An Ancient UFO

Julie put out a challenge for us to show our oldest UFO. Well here is mine. I am guesstimating this is about 17-18 years old as I remember the home I lived in when I started it. All the 9 patches are hand pieced and the rows are also hand pieced. The rows are put together by machine and so is the border. I hand quilted this quilt by putting a wreath of hearts in the solid squares and single hearts in the 9 patch squares. I took my very first quilting stitches on this quilt. *Heavy sigh* Here is where it all went wrong. I was a BRAND new quilter and had work so hard on this quilt. It was to be a gift for my mom. I was 3 blocks away from being done, when a fellow guild member said "Is that cotton batting? You need to quilt every inch when using cotton batting! THAT WILL NEVER HOLD UP!" I felt very foolish...so I went back and started to cross hatch every single inch of this quilt. My skills developed as I began and finished other smaller projects and as time went on, this quilt was stored. I decided to give my parents quilts for Christmas one year and pulled this out to finish up for my mother. Now remember, I taught myself to quilt and had no previous sewing experience. This being my first non-tied quilt, it was full of mistakes. MANY corners did not come close to matching up, and the borders..... All 4 corners are like this....what was the plan here??? I have no idea. It was my own version of putting on a border. Of course this will never work.

I ended up making my mother a totally different quilt for Christmas that year.

Anyway, my first real quilt remains a beloved UFO. Maybe someday Charlotte will finish it, or her daughter. I have too many other wonderful projects floating around my head to give that quilt a thought. I was looking through one of my all time favorite quilt books for some inspiration concerning an Amish quilt project I have planned. I came across this, for the umpteenth time in as many years....
I just love this quilt and will someday make it (or a smaller version of it)...it is one of my oldest UFO's that has never made it out of my dreams.

What is your oldest UFO? It does not have to be quilt related if you are not a quilter...any old embroidery UFO's...knitting....cross stitch....

An Update Post

SEWING UPDATE:

There has been LOTS of hand quilting going on here. I have one more of the 8 feathery stalks to quilt and then I can move the hoop. This motif is SOOOOO tedious. I am going to be glad to get to some outline quilting...bad news is, I have another of these to quilt before I can do that. I have a mental list of projects that need to be done soon...a baby quilt, a table runner (both gifts), the Spring Swap piece (I have not a clue what I am doing), March's 9 patches for Linda, my Rosie bag, and more CWDQ blocks. I don't have enough hours, but right now the hand quilting is a wonderful feeling, so I am going with it. The big quilt will have to come out of the hoop for a short time to hand quilt the first three things on that mental list.

SuBee asked to see our irons...I was to embarrassed to show mine as it is a GE cheapy, but then thought "wait a minute, I really like my iron!" It automatically shuts off in 2 hours which is better than the standard 15 minutes, and my only dislike is that I wish it got a tad hotter. Steam helps that and I am content with my GE iron.

HOMEMAKING UPDATE: I have that feeling that comes every Spring (or almost spring) that no matter how clean and tidy my house is, it feels icky. I want to open windows and air everything out. That is just a matter of time...In the meantime my sink needs some attention today. Don't gasp at this picture....
Ewwwww, the picture looks worse than the real thing. Sorry.

KIDS UPDATE: School is going well. Charlotte learned her poem and can recite it beautifully. Zach, needs some prompts, but once he gets going he giggles his way through. We watch the show Super Nanny and the kids saw a mail box that was made for the Daddy. They decided to make one for their own Daddy and now they fill it with something positive from their day.This has worked out good, as Daddy has walked in the door MANY nights to some pretty negative stuff. Now he can open his mail box and read only good things. Even if the only positive to share is "The sun was shining for a while today". This has also been a great tool for the kids to LOOK for positive things in their day. Charlotte had a very difficult time, as she felt that she had to DO something positive. Finally, she is looking for the positive around her and finding it. Kyle has had a cold this week and even stayed home from work on Wednesday. He is feeling better now and said "I feel like a new person" when he came home from work yesterday. Zach has a bit of a tummy ache this morning so we are all practicing good hand washing this week!

SPIRITUAL UPDATE: Do you read Morning Ramble??? I just love to visit and read the inspirational thoughts of this woman who is so real. They say Oprah is every woman, but I think Patty is! I can really relate to her. No pretense, no apologies, no smoke screens. Her posts are dripping in wisdom. And I leave there not with answers, but with thoughts...things of my own to think on. Please visit her if you don't already.

I also want to share this story by Mark Twain with you to think about.....

A man died and met Saint Peter at the gates of Heaven. Recognizing the Saint's knowledge and wisdom, he wanted to ask him a question.

"Saint Peter," he said, "I have been interested in military history for many years. Tell me , who was the greatest general of all times?"

Peter quickly responded, "O, that is a simple question. It's that man right over there."

The man looked where Peter was pointing and answered, "You must be mistaken. I knew that man on earth, and he was just a common laborer."

"That's right," Peter remarked. "but he would have been the greatest general of all time---if he had been a general."

Are we living up to the potential that we have been called to??? And isn't it something how in Heaven...God's eyes...we are seen as what our potential is? The common laborer was still looked upon as the greatest general of all time.... Something to think about!

FAMILY UPDATE:

Introducing our new Grandbaby. I can't figure it out either...all I know is he/she is standing on his/her head.

Pray for Niki's Grandbaby to turn. He/She is refusing to stand on his/her head and in one month will need to make the long awaited entrance. It will be a much easier process if the baby turns.

So that is what is going on in our little piece of the world. Hope all is well with you!!!

Live Well Wednesday & Poetry

One of the best things I ever did for my health was to stop smoking. I have smoked on and off since I was 14 years old. I have started and stopped 3 or 4 times over the years, once quitting for 13 years straight. This time I quit and have not smoked in a year and 1/2. I LOVED cigarettes. I enjoyed them and like the taste. I KNOW they are not good for me, so I determined to stop and never go back. Stressful situations find me wanting one. I love the smell of a freshly lit cigarette, but after the initial thrill, it just stinks...I really dislike the smell of stale cigarette smoke on people and in cars, etc. Anyway, my point is that enjoying something does not make it ok. I REALLY enjoy cream filled chocolate long johns too. Along with the ciggies, those are history.

I decided not to weigh myself every week, but only once a month. It will be the 3rd Wednesday of the month as I figure that is the best time for me NOT to be holding water ;) I have stuck to my plan with no cheating and feel very good. Maybe I will have a need for this ad someday....
I doubt it!!!!!

March is National Nutrition Month. To celebrate, why not become more aware of what it is you are putting into your body? Have you ever seen the show "You Are What You Eat"?It is on the BBC daily, and is chock FULL of great info. The host, holistic nutritionist, Gillian McKeith, checks the subjects tongues, and "poo", as she calls it, to determine their health. They also run blood work. In 8 weeks of diet change, the results are incredible. Check it out!!

On to the Poetry section of today's post. Charlotte and Zachary are to memorize and recite a poem. I thought I would share their poems...Here is Charlotte's poem.IF I CAN STOP ONE HEART FROM BREAKING

by Emily Dickinson

If I can stop one heart from breaking

I shall not live in vain,

If I can ease one life the aching

Or cool one pain,

Or help one fainting robin

Unto his nest again,

I shall not live in vain.

And Zach's poem.....

A peanut sat on a railroad track,

His heart was all a flutter

The five-fifteen came rushing by--

Toot Toot, Peanut Butter!

(Author Unknown)

Zach can not get through that last line without a giggle.

Blessings ~ Bren

Tackle It Tuesday

Today's tackle it to get back on my schedule. Somehow, I have gotten a bit off track. Though I have kept up with my dailies, I have let some of the monthly deep cleaning go by the wayside. Today is my day in the master bedroom and master bath. I pulled the flannels off and put on my regular cotton sheets. The bed is airing for a while and then will be made up with the clean linens. It will be nice to have more than 1 set...with the flannels I would take them off every Tuesday and wash them and put them back on. I have several cotton sets so I can just change them and wash the dirty set at leisure. I am getting a new mattress and box spring next week. I am not sure my sheets will fit as the mattress requires deep pocket sheets. I think I have at least one set that will work. I also need to get the glass and wood polished in here and vacuum the bedroom. The master bath needs a good wiping down and the floor will be mopped.

My monthly deep cleaning this week will be in the entryway, and formal rooms. My easiest deep clean week of the month.

My Frizz remedy WORKED and my hair is more the style I wanted. I will need to get a straightening iron as my hair has some natural curl and likes to "flip" here and there. It is funny that people with bone straight hair want curls and people with body and curl want to straighten their hair. Are we never content??

For more tackles visit 5 Minutes For Mom!

My Friend Day

Sue came today as planned and I SO enjoyed my time with her. It was a relaxing day. Her and the kids came early and I was wearing a tank top and jeans as I was in an awful hot flash. Yeesh (as Zach would say)! It was a rainy cold morning so I stayed close to the open kitchen window while we visited. Sue brought her gorgeous quilts to show me. You can see them on her blog. The Red and Black one she is just finishing is incredibly stunning. Ooooh I think I would pay money for it! She will be showing it in the next couple of days as she will be binding it in the next day or so. She brought me a beautiful tea cup pincushion she made. It is gorgeous! She also made the beaded scissor fob. I am so thrilled with it.

My hot flash passed pretty quickly and I was able to get my "do" done!

I will use the pic from yesterday as mine and Sue's before and after pictures, as I started with greasy hair and Sue, though she did not look bad at all, had a teeney bit of bed head going on.

BEFORE:

And here is my AFTER: Sue's daughter Rebekah did such a great cut. I LOVE the back and the sides and front are perfect when wet, but my hair frizzed up so I lost the style a little. I got some anti-frizz serum so I will be able to keep the style.

Sue got foil wrapped highlights, but I did not do an "in progress" pic at her request. Here she is in her AFTER shot with Ruthie, her little cutie! There was another time Sue and I had our hair done together.....It was WAAAAY back in the early days of our friendship. We were in our early 20's. I am on the left and Sue is on the right. This was our bowling league's halloween party. We were all punk rockers! What a blast!

Anyway, we are both stylin' and Rebekah did a great job! Thank you Rebekah! Sue's daughter Rachel came too and was able to get some of her driving hours in by chauffeuring everyone here and back. Soon she will have her license! See her hair??...that is what mine looks like wet. Hopefully the anti frizz stuff will keep it that way.

Zachary and, Sue's son, Lucas played board games, watched a movie and played the dance mat. Zach loves having Lucas over. Notice Zach's hand on Lucas's leg. He needs a friend who lives closer! Charlotte finished her school work, ate lunch with us and ran down to her friends house to play, so I got no pics of her. She had a fun day too, though. Lunch was great (I was starving!!!). We spent a little time figuring out block settings for a quilt I am putting together, and then hand quilted a bit while catching up. Sue and I have known each other for 25 years (last month). I was 22 years old. She is such an important person in my life, I can NOT imagine not knowing her. We are so alike, yet just different enough to keep it interesting. Our husbands got along good too. We would spend 1 night every couple months together as families and eat dinner and play cards. Sue and I saw each other at least 4 times a week (sometimes more) and talked every day. I had to go and move 2 counties away! Well, miles do nothing to change the friendship we have built in the last quarter of a century! Only our hair-do's have changed (thank goodness!!!)

Weekend Update

Another funny "actual" ad, but I think that we have not come that far in some men's eyes!! I am afraid I do NOT look like that when I am done cleaning my house!! Love that apron, though, and give me one of those Pep's!!
It is Sunday afternoon and the weekend flew by! I planned an entirely different weekend than I got. I was going to spend my weekend quilting, but I have not yet sewn a stitch. Instead I had a Saturday of children. Zachary is one of the most entertaining guys ever! If the show "Kid's Say The Darndest Things" was still on, he would be sure to make it on the air! Here is one of our Saturday morning conversations.

Zach: Do you like this hair style, Mom?

Mom: Sure Zach, it looks great.

Zach: Wait til you see this one, Mom. (Zach maneuvers his bangs with his eyes closed)

Zach: THIS one makes me a chick magnet!

Mom: WHAT?? Where did you hear that? And what IS a chick magnet?

Zach: I don't know where I heard it, but it means you attract the ladies (he almost sings the word ladies). You know..... like in the city.

Mom: Ok, Zach, don't wear your hair like that any more.

Later on in the day, my other favorite little boy came over. TJ spent some time with Grandma. He colored and played with the kids. He LOVES Charlotte. I noticed that he sticks his tongue out just a little bit when he colors. His Uncles (Kyle and Zach) do the same thing. You can tell in this blurry pic if you look close. I said "TJ, you are sticking your tongue out." He did not look up at me, or make any acknowledgement (other than the scowl), but just put his tongue quickly back in his mouth, still just as intent on his picture. I love his shirt..."What Happens At Grandma's Stays At Grandma's" We need to get one for Niki!

He was coloring a rainbow and used all the colors in the box. When he was done with a color, here is what he did with it. AND, the kid LIKES to clean up!!! Grandma's boy!!!!

Today has been a big day of laundry and cleaning as I am taking tomorrow OFF. My friend Sue (some of you know her as Quilting Mama) is coming for the day tomorrow. We may get some quilting in, but the main purpose is I am getting a new do...hair-do that is. Sue's daughter is a beautician and she is coming to cut my hair and highlight her mother's. I am making a lunch for us and have spent time today doing some prep. I have the salad made... Tomorrow morning I will make the tuna salad to go on top of the lettuce salad. I love Spring Mix in the bag section of the produce department, but I mix it with romaine to make it go further. I will mix white albacore tuna, salad dressing, chopped onion and celery together and put it on top of the salad and sprinkle with some grated Colby cheese. For dessert I made parfait cups. This one is for Sweet Hubby tonight and I will add the layers to tomorrow's dessert just before we eat them.
It is simply sugar free strawberry jello topped with fresh (frozen) berries (blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries) with a dollop of cool whip on the top. VERY good and extremely low carb, low fat, low calorie!

Maybe, Sue and I will get before and after pics of our new hair-do's tomorrow. Until then, take care!!