When You Can't Leave Well Enough Alone

Triangle blocks complete...now to fill in the open areas!

In only two weeks we will be packing up for our journey to our winter home in the Rio Grande Valley of TX.  An entirely different lifestyle and routine.  We are eager and ready.  

This summer has been peaceful and quiet and I've been able to focus on my goal to complete many unfinished projects, use up some scraps and make some fun quilts for charity..

My plan for the last several weeks still in Omaha was to relax, organize my sewing room, and prepare for leaving.  But, as is usually  the case for me, I got distracted, sidetracked, unfocused....(who me?)   

My good friend Pam (did you say Pan??")  and I have been drooling over African Print Fabric and over the last year I've collected a nice little pile of unique and colorful designs from there.  We had seen a very simple shadow box type quilt made with them at a quilt shop in Lincoln, NE.  So clean and nice. Not only a wonderful way to display these awesome fabrics but a quick and easy way to do it.  We found just the right background fabric at "Around the Spool" quilt shop in Louisville NE.   I bought it, and also the black for the shadows and then promptly got stuck in the mud.   I just wasn't thrilled with the shadow box look.  Clean and nice, but maybe too simple?  So my pile was relegated to the corner and there it sat, waiting to be elevated once again. 

How the triangle blocks will look on the background fabric

Thanks to Pinterest, I saw a method of piecing that I liked and somehow on the web of live links and clicks I got to Craftsy.com and found a tutorial on how to make inset isosceles triangle blocks.  I had to go so far as paying to join ($4 special for the year, woot!)  An awesome way to show off these prints...a simple pattern using only seven triangles of different sizes.    I made the blocks...but wait, 7 is not enough to make a quilt of a size I could really use.  This one will not be donated.  So I made 11.  Still not big enough.   The remainder of my African stash did not include pieces large enough to make additional triangle blocks nor did I have enough background fabric to do so.  My head was now spinning with ideas to make alternate blocks and inserts to make it all fit together by using what I had on hand.  

So I got out my graph paper, grabbed more coffee, lit a candle and away I went...for two days! I've now created 15 different panels and inserts to make my African quilt large enough for my king sized bed.  I still haven't figured out if I need a border. Most of the fun comes from figuring it all out as you go along.

Graph paper, pens  and (thank God) an eraser!

I don't think I will finish by the time we are ready to leave but I'm going to work on it!   I sit here at my laptop wondering why I couldn't have left well enough alone and make the simple quick and beautiful quilt as the pattern taught.  I could have enlarged this quilt top by adding plain background blocks, but how fun would that have been?  I could have decided to design one insert panel and use the same for each space, but would that be boring?    My heart is singing with excitement to get started on my designs.  I'll start with the one with the largest pieces and then I will use the smaller pieces to make the more detailed ones.

Time to get started!!!

Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted!  

Masks on Parade

 Covid19.   It's been around for nearly two years now and not going anywhere fast.   We are now facing a 3rd booster shot and new vaccines coming out every day.   Up until recently Ive had few friends and family experience this virus.  Today I know six people that have it.  Some are vaccinated and some are not.  They are sick. 

In the thick of the lockdown last spring and summer, my sister Kris and I jumped in with a group in Omaha making masks for local organizations, companies, hospitals etc.  I made over 2000 masks last summer.  I greatly reduced my stash, which was a welcome relief.   The act of sewing masks was also a welcome relief from the stress of the lockdown and lack of social interaction.  

I had scraps left over.  Last winter, at the end of January I came home from TX for an emergency visit to help my dear neighbor when she lost her husband, tragically to suicide.  My one week visit turned to 3 weeks due to weather, both here and in TX.  First extended long freeze in TX in over 100 years,  knocked out the electricity, froze all water sources and cancelled flights.  In Omaha it was  certainly cold outside and snowy, but my house was warm and my sewing machine plugged in.  :)   So, I sewed.   I took out the mask scraps and began this little quilt.

This summer I was able to finish the top.     On to the quilt machine with this one!  

The Sweetest Sewing Buddy

 Lucy is my sweet kitty who has been with me now for over 14 years.   She is the best cat ever.   She has lived with up to 3 other cats and now that she is the solo feline in the house, she is flourishing.   She enjoys being an only cat and is in every definition "catty".   

She is as passionate about quilting as I am.

I hope you will indulge me when I share an occasional pic of her amidst my projects!

**Please note:  When I made this post, I neglected to note that Lucy was ill.   She had a tumor in her nasal cavity, and she was having increased difficulty breathing, eating, swallowing.  Our vet prescribed a steroid injection that seemed to help for a little while.  She got worse and sadly on September 25, 2021, I held her as she gently crossed the rainbow bridge.   To say I miss her would be an understatement.  This sweet little soul has been my friend for a very long time.  She is the last of a string of kitties that occupied my life and my heart for 15 years.  My house is empty without a cat...but I'm not ready.  Lucy still takes up too much room in my heart.  

Playing Games in my Sewing Room

Step #1 was sewing small pieces to adding machine tape

 Quilting with no pattern, no real idea of what the finished quilt top will look like, is a lot like playing a game.   The biggest difference is that there are no rules!  I can make it up as I go and play as long as I want to.  One of the biggest advantages is that I don't even have to have anyone to play with.  I can play alone or with friends, it doesn't matter. The biggest hinderance is that one's mind goes faster than the project at hand. As soon as you are up to your hips in one idea, several others are chomping at the bit to get your attention.   

Trimming makes the magic happen!

Here I am adding the "Shoots" to the "ladder"  Looks like Butterfly wings!

Again....the Magic of trimming!

My "game" at hand is "Shoots and Ladders" and I am having a ball making the blocks.  Initially I thought I would make the top totally of Shoots and Ladder blocks, but it is sort of crazy busy, so now I'm playing with alternate blocks of two different colored solids made using thrift store cotton sheets.  I checked out images of the real Chutes and Ladders game board and you can find it in many alternate colors, yellow and white, blue and white, even green and white.  Since I don't have yellow (yet), I may go for green...blue seems too predictable.

The totally cool benefits of a design board.   It makes it so easy to play the game and change the rules!

Tips for beginners:  

1.The sky is the limit for quilting!  Don't be afraid...a seam ripper is a quilters priority tool and there is no shame in using it! 

2.  Squaring up is vital.  It should be done frequently.  Square up each block to the desired size and then be sure to square up anything you add to it.   If your sections or pieces are not the proper size or straight on the edges, they will not fit well.  If you are going to only have one square quilter's ruler, choose 12.5"  

3.When setting rows of blocks together, I have found it much easier to set four blocks together in a four patch and then put those patches together. Fewer long, long seams. Working with larger sections makes it all line up easier than trying to put long rows together...  See the photo below.  You can see the four blocks sewn together in a 4 patch.  At this point I will square each of these to a uniform size, which should be 15.5" each.    Note:  I have an uneven amount of rows in this little top (5) so the bottom row is pieced with only blocks together instead of 4.  I will add a 2 patch to the four patch above it once all are squared up.

Another Donation Made

Shoots and Ladders block (designed by me!)

 I got a chance to run some kennel blankets out to my friend Cheryl at Avoca Veterinary Clinic in Avoca Iowa yesterday!  12 little flannel beauties to keep the kitties cozy!  Final donation for them this season too.  

I'm wrapping up my donations  to be made here in Omaha, as our departure to TX is looming on the horizon.  I want some down time to "create" during these last few weeks here.

I'm working on the above blocks and calling them Shoots and Ladders!  Im not sure how the quilt top will play out yet, but it's fun to work with these little pieces most people would throw away.  Shoots, becasue the crumb side of the block includes scraps and pieces of blocks that didnt work, were wrong size, didnt like etc (shoot!) and ladders because what's between the black line resembles a ladder...Chutes and Ladders after the game....Cleaver?

I found another fun idea on Pinterest using larger solid square with a flip and sew scrap square in the corners.  It also looks so fun and modern.  I may have to play with that at the same time as working on Shoots!

Did I mention I want to make a modern scrap house quilt too..???...I more ideas than time.  Stay tuned!

Final Donation to Project Linus for this Season

Here is my Lucy, "helping" me sew one of the flannel baby quilts

Again, Sweet Lucy, keeping my flannel blanket project warm while I went to lunch!

These little blocks and extra fabric was found among some scraps given to me.  I just finished it up!

 My sister Kris and I took a trip to the Country Sampler yesterday to deliver a load of baby quilts to Project Linus.   I took 4 flannel and one pieced quilt as my final donation for this season.  Although I forgot to take pictures of all the finished quilts, I do have a couple of in progress and a picture of the finished pieced one.   

This donation has about depleted my flannel stash so now what???    It's just a bit humorous when I think that I want to use up my stash, but when the stash gets low, I begin to get a little nervous and a bit sweaty....and go on lookout for a good bargain!  

It's fun to have a project my sister and I can work on together.   This scrap infatuation we both have is so enjoyable and creative.  We don't agree on much socially, politically or spiritually, so having this connection is great glue to hold our relationship together.   I need her in my life.  She is about the only family I have left and she is just too important.

Where to Start Now?

 

I've spent this morning reading thru some of the old posts and I was drawn into the memories of days past.  I want to read them all!  There are pictures here that have been lost on old computers and now I've found them again.  There are stories near forgotten of holidays, children and grandchildren and a tall son gone and back again...of blizzards and fires and cats and friends.   I deleted many posts that dealt with my old Etsy business and my working with Cheryl True in her shops, as they were mostly marketing and those days are over for me.

This blog has been buried among  my pile of "man I'm burned out" things, like my quilting was for so long.      So, now where to begin with a new blog??? All that went on in between I will never be able to document...but maybe as we go along some things will sneak in beside the new. 

 I think I have been using Facebook for all my pictures etc., but FB so public that now I very seldom post anything personal there.  So reviving this blog should be fun for me.  I don't even care if no one ever reads it.

So I guess I begin where I am...which is in my basement sewing room in Omaha where I seem to be stockpiling scraps to make quilts for charity. 

 My Omaha Charities are The Least of my Brethren and Project Linus.  I am trying to NOT buy new fabric but rely on what is given, what I have amassed and what I can find at the thrift store.   My charity in Texas is The Rainbow Rooms of the TX department of Family Services and perhaps the city of Mercedes if that can be set up in a trusted and organized way.

 I also will be making a stack of fun quilts for myself, creating a stash of quilts from which anyone asking for a quilt can choose.  Gone are the days I make one for someone and have them not appreciate or even care about it.  Thanks to my friend Pam, for the idea of just making what I like and making them available to those that ASK  instead of trying to figure out what someone might like.

I have gotten to the point that I no longer purchase patterns, but try to figure out a pattern on my own.  The creative juices are flowing.  I have a pattern " Fireworks and Pinwheels" that I totally created myself and am in the process of writing and publishing a pattern for.   I will be teaching it both in TX and Omaha (next spring).  

The small quilt pictured here  is an example of mixing a few ideas together for a quilt.  No written pattern, just ideas.  A mixture of "crumb" blocks and a square in a square type block,  I was going to give it to Project Linus, but I am now planning to keep it at least for a while as I want to recreate it and may need an example.   This one is a great way to use crumb blocks!

Fast Forward Eight + Years!

 The last few days I've been pondering the fact that I'm now over 70 (71) and both my husband and I are retired.  Life is so different.  Winters in Mercedes TX and Summers in Omaha...  Good, but different.

Gone are the days of hurry, and work and chaos and children and trying to wedge in a bit of "me time".  Now, it s all me time and we try to wedge ourselves into the lives of our kids and grandkids and try to figure out what to do with the other 23 hours a day.  

We are truly into the golden years and I truly have mixed emotions about it.  Being able to totally control our time is both awesome and daunting. 

I now spend most of my time with my sewing machine, in my sewing room surrounded by mountains of scraps and smaller pieces of fabric that have been given to me or that are still left over from my once massive stash.  Yes, I still buy new, but not to the extent of the past.  Im in love with thrift shopping and 100% cotton sheets have become a staple in my stash.  A wonderful source of fun prints and solids that can be used to back or enhance. 

I have two sewing rooms.  One in Omaha in the basement of my house of 3 years.   It is an incredible space.  I have the entire basement to use.  I have the old dining room table from our Walnut IA home set up for cutting and measuring.  Its perfect!  When I want a friend or two to come over, plenty of space for them to set up shop to work along with me.  In TX I have a smaller space (our home is smaller too), but it is also incredible.  A small garden shed that I've taken over 75% of .  Just large enough for my machine on a table and a few totes of fabric.  I cant have friends there, but our "park" has a whole floor of a building we can use to sew in as a group.  Easy to pack up and go there!

My life has changed....no more bed and breakfast. No more cats to trap  No kids to shuttle around. no job to keep.   Just me and some fabric...

I came across this old blog and decided it needs resurrection.   If only for a place for me to vent and express feelings and of course share from my sewing room.  Mostly to share from my sewing room, with a little real life tossed into the scrap bag.  Let's see what I can create!

Rest my Ricky-boy

I'm here to write about a cat.  My cat who was killed on the highway on March 21, 2013 .  I've been looking at this blank page for days and cant think of a thing to write.  I want to memorialize him, to remember, but that hurts ...a lot...and I'm not sure I'm ready.  Then today my dear friend Cheryl Canada sent me this poem, written by an unknown author...originally written for dogs, I have substituted cats...

"It came to me that everytime I loose a cat,

they take a piece of my heart with them.

And every new cat who comes into my life

gifts me with a piece of their heart.

If I live long enough
all the components of my heart
will become as generous and loving as they are..

And so its hard to be ready when the hole that his loss left in my heart is open, raw and still unoccupied.  The thought came to me that maybe being "ready" has nothing to do with producing a memorial.  Maybe the pain holding me back from sharing who this furry little boy was, is a selfish thing...If it's my emotion, my broken heart, my hurt that keeps me from writing, then he will be forgotten or never known.  Ricky deserves to be remembered and known.

Ricky was born during the spring of 2007.  His known history began when he was about 2 months old when he and his sister were found in an abandoned trailer in a town close to ours.   Skinny, full of fleas and worms, he and his sister were rescued and brought back to health. Then his waiting for a new home began.

My husband and I had rescued an abandoned kitten a year earlier (Possum)  and I felt that she needed a buddy.  Having had a male cat before, I longed for the affection and fun personality that I knew a boy cat would provide.  I had let Avoca Veterinary Clinic know that I was looking for a male kitten.

The day I got the call from AVC is like yesterday for me.  They basically said they had a little boy cat and I was instantly in the car and on my way to get him.  What his color was, his size, his age...none of that mattered.  I had found my boy-kitty and I was going to get him and bring him home.   The carrier sat on the counter at the clinic and I remember peering in and seeing not two brilliant blue eyes, but four!  Two frightened kittens were peering back at me...both near-white with seal points.  I immediately saw that they were Siamese mix and they were beautiful.   One was a male and of course he was the braver and came right to me.  I scooped him up, put him in my carrier, completed the paperwork and headed home.  Two blocks from the clinic, I called my husband to give him the good news of our new baby.  When Larry asked me how it went, I said "The hardest part was leaving his sister behind"   His reply will be a gift to me forever...."How much harder would it be to have 3 cats as opposed to 2?"....I headed right back to the clinic to get his sister.

Ricky and Lucy became part of our family that day.  Lucy is my beauty queen  and Possum is my quirky, plump sweet girl that is every one's favorite because of her independent mind!  But Ricky was my boy....my Ricky-boy!

Ricky was boy through and through and wanted outside from day one.  Trying to keep him inside was like trying to keep flies off the watermelon!  He made himself quite clear that going out was of great importance to him.  He would smack nick-knacks off tables, try to swipe pictures off the wall and wail like a sick cow until he allowed out.   A very verbal boy, I knew when he wanted in or out, a snack, a meal or attention.   He was as annoying as he was endearing. He could open cabinets to get to his treats, could eat through Styrofoam to get to the feral cat food and he could steal my heart by curling up on my lap for a long afternoon nap or by allowing me to cradle him and nuzzle his tummy.  I chuckled at his "squinty eyes"...he would lower them when he wanted something, sit straight as a stick and stare! A statue model should have been his career!  A great communicator, I always knew what he wanted.    We had a game we would play at supper.  He would come to my chair, lay down and kick the chair leg with his back feet.  I would reach down grab both feet and say "I'm gonna get your feet!" and I would shake them gently back and forth.  As soon as I stopped, he would kick the legs again until I took his soft little feet in my hand again and played our game over and over...

And so for nearly six years I enjoyed the presence of this sweet little soul.  Our morning routine included a full breakfast dish...a litter box run and a short visit to the outside. The morning of the 23rd, I had to go to Omaha for the day.  I let Lucy in, but Ricky didn't enter.  I intended to let him in before I left for the day, but I forgot.    I got the call in the late afternoon that he had been found.  The trip home feels like a dream.  I was so happy that my neighbor and my friend took care of him and took him to the vets office.  I was able to go the next day to see him.  I decided to bring him home and let my girls say goodbye...and I needed to see him, touch him and love on him just one more time.

Watching the cats say goodbye will stay with me forever.  But they are at peace, knowing that he is gone and not lost.  Not waiting by the door wondering where he is. I am still trying to find peace.  Ive known the risk of allowing him to go outside.  We've talked about how we realize that his life may be shortened because of it.  But he was so happy to be out there, to chase bugs, and butterflies....to play in the snow...to lay in the sunshine...to be a cat in every sense of the word.  I don't regret that.  I only wish we could have had more time together and I pray that he didn't suffer...that he wasn't mad at me and sitting the porch with squinty eyes...waiting for me to let him in.

Rest peacefully, my Ricky-Boy, mama loves you my little man!

Too cute Not to Share!

Well, he's done it!  Gibbs has wormed his warm little heart into ours and whined long enough to gain entrance to the house.  He is the best cat ever!  A big baby who just wants to be loved and live inside!  Im giving him short visits for now.  Soon he will be a regular and maybe spend the night in the house even.  I still havent seen him use a box and until I see that, I harbor some distrust.  MUST USE BOX...but like my bff Pam says, he is a smart boy...He wants to fit in and he will.  The other 3 are getting used to him.  Lucy is the most resistant, but her nature is to not like any change AT ALL, even if it involves her brother and sister.  Possum seems to like him the best.  They lay close by each other and just hang.  I think soon they will be touching. 

I guess if you are going to live in the country in a big old house, one might as well have multiple cats!  :)

My Life as A Cat Lover...

Having 3 cats has had its challenges, but the love and comfort and humor they bring to our lives makes the expense and the sharing of the bed well worth it.

I have set my limit at 3. I've been tempted during the past 3 years to take in another one. But I have respected the limit I have set for myself. I found homes for 2 very tempting felines and have seen a few be taken to a shelter in hopes of finding a fur-ever home or to a friendly farmer's barn for mousing...It truly has not been an issue...until Gibbs.

This little guy blended right into our feline "family".  I was seeing glimpses of him, thinking he was one of my 3, until one day I realized there was actually a 4th out there.  He was very frightened and hid beneath the porch.  When I saw him sitting out in the rain, I knew he was stray and most likely hungry.  I began leaving a bowl of water and food out for him and each morning the bowl was licked clean. 

After several days of putting a full dish of food at his hiding place entrance, he decided to emerge and say hello.  Still a bit skittish, but very thankful for the food I was bringing. It was the beginning of my new love affair with Leroy Jethro Gibbs, my gray haired - blue eyed, handsome man.  This kitty must have belonged to a family.  He is so tame and loves people once he knows he can trust them.  He's a lap cat and has the most comforting purr.

He's had his "visit" to the vet, so he can't become a daddy and he has had his shots, worming and flea medication, so he's set!

He isn't allowed in the house, but he has a cozy bed on the front porch.  He loves to be held, brushed and follows me around the yard like a shadow!

The hardest part for me is NOT letting him in.  The other 3 aren't sure yet if they like him.  Our limit is 3.  Seeing him outside, wanting in, breaks my heart.  We have months of warm weather ahead and I'm sure he is safe out there.  But when colder weather comes around, I don't know what we are going to do.  Limits...ick.
For now, I will make frequent "dates" with my buddy.  I take a cup of tea and a book and sit with him.  A good excuse to take time out of my day and relax with a cat. You should try it.  Proof positive that a cat brings down your blood pressure!

Nothing Where A House Once Stood...

This is the site where my cousin and her husband's house stood on Monday and actually stood for decades before they moved there seven years ago. A cute little farm house that Susan had made her own. Complete with the vintage look she loves and the many cats that make it home.

Here it is today...I don't think Ive ever seen a house so consumed by fire. It brings a new vision to my mind when people use the phrase "burned to the ground". It truly was burned to the ground.

There is nothing left. They have lost everything, including 7 beautiful, wonderful kitties. Susan has been able to retrieve one of her outdoor cats, Spooky. He is resting comfortably at the Avoca Medical Clinic until Susan and Rich decide their next step.

There is a donation savings account started for Rich and Susan Prince at Rolling Hills Bank in Walnut Iowa...at this point, the only way to help is to give them a shoulder to cry on, or donate. They are currently in a motel room, so food and clothing would be a storage problem. I personally thank anyone and everyone that will pray for them. Pray for direction and comfort.

Its amazing to me how a small community comes together during times like this. Total strangers have given money to help, and many, many are offering assistance in any form. When the trees began burning and they had to come down, people just appeared with tractors and equipment to get the job done.

An interesting bit of information: This upturned block, is located within the foundation of the house, under where the front porch was...this is the block where my kitty, Possum was trapped for days...only a few weeks old, she could not get out and we found her right there! What a memory! We had to saw apart the porch and remove foundation blocks to get to this piece of concrete! Why it was inside the foundation, under the porch , in the corner, upturned, I will never know! A trap waiting for a small kitty to fall in! I will ask if I can have that block!

Another Cat Story!

This little baby should be named MIRACLE or LUCKY. I don't know what her name will end up being, but she is really one fortunate kitty. Maybe her name should be Cookie..like fortune cookie...LOL! For the purposes of this blog and until she is properly named by her new owner, that is what I will call her.

The stray little one got up into the undercarriage (frame) of a pick up truck that came into Walnut last Thursday morning. She was crying her little head off but in the hoop-la of the day, no one could hear her. ANOTHER stray cat that hangs downtown and is a new mama with babies hidden in places unknown, literally took us to "Cookie". The mama kitty fretted and cried and ran back and forth from the shop to the truck until someone finally got down low enough to hear the baby.

They got her out and who do you suppose they called with their kitty crisis? Yep! me. I was working all day, so I took her home, sequestered my kitties to the basement and made a nice little nest for Cookie in my butler's pantry. She was so frightened, crying and shaking...poor baby. Since I had to work all day, she had a good chance to relax and feel safe in a darkened, quiet space. When I got home, this pictures shows how and where she was!

She has found a new home with my nephew, David and will be going to her new home on Saturday.

I really think "Cookie" fits her...She is sweet and certainly she and anyone who comes in contact with her is fortunate!

The Newest Quilt Block in the Alley!

This is Bob and Linda Hilligas, owners and managers of The Victorian Rose in Walnut. They are the most recent to add a Back Alley Quilt Block to their building. You can check out their site at www.victorianrose-walnut.blogspot.com Our alleys are sparkling and ready for "The Walk"!

Our First Two Back Alley Barn Quilts go UP!

Josh and Tom attach the "Flower Basket" Block to Sow a Seed-Prior Attire

So cute!

Finished "Swinging on a Star" on Heart of Country

Neil and son...working on attaching the block!

Its so fun to be part of a project and then see it come to reality. We are no way done, but seeing the first fruits is exciting and motivating.

Two Almost Ready to Hang!

Even though these are NOT completely finished yet I could not wait to post the progress...the top block is called "Swinging on a Star" the only thing to do is take the tape off our two boo-boos and its ready to hang! You can see this one behind "Heart of Country" owned and operated by Dorine Knop and Pam Schirm.

This block is called Flower Basket (who knew?) and still needs it's inner black band part of the border. This one will be hung behind Cheryl's shop, Sow-a-Seed/Prior Attire.

We have two more "in the hole". Watch for "Squash Blossom" and "Bird of Paradise"!!!

We also have plans to make some smaller 2'x2' blocks for yards and smaller areas.

And So Begins the Back Alley Barn Quilt Project!

Here we go, folks! Many of the shoppers here in our little Antique City must drive through the back alleys to pick up their items. Larger pieces that need to be loaded will be done behind the building. In an effort to beautify this area of our town, and create a little surprise, we decided on "Back Alley Barn Quilts"! The craze of putting quilt block patterns, painted on wood and attached to the sides of barns is a big craze these days. We are taking it a step "inside" and bringing them inside the city limits of our town!

Several of our shops are involved in this project and our City has been very kind about budgeting some funds to pay for materials. Not only will we be doing the quilt blocks, but also a major clean up effort and landscaping to include flowers, shrubs and such!

Here are me and Cheryl taping and getting ready to paint our first block ever! A little nerve wracking but tons of fun.




Primer on, base coat on, taped and ready to paint the basket for Sow-a-Seed!

Keep watching for final results.

And yes this is putting a damper on my Internet business work, but I'm having blast!

My Texas Pictures

There is absolutely nothing more beautiful!

I thank God for allowing me to see His Glory in these sights!

From Fascination to Focus!

Even tho we are still in the throws of winter snow and ice, my sister, Kris has (once again) inspired me to get my ducks in a row, my life in order, my priorities straight and my act together! How quickly things get out of control and without even a wink, we are overwhelmed and blinded with busy-ness and disorganization.

My visit with her was not only fun and relaxing, but inspiring and motivating.

So I'm home now and find myself brainstorming on how I can be like her! :)

If you know me, you know that I tend to get myself into more than I can handle. I fill my plate because my eyes are bigger than my stomach, so to speak. The end of 2009 brought the end to several obligations and commitments I had made which has freed up a lot of my time. I now must be careful not to "reload".

Not being much for New Year's resolutions, I try not to list out my goals. Maybe that is more because I feel if I don't list them, I wont have to keep them. It becomes another thing in the mental list that keeps me frozen and near unable to accomplish much.

Where Kris was very intentional and exact with her lists and goals, I may be a little more vague. I have a list of "ideas" and am not at all sure how I will put it all together or "ger er done"!

She and I discussed the adrenaline rush we get when we see or hear of a new project or idea that we want to try...we get all involved and then get bored quickly. That is the way of creative people, I think...I hope. She said someone told her we become very "fascinated"... Thus my motto....I want to go from Fascination to Focus.

My goal is to first see "where I am on the map"! Go through all my projects in my sewing room, sort and separate. Look to see what is done, near done or will never do, then go from there. This is a bit of a scary thought since I have been sort of throwing things in piles in my attic sewing room for the last 6 years and I'm pretty clueless of what is there anymore. At this point, as far as the sewing part of my life, this is the first and only step I will "focus" on right now. I will keep you posted on my progress!

As for the business end of life, things are actually pretty good. I have my etsy shop and I manage Cheryl's shop too. Ive been good at the listing and the shipping. Its the bookkeeping and the marketing that I have fallen back on.

My immediate goal n the bookkeeping side would be to prepare for 2009 taxes. That is a daunting task for sure. Again, throwing things in a box for a year doesnt make things easy.The second part of this goal will be to implement some new methods for 2010 that will make this time of year in 2011 much smoother

The marketing to me will be the fun part. I must be careful not to "focus" only on the fun parts. Balance should also be one of my key words for 2010...I have some books on marketing that I am planning on reading and using new ideas and methods to market my little online shop.

So there you have it! I hope to keep myself accountable by using this blog, so I hope you will come back and watch my progress.

Happy 2010!

What is it about Cats?

Simply decide to change the mattress pad and believe me, you will ask the same question!

Ricky could not stay off or out of our new heated mattress pad as I was attempting to put it on our bed. I got it it out of the package and in a heap and in seconds all the cats were there.

Here's a question for you. Are cats like ducks? When they come to you as babies do they then think of you as their mother? I think they do...

When a female cat that lives in the wild has a litter of kittens, she creates for them a nest. They stay in this safe little place with their mama (or without her when she commands it), for protection. She releases them for food, play and potty breaks.

My cats think our bedroom is their nest and that I'm their mama. In the morning, they wont leave the "nest" until I get up. They have various ways of annoying me to get me to rise. They run across the bed, they knock things off the dresser, they stare...they touch their nose to my face. Lucy's favorite way...tap on my glasses which are on the side table just enough so they rock and make a very irritating noise. Ricky's favorite way....perch on the high dresser and jump onto the bed and run! Possum's way is to very quietly tip toe onto my chest, hunker down and stare into my face...for a long time.

As SOON as my feet hit the floor they fly to their food dishes or the litter box. Now if the door was shut so they couldn't access their leftover food from the night before, or their boxes, this would make sense, but no, the door is open, the boxes are available and they have food...they just want their mama to release them. Or else they have a pact with each other to be annoying in the morning.