Back on Track

Thank goodness I was able to get all the stitches out and reload my material and I am back on track doing my stippling. It is difficult to see in the picture, but I am doing a pretty good job with the stitching. I am continually checking the back and so far so good. At least when I finish this project I will have something that I can bind and use. I am having great fun - now that things are progressing smoothly.

Later . . .

Pie was Great

This is one of the first pictures in ages that we have been able to snap of Kodi - he has suddenly decided that he is not going to have his picture taken. When he hears the camera turn on he leaves the room and if there is a flash happening anywhere in his vicinity he is GONE. The picture is not clear, but at least I got it!

The pie really was great, but it was lacking something. Probably lacking the fact that my mother did not make it. I think I will keep trying and maybe I will get the combination. I did the Kodi foot/toe treatment this morning - OMG that dog has some strong back legs and he managed to slam my hand against the wall one too many times. One of his biggest problems is that his back feet are ticklish and getting the trimmers in there tickles him and he then slams my hand against the wall or into my chest or wherever he manages to kick (did I mention I love my dog). Now I am off the to garage to continue taking out the last of the stitches that need to be removed to see if I can salvage my quilt. Max and I did the majority yesterday, but there are still a few that need to be removed.

Later . . .

Another Year Older . . .

This is EXACTLY what I wanted for my birthday! I have been wanting a small shop vac that I can use in my sewing room to keep up with the threads, lint and DOG hair. This is a sweet little Craftsman that has a 10 foot cord and plenty of power.

My plan for the day was to do some quilting and Max was helping me to adjust the laser on my machine. I wanted to do some more practice and loaded one of my "cheater" quilts. Things were looking good and I was progressing nicely until I made the mistake of NOT checking the under side after I got started. I checked in the beginning to make sure my bobbin thread was sewing correctly, but when I advanced my quilt I somehow maganged to get a wrinkle on the back. Because Max is the sweet person that she is, she helped me in ripping out the stitches. We did not get it completed and I decided to give it a rest and go in the house and make myself a banana cream pie with meringue topping (that is my favorite dessert my Mother used to make me and I decided that I wanted to do one myself). Max is fixing steaks for dinner, so we have not had any pie as yet, but it certainly looks beautiful!I will let you all know how it turned out, but how could something like that not be good - pie crust, bananas, pudding and meringue!

Later . . .

Max's Class

I can't remember if I mentioned that Max signed up for some classes being put on through adult education at our new Parks and Rec Center, but she had her first Photoshop class last night and came home very impressed and excited about what she learned. She has one more Photoshop class and then starts a Photography class that runs for several weeks (six I think). I think she will be happy with all her new equipment once she finishes the classes - not that she is not happy with it now, but just MORE happy with some tips and tricks.

I have been all over the board with what I am working on, but I do hope to get started on quilting this week. I have been making leaders for my take-ups and have a top, back and batting ready to load - as soon as I finish with the leaders.

Unfortunately, it has been REALLY cold around here and being in the garage for any length of time is a bit much - but I think I should be able to work out there in intervals and not freeze.

Later . . .

Long weekend and Kodi

Having a nice long weekend was very nice. Max had both Friday and Monday off. We took off to her mom's on Saturday to hang out and visit (early birthday for her mom's 1/24 BD). We had an adventure on the way home as we decided to drive over to Arnold and check out a place that we have vacation reservations. Where was the GPS when you need it?????? We were in her car which does not have the direction OnStar and we got very lost. The positive part of the adventure is that we had plenty of gas, water, full tummies and were driving around in some REALLY beautiful areas. We eventually found where we wanted to be and checked out the area and then headed home.

Today the week started over and it started with Kodi and I at the vet's yet once again. Whatever is going on with Kodi and his feet seems to be attached to allergies. He will now be taking human benedryl morning, noon and night. Since he is such a big guy he will be taking 12 pills a day! I also went to the pet store and bought him some booties for his big old feet. It is going to be a pain, but he will have to wear them when he goes out in the back yard to keep his feet dry and the grass pollen off. I am going to have to dedicate myself to taking care of shaving the fur from between his pads and toes and make sure that he keeps his feet dry all the time. Poor guy cried at the vet like we were killing him so she could get cultures from his little (big) toes. I am hoping that finally our $200 monthly vet bills will come to an end.

Later . . .

Lost track of time - again . . .

Last weekend we went to San Jose to watch Michael play floor hockey for Special Olympics. They only won 1 out of 4 so they did not place. They had some REALLY aggressive teams, but it was fun to watch and they had a good time. He starts practicing for basketball now and that will be the next games. Our neighbors gave us some lemons from their yard - so Max and I made lemon meringue pies. They turned out really well and we gave on to the neighbors to insure that they will continue to share their lemons with us. They also gave us some tangerines, but we just ate those.

I am still busy trying to master the quilting thing and it is coming along nicely. Lots of confusing little bits and pieces to figure out, but nonetheless I am having fun. I did get to use the cutting table portion of my new sewing table and let me tell you that is VERY nice. I also used my regular cutting table and it made cutting a long piece of material very much easier (not easy for me - I hate working with long lengths of material). I believe I am going to go ahead and give one of my "cheater" quilts a try and see how that turns out. However, I am going to make leaders for my take-up bars because I was having a problem with my backing slipping out of the grove and not staying taunt. I can see that this is a work in progress (learning). I have decided that I am going to sign up for a machine quilting class and a beginners quilting class at our local quilt shop. I could use the information for the machine quilting and I am hoping to pick up some needed tips and shortcuts for quilting.

Later . . .

It was a cold, pouring down rain, windy day today and we mainly just kept close to the fireplaces. The dogs did not even want to venture out in the mess and usually Kodi does not care if it is raining or not. I took the time today to finish the scarf I was making for Max. It is VERY soft and she likes it a lot (deep blue accents her eyes really well). I did not mess with my quilting today - played some video game and generally took it easy. We are suppose to get another storm coming in tomorrow - so will be probably much the same tomorrow as it was today (except I probably will venture out to the garage and do a little quilting).

Later . . .

So the machine is up and running and it is truly amazing. I have a practice piece in and did my first stitches. In the beginning it was harder than it is now and I am sure it will get easier the more I practice. I think by the time I finish the practice piece I will be ready to do the dog quilts - or I might try one more practice piece. I am having some difficulty judging the distance of stopping and starting. I am thinking I may have to do some measuring to make sure that I roll enough and not too much when I advance the materials. My laser is broken so I cannot practice with the pantograph's which give start and stop places. They will be sending me a new laser, but I don't know when it will arrive. Nonetheless, I am extremely happy with the machine and the frame as well as the stitch regulator. I am hoping to connect with Lynn and she is suppose to be starting a new quilt and I would like to watch her (she said it would be okay).

We are looking forward to a slow, lazy, rainy long weekend (Max is off work tomorrow). The storm does not seem to be appearing, but it may show up later tonight or tomorrow.

Later . . .