Girl's Night Out

Yes folks, tonight was a dangerous night for people in the Sacramento regional. 4 unruly middle age quilters were on the loose for a night on the town, dinner and movie, (chick flick), and boy did we have a blast! We first met at BP&HH, (See Gran's website for our group photo, my camera was acting up), then off to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, where we feast on their Chopped Salad, and a side of Garlic/Cheese Foccacia Bread. Oh me, oh my, I was in heaven, of course due to the great company I was keeping, Gran, Kim and my BFF. Then off to the movies to see...........................The Ugly Truth. We laughed so-o-o hard, and really enjoyed the movie. It was very well written, (My BFF's opinion and I will share it!). Gran was a sweetie and gave us all a jar of her homemade cauliflower relish. Perfect, because we are having hotdogs Saturday night, so I can't wait to top my hot dog with it! I also posted a picture of the finished wool project of the month at BP&HH, a wool pouch, that I made. It was so easy and quick, approx. 2 1/2 hrs tops, and I think it turned out very cute! There is a limited number of kits so hurry! Anyway, off to slumber about Gerard Butler, and also of the great time I had with my buddies. Thank you all, you are the best!!!!

What a Thursday!

I had to go to Modesto for work today, and then run by Elk Grove and pick up some contracts from a client. That meant I had to go to my corporate office, which is only 5 minutes away from BP&HH, so I called my BFF, she was getting her haircut. Oh well, so much for me stopping by her house, so I went and dropped off the contracts, then I went by BP&HH. Guess who was there, but my BFF!! She was cutting up fabric to do a shop sample. We started laughing, because 5 minutes earlier she had just asked Lindy if I had been by. She knows if I have to go to the office, there's a 99.99% chance I will stop by. Well, she was right, so after I admired her cute haircut, then who by chance walks in, but Gran! We all started laughing again. Gran was looking for background fabric for her Hocuspocusville blocks, and I was just looking at all the new fabric that came in. I haven't been feeling well, some stomach thing, and my BFF asked if I had eaten, no I hadn't, so off to Panera, so I can get some soup, Bake Potato, which tasted so-o-o-o good! Then we went back to her house to look at the fabric she chose for A Frightful Halloween class that Kim is teaching and to pick up a loaf of homemade zucchini bread she made for my family. She is so thoughtful! Hubby and son went out for Mexican, (UGH! Did not sound good to me!) I started stitching on one of my Hocuspocusville blocks and also sewed the snap on my August wool project for Lindy. I am pretty tired, so I think I will get some sleep and get ready for our girl's night out tomorrow. Sweet dreams!

Keep Counting, Kim!

16 more days...Kim and Gran, you will have to keep on guessing, because these lips are sealed!!!!

Guess What????

In 18 days, big annoucement!! Stay tune!

Another Monday

Well, today started out terrible, my work laptop was not working, my boss called to educated me in the fact that I should have notified her it was not working, (her best friend, my coworker tipped her off on that one), which really confused me. If she knew that our laptops were not working, then why is it my fault??!! So, at I cleaned up, and headed down to Stockton and Lodi. I got home and guess what, my laptop was working. Seems that there was an internal problem that they were able to correct. So after working a few extra hours tonight, I decided enough is enough. I started making the shop sample for the August Wool Project for BP. I completed it in 2 hours. It was so-o-o-o easy, and it turned out so cute. Only thing, I am not able to show it to you until August 1st, but I will post a picture then. Now, I can start on one of my Hocuspocusville blocks. Hummm, I wonder which one to start on first....maybe the Quilt Shop Block. You will have to wait to find out, until then, take care!!

New Week, New Attitude!

Sorry I haven't posted anything for the last few days. My job has been very busy, which is a VERY GOOD THING,! I have been quite tired, so when I get home, I take care of home stuff and veg, meaning, falling asleep on the couch! (No Kim, not like Al Bundy!) I did go visit the Abraham Lincoln exhibit at the California Museum of Arts with my BFF. There was actually papers that Lincoln wrote in his own hand writing, it just really blew me away. Not to mention the maps that they drew and the details they had on there. If you are able to see this exhibit, please go see it. It is well worth the time and little money it cost. The name is "With Malice Towards None, The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition" present by The Library of Congress. Of course, we had to finish the day with a drink at Starbucks, in Kim's honor! I worked at BP & HH Saturday, and we were busy, which I prefer. I met some new customers, as well as the regulars. On Sunday, my friend, Colleen and her daughter, Kiley came over for lunch and to go through our patterns we have amassed for embroidery and such. We also traced out a couple of the blocks for Hocuspocusville. We both picked out 2 of the same blocks. We had a really good time, but the winner here is Orca, my dog. Kiley had a blast playing with him and also fed him 2 Popsicles. SHe has never seen a dog eat them before. He felt like Prince of the day with all of the attention and love she gave him. We are looking to get together again real soon! Well, off to work on the August wool project of the month for the shop. There are 11 kits, and it is a really darling project, so check back, I will post a picture when I complete it this week. Hopefully by Wednesday. Have a great Monday!

Knot-y Ladies Night

Yes, its true, if this is the 3rd Monday evening of the month, then it must be Knot-y Ladies night. It was good to see the gals, its seems like forever since I saw them last. Kim was working on something, but I was sworn to secrecy, so mum is the word! But somebody is going to be very, very lucky and pleased in one of her classes! We went over our French Knots and corner stitches. Gran made us practice, but first, she made us do Embroidery Yoga, 2 different exercises, and one of the ladies heard a pop, but we saw no weasel! Then it was down to business. Practice, practice and more practice. We also had show & tell, which I always enjoy seeing every one's creativity! Wendy is almost done with her Garden Angel, quite a few of us brought our completed tea towel. Carolyn used blue floss, to match the blue stripe on her towel, and it turned out beautiful! I had quite a few items to share, but only because I took my stitching with me to the ball games, so I was able to stitch and watch the game at the same time. I did finish a Christmas present tonight for my step mom. I embroidered a rooster in Red floss for her, and I will be putting it in a frame for her to hang in her kitchen. She collects roosters, and its hard to find ones to fit in her kitchen. I think she will be pleased. Anyway, my eyes are very tired, so its off to dream land! Take care!

Is This Heat Ever Going to Stop??

I sure hope so! I am really getting grouchy due to the heat! One good thing though, I was able to work on a couple of embroidery projects and wool projects. I will take pictures tomorrow. It's too late for my eyes! Speaking of tomorrow, tomorrow night is Knot-y Ladies night! I can't wait to see Gran and Kim. My son's girlfriend came down for a couple of days with us. It has been awhile. She decided she wanted to bake cookies tonight, at 9 pm! Hubby said go for it, and she did. Then she cleaned up and went to bed. I guess that wore her out! I am hoping the heat will die down a bit, but from the sound of the weather people, I don't think so. My blogging friend, Anna, who lives up in Edmondton has a beautiful picture she took last night of some sheet lightening from a storm they had last night. Her blog is Quiltmom's Journey. Check it out! She has a wonderful way with writing and words. It's getting late, my eyes are almost shut, so off to bed I go. Sweet dreams everyone!

Saturday's Adventure

Well, today was the big day. Off to Oakland for the last of the state tournament and to visit Needle in the Haystack in Alameda. I dropped hubby off at the ball park, and I hit the road, down through the Webster Tube to Alameda, which is an island in SF Bay. It is a beautiful community, very diverse and eclectic, and the people are so very friendly! I found the store with no problems, parking was tight, due to the Saturday Farmer's Market right around the corner, but the embroidery fairy must have been looking out for me and took pity, for I found a spot to park on the street, 1/2 block away, with time left on the parking meter, 13 minutes left, so I dug for a quarter, and as luck had it, (or hubby planned it), I only had 1, so I put it in, and 42 minutes was my allotted time. The store is very bright and cheery, the help very helpful and friendly. I asked if I may take some pictures, and they said it was find, as long as I was mindful of copyright laws. I explained to her I was only taking shots to show the layout of the store for my blog and also to show what all kinds of stuff they had, and she said that was fine. They are mainly a cross stitching store, and in my opinion, expensive, but that I am finding out is the norm for stitching stores. I bought a little caddy for my embroidery, a transfer pattern by Sublime Stitching, and of course some floss. This would definitely be a great Saturday outing with the girls, lots of exploring to be done! I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week-end!

I Think We'll Make It!

Today is Friday, the day of perpetual hope! Only 1 game left and tournament season for me will be over and out, 10/40 good buddy, roger day! I am very excited about tomorrow and my adventures at Needle in the Haystack field trip. I will try to take pictures if it is ok with the shop. Until then, good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite!

Boring Thursday

Today was a boring day for me, same old thing, work, driving in the heat, Starbucks, and baseball. I started embroidery a flour sack towel with a coffee theme for my bosses birthday which is Monday. From the look of things, I should have no problem completing it, since its now almost 1 am and I am fully wide awake and don't anticipate getting sleepy in the next hour or so. Anyway, tomorrow is the last ball game for the 12 year olds, and the official last game is Saturday, at noon in Oakland, which I will be attending. But I have another motive why, there is a shop in Alameda called "Needle in the Haysack", and you guess it, it is needlework and embroidery. Well, since we will get to Oakland a couple of hours prior to start time, I am planning on dropping hubby off at the field, and heading over to this shop to explore and get prepared for a future field trip with Gran, Colleen and hopefully Kim. I plan on taking my trusty green, funky camera to get pictures of this place and they do have a web site, www.needleinthehaystack.com. Check it out. I cannot wait. Have a great evening, or should I say, a great Friday!

Warm Wednesday

Boy was it hot today in Sactown! 106 I had heard on the radio. I had class tonight at BP&HH, Clues in Calico. My BFF made me dinner tonight before class, and boy she did a great and yummy job! She made chicken fajitas, spanish rice and a delicious berry smoothie. Then we went over some fabrics I had brought over to use in Kim's class next month, Frightfully Crazy. We are both making "If The Hat Fits". Then off to class. Lindy's granddaughter Chloe was there, and boy has she gotten taller. Got to visit with Kim, it seems like years since I had seen her. I took some pictures from class "Show & Tell". There are some very talented women in that class. There's even a picture of Kim holding up her Clues in Calico quilt. It was a great night. Thanks for stopping by, hope all goes well for everyone!

Terrific Tuesday

Yes, today is going to be Terrific! I just know it. It may hit a 100 degrees today, but that won't matter. I have only 4 days left until tournament season is over for me, so the countdown is on! My friend Colleen called me last night after her first Knot-y ladies class with Gran. She was so-o-o excited, and I can't wait until she can join us in September! But, I knew she would love the class, but most importantly, just fall in love with Gran. Who wouldn't? For those of you who know Gran, you know what we are talking about. For those who don't, here is her NEW website, http://web.me.com/knot_yembroiderylady. Check it out. She even has a photo of her machine quilting and the most adorable grand kids that she is very proud of! I also need to make a shout out to Kim, of Kim's Big Quilting Adventure blog. For those of you who follow, we are addicted to her blog! She writes with great humor, (tongue in cheek and VERY dry!), but she also says the things that we think and sometimes just don't say but wished we did. With that being said, yesterdays blog, Stuff I Cannot Say, seemed to hit a nerve in some readers. As I read the comments, some of them upset me to the point I had to close her blog. I was afraid I was going to write something in my comment that I shouldn't and I didn't feel that was fair to Kim, since after all, it is her blog. The comment would have been directed at those who leaving their own comments/take on what Kim had said. I knew what she was saying, she was not berating her husband, she was just saying what a lot of us feel. But, this is American, and we are all entitled to free speech, so that is it. If you haven't read these blogs/websites, please do! They are real ladies in this real world of ours! And yes, they are both TERRIFIC!!! Here's to your TERRIFIC Tuesday!

Almost to the End

Yep, I am almost to the end of the last baseball tournament. The weather this weekend I have to say was beautiful, but being outside for 12 hours+, 2 days in a row, 1 1/2 bottles of sunscreen, I am a little burned out. (Not sunburned, just really tired). Just heard the weather report for the week, we are heading back into the 100's, which is not good for some of the teams,since they are from the Bay Area, so anything over 70 is a heatwave for them. I want to apologize for not getting any new pictures posted, but you pretty much know why. I will try this week. Hey, do you remember me mentioning a couple of months back about reconnecting with a cousin of mine? Well, his daughter, Alexis has contacted me and we have been chatting via Facebook. Yes, I am on there, and I have a lot more pictures on there of family and Quilt Camp, and such. I also have reconnected with his sister, Kim, whom while growing up, we were joined at the hip. So, that has been really a good thing to catch up on our lives. I hope all stay cool and have a great week.

This is the End!

Yes, today, Saturday is going to be great! I can feel it in my old, creaky and sore bones! The sun will be shining, the sky will be blue, the clouds will be fluffy and the birds will be singing so sweetly! Yes, it will be a fine day! Why? Because, today is the first day of the last baseball tournament!! Yippy, skippy, I will be free! Free to quilt, free to visit my buddies and go to my classes to see my buddies. Free to do what I want to do. Not that I have been idle, no, not me! I have done some handwork, I just need to find my camera. I think it is under my car seat, (don't ask!!). Yesterday, being Friday, means I was in the office, again, trying to help them process and get caught up. I was feeling a bit low, so what does a gal do when she is feeling down and out? Well, she goes to her favorite quilt shop, which is BP&HH. Thank God, it is only a couple of blocks from my main office. Lindy, BFF and Gran were working. And man, were they busy! Lindy was telling me the book I had mentioned a couple of days ago in my blog, "A Month of Pennies", she had 2 copies left, just sold out that day. She will be getting more. I saw a couple of her shop samples of the wool applique, and I let her know that I was doing the embroidery, so I will be bringing them in for shop samples. Gran showed me all of the new embroidery patterns Lindy got today. I felt like a kid in the candy store. I got a couple of Crabapple Hill, Halloween of course, along with my Buggy Barn pattern/book for Kim's class. Then, I got some WONDERFUL news, my BFF is taking Kim's class also, and it is full! Man, Kim will be having double trouble in that class for sure! My friend, Colleen is also taking it, so maybe I should say, triple trouble!! I heard that Kim came into the shop later that day after I had to leave for baseball, and sang the Oscar Meyer theme song with her back up singers, Lindy and BFF for Shirley. Oh how I wish I was there to join in! Well, I need to throw some embroidery stuff together to take to the ball field. Yes, today is going to be a beautiful day!

Baseball Duty

I am sorry for not writing anything for awhile. We are in the middle of our very busy baseball season. The first 2 weeks of July are when all of the State Tournaments are for Cal Ripken Baseball, and well, being State Tournament Director and DH being the State Commissioner, we have been a little in the overtime mode. The games have been good, the parents are getting better, and yes, I am getting some embroidery done. I found a book on my shelf in the guest room that is called, " A Penny A Month" by Bonnie Sullivan. I bought this book a couple of years ago at BP&HH. It has the patterns/directions for wool pennies, applique or fused flannel and also embroidered. There are some really cute designs, and I totally forgot about it. So-o-o, I traced one pattern out, August, a crow on a sunflower, and I took it with me. It goes pretty fast. I have the crow and the the flower part of the sunflower done. I will try to get a picture tonight for you, if its not too late. We have only 1 game tonight, so I should be able to get it. Also, I am looking for some advise out there. My son is planning to move to Chico. He is my only son, and I know he will be fine, but I could use a little help in trying not to worry so much, so any advice on how to stop worrying would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks for stopping by and take care!

The Day After....

Well, it is official, I am really getting old! Why do I say that, well because, I in general require very little sleep, always have since day 1. I fell asleep yesterday late morning on my sofa, Delta breeze gently blowing, and woke up 8 hours later when my mom came over for dinner and in time to give my poor baby, Orca his doggie downer because of the fireworks. Where did the day go? I had visions of grandeur for embroidery. But no-o-o-o, I fell asleep. What are my plans for today, well, after I got up early and made a big batch of sausage milk gravy and a couple of dozen of homemade buttermilk biscuits, (for hubby to take to the tournament for the tournament workers), I read the paper, had 2 cups of Typhoo tea, (my favorite) and now, I am getting ready to go watch some great baseball. The weather is going to be almost perfect today. The Delta breeze is brisk,(YEAH!!) and the sun is shining brightly, so I am ready for some fun in the sun. Here's hoping your SUNday is filled with fun! Enjoy!

4th of July Eve

I thought today would never get here, but here it is. So what do I do to start off this 4th of July Eve off right, well, go to the ballpark and get an old fashion hamburger, since tomorrow I will be having a hot dog! It was so-o-o good, just mustard, cheese, grilled bun and burger patty. The Delta breeze kicked in and it was a perfect evening at the park. Tomorrow, I need to run to Woodland, (No Kim, I am not exercising, I mean driving, Please!!) to drop off stuff for their tournament, and I just found out they are serving biscuits, gravy, breakfast burritos and I sure all kinds of other yummy things. No that is not the reason why I am going, but it may have swayed my mind a bit! Then, I am coming home to embroider to my hearts content. Hubby will be at the park all day until 9 pm tomorrow night to host the tournament, son is going to a b-b-que, so its me and Orca having our own celebration with homemade ice cream, hotdogs, watermelon, pasta salad and Cowboy beans. I think my mom might come over and watch 4th of July Concert with the Boston Pops. Hope all have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!!

Middle of the Road

Today is great day, why you might ask? Well, its great because I woke up on the right side of the grass, (as my Father in Law says), I have a wonderful family, a job, and a great blogging community and quilting friends that are always there if I needed anything. What more could I ask for? I could ask for tonight, the last baseball managers meeting of the season, thats what! And they fed us some great B-B-que to boot, so life is pretty good right now. I had to miss Jo's because of the meeting, which means I don't get to see Kim and my BFF, but I should see them both in a week or so at Clues in Calico. Son is spending a couple of days in Chico, (I don't want to know what he will be doing, sometimes, ignorance is bliss!), so after the meeting, I came home and completed some reports for my job and then hit the blogs! I did stop at Ladybugs Quilts today and saw Jen, she had a whole bunch of new Crabapple Hill patterns, and some other really cute stitching patterns. I am not sure the pictures are clear enough, but I can't wait to start on them. Here's hoping that all of your lives are pretty good at this time!