Happy Leap Day!!!!

Today my parents are celebrating their 12th Anniversary!!! Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad. Really they have been married for 48 years, but since they married on leap day, they get an anniversary every 4 years. I think my mom has regretted this in the past, as I have heard my dad say more than once, "It is not our Anniversary". February 28th, nor March 1st seemed to work! They actually went away for this Anniversary, to their favorite place...a gambling boat! While Mom and Dad are floating their boat, I will be doing laundry. Today is the day I catch up. It has been a while since all the baskets were empty. I love the feeling of ALL the laundry done, folded and put away. School is also a priority today. After I bragged about Zach's math skills yesterday, we had a bit of a melt down. Seems when he does not "know" something, like even numbers vs. odd numbers, he becomes unteachable and wants to figure it out on his own. Now this is ok, IF, he can figure it out. This was something that needed to be taught and he was not happy. A time out was implemented and hopefully today will find him pliable.

How many of you are doing the Quiltathon this weekend?? Go here to join.

Well, today is not going to be dull...as I was writing this, Charlotte was in the shower. She hollered for a forgotten towel. I went to get her one and she was standing in the open doorway dripping wet. This is NOT like her as she is very modest. Just as I noticed the color was gone from her face and lips, she went down, like in slow motion. She did not fall or lose consciousness, just kinda sat down on the floor, but boy was it scary. I got her some apple juice and she drank it down, the color returned to her lips very quickly. She was shaky and I got some food in her and she is now fine, except for a slight headache. I recognize the signs...low blood sugar. It sometimes happens in puberty and now I will make sure she has breakfast before her shower. She will be 11 in June and has started to develop already. I will make a doctors appointment for her today to get her check up early this year. Neither of my kids have seen a doctor since their last birthday in the summer. They stay very healthy...thank you, Lord. Unless they need to, we only see the doc for a yearly check up. Since their birthdays are only a month apart we go at the same time...mid June.

Speaking of health matters, this was an actual ad....

Can you imagine??? Swallowing tape worms to get thin??? I may have fallen for it myself! I bet it did work, but EWWWWW! If you noticed (I did) I had to add 4 pounds to my weight loss ticker. I was actually happy it was not more. I thought I had gained back the entire 11 pound loss and then some. Today is a new day and I am working hard toward the goal of physical fitness. It is a process of thought, not just body. I tell myself, subconsciously, "I am fat because my family is fat. I am genetically disposed to it. I feel better when I eat what I want. I want to feel good, and food makes me feel good." I need to change my thought patterns to "I am not hardwired to be fat. I feel good when I eat healthy food choices. I want to feel good and healthy food choices make me feel good." If you read the ad, it is amazing that so many generations ago, weight was a big concern. We've not come too far in this field, except we do understand a jar of tape worms is NOT the answer!

Spring Fever

I really want Spring to happen! I am feeling very closed in. I can close my eyes and feel it. Fresh air wafting through an open window. The words "Go play outside" still hanging in that fresh air. The sound of children laughing through the open windows. Instead, my house smells stale, "stop arguing" is the phrase of the day and whining complaints of boredom can not compare to laughter! HEAVY *sigh*. Soon, Bren. Soon.

I got my swap partner for the Spring installment of the 4 Seasons Swap. I am glad I waited. What I had in mind will still work, but colors will be different. Still Spring, but not my Spring colors. I was thinking this morning about how everyone is getting their partners and checking out their partners blog. OMG!!! I feel terrible for who ever got my name. If you do not "know" me and came in on the Face of Trauma posts, PLEASE do not be afraid. I am really quite normal! (most days) Those post always wipe me out and I think even the response is difficult. The support is incredible, but I never get why I am so tired afterward. I do not sleep well a few nights before and after a post, but need a nap during the day. Well that would explain the sleepy tired, but I am talking about an emotional tired. My friend Sue says she thinks I am feeling the therapeutic effect of them. I do hope Mamady read the second post, but I have a feeling she did not. I felt lead to write it, so I will not feel it a waste. I got NO negative mail (probably thanks to Linda's comment) so that was helpful. I take those hateful e-mails so personal. To be honest only one person has ever been negative, but it was to the point of hateful. I have had 100's of responses to these posts and that one response still hangs there...how selfish of me. I will work on that! On to other things...

Kim from Stillmeadow Quilting, sent me a package! I won a draw on her blog. Here is what I won.

Isn't she wonderful!!?? Her name is Rosie and the girl can QUILT! I have a dilemma...what am I going to do with her? I thought of a bag, but she measures about 21 inches finished. Too big. Then maybe an apron...or a cool wallhanging for my sewing room. What do you all think? Any suggestions? I know I am anxious to create something with her. Kim also sent this wonderful tablerunner pattern and fabrics to go along with it. I think the colors will be perfect for my new living room. Here is a pic of the bag of Dove Chocolates she sent...oh, sorry. Those are gone!!!! Thank you Kim for being so SWEET! Quilter's are SO wonderful! While discussing the CWDQ blocks, I made mention in an e-mail to a fellow blogger/quilter that I was shocked at the fact that I have NO cheddar colored fabric. Instantly I got an e-mail back saying she wanted to send me a piece. I am just in awe of the generosity of you all.

You have seen the 9 patches Linda and I are swapping. They measure 6 inches finished and are so much fun. We decided on 6 per month and did 12 in Feb. to catch up with Jan. I received Jan., Feb., AND March from Linda. Aren't they beautiful!!?? I am excited to see the stack get bigger and bigger. 12 blocks a month (we make a set for ourselves to match) should grow quickly!

I picked up some more fabric for the CWDQ. I got 3 of these on sale 50% off. They are quite pricey so I was thrilled and got 1 yard each, plus another yard each of the bottom 2. I thought I would "share" with a friend. I will let her be surprised. The top one is a fat quarter I just loved. Well I need to get school set up. I am so thrilled with Zachary's math. It has been such a struggle for Charlotte. I am not the best at math either, unless we are talking quilting, so to have a "Mathematician" (Zach's word) is wonderful. My oldest son is also proficient in math. Zach got another 100 on his latest Math test. He has only gotten 100's. He walks around in "math mode" all the time. "Did you know 1/2 of 100 is 50, Mom?" He skipped a section of his Saxon math because he was really bored! I have made sure that when Charlotte is doing math, Zach is not around. He was giving answers to her difficult-for-her problems and it was very frustrating for her. He is only 6 and can do 4th grade math. Not good for her self esteem. I remind her we can not be good at everything and that her reading skills are outstanding.

Ok, I am off. Hope everyone has a blessed day. I plan to cut and sew some 9 patches and maybe do a CWDQ block or two...after my nap. ;)

WHY???

WHY, oh, WHY can't I keep a clean sewing room/office???? I don't understand it. How did it get this bad so quickly?? Today will find me getting this mess cleaned up once AGAIN! I meant to have Sweet Hubby take the 2 old computers back to the basement storage area yesterday, but forgot. Now I will have to do it myself. The desk is a mess, as is the sewing table. Hazel (my vacuum cleaner) will be spending some time in here. At least the closet is staying clean. Ewwww, an open drawer...a pet peeve of mine.

Libby asked for us to show our ironing boards. I have two. This little one is on my sewing table and I use it for block piecing and bias stem making, etc. The big one I have to drag into my sewing room from the bedroom as it is a shared board. I only need it if I am piecing a top or pressing backing fabric, etc. This iron gets much hotter than mine. Nothing spectacular. Not horrible, but not a pretty sight either!

Speaking of pretty sights...or sites...I was able to get my blog out of the black hole with a colored background. I am still a work in progress and want to create a soothing look to my blog. I like the template, but may end up changing that to. I found a GREAT new blog that is helping me to do this. Amy is the wizard of blogs. Just go here to see what she offers...it is free and easy to understand. I learned how to put in a search box and replace the word "comments" at the end of my posts. Also, the background color change was not tricky even though it was manual. Amy's tutorials are user friendly! She also offers services at very reasonable prices. Thanks Tammy for leading me to Split Decisionz.

Thinking of great blogs, don't you all miss Joni??? I know she is working full time and needed to close her blog because of time constraints, but I reeeeeally miss her posts.

Well this room is not going to clean itself...I have tried that! Zachary has decided to learn to use a yo-yo for math...Notice the math paper and pencil on the messy table behind him. Nice try, kiddo!!!

More Civil War Diary Quilt Blocks

I LOVE this block. Isn't it wonderful? It is called "Sewing Society For Soldiers". I am so pleased with it. It was not as difficult as it looks, but that is alot of pieces of fabric. Those stripes measure 1/2 inch finished width. All the points came together nicely. Same here...
This one is called "Bitter Enemy". I like the pale blue next to the black. This next one gave me some trouble...I ended up having to square it up. It is called "Oath of Allegiance". I cut the squares 1 3/4 inches. After I got it all together I realized I cut them 1/16 inch too big. 1/16th of an inch is nothing unless you multiply it by 5 squares across by 5 squares down. You end up with a block an entire 1/2 inch too big. I may do it over.

This block is FOR SURE a do over. I have NO idea what happened. I can NOT make this mistake again if I tried. "Splendid Victory" it was NOT!It measured out ok. I pinned it properly and had all the points matched up, but something happened between the pinning and the sewing...I lost a point and that side ended up all wonky. Now I ripped it out and re did it, but it was still there. I hate to admit this, but I am thinking I ripped out the good side and re did it. HEAVY sigh! I am just going to re do the entire block...you can't tell, but to fix that side, I would have to rip out 3 sides of piecing. I dislike frogging very much.

Did you notice how clear my pictures are??? Well, it is because I scanned the blocks...heehee.

I did all 4 of these blocks today, and I am ready for a break. I have some school planning to do and laundry to switch around. I feel like a nap!!!!

Home Alone Adventures

After wiping Zachary's finger print off my camera lens, I was able to retake a picture of my first CWDQ block that I am more pleased with.I also re-did my new header. I found the perfect layout for the 9 patches I am swapping with Linda. I found it on a TV show. I hope I can find the perfect fabrics...I will let you know when I pull it all together. My friend Coleen is taking Charlotte for the afternoon, and Zach is going to Bud and Rachel's. Kyle and Sweet Hubby are at work. I will be HOME ALONE!!!!! I had it all planned out. I would do 2 more blocks on the CWDQ. Well, while Zach was in the tub I was able to do 2 more. Here is "Special Blessings"And "Yankee Papers"NOW what do I do??? I think I will tidy my sewing room and then do some hand work. Maybe I will do another CWDQ block. What do you do when you are home alone? I can count on one hand how many times I have been by myself (in my house) in 7 years. One thing I do know, I don't want to spend it on the computer, so off I go!!! Have a blessed day!

Civil War Diary Quilt Block

Did you all see the eclipse last night?? I snapped a pic of the beginning of it. The kids watched most of it happen.

I spent yesterday afternoon finishing up my 9-patches...1/2 of them (12) are in an envelope waiting to get posted to Oklahoma tomorrow. They are all so pretty, I can not pick a favorite. Today, so far, I have made my grocery list, had a service provider meeting here regarding Kyle, made my first CWDQ block, gave 2 math tests, along with my regular morning routines. It is only 11 am. How do you make your grocery list? I do mine at the computer. This morning I found 2 new meal recipes for the next week. Niki's Cabbage Roll Casserole, and Kim's meatloaf recipe. Mmmm. Tonight it is tacos.

I jumped in on the CWDQ (Civil War Diary Quilt) ring, "Sew Many Blocks". Everyone's blocks are just incredible! If you would like to see them, just click on the logo on my sidebar to make the rounds. I was trying to decide if I would hand or machine piece mine. Christine had me flip flopping...I love hand piecing, but I already had a hand piecing project in mind. Finally I decided to machine piece the CWDQ and hand quilt it, of course. Here is block #1...the easiest in the book..."Selling Off The Livestock". I couldn't get a decent picture, so I gave up...it looks much better in person!

I think I will do block #2 this afternoon. My hand piecing project that I have in mind is English Paper Piecing. I have been watching Libby and Cheryl work their hexagons and I love how their projects are coming out. I think I will do a little table runner for my new livingroom using the papers I bought at a quilt show several years ago. They are 1x2 inch elongated hexagons with 1 inch squares to join them. Who knows, it may look more fun than it is, but a table runner will be the test for me. Of course I will finish my current hand project before I start this. It is very close to done, so maybe some prep work would be good. The new room has colors that are not in my "box", so I may have a difficult time.

I am almost caught up on my blog reading. I got tagged many times while I was gone. Since I have shared so many random things about myself, there is nothing left to list. Linda, Darlene, and I had a wonderful 3 way phone conversation yesterday in which we all decided I was odd! It was also decided Linda is wicked (I can confirm this), and Darlene is evil (she will unplug your sewing machine while you are not looking, and may steal your needle too!), so I guess odd is not too bad! If I have not left a comment on your blog, please do not think I have not caught up with you. There are several blogs which freeze up on me in the last couple of days. My browser will not respond. I even downloaded a new browser and still had the same problem. I can read your posts in my feeds, but can not comment. Hopefully this will correct itself soon. Thank you Tamara, for the wonderful award you gave me. It is an honor! I want to pass this on to all the blogs on the new "Sew Many Blocks" ring. You have such talent and seeing your blocks makes my day!!!

Goal Poster Updated

I mentioned yesterday that my goal poster needed updating (some people call these vision boards). There are 4 goals I have met. Book baskets are created and have been maintained, the Winter swap quilt is done, sent and recieved (it went to Wendy F., by the way. She has no blog, but sent a wonderful e-mail thanking me.), my HMB is finished to my satisfaction, and I am back in heels, thanks to my new orthodics. I added my fountains (notice how I said "my" fountains...as far as I am concerned they already belong to me!) and 2 new quilting projects. One is, of course, the Spring installment of the Four Seasons Swap, which is now open for sign up. You can find this logo on my sidebar. Just click on it and it will take you to the blog. Make sure you give a big thank you to Margaret for doing such an awesome job of organizing and running this huge swap. She has done an incredible job.

Another goal that is quilt related, will be a long one. Last year I purchased "The Civil War Diary Quilt" book.

I have read through it and enjoyed all the stories. The blocks, however, looked daunting. Many of them will need to be foundation pieced. NOT my favorite. But, I really want to do this quilt! I was catching up on my blog reading (still not caught up), and read on Christine's blog about how she is joining a group of women in making this quilt. I jumped over to Kathie's blog and read about it. Now, I did not jump in yet, but put the quilt on my goal poster and am seriously considering it. Here is a picture of the quilt. I am huge into history (I would have been a history major if I had gone to college) and the Civil War/American History topics are my favorites. I have a deep love of civil war repo fabrics. What could be better??? So I will probably jump in after I dip my toe in first!

One more change I made on my goal poster, was where it said "Debt Free", I changed it to "Financial Freedom". I was reminded of something I already knew, but had forgotten. "Focus on what you want, not what you don't want!"

It is also "Live Well Wednesday". I have not weighed in for a while and think I will wait. I am feeling good, and my clothes seem to fit better, but I think I am holding some water. This week I will concentrate on drinking more water.

It is good to be back!!! Thanks for all your kind words and I will be getting caught up soon!

Tackle It Tuesday

Today's tackle is maintenence related. I love fountains. The picture of the fountain above is not one I own, but it is one I want. I think it would be perfect next to the cozy spot I have for doing hand work. Right now, I have my current favorite next to my chair. I like this one because it has rocks in it. I added the "talking" rocks. Has anyone read any books by Emoto? He talks about how water reacts to emotion. Very interesting. I had not attended to the couple of fountains I own in a while. They needed to be cleaned. I only use purified water in them, so it was an easy tackle. This one is in my entryway, where my favorite used to be. I will add the flower fountain and this patio sized fountain to my goal poster. I love the sound of a fountain and the style of this one will be beautiful on my back deck. (you can find both at Walmart.com)My kids love fountains too. Kyle was given one for his room on Valentine's day. The little kids will need to grow a bit before I mix water and electricity in their rooms!

I was looking at my goal poster the other day and realized I have accomplished 4 major things on the poster. Another I decided was not a goal I would strive for. Now I am adding the fountains and another quilt related project. It is ok to have a goal for material things.

One of the goals I had was to set up reading baskets for everyone. These have been wonderful and are doing their job in encouraging reading not only in the kids, but also for me. I placed my reading basket next to my chair in the new living room. I also have my handwork basket there. The big quilt is on the other side.I keep a journal in my book basket too, and have my daily affirmations in it. I pick that up before anything else everyday. Today I will also tackle this stack of squares, all ready to be sewn into beautiful little 9 patches. To see what others are tackling today, visit 5 Minutes For Mom. Did you tackle anything this week?