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

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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.

Later . . .

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).

Later . . .

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

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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.

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I decided to tackle a little embroidery today - as I am feeling at least well enough to think. Kathy had asked if I might be able to work on her favorite pair of jeans that had a couple of thread bare spots. It was a bit of a challenge to work around the rivets, but I think I did an okay repair job and she will be able to wear them for a bit longer. Actually it turns out to be a pretty cool way of darning.

Later . . .

Well, this is what 21 pair of jeans looks like after I have cut them up into 6 1/2 inch squares. There are some pockets and a few 4 inch squares in the mix. Wish I could say I was finished with all the jeans I have, but that would not be true. This time around it did not seem to be such a tedious task, but it sure does make a mess. There seems to be little pieces of jeans everywhere. It probably does not help that Darci has to be under foot and not only does she track things out of the room she also carries them on her body!

I had my colonoscopy yesterday and it came out fine. The procedure itself was not bad, but the preparation was not much fun.

I do have a full head/chest cold right now, but I hope to get back to sewing the beginning of next week when I feel better. I really do want to get the dog quilts put together. We don't really have any plans for the weekend - rest and relax.

Later . . .