Excited, confused, frustration, excited, disappointed, satisfied, frustrated, excited again

In that exact order

{{Excited}}
All day yesterday, waiting for that lovely brown UPS truck to arrive. At 5:34 p.m., it rolled into the driveway, and I couldn't contain myself. "Honey, honey, honey--go see if he needs help--I don't know how many boxes there will be; I don't know how heavy they will be--go help, okay?"


{{Confused}}
DH was back in the house in seconds, carrying ONE box---"so, is this it?" he asks.
My look was probably priceless-----
WHAT!??!!?!?!?!?!? One box?!?!?!!?!??
Me: "Are you kidding?!?!? You're kidding, right? You just left the other boxes outside, right???"
Him: "No honey, really...this is the only box....see, the slip says '1 of 1'"

{{Frustration}}
Cell phone lines AND internet were in chaos, so there was no way to try to sort things out and check online to see 'what happened.'

{{Excited--for the time being}}
The box that DID arrive was the Juki, so I started unpacking it, setting it up, reading the manual cover-to-cover...
...and tried her out. She makes a GREAT FMQ stitch!!!!!!

{{Disappointed}}
An hour later, internet was working again, so I dug a little bit to find out "what happened."
I will admit to being impulsive at times. When I logged into the sewingmachinesplus.com site (for the first time) and saw "GMQ Pro frame - drop shipment ordered"----I panicked!!!!
WHAT?!?!?! THe shipment was dropped!!??!!?!? What......now what...?!?!?!
And I emailed the company.....

{{Satisfied}}
Knowing that I had contacted the company, I didn't want the night to completely be a wash, so I sadly sat in front of the Bernina, WISHING I actually had a frame to put together, but......decided to at least finish up a few things hanging over my head...
Carolina Christmas blocks that have been leader-ender projects were moved to the main project and were completed....

tidied up the 4-patch leader-ender box that had been collecting over the past year or so (130 of them)...

And whipped together (yes, WHIPPPED) together another Quilts 4 Kids (disappearing Nine-patch). I wanted a small project as the first project to be accomplished on the quilting frame. I figured having one to donate at the same time was a great use of fabric ;0)
A close up of the orange fabric----I emptied the bolt from the shop back in January; I just LOVE it.
SO---quilt name????? "Leapin' Lizards" "Chameleon Colors" ???? What do you have in mind?

{{frustrated}}


I

HATE

DEER!!!!!!!!

Remember back in December??? (hubby hitting deer).....
**sigh**
We seriously have only had the car back for a couple of months--------the insurance company is going to wonder if we have a salt-lick mounted on our grill!!!!

Thankfully, DH was home today and was able to call insurance and get that ball rolling again. Gosh---I wonder if alligators cause the same damage??? Angela, maybe we'll move to Florida!!!

{{Excited again}}
The day ended on a some-what positive note.
I heard back from Sewingmachinesplus.com...

Dear Amy,

No worries girl! The GMQ Pro, Quilt Cad and Grace Speed Control all come from the manufacturer to you. These are referred to as ‘Drop Shipped’, and I think that is your confusion. We should receive tracking information in the next day or so, and you will expect the items delivered right to you!

So, whew!!!!! It's SOMEWHERE, I just don't know where nor know when it'll be delivered :0(
So, I am NOT-so-patiently awaiting the delivery of the frame...

**sigh**

At least tomorrow is Friday...

Making room...

I HAVE been around; living life; sewing when I can; and researching a LOT this past week (more to come on THIS soon)...

So, yesterday morning, I looked at this mess of boxes...


and this mess of strip scraps that have been collecting for two years!......


and this hap-hazzard area of "quilt-layout"... (GOSH! I have piles of fabric all over the place!!!).....


and CLEANED--LIFTED--MOVED--SNEEZED (at the dust)--VACUUMED UP MOUSE "stuff"--EWWWWWWW--SWATTED AWAY SPIDERS--UGHHHHHH......

All at the same time, I emptied this (my former sewing room)...


and moved into my main basement area...
This is the same area that had the mess of boxes in the first picture...now with a "curtain" backdrop

Same area as the "quilt-layout" pictured above--SOON to be enhanced by a 4-piece matching desk/table combo being inherited by my parents...


Sadly, I STILL have boxes of fabric to sort through (SOME DAY), but at least they are organized now into nicer looking piles.

I don't have any permanent carpet installed on the floors; all of my carpets are left-over "scraps" from installing in other parts of the finished house. The old sewing room in now carpet-free with one hope: To have a "finished" room by mid-summer! Until then, I will sew in the main area of the basement and use my "sewing room" as the quilt-layout area.

Pictured here is the same area as the collected-strip-scraps above. The two bins pictured have since been moved, and you'll notice my lovely green "outdoor-indoor" carpet??? I needed 130" of carpet (I ALMOST made it; 122"----good enough!!!)

Why you ask? The outcome of my research this past week....Grace GMQ-Pro and Juki TL98Q combo...


It's not a "Cadillac" by any means, but, it's affordable and better than what I currently have (kneeling, basting, and fighting the quilting under the DSM)

Now for those of you following Angela (Soscrappy)----our "twin-dom" has returned! We "found" each other in 2008 and were amazed by the similarities between us (teachers of Math and Science, three children almost the same ages, quilters, runners...); I officially dubbed her my on-line twin! Now---we're at it again. However....YES! I WILL admit that I'm jealous of HER purchase versus mine, but...se-la-vee...I will enjoy watching her with her beautiful HQ 16 while I learn on my Juki 98. I'm okay with that :0) And besides-----she has to wait a couple of weeks; MINE is being delivered (hopefully) tomorrow! I've been eyeing up the tracking site every few hours ;0)

Okay---off to actually SEW something now that the cleaning is done!

Happy Tuesday

Chunky Churndash finished! Paintbox blocks done. Stash report March 15-21 & 22-28

Chunky Churndash finally sees a finish! Just in time to be gifted to my mother for her 60th birthday. The quilting was VERY simple! Stitch-in-ditch. I did not quilt this one in sections, and it's BIG! Gosh---NOW I remember why I like the quilting-in-sections method! I couldn't imagine doing anything elaborate while trying to control all the bulk under the arm. Yikes! But, it's done. Bound...and SOON to be labeled. Oh--it's pictured on our King size bed; it's meant for a full size bed--it should be just right.

I also finished up my last two sets of Paintbox blocks...

Set #9

Set #10

So all 80 blocks await time for me to piece them into the top.


Here-n-there throughout the day, I helped Cass set up her bead-loom kit. This was the first time we attempted it, and it went fairly smoothly.
By the time we packed it up for the day, she beaded two bracelets; one for herself and one for Candace.


I did not report my stash last week, so I'll report both weeks right now...
Stash Report: March 15-21
Used this week: 9.777 yards (curtains, backing for Snuggler)
Purchased this week: 0 yards
Used-to-date 2010: 87.081 yards
Purchased-to-date 2010: 86.25 yards
Net used: 0.831 yards
I'm in the BLACK!!!!! Yeah!!!!!

Stash Report: March 22-28
Used this week: 1.792 yards
Purchased this week: 0 yards
Used-to-date 2010: 88.873 yards
Purchased-to-date 2010: 86.25 yards
Net used: 2.623 yards

Happy Sunday!

April BOM up :0)

In addition to a few other things today, I enjoyed sitting with some technology to ensure the April BOM choices made their way to you. [[Quick link]]

The blocks this month:
Fifty-Four Forty or Fight (ONE of my all-time favorites!)

Housewife

Pennsylvania Parade


In addition to the Easy Angle ruler we have utilized on many blocks so far, this month I am also introducing two more Specialty rulers...
The Companion Angle ruler. This is being utilized on Housewife and Pennsylvania Parade to create quarter-square-triangles (QSTs).

The Tri-Recs ruler set. These are being used on 54-40 or Fight. These two rulers are sold as one set.


If you don't have the rulers, nor intend to purchase them----it's OKAY! I found all of these blocks online and posted links within my tutorials to lead you to the online tutorials. The reason I enjoy using these rulers is because of the system I adopted from Bonnie Hunter of using and sorting strips. Haven't heard of it??? Read more about Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User's system. These rulers work very nicely with "nice" strips (ya know, the 1.5", 2", 2.5", 3.5", 4.5" strips)---rather than needing to cut a square at 5 1/4" or 3 7/8"....bleh! I rarely use strips other than those suggested in Bonnie's system. Why?? Because they make sense and go well together, JUST like she says :0) And---they're NICE!

Oh dear-- a week of no updates

Yes, I'm here.
Yes, I HAVE been doing some sewing, but not at much as normal. Life got hectic for the moment at school again, and my evenings have simply been used for major vegetation! I've been exhausted!

I finished up the last of the curtains -- one for the kitchen window above the sink and one for the dining room door. Both face the west, so when we sit down for dinner or wash up the dinner dishes, the sun blares at us, looming above the horizon before setting, and is quite BRIGHT on many days. I have no pictures---simply didn't take them yet. Someday.

Last Monday morning, Paul's phone rang at 6:01 AM. The post office was calling........"Your CHICKS are here. Come and get them, PUH-LEASE!!!!!"
LOL---I guess a box of chirping chicks is enough for anyone! I can't imagine how the shipping guy(s) handled them :0)The post office is just a hop-skip-jump away, so I started getting the girls ready for school. Dad arrived back when the girls were sitting at the breakfast table. He had one simple rule---"Don't touch!" The picture of Caitlyn shows perfectly how bad they wanted to hold one. The paperwork showed they had been hatched two days before arriving.
[[No, the chicks really don't have red heads; we ordered for a buddy as well, so we asked the company to mark the two separate orders clearly since they were mailed in the same crate.]]

I am looking forward to a day in front of the sewing machine. Yesterday was a long one; we watched Cassie's Destination Imagination team compete ((NOT at a local city)). They were aliens trying to share the importance that "too much technology isn't a good thing!"
POOR OPAL! She had so much red body-paint on her. We went through a whole box of baby-wipes trying to get it all off!
This was Cass's team's first year of competition and they were satisfied with their performance, although slightly sad that they didn't earn an award. One team from our school will be advancing to the State-level competition.

The middle-school venue had access to a swimming pool, so after her competition, we dressed up all three girls in their suits and they "swam" for an hour.
The awards ceremony last almost an hour and started late.....Candace simply couldn't take anymore.

[[But she DID stay awake for the enitre 2 hour ride home]]


Happy Sunday! I'm off to start my day downstairs.

Okay---enough of the 2-hour shows!!!

First of all----four days of running, and still going strong! Well....THREE days (Monday, Tuesday and Today) of running; yesterday was more like a mile of "drag-behind-the-dog-who-has-never-been-leash-trained-but-owner-was-willing-to-start-a-running-regimen" run, so I'm not counting it.
And the shin-splints are bearing down 100%---gotta get done with this post and ice them.

Anyway---the title of this post:

YEAH! Between Tuesday night's "Biggest Loser" weekly episodes, and tonight's mid-season 2-hour continuation of "Flash Forward," I haven't been able to get much accomplished on the quilting front! :0(

Ummm...my goal of those labels? Um, yeah....slow going! Maybe I'll be finding myself doing some hand-sewing up at the farm this weekend to get them on the quilts so they can be left with MIL. We haven't been up to the farm in MONTHS and G'ma & G'pa are whining to see the girls. What'cha gonna do?

Happy Thursday!

I ran...

...
...
!!!
And the 1.8 miles kicked my butt!

Happy Monday

A week in review; 4 finishes; Bernina back *yippee*; Stash Report 3/8-3/14

First things first----
after another week of mostly NO sewing, my Bernina shop guy called me Friday afternoon to let me know she was fixed. Directly after school, I hauled my lil' tuckus down to Eau Claire to pick it up before the shop closed at 6:00. I JUST made it!!!! With a few other stops on the way back home, I waltzed in around 8:30; too late to really begin any sewing.

But Saturday-------whoa yeah!
Quilts for Kids - NICU quilt #1 quilted {{Precious One}}


Quilts for Kids - NICU quilt #2 quilted {{Beary Precious}}


And Quilts for Kids - NICU quilt #3 quilted {{another Beary Precious}} -- NO PIC.

Then I moved on to Paintbox quilting.....


Family time-out

Paul took Candace out fishing on Tuesday, with his brother and buddy. I don't have a picture of the ice TODAY (Paul didn't take the camera), but we have (finally) had some warm weather hit us since Tuesday---hitting near 60 today. Actually, I haven't checked actual temps today, but I would beg to say it was over 60 degrees. It was GORGEOUS today!!!!! Set up Cassie's basketball hoop, grabbed the shovel and moved some dirt around in the front yard......
(fish from last week....)

anyway......
back to sewing....
Today, I worked a bit on some WIP blocks.....
Carolina Christmas -- 15 more of step 4....


Another Hannah's Rotation. GOSH---putzy, putzy pattern. Very much like putting together a puzzle....


Paintbox - set number 8...



I usually don't set goals for a week, BUT...
I need to label 12 quilts this week so they can be handed over to MIL next weekend. She is setting up for a craft sale the last weekend of March and she is willing to put some of my quilts out...

• Class Act (baby/crib)
  
• Steppin' Out (full)
  
• Christmas Lights (throw)
  
• Irish Chain (lap)
  
• Lucidity (throw/twin)
  
• Double Wedding Ring (wall-hanging)
  
• Candy Dish (previously Now-n-Forever) (lap)
  
• Kaleidoscope (baby/crib)
  
• Paintbox (lap)
  
• Baby Pin (previously Pinwheels and Prairies) (baby/crib)
  
• and then the three Quilts for Kids labels
  

Stash Report: March 8 - 14
Used this week: 6.569 yards
Purchased this week: 0 yards
Used-to-date 2010: 77.304 yards
Purchased-to-date 2010: 86.25 yards
Net used: -8.946 yards

Happy Sunday

Happy PI Day too!!!!! (3.14159.......)