AARRGH!!!!

I am so not happy with Blogger right now. I'm way behind on reading, I should be upstairs with a custom quilt on the machine, and I can't post comments on anybody's blog!!! Okay, I know my
priorities screwed up. I want to say hello to the people whose lives I'm reading about and IT WON'T LET ME!!! There, I feel better; NOT.
Tracey, Bonnie H, Karen at Passionate Quilter I'm trying to comment. Especially Karen-don't be afraid of surgery. I had cervical disc replacement and I'm very glad I did.
I've got all my squares cut and the lines drawn to sew my HSTs. I'll do that this evening if it's not too muggy.
The sewing room is kind of coming along. Mike and I can't agree on what kind of shelves to put in the closet. And I don't really have any room for a design wall unless I do one That I can roll up right inside the sliding doors of the closet. Oh well, that's for the future.

I'm in a slump when it comes to customer quilts. I love being up there, but I hate going up. Does that make sense? When I'm alone in the house, I don't have it as bad, but when there's someone home, I'm afraid of missing something. How stupid is that? I want to quilt just not when I can be with other people. Hmm....our daughter Keri would have a field day with this in her psych class.

I showed the pic of the Precious Twins the other day. She's living here with us right now, stuff going on at home. I don't have a problem with that. But our son had to call a family meeting on Sunday because her sense of humor is different than ours so she saw Mike's and my teasing as ganging up on her. Alrighty then. We're going to say when something bothers any of us so there's no hard feelings. I thought everything was cool so when she said something last night, I told her it bothered me. Well, that didn't work. I don't want to alienate her and I sure as heck don't want to lose my son. Any ideas? I'm open to just about any suggestion.

It's the weekend!!

Here's a picture of some of the fabrics I pulled for my hour a day quilt. Since then, I've added a few more blues, a purple and a couple of more backgrounds. I don't want this to be a red quilt.
I've cut strips to match up for the HSTs and will start cutting them today.
Patti asked why do we quilt? I've been thinking about that since I read her posts.
I had never even heard of quilts or quilting until a friend and I went to the Amish country of PA when I was 18. We stayed one night with a Mennonite family and slept under quilts even though it was summer. That trip was such an eye opener for me. I saw all the quilts that these women made and was bowled over. Nobody in my family had ever done anything like that. But, since I have the attention span of a gnat, I forgot about it until years later when Mike and I took the kids on vacation to Lancaster County. That's when I found the shop in Intercourse. I went through every single rack and stack of quilts in that place and realized I couldn't afford a single one. So I looked closer and decided I wanted to make one myself. The rest, as they say, is history. lol
I quilt because I have only one thing from my grandmother. It's a thread crocheted part of a bedspread that my Mom was going to toss if I didn't take it. It was in pieces because Grandma died before she finished it. So a friend of mine took it and finished it for me. I'm keeping it for my daughter.
So I quilt. Somebody someday will be able to say "My grandma made this".
I quilt because I like it. I may not finish everything. I love puzzles and piecing quilts is like doing puzzles.
I quilt because it makes me feel good.
This brings me to a lightbulb moment I had when I read Patti's blog. I've been a longarm machine quilter since 2000, and have been concentrating on doing customer quilts at the expense of my own. I always said I didn't need to make my own, I have a private quilt show in my studio every day. Well, guess what? I've been very wrong. I do need to do my own. Just pulling the fabric for the hour a day has made me feel better. On the other hand, I've been doing the Harvest Spice BOM and that hasn't done anything but get me extremely pissed(excuse my language). It builds up like lava in a volcano and I have to put it away or I'll throw it away. And it's going to be a wedding gift for the Precious Twins. So I will plug away at it. But....................I will do the hour a day, and I will eventually do Tonya's challenge because I really want to learn how to do the letters. If and when Judy comes up with more projects, I will do them too.
Because I need to quilt. Not just use someone else's formulae and fabrics like the BOMs and kits. Yes, I'm following a pattern with the hour a day, but I'm using fabrics that I've held, stroked and loved. It won't look like anybody's quilt-it'll be mine.
It won't be easy once school starts. My surgeon said I can do light duty, so I'll be answering phones at the bus barn until I'm able to drive. They're really going to love me when I tell them I may have to have a basal cell removed from my face. I had it biopsied yesterday and will hear next week whether or not it's skin cancer. If it is, it's got to come out.
But I will quilt. Just because I have to and want to. It's become part of who I am. I am a quilter.

Judy L.

You can now find Judy at: http://judylaquidara.blogspot.com/
She's got the instructions for the hour a day there and all the info on what happened to her blog.

Here they are

This is our son David and his fiancee, Alicia. They got engaged on Christmas day and will be married June 15, 2007.
They didn't do too well at the audition yesterday. There was a written test and they were 1 of the 2 couples that didn't pass. I explained that it may not have been the number of questions they got wrong but the question types.
But the way, we call them the "Precious Twins".

It's Monday

Our son is down in NYC with his fiancee. They've got an audition for "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". It's for engaged couples. Wouldn't that be so cool? I'd love to show you a picture of them, but I can't get it from my Kodak Easy Share to here. Is there anybody out there who can explain it to me?
My sewing room is coming along. All the stuff from the bathroom is gone, and now we have to figure out where to put the stuff that's in the closet so we can convert it into shelves. I've got most of my UFOs located so I can put them all together in one place. Most of them are WIPs, things I've started and gotten bored doing. I will put up "after" photos when it's really after.
I found a bunch of fat quarters that were supposed to be a Churn Dash quilt from about 6 years ago. I think they'd do great for Judy's hour a day quilt. So I'm going to get them ready over the next few days, and hopefully get started. (Did I mention I have to make a t-shirt quilt for a customer? I can finally do that too now that I have some room to work.) I've been following along with everyone who's been so busy cutting and piecing, so I'm right there with you all. I'm hoping to do Tonya's Xs and Os blocks soon also. Does anyone have enough hours in their day? I sure don't.
Haven't bought any fabric, thread, books, notions. I have a gift certificate from my longarm secret stitcher for longarm supplies but I can't make up my mind what to buy.

Just wanted to check in, I have to go to physical therapy. Oh joy.

Whew!!

I've been so busy reading other people's blogs, I forgot to write in my own! I can't keep up with all of you-how do you do it? I was going to subscribe to bloglines, but some people have said they don't get all the updates. So does anyone have any other suggestions?
I so want to do Judy's one hour a day but life keeps getting in the way. The new desktop arrived on Monday-they put a rush on it. Then, last evening while I was at book club, Mike got a phone call from the online store saying they were shipping my desktop. UH OH. Well, we'll just refuse the delivery if another one shows up.
I went to see the surgeon on Tuesday, and he told me that the fusion has not completely taken yet. He saw some movement in the x-rays. So he didn't release me to go back to work on September 5th, he wants to reevaluate on the 19th. I told my job and found out there are lots of state laws that come into play when we can't start work on the first day of school. Welcome to NY-the land of over-taxing and micro-managing.
Then I went to my primary physician yesterday and he confirmed that I have fibromyalgia. Oh joy! I can live with that. I also have to go to a dermatologist because he thinks I may have a minor skin cancer on my face. And an ENT because the surgeon may have disturbed some nerves when he went in so that's why I feel like there's something permanently lodged in my throat. Doesn't slow down the eating unfortunately.
At least the new bathroom is functioning. When we turned on the new shower, there was a leak, but Mike fixed it and all we have to do is hang the towel racks and it'll be DONE!!!!
This afternoon, we're going to put my new sewing table/desk together. So I'd better get in gear and finish the customer quilt on the machine so I can get the next one on and help Mike.
This went on too long, but sometimes it helps to get things written down.

Setback

I thought we'd be putting the desk together this weekend, I really did. But it doesn't look good. Okay, let me go back a little.
I ordered a desk from an online site. When it came, I noticed a hole in the side of the box. One of the support pieces was damaged through 2 boxes and a layer of styrofoam. So I called the company and they sent a replacement. Once we had the new piece, Mike did inventory to make sure all the pieces were there. We saw that the desktop was damaged once we unwrapped it completely. Another phone call, another replacement. I offered to send the top back, but they didn't want it. Yesterday, the second replacement arrived. The box looked as if it had been used by 2 forklifts to play catch. Lo and behold the replacement is more damaged than the original. So I called once again. Now, they're taking a survey on customer service. Do I sound satisfied? When I asked the young man if I could please send back this one, he said it was too expensive for them to reship. He told me that the THIRD desktop should ship today. That means it won't get here until at least Tuesday.
I read that Judy is starting the one hour a day on Monday. I'm going to have to play some catch up, I guess. I want to do this quilt.
On a happier note, DS David is getting married in June. They got engaged on Christmas, and we love her. Anyway, Alicia took DD Keri and me to the catering hall where they're going to get married. The wekking planner took us around, explained who will stand where, and how the sequence of events will take place. I teared right up. Then we went and looked at dresses for me. She has her gown already picked out, and her bridal party's dresses too. I am going to have to lose about 30 lbs. between now and April so that I can get a dress that doesn't look like I should be buried in it. So I have a goal to work for-and I'm extremely goal oriented.
This got longer than I planned, so I'll go for now. I have to figure out how to get a picture from my Kodak Easy Share program to where I can post it, and then I'll show you the precious twins(that's what we call Dave and Alicia.

DUH!

I published my post and voila! All the photos are on the left side. So, I guess I'm doing something right when I click on "left". DUH Again.

In case anyone is wondering what I'm talking about when I say that I am waiting for my sewing room, this is it. I'll call these my "before" pictures.
We're remodeling our downstairs bathroom, and since our basement is so damp, Mike has to use the front room as his workroom.
The white square thing you see in the middle of the first pic is my rolling cutting table from Joann's. The tv stand box belongs to our daughter, Keri. She's going back to college in a few weeks and had to buy some "essentials". On the right is a room long coat closet. Our house was built around 1917, so no closet space. Mike has said that we can take out the hanging rack on the side nearest the big window and put in shelves for my fabric. I can hardly wait!
The second pic shows the shower doors that are waiting to go in, plus the big windows I'll have when the room is mine. This room is the entry to our house, so I'm hoping that will make me kepp it somewhat presentable. At least I'll try. I've never had a sewing room before, just a corner of the dining room table.
The third shows the pieces of the writing desk I bought to have as my sewing table. We can't assemble it until the room is empty. That will be next weekend, according to Mike. I ordered the desk online, and when it came, one of the pieces was damaged all the way through the packing boxes. I called the company and the new piece was sent. When we opened everything up to inventory it, we found that one of the corners of the desktop was a little crushed, as if someone stepped on it. Again on the phone with the manufacturer, now they're sending a new top. I asked if I should send the damaged one back-it's so big and heavy-but they said no. so Mike is thinking he may use it downstairs to build a workbench.
I'll post pics when it's done.
So there's my saga. I've been finding my UFOs and putting them all in one place so I can find them when I'm ready to work on them. So does that count as something quilty???
Oh, on the NO FABRIC front-one of the quilt shops I shop at sent out their enewsletter yesterday. In it was a 20% coupon that has to be used by the 13th. I got so excited for about 30 seconds. Then I remembered the challenge. So off into cyberspace with it. Oh well.......
If anyone can help me learn how to line up my photos down the left side, I will really appreciate it. I don't like guessing where my pictures are going to show up.
I have to say this-I am getting so much inspiration from all the blogs I read. I know I'm spending way too much time reading them, but like I've said before, it's addictive. I love all the different viewpoints and the fact that not everybody follows the same drummer. I feel like a sponge just soaking it all up. Thanks to all of you.

Thursday

I took the day off yesterday and spent it with my DD, Keri. She's going back to college in a few weeks, so I wanted to have some girl time with her. We had a nice lunch at Olive Garden and went to see the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean". We laughed so hard, we had tears rolling down our faces. We both love Johnny Depp.
Since I don't know where the photos are going to land, I'll just tell you this is the quilt that I gave to my friend for her grandbaby. I made the binding a bright yellow to keep with the crayon colors of the whole quilt.
I'm waiting to see what project Judy L. comes up with to help with quilting time. I have to go back to work on the bus next month, so I'll lose a lot of quilting time. I'll be grateful for any advice I can get.
Today I need to catch up. I have a bunch of customer quilts to do before I go back next month. So gotta run. But I will read as many other blogs as possible in between.

Hot!!

Sorry I haven't written in a few days. It's been brutal here, and I don't have a/c in the living room/office where the computer is. The baby animal quilt is done, done and will be delivered today. Mike has to download the photos from the camera to his computer and then share them with me, so I 'll have them tomorrow, hopefully.
Not much going on around here, still waiting for the bathroom to be done so I can work on my sewing area. I am so looking forward to having a permanent place to sew. I even bought a ft writing desk as a new sewing table. Just have to assemble it.
What amazes me about this heat is that we are living in 2006, the 21st century, and the utility companies can't handle it. New York City is suffering through blackouts, fires in manholes and on utility poles! This is unacceptable-why are they still operating with equipment and cables/wiring from the 1950s-60s? I know other major cities are the same. Isn't it sad that a few hot days can bring these cities to their knees? Then they have the nerve to raise rates when they're not doing anything to alleviate the situation. It makes me crazy!!!
Okay, rant is over. I feel better now. Not cooler, just calmer. I have to be extra careful with heat because I've gone to the ER in the past with heat exhaustion and had to be put on IV. They told me then that now I'm predisposed. Isn't that just peachy. So I do as much as I can early in the morning and then just veg out for the afternoon and evening.
I think I'll pull out my Quilted Diamond project this evening. Mike has to march in a parade, Keri is working, so I'll sit with some handwork. As much as I love it, it goes very slow for me. So I'll just keep plugging.
Have a great day and stay cool.