almost out of projects!

I am almost down with two quilt tops that I was working on together….One is a really simple one that I was practicing my leaders and enders with while waiting to be able to buy fabric for my real leaders and enders plan and the other is for my aunt J. I made a lot of mistakes with it, the last being making my last two blocks one night when I was exhausted but waiting for R to cry herself to sleep and needed something to focus on other than her crying. I also need to work on my half square triangles. Oh well, all is part of learning the process right? and my aunt wouldn’t care if I sent her something that looked like garbage, she knows I am still newish to this and that I made it with love and the best of intentions.

The upside is more projects crossed off my list before I can go buy more fabric…the down side, I am almost to a point where I need to go buy more fabric to use the fabric I have. This makes no sense to A and I am not very good at explaining it in guy terms, I tried to relate it to how you need more fishing thingies (but I used to word “thingies“) in order to go fishing. Then I tried to relate it to video games, but he only plays two. Then…I gave up. A just doesn’t understand the “stash”vs “planed project” Its something I keep telling my dad had to get over too with my mom and her quilting and whenever the two of them are together they tease us but it’s nice to have something in common with my mom, and for him to have something to joke about with my dad.

So my main dilemma here is that I don’t know what my next project will be! I have a huge list of things that I want to work on but I need to get more fabric for them, and I have a few that I don’t feel ready for but I have everything ready to go. I guess I dig in right? Learn as I go, that’s what this whole thing is about! I have the first five or six blocks of JoAnn’s Lavender Mist BOTM here, I don’t know how to do applique yet but it looks like they have good instructions. I have the whole Natures Bounty kit from JoAnns. I also have everything from when my mom, her friends A and E and I went on the Western Washington Shop Hop (oh how I wanted to do that this summer too but not 9 months pregnant I can’t!) back in 2006. The summer before I had R. I have the kit to a little boy blanket too but don’t know who I would make that for so I don’t want to start it yet.

I do have all the fabric for a quilt I wanted to make a while ago, but have lost the pattern and can’t find a copy of the magazine it came from it’s so old! Butterfly Beauty…I will have to get the tub out to see what magazine it was in but it was either Quilters World or American Patchwork Quilts. My guess is it was the first of the two!

something I was working on gathering fabric for before A lost his job was a Hungry Caterpillar collection to make two quilts and a nursery set to try to donate or give to a friend or something (I don’t want it here because it doesn’t go with the themes but I do want to make it because I love the story and the fabrics). I have a few things for it but not much and am now getting nervous about not being able to get what I want/need for it! I am going to stash some tip money for the next few weeks and hit up the local Ben Franklin which I know had the material a while ago to see what I can get, and if need be start searching online again. I see they now have a Brown Bear Brown Bear collection out and I want to do something similar with that too! oh caching caching right? (think the $$ sound) A gathering I will go (in secret…I will have to smuggle this all in hehehe!)

quilt tops

here I am again....I actually posted a better blog about these quilts at allpeoplequilt.com but I can't make pictures work over there like I can here so I am posting these here with shorter stories!

this is the quilt I made with christmas fabric charm packs. I don't love the black and yellow in it, and the red is just off what I love but it was a fun project!

This is R's big girl bed quilt top. it is 66X90 right now and I can't figure out how I want to finish it...if I want borders or not, if so what it/they will look like etc. Any advice would be taken with joy!

my mothers day! 2009!!

I can't belive how much I have been posting here since there was such a long absence of posts for a while there! I have missed blogging and recording my thoughts. Since A isn't working and couldn't do up a mothers day for me like we all wanted this year we have decided that once he has a job we will look on the calander, pick a day and call that my special mothers day! Then we can go out to eat and I can get flowers and presents and whatever else he wants to do for me. I know for Fathers day this year (assuming he's working in the next few weeks) I am going to save up my tip money and get him a grill! It is mostly a present for him but I love BBQ's and theres so much good summer food you can only make on a real grill!

so for today, while it's nothign too special A and R tried to do some sweet things for me. R picked flowers (mostly dandylions but she did manage to find two tulups)
A cleaned the kitchen and I was able to bleach part of the sink. If we keep the kitchen clean all week then we will set up the espresso machine I gave myself for Christmas (it was on sale, PLUS partner shopping days were 40% off so I spent less than $150 on a machine that originally was $400!! and I get beans for it each week for free as a perk!)

While we were outside I managed to give R a little hair cut. It was just a trim up and it's not perfect but for a first try it looks good! She has not been a good photo subject lately so these are the best shots of the cut that I could get out of her before her "rest" and yes she loves to run around nakie but we make her have a diaper on (or big girl undies if she sits on the potty but shes just too busy to sit down for a few minutes!)

I promise I am going to get pictures of the quilt tops I have done but theres too much clutter in the house right now to try and get a picutre taken! I don't know why its so hard for me to clean and keep the place clean but it is! The kitchen and bedroom are what I worked on a week ago and are still in decent but not pristine condition. 20 minutes each and they'd be back to perfect but really? do I want to do that? especially when the rest of the house is a DISASTER? but I need to do it all sometime I know I know. Plus I know it will only get worse if I don't take care of it soon! oh housework!

ABC of ME!

hehe, alright I got taged by this onFacebook and while I don't usually do any of the things I get taged in (I refuse to be the annoying person who tags everyone they know with these things!) I liked this one and decided to do it here!

A - Age: 25
B - Bed size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: folding laundry
D - Dog's name: dont have any!
E - Essential start your day item: "s'deams?" from R with a kiss (her asking if we had sweet dreams)
F - Favorite color: Pink with Green, Blue with Yellow
G - Gold or Silver: Silver
H - Height: 5' 7"
I - Instruments you play(ed): the recorder (who didn't?)
J - Job title: shift supervisor/basrista
K - Kid(s): R (6/7/06) and #2 due 8/1/09
L - Living arrangements: renting the basement of a house with the fam
M - Mom's name: B.
N - Nicknames: Lisapotpie
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: just the birth of R
P - Pet Peeve: um...well while I ampregnant what ISN"T a pet peeve, but usually peopel who dont say please or thank you or when you say "hi how are you?" "grande brew" (oir any other order without acknowledging my question or the fact that I care)
Q - Quote from a movie: "cinderella cinderella night and day it's cinderella, do the dishes, fold the laundry...." except I sing it "mommy lisa mommy lisa...."
R - Right or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: B 19
T - Time you wake up: um....whenever R does? or if I have to open at 5 I get up at 4:30
U- Underwear: love the lacey boy shorts but I also like soft cotton panties
V - Vegetable you dislike: I like them all!
W - Ways you run late: when R doenst want to let me go and when A is late home from work
X - X-rays you've had: wrist, ankle, and oodles of teeth =)
Y - Yummy food you make: anything when I actually make things
Z - Zoo favorite:just watching R get excited about the animals

one more week down, 12 left!

I wrote R’s birth story and was going to post it here for you all, but it needs some editing, it’s long (and while I don’t think any of you really need the details I thought I’d like them and maybe R would like it later in life) and since spell check is not working nor is gramar checker and I am not well versed in either of those I need someone to actually read and correct it before I post it. Things that are just off the top of my head I don’t mind less editing, and sometimes not even self editing, but things I want to keep and that have true meaning I do care about.

in other news, nothing going on. I am sore, irritable, you know all the normal pregnancy things. I can’t belive that it’s almost over! Three more months! I am going to go with some girlfriends to register for baby stuff sometime in the next week or two. I am going to do it at Target, I don’t know if anyone will get me anything, but somehow the list making, picking things out, what not will make me feel a little more control and prepared. I also want to get some maternity clothes, hence the wait this long.

I really want to get back to serwing but house work keeps calling my name, and while the housework is getting harder and harder to finish (after 8 hours on my feet serving people at work I don’t want to work too hard at home) I can’t justify sewing in a messy living roomwhen theres laundry to fold, or toys to pick up, or dishes to do….why is that? I really need a sewing room where I doin’t see the clutter. I also am to a point where I have to do a lot of ironing and don’t want to. I know I messed up a good chunk of my half square triangle squares (following me?) and they are now rectangles with four squares and will be a little catiewhompus but I don’t have enough material to start over nor do I have the skill to undo and redo everything so I am just going to have to call it “an imperfectly framed four patch” and move on.

I have a few quilt tops that I want to show you, one I am debating putting a border on or not. I am not allowed to buy any more fabric until (A gets a job and we get caught up on the bills) I use what I have, which means I have to make a bunch of tops without finishing them and I will have more that I will have to some how smuggle fabric in to finish! I will try to get some pics of the tops for you all tomorrow if it doesn’t rain or snow or in other ways get the ground wet outside. Tehre’s not enough room to take pics inside! (well, and my bedroom light is funky and ickie so it wouldn’t turn out well.)

I will ask my border question tomorrow!

not productive

today was one of those days where I really inteded to do a lot but got nothing done. Actually the last two days were that way. I don't often get two days off in a row and had grand plans for these two days. my list included: calling my dentist to reschedual an appointment, calling one of my good friends, cleaning my bedroom, cleaning R's room, organizing all our movies, fold laundry, organize hall closet, and take pictures of my quilt tops that are not finished. The only things I got done were organizing the hall closet and the movies. oh well, thats why I don't live my life by a list.

Since I can't actually go shopping right now, I made a list of things I want to get. Alright I have a list of household things I want but these are selfish things. I thought I would share my little list with you, maybe moreso for me to not lose because I tend to lose lists =) (see I like to write them, I love crossing things off them, but I am so bad about keeping track of them!)

Pleasure Books:
The Coffee House Mystery series by Cleo Coyle (I read the first one and am on number two but I borrowed the books from a friend and they don't have a cover! I like them a lot, easy light reads even though they are mysteries! There's 8 books so far!)
anything JA Jance! I have a few of hers but not enough!

Quilt Books:
Simply Strips and Squares - S McNeill
Jelly Roll Quilts - P & N Lintott
Quilting 101
Quilters Block A Day Calander
The Civil War Love Letter Quilt - R Youngs
The Civil War Diary Quilt - R Youngs
Quilter's Knot - A Sachitano
Quilt as Desired - A Sachitano

Quilt Block of the Month Programs:
Lavender Mist Collection (JoAnn's) I have 1-5 so far
Seams Like Murder (storyquilts.com) I started this with my LQS but then A lost his job and I couldn't justify that expense as much as I wanted somethign to get me out of the house for a few hours a week, but it is online so I can at least pick it up again
Seams Like Halloween (storyquilts.com)
Nothings What it Seams (storyquilts.com)
Words of Wisdom (storyquilts.com)

obviously I am not going out today and getting all these, so please let me know if there's somethign I should add to the lists!

another give away

I have my first follower on here!!! I am so glad that I am finally not just read by myself! Sometimes I wonder....

anyways, welcome to my follower! I hope that you enjoy your time over here! I hope I don't disapoint you.

Hey, does anyone know why I can't copy and paste from word over here like I used to? Is it just my computer? It wouldn't shock me, there seems to be something going on since A has started playing games online here that isn't working like it used to and I can't get the antivirus program to run...yeah lovely isn't it?

anyhoo, the real reason for the random post is that my new follower's blog led me to a give away and I can get more chances to win by sharing it with you...and right now I need all the chance and luck I can get. so head over to http://itching2bstitching.blogspot.com/2009/04/23-more-days-until-i-am-out-of-school.html

A should hear about a job on weds....please cross your fingers, pray for us, send us positive thoughts, whatever it is that you do...we need it! As much as I love my job, working 40 hours a week on my feet with unpredictable hours is wearing me down, especially 27 weeks pregnant!

quilt pictures!

This first quilt is the quilt I made for a coworker's baby. It was from a kit that I bought thanks to R. We were at JoAnn's one day and she grabbed it while I had my back turned and she put it in the cart. R loved quilting almost as much as I do, or at least she likes to sit on my lap while I am working on something.

This is the quilt I made for R's Big Girl Bed! when we converted her crib to a toddler bed. Not long after we realised we'd need the crib again and I started a twin size top, but this one is sweet and I did get it on her bed for a few months! She loves this quilt for playing "where's R?" and having picnics on! It's cool that she can use something with so much imagination!

This is the quilt I made for one of my girlfriend's daughters. I really like it and think it might even be quilt show worthy, but I don't know if I am THAT good yet. It's a fairly simple pattern but it is so fun! As I was making this one I noticed the colors in teh black that I like more than yellow and green. There's a lovely pink, a deep red, a thoughtful blue. Wait, can colors be thoughtful...well you know what I mean. There is another green. We could have found one of those for one of the two yellows, but M picked out the colors and I just went with it. Actually, if I remember correctly we found the yellows and green first and then the black that had them in it! The backign is from one of my regulars who used to make clothes for a private label, it's a soft yellow sweatshirt like material. I just love using something strange, but soft for the back. Not what one would expect.

This is the quilt I made for R's baby dolls. I made one with the fabric left over from the previous quilt for my friends daughter too (with some of the other colors I noticed too) This one is 28 inches by 20 inches. Not huge, but cute! For little girls I like to make something to go along with their quilt. Now I do know that this one does not match the quilt I made for R, but I didn't have any left over fabric, or rather not enough to make a doll quilt, but I did have this left over from when I made a quilt for another friend's daughter. It's sweet and R likes to use this as a "kite" or rather a cape but she doesn't quite get the difference.

And just for fun, here's my sweetie asleep on my bed!

my life in cake?

I have had an interesting day thus far, but a good one.

R woke up at 5:30. The little stink pot! I want to sleep in! I rested on the couch while she played and watched a few cartoons and what not. She got into chocolate. She was bouncing off the walls. We went out side with A while he was waiting for his friend to pick him up to go paintballing for the first time. She and I ended up staying out there for over two hours! She played by herself, with a stick, with a soccer ball. I read a magazine and just enjoyed being outside.

We came in and had lunch and I loaded the dishwasher. I need to move it and run it still but I am enjoying the stillness. After that R wanted to watch doggies and crashed on my bed. I started watching “Last Cake Standing” on Food Network. I love cake decorating but don’t know how to do it. I want to learn! First I have to work on my quilting then I can try and find a place to teach me how to decorate cakes.

The challenge was to tell a life story through a cake. Some very interesting interpretations of that and some interesting ways of telling a story. I think if I were to be in that competition I would make a cake closet. In it I would hang my elementary school uniform, a red graduation gown, my drill team uniform, a water polo suit, and a power suit maybe a letterman’s jacket with water polo, drill and debate on it, a blue graduation gown. I would then hang a dance team outfit, and a red Michaels apron, and my red sweater that I wore on my first date with A, then a black graduation gown with cords and honor medallions. I would then hang my work dress code outfit and a green Starbucks apron and two onesies. I wish I could hang a wedding dress in there but some day maybe. I think that’s the best way to tell who I am. Maybe with the height requirements I would use the closets one on top of the other elementary school on the bottom with a bunch of things in it that I used to play with, cards that hop-it, I’d have to think hard and come up with it all, in the HS closet I’d put a water polo ball, debate notes, chess board, mementoes from a trip to Europe, pom-poms, books, tickets to Tolo and Prom. College I’d have books (I was in the Honors Scholars program) something from Big Brothers/Big Sisters, letters and cards, a laptop (or three…) dance shoes, puzzles. Life after school on top….quilting things, baby toys, books. I’ d like just a plain single layer closet with only clothes, but I think the rules are 3 feet high, so I’d have to separate them.
It would be fun to do!

I entered a contest

I just entered my first online give away today. I just couldn’t pass it up! It can be found at http://www.pigtalesandquilts.com/2009/04/give-away-time.html 30 fat quarters!?! Wow! Itr would come just at a great time!

A has put me on a fabric buying hold for now so my rule of not moving onto the next quilt before finishing the first has gone out the window. I only have backing fabric for two of the quilts and they are low on my list. Lately I have been working on my Aunt J’s quilt. I have been making a ton of mistakes and will tell her that, but how else can one learn? I HAVE to practice half square triangles and getting them all consistent. I need to figure out where I am going wrong, is it in the cutting, the pairing up of the two halves or the stitching? I think I am going to look for a pattern that has a bunch of triangles when I am done with my current projects and take my time, maybe it will only be a wall hanging (to give away) or a lap quilt but something that I can really focus on that one skill.

Other quilts that are in various states: I made a Christmas throw quilt with Moda’s “Isn’t Christmas Jolly?” charm packs. That was fun! I need to figure out the backing and wait to buy that. I also finished the top for R’s big girl bed…Dora!! It turned out really well! I can’t wait to finish it and get it on her bed.

In pregnancy news…nothing really exciting to report. A knows the gender as do many of my co-workers, but if someone tells me they have to put in one week of night duty. Adam was only tempted to tell me once thus far (we’ve known for 3 or 4 weeks now…or he’s known rather) but I can’t get night duty out of him. I am having a lot of pelvic pain and am generally achy but I guess that’s to be expected. Thus far no new stretch marks, and I don’t think I’ve gained much though this past month may have been a lot since I’ve been out of town for work and not eating home food.

Nothing else really to report money is a huge problem right now, but that’s nothing to new, just overwhelming right now. I don’t even know where to begin or what to do or…oh it’s bad. I hate money and I hate money problems. Each cycle gets worse and worse for us and I am at the end of my rope.

renters?

As I am trying to get myself motivated to clean my apartment, which I do rent, and would never buy something like this I was looking around online. I stumbled upon this article: http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=18246184&GT1=35000 and was rather offended by it. There are many reasons why I rent and to own would be foolish at this moment in my life. I dream of someday soon being a home owner but I can’t right now.
While I hope you will read the article yourself and comment and reflect on it how you wish to, I will recap it briefly for you; the article discusses how many communities are banning renters or have a cap on the percentage of rentals they allow within the community. It discusses how many homeowners are pleased with this because they see renters as “termites” or a nuisance. The article also mentions how renters don’t tend to care for the home they live in and that is harmful to the communities. It does bring up the point that having unoccupied homes is more detrimental to a homes value than renters are at this moment, but doesn’t present that point with much effort.

My thoughts on this article ranged from annoyance to irritation and beyond. To start with, I didn’t buy a home because I can’t afford one now. Yes, I pay $X a month in rent and would much rather pay that towards my own home and be able to claim a little more of my home for myself but I have very solid reasons for not buying right now. First off, I don’t have the down payment necessary to buy the kind of house I want. I am in the process of saving up for it and in the mean time I am not going to borrow that too for many many reasons. Secondly I don’t have 6-12 months worth of mortgage payments, utilities, and basic needs (such as food and gas) saved up. In the event that I lose my job, or my husband dies what would I do with a house I couldn’t pay for and bills I couldn’t take care of?

Another thing that irritated me about this article is that no, I don’t take care of the property. I don’t own it, I don’t have any say in it. The owners do, and should. I am currently living in an apartment that needs some help. My landlord painted prior to the tenant before me moving in and did a poor job. I have asked if I could repaint to brighten the place up and was told no. The carpet was poorly laid and I asked what we should do with the parts that are pulling up from the floor and was told to be careful (with a toddler? You kidding me? But ok.) I spent over 6 months trying to get them to fix a garbage disposal that was smelling foul and not working. We even purchased our own to replace it with and tried to ourselves but needed some tools (and a plumber) finally last week they fixed it by taking it out and forbidding us from installing our own. The reason? “we might put an underground sprinkler system in.” um….why? The lawn is about two car lengths by four. They have their own reasons though. Why should I invest in something that I can’t take with me? That I can’t show off my work for? And when I am willing am told not to.

I actually have moved a lot more than I would have liked to lately. We moved out of our first place after a year living there because there were registered sex and violent offenders living in the same building. With a child we were uncomfortable staying from the moment we found out. We never got our deposit back because we never asked for it. Jerks. The second place we lived we were told 11 months into our lease that we would be asked to leave by the 5th of the following month. We had no place to go. We were homeless for over 2 weeks while trying to find a place, and waiting for a place to clear out. Why were we forced to move? Because my landlord lost his home. He bought more than he could afford. (he was a realtor too! Should have known better!) We didn’t get our deposit back from there either because the carpet was poor quality and they had to replace it. We were the second people to move out of that place, the others moved out but had oriental rugs over the whole place. We looked at the other two units and their carpets did the same but did the landlord care? Nope. We have been in the place we are in now since. While I am not thrilled with how dark it is, how poorly up kept is has been, or how energy inefficient it is, I am not moving again until we find an amazing place, we move out of town, or we buy our own place.

I just wish people understood some of the problems with renting, with not being able to do what you want in your own place.

long time since hearing from me....

I haven’t posted anything here in a while, please don’t feel ignored, nothing is going on. I am 14 weeks pregnant now (and 2 days?) I can’t believe how fast its going by! The first trimester, which I am finally out of wasn’t as bad as I know it can be for other people but I was exhausted! I am now just tired. I felt so bad for A’s friend L comes over and the house is a mess because it’s hard enough for me to keep my head up and watch R from the couch forget about cleaning! Well, past that but not back to myself yet.

Some of that might be because I am getting hit over and over with things. We got back from vacation visiting my parents (R and I) last Sunday, Monday -Wednesday I had a migraine (I think from the pressure change) then Weds night R got sick and was up all night with her, Thursday was fine and dandy just tired, Friday I had the day off and recovered. Sat I woke up puking my guts up and shaking with a bad bad pain in my tummy….caught what Regi had, fortunately it was a 6 hour vomit session followed by pain for another 12-18 hours and feeling like I would puke (then a migraine because I let myself get dehydrated) and yesterday I was just weak weak weak! I could barely walk, and spent most the day lying down because I got winded just trying to talk and sit upright. Thank goodness my co-workers were able to cover my shifts for me. This was the first time I have called in sick and am so glad it worked out alright! Today…a cold has shown up in my nose and throat (but I can live through it!). What’s next?

A’s friend came over to watch the Super Bowl last night (I watched it and tried to cheer but ended up dozing between shouts from the boys and piped in when I could) and L (the friend) was able to untangle the jam in my sewing machine’s bobbin so I can sew again! I started working on R’s Dora quilt this morning and it’s looking good! I just don’t have the oomph to stand up and iron! I still want to take my machine in to get it tuned up since it is about 14 years old, but in the meantime I can sew on it.

Something I am going to need to remember when R is ready to go into school that I have only learned about her this winter…she gets up in the morning, but is not really ready to face the day. She will sometimes cuddle with A or I, but she really isn’t herself until she’s had some time to start her day off with something to eat, drink, and some quiet alone time with cartoons. I hate putting her in front of the TV for half an hour or so in the morning but she really is a crab case if we try to interact with her first thing. We will have to plan our morning routine around this when the time comes to get out the door by a certain time. Especially for school!

Nothing else really happening around here, I will try to post more often, I am sure things will start to get more interesting in my house, but in the mean time I am going to go nap!

oh dear

I haven’t posted over here in a while but I thought it was time I did. A and I are going through a really rough patch and I was very very close to leaving him. I actually had told my parents I wanted out. Two days latter I got some news that changes everything…at least I hope it will. We are expecting. I am only about 6-7 weeks along right now but still, I got a yes on the little pee stick. I finally used the doc find for my insurance and will be calling someone tomorrow. I want to see my midwife again but she’s not covered and we are not in a financial position to pay extra to get who I want right now. I do almost feel like I am cheating on her by choosing another midwife though.

I am not excited to tell my parents, but I know I will have to sooner or latter, and the sooner the earlier they can get over it right? I know they are going to ask what was I thinking and what not. I can’t have an abortion, it’s just a personal choice I cannot make. I am not pro-life, well I am but not to the point that I am anti pro-choice, I just can’t do it myself but I understand why someone would and I respect and honor that choice.

A lot of our relationship problems have come from the loss of our son. I can’t believe the nurse let it slip that it was a boy but I am glad to have known for closure. Some of you may remember, we lost him at thirteen weeks gestation and had a D & C to remove his remains (it was a missed miscarriage, or an incomplete miscarriage…I forget what they called it but his body had started to calcify within me) anyways, that loss caused a rift between us that we couldn’t fix on our own. Not that a new child or a new pregnancy will solve it, but it did open his eyes that this is a relationship he does want to work on and save.

He is going to get some insurance help from his work and see someone, and we will see someone together.

I anticipate the question “how did you let this happen?” Well…R was conceived with a misused or old condom, our son was conceived while I was on a low dose hormone pill that I was taking because the high dose/normal stuff made me MOODY! I was most recently using the nuva ring and really liked it’s convince and the way it dispensed hormones, they didn’t affect my mood much, but we hadn’t had sex in over four months because we had both hurt each other so badly that I wasn’t keeping as close a track when to put it in and take it out like I normally had been. I don’t think it was more than four weeks in (which technically is one more than they say but my doc said it can work up to 5 weeks in one out and I was trying to save a little money) after this one, I am getting mirena or another IUD for 5 years!

Well, the dinner was amazing. It was a nice twist on the holiday standards, but very very good! A helped me with the gravy and poured too much red wine into it (I bought a $2.50 bottle of merlot that was very drinkable) the green beans were AMAZING! A little on the summery side with the lemon and I tripled the proscutto, oh so good. That’s a dish I will make year round. The potatoes and onion gratin was good but definitely more of a fall/winter dish, but again one I will make again. I recommend that menu to anyone who is having a small holiday gathering or who want something fairly easy. The normal flavors, but not the traditional dishes.

My sewing machine is broken. Actually its just a really bad thread jam in the bobbin/needle section…you know where it goes up and down? I can’t get it undone myself and I don’t know what caused it. I really want to sew!! I want to finish the Christmas quilt I was working on (one more border to put on and then maybe a final boarder all around and backing!! Wahoo!) and I want to get started on R’s Dora quilt. I am going to be making it twin size! She’s in her toddler bed for now but I think we will be getting her a twin size bed soon if not then by her third birthday! I might get started cutting the fabric tonight if I get the chores caught up enough. I let them go for four days and look what happens!!

THANKSGIVING 2008

With Thanksgiving about a week away I have been humming and hawing as to weather or not I would actually make dinner. It's just the three of us and it seems like a lot of work for just three people. This morning I was watching Rachael Ray waiting for R to get up for the morning and she had a Thanksgiving special on and I thought, it’s worth it! If nothing else then for the practice for the year I do host it for family or cook with my mom again. I thought I’d share what I am making and doing for you all so that if you needed a place to start you have it. I think this will be fairly easy and I will make the Onion Gratian a day early and cheat by buying the canned cranberry sauce(I actually like that stuff, especially on my sandwich the days following the feast) a bagged salad (A and I don’t like the same dressings so no point making a big fancy one) and buying a good looking pie (last year I made three pies with only me eating them. This year I will just buy one, or a cake) oh and A doesn’t like home made mashed potatoes so I’ll use the box this time. So here is what I am making. (I need to get my mom’s stuffing recipe, basically you leave bread out for two days to air out in pieces and then sauté up some finely chopped onion-I use a cheese grater to get it perfect- and then stir it all together and shove it on in the turkey!)

MENU:
Brined Turkey
Gravey
Onion Gratain
Green Beans
Cranberry Sauce
Mashed Potatoes
Salad
Stuffing
Pie (of some sort)

SHOPPING LIST:
10 cups salt
10 cups sugar
Turkey
8 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic
freshly ground black pepper
flour
red wine
2 packages Chicken broth
2 pound(s) green beans, trimmed
2 ounce(s) prosciutto, thinly sliced, cut into ribbons
2 teaspoon(s) minced fresh sage
1/4 cup(s) toasted pine nuts
1 lemon
3 pound(s) Yukon Gold potatoes
2 loaves white bread, left out to dry
1/2 cup(s) (loosely packed) fresh parsley leaves
2 cans cranberry sauce
1 good looking pie
Salad bag
Foil
Poultry thermometer

RECIPIES:
Turkey Brine
Ingredients
5 gallons water
10 cups salt
10 cups sugar
Directions
Fill a cooler with water, salt and sugar so it tastes like sweet seawater. Put turkey into cooler and leave in a cool location (garage for example) and let sit for 24 hours. Roast as usual, please note though it should take 15-20 minutes off the roast time. Let sit after roasting before carving.
To Roast
On Thanksgiving morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Drain the turkey, scraping off the spices, then transfer it to a large roasting pan and let it return to room temperature. Discard the brine. 4. Add the quartered onion, the garlic and 1 cup of the water to the pan and roast the turkey for 1 1/2 hours. Add the remaining 1 cup of water to the pan and roast for about 1 1/2 hours longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into an inner thigh registers 165 degrees F. Cover the breast loosely with foil during the last hour of roasting to prevent it from browning too quickly. 5. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board.
Red Wine Onion Gravy
Ingredients
Pan drippings, plus butter as needed to make 4 tablespoons fat
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons flour
1 cup red wine
3 cups broth (turkey, beef or chicken)
Directions
Take the roasting pan and add in medium onion chopped/diced and some chopped garlic to the pan. Stir around. Add a few tablespoons flour, stirring to mix it into the drippings season with salt and peper. Add the red wine to deglaze pan (scrape everything off the bottom). Lastly add broth and let sit until thickened up.
Sizzled Green Beans with Crispy Prosciutto and Pine Nuts
Ingredients
2 pound(s) green beans, trimmed
2 1/2 teaspoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 ounce(s) prosciutto, thinly sliced, cut into ribbons
4 clove(s) garlic, minced
2 teaspoon(s) minced fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt, divided
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup(s) toasted pine nuts
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon(s) lemon juice
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add beans, return to a boil, and simmer until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto; cook, stirring, until crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel. Wipe out the pan; heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat. Add the beans, garlic, sage, 1/8 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are browned in places, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in pine nuts, lemon zest and the prosciutto. Season with lemon juice, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper
Golden Potato and Onion Gratin
Ingredients
2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
1 teaspoon(s) olive oil
6 medium (2 pounds) onions, each cut in half and sliced
1 can(s) (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
3 pound(s) Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1/4 teaspoon(s) coarsely ground black pepper
3 slice(s) firm white bread, coarsely grated into crumbs
1/2 cup(s) (loosely packed) fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Directions
In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook 1 hour or until tender and deep golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth and cook 1 minute, stirring. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate onions until ready to use.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In large bowl, toss potato slices with salt, pepper, and onion mixture. Transfer potato mixture to shallow 3 1/2-quart casserole or 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish. Cover casserole and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender. Meanwhile, in same skillet, heat remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bread crumbs and cook 5 minutes or until toasted, stirring occasionally. Remove skillet from heat; stir in parsley. To serve, uncover gratin and sprinkle with bread-crumb mixture.

should have posted this on Friday

It’s been a while since I have posted here. I have had a few strange weeks at work. My hours have been cut but are now all over the board. It’s a little hard on the body but it’s not as stressful at work than it has been in the past. I open the next two days, but they are the weekend…it’ll be fun!

The most exciting thing that’s happened is I just bought a new pair of shoes. That’s usually an indulgence I don’t need. Especially if they are bought with no real need in mind. These are too frilly to wear to work but not too dressy. I am wearing them now with a pair of jeans and they work well but need a nicer top than what I am wearing.

I gave up on my Christmas craft project that I spent so much money on. It’s not really that I Am giving up on it as much as I can’t find all the things to go with it (lace, trim etc) here and I am losing my patience with it. I think the pressure of a deadline to get everything done in time is making me not want to even use the sewing machine. For now I have packed it all up, put it under my sewing desk and am letting it rest. I started a quick little quilt (a charm pack quilt) and will move onto my Aunt’s quilt since it’s been about two and a half years since we bought the fabric. I am willing to get back to work on the Christmas collection, but I am fine with it if I don’t finish it this year. I will have it PERFECT by next year. Who knows though. This means I will either wrap the bottom of the tree in fabric like I have in the past or I will buy a cheep tree skirt in the mean time.

I am looking for a preschool/day care for R. Just for a few hours a day four to five days a week. I think all she could handle at this point is four or five hours. Eventually we might think about all day daycare but right now we want just a few hours. She’s been pushing my buttons like there’s no tomorrow and I know it’s because I am not stimulating her enough but I just can’t. TO start with we don’t have other kids around, secondly we don’t have the money to buy all those toys and age appropriate tables, chairs, etc. and most importantly with working 35ish hours a week I don’t have the energy and patience to come up with all sorts of activities for her. I love reading books with her and playing (her favorite right now is either playing animals or her as mommy and A or I as the “baby”).

a little bit of everything

I posted a nice little post on my quilting blog, so for more detailed information you can check it out on allpeoplequilt.com and look for me (lisapotpie) but basically, I haven’t been sewing, I have been gathering fabrics sort of like bears and squirrels gather food for the winter. Today in fact I am going to go buy four more charm packs for Moda’s Isn’t Christmas Jolly? And some more Very Hungry Caterpillar, have I told you all about what I want to do with that one? I am making a few quilts (three?) and hopefully a nursery set with that collection, so I have to pace myself buying the fabric so it’s not like $300 at once! So far I have three panels and two fat quarters of the number pattern. I also am working on a block of the month quilt through a local quilt shop and will be trying appliqué for the first time on Sat!

Work is going alright. I didn’t get the ASM position, but I am not surprised, I think I am the only one who has shown interest in Butte for that position so I think they are keeping me at bay for other stores so I am available to go but I wish they would have considered me to train and then move me with some time under my belt before moving into a brand new store, but I am staying positive.

Last night A got off work at 10 and took the babysitter home then came into the store to see me. R was a ball of energy, they went home at about 11 and when I got home at 12 (midnight) he said she was just watching a movie in our room…wrong, she was out cold on the bed. I even made the bed over her without her noticing (my light sleeper too!) and I ended up sleeping in bed with her on A’s side and throughout the night she kept scooting closer to me. In the morning when the alarm was going off (she slept through that too!) she was right next to me. Each time the alarm buzzed she moved a little bit and ended up with her feet against my back and her head at the other side of the bed. Silly girl!

Not much else has been happening around here. We had a good Halloween, R didn’t want to wear her costume until we were back inside. Two year old logic I tell you! It was still fun though. We made it to three houses before deciding it was enough. She probably would have been able to handle about three more but we wanted to stop while we were ahead! She thought it was cool though and sorted and lined up all her loot. I remember doing that with my brother and trading candy…he got anything with peanut butter or sour and I got anything fruity! We need another kid sometime so she can have those experienced, but not until we buy a house!

10/22
I have had the urges to sew, but I can’t set myself down. Not with such a messy house. I went out today and bought some storage tubs for the fabric. I know you are supposed to let the fabric breath, and I do with fabric that has no immediate plan on a shelf sorted by color but for projects that I am collecting for I have been using shoe boxes and it just felt so chaotic with different shapes and colors. More importantly I wasn’t able to see the beautiful fabrics and remember the projects I wanted to work on. I bough five….I need several more =) I love organizing and reorganizing my fabric. The fabric/laundry room is MINE, no one else goes in there, everything has it’s own place. Ahh the one place in the house that always has order to it.

I bought a little bit of fabric today. Nothing much, but I bought two panels of the Hungry Caterpillar collection from Ben Franklin (I should go back tomorrow for one more) and a few charm packs (Moda’s Isn’t Christmas Jolly) and some jungle animal flannel for either a baby quilt for my co-worker or maybe for the front. I don’t know yet but I saw it and had to pick it up. She told me today the baby’s theme will be jungle! I don’t know what I will make for the quilt but I saw the fabric, and you know how it goes. I just couldn’t walk away from it.

Right now I want to fold laundry…I NEED to fold laundry. I need to put some sense of order in the living room and the kitchen…probably my bed room too before I pull the sewing machine out again. I can’t though. I can never do anything when R is crying and fighting night nigh time. I want to scream too but it won’t do any good. I thought by two and a half (almost) we’d be past this night nigh trouble but no. It’s still going strong. Actually, what’s interesting is it’s only bad on the nights that A isn’t home. He has been home the last week and a half (using up vacation time before he lost it) which has been nice and bad at the same time. He didn’t do any house work and for some reason I can’t do any when he’s home but I want him to help me. Odd isn’t it?
10/24
I had to date this entry because I never finished it! I could have posted that one and then written another entry but I would have published them both today and you all would have been confused. A went back to work today and worked an 8-5 shift. I did two more loads of laundry. Folded everything except those last two loads…which one is in the dryer and one is in the washer so I am not behind yet…my goal is to fold them tonight, maybe tomorrow depending on how late it is when they are done. I did one load of dishes and just put the second in and going. (I am waiting on the dryer so the washer is done using hot water.) I (GASP!) cooked dinner! I also wrapped several Christmas presents that I had bought in the past few weeks for Santa but didn’t have any Santa paper.

I have started another blog (I know I am up to three!!) on allpeoplequilt.com You can find it on the homepage when I write something new and exciting about my quilting. I am hoping by having one over there too, mostly just for quilting, I will stop boring all of you with it and get some ideas and feedback. Those ladies have so much knowledge, practice, skill…oh I can’t wait to pick their brains and share with them. I am not abandoning you all here, but just expanding my horizons.

Speaking of quilting, I haven’t’ started anything new yet. I haven’t even moved my machine in the past two or three weeks. I just haven’t been able to with time, energy, or guilt.
Maybe on my next day off!

thoughts

We got our dishwasher a few days ago…I love it! But the real reason for sharing this information is that R has found a new toy. I cut a little “door” on the box and put it in her room to play with and for the past few days it has sat there, ignored. Today with her watching I put a few of her favorite things in there and called it a house and instantly she is inside it playing, sorting and storing all her special treasures. She is quiet and happy in there. Finally I have a moments peace (she’s been in my business all day!)

During this pause of attention seeking I am pinning J’s quilt. Yes pinning…not sewing because I still have not finished the last project (I need to go buy two more colors for the quilt that will go with the tree skirt/aprons/pillows) I also need to get some purple thread for aunt J’s quilt before I can sew any of it no matter how many pieces I pin together right now.

It’s trying to snow outside. Thus far it hasn’t been successful but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t tried. I would love to try and get this apartment winterized before it really hits with the extreme negative temps but since we are renting it’s kind of hard. I also need to try and figure out some other ways to try to insulate and protect the home. Have I mentioned I hate snow? Ok I don’t hate it, I just don’t like seeing it for seven months. I also HATE the cold. I am one of those people who are still wearing a sweater in the 70’s! I hate having the chills and I love warmth, but I don’t mind bundling up (to a point) to stay warm. My limit is if I am wearing a cardigan and a sweater or a sweatshirt, two pairs of sock s(maybe tights too) and a blanket and am still cold. I don’t do much housework when I am cold because all I want to do is cuddle.

R has been getting out of her crib in the mornings and after nap time if I am not quick enough but last night she got out of it on her own and wouldn’t go to sleep. After two hours of Cailou and then an hour of (not age appropriate but at 3 am you don’t care) Family Guy A tried to put her down (I was half asleep and he had just come home from work) and we herd her crying in her room and it got closer and closer. We decided not to get her and put her back because it would have dragged out the process so she slept on the floor of her room by the door last night. A has this week off so he will be converting her crib to a toddler bed and then I guess we need to start to think about a twin bed for her. Her crib will convert to a full size bed but if we are thinking of more kids I’d rather have her in a toddler then a twin and save the crib for the next one. If we don’t have any more, or if she needs a bigger bed then we can change plans later.

I have been trying to think of what I want for Christmas. I know it’s a few months away but I don’t NEED anything. I’d like some fabric, or gift cards to get fabric, I could use some new towels and a tune up on my sewing machine. I don’t know though. I’d like so much but need so little.

learning new tricks

I haven’t posted in a while. I actually wrote one post and deleted it because it didn’t make sense, not even to me but I wanted to put my thoughts and feelings down on paper…or computer and try to sort them out. I focused too much on the explanations instead of the feelings and just scrapped the whole idea.

I found a really cute quilt shop in town. I knew and had visited one already and while it had lots of fabric and nick knacks it never felt like a place I could take a class from. It just seemed too business oriented not necessarily the love of fabric and the love of quilting. I am sure that passion and love is there but I don’t feel it the instant I walk in the doors. I found a new place that has that love, warmth and passion. I visited there two weeks ago and had such a wonderful time I sent a thank you card, signed up for the mailer, and a block of the month class. They also have a sit-n-sew on Wednesdays that if I don’t have to watch R, I will go to! I bought a bag to haul things to and from with…a little feminine briefcase/purse. I am missing the first class, but told the gal I would be back. She is going to cute me a kit and when I have a sitter, call her and she will go over it with me! Here’s the info on the class:

Block of the Month Seams Like Murder
Created to accompany the book written by Arlene Sanchez, this quilt has a scene of Flathead Lake in the middle and pieced blocks as the outer border. The (fiction) story is about a murder at a lodge on Flathead Lake in Montana and each month includes the quilt block kit and a chapter from Arlene's book. Monthly as an evening class or a Saturday class in the store or you can participate with the mail order program if you live out of town. $35 includes kit.
Such a nifty idea.

I am currently working on that Christmas project, but I had to set it aside because I don’t know how to follow patterns and reached a frustrated point! I set it aside and started cutting the fabric for Aunt J’s quilt that she bought the fabric for. I am really excited to get started on that. I am also working on a block of the month thing through JoAnn’s (its all available I just need to buy blocks 5-12 and the setting kit…and maybe the backing kit if I don’t find my own backing) that I am trying to hand sew. Add that to this new block of the month kit and I have four project in the works. I don’t think that it what I meant when I said I wasn’t going to stick to my resolution of finishing a project before moving onto the next. I am JUST CUTTING J’s quilt since I started but I can’t sew until the project on the machine is cleared off. I am not changing the tread on the machine =) I also am hand sewing that block of the month and so I can do it when we need to be quiet or I can take it with me…so that doesn’t count really but I do need to make sure I don’t open the next block before I finish the one I am on.

Speaking of that, I realized while working on this first block…I don’t know how to hand sew. I don’t know how to make the stitches even, what the stitch should look like or the basics like how long the stitches should be…I need practice and I wish I could see how someone does it! I am half tempted to just throw it on the machine because I KNOW how to do that but then where would the learning curve be?

I need to clean before sewing today, hopefully I can make some progress on both during naptime! The kichen is getting clean slowly but steadily, R’s room is going to take a little bit but not as bad as it was a week ago, and the living room is good until it comes to my desk and quilting area! Ahh, progress

dishwasher!!

My new dishwasher should be here any day now. It can’t get here soon enough. When we ordered it from Home Depot last Wednesday the kind gentleman said it would be in the store ready for pick up in seven to ten days. Yesterday was day seven. Not that I am counting! I think if I get the call today we might be able to go there tomorrow but most likely it will be Sat or Sunday! I am thrilled.

I know a simple machine like a dishwasher won’t solve all my housecleaning problems (and boy am I frustrated and overwhelmed by the housework that needs to be done and how I can never get ahead) but it definitely is going to take some of the weight off my shoulders and let me focus my energies in other areas. Dishes have been a battle for A and I since we moved in here. The first few months were alright, I was able to stay on top of them and if I wasn’t it only took one day off of work to catch up. Since then I have given up in the kitchen.

I have been trying to hard to keep on top of the messes that “Hurricane R” leaves behind her that I gave up several battles in the house cleaning world. I let the laundry pile up until I have two days off in a row (and by pile up, I mean I wash but don’t fold or put away) I don’t deep clean anything anymore but want to and have the urge to until I see what mess is left in the last room and have to go take care of that before it spreads. I have given up on the kitchen as much as I hate to admit it and I let A and my bedroom get out of hand…just junk that about two hours of hard work it would be SPARKLING with windows washed, curtains cleaned and walls scrubbed but I just don’t put forth the effort anymore. I hate that I let it all go but am overwhelmed by it all!

Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on how to re-inspire me, get me back on track and give me my clean house that I was once so proud of!?
The dishwashers a start!

vacation...in the works

Ahh Fall. Actually this time this year it’s not fall-like yet. I am actually enjoying these last lingering warm days of summer, especially since this summer was not that intense and even was chilly some days. I love the lightweight sweater days. I am a sweater kind of gal. I love to wear them with jeans, slacks, skirts and dresses. I like them because I always feel safer and more comfortable in them. I haul a cardigan around with me wherever I go during the warmer months and wear one under my jacket in the cooler months. I love sweaters. I only own about four, so they are well worn, Maybe I need to ask for some for Christmas.

The great part about these warm days is I don’t have cabin fever. I am actually looking forward to those cold days where I don’t want to go outside and run errands, but at the same time I am enjoying running all the errands I can now without worrying about snow, or bundling myself and R up. I have been stocking up on things to do, and as I have mentioned I have lots of quilt projects in mind. Lots to keep me busy and entertained. I am going to take my tip money this week and get some books by my favorite author and put them in my bedroom for those cold days when all I want to do is curl up with a good book under a warm blanket.

I have talked to A and made an update on my resolution to never start a project without finishing what I am working on. I know this is my least favorite part (the sandwich) and I like the quilting part but I get bored with it especially on my small machine with limited space, but we have agreed I could make lots of tops this winter. There is a reason behind that. Let me back up and tell you more to the story.

A few years ago my mom and I went with two of her friends on a Shop-Hop, the 2005 Western Washington Shop Hop to be exact you can get information about it at http://www.westernwashingtonquiltshophop.com/ ). We found a few shops we would visit again and a few that were great for the shop hop but not something we’d drive all that way to gather material from. We had lots of fun memories and lots of time spent telling stories. I was young (this was the summer before I became pregnant with R) and really let my mind wander and enjoy the time away from school, work, and responsibilities. It’s wonderful to get lots in a world of fabric. I still have not finished, nor even started, the blocks from the shop hop…I have been very intimidated by them so far (I have my moms and mine in a box in the laundry room) I plan to start and work on them slowly (this is one of the exceptions to the rule, I will work on blocks individually when I have time and need something to keep my hands busy between projects) and finish them before the next one I move onto.

I was looking online at In The Beginnings Fabrics and did an MSN search for the Shop Hop. This year it’s in late June, the 24th-28th. I wanted to go back and do the hop again with my mom but having R I didn’t think I could for a while. Then I thought about it, the Pacific Northwest Historics is always the 4th of July weekend at Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA (information about this event can be found at http://www.northwesthistorics.com/ ) My family has been involved in these races since the fifth year or so…so a long time. I have missed the past two or three races because I took my vacation in early June to be with my family instead of trying to make it to the races with a baby. I miss them. This year I will go to the shop hop, then rest a few days and go to the races and rest a day or two and come home. A two and a half to three week vacation. I am saving up all my tip money and anything else A may give me after gas and groceries for these events.

That is part of why I am only going to work on the tops of quilts, because I want to save my money for more! Also there is a fabric outlet near Boeing Field/the Museum of Flight in Seattle that has wholesale discontinued fabrics. A whole warehouse of them! I forget what it is called, I want to say Pacific Fabrics but that might be another store I go to often. I was thinking of saving money and buying all my backing fabric for tops that I finish this year that are not recipient specific gifts and finish them next fall and winter, using this fall and winter to explore new patterns and next year to explore new quilting techniques. This plan may fall to pieces when I miss making tops or when I start to build up too many but it’s an idea for now. The backing fabric doesn’t have to match the top…in fact it could match, it could be similar, it could be complementary or it could have nothing to do with the top at all, that’s why it’s on the backside! I think if this pan does work though I might ask A or my parents for a quilting loop to try my hand at hand quilting. I love my machine but it I am working on new techniques next year might as well try something totally new! We will see though!

I can’t wait for my vacation in June, but I need to get to work on some of these projects before I go and get new ideas and new inspiration. I also really need to work on setting aside my cash for this! If nothing else, I deposit a small portion of my paychecks into an account A doesn’t have access to to build up some emergency money…I could use some of that and then rebuilt it up. That’s my money (ok I don’t play that game with him mine vs. yours it’s all ours) and needing fabric, I think that’s an emergency! =)

whine fest

I had a meeting with my manger today and it didn’t go as well as I had hoped. They have seen me struggling lately, which is unfortunate. I thought I hid my troubles better than I do and am saddened by the fact that I am letting things show. Work has been feeling like a burden, but I don’t want to go home either. When I have been home I have just felt drained and don’t get anything on my list accomplished. A and I are not communicating well and it feels to me we aren’t even together just cohabitating. I haven’t wanted to write about the problems because it seems like that’s all I do is dwell on what’s going wrong, what I am unhappy about. There’s no resolution and when I came home today I asked A to find a sitter for later on today so we could go out to lunch and talk or something because I can’t keep quiet anymore. He’s still sleeping. It’s quarter to 1. I asked him this over two hours ago. I want things to work with him and I am trying my hardest to work things out together but it has been feeling one sided and I am tired of putting forth the efforts if I am the only one. I might write about the specific issues later (nothing huge, honestly. I’ve just let it build up and up and up and am at a breaking point) but I need to have that conversation with him first.

I have been spending a lot of time thinking about quilting, but not doing it. I am working on these aprons for Christmas presents and tree skirts too, but I can’t find all the supplies I need for them in this town. I wish I knew someone who was a real sewer who could help me with these but I don’t and my mom’s a quilter like I am (better than I am at this point) I don’t get how to follow patterns, how silly is that? You’d think if you have some sewing know how you could cross apply anything but I can’t!! I am stuck with quilting for the moment though because I won’t let myself move on until I finish this. It’s all too expensive to buy fabric and not finish a project before moving onto something else.

I wish that I had more money than we do so that I could be at home more often and maybe that would help us have a happier home. I would work harder at cleaning the house if I didn’t have to clean work so much and work so many hours outside of the home. I always thought I’d be with someone who could provide for me and that I would work because I wanted to. I never thought I’d be supporting the family with his income supplementing mine. I will admit our pay checks are about the same but I also have all of us on my insurance (therefore out of my check) life insurance, a 401K and stock investment coming out of my check. I know A won’t be able to provide for me in retirement the way we are going now so I am trying to provide for both of us and save up for things…he’s such a spender.

I also wish I could afford nicer quilt fabric and to do and spend more on quilting itself. I have so many ideas and plans and hopes for quilting that I just can’t keep up with it. I know I have been writing about quilts a lot lately. It’s easier to think about that and work on those than it is to work on relationships and so much more fun than cleaning house. I have designed three quilts loosely based on pictures I have seen, or rather inspired by with indeed stealing some details (so I don’t think I can sell or take credit for them since I did use ideas already in print) I wish I was more like my mom where her husband (my dad) provided and what she earned was for herself and for fun stuff for all of us. She has no problem going to a quilt shop and buying kits and any fabric she likes. I have to think long and hard about it.

For example I just bought a kit online at Joann’s (where I get all my fabric, I can’t go to the nice shops even thought they have higher quality fabric, more selection, and more help from the staff) and I spent about a month looking at it wanting to get it but waiting for some extra money and even when we had that money, I asked A first. He doesn’t ask me first but that’s a whole different issue. There are three books I want on quilting, but am too embarrassed to ask A for them. I want Quilt Pink, Quilting 101, and Simply Strips and Squares. I’d like some Jelly rolls and/or Charm Packs to go along with that last one, but I don’ think I can get that all for myself. Maybe my gift exchange person this year, or mom, or AJ or A. or maybe I will buy it for myself and wrap it up so I have SOMETHING under the tree this year. The kit I got from Joann’s is going under the tree. I am worried that if I don’t get myself some things it will be disappointing this year again! I want to give R and then A great Christmases but I need to take care of myself too. I know my mom always got herself things and I never knew how she could stand to know what was wrapped up for her (by her) under the tree but now I know. If she didn’t there might not be much for her! Plus this is how I have been justifying paying so much for things I don’t NEED!

I should go now and try to cheer myself up. Any ideas?

IDEA!

Here’s an idea for someone who is more technologically savy and more creative than I…maybe I should keep this idea for myself but I want to share and see if someone can come up with something:
A computer program or website where one could enter how much fabric of a certain color or pattern they have in their stash and the level of skill/difficulty they are interested in working within and could have a few options for quilt patterns. I have a young but still lovely stash that I am excited to see how I work through at some point. I have a few people who have given up sewing for whatever reason and have passed down their stashes (mom….please? Someday? No, she’s too much of a quilters still, but I love to raid her stash anyways) and I don’t know what to do with some of the things. I am still at the collecting point but still, I’d love to see something like this available. I guess it would work best if you could scan in a swatch or something of your fabric with detailed description being a second choice but then it could arrange the colors for you so you could imagine what it would look like. I know there’s a lot of software for how to design your own quilts, but I don’t think any of them work backwards where you say what you have, what can I make…most are you can make this if you have/get these.
Just a little idea

fabric inspirations

I was at Ben Franklin yesterday picking up some paper for our “green apron” at work and strolled through the fabric section quickly (they were about to close at 6, and it was about quarter to) and saw some fabric from Eric Carle’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar and they had two patterns for free to take. I grabbed both because I didn’t have a chance to look closely at them to see if I liked them or not, but I have always loved that book, especially now with R. When I got home I looked them over and like one pattern (from Fons and Potter I think) and am not in love with the other from www.andoverfabrics.com I like the basic idea of it, but not in practice. I am thinking about grabbing my notebook and trying to come up with something I like better. I have now graphed out four quilts in my notebook but this is one that would actually take more brainwork and trouble shooting since I don’t have an image to work off of. I guess this is what real designers do, they look at the fabric and see it, maybe play around on a design wall (which I would love to have) and what pencils with erasers are for.

So many people I know are having children right now, it’s the age I am at, it’s the phase of life I am in. The 20 something’s are the time to get married have kids, start first families (alright I am being cynical with that one). I am going to make a nursery set with the caterpillar collection and maybe someone will mention how they like that book or something and I can give it to someone. I am going top save up my tip money and go buy oodles of the fabric so I can make everything…a few crib sheets, a bumper, a crib skirt, a coverlet, maybe a pillow or something for decoration, some window valances, I have the instructions for a message board but I never used for R’s room (though I never finished her room, after the bumper I realized I wasn’t in love with the fabric I got for it all and stopped there!) a toddler quilt and then a twin size….you didn’t need to know all that, but there it is for you. I will go buy a storage tub for it all to go into and when someone wants it, I will give it to them. I love it all, but I have ideas for my other children so far. I know A will roll his eyes at this, but who knows, maybe it will be a gift for one of his friends.

In unrelated news…I know you were all looking forward to some non-quilting stuff, I asked a girl to lunch. She went to school with me, but we never were in the same circle. She lives in town and is a regular at my store so one day I finally had the guts to say “hey, would you like to go to lunch or something?” and she said yes. I figured the worst she could say is no, I am too busy or have enough friends. It turns out she is like me and doesn’t have enough friends who still live in town and are settled. She just got married and isn’t doing the whole single thing which many people I know in town are doing. She is even interested in bringing R along to lunch. I am glad I asked even though it’s awkward. At least she was on my turf when I asked. I think that’s what gave me the confidence to ask.

I am getting really tired of this apartment, even though it’s not the apartment itself that is the problem. I am really frustrated with R and A, but it’s easier to blame the building than the people. I just can’t get this place clean for the life of me. I realize a new place wouldn’t be a solution, but I am almost out of ideas on how to organize things here. I had the last two days off and was planning on cleaning and sorting through things like I mentioned in one of my past posts but R has been sick and clingy and whiney so all I did was sit on the couch and cuddle with her and watch cartoons (thank you Sprout!) I got a few odds and ends sorted, mostly laundry since I could sit on the couch with her while folding it. I wish I had more done. I have today and tomorrow where I work and then the next two days off again. (nice but then I have a long haul in the following week with only one day off, and even then I have to go into the store for a meeting) I could have made so much progress but instead I cuddled. I guess that’s important too but not as productive. Hopefully this week she feels better, or at least sleeps better during nap time so I can get some chores taken care of.

I swear I do more than play wiht fabric but...

Today I stayed at work for about 45 minutes to have some alone time. It was nice. I was going to read a book that I bought from work, The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper (not a light read but she is such a good storyteller it pulls you in). Instead I sat down to try and design and figure out a quilt that I sound a picture of at http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/projects-ideas/decorating/decorating-quilts_ss11.html (the middle one) I wanted to find something or come up with something that would allow me to use those 2 ½” squares I have been cutting from my left over fabric. I figured out how to make two that will look similar but not matchy-matchy. I wish I had a scanner so I could show you what I mean by that, but I guess I will try to describe them.

So when you look at that image you see a quilt with lots of mismatched color squares arranged checkerboard style with a plain color. There are three borders (in this instance the first one is pink, then the plain color and then green). There are also these strange boxes in the quilt which I debated if I wanted or not, but I think I do. In this one they are outlined by the outer order fabric. In my first design I followed this pattern to almost a T. I have the boxes outlining the quilt only one square in. They are five by five and seven blocks between them all. There are 10 squares total. The second is designed with the same borders and squares and spacing but instead of being checkerboard style the colored squares are more like blocks with the white/plain base being like streets that run parallel/perpendicular to each other. My plans for these quilts (when I have enough squares…I need something like over 800 for these two to be twin size) are for a guest room which I am only assuming will also be my sewing room. My plan is to have a day bed with a trundle in there so that we can have two guests without taking up too much space when no one is visiting. I figured out the pattern, the cutting needs, the fabric needs. I am proud of myself, but it wasn’t a complicated concept. It just took me some time to draw it out and do some calculations. It was actually really fun!

I just bought a quilt kit online. It is my first one that I have bought but I don’t anticipate it being my last. I do love taking a pattern and going to find my own fabric to personalize it, but this was on clearance ($27!) and has cute fabric. I think that it will be a nice gift for someone, I don’t need it for myself but I couldn’t pass it up. The kit will actually be a Christmas gift from A to me. I also bought my first quilt block of the month…I bought the first two blocks and am eager to see hoe that turns out. I am really excited about all this quilting. I just need to get some more free time! My friend will start taking R more regularly, so I might just get the chance to do so!
Now that R is down for the night I am going to get stitching!

stashes of sorts

I am working on sewing up some Christmas crafts…the ones I spent so much money on the fabric for (and have very little left over, just enough to make a quilt with, a little throw quilt at least. I have a little scrapbook for my quilts and what not and even though these gifts are not quilts, I think I will include them as well. They are still a part of my learning experiences. My scrapbook is actually really cool, it’s not to scrappy, not too bookie. I have pictures of each finished quilt, little scraps of fabric from them (sometimes just glued down other times used to boarder the pictures) and little stories about the quilt. It’s a great way to see how my quilting has changed as well as remember who the quilt was for, why I made it, and I don’t have to keep all my quilts to show off my art!

I have also been working on trying to better organize my stash. I have a lot of things in various shoe boxes, which works since I can label them but I would love to get several plastic-see through boxes so I can see what fabrics I have, so I can re-use the storage containers, and to have consistent sized/shaped containers. I am going to ask for those for Christmas from A I think, but maybe I will get them for myself and say they are from Santa. I have also been trying to figure out what to do with the random sized pieces left over from projects. For a while I was keeping them regardless of the dimensions in a Ziploc bag. The last quilt I finished I cut a bunch of 2 ½X 2 ½ squares for it and had a bunch left over. I saved all those and thought, what a neat, consistent way to save pieces. I have always wanted to do one of those mosaic like quilts (water color?) and what better way to start a stash for that than from a stash too small to really save. I went back through that Ziploc bag of things tonight and cut them all down. It is still relatively small and not enough variation to show an image yet, but it’s a good solid start. Plus I will remember my other projects at the same time when I see those scraps and bits.

I had the chance to go up to my co-workers house this past week. It was a wonderful time, she has such a warm inviting house in the mountains. Something I dream of but I don’t think I will have, especially since the city-girl in me comes out every once in a while. I’d love to live somewhere that we couldn’t get TV reception and would have to read, and talk, do puzzles and keep each other company more. I think it would be good for A and my relationship. I also got to meet my co-workers neighbor who is a quilt designer. I thought that sounded glamorous, challenging, exciting, and fulfilling. After meeting her on a busy day I realized it’s a lot of work and a lot of pressure too. I don’t think it’s something I would enjoy, but give me a pattern to quilt without a deadline and let me enjoy it!

I was inspired to try and create that cozy home feeling though. I know I could do it if I took the time to 1) clean 2) sort through the things we don’t use and don’t need 3) added some stuff to the walls and at the same time de-cluttered our rooms. I have tackled the kitchen. I re-organized everything except the cupboard above the sink which needs it the most (all of R’s sippy cups, plastic bowls and what not’s) I have caught up on the dishes, I have scrubbed some of the cupboards and walls (one half the kitchen so far, tomorrow maybe the other side and the fridge!) next is the laundry room which will also be the easiest, then the closets, the bathroom, R’s room, our room, then lastly the living room….so counter-clockwise throughout the house. I am especially motivated to do this in case we have to move soon (fingers crossed out of this town!)

plans

After so much time thinking babies, I am moving onto my other passion again, those lovely quilts. I have figured out how I want to quilt that bright green and yellow quilt. Thus far I have only done “stitch in the ditch”, which has worked well for all the quilts I have done. I have one tie-quilting, and one with sewn on buttons. But for that quilt I am going to outline quilt the pattern. That way it will be a simple basic quilting skill, but something new and with a quilt that doesn’t have strait seams the whole way along it will be nice. I will probably do it in yellow thread but I keep thinking black would look cool too. The backing is going to be this nice yellow sweatshirt material. Who would have thought? It was given to me by one of my regulars at work. She actually gave me a whole bunch of fabric, most of which I will never use, but some will be used in ways that were never expected.

Several of the co-workers I got close to this summer are returning to collages. I am sad to see them go, but I know how much fun I had in school and how much I want to go back myself. I made an offer to each of them that when they come home for a break, to have dinner with me. I also offered to send them cookies and care packages, or even just cards when they need something to cheer them up, or just because. I asked them to tell me when they are having big tests, and give me their addresses. I can’t wait to send off the first package, with cookies and a card, and maybe something else. I don’t know but I can’t wait. These two young ladies really touched me and I am excited to see where they go!

blab

I asked a friend to take R for a few hours a week so I could reconnect and rediscover who I am as a person. I offered to pay, because that was only fair. I even said if she wasn’t up to it with a busy school year if she knew someone who might like the job that would be fine but she took it. And she turned down the pay. She has given me the greatest gift! I don’t know how to show my gratitude or how to thank her but I will figure something out. I really need to find happiness within myself. I need to find the things that I enjoy doing on my own. The first few weeks I will probably nap, clean, hopefully quilt and read. After that, we will see what calls out to me. I can do all those things with R around, but it’s going to be nice to have the place to myself and be by myself even if I do nothing. I love R to death and am a wonderful mother, but with working so hard and so many strange hours and then being around R the rest of the time I need to have some peace! Is this selfish? Probably, but I think I will be a kinder, more patient more attentive mommy if I take care of myself first!

An update on that baby fever junk. I went to the store that had the cute girl set that I wanted and their last one was sold. Bummer!! I guess I will have to keep my eyes peeled and look for either cute soft fabrics or another bed set…again why am I so fixated on this? I know our next baby will be tried for which will be nice. R was such a pleasant surprise, but none the less she caught us off guard! A and I have talked about it and he’s almost ready to start trying but agrees buying a house first would be nice so we can move in before getting pregnant and me loosing all energy. That is a few months away, but less than a year!! Maybe because we never got to really give her what we wanted to I am giving that some attention.

I found another set of boy things I like if we have a boy, it’s at Target again, and I think A will like it a lot, but it’s expensive. Why am I wasting my time though? I will let myself drool for a few more days and then be over it. http://www.target.com/Trend-Lab-Football-Bedding-Collection/dp/B001BO0G6C/601-9807564-6986545?ie=UTF8&node=15761981&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1 I think he’d choose that one, but it’s so pricey and doesn’t have a lot of accessories to go with it. Then again I am crafty and could make some more.

I promise I will talk about something more substantial sometime soon, but if anyone has any of the Child of Mine by Carters Looking Pretty collection or knows where I can get it for R (she needs a new sheet like that collection) and for my little stash for next time, please let me know! I REALLY want it and wish they had that particular collection when I was pregnant. I would have bought extras and everything!

the baby bug

Baby fever is really hitting me right now, everyone around is either trying, or already is pregnant. I have decided, weather A likes it or not, we are going to wait until we know where we are settled for a while, and hopefully after we buy a house. I also want to wait until I have lost some weight and am back to a shape that I am more comfortable in and happier with. No, I am not overweight, but I don’t feel like this body is really mine, I feel heavy, lethargic, and am almost embarrassed to wear my body if that’s possible. Yes, some more financial stability is my goal too, but we have been working on that and I feel like we are getting towards that.


About a week ago, maybe two I went through all of R’s stuff from when she was little. Not for nostalgia or to dream about what it would be like to use those swaddling blankies again, and the breast pump (actually, I will buy a new one, that one is over 10 years old now!) I was doing it to try and better organize the stuff for future reference and to get everything to fit into bins. I was moving all of her clothes into bigger sizes (24 mo/2T) I realized I had bins labeled everything from 0-12 months, 18 months and baby basics, toys and shoes….lets get things divvied up by proper categories here! Now I have bins for baby basics (unused little diapers in Ziploc bags, alcohol wipes, pacifiers we never used, the boppy pillow, swaddling blankets, you know, basics. 0-3 months (with the breast pump in there incase I can reuse parts of it with a new one) 3-6 months, 6-9 months, 12 months, and 18 months.


While going through her things, I realized how much I wish we had been able to put together a nice room for R. I always have felt guilty about that. I tried at the first place we lived in but no one gave us the necessary things. A’s mom bought us a crib, but not one I liked, it would be great if we had a boy but I really wanted a white or dark brown crib regardless of the gender. I never had matching sheets, I never had anything that I liked, When I was pregnant I kept looking for a sweet, cute, soft pink and green nursery set for her. I never found one so I found a pattern to make one I liked. Well never found fabric I loved for it. I made a bumper and bought sheets to go with it, but never made the whole thing. I never decorated her room. Right now she has her name up on the wall in green letters, she has a quilt hanging on another wall, her birthday dressed on a third wall and a big balloon a friend gave her for her first Easter. It’s alright for now, but I want to actually make her room special. My goal when we buy a house is to go and do up her room. I am planning in the next month to start setting aside funds just for her room and whatever’s left over will go into a fund for the next baby, whenever we have it.


Something that seems silly to buy, and I know I shouldn’t and A will be MAD if I do is a crib/nursery set for her…I know she’s outgrown it. But I finally found the one I would have wanted for her, the one I love and the one I would have made her room around. Here’s why I want to go buy it: 1) if we have another girl I want the girls to share a room, even if we have enough to give them each their own. I think it’s important for children to share a room for at least some time in their lives to learn lessons that they can only learn on their own with each other. If that’s the case I will just use the same color scheme and keep everything pink and green. 2) if we don’t have another girl I still will hang onto all these things not because I am so sentimental but because I had little to start out with, my parents had little when they had me, and I know if she, or any of our children, continue in our footsteps they will not have a lot and it would be nice to pass down things or keep them for when the grandkids come to visit.


There’s a whole collection at Target that I want for a little boy. I am sure they will change befor ewe have another boy, but if I were to find out next month that we were having one, I Would register for this collection. You can find it at http://www.target.com/Circo-Construction-2008-Bedding-Collection/dp/B0011G97XI/qid=1219286339/ref=br_1_7/601-9807564-6986545?ie=UTF8&node=13794701&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1 my second choice would be something sports related, though I haven’t seen anything that calls my name yet, again I don’t need to look though. I, next time will do the whole room up. Next time we will own our own house and can paint the walls and nail things in. Next time…We will plan more.


The only catch there is I don’t want ot know what we are having. I may ask whomever throws me a shower to know what we are having and not open any gender specific gifts or have the shower post-birth. I may find out if A wants to but we have enough girl stuff for the time being and boy stuff…well I don’t know. I guess we will cross that bridge when we get there.


For now I need to start thinking toddler bed stuff! I might ask my parents for Christmas to help us pick out a trundle twin bed for R so we can have a guest bed too or if we buy a house one for the guest room….and convert her crib to a toddler bed. I know she’d like Dora bedding which we can have one set of, but I still want to keep pink and green as her main bedroom theme. That way as she grows up but before she can make real decisions we can easily update her room. Maybe we should do that for a boy, blue and yellow? We have plenty of time!

guilty gifts

I did something stupid yesterday. Well, not entirely, I just feel guilty about it. A and I have been trying to figure out a system for saving up money for things that we really want and finally came up with one that seams to be working so far. We went to Costco to buy him an x-box 360 (we really wanted the wii but can’t find it anywhere and after two weeks of looking, I give up! But he’s wanted the 360 for a while now, so we got that and will wait until Christmas time for the wii, especially since I want the wii fit deal and he wants something else….It can wait.

Well after we got that for him, we went to Wal-Mart, I wanted to see if they had some fabric, I was looking for a particular pattern and yes indeed they did, so I bought it (meaning to buy just a little now and the rest later) $89.77 later…ouch!! I am going to make 6 aprons (one child’s medium for R, two misses med for my brothers girlfriend and I, and three misses larges for my mom, my aunt J and Nana…maybe another child’s medium for A’s niece if I have enough left over) from Simplicity pattern 2824 http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=2824 and then a tree skirt for myself and maybe my brother from Simplicity pattern 4842 http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=4842. If you look on the apron pattern packet you will see the Christmas apron on the bottom left side, that’s the fabric I bought. I was just trying to take a picture of it but my camera is acting funny. I will have to fiddle with it and maybe get A to look at it. It’s all so cute. I bought some extra to use in a quilt for Christmas time and two pillows (which were on a little flyer at Wal-Mart a while ago and where I got the inspiration from)

I know that it’s not a huge expense in the long run as far as Christmas gifts go, take 89/8 projects…well two should be more expensive than the other six…so let me do some algebra here….it’s been a while…Aprons will be about $5.35 each, the tree skirts will be about $17.87 each, pillow cases $3/72 each and the quilt will be about $14.29 so far, but I will need to get some coordinating fabrics to add some interest and tone it down, or highlight, or however you want to explain it, plus backing fabric. And I need a few extras for all the projects, namely thread, cording, fringe like stuff, and several D-rings. Not that bad as far as gifts go though! It’s just a lot at once!

In other news, not much has been going on around here, I just keep playing and having fun with R. She’s been challenging me a lot lately and I am learning a lot about my patience. I used to think I was a very patient person, but I have learned my limit and am working to make it a higher threshold. A and I have been doing really well as a couple lately (which shouldn’t be unusual but sometimes we go through patches.) He has been spending a lot more time with me and that has made a huge difference! R is going through something where she is just clingy as all can be when he is home, it’s beginning to bother him but I think it’s sweet and know it will pass. It has been driving him NUTS though, he can’t do anything without her trying to tag along and asking to be held!

incomplete thoughts

I have not finished this post, but I need to post what I have now before my computer shuts off one more time and I have to search the harddrive for the last opened document since I never save my blog posts except on here:


R and I got home from packing up our campsite at Relay for Life this afternoon. This year was not as much fun as last, but I think I know how to help make next years more fun. A big part of the problem this year is that we were unorganized, unprepared, and unavailable. Most people had to work at least one shift during the event, therefore no one really could stay and play. I had a blast though. My only real complaint is that R would not go night night out there, even though we had her play and pack. Next time I think we will need a tent or mark of part of our tent with tarps (it was a huge overhead tent, no sides, but the poles, it could be divided into 6 “rooms”) so she has a room to herself without distractions around and can settle down.

There is a thunderstorm happening outside right now, rain lightning, the works. I love storms but thank goodness it wasn’t going on yesterday, with the Relay. All those tents, all those people. I wouldn’t mind rain, but thunder and lightning on a foorball field/track with only tents (with poles) to protect us, no thank you!

I will finish this later! enjoy it for now!