halloween and a month of thanks

Here are our pics of Halloween: R examining her loot, the first few doors she tried to give THEM her candy, then she got it!
H as a ghost, Me wearing my HS Drill Team stuff and R as a Beautiful Ballerina Super Hero

H as a warm duckie(her outside costume) A as a Barista (cheep, easy, used my apron) and R as a Beautiful Ballerina Super Hero

H as a warm little duckie

H as a ghost, R pre-costume (shes in a leotard and pants) "Cool"

As for Thanks:

Park City Girl took a moment to be thankful for things in the midst of recovering from some rough moments today. As we move into November, each post this month, the month of Thanksgiving, I will post a few things I am thankful for, regardless of what the post is about.

To start off today's, I am thankful for:

+A not leaving me especially with how often I have yelled at him to...as I'm sure you are aware, we have been through some very rough times together and they could have easily torn us apart but we are fighting for "us" together.

+two wonderful children (even when I am at the end of my rope with them)

+a mom who knows me so well and is able to help me out from a distance in so many ways

+ a brother (and his girlfriend) who love my children as much as I do

+ for all the fabric I have, especially the pieces I didn't have to spend money on myself!

just for Pat

Pat Sloan put up this post and the best way to show her my jar of garlic my husband bought me (his reason being at least ever other week I have one clove of garlic on the grocery list...what can I say? I like fresh garlic!) was to post it up here =)

Needless to say, I think Pat and I need some ideas on what to do with our minced garlic =)

so about the block lotto finally

But first, a really quick great Give Away....I have been following PigTales and Quilts since this time last year when she had a give away and I entered (didn't win!) The prize is TBD but heck any chance is awesome!

Here are this months' blocks. I really enjoyed making them! See I even made two extra to donate! I am sort of wishing Karma will help me win this month, we just barely made it into the two winner zone today and there's still a day or two to go, so who knows maybe someone else will throw up a picture of their blocks! I have not yet started this months blocks, I want to finish my Gobble Gobble quilt top first, and a Christmas throw or two...ok I have three tops almost done I think they all need one more border to be done...will post them all when I get them there and one more to start! Then I can do this months quilt blocks for the Lotto....once I clear out the "project in the works" bin some! But I am not supposed to talk about the block yet until the 1st.....hehehehe.

I never posted the pictures of the quilt I made with my block lotto winnings , so here you go. I was originally going to give this to H, and I might still, but I am joining an online quilt guild for Children's Hospital Seattle. They will either auction off quilts or give them to children in the hospital, depending on the needs. I expect mine to be used, I can't imagine I am a strong enough designer or quilter (I mean all I do is stitch in the ditch!) to make much money off of a quilt, but I am still thrilled to contribute what I do have and what I can do. In this instance, I had a strange number or blocks, sure I could have made it work, but not for what I wanted, so I decided to do a doll quilt to coordinate with the main quilt. I really think this would be better used to brighten up a hospital room and give a child, and her medical doll, comfort.

Here's another quilt I think will be going there instead of its original intended location. I was not too thrilled with the way I quilted this, I traced all the letters and the fabric puckered a little bit plus I didn't stay on the lines very well, try as I might. Oh Well, I had done a great job pinning it so either the way I kept twisting the fabric messed the process up or the distance between quilts was not the best idea. Live and Learn, but I still think it's too cute to not be given to someone.

input please!

I am working on my gobble gobble challenge by Moda Bake Shop and Pat Sloan, and am stuck....

Do I leave the top as is, or do I add a border(s?) like what I laid out in the bottom left corner? I don't want it to be too busy, but it is anyways, and I don't want it to be too big, but I also have tons of fabric left over since I bought another charm pack due to a silly mistake (only needed 4 squares from it) and there are several prints/colorways I liked but didn't showcase in my 11 blocks.

Thanks!!

post #3 in 24 hours?

Well the last post was SO quick, and the post before that so whiny I decided I needed something more positive up...plus I was sewing today. I should have been cleaning but I needed a mental health/me day more than a cleaning day! I am sure many of you can relate. Also Pat Sloan was hosting a "finish it up" weekend over at the mashup. For me it wasn't so much a "finish it up" as much as it was a "work on it" weekend, but whatever! So here's what I worked on today:

Have you heard about the Gobble Gobble Challenge hosted by Moda Bake Shop and Pat Sloan? Go check it out, you have to be done by Nov 10th but I think it's worth getting in on.

I Still need to get that little paper pieced pumpkin onto that big square and make the challenges' pumpkin, but it's close to assembly now! Everything in my quilt will be pumpkiny because I need something to keep if consistent, too random and I start to panic but this is pushing me out of my comfort zone with it not being "matchy matchy."

This is H's Dora quilt to coordinate with R's but not match. I had a feeling she'd be a girl (but bought a ton of boy stuff too just in case and I LOVE the boy bedding we got from e-bay) and yet I didn't make a Dora quilt at the same time as R's. H's will be random, I am trying really hard to not control what happens with the blocks. I will try to not have two of the same touch each other, but if it does happen...I will make it happen more than once. I am such a quilty control freak =)

See the brown bag to grab out of? My idea is I'll draw pairs out, and sew them, then pull sets to match up together and sew together into big square buddies and that's as far as I have thought.

As for my Christmas projects, I need advice as to whether or not I need one more border on each of these, and if so, what color? The first is one of the two "The Night Before Christmas" quilts I am making, one for my girls and one for my friends boys. The other one will be slightly different just to keep me entertained! I think this one could benefit from something all around just for fun, but I don't think it NEEDS it, I was thinking red, or blue, or white, or that light yellow. I think the bright yellow in there would look too Green Bay ish =).
This second one is "Rudolph" but it's not the whole story, nor is it the song. I think it's off the movie, but they are missing chunks of it, so it's a poorly abridged version. Again I think this needs one border to tie it all together, but no idea on the color.

My next post will probably be about the Block Lotto. I have the blocks I won back in Aug all together (I got them all by mid Sept!) and will be working on next months blocks as soon as I finish that Gobble Gobble piece!

If the girls keep cooperating, I might work on my Shop Hop blocks some more tonight. The living room needs some serious vacuuming before I lay anything out to layer and pin, not up for that! so keep the projects coming. Hehe!

so gentle reminder:

give me advice on the borders

join in the gobble gobble fun

take a day, or hour, for you!

fast:

very quickly here, there's a Object of my Desire give away that ends TONIGHT! pop over there NOW!!

overwhelmed

I worked 40 hours this week and in addition to being exhausted and sore, I am quite overwhelmed. Not by work but by the state of my house! It's horrible and yet I don't have the drive to clean it up. Part of me is a little mad that A isn't doing ANY housework, and the rest of me knows better than to expect it. Even when I was working full time and he was a "stay at home dad" (aka unemployed) he didn't do any housework. Today I tidied the kitchen but didn't do the dishes. I am going to ask him to unload the dishwasher and then run it tomorrow. Sometimes if I ask for one or two small tasks he'll do them.

I also have not been sewing or quilting, or anything for me this week. I come home, take care of the girls and try really hard to get them down early. Not successfully but trying none the less. I worked 5 opens in a row (5 am every morning except Sundays when it's 6:30 but I kept waking up panicked as to why I was not up or at work from 4am on) so getting up at 3:45ish. H goes down at midnight, 11 is I am lucky. Oh so five opens in a row, Monday off, three opens in a row, would have had Fri off but I did offer to take someones shift since they were sick (and we were a man down that morning already, I was a better candidate than the original person for such a situation with or without illness) so 7am, but again kept wondering why I was not up yet, and then today was 8 am. Again kept wondering why I was not up yet even though I knew I didn't need to be. I have tomorrow off so I hope I can sleep in. I did tell the girls that we were going to go for coffee tomorrow and I want to be down there around 9 when some of my regulars usually are there. A few of them have not seen H yet and were asking about R. Point of this is I am worn out! All of those were 8 hour shifts!

I have been kind of slowly not really working on my gobble gobble challenge. I don't know if I will have it ready in time, but I have two cute little blocks together, one from a 1991? quilt magazine and the other I made up on my own, based on the snowball block. They were both really fun! I forgot how to do paper piecing, but I sort of remember now. Still a few kinks to work out, but for the most part I got it. You know it has only been....12 years since I did it (yes I was in 7th grade thank you) I will share pictures when I have more than a 3*3 block and a 5*6 block. Maybe tomorrow

Unrelated but more fun, I was wondering what your favorite sitcoms are. I need to start watching something new, I am in rerun overload of my faves which are:
1) The Nanny
2) Friends
3) Home Improvement

Then less favorite but still have seen at least every episode once or more:
Saved by the Bell
Roseanne (only when A's not home)
Growing Pains
Brotherly Love (I actually miss that one!)
I Love Lucy

Now for the ones I can't stand but will watch with A because he likes them:
Still Standing (I think if it were on more I'd like it more)
That 70's Show
Yes Dear

so how about you?
Oh, and next post will have pics of the girls, or quilts, or both!

two quick give aways

There's a nice fat quarter give away over here! I think it happens more than once in a while, so keep your eyes open! (Oh, and tell them I sent you there so I can get an extra entry! I have to go back and see who's blog I found the link on...)

Also, V and Co's having their monthly? give away! Kati Cupcake patterns!

Yesterday was a bad day, and today's not shaping up to be a good recovery from it. First I dropped my store keys in the night deposit box along with the day's deposit for work. OOPS!! (called them this morning and they have the keys for me!) Then when I got home from work, A went to run some errands, and the car won't start. It shows that it's in every gear when really it's in park! UGHHH. Have to take it in today, don't know how. oh and A's not up yet. it's 11:52, I have been trying to get him up since 9. When the bank called me back to say come get your keys. And I told him he should call the shops to be first in line.

and I have three opens again starting tomorrow. Just coming off 5! Thank goodness I slept in until 7:15!

shots and bills

wizard of oz give away! go check it out

In family life, the girls got shots yesterday. Broke my heart but I know it's way better than getting any bug! H got her 2 month shots, three with a total of 5 things in them...I think that's how it worked. I had to sign 5 times! R got the flu mist and the Swine Flu shot. She was VERY unhappy about it but when the nurse went to H next, oh lordy! She was yelling at the nurse "NO! Don't hurt my H!" "NO!!!" it was so sweet and cute. She loves her little sister and is good at protecting her.

R is 3 years, 4 months, and like 8 days? She was 39.25" and 36.5lbs. (85%/75%) so tall and skinny. They tried to do a vision test on her but she wanted to play her own game with the cards so no go. Not too worried about it right now. Her pediatrician asked if most people could understand her easily, yes except she struggles with R and L's sometimes and here and there will get letters in a word mixed up, like "love" comes out as "wove" a lot but here and there it'll be "vohwl" (think bowl with a v) or "Mine" will become "NIME!" He said at 4 years if shes still having problems or if people still have a hard time understanding her we'll get set up with a speech therapist, but for right now just keep practicing and correcting at home.

H is 22.25", 10.0lbs, and her head is 37.8 cm. (50%/35%/25%) I don't like those low numbers but no one else is really worried so I won't be. She seems satisfied when she's done nursing, she's happy and playful, she has a little bit of a personality on her (not much but about a 2 month old's worth which is perfect!) and is growing. We'll see what she is at her 4 month check up before I start to worry. This is why they didn't give me percentiles with R, I would just worry! H has a little lump on her head that's been there since the day after we brought her home. The doc we saw at her 1 week check up said "oh it's nothing" This time her doc saw it from across the room and spent a while feeling it, and said "it's S____" basically just something under her skin that we shouldn't worry about. Of course I am, have been, and will continue to do so but it's reassuring to know it's not something I should have rushed her in for. If it doesn't go away after a year or so and her doc still isn't worried I might take her to someone else, maybe my old pediatrician or someone in her practice. Until then I am going to keep an eye on it. I might pull out my seam measure thingie and see how big it is, record it and keep track. I am sure it's nothing, or it's the thing he said it was and I shouldn't worry, but you can never be too careful!

I got all my bills from the hospital today. They have like 8 different accounts for me. A little frustrating that they can't just tie it all together, but OUCH! the final bills! Oh my! Did insurance pay ANYTHING? Barely! Ughhh! No idea how I'm going to pay all that but somehow I will! I have a thing for financial aid from them that I was waiting to see what I finally owe and I have to go to Medicaid and see if we qualify (I know we don't because I have private insurance) and get a letter saying we were rejected to qualify for the hospital's aid. Such a pain!

As far as quilting (thank heavens I have a decent stash! thank you Sally!!) I have been having a lot of progress lately. I made 11 blocks for the Block Lotto, and really want to win! Blue and yellow's one of my favorite color combinations. Remind me next time I have the quilt my mom and her friends made me for my high school graduation out on R's bed to take pictures for you! It's wonderful!

I also finished the top of one of my four quick Christmas quilts. I am debating adding another border to it, we will have to see when I go to the fabric store next week with tips (if I can justify it to myself between now and then) for some backing fabric if anything jumps out at me. I will show you that picture next time, with the top I almost have done except I was about 8" shy of what I needed, so I am praying I can still get this fabric that I started with. I think it was a recent(ish) purchase. That ones going to need another border too.

my first quilt

As you may see, on my side bar there's a button for the blogger quilt festival, so I am sharing my entry! It's nothing spectacular, but it's mine. It is my first quilt.

When I was in 5th grade my parents bought a new house. About that same year, my dad and his friends sold their company, IC Designs to Cypress. Funds were not as tight but my parents are far from carefree with their monies. Point being mom could finally buy a new sewing machine. My Pfaff. (Yes I know you've seen the picture) The machine came with a set of sewing lessons. Of course mom already knew how to sew but she took the classes. The teacher was great and somehow it came up that she teaches kids too. Mom asked if I wanted to take a class and of course I did, I wanted to know what it was all about. So off to class I went. First I made a Quillow that I loved so much I lost it at a car race one weekend. I packed that thing with me every race weekend and at Girl Scout camp for inside my sleeping bag, in case I forgot a pillow, or around the campfire. The pillow was done with paper piecing, the rest was more like a comforter. I loved it, especially the paper piecing part.

After trying to make an outfit, I decided I liked quilting more. Mom signed me up for more private lessons and with my teacher, we went to go buy fabrics (from FabricLand, I don't know if they are still around at all mine were all bought out by JoAnn's) to make a Streak of Lightning quilt. The three of us picked out 14 fabrics, 7 solids, and 7 prints that connected the solids together. We started cutting and sewing strips. We made it to sub-cutting and began re-sewing the strips that were now squares.

At that point my teacher had to sell her house and move (oh just for fun I should tell you I had a HUGE crush on her son. I was in 7th grade at this point, so it didn't take much to make me crush, but oh he was so cute!) I had lost a big chunk of the quilt and after looking off and on over the years I was sure she must have some of it and I have some of it.

The summer between my Jr and Sr. years of college I went on a Shop Hop with my mom and her two friends. The quilting bug had hit hard! I decided to take what I had and see what I could do with it. If nothing else I could make a lap quilt, or some pillows. I also was in the process of moving out and sorting all the things I would want to have someday and all the things I didn't need any more. We found all the parts to my quilt! It turns out I had been finding and replacing three separate sections of the quilt, two sections with strips sewn together and one chunk of the strips before becoming squares, not yet sub cut!

Mom and I looked at the quilt,played around with what I had, made two more strips and stepped back. It was almost twin size. I must have been missing some more but it was enough. We raided mom's stash and found a blue and a yellow I liked for the borders, and a black with hearts that I made into a "flappy" border (it's sewn into one seam with a second border but is folded over and you can play with it flipping it around!) We even were able to raid her stash for the backing! It's the softest cotton that's not flannel I have ever felt and it has moons and stars swirling on sky....so perfect for night time!

I tie-quilted it with black yarn and yellow and blue threads to "tie in" the borders (yes roll your eyes, please!) Ever since then I have made many many tops...I think I currently am at 15 tops, five to be finished but 10 done! I don't see stopping any time soon!

sisterly love

This post may be edited a bunch depending on what all happens.

Today R and I were in the girls room and H was doing something super cute in her crib, so I picked R up and said "look at H!" R said "Oh my gosh! She soooo sweet!" I realised I needed to record all the things they do together,or that R says, so that some day when they hate each other as teens/preteens do I have proof they loved each other at one point!

This is all from memory, so I am sure I will be missing some things but go with me

"oh H, you so best!"

"you so cute!"

"no mommy, I hold her!!"

"I love you!"

"no crying, it OK it OK, you see!"
oh the one day: "H, you the best friend!"

"I read her story?"

"once a time, beautiful princess H...."

"I want my H!"

R also likes to sing songs, usually rockabye, or thumbkin to H, loves to show her the colorings she did and sometimes they are meant for H. R loves to help me change her diaper, and get her dressed. She'll go on a pacifier hunt for us, and is very protective. Yesterday I was at work with the girls and one of my absolute favorite regulars (who used to go to the other store when I was there and recently started coming to the store I am at now- she's a favorite not because she tips extraordinarily well more than once a day but rather because she is always so positive, kind, and is someone who listens and shares as much as we do, she shares our joys and sorrows as much as we share our beloved customers, she's one of the few who does that!) got to hold H, well when R saw that she RAN over there and said "give me my H! you NO TOUCH! MOMMY!!!" good to know she's looking out for her little sister.

R wants to hold H any time she can, and will let me know the instant H starts to fuss or cry (as if I can't tell but still) R has discovered H likes peek a boo and will play that with her until one of them looses interest, up to 20 minutes later! R always wants to be the one to give the bottle to H when I am at work according to A. R coveres H in hugs and kisses and will lie on the floor with her any time H is on the floor.

There's a lot of curiosity about what H is up to too.

"where H?"

"you feed her?"

"you change her?"

"H come too?"

"in her chair?"

"H play with me?"

"I hold her? next?"

Sometimes R is too rough. She likes to give good squeeze hugs which is great for A and I,but not so much for H. Sometimes instead of gently rubbing H's tummy she pushes a little too hard, you know how babies love when you put a little pressure on their tummy and gently rock them from side to side, well R does it a little too fast. But she means well!

At the same time, H will often look for her sister. Whenever I am done feeding her and am rubbing her back to get a burp, H is scannign the room for R! When she finds R she will fixate on her for a while and then look away. Before too long, she's looking for that big sister of hers again. She also gives R the biggest smiles out of the three of us. She's very paitent with R when R tries to hold her, or play peek a boo.

we interupt your regularly schedualed programing

because I don't feel good.

It's nothing too bad, just a headache, burning sinuses, sore throat, heavy chest feeling, and one ear itches whenever I swallow. I am thinking this is going to become a cold and get over quickly but one of my co-workers was just diagnosed with bronchitis and I REALLY don't want to get THAT.

Anyone know any good home remedies? I am nursing so I don't know what all I can take but I need something to at least feel functional. I am going to mark out some tea and hopefully get some honey, but what else?

Also, anyone have any good soup, stew, or crock pot ideas? nothing too gourmet, or expensive but satisfying! (even if I have to make bread or something to go with it. Fallinter is here. The leaves are changing and starting to fall, oh yeah and it snowed all morning! I need something other than tortilla soup to make!

really quick here, a give away:
http://fabricartist21.blogspot.com/

and don't forget to go check out the GumTree Designers blog...they have their first free pattern up! (I have the little linkey box that I finally figured out how to do on my right side!)

better blog posts to come!

ughhh

Today has not been the best day! The girls are all needy and whiny and ick! I blame the weather, it's cold, and dreary, and well, I don't want to go outside! I am wearing my "frumpy old lady sweater" and my fuzzy socks over normal socks. (someday I will show you my sweater, it's actually my favorite thing in my closet but I have no one to take a pic of me in it at the moment so live with my pink fuzzy socks but know I have one pair of green and three different blues.) If the girls were quiet this would be a great day to curl up under a quilt and read a book with a huge cup of tea.

Last night R had a hard time falling asleep. Now that we know she's scared of the dark and have a nightlight in her room, she plays and reads in her room until she's ready to crash and then she'll tuck herself back in. Around 11:30 when I was getting H down (she nurses from 8:30 when I put R down to about midnight! then sleeps until 8:30!!!) I caught her "reading" Green Eggs and Ham. So cute!

I think I am in need of an intervention when it comes to quilting! Seriously I can't get enough even though there are other things I need to do. The laundry is piled up like none other (thanks for throwing off my system A!) and the kitchen looks like the cabinets quit and walked out on me but fabric comes first!

Still to finish by Christmas (since these are gifts):

-Baby ABC's (ready to quilt once I find the tread I know I have to do it with!)

-Dora (finally got the backing fabric)

-Jackie's (need to layer and figure out how to quilt)

-Isn't Christmas Jolly/Charming? (need to finish by the 14th so I can enter it in a little contest here!)

-The four Christmas book quilts (one's blocks are almost done the others I need to get fabric to work on that coordinates better than what I have in my stash)

-And lastly the Block Lotto quilt from the blocks I won last month. I have the top done, not the original idea but one I still like and I need to get it quilted and finished by the end of the month so I can have extra chances this coming month because:

I LOVE THIS MONTHS BLOCK!!! It's called Milky Way and we are doing it in blue and yellow with black and white. OH I LOVE IT SO! So much even that I am making 15 blocks even though I can only enter 9 to win.

While I am thinking about it, does anyone know what this line is? I got a charm pack when I won a give away quite a while ago (the one that got me addicted to give aways and contests) and I want to get some more!