Valentine's ... a special day

I started my day with my friends wishing them a happy valentine's day over coffee ... Valentine's day is a goofy kind of holiday, but one women seem to really get into.  Honestly, do you know any men that look forward to Valentine's Day?  I don't ... my husband goes along with it, but he considers this day a Hallmark holiday.  I get it ... I saw a show where the man said "Valentine's Day is for amateurs;" I thought that was a great line!  A day to celebrate love ... give yourself a hug!

Time to load another quilt on the frame today ... outside of the granny flat the dogs are keeping guard while I'm inside sewing ...

They might look like they're resting, but all it takes is one delivery man and they would be up . . . barking and teeth gnashing!

Someone I know is going to be really happy this quilt got loaded today ...

This is a pattern called Apron Strings ... my friend made this quilt for someone special.  It came out great ... I love this quilt ... this was a class I did a couple months ago, and am teaching it again.  The quilt I made was all from scraps out of my stash.  I love the way it came out, and I keep entertaining ideas of making several more ... it was such a fun, easy to make quilt.  Had to start my Valentine dinner festivities, so I knew I wasn't going to be able to quilt it today, but at least I could get it on the frame ... now for a thread decision ...

The golder/bronzer one, or the brown?  Think I'm leaning towards the brown ... I have to rest on it for a night, look at it again tomorrow, and then I'll know which one to pick.  What color would you choose?

I detest going out for dinner on Valentine's ... I don't like crowds, and of course everyone is dining out with their special someone/friend or whatever.  I always make a nice dinner at home ... tonight I was planning on steaks, grilled asparagus, twice baked potatoes ... I was trying to think of an easy, light dessert.  I knew I had some yummy, ripe strawberries ... and of course I have all those bags of Hershey's kisses leftover from my Christmas baking.  An idea starts ...

Half a bag of kisses (out of the freezer) ...

Some rinsed and dried strawberries ... does everyone get strawberries like this in the winter time?  I don't think so, but I'm not positive.  In San Diego, we get fresh strawberries all year long ... another reason we are spoiled!  They were really yummy ... big and sweet.

Now this might look out of place, but when you're melting chocolate for dipping, you need a little something to help the chocolate harden without getting melty (a technical term there), and the paraffin wax makes the chocolate smoother.  My grandmother made bon bons for years at Christmas and when I saw her recipe called for paraffin wax I thought ... eewwww, I've been eating wax all these years?  You just use a little, and you can't taste it.  I have heard you can use Crisco instead ... I have tried Crisco and it doesn't work as well.  Just make sure you start the paraffin melting in the double boiler first ... because it's in a chunk, it takes longer to melt than the chocolate.

I did not melt the paraffin first ... my daughter wound up with a small glob on one of her strawberries ... oops, that's how I know you're supposed to melt it first!

They were delicious ... the best part of dinner ... well, the best part of dinner besides dining with my hubby and daughter ... my Valentines!  Hope your day was special no matter how you chose to celebrate!
P.S.  My sweet son is my Valentine too, but he's away at college ... making his own Valentine's dinner for his special someone.

Really on a roll!

Okay I hope you're sitting down ... I quilted another quilt today!  I knew all I needed was a little push . . . and I gave it to myself yesterday when I got the first one done.  My husband will tell you I am an all or nothing gal ... well, I just hate to agree with him!  I do have the best intentions of planning things out, but hey, life just happens!  I decided recently that this longarm quilting business must be something I enjoy.  If I'm not enjoying it then it's not worth the stress.  I continue to remind myself of that commitment; if I am quilting a quilt for another person, I don't want to just put any old thing on it ... I want to finish someone else's quilt with the same care and love I would give my own!  So enough words ... let these pictures speak for themselves!  This is the same client whose quilt I showed you yesterday ...

Love her color choices ... really funky

I used a gold Isacord in top and bobbin

She is going to love this quilt ... I sure do!!

Thanks for all your support ... you all inspire me and give me a venue to show off something I love doing!!  Have a great week.

On a roll!

. . . ha, ha . . . well, not exactly, but I actually got a quilt done on my Innova today!  So happy -- Snoopy dance going on here.  I just think I burned myself out the end of the year, and I have really had a hard time talking myself into starting up again . . . I have done a couple of other quilts this year, but I have several that are stacking up here and enough is enough!  Several years ago I lost 100 pounds ... it took me 5 years to do it.  It was a great learning experience, and I did it using the Weight Watchers program.  One of the things that really stuck in my mind was something one of my leaders in a meeting said -- don't wait to be in the mood to lose weight, just do it!  I use that analogy all the time ... don't wait for the mood to strike you, just do it!  That's finally what I did with the quilt today . . .

 I used a 40 wt. cotton thread on top and So Fine in the bobbin.


 My client just wanted a simple stipple.  This was the mystery quilt class that I taught a few months back.  My quilt was really scrappy, and it was so fun to see what everyone did with their version.  I love this background fabric that she used . . . 

 Yes, at the end!

She decided to add the outside patchwork border to make it bigger.  I really like her color choices.

 The two solid borders she put on really balance the quilt and give it a lot of interest, don't they?  It was a fun quilt to do and I really enjoyed quilting it for her.

I buy my batting in rolls; I pretty much exclusively use Hobbs 80/20 ... I like the weight of it and it quilts up really nicely.  I don't have that much volume of quilting that I can afford to carry and provide more than one kind of batting for clients.  I don't want to be that busy!  I only charge my clients for the size piece that they need for their quilt.  The batting I use is 120" wide ... there are always chunks left over of batting, and I have a stack of pieces.  If you quilt, you know what I mean ... you have these odd shaped pieces lying around.  I finally decided it was going to get out of control if I didn't do something about it.

This is the leftover piece of batting from the mystery quilt.  In the corner I write the size of the batting, and then I staple it onto the corner of the batting.  Then I just fold it up and put it in my stack.  Whenever I need a particular size, I can just find the tag without unfolding the pieces and grab the size I need.  I eventually use up the odd size pieces in my own quilts.  I put a piece of batting in, and quilt until I get to almost the end of that piece.  Then I butt another piece up against the first, and quilt away.  I have never been able to tell that there is not one solid piece in the quilt.  There are various other ways to join your batting together . . . layering them one on top of another, and drawing a scalloped line, then cutting away one of the layers on the line and then they fit together.  I tried that and other methods, and I couldn't ever see any difference.  They all worked ... so the method I use is the easiest for me!

Traveling Thursday

Happy Thursday ... after the post I wrote yesterday, you surely deserve a break today with a short post!  I write the way I talk, so "sometimes" I get a little wordy ... ha, ha!

Today I'm sending you to my good friend, Jayne's new blog.  I met Jayne at The Country Loft sometime ago, and she is just one of those people that you start liking and realize you have so much in common with.  We've gotten to be good friends, and she has been very inspiring and motivating!  She decided to start a blog last week because she has something to say ... I promise she is a lot quicker to the point than I am!  Check her blog out:
http://highuponthehill.blogspot.com/

Koko Head

Yesterday I sat down with my lunch to escape for a little while.  Turned on the DVR recording of Monday's, Hawaii Five-O.  Do you watch that show?  I love the music, and love that it takes place on Oahu.  My son goes to school there at Hawaii Pacific University and we have been fortunate enough to visit him every spring for the last three years (he graduates this year so we'll be visiting in May).  I love to watch the show because when they're bopping about the city of Honolulu, I can say "we've been there," "I know where that is," etc., etc.  As the show opened, I almost spit my food out of my mouth ... the opening scene is Steve McGarrett and one of the other lady detectives are at the base of Koko Head mountain -- she is looking up and saying something along the line of, we're running up there, really??  They banter back and forth and then she gets a head start by tripping him, and they start running up the mountain. 

Two years ago when we were visiting, my son told us that we should hike Koko Head.  We've been up Diamond Head, and so we decided it would be a great hike/adventure.  Neither my husband or I had done the hike before, but our son said it wasn't that bad.  We were meeting friends for breakfast in the morning and decided to go right after.  My son was in school, so it was just hubby, me and daughter.  As we caught sight of Koko Head, I saw a path that went STRAIGHT UP the mountain.  I said to my husband, well, there must be another trail around the other side that meanders up the mountain.  I was wrong ... the trail I saw from the road, was the main trail up.  It is straight up, I'm not joking!

I am not new to exercise, and I am not new to hiking ... why did I think I could eat a full breakfast with coffee, and then try to hike in basically summer weather?  I didn't have a fanny pack with me, and knew I was going to need to lighten my load ... so the third stupid thing I did that morning (the first was agreeing to go on the hike, and the second was eating a big breakfast) was leave my water in the car!  Our daughter took one look at the incline and said "forget it."  She stayed at the bottom.  My husband and I started the climb ... at first it wasn't that bad ... you can see the beginning is a little flatter ... at the midpoint you go over these railroad ties ... there is big open space below you ... yikes!  I'm not afraid of heights, but my husband was not happy about that part.

Yes, you have to walk across this whole thing!  Then past this part is when it starts getting super steep.  I would climb a few steps, and then sit for a minute.  Climb some more and sit.  It was downright embarrassing ... I told my husband I'm done, but he said no, no ... you can do it, come on ... the view will be amazing.  Okay ... first young people were running past me (no shame in that), then older people were passing me (my pride definitely bruised at this point), then a lady with A BABY ON HER BACK passed me (how much weight was she hauling and she could pass me) ... ouch!  Then her mother who looked a good 10 years older than me passed me ... okay, I was more than done!  But my husband wouldn't let up ... come on, come on ... I was light headed, ready to puke, pass out or whatever ... can you spell dehydration?  I can't believe how stupid I was.  Finally made it to the top and the lady with the baby on her back recognized that I was in a very bad way and offered me an extra bottle of water she had.  She was my angel!  I drank the water slowly, and immediately felt so much better.  I should have pushed my husband off the cliff at that point for making me climb it!  The view was beautiful, but I don't think it was worth it ... as soon as we got back down to the car ... now you see how steep it is up, imagine going back down?  It is a little better, but your legs are shot and now you have to slow yourself from falling ... then going over the railroad ties with weak legs ... anyway to finish my thought, when I got back to the car the first thing I did was call our son and ball him out for not telling us what kind of a hike that really was!  What was he thinking???  Can you believe he ran up that mountain with his friends that run cross country ... for fun?  Crazy dang kids!

On the way down!

In the show last night after about two minutes of running, the lady cop fell and hurt her ankle.  McGarrett examined her ankle and then carried her down the mountain.  Now why didn't I think of that ... next time I'm presented with a challenging mountain to climb ... I am twisting my ankle!  So easy ....



Better day!

Ahh . . . why is it that just one day can turn your thinking around?  Yesterday I was so bummed after that budget shocker ... the whole atmosphere in our household was just HEAVY!   I was hoping that my attitude from yesterday didn't carry over today into the classroom.  This goes along with one of the goals I have for 2012 which is to be happier, and choose to be in a good mood.  It's easier to be in a bad mood, and definitely not something I wanted to carry into my class today.  One of the reasons that I teach is to be able to help other people learn the craft that I love!  When I started quilting 15 or so years ago, I never dreamed that it would become such a relaxing and expressive hobby ... and never could have imagined what a huge part it plays in my life.  I never really wanted to be a quilt teacher, I just kind of fell into it after I started working at the store.  One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was teaching another teacher's patterns. 

Today I met a couple of students in my class that I hadn't met before.  Because our store is small (relatively speaking), and because I have been teaching for a few years, most of the students I have in classes I know, and many of them have also become friends.  I knew that there were a couple of students in the class that were new to me.   It is so good for us to go outside of ourselves ... sometimes in life we always see the same people, go to the same places, eat the same food, etc., etc.  Life can get boring, or even suffocating ... when you force yourself to go outside your comfort zone, good things always seem to happen.  I never intended to teach; it was definitely outside my comfort zone, but I am so glad I did ... I've met so many amazing and interesting people, and it is so enjoyable to just get to know people that love to do what I love to do ... quilt.  Today in class I was talking to one of the ladies that I have known; I met her first as a student in one of my classes, and then she hired me to quilt a few quilts for her.  She is such an interesting and amazing lady ... she taught herself how to quilt after she retired and raised a family.  She decided to take classes to "learn" the proper way to quilt, and now she is just going gangbusters!  Everything she starts, she finishes ... that in itself is amazing!  Today we were chatting and I found out that she used to be a legal secretary and met her husband (a retired lawyer), at one of the firms she worked for.  I started as a receptionist in a law firm in 1978, and then trained as a legal secretary on the job; I worked as a legal secretary until I quit working in 1990 to have our first child and be a stay-at-home mom.  She asked me who I had worked for here ... she knew the firm ... what a small world!  It was such fun to find out something else we had in common.

This is a long way of saying that I had a good day today; I think everyone in class left with a clearer understanding of how to make these 5 1/2" blocks.  It is challenging to put together pieces that are smaller.  There is very little room for mistake ... what they all discovered was that it is okay to make a mistake, and sometimes it SHOULD be part of your quilt.  If they made a mistake in one block, this is one block out of 45, and they have just started the process of putting them together.  Are you really going to see that your seams don't meet in a couple of places?  When that block is set on point, and it's surrounded by setting triangles, sashing and borders, does it really make that much difference?  Now I admit that I would call myself a "perfectionist."  But what are we telling ourselves when we expect perfection?  We're setting ourselves up for failure .... there is no perfect here on earth, and the more we try to be perfect, the more frustrated we can become. 

This is the first quilt I ever designed.  I had a vision in my head of what I wanted it to look like and I just set out blindly putting it together.  The measurements are not all correct, and you can see that if you look closely at certain parts of the quilt ... it pulls in places, and waves in places.  I was so afraid to hang my own creation in the store and advertise to people "hey, take my class."  That means people would be judging me and my work.  Well, this quilt is now hanging in my hallway ... it's not my favorite quilt that I've ever designed, but because it's my first, that makes it special.  In order to learn, I had to make mistakes ... and I made several!  But it's all a process, and I am so much better at it now than I used to be.  The above quilt was designed in January 2010.

This quilt I designed in August 2010 ... eight months, and a world of difference later!  But that process of making mistakes got me from point A to point B.  This has been a hard lesson to relearn; you do your best and you strive to do a good job.  You expect that sometimes you will fail and make mistakes, and that's okay.  Because more often we know that what we try to do we will accomplish and in the end we'll have many more successes than we will failures!  That is life, isn't it?

Fatigue, home repairs and sewing

What a long day ... after all the excitement of the weekend and spending so much at the emergency vet, the plumber came today to replace the hot water heater.  We actually have three ... we have a granny flat, and the hot water heater is in our garage for the granny flat.  I noticed on Saturday that it was leaking terribly, and had been for a couple of days.  We have had the same plumber for about 20 years ... I really like him and he does terrific work.  When he said we needed a new hot water heater and he would go get it and install it, I didn't think twice.  Now I realize my first question should have been "how much is this going to cost?"  Have you bought a hot water heater recently?  I hadn't and had no idea what one cost ... the tank was about $400, and the labor was almost $600 ... we had another minor repair to our kitchen sink, so the bill today was $1,000.  I nearly dropped over ... it just made me sick to my stomach.  Even though the heater needed to be replaced, I would have certainly called my husband, and we would have probably put it off for a short while.  I can't begin to explain how heavy the atmosphere is in our house right now ... dropping that much money in a couple of days that is not in our budget is a little depressing.

The labor was so high because it took several hours to get the old one out and the new one in ... I was waiting for the plumber to leave so I could finish the month 2 Cotton Club blocks.  I had three of the four done.  I am teaching the class tomorrow for month 2.  Here's what my version looks like ...

I think I'm going to redo block 7, which is the one on the top right.  I'm  not liking the colors on that one.  I was trying to make it more like the original in the quilt I made, but I've decided this version is going to have a different look.  The class has nine people in it, so it should be lots of fun ... and busy!  If you've ever done small blocks, you know how precise you have to be when piecing them.  If you are off just a hair and your block is 5 1/2", and you have five different seams in a block, that can really throw your whole block off.  Part of what we're going to talk about tomorrow in class and learn is how to keep an accurate seam allowance, and the importance of taking your time, pinning, and keeping your seams intersecting.  I did the Little Women's Club by Jo Morton at our store for several years.  Those pieces are all really small, and that is where I learned how to be really accurate in my piecing skills.

After my long day, I sat on the couch for a little bit watching t.v. and finished the end of my January block from Heart and Home ...

I just love the way this is looking ... wool and Daiwabo fabric ... it is beautiful and so fun to stitch on.  I picked up block 2, and will start working on that this week.

Off to bed to try and make up for some of the sleep I've been missing ... more tomorrow on my Cotton Club class, and that block of the month.  I'm going to talk about half square triangles, and how I piece the blocks together, giving you some of the tips I'm sharing with my class.

Super Bowl Sunday

If you live in San Diego and are either a football or baseball fan, you get used to NOT being in the big games.  It doesn't mean we like it ... I don't know why, but the teams here seem to get our hopes up and then smash them.  Maybe because we live in such a beautiful place, it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the country for us to have awesome sports teams!  I will watch the Super Bowl either by myself or with my husband ... he's not interested in all the hype; I don't particularly like the Giants as Eli Manning was picked by the Chargers years ago, but didn't want to play here ... we are no fan of his.  I detest the Patriots ... wasn't really fond of them before the whole cheating thing.  That issue seems to have been swept under the rug by the NFL so as they can continue to make loads of money ... boy do I sound like a cynic!  I will watch because I like watching football, and of course to see the commercials ... I don't care for Madonna, but I'll watch the half-time show.  Wonder why they picked her and not some great band?

You will forgive my negativity this day ... I'm a little sleep deprived.  Went to bed at 2 and Charlie woke me at 5:30 a.m. because he had to go out.  About 8 last night he started breathing faster and his stomach looked even more bloated; then when I called him, he was having a hard time walking.  I didn't think twice about it, I put him in the car and hauled him over to the emergency vet.  No one was there but us, so that was a good thing; an hour and a half later, and a chunk of money as well, he has a huge mass of food in his tummy that hasn't moved.  Lots of sub-cue (not sure of the exact word) fluids, and a special diet for the next couple days.  Hopefully that is all it is.  We were there in 2010 for a similar occurrence, and when I said goodbye to the very nice staff, I said I hoped we could go another couple of years at least before we are back!  Let's just say that I would have to work 6 days to pay for the visit ... I'm just relieved it doesn't seem to be anything more serious.  He is doing better today and tolerating the new diet ... actually, I think he's wondering where the heck his food has gone to!

Haven't gotten any sewing done, as the weather here is just beautiful.  Must do a couple of blocks today in preparation for my class on Tuesday and I'll have those to show tomorrow.  I'm taking my friend to her first radiation treatment in the morning.  She is doing better and I thank you for all your good thoughts and prayers for her ... please keep them coming.  Happy Super Bowl Sunday ... hope your favorite team wins!

Why I coupon ... not what you think!

This is Friday night's post ... after a busy day, my darling husband and I did our usual Friday night routine ... dinner at Pick-Up Stix.  We had a late start, and I know I needed cat food; wasn't sure how late Petco was open, so hubby decided we should stop on the way to dinner.  I bought a few cans of cat food, and knowing that I was a week or so away from dry cat food being gone, decided because they had a good price and I had a coupon, to pick up some Science Diet dry cat food.  If you have pets, you know how expensive this darn brand is ... but, it seems to do what it says it's supposed to, so my animals are worth it (or something like that!).  We headed onto dinner, leaving both dogs in the car like we normally do (have I mentioned they love to ride in the car, and prefer to wait for us in the car as opposed to waiting for us at home).

After about 45 min we returned to the car ...

... hmm, this was not the condition the cat food bag was in when we left it in the car.

Charlie tried to blame it on Sophie, but I know there is no way a 10 pound dog can eat 3+ pounds of cat food in a mere 40 minutes!

Apparently Charlie got full before he could finish the last 1/2 pound.

The evidence of his enormous stomach tells the tale ... he was the one that ate the cat food!  Now I am well aware that this could be very dangerous ... do you know how I know????  A little over a year ago I came home from work one night, felt his stomach because it looked huge, took him to the emergency vet where we spent a couple of hundred dollars .... no problems that they could detect, just that it looked like he ate a bunch of food!  We have the dog food in a plastic container in the garage.  It has a latch on the top ... I frequently see the cat sitting near the container ... she has opened it in the past.  Apparently that evening long ago, the cat opened the container, hoping to grab some food for herself, but Charlie, being the bigger animal, got to it first.  I did remember later (after we got home from the emergency vet) that the container had been opened and wondered how that happened!

Why is it no animal in this house is only content with eating their own food??  Ahhhhhhhhhh ..........

So here is the answer to the question in the title:  I coupon so I can turn around and go back to the darn pet store and buy a new bag of cat food ... the $14 bag cost me $7 between my coupon and the Petco store discount ... so when I go back today and buy another bag that costs me $7, it will be like spending the $14 any other person would spend for the bag!  Ha, ha .... are you following this?  Crazy!  By the way, Charlie seems to be doing fine ... moving a little slower than normal, but activity is as usual.  I am keeping a close eye on him ... how long do you think it should take him to digest 3 pounds of cat food???

Traveling Thursday

A productive day at work ... we got a couple of projects done.  We also surprised my student, Nicole ... her birthday is tomorrow and she is going to be 18!  I made cupcakes, we sang to her and we had a couple little presents for her too!  She only came in for a few minutes, but I think she was really surprised.

Today I'm sending you to Sylvia's blog!  I've mentioned Sylvia before ... she is a friend of my friend, Tina, from the store.  Sylvia does some beautiful longarm quilting, and you need to check her blog out so you can see the pictures of the designs she does. http://www.dancingbearquiltingstudio.blogspot.com/

Deliveries; stitching, a finish and sales

Got my box of Luna chocolate covered coconut power bars in the mail today ... I love ordering over the internet because I LOVE getting boxes ... it's just like my birthday!

Protein bars are one of my weapons in eating right.  These taste like an almond joy candy bar ...

I particularly like them frozen because it takes longer to eat ... it's a great choice for a snack ... 190 calories, 9 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbs ... crunchy, chewy and sweet ... you've got it all!

Time to get some sewing done today and try to drag myself up out of the little slump I've been in ... I'm teaching a class on the Cotton Club block of the month.  It starts next week ... once a month you can come and work on your blocks for that month and get a little help.  I decided in order to refresh my memory (since I started this quilt several months ago), I would do the blocks alongside the students, and that way it would be fresh in my mind.

Blocks 6 and 7 ... I really loved the way my original quilt came out, but this time around I'm trying to just use fabrics I have.  Kind of imitating the color scheme, but doing it a little different.  It will be fun to see how it comes out!

Close up block 6

Close up block 7

I have two more blocks to make, but this is a great start, and sure helped my mental health!
I finally trimmed my friend's quilt and decided to snap a picture of it ... I don't think she would mind

I just did an all-over design ... actually the same kind of design I used on the Cotton Club quilt.  I played around with my tension.,  I was talking with my friend Darby a couple of weeks ago, and she told me when she does the drop bobbin test for her bobbin, it is really loose ... so I decided to loosen the bobbin tension, and that seems to have helped.  I'm going to run two different colored threads on Friday, and use my TOWA gauge and get this straightened out.  If you run a dark thread in the bobbin and a light thread on top, it is much easier to see where your adjustments need to be made.

My final thought for the day ... while reading one of my favorite websites this a.m., I came across this little nugget:

<<This is what you can find on sale the month of February

National Canned Food Month: canned fruit, vegetables, pie fillings, soups, meats:  tuna, chicken, salmon
Super Bowl Sunday: soda pop, chips, dips, cheese, sandwich items, crackers, snacks, wings, cut fruit & veggie trays
National Hot Breakfast Month: oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, frozen waffles, syrup, waffle & pancake mix, hash browns, bacon, sausage
Valentine’s Day: boxed and bar chocolate, lubricants & KY jelly, perfume, cards, stuffed animals, gift sets, wine/sparkling cider, flower arrangements, candles
Seasonal Produce: artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, grapefruit, kale, oranges, parsnips, pears, potatoes, turnips>>

This is a post from the website krazycouponlady.com

January update

I fell asleep last night without a post ... I always think of you all in the evening, and I just didn't have it in me!  I went to have a facial in the afternoon, it was wonderful and much needed.  If you've never had one, you should ... it is better than a pedicure, or even getting your hair done.  Total relaxation ... I saw my friend first for a couple of hours, and after the facial, I was just done for the day.  I am really feeling sad about my friend's situation, and trying to find a balance for myself in there.

So here is my review of the month of January ... remember that I have goals, not resolutions ... I also had a LOT of them .. here's how I did:

1.  Finish every load of laundry that is done; fold and put away only takes 5 minutes. 
Did excellent with this ... only about one time I didn't follow through.  It feels so much better to always have a clean bedroom, and not have the chair piled with clean clothes!

2.  Emptying the dishwasher; yes, everyone uses it but I will play the game of waiting for someone else to unload it.
I don't feel resentful anymore about it, I just do it.  It only takes 5 min. and I know if I need to ask, someone else will do it.  I'm the stay-at-home mom/wife, so it probably really should fall under my job description ... so much easier to just do it and ease my headaches about it!

3.  Be cheerful.  It takes a little more effort, but it is catching!
I was doing well with this until about 2 weeks ago ... hit a rough patch, and I've been struggling to be cheerful and not let negativity prevail.  Obviously, this is one goal that will take a lot of time because I'm talking about a huge change here.  Much better than I was, so I can definitely see progress.

4.  Gossiping is toxic.
I said I wasn't going to gossip anymore (mind you that a couple of friends said they would have to find a new friend when I told them that!!  (ha, ha)) ... This is another tough one; there's a fine line between talking and gossip.  I have made huge progress here, and will continue as I feel better when I really think about what I'm talking about.

5.  Okay to not get every "deal" out there.
Just because I coupon and can get a great deal, I don't need to get every one, and it is okay to let them slide!  I'm doing well with this ... I've tampered my shopping down and am spending a lot less time on my shopping list, but still getting good deals.

6.  To take better care of my feet.
Every morning before I put my shoes on I lotion my feet ... what a world of difference this has made in the condition they stay in.  Who knew it was that easy!  Now it's a habit, and they look a lot better.

Okay I think that's enough for one month, don't you?  It has helped me by having these goals to strive for ... sometimes it is just a little overwhelming, but I always just do my best.  That's all we can do, right?

Now I have to look at the other priorities I have and make a list for February.  Do you have things that you would like to work on throughout the year?  I'm taking them one month at a time; I think it breaks it up and makes them more "doable."  Today I need to just spend some time in my sewing room just relaxing.  I haven't pieced in a while, and my balance is off ... whenever I can sew, it always help me restore balance to my life.  Have a great day!!

Simple Monday

Went to visit my friend today and hang out with her for a few hours.  My friends and I are enjoying the time we're having with her ... reminiscing about some of the crazy things we have done over the years.  We've known each other since our kids were 5 ... 13 years almost.  I'm glad that we can have this time with her to help her through this rough patch ... having friends and keeping your mind occupied is so important.  I know my own mind just races sometimes when I'm not feeling well and it's hard to turn your brain off.

What do you do when you need an escape?  I love to read ... it's something I loved as a child ... I remember hanging out in the library for hours ... it is still one of my favorite places!  You know what my daughter told me last week ... she said "mom,  no one goes to the library anymore."  What????  I hope that's not true ... the library is such a great resource, and it is free!  Not much anymore is free.  Between computers and bookstores, I guess most teenagers get what they need without borrowing it from the library.  So far this year I have read "The Happiness Project," which I told you about not too long ago, and that I loved!  I also am in the middle of reading something on my Nook called, "One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simple."  I also started reading "Price and Prejudice" . . . can you believe I've never read that book?  Where have I been?  I just finished a book I borrowed from the library ... it was really good ...

"The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane"  It was a great escape ... it's a book that takes place in the present time, but goes back to the Salem witch trials ... very suspenseful.

I did finish the quilt I had on my frame yesterday ... I am embarrassed to tell you that it is a friend's quilt that got pushed to the back of the pile last year.  I've probably had it since October ... she reminded me the other day that she would love to have it done as she has a place to hang it; I told her it was on my schedule and apologized profusely!  Of course I am not charging her for it ... I hope she likes the way it turned out ... she'll just probably be happy to have it back!  I have been fussing around with my bobbin tension and not real happy lately with it ... I don't know what is different, or what I'm doing different, but I just feel like I never get that perfect tension on the back.  I finally broke down and ordered a TOWA gauge ... it is a device that you use to test the tension on each bobbin you wind.  You do a little fidgeting with it and find where your machine likes the tension, and then when you find that number, it is an easy adjustment to the bobbin.  It came today so I am excited to play around with it tomorrow and find that magic number.  I had one when I had my Juki, and I loved it.

Way past my bedtime ... I'll try to snap a picture of my friend's quilt tomorrow ... maybe I should let her see it first before I let you all see it!

Just a Sunday

A beautiful Sunday today ... not a lot going on and I thought I would just keep it simple and show you a few pictures of my day ...

This stuffed rabbit keeps winding up thrown out of this suitcase; now I know why

A birdbath, a feeder, and a tree to hop around in ... the birds are content!

The view out my back door

You know who eyeing the park and trying to carry out their jobs!

Got a quilt on the frame today ... ready for quilting!

Enjoy your week!

Another perfect day

Wow, another beautiful day in San Diego ... can you believe it was in the 70's today?  I think it hit 80 on Thursday ... crazy!  We have had a little cold weather too (for us at least), but the birds were singing this morning, and I was up early.  I got a lot done ... read the paper, sorted some coupons, made a list and prepared to take my mom to the grocery store since I didn't get there with her yesterday.  I haven't talked about my couponing in a while ... well, remember that I bought a TON of baking products, etc. before Christmas in preparation for the holiday.  Also, that is the time of year when you can get really good deals.  Here is what my baking pantry looks like now  ...

What's that you say?  It still looks like it did in December?????  Well, believe it or not, I really did use stuff for my baking, but obviously I bought too much ... ha, ha, ha ... what a shocker!  Ask my husband, he will tell you that is my M.O. for everything!  But in my defense, let me tell you what I was able to do today without any thought at all ...

Bake cookies for our good friend who is celebrating her birthday today!  These peanut butter kiss cookies (that I only make at Christmas) are her very favorite.  She is not a baker, so she usually knows that I'm going to make her a batch!  I had everything ... in fact, I have enough Hershey's kisses in the freezer in our granny flat to get me through Valentine's day, St. Patricks' Day and probably Easter!  I stocked up on peanut butter through Amazon -- have you ever heard of their "subscribe and save" program?  You can sign up to have a certain item delivered on a regular basis.  By signing up for the program, you lock in at that "deal."  What they don't advertise is that you can cancel your subscribe and save status, thereby still getting you the "deal," and without obligating you to purchase more.  For people that don't live near stores, I bet the Amazon program is wonderful.  For me, it isn't something that I really can use; but, I will sign up to get the "deal," and then unsubscribe in a month and not lose anything.  I just got a deal yesterday on Amazon for a box of Luna chocolate-covered coconut protein bars ... with the subscribe and save discount, they only cost me 90c a piece (and that includes free shipping).  That's a deal that I rarely get at the stores, even with a coupon.

Here's how I did at Albertson's today:  $176.21 before coupons and preferred savings; $98.88 afterwards ... that's a total savings of $77.33, or 44%.  Not the 99% that they advertise on that crazy couponing show, but a great deal and one I'm happy with.  That total also includes four different packages of meat that will get us at least four if not five dinners.  I did have a coupon good on the sausages I bought for spaghetti, but I shopped a good sale price for the ground beef I bought, and the beef roast that we haven't had in a very long time.  I will put the meat in the freezer with the chicken I already have in there so that we have a variety during the week, not all beef.

Then it was so beautiful, that I got outside and mowed the lawn that has been waiting for one of our children to mow; well, our son couldn't do it as Christmastime because of his operation, and clearly our daughter is not interested enough in the $$$ we would pay her to mow, so I did it myself.  Looks great and we saved ourselves some $$ and I got a little exercise in the fresh air!

Gotta go wrap the cookies to drop off at our friend's on our way to dinner ... happy Sunday tomorrow!

A Funny Story

Sew ... I'm not getting very much sewing done around here!  Ha, ha ... went to visit my friend today ... my other friend and I took her lunch and hung around and visited for a while.  It was great to see her; the cancer is in her back, and she is going to the radiologist next week to start more radiation.  In the meantime, they have started her on a cancer drug (not chemo), combined with another drug which is supposed to really zap the bad stuff.  This drug combination is something that they didn't do a year or so ago.  The more time that passes, the more ways they find to successfully treat cancer.  I hope sometime soon we all see a cure.  If you pray, please pray for my friend, Helen.

When I came home, I just puttered around the house doing some gardening and work to keep my mind and hands busy.  I was sitting on the back patio and just watching the two crazy dogs that I live with!  We back up to a park, so there is always something going on out there ... people to see, dogs to see, dogs running off-leash that aren't supposed to be ... it really upsets my dogs.  Sophie, the little dog, is facing south towards the park; Charlie, the big dog, is facing west towards the neighbor's yard because there is a big black and white cat that sits on the far side of the yard and just stares the dogs down.  Now of course we have a cat in our household, Nala; Nala thinks she is a dog, and Sophie thinks she is a cat.  They wrestle every day, and it is hilarious .... first there will be a boxing session ... Nala coming at Sophie with her paws "swat" "swat", then Sophie pouncing forward and back like a boxer.  It doesn't matter that Charlie lives with a cat, one of his main missions in life is to seek out all cats and chase them.  The cat next door drives him crazy (and she knows she drives him crazy), and so he just barks and barks at her.  I walk the dogs every day, and about twice a week, Charlie goes after one of the two cats that live on the other side of us, almost pulling me off my feet!  This is my life ... sometimes it drives me crazy, but most of the time, they just make me laugh!  I love my animals ...

Charlie and Sophie staring into the park waiting for action

Nala and Sophie wrestling

Traveling Thursday

A very good and busy day at the Country Loft today.  We had a new class taught by Christine; she has three classes that run back to back all day.  She is teaching a sampler quilt, but what is unique and different about this class is that she is doing a lot of lecturing on applique and other techniques.  Today they worked on paper template piecing, but before that had a lengthy discussion on thread, needles, etc.  Fascinating to listen to while I'm working, and I'm going to learn so much throughout the year just listening to her!  While I was entertained throughout the day, I also put my second block of the month together.  I'm so excited!  I went to take a picture of the kit and the blocks, and my phone had died, so no pictures!  Hope to try that again next week so you can see how the kits look.  I am teaching a class once a month to give people a chance to get a little help with their blocks, or more importantly, keep yourself on track!  I think I have one opening left as it has been pretty popular ... how exciting!  I decided that if I had more than enough interest in the class, that I could always open an evening class too.

I had a couple thoughts for Traveling Thursday.  I have a friend, Darby, that I have mentioned before.  I met her when I took my classes on my Innova in July of last year.  We have exchanged emails and gotten to be good friends.  I have really enjoyed her blog, http://www.quiltedsquid.com/; what is fun about our hobby is although we all share a love of piecing and quilting, we have different styles.  When we were in classes, I was admiring her feathers; she didn't think they looked that wonderful ... I love looking at her blog as she always has wonderful pictures of her quilting.  Check it out!

The other thing I want to tell you about is a fairly new magazine called Primitive Quilts and Projects.  The retail cost is $9.95 and it is full of projects, and little advertising.  In the most recent issue, I just counted and there are 16 projects ... that is a good bang for your buck.  It can be found at some quilt stores, and here is their website http://www.primitivequiltsandprojects.com/. 

Outside yourself

Hi friends -- I know I haven't been on here for a couple of days.  Honestly, I just really didn't have anything positive to say.  I was doing so great with my goals for this month, and then all of a sudden the last couple of days I have just fallen flat!  I think perhaps this is my normal kind of let down after the holidays.  I just didn't feel it until now because I have been so busy on the block of the month, and the open house for the store.  Now those things are finished, my son went back to school, my daugther has only a few months left here, and then she'll be going off to college ... then I'm an empty nester!  How did this happen???  My son will come home in May after graduating from college, and he'll live here, so technically we won't be "empty" nesters, but ... I have been a stay-at-home mom for 21 years.  Yes, I have a little part-time job and I dabble in longarm quilting, but my main focus in life has always been my family, my kids ... now that they're growing up, what do I do??  I really have been thinking a lot about stuff the last few days trying to diagnose where these blah feelings have been coming from.  I think this is part of it; I've had a couple of health things too -- no big deal, but combined with everything else, it's just been troubling me.

One of my friends has had cancer for a long time ... 8 years to be exact.  She was in remission for a couple of years, and now it is back ... while I'm whining about my change in life, she is hoping she gets a chance to see her kids finish college.  Today I decided I was going to go to the gym; I felt so much better after that ... my friend has been a little absent lately, and I have been thinking about her constantly, and finally called her today.  I felt so much better after talking to her; she is scared, she hasn't been feeling well, and we all hope that it is something else, not the cancer.  She is having some tests and I think she should know more by the end of the week.

It got me to thinking ... you can always find someone worse off than you are.  It's okay to be sad, and have bad days, but for me, I just have to push myself through sometimes.  I know that I'm a very strong person and if I just keep at it one day at a time, I can figure it all out ... with the help of my family and good friends! =:)  We all need to step outside of our comfort zones, or just our own problems, and reach out to other people.  It makes you appreciate all the blessings you do have in your life.  Hope I'm not too serious for you all, but sometimes life just can't be about quilting and cooking, etc.

If you are suffering your own winter doldrums, or just having a bad day, week, whatever ... step outside yourself and do something for someone else.  I think you'll find you feel a whole lot better! =:-)

Sunday sewing

What a beautiful, crisp sunny Sunday it was here.  We have a huge fire roaring in the fireplace and I made myself turn the t.v. off hours ago, so it's nice and quiet.  You will recall that I've been trying to cook more at home in an effort to eat healthier, and it just makes me feel better.  My usual problem is that my husband loves to grab something out (we try to be healthy about it), and because I usually am unprepared, I agree.  So I thought about it last night before I went to bed; I've been trying to be aware of what I'm buying at the grocery store.  I knew I had some beef for stew in the freezer, and I had bought an onion, potatoes and carrots at the store last week.  I also bought some chicken broth thinking it would be good to have on hand.  Eureka ... I decided to make beef stew in my new crockpot.  Last week's chicken parmesan with sauce in the crockpot was such a huge hit (with me at least!), that I was anxious to use it again.  I just love it when things work out and I have all the ingredients I need.  I hate running to the store for one thing; I tried a new recipe out of a cookbook and it was delicious.  Success!

In between watching the football games -- ugh -- both of the teams I was rooting for lost -- I put together a block of the month I am doing through my store; Kathy Campbell's Heart & Home ... block 1.  Now we all know the idea ... you make a block a month and at the end of the year you have a whole quilt.  I have only followed through with this idea ONE time, and that was the very first BOM I ever did.  I have many that are unfinished, but this one is so lovely and I've never done anything like it.  It is wool and Daiwabo (spelling?) ...

Beautiful!  I even started some stitching on it.  That's enough for one day ... time to read a little and climb into bed!

Recharging and Friends

Yesterday was very scheduled for most of the day; my mom to a doctor's appointment that was a little stressful, and then grocery shopping.  By the time I got home, put away my groceries, took care of the housekeeping and paperwork, I decided I was feeling frazzled and it was time to destress.  What do you do when your feeling frazzled?  I am seldom alone in the house; my husband gets homes about 4, and my daughter at 2.  So the time before 2 I try to take for myself when I can.  That's when I know it's quiet and I can just enjoy the peace.  I grabbed a book I had just checked out at the library, curled up on the couch with a blanket, and my book, and read for an hour or so.  It was heavenly!  I have to laugh though ... we have a huge double slider in the living room and that view is of a park that we back up to.  Charlie (my big dog), lays on this dog bed looking into the park to see what's going on; Sophie (the little dog), lays on the couch above Charlie, looking in the park to see what's going on.  Even the cat, Nala, was sitting on the coffee table looking into the park ... it was hilarious!  What do dogs do all day that don't have a park to look into ... I think that Sophie and Charlie have a competition going ... who can bark at any dog or person ANYWHERE in the park first!  They spend all day barking to alert the other, and then running out another door to go protect their territory.  They are funny.

While at the store yesterday, I scored some more of these game tickets for the Albertson's giveaway that expires soon.

Since my son went back to college, it was up to me to open them all and check them against the game board.  Surely with a stack like this, we would have something we needed ... nope!  We did get a lot of points that count towards a $5 coupon, so we'll just have to be happy with that!

I worked today and was very excited, because my friend that I met in my Innova longarm class in July, was going to be visiting.  She lives in the Fresno area, but was down for the Road to California.  We've been emailing back and forth, supporting each other in our adventures into longarming.  It's been really fun getting to know her, and it was great to be able to see her and say hi!  She popped into the store, and we visited for a little while.  She does some beautiful custom work ... feathers, ruler work, etc.  It's nice to know someone that can take you out of your box, in whatever it is that you're doing.  When I see her work, it makes me want to try ruler work.  She says it's easy ... hmm ... the great thing is that we seen each others skills improve tremendously since we took our classes in July.  She has had her machine a little while longer than I've had mine, and we both had other systems before we got our Innovas.  Hi Darby!

It was a busy day and I didn't get a lot done at work; just helping customers and trying to get everyone what they need.  I sure hope I can kind of recharge tomorrow . . . I think maybe I need to start taking some vitamin B-12 ... I am just worn out!  My husband is one of those people that can put his head down on the pillow and 5 minutes later be fast asleep ... I sure wish I could do that!  It's hard for me to turn my brain off.  Looking forward to doing some sewing tomorrow to just kind of have a little fun!  Enjoy your Sunday, and I hope you find time to do something you love to recharge.  We have to remember to take care of ourselves, so that we are fresh and healthy to take care of others ... that's what women do!