Can't Believe I Said That!

 I just walked up to my office/sewing room...

I just had an upsetting conversation with Mr.K.

I said something to him that I never wanted to say.

I said, "I'm freezing!"

It's close to noon and it's only 61 degrees.

I'm getting ready to go out for a manicure.

In a way, I'm pretty excited...it's hoodie season.

By the way, I sewed for 20 minutes, chain piecing all the way...

With no bobbin thread.😠

On Saturday evening, we took a boat ride.

Tony took these...

I love them, hope you enjoy them.

Mask up, y'all!

Call of the Wild...

I'm having a terrible time sitting here, typing, when the sun is on my back!

It's going to be in the 70's again today...but with a chance of thunder storms this afternoon!

That brings back memories of the LAST thunderstorm...

The one where I had a trembling, drooling, whining Corgi on my lap,

right beside a scared, clutching two year old,

 

who was scaring the jeebers out of an old Basset Hound who just wanted peace and quiet!

I wanted to get up and google places that never have thunder storms. 

Especially since I am afraid of them too. 

(This is TMI, but when I get scared of nervous, I get the poops.  This was so common that my family began rating storms by my trips to the bathroom: 

 "Wow, that was a bad storm last night; I think it was a three pooper!"

 or "They are predicting a bad storm tonight, maybe even a five pooper!)

I finally figured out what to do with Winnie...

 

 

And Locklan soon settled down...

But Shirley was having a terrible time!

 

 

I researched, asked, investigated...

I was finally advised to buy a...

Thundershirt!

 

 

Since storms were predicted again the next day, I headed to PetSmart to purchase one for $40.

Forty dollars!  I won't even pay that much for a shirt for me (just kidding, you know I would!)

Did it work?  Yessss...you could say it did.  We never got another thunder storm,

which is why we don't have a photo of Shirley wearing it!

 

Now, back to what I was saying...

 

It's now 74 according to my desk top thermometer. 

 

I have a load of laundry to do...

 

I need to sweep the dog hair into submission in the family room...

I need to sweep the leaves out of the garage (how to they get there?)...

I need to organize my schedule for the rest of the week (and Easter)...

I have three quilt tops ready for basting...

Two ready to quilt...

 

 

But will I?

 

Probably not. 

 

The sunshine is calling!

 

On the other hand,

 

Andy and Locklan came over yesterday.  Since it was raining, Andy put Ashley's car in our garage and did some maintenance (it's all Greek to me).

 

Locklan helped!

 

 

 It's so much fun to see him imitate us!

 

After a while, he came upstairs to eat. 

 

When his belly was full, he asked for a blanket!

 

 

Not that comfy, but he was happy!

 

Okay, I'm feeling guilty. 

I need to get something done.

 

See you next time!

What I did instead of housework

I promised myself I'd run the sweeper on the stair runner...one of my least favorite chores. 

 

 

Not pressed yet...I really don't like that chore either...

 

 

Putting away laundry is my least favorite 

which is funny because I LOVE to do laundry...

 

 

Happy National Quilting Day!

 

I'm proud to say I've been a quilter since 1987...when I took my first quilting class to make, "Just one quilt."

 

I lost track of how many I have made since then and many were not photographed (back then, if I spent $$ on quilting supplies there was no money left for film and developing!)...

 

But I'm still quilting, and hope to be for a long time!

 

Keep on' stitching...

 

We interrupt the baby show...

To show you where I've been hiding for a few weeks.

 

Remember, I told you I was behind this door...

 

 

and that I was working with this...

 

 

And I'm sure you thought I'd taken leave of my senses...

 

Work with me here...

 

For those who just got here, a brief lesson in family history.

 

My late husband, Mark (Andy and Tony's father), passed away suddenly

three years ago. 

 

Mark loved plaid cotton shirts.  Every day during warm weather, he would come home and change his business clothes into something plaid.

 

There were even times when he (purposely, to drive us crazy) overdid it...

 

 

After Mark died, I gave away all of his business clothes, but I saved every one of those shirts.  I knew that one day, I would use them to help the boys remember him.

 

The year after he died, I made Christmas ornaments for his siblings and the boys...

 

 

 

I kept every scrap.

 

When Andy and Ashley said that airplanes would be the theme of Locklan's nursery,

I had to search...and search...

for a way to use my precious stash...

 

I searched and searched for a pattern I could use.

 

Finally!

 

 

 

Airplanes!  The wings are made of the plaid shirt fabric!

 

It was a top secret project.  Very few people knew about this...

 

I wanted a special way to give this quilt to Andy.

 

We had often joked about designer diaper bags, so when I found the Craftsman tool bag,

it was perfect and sooooo Andy,

 

I wrapped the quilt in tissue paper,  put it in the tool bag and took it to the hospital...

 

 

 

 

please forgive the blurry photos...Mr. K is a wonderful husband

but he sucks at photography!!

 

I think Andy was overwhelmed...

 

 

I think all of us were overwhelmed...

 

there was even a tiny scrap in there from a shirt that belonged to Mark's dad...

 

How fitting that Mark should be the one to give him wings.

 

God bless baby Locklan!

 

God bless you!

Love,

Jan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ahhhhhh....

I looked out the living room window and saw...

 

 

I walked into the family room and saw...

 

 

I walked upstairs and into my...

 

 

Where I spent the day playing with ...

 

  

and...

 

 

and...

 

 

While wearing my...

 

 

 Is it any wonder I have a

 

 

 on the wall of my sewing room?

 

I am blessed!

 

Love,

Jan

 

 

 

 

 

Look at what I made!

I've been busy, playing on my sewing machine, finishing up a few projects that didn't get done before the holidays...

I made quite a few (translation: I lost count) 

of these table runners. 

But guess who didn't get one for her table?

If you guessed me, you would be right, so this one is for me!

Check out the machine quilting...

It's not as easy as it looks, kind of like drawing those concentric rectangles on one of these:

Remember those days?

Oh and guess who sewed her left index finger (photo not available) with that sewing machine?!?

If you guessed

me...

You would be oh, so right!

Oh, and while we're talking about making things, I got an email from a reader named Doris, who asked me to (finally) tell what I was making with this...

and this...

I made these..

Star ornaments out of Mark's favorite shirts for his siblings. I wanted to give them something of his and I think they loved them!

And now, it's 4 degrees out there. 

 I need oatmeal and hot coffee.

After that, I'm going to do my best to make someone smile...why don't you do it too?

See you soon!

Love,

Jan