Almost the last move...

Today we pick up a 17 foot truck to shove all this stuff into and haul it tomorrow morning up to the townhouse in PA! YEAH! WaHOOOO! YIPPEE!

I packed up most of the kitchen yesterday... and will need to pack up linens and bathroom stuff... and that should about do it. Oh and of course - zip my suitcase up! Then the rest of my weekend will be spent unpacking and preparing for the holidays! We will take a little break on Sunday to have dinner at my sister and brother-in-laws house.

Our youngest daughter and son (our oldest) are coming in on Monday on the train and if the weather is good I'll drive them back home to MA on Wednesday and return to PA on Thursday.

I have actually gotten some sewing done over this past week. It's a sample for the shop I use to work at - I used black and white fabrics and a panel from the "Foundations by the Yard" from Benartex. This one is the Hunters Star. I will apologize for the picture quality... I haven't a clue where my camera is - so I had to use my phone. I have another panel (16 blocks in the panel) - when I finish those I'll add them as a border - but I'm pondering a couple things so I'll keep you posted. I'll have to go play in EQ6...





Our Internet, TV and Phone service will not be installed until a week from Saturday - the 29th. So I probably won't be around until after that point unless I happen upon free service someplace.

So if I don't see ya for a bit - Y'all Have a Happy Holiday!

I got Elfed...

I got elfed... and you can too!
I found this cute holiday item over at Melinda's Blog site and couldn't help but waste... um I mean... spend some good quality time being festive!
So go check it out - it's sponsored by Office Max.

Things I do miss...

As time has gone by sitting here waiting in this apartment... I have been making a mental list of things I've come to realize I do miss from my life in Massachusetts.

1. I miss my job at the quilt shop! I am enjoying having weekends to spend with my husband - but I miss being in the shop. I miss the people, the fabric, the creativity, the fabric, the colors of the fabric, the patterns of the fabric, the books and quilt patterns, the fabric... Oh and did I say I miss the fabric? I do.


2. I miss knowing where the heck I'm going and how to get there! We lived in MA since 1981 - 26 years in the same community. I knew what roads to take and when to avoid particular routes. A trip anywhere now first requires a Google Maps search and a print out of the route. I'm always thankful that I'm pretty good with maps and have a good sense of directions. No sense in learning too much about this area since we are moving up into PA... then the real learning will begin!


3. I miss having 80 feet between me and my neighbors... we are on the lower level of a 3 level apartment. Someone upstairs has - tossed a pumpkin off the deck into the backyard. I've also recently found a very old can of wasp spray, plastic tops from soda bottles, and cigarette butts. My dogs use this space - does this careless disposal explain why one of my dogs has had diarrhea over the past several days?? I don'no? Our next place will be at the end of the unit and we are our own upstairs neighbors - so I know that I won't be pitching stuff off the deck.


4. I miss my set back thermostat... my husband askes me each night AFTER I'm in bed if I turned it down... and he doesn't turn it up when he gets up. Sure hope the next place has a set back thermostat.


5. I miss the sunshine coming through the windows... I guess I should say that I also miss windows. Apartments aren't big on windows... a result of squashing things together. The next place is a bit bigger square footage wise so we will have more windows there. I also think the back faces mostly south... so that will be a good thing.


6. I miss having a space to make a mess and not have to clean it up... like my sewing room. I have had to give that room up several times over the years as one or another child returned home but in that bigger house there was always a place to hid away your stuff.


7. I miss 'nice and pretty' local news... the Springfield, MA murder rate is about 15 a year. There have been at least that many needless deaths in the few weeks I've lived here. Apparently the murder rate in Philly runs at a rate of a murder a day... aren't there 365 days a year? And that doesn't count the poor 4 year old who killed himself with his fathers gun last night or the poor young mother who committed suicide 2 weeks ago following a minor car accident... my heart just aches. I need to find something else to watch in the morning after my husband leaves.


8. I miss my DVR. You know a digital video recorder. We don't have one here - but you can rest assured that we will in the next place. I could be recording the shows I use to watch at 10 PM... like Saving Grace or Journeyman and watch them in the morning instead of the news! Since I'm getting up at 5:30 AM I just have to go to bed early... oh and my husband isn't all that interested in watching Project Runway and some of the other shows I watch.


9. I miss knowing where everything is in the kitchen. Tom set up things in this apartment... I can't find anything without first opening pert near all the cabinets. And then of course many things are still in boxes in uhaul storage.


10. I MISS MY MUGS! I have collected handmade pottery mugs for about 26 years... I love my mugs. They are all different, used for different beverages, and used at different times of the year. Those thick heavy mugs are great for keeping coffee warm longest on those cold mornings... and the ones with thin walls are great for that summer cup of coffee. Hot Chocolate just has to go into one of the big mugs... just so you can use 2 packages of mix! I miss my mugs...

Less than a week...

I feel like I'm standing still... here - waiting... maybe I should tap my foot...

In hindsight (although I did try hard to talk him into paying rent in two places) I will say that this past weekend would NOT have been a good weekend to move... what with all that RAIN - sleet - and freezing rain going on in the area. I know a lot of folks got some snow - but that didn't happen here. Unfortunately this apartment has a very soggy backyard... not good with dogs in and out - which reminds me I need to wash all those scatter rugs today.

This week we will pack up what little is unpacked in this apartment and haul it on Saturday to the new Townhouse we've rented. Since we will be there at least 6 months - I plan on getting a little bit unpacked.

All my lotions and potions and bathroom stuff I use daily are still mostly in the overnight bag which is sitting on the back of the toilet. Most of my clothes are still between 2 suitcases... although I did get one of those sweater hanging things for the closet to put some shirts in. Much easier to find folded shirts there.


I do have my sewing machine and SewEzi table up and I move the fabric on and off the table as needed. But I haven't unpack much sewing stuff otherwise.


We have a big Uhaul truck rented for Friday/Saturday. I did not want to have to take anything apart to haul it over there... so I wanted a truck big enough to not have to worry about stacking and stuffing things in to fit. We should be good with 17 feet.


Utilities are mostly all set for the new place - although the cable guy hasn't called me back today. Sure don't want to have to wait too long for internet access there.
Renters insurance is in place - heaven forbid you could transfer from one state to another. Nope - different states - different rules, rates, etc.
I'll worry about the cars another day... but here is a funny thing... you have 60 days to get your Drivers License changed over... but only 20 days to get your plates transferred for your car. Silly ain't it?


Since my Holiday decorations consist of a Santa sitting over there on the shelf and the angel card holder - it won't take me long to undecorate here! LOL


Laundry is calling and since it does require my undivided attention... I better get at it.

Trying to be a bit festive...

But I'm not being as successful as I'd like.

I know enough - which isn't much - to manage to sorta do what I'd like to do.

I wanted to take a picture of a section of a Holiday Wreath Quilt I made and use that as a background and add Happy Holidays text... and still have the Ponderings title show - but I don't have a good graphics program to work with, and I'm not well versed in the fine details of what will or won't work on this Blog and the templates... so I've wasted a great deal of time that I'd rather use towards some sewing.

So it is what it is... and if it works I'll leave it - but I might remove it if it bothers me... so... I'm off to do some other things that really need to be done.

Geez - I hate not figuring things out... at least for now - it will have to do.

What do you miss?

My Mother asked me the first weekend I was out of my house what I missed most about the house?

I had one of those Epiphany moments as I sat there... I had not even thought about the house in the 4 or 5 days that I had been gone. I had NOT EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT IT! Well - yeah I did think about the closing and when our money was going to be deposited... but otherwise I hadn't given the house I spent 16 years in a passing thought.

I spoke with a co-worker at the quilt shop I work for in MA and she said she was depressed for months after upgrading homes several years ago.

When we moved into that house from the smaller one across the street - my youngest daughter was mad at us for years because we sold her house... the only house she ever remembered being in. "They are painting our house" she announced one day later that summer as she stormed into the living room. I thought about it... we have siding... what was she talking about? She pointed out the front window and I could see the new owners slapping paint on the wood siding of our old house/their new house. "Sweetie - it's not our house anymore - they can paint it what ever color they want". At which point she stomped back outside - no doubt to glare at them from the safety of our new yard. This was one of many issues she's had over the years with the various owners/renters of that property. At a minimum - she wanted us to buy the house back.

I think because I've known for a year and a half that I would be leaving the house - I had already gotten over any attachments I may have had. And really - I don't think I was too attached - after growing up in the military and moving every 1.5 to 2 years I've always looked at a house as a house. It's only a home when people you love gather there - and everyone was gone. My husband had been working in PA for a year and a half - youngest daughter had settled into her new apartment in October - oldest daughter had finished her graduate program and she and Miss K had joined her husband in San Diego in May.

I also feel that painting my living room sealed the deal... I had deep dark red walls... the person who bought my house bought it with medium brown walls. They are OK, they blend nicely with the dining room - I'd have liked them a bit darker but hey - it wasn't about what I wanted... I would have stayed with the red!

After working all summer with my youngest daughter to clean out, fix up and pack... I was ready to be OUT of that house... yep I'm ready to go on. Even if it's a temporary stay in a townhouse while we look for a house around here to buy.

I do wish I had talked the husband into moving into the townhouse sooner than later... I understand his not wanting to pay rent in two places... but I'm ready to get my life in some sort of order - and living out of boxes/suitcases isn't cutting it.

So what (if anything) did you miss about a place you moved out of?

New music catagory

Do you ever just put the car radio on SCAN?

I've been doing a far amount of traveling recently - in addition to the move from Massachusetts at the end of November I also made a trip up and back over this past weekend.

So I've had lots of radio time while I travel... yeah I did have a few CD's with me but even those get old after a while.

It's especially interesting if you are in an area that has lots of stations with a wide variety of formats. It's been fun to listen as one 5 second sampling leads to the next... you never know what to expect and it's kinda funny sometimes.

So go ahead and hit your scan button and sit back and enjoy!

The Case of the Missing Laundry...

It was a dark and stormy night... well - no - not actually... but that just seemed to add an air of mystery to the story don't ya think?

Anyway - since beginning my new life as a domestic diva I've been getting up at 5:30 AM each work day with my husband. OK - he gets up earlier than that and sets the alarm for me for 5:30 when he's in the shower.

I get to do all sorts of domestic diva sorta things... like make coffee, feed the dogs, prepare our breakfast. He's usually out the door at 6:15 AM and I've managed to not go back to bed... which is what I'd really like to do. But since I'm unemployed right now due to the move (and wouldn't mind staying that way) I figure I can make this domestic diva thing work.

Anyway - today after having breakfast with hubby and sending him off to work I went about the business of the day. Unstack/stack dishwasher, run vacuum, gather and sort laundry. I started the washer for the first of 3 loads I needed to do. Then I puttered around the kitchen. I needed to peel potatoes to make cornbeef stew later. I cubed those and left them soaking in water. I had to put the gate back in place in the kitchen doorway - silly dogs seem to object to having it there and keep taking it out of place. While doing that I heard the washer stop. So when I finished up I walked over, flipped up the lid...

nothing... NOTHING? Huh?

I did what any reasonable person would do...

I closed and then opened the lid to the washer again...

Still NOTHING! (now I'm hearing the Twilight Zone tune in my head)

I open and look into the dryer... did I already put them in there and forget to turn them on? Nope... Nothing, Nada thing in there either.

At this point I'm more than a little confused - I know I started the machine, I remember measuring and pouring the liquid soap in... remember listening to it run through the cycles...

So I look over at the baskets on the floor...

3 full baskets of laundry!

Mystery solved... laundry found! I ran the washer with water and soap only.

All this before 8:14 AM. At which point I poured myself a much needed 2nd cup of coffee.

Shameless begging for Christmas?

I'm still fairly new to this blogging thing - and I've been hesitate to enter comments on blogs where they are sponsoring 'give aways'... but I'm getting over it quickly!

I've recently run across a couple 'give aways' that would enhance my pathetic holiday decorating this year.

One is a beautiful holiday quilt that Cheryl over at Polka Dots & Rick Rack is giving away...

another is the new Barry Manilow Holiday CD that Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer is giving away!

I had planned to have my holiday quilts available - however those bins ended up in the back of the storage room at UHAUL... hey - at 8:00 PM after driving in high winds all day... I just wanted stuff out of the trailer and vehicles - I wasn't thinking about what I wanted to have access to!

And all my Holiday music??? The country, jazz, new age, and traditional CD's - all packed safely in a POD... hopefully I'll get to listen to all those tunes next season!

Since I don't want to seem greedy... I want to share the opportunity! Click on those links above and enter their give aways as well... if you win you could send the loot to me.... naaah - just kidding!

Have you been bit by the 4 Patch Stacked Posie bug yet??

EDIT NOTE December 2012:  The Photo Hosting site I used "Webshots" is no longer in operation.  I do have a slide show ----->>>> over along the side and at this point it will have to do until I figure something else out.  I know a lot of folks looked at the album each week so I'll try and find another way to show them.


Since I haven't had much time for quilting myself... I may as well encourage as many others as I can. I just figured out how to add a slide show... so here ya go... 4 Patch Stacked Posies!

Advanced warning - don't watch these pictures if you have no self control because this has proven to be a contagious and addictive process.

4 Patch Stacked Posies are a pattern by HD Designs - I promise that you will look at fabric in a whole new way!

These pictures are in my Webshots Album - they are a collection of pictures of quilts - mine, my sisters, friends, and students. I taught 4 Patch Posie classes for more than a year at a quilt shop I worked at and have been amazed at the beautiful quilts that twirl into being. Enjoy!


4 Patch Stacked Posies

Update: Look at this 4PSP (4 Patch Stacked Posie) that Doodlebug Gail is working on... it's going to make a beautiful quilt - I just love florals! Can't wait to see it finished!

La, La, La, La, La, La, La...

No I'm not singing Christmas Carols... I'm just trying to keep my sanity!

Have you ever been stuck behind a slow moving Uhaul trailer? Annoying ain't it?!

Now imagine having to stay behind the Uhaul trailer because it's your husband driving the pickup truck hauling it... and it is very windy so you are going much slower than you'd like.

How long would it take you to get tired of reading the same 'Uhaul Ad' plastered on the back of the trailer - over and over and over again in your head? You can't help it - those words are right there and you are looking at it for hours and hours on end (at least 8 hours)... Did you know Uhaul has boxes? AND that you can return unused boxes...

I finally just started doing La, La, La's every time I started reading 'Boxes...' La, La, La... see!!

And it doesn't help to stay 10 car lenghts back... you can still see 'Boxes...' La, La, La...

One week... later than the last...

Here I sit - the closing was today - I am no longer a home owner... I am an official apartment dweller.

Part One of the move is over - Part Two starts in a couple weeks when we move to a townhouse a little closer to where my husband will be working. The final phase - Part 3 will be when we find a house and/or decide to build... but we have a 6 month lease at the townhouse - so we've got time to ponder all those issues.

The past week has been busy enough to be a blur. I have a few 'moving stories' to tell but I'm gonna ponder them a bit... maybe over there on the couch with my eyes closed. Zzzzzz Zzzzz Zzzzzzzzz

One week...

Just one week left in this house... man - I'm so ready to be out of here!

Tonight as I was hauling trash cans down to the curb I could see into the living room windows. I couldn't help but think to myself... it isn't my living room, it isn't my house. My living room has red walls - the walls through the window are brown. This isn't my house.

The rooms are pretty much devoid of furniture - a few boxes and suitcases are scattered through out the house. I've pretty much finished sorting through the last of the clutter boxes. I've got one more carton to send to the shredding company thanks to a couple of boxes my eldest daughter managed to leave behind when she headed to San Diego. It was full of receipts and statements from 2002... there was only a small handful of stuff I thought she might want or need to keep... a very small handful.

I can't believe how tired I am at the end of the day... I was ready for bed at 6:30 pm tonight.

I have put a hold on a 3 bedroom townhouse with a garage in Pennsylvania and have requested a move in date of December 22nd. We have to be out of the MD apartment by the end of December - so that will give us a couple weekends (and the holiday) to make that move. So after getting out of here - we get to go and pack up the Maryland apartment and get ready to move out of there.

I'm pretty sure I'll be ready for a vacation in January! It doesn't have to be a week in the sun and the sand... nope - I'll be happy with a 'box free zone'... and with 3 bedrooms and a garage - that's going to be easy to achieve! WaaaHooo!

One week... in one week I'll be closer to that 'box free zone'.

A Quilters Gathering

I'm sitting here tonight pondering the past few days...

They have been filled with friendship, laughter, design, color, inspiration, and relaxation.

A Quilters Gathering is a quilt show held each year in Nashua, New Hampshire.

I've done the 'day trips' out to see the show and visit with quilting friends - but the best possible way to experience this is to go and stay at the hotel for a few days with your friends.

A little bit of 'show and tell', a little bit of 'this is how you do that', a whole lot of laughing, shopping, sewing, and ooooing and aahhing goes on.

Yep, I sure needed that! And now - I can't wait till next year!

Excess...

EXCESS... this is a topic I've been Pondering a lot lately!

As I've cleaned out this house preparing to move - I've become very aware of the excesses I have lived with.

We stuffed all kinds of things away - some items we had to have but never used much and yet couldn't part with?? Clothes that haven't fit for years... so I've decided if I do get to that size again... honey I'm going shopping! It seems like once we acquire something we just can't let go of it... and relegate it to collecting dust someplace dark.

Unfortunately I do have to admit that my quilting habit has it's own excesses... and I have lots and lots of plastic tubs to prove it!

And right now I'm packing sewing machines... my lovely vintage sewing machines. I admit to intentionally collecting a good portion of these - but in my defence... I will also say that a large number of these were part of a salvage project. I saved them from winding up in the dumpster when a sewing machine shop owner had to clear out his storage area... nice idea until your spouse takes a new job and you have to pack them up. At least he didn't say I had to get rid of them - I think because there is a POD completely FULL of his woodworking machines, tools, and equipment.

I'm gonna have arms like Popeye when I'm done lifting these 15-20 lb machines into boxes!

But here is an example of why I love these machines... here is Tiffany - my 1920 Singer 15-30 machine that I use in a treadle cabinet. She sews a truely wonderful stitch and can quilt like nobody's business. So back out to the shed I go today with mittens and a hat to pack machines in 30 degree weather!

No Dog Left Behind...

We have two dogs... Kbetsy an Alaskan Malamute/Shepard mix and a small black Lab mix named Tooter.

They have both been living with Tom since we had the floors refinished earlier this summer. They love it there - he gives them treats, lets them sleep on the furniture, and takes them for a walk every day after dinner.

They come up here on the weekends with Tom when he comes up to work and happily go back with him. A couple weeks ago when I went down to Maryland I brought the dogs back here with me because Tom was traveling to St. Louis the next week. He came home on the weekend (last weekend) but did not take the dogs because he had several late meetings and an out-of-town meeting last week so I kept the dogs again.

Both dogs were a bit depressed that 'dad' left without them last Sunday. Have ya ever seen dogs moping around? For crying out loud... they are pathetic - especially Toot who is quite the whiner and spoiled by Tom.

On Tuesday I had to take them for a ride when we had the folks coming to look at the house again - we ended up spending 2 hours gone from the house running errands. It was a nice cold day so they were perfectly happy sitting in the car. That is - until we got home. Kbetsy jumps right out of the car and heads for the house. Toot - gets up on the back seat... looks around and gives me a 'nope we ain't there yet' look and lays back down on the floor behind the drivers seat - her riding position in every car. I have to go around to the drivers side - open the back door - put a leash on her and pull her out of the car!

She has not been happy all week - very clingy and whiney. She drove me nuts following me around everywhere I went in the house this week.

She was very happy when Tom showed up again this Friday - me too because that meant she would be following him around instead of me!

This Sunday morning Tom was getting the vehicles switched over - the car goes with whoever has the dogs - the other drives the truck. He let Toot get into the car... Kbetsy was on the porch but wasn't to be left out of the action and started barking for me to take her outside too.

There they were... it was 9:30AM - they were both in the car - and they WERE NOT GETTING OUT FOR ANYTHING! I tried a couple times before I left for work - but neither of them would get up.

Tom didn't leave until about 2:oo PM and he couldn't get them out of the car to go potty before he left. So he stopped at the first rest stop on the turnpike so that they could go. It wasn't the house - they knew they were on a road trip!

Goofy dogs... they were bound and determined to not get left here again.

Patchwork and Quilted Shoes!

I need to get a new pair of glasses so my daughter and I headed out to the mall to check out Lenscrafters. I'd easily just get another pair of the same ole frames - but I know either of my girls will help steer me towards more up-to-date frames. I did find some frames - a little less round but not really totally rectangular either. I still need to have an eye exam and then I can get the lenses....

So what does all that have to do with quilted shoes? Well across from Lenscrafters is a big shoe store DSW - and since I have no idea where I packed my shoes... I need to get something to wear besides my sneakers and Keen sandals (although I plan to wear my Keens through the winter with warm and cozy socks - I just love them).

Anyway here is what I found while looking around... I didn't buy them but thought they were very cute...

Just about the only quilty thing going on in my life right now... if they had them in a 7D I might have had to own one of them. Quilters shoes for sure don't you think?

Screeching Halt

Did you ever feel like you've come to a Screeching Halt?

Those of you who know me know that we have been preparing our house for sale.

I have worked since mid-summer to clear out the excess, fix and repair things, and paint and spruce up the house to prepare to put it on the market. And as the past several months have gone by the housing market has been doing a gradual downward spiral. I fully expected we'd be sitting on this house for months waiting...

Well - the house was listed on Thursday... we had an Open House on Sunday... we had a second viewing on Tuesday and by the end of that day we had an offer we accepted.

I know I now have lots to finish up - pack up the rest of the stuff we still have in the house - pack up my vintage sewing machines out in the shed... but after all this rushing to get stuff done... it's pretty much over... I feel like I've come to a screeching halt.

I don't have to keep it clean for viewings... I can keep my toothbrush holder on the counter... I can leave the dogs water bowls out... and I can clutter my kitchen counter if I want to! LOL

I just feel sorta weird... I hadn't expected this part to be over so quickly...

A new POD was delivered today at 7:30 AM - making that 3 PODS sitting in the driveway. All the rest of our stuff will go in there along with all my machines. Then all three will be hauled away... off to our new life!

So I guess I best get busy getting the rest of this done.

When in Rome...

You know the saying that goes "When in Rome..."
Well I have over the years tried to apply that philosophy to eating...

It began when I moved away from Texas only to find that good Tex Mex, Mexican, or BBQ foods aren't available everywhere... especially during the mid 70's. So every time I returned home to see family it required several trips to local eating establishments. Oh yeah - I almost forgot about biscuits & gravy and ooooo oooo chicken fried steak!

Later when my kids attended a summer camp on Star Island off the coast of NH/Maine - we usually made the drop off trip into a weekend event as we explored the Maine coast and which required the eating of lobster at every possible meal. I now have a friend there that knows where to get the best Lobster Stew.

Actually a trip to any coast requires consumption of what ever the local seafood industry provides don't ya think?! Nothing but coast line in Hawaii... lots of wonderful foods there... mmmmmm!

Anyway - so here I am visiting Tom in Maryland. And when in Maryland you just gotta eat Crab Cakes at every possible meal. We had a very nice elegant dinner the other night at the Bayard House in Chesapeake City. We've had a yummy lunch Saturday at Woody's Crab House - I'm trying to figure out how I can finagle another trip there.... mmmmm! Sunday's lunch was at a place in Chestertown on the water - a lovely lunch out on the deck.

I could actually start cooking them myself... they certainly sound simple enough.

Of course to all the rules there are surely exceptions... like Scrapple... ain't no way that's happening to my mouth! But since my husband is from Pennsylvania - he likes it... go figure!

I couldn't mention all this wonderful food without talking about a fabulous dinner made by my brother-in-law the other night. The Chicken Florentine he made was divine - so tender and yummy. This one I'll definitely try out myself.

OK - now I'm hungry thinking about all this great food... maybe if the dogs are feed, and I'm all dressed and ready to go my husband will take me out tonight when he gets home? Hmmmm? Maybe? Certainly worth a try don't ya think?

It worked and I've confirmed that the Crab Cakes at Woody's are indeed the best I've had so far. We managed to save 1/2 of our dinners for tomorrow night. Now I gotta go and unbutton my pants... they had a wonderful Pumpkin Bread Pudding for desert - I could only eat half of... the other half will be breakfast tomorrow morning.

Things that don't work...

You know how when you exercise they encourage you to increase the weights you are using over time to build up muscle strength and if you are a walker - I've even seen where they encourage you to use ankle weights or carry small weights with you. The idea is that if you make the muscles work harder - they get stronger - stronger muscles burn fat faster...

Nice idea... but it's just not working for me...

Actually - I figure if this worked the way it should (in my little mind)... there would be no overweight people around. A person who gained 5 pounds (like I have this summer) would in essence take that weight off just by virture of the fact that they have increased the weight they are carrying around - muscles would get stronger, more efficent and burn the fat off... right??

I've waited and hoped all summer as I've worked, cleaned, painted and sweated my way around this house that not only would my house be getting in shape - I would be too...

Sure seems like a pretty good theory... don't ya think?

But... it don't work.

I found someone while poking around the internet this morning who really has explored this concept in depth... she must have more time to ponder than I do... but here is her research on the subject.

HEADS will roll!!

Tonight as I stood looking out across the back yard... I heard "pop".

Huh? "Pop" again...

What the..? "Pop" yet again...

As I look around I see the dog standing next to me "popping" the heads off my new MUM plant... then I see all the heads she's been working on during the day!

The only thing missing was her going 'p'thewey' as she spit them out...

The ground is covered with little heads...

Poor plant!

So now all the mums are shoved way.... way.... way outta the way - Crazy dog!

Here is a quilt I've been working on a little bit here and there... from the Focus on Florals book by That Patchwork Place. I have only actually sewn the bottom right couple rows so far... need to finish sewing all the rows - adding the setting triangles at each end and then I can sew the rows to each other. I'm liking it... and it's helping me keep my sanity...


Now that I have it all laid out on the floor - I guess I need to get going on it so the cats don't play with all the pieces. I've been working on this when I need a break from working on the house... LOL having said that you'd think I'd be done with it by now!

Look what I found last night...

Last night I was looking at the classes being offered this fall at A Quilters Gathering in Nashua, NH. One of the teachers is Pamela Mostek.


A couple years ago I made 2 Wreath quilts from her book "Scatter Garden Quilts" for a class I taught at the quilt shop. The Christmas Wreath quilt I made was very popular at the shop - I was very happy with how it came out and sent Pamela an email with a picture of it. I had forgotten all about her asking if she could use it when ever she was able to post student pictures.


When I poked around her site last night I found she has a blog and there I found a link to a student gallery... - and look what I found all pretty sitting there! My Christmas Wreath Quilt!


I was quite surprised and pleased to see it there.

A Leap of Faith...

Do ya ever do that? Take a Leap of Faith... just step out there without a parachute, cut wood without safety goggles, serve soup you haven't tasted yet, wash windows in the dark? Move and not know exactly where you are going?

I was asked in my last post where I was moving to... and I've been pondering that answer all afternoon. You see the quick answer is - I don't know exactly.

I do know that at least temporarily I'll be moving to northern MD where my husband currently has an apartment. He's working just south of Philly - so the commute is pretty easy from there. And the general plan is to live someplace south or southwest of Philly out in the country. Of course we have to sell this house first. And that's about all the facts in the matter.

Those few details or the lack of details seems to bother some folks I talk to. But I'm OK with things being kinda up in the air. I'm pretty sure things will work out... one way or another - things will work out.

My last chore this evening was washing some windows. Well it was either that or drag out some paint and do some touchup work - washing the windows won! As I worked on the last few - it was getting dark - which limits your ability to see if you have any streaks. But I kept washing... another leap of faith? Sorta - I was using a microfiber cloth soaked in white vinegar and one of those cool lint free cloths (kinda like diaper material) to dry the windows. So my 'leap' really was easy because so far I hadn't had any problems and the 'light' really wasn't a factor in what I was doing. What happens if tomorrow I find some streaks... well I'll drag out my supplies and wash them again. It will work out... one way or another - those windows will get cleaned... or I'll hang curtains over them! See - things will work out.



Speaking of a Leap of Faith... here's a picture of my granddaughter from this summer. Her first leap off a diving board... I can't believe her Mom was able to catch her in mid-air just as she had leaped off!

Scary and exciting all at the same time. Kinda like moving... and Life.

Can't drag my feet anymore...

If I continue to drag my feet about finishing up this house I'm gonna have to see an orthopedic doctor!

I really do have to get all these little things finished up so that I can focus on the few remaining big things - like the basement.

The basement work is at the other end of the tunnel. I can't work on the basement because it's got stuff still in it... like all the stuff that belongs upstairs. Hmmm - guess I should explain for those who don't know - I'm in the process of getting this house ready to sell so that we can move.

The wood floors were refinished this summer - a process that requires that you move everything out of those areas. Since every room in my house (except my bathrooms) has hardwood floors - it meant everything had to go. So we threw away, packed away (in two PODS), gave away and finally stuffed away all our stuff. What we were keeping to put back in the house went into either the closets, bathrooms, front porch, basement or garage.

Now I can't bring all that stuff back upstairs until all the other work is done - like the painting. And it seems like we are painting everywhere... well it doesn't seem like we are - we ARE painting everywhere. At least one if not all of the walls, ceiling, and/or trim in each room is getting whacked with a brush or roller. My arm will only do so much painting at a time - I'm probably just being a weenie about the whole thing... a numb hand isn't a big deal is it? If my left hand weren't so clumsy and uncoordinated it would be more help...

So I'm at the point of tying up loose ends this week... finish a few more touch up things (oh and the kitchen ceiling) and then move the paint containers downstairs and start moving the house stuff upstairs.

This week I need to call the realtor... see where the market is these days and get this show on the road.

Painted myself out of a shower tonight...

I guess I wasn't thinking today. I was just puttering around earlier with the tube of caulk - some here on this trim - some over there on that window - oh yeah gotta recaulk the window in the tub downstairs. Then I break out the can of paint - touch up here and a little bit there - oh look it's the same white semi-gloss I used in the upstairs bathroom - so off I go to touch up the trim and paint the ceiling... and since I earlier caulked the window downstairs - now I can paint it too. Great - got a lot of little things crossed off the list.

I washed up the painting stuff all pleased with myself... and as I pulled my painting clothes off to get ready for my shower... hmmmm... no place to take a shower since both places have fresh drying paint. I'm glad I wasn't doing any heavy duty work today too! A cat bath will have to suffice.

LoJack for Laptops and Renters Insurance

One of my daughters recently returned to San Diego from Hawaii and unfortunately her Apple laptop computer was stolen out of her checked luggage. (We won't even go to the "what ever was she thinking..." topic.)

She (with the help of her sister) spent the better part of 2 days changing passwords and log-ins for her online stuff - and she's had to suffer through the hassles of putting fraud reports out to the credit companies and changing banking info.

She immediately filed reports with the Airline, Police, and her Insurance Company. Yes - the good news is that she has 'Renters Insurance' and even better news is that the policy covered the loss so that she could replace her laptop. Renters insurance is very cheap and well worth the investment.

Unfortunately she's lost lots of pictures that had been downloaded to the laptop and I'm sure that as time goes by she'll remember other documents and files she had on there that she doesn't have a hard copy for.

So what else could she have done?? (yeah besides not putting stuff like that in a checked suitcase)

• Purchase and use TSA approved locks for the suitcase - these allow the suitcase to be opened and searched by security at the airport - and would limit the ability of others to easily pilfer though your stuff.


• LoJack for Laptops! I learned about this last year when my husband purchased new laptops for us from DELL. We have a 3 year plan. http://www.lojackforlaptops.com/ This would at least provide the possibility of recovery.
  
• Backup photos and documents to other permanent storage.

Which reminds me - I need to get photos and other documents on my laptop copied to CD... or better yet - I think I'll get a portable DVD burner so that I can put more data on a DVD disk. No sense tempting fate...

You are spending too much time painting if...

you have to vacuum the drop cloths!

Well it didn't help that I went away for several days last week, I work at the quilt shop on the weekends and I'm sure I could find a few more excuses... but the end result (especially with 2 house cats) is that when I finally get back to painting - I have to vacuum first. The big drop cloths sorta stay put but the vacuum plays havoc with the 'pre-taped plastic drop cloths' that are all around the edges - I have to cut the suction power way back or they get sucked up.

Actually the cats have been more of an issue with the plastic - they are having a grand time running and sliding around - so I'm always resticking them in place as I move around the room.

I had set Friday as my 'finish by' date but I'm not sure if that's going to pan out. I made the mistake of having a cup of coffee last night... so I was up late and slept late as well.

Howdy from Howdy!

I've decided to jump on this blog bandwagon... just to have a place to ponder life, family, friends and my love of quilting.