Doing some embroidery

A friend is having a bridal shower and has some aprons that she wants me to embroider names on for her. I have not done any embroidery for some time because I seem to be putting all my focus on quilting. I decided I better get the unit out and see if I could still remember what the heck I am doing. I have six aprons to get done before August 1st. Really should be easy - placement will be the only difficult part as long as my machine behaves and does do the "freak" on me like it has been known to do in the past. I decided to do something on the back of a shirt to get back in the grove. I manipulated a design to make it bigger and sewed it out - turned out darn cute if I do say so myself.

Max is still working with Paul on the bathroom and we are counting the days until we are off to Vegas.

Later . . .

Computer Problems

I have been trying to get a post done, but I have been having some computer issue. One would think that if you have NUMEROUS computers in the house it would not be that difficult to get to one and do some posting. I have been changing my backups on my desktop and my notebook is doing a freak-out with the mouse that I don't understand. The mouse is jumping all over the place and I can't even get it any place to click. I am going to mess with it again today and if I can't get anywhere with it I will call Apple of make a trip to the store. Opps, I might have to make a trip to Frys cause that is where I bought it and that is where it is under extended warranty. I just turned it off and choose to be in denial about the whole thing! I completely forgot the fact that I have a PC connected to my embroidery machine that works just fine AND Max has two computers that I could access. Ahhhhhh well.

So Max has been busy helping Paul with his bathroom remodel - I know that I should have been over there taking pictures, but I stayed home and did sewing. The room is gutted now and they are nearing the end - still a BUNCH of labor intensive stuff to be done, but it will be really great when completed. It has not helped that the weather turned HOT this last week and they are essentially working in an even hotter room with no air circulation.

Max was going to help Paul on Sunday afternoon, but Paul's parents came down from Red Bluff and the work was canceled. Therefore, Max and I took a drive to Palo Alto and she picked up the new Canon lens she has been wanting (50 1.4). She decided to go for the cheaper of the two she has been looking at. It is a very nice lens and seems to take nice shots in lower light.

We are on the countdown for Kathy's birthday and "Vegas Baby". We are leaving this coming Friday and will be back the next Friday. Should be fun. HOT, but fun. I think I will take my notebook - provided I can get it to stop freaking out.

Sorry I have no pictures to post.

Later . . .

Family Weekend

We had a nice, but busy, weekend. We had a Party Lite party Saturday afternoon. Friends and family showed up and the house smelled REALLY good with all the candles and different scents.

Kathy, Paul, Michael, Maxine and I (we missed you Debby) took Ann and Warren out to dinner and gave Warren his father's day gift. Everyone pitched in and he is getting a 40 minute ride in a 1942 North American SNJ-4 "Texan" from Vintage Aircraft. Needless to say when he was given the information (the actual flight is going to take place July 18th), he was VERY surprised and also VERY happy.

Ann and Warren came over for Max's most excellent waffles on Sunday morning. We had a nice visit and then they made their way back to Volcano.

I did another quilt and tried to mix things up a bit. I had some bobbin trouble that I did not catch soon enough and have a bit that I am going to have to remove the stitches and do again, but I am pleased with my progress. I am building up the confidence to actually put my good quilt tops on the frame and get them quilted.

Our Las Vegas trip is coming up and everyone is getting excited about that (July 3rd - the 10th).

Later . . .

Quilts

I spent the day quilting and having a good time doing so. I put to use some of the panels that I bought in Salt Lake. I finished one this morning and then Max went over to help Paul destroy his bathroom (they are doing a remodel). While Max was gone I worked on another quilt. Unfortunately, I have to put binding on both of them and that is really the most time consuming part. The above quilt was practice on flowers and loops and the below quilt was practice for loops and hearts. I am happy with both.

Max is home tired and sweaty and just jumped in the shower.

Later . . .

Long time

Gosh - I was shocked to see the date of the last entry. Where does the time go? I know that I was trying hard to keep up with the blog for Debby and then she was home for a couple of weeks and I let it go while she was here, but dang!

I am not even sure what has transpired since the last time I updated. I know we went to "Wally World" for a few days with Debby and had some family get together dinners, but I am at a loss. Annette and Jessie were down for a few days and we did have a good visit. I know we (Paul, Kathy, Jesse, Michael, Max and I) went shopping. We ended up spending a couple of hours at Khol's.

My sisters (Joy & Kay) and I spent a week in Salt Lake City and had a really good time. We did some shopping and ended up buying TOO MUCH fabric. I am pretty much a firm believer that you can never have too much fabric, but we all had to buy additional suit cases to get the stuff home. We stuffed like crazy but could not manage to get it all in one bag and be under the 50 pound weight limit for the airlines. We even took Joy's case to the weight room and put her and the suitcase on the scales - she was not over the limit, but there was no way she could get everything home with her. Kay knew from the gate she would need another case and thought "maybe" I could get by, but the whole stuffing thing was an ordeal.

We had scattered thunder showers the entire week we were there. It really did not slow us down much. There were a couple of times that we got caught in a real down pour, but mostly we did not need to use the umbrellas much.
We did not actually do much tourist type activity because of Kay's knees. We did get the chance to walk down to Temple Square, which was quite beautiful, and got a look at all there was to see from the outside.

While I was gone, Max made herself busy and busted out the old porch step that was left behind by our contractors when we did the addition. I was VERY pleased to have the concrete busted out, but now I have to get it to the dump. I think my gardener will take it away - for a price. Considering the back strain Max suffering, the price will be right!

I am glad to be home, but because of the things I purchased while in Salt Lake I have had to do some cleaning. I have a policy that if something new comes into my closet something old has to leave. Thank God I have not made that a policy with fabric! I do have to do some cleaning and arranging and then hopefully I can get busy doing some quilting.

Later . . .

Relaxed Weekend

The weekend went by with plans going awry, but still it was a pleasant one. We (Kathy, Paul, Michael, Max and I) had planned on going to a "swap meet" in the parking lot of a fly shop in Pleasanthill and missed the time frame on that because we wanted to go to a "swap meet" in San Leandro for the VFW. We showed up for the VFW (which was suppose to end at 4:00PM) at about 2:30 because we waited for Michael to get off work and there was really no one left there. We misunderstood the fly shop information and they closed at 4:00 also (no time to get there from San Leandro). So we decided to go to our favorite Mexican joint for lunch. There just happens to be a 31 Flavors right next door - so ice cream for dessert. That all happened on Saturday.

Sunday we went over to Kathy and Paul's with Papa John's pizza to get together with them, Michael and Jesse to watch "The Day The Earth Stood Still". It had some great affects, but I did not think if was that great of a movie.

Last night everyone was here because Max was having computer problems and Kathy was going to help her out. Paul, Mike, Jesse and I ended up playing Rock Band. We had a great time and I sang for the first time EVER. Not so bad, but I prefer the guitar or drums.

In case anyone is interested, the sod that we planted a while ago has taken and the back yard is nice and green (it is not all that smooth, but it looks good). My jasmine plants that have not been blooming for the last couple of years is flowering like crazy. It looks beautiful and smells wonderful (not sure it is so good for Max's allergies).

I finished the quilt top that I was working on. This is paper pieced squares that Joy and I made together. It turned out really nice and I really do like the whole paper piecing way of scrap quilting. I like the idea of the color blending and would like to do a red one. I am going to do a paper pieced scrap Christmas quilt before this next Christmas.

This picture is for Debby to get a look at Chloe. She has turned into such a good little thing. She has sooooooooooooo many mannerisms similar to Kodi that I really find myself drawn to her personality. Now that she has energy she does "crazy dog" just like he used to do - running around like crazy very happy.


Later . . .

Weekend

Well I do seem to be running a week behind. I am sitting in the gargage being a model for Max to practice with her lighting and decided to do a blog concerning last weekend before it is time to do a blog for this weekend.

We went to Geona and had a really nice relaxing time. We did some gambling at different places and mostly did well. We had forgotten it was Easter weekend, but we went out to a really nice dinner at the new steakhouse in Fandango's. Interesting thing happened on Sunday - Carson City had a power blowout and all the lights went off. We were in a casino that did not have any backup generators and that was a trip. Thankfully we both only had a couple dollars in the slots and decided to just give it up and leave. There were a lot of people there who had a bunch of money in the slots and they just had to patiently await the return of the electricity. We left and went to another casino that had a backup generator and were able to play their machines and also the tables.

They have a really cool camera shop in Carson City (Gordon's Photo) and the owner is super nice. We checked it out and they happened to have a brand of camera bag that we had never seen before (Thinktank). Max and I were both impressed with the rolling bag they had, but it was not big enough. She checked it out online and found a larger size that she had them order. Good excuse to head back up to Carson City for a weekend!

Our stay at David Walley's was nice and we had fun watching three families of geese and their babies. The babies were all fluffy fur and as cute as they could be. Don't know which parent was the super protective one, but there was one of the pair of parents that kept a really close eye on us while we were taking pictures and just watching.

We drove around and checked out the drive time limits from David Walley's to some of the lakes in the area. Staying there will be a close shot to the river and the lakes to do some fishing on the California side. We have a trip planned for September that will be a fishing trip and there is a little lake that we want to put our float tubes in. Max and Paul have been waiting not so patiently for their new boats to arrive.

Later . . .

Last Weekend

Before we are off for this weekend, I thought I better get something up connected with last weekend. Kathy, Paul, Michael, Max and I went up to Max's mom's after Michael and Max got off work on Saturday. Warren's BD was on Friday so we took "food" up for a barbecue family get together. We took them a propane tank so they could haul out their new JenAir gas grill. Paul grilled steaks and portabella mushrooms and some hamburgers for the kids. It was a beautiful day and we all spent time outside. Of course Max was running around with her camera and got some great pictures. It was a fun time had by all, but everyone missed Debby not being there. She will be coming home for R&R in about 4 weeks. Hooahhhhhhhhhh!

Max and her mother were showing off poses to hide their "excess" chin area. They were both very cute playing around while Kathy was hiding out in the background. Jesse had his friend, Angie, there so the family could get to know her a bit. The kids had fun playing with their dad and the dogs.

Max and I are off to Genoa for a couple of days now that she is done with the 12-hour days of overtime. We will do a little gambling and mainly just R&R for Max to recoup from the long hours and lack of sleep. This past couple of weeks has been directed toward refinancing the house and we completed that process yesterday. We were able to drop our house payment over $200 per month with a 4.5% rate. NICE!

I have been working on paper piecing of quilts and I finished putting together some blocks that Joy gave me. I love the quilt and I like paper piecing. I did get a call from the sewing machine shop and I will be able to get my machine back next week.


Later . . .

Before it is a new weekend . . .

At least I am not weeks behind this time. We had a nice weekend considering it was packed with stuff. Max worked on Friday and her Mom, Jesse and the kids came down Friday night for dinner and then Kathy, Paul and Michael came over for a visit. We all went to the Special Olympics to watch Michael play and his team did really well. They took a Silver! Max really got some great shots of the game (on her computer). I took some shots with my camera, but there is no comparison to the shots she took - only you get to see mine cause they are on my computer.

We did some running around a bit on Saturday looking for camera bags. In the process we stopped by Frys and picked up a 1TB Seagate external drive for Max. She was in desperate need of something to backup up her pictures. Great price ($107) and unbelievalbe how they have gone down in price. We ended up finding a new camera store in Palo Alto that we did know was there (Keeble & Shuchat). The place was awesome and huge - two buildings. Their prices were a bit high, but they sure had the products to see. Max only has one more week to be doing the 12-hours and she and I are both looking forward to the end of that.

Later . . .

Late Again . . .

I really do have the best of intentions, but I just don't seem to be doing a good job of posting in a timely manner. Where to start ???????? I think we were headed off to Napa the last time I posted. We had a great weekend and The Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park and Cemetery was absolutely beautiful. We checked out the memorial and got a look at Kodi's registry. We had a nice relaxing weekend and were treated to wonderful dinner and breakfast too. I think I drank some bad orange juice cause it certainly did not sit well on my stomach. While in the area, we checked out a couple of Indian Casinos - they are everywhere. We were both amazed that Napa really is only about an hour or so from home. Will have to make that trip again.

Max is doing the 12-hour thing so nothing much is happening during the week. She traded Friday for Saturday and we went to San Jose to check out some camera shops doing research on tripods and heads. The research ended in purchase - she got a Gitzo head and Manafrotto legs. I was completely amazed at how lightweight they both were - very sturdy, but I guess alloy. She is a happy camper as the tripod goes sideways and will be good for shooting with her macro lens for those close close shots.

She also got a really good deal on a used Nikon Repro-Copy Outfit PF-4. Will be the only Nikon thing in the house, but Duane will appreciate that.

Jesse had his graduation ceremony on Saturday (he is now a certified Medical Assistant). Kathy, Paul, Michael, Max, Ann, Warren and I went to the graduation and then we all went to Marie Callender's for lunch/dinner (corn bread YUM). Forgot my camera, but Max got a bunch of pictures.

This weekend Jesse, the kids and Ann are coming down for Michael's Special Olympics (basketball). We will have them here for dinner tonight and then we will all be at Kathy's for dinner on Saturday. Max is really looking forward to using her new tripod for pictures of Mike and his game playing.

My sewing machine is now at the Pfaff dealer in Walnut Creek. Hopefully I will get it back soon and all this silly machine crap will be DONE!

Debby is coming home for her 2 weeks soon (the first of May) and we are all very excited about seeing her.

I think that is it for now.

Later . . .

This picture Max made for Duane . . . :)

Away for the Weekend

We are off to Napa tomorrow for a much needed 3 day weekend. Max starts working 12 hours coming Monday so it will be nice to have this weekend. In the hills of Napa is where Kodi's ashes were spread and his name is in the register at the pet cemetery there and I have been wanting to go see where he is. We are staying at the Vino Bello Resort for a free weekend through our Shell Timeshare (we also get $100 for dinner). Hopefully we will have some decent weather and be able to spend time outdoors and Max will be able to get some good photos.

I finished my cheater quilt and it was a good experience for me. Quilting is just much harder than it looks like it would be. I guess the ticket is just to contiue to practice and it will come. I worked on leaves, flowers, feathers and some basic loops. The quilt looks good as long as you don't look to closely (smile).

Later . . .

Weekend

We had a good weekend even though Max had to work on Saturday morning.  After she came home from work we packed up and headed out for a picnic and a photo shoot with her new Mark II.  It was a beautiful day and we did some hiking and just enjoyed the great outdoors and the clear air.  After lunch Max and Paul took off for the Fly Fishing Show at the Fair Grounds.  They both came home very excited about new boats that are out.  Paul picked up a two seater that can be converted to a one seater and Max got a new one seater.  Max got the Outlaw and Paul got the Outlaw Avenger.  They both got really good prices due to the show special.  They are being shipped free with no sales tax - nice.  We have float tubes that we have really enjoyed, but now Max will have one that sits higher and out of the water and Paul is giving me his old one that also sits higher and out of the water.  Our previous tubes were powered with flippers and now we will both have oars, which is a lot better cause there were times when the wind picked up and we really had to struggle to get back to shore.

Kathy, Paul, Michael, Carl and Nancy came over for dinner on Saturday night.  Kathy brought the dinner - pork tamales, rice, beans and salad followed by coffee and cheese cake.  It was a very enjoyable evening.  Sunday was our usual kick back day of catching up on TV shows and we also watched "DeJaVue" which was a pretty good movie.

I am in the process of trying to do some quilting on my machine and I am having some difficulties.  Max adjusted the legs to make it higher and I think that will help with my back aches and I can see my work area much better.  I am having some thread breakage problems and I think it might have been because I did not have the needle exactly straight - it is a difficult task cause the needle for this machine does not have the flat side like all the other machines to get the needle lined up.  I have been practicing on a "cheater" quilt because I have not done any quilting since mid November.  The flow is coming back and I am getting the hang of it again.  It is great fun, but a task nonetheless.

Later . . .

MERRY CHRISTMAS MAX

Finally Max got her Canon 5D Mark 2.  OMG I am sure she thought it was never going to happen.  They have been back ordered FOREVER and most of the camera places are not even taking orders or names for a waiting list. I ordered her camera locally from Wolf Camera, but she was surfing the web and found ONE at Best Buy.  She bought it quickly because it was listed as in stock and went to the store to pick it up.  Luckily she was able to get someone on the phone to actually grab the camera and hold it for her.  Needless to say she is one happy camper right now!

This weekend we wanted to get the sprinklers in order since we laid the sod in the back yard and the rain is going to stop sooner or later.  Ha - simple project - NOT!  We had not really looked at the sprinklers since we had the addition and unfortunately we had some pipes that had been cut (the ones running to the garden) and they did not get capped before they were buried under the BRICKS!  Well now two are capped and the other was extended to add a sprinkler head at the corner of the new sod.  The bricks went back in better than was expected - hassle to get them out and hassle to put them back.

On Friday we (Max, Kathy, Paul, Michael and I) took Jesse's car to him in Volcano.  He fixed us hamburgers - which were great).  He was very happy with his vehicle and it drove very nicely up there. Handled the freeway just fine and the mountains equally well. Not bad gas mileage and comfortable.

I finished a quilt top I have been working on (Denise will love it cause it is from purple scraps of material).  It was a new pattern and the border was suppose to be something different, but all the pieces and diamonds and half diamonds were a bit much for me and I decided to throw in the towel and just go with a traditional border.  I really like the pattern of the quilt and it would be fun to do a truly scrap quilt that way.

Later . . .

Busy Times

Wow - where to start . . . I guess with the above picture of my crooked sewing machine. Geez - after getting my old one replaced because it was just not working properly, I then decided to do some quilt work instead of embroidery and found that I could not make a 1/4 inch seam because the foot was crooked on my machine. No matter how hard I tried there was no way to get a 1/4 inch seam with my 1/4 inch foot. Needless to say I was not very happy about that one. It is in the works right now that hopefully I will be able to get it fixed here instead of the need to go to Palmdale! I am keeping my fingers crossed about that. Pretty frustrated with the luck I seem to be having with my sewing machine.

We had a nice Valentine's day - we worked in the back yard most of the day and then went out to dinner. Since the addition on the house we have had a messed up lawn - the grass in front of the hot tub was almost non-existant, so this weekend we decided to do something about it. We (mainly Max, who has the blisters to show for it) scrapped off what was left of the old dying grass and laid some sod. We used some of the usable parts we removed to hopefully plug some holes where the dogs (maily Miss Chloe) had dug up the grass. Hopefully it will all take and thus elimanate the MUD that is in the back yard and the dogs so readily want to track in the house.

The search for a car for Jesse is finally over. Max and Kathy found a very cool '84 Olds Omega with only 44k original miles on it. It runs really great and looks great too. After a bit of work (new muffler, tires, brakes, oil change, head light, wipers, smog and back registration) she is ready to be given to Jesse. He had limited money to spend on a vehicle and this is good old heavy car that should be safe to drive. We are planning to take it to him this weekend. He just finished with his schooling (medical assistant) and can start actively looking for a job now that he will have transportation.

Lastly (Debby will be sooooooo proud), Max finished earthquaking everything in the house. She has been wanting to get the hutch in the dining room done for some time and it is finally accomplished. If we were to have an earthquake the top part of that hutch would surely move - might not come all the way off, but it is full of all the crystal and stuff from my mother and I would hate to have it all broken. Might break anyway, but at least the top is secured to the wall now.

Later . . .

Quilt Progress & Weekend

I finished my quilt top by adding the borders and I am liking it (except that the quilt is almost square and I am not that fond of square quilts). I will have to pay more attention the next time and add a row on the bottom to make it a rectangle. Looking at the top it is going to be a real challenge to quilt it, but I am looking forward to giving it a try - must do some practice before I tackle that job.

Kathy wanted to do some practice embroidery so she brought her machine over and while Max and Paul were tying flies, I helped her with the above project. She wants to add some more snowflakes and she now knows how to do it. The whole embroidery process can be a bit intimidating until you have done it a few times. We had a great day working on projects and then after dinner we all shared playing Rock Band. It was a blast and Mike was "rocking out" on the drums.

We have been having a terrible time with our DSL connection and have not been able to get on the internet - except by chance every once in a while. I called AT&T and they seem to think it is in our line and were suppose to check it out today. For whatever reason it has been connecting with a strong signal this AM - so I am hoping they did their thing - "between 8 and 5". At first I thought it was my modem that was going out, but we could not connect even when we plugged straight in with the DSL cable. It has been frustrating, but it does seem to be working now.

Later . . .

Check it out . . .

I finally finished the quilt top - except I still have to add a couple of borders.  What a challenge and what fun.  This is the first time I have ever done sashing strips, but it seemed to work out okay.  I am anxious to see what it will look like with the borders.  I am going to do different shades of pink (picture will come when I am finished).

Kathy and Paul are coming over today to "play".  Max and Paul are going to tie flies and Kathy wants to do some embroidery.   We are going to have some pulled pork I bought at Costco and Paul is making coleslaw.   I am also hoping I might convince them to play a little Rock Band after dinner.

Later . . .

Struggling along . . .

I am working on a new quilt project, which I must say is quite the challenge.  I am just using some scraps of fabric and can only hope it will turn out okay.  At least it will give me something to put on my quilting machine.  I started to put a "cheater" quilt on my frame to do some practice, but I was having a horrible time trying to get the thing square.  It appears the print on the material is not straight.  I may go ahead and put it on the machine just to get some practice.  I have not had anything on the frame since before Christmas and I need to get in the grove again.  At this point I can't even remember how to thread the thing.

I am having great fun with my new Macbook, but I am faced with a new operating system which is just a bit different from my iMac - I am still learning Tiger and now I am running Leopard.  I guess I need to face the fact I have too many things with which I am still smack in the middle of the learning curve.  

We had a good weekend.  Kathy, Max and I went to Volcano to work on Max's mom's components and DVR as well as hook up the Rock Band that they just got.  We accomplished the task and they were playing Rock Band by the time we left.  Max's mom made a delicious chicken and dumplings along with a wonderful chocolate cake for a late birthday celebration for me.  We watched the Super Bowl with Kathy, Paul and Michael on Sunday.

I had to have my Vue towed to the dealer yesterday as the battery was DEAD!  They checked it out and all is well except for the fact the battery just failed.  They put a new on in and I will get my car back today.

Later . . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DONNA

So OMG how lucky am I??????????? Max took me to Monterey yesterday for my birthday and we had a really great time. Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, Lover's Point, Asilomar - just all over the area. I love Monterey and it was really fun to check it out again. We had fish and chips for lunch after I sampled EVERY clam chowder at Fisherman's Wharf. Max bought me the above cozy sweatshirt on the wharf. We also went to one of my old favorite places for dessert and had a "black bottom cup cake". I had mine heated with ice cream and it was very tasty, but Max was not impressed cause as it turned out everything in the place was really "health food" based and without the ice cream it was not that tasty. I forgot that was back in my "healthy era". Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it. The Mac book, mouse and carry case was a present from a stop at Fry's on the way home. I am blown away with the new Mac book - and yes I am SPOILED, but loving every little minute of it.

Later . . .

Back to sewing

I am back to my embroidery since I took my machine back and they gave me a new one. I was having TONS of problems with my Creative Vision and I finally just snapped and called my dealer and said it needed to go back to Pfaff because it was basically a piece of crap. She was very good about it and took a brand new one out of the box and gave it to me. Needless to say I am sewing and happy once again. I was doing an embroidery for the holidays and OMG it was the most disastrous project. I finally managed to get it done where the front look pretty good, but the back of the design was crap. Anyway, I have been wanting to do some bags for Max's light stands and I finally found a decent camera design (as luck would have it on sale for $1). I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew what I wanted to do. I am very proud of myself for the way the bags turned out - I have some things I will change when I do the next ones. I did two sets of bags and she wants four. Duane would like to have some too - he thought the idea was awesome.

I am working on a quilt top and am dying to get back to my quilting machine. The holidays forced a long break from quilting, but I am ready to jump back in now.

We had a nice time with the kids for the belated Christmas celebration (picture on Duane's blog). They are growing up so quickly and Deanna is at a GREAT age right now.

Can't say I will keep posting, but I will give it a try. I should be doing this and posting pictures so Debby can access it from Iraq. We are having the family over for dinner tonight as it is Max's mom's 70th BD. Decided to do a little celebration. I did an embroidery for her on a shirt because she is a scrap book person.

Later . . .

Catching up...

I am not sure why it seems so darn hard for me to address this blog.  I just can't see to get around to doing it, but I will keep trying.

The Holidays went off well.  We had a really nice Christmas with the Lawson clan.  Max fixed some tri-tips and a ham with all the fixings and it was an excellent dinner.  Jesse's kids had a great Christmas at our house - they have to split families between their mom and dad.  The whole family had a good time playing Rock Band (go figure what a fun interactive game that seems to be).

Max and I went to Monterey for New Year's with her parents.  We stayed in a condo in Marina and had a really nice time there too.  We walked on the beach and played dominoes and Uno until all hours.

We came home on Friday and took down the lights and got busy fixing up my new "quilting room".  It is ready to go and I was going to do some quilting today, but it has been soooooooo long that I could not remember how to thread the machine.  I decided that I would just put it off until next week and start "new".  We are heading to do our Christmas with the grandkids this weekend - which we are really looking forward to.  I also have to take my sewing machine into the shop AGAIN.  This time she is just taking it back and sending it back to Pfaff.  I have been having WAY to many problems with it and I am generally pissed about the whole matter.  I talked to my dealer and she told me it was not a problem that she would send it back to Pfaff and told me I would go home with a working machine.  I cannot even sew on it right now for fear of ruining whatever I try.

I am looking forward to coming home next week and having the time to settle into sewing and quilting.  I have a quilt top that I want to make from a special tool I bought at the quilt show.  Maybe if I am successful doing some projects I will have some pictures to post and be more enthused about the blog.

Later . . .