I was envious...

I was so envious of a friend's quilt! I had to make one. First I had to get the pattern...Jen, the friend I was envious of, told me it was Baker's Square, so I had to get my hands on that pattern. Then I loved the fabric so I was in search of the fabric. Which fabric line would capture my heart and imagination you might ask? SMORES! I had to find a layer cake so when we went to Madison that was the quest I was on. Then I needed additional fabric and the icon fabric was sold out at the quilt shop I normally go to...bummer. I searched in Madison...no go! Now what...I ventured out on the internet and there it was...the Smores fabric. I found an on-line store where I could purchase 1/2 yard cuts so I had more than enough. They also had charm packs so I bought two of those. Good thing I did because there was a little bit of a cutting fiasco with one of the major fabrics so I went into the two packs for that fabric (the rickrack fabric). So I cut the fabric to take it with me to my quilting retreat...but I decided to sew one row just to see how it looked. I ended up finishing all three of the A, B, and C rows so on retreat I only had to finish up the D rows and put them together as well as put the borders on. Here it is:

Well once that was done I then had to make a matching tote...what else is a girl to do? The only thing missing from the tote is a button on the front pocket and a friend of mine told me she had one for me. It is a snowflake, how appropriate for a Smores Charm Tote.

I still need to finish the quilt and add a button to the tote but I am much farther than when I left for quilt retreat. I sure love this fabric...thanks Jen for showing it to me.

Finally - A New Post

Thank you Jen for helping me update my Blog. Jen and Jill came up with the title and Jen came up with the new look to my blog!

Last night I went over to see Jen and give her this bracelet. There are so many stories involved in this bracelet. First of all I took the class years ago with my niece and I wanted to make one for Jen for Christmas, yes that is December 2007. Well first I had to find the pattern...easier said than done in my old quilt room. Finally it was found and I thought here I go. I am going to get this made but I didn't have pink crystals. So I waited. I was going to go out and buy them but I decided to go with purple because I had them. Something told me no...wait you want pink. So I did wait. Then I moved out of my house and in with my parents, well I thought that I brought the instructions with me. I went and picked up pink crystals and couldn't find the instructions. I really didn't want to go to my storage shed and try to find them. Not wanting to mess it up I asked my mom to ask her friend at work who also had the instructions. So only 10 months later and Jen has her bracelet. I had this beauty more than halfway done when opps I don't have enough fireline to finish it so I took it all apart and started over. I am so happy with the results and Jen seems to really like it. YEAH!

Not only did I work give Jen her new bracelet but I worked on some quilt tops! I finished putting borders on two quilts that I started last weekend. Last weekend I went on a quilting retreat in Lake Geneva with two friends and I finished up a bunch of tops and made a Charm Tote. Over the next couple of days I will show pictures and blog about them...How's that.

With all that has been going on I let blogging go and well I needed a new name for my blog so here it is Bear Paw Chronicles. Again I have to thank Jen and Jill for coming up with the name. I really didn't know what to call my new blog and well I was just not sure. So Jen asked me what my favorite block is and it is the Bear Paw. Mind you I have never made this beauty but someday maybe I will. I have so many UFO's that I just don't know when I will get the time to start one. That might be something to work on this winter...mmmm maybe some flannels? We will have to wait and see.

Kristie's 300th Post

My good friend Kristie is having a give away for her 300th post. You should go check it out...http://quiltingcowgirl.blogspot.com/2008/05/300th-post-giveaway.html.

Yeah Kristie!

I'm Alive

Okay now that I have your attention...I am alive. My viral bronchitis only took 9 1/2 weeks to go away. I admit there were times I thought I wouldn't make it. My lungs, throat, ears, stomach, ribs all hurt from coughing so much. Ohh well it's time to look forward to spring and hopefully some of the time to quilt!

Emma loves this time of year...is it because she was born in April and she's a spring dog. She has been really good lately. Okay except for the little incident with the pizza. I know you're thinking little incident with the pizza...Emma helped herself to two pieces of pizza the other day. I am sure the pepperoni was not the greatest for her but well she was happy when she was done gulping it down. Trust me I was not there encouraging her in fact I think I was telling her to leave it...like that's gonna work with PIZZA! The dog loves pizza and french fries. What's a girl to do.

Update on Rosemont!

Sorry I haven't written before now about Rosemont but I have been pretty sick. In fact I was sick while in Rosemont! I have Viral Bronchitis. I have been coughing for the last eight and a half weeks. While I was in Rosemont, my viral bronchitis came back like it was back at the beginning. This cough has been horrible! I am trying to rest, drink lots of fluids and take musinex.

On Thursday, I woke up at 4:30 AM and left to meet my friends in Silver Lake, WI and then we went to Rosemont for our first class. We took a quilting class with Linda Fiedler. It was okay. I already knew a lot of the information that was presented but it is still good to get another person's view of quilting...also it's practice, practice, practice. I enjoyed spending time with my friends and seeing them learn more. I did pick up one or two tips such as pulling the bobbin thread up to the top at the end of the line of quilting. She also went over pulling the thread up at the beginning...something I have done but sometimes not. We practiced e's, stippling, meandering, wavy crosshatching (which was pretty neat), etc. It was a whole day class and it was fun to spend time with my friends.

Friday we took a mystery quilt with Debbie Caffrey. It was fun. I like the way it is turning out. Once I figure how to download the pictures from my camera, I will take a picture of the block I finished. We used Baby Lock Espires. They were really nice machines. Only thing was I didn't have a good scant 1/4" so the pieces were wider so I have to go and resew all the seams with my home machine. I am sure with this the viral bronchitis I wasn't as careful as I should have been.

Saturday we took "The Bag Lady" lecture. We went station to station and learned about all the purses and how to make them. It was fun. We also went to see John Flynn for a lecture and luncheon. It was interesting ... I really was impressed with his hand quilting. WOW is all I can say. I would love to be able to hand quilt that beautifully! Later that evening we went to Meet the Teachers where you go from teacher to teacher and learn about their topic. You can't meet all the teachers due to time constraints but we saw quite a few and learned a lot. That night we celebrate my friend Kathy's birthday. We had a really good time except I got really exhausted. I did go back to our room between the luncheon and Meet the Teachers Sampler. It took a while with all the coughing to sleep but I finally slept!

Sunday I finally went shopping ... I bought a yard of fabric and I had bought a book and pattern from Debbie Caffrey. I guess with as tired and sick as I was ... I really didn't get a chance to shop as much as I would have liked to. We also went through and looked at all the quilts... there were so many beautiful ones. In fact, we talked with the person who won the Viewer's Choice. She was such a nice lady and her quilt was very pretty.

Your Slogan Should Be

Maureen. Uncommonly Made, Uncommonly Good.

The Slogan Generator

What an intersting slogan...What do you think?

International Quilt Festival in Rosemont

My friend Sherry gave me a book called Quilter's Guide to UFO's. She is so cute she showed me a picture in the book which shows a before and after picture of the author's studio. Sherry said it should make me feel better because mine isn't that bad. I think once I get back from the International Quilt Festival in Rosemont, IL, I will have to take pictures of my studio and figure out how to get it to look better.

I leave on Thursday for the International Quilt Festival in Rosemont. I am taking a class on Thursday with Linda Fiedler called Creative Machine Quilting...it should be quite a bit of fun. On Friday I will be taking Undercover in Chicago IV with Debbie Caffrey...it is a mystery quilt. On Saturday I am going to a luncheon called Confessions of a Non-traditional Quilter by John Flynn and I am going to go to a Saturday Night Sampler where 15 teachers will be demonstrating various techniques. I am looking forward to it! Sunday is our day to go to and check out all the quilts and to shop. I am going with my friends Kathy and Kristie! We have had a great time the last two years we have gone together and I anticipate this to be even better.

Ohh No I Made Changes & Lost Stuff

Well I tried to make changes all by myself and guess what I lost all my stuff on the side like me Weather Pixie and my counter at the bottom...WHAT HAVE I DONE! I am so mad at myself I know I can fix the Weather Pixie but the counter is something I just don't know how to do...so for a while my website will be under construction. I knew bad things would happen when I deleted a "widget" or something like that. Well I guess it's a done deal and there is no crying over the spilt milk or lost stuff! Wish me luck fixing it...

Update - I added quite a bit back...unfortnately I do not know what number my counter was on but I did know it was over 5000 so I figured I could easily set it at 5000 and know that it was correct. Well I hope it looks okay...I tired for now and am planning on watching TV and finishing laundry... Tomorrow I have an open sew day and I need to finish some of the blocks for Wendy's Block of the Month Club at Frank's.

Working at Getting Projects Done

As the title says I am working at getting projects done but unfortunately it is not quilty projects...it is projects around the house. This past weekend I did a lot of cleaning in our home and since then when I haven't been cleaning I have been either fixing dinner or working on some other household projects. I am hoping to wash dishes and start making dinner as soon as I am done typing this. I have been so sick to my stomach...probably from coughing so hard.

With this cold I had, the doctor told me I would be coughing for 4 to 6 weeks...I am on week 5 and I think I will be an overachiever and go 7...just a guess as it's not going anywhere. My mom suggested I call the doctor next week if I'm not better but I will be going to Rosemont for the Quilt Festival. I am soooo looking forward to that. I hate to leave Emma home but she will be okay. I may ask my dad to stop over and check on her during the day...Mark will be home with her at night but I know she gets really weird when I'm gone. Mark said she moped and moped last year.

I am going to take two classes and go to a couple of lectures. I will blog more about them after the festival.

I am hoping to finish my fabric coiled bowl this week. I thought I would get it done by the end of March and well it didn't quite happen...ohh well that's just the way things go.

I've been kind of down because I didn't got to Weight Watchers this last weekend and I know that this week I have not been eating well....well I havn't been eating much. My stomach and ribs hurt so much from coughing that I haven't been able to eat much and what I do eat bothers my stomach...okay I admit it ... even mashed potatoes hurt my stomach last night and they are bland! What's a girl to do?

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything. You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey. You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

This is not the color I would have thought...I guessed Green or Blue (my two favorite colors) I was really surprised about purple. Don't know if this really describes me...Hmmm.

Then I checked out what type of puppy I would be because well I love dogs and would love to have another one.

You Are a Beagle Puppy

Cheerful, energetic, and happy go lucky. And you're sense of smell is absolutely amazing!

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

Happy Easter!

Wow! I can't beleive it is already Easter....Happy Easter! We have about 12 - 14" of snow here that fell two days ago, so it does not really feel like Easter. Emma loves the snow...being a springer...yup you guessed it she leaps and springs through the snow. Emma just went on a treat hunt...I hid a treat for her to find...it was a chicken Carvers. They are 80% meat and she really likes them. I know having fun with pup on Easter.

I'll post more about our Easter celebration later - that is if there is anything exciting to post...it could just be regular family time and not much to post about.

Yesterday was fun...I went to one of our local quilt stores called Bits and Pieces and it was the first month of a block of the month - the pattern is called A Kaleidoscope of Kolor. It is really pretty....we all get to pick out our own background fabric and mine is a white with stars on it. It should be fun to see the same Kaleidoscope of Kolors with different backgrounds like black, white, navy, creamy tan...very fun. Jen and Cindy were there and they brought Michelle...Jen also brought my Miranda bag which is beautiful. It was so nice to see Michelle.

Yeah...my cold is starting to break up some more...I wish it was totally gone and it has to be by this Saturday as that is when I am having my sleep study. I have to remember to call my doctor this week and ask if she wants me to have a sleep aid. That was on of the things they told me to do at the sleep study place.

I did go to Weight Watchers yesterday and well I'm up in weight. Not good. I want the scale to go down and you would think it would with my being sick. I didn't eat that much so you would think I would have lost weight but no, not me. I just have to really watch what I am eating I guess and write it down all the time not here and there. I should be good at this by now but I am not.

Tonight I have strips of fabric to cut because I am going to Frank's Sewing Center for a Fabric coiled bowl making class. Then I have to pull out the other supplies for the class. Tuesday I have Batik Club at Patched Works. Here I hardly have gone to any Quilting Stores in the past month and now I will have been to three in less than a week.

Happy Easter!

Just wanted to put a post up that I am here...I have had a horrible cold and I normally come home and end up coughing myself to sleep.

I will be going for my sleep study the end of March. I can't wait to find out if that is the reason I am tired all the time and just don't have a lot of motivation. I am looking foward to an open sew day in April at Frank's Sewing Center! Hopefully I will have an answer about this sleep thing. It can also be the reason my blood pressure is up...believe it or not that is one of the side effects of poor sleep. I also read that it can effect weight...causing weight gain. It would be nice if my weight problem were that simple. (sigh)

I am also not looking forward to the snow that they are predicting. Right now we should get anywhere from 4" to 10". YUCH! I am tired of snow and I am ready for spring. I keep telling Mark maybe the snow will pass us by.

Emma is been sitting by me right now and has been taking care of me. She is a good nurse (giggle). Hope everyone is having fun and taking advantage of time to get some quilting done.

Lots Has Been Going On...

Wow...I don't even know where to start!

Last week Thursday my husband and I went shopping at Best Buy and used my gift certificates that I got for Christmas...I bought a new digital camera. The new camera is an Olympus Stylus. So far I really like the pictures it takes. Unfortunately on Friday I did not take any pictures when asked because I still haven't learned everything about the camera.

Friday - Well I went to Block of the Month Club at Frank's. Wow the block has a lot of little pieces. Wendy brought this really yummy pizza dip. UMMMMM!!!! My secret sister brought me a lot of fun stuff...candy (3 kinds), a springer spaniel notebook, a Wild Rose charm pack, and an emery board. I would check in the bag to see if I am missing something but Emma is sleeping with her head on my lap. After BOM we went to Mama Mia's for dinner....wow we sure had a great time and a lot of laughs. The girls bought me dinner to celebrate my birthday...believe it or not I didn't see it coming.

Saturday - my sister-in-law Terry and my mom threw a 40th birthday party for me. It was so much fun. There were a ton of people who showed up. Jen and Cindy came and they bought me 40 fat quarters...they are so pretty...I don't know what I will do with the fat quarters yet...after talking to Jen I am thinking a Turning Twenty quilt. If I do that I will need to get more fat quarters...ohhh shopping. Mark gave me a dragon fly necklace and my parents gave me some beautiful earrings. I also got a lot of gift cards...Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Patched Works, Joanne's, etc. I received a really nice frame and several pieces of jewerly. My friend Wendy made me a pin cushion. I also got a really nice bottle of Asti. I know I am missing some gifts like a charm pack and jelly roll...and other stuff. Wow I will have a good time shopping. There was a ton of food...my family (both sides) are great cooks.

Sunday - Well when I finally woke up I went to a sewing day at Frank's. I didn't get much done...in fact I got one square done and I left Sophia there for a cleaning. I should have picked her up today but unfortunately I worked later so I couldn't go get her and tomorrow night I have another appointment right after work so I can't go again. Hopefully I will be able to pick her up on Thursday. Sophia - my Janome 6600 - needs to come home so that I can work on a square or two this weekend so I can celebrate National Quilting Day. I left early to go to my nephew, Ethan's birthday. I gave Ethan his quilt and he loved it...he hugged his quilt he was so excited. The only problem is that I didn't get a picture of him with his quilt...at 3 if he doesn't want his picture taken you don't get to take it. Sorry!

Monday - I brought in treats for people at work and boy did everyone enjoy themselves. I made taco dip and it went really quickly.

Tonight I tried a new Weight Watchers recipe and I wasn't excited about it...I felt it needed more flavor! Mark said it tasted really good. I made Orange Beef with Broccoli...it uses broccoli slaw. I think next time I will use real broccoli and more orange juice (fresh squeezed!). I squeezed the oranges and zested the orange! I felt like Martha Stewart - LOL!

I have another new recipe I want to make but I am a little unsure so I think we will be having stir fry for dinner tomorrow night. I am hoping I will be able to do some beading tomorrow night.

I was so excited that I was able to help Wendy, Jen, Judy and Tori cut fabric for the next three months of block of the month club at Frank's Sewing Center. I was so glad I got a chance to do some "quilting" related crafting. I have not had a lot of time to quilt...I have a lot of other things that have been taking up my time.

I did follow up with my insurance company today and I am working on setting up my sleep apena test. I am hoping to set it up for next weekend...this weekend I have other plans with my family! I also need to go to have my cholesterol level tested and other blood work as well. Tonight on Biggest Loser they talked about sleep apnea and how weight loss decreases how much you snore, etc. The doctor also explained that blood pressure increases when you have sleep apnea so there is hope that my blood pressure will go down.

Nothing Much Going On!

Well I realized that I hadn't blogged since Saturday but not much has been going on...I have been going to work and coming home. My schedule is something like make dinner, watch TV, check out the internet and friend's blogs. I was going to work on a bracelet tonight but well I'm just too tired.

I still have to call my insurance company to find out where I have to go for a sleep study. The doctor thinks I have sleep apnea so I have to go for a study to find out for sure. With as busy as I have been at work I have not been able to call in a refill on my prescription nor to call the insurance company to figure out where to go for a sleep study.

I am looking forward to Saturday because we are celebrating my nephew, Teran's 14th birthday. I am going to call tonight to wish him a Happy Birthday and to ask his Mom what I should bring on Saturday (food wise). Then I actually get to do something quilt related on Monday...I am going to help cut blocks for the Block of the Month Club held at Frank's...which is designed and taught by Wendy Rieves! She is a great teacher and we have so much fun at the BOM meeting! Other than that not much to report here...sorry this is sooo boring!

Update on Ouch!

I saw the Doctor on Thursday and she said that I was doing everything right for my back...for the first 48 hours I iced my back and then I used heat. I also took Naproxen Sodium for mucsle soreness...the pain slowly went up my back to my shoulders and neck. The whole time I tried to rest my back but still try to do things otherwise I would have stiffened up. I'm still a little sore esp. when I do a bunch of stuff...like today I did a bunch of running. I went to Weight Watchers right after I dropped Mark off at work. Then I went to the bank, followed by going to Wal-Mart, then the vet and Walgreens. I did stop for lunch and read a book that I bought at Wal-Mart. I bought 7th Heaven by James Patterson and Maxine Something...unsure of her last name. Anyways I really enjoyed that. I have read the series of the books and this is the most recent one...The books have been made into the TV series The Women's Murder Club or something like that. I only watched it once or twice. The characters in the book and on the show just don't match what I think they would look like and at times act.

At WW I was surprised that I lost a little weight. I haven't been there for several weeks. After seeing the Doctor I have to lose weight...I may have sleep apnea and I have to go for a sleep study. I know this is a normal procedure and I just have to contact my insurance company to find out where I can go. I am hoping I can go in the next couple of weeks. From my understanding I am probably not getting REM sleep because I am up so many times during the evening. I have to increase my Vitamin D intake (most people in Wisconsin don't have enough Vitamin D in the winter according to two of my doctors). I also need to take more Calcium in as I am Lactose Intolerant.

Well I am hoping I can work in the quilt room tomorrow. I want to finish two table runners for Easter...one for me and one for my sister-in-law, Terry. First I have to do some cleaning and wash some clothes. I am also hoping that Best Buy has a Digital Camera that I want to use my Christmas gift cards on.

The Ouch Continues

Well I stayed home from work today because I just could not get out of bed this morning my back hurt so much. You would think I landed on my tailbone so that would hurt more but no...it's my back. I have been iceing my back and it helps with the pain. Sitting is my problem. If I can lay down on my side and rest my back I am okay for an hour or two. So that said tomorrow will be horrible! I have to go to work...I just can't miss another day. I have missed a few already this year and well I just hate to miss this much work.

I know when I can't sit or stand up to get dressed ... well I should stay home (just like when I get migraines) but I still feel guilty. I think I over did it yesterday. I got up and made blueberry pancakes with bacon...yum. Before we could do that we had to do dishes so Mark washed and I dried (OUCH!!!). I did recline and look at some blogs yesterday...not with it enough to post comments...also I spent a lot of time on the phone yesterday with my family talking to my Mom and my sister-in-law Terry!

Finally I made a really yummy dinner...Lasagna (homemade-not homemade noodles). Anyways that took some standing time so by about 9:00 - 9:30 PM my back was killing me so I sent to bed. Boy a Temperpedic bed sounds wonderful right about now!

So needless to say I have slept most of today and laid on the couch. I commented on Jen's blog and was having trouble posting on Jill's blog and well guess what I am yawning right now. Time to take a little nap! Tonight I think it will be fish and fries for dinner...Mark can make them in the oven.

Happy President's Day!

Ouch!

This morning I dropped Mark off at work and decided to fuel up the truck...we were close to the Low Fuel light coming on and in fact when I put it in park the Low Fuel light came on...so far so good. I paid at the pump and started fueling....well I was getting into the truck to put my credit card away and that's when it happened...I ended up with one foot in the truck and the rest of me under the truck...I slipped on a piece of ice. As I laid there I said Ouch!...not loudly, the lady at the next pump had just gotten out of her car and she asked if I was okay. Well other than smelling like gasoline, at that moment my tailbone hurt and my pride was hurt...how did this happen. Ohh well, I decide to go and tell them in the gas station that I had fallen and that they should put something down. They lady said to me that they had just been plowed again and I told her it was ice....she said that they would go outside and put something down.

Now my back and bottom and foot, etc are really bothering me. I am taking Tylenol since I am sore all over. I am such a clutz at times...I wish there wsas something I could do. I am guessing I tensed up when I fell so I am sore all over.

I am also feeling bad about my weight. I need to lose weight badly...I have a lot to lose and no matter what I do I can not get motivated. I had a doctor talk to me about the lap band and I am wondering if the doctor is right...maybe I can't do this myself...maybe I need to do something extreme like have surgery...I don't know I did lose 30 lbs through WW but I love food...I am sooo confused.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! I just wanted to wish all of those who read my blog a Happy Valentine's Day! Thank you all for stopping by.

I saw another blog site where someone is "auctioning" 3 red fat quarters off. It is a really good idea and maybe I will do something like that next year. From reading other logs I get so many ideas. I have to thank Jen for introducing me to the world of blog!

Here's a Link To Jill's 200th Post

Alright I am trying something new....thanks to Jill! I am going to try to add a hyperlink (I believe that is what it is called) to Jill's 200th post! http://jillquilts.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-200th-post.html I hope this works...wish me well.

If it does work, I want to thank Jill for explaining to me how to do it - she gives great e-mail instructions. It's always fun to learn new things.

Next I want to learn how to make it so that Jill's name would be highlighted and when you click on it...it takes you to her website. I hope I am explaining it clearly.

Yeah...I keep learning new things about blogging.

Wow it's already Sunday

I was so looking forward to Friday and it was all I expected. I was so glad it was time to go to Wendy's Block of the Month at Frank's! Wendy made Fudgy Snow Balls...Ohh they were sooooo yummy! Wendy also showed us a lot of neat things at the store. I bought two Daydreams charm packs and one Daydreams jelly roll, also, one charm pack of Fossil Fabrics and a Debbie Caffrey pattern called September Song. Now my question is what can I make with two charm packs and a jelly roll???? After a fun filled evening Wendy, Jen, Sherry and I went to dinner at Mama Mia's...Yum. I am sure the garlic bread was not WW friendly. It was wonderful to sit and chat with friends.

Now the only problem I had on Friday was going home...it snowed and the ground was slippery and icy. This is a problem for a person who drives a Camero. I couldn't make it up a hill by my home...I kept sliding back and could only get to a certain point...no farther. Mark had to come and get me. I drove the truck home and Mark figured out how to get the car home. I had to turn the truck around and loop back to where Mark was. He was gone with the car but several other cars couldn't make it up the hill either. Once Mark got home with the car, we couldn't get it up the driveway. We tried pushing the car, backing the car in, pulling it in, etc. We ended up getting a parking permit and parking it on the street.

Saturday I did some organizing and cleaning off of our table we had a garbage bag full of papers, etc on the table. Then I decided to take the Christmas tree down. Yes it is finally down. I still have some Jim Shore Christmas decorations up and I need to take them down soon. The success is the Christmas tree being down. I also need to get a box from work to put my nutcracker in. My aunt gave me one for Christmas which is great and tall but I need something to put it in so it doesn't get broken.

Again one of the problems we had was getting the car up the driveway...it made it to the back door and got stuck...yikes...Mark tood the sand in a tube out of the trunk and used that - amazing - he got the car into it's parking spot in the driveway. I asked him what we are going to do as the car is having such a bad time this winter (getting stuck that is) and Mark said we just park it until spring. Nice idea but we often have two different places to be so we have to fix this!

Today I am doing laundry and watching TV and checking out other blogs. I still need to balance our check book and pay some bills but it will get done soon. I am feeling lazy today which is common on weekends.

Snow Storm

Wow...it's still snowing! Where I work sent us home at noon today due to inclement weather! The roads are icky and when I came home I ate lunch and then took a nap. When I got up I called Jen and talked to her...YEAH Kristie received her quilt.

I was sooo excited that she received it...Jen did a lot of work on the quilt...she did all the piecing of the blocks together, quilting and making the label. Cindy was wonderful and did the binding. IT is a beautiful quilt and I am glad that I was included in this team project but wow how hard is it to keep a secret from a quilt blog buddy.

I still haven't taken my Christmas tree down and Mark thinks that witht he poor weather I should take it down...I just don't feel like it. I teased Jen and said maybe I will keep it up until next Christmas. I am hoping to do this Saturday! I also need to hopefully go out and get my digital camera so I can take of my Works in Progress and maybe my quilting room so that I will get started on that. There is talk of an intervention (LOL)...my friends know me too well and I just haven't had the initiative to start cleaning. Ohh well at least I can own up to my faults.

Kinda Watching

I like football and I have the Super Bowl on but I just can't concentrate...I am trying to watch the commericals but I am falling asleep all the time. I have been taking migraine medication since Friday and every so often I keep thinking I should go to the hosptial and get an IV and hope that the pain stops...the medication is helping me manage it somewhat but it knocks me on my bum!

I really wanted to go to the Valentine's Party at Patched Works but I just couldn't last night....my head has been throbing and feels like well it's painful! I feel like either something wrong with my body or the weather has been keeping me from things I want to do...this is stinky!

Mark went and got dinner for us this evening and there was a deer in our front yard looking in the window...I swear it was watching the Super Bowl. Emma was growling/grumbling at something in the front yard and I was egging her on thinking it was another dog ... ohh contrar mon fraier (or however you spell it) it was a deer looking in our front window. When I went to check out what Emma was talking to I saw the deer and it was looking at me like Hey I want to watch the commercials too!

Ohh the weather outside is making me blue

Earlier this week Jen, Sherry, Cindy and I were supposed to go to Batik Club at Patched Works but the weather was icky and icy and we all figured that it was better to stay home!!!! I really wanted to go but unforturnately we couldn't go. Ohh I missed my friends, fabric and pie.

Tonight the weather is also icky. Here in WI we are under a Winter Weather Advisory...imagine that it's winter and we are having snowy weather. Yesterday we had really cold weather here and my husband worked a 12 and a half hour day outside. I know I couldn't do it.

Today I took my nephew's quilt to work and a lot of people really liked it. Especially all the fussy cutting I did around the animals. I am glad it is done and that I will be giving it to him for his birthday in March. I plan on taking it to Block of the Month at Frank's I can't wait for the next block of the month club...I wish it was more often!

Allergies and all that other stuff

Well I had to go to the allergist and guess what...we found a medication the insurance company will cover...only problem no decongestant for me. Why you may ask ... well my blood pressure has sky rocketed. It could have something to do it the caffeine I drank and the yelling match i had with HR and how nervous I was, ohh did I mention I left work late to go to the doctor's office. Anyways, it was up there and I came up with several reasons as you can tell. Tuesday I went to start immunotherapy ... weekly shots ... I asked them to check my blood pressure and my upper number went up one number and my bottom number fell eleven numbers. I have been soo worried about this. The allergist also thinks I am Vitamin D deficient as I am extremely pale. I am a red head with a pale complexion but he has seen me before and he was really shocked with how pale I am. Not good...nor is the high blood pressure. After I had my shot I got pretty sick to my stomach. This happened when i was younger and I went through allergy shots. I can't believe I have to go through them again but hopefully I will feel better soon.

Some changes I have been making is that I am doing my nails and trying to take better care of myself. I need to lose some weight ... okay a lot of weight and I need to get serious about this now...how can I do this...I am such a non-commiter on this and I have been successful on WW before. HELP! I know if I lose weight my blood pressure will go down...If you have any ideas on any of this please post a comment...Thanks for your help and support my friends.

Here's Emma!

Well I added a picture on the right hand side of my blog and it's Emma as a baby! She was such a cute puppy! I don't know about you but I wish they could stay little forever! She is sitting next to me right now watching it snow! I wish I had my winter quilt pieced and quilted...all I have left is to put the top and bottom border on it!

I can not believe how cold it is and how icky the roads are...I live a mile and a half to two miles from work...with then snow it took me 20+ minutes to get home...I drove behind someone doing 17 mph on the road. The speed limit in that area was 30 mph...it was not bad enough that we had to be going 17 mph!!! Ughhhhhh! I just wanted to get home so I could get warm. I hope tonight to take down our Christmas Tree. I am tired of it being up. I was going to take it down last night during the Packer game but it just didn't happen!

Well I hope everyone stays warm and dry!

So Sick and Tired of Allergies

I just got off the phone with the allergist. I see him tomorrow at 10:30 AM to discuss options for my allergies. My eyes are really swollen...in fact my left one was a slit this morning. I am using Patanol to help keep the itching down but well with no allergy medication I am really stuck. I have to take Prednisone to help with the swelling & itching. I am sooooooo tired of allergies. I ended up staying home today because of how bad they itched. In fact they were bright red (the upper and lower lid) and puffy. Well needless to say when I talked to my supervisor she was understanding and as people would have thought that I had pink eye or something it would not have looked good as I work with the public in a county job.

This all occurred because I was using a paper folding machine and it threw so much dust in the air that my eyes were swelling yesterday but I thought it would be fine when I woke up. No not the case in fact it was worse! I told the allergist what I was doing and he told me that I should consider getting goggles or a face mask that covers my eyes, nose and mouth. Ohh wouldn't that be attractive at work! I am sure that, that would go over well...LOL! Okay who wants to wear a mask at work if they work in an office. I have to vent my frustration as this would not be happening if my insurance company would cover my allergy medication. So I have been going without and I have been miserable. I keep hoping that the next day will be better but it doesn't in fact my allergies are getting worse and worse. I will be talking about options tomorrow and hopefully we will find an answer! I am going to call HR at work tomorrow and see if they can find out what medication will be covered as Zyrtec is soon going to be over the counter and it was the only covered medication...this should be interesting to say the least. I know he is going to want me to start on allergy shots again but can I handle it without allergy medication...that's the next question.

7 Random & Wacky Things About Me

Here are seven Random and Wacky Things about me.

1. I can't stand for my hands to be dirty. This Christmas my Mom and I made cookies and I had to roll the sticky batter into balls...I just about lost it!
2. I wash my hands all the time...it is a compulsion...see Wacky thing #1 and it will all make sense. I also worked in Dietary for 9 years and we had to wash our hands all the time.
3. I am afraid of birds. One came after me as a small child and my Dad told my uncle to pick me up...he didn't. Also when I was home sick one day my Dad made me watch the movie The Birds.
4. I am afraid of heights/ladders. You can get me up on one step shaking all the way on a stepladder. Step two just about kills me and step 3 just will never happen.
5. I think I was supposed to be left handed or I am ambidextrous. I always want to do stuff with my left hand but by habit I use my right. My Mom thinks the school didn't want me to be left handed so they stopped that.
6. I am allergic to everything in the world. In fact I am allergic to something that cause my throat to swell shut but we (the allergist and other doctors) don't know what causes it...it's a mystery. So I have to carry a EpiPen.
7. I would have a Springer Spaniel plantation if it was allowed. Emma wants to be an only dog but I would love to have a bunch of them...not quite 101 but enough!

All Day Quilt Retreat

Yesterday I was at an All Day Quilt Retreat at my friend and Quilting Mentor, Wendy Rieves' church. It was so much fun. We made these chicks...Jen is going to send me a picture and perhaps she is going to post it on her blog! They were so fun and easy to make unlike the quilt below. I had it all pieced, layered and the quilting begun...this is my nephew, Ethan's quilt. It is a really cute quilt and I am glad it is finally done! I finished quilting it and for some reason it took quite a while....it stuck to the bed of my machine, the thread had issues about clinging to the foot and wrapping around other things....all in all it just didn't want to get done...but I persisted. I love the fabric for this quilt and the backing is fun, fun, FUN!





For some reason this quilt waves! I am not sure why and it was suggested that I try steaming it but I just didn't want to do that. I figure it is a kid's quilt and it will be dragged around etc. I might try to steam it over the next few weeks but I am still unsure.

Okay I also got a block done for the BOM...two to go. I did cut out a bunch of 3" squares for a scrappy quilt I am making for my sister-in-law Terry. I know she will like it. It is all 3-dimensional box tie blocks. Needless to say it will take a lot of bow tie squares to make a quilt. I think that is all I got done but it is a lot when you think about all the putzy work that goes into the bow tie blocks. I did get 3 more of those blocks done.

All in all it was a good time...I sat at a table with Jen and really enjoyed myself! Okay the chicks we made were darn cute.

I'm Following Through

I am following though on one of my goals...I am blogging tonight! When I look out my window I can't believe it is snowing. I know it was predicted but I am just not wanting it to snow again. I love the snow but I don't like to drive in it. Depending on how much we get depends on how hard it will be to drive to work in the morning. I have a Camaro and it is not a snow car. Because of the snow Emma is feeling very snugly. She is cuddled up between Mark and I. She sure does like being between us and snuggling.

Yesterday I read others blogs and commented on them ... Yeah. It's been hard with not feeling well. I can't believe this cold is holding on ... I was really dizzy today and still feeling that way tonight. I hope this cold goes away soon.

Well tomorrow is BOM at Frank's. I can't wait ... I love going... there are so many wonderful people there. I hope I am feeling better so that I can enjoy myself.

This weekend I am going to go to a Sew Day at Wendy's church. I am going to finish my winter flannel quilt. When I worked on it at Jen's Sewing Day I didn't have enough fabric to put the top and bottom border on... I will be able to sew two pieces of fabric together and add the order. I have the backing and once I have the top done I will be able to pack it and layer it and quilt it.

I'm Going to Try to be Better

Well there are so many things I want to be better at but one of the things I want to do more is to make sure that I blog more and read my friends blogs more often! I feel like with the holidays and now this cold that I just don't write as often and I fell behind reading others blogs. I also want to learn how to be a better blogger!

Any suggestions?

I also want to get a better camera than the one I have and learn to post pictures. That way I will feel like posting pictures.

I also need to be better at weight loss...I want to be able to do weight watchers and follow though. I hope it will be alright if I blog about this as they say it takes 21 days to form a new habit...right now I am working on decreasing the amount of chocolate that I eat.

I also want to finish work on my quilt room and get it to the point I can go in there work in the room. I have a radio that I can move in there and depending on the amount of room I have left, my husband is talking about moving my treadle machine upstairs instead of in the living room. We will have to see ... I think I have something for every space once I get the storage stuff that I want. I am hoping we can go to the Home Depot this weekend for shelves and some other stuff....hopefully I will get that done soon.

Winter Colds - Yuck

Who cares what time of year it is...I do not like colds. This may actually be a sinus infection but who knows. My fever was 100 degrees when I came home from work. You can ask why I went in the first place and it is just me being me. Cathy, one of the women I work with, asked if she should call off the amounts that we were comparing as my throat sounded bad. I told her that it doesn't hurt it just sounds bad. Wasn't that nice of her though!

This afternoon I decided I was on fire - as I had a temp. and should come home. It is unusual that I take my temperature but I knew the doctor's office was calling and I wanted to be prepared for their favorite question. Anyways, the doctor called herself and checked on me. She said this could be a sinus infection but after talking to me we decided to wait a few days to see if it is a cold or an infection. I'm thinking cold. She said I sounded very congested over the phone - which was true and I told her I am taking DayQuil and NyQuil. When I am not at work - no DayQuil instead Tylenol. I have been drinking OJ and water so I'm resting and drinking fluids. I am sick of being sick. This started Saturday so I am only three days into a cold that people at work have told me lasts several weeks. I am just waiting to not be contagious.

Okay here is my whole problem...normally I go to help Block of the Month packets with three other people and Wendy, who is an incredible quilter and pattern designer, anyways as I am sick I can not be there to help...what help would I be if everyone else got this cold but I love to help! This stinks...I was so looking forward to going and being with friends and cutting fabric for the packets! Why!?!?!?!!?!??! Okay I think I have ranted enough. Obviously if I have been sleeping and resting since Saturday I did not get anything done quilting wise. I am going to work with Jen on developing a Quilting Plan/List like she has on her blog. Check it out....http://cre8tivequilter.blogspot.com/

Thanks for "listening" to me rant about my cold! I hope no one gets it and everyone stays healthy!

Happy New Year and All that Jazz!!!

Wow it's the New Year....where did the last one go? I think I blinked and it was Christmas. I also looked at so many of my friends blogs and could not believe how much they got done in one month...I am a lazy quilter! I am also having a pity party for myself today as I have a cold.

I was fine last night and woke up with a full blown cold...I was going to go to Weight Watcher (one of my promises to myself is this year I will eat better!) WW is not a diet - I know it works I lost 30 lbs. My problem is I gained all 30 back when I went off of WW because I love food. I like to think I have a relationship with food - crazy but true. I am going to try not to be an emotional eater. Okay so I got up and went into the ladies room...Emma the crazy dog went up on the dresser next to my bed and took my roll of Vitamin C tablets and took off. I was in the process of washing my hands so I took off after her. By the time I got downstairs well she had the packaging ripped apart and one Vitamin C tablet on the floor ready for hoovering! So I have to stick my hand in her mouth to remove said hoovered tablet as I don't want her eating it....well out comes the tablet and the rest of the roll that are still in her mouth. I wash my hands AGAIN and now I have to give her, her morning pill. Okay I think to myself this is doable. Now I give her her pill which is the size of a quarter and I have to push it to the back of her throat so she must swallow it! Okay AGAIN I wash my hands. Now I go get dressed and come downstairs with my pillow - I think I slept for 5 hours total on and off. I have a head cold and my brain is killing me...my sinus is sore and my ears well my ears hurt as does my throat. My lunch was some Chicken and Wild Rice Soup...soothing yes, filling not so much!

Since then I have gone on some websites and read my e-mail. Tracy from Sewthankful has a Blog called Let's get sewing (http://www.sewthankful.com/blog/) and her latest post is titled My New Motto and Challenge: Be Great in 2008! What a great idea! It is to be great at whatever you want.

Let's see what else...ohh yeah Emma is fine the little bit of Vitamin C tablet she ate did nothing to her...she is fine in fact when our mail carrier came she felt right as rain...she was ready to bark and carry on as if she would kill him the whole time wagging her little stump of a tail. What can I say Miss Emma was going to protect me from the postal carrier! I should probably sleep some more or I might watch Harry Potter movies. I tried to read but just couldn't concentrate. Also when I was typing a response on Jen's blog http://cre8tivequilter.blogspot.com/ I was having a hard time typing Plastic Shoe Boxes instead I wrote shoe box plastic is what I kept my scraps in! Okay I know when I should stop and I am about there! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years!