Good Night, Sweet Prince

My four-legged son, Bogart, passed away on Friday evening. He was 15 years & 1 month old.

His health had been failing for quite some time. As I had previously written, he was an insulin dependent diabetic (5 years). He had developed arthritis in one of his back legs & had been getting anti-inflammatory meds to help with that.

However, he also had a tumor in that same leg that just kept growing. . . and it became increasingly hard for him to walk since his leg became almost too sore to use.

I had adopted Bogart when he was 4 years old. . . his former owner was a sales manager where I work & was going through a divorce. . .and the apartment that he was moving into would not allow dogs.

We met at a rest stop in the middle of Connecticut (the manager lived in Massachusetts) and Bogart went with me without complaint (he actually never even looked for his former owner). From the minute I wss given his leash he was my dog. . .to the point that he ignored my mother (she had gone with me in case I needed extra help).

From that day (I believe it was in February) until this past Friday, most of my thoughts and actions were geared around him. . . how long was I gone, who could check on him for me, where to board him when my sister got married in Las Vegas, running to the vet everytime something just "wasn't right" with him, etc.

He was my alarm clock (until recently 5:30AM was his time. . .even on the weekends), and if I was a little slow in getting his food ready he would let me know by barking up a storm. If I forgot to give him a cookie he would stand in front of the cabinet door and just wait until I got the "hint" & gave him a cookie!!

He used to love going for walks. . . until recently when it got too hard for him.

I purchased my home because of him. . . .the condo community where we originally lived was wonderful when I first got him. Unfortunately, as with many somewhat "transient" communities, the neighborhood started going a little downhill & I was concerned for my safety when walking him late at night. So, I bought a house, for him.

I can't believe how much his loss hurts. . . I knew that it would be bad, but this has been terrible. I realize that I am putting my husband, who is also hurting, through hell, but I just can't be strong anymore.

We aren't home. . .we left the house Saturday morning to get away. It hasn't helped, we are in Pennsylvania, where we have gone tons of times. . . and everywhere we go I have memories of Bogart --- "I always stopped here to bring him cookies home", "every time we were here I would call Mom to see how Bogart was when she went to check on him", etc.

This has not been as good an escape as I had hoped it would be.

And to top it off, I can't even put a picture of him on this post because I am on a hotel computer. . . and the upload from flickr is not working the way I thought that it would.

I'm probably not going to be on the computer very often. . . Bogie would always lay by my chair when I was on the computer so that I could lean over & pet him, or pick him up & cuddle while I was surfing the web.

Good bye, sweet friend. . . . I miss you desperately.


In peace and pieces,


Edited to add Mr. Bogie's picture.

We are home. . . .I have a new definition for Hell.

Hey, Margaret's got a new swap going!!!

If you are interested in getting into the second round of Four Season Quilt Swap you better head over to Margaret's blog NOW (http://fourseasonsquiltswap.blogspot.com/2008/11/sign-up-for-4sqs5.html).

It looks like she opened up the sign-ups for 4SQS5 yesterday. . . .and I don't know how many have already signed up. . . so get moving!!! LOL

I won't be joining this time around. . . I'm going to take a breather from swapping for a while so I can concentrate on the projects that I have "in-house". But, I can assure you that Margaret runs a tight ship and the work I have seen is absolutely top notch.

Good luck, if you choose to swap.

Until next time,

In peace and pieces,

Okay, I'm getting serious!

At least about busting my stash, that is.

I've decided to try to get myself under control when it comes to fabric, quilt books, quilt kits, quilt magazines, quilt supplies (over buying), etc.

You have to realize that this "revelation" comes after I purchased almost 18 yards of fabric last night! One was a print of scenes from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (and I love Cornelius!) and the other was a fabric that looks like flames. . .and I'm thinking that I would like to use that for my Black & White & 1 other color challenge (which can be found here: http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/2008/11/black-and-white-quilt-challenge-project.html).

And I have 30 fat quarters of black & white fabrics on order from Jane (http://janesfabrics.blogspot.com/). But since I do not have a large collection of black & white fabrics I'm not too concerned about that purchase.

Judy Laquidara has been an inspiration to me & I figure that it is time I got serious about getting something done around here. Of course, I have gotten alot of stuff done if you look at my side bar for projects completed & books read, but that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what I want to get done.

My stash busting goal for 2009 is as follows:

Number 1:

Complete my sister's wedding quilt. I would like to have the top at least done by her 8th anniversary in May.

Here's what 1 block looks like:


I think, if I remember correctly, I need over 80 of these.

Number 2:

Get my sewing area in the basement organized, set up & cleared out.

This will be a monumental task, but I'm thinking if I work on it a little at a time by the end of 2009 it should be exactly the way I want it to be.

Here are some pics (which I've posted before) to show you what a mess I have. . . it was alot more organized 3 years ago (before I got married) but once the DH came in with his stuff things just got tossed together & the basement resembles more of a "war zone" than anything else. But it won't look this way by this time next year if I have my way (which I usually do)! LOL




Number 3:

Work on UFO's and/or kits before starting anything brand new.

This will allow me to work on projects that I already liked and would like to get back to --- not to mention that they are further along toward completion than anything else I could dream up! LOL

I may try to work these in as a "leader & ender" project ala Bonnie Hunter (www.quiltville.com). . .but since I am sewing my sister's quilt by hand (I can't do curves on my sewing machine to my satisfaction) this may be a little difficult.


I think that working toward these three goals will be enough for me to start with. Of course I will also have to work in my crochet, knitting, cross stitch & reading in to my life as well, not to mention the DH, Bogart, my job, church, volunteer work, relaxation, etc.

If you'd like to join the crowd that is growing check out this entry on Judy's blog:
http://www.patchworktimes.com/stashbusting-in-2009/.

Until next time,

In peace and pieces,

Heading to a Warmer Climate

No, not me. . . . but my part of the Doll Quilt Swap #5. . . .where it is going is a warmer spot than here in NJ. . . here are a couple of pictures of the finished piece; I was trying to show the quilting & I wasn't sure that it showed on the picture of the front. . .so I put in a picture of the back.


So, now all my "big" swap obligations are completed. I just have the Birthday Block Swap to complete, which is a block a month for the next 8 months or so. . .and then all my obligations are completed.

After being involved in so many time sensitive swaps I think I will just "lay low" for a bit. . . I have alot of UFO's that need to be completed; not to mention all the fabric that I have in the house!! Judy Laquidara's Stashbusting efforts (http://www.patchworktimes.com/2008/10/28/stashbusting-in-2009/) seem to be more in line with where & what I am into at the moment.

Gee, guess my #1 priority is to get the wedding gift for my sister done. . . their EIGHT year anniversary is May 2009. . . and I only have 1 row of a king sized quilt completed.

It's time to get that finished, don't you think??

Until next time,

In peace and pieces,

Here's something that I CAN show you. . . .

My husband & I spent our 3rd anniversary visiting my sister & her family in Strawberry Plains, Tennessee. We stayed at a time share in Gatlinburg. . . mileage wise not very far, but with driving time at least 1/2 hour (but usually more) away.

It was great to spend some time with my niece & 2 nephews. . . .since they moved I haven't had alot of contact with them. . . .not like my other sister's boy whom I get to see on a pretty regular basis.

We took the kids to an attraction called, if I remember correctly, Outback Adventure, and there were alot of exhibits of animals from Australia (unfortunately the kangaroos were sleeping out of the sun so we did not get to see them), Asia, Malaysia, etc.

Here are some pics:







One of the days we were in Tennessee we drove to Asheville, North Carolina to visit Biltmore House.

What a case of sticker shock!! They charge $55 per person to see just a portion of the rooms in this house.

A couple of years ago we went to Newport, Rhode Island & purchased tickets to see 5 different mansions and I don't think those tickets were much more than that. . . and we got to see the ENTIRE house, not just certain floors.

My DH had always wanted to see Biltmore, and we had spent 3 hours driving there, so we went. I can't say that I was disappointed, but I think the mansions in Newport were done up in a much grander style and the tour guides there were a bit more cordial to those that were going through on their own with audio tours.

When we came back home I got sick --- could you blame me? In Tennessee the temps were between 72 - 78 degrees, when we got back to New Jersey we had 40 degree weather -- that's a bit of a shock to the system!

Between battling a sinus infection & bronchitis (why just get one illness when you can get 2?) I have been a bit behind schedule in getting my projects completed. . . but my Twisted Mystery #4 project has been mailed & received by Lynn. . . so I should be able to post pictures here shortly of that project.

The other project that I am working on is for the Doll Quilt Swap #5 (http://dollquiltswap.wordpress.com/). . . .here is the top that I am now quilting:



My partner said that they like bright quilts. . . so I hope that they are happy with this. . .it is not something that is usually my style, but it is growing on me, and DH likes it, so I would say that it is working out well.

I had wanted to have this already in the mail & out the door, but being laid up for about 4 days put that plan right out the window. The quilts need to be at their final destinations by December 1st. . .I'm thinking that sending it priority mail on Friday should give it plenty of time to get to where it is going.

Well, enough babbling, I have to get ready for work & get the DH up so . . . .

Until next time,






In peace and pieces,

Quiltathon Weekend w/Judy Laquidara

I have been hand quilting for the past couple of days. . . the only problem is that I can't show you what I have been working on because it is my Twisted Mystery #4 project. . .and until the "great reveal" on the forum I can't show it here.

I am very pleased with the way the quilt & the quilting are turning out. . . I had wanted to have the quilt in the mail by yesterday (Saturday) but due to this dumb cold I have been sleeping more than I have been quilting. However, due to the deadline of the project it has to be in the mail by no later than Tuesday. Hopefully I will be able to stay awake enough to finish it.

I haven't downloaded the pics from our trip to Tennessee yet. . . but hope to have those here soon.

Until next time,


In peace and pieces,

My Angel received her package

This will just be a short post. . . .I'm a bit pressed for time. I heard from Fiona, who was the recipient of my Stitchers' Angel package, and my package has arrived at her home safe & secure. Yippee!!!

I'm always worried about packages not making it to their destinations in a timely fashion. . . but this is one more swap that has gone off without a hitch.

I'll be back. . . with news from our trip down south & pics of creatures (some are very small).

Until then. . .

In peace and pieces,