Hi everybody! A couple of people have asked me to show some of the Amish-type quilts I've made and today I came across this one. It needs a little press but I just don't have time. The season is really upon us. I have much to accomplish for the Food Pantry administration-letters to write etc. so I'll keep it short. Also there's a doozy of a storm outside. Two weather patterns colliding over us. It was bound to turn to winter sooner rather than later and based on this wild wind, I'd say it's coming sooner! I have a chicken in the oven with some sweet potatoes on which I have put olive oil and a little cinnamon. It's begining to smell a lot like Christmas(good title for a song)around here and I am just praying that the power doesn't go out before the bird is ready. This weekend I plan to clean a little, put up some more decorations and I will most likely get the tree on Mon or Tues. Roger bought me a new tree stand-it's one of those things that rights the tree with a foot pedal. Cool. In the center it looks like the jaws of life and they come up out of the stand and clamp on it automatically. Cost a bundle-but men and their toys etc...We are all chiropractors dreams around here so anything that eliminates the need to be on the ground fiddling with Frazier Fir is a good thing.

Well, I have much to do-I signed on for Debra's 2007 charity quilts effort begining in Jan. Hope there will be other folks with some time too. It's a little frightening to sign up for anything right now since I'm really swamped but I am blessed in my life with a wonderful family and there are so many who have been delt a terrible blow by this war in Iraq. No matter how you feel about the war itself, And everyone knows how I feel about that (trying to remain calm) but I feel even worse about how the lives of these young people who return with injuries and are seemingly left alone with their wounds both physical and emotional. They deserve our comfort in any way we can give it. Debra also has a call for a group of quilts that will be made for Ronald McDonald House so that's another way to help. O.K.-stepping down from the soapbox and returning to the sewing machine. Have a great weekend everyone.

Channeling(and then strangling) the Martha gene

I was reading a great blog entry by a talented fellow blogger the other day. It was by Marty from textiles in time. It's only from the other day and about being a creative woman who also has a house to keep and family to care for. Go ahead and read it...I'll wait, lalalalalalalallalalalalllfalalalala back? O.k. that's a smart lady with a great attitude and I want some for Christmas. However, I can't seem to let go of the urge to so the Martha-thing. Now mind you, it's not because I have a demanding husband and child. In fact, they're very much like the experience that she describes in her writing-if I only asked, they would do so many of the things I hate to do without complaint. They love to see me happy and being creative. So I'm putting on my shrink cap and examining my own head. Why do I fight asking? Why do I wait until things are at a dramatic point and I'm totally not enjoying the time of year or being creative? I think it must be some genetic thing. Martha is eastern European descent and I was born in Germany. It must be something bred into the genes. I say this because I know several people who are the same way. They can't, or won't delegate. Somewhere in my messy past someone told me that I wasn't a good woman if I didn't have a sparkling home and further-that I should be ashamed for not making it so. For heavens sake-I'm very close to 60-when does one develope the ability to let go of the Martha gene? It really takes a lot of the fun out of many things including holidays. I don't usually make New Years resolutions because I get depressed when I don't keep them but I'm making an exception this year-This year, I will find a way to strangle the inner Martha.

Having said all of that and asked myself all of these questions I must now say that I'm late posting today because I painted my front door a beautiful intense barn red. I am so happy with the color I could plotz. The bad part is that it's oil based paint and will not dry till March and I have people in and out of this door all the time. Gad, My son got annoyed with me for putting Wet Paint signs up all over but I think he'll be a lunatic when he ruins his good clothes. Why didn't I do this in July? The sun hits that door all day-it would have dried in a day.

Also, I went up in the attic(shudderrr) and got some of the literally thousands of decorations down. I have a number of Christmas quilts. All wall-hanging size and masses of things like you see above. Every year I say I'm going to weed out the stuff-and then the day after New Years I am so sick of everything and in no mood to look at it-sooo I shove it in boxes and say something like "I'll sort out this crap later" HA! Another year passes...... There is some really awful weather predicted for the next day or so and in anticipation of this I went to Blockbuster and rented the only two things that interested me. A study in contrasts here- The DaVinci Code, and The Libertine with Johnny Depp. I ma curious about the DaVinci thing and Mr. Depp can just stand there and look rakish anytime for me. He doesn't have to do a thing except cast that devilish eye around. sigh..... Funny that I should find him attractive because most of the time he really looks like he could use a good washing and I'm very fussy about personal hygiene. Must be the BAD BOY thing. Also not normal for me. Maybe I can get rid of it the same time I get rid of the Martha Gene. See ya later.

It fell into my basket WIP-really

Every year by the time I get the tree up I'm hitting myself over the head that I didn't make a new tree skirt. By then, of course, it's nearly over and I have grand plans for the coming year where I will make a Martha Stewart Christmas by the following year begining with a fabulous elaborate tree skirt. Well, that never happens so yesterday while I was perusing in JoAnn's for assorted items, I saw this really fast pre-printed sew-it-up-in-an-hour tree skirt. It's a lot more cutesy than I normally would pick but at this point in the game I had to take what was available and it's bright and cheery. I got two Hobbs batts and was able to use my coupon on the big one so that was a great buy. I also bought some Robson-Anton thread for which I had to trade my first-born son, but I do like this thread. Again, I only use it for top stitching since I only have one son. Then, since it's in the same shopping mall area as Wally World(walmart) I went there to see if they had the iron I was looking for. I won't go into the great iron extravaganza of last year-sufice to say that even though I was born in Germany I will not ever buy another Rowenta. Anyway, the best iron I had for years was a cheapish Black&Decker. That thing went on forever(until I dropped it) and then began to leak. Last week I saw on JoAnn's on-line that B&D had come out with a new model that is supposed to rival the Rowenta in terms of weight and heat etc. I like a good heavy iron that gets really hot. JoAnn's store person told me they only have it on-line so I shuffled over to Walmart and found it-on sale. I'll let you know how it turns out-today I need to press some window toppers that are drapery weight material and if the iron isn't a good one it can take forever to press them.
On an artistic note, I am begining work on a wedding announcement for my friends daughter who married a few weeks ago. I make these things look like antique sampler-type framed pieces with the names and dates and such. I'll show it when I finish. This one will be water color pencils and pen and ink. I should probably clean my house-dust bunnies are taking over. Before I go I want to thank all the nice people who stopped by to comment on things I've shown-Since I started this-I feel so energized and encouraged. That's a wonderful feeling and I suppose what makes this blogging thing so special. My family are all great people but they have almost zero interst in what I do artistically so it means a lot to have people I consider really talented, say nice things and offer encouragement. Great motivation.

Wheeee..lookee what I got

I just wanted to let you all know that I got instant fun-in-an-envelope in the mail. I got my copy of darling Deborah's delightful book(say that fast 4 times) It's really fun. Plus I have this great piece of hand dyed loveliness to get to work with. This would be a great thing to have if you are one of those folks who need to entertain young people in extra-curricular activities. It's not hard stuff to do and one could jazz it up as much as desired or just keep it simple. Anyway-get your copy today by going to Deborah's blog and ordering immediately for a fun time for all. Even if you don't want to buy one you should go and see what fabulousness there is. Deborah is one amazingly talented woman.I'm going to check out my copy right now...

the camera-I wish it would lie-and shopping day

Today I am off to do some shopping and so I will leave you in the capable, (if bacon grease spotted) hands of my kitchen pals. Digital cameras are ugly truthtellers. I 've been thinking lately as I take pics that I should go around and take random shots just to see what I can't normally see- and for crap sake clean it.
So, I'm off to see if any of the Black Friday people left anything for me to buy. I plan to go to JoAnn's(no.. not for me-settle down now)I need to get some gifts for the Thursday night quilting Ladies. I feel I must come up with something special for them since they are not obsessive compulsive fabric hoarders and actually require and occasional purchase to increase their stashes. One of them is very traditional and makes lovely, well constructed, traditional patterns. The other does the same but really takes off when I give her something very different in the way of a fabric she normally wouldn't have picked out. Beneath the surface lies an artist screaming to get out. Then I have to come up with something for the "Guys" around here and of course, for Dani-who will probably get a gift certificate to the Salon that we both go to. I did that last time but I think she really appreciated it. Other than that I have only to get something for my niece. I'm making a quilt for her but I am not gooing to drive myself crazy trying to finish it by Christmas since I have a number of other things in the works. Say...what happened to my "I'm going to make things in August so I don't go crazy in Dec.?" Oh well-best intentions. One of the quilt ladies likes those Jim Shore quilt angel figurines so I ordered her one of those too.
I just wanted to say how happy I was to get my copy of Deborah's great little book on making small art pieces & post cards. It's so cute and full of fun ideas and only $12. Great gift for someone who has never done this type of thing before- here's a link to her at Deborah's Journal. Tell her I sent you.... Hey! I better get going before the day gets away from me. I'll let you know how I make out later.

Addendum to the trip some 4 hours later.....Shopping sucks but I did remember the most important purchase of the day-Bagels, fresh from the little old bagel maker..

Further evidence for my new Sistah down South-or..my camera battery died

This picture is for Jodie-The Carolina Quilter-(there's a link in my list) who we have now discovered is a long-lost southern relative. Funny thing is-I never got around to commenting on her blog that we must be related since we have read all of the same books-separated at birth...hmmmm. I think probably not since she's such a young thang whereas I....am....not so much. however, Roger lives by the old saying that you're as young as you act-in which case I am 12. So-the picture is one of several I took the other day to show my ugly stash keeping. On that day I decided I would show the lesser of two hideous pics. Today I attempted to take a nice pic and found the camera had no battery power and all of my men were missing so no one could help me with that. So here is the awful truth. What you can't see above all this fabric is Lionel trains and accessories all the way to the ceiling. I may have mentioned that we never argue about our purchases since we are the 2 oldest children in the house. Roger has some really beautiful antique pieces and many, many, wonderful Lionel train layout pieces. We're waiting for the only real kid in the house to get married and give up his room(dreaming here) so that Roger can set up a layout with mountains and train stations, scale model cars and stores and such. That's not likely in the near future and McDonald men tend to move away, marry, and then come back home with the wife and kid in tow. Hell...that's how we got this giant house to begin with. Anyway-someday, when the train stuff moves I will have lots of room for more fabric(cause I really need some-heh)
I really enjoyed the blogs about Thanksgiving- we had a great day. I started my son's quilt and decided that since everything of his is always in a ball on the floor in his room-I wasn't going to go crazy with any fancy patterns. I just started a large block courthouse steps with very big centers and large pieces. It will go together fast and I won't cry when I see it laying around. Other than that I have had to go and buy some food since everyone was home for 4 days and it looked like a plague of locust came through-I got some delicious jumbo shrimp to make scampi tonight-simple and delish with a salad and a little rice to sop up the wine sauce. I hope you all have a nice dinner too-see you tomorrow with new pics(I hope)