It's been a long time

For some reason I fell out of the habit of blogging. A trip to San Diego and a sick new grandchild (she has to have surgery which, for a baby, is always major, but she should be OK). Working on Christmas gifts and generally being lazy mostly. I've been sewing but haven't got the photos on this computer (I'm at work and don't have any work to do right now).


So, Talya has a problem in her urinary tract, that will apparently require surgery. So far, two pretty bad infections, different bacteria, so they think surgery will be required to repair whatever is wrong. Talya was hospitalized for several days with the first one, and at the ER for most of the night for the second. I was lucky that she was on the antibiotics and fairly well during my visit over Thanksgiving. And man, did I ever fall in love with her!


Meghan has to return to work soon, so I'm not sure how that will work out, but hopefully they'll manage. I've told her I'll come back out to help if she needs me.


Mom's finally going to get hearing aids. My sister and I are pretty stoked about that -- it's gotten pretty old having to repeat ourselves. Mom says it's only my sister and I that she can't hear, which is possible since our voices are very similar and the impairment seems to be frequency impairment and not total hearing loss. So perhaps it is the frequency of our voices. But that must hold true for a LOT of voices, because her TV is so loud you can barely stand it.


As many of you know, I have my wonderful Yorkie, Trixye. But Trixye is illegal -- yup, no 4 legged animals permitted where I live in a 55+ condo (villa really) community. However, we just got notification that, along with 10 other amendments to the condo docs, there is a vote coming up to allow 4 legged pets. That will be wonderful for Trixye and I (if it passes). Those of you who have met Trixye know how I can have her and not be discovered -- she doesn't bark and she's piddle pad trained. We go to the dog park as often as possible, and she's happy as she can be (if a little fat). Compared to the crate she lived in for the first 5 years of her life (which probably explains why she doesn't bark), the last year and a half has been a lot of freedom for her. But it'll be better for both of us if that amendment passes and she's legal! And yes, I'll have her out for a walk the day that she's legal, and I'll simply say (if asked) that my sister was keeping her. Which my sister HAS kept her, so it's only sort of a lie. OK, it's a BIG lie, but . . . well . . . sometimes a white lie is necessary. OK, so it's wrong, but still...


I hope all of you have wonderful holidays. My sister and brother in law will be here, and we'll have dinner at their place in Clearwater near our Mom's place. I will be staying at a friend's house -- Carol kept Trixye for me while I went to San Diego, so I'll go to her house and take care of her dog and 2 cats (and Trixye) while she goes to Ohio. It's a win/win for both of us.


Diane and I have a quilt retreat coming up in February that we are very excited about. It's only in Sarasota, but it's my first one, so it's a big deal to me. I hope to do one or two more next year. I continue to take classes (I have a wallet class on Saturday) and Diane is coming to sew on Sunday. We both bought 5 yard fabric kits when we were in Jacksonville, and I've been making up my blocks. I'm hoping to get them finished so that Diane can help me lay them out. I just am not happy with what's up on my design wall. The blocks sew together quickly, so I should be able to have them all done, or nearly all done, by the time she gets there Sunday. But in the meantime -- that house has to be cleaned! Which includes getting the Christmas gifts wrapped, some to Meghan's family boxed up and mailed, and the rest out of the way so there's some room again! Right now my dining room table is covered with wrapping, gifts, etc. I hope to clean that up tonight. Although I'm back in the sewing mood . . . . nope, need to do that first!


Hope everyone is well and doing good. Have a great day (or week, if I don't get around to posting again any time soon!).


Billye

New purse

I had a great weekend! Friday night out dancing with some wonderful new friends -- so nice not to have all that pressure like the meat market, and yet be able to dance. All the guys are married, and there with their wives, and yet they dance with everyone. Plus line dancing, so I got my fill!

On Saturday I taught my friend, Lynn, how to begin piecing a novelty quilt for her daughter, Jessica. I've known Lynn since our girls were young teenagers (they are 3 weeks apart). Several weeks ago she asked me to make her a quilt for Jessica. I know all you quilters know how much time, money and effort goes into even the simplest quilt, and since she needs a hobby, I thought it would be best to teach her. Shortly after that call (or email) we went shopping and got the fabric, backing, batting and thread and went to my house and cut the "kit." Well, mostly I cut the kit because she has arthritis and her hands hurt her. But on Saturday she did the sewing and pressing, and did a great job! Slowly, but steadily. I hope she learns to like it -- it would be fun to have a quilty friend nearby as well. I got a quilt kit cut out while she sewed, so it was all good.

On Sunday I went to my friend Diane's house -- and I'm very sure I overstayed my welcome. However, I DID finish this purse. I love it, but thank goodness for Diane -- I had chosen (I thought) all the fabrics, but had missed one crucial step (cut one EACH of A and B -- I missed B somehow). Diane had the PERFECT fabric (the polka dots) and was kind enough to give me some, and to help me with the color choices -- and through some pretty confusing steps. The next one will be easier now that I see how it's done.

I did just get some bad news. Natalya is sick -- probably something wrong with her pyloric valve (the top valve going into the stomach). She's evidently been in pain and Meghan picked up on it, I think, very quickly. She is comfortable when she is propped up, but laying down she's miserable. She's being admitted to the hospital today (about 7 pm my time) and they will sedate her for an ultrasound (which is an improvement over what they thought they'd have to do, which is to put her under with a general anesthesia). Meghan says that unless they find something truly, truly bad, they are very unlikely to do any surgery. She also said that Natalya seems to be feeling a lot better today -- I hope so! Bless her heart -- she's been miserable, and Meghan has gotten little or no sleep for 3 days. She and Nick will be able to stay at the hospital, though, and Nick's folks will take care of Ricky, which is a huge blessing!

These are the times when I really, really want to be there, but it's probably best that I'm not. Meghan is handling this beautifully, and I am incredibly proud of her. I know she must be scared silly, but she's calm and rational and being very strong. I don't think I'm quite so good in a crisis like this, but then I don't think she's looking at this like a crisis, but just as a speed bump. She's such a good Mom.

That's all the news of any great importance in my world, except for stuff about my husband, but I don't write about that here. Suffice to say, he is a mess, and so is his life. I hope he can pull this out, because I can't save him nor can I fix it. An insulin dependent diabetic (with tons of other health issues) with no health insurance and no job is an ugly, ugly thing. The insurance where I work is cost prohibitive -- unless he's working, and if he is, he can get insurance through his work. I guess Medicaid will be his only solution. Too sad, so ugly, what a situation to find yourself in at his age. So although I get a lot of encouragement to get a divorce, I just can't -- not right now -- not until he gets himself straightened out. And, if I must, and only if I must, I'll have to let him live with me, because I cannot in all good conscience let him be on the street. I just can't.

Thursday morning

Another day, another dollar. Well, I hope so anyway! Quiet, quiet, almost too quiet at work today for me -- my bosses are busy but not translating into any work for me, so . . . BORED!!

I didn't get any quilting done last night other than some hand quilting on my Burger King Mystery Quilt -- another one for just me so no big rush on it. I'm doing some fairly complicated patterns on it, and just am not good enough (yet) to FMQ it. It's nice and relaxing, though, for those nights when I just can't get motivated to hit the sewing room or, like last night, when something happens earlier in the evening and I'm just flat out tired. Before my company (husband who of course needed something as usual) I did do some sorting of my crumbs. I think I'm going to trim some of those blocks on point -- they'll still be sewn as squares, but might be more interesting (although I'm finding these crumbs pretty interesting on their own once trimmed up -- and I'm surprised! I went through my stacks and was surprised at how many leaders/enders I've already done and now it'll be a question of adding to those and/or putting some of them together while I'm working on other projects. And I got Mom's purse fabric out to the cutting table (no cutting yet) and some other sorting done. All that is part of the process, right?

I've lost my darn keys. Thank goodness I have another set! I know they must be in the house somewhere since I GOT IN the house last night, but I cannot for the LIFE of me figure out where they are. And yes, I checked with Greg to see if he picked them up accidentally, but no luck. I'm sure I can find them tonight when I'm not in a blind panic about them!

Table Toppers

As the election results roll in -- and I get more and more cheerful!! -- I made these table toppers. I'm surprised I actually finished them both. No word here as to who they are for (on the off chance they should actually read this blog, which is HIGHLY unlikely), but I hope they will like them!

Yes, they are almost identical. They are a pattern from the class (club they call it) that Diane and I are taking in Palm Harbor one Tuesday night per month. It's a nice class and we enjoy it.

Glad that this election will soon be over (at least I've not heard anything about any challenges to any votes -- please God, let there not be any question as to the winner, whoever it is!). I need to go to sleep, but I want to stay up and watch results! But I'll go to bed and find out in the morning. Good night all!

Election Day afternoon

Well, my good friends, no matter the outcome, it is FINALLY over! Whew! Sure has been long and contentious. I just hope that we can now come together again as a nation, and help with the nearly insurmountable problems our country faces. No matter who is in charge, I firmly believe that each of us is going to need to step up and make some sacrifices -- and some of them are not going to be pretty. Whoever wins, they are facing challenges that are unknown in our lifetimes. Well, except for really elderly people who remember the Great Depression. But unless I am mistaken, there were not two wars being fought simultaneously with the Great Depression. That, I think, ads some additional complexity. I've been reading the "pundits" today -- both conservative and liberal. The one thing I didn't really think about until I saw Ron Paul today, is that a totally Democratic Congress and Executive branch has no checks and balances -- and that's not a good thing either. I really wish that Ron Paul had been on my ballot -- he's truly the only one that makes sense in all this nightmare. If you get a chance, and are interested, do some research on the Federal Reserve Bank -- how and why it was created, by whom, and what it's purpose is. Ron Paul was ridiculed and made to look like a fool -- by the very same people that have every reason in the world to make sure that nobody looks too closely behind the curtain. I was appalled at what I learned. Look it up for yourself -- don't (ever) take my word for it -- or anyone else's either. I think that's what has disappointed me, and many others, about this election "season" -- God that's the world's longest SEASON!! -- the lies, the scare tactics used to debase the name and reputation of two men who are, by all accounts, honorable men with the best intentions. And people just kept on sending these horrible emails, without even thinking to check to see if they were true or had any basis whatsoever in reality. I don't agree with the policies of one of our candidates, but I disagree more with the personal attacks that were slung around like so much confetti -- just hoping some of it would stick. And stick it did. So many people are throwing around words that haven't been heard since McCarthyism, and the racial attacks!


I cannot imagine one human being on the planet that could withstand the type of scrutiny we expect our Presidential hopefuls to withstand. My Mom tells about the affairs that Presidents had, well known by even the average person, back "in the day" -- the day when the press respected the private lives of people. The press has no respect for anyone's privacy any longer -- look how they hound the parents of missing children, the families of victims, and of offenders -- anyone they find newsworthy -- and the more tragic, the more outlandish, the more painful, the better. How many lives have been destroyed by publicity -- things that at one time were considered private and not a matter for public consumption by the masses -- including me?


OK, I'm off my rant -- I've kept this blog intentionally non-political, and I just fell off my own self-imposed wagon. Nonetheless, I certainly hope everyone voted, no matter how you voted. When I realize that when my mother was born women in this country DID NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE!!! (can you even imagine??!!), that women suffered, fought, were beaten, imprisioned and died for the right of women to vote, I couldn't imagine not voting. It's simply too important. That's why I voted by mail over 2 weeks ago. And in Florida, you want to be darn sure your vote is ACTUALLY COUNTED. Ok, off that rant too.


I will be sewing away and watching the returns. I doubt we'll know for sure until morning, if even then -- I suspect there will be some shenanigans again this year -- and recounts needed -- unless it is a landslide as most pundits are predicting. I plan to finish a couple of Christmas table runners tonight -- bind one and hopefully at least get the second constructed (and maybe bound). I doubt the intended recipients of these two gifts will be checking my blog, so I will plan to post photos.


Oh, I gave my Mom the ultra suede little fold over purse I made for her. She claimed to love it. As a result, I have gifted the remaining ultra suede to the first person who responded on my Yahoo groups -- once I get her check for postage, it'll be OUT OF MY HOUSE! Yippee!!


God bless everyone, and have a good and safe evening.

Monday afternoon

Quiet day at work -- and I'm sure all of you are tired of photos of my new granddaughter, but since it's my blog and I'm NOT tired of her yet, here are more photos!

I didn't sew a lot this weekend, but I did kit up some stuff and got a couple of Christmas presents in process - one finished (except for binding) and one nearly finished. Christmas table toppers, but I can't post photos or who they are for -- just in case they read this blog (which is doubtful, but possible!). I'm constantly surprised at the emails I get from people who have read this blog that (a) I never expected to or (b) I do not know but have come to be acquainted with as a result.

This is a "twofer" photo -- my gorgeous (usually!!!) grandson and my amazingly beautiful granddaughter. I'm glad she's not older -- he'd be scaring her to death! He scares me!! -- I'm not a big fan of Halloween, and pretty much made Meghan stay in the land of fairies and princesses and the like as a kid, but Meghan and Nick (and Ricky) are into skulls and aliens and vampires and the like -- more power to them -- they seem to still be (relatively) healthy mentally. And to think I worked so hard when she was a kid to protect her from such things! LOL.

Thursday Night

As promised, photo of finished table topper from my class. I plan to make a few more -- it was pretty easy (considering) and I like it quite a bit. That quilt as you go thing is sure handy!

I promise (pretty much) not to bore everyone to death (any more than I already do) with photos of my granddaughter, but this is a photo of my grandson, Ricky, holding his little sister for the very first time. No smile you say? Heck no!! He's terrified he's going to drop her or break her (and I so way understand!).

I think I'll just frog tonight. Not sure what I want to start on next, and so perhaps I'll take a night off!

Back of OBW

This is a super lousy image of the back of my OBW. I used some black on black fabric and "framed" it with the original fabric from my OBW -- I didn't have enough of either to do a full backing, so I improvised! I had plenty of blocks left over, but since this will be quilted on a long arm, my friend Nan, who will be teaching me to do the long arm quilting, said that the back needed as few seams as possible. Obviously those left over OBW blocks will have PLENTY of seams, so this seemed like a better idea. I will probably make a pillow out of the leftover blocks.

I did finish the binding on my table runner. Not sure who it's for, but I plan to make at least 2 more just like it in Christmas fabrics for my bosses. It was late and I was tired when I finished, so photo will go up when I get home tonight.

I also need to get started on some paper pieced numbers and letters for a gift for a family member (can't be more specific here!), as well as my Carol Doak BOM. This year she is doing "scenic" BOMs and I love the first two. I also got my butterfly and pink fabric in the mail last night (I am so addicted to thousands of bolts!!) and want to make myself a quilter's tote from my fabric and my Mom a purse from the pink. I also want to make a quilter's tote (or 2) for a couple of quilty friends, but I haven't picked out fabrics yet. Another plan is to take the fabric that I bought at Quiltfest and make a quilt for my daughter -- it's a bit more toned down. I am still in the process of frogging the Mega Sudoku I made for her -- she said the diaper bag I made her (a Miranda) was too bright for her -- it's the one that USED to be at the top of my blog. Well, if THAT was too bright, Lord save us from the Mega Sudoku. She wanted an 8 foot wide quilt and that seemed like a good idea to me at the time. It's OK, all the blocks are a standard size and will be perfect in other things, and the leftover yardage will be great too.

I hope everyone has a good day. Please say a prayer for the grandson of a friend of mine who is having heart surgery today.

Wednesday Evening

So I just squared up my table runner from class that I put the borders on last night -- the plan is to bind that sucker tonight. I also THINK I figured out the backing for my OBW -- we'll see!

Spent about a half hour last night on the web cam with Meghan and Talya, Ricky and Nick. Talya is a beauty -- black hair about 2-1/2" long and long eyelashes. She's a handful, but my daughter's little family is blissfully happy. It is truly a blessing to witness. I promised Ricky I'd take him to Wild Kingdom (which he prefers over the San Diego Zoo -- go figure), and have him stay a night with me at the motel. He liked that (or at least pretended to).

Nothing else interesting going on -- except I need to get started on some more Christmas presents. I can't post photos of a lot of the things I'm working on because they are Christmas gifts -- well, you know . . . can't ruin the surprise -- even if everybody basically knows what they are getting.

I do hope everyone is doing well. I'm off to the sewing room!

Monday night (late)

Just finished my OBW with borders. And just talked to my grandson, Ricky, who is absolutely thrilled with his little sister! I'll webcam with them all tomorrow -- Meghan and Natalya are out of the hospital and headed home -- her in-laws will drive her in one car and drive her car to Escondido for them. All is well!

Monday afternoon

Is there anything more annoying than a new grandmother? Can't think of much! And doesn't Nick look like he's going to be a fantastic dad?! He's a great dad to Ricky, so I'll bet he is!

Her onsie says "I wasn't born yesterday . . . or was I? I know I'm a little bit biased, but I really do think she's pretty!

Boy is it tough to be all the way across the country from them!

While waiting for her to make her appearance, etc., I got several (I think 4) rows of my OBW sewn together -- I think I even like it! I have redesigned it with Nan's suggestions in mind -- hopefully it will be better than what I'd planned. I hope to finish the top tonight (with borders) and post a photo.

I started frogging Meghan and Nick's Sudoku quilt last night. She says the diaper bag I made is too bright (that's on my opening -- yellow and green with frogs), so if she thinks THAT is bright, well, the Sudoku . . . anyway, they may not get anything quilted at all, since I'd already put many hours into the Sudoku. But I see no reason to waste the fabric. Perhaps someday I'll find a pattern and/or some fabric that I think she'll like.

Hope all is well with everyone else!

Saturday 11:45 am - Photo of Talya

So here's a photo of my new granddaughter, Natalya Ann! (Talya). Nana is already (and has been) madly in love with her! Not a good photo, but sent by cell phone to me by Meghan and then to my computer from my cell phone. More will be forthcoming!

I just did the (supposedly) 3 mile walk for breast cancer. That was sure a long 3 miles. I didn't think I was going to find my team, but I eventually did and we did the walk. It's good to be home though.

As for the OBW, Nan has suggested a corner in the black as well as a diagonal so we can do some cool quilting on it. Heck, I'm game! So I'll redesign this afternoon and hopefully get some rows constructed. Also want to finish my table topper from class Tuesday night -- at least to binding stage.

Found some fabric at thousands of bolts this morning for the pink purse Mom wants. So I ordered it. And it's just not my fault I fell in love with some butterfly fabric for me! I cannot be held responsible for that, despite my claim, just last NIGHT, that I wouldn't need any fabric again for forever! LOL. It's just so addictive!

I'll add photos of the family when they send them to me. Thanks everyone!

Saturday 4:44 am

I am THRILLED to announce the arrival of Miss Natalya Ann Holmes at 11:17 PST weighing in a 7 lbs 6 oz, 19 inches long. Delivered by C-section as she was "brow first" Meghan says. I'm told she is beautiful and has Nick's dark hair. Mother and baby are doing beautifully! It's too late for a photo to be up (hospital usually has one up in an hour after birth), but I will post as soon as I can.

I am also humbled to say she is named for me (partly) -- the Ann is for me. Well, obviously you can't name her Natalya Billye!!!! That would be almost as awful as Billye Ann!

So she still made it (squeaked) for her birthday to be October 24. I want to DO something -- something HUGE -- something more than I've already done -- for her birth. I'm open to ideas! I've made the quilt, sent the bed, sent $$. Made a teddy bear. She has everything for her. I've been racking my brain since this morning and just can't come up with anything appropriate. Perhaps someday I'll give her the OBW quilt that I worked on while I waited for her to decide to join us. Anyway, that quilt is dedicated to her!

Thanks everyone -- I'm going back to bed for an hour or so before I get up for the breast cancer walk. God bless!

Friday night - waiting for Talya and OBW

Meghan is in labor. She was induced at 7 am San Diego time, 10:00 our time. Which means she's been in labor for 12 hours now. About 2 hours ago they broke her water, so hopefully we'll have a baby soon (it's 10:14 as I write this). Little Miss Talya Ann has a mind of her own! Luckily she's had an epidural for almost all of the labor, and she's called me twice.

I took my Mom for her biopsy of her thyroid today. They've assured her that 95% of these biopsies are benign, and I hope they are right. When I got home, I finished folding all my fabrics (thanks again Diane!) and putting it all away. I'd stopped at Joann's and bought a thread rack (my plastic one had fallen and the lid broken). I got to use a 50% off coupon so that's nice.

Mom has asked me for a pink purse. What color, out of ALL my fabric, do I so NOT have? Pink. So I'll need to do some shopping.

In order to keep myself occupied today (and trying not to worry), I finished the blocks and, I think, the design of my OBW. I added 5 black blocks -- I was going to add just one in the middle and then I liked the idea of the 4 corners as well. What do you think? I know it's bright, and I know it's not a traditional OBW, but I kind of like it. I hope to sew the rows together this weekend and hopefully get to Nan's in the next few weeks to quilt it. That will be such fun!

I have the walk for breast cancer in the morning, so I best get some sleep. I was hoping I'd get the call that Talya had been born while I was writing this, but no such luck. I'm sure she's going to show up when she's darn good and ready, and I suspect she'll be that way most if not all of her life! Just like her Mom. And her grandmother. We're all a bit headstrong!

Hope all is well with anyone who is reading this. God bless. I'll post when I have a new grandchild! Or after my breast cancer walk. Or sometime soon!

Thursday Morning

Haven't posted in a couple of days, and don't have any nice photos to add (sorry!). Have had a great couple of days, with a couple of down things.



First, went to quilt club (class) Tuesday night and had a great time -- learned how to make a table runner with Thangles, which was interesting. I don't know what it is, but I cannot seem to get to class with the fabric I end up wanting to use for the class. So I buy some, and then Diane, as always, had the perfect light fabric to go with it and as always was generous to a fault. And I do mean generous! She'd cleaned out her stash of fabric (I thought I needed to add "of fabric" to those of us old timers who think of a "stash" as something else). She'd told me Sunday she was doing it and that she hoped I wanted some fabric. Well, DUH! Of COURSE I want fabric. I expected a few pieces. The box was HEAVY! I swear, there was a TON of fabric -- lots of it in large yardage pieces, several perfect for backings. I mean it was heaven!



So when I got home last night I pulled ALL my fabric, every piece (except scraps -- that's a whole different story that needs some serious work) and sorted into colors and pulled the FQs out and sorted them in a color wave. Then I got the ruler out and started folding. Meghan called in the middle, and I put her on speaker phone and kept folding. I got through all the FQs and all the whites/creams. Which only leaves all the other colors to fold! My dining room table, which is NOT small, is covered in fabric! WHOO HOOO. Soon it will all be folded and divided the way I always wanted it to be. I'm looking forward to getting back to that tonight.



I can't thank Diane enough for her friendship, her teaching, her encouragement and her gift of fabric -- which got me motivated to at least start getting organized. The scraps will have to wait until the first of the year, but I do plan to use Bonnie Hunter's system with that. It'll take a while to get there, but I will!



I didn't get any more of the OBW blocks squared up, but the steam and starch have helped to get them to the right 6-1/2" size. Nan and I will quilt it once I get the top done. Sometime in early November I hope.



Meghan is scheduled to be induced tomorrow at 11:00 California time. The hospital will take and have a photo of the baby up within an hour. Now, I looked at some of those photos of other babies yesterday -- uhhhhh, let's just say maybe they ought to wait a bit? I'm sure Talya will be beautiful, but I probably won't be sharing that picture unless hers is very different from the rest! I'll wait until she's a little less, uh, new. Yeah, new. That's the word I want. New!



So before I could start folding fabric last night, I had to make a run to Saturn (which had closed early due to lack of business AND the Rays World Series game so a wasted trip). It seems that although my credit is fine, the car dealerships are having a really hard time getting the banks to write ANY loans -- I just spoke to the finance guy, they haven't had anybody in the showroom for 2 days, not one person, and 2 bank people came in yesterday and told them not to bother to send any applications to them -- they aren't writing car loans right now. Mine has been accepted by another credit union, but I have to go sign papers again tonight, and it went up another $3 a month because the interest rate went up 1/2 of one percent. PAIN!! I am tempted to pull out of the deal, but still I'm way under the interest rate I was paying on my old car and I have come to really like this car. So I'm going ahead with it, although it might not be the smartest thing I've ever done.

Also, my trip to San Diego is a bit less stressful than it was going to be. I was going to have my husband, Greg, take care of Trixye, but Greg has never owned a pet, much less a dog. He gave her a chocolate chip cookie about a month ago, thinking he was being nice to her -- because he simply doesn't know any better. Luckily for me, Trixye didn't like it and didn't eat it. I was concerned about leaving her with him. I had also checked into the limo to the airport -- what used to be $15 or $20 is now $40!!! One way. Parking in long term parking is $9 a day, so that made more sense to me, but I was uncomfortable with having my new car in the lot for a week. However, my good friend Carol has offered to (1) take care of Trixye for me -- and Trixye has been there and gets along just fine with her two dogs and (2) take me to the airport and pick me up!!! Now how's that for a great friend!? I'll go to her house on Sunday before I leave, spend the night there (which gives Trixye a chance to get acclimated before I leave) and then Carol will drop me off at the airport on her way to work. I may have to hang around the airport a bit longer than I would like, but a good book and some hand sewing should take care of that. Then she'll pick me up Saturday when I get in and my car will be nice and safe and sound at her house. What a relief!


I'm off work tomorrow -- have to take Mom for a biopsy, and then my car to an inspection place for the insurance company -- Pinellas County, where I live, requires it. I guess it's to be sure you don't buy a clunker and then put in a claim for insurance for body repair that it already had. If I had the sticker I wouldn't have to do this, but since my car had a little over 500 miles on it, the sticker was gone, so . . . . hopefully Mom's biopsy won't take long and I can get to that appointment by 4:00. Otherwise, my Aunt Pat will have to come pick her up from the hospital. We all think this is much ado about nothing, since she's had these lumps in her neck for years, but nonetheless I'm glad to be able to help her get them checked out.


Work is, obviously, SLOWWWWWW. It's a touch scary, but I have been assured, reassured, and promised that our firm gets through tough times, never does lay offs and is financially sound and secure. That I would be one of the last to go even if they did, because I can do litigation as well as real estate, plus any other area of law. Still, it's disconcerting to sit here day after day with little or nothing to do. I suspect they'll start pulling some of the real estate lawyers into land use and bankruptcy and work outs -- that's what happened years ago during the last recession in the firm I worked in -- the practice areas just changed. Bad times are still good for lawyers, just not necessarily in the areas they are used to working in.


I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Hopefully I will be able to report the birth of my beautiful granddaughter tomorrow!



Billye

Monday morning

Ahh, yippee, another week. One boss out sick, the other covering for her so she's getting up to speed. Soon all heck will break loose, but for now, it's quiet.

Meghan called a bit ago -- she says she's going to ask the doctor to induce her labor on Friday. The way she started the conversation, I thought the doctor had already scheduled it. But no, not yet. So don't hold your breath! At least the contractions have all but stopped and she's able to get some rest.

So I worked on my OBW yesterday -- got all my corners on, all pressed up, and went to square up. Uhhhh..... not so good. They are supposed to square up at 6-1/2" - and they all seem to be just a touch shy of that. I'll steam and starch the heck out of them, and maybe I can get them to be exact. If not, we may have 6-1/4" blocks!

I also made my friend Judi's tote bag last night (with pockets). I used the With Love Tote pattern from Lazy Girl -- which doesn't include pockets, so I, being "challenged" by how things will be when they are turned inside out, etc., basted it together first, pinned the pockets where I wanted them, then turned it back, sewed the pockets on and continued. It's a bit big -- I followed the measurements, but it just seems too big to me. Hopefully she will like it! I'm considering putting a baggie bottom in it for more stability. Perhaps I'll like it better then. I do love the fabric for her -- but like so many things I'm making right now, I can't post photos because they are gifts -- I know everyone understands.

I got the car insurance stuff done this morning, a bill paid, some filing caught up (I pretty much stay up with that here at work), called about my Bare Minerals order to be sure it was right, made an appointment for my car to be inspected, called about the tire pressure light. Got a lot done before anybody else even got here! That's one great thing about getting to work early -- I can do all that stuff and it doesn't keep my work from being done.

One of my friends here at work went to Rome a couple of weeks ago. She showed me some of her photos and I fell in love with a simple street scene. It made me want to paint. I've not wanted to paint in FOREVER, so that's a really great thing. I've asked her to get me an 11x14 of the picture and an extra print. I want to get back to painting, but I just can't seem to find any interest in it right now. I got a bunch of stained glass stuff given to me too, but no interest there either. And Diane has fabric for me (YIPPEE!!) -- I still have TONS of interest there. But I know me -- I'll drift back to my other hobbies eventually -- and probably will have at least one of all three going. I'd do some stained glass if I knew of anything that anyone would like to have. Hey, I have 2 lighthouse kits I was given -- they're precut and easy, just need to be foiled and soldered -- hmmmmm....might be perfect for my bosses! Would make it easy on me, that's for sure! Maybe I'll just do that, plus it would be an excuse for me to get those 2 boxes of stained glass stuff emptied and sorted.

Bored, bored, bored. Oh well! At least I get paid to be bored!

Have a great day everyone!

Saturday early evening

Nope, no baby yet. Contractions have even stopped. Bless her heart. The hospital said they were "real" contractions, but I guess her doctor was right after all and it's just not time. At least she can get some rest. She's going to need it!!

It's been a really good day. Took my car in for service, came home with a new car. Oh well, I've had car fever for a while, so my 5th or 6th Saturn, I've lost count. Bought an Aura XE this time -- nice car. I like it already. Pewter is what they call the color, it's sort of a light brown/darkish tan in my book. Already had the pinstriping and cool wheels and stuff. Had almost 600 miles on it, so somebody else paid the depreciation. She brought it back and got herself a couple other cars -- guys say she trades in cars every couple of months -- too much money and not enough brains, but it was good for me, so who cares? And I've known these guys at this dealership for eons, so no reason to doubt them. They sold me my 2nd, 3rd and I think this is 5th Saturn, so I know who I'm dealing with -- they know me by name.



At the left is a photo of all my OBW blocks. I think I like the black to "break it up" a bit. I've talked to Nan and we're going to try to come up with a date maybe in November for me to take it to her to quilt it on her long arm. What a treat!



So after buying the car, I picked up Judi and Mom and off we went to run errands. Lunch, then clothes shopping (ICK), then some errands for Mom. We dropped Mom off, went to get dog food and toys for our dogs, and then Judi and I went to JoAnn's. While we were shopping she let me know she'd really rather have a tote bag than a purse, and that's really a relief to me -- I didn't want to screw up the fabric I'd chosen for her as I learned to make the purse, so I'll make her a cool tote bag instead. With pockets and stuff!





At JoAnn's I bought some more fabric for a OBW -- and some backing. Here's a photo. I think it's beautiful -- Nan, will it work?


I can't even think about starting this until next year. I think it will be beautiful!

Meghan pregnant

When I came back from lunch, I had an email from Meghan with a photo of her pregnant. She is HUGE!!!

Another day -- another -- well hopefully dollar!

So it's finally Friday. Still no baby, but the contractions are further apart and the discomfort level less. She's finally getting some rest and I suppose our darling Talya will come when she's darn good and ready!

I thought I'd finished all my blocks on my OBW last night, but when I put them all up on the design wall, I was 7 short. It took me about 5 minutes to cut 7 more sets and they'll only take me an hour to sew -- isn't that amazing? It is to me. What a cool trick somebody thought up. I played with the corner fabrics and I'm almost definitely going to go with black corners. I think all that color is defintely going to need some relief for the eyes. I sent a photo of the blocks to Ricky, thinking he'd love the kaliedoscope effect, but alas, no. So I guess I'll just have to keep this one. Oh boo! (Frankly, I love it -- it matches NOTHING in my house, and still I LOVE it!).

A trip to Joanns this weekend, maybe even tonight, with tons of coupons, looking for just the right fabric for another one. Like I need more fabric. Well, heck, EVERYBODY needs more fabric! Ok, maybe not everybody. Maybe not even me, but I WANT IT!

No new photos today. But maybe tonight I'll take a photo of my OBW on the design wall. I STILL need to cut out Judi's purse and get going on it, and all the other Christmas gifts, but Nan has me hooked on this OBW. It's just fascinating to me.

Although it was a month ago, we've finally arranged time for us all to go to lunch today for my birthday. It should be fun -- I've not been out with some of these girls before, so looking forward to it.

Everybody have a great day!

Billye

Thursday -- is it really Thursday?

So I got an email from Meghan this morning, sent last night, that they are in San Diego at his parent's house, close to the hospital. Doctor was less than kind to her yesterday when Meghan saw her, and basically told her to grin and bear it. She says the contractions are hard and 4 minutes apart -- so she doesn't want to be far from the hospital just in case. My concern is that the doctor has made her afraid to call and that baby will be delivered in a car/ambulance/bathroom floor. I KNOW Meghan would never do such a thing on purpose, but with no sleep to speak of for a week, and your doctor telling you that you are being a wimp, well . . . . that just doesn't bode well to me. I've not heard from her since. I hope she's sleeping and the contractions have stopped, or that she's busy having a baby. It's just not supposed to be this difficult!

As for me, I went to my former boss's house to help her design the decorations for her tables at her reception. I don't really think I was of much use, but it was nice to see her and try to help anyway. When I got home, I made 6 more OBW blocks. They are so easy and mindless sewing now -- I think I need about 20 more and all 56 will be finished. Then I'll try to do the "color wave" -- not sure how well THAT's going to work out with this fabric. This may just be a hodgepodge and I'll worry about the color wave on the next one. And believe me, there will be a next one. I can't help but love, love, love this -- too bright for me? Yup. A place for it? Nope. But it might be a great gift for Ricky. I can see him staring at the kaleidoscopes for hours at a time. Heck, I can see ME staring at them for hours at a time! We'll see. I'll send a photo to him once done and see if he wants it.

Bosses not in -- I was assured today would be REALLY busy, but not so far! I think a couple things got postponed until next week. Quiet days are nice, but they sure do get long and boring.

I really do plan to cut out Judi's purse tonight. I really do!!

Have a good day everyone! I hope to report good news about Meghan and Talya today!

Billye

Wednesday morning

Just another day in Paradise, as they say. Last word from Meghan was last night, she'd been to the hospital, lost her mucus plug, had water "leaking" but they told her to either walk there at the hospital for 2 hours or go home and walk. Poor thing is so exhausted. She said she wasn't even going to call her doctor any more and she's really embarrassed. She's only a 3 cm. dilation. My heart goes out to her, but Lord knows she's got no reason to be embarrassed! Everyone in the family is exhausted too. I just hope that I haven't heard from her because she's in labor and having Talya and everything and everyone are fine. Plus, it's only 20 to 7 in California, although I've usually heard from her by now. I'm sure all is well. I have to believe all is well!

So in order to stay busy last night, I made 12 more OBW blocks. I also created a new place for my design wall - on my porch. I hung up my little flannel backed table cloth with tape over the back door (the only place I can hope to have enough space!) and started sticking the blocks on it. However, since they were falling off, and I'm not yet ready to pin them down, I sprayed some quilting basting spray on it and that's working a lot better. Still having trouble with the color wave, and still considering the possibility of using black in the corners (really to try to tone it down a bit!). Also considering the possibility of some interior black borders, also to tone it down some. We'll see as the design process moves along. I REALLY need to be working on gifts instead, but I have to admit this OBW is seriously addictive.

Diane gave me a book on landscape quilting -- combining art with fabric and quilting. I have to admit that one glance at the book has me fasinated. Oh no! Another hobby! Although it's really a combination of all my hobbies, even stained glass since some of the "stylized" art quilts are given the stained glass "look". Again, yet another project.

I've read the directions for the bag I want to make Judi. I was wrong -- this is not the BFF bag, this is the Pursonality bag -- which is also gorgeous -- that Diane has made. I will have to go slowly with this one -- it's very confusing on the reading. Hopefully it's easier on the making!

Tonight I'm off to the home of my former boss, Lee, who is getting married on October 26th. She's asked me to help her with some ribbons or some decoration thing -- I think she has some mistaken notion that I'm kind of artistic. We'll see about that! But it gives me a chance to help her out some (I hope) and to give her the wedding present I made for them from their shower and wedding invitations in a shadow box -- and not during the hustle and bustle of the wedding/reception. Sure glad I got that project done ahead of time!

All else is good. Still haven't finished Mom's ultra suede purse. She will either love or hate it. I'm not sure how I feel about it.

I'll post more when I know more!

Tuesday morning

I just put "Monday morning" in the title because since I was off work yesterday, it feels like Monday. Neither boss has shown up yet, so I have time on my hands.

Got an email from Meghan a couple hours ago -- she thinks her water has broken. Basically she's been told to endure this labor -- it's too late in her pregnancy to stop it, too early to induce. Her doctor won't do anything or give her anything. Poor thing, she's not slept in days and days and is completely exhausted. It's probably a good thing I'm not out there, because I'd feel required to be with her and I'd probably just annoy her -- and believe me, she's irritable enough as it is! Understandably.

So tonight I think I'll cut out Judi's purse. This is called the BFF bag (best friends forever) and is one that Diane has made -- hers is simply adorable. I hope the one I make for Judi turns out nearly as well. Once that's cut out, I think I'll sew some more on the OBW -- I can't tell you how much fun those are! I'm doing them 6 at a time, and when they are pressed and I turn them over, I'm blown away by each one. Having chosen the wrong fabric, I probably won't be able to get the color wave I would otherwise achieve, but no matter -- and Lord knows it will be bright! I figure I need to make 56 blocks. For this first one I think I'll use some of the fabric in the corners to square it up, although I'm tempted to use some black to tie it all together. However, Nan says that my seams might very well not match (which is a consideration), but I'm just not sure yet. Nan setting up my Jem Gold 2 has sure made my sewing more accurate! I wouldn't even consider it without my machine set up for that accurate 1/4" seam.

I so way want a Janome 6600 -- the plan is (maybe) to use my Christmas bonus as a down payment and buy one on time. If I plan to do that, I will need to really knuckle down and cut back on my spending. Since, however, I don't REALLY need any more fabric (or much of anything else), maybe I'll take on that extra payment. I'll have to think about it some more. And hopefully they can find me a really good rebuilt one so I can get the cabinet too. I'd really like to rearrange my "studio" again so I can have a design wall -- but I need a sewing cabinet to do it. I'd rather wait and get the machine I really want with the cabinet that goes with it, so I'll just make do in the meantime.

Prayers going out to Meghan that Talya is born really soon and you can get some rest. I know you're probably not reading this, but I love you!!

Monday night

So, I went to see Nights in Rodanthe today by myself -- never gone to a movie by myself before, but it was fine and I'll never hesitate again.

I've done some OBW blocks today as well -- don't have the color wave going on as yet, but they sure are fun. I'm doing them 6 at a time. It is so hard to believe that all these different patterns come out of the same fabric.

Meghan still hasn't had the baby. She's in pain, miserable, frustrated and irritable. I feel so bad for her, but the good news is that she and the baby are both fine health wise. She assures me she'll let me know as soon as she knows something, and has asked to be left alone in the meantime. I can understand it, but it sure is hard from here! Thank goodness for Nick's family. I don't know how she'd cope at all otherwise.

Back to work tomorrow. Mom has some testing coming up, but the ENT doctor did not seem terribly concerned. That's a relief! All else is quiet -- I'll post when I know more.

Oh, this morning I finished Mom's purse -- I've not taken a photo yet since it needs the buttons yet (which are made but not yet sewn on) and frankly I don't much care for it. I made it from some ultra suede that she gave me (a HUGE bag) and I made it scrappy. Ultra suede doesn't really lend itself to this particular bag. I guess it's OK, but it's probably my least favorite. Once I finish with the covered buttons, I'll post a photo and maybe you guys can decide for me.

In the meantime, have a good night and a great day tomorrow.

Monday Morning

Yippee! Trixye woke me up at the crack of dawn. Wait, it's not dawn yet! Well, barely, but it wasn't then.

So Meghan sent me a text about 1 am -- still no baby and they did "something" but she's still in pain and headed home. I suspect that's all the way to Escondido, an hour from the hospital. Poor thing. I wish there was something I could do to help. But not from 3000 miles away. I hope this baby comes soon. She's having the same kind of labor I had with her. Took me 96 hours -- Wednesday night to Sunday morning. She started Thursday night and it is now Monday morning. Bless her heart.

Anyway, we had a blast at Nan's and I took my camera, but did I take a picture? DUHHH!!! No! So this morning I took a photo of the fabric I started out with for my One Block Wonder (OBW). This is absolutely the WRONG kind of fabric to use, but I have over 5 yards of it, so I'm USING it!
Then we did this amazing registering the fabric thing, cutting 4" slices through 8 layers (oh, and girls, I FOUND my rotary cutter in my bag -- I KNEW I'd brought it!). Then with a 60 degree ruler we cut through those 8 layers to make triangles. Then sewed the triangles together and -- well, check it out!








Now even I thought I was done sewing for the day, but I caught a second wind. I've been wanting to do Carol Doak's Block of the Month ("BOM"), but frankly I'm more into her house and tree paper piecing. Well this year she's doing "scenic" -- so I made the October BOM.
I think it's kind of cute. If I add it to the other house blocks I've made, plus what she does for the year, I'll have another "scenic" quilt. Since it's scrappy, it should be a lot of fun. I'm way into scrappy these days!
I hope everyone has a wonderful day. I'll post when and if I know something about the baby. I suspect I'll be doing a lot of sewing today to keep myself busy and my mind occupied so I worry as little as possible. And my Mom is going in to see an ENT for some lumps -- she claims she's had them for years and years, but they want to biopsy them. She tells me that even if they are malignant, they are easy to cure. She has a ride through the place where she lives, but I'm on call in case they need to do more tests or something. So I'll be sticking around the house.

Bye for now!

Sunday evening

What a fantastic day we had at Nan's. She showed me all
kinds of tips and tricks about a One Block Wonder and I got about 10 or 11 blocks sewn. I was surprised that they came out as well as they did. Diane and I had a blast meeting Nan's friend Diane -- who had finished her One Block Wonder blocks and had them up on the design wall. Nan's house is gorgeous and she's just the sweetest person ever!


My DBIL sent me some photos -- the first is a picture of a quilt I made for my sister, Sandi, during the early part of my quilting. I barely recognize it! LOL. Meghan is still in labor, but they've sent her home -- she's hoping a walk will get things really moving. I know she's in a lot of pain and it's tough being so far away from her, but I'm sure all will be fine and hopefully Talya will decide to join us in the next few hours.








This is Pixye. Isn't she BEAUTIFUL?


Here's a photo of my sister and I -- I'm in red. You can see our mother in the reflection in the glass, as well as my Aunt Pat.

And here's a photo of our Mom. We are so very blessed to have her.

I'll add photos of Meghan and Ricky, Nick and Talya when I get some! My most recent pictures of Ricky are really quite old, and Meghan has been avoiding the camera since she got pregnant.

That's all the news for now. It's almost 7 and I'm about done in for the day. I doubt I sew any more -- unless I go work on Mom's purse maybe later. Have a great day!

Sunday morning

Here's some more of my "art" (which term I use very loosely!). Trixye is at the left -- took me about 10 tries to get even a halfway decent photo of her.

No word on Talya's birth yet. I'm sure they'll let me know as soon as something "major" happens -- likes she's BORN!

I'm soon off to my quilty day with Nan, Diane and Diane anyway. Going to start a One Block Wonder. I bought magnificent (to me) fabric -- it's incredibly bright. I usually go a bit more traditional, so this will be interesting. Nan is awesome at the technique and I'm thilled to be going to her house with Diane and meeting Nan's friend Diane. I'm taking my camera. If they'll give me permission, I'll photo and post.

Have a great day -- I know I will!

Natalya

She may be on her way! Meghan called a little while ago and is on her way to her in-laws, which is near the hospital in San Diego. She says she's sure this is it. I hope she's right -- trying NOT to worry, but with her 3000 miles away, it's hard. At least they have somebody to drive them -- she'll be fine I'm sure.

Saturday

So dancing was fun last night, but I woke up not feeling well. Just took Trixye to the dog park and soon I must (1) clean this house!, (2) go to the store -- I'm out of almost everything and (3) get some sewing done and packed for tomorrow.

Some of my work is displayed above. The first two are Lazy Girl Gracie bags -- one for my Mom, one for me. The next is a painting I did for my boss last year for Christmas. I'm going to have to get more of my painting photos transferred to my directory so I can upload them.

I designed the stained glass motorcycle since I couldn't find a pattern for one. The lamp and tissue box were made for Christmas/birthday for my sister. The quilt is one of my first paper pieced quilts I made for my Mom last year for Christmas. Fun to make and she seems to like it. Birdhouses were interesting and I think the colors go well in her house.

10/10/08 - a little while later

OK, second post. So my daughter's contractions have stopped, so unlikely a baby really soon. It's OK, she's a month early, so we can wait. Just hard on her to keep starting and stopping contractions, but she'll deal with it.



Being brand new at this blogging thing, I'm not at all sure what anyone will be interested in (or not). Probably my quilting the most. I have so very much to learn. I belong to several Yahoo groups, including Carol Doak's, Stashbusters, StashQuilters, DustingYourStash, InspectorsClub, Quiltvillechat and Lazygirl Designs. I love learning from all of them, and meeting lots of new and interesting people on all of them.



My skills continue to improve, but last night I spent quite a bit of time "frogging" since I managed to sew a pillowcase the wrong way -- DUH!! I'm off work on Monday, and only going to a movie tomorrow, so I'll likely spend most, if not all, of the weekend quilting. I'm beginning to get the urge to get back into stained glass and maybe even have a painting floating around in my head.



I'm watching the stock market crash over and over. Sometimes it's almost nice to not have any money in the market -- my friends who do are worried over their 401Ks. My 401K doesn't start here at work until January, and I'll throw as much $$ into as I can. Hopefully for me this down market will be a boon as I can buy more shares and it will be worth more when I get ready to retire. HOWEVER, I really don't think I will ever retire completely. As much as I love my hobbies, I don't think I'd be happy not working, not interacting with other people. Yes, it's true these 11 hour days get old -- and they get older the older I get! I don't actually WORK 11 hours, but that's how long the day is by the time we do the commute. I do carpool with a couple of lovely ladies here at work.



And my possibly very favorite thing in the world is my Yorkie, Trixye. I'll try to snap a photo of her in the next day or so and add that to this blog. She's a doll -- quiet as she can be. She doesn't bark -- she was a breeding female, and they nearly bred her to death. I've had her a little over a year. However, she got a clean bill of health last weekend from the vet and has gained (too much) weight. When I got her she was malnourished, her coat was dull and she had sores all over her body -- her teeth had never been cleaned and when they were, she lost 3. 2 weeks after I got her she had to have major surgery due to an infected uterus. But she's a true joy and now her coat gleams, not a sore on her body and her health is excellent. She's great company and I adore her. Her favorite thing is to play with her "cousin" Pixye -- my sister's Yorkie/Shih Tzu mix. Now THERE'S a beautiful animal. If they had a breed for her, she'd be a show dog. If my sister gives me permission, I'll post a photo of her too.



More later! Everyone have a great day.



Billye