Year End Totals

First I'd like to wish everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Successful 2009!!!

*****

It's been a busy couple of days. Monday I went to Quilts 'N Silks for their end-of-the-year sale. I only bought one piece of fabric, but did find a couple books and patterns. The roads weren't too bad when we left, but the winds picked up and there was some bad drifting on the interstate. One semi had lost control and was taking up one lane on each side of the median, and then a little further down the road a van was in the median and it looked like it had rolled a few times. I sure was glad to get home.

Yesterday hubby wanted to go to Sunburst to downhill ski. I do not ski....tried it and didn't care for it. So the plan was that I would drop hubby off at the ski hill and then go to some quilt shops. Using my new GPS, I drove to the first one....it was no longer in business. So I drove to West Bend and went to a couple of stores and then went back and read a book until hubby was done. By the time we got home it was starting to snow again. Made for fun travel to the basketball tournament, but hubby will drive in anything. Hey, as long as it's not ME!

This morning I checked out the clearance sale at The Sewing Basket. I hadn't planned on going, but I'm glad I did. They had some fabric on sale for $2, $3, and $4/yd. The best part was that I had seen a cute fabric during the shop hop, but I didn't get it. Well today it was on clearance for $4/yd!!! The fabric is RJR Pavilion(?) and it is so cool....I wish they would have had more!

Since I've gotten home, I've been working on pulling fabrics for HeartStrings. I was shocked to find a huge pile of fabrics without making much of an effort to find them. Another reminder that I have too much fabric! So I'm cutting out the pieces for the Happy Block and whatever is left from the fat quarter is being cut into pieces to make Bonnie's pineapple blossom blocks or bricks & stepping stones.

Tonight we're just going to make tacos and watch some movies at home. Hubby is a little bummed because his sister had invited us over but I don't like going out on New Years.

Here are my final numbers for the year:

• Fabric Added This Week: 18 yards
• Fabric Added as of Apr. '08: 354.5 yards
• Fabric Used This Week: 0 yards
• Fabric Used Year to Date: 102 yards

I begrudgingly took pictures of my sewing room. You can see them here. After looking in the closet, I found a bunch of boxes way up on top of stuff I didn't even remember I had. I definitely have to work on projects that are waiting to be worked on (aka PIGS).

2009 Quilty Goals

Besides my 2009 Stashbusting Pledge, I have come up with a couple other quilty goals for the new year.

• Make a feathered star (either a block or the center for Patchwork Party top). I've always wanted to make one but just haven't gotten around to it.
• Make a project that has Y-seams. I have several PIGS that I've put off starting because they have Y-seams. It's time for me to JUST DO IT!
• Make a tote bag
• Work on one paper-piece top (Diamond Jubilee or Hawaiian Star)
• Organize scraps similar to Bonnie Hunter's scrap system.
• Work on Christmas projects throughout the year!!!
• Finish Patchwork Party Summer 2008 top
• I know I can't go all year without buying fabric or other quilty items so I'm proposing to "Low" buy (keep it to a minimum) fabrics and supplies.
  
  

Gratitudes

For the new year, I'd like to be more positive and acknowledge things I'm thankful for rather than ponder on the negative.

Here are some things I'm thankful for:

1. Family and friends
2. House with heat to protect us from the wind and cold
3. Garage for all of our vehicles so I don't have to scrap snow or ice off the windshield
4. Packers beat the Lions today
5. Not having to go to work tomorrow

Sunday Stash Report - 12/28

Let's just skip this last report and start with the new year, shall we?!?! Just kidding. This week wasn't too bad (better than last week), but I added another 10 yards to the stash. A couple orders from the last couple weeks came in, BUT the majority of it is for PIGS that I want to work on in 2009, like borders or backings. I think there is only one outstanding package which should get here tomorrow.

Now the good news, I did use 3 yards for the borders on Moroccan Spice. This puts me over 100 yards used in the 8-1/2 months that I actually kept track of my usage!!!

Tomorrow I am going to the LQS end-of-the-year sale so I'll have more yardage to add, but I'm not going to worry about it. I'm not planning on visiting any quilt shops in January. ;0) I'll post my final numbers on Wednesday or Thursday. Plus I have to take pictures of my sewing room/stash so this time next year I can compare how much extra room I have!!! ;0)

Here are my numbers:

• Fabric Added This Week: 10 yards
• Fabric Added as of Apr. '08: 336.5 yards
• Fabric Used This Week: 3 yards
• Fabric Used Year to Date: 102 yards

A HUGE thanks to Judy for setting up this stashbusting group and giving us Mr. Linky so we all can keep track of how everyone is doing.

I finished the 4 patch/pinwheel blocks on Heritage so next will be the sashing. I also finished the PPS08 Rock Around the Block block, only 2 more to go!

Christmas 2008

We had a wonderful Christmas. Some of the gifts I got were a GPS, Judy's Nine-Patch Extravaganza book, Twilight and New Moon books (first two books in the four book series), the board game Cranium, new PJs, gift certificates for the LQS, movie theater, and Movie Gallery, and Creative Memories StoryBook Creator software (to do digital scrapbooking).

Every Christmas one dog is allowed in the house for gift opening by my in-law's house. This year, Sarah, was the lucky dog. She will be 9 years old in February. She even dressed up for the occasion....she was wearing bells around her neck. I took a picture of her in front of the tree.

Sarah and Zack in front of the tree before the festivities started.

Being the Christmas dog is hard work!!!!

Hubby with one of his gifts....a t-shirt that says "Major Award" with the infamous leg lamp from A Christmas Story, one of hubby's favorite movies.

Zack with one of his presents. It's never too early to learn how to do housework! ;0)

Sarah playing with one of the toys we gave their dogs.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. It's hard to believe it's over already.

Be Careful What You Wish For

and be specific! Before Christmas I told some people that I wanted snow for Christmas and then it warm up and the snow could go away. But I forgot to add that it was suppose to stay away. Today the snow is melting with temps in the high 30s and it's also raining. The driveway is an absolute mess. Now the catch, temps are going to drop and tomorrow we'll possibly get snow again. That's twice that we've gotten a lot of snow and within that week it's also melted. Boy I sure hope that spring comes early this year.

Today I've been churning out the 4 patch blocks for Heritage. I have 30 of the 60 blocks complete. Tomorrow morning hubby is going over by the neighbors for a while so I should be able to get the rest of the blocks done. I'll also plan to work on a PPS08 block.

Year in Review - 2008

I still have one week to go, but thought I'd look back and see how I did on my goals for this year.

• Work on using my stash, instead of buying more!!! - I bought over 300 yards of fabric this year which is a lot, but I do think it was less than I bought the year before.


• Get started on the PIGS - I worked on a couple of the projects that have been waiting, but still could do better. This is one of my main focuses for 2009.


• Finish the tops that have been waiting to be quilted - I failed with this one. I think most of the tops that were on my list at the beginning of the year still are on the list. BUT I did finish more quilts (16) this year than any other year in the 5 years that I've been quilting.


• Continue practicing new designs with my Voyager 17 - Another failure. I chickened out and pretty much did meandering. Maybe I'll do better in 2009.


• Reduce my spending on quilt-related items - This goes along with my first item. I think I did spend less this year, but I still could do better.

The most exciting quilty thing for me was going to Paducah for the first time and getting to meet some of my online friends face-to-face! (I wish we lived closer so we could get together more often.) Another first was going to the Madison Quilt Show (and DH going along and waiting at the end of each aisle for me). Last, but not least spending time with my niece on the shop hop bus trip. (She told me on cookie baking day that she can't wait for the next shop hop! Yep, she's hooked!)

This year I joined a group of online quilters who track their fabric usage and try to use their stash rather than buy new. It was an eye-opening experience to see how much yardage actually came in. Like I said I don't think I bought as much this year as last year, but it still is pretty shocking to see that I bought over 300 yards of fabric (especially when you put it into monetary terms). I was also surprised how much fabric I used too. I'm kind of disappointed that I only recorded 100 yards (compared to Judy L and Vicky), but in reality it is quite a bit. (I first started recording the numbers in April (after Paducah LOL) so I probably had closer to 125 yards that I used.)

All-in-all it was a good quilty year.

Merry Christmas

I hope you and your family are having the Merriest Christmas

and that Santa left lots of goodies for everyone.

Last night we went to SIL's house to have gift opening with the stepchildren. While we were there the winds picked up and our (long) driveway had several big drifts. Thankfully we made it through with the truck. This morning FIL came and plowed us out. Around noon we'll be going to the in-law's house for gift opening and after we'll be stopping by our friends house for a little bit.

My border fabric came yesterday for Moroccan Spice so tomorrow I'm planning on putting the borders on and finishing up the pinwheels for Heritage.

Things I've Done

This post has been going around blogland so I thought I'd do it too. The things I've done are in red.

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii - hope to someday
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch - yep, quilting!
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - SHHHHHH
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - no, knock on wood
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone - no, knock on wood
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited Brazil
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - several Packers players
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Lake Michigan
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant

Stash Report 12/21

I had a bad week. It really wasn't my fault though....my head cold made me delirious! I didn't know what I was doing. Here is the damages this week. My Sunshine Sewing package (which I posted about last week) arrived filled with 16 yards of Califon and a couple misc. border/background fabrics. Then I ordered 14 yards of Snowflakes Welcome and some background fabric from Quilt Fabric Closeouts. The Snowflakes Welcome fabric will be used with two panels I had bought earlier this year. Gulp, it didn't seem like I ordered that much. The good news is that all were on sale. The bad news is that I didn't use any fabric that I can report.

My numbers to date:

Fabric Added This Week: 30 yards
Fabric Added as of Apr. '08: 326.5 yards
Fabric Used This Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date: 99 yards

I did manage to get the Moroccan Spice blocks sewn into a top. I still need to add two borders. I'm thinking a small cream inner border and a multi-print for the outer border. Here's where I need some advice....I'm thinking of getting a multi-print that has more green than orange to offset all of the burnt orange? Will that work?

Deja Vu

Snowstorm Dawn blew in overnight and is still going strong. Overnight we probably got 4-5 inches and we're expected to get 3-6 more during the day. Luckily I worked extra hours earlier in the week so I didn't have to use a full day of vacation. I hope we don't get a lot more of these storms or I'll be out of vacation by the time spring comes!

I haven't gotten much accomplished this week because I have been battling a cold. In between resting and work, I have been sewing pinwheel tops and bottoms (for Heritage) here and there. This morning I finished sewing them and maybe later will work on making them into blocks. I also plan on sewing the Moroccan Spice blocks together either today or tomorrow.

Stay safe and warm!

Quilter's ADD

I have a confession.....I have Quilter's ADD. After finishing the Moroccan Spice blocks today, I cleaned up the sewing room a little...in preparation of "the sewing room" pictures I'll be taking at the end of this month. Rather than sewing the Moroccan Spice blocks into a top, I decided to make pinwheels for Heritage! The HSTs and background fabric have been sitting out patiently waiting for me to work on them again. This was bugging me so I decided to get back to it this week. I do hope to get Moroccan Spice blocks sewn together this week also. I'll post a picture of it when it's done.

On another note, all that snow we got on Tuesday is now history. Yesterday the temps hit the mid-30s and it also has been raining off and on. So we now can see some grass peaking out in places and the snowmen are fading fast. Tonight the temps are suppose to drop dramatically. Yuck! I'd much rather have snow than ice.

Stash Report - 12/14

Yikes, next Sunday is the first of several family Christmas gatherings. Less than a week to finish shopping and wrapping presents! I see my Christmas countdown ticker isn't working anymore. I think Lori did something to it because she says it keeps freaking her out. LOL For whatever reason the website is down that I got it from. Weird.

Speaking of weird. I think Judy is onto something about Vicky causing her to poke buttons this week. I also ended up poking some buttons and ordering fabric that I really didn't need, but how could I pass up $4/yd?!?!?! I think Vicky must have put a spell or subliminal message on her blog so anyone who read it would poke buttons.

Without further ado, here is the damage this week. I ordered fabric from Craft Town Fabrics and Sunshine Sewing (all fabric is 50% off...sale ends today!!) this week. The Craft Town Fabrics package arrived yesterday and unfortunately (or probably fortunately?) some of the fabrics I ordered were already sold out. I still received 8 yards though.

I finished the Moroccan Spice blocks today. Although I haven't finished the top I'm going to record 5-1/2 yards for the blocks this week. I haven't decided what I'm going to do about the borders yet. I also used 2 yards for the Santa's Got the Goods backing. I need to use up one more yard this year to reach 100 yards used. Maybe I'll whip up some pillowcases!

My numbers to date:

• Fabric Added This Week: 8 yards
• Fabric Added as of Apr. '08: 296.5 yards
• Fabric Used This Week: 7-1/2 yards
• Fabric Used Year to Date: 99 yards

Wishing You A Merry Christmas Grandma

Eight years ago my Grandma left this earth to go be with my Grandpa and other family members who had passed on. I remember when I was little my Grandma and mother would teach me how to do all kinds of crafts, like note pads stuck on carpet samples which were cut out into shapes of animals, little winter scenes made in old baby food jars, macrame plant holders and many, many more. She also got me interested in genealogy. I loved hearing the stories about my ancestors and seeing pictures of them. I really miss spending time with her.

When I was little, we lived north of Stevens Point (Wisconsin) so Grandma would come visit when she could. As years went by she started taking the Greyhound bus instead of driving so far. When she came to visit she slept in my room because I had twin beds. One year she came to visit for Christmas. That night she woke me up when she started singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" in her sleep. Each time she sang the chorus she got louder and louder until I think everyone in the house woke up. Apparently earlier that week she had gone caroling with others from her apartment complex and she was dreaming that she was caroling. So whenever I hear that song, I think of her.

The day of the visitation at the funeral home we received a terrible phone call that my brother had been in an accident. I truly believe Grandma was watching over him that day. He has a little hobby farm and was messing with a combine or some other kind of machinery. The machine had stopped or clogged so he went to see what was going on. The next thing he remembers is that he was lying on the ground. He had been wearing Carhartts which he figures the sleeve got caught when it started up and the machine ripped them right off of him. His arm was broke and he was missing some hair, but he was alive. It was truly a miracle that he didn't get killed that day.

After the funeral hubby and I picked up my brother from the hospital. Everyone had gone back to Grandma's apartment and they could choose 2 items of hers that they wanted as a remembrance of her. When we walked in my aunt told me she had something to show me. My Grandma had a locket that she wore but I never knew what was in it. My aunt told me to look inside. I was speechless when I opened it up and here was a picture of me and my Grandpa. (Gee, I kinda look like a boy don't I?) I had never known that she had MY picture in that locket. That was more meaningful than any material thing I could have taken that day.

I wish you a Merry Christmas Grandma. Miss you.

Moroccan Spice Blocks

Moroccan Spice is slowly coming together. As usual I became bored with just cutting the strip pieces out and had to start putting together some blocks. The first picture is Block A which will have the burnt orange color in between and a rust print square in the middle. The second picture is Block B and will alternate with Block A. These are not colors I'd normally use, and I'm really not sure how I'll like this when it's a top. I think there is too much orange/rust. I fell in love with the middle cream print, but had a difficult time envisioning what it would look like when I picked out the fabrics (which is usually why I buy kits or collections). Anyway, the fabric has been cut, and I'll finish it but I don't think I'll be keeping it for myself. ;0) The pattern is from July 2008 The Quilter magazine and the pattern is Rose Petal Dreams by Cate Tallman-Evans. I did not buy any fabric for the border so I'll have to decide on something onces the blocks are pieced together. Maybe I can find something that will "mute" the orange some.

Here is our lovely Riley sleeping on the couch with hubby. I feel like I could take a nap too. I think it's because it's a whopping 6 degrees out now (it was at 2 degrees). Right now I should be making cookie dough for Cookie Baking day tomorrow with my mom, stepsisters and niece, but I've been procrastinating. We each need to bring a batch made ahead of time so we can get some in the oven right away. Then we make other dough and/or candy throughout the rest of the day.

I also have to finish addressing and mailing Christmas cards and wrapping the rest of the presents. Next Sunday is our first Christmas gathering already. Where did December go?!?!?

Dangers of Snow Day

I didn't go to work because of the dangerous, slick roads, but it's just as dangerous staying home. Dangerous for my wallet that is. Craft Town Fabrics has several fabric collections on sale for $4/yd. I did order some, mostly neutrals to use as backgrounds, but also a couple "just because". I even have something in mind for the "just because" fabrics if they have the yardage that I ordered.

Then I went to Fat Quarter Shop and checked out what the "What's Coming" page. Look at this...it's gorgeous! It uses another of Moda's Collection for a Cause fabric collections. I also like their Traditions fabric collection, but don't really care for the quilt kit for it. Maybe if Santa hasn't already wrapped all my presents, he can add this. *snicker* I'm debating if I will go to the LQS year end sale between Christmas and New Years. I really shouldn't. Willpower, must have willpower.

Time to get back to piecing Moroccan Spice.

Carter Continues

The meteorologists were right on target about Snowstorm Carter. By the time I went to sleep last night we already had 7 inches. Hubby was up at 4:15 getting ready for work and there was a short lull. FIL was by our house at 4:30 to plow the driveway. By the time my alarm went off at 6:00 the snow had started up again. I let my boss know I was declaring a Snow Day and went back to sleep for another hour. Now we probably have another 3-4 inches.

I've been working on Moroccan Spice and doing a little tidying up in the sewing room. I have this crazy idea that the last week of the year I'm going to take a picture of the sewing room/stash. Then at the end of 2009 I'll see if it looks any different. Hopefully it will look less messy and "emptier"!! Now that I think of it I did take pictures of my stash at the end of last year because I had bought some cubes to reorganized my stash closet. I'll have to see if anything looks different.

Snowstorm Carter

With the snowstorm starting, we're sure to lose our internet connection at some point, so I figured I better quick post.

Doesn't the radar look pretty? Thankfully I'm in the blue and not the pink. I don't like freezing rain/ice. I'm home and the "white death" (as some people around here call it) has started. We're suppose to get 5-7 inches between now and morning. Then another 3-5 inches throughout the day tomorrow with winds picking up in the afternoon. I've already forewarned my boss that if it's still snowing in the morning that I will be staying home. (I have about 25 miles each way to work.) Her reply...."Can't the dogs pull you in to work?" She was kidding of course. Although wouldn't that be a funny sight...me and the boys pulling up to the office?

If I have a snow day tomorrow I will work on getting Santa's Got the Goods quilted. I'll probably also work on sewing the Moroccan Spice strips so I don't have pieces all over the place.

I'll post progress if we have a connection.

Why I Quilt

Judy at Patchwork Times asked on one of her recent posts why people quilt. Here's my story.

My hubby's grandmother quilted. Unfortunately I wasn't interested in quilting while she was alive but several years ago I started thinking about all the quilts she had made for her children, grandchildren, friends, etc. Hubby still has his quilt that she made him for graduation. He still uses it although it is starting fall apart now.

I thought I'd give it a whirl so I bought a little wallhanging from Joann's I think. It went together fairly quick. I have to admit though I thought I was done after sewing it all together....so I'm sad to say it was never actually quilted. From there I bought a couple magazines and taught myself. What I find really funny is that I can't sew clothes at all, but I can sew these little pieces together and make something so wonderful.

Besides wanting to make quilts for family and friends, I like to sew to reduce stress from work. That's usually why I try to sew right after eating supper.

I had to chuckle when Judy mentioned that she always thinks about quilting. Hubby would say that's all I think about too. When I'm at work I wish I were at home so I could be sewing. When I get home I want to sew. I'm usually multitasking when I watch TV by looking at a quilting book or magazine, or sewing down the binding on a quilt.

Speaking of binding, most people seem to hate to do the binding. Besides the actual chain-piecing or sewing the blocks together, I like to hand sew the binding down. I think it's the excitement of almost having another finish to record.

So let's hear from you. How did you get started quilting and why?

Quiltathon Finish!!!

This is what I worked on for the quiltathon. Winter X is finished!!! The pattern is Take 5 by Teacher's Pet and the fabric is Moda's Winter collection. I had to laugh because the pattern said that you could get the top completed in 5 hours. Um, it took me longer than that. But it's finished now that's all that matters!!!

Of course Sonny had to help model it in the photo.

Stash Report - 12/7

There isn't much to report this week. I haven't felt very ambitious since Thanksgiving. I'm sure it's partially due all the hustle and bustle of the holidays and also not sleeping well lately.

The only thing I did this week was quilt Winter X. I used 3/4 yards for the binding which I'm working on sewing down. It is halfway so should have a finish this week. No fabric was added this week. This coming Friday I have vacation so I hope to have something more exciting to report next week. Maybe I can get Santa's Got the Goods quilted.

My numbers to date:

• Fabric Added This Week: 0 yards
• Fabric Added as of Apr. '08: 288.5 yards
• Fabric Used This Week: 0.75 yards
• Fabric Used Year to Date: 91.5 yards

New Scenery

When I decided to start blogging a year ago, I wanted to use WordPress but I thought I had to pay for the service. I decided to use Blogger but I really don’t care for the setup and I'd really like to change the layout every now and then. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I like to keep lists. I don’t necessarily want to SEE them all the time. I was searching for templates that I could use to change my Blogger page and found that WordPress was free. I began checking it out and at WordPress I can keep my lists hidden on different pages. Plus there are many more options for template layouts.

So tonight I created an account there, and I have moved several of my lists to my WordPress site at http://infinityquilter.wordpress.com/. For now I'm still going to post my regular entries here and use the WordPress site as a "supplemental" page to here.

If anyone knows how I can change my template here without losing all of my widget information, please email me or leave a comment on how to do it.

My Favorite Christmas Song

Kim at Kim's Quilting Adventure asked people what their favorite Christmas song is. Without a doubt it's Amy Grant's version of Grown-Up Christmas Wish.

November Status Report

I meant to work on this last Sunday but then didn't want to do it "too soon" in case I made more progress. Then I kinda forgot about it, so now it's a little late. According to my notes, I had 48-1/2 hours of sewing time in during November. Let's see what I did in that time:

• Completed two PPS08 blocks.
• Quilted Snow Wonderland and gave it to my friend for her birthday
• Completed four Block Party blocks for some online friends.
• Started and finished the Winter X top. (Hopefully will be quilted very soon.)
• Finished the 500+ HSTs for Heritage.
• Started and completed a Christmas table topper for my boss.
• Started and finished the Santa's Got the Goods top.
• Started cutting fabric for Moroccan Spice.

My main goal for December is to quilt Winter X since it'll be a Christmas present. With all the hustle and bustle with the holidays I'm not committing to more than that. Hopefully can get some sewing done between Christmas and New Years though.

Busy Week

Yikes, it's been crazy around here. So much to do and not enough time to do it all. Reminds me that I should NOT procrastinate on stuff. Now I look back and think of all the things I should have done during my 5 days off. But that is in the past and can't be changed, so onward!

Yesterday I went back to work and it was very busy (which is a good thing). After work we drove to Campbellsport to watch the Lady Raiders beat the Lady Cougars. It wasn't their best game, kinda sloppy, but the final score is what counts.

While I was at work, hubby and his parents took the dogs sledding again. MIL took pictures but I haven't gotten them yet. (She's been having a lot of internet connection problems with all the snow.) They had all four dogs hooked up and all went well. Today hubby took them sledding again, but I guess it didn't go so well. Something about dogs getting tangled in the rope and him getting run over by the dogs and sled when he was trying to get them turned around in the driveway. So I think they'll be taking a break for a little bit. *giggle*

Today Snowstorm Brooke passed through. Thankfully the snow wasn't as heavy as Snowstorm Andrew. The roads weren't nearly as bad to drive on today. I had a haircut appt after work and now I'm watching Rudolph, so no sewing again today. But TOMORROW I will be in the sewing room!!! We're suppose to get snow pretty much every day through the weekend.

See the picture of the boys lying on the couch? (Yes, we're one of those couples that let their dogs on the furniture.) Now see that little tiny spot to the right of Riley? Well that's where I sit to watch TV and surf on the internet. Isn't it nice of them to let me sit on their couch?!?!? LOL

Dogsledding - Winter '08

My last day of vacation and we played in the snow. The internet was out from the wind and heavy snow so we went dogsledding by hubby's parents. I'm very happy I didn't have to go to work today because the roads were terrible....even when we left home around 1 p.m.

The first picture is my MIL's garden shed. Isn't this pretty with all the snow covered trees in the background?

I am the "musher" in this picture. Riley and Sonny are pulling the sled. At the top of the picture you can see a 4-wheeler. We always have someone ahead of the sled to motivate and encourage the dogs to keep going straight and not get distracted.
Below hubby is the "musher" with Dani and Sonny (sister and brother) pulling the sled. This was Dani's first time pulling and she did a great job. Last year she was pregnant so she had to watch when the boys got to play. The next time we go sledding we're going to try hooking up Dani's daughter Chrissie also, and see how all four dogs do together. (All four dogs are decendants of our boy Wesley who loved dogsledding.)

Dani and Riley (half-sister and half-brother) posing for a picture after a nice run.

Earlier today I finished cutting the pieces/strips for Moroccan Spice. Tonight I wrapped the majority of the Christmas presents. I had thought about working on cards also but I think I'll save that for another day. It'll be an early night since I have to get up early tomorrow.