Another Attempt

Computers have not been my best friend lately so yesterday with all the "issues" (I hate "issues"!) I was having posting I just had to step away. Earlier this morning I was having more issues...finally I walked away from the PC which is in The Ark, and went to the Mac in the bedroom. I think the PC is destined to just be a slave for my Bernina software and not live online anymore. And I see a MacPro in my future! Yippee!
Let's try to post a couple more pictures...

Aaahhhhh, Blogger's not being quite as rude this morning! The block above is one of 10 in Piece O' Cake's "Walk in the Mountains" pattern. I started it in 1998 when we lived in Ohio and had visited Lancaster, PA for the Quilt Extravaganza. It's all needle turn appliqué and a little embroidery with many, many tiny pieces...maybe that's why after I finished the first 2 blocks it sat languishing in the hidden spots in The Ark's Closet! All the pieces fortunately found their way through moves to Florida, Oregon and finally made it here to California. Here's how it looks now...

I started the final block yesterday and then it'll be ready for the pieced border. Upward and onward to getting another UFO DONE!


Back to Stitchin' for My Soul (much happier activity!),
Nadine

A New Adventure and Another UFO DONE!

     Soooooooo......entranced by Crazy Quilting...I've loved it for a long time, gazed longingly at any Crazy Quilt I've ever seen, taken a class or 2, played around a bit, and made a CQ Vest years ago. Recently I came across a blog featuring the work of a gal in Australia, Sharron Boggon, www.pintangle.com/ . This is her last year teaching classes online so I jumped at the opportunity to learn from this master. Her work is simply incredible! When you see a block of hers you want to just keep looking and looking at all that's presented.....Like when you walk into a wonderful quilt shop and just stand in the doorway totally and wonderfully overwhelmed by all you see from that one spot!

     The class is 6 weeks long and I just completed week 1 of making the foundational block. I pulled apart a vest kit I had purchased a zillion years ago and began to flip and sew pieces together, adding some lace here and there. It's really strange to work in PINK! I'm not at all a real "pink" person, nor am I a phoo-phoo person...I tend to lean to a simple tailored fashion style avoiding gobbly gook. (So much so that when I needed a "mother of the wedding" dress when our daughter got married, I asked if the clerk had anything in "Elegant Denim" because I didn't want to wear "Old Lady Lace"!)

     So here I am starting something new, feeling excited about all the stuff and bling that I'll be playing with and also feeling a little overwhelmed at the same time. I'll keep you posted on this new journey.



 



 

     Meanwhile, back at the ranch...Boyfriend, aka Papa Toad, is making great progress with his broken leg. I no longer have to shadow him with his walker because he's more trustworthy using it now...except when he hops into our walk in shower. Then it's rubber mat, shelf liners on the tile, shower chair etc...and yes, I get a shower too! It'll be 4 weeks this Wednesday since he overzealously went for that tennis shot and on Thursday he'll see the Orthopedic dude again. When he saw him 2 weeks ago the Dr. thought he might be able to start weight bearing soon. We're hoping "soon" will mean this week!

     I've gotten another UFO finished! This is a 50x50" wall hanging that I made in 1999 that was just waiting to be quilted and bound. "Cabin in the Woods" I believe was in a magazine...maybe American Patchwork and Quilting (?). Amazing how tops can just hang marinading in closets until I make up my mind to just get them DONE! I'm sure some of you can relate!!!



 

 

 I was going to show y'all a couple more pictures but it seems that BlogSpot is acting rude again so I'll get this post up and try again in a few minutes. Why, oh why, do computers sometimes become so rude????

 

Nadine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You did What???

It was last Wednesday 9:30 a.m...Mom and I had gone for our haircuts...and Suzie had just started to cut Mom's hair...and then I get a call from my boyfriend, aka as Hubby Papa Toad...."I think I hurt myself..." Long story short: while playing tennis and running full boar to get a shot he slammed himself into a steel bench and broke his femur right below his hip. Sooooo, he had surgery to get some hardware installed so now he can test airport security alarm systems. He (We!) finally got to come home from his hospital visit Saturday afternoon. Whew! So my planned stay at home quilting retreat to join my Stashbuster buddies quickly became a stay at home retreat playing with a walker, wheelchair, physical therapy exercises and other personal care items (use your imagination!)
It is now Monday. Our weekend: He and I managed to get him into the house (a huge WHEW!), tried the bed to sleep and then figured out his lounge chair worked best. Each day will get easier...Aaah, the adventures of Life!
Meanwhile I did finish a Valentine's Day quilt. It was a kit from The Pincushion in Davis, CA. For many years they have vendored at many shows and always have really luscious fat quarter packs of 8 called "Sweet Treats". This pattern is called "Easy Peasy" (53 x 65") and the "Sweet Treat" pack that I chose was yummy.

 

I also finished the last 2 BOM of Kathy Schmitz's embroidered seasonal set. These were really fun with a combination of embroidery and piecing. For January:

 

 

A Valentine for February:

 

All ready for March Winds:

 

The rest of the year's BOM are finished and ready to display. Here's some leftover blocks from a quilt that has rail fence blocks. The larger quilt has these blocks set on the diagonal. It's waiting to be quilted. The leftovers became a Table Topper.

 

Yay! Another few UFO finishes for 2014! Now on to finishing an appliqué block for the month... I'm sure I'll be having plenty of stay at home time since Papa Toad can't do any wt. bearing for  at least 4-6 wks!!! Oh, but wait....we get to go to the orthopedic dude in 10 days to get his staples out.....an Outing!

Meanwhile, enjoy your Stitchin' for the Soul!

Nadine

Do I remember? Maybe!

Good Golly Miss Molly! Looks like I haven't been here for almost a year! Posting....I don't seem to be doing a very good job at this blog stuff. But I will make the attempt...once again! I have a specific purpose this year. I've been following Stashbusters on Yahoo for awhile now and right before Christmas I decided to stop lurking in the closet and join a group (or 2 or 3!) because listening, or rather reading, about these lovely ladies was interesting....who lived in what state,country, what issues they were having with what quilts, who was snowed in and getting a lot done, etc....girlie chit chatter. It became amusing, thought provoking and helpful. Then I read about a few challenges....and there it was: UFO Challenge for 2014! Ok, I got hooked! Sounded like fun to report to a group rather than just my little Journal of my personal Yahoo Finishes for 2013.
I joined and now my race was on...I had to turn in a count of my UFOs, send 2 FQs and a $1 that would go to a year end winner. I did it! I found 21 UFOs hanging in my closet, hiding in baskets and buried elsewhere....hopefully I looked deep enough so I don't find any more! I also did an accounting of my WIPs...things that I was actively engaged in....ELEVEN! Ai Yi Yi! And now you know why I chose "Carpe diem and Focus" as my theme for 2014...
For my first UFO to finish I chose what I think is my oldest. Before we left California in 1997 I was involved in a small quilting group that gathered together I think every Wednesday or maybe it was every other week. I think there were 6-8 of us and 1 was Tina Gully, a sweet sweet lady who rescued quilts from basements, attics, garage sales, thrift shops everywhere. She told how she would take a stained quilt outside, spray it down and leave it topside down on the grass under a shade tree and Voila, the chlorophyll from the grass would safely remove any stains but not bleach any colors. She also loved Pineapple Quilts and taught a class I took using an Eleanor Burns book. I decided to make a Gi-normus one because the technique was fun and precise. As a result I ended up with a zillion (maybe it was only a million)  blocks...3 values of purple (must've been in my pre-1995 purple phase) with red as my accent color. Finished the zillion and realized in a more sane moment that I didn't want any purple toned quilt on my king sized bed. What had I been thinking? Flash forward a few years and another Finish UFOs Moment...I took a large portion and made a twin size quilt, grabbed 18 more and made two 9 block table toppers and had 4 left that I pieced into this table runner that never got quilted until this last weekend. Aaaaah, the first finish (19 x 49") "Done Done" for 2014!

 

And it feels good! I'm in the race for real! Now to get the next UFO finished....and to start the Trail Mix Challenge Group.....and Shakespeare in the Park Group.....

Sending y'all in the East some warm Western wind to warm you up while I go do some more "Stitchin' for my Soul!"

 

 

Nadine



What's Next? Too Much!

It must be the time of year. You know, the start of a new year when I take an inventory of what needs finishing! So here's where I started...The Stash Closet! See those wonderful project boxes all nicely labeled? All WIPs (works in progress) just waiting to be loved again. All the fabric pieces needed to get the job done, all in one neat little box...or so I think! 

 Such treasures abound! One box has some antique Dresden Plate blocks that are from a quilt my auntie made in the 30s (I have those trimmed and ready to go into a Roman Shade in a bathroom). Another has pieces my mentor auntie started before she passed away some years back. Then there are a few boxes with WIPs waiting for me to finish the embroidered sections.

Some WIPs were already cut and ready to be pieced...such a heavenly find! After completing "Comfort and Joy" I wanted to visit my "bright side".  I pulled out "Gerbera Daisy" (59x59") from Lakehouse Quilts. It was a kit that Sew Many Quilts in Bend, OR had put together a few years ago (like 7!) All the pieces were all cut and ready to assemble along with the border/binding fabrics so it went together quickly.

I had 11 daisies leftover....Hmmmm, had to go off my Fabric Diet and get some more fabrics to finish 3 table runners....and 2 potholders. I'm quilting those now. I'll share those when I finish.

In another project box I found "Bento Box" (50x65") by Tracey Brookshier. It too was already cut and ready to go.

 And here's my wonderful gift to myself...well, half of it! Moving "The Ark" from a 400 sq.ft. play area into a 12x12' room has had a few challenges, but I'm loving the consolidation and being closer to the rest of the activity in my home. I needed to rethink cutting and pressing areas so I ordered this "Cut 'n Press" piece from Nancy's Notions. They're made by "Tracy's Tables", very good quality, come all assembled except for the drawer pulls and casters. It's awesome! It consists of the 2 side cabinets and the BigBoard that interlocks on the top. (The center cabinet I already had sitting next to my serger cabinet (both from "Tracy's Tables" and it fits perfectly!) It arrived last Thursday and I LOVE it!!! Now I'm waiting for its twin to arrive. It will go back to back to these pieces for my cutting area. Yahoo!

That's all for now kids. I'm off to begin a Terrific Tuesday. Today I'm dealing with scrapbooks for my 41 year old twins.....

I'm only up to First Grade so I better get crackin'! Wish me luck! (Papa Toad knows we won't be doing any Formal Entertaining for the next few months!)

Have no fear, I'll be sure and take a few breaks so I can do a little "Stitchin' for my Soul!"

Nadine





Comfort & Joy....DONE!

So....it's done! Except for quilting, and then adding all the buttons, ribbon etc. embellishments! The trick will be to get that all done in a timely manner.....in other words, before December 2014! Now that the monthly "Anne" pressure isn't on....will we all stay on target????? Thanks Anne, for helping me get it completed to this stage!

 

 

I kept with the wool theme for the appliqued borders....added cotton YoYo's for the berries with wool vines and leaves.

I had to smile at Anne's last post about procrastinating about blogging.....I completely agree! I've had Comfort and Joy complete now since the middle of December thinking we were all going to post the final border in December (I know, idealistic and a cock-eyed optomist leftover from the song from South Pacific!). And yet, here I am at the last minute posting my results. I guess it might be because I feel that no one's really listening to me (reading me) out there, so why bother! And I'd rather be quilting!!!

But....till the next post......I'll be stitchin' for my soul!
Nadine

 

 

Design Walls...An Adventure!

Finally Papa Toad and I have figured it out...After trying to use the flannel backs of picnic table clothes, push pins in walls, trying to deal with slanted ceilings, portable "built it and move it" types and various coverings and surfaces, I'm in love!
Papa Toad remembered making some speaker covers at our church years and years and years ago and decided to go with that technique. The boards themselves are aluminum backed foam insulation boards that you find at any DIY place, like Home Depot or Lowe's. They come in 4x8' sheets and are easily cut to size. The next step was to take 1x2" boards and built a frame within the perimeter on the back using metal L brackets at the corners. This completed frame was then attached to the insulation with a hot glue gun. From the other side of the insulation, the "front" that will hold the designs, the frame is not visible.
Next I smeared a UHU glue stick all over the "front" and laid down Pellon Fleece, wrapped it around the sides and stapled it with my mighty staple gun (be careful!!) to the back of the frame. For the final covering I used a pale, pale, pale yellow (cream color) flannel. I find it easier to see true colors on an off-white, cream color than if I used a stark white. I cut lengths of the flannel and laid each one on the Pellon (no glue needed), stretched them taut around to the back of the frame and stapled again. I used the Pellon Fleece first so that I wouldn't see any insulation brand labeling through the flannel. It also adds a nice little bit of cushion to the boards. Here's what it looks like on the back side:

Up at the top you'll see some eye screws screwed into the wood frame to hang onto a hook:

 

 When we lived in Bend, OR our walls were less textured than they are in this house and we used 3M Command Strips on Quilt Hangers with great success. We decided to give those a try again with 3M hooks using their Command Strips......Hmmmm,



Up it went......3 weeks later it slid to the floor along with a couple other quilts I'd hung....too much wall texture. So, on to a another system. Hercules Hooks! Our new best friend!!!

They're awesome! The tall side has a sharp point that you pierce through your wall board and then slide it up behind the wall board. The only part that you see on the outside is the short little hook end that you can hang a picture or in our case, those eye screws on the back of the design wall. We used one on each top corner. Voila!

Kind of hard to see but it's there. We hung two 4x8' design walls vertically next to each other. "Comfort & Joy" is shown here straddling them:

And then I I did a redo on my first older 4x4' one. Here it is just waiting for something other than a calendar and pin cushion!

We use a Hercules Hook and the "Hang It, Dang It" quilt hanger rod wherever we hang a quilt on the wall. It is a fabulous and easy systerm that involves a 3/4" adjustable metal rod that slides into the quilt sleeve. Then a 3" bracket with a nail/screw hole is clamped in the center over the sleeve. By placing that clamp in the center, the quilt balances and levels itself on the Hercules Hook. Here's how it looks with Bunny Hill's "Rabbits Prefer Chocolate".

It's a great system with nothing showing except the quilt!

Till next time, Happy Designing! And Stitchin' for the Soul!
Nadine

 







 





Comfort and Joy...Caught Up!

I did it! At last I'm on schedule with Comfort and Joy! I finished the November tree block along with the first BOMs that the rest of the group had done before I got started after my move.

 

 The center of the quilt is complete, the inner border in place and the outer border fabric chosen.

Next: appliqueing this outer border....before Christmas? Hmmmmmm, we'll see. I need to complete a few gifties first. Did I just say a "few"? Such a joke! My list always seems to exceed the reality of my time line. I'm sure that none of you have that issue! I'm trying to prioritize a little so at the top of the list are 18" doll clothes for 2 of our munchkins with a couple matching outfits for them. We'll see how that goes! The good news is that the 140 Christmas (-er, Thanksgiving cards and letters) got made and mailed on time, 1/2 our family came for a grand brined turkey (Thanks, Pioneer Woman) on The Feast Day and the Friends' Reunion Dinner for 16 last Monday came off without a hitch. So now it's time for all out production! And decorating! (I already see my To Do List shrinking!!!)

Back at ya soon.....meanwhile I need to do some Stitchin' for My Soul!
Nadine

Wonder how I screwed up?

My apologies.....I had the 10/29 post scheduled to post a little after midnight on 10/29....I just noticed that it didn't........Hmmmmmmm......Guess you'll just have to read it now instead! sorry.....
Nadine

A Tisket, A Tasket......I finished my basket!

Aaaahhhhh, I made it! It's been pretty frantic around here! Remember when I mentioned that my Mantra was "Rome wasn't built in a day?" Well, Yahoo! Rome's getting built!!! Amazing what can get accomplished with Papa Toad no longer on crutches! Quilts are getting hung...pictures too! The potting bench is in place, shed and fence doors are getting aligned, high ladder stuff is getting done, and things in our new location are getting figured out! And we have a rat in the garden shed...so I'm staying clear of that place and letting Papa Toad be the hero now that we have the birdseed in Ft. Knox. Who knew they chewed through rubber garbage cans!  I don't do rodents real well.

 

Meanwell, I finished the basket section of the "Comfort and Joy" BOM that Anne  moderates. I must admit that in spite of my lousy timing and joining this right when I moved, I've really enjoyed having to focus on something new....and Wool!....and the monthly deadlines have been a good discipline. I've had to up my drugs but other than that it's been fun! I finished the house, stocking, snowman, flag and gingerbread basket blocks and now I'm almost done stitching the angel, Santa and tree blocks (yes, the December tree block) so I'll be posting those soon.

 

Meanwhile I also got 2 "Happy Jacks" done, 1 for a friend hosting Bunco, and another for my daughter's classroom (she teaches a Grade 1/2 combination class in Canada).

 

I'd love to tell you who the designer is but the pattern seems to be missing right now.....maybe out Trick or Treating! It was fast and easy! The best part? These 2 wall hangings and all of the Comfort and Joy blocks have come out of my stash! And sadly there doesn't even seem to be a dent in the amount of fabric hanging out around here! Hmmmmmm, this could get embarrassing! Oh well, I'll get over it.
Gotta go for now, I need to go do some Stitchin' for my Soul! But I'll be back a little sooner and show you how Papa Toad hung my design walls. So stay tuned for "Anatomy of a Design Wall". Hint: Hercules Hooks.....I think I'm in love!

Nadine

"Speechless", aka, "Title-less"

     Now, THAT's new and different! Me....speechless! I sit here without a Title...for this Post, that is. I know I have plenty of titles for myself......Mama Toad, Hon, Grammy, Gramma, Mrs. H, Mrs. Hogie, CEO of my little company, Queen of Organization and Clutter, Chief of the Calendar, etc...... And usually I can come up with some pretty appropriate and fun titles for this blog. I get a title in my head and then a post happens. The same thing happens when I design a quilt....a title comes to me and then I design the quilt that "feels" like the title. Yes, weird, I know. But, I digress...nothing new there.... "Rambler" could be another of my titles!
     As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, "Comfort and Joy" is the BOM I decided to join, like a crazy fool, just before we moved back to California. I really don't care for tattoos, but I need to get "Just say No!" tattooed on my forehead and both hands to remind myself that I need limits! Regardless of good intentions and foolish overestimations of the number of hours in a day, I managed to complete the section that everyone else was working on this month:

     I love wool so all the applique is wool. I still have buttons to add and I think I'm adding "Time for Yummies" to that top strip right of the gingerboys, but I'm current! Well, at least for this month. I decided to play catch-up by getting all the piecing units made so then I could just plop them in place once the applique units were done. That's what you see on the right side. On the left you see part of next month's section. Although I really love hand stitching I made an executive decision, living up to my CEO title, that all the applique on this quilt would be done with the heavy blanket stitch on my Bernina. Time is of the essence! So, the catch-up is going well. Here are the appliques for Sections 1 & 2, minus button eyes and stars, that the rest of my BOM friends did months ago:

     Anne, of Cottons 'n Wool fame, has been our great Moderator and has kept the blog BOM on track. The goal was to get this done by Christmas and it looks like it'll happen for all the other members...maybe me too if I get that tattoo soon and don't start something else! But wait, Christmas is coming....and there's so many cute ideas I have for gifts.....
     A couple years ago I kept track of my "Yahoos for 2010." I felt that my UFOs had really gotten out of control.....projects that were calling me to not only finish, but to start! I made great progress that year. I feel "Yahoos for 2013" coming on......Time to bring 'em on!
     Update on our move:
On September 17, after 13 weeks, (make that THIRTEEN!) weeks, Papa Toad got the word that he could bear full weight on his foot and become Crutchless!!! Talk about a Yahoo! WooHoo! So now the man has been getting busy trying to figure out where I put everything....silly man thinks that I remember! So he's having a new adventure of finding things and unpacking a few boxes that I opened up, saw that he'd "packed" them and quickly decided to leave them for him to deal with. All in all it's going quite well. Moving back after 15 years to the area where we raised our kids makes us feel like we've come home....a really good feeling!
     Till next time, enjoy your home and go do some "Stitchin' for the Soul" while I go see about getting that tattoo!

Nadine

Comfort & Joy...Kind of, Sort of, Not Exactly!



Warning: Lengthy Post ahead...Read with a Cup of Tea or Coffee in Hand, add Chocolate as needed!

 

 





Soooooo.....the moving saga continued with the arrival of The Best Moving Team in our moving history...and after 11 moves, we've had History! The Prestige Allied Moving Co. in Bend were "fantabulistic!" So on Monday, June 18, our house got emptied of all those boxes....our "stuff" weighed in at 22,000 lbs!

 

 

On Wednesday we headed south....Papa Toad drove the RV and towed the Escape and Mom and I followed in the Explorer...it was 33 degrees in Bend that morning! And for some reason, my heater decided not to work...and my sandaled tootsies couldn't wait to hit warmer California!

We arrived safe and sound, a day before the movers and were greeted by a house cleaner and carpet shampooers busy at work. We were having all of the interior repainted and since we'd closed on Monday, only the ceilings and closet interiors were able to get painted on Tuesday which meant that the walls and woodwork would all have to be done after we moved in....Joy! Oh, but the best was yet to come!

So, on Wednesday, June 21, the movers arrive and Papa Toad shows them around the house, which room is which and what goes where.....and he steps off the one and only little step into the garage (guess he didn't think they knew what the garage was!) and his foot lands wrong on a floor mat...and breaks his foot!!!  Yes folks, life changes in an instant! For the next 10 weeks he became "Crutch Man" and didn't even bother to get a Blue Cape to match...which would've helped him fly since he couldn't put any weight on it walking.

 

He chose blue...closest to denim! And the Hot Pink choice didn't really go with his personality!

Meanwhile, the 3 painters showed up the following Monday...so we lived with "this" for 7 days:



Now you know the story...the next 10 weeks were filled were all kinds of adventures and I learned a lot of new skills and have a whole new set of muscles! My best girlfriend (sista) Sharyn came out from NC for the first 2 wks and we muscled nearly every piece of furniture and box in place, learned a lot about plumbing (after the 1st 10 days and all 3 toilets clogging 9 times, we, well, the plumber, replaced them with Totos!) and electricity and construction. Everytime I had an issue, I'd take a picture on my phone and ask Papa Toad what to do.

 

The best part of the move was being 2 1/2-3 hrs away from our son and his family and have them come visit our chaos for the 4th of July weekend. Having 4 1/2 year old Callie and 3 year old Josie actually playing in our home and yard was way toooooo awesome....even with all the boxes 1/2 opened! And then being able to babysit them for a week at the end of July was way too fun...exhausting, but fun!

 

Upward and onward. We've made some progress in getting settled. Here's our front door. I love the glass entry:



Here's just inside the front door....I think I like this setting...but I'm anxious to get a quilt hung there too.

The Dining Room is twice as big as the Bend house and I'm enjoying the additional space...empty walls again...(soon, Nadine, soon!)

The kitchen is coming along....I'll show you more on another day.

Aaaaah, and now, the Comfort part.....The Ark! Now, going from 400 sq ft to a regular "bedroom" space has been a bit of a challenge for this chick but I think I'm liking the restrictions. It's teaching me to put things away and keep it somewhat organized. I still have to figure what kind of storage to get in there but I know that will come. It's located right behind that entry setting wall I showed you earlier and right across from the Living/Family/Great Room area AND it has double GLASS doors...Soooooo, yes, it's all very visible. That's the scary part!

 

Oh look what's on the cutting table:

My copy of Silver Thimble Quilt Company's "Comfort and Joy" pattern all ready to go! 

Right before my move I decided to join a group of gals doing a BOM using this pattern and their stash. (I was experiencing temporary insanity at the time) My friend and former neighbor, Anne of Cottons 'n Wool Blogging fame is the moderator for the group. They post their blocks every month and it's fun seeing everyone's interpretation. So yesterday I decided it was time for me to do some "Stitchin' for the Soul!" Seriously, I hadn't turned on the machine since we got here, and my mental health, or lack thereof,  proved it! So, I found the appropriate bins of fabric and started to pull backgrounds and homespuns and wools, of course.

Time to pull the wool too!

Here's 1/2 of the stash closet....See all those project boxes? Yep, stuff that's ready to sew together or embroider or dare I say the F-word......FINISH! I told Papa Toad I'm terribly anxious to start un-crowding The Ark 1 yard and 1 project at a time! In his wisdom he just smiled and nodded his head.

Needless to say, things have progressed rather slowly. After I experienced my first Panic Attack I had to add a new Mantra for my life: "Rome wasn't built in a day!" Since my personality is one of "busy-ness" and loving it, I'm trying to learn how to relax again. For me that means a little (or a lot!) of sewing everyday. My whole self requires that...just ask Papa Toad. He'll be the first to agree...even after he already knows he owes me BIG TIME! I told him I was up to 2 cruises and 20 karets after this escapade.

Starting tomorrow he will be able to do 25% weight bearing, next week will be 50%, then in  FOUR MORE weeks he'll be 100%....that'll bring us up to a total of 14 weeks...........

Breathe in.....Breathe out....Breathe in.....Breathe out.....Breathe in......

Rome wasn't built in a day.

Think I better go do some Stitchin' for MY Soul....and find some Comfort & Joy!

 



 



My Life in a Box (or a Zillion Boxes!)

     WooHoo, it's Moving Time! Yep, the time has come for Grammy and Papa to get closer to 2 of our 4 grandbabes...and to get some shorter winters than Central Oregon provides. We've been thinking about it for a couple years and when several factors seemed to be aligning, we decided to see if we could make it happen. We listed our home for sale in April. As soon as it was listed (and in the pristine "No One Really Lives Here" state of clean), we drove to Canada to visit our daughter and her family...that's one way to keep a house Picture Perfect!  When it sold 12 days later we knew we had to quickly find a house and begin the nightmare of packing! Off we went to Northern California to spend 3 days searching for a place to land.

     We decided to look around the area in the Sierra Foothills, east of Sacramento. We'd raised our family there before Papa Toad accepted a job in Ohio in 1997. By the week's end, we found a house that I love...in Cameron Park, same place where we'd lived before. Except that I didn't take any pictures of it when we previewed it and since Papa Toad didn't think he liked it, I really don't remember all the details of some important rooms! Like where will The Ark be?????? Oh my, the adventure of it all!!!

     The movers arrive Monday...so here's what The Ark looks like now:

Oh look, I can still see a drawer on my sewing cabinet!

     

The machines have been packed in their original Bernina boxes for a few weeks and I've had serious withdrawals ever since!

         Tomorrow we'll load the RV with all the "I don't want to pack that, let's just take it with us" stuff and tape up the final boxes. Those are the ones that are such fun to unpack! You know, those final boxes that hold all the last minute stuff you need to the bitter end. The Mystery Boxes....the ones you forget to label, or you're so DONE with the moving process that you don't care whether it's labeled or not! So there it is, the box that has everything from the sprinkler can you almost forgot to pack along with the bath mat and His favorite coffee mug to that stack of quilting/cooking magazines that you were going to go through and purge!
     This last stage of packing is soooooooooooooooo different than the beginning. In the beginning I vowed to really do a good job of labeling each box. I even thought that if I was very specific about where the contents had come from in the house that I'd really be able to have a photographic memory about what exactly I'd find in that box. I've never had a photographic memory in my life so why did I think I'd be zapped with that gift now? Instead, as I sit here typing, I'm looking at a box that is labeled "Middle Shelf of Entertainment Ctr." Really? Could I really be that blonde? 4 weeks later and I don't have any idea what was on that shelf! Papa Toad and I have moved 12 times, bought and sold 8 houses...you'd really think we'd have it down to a science! I have a friend who is a meticulous packer! She has a cross reference system...each box has a # that corresponds to a list that tells exactly what's in that box...and each box has a list on its top that tells what's in it. Now, I ask you, where's the fun in that? No mysteries, no surprises, no Christmas feeling in June, no searching, no Yahoos, no feeling of reward when you finally find those pots and pans. (When we moved to Ohio I could not find those pots and pans...after 4 weeks I went and bought a new set!) I bet my friend is still stuck with her original wedding pots and pans because she labels those boxes....and she probably isn't moving 22,000 lbs....and she's not a quilter!
     So, the movers load up all the stuff Monday and the cleaners will come Tuesday. Wednesday, Papa Toad will drive the RV and the "Toad" (towed Escape) and Mom and I will follow behind as our little caravan heads south. We should arrive in Cameron Park late afternoon. I'll try to keep you posted on the rest of this adventure and let you know as soon as I decide where to put The Ark! Meanwhile, I think I need to do a little Stitchin' for the Soul! (Yes, that's not packed...it'll go in my cosmetic bag!)

4 more sleeps......
Nadine
   

Let's Try This Again!!!

Let's see what I don't remember about all this bloggin' stuff....that will be quite a lot! So, let this just be a little test post and see if I can start up again!

Lavender Ridge's Give-A-Way and Anne's back!

Go there.....go to Lavender Ridge and just take a look at what you could win! You'll have to go and see what.....but trust me, I think you'll want it for sure! I'd never really thought much about it before but having seen what it can do....WOW! So Miss Linda, -er, Mr. Random Number Chooser, please pick me!
My other news is that Anne's back! Yahoo!
I, too, had a bit of a holiday. Papa Toad and I were basically "on the lamb"....well, really only on "holiday" for 2 months, but "on the lamb" just has a more mysterious and daring sound. We celebrated our 40th anniversary by spending 28 wonderful days in the Mediterranean. We took our 3rd cruise on Holland America, 12 days that began in Barcelona and took us to Monaco, 3 ports in Italy, 3 in Greece, Dubrovnik Croatia and ended in Venice. Then our land journey began in Italy which included Florence, Perugia, Assisi, Tuscany/Chianti/Umbria regions, Rome and its surroundings. I tell ya....it was truly an awe inspiring, once in a lifetime journey. We'd never been to Europe before and now we're ready to go again! But, my or my it's a long trip from Oregon! (made even longer when you're stuck on the tarmac in Rome for 2 hours before you even start the 10 hr. flight to Washington, DC!
I'll post some photos soon....................first I'll need to choose just a few from the 1016 I took!
Meanwhile, happy stitchin' for the soul..............
Nadine

Am I Back?

Maybe.... My website is having issues with Malware and I don't know how to deal with it. Frustrating! I moved my blog there over a year ago and now I can't get there. Arghhhhhhh. So until I decide how to get it fixed I'll hang out here for awhile. I think I miss the journaling part of this adventure. The sharing. The airing of my brain, thinking aloud, getting feedback. And winter seems to be getting closer which means more indoors time and for me that equals more playroom time.
For now let me share my latest pattern release...."Winter Pillow Trio" pattern, #3 in the series.

Kind of fun, eh?

Labor Day weekend...time to "Labor". Time to get some summer garden cleanup done. Gardening was really tough this year in Central Oregon. I finally got my first squash blossom on August 20th and then we had our first frost the next night....no more leaves left on the plant! I ended up with 3 peppers, 3 cherry tomatoes, lettuce, about 3 dozen carrots and 3 dinners of green beans. Obviously the high desert pioneers had more success than I did! I'm glad I can run to Whole Foods and Costco!

Time to go play for a bit.....Have a wonderful weekend and travel/play safely!

And do take some time to do some "stitchin' for the soul"!

Nadine