Memorial Day Weekend

Holy Smoly....Its Memorial Day weekend! Where has the time gone? Sorry for the lack of blogging. I have been busy but I'm not sure I've been so busy that I couldn't have written a little something.

School is almost out. They have to go til June 7 because of the snow days last winter. Everyone loves a snow day until its the end of the school year.

Daughter had a wonderful time in France! She was there over spring break plus a few extra days beyond. A week in Paris and then on to the south of France to spend a week with a host family. The experience was terrific and I know she would go again in a blink (who wouldn't?). In late August we will be hosting the French girl that daughter stayed with..how cool is that?

We've also been busy with more JazzEnsemble competitions and performances. The Jazz band is really exceptional. And we are all quite grateful that the school district hasn't cut any of these fine programs.

Prom was in May. Daughter's first. She wasn't all that terribly impressed. I think the most excitement comes from the preparation more than the actual going to the prom...oh well.

Been getting some planting done in our yard. We live in a condo, so there isn't much yard to deal with. But we split up several hosta and spread them around a bit. Everything is looking very lush now.

Finished knitting a top for daughter. She actually liked it! Haven't seen it on yet.

I've started a quilt for daughter. It is from a Kaffe Fasset book called 'Quilts In the Sun'. Its the one on the cover. I've got it cut out, but still working on assembly.

I finished up a quilt that was made with my embroidery machine. Its the first time I've done something like this. It was a block of the month and I realize I really hate block of the month quilts...it takes forever! But the finished project is cute and I certainly learned alot about using the embroidery side of my machine.

In fact I guess I learned so much that I traded in the Brother embroidery machine for a new Brother Quattro machine. It has bigger hoops and still is a fabulous sewing machine.Just got it about a week ago.

Patrick Lose was in Iowa again. What a fun guy! He taught a class for the quilt shop. They made his poster quilt, Upward Mobility. I had made the piece earlier so it would be in the shop to entice people to take the class. Its now hanging on my front door...cute as can be!

Have a great weekend, everyone. Hope all is well.

More Snow

Man, will it ever turn into spring? More snow today and another snow day from school! Everyone is hunkered down for the day. I woke up early when the school system called at 6:15am! So I changed the bedding on the guest room bed so I could show off my finished Exclamation Point quilt. I got the pattern from a Better Homes and Gardens quilt mag a couple of years ago. Finally finished it up and have it on a bed! Looks great, if I do say so myself.

I have been working on a quilt for the shop that I will be teaching. Not going so well....I keep avoiding working on it because it brings me no joy. I gotta snap out of it!!

Daughter dear has to have ear tubes inserted before she flies to France. She leaves for France on the 11th of March and her tube surgery is scheduled for March 5. A few years back she had a ruptured ear drum from a plane landing and we certainly don't want to repeat THAT incident!!

Traveled to Pella Iowa this last weekend to hear daughter's Jazz Ensemble play in a competition at Central College. They were fabulous and took first in just about all catagories! We also met my brother and sister-in-law there. They enjoyed the performance as well.

Of course we couldn't leave Pella without getting some Dutch Letters...YUM! What a charming town. We ate in a Greek resaurant (go figure..)that was delicious. The name was Kaldera (I think).

Ok everyone...THINK SPRING!!!

Happy New Year!!

Well, here we are in 2010! I'm still having a hard time writing the new date. Man, do I feel OLD!

More crappy weather has visited the area in the last few days. Freezing rain and sleet...nice combo. Daughter had no school yesterday , but had to trek in this morning. Tomorrow should be better and then more white stuff on Saturday...

I moved some stuff around in my sewing room. I got a new embroidery/sewing machine and I needed to rearrange things to make them a little more useable.

Man, do I like my new machine! Its a Bother 2800D. It does a wonderful job and I also got Floriani embroidery software that is fantastic! What fun!!

Since I was snowed in yesterday, I decided to make something with my new sewing machine. So I made an abreviated version of Pop Heart poster quilt by Patrick Lose. I love his designs and they are quick to do.

Didn't have to work today, but I will tomorrow.

Happy sewing!

Getting Ready For Christmas

Wow, Mother Nature is unrelenting this year! Here we are getting ready for Christmas and preparing for a visit from my brother and sister-in-law, as Mother Nature begins her own version of White Christmas. Rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow should begin sometime tomorrow (Wednesday) and continue through Friday!!! I e-mailed my brother and cancelled and rescheduled for Saturday-Sunday...hope we can get together then.

I was supposed to work at the quilt shop today, but Miss P. isn't going to visit her mom because it is still snowing and freezing rain north of us today! What a mess...

Oh, well. Husband and daughter and I are here to celebrate and that's all we need. Daughter declared she may just stay in her pajamas ALL day on Christmas! More power to her!

Dear daughter and I baked Christmas cookies yesterday. I tried a new recipe. Cranberry nut cookies...not bad, but probably won't do them again. Made my favorite sugar cookie recipe and got those decorated. I made toffee crunch... YUM!

I guess I'll make a vegetarian meal for Christmas. Daughter will be pleased. I'm not sure if Grandma will be here. I am still debating about dragging her out of the retirement home in bad weather. Doesn't make much sense to me, but I will decide Christmas Eve.

My Gourmet group met here last Tuesday. It was a resounding success, if I do say so myself! The recipes were delicious and everyone seemed to have a good time.

The Jazz Cafe was great! We didn't go till just before daughter's group played. They were spectacular, as usual! Dear daughter has taken up the clarinet! She is just a musical maniac! She started lesson this week.

Blessing to you all! Happy Holidays!

Christmas approaches..

Yikes! I've done it again! Didn't I practically pinky-swear I would not forget to keep up with my blogging? Oh, well...

Christmas is fast approaching. But, first there are soooo many things going on in addition to Christmas! And then throw in an incapacitating snowstorm and you've got one big mess... We had our first official 'snow day' on Wednesday AND Thursday this last week. But first, daughter and I had to make an onion quiche and buche de noel for her World Language Open House which, of course, didn't occur because of the storm! So now, the buche de noel (or is that du noel?) is being "reconfigured" for the Jazz Cafe dessert scheduled for this evening (PS, sleet is predicted to start late this afternoon).

Tomorrow, Sunday, I am scheduled to teach the second part of a class at the quilt shop. I've been pretty nervous about this and I am actually hoping for a snowstorm... which, as it turns out, is kind of in the predictions for tomorrow. So maybe I can put this off for one more month...

Tuesday, my Gourmet group meets at my home. So I have to plan and purchase the food. The group arrives Tuesdsay morning and they prepare the recipes and then we eat. Its fun, but always nerve-racking prior to the actual day. So Monday I have to clean and shop....pray for no snow. I'll let you know how it goes.

Last weekend we went to our daughter's high school musical, Grease. Dear daughter was in the pit orchestra. They did a great job! It was very entertaining. And, of course, daughter's sax-playing was superb..as usual.

Gotta go. I'll post some pix of my latest projects.

Those dang computers...

Well, its been quite a week around here. It all began last weekend when my dear daughter and I decided to watch Hulu to catch up on some show we had missed. We got the brilliant idea that we should be able to connect the laptop to the tv and watch the shows. WRONG! Our old laptop crashed and we ended up taking it in to have it resusitated at Staples. While we were there, we purchased a Sony Vio so we would have a laptop for daughter that would support gaming and hopefully take care of her into college. ( we may be living in a dream world around that idea...).

So the last several days we have been spent trying to get 3 laptops (2 older and one new) back into our 'network'. Hubby and I are too old for this, evidently. We finally got a friend of a friend (who is significanly younger) to come over and help. Of course, in less than an hour he had everything up and running and gave us a list of things we need to improve our network!

In the mean time, I traded in my Brother embroidery machine for a newer model. Wow! what fun! (Also has its own 'learning curve'...) So yesterday a good friend came over and helped me start my first project. I'll try to get a picture of my dish towel. It Worked!!

Wednesday I am going to Des Moines with friends for the day. We will be going to the AQS Quilt Show. It promises to be a fun day. Unfortunately, after this week, I will have no money to spend there...nuts! Oh well, it will be great just to see all the quilts and new products.

Ta ta for now!

How About Those Hawkeyes!

I'm not usually a huge football freak, but I think those Iowa Hawkeyes deserve my support! They are doing very well this season. I guess I'm a 'fair weather' Hawk fan.

I quilted a quilt at the shop yesterday. I'll try and get a picture of it when it is bound. I started this quilt 2 years ago when I went on a quilting weekend to a lake in northern Missouri. It was a beautiful setting in late October (about this same time of year, but MUCH warmer). The quilt was from a Better Homes and Garden Quilts and More called Exclamation Point.

Wow, we had our first snow of the season yesterday!! That's just not right. We've been trying to 'winterize' around here. Taking in outdoor furniture cushions, Goodwill runs, etc.

Time to get back to my sewing room. I'm working on a quilt for the shop. More later!