Feeling Overwhelmed......

Do you ever have one of those days when there are not enough hours to get everything done?  Well, I'm having one of those days with no end in sight it seems.  I guess that's not entirely true since most of these things need to be finished today, but  if I look around my work room it's a bit overwhelming.  There's not an empty table in the room!  Let me show you.

Off and on today working on the May recipe card.......thinking Mexican theme........some mind blocks.......bright and colorful paper every where!  So this table top is covered.

Trying to pull embroidery floss for a new embroidery design to coordinate with the May recipe card class.  Lots of beautiful floss colors to choose from.  Another table top covered!

Working on Calendar Girl patterns, taping the pictures to the fronts of the patterns.  Again, another table top covered with a project in progress.

A quilting project waiting to happen.  It just garners a small corner of a table top.

A pattern order getting ready to be shipped out.  Ooops, no more table tops, had to start using the floor.

Wools and other fun materials crated up for tomorrow evening's mouse pincushion class.  This will soon be loaded in the back of my car so that will free up a little space!

So do you see what I mean, a bit overwhelmed with projects and no space to put them all.  This doesn't include all the projects tucked away in bags, totes, and who knows where else they might be hiding.  These are just the things I needed to accomplish today!  HELP!

To Quilt or Not to Quilt................

I am taking a beginning quilt class in a few weeks.  Not sure how or why I'm doing this, but I am.  I used to do some hand piecing and hand quilting 20 years ago, but that was another lifetime.  I'm looking forward to learning something new and playing with fabric and friends, but finding the time to take on another challenge is going to be difficult.  I'm just looking at it as another adventure.

So in order to prepare for this quilt class, Evette, Laura and I made a trip to our favorite quilt shop in Fayetteville, Quilts 'n Tiques to visit Gail and Naomi and find some wonderful fabrics we could use for our class project.  Of course, we spent several hours there and didn't leave unhappy.  They are so friendly and supportive and just plain fun people!  Well worth the drive.  Everyone had a different idea for their projects, so we all headed different directions in the shop.  I ended up planning a Christmas fabric quilt, using some fabrics I already had, along with some new to blend it all together.  I think it will be a lot of fun working with Christmas fabrics in May!!

While we were there two of our best friends Jennifer and Janet came in and surprised us.  Jennifer about tackled us from behind she was so excited to see us.  That was a fun surprise visit.  And of course, they didn't leave empty handed either.  I'm hoping at some point we can get together with Janet to do some more quilting lessons.  She is one talented lady with lots of quilting information in her brain to share!!!  And of course, Jennifer also has all that knowledge stored away.  It's amazing how much talent is in our area.

So on Saturday I decided to tackle a red, white and blue project that I was hoping could be a future class.  It's a nine patch block that you cut a couple of different ways to end up with different pattern layouts.  This was something Debbie Busby showed me last summer and I just fell in love with the whole concept and have put together several different quilt tops.  However, unbeknownst to me (and maybe Debbie too) we weren't doing them exactly the right way.  I was just cutting my squares, piecing them together, and then sewing the rows together.  Sometimes, well most times, my corners or points didn't match.  Evette has been real sweet and complimentary of my past projects but I knew she was being very tolerant of my mismatched squares and really wanted to tell me I needed to match my points better.  Well, now she's told me and so my simple little project turned into a major event with Evette coming over with twelve rulers and cutters and showing me how to properly cut out and piece a square.  Oh my goodness, don't think I was doing it right after all!!! 

Evette helped me get the blocks cut out, worked on my sewing machine with me to get it in tune, and sewed some of the blocks together to show me how they should look.  Needless to say, my other pieces don't quite look the same anymore!  After she went home, I finished sewing the blocks together and made sure everything matched up as best I could. 

This is how the points are supposed to meet.  Of course, I knew this..........that just doesn't mean that's what mine did!!!

I'm trying really hard to make everything line up properly.  I love quilts, but I think I love quilts that other people make!!!  Especially hundred year old quilts!!!!!

I stopped sewing long enough to run to Joann Fabrics for some rulers, a new cutting pad and rotary cutter threads and who knows what else.  These were all apparently necessary things to own if you're going to be a REAL quilter.  So now I have some of the tools of the trade (I won't say all because there's too much out there) and I am ready to get back to my quilt pieces.

After I got home, I started sewing the rows together.  Now, here's where it gets a little tricky gals.  Your seams have to match the other seams.  Imagine that!!!  I did manage to get a few blocks put together before I threw in the towel for the evening.  Fresh eyes in the morning are always better................

So here's to happy stitching, sewing, quilting days for us all.

It's truly spring now.........baseball has started.  We love baseball in our family.  Both of my sons played from the time they were four years old, every spring and summer and sometimes fall seasons.  We practically lived at the ball fields when they were young.  And as they grew up they played in high school, American Legion games, college and professionally and we had more ball games to attend.  But now, maybe the best of all, our oldest granddaughter is playing T-ball.  So what fun we will have all over again, but from a girl's perspective of the game!

Posing before the game.  I can't ever remember my boys looking this sweet before a game!!

A little pre-game stragegy before the game from the coaches (Mom & Dad!)

She looks fierce with the batting helmet on!! Or NOT!!!

Batter up!!  Look at that stance.....you can tell she's going to be a slugger just like her Daddy!  Reagan was very proud to tell me that she had the highest number on the team on her uniform.

And while big sister played T-ball, Raleigh picked leaves....................

And made new doggie friends!  This was way more fun than playing T-ball!

Hope everyone enjoys the sunshine days and takes time out for a little baseball!

What a beautiful spring day we had.  In the lower 70's, birds chirping, trees bloomed and fun classes to take.  I had two groups meet back to back today, one to do a Christmas Tree runner and the other to do beginning embroidery.  It was just a great group of ladies that got right to work on their runners.

Laura and Pam looked very serious...........

These runners are looking great

Debby made some new friends today......

when she sat with another Debby and Linda who came all the way from Henderson.

Several of the ladies brought food which we all shared for lunch inbetween classes.  We had quite a spread with some really yummy dishes.

Elizabeth and Debby busy at work on their runners while waiting to start the embroidery class.  That's real dedidcation!

A beginning embroidery sampler in the process......

and another.......

and another.  Can't wait to see some of their finished work!!

I was determined to teach Linda the french knot.  She was really struggling with the stitch, but guess what?

She persevered and won the battle!!!!  Great job Linda!!

I am so thankful for all the ladies who take my classes.  I truly appreciate each and every one of you.  You are what inspires me to keep designing and creating.  So thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Hope to see you soon.  I'm working on the May and June class schedule.  Should be ready within the next few days........until then, enjoy the sunny days.

Quilting anyone?

Anyone out there interested in doing a beginning quilt class?  You would learn piecing all the way through the binding phase of quilting.  We have a teacher willing to travel to Laura's house but would need six students.  Let me know if you're interested and I will give you more details. 

I had a nice group of ladies meet yesterday afternoon to make a mouse pincushion. 

They were all working so studiously!

Look out sweet this little guy turned out.

That strawberry looks good enough to eat.

Who says mice aren't cute!!

The girls were here today.  They went out first thing in the morning to play in the new sandbox their Poppy made them.  Nothing like building sandcastles first thing in the morning.

Awww, a little water will help this castle take shape.

Oh, little Raleigh can reach the spout now.  I believe we might be in trouble.  I'm not sure how much water went in the bottle, but we had to take her clothes off and dry them when all was said and done.  But hey, that doesn't matter when you're busy building sandcastles!

I'm busy working on the models for the May/June classes.  It's going to be strawberry and tomato season!!  I hope to have pictures posted on the web site calendar section in the next few days.

Happy almost Friday to everyone.

Happy Easter to everyone!! 

My girls came on their normal Thursday and spent part of the day with me.  I asked their Daddy to bring them in their pajamas and white sandals.  I had new dresses for each of them to wear for the day.  They were going to be leaving for the river Thursday afternoon and we wouldn't be seeing them on Easter so I decided to play dress-up and have an early Easter celebration with them.  So, of course, Easter wouldn't be complete without the Easter Bunny dropping off a couple of baskets filled with goodies.........

Of course, GIRL goodies.  The girls tease their Poppy (my husband) that they only want GIRL toys, not boy toys.  Tucked somewhere in one of the baskets is the new Barbie Mermaid movie and a Barbie Mermaid coloring book for each and of course, Barbie Mermaid dolls.  Lots of other fun goodies tucked in the baskets.  They had a great time pulling everything out.  We then had to watch the new movie.

Jennifer made the sweet little bunny buckets for each of the girls, filled with candy carrots.  I tucked those in the baskets and the girls loved them.  And the "carrots" were eaten up in a hurry.  Thanks for thinking of my girls Jennifer.

Reagan and Raleigh posing in their new dresses.  It is so hard to get a good picture of these two anymore.  They act like models everytime I try to take a picture and do lots of poses and silly faces, trying to be model-like.  I want them to be natural, but guess when you're a little girl in a new dress, that's hard.

The tulip tree looks beautiful........

as does the Bradford Pear........

as does the Redbud tree.  This is my most favorite tree in the spring, so soft and delicate and beautiful, with heart shaped leaves onces the flowers are gone. 

My husband just came in and asked me if I had shared his big news of the week.  Of course, I told him no but now I guess I should share since it was huge for him.  He gave birth to twins this week......two kidney stones at one time!!  He had been suffering with kidney stone pain for quite some time, finally went to the doctor where they did x-rays and said it was unusual, but he had two stones back to back.  So after more pain and suffering (he was really pitiful), he finally passed the stones.  He was so proud of them and caught them in a strainer which the doctor asked him to do.  Mark has quite an extensive collection of stones from the past which he is saving to make me a bracelet someday!!  Aren't I just one lucky gal??!!  

I had the entire day at home yesterday (Friday) with no interruptions.  The girls were gone, Mark was at work, no classes, just me and my workroom.  So I got busy working on a couple of new designs which will hopefully end up as a block of the month for next year.  I'm super happy with one of the pieces, which I'm busy stitching on now, but still looking at the other piece which is laying on a table.  Everytime I walk by the table I try and decide if I like the layout or not, the colors, the flowers.  It's tough sometimes, when you design pieces, by yourself, no other opinions.  So I will proabably carry this one with me to get some feedback.  Anyway, had a great time in my room doing what I love to do best, doodling (because I can't draw), designing, playing with the wool.  What a great way to start the weekend.

A little tease for Laura!!!

HAPPY EASTER!