More than just a little hacked......a quilting rant.

A friend and I went to a "Hand Quilting" class hosted by our local library. I'm always up for learning a new technique, getting new ideas, all that comes from associating with quilters. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. The entire 'class' was a "show and tell" of all the quilts she'd ever done. While I enjoy that, that wasn't why I came. Another thing was that she didn't know the terms. I'm serious, she had no idea what "traveling" meant in the hand quilting world! Also, she said she could only do one stitch at a time and encouraged us to do the same. While she brought "supplies" for us to use, the fabric we did our practice on was so chincey ....OOh....it just aggravated me! I can see not using your $9 fabric on a class, but not use the $1 fabric from Wally World!.

It wasn't just that. She wasn't very passionate about quilting. Sticking to cheater quilts and presewn panels doesn't constitute quilting to me. I think what bothered me most was the way she dealt with the beginners. She had no encouraging words for them, such as, "Hey, that's coming right along." or, if it's not good, (such as my case) "Don't give up. You'll get there!" would've been cool to say. She wasn't up on any of the new techniques,either. I'm just saying, it was a waste of both of our times. I've always felt like the teacher had to be as excited as the student. Well, that didn't happen, either.

The tell-tale sign that the class was unsuccessful? Everybody left before it was over.

Something quilty this way comes....WIP from the past

You all remember my Quilt of Valor that the Quilt Studio web ring took as a project? My part was the piecing, and I did have my issues with it.
The next step was quilting it, and it was done by the wonderful Deb at Contemporary Traditions. Didn't she do an awesome job?! She was kind enough to let me use her pictures. What's funny is her camera actually made the quilt look correct...color wise. My camera made it look like a cream color. I guess I need that Ott-Light after all!

I don't know about you, but I really love these feathers. Man, did she make it sharp!

Also, she gave us a tutorial
featuring this quilt. I'm still pretty apprehensive when it comes to borders, and she was nice enough to break it down for us.

So, go to her website and give her some love!

WIP Wednesday....on Thursday.

Don't get too excited....two posts in one day, that's not like me at all. But for those of you who thought I wasn't quilting, here you go. The binding is being sewn on. I've actually worked on some Boy Scout neckerchiefs this month, but that doesn't constitute quilting.
I'm determined to get this to the recipient by the end of the month or die trying. Of course, I've said that before in the course of two years trying to finish it. Glad he's a friend of mine.
Maybe it will turn out after all.



My first edge that even remotely looks straight. But don't ask how many times I'm ripped it out and started again. I know, I know, ripping is bad, that's why I use a scapel.

Since it's Valentine's.....

here's some love for Grandma Hunnybunny from your favorite little man!


This is kind of a new face....


This is making valentine cards with the Amazing Jo-Jo.




And what Dyl Pickle post would be complete without the appearance of Spiderman? Pickle is wearing The Rock Star's ("Bubbie's") shirt.

An unexpected day off...sort of

Too much ice and snow to keep kids today, so I have a day off....well, sort of. I have to keep my own, and one other. But that's because her folks work in TV and stations don't close.

Here are some pictures that I took on my recent trip to the roller rink with the Rock Star and Pickle. I did TRY to skate, but was so afraid of falling, I took them off. Thankfully, they allow parents to WALK beside the learners.


Here's The Pickle with his skates. After a couple of hours, Mommy wasn't holding his hand, and he was doing great! His BFF, "Skywalker", met him at the rink.










Sorry the pictures are so blurry. But he was skating fast and it is a digital camera. It reminded me of his dad when we were dating....always showing off.












He looks as if to say..."Uh, Mom...I sorta spilled my drink."
















It's nice to have a friend to have fun with!

Across the Universe

No, we didn't watch the Grammy's, but we watched Across the Universe. And to say it was...trippy..was understated. The music was covered well. How can you go wrong with Joe Cocker or Bono from U2? Bono certainly doesn't sound like an "Irish rock star", as he puts it in the blooper reel. But like a New Yorker. Joe Cocker actually had three roles in "Come Together" and I had to ask Hunnybunny if that was him. He looked old when he was young. But he still has the pipes.
The story had more to do with the Vietnam War and it's impact. But they tried to cover too many story lines. They covered Martin Luther King's assignation, too. And while that was important for the time period, they just had too many loose ends to tie up.





I think they were trying to actually tell a story. While the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts club band was definitely fantasy. The Rock Star asked for this for Christmas last year, and I think I've watched it a lot more than he has! I was around 11 when it was in the theatre, and a huge Bee Gee fan. Peter Frampton, who was just a kid back then, had gone triple platiunm with Frampton Comes Alive!. They did a great job covering the songs, but the story was just too out there. It was great eye candy for the rest of us, though.
The bottom line: if you don't mind the abstract, you'll enjoy it. Visually, it's a beautiful flick. But if you're looking for story content, don't bother.







I guess the boys from Liverpool will never be topped but their music will most likely outlive us all. Currently, The Legal Adult has been sporting a John Lennon look and he's so pleased when someone notices. Of course, the people that notice actually were at Woodstock. He constantly asks me, "What was it like for you to grow up listening to that music?" First of all, I was just a little tyke. I was the only 4 year old who could sing all the words to Strawberry Fields. It didn't impact my life. It was my brother (who was 10 years older) who owned the albums and the posters.
Do you think if John had lived he'd have piercings? I'm just sayin'....

If Rome wasn't built in a day.....

...how about the Parthenon? This was The Rock Star's social studies project on Greece. My idea was that he could do a newscast from ancient Greece, highlighting the top stories of the day. But, he didn't want to. This project was put together the night of the Superbowl. Between commentators and Tom Petty, you could hear hammers in my kitchen. I had offered to help, but they (Hunnybunny and R.S.) claimed they were "fine". You might notice the roof is red as R.S. wanted it to be, and Hunnybunny said it had to be "terracotta". Whatever.....you'd think they were picky old women haggling about the color to paint the house!
I tried to help them figure out how to put it together, but of course, they didn't need a woman's help. They found out the hard way that someone who puts quilt blocks together might know a little about construction. Live and learn, I guess.
The columns are dowels that were cut in half and nailed to a fancy board. Materials cost around $25 bucks! That just hurts..ah, well. The price of an education.
The other part of the report was a presentation. He kind of botched that. While the project was outstanding, the presentation ....not so much. He got a "B". But, on the upside, his project was put into the school trophy case. I'll be taking a picture to bore you with later.

Getting my ducks in a row

This January has been interesting. Instead of doing the annual resolution route, I have had a new approach. And I didn't even read about it online! I decided to really search inwardly to figure out and do what was important to me. Even though I didn't use a standard, "Hey, buy my program online! It will change your life!" idea, I still feel like I have needed to make some serious changes....for nobody else but me. So, I've been looking at my spiritual, physical, financial, and social life. In doing so, I'm amazed at the clutter I've had around me for so long. My mother was an infamous pack rat when it came to saving bills, papers, etc. I'm guessing that's where it started for me. Last weekend, Hunnybunny and I spent 3 hours cleaning out our file cabinet! It's no wonder we couldn't ever find any paperwork...I still had my tax return from 1984! I felt like we weren't going to have anything in the cabinet afterwards, but it slowly began to fill up with CURRENT paperwork. We even started our tax returns this week, which is way ahead of the game for us.
As far as the physical goes, I've been going to the gym a couple of days a week. Also, I have to ask: any of you watch Gillian McKeith on BBC America's "You Are What You Eat"? Well, if you get the chance, she's worth watching. She's a holistic nutritionist who makes people look at their diet and wonder why the heck they're feeling so poorly. (Just a caveat: she's really into what people's bowels emit, so if you have a weak stomach, don't watch.)
The next thing of any consequence for me is spiritual. I miss doing a bible study. Hunnybunny and I worked at a ministry long ago and we were in an in dept bible study all the time. It's time I found another one.
Socially? Well, that might be the hardest. I have little kids to take care of as part of my job and my day doesn't end until late. But I need to get out of the house and hang out with the girls. I feel like I'm swimming in testosterone most of the time.
I also need to make time to quilt. In the evening would be the most opportune time, but I make too many excuses like, "I'm tired", or, "I just don't feel like it." Actually, it's kind of like getting up for the day. Once you get up, you're fine. Well, once I get working on stuff, I'm fine, too.
Anyway, that's what I've been up to.

I guess I'm in love again....another movie review

What is it with me and younger men? When I was younger, I wanted an older man, and now, everything is opposite. My buddy, Jane, and I went to see the chick-flick, 27 Dresses last weekend to a packed house. You might recognize this young man from Superman Returns, X-Men , and recently, Enchanted(which I haven't seen). His name is James Marsden, and what a sweet smile he has!

The story is about a lady named Jane who had been in 27 weddings. She dreamed of the day that it would be her wedding. James Marsden's character, Malcolm (or Kevin as he preferred to be called) was a writer who covered the wedding circuits and ran into Jane at one of the stories he was covering. I won't give away too many details, but the twist is she's in love with her boss, and he's in love with her little sister. Little sister is in love with herself. I'm normally not a chick-flick person as I have to wait until it comes out on dvd to see it. Hunnybunny always says, "Oh, yeah, I'll take you to see that." But usually, if it's an action, war, stupid male humor, or sci-fi, then we just have to see it. So one of my resolutions this year is not to wait around on him. If I want to see it, I'll just call Jane, or Ally, or somebody else.

Heath Ledger is dead.

No, I'm not kidding. I feel like someone just kicked me in the gut. I really thought someone was pulling my leg, that this was a very elaborate joke, but all sources confirm that Heath Ledger, of A Knight's Tale, The Patriot, Monster's Ball, Casanova, and most recently, The Dark Knight, died today. Here's the link from the New York Times. Rest in peace, Heath.

Yet another New Year's

Okay, so I'm a little late with the New Year's subject. Everyone else has most likely posted their resolutions. And I'll most likely get to that. But I thought it prudent to go back over 2007 and find the good, and the bad
It's easy to start with the good:

1. Actually finished two quilt tops for charity.

2. Finished a quilt top for The Quilt of Valor Foundation.

3. Bought a Singer 201 at Goodwill for $9.75!

4. Bought a Singer 15-91 at the same Goodwill a week later for $25.75.

5. Bought a Singer 99K on eBay for $30.

6. The Rock Star got his Tenderfoot in Boy Scouts.

7. The Dyl Pickle turned 4 as Spiderman.

8. The Hunnybunny family came to visit from North Florida.

9. I have walked 106 miles since last May.

10. The Diva, Geronimo, She-who-must-be-obeyed, and Idgy joined my inhome daycare crew this year.

11. We visited our old stompin' grounds,Chattanooga, Tennessee.

12. And we celebrated our fifth aniversary.

13. I did teach someone to quilt this summer.

The bad:

1. The Legal Adult moved away, moved closer to his dad, then moved back to Kentucky.

2. Got a nasty heel spur which curtailed my workouts at the gym.

3. My husband's '93 Honda blew up, but I did get a new 2007 Kia Optima.

4. Laurel Burch passed away.

5. I accidently deleted my old blog.

6. Played a year long game of "Come here, no, go away" with the Legal Adult. He's back in Kentucky and apparently I'm at the top of his "Do Not Call" list. Hey, join the club. We've got T-shirts.

7. Inadequately dealt with middle school drama from the Rock Star.

And I think that's all ....now I feel cleansed having dumped the year on all of you. Thanks for your patience!

Boy, do I feel sheepish.....

to tell you that the "game" did not have it's intended effect. The game meaning what we did to The Rock Star at Christmas.(See previous post.) I was all for drawing it all out...but Hunnybunny didn't make him wait at all hardly.

The presents were opened, and all he (The Rock Star) asked was, "Is this all of them?" I let the question slide. Hunnybunny did, too. And then, a little later, he asked again. Hunnybunny told him to check the closet and the rest, they say, is history. I'll give him this much, he should have won the Oscar for acting surprised when he opened it. I did ask him straight out if he peeked. He said 'no', but the top of his ear turned pink. That's his indicator that he's not telling the truth. But I'll be alot more careful next year.

And to answer a reader who raised a valid question, no, he doesn't even know where to find my blog. Hunnybunny does, however, so I can tell you now what I got him. The picture to the left is the Serenity movie poster, but these characters are from the Firefly series that was short-lived on FOX. It's shown every now and again on The Sci-Fi channel, but I wanted to get the whole Firefly series for him for Christmas. It's sort of a sci-fi western, but it's really good. We've stayed up the last three nights watching until 1:00 AM. Nothing keeps me awake that long, so you know it's good.

As for me, I had a good Christmas, but did miss the Legal Adult alot. Guess it's time to let you all know he left Arizona. The former girlfriend was just that, FORMER, and she didn't bother to tell him before that she had a current boyfriend. So, his dad flew him to his place outside of Nashville. I'm just glad he's with family.

Here's hoping you all had a blessed Christmas!

Spy vs. Spy.....The Christmas Edition

Now, you all remember our friends here from Mad Magazine? I must have spent hours reading it in junior high. Apparently, I have my own scenario going on at my house. My wonderful, completely trust-worthy 12 year old presented his dad and I with a Christmas list. That's not really surprising, is it? The surprising part was that it was only a couple of days ago. Kinda suspicious...most kids get you that info long before the 14th of December. And included on this list of things he wanted were things he DIDN'T want. Things that were already purchased and in hiding at my house. The number one item was, of course, Guitar Hero III, which I was smart enough to get at the onset of the month. Incredibly, he said that was his number 2 item. His number 1 was something we hadn't purchased, (and have no intentions of doing so) The Sims 2. Now, he has gone on and on about Guitar Hero III being the main big present that he gets for Christmas. Why would our sweet, adorable, completely without sneakiness, 12 year old change his mind? Because he probably has been snooping around while we've been out of the house.

I say, let's play the game. My goal is to get him to tell on himself. Said Guitar Hero III has been put away and will not be found immediately under the tree. Let's see if he owns up. We'll do the whole A Christmas Story thing, and not bring it out until later.

I know, I know...cruel and unusual punishment.

The apocalypse is coming.....

because I said it would have to for me to incur another car payment. Yep, I have a new car. And not just a "new to me" car. A real, new car. Why no exclamation marks? Well, I'm still getting used to the idea. Let me spin the yarn of how it all went down.

Hunnybunny calls me at midnight this past Tuesday. He was coming home from rehearsals for the Christmas program at church.
"Hey, my Honda is making a weird noise." How anyone can be this awake at this hour is beyond me.

"It's 14 years old, of course it's making a weird noise." I chirp back, (secretly thinking, "You called me to tell at this hour?!")

"No, this is a WEIRD noise. Like a top spinning out of control. It started earlier today during lunch, went away, now it's back."

"Well, we'll check it out." By this time, I'm awake now.

I heard him pull in, but the engine was still going. "That's just like him," I thought, "checking it out NOW!"
Then he comes in, "Well, I have bad news. Or good news, if you want to think of it that way."

"Yes?"

"The engine just quit, along with a puff of smoke and all the coolant just came out."

I'm thinking, "So, we'll just get it fixed."

"That means we just blew a head gasket."

"Oh."

Now, I'm a little up on engines. I know how to change the oil, the tire, put anti-freeze in it. Heck, I could change the spark plugs years ago. But someone told me a blown head gasket is probably a new engine. So, here it is, Christmas, a down car, the other very old and both of us with obligations that require us to drive in different directions. Believe it or not, I didn't worry about it. I normally would, but somehow, the peace of God came over me and I knew we would be fine.

The next day, Hunnybunny talks to his boss, who has connections, and in one afternoon, we have this:(This is a pic off the Internet. It's been too cold to take a pic outside.
It's a 2007 Kia Optima LX. Folks, the last time I had a car payment was 1992. It was a Chevy Cavalier station wagon. And it was used. I still have "Baby", my 1987 Honda Accord. And I've had her since 1997 with 108K original miles. She just turned over 200K.
Anyway, I've always been thankful for her. And it's amazing she's still around.
I'll get more excited about having a new car when I realize I'm not going to be waking up and finding it's all been a dream.
I'll post some pictures once the freezing rain stops.

Progress on the hobo bag and a Legal Adult update

First and foremost, I'd like to thank you all for your kind thoughts and wishes about The Legal Adult. Your words and prayers have meant much. The Pickle and Rockstar accompanied me to the airport to drop big brother off. I haven't flown since before 9/11, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. We weren't allowed to wait in the terminal with him. That really reeked because we hadn't said our goodbyes. Imagine saying goodbye in front of the security guards and a bunch of people waiting in line behind you...it wasn't the way I wanted to say goodbye. But we did see him through security and I gave him the sign language sign for I love you. He did the same, held it to his heart, and reached out in my direction. I was absolutely FINE until he did that. The next thing I know, the tears finally showed up. Oh, I wasn't sad for him, I was feeling wretched for me. I've done this with him before but this time, I knew it would be awhile before I saw him again. He called me when he landed, and he's doing well. Anyway, thanks again for your support!

I want to show you what I did with my thanksgiving break. It was my first time trying to bead anything, so I read up on it online.




I bought most of the beads from Michael's.



I used fishing line to attach the beads. It's not like from the tackle shop, just check the beading area of your Michael's or Hobby Lobby.







The best thing I found was a needle with a collapsible eye. Really saves your sanity.

Is it true that long-distance relationships can work out?

Because I'm about to find out. My 22 year old baby is moving to Arizona.Sorry I've not been a good blogger since we've come back from vacation. We ended up going from Kentucky, to Nashville, down to Tallahassee, across the state to Jacksonville, and then up to Nashville, and finally back to Kentucky. Total mileage on this trip was 1808 miles!

In between recuping from the trip, I've heard from the Legal Adult. He's leaving. He went to Phoenix about 4 years ago and now he's going back. It's just hard to let them go sometimes. I'm driving him to the Louisville Airport tomorrow, and he connects in Philly. Then, straight through to Phoenix.

I know it's time. He kinda followed me up here from Tennessee and always loved it out west. Think of me tomorrow....I'll most likely be sad.

Just a little of this and that

Well, to appease the mother-in-law in my life, Here are a few kiddo shots from her favorite little man:
He played so hard that day with the Diva that they just gave out!
This is a self-portrait...stole Mommy's camera and took a bunch of "interesting" pictures.

What can I say about this one? He looks so perfect...and thankfully, peaceful!

We are headed for the panhandle for the first time since.....well, I deleted the old blog, so I can't remember. But, it's been over a year. We're driving outside of Nashville first, spend the night and drop off the Rock Star to see his daddy-o for the holiday. Then, we'll head toward Tallahassee from there. It's a lot easier breaking up the trip.In sewing and quilting news, I think my obsession has driven my Hunnybunny nuts. With two kids, (and at times during the school year, 7 kids, and only 1100 square feet, some of my stuff is getting to be, well, messy. With that in mind, I made a crucial decision: one of my machines had to go. I have 4 and can't possibly use them the way someone with only one could. So, I'm parting with the first of my collection: my Singer 201. This was the one I found at Goodwill that started it all. I bought a power cord for it and a cheap cabinet to house it in. I think my friend, Lake, could use a little sunshine that only a sewing machine can give. She has an old Kenmore, but really wanted one of these old Singer's. I still have my 15-91, and 99K. The only thing I'm really going to miss about this machine is that huge space between the needle and base. Lots of room for rolling up your quilt there.

She's a dear friend, and we worked on that very LOUD quilt, "Proud Mama", that you see here.

I'm sort of in a sewing "slump". It's not that I don't have anything to work on, it's simply that I don't find myself motivated to finish anything. Ever get like that?

So,I submit to you my new project: a hobo bag!

Remember that cool Jacobean Rhapsody fabric I bought at Paducah over a year ago? Well, this is it. I was pretty nervous cutting it.
You have to click on this and really blow it up, but I'm trying to embellish it before I sew it together. So, now you can see why I'm trying to give Hunnybunny less to complain about. The beading stuff will certainly drive him the rest of the way nuts!

And last, but certainly not least, my buddy Jane Ann, over at The Jettstream, inspired me to create a cutting table out of a former micro-wave table!I noticed this old, rickety micro-wave table in the garage of one of the kids I keep so I asked what they wanted for it. 0! Gotta love 'em!
A few dry board wood screws later....TA-DA! It's sturdy! Thanks for the inspiration, Jane Ann! Go and visit...she's chalked full of great ideas!

Getting Tagged by Quilt Mommy Quilts

What a nice lady Valerie is over at Quilt Mommy Quilts! She tagged me for a meme...so here you go, Valerie!
1. When did you start to create and make crafts? Okay, don't laugh, but I actually didn't start until I moved away from Tennessee. Not having friends, family or a life will do that to you. I had been trying to learn quilting from my friend Martha before I left..like for 10 years! But never got adventurous enough to purchase my own machine. Simply Quilts changed all that as I watched it everyday and here was Jinny Beyer, hand piecing! So to truly answer that question, 2004.
2. Why did you start creating? I had seen what others could do and wanted to be in their club, so to speak. I've always loved fabric, it was just time to do something with it.
3. Why do you create? It's who I am, I think. My sons are artistic, but that's from their dad. I kind of paint with fabric.

4. What do you create? Mostly lap quilts.

5. Has this changed since you began crafting? Yeah, the whole artistic quilt thing has really changed.

I'm thinking a 12 step group might help with my current obsession.

Maybe a group like, "Antique Sewing Machine Collectors Anonymous. First step: We admitted we were powerless over buying antique sewing machines, that our lives had become unmanageable.

This is a 1956 Singer 99K. It was made in the Singer factory in Scotland. So, I guess between the other machines, my Singer 15-91 is from Canada, my (new)Pfaff Hobby (I think they are discontinued now) was made in Germany, and my Singer 201, (made in the good ole US of A), you could say I'm an international quilter. Nah....I'm just a sucker for beautiful, old machines. You should have seen Hunnybunny's face when the postman rang the bell with this huge package. This is my answer to getting a portable machine.!

I was really too cheap to get the 221 Featherweight. They start at about $250. See, I won this on Ebay. I was one of two bidders. Guess what the winning bid was? $30
It came complete with case.

I don't ever think I've been this tired....

have you?? Poor baby, too tired to finish his icecream. He had quite a day!