I survived Spring Break 2006!

No, I have not moved to South America. We were able to go on our trip to Washington D.C. . Turns out that Maddie developed pneumonia after that virus she had two weeks ago. So we got to spend a day going back and forth from the pediatrician to the radiologist for a x-ray of her lungs and then back to the doc for a shot. And then back to the doc again the next day for another shot of antibiotics and an oral prescription for another 10 days. But the good news was that he said we could go on our trip.

When we got to DC on Saturday night we discovered that my SIL (who is 5 months pregnant) is recovering from a stomach bug. She ended up going to the doctor Monday and they are checking her out for gall bladder problems. Anyway, we had a great visit. Got to see all the main touristy sights. Ian loved the subway. The last picture is of his very first ride on the subway.

The very best part of the trip was the behind the scenes tour of the quilts at the Smithsonian. It was so cool! I will blog about it tomorrow when I have more energy.

The top photo is of the inside of the capital dome. It is a painting of George Washington looking down from the heavens! He's the one in the pink robes - kind of the center bottom.

This was a floor mosaic at the Library of Congress. Wouldn't it make a great quilt?

This is some of the amazing architecture in the Library of Congress. (Can you tell I am married to an architect?)
And here is Ian getting ready to enjoy his first subway ride! He would have spent the entire week just riding around on the train. This week he is at my parent's house and I already miss him!

More tomorrow!

Waiting, waiting, waiting

Last night (Tuesday night) DH had to stay at school (work) until about 10 p.m. He has designed a exhibit wall for a fellow professor. He spent his afternoon and evening cutting out the 150 pieces for the wall on the 5-axis router at school. It will contain about 12 sheets of cut up plywood when he is finished. DH has to finish milling this before we leave on Friday and then next weekend we will have to try and pre-assemble parts of it. On the following Monday he will have to haul it all to Atlanta and assemble it. His only pay for this (they bought the wood) will be that he is able to hang a sign on it saying he designed it and built it.

That whole ramble was to say that I also had time to sew the borders on the thirties baby quilt that I have been commisioned to make.

(Two days later) - I have been trying to get blogger to post a picture of one of DH's router experiments - but after two days of trying, I am giving up.

Today was spent taking Maddie back to the doctor, where we were informed that she has pneumonia! So then we are sent off to get a chest x-ray, and then back to the pediatrician for a huge shot of antibiotics. I guess I should count myself lucky he didn't want to stick her in the hospital. It took four and a half hours to get all this accomplished. Maddie fell asleep waiting at the doctor's office on both trips! If you knew Maddie, you would know that she definitely doesn't feel good! We have to take her back to the doctor in the morning for him to see if the meds are doing any good. We got home around 4:15 pm and she has been asleep since then - it is now 9:45pm. I told her if she wakes up in the middle of the night and can't get to sleep to get up and watch a little TV!

DS is now in bed and I think me and DH are headed that direction too. I'll let you know what the doctor says in the morning! Keep us in your prayers! Good night all!

More of the wonky houses

DD was home from school again today. No fever since Sunday but since she still sounded like she was coughing up a lung, I thought one more day would be a good idea. The coughing has greatly diminished today, so I think I will send her back to school tomorrow.

Not much was accomplished today other than getting the wonky house top put together. Now depending on your point of view, that may be a VERY productive day, but I don't think my husband is going to think so when he gets home in a little while! Maybe I can get the mess picked up a little bit before he gets here! Here is the sick girl pointing her house.

I gave up on the idea of getting each kid's name embroidered onto their houses. I ended up writing their names on with a pigma pen. Not quite as classy but a whole lot quicker and less stressful!

Pink, pink, and a little more pink

Maddie was still fighting her hacking cough yesterday, so I kept her home from church. She spent the morning on the couch and I spent it in my sewing room. For a few minutes last weekend, I had the insane idea of trying to finish Abby's pink quilt in time to take it to her on our way home from D.C. That means it would have to be finished by THIS Friday. Thankfully, with a little rest, I was able to overcome this insanity. I had the blocks already made, but they were just sitting there in a pile. So yesterday I put the top together. I know Abby will LOVE it! It's pink - so what's not to love!

I decided to put the lettered blocks in the center of the quilt. At first I thought I would put those two blocks on the bottom corners of the quilt, but then I realized that she would never really see them there, hanging off the end of the bed. I think they look cute, stuck there in the middle.

On our way home from D.C., we are going through Tennessee and leaving Ian at my parents' house. He gets to spend a few days with Grams and Papa and I will hopefully have a few days to get lots of quilting done. My goal for this week is to get borders put on and backings pieced so that I have several quilts ready to throw on the quilting machine. I need to check and make sure I have the threads I will need.

Speaking of thread, I am becoming a thread snob. Up until now, I have been using Coats & Clark in my regular sewing machine. It has always worked fine, but makes a lot of lint (at least in my Featherweight). I have never used anything but the recommended Aurifil 40 wt. in my quilting machine. A few months ago when I was ordering some Aurifil for the quilting machine, I had them throw in a spool of the 50 wt. to try on my featherweight. I finally got around to using it last week. Oh my - significantly less lint! I think I am hooked. Next I may have to try the Bottom Line thread I hear everyone raving about for the bobbin thread.

Saturday - part 2

Blogger has decided to behave for a few minutes. Here are the 5 houses I got done while talking to Nina this afternoon. We now have a joke that whenever I need to clean my kitchen, I call Nina. By the time we get done talking, my kitchen is spotless! She emailed me yesterday that she was going to call me and talk while she cleaned her MIL's room. She had already accomplished that by the time we talked, but I did get some sewing done! We really need to check into those headsets. If we do this too often I am going to develop a permanent crick in my neck.

A Wonky Saturday

Today I spent the morning running all the errands that I had planned on running yesterday...before Maddie got sick. It is only a virus, not strep, but she is still running a fever today and has had a headache all day long. She has spent the day on the couch - a true couch potato! This morning I left the house around 8 a.m. . Here is my list of accomplishments:

• new tires on my truck (before our trip to Washington D.C.!)
• returned books on tape to library
• did banking at 2 different banks
• oil change
• bought fabric for borders of 30's baby quilt
• Walmart (oh, the joy!)
• went to the mall to buy Teacher Appreciation gifts
• home again, home again, jiggedy jig

After lunch, me and DD took a nap. I know she doesn't feel good when she willingly takes a nap. This is the girl who is never, ever still. Nina can attest to this. Even when she was a baby, she was in constant motion. When she would be nursing, her feet would still be going wild!

I woke up to find a phone message from Nines!! So I called her back and sat down to sew while I talked to her. I was making a list of quilting deadlines the other day, when it hit me that the end of school is only two months away and I have made no progress on the wonky house wallhanging for Maddie's teacher. Oops! So that is the project I pulled out while talking to Nina. I got five houses made - it is a start!

Well, I have tried about ten times now to upload two pictures of the wonky houses, but Blogger is being difficult. I will try again later.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Remember me?

Hello, my name is Sarah and I love to quilt! I am sorry I haven't had much to say lately, but after today's LONG post, you may wish I would return to my previous silence! Here are the treasures from my trip to Nashville last weekend.

This yellow fabric is going to be a baby quilt for my SIL and BIL. This is their first baby and they aren't planning on finding out the sex. The yellow has a tiny little ivy pattern on it and the WOW I bought to go with it also has an ivy pattern on it.
Nina, are you shocked at my color choices? It all started with the polka dot fabric. Saw it and fell in love. Bought all they had - thankfully it was only about 2.5 yards! The colored squares will be four patches. My sister says this is just perfect for the receiving couple. Fits their personalities to a T. Nina - they are naming the baby Evelyn Faye, after their moms. They will call her Evie! I told them that's a great name! My sister wanted to know how she could help with this quilt, other than financially. We told her to learn to sew! My mom is going to piece this one and I will quilt it. Can't wait to see it all put together!
Is anyone else out there addicted to pretty glass jars? These were found at Hobby Lobby and have an old fashioned feel to me. Finn - notice all my empty spools?
This is the backing fabric for my niece's TOO PINK quilt! Think she will like it?
This is a road sign, somewhere between Birmingham and Athens Alabama. We pass it every trip to and from Nashville. It always makes me think of Nina's daughter, Eva. And that makes me think of Nina. And that makes me miss the whole huge bunch of them!
These are the blocks for the baby quilt I have been commissioned to make. I took them to church Wednesday night to show the lady who hired me. Thankfully she loved them!
This is the backing fabric for the same baby quilt. Little cherries.

DD is home sick from school....again. The one good thing is that now I have an excuse not to spend the day running all over town, doing the errands that need to be done. Now I can stay home and quilt! Yeah!!!

Whew....you made it to the end! Do you wish I had stayed in bed? Hope you all have a quilty day!

A weekend in Nashville

I seem to be having trouble having anything to say these past few weeks. Friday at lunchtime, me and the kiddies headed for Nashville. Maddie has off from school on Monday -so we took off to see the family. My parents have finally moved in to their new house - designed by the world's greatest architect (my DH!). It is lovely - out in the country and quite spacious. My sister and her family also moved recently - actually on Friday! Both my mom and sister thought I was coming to help them clean and unpack - but actually I was coming to relax!

On the trip north, we had to stop in Birmingham and stretch our legs. Thankfully there was a Hobby Lobby there. Yes, of course I behaved myself. I got some quarter yard cuts of some thirties fabrics for that baby quilt I have been commissioned to make. I also found a adorable polka dot material that I am going to use in a baby quilt for my cousin. The fabric is white and the polka dots look kind of hand-dyed. The dots will be the alternate solid blocks and then we found fabrics to match the dots and we will make 4-patch blocks out of those. My mom is going to piece it (I already cut it out for her) and then I will quilt it.

Me and mom hit Joann's yesterday afternoon. I was able to backing and border fabric for Abby's too pink quilt. Sister paid for this fabric. I also got some cute 30's fabric for the backing of the baby quilt. It has a cream background and the little blue cherries all over it. I also picked out some yellow fabric and some solid white fabric to make yet another baby quilt for my sweet SIL and BIL. They are expecting and due in September. They aren't planning on finding out the sex of the baby - so I think yellow and white could go either way.

I will post pictures of these newest finds tomorrow when I get home.

Tonight, my mother was over come by insanity and volunteered to have a sleep over with all four of the oldest grandkids. I am spending the night at my sister's. We are trying to watch the newest Pride and Prejudice but keep being interrupted by my youngest nephew who doesn't want to stay asleep! We are having fun anyway!

Yes, I am still here!

Sorry if you thought I had moved away and not left a forwarding address. Last week was a little hectic to say the least. Maddie woke up Monday night with a belly ache. Moaning, groaning. This is usually her first symptoms of strep throat. So we took her to the doctor. Doesn't look like strep to him but he agreed to do the over-night test just to be sure.

Meanwhile, I have already scheduled an emergency girl scout cookie sale to try and get rid of the rest of the cookies we have sitting in my trunk. So we get to Kroger, set up the table, put out the cookies. The other mom and daughter team arrive. I tell Maddie to stay away from Alli, just in case it is strep. So Maddie goes strolling down the side walk, away from the front entrance to Kroger. And then proceeds to throw up, on the side walk. Lovely..... So luckily DH is available to come get her and take her home while me and DS stay to help sell cookies.

By Wednesday Maddie is feeling much better but can't go to school because we don't know if it is strep. So she stays home from school again...And spends the day aggravating her brother! I also had to make dinner for a family from church who just had a baby. Made extra for us. DH and I both had to rush home from bible class Wednesday with intestinal distress! Oh no - did I poison the other family too? So I spent all day Thursday worried I had given them food poisoning!

Did I mention Thursday is DD 7th birthday? We did not make homemade cupcakes as previously planned but Kroger makes good cupcakes, right? That night we made homemade pizza for dinner, had brownies instead of birthday cake, and watched mythbusters!

Saturday brought yet another cookie sale. Everyone was so crabby by the end of it, we had to take a nap that afternoon.

Sunday involved church (teaching the 4 to 7 year olds!), then a quick lunch and off to the DD's birthday party. It was fun because it was held at the local junior high gym (read that as no house cleaning for me!). The kids got to run off all the sugar induced energy.

Today should be a day for me to recover but in my insanity I volunteered to host an Usborne book party at my house tonight. A good friend is trying to get her business started and I told her I would host a party to introduce her to people outside our usual group of friends from church. So this means I have to clean the public portions of my house today. And make some desserts. I have already given up hope of getting DS's room clean - but should there really be anyone going in there? I think not!

So here I go - getting my tush in motion!

P.S. - Ian asked me to come change the TV channel for him this morning. This is the position he was in when I got there! Does that look uncomfortable to anyone else?