How did it get to be DECEMBER????!!!!!

I have no idea where the time has gone. . . .and here it is almost a month since my last post.

The computer at home isn't working well; I can't find my camera; I can't find the connecting cord for Mr. Books' camera (so no pictures). . . . . plus I have been a bit under the weather.

This week is pretty hectic. . . . .after finishing up the swap for Chookyblue's SSCS and the SSS Swap I have been feverishly working on some favors for a Christmas party that is on Sunday so this may be my only post this week.

My goal, well one of them at least, is to be a better blogger. . . . but that may have to wait until the craziness of this holiday season is over.

But I will endeavor to try. . . . . .

In peace and pieces,
 

No longer MIA

Did anyone miss me?

Mr. Books and I just got back from celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary in Las Vegas.......or, to be more accurate, Paradise, Nevada.

We had a good time......went on several tours.......visited two quilt shops (one really friendly, the other not so much).....and several antique shops.

I will be getting some pictures up as soon as I can, but right now I am too jet-lagged to deal with the camera and computer issues.

Have a great day.

In peace and pieces,
 

Cats stealing beds from dogs

This is an adorable video of what some poor dogs have to put up with when it comes to the resident feline!

http://www.wimp.com/dogbeds/

Enjoy!

In peace and pieces,
 

Good bye Marty

My brother-in-law, Marty, passed away on the 8th.

He was much too young to have been called home.......but at least his pain is gone forever.

My sister and their three kids are doing about as well as can be expected.  Mr. Books and I were there from Wednesday until Saturday afternoon.  I hope that our presence was of some comfort.

We got to meet their friends and co-workers and I am glad to see how well they have been taken care of.  Being 12 hours away has not made it easy for me.....especially since she is my "baby" sister.

I can not say enough about The Barker's Lounge (Tennessee) and Green Mountain Coffee Company.  They and their employees have really embraced my sister and her family.

I am a little behind in a couple of swaps so I will be going now.........

But if you are the praying type I would appreciate your prayers for my sister and the kids.

Thank you,

In peace and pieces,
 

Urgent prayers needed. . . . . .

My sister, brother-in-law, and their three children need prayers. . . . .for courage and strength, and for peace.

I am sitting by my phone in case I get the call that I am needed in the South.   Have been getting some things done but their situation has me a bit preoccupied.

Hopefully I will be able to show some things that are fun in the near future.

In peace and pieces,
 

Tea for Teal Swap. .. . . received

I really need to get my house organized. .. . or maybe I just need to get myself organized!

I received a wonderful mug rug in the Teal for Teal swap. . . . . but I can't show you a picture since I can't find my camera!

I seem to be able to lose everything if it is not nailed down just by turning around twice.  LOL

In addition to the wonderful mug rug (and I don't have the card by the computer so I will need to edit this post to properly thank the sender) I received a package of Brookside Dark Chocolate Pomegranate.  Oh.my.goodness. . . . . .these are wonderful!!

I'm hoping to find my camera soon. . . . then I can show you the great work I received!

In peace and pieces,
 

I remember. . . . . .

I remember so vividly these words, spoken by President George W. Bush on October 7, 2001 --- especially the words that I have put in bold print:


"Since September 11, an entire generation of young Americans has gained new understanding of the value of freedom and its cost and duty and its sacrifice. The battle is now joined on many fronts. We will not waiver, we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail. Peace and freedom will prevail. Thank you. May God continue to bless America."


I only hope that God is hearing the prayers of his people and will move those in power hear on Earth to bring peace to this world. . . . . 

'nuf said.



In peace and pieces,
 

And still more reading

I've been on a reading roll lately. . . . . and it is fun to find other authors that I really like:

Annette Blair has a writing style that really draws me in. . . . . I love her characters and they seem to come to life in my head while I'm reading.  Of course, if her books are made into movies the actors chosen won't be anything like what I imagine.  (I had that happen to me with some of the characters in Harry Potter.)

There has been some crocheting going on. . . . I'm trying to finish UFO's and get the stashes down to a "low roar". . . .and it helps to have something to keep me awake during road trips with Mr. Books.  As soon as I have pictures I'll post them.

In peace and pieces,
 

Latest good reads

Lately I have been more involved in de-cluttering the house and reading than I have been with sitting on the computer --- which, of course, makes for a very boring blog. Two books that I recently finished that were really good were:
 

Of course, as seems to always happen with me, I read the second book in the series first!  This is a "cozy" mystery, which means that there is a murder without all the gory details of the crime.

I have already gotten the first book in the series out of my local library but I haven't started it yet.

The other recent finish was:

Tamar Myers has several series of cozy mysteries.  This is from the "A Den of Antiquity" series.  I have to admit that I am enjoying this series much better than the series she does that is based in Pennsylvania with a Mennonite bed-and-breakfast owner.

I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series . . . . . but I have to wait for it to come through the inter-library loan.

Some sewing was accomplished, but I haven't gotten any pictures of it yet so that will have to wait for another post.

 In peace and pieces,
 

Where have I been?

At the beginning of the month Mr. Books & I went on a bit of trip. . . .to Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio.

We went to two wineries:

Chalet Debonne Vineyards


Grand River Cellars

We had wonderful tours and tasted several great wines.  We did end up purchasing a few bottles from each vineyard so that we can enjoy them now that we are at home.

A side trip was taken into Cleveland. . . we would have liked to have gone to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. . . but time was against us. . . . but we did go here:



Cleveland's Central Market

I could not believe the amount of fresh food that was under one roof!  There was actually 2 buildings. . .one with meat, fish, cheese and baked goods; the other was fruit and vegetables.

We kept walking around the buildings trying to decide what we thought could handle our trip back home. . . . finally ended up with several meats and some baked goods.  We decided against any of the fresh fruit due to driving conditions.

If I lived close to Cleveland I could definitely see myself shopping there on a regular basis. I definitely envy those that live nearby.

Nautica Queen

While we were in Cleveland we also took a luncheon cruise on the Nautica Queen.  The food was wonderful.  There was a DJ on board and a dance floor. . . .but due to some rain storms the channel was a little too choppy for me to be up on the dance floor.

It was a little disappointing since the cruise was supposed to be on Lake Erie but, again, due to the weather conditions we had to stay in the channel.  But we got to see two lighthouses and had a friendly crew and wait staff so I would definitely go on another cruise.

We also ate at:

Madsen Donuts

The shop is located on "the strip" in Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH and we were told that the shop had been on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives". 

Based on Mr. Books loving Guy Fieri we had to make a stop.

The donuts were wonderful!  And they were just as good the next day after being in the refrigerator.

I've checked on line and do not see where this shop was part of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" but I'm glad that we went because it was one of the best junk food stops we have made.

It was a wonderful trip. . . . and the furthest west I have been so far in my life.

I would like to see more of Ohio then what we were able to see on this trip. . . so I am thinking that another trip is definitely in our future.

In peace and pieces,

Friday Night was a bust. . . . .

I was so excited about taking part of Friday Night With Friends. . . . but Friday night was a bust.  Well, at least as far as sewing went.

Mr. Books had to pick up his Trainman suit and there were some bills to be paid.  Then I decided that there was a bit of paper that needed to be gone through & readied for recycling.  One stack of paper lead to another and before I knew it my eyes were bleary and I decided that sleep was definitely in order.

Yesterday was spent running to the bank, the eye doctor, out to lunch and then some additional shopping for Mr. Books.  It's funny, I hate to shop (unless it is in the grocery) but he enjoys shopping of any kind. . . . .guess it is a case of opposites attracting.

When we got home I was exhausted and ended up sleeping for 6 hours!

So, Friday night was a bust. . . . and so was Saturday.  Now it is Sunday & I am hoping to get some sewing done today.

We shall see. . . . . .


In peace and pieces,

Friday Night With Friends

Tonight is another FNWF hosted by Cheryle . . . . and I am hoping to be able to get some sewing done.

I needed time away from the blog after losing my friend; but I must admit, it wasn't hard to stay away even longer than I needed.  Guess that means that I will never be a daily blogger (well, at least not while I am still working full time).

Mr. Books & I have had a few adventures. . . . .but I'll save that for another post. . . . .I just wanted to make sure that as many people as possible knew about the FNWF.

In peace and pieces,
 

Goodbye Gretchen

I lost a very, very dear friend yesterday.

I hadn't seen it coming. . . . and can't believe that she is gone.

I'll be away from the blog for awhile but if the absence is longer than what you have been used to I thought I should say why.

If there is something that you have been "planning to do". . . . . stop planning & just do it already. . . . you may not have a chance to get back to it.

In peace and pieces,
 

There is a new project on my plate!

I've been hemming and hawwing about starting a new quilt project. . . but then I finally "bit the bullet" and decided to do it.
,
One of the quilt shops that I go to, Pennington Quilt Works, runs a Saturday Sampler every year.  It is a year long project that is done one block per month.  There is a "start up" payment and if you go to the next meeting with the completed block from the previous month you will get the new block without payment.

I've participated in one or two but never finished them because there wasn't a completed project to view and with some of the fabric choices I couldn't see how the individual blocks would work together.

This year, however, I really thought that it would be fun to push my creative boundaries and signed up to do a quilt using Kaffe Fassett and other Westminster fabrics.  It also seemed to be a more masculine design choice that I thought would be nice for Mr. Books.

Here is the "teaser" page that Pennington Quilt Works has on their website:


The block for Kaffe and Friends looks really bold and different.  Unfortunately, for me, the completed project seemed very washed out and the blocks did not "pop" from a distance as the one in this picture does.

The shop was accommodating in that they allowed the participants to change their minds about their choice.  The Luxe in Bloom was really striking. . . but white is something that I try to avoid with 2 dogs.  The French General looked lovely and old-fashioned. . . but I thought it was a little too feminine to use.  So, I'm back to my normal color choice. . . . autumn colors; however, I don't usually work with a lot of batiks so this should be fun.

The shop has presented a quilt in each of the fabric choices. . . . but they have said that there will be larger samples that we will be seeing later in the year; I don't know if I will be making a really large quilt so I may stay with the original sample that they showed.

I've cut the fabric for the first block. . . .when I get it completed I'll post a pic.

In peace and pieces,

I'm attending Camp Loopy!!

Ok, it is all Judy's fault. . . . . every year she talks about Camp Loopy and how much fun she has (and how far behind she gets before the deadlines. . . and she shows the wonderful yarn and projects that she starts.  Well, suffice it to say that she just goes on and on and on and on!!!  LOL

Well this year I decided to check out what all the talk is about & I am going to Camp Loopy.

My camp yarn is this:


It is Cash-Woole in Teal.  I have no idea why I picked that color. . . . but I thought it was a neat color.

Starting June 1st we have a month to either knit or crochet a project that uses at least 375 yards of one skein of yarn.  The yarn had to be something that we haven't worked with before.

There is quite a bit more than 375 yards on the skein that I picked (I was afraid that I would not have enough since my knitting is not the best for staying on gauge).  And, since I mostly work with Red Heart Super Saver worsted weight yarn it wasn't hard to find a yarn that I had never worked with before.

Now the question comes in. . . .what project should I work on???

The yarn I picked is a laceweight so the baby afghan pattern that I picked up recently won't work.  There are a couple of patterns on Ravelry.com that I like:

Simple Lines

I've started working a sample of this pattern in some left over worsted weight yarn to see if I could understand the pattern. . . it seems to be working nicely with the heavier yarn so I may stay with this pattern for Camp.

Easy Peasy Scarf/Shawlette

This one looks interesting also. . . .but I'm not sure if I'm really ready for a lace pattern -- even if the pattern says that it is good for beginners.

Maybe I'll do the first one for Camp and then, with the remaining yarn in the skein I can try the 2nd one without having a time constraint.

I can't wait until my yarn arrives. . . . . and then I'll just have to wait for June 1st in order to start working on my project.


In peace and pieces,

Playing catch up

When last we were here we were talking about Friday Night with Friends.

I am happy to report that I actually did some work on a project. . . but since I think the person for whom I was sewing reads my blog I don't want to spoil the fun & show what I was working on.

BUT, I can tell you that it was the 4 blocks that make up my row in our guild Row Robin program that has been going on since January.  It is more Framed 9 Patches and if you go to this post you can see a previous row that I did. . . . .same blocks but different colors; this month was all solids with white as the background.

Truth be told I wasn't sure I was going to like the way the row turned out. . . but it does look pretty neat.  I hope Valerie likes it.

I've completed 2 more books:


This is the latest in the Tea Shop Mystery series.  I love this series and enjoyed this book very much.  It's funny but the characters have become so ingrained in my imagination that whenever Laura Childs puts in a physical description as SHE sees the character and it doesn't fit in with how I see the character it interrupts my train of thought about what I am reading.

Does that happen to any one else or am I just really weird?

The other book that I have read was:

This is the first book in a series based out of a pizza shop.  I enjoyed it, but I didn't feel that the story line was as well developed as it should be.  The story was a bit "choppy" at times. . . a little distracting but not so much that I won't read any of the other books in the series.

There is more reading on the horizon, I picked up this book from the library today:

I believe that this is the 2nd book in a series set in Amish country; the main character is a Mennonite woman that runs a Bed & Breakfast.  The characters are well done & I enjoyed the first book so I'm hoping to be able to get through the entire series so that I can be up-to-date on it --- much the same way that I had played "catch up" with the Laura Childs series (there is a scrap booking and a small time diner series in addition to the tea shop one).

Well, guess I better get a move on. . . . there is a lot to do before I get to read my latest book!


In peace and pieces,

Friday Night With Friends. . . it's time to sign up & get to work!

Cheryll is once again hosting the Friday Night with Friends this evening.  It is so wonderful that she takes the time to do this. . . it helps give me a monthly "kick in the butt" to try to get some stitching done.

It's fun to go through the bloggers that have signed up to see what kinds of projects are being worked on.  To me it is much better than Pinterest!

I'm hoping to be able to get some stitching done. . . .even if it is only some hand stitching.

In peace and pieces,

Traveling Stash Giveaway WINNER!

Well, we have a WINNER!!

True Random Number Service

Random Sequence Generator

Here is your sequence:

5
4
3
2
1

Timestamp: 2013-05-03 00:43:19 UTC

The winning comment is from Quilting Ranny.  I've sent her an email via Outlook so as soon as I hear from her I will get the box in the mail & on it's way to its new home.

Thank you to every one that took part. . . .I wish I could send you all a box because they are really fun to play with.

In peace and pieces,

Next book on the reading list

 Over the weekend I finished reading "Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth" by Tamar Myers.

I enjoyed the book. . . .but I found it a little weird to have most of the recipes interspersed between the actual book. . . .guess I'm just used to having the recipes all together at the end of the book.

My next reading will be
   Elizabeth Craig is a new author to me so I'll have to let you know if I enjoyed it once I'm finished.  The Corgi on the cover was a plus (I'm a sucker for a book with a dog in it!).

I have a couple of other books that are coming to my local library (have I said recently how much I LOVE inter-library loan systems?!!) so I may have to read double time so that I don't get fined late fees.

Happy Quilting,

In peace and pieces,
 

Mr. Books and I spent a great weekend in Pennsylvania.  It was our first camp-out with the RV group that we joined last year.

We were at a campground in Bernville, PA.  Neither of us thought to take our cameras (we finally found his charger. . . my charger is still MIA) but I'll like through to a couple of things that we did.

Yesterday before we left we went to the original Roadside America display.  It was amazing.  The thought that some of the buildings (that were all handmade) are over 100 years old was just mind-boggling to me.

Before we left we asked how they keep all the dust off the displays.  Every three years they dismantle the entire display (which is HUGE) piece by piece to clean, re-paint and replace each piece back in the display.  I can't imagine the work that is involved --- we were told that they use cotton swaps due to the size of the pieces!

Saturday, since we were so close, Mr. Books had to make a pilgrimage to Cabela's  He took his time wandering around the store and I took a nap in the "scratch & dent" section on one of the most comfortable chairs I have ever been in.  No, the nap was not planned, but the body decided it had was time for a nap.

After he woke me up we went to a little quilt shop, Happy Sewing Room.  The shop was recently visited by Bonnie Hunter and, needless to say, we did a little shopping.

Mr. Books picked up some fabric for a project he is working on (yes, he does quilt. . . .), we picked up a pattern and a kit that were both exclusive to the shop (the package is still riding around in his truck but I'll post pictures soon) and I got a much needed refill of Best Press.
 She had the scent-free refills so I picked up one.

However, now that I think about it, I should have gotten 2 or 3. . . .but I will be at another quilt shop before the end of May so I will be able to get one there.

I'm trying to get into the habit of posting more frequently. . . . not just for me but to make it more interesting for anyone that might be reading.

Have a great day. . . . and don't forget. . . . the Traveling Stash giveaway goes off in a couple of days. . . . go to this post to try your luck on winning it.

In peace and pieces,
 

What I am reading now. . .

 I finished "And Then You Dye" (the last book I posted about) and have started another one:

 
I believe that this is the first book in her series. . . .it's an older book.  I've read 35 pages on the first day (during lunch at work).  It seems pretty good so far. . . .I hope I can keep up the reading pace because I've been notified by my library that there are a couple more books that I reserved that will be coming in very soon.

What are you reading?

In peace and pieces,
 

Projects that have been done since January

Since I have found my camera I thought you might want to see what I have been able to finish since the beginning of the year:

This is a scarf that I made for Mr. Books.  It is one of the most recent knitting projects that I have done.

This picture is of one of the two quilts that I made for two women that have been going through some tough times recently.  These women manage the lunch process and snack room for the church where we have a one day quilt retreat in February.

 

 

I made two of these log cabin blocks for a group quilt that we are making for a fellow member who has been in the hospital lately.  At last count there were 30 blocks from which we are making a quilt.  I know that there are several more blocks coming in . . . . depending on how many more come in we will have to decide what to make of them.

 

Our quilt guild has been doing a Row Robin exchange since January.  There are 6 members per group. . and we have 3 groups.  Each member picked a block and needed to make a row that finishes at 40".  Here are two of the rows I've done recently.  Unfortunately, I haven't been taking pictures of all the rows that I've done.

 

I hope to have more pictures to show you as I get things done.

Happy Quilting!


In peace and pieces,

Another Traveling Stash box to GIVEAWAY

I won another Traveling Stash box!  It came in over the weekend, but my neighbor had taken it in because it was raining and then she was away so I just got the box yesterday.

Here are pictures of what is in the box:

Patterns:

 

 Fabric (part #1)

 Fabric (part #2)

 Fabric (part #3)

 Two more patterns

 

 This is what I am planning on keeping:

If you are interested in winning this box here are the rules:

THE TRAVELING STASH RULES AND GUIDELINES
(INCLUDING HOW TO SAVE ON POSTAGE)

RULES:

1. Be an active blogger. Post about receiving and the giveaway on your blog in a timely manner.
2. There is a note in the box that logs where the box has been. Please add your info and place the note back in the box.
3. There is a list of Rules and Guidelines in the box. Please read and follow these and return the list to the box.
4. You may take anything you like from the box. Just replace every item with comparable quilt shop quality items equal to the amount taken. See guidelines below.
5. Ship the box to the next person in a reasonable amount of time.
6. Due to the amount of postage shipping is only within the USA.

GUIDELINES:
The definition of a stash is a secret store of valuables. For quilters it's a collection of usable quality products. The stash should contain mostly fabric with a few patterns and/or books and other items.

• FABRIC: Should be quilt shop quality in new condition. Scraps should only be included if they are cut for adding to a collection and packaged accordingly (i.e. I-Spy squares, postage stamp squares, etc.). There should not be anything under a Fat Quarter unless packaged like this.
• PATTERNS/BOOKS: Should be in new or gently used condition. They should be kept to a minimum (books are bulky and add weight).
• OTHER ITEMS: Should be in new or gently used condition. Tools, notions, etc. These items should be packaged if necessary.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:

• If you receive a box with anything that is of "poor" condition you should not feel guilty in tossing it out.
• Only put items in the box that you would be proud to own. The box is NOT a dumping place for all your outdated unwanted items.
• Items should be free of smoke and pet hairs.
• You must replace items you take with the same quantity of like-kind items. Replacing more than you take is always welcome. :) There is a guide to Pre-Cut amounts below for your reference.

GUIDELINES TO PRE-CUT AMOUNTS:

• Jelly Roll strips are 2-1/2 inches so every 10 strips is 2/3 yard (plus an inch). 30 strips is 2 yards plus 3 inches. 40 strips is 2-3/4 yards. 50 strips is 3-1/2 yards.
• Honey Buns are 1-1/2 inches so 10 strips is just slightly under 1/3 yard. 40 strips are 1-2/3 yards.
• Desert Rolls are 10 (5 x 45) strips or just slightly over 1-1/3 yard.
• Turnovers are 80 (6 inch) triangles and is equal to slightly over 1 yard.
• Charms are 5 inch squares. 40 charms is equal to 2/3 of a yard.
• Layer Cakes are 10 inch squares. 40 layer cake squares are equal to 2-3/4 yards.
• 
  HOW TO SAVE MONEY & TIME WHEN MAILING A STASH BOX:
• Did you know that you can purchase postage online from the United States Postal Service (USPS)?

• Did you know that when you purchase postage online you get a discount and FREE Delivery Confirmation?
• Did you know that when you purchase postage online you can also schedule the Post Office to pick up your package at your home or office?

The giveaway will end on May 2nd so that I can get the box in the mail by the weekend.

Good Luck everyone!

In peace and pieces,