More Projects

Like I don't have enough to do! I am determined to learn how to use my Mac efficiently. I really like the machine, but I know that I am missing out on a ton of useful things and I have decided that I am going to master them. I have committed to read the entire book and do it page by page instead of skipping around and "half-ass" doing it. I know that it will be time consuming, but it is something that I really should do. Not that I am going to sit down and do the entire book non stop - NOT! I will just mix it in with all the other stuff I have to do to keep me diversified. No more projects for me for a while!

Later . . .

Busy

I have been busy doing craft things - I finished the birthday present I was working on and after the birthday happens I will post a picture of the finished project. The above is from cutting squares to get ready to put the kids quilts together. I had the pink flannel for the girls, but I have to buy something for Devin's. So once I get the material and then cut the squares they will all be ready to go. The wooden ball with the tooth picks is the prototype for my snowflakes. It seems like it will work well and I have some balls marked and ready for the drill.

Max has been busy looking for a job and sending out lots of resumes - unfortunately the economy sucks and there is not much happening right now. To relieve the stress, we are planning a fishing weekend for a little pleasure and R&R the weekend of the 28th.

Later . . .

The Weekend

The "craft day" went really well. Paul and Max tied flies, Kathy did beading, Debby brought a friend who did some snowflakes with me while Debby played with her computer and Mom and Warren did snowflakes. Everyone had a great time and then we had dinner and dessert. Max's Mom and I continued to make snowflakes after dinner while Max played on her computer. Mom and I continued with the snowflakes on Sunday while Max made us chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. We have not completed the snowflakes because we did not like the way they worked with the cork that was called for in the original instructions. We are going to switch to round wooden balls - hopefully. Each snowflake requires 10 pins and there are a lot of beads and a lot of work that goes into each one and we want something that will hold up and last. Below is a picture of the pieces for a blue snowflake (for Max) and a pink snowflake (for me) that are not put together yet. Max's Mom and I continued to make snowflakes after breakfast on Sunday while Max played on her computer. They really turned out beautiful and I am just hoping they will be as beautiful once they are put together - nonetheless, they were really fun to make and I finally got to use some of my bead stash!


Later . . .

DONE!

Finally! The dogs will be happy to go to bed tonight. I did not completely finish Darci's quilt last night and simply could not give one without the other. I really do like them and they look really cute covering their beds.

I am looking forward to our "family craft day" and I will take some pictures with my camera so I can post.

Later . . .

Slow, but progress

I have the bindings sewn on both the dog quilts (I finished quilting Kodi's quilt yesterday). I made my typical mistake on finishing the binding and had to take Darci's out FOUR times because I had it twisted and Kodi's TWO times. I do not know why I get so confused, but it comes down to when I look at a picture of how to do something nine times out of ten I will screw it up. I just am not good with flat paper instructions. Anyway - I am hoping to get started on tacking the binding tonight and finish them tomorrow. Pictures of the completed projects will follow.

Later . . .

Quilt Update

I have the binding ready for both the dog's quilts along with the labels. I have Kodi's quilt now loaded on my quilting frame. I am hoping to be able to have them both finished by the end of the week. We are having "family craft/play day" this weekend. Paul and Max are going to tie flys, Kathy is going to bead, Max's mom and Warren and I are going to make snowflakes and whatever else we decide and I am not sure what we are going to have Debby doing. The idea is just to all hang out together doing whatever we want to do. We can chat and interact, but still be accomplishing something. I am hoping I will have my binding sewn on by then, but if not I might get a chance to do some of that.

Later . . .

Photo Shoot

Not that I am impressed with the model, but Max wanted to work on her lighting and shadows and stuff - so on Saturday she set up her "stuff" and I was the chosen one. She took a bunch of pictures and this is the one that she emailed me for the blog. I think there were pictures I liked better (perhaps not looking so old and tired). I begged her to "photshop me" but what you see is what I am. Anyway besides pictures we caught up on some TV programs and played some video games and just took it easy for the weekend. Now we have to deal with the time change and I suppose we will be used to it in a week or so.

Kodi seems to be feeling better and that is a welcome sight. He still has meds to finish and I will probably extend the anti-biotics for another week or ten days.

Later . . .

Darci's Quilt

I finished quilting today and I am proud to say it turned out really well. I have no puckers and it really does look good. I took the close up picture to show the actual quilting - you can see the front and the back. I used a variegated brown on the front and a tan that matched the color of the back. I will do the same for the other one (Kodi's quilt). It is still a learning process for me and I know that I made some mistakes, but they are not ones that anyone would notice unless someone was "super snooping". I have the binding cut, but not sewn together. I will probably quilt the other quilt and sew both bindings at the same time (well maybe one after the other).

Later . . .

Quilting

I FINALLY loaded one of the dog's quilts (this one is Darci's) and am getting ready to do the quilting. I have been kind of pre-occupied with other projects for a while - not just video games, but I have been working on something for a birthday present and I cannot put the picture on the blog because "sometimes" that person actually looks at the blog and then the surprise would go straight out the window. I must admit that I have been side tracked with a couple of video games I have downloaded from Big Fish. They are simple, yet fun games and the only thing I can say about them is they keep my mind active.

Like I mentioned before, I plan to finish the dog quilts and then revert back to a practice piece to work on other designs and get a feel for the laser. God knows I have enough fabric to be able to come up with a couple of pieces that I am willing to part with for some practice.

We are dealing with the "loss of job woes" again. Since the whole transition at Max's work things just continue to change and are up in the air. This new change does not look good for her continued employment. Sucks - but she is kind of starting to look for a new job. She can always go back to plumbing (which she really does not want due to the heavy stress on her body), but the overall economy is not looking so good and it is unknown if there are any openings right now anyway. She can plug back into the union and see what happens, but she would prefer to get something else. We are trying to keep a positive attitude and not get too stressed about the whole deal, but it seems like it is going to come to fruition whether we stress/don't stress, plan/don't plan, or want it/not want it to happen.

Later . . .

Escapee

Well so much for someone who is on "restricted activity" (that would be Kodi). My being BAD when I had to unlock the gate for the window people yesterday and forgetting to check that it was at least closed. I am amazed he did not escape sooner, but when he went out this AM he had the opportunity to make the big escape. I have no idea how long he was out and about running amuck, but he is limping more than he was yesterday. I found the breakout when I wanted him to come in and have breakfast so he could take his medication - no Kodi and a gate standing wide open. Luckily I found him just around the corner at the front door of a house that usually has a dog out in the front or in the garage. I was in the back of the house when I heard Darci barking and by the time I got to the front door I saw the neighbor's truck driving off. I was surprised and wondered what he wanted, but I guess it was probably to tell me my dog was at his house! Once again, thank God he was not hit by a car. I do not understand why I cannot remember to ALWAYS check the gate.

Later . . .

THE WEEKEND

Well good news concerning Kodi, he seems to just have an injury to his shoulder and the anti-inflammatory medication seems to be doing the trick. The only problem is to get him to eat and then not throw up his medication. He has only done that once - so that is looking good. Time will be the answer with the anti-biotic medication and his toes/feet.

We had an appointment with our tax accountant on Friday and that was a bit depressing - I knew it was coming, but did not want to deal with it. The final numbers are not in, but it will involve sending money out and not getting any coming in (unless we can qualify for Bush's refund).


Max had a photo shoot with her photography class on Saturday morning. They went to a local park and hiked about taking shots of whatever was available. She got some great shots of some "tiny" mushrooms. The above mushroom was about 1.5 inches. Her 100mm marco lens does some amazing things. She had fun with her class even though she had to get up at 5:00 AM on a Saturday to do the shoot. Of course they wanted to get out there in the good light. Saturday afternoon we went with Paul, Kathy and Michael to REI in Fremont (Michael was looking for a particular bag that he had seen) and then the Red Lobster for dinner. Max and I had not been to a Red Lobster since we have been together. It was really good and we had a fun evening. Sunday was a do nothing day and I mostly played the Wii and the PS2.

The other event for Sunday is that the wind was blowing and unfortunately it made the shattered window crumble! That was a PAIN because we had to deal with all the little pieces of glass and we were out there vacuuming the grass so the dogs would not end up with glass slivers in their paws. The window was replaced this afternoon and it sure would have been nice if it would have lasted until the window repair people showed up. Ahhhhhh well, we have a new window now and the glass mess is gone.

Later . . .

Another Vet Visit for Kodi

Geez - seems like we just keep taking $500 hits to our budget. Kodi was experiencing some limping that just was not getting any better - so off to the vet with him I went. Dealing with the limp required x-rays of his shoulder; which required sedation to be able to get a good picture. She took one picture which showed "something" that she could not be sure if it was a tumor or more of a bone/ligament thing. We had a LONG discussion about CANCER in big dogs along with all the problems connected to ortho issues (kind of similar to what I just went through with my knee except WITHOUT any insurance). I made the decision to take the additional x-ray and send it out to a radiologist to take a look at it. Our vet was not that familiar with looking at x-rays of dogs the size of Kodi and would just feel more comfortable with someone who all they do is look at x-rays to make an interpretation. Unfortunately, he is STILL having toe problems and we had the discussion of amputating his toe (again with the possibility of cancer). He is getting a lesion on another toe and the nail to the really bad toe is hollow (yet another sign of cancer) As it stands right now he is taking medication for the pain and inflammation of his shoulder and back on anti-biotic for his feet. The medication itself cost over $100, but we can only hope it will take care of the shoulder problem and we just have to keep watching his toes. If the radiologists comes back with a report indicating a tumor, we will make the decision at that time if we will do a biopsy. The whole no insurance thing is killing us. Hopefully he just has an injury and with rest and medication he will bounce back. However, I think the whole toe/foot issue will be an on going issue as it has been in the past.

Later . . .

Label

Wow - after dealing with MANY problems with my embroidery machine, I finally finished and attached the label for Max's quilt. I was having problems with the bobbin thread showing through and thread breakage like crazy. I switched to a universal titanium needle which seemed to solve the breakage problem, but I still had some puckering that is not normal. Nonetheless, considering it was a "cheater" quilt that really did not require a label, it is a completed project!

I do think I am going to move on to the dog quilts before I revert back to a practice quilt to work on something besides stippling. I would like to try to do a pantograph with my laser, but I know I will need some practice with that. I have been practicing a bit just following the design with the laser and it is just not as easy as one might think.

Later . . .

Binding Finished

It was a long slow process, but I finally finished the binding for my "cheater" quilt. Because I had to cut the quilt down a bit, there are a few places where the stippling runs next to the binding - which in my opinion does not look that great, but what the heck - not bad for my first real attempt at doing quilting on my machine. I am in the process right now of making a label for it. Because Max liked it so much, it will be for her. I am going to do an embroidery label and should have that completed and attached by tomorrow. I will post a picture of the label tomorrow.

Later . . .

Michael's photo

Duane mentioned he wanted to see a picture of Michael - so I made Max email me one of the shots. It was really fun with all the lights and the back drop - like a real studio and Michael was very happy to be a "model".

Later . . .

Weekend

I have come to the conclusion that I have to start taking pictures with my camera IF I want to actually post any pictures on the blog. We had fun on Friday - Max picked up Michael after work and he came over and modeled for Max to try out all her new lights and equipment. It was fun and then we watched a movie before Paul came and picked him up (he had to work on Saturday so no spending the night). We hung and and did a bunch of nothing on Saturday (video games, knitting, and just kicking it). Sunday we took off to the Fly Fishing Show in Pleasanton with Paul and then Emil Villa's for a great breakfast. The rest of the day will be spent sewing the binding on my quilt and probably video game and then maybe watch the Oscars. I have to call after 5:00 pm to check about jury duty.

Later . . .

Yikes - glass is expensive!

Hmmmmm so I got the bad news about the window replacement - $508.50 (tempered glass like we had in it) or $439.02 (regular non-tempered glass). Couple that with the cost of a new hot tub cover (which we need) and we are looking at $1k of expenses. The hot tub cover was a given - I knew that needed to be replaced, but the window - Max's response was: "So much for pocket wizards".

Later . . .

Shattered Window

This is actually an awesome looking picture IF it were not for the fact that I have to find someone to replace the glass. Our gardener threw a rock into the kitchen window on Saturday and completely shattered the glass. It was actually cool because you could continue to hear the glass cracking. The not so cool part is that the company who put our windows in (with a life time replacement of one window a year) is no longer in business. I did get someone to come out and measure this afternoon and will find out what it is going to cost to replace it. Luckily they are double pane windows - so we still have a window keeping the elements outside the house and not inside.

Later . . .

Long Weekend

Duane and the family arrived Friday evening and we had a really nice weekend. Duane and Denise got to do some running around without the kids and we enjoyed spending time with them. The weather was beautiful and we were able to play in the backyard and enjoy the sunshine (Devin even ventured out with us and the sun and fresh air did not kill him). I have not loaded any of the pictures on my computer, but check out Duane's site for a couple pictures of the kids. It really was a fun weekend and we managed to find a place for everyone to sleep (They forgot the play pen for Deanna, but she managed to do okay on the floor between the two twins of Duane and Denise (when she was not rolling all the way under the bed). It was great to have them here and I will try to post some pictures.

Later . . .

Change of Pace

I decided it was time for a change of pace - so back to the embroidery part of my machine. I have been wanting to put these hummingbirds on my jacket for a long time. I also decided to finish the quilt blocks I was doing for Deanna ( I can't seem to get the link to open to show all the blocks). Now I have all the blocks for the kids done and I have to cut the others to finish up the pattern and put the quilts together. Still lots of work ahead of me, but it will be worth it when they are finished.

Later . . .

Catching up . . .

I wish I could write about being fabulously busy and all the things I have accomplished since the last post, but somehow I don't think that is going to work. Thinking back, I have managed to do some things. I have the binding machine stitched on my quilt (waiting for me to complete the hand sewing). I have the backs for the dog quilts completed, so all I need to do is cut the batting and I can load them on my frame. I took an all day machine quilting class this last Sunday, which probably would have been a really good class IF I would have gotten any sleep Friday or Saturday night. It was a fun class, but I was just tooooooo tired to really enjoy it. The one thing I found interesting is that all the expensive thread that they wanted us to buy did not work worth crap in my machine. I ended up using some Coats and Clark cotton thread I had with me for both the top and the bobbin. I will stick with what I know works with my machine in the futrue. I had to make a bunch of "sandwiches" for practice and also an Ohio Square. So that did take up some of my time. We managed to get our hands on a Wii and we have been playing with that and having a great time. Michael (who works at Wal-Mart) has been watching to see if they get any extras in the store. He cannot purchase one unless they have extras left after they first come in. His store got an over shipment and he was able to grab one for us. We also bought a Zelda game which I had gotten into at the grandkids house. We played all the sports things and really enjoyed them all, but especially the boxing. What fun and what a workout!

Anyway, we are going into the City for Valentine's day for dinner and Paula Poundstone. Kathy, Paul, Debby, Tomey, Max and I. Then Duane and family are coming down for the weekend and we are really looking forward to that. We will celebrate Devin's birthday late and Desirae's birthday early.

So actually I guess I have been rather busy.

Later . . .

OMG - I Did It!

I am AMAZED that I actually was able to finish this quilt considering all the trouble I had while doing it. I have continued to struggle with the ratchets on the bars. I had to take off the entire thing and put it back on. I ended up with stretched batting (which I managed to successfully hide). What can I say except LEARNING EXPERIENCE! In the large picture it is difficult to actually see the quilting, but I actually am pleased with the stippling I did (far from perfect, but not bad for a newbie). For the size of the quilt, I can not even imagine doing the stippling on my regular machine - if I thought I had problems with this on my quilting frame, I would have been tearing my hair out and giving up quilting forever. I am actually kind of excited to do the dog quilts now. I have to find something to bind this quilt with and figure out how to square it up. I may have to find someone who can help me with that, because it seems I have a REALLY difficult time squaring a large piece of fabric. Anyway it feels good to have accomplished the making of a usable quilt.

Later . . .

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 . . .

The lights are up and working - makes it really nice and bright. We attached the stitch regulator and put the sewing machine back on the carriage (I have a place to plug it in now). Hopefully in a couple of days (we have Max's Mom with us now) I will be able to load some fabric and batting and start practicing. I messed around with the machine and it really moves smoothly and "appears" that it will be easy. I am excited to give it a try.

Later . . .

Okay - so I know that I do NOT need another hobby, but I saw someone using one the other day and it looked like fun. I am in the process of making Max a beautifully soft blue scarf. God knows I will always have something to be working on.

Max did the wiring in the garage tonight and we hung up half the set of track lighting. The lighting is awesome - each set has four halogen lights that you can direct where you want the light to go. They are very nice and it will make quilting on my frame really nice. I have my quilting machine in the house right now because previously there was no way to plug it in. I worked on some embroidery most of the day putting some designs on sweatshirts for some gifts for the late Christmas we are having this Saturday. I plan to work with my new machine tomorrow to become familiar with it. At this point I do not even know how to thread it or wind the bobbin. I watched the video and it seems like it will not be difficult, but I do need to get familiar with it before I put it on the frame - and I am really looking forward to doing that and loading some material and batting and try my hand at some free motion quilting.

I will take pictures tomorrow of the completed lighting and give my opinion on my new machine.

Later . . .

Yikes - once again I am way behind in postings. Max, Kathy, Paul and I took off for a week in Genoa. We had some wonderful weather (if you were looking for snow and winter that is). We did a bunch of museums and sight seeing and had a really relaxing nice time. We had to use the chains (cables) for the Vue and it went very well. I was feeling pretty bad that we did not have four wheel drive, but it worked out pretty well with the cables.

went down on Thursday afternoon and came back on Sunday. We had a great time with the family and Denise, of course, fixed an amazing meal for our Christmas dinner. Max and I are doing Christmas with her family on the Saturday before New Years - so this was our Christmas. The kids seemed to be pleased with their gifts and Max and I were both amazed by the wonderful giftsNext on the agenda was a trip to Duane and family for our early Christmas. We we received.

While at Duane's we went and picked up my new quilting machine and frame. It was time consuming, but not really that difficult to put together. We put it together on Monday and I am dying to give it a try, but we have to do some wiring and also put up some type of track lighting so I can see. I think we are going to start on the wiring when Max gets home from work. I also need to remove the sewing machine and actually thread it and work with it a bit to become familiar with it. I am really excited about having the ability to do free motion quilting with ROOM!

Later . . .

Christmas Shirt

DSC02834
Originally uploaded by msdrae

I was busy at my sewing machine the other day making these designs on the back of a white over sized shirt. It turned out really cute with the different reindeer. Had to see what they actually look like without close up shots - which I have but am not sure how to link it to this page. I think if you click on the msdrae above it will take you to the flickr site and you can see all the pictures for the shirt - or you might have to click on the picture itself. I have not figured out the Flickr site yet. Okay - click on the picture and then when it takes you to the Flickr site click on the msdrae and then click on the Christmas Shirt set.

Later . . .

We spent a nice quiet weekend - after a trip to Fry's on Friday night! I picked up a new wireless Logitech keyboard and mouse for my Mac (beautiful white and silver instead of the normal black). Max's hard drive on her computer was doing some serious clunking and she needed to get a new hard drive before hers bit the dust entirely. Then there was the "need" for a new DVD RW. I also "needed" to get a new USB port hub. We also picked up a "needed" 2G jump drive. At the tune of about $400 we made it out the door. I will say I love my keyboard and mouse, considering I have always used Logitech in the past - it is familiar and I never did like the "mighty mouse". I am having a slight problem with the keyboard as I cannot find the "F" key lock to be able to program the "F" keys. Since I have had good luck with Logitech in the past I will give them a call tomorrow and see if there is something I am missing.

We have one week until we take off on vacation (David Walley's Resort and Spa) for a week. We are looking forward to the trip, but this is the first time we will be venturing into the snow without a 4x4 option. So sometime this week I will have to go out and buy chains for the Vue. Then we will come home for a week and then take off again to Duane's to celebrate Christmas with the grandkids. Then New Years with Max's family and 2007 is over. Now that is hard for me to believe.

Later . . .

I spent the day working in my sewing room (when I was not doing laundry and IMing with Denise). I purchased these hats on sale last year and wanted to puts the kids' names on them. I have some stockings that I want to add names on, but they have a bit smaller opening and I am afraid are going to be somewhat of a challenge. I knew that I could do the hats without too much trouble, but the thread did keep breaking due to the sticky stabilizer I was using.

Since the Inspira frame that I was planning on buying did not get ordered and the Pfaff Grandquilter is not in my possession, I guess I need to get back to regular quilting. I was expecting to pick up both when we were at the grandkids house, but that did not happen. I should have picked up the machine, but I let it go with the hopes the frame would show up the next day. Ahhhhhh well, give me something to focus on for the new year.

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I was busy today working on scarves to send to Ireland for Adrianne's girls. I picked up several things that she wanted from WalMart and Costco and I decided since the younger girls are into Dora the Explorer I would do some embroidery on scarves for them. The oldest likes horses - so there you go. I did the designs on one end and put their initials on the other (since the two scarves are the same the will be able to tell them apart). I would like to get the package in the mail tomorrow - so it will arrive before Christmas!

I am not sure where this week has gone, but I am glad that tomorrow is Friday. Max has to work, but we are looking forward to a restful weekend.

Later . . .

Why in the world does it take some much time and effort to stay up on the blog?????

Max and I went to see Duane and family for Thanksgiving. We went down on Wednesday and had a nice long visit. We did leave Saturday night to make the drive home with the intent to miss the heavy traffic on Sunday. The traffic was pretty heavy going down and was heavier coming home than we expected - I guess we came back with all the people we went down there with.

Max and Duane had some time to take some pictures and I got to spend some quality time with Denise, which was VERY nice. Max ended up taking pictures of Duane taking pictures and that was kind of fun. I was helping Desirae to perform the way Duane wanted her to. Denise and I got to go shopping for fabric while Duane and Max herded the kids. We met up at the park and the kids enjoyed some time to play and run free (that would be Deanna).

Thanksgiving dinner was the greatest, but that kind of goes without saying when it comes to having meals prepared by Denise. However, I did get to share in some of the preparation as we spent time in the kitchen together. We stayed in the "guest house" and it was very comfortable.

It really was a nice visit and we are looking forward to going back for Christmas. The kids are growing so quickly and they are so much fun to be around (Denise and Duane are fun too).

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Max's new lenses arrived today and she is a very happy camper. She bought a new camera case/backpack in preparation for their arrival. We are going to the grandkids for Thanksgiving and she will be able to play with Duane and hopefully they will get to do some photo shooting.

I have been working on some embroidery for quilts that I have planned for the kids and have not been working on the dog quilts. I need to get them at least sandwiched together so I can get them finished.

I will post a link for the designs of the embroidery that I am doing later. There are ten separate designs for each set and it is easier to just post them on Shutterfly.

Later . . .

Kodi's Quilt

Kodi's Quilt
Originally uploaded by msdrae

I finally finished the tops for the dogs quilts. Now comes the part that I am not that crazy about - batting, backing & binding! The one pictured is for Kodi, as it has the red border. I have started cutting denim squares for quilt projects I have in mind for the grandkids. As usual, I am a bit overwhelmed with all the projects I have stacked up - not to mention things I still need to learn how to do. I guess the only way to tackle the situation is - one thing at a time. Unfortunately, I get so easily side tracked and then end up scattered with many things started and nothing finished. I am hoping that I will build some confidence with the quilting and embroidery and then things will move more smoothly - ha, and that could be wishful/magical thinking on my part (which I am known for).

Later . . .

Dog quilt #2

Dog quilt #2
Originally uploaded by msdrae

It is hard to see the actual designs of the materials, but this will have a blue border and it is for Darci.

Later . . .

Dog quilt #1

Dog quilt #1
Originally uploaded by msdrae

I finally finished sewing the blocks for the dog's quilts. This one will have a red border and it is for Kodi.

Later . . .

Wild Fabric

Wild Fabric
Originally uploaded by msdrae

I stopped by a couple of Thrift Stores will I was out yesterday and found 4 yards of good denim and 2 yards of this WILD fabric. I also picked up several hard bound books - if I ever find time to read again.

Later . . .

Flickr Test

IMG_0040.JPG
Originally uploaded by msdrae

I am thinking about using the new Flickr site for some of my photos and it has a direct blog link. This is just an old picture of Joy and I at a gargae sale when she was here visiting.

Later . . .