Quilting news and other stuff

I haven't really posted anything since my brother died, so I guess I'm getting back to normal. 
So, this is my new baby. I actually purchased her last year, but have had trouble making time to use her. She is a PFAFF Quilt Expression 4.2. Recently, I was asked by my quilt teacher/friend of many years why in the world would I pick a PFAFF when I could own a BERNINA? My answer was simple: I love it! Bernina is a great machine, no doubt. But I learned to sew on a HOBBY 1132, so I'm a little sentimental about PFAFF. Also, there is the affordability factor. I mean, for 5 grand, I could make a partial down-payment on a car, or a house.

I love the ease of use as well. Even for a novice like myself, I find that I don't have to work real hard at figuring out what to do to get the effect I want. 192 stitches! It's simply amazing! 

I'm working on a baby quilt that was entirely applique. Let me say it bluntly: not a good plan for me. Not only was I out of my league, I was using a new machine that I didn't fully understand how to use. Here's where I am with it:  

You'll notice that big, bunch of bananas. I'm ripping that out. I tried to make it look like a real bunch of bananas, but found it only confused people. In case you wondered, it's not my design. I bought it off of someone's Etsy shop. Her monkeys were alot bigger, even though I followed the pattern exactly. Won't be doing this again. 

I keep playing with the courthouse steps idea. I did one block that you see below. It was foundation pieced, which was very, very acurate. You'll have to forgive the material I used. I was trying to use scraps up.  This is what I hope to be making it look like without the blue center:

I got this badly taken picture from a television show from the 90's and thought how great would that look in my living room!  Anyway, that's about all I am doing sewing-wise. 

I started working out with a trainer recently. He's a very nice young man who is down to earth. I only started because I was tired of being sick and tired. My body strength was nil and my legs hurt constantly. Not a good thing for a nurse who is up on her feet for 12 hours at a time. He is putting me through my paces. And, of course, I'm hoping to lose weight, so I'm conferring with him on diet issues. 
Work is very busy, which is highly unusual this time of year. Our census is never maxed out in June, but it is this year for some reason. 27 patients is a lot of patients to keep content.

The Legal Adult moved out after having been with us for some time. He broke his leg last year, and now has a new apartment....again. I haven't written very much about him, but he has effectly made an old woman out of me this year by turning 31. 

Hollywood turns 21 in a week or so. He has an apartment across town, but has never invited me over except to pick him up to go somewhere. Hmmmmm......

The Dyl Pickle is 12 now and is sporting purple hair! Yeash......
But he is so very tall now, and he has grown men feet-size 12! Turns 13 and starts 8th grade in the fall. 

Hunnybunny is working for new company as the mid west sales rep. He just got back from Canada. Always happy to get back to southern cooking. We just celebrated number 14 Anniversary by heading to Hilton Head. It was very, very nice!

As for me, two more semesters of school and then I can sit for the NCLEX-RN. I am nearly as old as the teacher, but I like it. What I don't enjoy is going to school 4 days a week and then working every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Speaking of Sunday, better get a shower so I can head to church. Later, y'all.......

Yeah, you can say it....I reek...

at blogging, currently anyway. My life has been all about school, and I never thought I'd be THAT person. You know, the one person who goes back to school, worries about school, whose whole life is school, and can't seem to have a life outside of school? Well, it's me. And I'm not liking that very much. I wrote to an old friend this week to ask her why she fell of the planet and realized, "Who am I to talk about anybody else falling off the planet?" This week, Hunnybunny had to go to Vegas for business, and I couldn't go with him due school. (Mine and The Pickle's). I had two tests, 2 quizzes, and 4 papers to complete by yesterday. Since Sunday, I may have gotten 20 hours sleep due to the aforementioned workload. I have about 9 days until I go into finals for this second semester, and have spent today getting ready for that last test in OB. Who knew having a baby was this complicated? If someone had told me this whole process in this kind of detail, I NEVER would have gone through with it....especially not 3 times. So many things could go wrong and it's not one life at stake, it's two. So I don't have any ambitions on being an OB nurse. During the midst of the chaos that it school, I got to see Hollywood. Here is his updated picture:

javascript:; It's okay, you can say it...he's beautiful, isn't he? Wearing a vintage tux to attend his junior prom. It's true what they say, "Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man!" I wish I could be down in Tennessee that night to see him off. He's going with friends, or solo, or whatever the term is now. If you say, "Stag" as we did in my day, it could mean something else. I try to keep current with all the slang, but there is slang out there I'd rather not know. Hunnybunny is doing well, and he keeps seeing parts of the United States and I don't have time to accompany him. Maybe we'll get around to Savannah, Georgia again. We haven't been back since our honeymoon almost 10 years ago, with the notorious "Wedding Virus" that sidelined my groom on the second day down there. The Legal Adult? Well, he's still the infamous L.A. you have come to know and love on these pages. His whole life has changed recently with the subtraction of one "Sweetthing" to the addition of another. And he knows how my memory is, so he was kind enough to find a girl with the EXACT SAME NAME as the last two girls he's dated for any length of time. So, practicing what I preach about agnostic dating, I lovingly refer to her as "Sweetthing the Third". Now, none of them are named "Sweetthing", I do that for privacy issues or in case one of them stumbles upon my humble blog. But I really do address her, "____________ the Third". It beats getting close to them and then they break up. He's also moving and moving the week before finals, so I'm out on helping him. I feel bad, but I can't blow this. Hopefully, I will be reporting soon that I have starting quilting again. Sigh...miss it so much. And all of you.

Back to the Sewing Machine, well, at least ONE of them...

Hi. Did you miss me? I've been missing myself lately. We just got back from our yearly jount to FLA. This year we opted to stay at Grandma Hunnybunny's and just go to the beach. We were going to go more than one day, but alas, the dreaded yellow flag was up on the second day. Things have changed with Grandma Hunnybunny; her cast of characters has changed from Aunt Hunnybunny (Hunnybunny's sister) to Mother Hunnybunny, (Hunnybunny's mother). Aunt Hunnybunny has a new little Hunnybunny of her own named Tyler. He is so sweet, and he snuggled me!            

We picked up Hollywood for a few weeks this summer. He made the trip to Florida without being too bored.




And he turned sweet 16! His party of sorts was a couple of friends, along with She who must be Obeyed  and Jerricho! I had fun with her as She is now almost 11! What did we do for kicks? We sorted fabric! That kid was always organizing so I gave her the opportunity to help me cut down my fabric hoard of scraps.  She thought it was great! My kind of kid! 

This week, I've been fairly selfish. While I have been working on The Legal Adult's quilt, I took out a little time to cut myself out a dress. Here's the pattern:

I don't even own a dress besides my wedding dress and if I ever had a special occasion, I'd be in trouble. My friend Robin told me long ago and far away to find a simple pattern and start with that, so that's what I did. I also got my little orphan machine fixed.

 

It was in storage as I used it to make those stitches you see, but then it didn't work at all. I took it back to the Nameless Fix-It shop here in town, and he wanted me to throw more money at it.  I took it to a place where I usually just get fabric, but they had fixed my Pfaff Hobby so wonderfully that I decided to see if they could make this little machine stitch again. It's called the Quilter's Square and they totally rock!

Back to the ordinary

  I've been out of sorts lately, trying to figure myself out. The whole student, mother, employee, thing has been something I've struggled with and I always forget that this is where I work most of it out.:) Aren't you so glad you can eaves drop on my brain?
Undoubtedly, the whole school thing has taken up most of my time this year, and I hate that it has. I have friends that I miss, and blogging friends across the country that have been nice enough to not drop me for my inconsistent postings. It's not that I'm trying to do too much, it's that I'm not a very good time manager. That's a terrible admission for someone who is looking to be in a health field, but true nonetheless. Lately I've looked at that quilt on the wall and wish it were done. Maybe it's not done because I don't know if or when I could possibly start the next project. I've done some pretty lame things during spring break from my school like: watch House, Horders, and pretend I'm watching Being Human with Hunnybunny. (I just don't get that show!) I've also been on Facebook more than I'd care to admit and mostly because it's quick and easy. I've never managed to do the quick and easy for very long without consequences.  And I do like Facebook, heck- if it weren't for that I may have no clue what's going on with my family. It's handy when I want to "talk" to Hollywood down in Tennessee as you know that teenagers stay on it. They'll sit for hours instant messaging you, but fall short when it comes to real conversation. I miss him very much so I'll keep on with it.
The Legal Adult has had his share of growing pains this year, and between work, school, and my crew at home, I've been carving out more time to see him. In fact, he and Sweet Thing took me out for a nice dinner last week. Miracles never cease.

And then there's the Dyl Pickle, who's growing faster and faster, and with all that I'm doing, I don't want to miss it. His birthday falls just as school starts, so we bought him an early birthday present..a new bike! He is riding now without training wheels and it's so cute to see. I think I've mentioned before that The Legal Adult doesn't drive? He actually owns 5 bikes and was generous enough to give me one last week so I could "ride with Pickle".

I wonder what I was thinking when I accepted it...sigh. I haven't been on a REAl bike in 25 years! So, it's kind of like we're both learning how to ride.   

I'm having trouble figuring out the gears. And I don't have a helmet. Do you HAVE to wear a helmet these days?

t

I think I'm too old to go camping......

So, we try again with the camping. This time, no moody teen to tell us how boring it is, and why we shouldn't have come. We went south, way south. Away from the oil spill, cell phone coverage, and problems. We went to St. George Island State Park. However, it was not without problems, as most vacations can attest to.

First, there was the drive. From Kentucky to The Forgotten Coast was approximately 590 miles. This trip, while we did not have the moody teen, we did have a new puppy, "Snips".  We adopted him from a shelter that had a display at Petsmart. Knowing we were going to have to leave, we asked if we could pay his fees and pick him up after. Of course, they were terrified that the little guy wouldn't be picked up, so they said they couldn't do it. After a few pitiful attempts at names that would go along with Fiona, we settled on "Snips" because he was always 'snipping' at our heels.

Because the poor little guy had been locked up in the shelter, I just could shove him in a kennel for vacation. So, that's why we took him with us. He did very well on the trip. We arrived at St. George Island in the late afternoon and set up the tent. At 9:30 P.M. was 88 degrees! With the humidity, it felt like 95.  After we spent some time on the beach the next morning, by noon, it was already 92 degrees but the heat index made it feel like 106. I just couldn't take it. My knee had started to swell and I just wasn't fit to be around. We packed it up and headed for Grandma Hunnybunny's. I did get to visit with Hollywood on our way back through Tennessee. He seems to be doing well. Looks like he grew a foot. I don't think his voice was that deep when he left. Time does march on.

The Times They Are A Changin'

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Come gather 'round people
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.
Copyright ©1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music

How pathetic...my life has turned into a Bob Dylan song. These words hit home as I struggle with the changes in my life. What is it that I've always heard: "The most constant thing in life is change." First, the family dynamics are changing. Hollywood has taken his show on the road back to Tennessee to be with dear old dad. So, we are getting used to life without him.
School is done for the summer for me, and the jury is still out on whether I passed the skills on the state exam. I was definitely having trouble finding the radial pulse.I made an A in the class, however. Supposedly, I'll find out in two weeks. So, since I don't have any exams to study for, I will start making tracks on The Beatles quilt. It has been on my design wall to remind me to get over it and get going on it.

Now I understand the hype

It's a cryin' shame that it has taken me over 30 years to get this done professionally, but I got my first pedicure/manicure yesterday! It's not that we are made of money: I actually won a spa treatment from Mix 94 here in Lexington last Christmas. I also won floor seats to see The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Their Christmas show was wonderful, but I just never got around to the The Spa at Griffin Gate gift certificate. It had an expiration date of May 1st, so I figured I better get around to it this weekend. Absolutely beautiful, and peaceful, which I expect spas to be, as I've only seen on tv. This wonderful lady, Tameka, made me feel right at home. She absolutely pampered me. I'm going to have to go back for another one, like maybe for my birthday or something special. My tootsies never looked this good! She used hot towels, lotions....wow! I've just never been in that kind of heaven before.

And you know these two jokers....Hollywood wanted more pictures of himself, so he conned The Pickle into taking some outside.

Spring Break!

Well, not for me, but Hollywood is down south in Tennessee this week. The Pickle is home with me for a few days, but I go back to work Thursday. So, three days isn't a bad start.
I have been trying to get around to everyone's blogs, but the algebra demon has been kicking my behind. Just five more sessions before FINALS! Psychology is going well....it helps to have had a crazy life. Everything is within the realm of possibility, psychologically speaking.
Every example I read about is the story of someone I know, or have known. Or me, a psychoses or two ago.
The Legal Adult has turned up a time or two and Hunnybunny took him do his taxes. Wow...he's getting more Legal Adultish all the time! No, I haven't finished his quilt, thanks for asking....I've just been covered up with school. Gonna try to work on it this week while I am off. His milestone birthday, Number 25 is coming up in May. I've told him not to be mad if it's not done. But I'm sure that has fallen on deaf ears. I thought he was going to make me a mother-in-law recently, but he talked himself out of it.

Top Ten Reasons I felt like the Grinch this Christmas

This isn't really like me, but this year, I have really NOT been a Christmassy type person. Here are my top ten reasons I felt like the Grinch:

10. I just wanted to hang out in my cave, (or sewing room!) and not get around people at all.

9. I have tried to get my ducks in a row over the whole school thing. Do I go? Is this what I want, or what God wants? Am I going to be able to keep up with classes, work, home, and church? I have been officially accepted, now I just have to get my classes in January. They are making me wait because I am considered a transfer student. So, it looks like I'm going.

8. Our family has been going through some major changes, basically, the cast of characters. Hollywood is set on moving in with his dad down in Tennessee, (AGAIN!) but he wanted to do it mid-year instead of waiting until the school year ends in later May. I've not received any input from He Who Will Not Be Named, (ex-husband), except to wonder why it isn't easy getting things changed around. He's not offering to make phone calls (gee, he lives down there, how hard could it be?) or getting any information. Ultimately, if it doesn't work out, I will be the one to blame as far as Hollywood is concerned.

7. Hunnybunny was up and down the road for a large bid and it did finally close just before Christmas. As a result, he was pretty exhausted.

6. We did, finally, get brave enough to put up a tree. Fiona only toppled the tree once, and ate several ornaments off of it. They were stuffed ornaments, less you report me to the A.S.P.C.A.

5. We had to drive south to drop off Hollywood for Christmas with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. I hate it when my whole family isn't together for Christmas, but I can't be selfish either as much as I'd like.

4. I tried to make my mother's Christmas candy recipe and it majorly flopped. It tasted like it was supposed to, but it sure was ugly. She's not with us anymore to ask what I did wrong.

3. The economy. It reeks when you have to watch EVERY penny, even at the most giving time of the year. I'm one of those people who feels guilty if they don't put something in the Salvation Army kettle every time you see one. The Dyl Pickle believes I'm supposed to put something in as well, and reminded me right in front of the guy or girl.

2. I had two quilt projects that I was trying to get done for presents. I did finish the purse, but not the Beatles quilt.

1. I didn't actually start shopping until the 21st.

The Jury is Still Out on Thanksgiving

Good old Martha Stewart....she is a life saver. I thought I'd use her turkey roasting method of cheesecloth draped over the bird. Well, I tried, anyway. The idea is that you put a 17 inch square piece of cheesecloth on the turkey and baste it every so often. The cloth keep the moisture on the skin and thus, giving you the juiciest turkey on the planet. However, Wally World was out of cheesecloth. So, necessity being the mother of invention, I improvised by sending Hunnybunny to the pharmacy for gauze strips. Technically, it's cheesecloth with a bit of elastic... it worked pretty well.
The Legal Adult came with girlfriend, and brought a spiral ham. Now, that's never happened before. I had not asked him to bring anything but himself. Wonders never cease. Hollywood had woofed down his plate before any of us, and began gazing at the four pies to choose from. He had his second piece eaten before we had finished dinner.
Grandma Hunnybunny and Aunt Hunnybunny made the trek from Florida to Kentucky, and as if on cue, we actually got a forecast with a chance of snow. Grandma Hunnybunny was not as amused as I was. Nor was she excited to meet Fiona. "That's not a dog, that's a small pony!"
And since a few inquiring minds want to know: I went to the RN meeting at the college. This is where you make sure your prerequisites and paperwork are all good to go before making application to the nursing program. Over 200 candidates were in session. And that was the THIRD meeting. The competition will be fierce with 800 applicants and only 125 spots.
While I was accepted into the college, they had trouble with my high school transcripts. There was no school seal, not signed by the headmaster, my college transcripts were posted with them, etc. So, long story short, I'm accepted pending my high school stuff having the appropriate signage. In fact, I got a grant to go to school! The glitch is that there are very few classes that I need still open. The school is making me retake psychology because it's been longer than 6 years. And I knew I was going to have take college algebra. I'll keep you posted.

I don't have anything earth-shattering to report to you this week. Just thought you like to see how the pup is doing. She went from a 20 lb 10 week old, to a 75 lb 10 month old.










Here she is doing what she does best: she's quite the kisser. And no, we haven't done the whole obedience dog school yet. I think they'd kick her out, like they did Marley.











We have found some pictures of lab mixes that resemble her. Mostly Lab-Whippet mixes. That's kind of funny to me. She's smart, a little too smart, and that would be Whippet for sure. Labs are lovable, but too friendly for their own good.





I didn't expect to get this attached this quickly, but I love her to death.


Sorry the quality isn't so great, I just wanted to show you how tall she is up against Hollywood.

Okay, I admit that I'm ready for them to go back....

(*Editor's Note* I apologize for writing this post in such a way as to leave the reader wondering about me being pregnant. This factory was shut down in 2003 after the birth of the Dyl Pickle. I've made the changes below. Thanks for reading!
Beth)

but to be fair, I'll tell you that this summer has been an absolute BLUR! Lots of packing, unpacking, painting, sewing, cooking, playing, etc. have gone on. I've seen more (preschool) drama than daytime soaps. I've learned more about garment sewing than I ever thought possible. I missed my kid so much more than I can say.

The following are headed for kindergarten: Jo-Jo and the Diva. It doesn't seem possible, but they are leaving me. However, Baby Idgy (Jo-Jo's baby brother), isn't quite the baby anymore and turned 2 already. I started keeping Jo-Jo so Pickle could have a friend, and we could have a little extra breathing room financially. Jo-Jo and Idgy are about to welcome another addition to their family coming sometime eminently. I am excited to be caring for such a tiny one again! It's been at least six years! :) The Pickle starts first grade while Hollywood starts HIGH SCHOOL! She Who Must Be Obeyed is being cared for by her 15 year old sister now, so itll just be me, Idgy, and the baby to be nicknamed later.

That's probably the hardest part of being involved with kids: you certainly get attached. And I believe they do, too. It'll be hard letting them go, but I can't wait to see how they turn out.

Top Ten Reasons Why You Haven't Heard From Me

Every time I sit down for even one minute of me time...bam....I have to get up and see who is screaming; find out if there is blood; and then lose my seat at the computer. But I have missed you all, as you are there keeping me sane. Since Michael Jackson's death, there's been a lot going on. So I'll give you my top ten reasons why you haven't heard from me:

10. The Enter Button is messed up, AGAIN. So, when I push it down, it keeps going, and going, and ...you get the picture.

9. I've been completely mesmerized by the media frenzy associated with the death of the King of Pop. I don't know if it's that I got to watch old videos and reminisce or just hypnotized in the masses. Maybe it was the fact that the guy was all of 4 years older than me and it freaked me out! I even watched the memorial service and blown away that it was on the big 3 networks.

8. I keep falling asleep on the couch every night. With the onslaught of summer vacation, The Pickle has been given permission by his dad to stay up past his regular bedtime. That's all well and good for Hunnybunny, but I hang out with kids all day: it would be nice to know that EVENTUALLY I'll be an adult at least for part of the day.

7. I haven't felt I had anything profound to say. Lame, I know. But awfully true. Some of my old blogging buddies fell off the face of the earth because they felt like they had blogged their last. I didn't want to do that. Technically, blogging is a diary. Maybe I don't have anything profound to say to myself. It wouldn't be the first time.

6. I'm consumed with a wedding. My best friend's daughter is getting hitched in 5 weeks! Guess who's the DJ? Moi. Yes, it's been since 1993, but I think I can do it. The music for this shindig is a little...eclectic at best. Hope I can mix it well enough.

5. I've been kind of depressed. Mostly, because my family wasn't all together. Well, that excuse isn't going to hold water because I picked him up Saturday. A little early, maybe, but I think he missed me.

4. My schizophrenic sewing habits have gotten in the way, too. Okay, I'm most definitely a quilter. But, I've been exploring making my own clothes. Am I doing it to avoid quilting, or just simply need something to wear. Hey, I made pleats for the first time in my life this past weekend! Was I stoked! But I keep wasting time, going back and forth.

3. Exhaustion. Enough said there. I leave the house to go Nanny for Jo-Jo and Idgy at 8:00 am. Sometimes Pickle comes along. Most of the time the Diva shows up. It can be anywhere from 2 to 4 kids in a hurry. I leave around 4:30 or so, but then there's supper to make, or I collapse in a chair, or take out Fiona. See what I mean?

2. So many of my blogger friends have left. This really bothers me. I go to read their blog and read, "Blog not found". Then I worry. Say what you want, bloggers are a tight bunch. We pour our hearts out to readers, and we get into their lives via the Internet. I miss them when they leave. See reason 8.

But probably the biggest reason I haven't been a good blogger:

1. FACEBOOK! How addicting is it to find old college and high school friends and give them a synopsis of what we have been doing for the last 20 year? Or maybe one of those stupid quizzes that we can't seem to stop doing. While I enjoy FACEBOOK, I really love the blogging community more.

And now a message from our sponsors.....

I am sure you are tired of reading the saga of Hollywood, how betrayed I feel... boo-hoo....I know I'm tired of it. So, I decided to switch gears and focus on positives going on. One such positive is an invention called a DVR. When it first came out, I didn't just hop on the band wagon. One, because of the expense, and two: I just don't go with the trends initially. The cost at the time was $100, shipping cost, and a renewed contract with Dish Network. I'm so cheap, I just couldn't see paying it. But Hunnybunny never gave up his dream. And finally, the price was right: free with a two year contract. We had our old receiver for 5 years upon moving here. So, the contract thing wasn't an issue.

In fact, two years ago, the receiver was struck by lighting, so it was as slow as Christmas. It's nice to push a button and actually GO to the station.
Now, I can download all the sappy, estrogen-laden, girly movies I want to and then play them back while working in my.....sewing room! I took all that pain and ick about Hollywood leaving and totally took his room over with all my quilting stuff. It's grand, I can spread out, watch TV, and sew right next to a window! He may come back, and I can put it all back on my side of the bedroom, but for now, I get to see how the other half lives...having a sewing room. I am currently working on this pattern and yes, I know it's a little much, but I wanted a project that made me learn some new stuff. Know what I mean?

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

That smile you see is a smile of happiness. He's going to his first dance and Mom let him get his 80's tie. I watched the kids file out of the gym after the dance, and they were all wearing similar things.
Cyndi Lauper's 80's style has come back, but I'm not real sure why. That's what I saw all the young ladies wearing.






Here he is in his true element: playing the guitar. And not to brag, he's really good! He does practice allot and on this particular day was quite the front man. Interestingly enough, it wasn't his band. But he had a blast.

Doggie Update and Movie Review

Here's our doggie, Fiona, playing with the Pickle. She got pretty big since Valentine's Day, didn't she? She's already up to 32 pounds and is about to be 5 months old. The Pickle is having a time catching her, as you can see.




Fiona has this cool marking on her chest. It looks like an outline of an Aztec cartoon or something. In fact, there are two "eye" dots on her fur that I accused Hollywood of putting on with a Sharpie!






Yes, I know. She's gonna be big. But she had to grow into those huge paws.



We decided to rent Marley and Me,
mostly because it was about a crazy Labrador. Or so I thought. It is actually the progression of a family who grows up with the dog. Now, there are allot of funny scenes! The book by John Grogan tells the tale of how the "worst dog in the world" got inside the hearts of a family. John Grogan is a reporter turned columnist and Marley helps him along with content for the paper. Of course, the dog has to get old and die. And, as usual, I cried at the end. Why, I'm not really sure, but it might have to do with Fiona being so young, and we're starting the same journey with a crazy dog. See it with your kids, but keep the tissues handy.

Spring Break: By the numbers

I had this great idea for Spring Break this year. "Let's save money and go camping!" Don't ever let anyone tell you how "cheap" it would be to go camping. They are totally misinformed. We went to Cumberland Falls State Park. The concept was grand: we would camp, save money, and enjoy family time together. Uh, yeah...that's in that perfect world where I'm still not a resident. We got to the site, (that we reserved online months ago) and there was no grass. Pure rocks, pebbles, and mud. Sigh...then there was the setting up of the tent. It went fairly flawless. The Pickle went wild with all the trees and mud to get into. The skies were cloudy with the forecast, of course, for rain. Picture a listless teenager with no electronics, whining because he couldn't take his flatiron. Don't ask.
Here is a list of our expenses on this so-called, "cheap" trip:
1. Large tent, bought on sale at a sporting goods shop, $130.00.
2. Sleeping bag, bought for me after the first night of sharing with my Hunnybunny. Sharing being figurative. $15.00.
3. Camp grill with cylinders- $26.00.
4. Fleece liner for top of inflatable bed, $10.00. (Temps dropped into the 30's at night!)

5. Camping reservation for 5 days-$69.00
6. Camping cookware- $30.oo.
7. Groceries, tolietries, paper products, etc. -$100.00
8. Boarding for Fiona, (Probably the best money I spent!) $80.00.
9. House sitting-$50.00









10. Tickets to the Louisville Zoo after we came back early from camping-$45.00
11. Eating at the Zoo-$26.00(There's The Pickle tormenting a peacock!)
12. Doctor's visit for the Pickle after we found ticks on him and one broke off in his skin! --undetermined yet.
Total as best I can figure it: $581!

Surprise, Valentine!

I haven't figured out if I'm a softie, or just plain insane. You be my jury:
Hunnybunny and I had been watching the dog show on the USA network last week when I finally said the words,
"If you were going to have a dog, what breed would you pick?"
"Retriever, like a Labrador or a Golden Retriever. They're really good with kids."

I offhandedly told this to my buddy, Jane, (who has the most wonderful Golden Retriever). The woman has the most incredible memory of anyone I've ever met. She and her son were at the store when she heard that someone had a 10-week-old, black Labrador retriever pup that they wanted to give to a good home. And she, of course, thought of me.

My first thought: "Oh, no. Now I have to back this up. I told him we could get a dog."
So, Jane, and her family went with me to meet this family that had this puppy. It was a small, two room house, and the owners knew this arrangement wasn't going to work out logistically. The dog wouldn't have room, they didn't have a back yard, and a new baby was coming on the scene. With two cats already in the house, I was wondering what exactly they were thinking!
I watched the little 7 year old girl as she held on to that big puppy. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying. This was the last thing she wanted to do. Thankfully, Hollywood, The Pickle and The Diva had come along. So maybe seeing I had kids made it a little better for her. The family had named her "B.B.". That stood for "Butterball". And she definitely had roly-poly tummy.
"I will at least leave her middle name B.B. Is that okay?" And she shook her sad little head.
The ride from their house to mine was somewhat comical as this puppy had obviously never been in a moving car before. She managed to pry away from Hollywood and get herself in the back window.
Hunnybunny was coming in from Indy from his usual monthly business trip and Jane's family waited with us to surprise him. I wasn't sure he'd love her immediately. But he did, as you can see from these photos. That's what made it worthwhile....that sweet look on his face. Here was something, besides his family, that he's always dreamed of having.
Oh, you know what happens next, right? Carpet cleaner, walking her, and apparently I'm her new chew toy. She has been sleeping with Hollywood, and he just loves her to death.
And no, we didn't leave her first name as "B.B.". After exhausting the laundry list of acceptable names, Hunnybunny settled on yet another Irish name: Fiona.
Named after that beautiful brunette on Burn Notice. We call her "Fi" for short. And she seems to like it, and us.

Working on the Stars on Alabama Quilt...Still

With all the snow and ice, I've actually had time to work on Grandma Hunnybunny's quilt. All that's left is quilting the borders and binding it. The tension just wasn't right every time I tried to do a sample. I played around with it yesterday and managed to get it perfect, (after a few mishaps and some ripping was involved) so I may be ready to bind it this weekend. Then there's the label to think about. Last time, I wimped out, and had my friend, Debra,do a beautiful label for the Boyscout quilt. I may try to do one, or just get her to help me out again. She did such a beautiful job! By the way, she's working on a special project, the Homeless Teen Project for Willis Independent School District in TX. She's taken it upon herself to provide a twin sized quilt for each teen. If you would like to contribute to the Project, she will gladly pay postage for the supplies or swap embroidery. Just put a note in your box. Email her at debraspincic@yahoo.com. As quilters, we should get behind this very gracious lady and send her some donations of
* Miscellaneous Blocks or Quilt UFOs
* Thread
* Backings like Sheets, Shower curtains, Curtains, Tshirt Knits, Wool blends
* Batting (or Pieces), Bedspread, Wool Pieces, Fleece
* Any Sturdy Fabrics
Debra has a heart as big as the state she's from, and she organized projects where we got Quilts of Valor into soldiers' hands, and quilts for a children's home.
This picture is for laughs. My crazy boys, Hollywood, Dyl Pickle, and the Legal Adult. The Legal Adult and roommate were guests at our house while awaiting their power to be restored. It's always good to see him, and since he's grown up, even more so.

Don't hate me because I met Jim Caviezel

I mean, just because YOU didn't get to meet him...hey, I'm just going on with you. I had the priveledge of meeting this nice gentleman last night as he spoke at my church, believe it or not. He spoke about stepping up and being a man. His career got off the fast track when he did the role of Jesus in Passion of The Christ.

This is Jim in Deja Vu.















As our Lord Jesus in Passion of The Christ. Hollywood pretty much blackballed him from top roles. I read where he was passed up by Bryan Singer for Cyclopes in X-Men after he played Jesus. Make no mistake, he is a true believer and stands for Christ.








And as the Count of Monte Cristo. I have always thought he was great, but after I looked into his eyes and shook his hand, I have a new perspective. By the way, his eyes? They're green, not brown. And I thanked him for doing Passion and told him I loved him in Count of Monte Cristo. Okay, so I got a little star-struck. But he's the first reknown actor I've ever met.
His latest project is a voicing gig on The Word of Promise.