Christmas Goodies FINISHED.....

Well here they are...I not only did laundry and grocery shopping today, but got all 10 hot pads finished. AND DH came home early because of a Dr's appt. These will be wrapped and handed out at my family Christmas on Dec 22. I won't put names on these, it will be the luck of the draw. I am willing to bet there will be some members of the family that will trade with others....

And right now, my sister (who is the only family member that has this blog address) is looking very closely and picking hers out... RIGHT Carolyn???

We are supposed to get some yukky weather tomorrow and I have told the "guys" that we will decorate the inside of the house. My guess is that they will bring up all the boxes and then quietly disapear.... any bets out there?? LOL

I had a Happy Sewing Day, did you??
Nancy

Christmas goodies....

I spent this morning in the sewing room cleaning it up so I could start on some Christmas goodies. I needed to make and wrap that pot holder I said I would make on Tuesday, but didn't and needed to wrap a another gift for my Redwork Club.

In the past few years I have made something small for all the women in my immediate family. They have received plastic bag holders. make up bags, pillowcases, and other things I don't remember....

I have been stuggling this year to find something I could make for 10. We range in age from 22 to (almost) 59. Today while making my potholder for my swap a lightbulb went off!! EUREKA!! I will make potholders for each of them. Well, now one of my sisters knows, but she won't know what it looks like.

These are for the swap!!



I used Insul-brite from my LQS, ribbon and rounded the corners. These make up very fast and would be great to give for a little something. Maybe tuck one into a plate of cookies, add one to a great serving bowl, or give one with a GC to cooking class.

I am off to make more.....

Happy Sewing Day!!
Nancy

UH OH.....now what??

Why does this cute puppy look so sad??






What IS this mess on my bedroom floor?? Oh Oliver you are in big trouble now!! When I left him upstairs he was sleeping quite content in the sun. An hour later i head upstairs to get ready for Redwork Group and what do I find? These are Christmas boxes. Luckily the contents are still intact, but the boxes are shot...

Oh, what was in the boxes you ask?? Not telling.....Christmas secrets and all that...

I did go to Redwork Group today and who should call the store?? Pat Sloan!! The bestest most creative designer in the whole world!! I have Vista and can't figure out how to hyperlink names, so her website is www.quiltershome.com She also has a great yahoo group. http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/Pat-Sloan-Quilts She is very active on her yahoo group, so if you are interested in a fun time with great quilters come and join us and become a Sloanie...

The Redwork club is going to make her Needlework bag at our January meeting. I hope to remember my camera (I am really bad at that) and take photos of us.

Got some Insul-brite for some more Christmas presents today, so off to the sewing room I go.

Happy Sewing Day!
Nancy

Busy couple of days....

We have had a couple of busy days in this household. Most of it was spent waiting for the phone to ring...

Monday was my usual every two week appointment to clean my Mom and Dad's house. They had been traveling and this was the first time I had been there for about a 6 weeks. BIG MISTAKE!! I need to go while they are gone no matter what my Mom says. I have a system and some of that includes getting her out of the way. If I don't send her on an errand or downstairs for something, she will follow me room to room and attempt to keep up a conversation. I can't talk and clean. Apparently she can talk and watch me clean. I listen. (ok, sometimes I don't listen). I really must start taking my iPod. I went to get my cleaning products out from underneath the sink and Mom finds about a 1/2 inch of water. So..she pulls everything out and puts it all over the kitchen floor. No Windex. She leaves the water and goes to Wal*mart to get Windex. I start cleaning and am doing fairly well except I know I have to go back and do all the Windex stuff. By the time she got back, I only had to vacuum the living room and scrub the kitchen floor (and the Windex part). I started to vacuum the living room and here comes Dad. He decided at that time to hang the pictures that Mom had tried to get me to bring home until I told her they would really nice in her dining room. :-) So I am vacuuming the living room and he is hammering into the dining room wall. whatever
I decided to do the kitchen instead and moved all the underneath sink stuff onto the cabinets so I could do the floor. Did I mention she had breakfast dishes in the sink? And I can't use the water cause she still has water under the sink.

SO....the phone...remember?? That's where I started...
Ok, our oldest daughter is pregnant and due the middle of Feb. She calls me while I am scrubbing the floor and tells me she is on the way to the hospital. She is having contractions. This is her third, she knows they are contractions. I decide that I better hurry up, leave and get home so I can be ready to pack in case there is no one to watch the other two wonderful grandkids. Now remember, I ONLY said she was having contractions and the dr. was going to check her. I get maybe.....3 miles away and get a call from my sister... "Is Karen having the baby?". "No", I said, "she is having contractions and is on her way to the hospital to be checked".
"OH, Mom said she was dilated to 2cm.". WHAT??? The word dilatation never even came up in the conversation. The word was never uttered!! OH well....Dr. sent her home and told her to come back today at 7:30am. He wanted to monitor her again and see what if anything happened overnight.
So....long..long...story short. She is released from the hospital. No restrictions. She can work... WHEW!! I don't think I am ready to go there and watch the other two until after Christmas... I don't have anything bought and the only decorating I have done is hang the wreath on the front door.

On the home front, the Rock Guitarest has been staying after school to practice driving the Drivers Ed. car. He signed up for two nights this week and the teacher says he is doing great. We will start looking for his car after Christmas. We buy the first car and then if they don't like it they can trade it in. Of course, they don't because it would be their money, not ours. We also make them learn to drive a stick shift. You never know!!

I have been working on block 7 (Candy Cane Clothesline) of Winter Wonderland. Tomorrow is the Redwork group at the LQS that I am in charge of. I am excited to see how they have done in the past month. Both members are new to redwork.

Today was Tackle in Tuesday and I didn't tackle anything. I had high hopes of getting my hot pad finished for a quilt guild Christmas exchange. I have picked out the fabric and even have it on the cutting table, but that is as far as it has gone.

Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

Happy Sewing day!
Nancy

Whew!!

The first of the two holidays is sadly over.

Wednesday started with me taking our son to get his learners permit and ended with me getting some of the Thanksgiving food cooked and ready to reheat on Thursday.

Thursday we had 15 family members for dinner and I think everyone had a good time. We had lots of food leftover that I attempted to send home with others and did manage to get rid of some of it.

Friday - YEA!! Black Friday....yes I am one of those nut jobs that will get up at
5am and be at Walmart by 5:30am. This year I was only on the look out for two items. I bought one granddaughter the Graco Baby Set for her baby doll. I couldn't find the OU sweatshirt for the son-in-law. So we got some cinnamon rolls and came home.

Saturday, our oldest daughter came to work on the the dollhouse that DH made for our first grandchild. She was in charge of painting the rooms. She painted for about 5 hours and ended up with this.... In this photo, she is rag painting clouds onto the ceiling of the blue childrens room.



We will help Santa by delivering it to their house on Christmas Eve. Wish I could be there to see Grace's face Christmas morning.

So, here it is Sunday....DH and I took off for an auction this morning only to find out that it was rescheduled for Dec 15th because of a little sleet...
Then we came home and DH hung the shelf he made me in my sewing room for my CD player and CD collection. Read the Sunday Paper and made dinner.

Hope you had a great Holiday.... I really need to start Christmas Shopping, I only have a few things bought. I also have a couple of gifts to get ready for my quilt guild and a few friends.

Happy Sewing Day!
Nancy

Be Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Nancy and Family

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger.....

Everyone in the MidWest be aware....There will be a new "permit driver" on the roads.
It took him two tries, but he did it. Now comes the horrible part where I actually have to take him out and let him drive his Dad's truck....I wll be ageing rapidly in the next 90 days....

Happy Day before Thanksgiving. My Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Pies are cooling and my fried corn is in the refrigerator all ready to reheat tomorrow. The turkey roaster is washed and ready to go. The carrots are washed and ready to steam. The beef roast is thawing. The turkey is sitting in the fridge awaiting his fate.

Here's my hope to you all for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with family and friends.

Happy Sewing Day!
Nancy

Today is THE day.....

My baby boy has finally asked to take his drivers permit test. They give the test every Wednesday and he happens to be off school today for the Thanksgiving Holiday...

I am not sure how I feel about this....

Some of you may know that the Rock Guitarest is the last baby at home. It was quite the surprise being pregnant at 39. Well, maybe surprise is the wrong word. IT WAS A SHOCK!! My youngest child at that time was 12. My oldest was 17. Just a wee bit of difference in ages....LOL I thoroughly enjoyed having a "late" child and would recommend it to everyone. I was much more relaxed and less fussy about things. He is a laid back kid and always has been. I am sure he has had more advantages than the girls as we had more income when he was little.

So MAYBE after today he will have a learners permit (that's what they called them back in the ol'days) and will start driving. We haven't decided WHAT he will drive. Dad has a 4x4 truck which is huge and I have a VW bug, but it is a stick. I want him to learn to drive a stick, all kids should learn to drive a stick, just NOT MINE!!! LOL I guess if he passes today, we will start looking for a small sturdy car for him. He wants a van...he won't get a van. They are too top heavy for a teenager, too easy to tip over.... I would buy him a tank if I could find one.

Test starts at 10am, so I guess I better get him up and moving. He doesn't know we have to go to Wal*mart afterwards and take back those MP3 players. Then home to start cooking.

Today's chores -

Make sweet potato pie
Make pumpkin pie
Make fried corn
Vacuum and dust
reclean bathrooms
Get out serving dishes
press tablecloths


Happy Sewing Day!!
(wish I could join you)
Nancy

Tackle it Thanksgiving ......

OK, it is Tuesday, but everything I did today was for Thanksgiving...

Went to the grocery store for the rest of the stuff for dinner, and decided to check out Walmart for the MP3 players I am getting two of the grandkids for Christmas. Walmart has the ILO MP3 players on sale Friday from 5am-11am for $34.87. I wanted to look at them before hand, cause you all know that you can't dilly dally on Black Friday about anything as it will be ripped from your hand before you can say Howdy Do!! Anyway.....they had the MP3 player already on the shelf, but no price listed. I asked the clerk to find the price for me and guess what it was?? yea, $34.87. So I bought them today and now I don't need to be there at 5am..YEA!!
Oh wait.. Oldest daughter just called. Um....seems she has been thinking and she now doesn't think her kids want MP3 players... UH OH!!! She found something else she wants them to have and will bring it Thursday and I will write her a check. In the meantime, I need to go BACK to Wal*mart and take these back. I should have just stayed home....

I did get some good stuff done today...
Windows washed
bathrooms cleaned
floors cleaned
sweet potatoes mashed for pie tomorrow
grocery shopping finished


Happy Sewing Day!!
Nancy

Best laid plans......

I really tried to get the pillow sham done yesterday. Instead I cleaned bathrooms, did laundry and went Thanksgiving Dinner grocery shopping. UGH..... I hate spending almost $100 on food for one dinner. Of course, there is always something you need that doesn't get eaten. My daughter told me I needed a bigger colander. I have a small wire basket kind that works really well for our 3 member family. Of course, this is what I attempt to use at Holidays and I always end up with cooked potatoes in the sink.LOL... So I bought a new colander yesterday and of course I can't find my meat thermometer so I needed a new one of those, and then I had to have the themed napkins....

Today is the surprise birthday party for a very dear friend of the family. It is her 80th birthday. Our families were very close neighbors and we have stayed very good friends through the years. Joe and Jean had kids the same year that my Mom and Dad were having kids. We still try to get together at least one year for lunch or dinner at Olive Garden. I hope she will be surprised today. She even has family coming in from California and I don't know if she even knows they are here.

Tomorrow is the baby shower in Kansas City. Mom and I will leave home at 8am to travel to my daughters house to pick up her and my granddaughter and then on to KC. Shower at 1pm and hope to be able to drive all the way back that evening....I will be so tired on Monday.... I made the t-shirts for Grace and Jackson. This will probably be the last item I do with my embroidery machine. I am thinking of selling it after Christmas. I don't use it and if someone asks me or I volunteer to do some monogramming I put it off as long as I can. I am doing more and more hand redwork and really enjoy it.

Any thoughts on that?? Do you have an embroidery machine? Do you still enjoy using it? Want to buy one?? he he

Happy Sewing Day!!
(I will be eating cake, lol)
Nancy

Thanksgiving Menu

I am a day ahead....I got my Thanksgiving Menu planned out last night during Surviver commercial breaks. I even have my grocery list ready.

Menu
Turkey breast
Beef roast
Mashed potatoes
Fried corn
Sugar carrots
Cranberry sauce
Rolls
Sweet Potato Pie

I think this menu will please everyone. DH and the rock guitarest don't eat Turkey, so will have Beef Roast. Of course, the rock guitarest doesn't eat beef roast and now that I look at the menu it looks like he will be eating rolls for dinner. Which is what he eats at Christmas dinner also. There are no holiday foods that the kid likes. I refuse to make pepperoni pizza or pasta for holiday dinners.

Has anyone else ever heard of fried corn?? This is a recipe that I married into. And no, you don't batter and deep fry each kernel (which is what I am always asked,lol) This is not a healthy heart recipe, but my son-in-law LOVES it and requests it every year...

Today I need to get the redwork pillow sham FINISHED!! Today is the last day I have open before the baby shower on Sunday.

********************

Fried Corn
1/2 lb bacon
1 small onion, chopped
1 16 oz bag of frozen corn

Fry bacon til crisp, remove from pan and hide so no one eats it. Add the onion to the pan drippings and cook til translucent. Add the frozen corn all at once. Cook on Medium heat until corn is brown. Add the bacon (if it hasn't been stolen) and serve.

NOTE - When you add the frozen corn to the hot bacon drippings it will sieze up and make a mess. Just keep stirring it.

Recipe can be doubled.

Happy Sewing Day!!
Nancy

Countdown to Thanksgiving.....

Thanksgiving is ONE WEEK AWAY!! I have invited 12 family members to Thanksgiving Dinner. Counting us, that means 15 people to feed and water....

Tomorrow starts the countdown......

Friday - Plan menu and make grocery list
Saturday - Suprise 80th birthday party for a very dear friend of my family
Sunday - Baby Shower for oldest daughter in Kansas City
Monday - Grocery shop and start the cleaning
Tuesday - Iron tablecloths, clean house thoroughly
Wednesday - Start cooking, set tables, get all serving dishes ready, reclean bathrooms and vacuum

THANKSGIVNG - Have a wonderful time with family and especially grandkids.
Maybe I can get all 4 of them to sit still for a few minutes to get some new photos.


What are your plans for Thanksgiving?? Are you cooking? Any good recipes?

And what happens the day after Thanksgiving?? BLACK FRIDAY SALES.... Yes, I am one of those crazy people that actually gets up at 5am and heads out to the discount stores with a list. I have been known to stand in lines, in the dark, in the cold outside of ToysRUs for a certain toy or game. I have waded 3 deep through Target to get that certain sweater or jeans. This year won't be any different. Immediately after dinner on Thanksgiving, I will sit down with the ads and make a list. This is the one thing that gets me in the Holday mood. No amount of decorations, toy commercials or eggnog can do what a good Black Friday shopping day can.

Sewing Update -

I finished the stitching on the Good Morning pillow sham last night while watching the premiere of the new season of "Project Runway". What a great start...love all the new designers. Ihave a favorite, but don't know the names yet so can't say who it is. The one that did the white and turquoise dress....previews show he is going to confess something on next weeks show.....

I still have 2 t-shirts to embroider for the baby shower on Sunday....

Happy Sewing Day!
Nancy

Everything old is new again.....

I am probably the only person in the world that loves to iron. I own 5 or 6 vintage table cloths for everyday use and last year bought 3 vintage Christmas tablecloths for the Holidays. About 6 years ago my great DH built me a 22x60 ironing surface and mounted it on top of wire baskets for fabric storage. Nothing makes me happier (um...well some things make me happier, but I won't get into that here) than standing upstairs in the sewing room and pressing fabric, clothes and tableclothes.

Imagine my surprise when I found this at Wal*mart today. I have been looking for a new iron to use with my fusible applique. This one was very reasonable and looks just like the one my Mom used to use when I was growing up. I remember coming home from school and Mom would have her ironing board set up in the living room. The day before Mom would have sprinkled the shirts with water, rolled them up in a ball and stored them in the refrigerator. This was before permanent press and everything had to be ironed. All of our dresses for school, all of my Dad's shirts.

AH!!! The smell of freshly ironed clothes....

I am still working on the little redwork pillow sham for the baby shower on Sunday and now have two t-shirts to machine embroider. I found shirts for Grace and Jackson and will put "BIG SISTER" and BIG BROTHER" on them for the baby shower.

Gotta go and ice the cupcakes that just finished cooling.

Happy Sewing Day!
Nancy

Tackle it Tuesday

Yesterday I had such plans to get things going for the week. On my list was laundry, cleaners, and grocery store. I did not get any laundry done, I did not get to the cleaners, I did not get any errands done...Oh well, I did go to embroidery club and "tried" to learn needle punch. I really did try...more than once.... I have decided that needle punch is not for me... I don't enjoy it. I don't find it easy. I will be selling my hardly used Cameo needle punch tool. And my pattern I bought in Paducah...LOL

Today is Tackle it Tuesday. So far I have tackled the Post Office, the Cleaners and Wal-mart. At home I have tackled the laundry and bathrooms. I have dinner planned for tonight (baked chicken, baked potatoes, veggie) and tomorrow (tacos).

My latest project is still Winter Wonderland. I have 6 blocks finished and number 7 started. I also have a redwork GOOD MORNING pillow sham started. I need to finish that by Saturday night for the baby shower on Sunday. I am at least half way through the stitching. I will post a photo as soon as I can.

Ok, got to tackle the kitchen and the laundry folding...

Happy Sewing Day!!
Nancy

Another Monday Morning....

Another Monday morning means I am doing the laundry, running errands, grocery shopping and this Monday is Tea Time Embroidery at my LQS Patches. www.patches3.com
This is the second class on needle punch and since I missed the first class, I need to really catch up. I have my pattern traced, but don't have any perle cotton so will have to stop at the Thread Shop next door first. I bought my needle punch and pattern early this year in Paducah during the quilt expo. I was drawn to the pattern because it is Red and White. We will see if I actually finish this.


As you can see from the bottom of my blog, my oldest daughter has less than 100 days before giving birth to my 5th grandchild. It has become pretty much expected that I will make a diaper bag for immediate family members that become pregnant. So far I have made 3 for family. Of course, this also extends to non family members(such as the sister of my second daughters hubby) and pregnant women at my DH work.... and that brings the total to about 10.....

This past weekend I finished all the parts to the diaper bag for my daughter. My Mom and I will drive to Kansas City Sunday for her shower. It is a new pattern I used for the first time. Called Bow Tucks Tote by www.quiltsillustrated.com I had to add a personal tissue holder and matching burp rag of course....




I promised directions for the little personal tissue holders so here you go.

You will need 4 pieces of fabric cut 3 1/2" x 5 1/2"
With WST press two of the pieces in half long ways.
Place the other two pieces of fabric WST.
Place the two pressed pieces on top with folded edges meeting in the middle.
Stitch 1/4 " seam around all 4 edges.
Turn and press.

WST = wrong sides together

These make wonderful gifts for any occasion. I made 33 for a baby shower I co-hosted for my niece. Everyone got to pick one as a Thank You for Coming...
Give one to the Mother-of-the-bride packed with tissues for the wedding.

I would love to see photos if you make some....

Happy Sewing Day!!
Nancy

For Me Weekend....

Elizabeth over at http://elizabethssimplejourney.blogspot.com/ has been blogging on getting her house and life simplified. I have really enjoyed reading her posts. Then this morning Pat Sloan on her yahoo group challenged us to have a "For Me Project" this weekend.

SO.....I decided to combine the two and have just finished cleaning all the cupboards and drawers in my kitchen. I am hosting Christmas this year for my side of the family and if my cupboards and drawers are clean it will make it easier for my sisters to help me... Hopefully I will keep them straight for the next 6 weeks.

I also started a pot of homemade vegetable soup. I love vegetable soup and as you can see from the photo it is more veggie than soup....lol



I will be home tomorrow (Saturday) all by myself as DH will be hunting and the rock guitarist will be in someone else's garage jamming.... I guess I will sew and eat soup.

Happy Sewing Day....and I challenge you to do something for yourself this weekend.

Nancy

PS...I promised to upload directions/photos for the tissue pack and I will do that either later tonight or tomorrow. Need to make one and take photos still, LOL.

Hello, My name is Nancy......

and I have imaginary internet friends....

This is what my family calls the various members of my yahoo groups and blogs. Why do they think you are imaginary?? Just because they can't see you? Some blogs have photos of the owner, so I would recognize you in a crowd. My family has never met my quilt guild members, but they don't call them imaginary! Shoot, they haven't even met the two friends I sew with the first Tuesday of each month and they have never met Linda, who I talk to on the phone (and met over the internet)...

So lets break this down.....

Imaginary - the dictionary reads "existing only in the imagination or fancy; not real; fancied"

Now listen...I don't think my computer is typing these blogs and/or yahoo messages. Someone somewhere is generating those messages and blogs. These people are responding to other peoples messages. We are listening and reading and responding. We are helping, sharing, laughing and crying. This isn't imaginary...this is real....

Internet
Well I don't think any one reading this needs the definition of this word....HELLO!! you are reading this on the internet..enough said.

Friends
definition? A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.
A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.
One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement: friends of the clean air movement.

Another HELLO!! I know all of you, some better than others. I like you and trust (most of you!!LOL) We are comrades in the cause of sewing, stitching and blogging. We support each other (and our local LQS), we symphathize with each other and I would call us a group.

So There!! Today I am celebrating my "Imaginary Internet Friends".

Take a bow!!

I am celebrating by sewing all day today!!

How will you celebrate??

Happy Sewing Day!
Nancy

Tackle it Tuesday to become.....

Work on it Wednesday....

Anne and I met at Miss Nancy's yesterday for Tackle it Tuesday. This is a regular first Tuesday of the month sewing get together. We are meant to bring our current project and actually achieve something. Never seems to happen... Yesterday I was there on time and Anne wasn't... (OK she was at the gym, she's a good girl, what more can I say..). This is the first time I have been to Miss Nancy's and I was shocked. First off, she has allowed her DH to completely decorate their living room AND dining room in St Louis Cardinal's paraphanalia...there are STLC hats, pins and even cabbage patch babies dressed in STL Cards baseball uniforms.... baseball bats, books and photographs. Balls, pins and more..... Now this is a NICE lady....I don't know anyone else personally that would allow this in their home...
Secondly, her house is the exact copy of mine. We have the same floor plan. I told Miss Nancy it was like a dream. You wake up and someone has completely redecorated your house... LOL

So I took my redwork with me to work on. I am making a new baby pillow that say's Good Morning for the new baby due in February. I am hoping to have it stitched and made into a pillow in the next two weeks as the Baby Shower is Nov 18th.

Miss Nancy and Anne were going to make Lazy Girl Wonder Wallets. The pattern calls for a velcro closure. When I make mine I use snaps and use a snap setter. I told them I would bring it for them to use. When I went to get it all together, I didn't have any of the regular snaps left, so off to the local discount store I went. I needed a few other items anyway... Of course they were out of the snaps I usually use, so I bought a package of Heavy Duty snaps. Now we are 3 fairly intelligent women, 2 of us are nurses and 1 of us has a teaching degree... We each read the directions for the snaps. There are 4 different pieces and 2 different setting tools.



If anyone knows which two parts go together and which way,and which setting tool to use on which part.... PLEASE email me...
We finally gave up after hammering each part to each of the other parts and ruining more fabric than you need to know about.

Today I am heading off to get fabric for this pattern. This will become the diaper bag that I was supposed to have done last week. After looking at that hot pink fabric again, I decided it just wasn't the right fabric... I did see the perfect fabric last week at my LQS, so am going back this morning for it. It is soft pink and green. Will post a photo of the finished bag tomorrow (or the next day).

Here is the pattern...


Happy Sewing Day!
Nancy

My shopping finds...and todays project

Good Morning....I think??!! My inner clock is all off. When my kids were little I hated time change weekends. They would get up earlier and be crabby all day as their inner clocks were adjusting to the time change. This past weekend I finally figured out WHY... I was a mess. I got up at 6am on Saturday to help my daughter with her garage sale (she made a whopping $36, grrrr) and froze my tushy off. Got back home around 2pm and just kind of laid around the rest of the day. Couldn't even get dinner going for the family. We each made our own and I had Cheerios..
Yesterday wasn't much better. I woke up way too early, accomplished NOTHING all day and went to bed at 9pm. This morning I am still off. I was up at 5am and showered and dressed by 6am. I have decided to stick to a schedule today. Errands this morning and I get my gray hair colored. Then I will start AND FINISH a diaper bag for my daughters baby shower in two weeks. I have pulled these two fabrics from my stash.



As promised here are photos of my purchases last Friday.

From Homestead Hearth....

Pattern is Atkinson Designs Tic Tac Mo - These are for my two grandsons for NEXT Christmas.....


I can never resist Red and White FQ's -

These came from Stickey Wicket and the Singer Store -



So that's it for today...I hope my inner clock catches up with me today.

Happy Sewing Day!
Nancy

The 3 quilters, the fabric and the tire......

Once upon a time there were 3 quilters who decided it would be a great idea to have a Road Trip. These 3 quilters picked a date and a time and a place....(ok, I picked the place, but they agreed).
So last Friday at 9am we met at a local Wal*Mart parking lot and took off down Hwy 70....well, after stopping at Panera Bread for coffee and tea and the local bank for cash...

First stop Homestead Hearth in Mexico... This is a big store with lots of new lights. I was in search of fabric for two quilts for grandson's for Christmas next year. Homestead Hearth carries a lot of plaids and that what I finally settled on.

I found two backgrounds (2 1/2 yards each) and 12 FQ's that will make the two quilts. My pattern is TicTacMo by Terri Atkinson Designs. I had all my material cut and ready to check out. I was so excited. I had a gift certificate that I have been hoarding forever. Perhaps TOO LONG!?!?!? After pulling it out of my purse and giving it to Delores, she announced that the GC had expired!!??!!! OH NO!!! I got this GC from hubby right before we moved. Homestead Hearth was my LQS and I loved shopping there. I didn't know that there was an expiration date. AND it turns out, it expired a YEAR AGO!!!! I was shocked and Delores was fabulous...she honored the GC. She didn't have to do that and I really appreciate it. THANKS HOMESTEAD HEARTH.... I know they don't read this blog, but they are great so go check them out on the web.... www.homesteadhearth.com


Miss Nancy bought some soup mixes and I don't remember if Anne bought anything there, I was still in shock about the GC.

It's now noon and I remember I left the phone in the car and had told my daughter to call me when she got out of class on Friday. I run to the car and find out that she has called 7 times and left one message. OH NO!! I quick call her back and we took off down the road to meet her and her friend for lunch. Guess what we ate....??
While in Mexico, eat MEXICAN!! YUM....we all had chicken fajitas.

Now back downtown to Sticky Wicket where we found a Friday FQ Sale... $1.69 each and buy 12 get one free.... YIPPEE!! Anne and Miss Nancy pooled theirs to get a free one (who gets custody of the freebie girls??) and I got two red/white FQ's for Christmas gift swap. Back in the car (well, really I brought the truck hoping we would REALLY SHOP). and off to the Singer Store. They carry more than just singer sewing machines. They have fabric, needlepunch, machine embroidery items and some Anchor floss. I found the perfect quilting stencil for a whole cloth quilt I want to do with redwork, and I am sure Miss Nancy and Anne found some goodies also, but can't remember what they were,LOL.

It's now 2pm and we better head home.. we do have families and we have hit all the quilt shops in town. One more to go to on the way home....

Got back on the Hwy heading east and ...what!! is that?? WOMP...WOMP...WOMP...WOMP...
I am in the left lane going 70 miles per hour and what is that NOISE!!???

I pull to the right lane and off to the shoulder. I open my door and get out to see the back tire on the truck is SHREDDED.... I blew out...I did not run over anything. The whole entire side wall blew out... The three of us get out and stand on the side of the road. I call emergency service on my cell phone and after many push 2...push 4... push 6....push 8....what is your problem... they are sending a tow truck to put on the spare. Before that gets there though a wonderful thing happens. A man stops his car and offers to change the tire for us... I am speachless, there are still good samaritans out there?? We were petrified for him as the tire was on the drivers side and that is the side that the cars, motor homes and 18 wheelers are wizzing by at 70 miles an hour. I called *55 and asked them to please send a patrol car to sit behind while he changes the tire so the patrol lights will warn traffic. He changed the tire, THEN the patrol car showed up and he refused any money... I am so grateful to him.. I didn't get his name, don't know where he was going, but if you know a nice gentleman that helped 3 quilters by changing a tire on Hwy 70 near Hwy AZ please thank him for us... We are forever in his debt.

By this time, we decide that the last quilt shop will have to wait for another day.



Anne and her purchases




Miss Nancy's goodies




The nasty tire....doesn't it look horrible??

We best part is we are all safe and sound and got some great fabrics and supplies.

Happy Sewing Day!!
Nancy

PS. Wal*mart replaced the tire for free. I drove to my daughters the same night and helped her yesterday with her garage sale on Saturday. She made a whopping $36, and I came home with a bag of new novels and a new dirty clothes hamper....