Tiny Tuesday: #29 Grandmother's Tulip

Okay---THIS block was FUN FUN FUN to make!  Very simple applique...and I adore the green fabric I used.  There are several of these blocks that I could foresee making over and over again for a quilt.  THIS is one of them!

Shipped goodies

My Hancock Fabrics order arrived today!!!  So much purdy stuff!  Can you believe that this is my first fabric purchase of the WHOLE YEAR?!?!??!?  {{I'm not counting the few yards I needed to purchase for the Diamond Fields border this summer)  I mean... this is my first actual "no-real-purpose-to-buy----just-want-to-buy-cuz-it's-purdy" purchase!  Definitely a record!!!  Mind you, those pink and green fabrics will be used in the Hawaii Sunset blocks.

And look what else was confirmed via email today!!!!!!

Wooo-hooooo!  I am keeping Wednesday night WIDE OPEN!

Also, after my whole "I didn't do any schoolwork all weekend" goal comment last night......
... my day today....was Just Fine.  AND my prep time allowed for me to get the next THREE days scheduled in.  So... I'm doing well on my "leave school-at-school" goal. :)

More researching and some tomatoes

Slept in until a bit after 7:30 this morning.  Precious Caitlyn was up at 7:30, visited the bathroom, and then turned into our room (which is right next to the bathroom).  She whispered..."Dad, I want to make coffee for you guys but don't know exactly how to."

LOL... what a gem.

So, we gots the coffee a'brewin' and read over blogs/facebook/discussion boards in a relaxed fashion.

And here is a comment that made me really contemplate if the Brother PE770 Embroidery machine really is the best deal for me....

Angela (Soscrappy) writes:

Don't know about the embroidery machine, the bernina has an extension, though having a backup machine seems like a good idea as much as you sew. Seeing Kathy without hers made me sad:(

 Ahhhh!!!!  MAYBE I should be looking for a sewing/embroidery unit and not JUST an embroidery machine!  Afterall, YES, when my Bernina was out for a few weeks last summer, I was a bit unnerved;  just like Kathy has been.  {{Her machine is back now!!!}} :)

I didn't have time to do any research because we were off to the grocery store, followed by a house-cleaning session, followed by lunch.  

Followed by more tomato picking.  

What BEAUTIFUL babies out there on the "younger" plants now!  I am almost done with canning;  however I didn't do any preserving this weekend.  Next weekend, I'll do the last few quarts of whole canned tomatoes.  I am picking now for friends who haven't had much luck with theirs this year.

My amazing helper Cassie spent about 30 minutes with me going through the tomato patch.  And for dinner, we cut in to a few of those red delicious beauties for tacos.

Anyway---back to the embroidery machine.

I have spent hours this afternoon watching Youtube videos:  Brother machines, Babylock machines, embroidery 101 how-tos...... you name it.  What fun!  I learned a LOT.  I never realized you should have a TOP stabilizer when embroidery certain projects/fabrics!  

In the end----I have 100% decided on the Brother PE770.  Now to just find the best "deal" around the web.  :0)

Stay tuned!  I hope to hit a BUY button by the end of my evening computer session.  

Oh; FYI.  I didn't do ANY schoolwork :\  But that's okay.  I should be fine for tomorrow...and then will spend tomorrow's prep to get ready for the next day...and so on and so on.  I REALLY want to try to keep school at school this year.  How's THAT for a professional goal??? 

My Saturday sewing after the 1st week of school

I enjoyed my morning hours today!!!  My cutting table and iron board were loaded with scattered scraps for the Hawaii Sunset (or is it Hawaiian?) units I've been working on these past couple of weeks.  The first couple of hours were cutting and organizing those scraps into some units for the blocks.  All of the 4-patches are completed.  Another forty-some flying geese units were pieced, and all 25 of the 'block borders' were cut and basted until they'll be needed.  I was HOPING my Hancock Fabrics order would come in the mail today, but....it didn't.  So, I'm at a standstill until that happens;  I need more pink and green fabs.

So I pulled out my 36-patch top...and decided it was big enough.  No more border were needed.

Therefore, a backing was pieced;  batting was cut... and all were added to my 'must-quilt' pile.

Then...out came Orca Bay.  THIS one, however, has another border coming;  I don't want this to simply be finished off with all those seams along the outside.

I had a perfect green waiting on my shelf for the border.  It was cut and pieced..... and then lunch time hit.  {{.....and this is STILL where it remains.....}}

Once lunch was complete, I relaxed with the laptop....and got side-tracked for much of the afternoon.

Last night, I'm not really sure how this conversation came to be, but Paul asked me, "When are you getting your monogramming machine?" (aka: embroidery machine).

Recall July 19th, 2012 when I talked about avoiding the temptation of purchasing an embroidery machine.  WOW!  Almost two months ago already!  I thought for sure it was the beginning of August when I did that research.

Anyway...last night's conversation went something like this:

Me:  You mean the embroidery machine?

Paul:  Whatever.

Me:  I didn't order one.

Paul:  Why not?

Me:  You mean it's okay if I do?

Paul:  Sure.  That way we can label all the towels and the girls will stop taking new ones out every time they need one.

Heeding the advice of others from that July embroidery post, I spend the day researching machines that allow for a 5"x7" hoop.  

After a couple of hours of review and searching for the best price....

I THINK I've come up with the Brother PE-770 Embroidery machine deal from Allbrands.com.

Then again, this deal from Amazon also seems okay; lots of thread and designs offered "free"....but the reviews are stating that all of those "free" designs don't work on the Brother machine. (??)

I have pushed any buy buttons yet.... so.... does anyone have any final words of wisdom (or concern) to share?

Happy Saturday!

{{The PACKERS play tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!}}

Blogging pays off!

{{Maybe}}

Remember this post from December, 2011:  Our Christie Mountain tubing day

Take a look at the email I received today:

Hi Amy-

I just happened to be trolling the internet looking for anything Christie and ran into your blog as well as some amazing tubing photos taken at Christie Mt in 2011.  I also just happen to be in the middle of putting together the 2012/2013 Christie Mountain brochure and wondered if you might be willing to loan us some of those photos for our brochure.  I would be very willing to throw some tubing passes in the mail for your family.  Let me know what you think!

Andrea

Christie Mountain

Doesn't the power of the Internet simply NOT amaze you?!?!?  (and maybe freak you out at the same time???)

Well, Of COURSE I responded to her and sent her some original pictures.  And just maybe we'll get hooked up with some tubing passes! :)

GO CHRISTIE MOUNTAIN!!!

That sure WAS one fun day!!!

First day of school - Year 15

With the sun rising, the girls embarked on their First Day of School 2012-13.

We have a 6th grader, 3rd grader and 1st grader this year.

Bus-time is 7:00 AM, almost exactly on the dot!

Cassie's kinda loaded today!  One backpack full of school supplies, and the other packed with her Cross Country supplies.  Water bottle - gatorade.... she's going to grow up and mature SO MUCH this year!

And bus-driver Trish greeted the girls with a smile.......and then a wave and smile to me for her own First Day of School picture :)

As for my own day-----woooooweeeeeee.

Crazy Chaos!  LOL.  But if it weren't, it wouldn't be the first day of school now, would it?!?!  8-)

The after-school routine has already come and gone;  feeding/watering animals while I start dinner preparations; homework papers/projects on the table; and Cassie is off to one of her Cross Country meets.  I feel bad neither Paul nor myself travelled to cheer her on tonight, but......it's just a bit too crazy to try to fit that in on the first day of school.  Thankfully, she understands!  I expect her phone call soon to pick her up;  one nice thing about Cross Country meets:  they don't go too late! :)

As for sleeping last night-----yup!  T'was exactly as expected...toss-n-turn....toss-n-turn....

I want to believe tonight will be better.  Crossing fingers.

Tiny Tuesday: #28 Calico Puzzle

Straight-forward paper-piecing!  My kind of style!!!!

And did you know----today is the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL for us!!!! :}

Happy 2012-2013!

Quilts for Kids done - Hawaii Sunset progress

Cassie cleaned and organized her corner when I wasn't looking!  This neat area gave me a bit of a pleasant surprise when I headed downstairs this morning.

The Quilts for Kids projects were quilted, bound and labeled.  They still need to be packaged up and sent off on their way.  

And then much of the afternoon, I spent working on Hawaii Sunset units.  All 25 9-patches are finished, and I'm finished with 62 of the 80 4-patches.  As for the flying geese units.....324 of 600 are now complete.  Progress....slowly but surely.

And now, dinner is calling me for preparation:  Honey-Seseme chicken

Yup, yup, yup.  The first official school-night!