Sunday, and the weekend is over

It shouldn't matter to me that the weekend is over I have no job to get to or many responsibilities in my life, yet it does.  I guess it's years and years of getting up at 5:30 to get Larry's breakfast and lunch made then getting the children off to school.  There is still magic in the thought of Saturday.  Today, I took Quinn to the park twice to run on the fields, both times her buddy Hannah (the boxer next door) was there to run with her.  Let me tell you she takes a lot of steps keeping up with full grown Hannah, but she does keep up.  Actually she runs circles around Hannah-literally!  When we get home she naps!

I did some sewing, handles for gifts bags that have been in the works for going on two years now.  I'm putting some serious time in on them now, once finished there will be an empty spot in my sewing room and boy do I need those.

I spent a lot of time trying to figure out a new arrangement for the sewing room/office.  There are only two rooms in this house that I can't lay my hands on whatever it is I need-the sewing room and the garage.  It is frustration plus.  In the end the answer will most likely be to finish projects and use things up although there will be some re-arranging as well it won't be major, a different layout and another 4 foot table for now, perhaps more later on.

I spent some thinking time on more patchwork ideas, like I need more projects!  And some time surfing Pinterest and other spots for inspiration-again I don't need more projects!  Both things involve my intention to make my home look more beautiful and to make a dent in my "TO Do" list so I'll justify it that way!

Now it's time for sleep.

Scrappy Red Top Finished

Today, Quinn needed out at 5:30am (a very uncommon event) and unlike her I didn't got back to bed.  She went right back to her crate and didn't get up until 9!  Instead I drank my coffee and began sewing on the red top.  I'm finished!  Guess I should thank her for getting me up so early, nah.

Sorry about the photo being dark!  We tried outside but the wind was blowing too hard and wrapped the bottom around Rob's legs!  If you look close some of the seams are off a bit (hey first-born perfectionist here) but I didn't care enough to redo them!  On the whole I'm happy with it, now I need to buy backing (thinking flannel), baste and hand quilt.  But wait! First I have to finish "See What You Started", a quilt I am sick of and hope never to see again after it's finished!

I've also made 3 red klosjes this week. They are quick and easy even though they are hand pieced.  I'll be making some more today and tomorrow, all red for the Scrap Challenge.

I intended to make some of the cute little scrap houses but they are just so tiny!  I tried one a bit ago and unless I take the patterns to Kinko's and enlarge it I doubt I make any, just too fiddly for me.  After I clean up a bit (don't get me started) and iron some (love the new iron so far) then I will cut more blocks and make some red heart blocks to use for placemats etc on Valentine's Day.

Quinn and I will make another trip to the park in about an hour but Tanya is making chili for dinner so I don't have to cook!  After dinner and playtime I'll stitch some more, I had such a busy week I'm catching up!

Quinn at 4 months

So remember these photos?  They are of Quinn when I first brought her home, at 9 1/2 weeks of age.

I took these today so you could see how much she's grown!

She still really likes to "sweep"  I swear she can hear the bristles of the broom gently brush across the floor!  Then it's ATTACK!  I sometimes put her out on the deck just so I can sweep.  The dishwasher is still very cool as there is always the chance to lick a plate clean of "people food"-notice all four paws are on the floor.

She's a good puppy and I adore her.

Updates!

This has been an odd week.  On Monday, Kolby was here as his Day care was without water-turned out he was becoming ill, again, as well so his Mommy picked him up early and took him to the Doc.  Ear infections, again.  At least this time the meds to cure it are not causing him other problems.  Yesterday, I had lunch with a friend before my volunteer gig, much fun.  Today I met Brayden after school to keep him company until Mommy got home.  He is much better after last week's fight with pneumonia, he was very tired so after a snack he watched Power Rangers and I stitched.  I have to say, listening to the Power Rangers wasn't too bad but WATCHING it is agony!  It is soooooo lame.  Tomorrow there is a reception for my old boss at the Trails Center who is retiring. Friday is errand and shopping day.  So everyday I've had something going on outside my normal, I've discovered I don't like it.  I am at the heart of me a home-body, I always have been.  No matter how enjoyable something is, if there are too many days that differ from my normal I get out of sorts! Weird, huh?  What's truly weird is that I'm just now figuring that out!

It's been a couple of weeks with out a cross-stitch update.  Bri especially likes these-it is her stocking after all.  So last time:

And tonight:

I should finish the second page of the pattern (it's in four parts on four pages) tomorrow and begin the third page.  It's coming along slowly.  I've been busy doing some hand sewing projects and working on red scraps etc.  I plan to stitch most of Saturday and Sunday.  I'm going to re-arrange my sewing room, yet again, maybe next week, hoping to arrive at a more useable room.  I may go shopping (ugh) for some cabinets or something to use in there instead of the 4 foot table-maybe something to go under the piece of oak counter top I saved from the old kitchen.

My new iron arrived but I haven't turned it on, maybe tomorrow.  I really need a new ironing board, too. Maybe Friday, then I need to make one of the "big board" adaptations for pressing quilts.  It just never ends!

Scrappy Red!

Today I finished sewing 49 red blocks together.  They mostly look like this:

There is, of course, quite a bit of variation in the prints--scrappy quilt after all.  The pattern I'm using said to press the seams open.  I don't know if I've ever seen a quilt pattern that said that!  Do you know how tiny a 1/4 inch seam is to press open?!  Then I remembered!  Scott and Bri gave me this nifty mini-iron, if only I could find it!  After an hour of hunting in every box imaginable I found it in a crock on top of the file cabinet!  It looks like this:

And is indeed very nifty for tiny little hems!  It even gets really hot!

Quinn and I went back to the park today for the first time in a while.  I dropped her leash inside the first ball field and she ran in circles around me through the outfield of that field, then through the next and then through the last when we turned around and ran through them the other way! Well she ran I strolled.  She is a tired little girl!

Made from scratch Chicken Pot pie, very yummy even if it's a messy thing.

Going to try and link up to SoScrappy with these red blocks, wish me luck!

I've missed few.

Well, my intentions to write here each day sort of blew out the window this week!  For some reason, unknown to me, I have been extremely tired in the evenings this week.  Once after dinner play time with Quinn is over, I watch a little tube sans stitchery most nights, then go to bed early.  Like 8 or 9 pm early!  Then I sleep about 10 hours, get up wanting to take a nap.  I don't know why, I'm not sick or anything.  I think I will chalk it up to the hibernation concept, you know: winter-dark-cold-think I'll just sleep until it's over!  The past couple of days have been better and today I did some sewing on the red blocks after grocery shopping.  I also ordered myself a new iron!  I'm tired of the one I have as it doesn't produce much steam or even get very hot.  Bought a little fabric at Joann's today, some Kona in bone for the leader and ender project and a lovely green for a cushion on the piano bench. It's funny about Joann's, I went in for a 12 inch square ruler and came out with fabric, batting and the ruler!  I really try to stay away from that place!  Well, I'm tired so it's off to bed and read a bit before sleep.

New Zealand Quakes

Did you know that there have been 9500 aftershocks in Christchurch, New Zealand?  Check out Deb Robertson's thoughtful post, I think earthquakes scare me more than any other natural disaster.