Best.Toy.EVER

How did I go 2 weeks without remembering to blog? 

I blame work... and the nice weather...

and the Chuck it!!!

 Matt Lauer and I agree- BEST TOY EVER!

I throw the ball for him and Prudence without ever touching the nastiness.

Heaven for us all.

 I'm still sewing... here is my husband's placemat just before binding. It has since been finished and sits in contrasting glory next to mine.

 We also celebrated our 2nd anniversary yesterday. He got me another band (the bottom of them) so that I can take my solitaire off when running and stop tearing up my pinkie finger, but still have something one that says MARRIED: LEAVE ME ALONE.

I hate getting hit on... especially when I'm sweaty/hungry/tired/just want to be left to my own devices running.

But, we did run a 5K together yesterday, and I ran a new personal best- 26:11. I'm pretty happy about that. My husband ran his in just under 24 minutes, so we were both happy.

 I've found a way to combine sewing a running. Or at least I sewed something for running: An insulated bottle holder. Doesn't Prince Charming look like he's ready to go?

Finally, my newest table topper, which was finished just in time for the fourth- finished on Sunday, the 3rd to be exact! It's an original design, made with fabrics I bought when my MIL and grandma were here. I'm happy with how it turned out.

Enjoy the rest of the week- I had 2 days off, but it's back to work now.

Ack!

When we bought our espresso machine a few weeks ago, and decided to get Netflix, Tim and I agreed that those two things would be our joint Valentine's present, thus eliminating any further gift-giving or worry about that silly holiday.

I was rather surprised last night when Tim announced that he knew what he was getting me for Valentine's Day!!!

Dang him, now I have to figure out a gift for him!!! Well, not really figure out, since I have an idea. He wants a laptop sleeve, and I just happen to have created a few in the past... so he's going to get a custom sleeve with fleece lining for an extra layer of protection (You all know how men handle fragile objects).

The only problem right now is my current case of what is hopefully just bronchitis. I had a sheet-changing fever last night, so I'm not sewing ANYTHING today for fear of stitching the germs right in. Nobody wants to be gifted germs!

Last night, I couldn't stay warm enough... but luckily we had two very willing volunteers for blanket duty. They stayed there through the whole of the movie The Ghost and the Darkness. We also watched Romancing the Stone. Which meant today we watched the sequel, The Jewel of The Nile. Tim offered to go get me anything I wanted from the grocery, too, but we already had my "sick" food- Lipton noodle soup. Plus, I've been drinking more tea than I usually have in a week (5 cups at this point- 1 green tea, the others all peppermint).

Soup's done, tea's waiting. Back to the couch I go. If hot liquids can cure me, I'll be well by morning.

Tedious, but worth it.

 She's been sleeping like this while I made more hexagon progress.

I had to get up for a green tea break... now both monsters are running around and causing a ruckus. But as soon as I sit back down, they will probably settle back into their sleeping spots and conk out again. I love dogs.

EVEN BETTER!

What's better than a bull terrier in camo or a jean jacket?

A Presa Canario in a purple polo!!!!

It's a great day again.

:D

Slow going

This is what I was doing while most of the state was sleeping. Since I took this picture at 6 am, I have sewn 10 more purple hexies. I've been up since 4, so I'm sewing slowly at this point.

When Tim got up, he found a leaking pipe in the basement that caused all sorts of chaos- thankfully, he was able to temporarily fix it (I love being married to a handyman!).

So, we needed a little stress relief...

 Roid Rage Barbie (Our nickname for her since she's so muscular) joins the Air Force!!!

When she's not in uniform, she masquerades as a hoodlum.

I hope that brightens someone else's day as much as ours.

Say Yes

...to the Dress, that is. I love that show! I haven't seen it since before I got married, though- over a year and a half ago! But today, I discovered there's a whole season of it waiting for me on Netflix! And I'm now 8 episodes through it already. I think I love that show so much because it is completely opposite from me- when Tim proposed, we had way too many deadlines to meet. He was deploying, my dad was dying, and family schedules on top of that meant we had only 6 weeks! I went to one dress store, and the girl I worked with wanted to help, but unfortunately/luckily (?) I am small enough around and in height that even if the dress I wanted could have come in in time, it would have needed altering which would have put it  at least two weeks late. So my dress shopping consisted of an impromptu trip to White House Black Market with Tim(he didn't peek, though), randomly pointing at two white sundresses, and within 2 minutes deciding one of them would work. Don't get me wrong, I loved my dress for its practicality, and I used a coupon and saved $25! It fit, it was comfortable, and perfect for the setting...

But, I must confess, there is a small part of me that wishes I had done the big extravagant event of dress shopping. Sigh. Funny side note-- can you see that ATV in the background? We had to stop the ceremony about halfway through as it passed, and I couldn't help but snicker. I love that ATV for keeping us all grounded. Another funny thing I'll never forget is the way the sand squeaked on the beach. It had rained all morning, so when you squashed your foot down right, you could make it squeak. Needless to say, I spent our first five minutes married acting like a 5-year-old!

While I watched those 8 episodes, I played with my Go some more.

 My random scraps-- smaller than a fat quarter but not strips or or any other easy to use shape-- used to occupy both of these plastic bins... now they're down to one!

 And look at those stacks! 5" charms, 4.5" squares, 2.5" squares and hst's.... it's time to stop cutting and start sewing! Some of these fabrics I had been saving... I don't know for what! They were the ones too pretty to cut up. I kept reminding myself that they are being squandered living in a box, and deserve to become even more beautiful in a scrap quilt.

Matt Lauer agrees. He's feeling much better, and has even more energy (80 lbs of puppy running full tilt, and somehow the lamp hasn't been broken despite what seems to be a new morning ritual of knocking into it!). How can you say no to that face? He likes it when I'm not in my cave sewing, which is the other reason I love the Go since I can carry it out to the living room to be with the kids and not worry about them eating my projects or pins!

Dog update

Yay, our dog just has round worms! Still disgusting, but he'll be all right soon.... and let's hope his lovely smells will be gone, too! And I got a nap. And I'm about to go sew something... not sure what today, but something. Doesn't matter, it's turning into a better day.

YAY!

Hoping

It's been a long day already. Matt woke us up  at 4 am throwing up, and to make matters worse, there was some sort of worm in it. We both know this is NOT GOOD AT ALL. I love that darn puppy so much, even when he's being destructive. Tim took him down to the vet just now, so hopefully they can figure out what kind of worms he has and deal with it before it's too late.... and work out a payment plan for us since this probably won't be cheap and we're still dealing with other unexpected expenses.

At least my foot was cleared. The injuries are minor this time, just really annoying.

I need to go get some sewing done and settle down... worrying won't help anything, but it's much easier to say that than to stop worrying. I hope my big baby is ok....

Crazy? Maybe.

I've been very busy today- As soon as my lovely husband left for work, I headed out to JoAnn's by myself for the first time since we moved here 18 days ago! I had a set list, and I am pleased to say I stuck to it, but I also enjoyed a good hour in that store getting to know this particular one. It has the biggest selection of calicos and quilting cottons!!!! I just wanted to walk up and down the aisles... there's also a huge selection of Kona cotton, including several colors I could never find back up north, like chartreuse, and pretty greys, a delicate pinks... I'm very happy that this store is close enough, but not too close!

Once I got home, I finished framing all of Benny's shirts, so now they just need to be put together. I got fleece for the backing of his quilt- he's very tactile-selective, and by that I mean extremely picky about how things feel. I'm sure everyone knows that one person who cuts out itchy tags, or wouldn't wear jeans growing up because they were scratchy, or even won't eat any food with lumps (It either needs to be whole, or pureed). Well, that's my big brother. So I opted to try a new technique of not using batting at all and backing the quilt with fleece. In my head, this will work out perfectly and the quilt will also end up being warm but not too warm. We'll see what actually happens!

Tim made me open a present early since I gave him his quilt early- actually two. A pair of Gingher pinking shears, and the Straight No Chaser CD-- both of which I am so excited to have!!!

 I made these, and then used the new shears with glee.... Tim actually asked why I was giggling as I sat near the tree and trimmed them, and then hung them up. I have now made six new ornaments this year-- a selvedge stocking, a scrappy heart, a ribbon candy,  the house ornament, and these two trees. There will probably be more. :)

As for being crazy, after I got home today, I washed all of the towels, our sheets, and a load of clothes... then I washed the dogs (which then meant I had to shower.... you know how that goes!), and the crockpot, and swiffered the floors, and unpacked one of the lingering boxes, and remade our bed, and just now ate the last slice of Dutch apple pie. I MAKE A DANG GOOD PIE! I could have eaten the whole thing by myself, but thankfully Tim helped, and shared some with a coworker.

Look how proud this little monster is. Prudence the wonder dog, no longer the smelly dog!

Another reason I might be crazy- I agreed to make another present for Tim for Christmas! He wants an oversized lunch box. Silly me, I said OK. So, once I finish Ben's quilt and bind Val's quilt, I'll make Tim a lunch box.

If this post feels all over the place tonight, I apologize- things are hectic! I'm kicking myself a little for not being done with those last two quilts. This is the latest I've gone in years when it comes to being done with Christmas. Usually, I'm done by Thanksgiving so all I have to make during December is fudge!

Good night, everyone. 7 days until Christmas, 5 days until I need to have those two quilts done, and about half an hour before I fall asleep in front of the tv.

RRCB step 2

Another step of the mystery quilt is done! And I have 16 extra pairs of HSTs. I was guessing as I paired up strips, hence the excess.
I made these this morning since I was up early to go out to breakfast, but breakfast got cancelled... so I got a decent amount of piecing done. The pictures are darker than I would like... those are really fuschia and navy. Another reason to look forward to moving--  more windows= better light!

The dogs are doing their best to make me forget how badly my foot hurts-- I let them outside, put their dinner in the bowls while they were out, then called them in only to see Prudence momentarily standing on Matt's back as they came running! She must have been trying to hurdle him again, and landed on top, making them look like my own two-dog circus!
(Did someone tell my dogs that Peru, Indiana is also known as the Circus City?)
And now Matt Lauer is doing a crazy hop and spin combo.... Crazy kids!

I'm going to go pack a few more boxes.. it gets easier knowing we're closer to moving, but harder because I have all the oddly-shaped things left to pack that don't fit easily into boxes.

Cute and Cuter

I went back to JoAnn's today since Mum didn't suggest another gift idea until after dinner yesterday... so today, I picked up some more Christmas finishing fabrics, as I described them when answering the habitual "What are you making with that?" But I couldn't resist these little Santa Gnomes! They are too cute. 

What to make with them!!!

Mug rug? 

Gift bag? 

Coasters? 

Maybe all of the above!

The kids were getting along great tonight. They still squabble, but I love when they curl up together like this... so sweet. Earlier, during the National Anthem before the Notre Dame-Army game, I sang along (always do!) and it was like doggy dance party they got so excited! I knew Prudence loves it when I sing (no idea why fi dogs really do hear better), but I was surprised that even before she mobbed me, Matt Lauer was a wiggle worm of happy puppy love. Which means I'll have to contain some of my usual holiday singing or be prepared to deal with ecstatic dogs!

3 bags of 50 units, plus a 4th bag with 28. 

Just to show you, I did get the last units for the mystery quilt cut- that pile of strips from earlier brought my total to 178!!! YES! I only needed 172, so hooray for an appropriate amount of extras! I really hope somewhere along the way I'll get to use the rest of the 2" strips I cut... I underestimated and have a TON of green strips left, and a bunch of pink.... which would be perfect if these units are meant for 9 patches... that's right, I'm guessing already! This is probably why I haven't done a mystery quilt before-- NO PATIENCE!

I'm sure you've all seen the latest Subway commercial where the "hot" girl asks the nerdy guy to be her boyfriend, then takes his sandwich and justifies it by being his girlfriend... Well, Tim and I saw it several times while he was home this week, and the first time he whips his head towards me and gave me a face before saying, "Gee, sounds familiar!"
Needless to say, that's our favorite commercial right now!

Have a good night, everyone! If this motivation continues to percolate, I might go run tomorrow morning... Tim has a PT test, so I told him I'd try to do the run portion in spirit with him as a practice for Thursday.

Let sleeping dogs lie

Made from scraps again!

Well, at least I got these bound. While the dogs were napping, I finished these 2 mug rugs. Later, I got another one (poorly) quilted. I'm not happy with it, but not so unhappy as to rip out all the quilting. It will get bound tomorrow, I hope, so that I can start using these routinely for my snacks rather than paper towel.

So cute. She's full grown, but he's only 4 months old and bigger than her already. I hope he cries less tonight... Tim's kind of a softie, and couldn't quite get the hang of letting the dog cry himself to sleep. Hopefully by the time he comes home Matt will be better about going to sleep in his kennel. I really hope he sleeps better and cries less by the time we move... which, by the way, is still up in the air. It's at the underwriter's, so hopefully it's just a matter of time!

I must be crazy

THIS guy is why my sewing was next to nonexistent yesterday... Tim wanted a second dog, and I agreed to a point that Prudence, our bull terrier, was going to be lonely once we moved away and she couldn't play with Fergie everyday... so we ended up driving to Toledo, bringing Prudence along for approval, and brought him home, too. Everyone, meet MATT LAUER!!! (Tim picked the name. He's not a huge fan of Matt Lauer the human, he just thinks it's hilarious to give a dog such an odd name, and I agree).

Tim had me pick up all 50+ pounds of Matt to show scale.

I love him dearly already, but I would like to get some packing and sewing done! It's hard to do when you're constantly watching two dogs.

He really is a character. I'm not sure Prudence is totally cool with him living here yet.... she's waivering between play play play and retreating to her chair and giving him and us a stink eye.

I love dogs. I really do. they are such playful, happy animals... and even when they're a pain in the butt, they know how to give you the cutest/silliest look that always makes me smile.

Now, let's hope I can at least get a mug rug bound today!

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.