To write or to quilt

...that is the question. Sunday's are my normal "quilt days." I even have a quilt top waiting for me to work on. Oh, heck! I have about 20 of them. But the machine is already set up to be quilting one specific quilt and it's even stashed under the machine cover as it's really small. It's just that McKenna Ryan one that's getting large holes in it from the needle. Mind you, my quilting group all thinks that they'll go away when it's washed, or at least rinsed in hot water. They're probably right. I've also come to the conclusion that I need to switch my fusible web. I've always used Wonder Under, but it would appear that Steam a Seam 2 would be better (per many reviews and opinions of my fellow quilters). No problem there. My Wonder Under is almost gone so I can easily replace it with the other. It's just that I find those darn holes annoying and discouraging.

Okay, then writing. Oh, geez. Writing.com is one of the greatest things I've ever found. Unfortunately, one of the short stories that I released after working on it for only about 2 hours is getting torn apart. For good reason actually. It has grammar issues and one person pointed out that it threw him for a loop switching from first to third person. Mind you, I have those sections clearly delineated, but apparently that's not how you go about doing it. If I wanted it to stop bothering me, I should just either edit the silly thing or pull it off the site. Can you believe I can't even make a decision between those two things?! Geez! I'm such a goober sometimes.

So, while I'm getting wrapped up in a tight little knot over those 2 things, I'm stalemating myself. Even my house is such an incredible mess from my going into serious write mode the past 3 days that it's not helping any. It's so messy that I don't even know where to start there either!

I do think that it's time to get my act in gear. Time to set up a schedule I can adhere to that will take into account all of my necessary duties as a mother, teacher, quilter, and writer. There sure are a lot of things to work in there, aren't there?! I'd probably have to plan my day down to the last minute. Well, then I might have a clean house and still get everything else done. Yes, it might be time to seriously look into that.

With that, I think I'm off to go make a list of everything I need to get done every day and set up a plan. Wish me luck! At least it gets me out of having to choose where to start everywhere else in my life! *grin* But it might also jumpstart me to test out my new schedule theory. So in a way, it might be a good "waste" of time.

Now, I'm outta here for awhile! Hopefully I can 'force' myself to be productive today. Wish me luck!

Writing Comments

A strange thing is happening as I put out stories on writing.com. I'm getting so many different comments that if I were to take all of them to heart, then who knows what I'd write!

Actually, when I was younger, I did just that. I tried to please everyone who offered comments. It led to my not writing because it can't be done. So I now take them all with a grain of salt. Those with constructive comments on my grammar or how to format something, I listen to. Those who want to change my style of writing, I don't. Simple, huh? *grin*

See, I write with a lot of emotion and detail. The goal of my writing is to have others feel what I'm feeling as I write it. That can take a lot of words. To get the widest range of people to feel it, I have to put in various details that mean nothing to someone else.

I mean, really. If I tell someone who hates football and could care less that someone walked out on their favorite football team to go do something, would that mean anything? Of course not. If I told someone who hates sewing or doesn't understand sewing machines every detail of a new sewing machine I got, would that mean anything? No. (I don't have a new one, unfortunately. *grin*) If someone doesn't understand how men work, would they understand how guys can become good friends over something silly as a shared football game? Absolutely not.

I don't watch football, but I know how important it is to some. I sew, so that machine is really darn important. LOL All of my life, most of my friends have been male and I now only have little boys. I know a lot about those odd quirks men display that women are clueless about. Do I understand them? No. But can I tell what I see? Absolutely. I'm comfortable enough with men, and have enough male friends, that I can ask them why does it work that way? Why do you do that? It's great research.

However, what makes me really sad is that some people just can't buy the idea that a man would give up a night of sleep and his favorite football game to go buy someone ELSE a present. Oh, well. I guess I'm just blessed with a wonderful husband who would do something exactly like that. He's just that kind of a guy and I'm so incredibly blessed to be married to him. Now, hands off! He's mine! LOL

I'll admit that all of this comes from a few reviews from a single story. Maybe I'm taking it WAY too much to heart, but I have to analyze my feelings and come out of it without being changed too much by it. I have to remember that there are authors out there that I just plain flat won't read because I don't like the author's style. I'll just have to accept that there are people out there who won't read what I write because they don't like my style. That's all. *smile* It's a hard truth. Authors want everyone to love them. Too bad it doesn't work that way.

So that is my current 'truth' that I'm working through. It's a tough one, but I will come out of it better for the understanding. I will keep writing and that's all that's important. *smile*

I was blessed to run across a wonderful lady out there who is encouraging me left and right to keep going. I actually "met" her over this one story. So even though it didn't win the contest (the other entry was much better), it brought me this one "writing angel" to help me along. She's also an ex-medical transcriptionist so we have quite a bit in common. I feel as if I can share many of my writing dreams with her and find that she has many of the same. However, she's further ahead on them and is able to show me that it really does work. As a matter of fact, she published a book of short stories. I'm tempted to go buy it myself. *smile* She also has another book published (Home of the Red Fox). So, she's a great one to have on my side cheering me on. Oh, her name is J.A. Buxton by the way.

With all of that rambling, I'm going to take off. My house is a mess and I have a short story that needs edited. *smile* As they say on writing.com: "Write On!'

Thank You

I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who has taken the time to go out and read my short story that I posted out on Writing.com. It was a rather sad story and full of emotion. However, as they say, write what you know. At the time I wrote that, it's what I knew. Actually, in writing it, it cleared the air and I now feel free to move on to other things and write with a lighter tone. I'm currently working on a second story that I'm also submitting to another contest out on the writing.com site. It's of a lot lighter note, though some might find it a tad bit sad. It's just one of those things. With a husband in the Army, the fact that he's been away for just over a year now with 9 more months to go, I tend to write that way. There's just that touch of constant sadness to my life at the moment. However, I also think that it's allowing me to draw on deep emotions and write better.

Feel free to go visit my profile. As I finish up a story, I will place it there for everyone to read. Considering how my ideas change on a constant basis, you never know what you'll find there! I mean, I currently am working off and on 3 different books. One is non-fiction, another young adult fantasy, and another more adult fantasy with a spiritual twist. All three are very different and each require a different mood in which to work on them. How lucky that I flip through them all on a regular basis. *grin*

In submitting my work like that in a place where it will definitely be read, I opened myself up to constructive criticism. That was something I had not been able to handle when I was younger. When I submitted that story, I actually closed by eyes as I hit that "submit" button. My heart was racing and I was scared to death. However, I have only received great reviews and comments on it. It has given me a boost and provided a platform in which to continue writing from. Hearing that I wrote well from someone other than family or teachers was all I needed. As of right now, I feel like I will succeed in publishing a book, if it's God's will.

Eventually, I will pull back from the contests I'm entering and work on my books. However, I feel like I'm shaking out the cobwebs from the writing section of my brain and trying to ramp it back up again. I've let it lie there for so long, just ignoring it. I have discovered that you can't do that to yourself though. Over time, it will begin to fester and you'll only feel discontent. At some point, you have to acknowledge a gift that you were given by God and move forward. That's what my posting on Writing.com did for me. It forced me to move forward even though I was scared to death. I'm sure I'll feel the same way when I finish my first book and get it ready to submit. I pray that my goal of being a published writer will one day become reality. I don't even want to make a living out of it. I only want a single book published. That has always been my dream. If it's God's will, my dream will come true.

So, feel free to join me as I take this step into the unknown. I will probably blog about it quite a bit. I have now settled on writing and quilting as my two major passions. I want to work on both and become better at them.

With that, I'm heading off. I'm really tired and I want to be well rested for my writing stint tomorrow. My goal is to write at least 500 words/day. Wish me luck!

Writing Again

Well, tada! LOL I have been reading this great blog called the 10 Minute Writer. It has gotten me going on writing again. Oh, don't worry! I'm still quilting as well. It's amazing how much you can sneak in if you just do things a little at a time.

Anyway, I went out last night and did a search on writing contests. I really need to start writing more and getting it to others besides my mother and my husband. Mind you're they're great motivators as they love my stuff and they're always asking, "What comes next", but I need to share with others. I need to know what they think, both the good and the bad.

So, anyway, I discovered Writing.com. Great place so far. I haven't gone into it a whole lot, but I like what I see so far. If I keep liking it, I might even pay to upgrade my membership. I almost never do that so that's a fascinating thought. I currently have one thing written for the "newbie" contest. It's only for people who have joined within the past 3 months. I think it's to encourage them to get their work out there for others to see. Since I wrote it this morning, I'm giving it time to "cool off" before looking it over again. I know it needs editing but I have to give myself some distance to do that. I might not get it into this month's contest, but if they run it next month, I'll post it then.

I just wanted to share my excitement. To help keep my creative juices flowing, so to speak, I think I'll also attempt to blog every day. I was almost doing that this month anyway so it shouldn't be too hard to keep doing.

With that, I'm off to work on my December contest entry. I picked up a second one while I was out there and I'd like to attempt it. If I get it posted out there, I'll share it with anyone who wants to read it. *smile*

Until tomorrow then....

Moving on

Well, I did it. I took that deep breath and tackled my "Just Coffee" quilt. It's really small, about the size of a piece of paper. However, McKenna Ryan does that incredible detail with raw edge applique and that's what scared me. You have to quilt around every little piece to make sure it stays there. Since I did all of that cursive quilting on the Blue Star Banner, I decided to go for it. Oh, dear. It's not turning out as well as I'd hoped. My quilting is okay. Though you can definitely tell I don't have a spiffy stitch regulator on my sewing machine. *grin* My problem is that the needle is leaving huge holes in the batiks. It's driving me insane! As a matter of fact, it got me totally depressed and I'm having a hard time convincing myself to keep going until someone tells me that the holes will go away in time. I'm thinking that it might be possible to soak it in hot water after I'm done quilting it and that might close them up.

The scoop on this quilt is that I started it who knows when. Maybe 1-2 years ago. I bought the entire set and the fabric kits to go with them. Since it's raw edge applique, I used Wonder Under as my fusible. There are also several layers in some places. Then, I got intimidated by the detailed quilting and it's just been sitting there ever since.

When I began tonight, I did a "bad" thing. I just kept happily quilting with my original needle from my other project. Though I remember thinking, "New project. You should change your needle..." I don't listen to myself very well. LOL I'm using cotton thread in the bobbin and nylon thread on the top. When I go to quilt through many layers (we're talking anywhere from 2-4 here not including the background), it will make a funky popping sound. If there's only 1 layer on top of the background, then it doesn't. So I'm assuming that's the layers literally talking there. However, that's when the holes get left. It's definitely more obvious in the lighter batiks than the darker. I can see them up to 2 feet away, maybe even more. When I noticed the holes getting left and heard that popping noise, I stopped quilting and immediately cleaned my machine and switched out the needle to a 70/10. Unfortunately, it didn't change anything except to make me feel better at putting in a new needle for a new project.

So, would someone please tell me that the holes will go away if I do _________. Fill in the blank. If I know they'll go away, then I'll go back and happily finish it. But right now? I'd rather leave it the way it is and risk those pieces falling off in the future.

Blue Star Banner

Well, I finished a quilt. Okay, it's small, but it's still finished and it still counts! I have one smaller than this that's not finished yet. *grin* Mainly because the quilting necessary scares me. Anyway!

I made this in honor of my husband who joined the Army last year. This is an Armed Services Blue Star Banner. Each star is in honor of someone in your family who is in the military. I actually have the right to hang this in my window so everyone can see it, but I don't know if I will. Though it's a small quilt, I put a lot of quilting into it. I kind of want to be able to see it easily.

And there you have it! Both the front and the back. Of course I matched the colors on the front, but not the back. I have a difficult time getting my tension perfect so I just keep the same thread in both the top and the bobbin. It's sort of neat seeing it on the back.

So, that one is being marked off the list as being finished and I will see what I'll tackle next. Maybe the other small one with the intimidating quilting. I did cursive on this one so I don't see why I can't tackle the intricate details of the other. *grin*

Finishing Time!

Okay, that does it! I'm going to get serious about finishing up all these quilts I have around here. Last night, I sat and thought about why I never finish anything I start. That includes many things in my life, not just quilting. However, quilting is one of the easiest ones to tackle right now. It's the most tangible thing.

So now it's time to start finishing. I know that generally goes against the "quilter's way of life," but it's something I have to overcome. Any time I can get to my machine now, I'm going to work on quilting whatever it is I have next in line. For now, it's my Blue Star Banner. It's the closest to being complete. I just need to quilt in the phrase on the 2 long sides and then add the 3 straight lines at the top. After that, I will finish trimming it up and get the binding on it. That will be a lovely thing to work on in the evenings. *smile* If I really worked hard, I could probably have it finished within 2 days. I have to calculate in children, school hours, wrestling practice, etc. Maybe 3 days. *grin*

After that, I do believe my son's quilt will go into the line up. It's about half done being quilted as it is. If I work hard on it, I think I can have it ready for Christmas. That just means I can only work on it at night. Not to mention getting it out of my stack of stuff in my other son's room before he goes to bed. LOL Unfortunately, I traced out all the patterns I needed when I started to quilt it. We have since rearranged our home a few times and I know many of them were destroyed and/or lost in the process. So I get to figure out which ones I lost and get them traced again. Oh, well! It will give me something to do during our school hours.

With that, I guess I should get going, huh? Our school is over for the day and it's time for me to work on something else. I think I will get my shower out of the way, not to mention the dishes going in the dishwasher. I wonder... Is my tackling all these other chores a way for me to procrastinate against finishing? Or is it smart as I need to get dinner done and out of the way early tonight due to wrestling practice? Well, no matter what it means, none of it is going to get done with my sitting here! So I'm off!

Aww, heck!

Have you ever just wanted to sit down and cry? I've been feeling that way for the past week. Being a single parent to 3 children is rather difficult. Add in a beloved spouse away in the military and it gets quite a bit harder. Add in homeschooling and your nerves get stretched even more.

Recently, I hit my "breaking point." Today, my kids were supposed to go over to their grandparent's house so that I could have a few hours away from them. Unfortunately, ever since they started wrestling, my middle son just keeps getting sick! He got over one cold and then BAM! He got hit by another one and it really came to a head last night. Nasty hacking cough and spiking fevers. Oh, yeah. My favorite kind... *serious sarcasm here*

Mind you, I didn't have any amazing plans for today. I just need the time away from the kids for awhile. I had actually planned on maybe grabbing a cup of coffee at Starbucks and then heading to the store for some cereal and milk. Then I was just going to come back home, turn on the stereo, and do some sewing. I can still do a lot of that, it's just going to stretch my patience more. Since it's stretched pretty far as it is, I'm really not looking forward to going to the store. They're immediately going to start whining about where I choose to go shopping. Then they'll start whining about wanting to go look at the toys. Then they'll start whining about wanting to get something. Then they'll start whining... See the pattern here? To me, at least lately, all they can do is whine. Hmm... And here I am whining. LOL Maybe they're getting it from me.

I found a good verse that I should memorize for times like these. It's Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV).

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

This is Paul speaking to the church in Ephesus. He is the "I" in this verse. However, when he tells the members of the church to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called," it does reach out across the ages, doesn't it? I was called to be a mother. I was called to homeschool my children. My husband and I went through many 'battles' with the Army before they'd even allow him in. Now that he's in, I have to accept that the Army pretty much owns him now. They say "go" and he has to go. For now, it's away from us. I'll need to accept that and allow God to guide me during these tough times.

So now, there is a blessed moment of clarity and understanding. A blessed, and much needed, sense of peace. Now to remember it and hold on to it as I walk back out and face the boys.

Painting

Well, once more, I'm bringing out the paint to start going on and finishing up my living room. When I first started this project, we were getting close to fall. During that time, we have had some drastic temperatures that kept me from opening up our windows to air out our home while being painted. Today is one of the warmest days we've had since and it's to hit up in the 70s. So it's a perfect day to paint and get those windows opened. Tomorrow, it's supposed to go into the 60s, so if I get all of the base stuff done today, I might be able to do my faux painting tomorrow. Unfortunately, we're dropping back into the 30s on Thursday. Ugh. Nutty fall weather. If I play my cards right, I'll be ready for the final faux coat the next time we hit warm weather, if we do this year.

Unfortunately, while surveying the walls I'm going to paint today, I noticed that one of my children, most likely the youngest, attacked the wall with a crayon! Oh, that's so frustrating! So I've just spent a decent amount of time getting crayon off of a newly painted wall and a wall I have primer on. That primer sucked up the crayon big time! At least the new paint "let go" of it easily with minimal damage to the paint. It still irritates me and I had to go into the big ol' spiel of how we only color on paper.

With all of that, I'd better go change into my painting clothes and get this going. I need it all done by 4 this afternoon. After that, the temps start to drop and the windows will need to be closed again. Wish me luck! I think I'm going to need it.

Wrestling Tournaments

Well, I have the dubious honor of going to my very first wrestling tournament. In some ways it was actually fun. In others, it was a total pain. The team my sons are on is an incredible team. They absolutely dominated the entire tournament, though were weak in a few age/weight classes. Unfortunately, neither of my boys are up to their "standards" yet. However, after finding out that they are willing to start kids, for free, at age 3, well... They're really good by the time they reach age 5. Not to mention the fact that most of them have their fathers at home really working with them. Sometimes I really hate the Army.

Anyway! W finally wrestled yesterday. He lost his first 2 matches and won his last one. He was so thrilled. *grin* Maybe he'll try harder in practice now that he knows what it feels like to win. Unfortunately, G didn't win a single match. However, there was no one there in his weight class so he was wrestling guys who weighed anywhere from 5-10 pounds more than he did. That definitely gives a wrestler an unfair advantage. Add in the fact that some of those other kids also had anywhere from 1-3 years experience on him and it was absolutely no contest. Oh, well. He still fights so that's all his coach requires from him right now.

After we got home, I absolutely crashed for awhile. When I got up, I straightened up the house a bit because a friend came over for awhile. It was really great seeing him. Though I was still tired and the boys got so ramped up that they were almost literally bouncing off the walls. When he left, I put the kids to bed and sat and just chatted with hubby online for awhile.

That was really great. I got to share with him how the boys did in the tournament and all of that. Wrestling is his sport and that's the main reason why the boys are in it. Trust me, if I had my choice they'd be playing basketball. LOL However, I will admit that wrestling has to be the most exercise intense sport I've ever had the privilege of seeing. Wow! No wonder DH has always said that he worked harder in wrestling than he did for any other sport and why he used to make fun the the basketball players. LOL

Anyway! I have high hopes of doing something quilt related today. I'm just still trying to wake up. I guess yesterday still has me completely worn out. My boys were in 2 different gyms, so I was bouncing back and forth trying to catch them wrestling. Drag along a squirming 3 year old and you get tired really fast! It's nice to be home today and be able to relax. *smile* I'll go and see if I can't get a block or 2 done. Then I can post pictures later.

Where did the week go?!

Wow! I woke up this morning, and while fumbling for my coffee, I realized it was already Friday! Where did the rest of the week go?! I'll sit here and try to figure it all out.

All I do know is that I have my next "load" of fabric is pressed and ready to be cut out. Though I do need to drag out my big ironing board to press several large pieces. My small ironing board is really only good up to a 1/2 yard piece. I have my next SBS block in there ready to be cut out too. All I can figure out is that it needs to be done by Sunday night. Wow. I don't know if I'll be able to sneak that in. Isn't that horrible? My time just seems to be slipping through my fingers.

My day starts out with me looking for my coffee, and stumbling back to my computer to catch up on email, check a few websites I keep up with, and then head on out. I go work with my oldest son with his school work, and try to sneak in some housework as well. Though during school time, I like to press fabric for my next "cutting day." Every night seems to end up at a gym up in Broomfield while my boys wrestle. I need to load up my hand piecing kit and start taking it with me. At least then I'll finish something!

The weekends now are just as confusing. Since we started sports, Saturdays always means a game of some sort. Tomorrow it's a wrestling tournament that we have to be at (out of the city, of course) by 7 am. I've never been a very good morning person. Ugh! Then, I have a friend coming to visit tomorrow afternoon after that is over. I haven't seen my friend in over a year, so this is great! Then, if everyone is healthy on Sunday, we'll attend church. That's actually the extent of Sunday. So I guess I should turn Sunday into my quilting day, huh?

Now, to see if I can sneak in the cutting I need to do so that I can start a new tradition of "quilting day." *smile* I hope that everyone has a marvelous day! Ours is cold with a touch of snow. But it's almost already melted so it's no big deal. *smile*

Beware of Searching!!

Okay, so it goes like this. You hear something that reminds you of a quilt you started working on earlier in the year (or even further back in time) and you decide that you want to pull it back out and work on it. Only you're not 100% sure where it is. You remember seeing it stuck on a shelf in a closet and so off you go to find it. With a quick glance, you see it and you think, "Wow! For once that was easy." When you pull it out and take it to your machine to sort out the fabric and the pieces you already had cut, you notice that the part you already finished is missing. That of course leads to a "quilt hunt" of massive proportions for that finished section. You go back to the last area you saw it and start sorting through every single box you can find that might possibly hold that section. All you do find are 3 other quilt kits you'd love to work on, that hand pieced project that is looking a lot prettier now that you're about 1-2 years away from it, and a thousand other items. All of it leads to wanting to work on at least 5-6 other quilts and not the one you went to find in the first place. So, you're now totally distracted from what you went to find and the next thing you know, you're online looking for a simple pattern for a 2" hexagon piece to make a play ball for the cat! During that time, because you can't find that either, you remember that you had carefully hung those 2 long pieces on a hanger and hung it on the back of the door so that you wouldn't have to press them again later on. So up you jump and what do you know! When you look, you actually do find them, along with another quilt top you had hoped to start quilting soon. It's a miracle!! LOL

Now, surely this doesn't only happen to me, does it? At least the boxes I sorted through to find those pieces, which really were hung on the back of the door the entire time, are now cleaned up, reorganized and ready to be put back into the closet. The reason it's not back in the closet yet is that well... There are 3 quilt kits in there that I wouldn't mind at least getting the tops finished too. *grin* Never mind the fact that the first little quilt of the series, "Just Coffee" by McKenna Ryan, isn't quilted yet either. They're so quick and easy to put together, just the quilting intimidates me. Don't ask... To tell you the truth, I really need to focus almost 100% on the quilt I went to hunt for in the first place. *grin* It's actually for a very close friend of mine that I think will really need a comfort quilt soon.

With all of that, I'm going to go back out to my sewing area, hide the box with the 3 quilt kits in it (boy, I sure hope I can find it again later!), and start working solely on her quilt. Well, maybe after I finish a block I started a few days ago so I don't lose those pieces too. LOL Everyone have a great day! I hope to have a new quilt top in a few days. Wish me luck!

Going to Quit!!

Okay, I'm sure many know this, but I never tell anyone. I smoke. I have smoked now for 14 years. Recently, I decided that enough is enough and I need to quit. Besides, I'd like to have that money for my quilting budget. *grin*

With that, I'm starting to keep track of when I smoke, how badly did I have to have that smoke, and what was I doing? With that, I think I can start to cut out the ones where it's pure habit and doesn't really mean anything and I didn't need it to begin with. Then, I can focus on distancing myself from the really tough ones.

You know what? With this tracking, I've been doing it for 3 days now, I'm really starting to think, "Hey! I can do it this time!" That's actually a very exciting thought. I'm seeing a definite pattern here in my habit. Tackling one thing at a time will get me there.

Over the years, I've changed some of the more difficult things people have issues with. I haven't smoked inside for 7 years. That really bites when it's snowing outside or it's below zero. Trust me! At that point, I always think, "That does it! I'm quitting!" LOL This past year, all the windows on our car broke due to cheap plastic that runs the electric windows and so I no longer smoke in the car. That's handy. *smile* So, 2 of the more difficult things are gone. With the tracking I'm doing, I can pinpoint the other items that get to me.

I pulled a tracking sheet that I found online, but I don't like it. It doesn't allow for enough notes. So, I think I'll make my own so that it makes more sense and works better for me. *grin* Wish me luck!! I'm going to need every bit I can get.

C-10: Night and Noon and B-4: Children's Delight

Well, I finally have created one block for my Sylvia's Bridal Sampler. In this one, I followed the general idea in the given color scheme for the pattern.

C-10: Night and Noon

Considering this is only a 6" block finished, it took me long enough! It did remind me though why I find paper piecing so tedious. However, the cat enjoyed it. *grin* He curled up in my lap and stayed with me through most of it. My arrangement is so that I only have to turn and roll my chair a little bit to reach my small ironing board and my small cutting mat. He enjoyed it anyway. It was better than him crawling all over the machine and ironing board like he was doing at the beginning! LOL

After this one, I did another block from this same quilt. I had it whipped out in no time. No paper piecing and it was a simple pattern.

B-4: Children's Delight

In this one, I did my own thing. I was going to attempt to copy the general color scheme of the quilt. However, I obviously didn't with this one. *smile* I think I have decided to just randomly pick days to choose fabrics for the blocks. With the way my color ideas change, it will look just like different people picked them out. It's great! LOL

So there you have it. The "Quilt Rambler" finally showed pictures of quilting again. *grin* I'm now off to work on another quilt. Sometimes, it's good to get sick on days you can just take off. *grin*

Today's Plans

Well, I have great plans today. Unfortunately, they don't include church. I was doing my best to get us there every week, but when 3 of 4 of us are sick, it's better that we just remain home. So, new plans!!

Since I'm one of the ones sick, I just want to take it easy today. I hate being sick. But we'll leave it at that and I won't whine at you. *grin* I'll just keep taking my zinc and it should get wiped out pretty quickly.

Yesterday, I cut out fabric for 4 blocks. I also have little bags I need to sew together for my mom. Also, the boys picked out fabric ages ago for new pillowcases. So, I'm going to shove the recliner out of the way and set up shop at my sewing machine today. I have plenty there to keep me amused all day long. If I can get to those pillowcases, I'll even get fabric off of my sewing machine table that's been there for ages. It will feel good to get that off of there.

So, my hope is to be productive today. Now, to just keep the cat from bringing his latest favorite toy up on the back of my chair so I don't get hurt and we'll be doing great! LOL

I'm a quilter!!

LOL Okay, I know, that's a silly title to a post, however, with as busy as my life is, I sometimes wonder at all this fabric in my living room. Not to mention the cutting table and 2 sewing machines. Today however, I proved that I really am a quilter. Well, sort of anyway. *grin* About 2-3 days ago, I pressed all the fabric I needed for 4 blocks I want to make. Two are for my SBS (Sylvia's Bridal Sampler), and two are for this beautiful BOM I'm doing, or rather trying to do.

This morning, before taking my oldest to his wrestling tournament, I swung out my cutting table and set it up. I normally keep it folded up to save room. Anyway, I got home from taking him to his tournament and just looked at my set up cutting table and meandered off. *grin* The reason why the rest of us didn't stay to watch him is that my middle son, W, has a nasty cold. I figured it wasn't fair of us to stay and watch G and infect everyone around us. Grandpa and Grandma were sweet enough to step in for us and take care of him for me.

Anyway, about an hour or so ago, I finally got in there and cut out ALL of the fabric I had ready. I'm actually excited by that. *grin* All of it is now separated out into little baggies for each block for when I'm ready to pull out my sewing machine. Geez! We really need to do something about the lack of room in our home. However, until we get a larger home, I don't see any way around my having to fold everything up all the time. Not to mention having to shove a recliner out of the way so that I can open up my main sewing cabinet. It's rather annoying and the reason why I don't quilt/sew more. It's easier getting to my computer so I'm on here a lot more than on my sewing machine.

I'm just thrilled that I got all that fabric cut before the sun went down and I lost my good light. *smile* Now, I just hope to get the one SBS block finished before tomorrow night. We'll see. Since W is sick, and I have something wrong with me as well, we won't be going to church tomorrow. So that gives me extra time to sew. Well, that is if I can get off my lazy behind and move furniture around. LOL

If I do finish a block up, I'll even post a picture. Isn't that exciting? LOL

Your vote really doesn't count

Has anyone else realized this? Since the electoral college has been in place since 1787 (though it didn't get its name until 1845), it has had full control over who really elects the president. Keep in mind, that they're supposed to go with whomever won the popular vote in their state. It hasn't always though.

The idea behind the electoral college was to "help" those who couldn't really "understand" politics or were too far removed to be able to vote knowing everything about the candidates.

Can we say, "ANTIQUATED"? Just curious.

So here I am, sitting in my lovely home, watching a minute by minute vote count and poll reports, having information on every candidate at my fingertips thanks to the internet. Not to mention being absolutely attacked by fliers in the mail and reading everything (biased as it was) in newspapers and seeing it all on television. Well, okay. I didn't really see any of it on TV because I don't watch it. So, I would like to think that my vote counts. I would like to think that I am informed enough to make my own decision and can tell the electoral college to go take a hike.

Colorado only has 9 electoral college votes. What's the use of that?! How pathetic. However, all of our possible voters should count for something. I think that when they say, "Every vote counts, so go vote on election day" should actually mean what it says. Already, CNN has taken and said, "Well, Colorado's electoral votes will go to Obama." Great. My county hasn't even been tabulated and turned in yet. See what I mean? My vote didn't mean a darn thing. Makes me really upset. It has since I was a senior in high school when I learned about the electoral college (I even wrote my congressman about it), and it still does today. Perhaps I should start writing a letter a month and see if I can bug my senator and congressman into doing something about it. Probably not, but it's worth a try! My votes really DO count with them.

I want my vote to actually count. It's my constitutional right to vote. I think it should be a constitutional right for it to stand by itself as "1" towards my selected presidential candidate.

One last note and then I'm going to go. I sure hope you all like the kind of "change" Obama has in mind. Personally? It scares the snot out of me. The economy isn't controlled by the president. Hasn't anyone else realized that? It's controlled by the economists. SURPRISE! Just thought you should know that. The Iraqi war? They're kicking us out in 2011, so it will end. SURPRISE!! That's not worth voting over either. Energy policies and Education are though. Expect your taxes to go through the roof! Obama actually likes "No Child Left Behind." It's a broken system people, but we're going to be pouring more money into it. Great... State and Federal funded preschool. Great, lets put our adorable children into a stale environment even earlier! Marvelous idea... Most of them are already in daycare anyway. They won't know the difference. Your property taxes sure will though. So, tada! There's your Change. I hope you enjoy it, because I know I won't.

I'm lazy today

Well, I should really be doing something today. I have plans to go no where, but for some reason, that never makes me do what I should be doing around the home.

I have 3 cutting charts ready to go. The fabric is all ready as well. I just need to press it all (most are small pieces) and get my cutting table ready. Really, it's not that hard. Getting the cutting charts ready was probably harder. LOL I was hoping to do some good quilting this evening while waiting for the election results. I'm not getting there very fast.

The boys could all use a haircut. I really should get that one done.

I should be doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom, etc. You know the routine. Everything a wife/mother needs to do and it never ends.

I DID balance my checkbook earlier today. So see? I did do something semi-useful. You know what? That really bummed me out. No wonder I don't want to do anything else. Sheesh!

Oh, well. I just need to get a move on. Once I just push myself, I generally keep moving. Newton's laws and all that jazz. *smile* Maybe I should race the election clocks. How much can I get done before the eastern precincts start reporting in? They should be starting to close at any time now, depending on how many people were in line before they closed. I'm just grateful that I voted last week.

So! Yes. I think I'll race the clock. Shouldn't be all that hard actually. Then I'll be all ready to quilt my little heart out while watching the results. Then again, what if I don't like the winner? Would it be safe to have sharp objects around? LOL I'll try it anyway.

Wishing you all a lovely National Election Day.

Sylvia's Bridal Sampler

For awhile now, I've had the "Sylvia's Bridal Sampler - 5" as a tag line in my emails. The 5 stands for how many blocks I've made to date. Umm... That quilt has 140 blocks in it. I'd say that I'm 'slightly' behind on making them. *grin*

So, I have decided to make it a personal goal to keep doing the BOW, or Block of the Week, in the attempt to win one of the Elm Creek pins. How that works is that you email in a scan (or photo if you don't have a scanner) of your finished block every week before midnight CST. Then, you're entered into a drawing for an Elm Creek pin. One is given away every month. Of course, the more times your name is entered into the drawing, the more chances you have to win. You are usually up against 30 other people every week trying to win the honor of the pin. However, whether we win the pin or not, we still win. Want to know how? Because everyone is at least that many blocks closer to being finished with the quilt!

I downloaded the block this morning and I have it all measured out and ready to cut. It's block C-10 Night and Noon. In looking at the block, I have NO idea why it's carrying that name. Oh, well. It doesn't really matter. *grin* Maybe if it was made in different colors... Either way, it's a lovely paper pieced block. I have the fabrics all picked out and I will press them and cut them tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll sneak in block B-4 Children's Delight while I'm at it. Well, at least press the fabric and get it cut out anyway. It's a little hard to do a "leaders/enders" on it when I'm paper piecing due to the fact that I lose my 1/4" seam. I cheat... my sewing machine has a button on it that changes the position of my needle to a perfect 1/4" seam. I don't use that setting when paper piecing. So no "leaders/enders" while paper piecing.

With that, I need to go finish getting my kids ready to go to bed. I'm absolutely exhausted this evening. I do believe that an early bedtime is in order.

Background Layouts

Since my friend showed me that you can create great backgrounds for blogs using the digital scrapbooking software I already own, I've been going nuts. As a matter of fact, I see myself replacing it once a week. So, I've been trying to think of a way to show what I've done in the past and maybe even allow others to use them. Of course, they'd have to be used only for personal use and all credits for the items in the background must remain present and listed within the blog itself, just as I do at the bottom of my blog. All of these beautiful 'papers' and elements are all designed by someone else. I'd like to pretend that I could do something like that, but sometimes I just have to be truthful. *grin* If nothing else, I'd much rather spend my time quilting. That is where I get my satisfaction for creation.

So, let me think about this for awhile and I'll let you know how it comes in the future. As of right now, I'd have 2 available to share. I have 2 active blogs that I will change the backgrounds on every week.

With that, I'm off to figure out how to offer my layouts for others to use. Again, it might take some time as I'm going to "force" myself back into quilting. I think that I'll feel much better if I can just work on something for awhile. Sometimes, I just have to feel thread and fabric. Then the world just seems to get better. *smile*

Helping a Friend

Today, after taking our 'puppy' to the vet, I'm heading over to a friend's house to help her learn to use her 'new' sewing machine. She said that she's having problems with some of the stitches on it, so I'm going to see if there's anything I can do about that. Probably not that much as I don't know how to repair sewing machines. However, you never know until you look!

She only wants the machine to do some light sewing on. She apparently crafts cards and wants it to add stitching to that. I can't wait to see her cards. *smile* Then she might want to do some curtain making and possibly a dress or something like that. Her machine is stitching a straight stitch, so the other stuff will be fine. It's the lack of a zigzag that seems to be bothering her the most.

I think I'll take my little Kenmore Mini with me and let her play with that too. It's just sitting around here collecting dust. It has all the necessary stitches and a full-sized motor, so it will work great though it's smaller. It's hardly been used so it's just like brand new. Goodness knows I really don't need 3 sewing machines around here when I am the only one who actually sews.

I'm going to 'cheat' and take some of my quilt tops with me to show her what that's like. *grin* It never hurts to show someone! She's going to start sewing anyway, so let's show her the beautiful art of quilting. I wonder what I'll take? Maybe my son's finished quilt and my husband's finished quilt. Then I can take a few quilt tops that I have lying around here. Oddly enough, I don't have a lot lying around here right now. I always thought I did and my list shows that I'm working on a lot, but goodness knows I can't seem to find most of it. *sigh* The joys of constantly rearranging the rooms and going in and out of my quilting phase. Lately, it's been more out than in.

With all of that, I'd better get around to take the dog to the vet. I sure hope they can tell me what's causing her dry skin! She's been on fish oil pills that they gave her a month ago for this exact condition. I was to take her back if it didn't get any better. Obviously, it's not any better. When I went to groom her yesterday, her fur started coming out in large clumps. Just her undercoat, not the top coat, but still. I'm worried. Hopefully they'll figure it out.

Quilting "problems"

I do believe that the reason why I don't quilt more is the fact that I just don't have much time. Trying to raise 3 boys by oneself can be difficult. Add in sports and homeschooling and time is a precious commodity around here. We won't discuss putting in time to clean the house, which is what I'm supposed to be doing right now. *grin*

However, I think that another of my 'problems' is the fact that we have a small home and my quilting stuff is usually put away so that we have room for other things, like living. Mind, it all lives in the living room minus one dresser full of fabric that's in my oldest son's room, but still. My cutting table is folded down so that it's out of the way. Clearing the space so I can get it up to cut can be a chore I'd rather not face.

So I'm starting to think that if I just would devote one or 2 days a month to cutting out everything I want, or think I want, then I might get more done.

I really want to work on my SBS (or Sylvia's Bridal Sampler). I currently have something like 10 block patterns printed out, but no fabric cut to go with them. I am getting the most beautiful BOM from my LQS (local quilt store), but I haven't done last month. This month, because the store is pushing to get everyone done at about the same time, they're going to make everyone who started late (I'm in this group) start buying more than one month at a time. So on November 15, I'm going to have 3 months sitting here not being done. We won't discuss the Monster BOM I started years ago and haven't finished yet. *grin* That one isn't a cutting issue though. That one is a major applique issue. *grin*

So, what if I did set up my cutting table and ironing board with the sole purpose of getting a ton of things cut out for blocks I want to do? If I picked up some nice plastic Ziploc bags (I'm thinking quart to gallon size), then I could place all the fabric that I cut in those and separate them out. You know, make my own pre-cut kits. I mean, that's why I started that cheesy Joann BOM. It was all ready cut out and I didn't have to mess with it.

Of course, digging out my sewing machine(s) can be a problem too. Ugh! Can you say, "Too much stuff?" I sure can! I just seem to have a difficult time weeding through all of it and letting it go. However, that's a good topic for another day.

For now, I think I'll go clean my house. That right there will take a ton of pressure off of my shoulders. Then I'll look into "scheduling" some cutting time into my life. From there, I might just get more quilting done. *smile*