PLANNING FOR 2011

I like making New Year's Resolutions. Most of my friends don't because they claim not be be able to keep them. I'm thinking that if they wrote them down and checked the list at the end of the year they might discover they did keep some of them, even if it was only one. I am making my list and checking it twice to be sure I don't leave anything out. I need to do this because I forget what's on the list.

My first and foremost resolution for 2011 is to study the God's word DAILY. I found this great web site, wendypope.org and when you sign up you receive a daily email. The Bible pictured below is the what we are working out of. So I am looking at 365 days of study. In a couple of months I feel that this will be a habit I won't break. Check it out of the details.
Two other web sites I recommend are ewordtoday.com and biblos.com.

Other goals for 2011 are completing quilts that I have started and not finished. Mastering hand applique and quilting my quilts are other skills I will be working on. I'm going to join the Quilt Guild in Roseburg too. My list will be detailed so it will be very long, pages.

Yesterday I went shopping with Mary. I've never shopped the day after Christmas before. The fact that I was still employed full time does have something to do with that. I was not impressed with the sales. I did pick up some plastic holiday platters for my cookie/candy gifts for next year and some cute little wire Christmas baskets that I can use for handmade gifts. There wasn't a large selection of gift boxes or wrapping paper. There didn't seem to be a lot of people shopping, but that could be characteristic of Roseburg and a smaller town.

Now it's time to work on my quilt top. Have a blessed day.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Greetings from the great North West. The sun is shinning and it is a beautiful day. We were up late last night and I did sleep in this morning but, I don't even care. As I sat at the dinning room table drinking a great cup of coffee and thanking God for sending his son, and for this beautiful day, I couldn't help but notice the variety of birds feeding on the grass. As I look up I see the gorgeous trees on the mountain tops and their dark green colors against the blue sky. We are so blessed to be here and I am so thankful. I wish my friends and family from CA were here to share this splendor.

These are a few of the things I got. These darling owls are wall hangings. I love owls and these will look great hanging in our home.

This sweet ornament is from Britney, Brooke, and Bree marking our first Christmas in our new home.

We can't forget little Missy. She got a new rain coat. Sometimes when we leave the house for a walk it will start raining. I'm not sure how dry this will keep her but is sure looks cute.

This is Sophie, my great niece and the quilt she made is three days. She is only 13 and she did a great job. She and her brother have been here visiting their Grandma.

This is Paul and Missy after a great turkey dinner. He would not appreciate me posting this picture but I just couldn't resist.

I love to cook and bake and these are a few of the things I baked for family and friends. I actually baked all day.

This is a closeup of a quilt I made for Joe. I mentioned it in an earlier posting bur didn't want to post it because it was a Christmas gift. He is a Harley man and the fabric was perfect. He and Tami did so much work on our old house and he wouldn't take any money. Words can't express how much we appreciate him so I thought he could wrap himself up in the love this quilt represents.

This is a full view of his quilt.

I pray God's peace for you and may your Christmas be blessed with family, friends, and love.

Blogger MIA

I've been missing in blogger action but not quilting, shopping, baking, eating, and having more fun than you can imagine action. The first week in December I was off to a quilt retreat in Bandon Oregon. The weather was fabulous and we had some great meals in different restaurant every day. I happen to love fish and the selections were great. We visited Forget-Me-Kots in Bandon and had a great time checking out their fabulous inventory. The shop is wonderful and the staff is great too. Of course we traveled up and down the coast and hit quilt shops in nearby cities. Threads That Bind in located in Coos Bay. They are closed on Sunday's but when we called to inquire the opened the store for us. I have to admit, the five of us made it worth their while. I love their sign. It's so quilty.

I love the ocean and I did spend one afternoon walking on the beach and enjoying the wonder. We live a couple hours from the Bandon and I'm looking forward to many return visits.

The picture below is a whale carved out of wood. I didn't want to walk up private property so this is the best picture I could get. Ocean front property is landscaped creatively and on this beach everybody had something unique and beautiful. I'm looking forward to Spring so I can start designing my landscaping at home.

After returning home I got all my Christmas shopping done, wrapped and in the mail. I also did some baking and finished a quilt that is a Christmas gift for somebody special. I will post the story and picture next week. I want it to be a surprise.

This is Missy in her sweater getting ready to take Paul for a walk. She loves to go for walks and for a dog with little legs she sure can move out. We bought her a little rain coat because the sun may be shinning when we leave the house but it doesn't mean the rain won't fall before we get home. We always have breaks in the rain where the sun comes out and it's too beautiful to stay indoors. I love it here!!!!

Mary is coming by this afternoon with her grandchildren, who are visiting from California. I have some quilt blocks to sew and who know what else I will work on. I will try to stay on the grid now that things are slowing down.

Have a blessed day.

Black Friday and Quilting Fabric

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving, I sure did. I think I will need to do some walking around the block today and work off some of those extra calories.

Today is all about Black Friday, according to the news. I personally hate to shop, but put me in front of my computer or in a quilt shop and away I go. Quilt fabric is the attraction in my life. I don't need anything and since Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus we don't go crazy with gift giving so my shopping is very minimal.

Have you heard about the cotton shortage? It makes me want to buy quilting fabric. The online quilt shops have their Black Friday sales going and since cotton prices are going to hit the roof and fabric prices keep going up I just feel the need to stock up. Like I don't already have stash! Cotton prices have gone up 30 percent and that is why the $9.50 a yard fabric is now $10.50. In 2011 the cost will be going even higher. The Sewing Basket has been ordering their fabric for Spring and Summer to lock in the 2010 prices. Maybe I should be buying underwear and T-shirts and stop worrying about quilt fabric. I don't have a stash of those. I would hate to make underwear from my beautiful batik fabric. Maybe I should just take that walk around the block.

Have a blessed weekend and stay safe.

Giving Thanks

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey be plump

May your potatoes and gravy

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

and your pies take the prize

and may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

author unknown

Praying God's grace and love for you and your family.

Let it Snow

This is the view outside my quilt room window. I think it is so beautiful. I wish Tami, Ben, and Brandon were here to share this with. The sky is clearing and the sun is warming the air and starting to melt the snow. It started snowing early this morning. I walked outside and stood in the silence watching the flakes as they hit the ground. It is such a peaceful experience.I got dressed and took a walk in the snow. Six months ago I would never have dreamed that I would be experiencing this. This is a picture from the drive way. You can see my footprints leading to and from the house.

This is a shot from in front of our house. I thought I could make a snowman but the snow was too dry and flaky.

This is a shot of a portion of our backyard taken from the back of the garage. So what do you do when it's cold outside and the snow is slowly melting? You cozy up to your sewing machine and quilt. I got all my Thanksgiving shopping done and there is no need to go out. I will enjoy all of this from my window.

Below is a picture of the first of 12 blocks in the 2008 Web Sampler Celebration quilt. I really like the Civil War fabrics. My quilting friends don't care for them and I'm not sure why I'm so attracted to them. During that time in our history quilts were a functional must have. Quilts were made up of recycled fabric from old clothes. I read that an antique quilt from that period of time was quilted with newspaper being used as the batting. That brings new meaning to recycle. Today most of as make quilts to challenge our quilting skills and because we love certain fabrics and designs. We also make them to celebrate a birth, weddings, anniversary or other special occasion, making them an heirloom.

This is the second block in the set. I'm piecing the rows of the 3rd block this afternoon and I'll start cutting out block #4. These blocks do take some time to cut and piece.

When I'm finished with this quilt I will start on Web Sampler 2010.

I hope you have a blessed day and find time to think about all the things you have to be thankful for.

Promised Pictures

When my computer doesn't function like is should I shut it down and re-boot and that seems to correct what ever it was that caused the problem. I am now able to up-load the pictures I referenced in yesterday's posting. This is a picture of the Cutie Patootie quilt I made and is hanging at The Sewing Basket. The pattern can be found on the Red Rooster web site but the pattern has some errors in it. First error is the squaring up of the panel and the second error is the measurement on the green fabric. The quilt is cute and was fun to do. This is a picture of my welcoming committee at Mary's. These are very noisy geese and if you ever heard that they make good watch animals, it's true. When I drive up to the house they start their honking and come rushing you. I'm not sure which one it is but one of those little rascals has bitten Mary. I'm not sure I would want a pet like that. The ducks are fun and not aggressive. Mary has been giving me duck eggs and I've been cooking with them. Other than the size, I can't tell the difference.

The next picture isn't very clear. I took it early in the morning from my dining room window. I think this is a hawk. It's a small bird and very beautiful. It was dinning on it's prey. Since my camera wouldn't zoom in close enough I got the video camera and filmed it. Just another perk when living out of town.

This is a picture of Brooke, Britney, and Bree in their Halloween costumes. Aren't they cute? Their Mom really enjoys Halloween and her daughters. The older one, Britney, may be spending some time with us next summer. I sure hope that works out.

Signs of Christmas is all around us. Did you know that Oregon is the biggest producer of Christmas trees in the nation, harvesting roughly 7.8 million trees each year? We haven't had a fresh tree in ten years but I think this year will be different. There is a tree farm a few miles from home and on Black Friday we are going to check it out. I have always missed the smell of a fresh cut tree. We will get a small one. One of the boxes stacked in the garage is labeled X-mas directions and I'm looking forward to checking it out. There will be some fun memories in it for sure.

Thanksgiving is just four days away and I'm ready to cook. We will barbecue a small turkey and I'll have all the side dishes to go along with it. I'm baking apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies. Mary and Larry are joining us so there will be plenty to send home with them. I love to cook and the two of us can't eat everything so I love to share.

On the quilt front, I'm working on the 2008 Web Sampler Celebration quilt. I haven't meet anybody here that likes the Civil War fabrics so this quilt will be very different from the others that go through the shop. I'm post a picture of the completed quilt. I quilted and binded a quilt I pieced a few years back. It's a lap size quilt. I'll post a picture next week.

The sun is shinning bright and I feel like a walk with Missy. Have a blessed day.

What's been going on?

I just haven't had time to sit at my computer and update my blog. We are doing well and enjoying life. It is very different from what we left. We feel so blessed. I've been too busy having fun and discovering all that's new in my life. Today we have sun and rain, at the same time. As I look out my window I can see the mountains with a dusting of snow on the tops. It doesn't seem cold enough to have snow but it's in the forecast until Sunday.

I've been cooking and baking and enjoying my new kitchen. I've also been quilting. I've been trying to upload some pictures but this site isn't letting me. I finished a quilt for the shop and it looks very cute hanging there. I also finished a quilt for a Christmas gift. Can't talk about it yet. I've also been going through stuff and organizing. I'm still looking for stuff, like quilt books and gadgets. I'm getting a routine going and changing some of my goals. We continue to meet new people and are amazed at how friendly people are here.

I will try to post pictures and share more at a latter time.

Getting Settled and Checking In

Greetings from Oregon. It's been twelve days and I'm still unpacking boxes. The weather has been mild and I'm looking forward to some rain. I bought bulbs to plant and I'm planting my flower beds for the spring. This is a first, I have to look for plants that the deer don't like. The people in the neighborhood are very friendly and have greeted and welcomed us to the neighborhood. It's a quite neighborhood and all the homes are well kept. It feels good being here. I got my Oregon licence and plates and I feel like I've been here for ever. As I unpack it's been a struggle figuring out where I want things to go. As I look around it's hard to believe that I left lots of stuff behind. Where did I put everything? One day at a time, I'm not in a hurry, unless I need something.

Yesterday I hung out at the Sewing Basket and helped a lady with her Viking embroidery machine. I checked out the new fabric and the fabric on order. Tomorrow and Saturday are big sale days and I'm looking forward to it.

It's been a long day and I am looking forward to tomorrow. I will keep you posted.
Have a blessed day.

What's been going on?

As I look around the house is appears that I haven't been very busy but the facts are that I hit the ground running between 5:00 and 6:00 every morning and don't stop until around 4:30 or 5:00. I keep boxing up things and more things appear. What's up with that. I have sorted, tossed and boxed until my hands ache. It's amazing how much stuff I have that I don't' need or want. Then there is the cleaning. I'm looking forward to an end to this real soon.

Paul saw a doctor yesterday about his back and he starts physical therapy Friday. They gave him some meds and he was feeling a little better yesterday. Thank you Lord. There is a possibility that he might have to stay behind a week or so. Time will tell.

Saturday night we did take time out to attend a neighborhood party that our long time neighbors, Rico and Cathy, hosted. Their back yard is small yet they managed to get a band, buffet table and about 30 people in it comfortably. The band was made up of his friends and they were very good. The food was great and the drink wasn't bad either. This is a picture of Rico monitoring the buffet table. They had enough food for an army and he was worried that people weren't getting enough. Me, I was concerned that he might run out of wine. It was for medicinal purposed, I needed to relax my sore tired muscles.

He had people assigned seating around the pool.

This is a shot from where we were sitting. Those are the doors into the family room. His house has the same floor plan as ours but he did a lot of remodeling and customizing. He even built a room above the garage.

Today is feels like Autumn. I love this weather. This is another bell pepper from my little plant. I have gotten five peppers from it and now I can say the plant paid for itself. I will be planting these in my garden in OR.

This is a little visitor I found hanging out on the a plant in the patio. It's the second one I've seen this week. I think they are fascinating.

Last night I attended my last Stephen Ministry meeting. I will miss them so much. The training has taught me so much and I don't' think I've experienced so much spiritual and personal growth in any other group I've been involved in, and if you know me, there are a lot. We shared some snacks and they presented me with three very special gifts. One was the Angel of Hope. It's a little crystal angel in a satin box. In the box it reads: When you need some cheering up, you know just what to do. Peek inside this box to find an angel just for you; Then remember you are special, and may you always understand that as you hold your angel, God holds you gently in His hand. by R. Fogle

Then next gift is a beautiful framed picture with the words LOVE. Where there is a great love, there are always miracles. The colors are lighted muted greens, blues and browns, my favorite combination. I'm going to hang it in my entry hall. I did promise to send a picture of Paul and I standing in front of it after it is hung. I'll post that picture.

The third gift was the gift of prayer. We gathered together and a pray of farewell was offered. Prayer is such a powerful thing and a part of my everyday life. The scripture we focused on was from Acts 20: 1-6, 36-38. If you haven't been in the word, now is the time because I'm not posting it. So, get your Bible out and read. After we prayed I felt so much peace within. I love them all so much and they will be in my thoughts and prayers daily. I will make it a point to be in town on a Sunday so I can attend St. Andrew's and see my dear friends.

It doesn't seem possible but I am surrounded by more stuff that needs to be boxed so I better get on it. My schedule has been changed and I will be leaving on Monday at around 5:00 am with the SUV packed to the max. I'm so excited.

God's peace be with you.

Nine Days

Greetings on this Labor Day Weekend. I hope you all have some wonderful family events planned. The weather is going to be cooling down a bit here and for that, I'm so thankful. I still have a lot of work to do around here. In nine days I will be headed for Oregon with a car full of treasures. I'll be back again in a few days with helpers and then the big move begins. I don't usually feel a lot of stress. I manage thing with God's help and just get over it. I feel like I didn't have all my trust in him because I have been really stressed. What does a quilter do when they are stressed? QUILT!! I prayed a lot too. On numerous occasions I have had conversations with the Lord while I quilted. I love it because he listens and doesn't interrupt like people do. He is getting my through this.

This block is part of my 19th Century Red's quilt. The block is 15" finished. I love red and the little black corner blocks are a cute little accent.
Here are the blocks pieced into the quilt top. My head is spinning with design ideas to quilt it with. The piecing went fast the the cutting took some time, now deciding on how to quilt it. Sorry about the obstacle in the corner or the picture.

I must get back to packing. I feel like I'm headed for the finish line. Wishing you a blessed holiday weekend and God's peace.

Dejunk Your Life

Today I finished painting the small bedroom. This means my major tasks are completed. I do have some touch up stuff but nothing overwhelming. As I look back it amazes me that I was able to accomplish so much. I sure have a lot of junk. Tami is going to have a garage sale and get rid of it. I don't want to move anything that I have not used or needed in the past three years. I think it's time to let somebody else have it. I do have a lot of packing to do and as I come across items I don't need or use, they go into Tami's box. In twelve days I will be headed to Oregon with the SUV packed with my sewing machines and other special items. I will return in two days with my brother-in-law and his brother and the 17th we will pack up the BIG truck and off we go. It's a very exciting time.

I'm exhausted from painting all day so I think I will turn in. Tomorrow will be an easier day of sorting, packing, and tossing. As I look around me I'm reminded of how blessed I am.

God's peace be with you.

18 Days and Counting

Greetings. We have 18 days until the BIG truck is loaded and we are on the road. We are making visual progress. We have been working every day. There have been days when I would be up at 6:00 and go non-stop until 5:00 and everything just looked worse than when I started. I hate it when things are half done. It seems like everything we have done had to be done in stages. The dining room is finally done. It is so clean and new looking. Friday we pulled out the fireplace insert and what a mess. The insert has been in for 30 years. It kept is toasty warm in the winter and I loved it. I will miss it. The EPA has banned them so you can't purchase them anymore and they want to stop people from using them. This is a before picture of the family room. I was getting it ready for it's new floor.

This is the black hole. One of the features I loved about this house was the fireplace. I love the brick. When we first put the insert in I was concerned about hiding the beauty of the used brick and the character I felt it gave to the room. It worked well.

The floor is in. It is so beautiful. I will put the area rug in, hang the vertical blinds and put the furniture in and enjoy it for the next 18 days.

Thursday I attended my last meeting at the Manteca Quilt Guild. I'm really going to miss those people. I'm leaving with so many wonderful memories. I encouraged them all to stop in a visit when they are in Oregon. I know a few who will. The quilt below is the new opportunity quilt for the March 2011 quit show. This is one of the most beautiful quilts I have seen in a long time. The focal fabric was so ugly, I could not have imagined it in a quilt, let alone turning out like this.

I must sign off. I have painting and packing to do and a couple of appointments. I hope your day is filled with blessings, I know my will be.

God's peace.

Are We Done Yet?

It's 105 degrees and I'm not in the mood for this game. It's too hot to do anything, except maybe quilt or read a book. This move is becoming a nightmare. Everywhere you look things are half completed. This is Missy looking at the new flooring in the dining room. The floor is beautiful but what about the molding? Where is the furniture? Half done! Oh, by the way, Missy prefers carpet. This is a picture of Paul and Joe finishing up the project, minus the molding.

This is the first floor board, where it all started. No molding there either.

Now here is the living room. It's done except for the window treatment. You can't tell because it has the dining room furniture in it and boxes of who knows what. The two bathrooms and the master bedroom are the only rooms that do not resemble this. It's making me crazy.

This is where I go when I'm about to blow. I love this area in the back yard. I hope I can re-create it when I get to Oregon. I haven't checked out what flowers grow well in that area.

This little plant has been providing little tomatoes for us since the middle of July. I know I will have a small vegetable garden at our new home. There is already a raised bed with a small garden planted. I am really looking forward to it. I might even start with a winter garden.

These are my bell peppers. They weren't originally planned as a container plant but things worked out that way because of the lack of time or my failure to management it better. Maybe a little of both. I will be cooking with these very soon.

There is still so much to do I can't even think about it. Paul hurt his back so things have really slowed down. I'm hoping that we can hold off showing our house until we have moved. As I pack things up I have to stack boxes in corners and what kind of staging is that? I'm praying for a sense of humor so I can laugh at this experience, wisdom to know what is right, and strength to get through it. I'm also thankful for the gift a a new home and moving to a new town with the opportunity of making new friends. I'm focusing on the gifts. Thank you Lord.

God's peace be with you.

Middle of the Week Update

As I review my progress this week I'm feeling much better about the numerous dead lines that are ahead of us. The living room is not complete. I have to buy a window covering and that is it. It looks clean and fresh. The bathroom floor is done and I'm going to paint the doors and do some touch up painting. My master bedroom is almost done. I need to paint doors, finish trim and hang the vertical blinds. I see things coming together now. The credit goes to God because that is who I asked for the patience, organizational skills and determination to get this done. I was doing a lot of praying. Thank you God!!!! I do enjoy painting and that is helpful.

The other task that I got completed is the purchase of homeowners insurance. I have to ask, is everything cheaper in Oregon? Homeowners insurance is half the cost there than in CA. Our new home is rural too. I just don't get it. That sure made the experience a pleasant one. I can't wait to check out the auto insurance.

Between the painting and cleaning I am also packing things that I won't need until we move into our new home. I love pictures and I take a lot of them. This is a picture of a quilt that was in a Modesto quilt show a few years ago. I love it. This is a thread and fabric technique that I'm looking forward to learning. The detail is incredible. I don't know how successful I will be and I won't know until I try. I have so much to look forward to. I must get back to work. The feeling of accomplishment is too good to pass up. Have a blessed day.

Brief Update

I've been trying to get our house ready to sell. Things are moving along at a snail's pace. There is so much to do and so little time. Then there is the issue of people who don't share your urgency. It took two weeks to get the wall paper off the living room walls, prime, and paint. If I knew how to do some of the repair work I could have done it my self in four days. I visited Home Depot for advise. I researched the web for advice and I read How To books. What a waste of time. The most important details are left out. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? I had to depend on people who know how to do the work for instructions on what to do. I think I can add some thing new to my repertoire of talents. This week the GOAL is to paint the master bedroom and bathroom and by the grace of God, get the dining room floor in. As I ponder this weeks goals I'm feeling my sore tired muscles and preparing myself mentally to stand up and walk. This is a wake up call, I'm not so young anymore. I wish I was quilting. I miss it so. Missing Oregon and The Sewing Basket too.

Back to work I go.
Wishing you a blessed week.

Sleepless night

I was up at 5:00 this morning because I just can't sleep. I have so much to do before September 17th. I made a list and that list seems to grow every day. I have been packing things I know I won't need until I move and now I'm not sure where to store all these boxes. I'm not even half done. This afternoon the real estate people will be here to set up the sale of this house. Did you notice I didn't refer to it as home? I'm really looking forward to this move, although I will miss so many people. The last thing to pack up will be my quilting room because I really need the stress release I get when I unwind at my sewing machine. I cut out the background fabric for my Ladies of the Sea quilt and now I feel a bit relaxed. I'm going to organize my projects so I can grab one when the need arises.

Have you seen McKenna Ryan's newest creation. I love it. I think the Sewing Basket is going to offer this one. I can visualize this on a wall in my new home. I think it's great to have something to look forward to so I will add this to my list.
There is so much to do I feel guilty sitting at my computer. So, I'm going to call this a break and since my break is now over, it's back to work.

I was told how to eat an elephant. One bite at a time. That's how I'm dealing with this move. I'll keep you posted.

Wishing you a blessed day.

The Count Down Begins

As I sat in church this morning talking with friends and singing praises to the Lord it hit me, I'm leaving some awesome friends and a fabulous church family. The Praise and Worship band is incredible and after I leave church I feel the Holy Spirit within. Pastor Dan is incredible too. Am I going to find a church family like this one in Oregon? I couldn't hold back the tears. I have six more Sundays and I know it's not going to get any easier. I'm going to make new cards with my address on it and hand them out. Thank God for email. I have so much work to do in this house to get it ready for sale. I'll keep you posted on my progress. 48 days and counting.
Wishing you a blessed week.

The Big Move

It has finally happened, we're moving to Oregon. This is a picture of our new home. This has been a dream of mine and my DH for five years. It didn't feel like it was going to ever happen but in less than a month we found a home we love at price we can afford in a neighborhood we like. The house is like new and has all the features we wanted. I'm going to miss my friends but I have already made friends in Oregon over the past years while visiting and I have family there. I invite all my friends to come visit. I'm going to fix up one of the bedrooms into a cozy, comfortable guest room. The other room will be my quilting room and I have some great plans for that. As for the physical part of moving, not so fun. I just spent two days having a garage sale and I find that shopping at one is more fun than having one. I will keep you posted on the moving progress.

Wishing you a blessed week.