photo delay

thanks to Kim (http://www.peachquilting.com) for this super image!
Yes, I am joining in on Vickie's challenge to not buy for the month of August...thanks Vickie!

I would post a photo of the finished wedding quilt...really...but my son has not emailed it to me yet!
the rascal. being a new dad, do you suppose he is too busy?? whenever it shows up...I will post it- meanwhile it is now being used by it's new owners who were thrilled to get it. I still have not cleared my photo card either-it's been hectic lately.
It was a great quilty weekend however for me. I spent Saturday cutting scraps and enjoying Patti's company. I got to see many tops in person that were photos on her blog.
And we got lots done too! The next day I finished the stitching and label on the wedding quilt and a swaddling blankie for Alice. So off we went to deliver these gifts...plus I made strawberry shortcake as a dessert for my son. We bought wonderful fresh strawberries that morning from the local famers market...can not beat farm freshly picked berries! I love this time of year-so many wonderful fresh fruits and produce to enjoy.
Today I picked up two guild raffle blocks to piece. We are working on 2007's quilt already-and it should be another gorgeous quilt too. Pieced baskets with applique...I forget if they are flowers or something else. At any rate, I signed up for the piecing part.
It's been a long day and so I am not doing any stitching tonight- trying to catch up on blog reading-and just relax.
I am always surprised at how working with numbers can make a person so tired! LOL...not every night...but it sure did tonight.

The last day of July. Recap on July goals tomorrow...August goals...well, I have until the morning to sort those out-right?
Calling it a night for now.

Life is Good!
holding my precious granddaughter Alice who looks up at me with those huge dark eyes
and I swear smiles at me.
shopping for little girl clothes...a novel experience to a mom of sons
watching the swallows play in the field, swooping and looping around
a cool crisp morning walk

photos of before/current

don't you love before/during photos? sorry about the early morning shadows...work is currently at a stoppage until we get the landscape guy back from vacation to deal with the river rock issue. Thankfully the concrete guy and I are totally in agreement on the value of doing that heavy work before pouring...so looks like Zoe has a dirt backyard to play in (NOT) for the next 15 days...
Quilty news: half done with the binding- guild members appreciated seeing this quilt-especially my lurker friend who doesn't have to wait to see it show up here!

will this post?

Computer life has taken a mighty strange turn for the worse! When I click on the ring list or the next/previous button-I get a white page saying error! Now, I confess, I don't have many blog urls memorized-ok, like only 2 ! so this slows down the visiting/reading/commenting quite a bit. Is it blogger? Is it my computer? This is one of those moments when I seriously question my tolerance for such frustration-it would be so much easier to ignore this computer and live my life offline! No, no....too many dear people are there-I am going to try uploading the very first before photos...of the backyard. Then in the next post...the current status. I have no idea if blogger will post anything I am writing/uploading. Maybe it's me...I went to record my games later today and all I got was the TO BE ANNOUNCED on the channel and time slot for them..I recorded one 2 hour block anyway but it would not allow me to tape the next one. It's a double header game night= sheesh! I am feeling picked on here....my whinge for the day. nope, won't load any photos....I will try later ....

another great quilt

I brought home the wedding quilt and it's really big- spread it out on our bed...and it sure came out nice! This gal enjoys doing sid around each block...she likes the look- funny how currently that is not my favorite look at all. I tried to tell her not to do it...but, you can not go against a longarm quilter's comfort zone I have found. It doesn't look bad, do NOT misunderstand me, she does beautiful work...it's strictly a personal preference thing. I am giving this quilt away-so it's not a big deal in the long run. I know you have to work with la quirks..just like I live with my own. At any rate, I took last night off from binding to allow my finger some recovery time. I know I am going to have to use my stick on thimble however, as I seem ingrained on hitting the exact same spot on that finger to push the needle through- maybe you have noticed you do that too? I am enjoying the hand work and look forward to doing the next large quilt binding as well.
I do need to cut that binding however and get it ready to apply.
No photos still- Darcie asked for an update on the backyard- so...I will take a photo later today of the current look. We are ready for the next hardscape project- concrete patio/a planter box corner we added to the design element, and steps up to a long, long walkway past the new pad out to the front. They can not do any of that until it's 90 or below. Nor would I want them to!
Zoe can not understand why we don't want her zooming around in the backyard-kicking up all that lovely dirt. About once each evening we allow her one romp...but as she literally kicks up a heck of a dust storm...I think we are going to put the stop on that. I do understand, after all, it's her backyard don't you know? and she needs to inspect it up close. I have to go into work today-so once it "cools" off this evening, (it never did last night however) I need to dig the lilac plant up and dig the hole deeper....at least the new soil is loamy and easy to do that... the poor thing is about six inches up too high...and listing...so I need to fix that.
I am so looking forward to tomorrow- sleep in and quilt. It's my big plan for the day!

same old binding

Another side done last night- so at least I have hit the half way mark. And, I am going to pick up the wedding quilt-it's done from the longarm quilter. Gee, more binding! Good thing I gave in and said we would watch at least one movie over the weekend at home. I can get a lot done watching a movie as opposed to watching basketball :-)
my old windows problem is back ...this time I am going to let the experts deal with it. It just means I am not able to zip around the blogs easily and read. This morning is the end of phase one of the backyard project-concrete patio man arrives and so will begin phase two. I have to do wrap up - have the last remaining boulders moved to where I want them-fell asleep thinking about that! and rescue the lilac and azala bushes from lanquishing in a corner...after getting a drink this am. It hit 100 degrees here yesterday with higher temps expected today and tomorrow being the peak..tame to some of you, HOT to others...for us...we just are thankful for a/c! Even with a/c I find myself up late at night enjoying the coolness of the night and stitching quietly. I didn't turn any music on - it was so nice to have it be quiet and still. Time to take the next series of photos...it's been amazing to see the progress each day back there.

one side done

I actually finished one side of binding last night-so only three more to go...plus the sleeve to stitch down and the label as well. I took more photos but decided not to put them here. It's pretty exciting to us- less so to others. I know my neighbors are quite entertained - especially today when there were mountains of rock, earth, and boulders piled in the street. However, it was pretty much all gone by the time I came home at the end of the day. I am coming home at lunch time to check on things and be able to ask questions and see what exactly is going on-I am pretty thrilled with the progress. It's such a different look even now. Zoe is much improved and we are all happy about that. I allowed her to explore her changing backyard but did not allow her to climb the mountain of dirt and debris nor do any digging- such a mean mom! am I *vbs*
It's more stitching tonight for me...and trying to visit blogs....in the morning.

earth moving machines

Aren't these fun looking machines? small and cute! lovely toys...they did an awesome job too!

aftermath

this is looking from the street in on the right side of our house. before/after a short time...

I did not load these very well...but you get the idea...I have more of the other part of the backyard...but this is certainly enough..though I have one more I will put in a separate post.

The garbage/recycle cans are out on the curb for pick up...and the shed gets moved into our garage tomorrow...the barrel of hydragas will be moved to a safe spot in the front and the lilac bush and azala bush will also be saved-along with the giant hydranga on the corner of the back of the house- it's getting moved to the only real shady spot in the right far side of the backyard.

What a noisy but exciting day of watching all the ripping out ....I have photos of the dump trucks and well, plenty of action shots too. ok...on to the next post with a last photo of the day.

By the way, I finally had success with Zoe on the peeing thing....however she came straight back home and climbed up on "her"couch, looking exhausted...so has been napping ever since.

Apparently feeling ill is NOT popular with dogs either, poor baby. She got lots of crunchers for being so good - she wasn't feeling so poorly she didn't gooble those right up!

yep, home stitching away

In between dashing out to take a few photos of earth mover machines in motion-working on the backyard project...I have finished machine stitching the binding and cleaning the stray threads that creep out as you stitch along...black being harder to spot doing that!
I am going to finish writing my label and start the hand work. I have a perfect front deck cushioned swing to sit on and the light is just right. Zoe, is back from a second visit to the vet this morning-the first was yesterday. She is not a happy camper and is refusing to pee. Sorry, but fellow pet owners can certainly understand...the vet says, nature will win out...just keep trying to encourage her by taking her out - which of course I have done a few times already. Nada.
So, though I am feeling much much better-certainly able to go into work..my dog is sick...and that is good enough for me to stay home all day for. I figure I am meant to work on this black binding during the nice daytime light. My boss has a dog and should be fine with this day off.
I am not posting a photo of the wonky village until the binding is done...at which time believe me, you won't miss seeing it. Tonya, you are getting credit on the label for inspiration...after all, you started it :-) many thanks again.
It's a nice day-not too hot and though noisy...it's enjoyable to be home for the day.
Finally made it around the stash ring and met the last of the newcomers to me...seems there is a problem in the code on a few of the blogs-it does not allow me to click through to the next blog. I am sure it's one of those minor glitches, another reason to use bloglines I am sure Linda would be quick to tell me *vbs* Guess it's time to stop tapping the keys and pick up the needle.

inching along

Really big house projects certainly suck up all available time. This morning saw the last of my labor efforts. Of course the guy scheduled to show up, did not. I am supposed to take the morning off tomorrow to consult with him about plants in the backyard...here's hoping he returns my call asking if he is going to show up!
I finally made the sleeve last night for the wonky village, now to stitch the binding on tonight. It's all black on black sewing...not my most favorite thing to do in the evening. I also realized I needed to finish writing out the label..I don't know why I am having such a problem wrapping this up-I just am.
I am going to swing by the blogs and see what you all have been up to..I have certainly missed visiting with you all. I also am not feeling well, and if this upset tummy/headache thing persists, I will just stay home sick all day instead of just the morning I had scheduled. I have taken something and hope it all goes away.....I surely detest feeling under the weather.

short note

The wedding top is off to the longarm today-I washed and dried a nice large pattern floral I bought on sale online of backing width for it. It was the perfect length and I only had to tear a four inch strip off one side for it to be the right size. It (the top) turned out to be 82 by 95 1/2 inches big.

Once it's back quilted and bound, I will put up a photo before giving it to the happy couple.

***because many of you chose to not include your email address in your comments, please email me with any questions...right now there is just too much going on to keep track of those questions I sometimes get in comments, thanks! for understanding***

Running out the door to work...fingers crossed life slows down by the weekend!

scanner lesson #1

It's been a great day ...until I went to upload photos from the camera...dead camera....all batteries I have need recharging. So, I decide time to learn how to use the scanner part of my printer...I hunt down the picture I want to scan-and here is part of it...I have no idea why it did not scan the entire photo. However, it does show you part of the quilt I commented about over at Finns (Saturday post) which I wanted to share visually. I think the point I was really trying to make is: a scrap block can be made various ways...two of those squares could be a rectangle instead for example. In fact looking at this photo, you could break it down from a 12 inch finished block to six inch by doing plain six inch squares and the four patch of squares and half square triangle blocks. And it would depend on which sort of scraps you were trying to use up too. As you can see, this was a planned quilt-no scrap usage on this one! But, the idea remains...you could easily mix it all up and it would look so very different. So, maybe this version is not quite the same block as Finns...but, enough that it brought my quilt immediately to my mind of course. I changed the layout from the book I used this block from anyway. I am now having an extended heat break and heading to those borders...no photos until the camera is powered back up ...(oh yeah,...this quilt pattern came from: More Quilts for Baby by Ursula Reikes) I did this as part of a charity retreat with my small quilt group in 2003.

Sisters quilt show...

The contractor called-with a starting date of Wednesday, the 12th, this weekend will be devoted to finishing up the getting our part of the project done. Plus, it's already pretty warm and it's only 7 am-ish...another good reason to stay home. We have a party to go to at 4 pm today as well. It's typical summer fun around here...projects and social events! We wait for the rain to stop so we can get our yards together and start having those outside fun get togethers...and it pretty much makes for a whole summer of having a great time with friends. I can still squeeze in some quilting time ...the evenings are not completely booked up :-)

Go here if you want to order Sisters quilt show stuff: http://www.stitchinpost.com/stitchinpost.html

That's where my sweetie ordered our shirts and poster. I don't think I even opened that poster...Mystic Meadow...it's probably in the fabric room lurking under who knows what!

I would bet there will be photos up on the web too from the show- I may do some surfing tomorrow and see if I come across any. I am off to the Portland Farmer's market in half an hour with my neighbor and then will finish up my part of the back yard. That leaves the side yard decorative rock moving part. Have I ever mentioned my sweetie collects rocks like I collect fabric??? A trip to Utah or the beach always means buckets or boxes of stones coming home.

Moving a rock garden is just a lot of labor ....but that's what's on my weekend chore list. She gets to do all the pressure washing of the pavers...so I am not the only one doing all the work.

Meanwhile- I zipped over to the kids yesterday and delivered some of the turkey tetrazzini I cooked up for my son and visited Alice. She was hanging out in her swing napping. No camera, dang it....what an absolute cutie pie she looked in her little striped hat and wrapped up in a yellow blanket with her new lavender striped sleeper her dad bought her...she opened one eyeball but really did not wake up-as we surrounded her and tried coaxing her to wake up LOL.

My aunt called, she is now living in the area with my cousin and his family-way cool ! She is planning on going over to see the new baby this weekend. This aunt is my most favorite relative and about the only next generation still with us. She is still battling cancer so having her nearby means a lot to me. Besides being such an upbeat and loving person, she is a terrific crochet-er.
I am going to take advantage and add to my knowledge base while she can still show me the tricks! She is the last relative left that does any kind of crafting to pass on. She has already made my heirloom tablecloth and given it to me.
So...that's this weekend's plans. Yard work, playing with friends, watching women's basketball games, and fitting in quilting.

new blogs and stuff

I am lazy-bloglines is a great idea...but there is something about hopping through the ring - or wandering where links may take you that appeal more to me than being efficient with reading blogs. I finally caught all the new blogs...and enjoy the diversity of all our ring members...hurray for quilters!

No quilting going on this week-there is an end in sight on the backyard front however. I think one more stint of digging up pavers is left, hauling the stacked ones will take much longer however-around to the front where they are being pressure washed.
The weather has cooled off which is nice. Today is jeans day at work-nice to be so casual and nice that I have no stress or long hours to put in! I am making decent progress and my boss and I are happy with my work. I am going to use my lunch time to drive over to my dil's and drop off a dinner meal I cooked extra of last night. It's my son's all time favorite of mine-and requested when I asked him what he wanted. His wife's parents had dropped off her favorite that day, so it seemed only fair to step up and make sure he was taken care of as well. (It was something he won't eat :-) , Korean soup) I am trying to not fret too much about seeing so little of the baby, as it seems more important that the new family have their bonding time on their own. Tomorrow is the big Sisters Quilt Show...we may drive up, we may not, depending on the weather. I refuse to go if it is too hot-as the town is tiny and not great at dealing with the 10,000+ crowd that usually engulfs them at this time of year. It's a fantastic show, but, the crowd factor is intense! We have gone many times...and I already have the tee shirt LOL...so it's not on my must do every year list. This year the tee shirt has a new artist's work, and features a cat...really a great shirt! I am having trouble getting their link up...sorry!

Hope to finally get back to my machine tonight and over the weekend. Patti has made me feel guilty and motivated about my scrap bin cutting...apparently putting it on my goal list has just NOT been enough!

Alice blankie photo

I finished this up a bit ago...in the morning I will write on the pooh side-a very simple label and write on the pooh quilt label too. Then it's back to slaving in the backyard before it gets too warm. Next up: sewing binding and hanging sleeve on the wonky village. There is plenty of time for handwork in the evenings. The plaid flannel is sooo much brighter in person! Of course now I wish I had more of it as well as the blue version and the green version I used to have ....love those brights! But, of course I have been on a quest to use up all my flannel...and so, luckily there was this perfect pink piece left for Alice. She will get other colors...I was smothered in pink growing up and hated it with a passion by the time I was 9. As I said, this is a very simple blanket.

It's late and even though I am going to sleep in a little-it's time to call it a night!

caught up reading the ring

whew, I finally made it around the ring and left comments on nearly all the blogs...some very belated-sorry! but at least I feel like I know what everyone has been doing now! Yesterday was the celebration of our small charity quilt group-5 years old! Amelia made special decadent chocolate cupcakes (and I was stuck bringing home the uneaten ones, shucks!) and we had a fun time. I brought many small donated tops and worked on getting them larger - closer to what we aim for size wise (40 by 60). Two of the tops worked being stitched together. I gave two flannel strip blocks sets to another member as her challenge to add to for a top. We went through a lot of new donated fabric- tossing all the polyester fabric and see through fabric and seasonal fabric we can not use for another group to benefit from. It's amazing what folks will donate that they think is "quilty" fabric! I also did a simple flannel/pooh fabric receiving "blanket" for Alice from my stash. I just need to zigzag around the outside edges and see how it looks. It's not intended to be a quilt-just a light weight blankie for swaddling. So I finally cleared the sewing table and sewed! That felt great. I am hard at work in the backyard taking up brick pavers (a pathway and patio area) as the last thing to be done before the entire backyard is ripped apart. We have been having for the PNW a heat wave and I worked out in the sun on Saturday taking frequent inside cool a/c and water breaks. I am now working in the evenings as soon as the sun gets low enough. Martie is going to power wash the pavers and I think we are going to try re-using them in the new patio being poured.

Spending time with the new baby is the priority right now, however, I stayed away over the weekend as they need their private family bonding time too. It's a balance act-being a supportive mom and yet respect their learning curve time. We are headed over Tuesday to visit- bringing back the repaired pooh quilt and the new blankie. If I have time I may hunt for some smaller onesies...Alice seems to be swimming in a lot of the "newborn" stuff she was given.
My son said one of the reasons he likes the name they chose is Alice in Wonderland was one of his all time favorite Disney movies. So now I am on the look out for Alice in Wonderland fabric.
Not that I have tried looking- I will soon enough. I am going to try and dedicate the month of July to finishing the wedding quilt, finishing the binding/hanging sleeve on the wonky village and work on the charity quilts that I have put on the back burner. We will see how that works out.

Life is Good:
having Tuesday off
holding Alice
medication helping Zoe feel better
playing with fabric