I Need Spring!

I love tulips. 

 I wanted to try my hand at applique again. 

So I did. 

Now, to figure out borders so we'll have a new wallhanging to replace the penguin and put winter away for this year!!!

Happy Friday!

Falling leaves applique-- first time ever doing hand applique!!!

 So, Wednesday evening I finished my first applique project! It's a little rough, shall we say, but I'm proud of it. I think I am going to make a border of scrappy browns... maybe work in the word "Fall" or maybe not. I"m undecided. That's the beauty of it-- I can do what I want!

Thursday morning, my MIL and I started out on the shop hop. The map turned out to be VERY DECEPTIVE, so the hopping took all day long! Not to mention that one shop had outdated directions that failed to mention construction, detours, and the fact that there are THREE roads labeled State Road 2. But we found all the places, got a bunch of free patterns (some really neat), some cute projects, a fun tote, and then there's the stuff I bought... see the pile?

Shop hop score!!!

Guess what I spent.....
Not $100....... not even $50....
 $44 for it all!!!! Bravo for using my thrifty gene and finding good deals!!! I was really excited to find a THIMBLE, too!!!! It's leather with a small covered metal tip... it works great for me. Another thing of which I'm proud? I have a plan for every piece of fabric that I bought!!! The Christmas ones will be for a throw that I can pull from my stash to complete, the Halloween ones are for Halloween basket liners so I can have candy out :) and the green/purple/blue Chrysanthemum will be for a project I designed while doing the shop hop-- it will be mostly used for a large middle panel, surrounded by several borders made from my stash!!! There is also a piece of fabric with houses on it that I bought to make an ornament. I also got some perle cotton to hand-quilt my wonky houses, some flat flower pins, and to top it off, for participating I got the reusable green tote!!!

Off to go get milk-- the hop took so long yesterday due to the distance that I didn't get home until 8 pm, and forgot to get milk!!!

Adventures with hand applique, and....

After searching for weeks for an applique project that was easy enough to teach myself, AND something I would want to keep one it's finished, I was at a loss... so, as usual, I came up with my own design: a small, fall wallhanging of falling leaves. Another benefit to the project is that it was designed around fabrics I already have.

That wasn't so difficult!

I like it! And I love my iPhone since I can easily take reference pictures like this! 

Two leaves done and another pinned in place, ready to go for tonight's TV watching.

I got 2 leaves sewn on last night before my finger complained too much-- I really need a thimble. One that fits, that is. I have 3 that won't stay on or are simply uncomfortable. I really hope I can find one tomorrow during the local shop hop!!!

In case anyone noticed, I've been entering Go! giveaways like crazy... with the possibility of my own sewing room growing, I figure it won't hurt to enter a couple giveaways... just in case. ;)

The house hunt update: We made an offer, and it was ACCEPTED AS IS! The glitch? When Tim went to get the paperwork for the VA loan, he discovered there is an error somewhere-- whoever files the paperwork recording who is a veteran hasn't gotten it done! That's the best I understand it, anyway. Tim called around and went to I don't know how many different offices on base, and it seems like whatever number/letter combination piece of paperwork that is missing will be fixed by Friday.... So, keep praying that come Friday we can sign the necessary papers and become homeowners!!!

Our realtor has been great keeping us updated, and she didn't seem too concerned about this latest glitch (does it happen often?). I guess there is an acceptable window in which we can get this sorted out.
We're hopeful that we will be in this house then by November 5th!!! EEEEE!!!

Casseroles are just love baked for 25 minutes

I made tuna casserole for lunch today. YUM! It's Tim's favorite dish that came from my family. I love it, too. Since Tim's home, I didn't get any sewing done after about 11 am, but that's ok. We ran some errands, and I FINALLY remembered to get butter and freezer paper. I want to start a hand applique project so that when I have to go any where that requires waiting, I will have a project to work on. I drew a maple leaf on one piece that might end up on a placemat. But, I also love the look of Baltimore Album quilts (despite them being so traditional!). I'm sure I'll get inspired by something, soon enough... 

I hope I wake up earlier than I did today so I can get some piecing in before Tim gets up. I feel a little guilty when I spend too much time sewing when he's home since we're still in this odd arrangement of him working on man days at the base while I'm still here, but thankfully, every day the light at the end of this tunnel gets brighter and brighter!!! He should start his official assignment in the end of October, so moving will probably be around then, perhaps earlier, but more likely later. That will make my school commute easier, too. 

The Apprentice has been on in the background... we watched about half an hour before Tim went to bed, but since then I have been ignoring it for the most part because they edit it to make these people seem so contentious and rude. And speaking of rude, the postal person who dropped off a package today was rude in a totally uncalled for way. She knocked on our screen this morning, then proceeded to hold it shut with her foot and yell at me about my dog barking-- despite my recommendation that she stand back from the dog and not lean in what animals perceive as a threatening manner. The woman wouldn't listen, though, and I had to ask her twice to remove her foot so I could step outside and sign for the package- the second time saying, "How can I sign for the package if you won't let me out of my house, ma'am?" She then said, "Keep that damn thing inside," to which I simply stepped out, signed the package, and told her to have a nice day. I don't know what's going on in her life, but being rude isn't going to fix it. My dog is the sweetest dog in the world when people are being civil- she only barks like that when she thinks there's something to warn me about. After that interaction, I came inside and told Prudence what a good girl she is, warning me about such an unpleasant person!!!! After 6 years in retail, I learned that being rude gets you no where. It is much easier to snap when someone is mean to you, but sometimes, a kind response can help turn their day around. The more unpleasant people get with me, the calmer I get. I am the only one who can ruin my day. I hope that mail woman wakes up tomorrow in a better mood... but if not, I hope she's not on our route next time my Joann's add comes!!! (Some of them won't deliver it... I might have found the culprit).

May you all wake up and smile before you frown tomorrow. And if you're ever at my door, Prudence is a lover, not a fighter... unless you're a tree. She hates our maple tree.

My little tree pruner.