Look what we made!

Looky, looky! My daughter has been bugging me all week to make these t-shirts. First we had to find the paint. Then I made the mistake of buying t-shirts with pockets. Didn't realize it until the next time I was at Walmart and saw the ones without pockets! Then we were waiting on DH to bring home his little exacto blade with the handle. Still hasn't happened but I managed to cut most of it out with my rotary cutter. The kids each chose their own design and then helped me paint it. I had to use my heavy duty wax paper to make the stencil. We also put a piece on the inside so the paint wouldn't seep through to the back.

I think they turned out really cute. I have several ideas floating around in my head. Hhhmmmm.....

Ooopps - forgot to tell you where you could find some directions. I first saw it done on Quilter's Buzz - and she refers you Craftster.org. Please share pictures if you try this for yourself.

Vacuum Salesmen

Anyone ever have a Kirby salesman come to your door? Well, I made the mistake of letting one in this morning. He was here for about THREE hours. Totally wasted my day. I know, I know - I am way too polite! I should have just told him to leave. No matter how many times I told him that I was NOT going to spend $2000 on a vacuum without consulting my husband, he always had a come back. Thankfully DH eventually came home and told them we could not spend that amount of money right now. Then he got to listen to all their sales pitches. UGH!

After we finally got them out the door, DH points out that any vacuum is going to look like it is picked up huge amounts of dirt and dust if you take out the bag and use a little white filter instead. Good thinking!!!! We put a new bag in our Electrolux (only a year old and $300) and revacuumed DD's room and came up with a little dust still there after all those filters pictured above. Then we vacuumed DS's room and came up with lots of dirt! Yeah - I have such a smart husband!

I did manage to get both kids rooms cleaned today and their bathroom too. Got several loads of laundry done and put away. Got the kitchen tidied up while waiting for the vacuum guy to be picked back up by his manager. After he left, I vacuumed my whole house with my perfectly wonderful (and already paid for!) vacuum!

I have sewn a little in the past few days. I dug my blue pineapples back out and sewed them into groups of four. I haven't decided if I want this as a quilt for my bed or if I want to do something else with it.

Does anyone know a good place to get Aurifil thread at a good price?

On the way to sweltering

This was one of my early attempts to use up some ugly fat quarters I had received in an on-line swap. (Yes, I learned my lesson about on-line swaps!) I decided to make a sort-of eye-spy quilt for my nephew. He was probably about 1.5 years old at the time. Imagine my surprise a few weeks ago when he (now nearly 7) came for a sleep over at Grams' house and I spied the quilt in his suitcase. This quilt has definitely been loved over the years!

We have had very unusual spring weather here in Alabama. Just last week it was cool enough (especially at night) to want a light jacket. Middle of May and it feels like late February? Not that I was complaining at all! I think Mother Nature has figured out that it is almost June and it is time to turn on the heat! The kids were bugging me at 9 a.m. yesterday to either find a pool for us to invade or to turn on the sprinkler. I told them it was going to be a very long summer if they didn't calm down!

My mom and sister did not consult me before making their vacation plans. They had the nerve to both go out of town at the same time. Now I am left at home with no one to call! Tried calling Nina this morning but she might be working today.

Yesterday I was trying to piece the backing for Nine's b-day quilt when my iron decided to die. I was ironing along when all the sudden it started dribbling water out of all the wrong places. Then I noticed it wasn't even hot. I could place my hand on the soleplate and not get burned. Tried unplugging it and starting over. Nope. Nothing. Nada. Tried a different outlet - same result. Waited till this morning to try again. Still nothing. We were going to Walmart last night in search of a turkey to deep fry (yummy!) so I went ahead and bought a new iron. Stacy used it this morning and did nothing but try to refrain from throwing it across the room. It too was dribbling water. So back it went to Walmart this morning and we got new iron #2 from Target. I really liked the old iron. Lots of steam - nice and hot. It wasn't even very old - I got it in maybe November. And it hasn't even been dropped once! Anyone have a nice cheap iron that they just LOVE? Want to share what kind it is?

Time to round up the kiddies and make them take a short nap. Then maybe I will sit down and sew for a while!

Another Saturday in the South

Have I told you that they are trying to put the final pave on our street? This picture is through our side light panels on the front door. DS was sitting out on our welcome mat watching one of the bulldozers breakup the asphalt. He sat there for a good half hour. I wanted to go out there and kiss his sweet neck.

We have survived the school year. Now we have about two and a half months before BOTH kiddies will head off to school and this mama will be lonely!

Last Sunday on my long, sleepy drive home from Nashville, I got to thinking about deadlines. It seems funny to me that I have so many deadlines associated with my quilting. Have to get this baby quilt done by such and such a date. Have to get a b-day quilt done on time. How did all these deadlines get imposed on my free-time? My hobby has become somewhat stressful. I know what Nina is thinking - deadlines, schmedlines! Do other hobbies have such deadlines?

We went in search of a new TV today. Ours is only 5 years old but is heading south. The top 5 inches of the picture has "horizontal rollover". It means that the picture looks like it is rolled over on itself. The tops of people heads are upside down! Anyway.... all the ones we liked were of course out of stock. When we want a TV we want it now! Not the first week of June - at the earliest!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

The blog police strike again

I have been contacted by the blog police with the complaint that my blog has not been updated in a week and a half. So sorry! I must have been pining away because Nines was out of town and I couldn't call her! I have also been crazy busy. Last Wednesday was DS's 5th birthday. Thursday DS had a doctor's appointment to get his shots for school. He was so very brave. He did not even cry until shots number three and four. Later that afternoon he told me "Mom, it really only hurt for a minute!" After leaving the doctor, we rushed home and packed to go to Nashville for the weekend. Picked DD up at school and rushed north. Stopped on the south side of Nashville to try and sell some kid's clothes to a (snobby) resale shop. Ugh! Then we rushed up to Oprymills Mall where Grams and Papa were taking DS to Build-a-Bear Workshop for his birthday. Cousins were there. Fun was had by all! Then we went to Grams house for a sleep over with the cousins.

I got Abby's quilt done and got to deliver it to her in person! She LOVES it! She gave me pink kisses and hugs for it!

Friday was spent playing with the kids. Papa took us all on a trailer ride behind the tractor. That night we had a pirate party for DS. Aunt Naomi made a treasure map, got pirate apparel, and even got a pirate ship pinata! Ian was quite impressed!

Saturday we had to hit Joann's! (Don't ask!) Then I took my sister and father out for a lovely lunch at Olive Garden. We had a very nice day.

Sunday, after church and lunch, we headed home. My Sunday afternoon nap was coming on strong! This is the last week of school so we have been busy with all of that kind of stuff.

I have managed to finish the blocks for Nine's b-day quilt. Got the rows sewn and am working on putting the rows together. I will share a picture with you after I give it to her in June. My sister likes it so it must not be too ugly!

Last week I also got to give the blue baby quilt to the mommy-to-be. She loves it! She said the nursery is going to be green and the quilt will match perfectly.

Well, I have got to get ready to go to DD's class for her year-end party. Ice-cream! Sprinkles! Brownies! Yeah!

But I don't have anything to say!

My sister has complained that I haven't posted anything new since last Wednesday. So here, in boring detail, is something new. Last Thursday was spent cleaning house in case it rained (30% chance) on Friday and I have to have DS birthday party at home. I figured if I cleaned house surely the rain would disappear. Spent Friday morning cleaning and checking the weather. I really did NOT want 16 boys trampling through my house, my nice clean house! It was drizzly all morning but then at noon it cleared up and was bright and sunny! I was so excited! I went off to take my shower at about 1:30 - only to have Ian run into the bathroom and announce that it was raining again. UGH! So finally about 2:15 I give up the fight and call everyone to say the party is at our house. No party games - just cake and presents! When everyone arrives around 3 pm it was back to being bright and sunny! Everyone was able to run around outside and my house escaped any major damage.

Yes, Ian received a cordless drill for his 5th b-day. He has been begging DH for one for months. Some children are talented in sports, some in art - Ian is good with power tools! Ian would gladly spend all day with my dad, out in the barn, building "stuff". Ian is taking his drill to Tennessee this weekend to show to Papa. Not sure if he will allow Papa to use HIS drill, after all, Papa has two of his own!

Not much quilting going on around here. I put the borders on my cousin's baby quilt on Sunday. Got ready to piece the back and realized I was about a yard short! When I told this to my sister she asked if I had only bought a couple inches of fabric, after all this was only a baby quilt - how could I still need a whole 'nother yard of fabric. Smarty pants! It is a rather large baby quilt. Charlie (the daddy to be) was our very first cousin. I was 9 when he was born. He is on my dad's side of the family, where we remained the only three grandchildren until I was 29. Now I have another cousin who is 6 months older than my daughter! My mom's side of the family has us a little worried (as far as baby quilts go!) Each of my mom's three siblings had three children. That's a total of nine quilts that could happen in a relatively short time period. Actually, my mom is piecing the first quilt right now - for the baby due in September. We (mom and me) have made the executive decision that only #1 babies will receive a quilt, so they will hopefully be gender neutral (the quilts, not the babies). My sister's name has somehow ended up on the quilt label. Not sure what she has done to help the process. My mom says she will make Naomi take a few stitches on the binding! Naomi says she will make one great quilt in her lifetime. I think she is afraid of the addiction that me and my mom obviously have!

OK, I need to go take a shower. I am going to take Maddie to the walk in clinic. She has been complaining of a headache for two days.

Wednesday afternoon

This afternoon I felt inspired to try and stitch-in-the-ditch with my regular sewing machine. At first I was going to use my walking foot on my newer singer but for the fun of it, I tried the Featherweight (no walking foot). It worked just fine. I had safety pinned it to death and it is mostly straight lines. I had it done in about half a hour. This piece is made from the leftovers of the leftovers from my lime green quilt. This one measures about 12 inches by 15 inches.

I forgot to tell you all that I had binding fever the other day and got the binding on the wonky houses quilt and my niece's pink quilt. Even got the labels put on! Now I need to get the borders on my cousin's baby quilt so I can get it done before the baby arrives in June. And then there is always the challenge quilt I am supposed to have done before I meet up with Nina in mid-June. As the person who came up with the rules, I am blatantly ignoring some of the rules! Mostly the one that says I have to "Feature" the fabrics she gave me. Not sure how to use two of them! She may be shocked when she sees this quilt!

Well, it is time to go get ready for bible class. Ian is in the shower and they are both singing at the top of their lungs. Ian has discovered that he loves to take a shower (versus taking a bath). Yesterday he took two showers and one bath. He was one very clean 4 year old. A week from today my baby boy turns 5! How did he get that big?

Tuesdays in the South

Can anyone identify these flowers for me? They have mysteriously popped up on the hill in my backyard. My lilies are getting ready to bloom back there too. I also have a lovely assortment of weeds growing in the front flowerbeds! I am not a gardener or even just a weed picker! Maybe I could pay the kids 10 cents a weed!

I gave Ms Chatham her Wonky Houses quilt yesterday. She was so surprised! I was going to save it for her end of the school year gift, but I figured the kids wouldn't get to enjoy it then. She knew I had helped each child design their own house but she thought I was making a block for each child to take home. She was so excited that the quilt was for her.

We got the news yesterday that chicken pox is going around DD's school. The little girl that has it right now was vacinated. DD has been vacinated but DS hasn't! He is due to get his 5 year old shots next Thursday. There is also a rumor floating around that someone had measles last week.

Time to get hopping!