Monday, December 6, 2010

Working on a New Trick


I know that Wyatt is not talking yet, ok he can't even crawl, but I think that Wyatt will want to play Cowboys and Indians, and he may need to shoot a bad guy or two. So I have been teaching Max to 'play dead'. When I point my finger like a Colt 45 revolver and say the words Bang Bang!, Max drops over like he is dead. Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

March 16, 2010

I picked up a quilt from my quilter (All in Stitches) and I just have to show you a picture. The 'resident admirer' at the quilter's sure knew what he was talking about. Here it is..

It is awesome! Here is another Picture


Did I mention that this is the BACK of the quilt, and it is soooooooo stunning.... what must the front look like? Click HERE to navigate to the folder where I put more pictures in of this quilt. THANKS Kaye and Don! My piecing didn't make this quilt, it was the quilting! My pictures don't do this justice...

Sunday, March 14, 2010

March 14, 2010

Is February already over? What happened to it? And now we are half way through March...YIKES, I have 1 month to get my taxes done!

I did get to sew this weekend, so I posted pictures here. I also posted the first fishing photos of the season too! Hard to believe that we have had a warm enough day to even put the boat in. It is flooding here, but that is pretty normal for this time of year.
I will catch up with more later,
Connie

Saturday, January 30, 2010

January 30th, 2010


No sewing again today, but I did nap on the couch this afternoon while the house was quiet. The girls are headed to a 80's Night party for Katrina's work so they really got into the dress up part. Here they are being silly. I didn't take to0 great offense when I kept being asked as the 80's expert on what was terribly IN still then. Geez, I can I remember... it all just fades out...
Nick saw the Doc today about his ankle/foot. They are finally scheduling an MRI for early next week. We should know something by this time next week hopefully. Will update then.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

January 27, 2010

I haven't fallen off the end of the world, just have been swamped with work commitments and a very busy weekend. Let's start off from the last post, last Thursday evening, I spent a very relaxing and enjoyable night with my Challenge girlfriends, visiting and enjoying a Show and Tell that was fantastic. Here is just a brief listing of some of the show and tell:

The Colonies quilt, Kansas Troubles quilt, Tom's or was it Nick's quilt and the Heart Assoc. Auction quilt, the UFO finishes by someone cleaning her sewing room, the paper pieced New York Beauty blocks, a Turkey Wall hanging, the applique work on a WIG, the small UGRR wall hanging, a Rooster Quilt, a Cubbie fans quilt, and so much more. I can't believe how much was a accomplished in 2 months by us when looking at all the hours of work that we had committed to. I know that I am missing many, but a week ago was a long time in this old memory. I need to take a camera next month...(note to self)

On Friday evening Nick and I attended the rehearsal dinner of Erik's best friend, Chris Federle. It was held at Castelli's (aka Moonlight), it was a wonderful evening celebrating the upcoming wedding of Mary and Chris. Food, service and fellow quests all added to a very relaxing evening.

On Saturday, we attended the wedding and reception of Chris and Mary. I think they have dated for over 8 years, and it was so nice to see them speak their vows to each other. Chris just lives around the corner here in the country from us, and I think Erik may have slept at their house as much as mine for a couple of years. Frankie, Chris's mom considers Erik as her other son. Erik was in the wedding, so Stacie got to hang with our girls most of the day.
Sunday was a quiet day here, it was 1 year ago on Sunday that our niece Rowan gained her Angel wings, and so we reflected on her quietly here at the house. My sister Colleen wrote about "Ro-Therapy" on her blog that I would like to share. "Rowan had the ability to wash away your woes, and redirect you to what mattered the most by her smile, coo and little pats." Those words were very comforting to me as I read them because they explained how you felt in the company of our Rowan. Please take this moment to stop and say a quick prayer for Bryan, Colleen, Laurel, and Rowan's grandparents and extended family. This week is very difficult for all of them, and they are very much in my thoughts and prayers right now.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday it was heads down at work for me. I had 2 major and very high priority different project deadlines. I worked mega hours on them for me to meet the first checkpoint in the process... so what I meandered down to... is.... I have not touched my sewing area since last Wednesday, more than 7 days ago except to clean up a little... This is what I ended up with when the girls started the CLOSET Cleanout project, which amounted to move crap (aka STUFF) from their closets to my sewing room. Is this ClOSET CLEANOUT finished, oh no, but my sewing room was the defined "dumping ground" should not receive any more ILLEGAL dumpings. I have started emptying out the tubs, and deciding if what was in them I wanted or should I pitch to another "cause". Oh by the way, I did find my AMISH Quilt kit, so I did get a bonus out this "PROJECT". I hope to find my 15 minutes of sewing time in the next couple of days so I will let you know then what I worked on when I find that 15 minutes.
Nick's foot is no better after being on Celebrex for 2 weeks, so we will be heading back to the foot doc on Saturday morning. I will let you know if they plan on more tests, or if we will be casting up that puppy from the knee down. I think Nick is more receptive to the cast idea now that deer season is over...LOL
I am headed to bed to get up in a couple of hours to start a new day, I hope to have good news for you the next time I post, but I need to confirm something before I publicly make the announcement...LOL yes that was designed to leaving you hanging...
Take care and chat at you later!
Connie

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

January 20, 2010

OK, I didn't fall off my resolution yet, I just had my head down working hard at my sewing machine.


I have been heads down sewing like a Crazy Madwoman Quilter trying to finish my Challenge. Well.... drum roll please.... I do NOT owe a Charity block this month. I have updated the January Sewing folder.


I sewed late Friday evening, some late on Saturday, some time on Sunday, and most of Monday afternoon and evening. In fact I went to bed at 10:42 PM Monday evening and was back up at 10:57 when Elizabeth came in after she SMOKED a deer. Yes deer season ended officially at dusk on SUNDAY, but does Elizabeth care. Still trying to determine what it will take to get it back on the road. Elizabeth was not hurt, except for the immediate mental trauma. She is feeling that bad things are happening to her right now and could sure use some good vibes sent her way.


I have mega hours into this current quilt and am trying to decide if I will hold off on the hand work portion of the binding of the quilt until my road trip to North Carolina in February, or work on it now... Decisions..Decisions..Decisions..

My machine is shut down for the night, and I am packing up the items I will need to take to the Challenge meeting tomorrow night. If I don't come prepared, they will roast me. I will post tomorrow if at all possible

Take care everyone!
Connie

Friday, January 15, 2010

January 15, 2010

Did you sew for at least 15 minutes today? I did. I was able to fire up my Singer after I got home this evening and managed to get all but the very center of my Peeled Back quilt quilted. I have about 1/2 hour left of quilting to have the center of the quilt quilted. I will finish that up in the morning. Then I will need to mark the border and work my way around this. I can see DAYLIGHT here. I may be able to make my Challenge this month... That would be sooooo SWEET!

I did take a picture of what is left, so check out the photos.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

January 14, 2010

Can you believe it...January is almost 1/2 over. It has been a busy one so far for us. What about you?

I didn't do my 15 minutes of sewing on Tuesday and Wednesday. Those days are really long for me because I do the drive to Creve Coeur and so I am on the road by 5:40 in the morning for the hour plus commute. So I put my head down tonight at the machine after I got supper prepared. I made vension stew and homemade dinner rolls. I need to write up the recipe, so I can make it again. I will share it then with you.

I have attached photos of my quilt top and how the quilting is coming along. After I stopped tonight, I figured up that I may have crossed the 1/2 done mark. I have a lot to still do before next Wednesday evening before I go to bed.
Fortunately I have Monday off, so that should help me a little. I am going with Nick to the doc on Saturday, I will let you know what they say about the foot. I really think he will order more tests, but once again I will let you guys know.

Talk to you tomorrow!
Connie

Monday, January 11, 2010

January 11, 2010

My 15 minutes of sewing today was working on my peeled backed quilt. I have placed the photos in the January folder. This has to be completely quilted by the 3rd Thursday of January. I will be working little sections to be able to complete this in time for my challenge. If I fail to complete the challenge, I must make a 12 1/2 in unfinished block that will be pieced into a quilt that will be finished for a child to select from when they cross the path of either a law officer or social worker as a victim. But my penalty multiplies until I complete the challenge so I will be working hard at my challenge. I would say I am over 1/2 way done, but the easy parts are the completed parts. Now I have lots of areas that have to be completed like I did tonight. I will post as I am working them. The background is really not green, but more of a tan. I think between the close up shot with the flash and the blue marker, it turned out looking green. I already have the hanger for this quilt, I will be pushing to get it bound. Talk to you tomorrow.
Connie

Sunday, January 10, 2010

January 10, 2010

YEAH!!! Snoopy dancing here on Green Acres for I have finished piecing my Harvest 9 Patch quilt top. This pattern was designed by Nancy Davis Murty at Bee Creative Studio. I have posted photos in my January 2010 Sewing folder. The other quilt top I did of hers is the Flying Home Quilt. I think out of the 2 quilt patterns that I used of hers, I may have found 1 mistake, and I am not even positive about that one. That is one of the nicest features of buying her patterns. After a while, I am totally disgusted with the mistakes I find in patterns, sometimes I find I have to redesign around due measurement/fabric calculations. I wish designers would take the the saying "Check twice, cut once" to heart with their patterns, after all patterns and fabric are not a cheap purchase. (ok, I will get off my soapbox) I do like her Harvest Home Fabric Collection, I just don't see how she has set it together in a quilt or project. I will have to keep this fabric line in mind when looking at new patterns. I will now be working on my January Challenge which is to finish the quilting on my Peeled Back quilt. I will post a picture of it when I have it laid out later.

I am going to be powering down my sewing room for a couple of hours and do some light picking up and putting away around here. I have the bedding stripped from our bed, washed and waiting to go back on. So I might as well dust, and vacuum the house too. I really want to rearrange the living room, but I think I will need help for that so it may have to wait.

It was Zero degrees this morning at 6:57 AM when Nick left to go Ice Fishing at Red's landing and I headed into the sewing room and now 5 hours later it is a whopping 21 degrees above zero. Hopefully Nick is catching a few for supper tomorrow night. Today will be great day to run my oven, and clean out a couple of closets I think. So I am headed that way.
Talk to you later.
Connie

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Out with 2009 and in with 2010

Where to start... 2009 is over (PERIOD)! With so much happening in 2009, I think back to a few moments of 2009, many more important than others, and I am sure that after I post this I will think of others that should have been listed. Some of our 2009 moments were bad, some very bad, some good and some very good. Between our country swearing in a young president, the ecomony tanking, our loved ones experiencing being layed off for the first time, our local state governor being impeached, gaining a daughter-in-law Stacie, celebrating our niece Sara's wedding, losing our sweetie Rowan, and mourning with my family over the loss of Grandma Anderson, and my Aunt Mary, finding out that Nick and I will be grandparents, and that my Uncle Bernard became a grandparent for the 3rd, 4th and 5th time in just a few short weeks (amazing).

2010 doesn't seem to be starting out that much different for many of us, but I have strong hopes and wishes that we will all enjoy positive events in our lives in the next months.

On my Mom's side of the family (Reinert) I have heard there will be 5 new babies in 2010, with our grandchild being the last of the 5 born in July 2010. My first cousin Tom, my first cousin Carleen and I will all become Grandparents for the first time, my first cousin Debbie will become GREAT Grandma, and Carleen's brother will be having a little one as well. So yes, that means Carleen will become a new Aunt and Grandma within months.
New little ones, always makes us look forward and upwards! I am so looking forward to the first time those little ones all meet each other. Then with the 3 new ones of my first cousin Katie's and first cousin Josh's (Uncle Bernard's new grandbabies), the Reinert clan will have added 8 new names to the family tree. And these are only the ones we know of right now. 2010 is still very young.

This past year my sisters, Cathy and Colleen have stumbled into my world of sewing. They both have fired up their sewing machines and are cranking out new and very creative projects. Here is a link to Colleen's site and I will add Cathy's once I find out where Cathy is hiding hers at.

I hope to post more of my work to this blog, so yes that would be my New Year's resolution "To do a better job and be more timely about my blogging". You may only get brief photos and quick updates on several projects because I work on several projects at the same time. AND YES I know, I know "why would a sane person do that?" But HEY! thanks for the compliment (you do think I am sane right?) but I will try to post what I have sewn on. I truly try to sew at least 15 minutes a day, even if that is hand sewing on a quilt binding. So I am headed into my sewing room shortly with my camera to snap photos of what is on my design wall, what I worked on over the new year holiday, and what is piled on my cutting table.

January is a tough month for many of our loved ones, and I think of them daily. It is the month of past memories that we reflect on in our moments of silence. We may not speak of it, but our thoughts and prayers and tears are with you during this month.

Love you all very much,
Connie