!

Bad Weather-Prayers for Tornado Victims

As many of you may have seen on the news, this has been a really crappy week for weather here in Kansas. Greensburg, Kansas, a little town 110 miles from Wichita was literally flattened. 95% of the town is gone. If you have never experienced a tornado, you are blessed. I am asking that as you read this, please say a prayer for all the residents of Greensburg and the other towns that got hit.

Tornadoes are terrifying even on a small scale--and Greensburg now has the task of literally rebuilding the town from scratch. The sad thing is this tornado hit on the day after the 8 year anniversary of the one that hit our little town and wiped out a large swatch of it. My heart goes out to everyone affected.

Just a quick post tonight--it has been really bad weather all day and tonight it is no different. Lots of thunder, lightning and pounding rain. On the bright side, it is really cool outside, so I have been sitting on the porch watching the rain.

It is lightening outside, so I'd better cut this post short.

New House Progress

Approx. 1 month ago we signed the contract on a house just down the street from us. We've rented the home we live in for almost 12 years now and the landlord wants to sell it. Our current house only has 925 square feet of finished space (it also has an unfinished basement that would add 400-500 feet if it were finished....) and it is starting to feel cramped with 5 people in it. It was fine when the twins were little, but now they are teenagers and their mass has increased (we won't even start on mine), it is really cramped. The landlord wants an awful lot for the square footage, so we decided to bump up our price range and ended up buying a 1,965 square foot home...We don't take possession until June 2nd (the current owners close on their new house June 1) -- but it feels like the whole process is crawling. Buying a house is much more stress than you see on those home shows!!! I thought it would be an easy, painless process. Word of advice to current homeowners--if you have a deck-especially a second story deck important to getting to the back yard---TAKE CARE OF IT. That way, when you sell your home, you are not shocked by the inspector giving it an unsafe tag and the contractor giving you a $5,000 estimate! We are in the process of haggling that out. Actually a good rule of thumb is to just take care of all little things before they become big things. The window that leaks and causes the sheet rock to pull away from the window frame is not going to go away or freeze in status. It will get worse. The patio door that isn't working well will not magically fix itself, and yes, you will be surprised at the end on how much it costs to fix all this!!!

I am looking forward to getting into it and making it ours! The twins will share a room, but it will be twice the size of what they are sharing now. My oldest son is talking about moving out and going to live with his girlfriend (don't even go there...) in another state, so we may have a guest/quilting/painting/etc room...That would be so great!

In other news, I saw some blurb on AOL news that gas is supposed to reach $4 a gallon in some parts. WTF !!!!! It is not amusing me to gas my van up as it is! I am seriously thinking we are going to have to look at getting small cars for running across town when it is just one or two people and keeping one of the vans for when all of us are going someplace. Does anyone own or know anyone who owns one of the hybrid cars? I'm seeing lots of stay at home activities in my future! I guess that is a good excuse for the stash of yarn and fabric I have built up....We may just have to investigate some alternative power sources in the future. It would be nice to power the kitchen by solar---it may be a little too much to ask to power the whole house, but once we get settled, we may investigate taking part of the house off the grid. Solar power in our area is still a pretty new idea and not mainstream, so it may be hard to find someone who can convert us...

On the art side: I am going to start watercolor painting again. I have had the urge to paint for several years and never found the time (I used the "I'm not a professional, not a real artist, not....crutch) and it has been nagging me. I recently found a book by Dori Kanter entitled "Art Escapes" and it is very empowering! You really have to get this book. Even if you have never painted or watercolor is not what you perceive as your style...It has exercises that teach you about color, composition etc that can be transferred anywhere...My friends are nuts about the artists way books, which I will eventually work on (I own that one and Vein of Gold by the same author of Artist's Way), but this one is very hands on. Love it!!

I guess I'd better head off to work. This my version of morning pages for those of you familiar with Artist's Way, but unlike the suggested stream of consciousness pages, I'll edit my blurbs and not subject you to my random blatherings. Those I will save for a notebook.....

Good day and great coffee to you and yours!!

Possessed and Possessions

It's official--- the sewing machine I took to the paper piecing class is possessed.

I plugged it in last night, determined to fix the problem, and it ran like a charm. I tried a billion different ways to get it to do what it did at class, but no luck....figures. This is the sewing machine version of taking your car to the mechanic for "that noise" that never happens when anyone is looking at it. Oh well, it has been an incredible machine (it is a Brother NX 200---the least expensive of the line, but an incredible machine at any price) so I guess I should give it one time of being temperamental....However, it did cause a little bit of trouble--- if it had behaved, I never would have touched the little featherweight, which in turn means that I would not have spent time eBaying...oh yeah, and I wouldn't have bought one....OR--maybe my "little brother" realized that paper piecing dulls needles and wanted to save me money by forcing me to get a machine strictly for paper piecing...Great, I am imbuing my machines with the ability to have cognitive reasoning....
I know. I need more coffee.