Fred....

Happy Halloween!!!





This is my son-in-law... this is my son-in-law on drugs He is a manager at a grocery store and dresses up every year.Such a good sport. Check out the feet....they are plastic shoes... Sorry the picture is crappy, it was taken with my daughters IPhone... not the best camera in the world.

I can't wait til the tonight and the door bell rings for the first time with little trick r treaters. I love seeing them all.....

Nancy

a funny halloween story....

So, I didn't get the binding completely sewn on my project so I thought I would distract you with a funny story.

I was over at HappyZombie yesterday and she was talking about halloween and dressing up. I also love to watch the Today Show and see what costumes they come up with. My favorite so far was Matt Lauer dressed as Jennifer Lopez and Al Roker dressed as "Puff Daddy" a few years back.

So anyway, that led me to remember a long time ago when I worked in a pediatricians office. On Halloween the doctors would dress up. There would be a clown and a golfer show up every year. So one year the staff decided to dress up. For about 3 weeks we all plotted our costumes and got really into it. Then about 2 days before Halloween we got smart and realized that it would be funny for about 10 minutes and then a pain in the butt for the rest of the day. Not to mention, we might scare the kids more than we needed to... We all gave up...

Halloween morning came and we all showed up to work... office staff dressed as office staff, nurses came as nurses, those doctors showed up as a clown and a golfer and then, after lunch, it happened....

In the door came Kim. Kim was a part-time employee. She worked a couple of days a week. She was in college so she came in after class.

Uh oh......

Kim came dressed as a baby... in a body suit, with a diaper and a huge baby hat. She even had a pacifier hung on a ribbon around her neck...

Sorry Kim... we forgot to tell you. But, dang it was funny....

Nancy

the back.....

Do you pay attention to the back of your projects? I am not a type A+ person. If the front/outside looks good, I am fine with it... Some people take it to the inth degree... not me...

I thought I would show you the back of Tuesday's projects...

Miss "Type A+" Nancy



Ann



yea, mine...



Why does mine look so much messier?? To be fair, we didn't use the same fusible interfacing and maybe that is why the back of theirs looks so much cleaner and crisper? Who knows.

I do know that mine is almost finished. It is quilted and sitting patiently waiting for the binding. It will be added today... then tomorrow I hope to show you the competed project. It is so dang cute... and my own idea too!!

And all those messy seams? They are all inside where no one will even notice..LOL

Nancy

ramblings....

State Farm agreed to pay for a local car dealership collision shop to do a "tear-down" on the truck. They finished today and there is $8000 worth of damage. Since State Farm says that the 2005 truck with 163,000 miles on it is worth $15,000 they will fix it. It will take them approximately two weeks to do all the work. Hubby isn't happy. He wanted a new truck. He may end up with one anyway.

DD#2 came Friday am with 2 of our grandkids to hang out and stay overnight. We headed out to the local discount store to search for Halloween costumes. We ended up with two that the kids were happy with.

Introducing a scary guy and a royal witch...



Poor little Ava...Can you see her red face? That's not from running around Grandma's house.. They both got the flu mist Friday morning before driving here. She was fine all evening. We went and had pizza and she ate like a champ...well everyone did...lol 6 people went through 2 extra large pizzas...
The next morning she woke up with a bright red rash over her whole face. I checked her tummy, arms and legs and no rash. Just her face. Her mom gave her some Benadryl and washed her face... It was still there the next morning and evening so DD#2 took her to the ER. They diagnosed a rash from the Flu Mist!! Told to to give Benadryl and by Monday am the rash was gone. She will now have to get the Flu Shot in four weeks while her brother will get another Flu Mist. Poor Ava...

I thought I would show you an updated photo of my dresser. Hubby is done with all six drawers, so it should go pretty fast now. The drawers really slowed him down. Each of them has half blind dovetails. That means that when you open the drawer you can see the dovetail, but you can't see them from the front. Pretty fancy, huh? He still has to make the mirror frame and then we will order the mirror.



Today I went to Miss Nancy's. Ann was there and the three of us decided to try this tutorial by Elizabeth of Oh, Fransson!. As you can see from the photos we all have different fabric tastes...



This is Miss Nancy's.... She likes soft colors that remind her of the Southwest.



This is Ann's.. She loves anything purple and batik...



This is mine. I am making mine into a surprise for the grandkids.... I will show you more when I am done...

We all really enjoyed learning this alternate way of piecing small squares. We decided that it really works better if you are using a lot of different fabric squares. For mine, I think it would have been faster to just do strip sets and sub cut them...

I think this is the most we have ever accomplished in one sewing day. We usually talk too much and get nothing done.

If you have read this far, Thanks!! I love comments, but do me a favor today? Go over to Ann's Blog and wish her a Happy Birthday...she's wishing for a new camera... Hopefully hubby has been paying attention to her hints...

Nancy

a new quilt....

I can finally show you the latest quilt....

I did a little more pattern testing for Linda. I asked if she had something besides tote/purses to test and she sent me this adorable quilt pattern. It was written to use 9 charm squares in the center of each block, but I had these little fussy cuts just sitting waiting for the perfect quilt. They were only cut 4 1/2 inches so I added a little border of pink on each one and the quilt took off. You could also use some squares with machine embroidery or hand embroidery. It would look really cute with jungle fabrics and little animals in the center of each blocks. This is a pattern I will use again and again...





This is a new pattern ready in Linda's Etsy Shop right now. It's a great baby quilt pattern. Very quick to make. I quilted mine in kind of wonky straight lines and it went really fast...It finishes 50"x50". You could even add another row and make a lap quilt.

Think a good thought about my youngest granddaughter today. She is having outpatient surgery to remove a pyogenic granuloma from her chin. They attempted to use a medicated powder, but it didn't work.

update on the truck/cow situation....

The truck has been towed to a local dealer where they will do a "tear-down". Basically they will start taking the truck apart until they have found all the broken parts. Then they will add them all up and decide whether it will be fixed or totaled.

My advice? If you ever hit a cow, make sure he doesn't have insurance. Much easier.

Nancy
while you are reading this I am at the dentist, sweating like a pig because I HATE going to the dentist, but I broke a tooth yesterday.... dang it...

her daddy's daughter....

How do you handle all the new fangled doodads? Do you still write checks? or do you pay your bills on-line? Do you still use cash? or use a debit card? I have drug dragged? pushed my hubby into the 21st century kicking and screaming. When we moved here 3 years ago we had to change banks. We had used the same bank for 22 years. It was a locally owned bank and I was "allowed" to have an ATM card (do they still have those?) but never a debit card. Hubby was so afraid that I would forget to give him a receipt.
So we moved here and joined a large banking system.
We got debit cards... he lived through that.
We started paying bills on-line...he lived through that.

Today would have sent him over the edge. I took off to town to deposit a check. Simple right? Well, not exactly. When I got to the drive-up window (where he will still ONLY use the one where you put the money/check/whatever into the drawer that is attached to building and not the automatic tube system) all the lights were red. Hm...all the drive-ups closed? I drove around to the front of the building and found three women sitting at a table. I got out and they said that the bank was temporarily closed but that they could take deposits. um....not sure why, but I didn't feel quite comfortable giving them a check and deposit ticket outside the front of the bank...call me old-fashioned...

So I learned how to use the new ATM... it now will take deposits. It actually scans the check, deposits it into your account and your receipt will show a small little copy of the check you deposited. Very Cool!!

Then I called hubby to tell him. Oh my... first he decided that the bank was being audited. Maybe.. I told him what I did and he was really ok with it... (of course I had to immediately come home and check on-line and make sure the deposit was there)

Then I was talking to DD#1 and she freaked... WHAT!! Are you kidding me? I use the same bank and I don't have any cash! Have they closed the bank? Have they frozen our assets?

Oh, she is her daddy's daughter....

Nancy
info on the truck tomorrow...and a new quilt....

OMG....

Australian designer...

new patterns....

giveaway....

HERE....

I just ordered Lilly Pilly....isn't it gorgeous??

Nancy
things are churning with the cow and the truck... more in a few days...

We interrupt your day.....

for an important announcement..




Brenda is having a giveaway. Not just a regular, ho hum giveaway....but a grand pumpkin giveaway... You could win a stack of FQ's just like that photo up there....

Go HERE...to sign up... and please. Tell Brenda I sent you...

Nancy
ps-it's 2pm here and no news from State Farm..grrrr..........

An open letter....

Dear State Farm,

My hubby has carried your insurance for over 42 years. We not only have 3 cars covered, but our house. We have had nothing but good service and reasonable rates since we married 38 years ago. We have had only 3 different agents, the last for only 2 years.

Now we are facing a problem with you. You have let us down. My hubby had an accident last Tuesday evening. At 8pm at night, in the rain, he topped a hill and hit a cow. Unfortunately the cow did not make it. Fortunately my hubby did. He immediately dialed *55 and had a Mo State Highway Patrolman out there within minutes. The patrolman called a wrecker and the truck was towed to his lot. Apparently that was the first mistake. We have now been told that he should have somehow contacted State Farm at 8:30pm and found out exactly where the nearest State Farm claim center was and had the truck towed there. How were we to do that? Is there a list somewhere?

We found out that the cow had insurance. We mistakenly thought that would be good news to you. You would have a way to recoup some of your money back from the cow's insurance. That seems to be the whole problem. State Farm also covered the cow. Now we have State Farm cow division fighting with State Farm auto division. Something that was promised by you to be taken care of within 48 hours has now stretched to almost 6 days. We feel like we are stuck in the middle and we shouldn't be.

State Farm auto division...please take care of our truck under our comprehensive insurance. WE are your customer and we should not be in the middle of your fight with the cow division of your own company. We will continue to do our part by paying our premiums. Please live up to your end.

Nancy

cow...truck...rain...part 2

The truck is what hit the cow. The cow was standing in the middle of the road...in the dark....in the rain... Hubby was driving...by himself...and was not hurt.. truck WAS hurt...



All those parts there? shoved together? Not supposed to be like that!!



So we spent last night looking at new trucks and going out to dinner. :-) Yummy talapia and broccoli for me... steak (apparently he didn't get enough of cow last night??) for hubby.

BTW, did you know that cows carry insurance? In Missouri..if a cow gets out the farmer is responsible for any damage. Most farmers don't carry insurance and most farmers won't tell you that you hit THEIR cow... Our cow has State Farm...

Today I will be rescheduling my haircut for next week and sewing!! I got my nieces baby quilt back and need to bind it. I also have a UFO ready to quilt...


OMG...have you ever seen a snowman take a bubble bath? Check it out at new blogger Beth's.
Nancy

just so you know...

this



plus this



plus this



not good.

Nancy

crap, crap, double crap....

So Saturday I was innocently plucking my eyebrows. I stand in the upper hallway by the big window with a nice little 5x magnifying mirror. I feel something in my right eye and assume that I have dropped an eyebrow hair in there. Uh oh... what do I see?
A big fat white pimple. As I lift my upper eyelid to look, it pops... (sorry, I know this is so gross) I blink a couple of times and hey, its ok.

Sunday morning I realize that my right eye itches. Annoying, but nothing I can't handle. I guess that little pimple is healing up. No problem...

Yesterday morning, I checked it out after I showered and hm....not a good thing (as Martha would say) There are bubbles. I call the Dr's office. They want to see me. (of course they do!!)...

Diagnosis - Herpes in the right eye AND a bacterial infection in the same eye.

Crap.....crap....double crap....

I am on an antibiotic AND the anti-viral.

crap....crap....double crap....

Miss Nancy and Ann are coming today to sew. I am making quiche and fruit salad. We WILL have a good time....

Nancy

design wall monday....

This is what I did this past week. I pieced and machine quilted. Sorry I can't show you the piecing. It's one of those testing samples for Linda. I have the pattern edits ready to mail back, but of course today the Post Office is closed, so it will have to wait until Wednesday when I get back to town.... I started doing free motion on this quilt and after about 2 minutes I knew it wasn't going very well. I picked it all out and started over. I LOVE the kinda straight lines. I will be doing this on another quilt as soon as I have batting.



This is my design wall today. I am between quilts, so nothing but the bird to show. This is my first applique block. This is the block from this post


This past weekend was the Apple Fest in a nearby town. Our guild had a booth to sell tickets for our raffle quilt. I worked Sunday afternoon and took this picture of Gay and Betty. Not much selling going on. We did have someone donate a dollar. They didn't want the ticket. We were right next to a guy selling salsa and beef jerky which smelled really good. It was also kind of funny to see people trying the XXX Salsa..their faces turned bright red and they started sweating. Then they bought a jar...LOL



And this photo just shows how much rain we have had lately. Ridiculous....



Hubby out of town, Rock Star works tonight til 8pm and I don't have the afterschool kids today....so I think I will fill up that design wall...

See more of Design Wall Monday at Judy's blog Patchwork Times..

Nancy

More Dead Things.....

oh my......

Yesterday morning my computer died..... and Rock Star was in school. I know, that's
where he is supposed to be. But I could have used him here. Then of course he went to work until 7pm. So I had no computer....what's a girl to do? SEW!!

Last Christmas I gave family members laundry bags. I have a traveling family so I knew they would come in handy. As I was standing in the sewing room yesterday my eyes landed on the extra backing fabric from my soon to be nephews quilt. Since my niece lives in an apartment and has to drag her dirty clothes to the laundry room, she uses her laundry bag all the time. SO....I made one for the baby. AND, I will use it as the gift wrapping....and I hope this is his name....

I love the blanket stitch on my Bernina..




Having some typing issues this morning.

More sewing today...

Nancy

Rain, dead dog and sewing....

I woke up to rain this morning. Lots of rain. They predict we could get up to 9 inches... The sump pump is working overtime.. I had plans to go to the LQS and get some borders, but I don't think I want to get on the highway in this rain. I'm not scared of the rain. St Louis drivers typically forget how to drive when it rains. They act like they have never seen rain and don't know what that wet stuff is on the road. Hence we get accidents everywhere. I am not willing to chance it...

I was watching a video on another blog and this "related" one came up. I have a dog, but I'm not really a dog person. I feed him, water him, let him out to go and talk to him (cause I am here by myself during the day and I think it's better to say I was talking to Oliver than say I was talking to myself). ANYWAY....I thought this was funny...and really I couldn't care less what Letterman does in his private life. It's punishment enough that he has to answer to his wife....



I am hoping to work on a few things in the sewing room today. I don't usually sew when there is a possibility of the lights flickering on and off, but we haven't had any lightening since very early this morning so I am going to fire up the machine.

Have a good day. I've lost my camera again, so maybe I need to clean? No, just kidding....

Nancy

Show and Tell ....part 2 HELP NEEDED

I completely forgot about these two redwork stitcheries yesterday.... These belong to a new member of our redwork group. So new that I can't remember her name. Last Thursday was her first meeting...and she brought these. Her sister in Oregon did them for her. I LOVE THEM....

Does anyone know who designed these? I would love to order these patterns. Aren't they cute?? Her sister wrote on the back... "I'd rather be quilting" and "Dishes...what dishes?" I don't know if that is the name of the pattern or something her sister wrote on the back.

I really need these....

Please help me....

Nancy

Show and Tell....

Put a bunch of quilters together and what do you get? SHOW AND TELL!!! This was our show and tell at our redwork club this week. We show all items, no matter if they are redwork related or not. I love that. It's so much fun to see what others have done.
One of our members was the guest quilter at her guild's quilt show this past September. I so wish I could have gone, but it was not to be. She brought a couple of things with her that were featured.
This is Wanetha...
First up is her hand pieced and hand quilted grandmothers flower garden complete with applique borders. It was absolutely beautiful in person. Wanetha is the one standing there to the right of the quilt in the red shirt. She is an amazing quilter and so prolific. I have lost count of how many quilts she has brought to this group to show.



She also finished this Noah's Ark stitchery which won a blue ribbon at the show. This design is a free download at Lynette Anderson's blog. I have two of these started. Note I said started. Not finished. A UFO. I really need to get that out and finish it. I think one of them actually has the borders on the finished blocks. Sheesh...




We have 3 Japanese ladies that attend our meetings. They speak very little English and we speak NO Japanese. We do a lot of pointing and smiling and pantomime...
Hopefully they understand some of it...lol One of the ladies brought this pillow cover to share. She did all hand embroidery and hand quilting. Please, click on the photo and check out those tiny stitches. They are marvelous.




Well, that's show and tell for October. I am gone this morning to my LQS for First Saturday. I should have my block done in time for design wall Monday, so come back and see it.

A friend had some wonderful health news today, so lets all say a big loud Hallelujah.... She knows who she is....

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Eye update-
I am also back to the eye dr today, so will have an update Monday. It's starting to feel so much better... not as scratchy and I can read and type and stitch once again. YIPPEE.....

Nancy

Goodbye to Ann....

Today was a very sad day. Our Redwork Club said our official goodbye to Ann. Ann has been a member of the group since January of 2007. Miss Nancy joined in February and I joined in March of the same year. It was a couple of months later that someone showed a project and we decided to get together and make it. I can't even remember what the project was now...Ann? Miss Nancy? Anyway, we have been sewing together once a month ever since. Miss Nancy and I will miss her. More than she will ever know. We will need to recruit another member of the sewing team, but no one will ever take the place of Ann. Oh, why is Ann leaving? And where is she going? Ann's husband works for the Australian Air Force. He has been working here in the states for 3 years and now they have to leave. They have to go back home. They leave Dec 19th for good.

Here is Ann with the quilt we made her.



Miss Nancy gave out the white strips of fabric and everyone was asked to embroider their name in purple. Then she made all the blocks and sewed them together. I quilted it and did the binding and hanging sleeve. Ann was very surprised. She loves purple and batiks. We also all brought in lots of sewing/quilting notions and filled a huge bag. You can see photos of all the goodies on her blog.

We had a wonderful Pineapple Upside Down cake made by Janie. Not sure why I didn't get a photo of it. It was HUGE....and really good.

We had a wonderful show-n-tell and I will get all those photos uploaded by tomorrow.

See ya then....

Nancy

Let's all gather together....

A terrible thing has happened to a fellow quilter and her immediate family. Terry's husband had a tragic accident at work and has had a leg amputated. Terry has young children still in school, so she is getting them off to school, driving an hour to the hospital and then driving home in time for them to get home from school. Needless to say there will be many long days ahead for the family and Laurie has asked fellow bloggers for quilt blocks to make Terry a quilt. If you would like to help, please click on Laurie's name and read all about it.

Please join me....

Nancy

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

eye update - I went back to the eye doctor today. On Monday I had two areas of my cornea affected. One at 6 o'clock and one at 4 o'clock. The one at 4 o'clock is now gone. The eye looks much better according to the eye doctor. She changed the antibiotic eye drop from twice a day to once a day and I will start tapering down the steroid eye drop on Friday. I will go back on Saturday for another check up. I am really glad that I went early this time. It costs $30 each day I go back to the dr. It's getting a wee bit expensive. Hopefully after Saturday I won't have to go back.