Have you signed up for the give-away on the blog, Once Upon a Quilt? Some neat things being given away!

This is my new sewing machine table. I've put a machine on it so you can see how much room there will be on the left side when I'm working. There is one drawer (top) and one cabinet area (bottom). I think I'm really going to enjoy working here. It gives me a lot more room than my old table had. It will fit the new machine with the embrodiery arm on! On the old table the embroidery arm ended up in the window, tangled in the blinds, and that wasn't a good place for working with it.

I wanted to send my old table to a good home so I ran an ad on Craig's List. In about 15 minutes I had my first inquiry. I stated that the table was FREE, but that it had to be dismantled and carried down a flight of stairs. It is quite heavy and I knew I didn't want to have to carry it down. Well, I had quite a number of people wanting it in a very short time, so I just took the inquiries in the order in which they came -- the first couldn't use it because it took up too much room. The second person wanted it and had all the room she needed. So, she came to pick it up and now it has a new home!

Sweetie put together the new table (Of course it came in 300 pieces!) I think it will be lovely to work on! It doesn't look too large in the picture but it is about 34" X 60," and that is a good size and it is VERY strong. I placed it in front of the windows so that I can look out at the world as I work. There is a TV behind me that will provide audio entertainment, or I can turn on my radio.

My ironing board is up so I'm ready to go. What fun!

Tomorrow is quilting day! I've missed most of our group meetings the past 3 months, so I'm excited about going. I finished the binding on the baby dino-log quilt so it is ready to turn in.

Now I'm going to do something different -- strips sewn on a 6" square base - then trimmed and eventually sewn together. I'm using some scraps that I need to get rid of. That is one nice thing about quilting -- you can use even small pieces of fabric.

A local fabric store had a sale this past week, and I had some Christmas money, so I bought new thread and stabalizer to use with my embrodiery machine. What fun I'll have!

What project are you working on that you think is fun?

While I'm in the picture posting mode I want to show my "Baby Dino Log" quilt that I'm making for one of the pregnancy center layettes. I used a donated small scrap of dinosauer print, surrounded the center blocks with bright color logs, and used a purchased fabric for the offset blocks. I like the way it turned out -- back is solid blue and the binding shows up wider on the back.

It Came!

I went to the mailbox and there was a small brown package from Iowa. My fat quarter had arrived.

A while back I was looking at some fabric/quilting web sites and ran across B & B Creations, Tracy, Iowa. There was a "moose" hidden somewhere on the site and, ta-dah, I found it! Fay Boyd send me my prize, a beautiful fat quarter. What a fun way to go "window shopping." Thank you!

A good day! I've been busy as a bee since getting home -- one can see the top of my desk again! Well, not every inch of it, but a big improvement there! I've finished the financial updating and got some of my photos transferred from the old computer to the new one. I'm not too knowledgeable about doing things like that so it is slow. There is probably a faster way to do it but patience is a virtue and I worked on a lot of virtue-making today!

Read another blog -- Pieces From Me -- enjoyed it. The writer's mantra for 2009 is...

"Aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your own hands." I Thessalonians 4:11

I like that! It is something good to think about, especially minding one's own business. Not doing that usually gets all of us in trouble!

Another blog -- Coolrue -- posted some old, Irish, homemaking tools. A most unusual laundry pot and dasher. I've never seen one like it. Not at all like the big cast iron pot my Grandmother used to do her laundry. She would set it over the fire and boil the clothes clean. then rinse them, and then hang them up to dry. Of course, she did the laundry AFTER she made the laundry soap! Ladies, we do have it easy!!

My "Cozy" was bored one day, while her mother was doing the laundry, and she ran by and threw a kitten into the rinse water. (It was cool, of course.) Her description of being chased around the laundry by her mother was priceless. Yes, I've had days like that -- have you?

I had a lovely e-mail from a former student today. She is back in Brazil and is still hoping to continue her education -- next on the agenda is PhD. Such a sweet person -- I only had her a short time but learned to love her.

There is a party at the library tonight, for all the ESL students and teachers. I will go and take some banana pudding. Each student will bring something from their own country so our dinner will be a lovely variety of foods. I think all of my students will be there - one has already called to make sure I was going. I'll resume my classes on Feb. 4.

It is getting late so I'll say good-night and go hang up my dry laundry from the dryer. Such a blessing. I am not sure I would have made a good pioneer woman. Think about it -- would you like to go back to the days of yore?

Remember these old gas pumps?

 

Another week gone and a new one starting. I see light, however, way down there at the end of this week. Planned to go home Wednesday but sister-in-law is going to hospital for test -- will stay here to be support system until we know the outcome of the test -- she may have stents put in. Plan is, regardless, to leave no later than Friday morning!!

Meanwhile, Sweetie came this weekend. What joy! I have missed him SO MUCH! He helped me get the handicapped hanger for the folks car. That will save them a lot of walking. Mom now qualifies as permanently handicapped. Sweetie brought me a new book to read -- I finished everything I brought and have raided my Mom's shelves, even thought we don't usually read the same things. I'm now reading "Bones" by Jonathan Kellerman. I like his books.

Sweetie and I went to see "Benjamin Button." What a good movie -- so different. After dinner we went to eat -- I had grilled catfish and it was absolutely yummy!

Hill Country Friend is coming to visit on Tuesday. We will have lunch, shop a little, talk a lot, and just enjoy.

I can hardly wait to be home! Meanwhile, since things are a little better here I am getting to sew a little. I'm hand-sewing the binding for the dino-log baby quilt. I've also been able to work a little on the Grandmother's Flower Garden. Finished another "flower."

My ESL advisor tells me I have a new student -- I plan to resume classes in February.
I've missed my classes.

I've missed my home.

I've missed my life.

There is no place like home!

Ended the last post rather quickly so computer was off before my brain stopped spinning. This is a continuation. . .

Another interesting thing about looking at House Hunters and House Hunters International, is getting to see quilts in the homes that are featured. I especially enjoy seeing the quilts that sometimes appear on the International version. It is interesting to see what difference show up from my "American" style of quilting, and sometimes I see a pattern that I haven't seen before. I whip out my design book and start sketching - we usually only get a short glimpse of the quilt so I have to get it down on paper quickly -- the old brain doesn't work as well as it used to.

Well, that is it for this time -- but, there may be more to come.