It's October already......Where did the year go?

This is one of the blocks I have made recently. I belong to a quilting group online and this block was made for the example of a swap we are having next year. It is the churn dash using 30's material and muslin. It will be a fun swap.

I haven't had much time to sew lately. I have been busy shuttling the kids around to soccer practice and games. I also go to church two nights a week and a writing group. I didn't think I would be this pooped. Now I am trying to pack during the day too. I did some packing today. 20 days until we close on the house. My stomach is in knots everyday. Thank God I am on meds for anxiety. If not I would literally be a walking panic attack. We are excited to finally be owning our own house. It scares the heck out of me. It is a huge step. Something we have never done before. It is unfamiliar and adds a whole new level of stress. Yikes. Hopefully once we get settled in everything we be ok and I can relax a little.

Say A prayer for my uncle. He is still in Iraq. He is supposed to come home this month. I am praying hard everyday. His family is surely ready to see him again.

God Bless you all.

Soccer Practice....

Help my shoe came off!!!!

Here are a few pictures from soccer practice last night. He did very well. He was very well behaved. YEAH...Unlike another kid on the team. Josh wanted to go to soccer practice again today. Can't chat much.......Always tons of things to do.

Updates and Quilts

This is the long awaited square in a square quilt I have been making for my sister in-law Mary and Greg. I love this pattern and the way the colors pop. Mary picked out the fabric. I hope they are happy with it. It is a king sized quilt. I started it about a year ago and then got a job so it got put off for a while. Now That I haven't been working I was able to finish it.




This is Rachel's quilt. The bottom picture is the one I gave her after she was born. Now she has out grown it. So Laura sent it to me and I took it apart and made it bigger. This was a big task. But I think it turned out well. Next time I will make a new one. I wasn't prepare for the task of taking apart a quilt. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. The end result was well worth it. Hopefully this will last her a few more years and then I can make her a new one.



My hubby made it home from California ok. He has a great time. He brought home over 900 pictures to share. He took some awesome pictures. I wish I could of went.

Josh starts soccer practice today. He is four. This is his first sport. He is very excited. Tyler's first practice is Friday. So it hit me last night that the only evenings I will have time to sit back and relax are Tuesday and Saturday. Monday and Friday we have soccer practice. Wednesday and Sunday we have church. Thursday I have writing class. Whew. I think I'll manage though. I am going to take a few pictures tonight of soccer practice. Hopefully I can post them tomorrow.

Have a great day and GOD BLESS.

Well hello again......

So how is life for everyone? Anything new an exciting going on? I can't believe it has been so long sense my last post.

I want to start off on a positive note. I am alive and have a wonderful family. God has truly blessed us. I can think of times when my back was turned away from God and wonder how I made it through those times. Temptation is right in our faces everyday. Everyday is a struggle to do the right thing and stay focused on the bigger picture. I just gave a friend some advice on her blog. God never gives us more than we can handle. I have to try to remind myself of this everyday. I have a good life. I wonder sometimes why I have been blessed so much. Do we deserve the blessings bestowed upon us. I pray that we never take our life for granite. Yet I also worry about it all being taken away from us in an instant. Okay so now I am starting to ramble.

My honey is in California right now on a business trip. He is so awesome at his job and eager to learn all the latest technology out there. He loves his job.

We can't wait for him to come home. He has been gone 4 days. The first few days were okay but now we are ready to have him back in our lives. One good thing is that I have been able to cook easy and fast meals with minimal clean up. LOL. I like to cook...I hate the clean up. Usually I have tons of dishes to do afterwards. Tyler is good for unloading the dishwasher. He hasn't quite learned Mommy's art of cramming as much in there as possible. It drives me a little crazy to think that more could of been put in there. Makes me feel like I am wasting water or something. I know I am crazy. LOL. I obsess over weird things.

Tyler is back to school. This is his Third week It seems to be going okay so far. Ok I do have a gripe about our school. Why do they think that people are loaded down with money. In the first three weeks we have been hit with paying for a gym uniform, a school shirt, magazine sales, and pictures. What is next? You think they would be smart enough to space it out. They would probably get more money that way. For one school shirt and a gym outfit (Which are requirements) it was $30.00. The school sent home the form for pictures yesterday. They are taking them today. And you have to pay up front before you even get to see a proof. I don't think so. The smallest package is $13.00 you get a 5x7 and some wallets. Whatever!!! I told Tyler I will take him and have his picture made. It is just ridiculous. Ok was I ranting and raving a little too much!!!!

My sewing machines are waiting to be repaired. Yes two. Neither one of them like me enough for me to fix them. I tried. I probably made them worse. I haven't sewed in a week until last night. I got out my antique machine. It was a gift from Judy(hubby's momma) years ago. I haven't used it sense I got a new machine 4 years ago. I crossed my fingers and gave her a try. She is sewing like I never quit using her. I was so excited. I am working on some Halloween quilt blocks for a swap. I have two quilts waiting for binding. A t-shirt quilt to make. A queen sized quilt for a dear friend. Her hubby made me a driftwood lamp. Also my best friend wants me to make a quilt for her mom using the grandkids clothes and fabric they pick out. My hubby wants one too. The list goes on and on.

My garden is ok. I had to take out some plants. It was over grown. I planted things too close together. Amateur error. This is my first try. I put some coffee grounds in there. Big mistake. I think hubby told me to do that. I had a ton of things start to dye because of it. Won't try that again.

Well God Bless you all. Until we meet again......Hugs and Kisses.( XOXOXOXO)

My Boy and My Garden......

Hello everyone....

My oldest son, Tyler, got baptized at church on Sunday. It was a wonderful day. I am so pleased he made this decision and all on his own. Sonny Owens is our preacher. We go to Eastwood Church of Christ in Florence, ALabama. It is a great church and now our family.

My garden has gotten huge. I planted tons of things. So far we have tomatoes and watermelons growing. I think I planted the watermelons too close to the cantaloupes. They have taking over. So far no cantaloupe blooms have produced fruit. My hot and green peppers are getting ready to produce. My cauliflower has been over run by the watermelons too. Next year I will know better.

So who has started making or buying Christmas presents yet? Sad isn't it. It will be here before we know it.

Have a great day.....

FIVE THINGS.......

Ok Quilting Mommy here you go.......

Five Things to Do Before I Die:
1. Have my own quilt store.
2. Watch my children have children and see what kind of parents they will be.
3. Learn everything possible about my hubby and what makes him tick.
4. Travel across the USA in an RV with my hubby visiting different historical locations and quilt shops of course.
5. Travel to Europe.

Five Things I Can Do:
1. Sew
2. Cook
3. Love unconditionally
4. Love GOD
5. Make people laugh

Five Things I Cannot Do . . . Yet...
1. Lose weight
2. Read or watch sentimental things with out crying.
3. Hand quilt
4. Have an argument with out getting defenseive
5. Stop buying fabric

Five Things That Make My Hubby Attractive to me:
1. He is HOT....
2. He is caring, smart, and funny.
3. He doesn't stay mad at me long.
4. He has a way of getting me to open up.
5. He believes in God and the great good of man kind.

Five Celebrity Crushes:

1. Jesus...He counts....
2. Matthew McConnahey
3. Ben Stiller.... he is so funny
4. Luke Wilson
5. Winnie the Pooh

Sewing Away......

Joshua & Emily eating cereal and being cute for the camera.

Joshua wearing a dirt bike helmet and weilding an axe. He thought he was too cool.

My precious lady. She looks so happy, LOL.

This is a wall hanging I received last month from a friend through a swap. It is lovely.

I am mailing this wall hanging off today to a friend in a swap. The idea was anything goes for July. They encouraged us to us fabric other than cotton.

This quilt is for my dear friend Amy and her family. We met through church. They are moving in 2 weeks to go to Mississippi. They are moving to Nathan's home town. He will be a preacher at his home church. They are wonderful people with very big caring and helping hearts. I am sure the Lord has great things in store for them. We will sorely miss them here in Alabama.

The quilt pattern is the friendship star. I made it with Batiks. Amy was an interior designer. So I knew she would love all the color. It is a lap sized quilt for them to snuggle up on the couch in. It is exactly as wide as the entertainment center which is on the wall behind us. LOL.

I have been busy sewing. I gave Amy this quilt Sunday. We had a going away get together after the evening service. It was fun. It has been raining all week. We needed it so bad. We are at least half way back to normal as far as the amount of rain we need. We have been in a bad drought. My garden has gone crazy. I have watermelons that have come up in the last few days. This morning I found little green tomatoes on the plants. Yeah. I can't wait to eat this stuff. I called my hubby at work right away to share my excitement. I will post a picture of the garden soon. Well I gotta run. I just wanted to get caught up on my blog and share some pictures. God Bless.

TGIF

Thank God it is Friday...Woo Hoo....

This week seems like it was long to me. I haven't done as much sewing as I could have. I have spent a lot of time cleaning house. But you really can't tell. The boys can make a clean room messy in an instant.

My garden is starting to grow a little wild. The cantalope vines are a spreadin'. The blooms from the plant are beautiful. I need to spread some sevin dust. I saw some pesky ants about. I can't wait to eat some of the things that were growing.

I went to writing workshop and had a great time. We usually draw a topic out of a basket and write about it for twenty minutes. My first story wasn't that great. The first one is usually for warming up. The second and third story turned out pretty good. When the timer goes off you stop where you are at and read it outloud. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to share some of it with you. Maybe........

Today I have to make 6 Sun Bonnet Sue blocks for a swap. I need to get off here or else I will never get done. Have a great day. I hope God Blesses you with everything you do.

I am a pet dog.....

You Would Be a Pet Dog

You're friendly, loyal, and an all around good sport. People love to be near you. You are very open with your feelings, and you're quite vocal in expressing them. You are sincere and kind. You love many people - without any sort of agenda. Why you would make a great pet: You're content to chill out with your friends Why you would make a bad pet: You always find yourself getting into trouble What you would love about being a dog: Running around and playing What you would hate about being a dog: Being left home alone while everyone else is out having fun

What Kind of Pet Would You Be?

Ready to explode....

I am so full of excitement I am ready to explode. My hubby comes home tomorrow. He has been gone two weeks. We are sorely missing him. I can't wait to see the look on the kids faces when they see their daddy. Their expressions are always priceless. Our dog, Lady, will be very excited too. She loves Tim. I can't wait to see how she acts too.

My dad is doing better. He gets tired quickly now. He has to make some adjustments so he doesn't end up back in the hospital. He sounds really good and is actually trying to quit smoking. Thank God. I used to smoke so I know how hard it is to quit. I have actually quit twice in my life. This time hopefully for good. Every now and then I can smell cigarette smoke even when no one is around me smoking. It is my mind playing tricks on me.

I made 9 shoo fly blocks today. They turned out very pretty. I like those blocks. It is a great way to us a focus fabric and add some accent to it with out too much gaudiness. I think it is going to be a great block for making some baby quilts. I have a ton of UFO's And a list of future projects in mind. It is a never ending battle for me. My mind is way quicker than the hands.

There have been a lot of US soldiers dying over seas lately. It greatly saddens my heart. Especially for the families. All of people in the quilting world have been asking people to pray for them. My uncle is currently in the middle east and my husband is in the National Guard but hasn't been sent yet. I can't imagine the constant worry our fellow AMERICANS are going through. So please everyone remember to say a prayer for them Even if you don't believe in the war. They are their whether they want to be or not doing a fabulous job.

GOD,

Please let the war in the middle east come to an end soon. Please protect our troops and all the innocent bystanders who don't have a choice but to be in the middle of it. Thank you lord for the many blessings that you have given us all, especially the freedom we have to worship however we want in America with minimal persecution. LORD Please bring our troops home soon. Their families and friends sorely miss them. Please be with the families who have lost loved ones. Help their hearts to heal. Please Lord forgive us for our sins and short comings.
In JESUS CHRISTS holy name we pray

AMEN.

Crazy Pictures

Here are a few photos I have been messing with. I took one picture and made a bunch of different ones. I have a small fascination with cameras too. LOL. The original is the bottom picture. I like being artsy fartsy. :)

Can you say exhausted.....

My poor dad is out of the hospital. He went in on Wednesday last week. He has congestive heart failure. He also had a touch of Pneumonia. He is home resting now. He sure has had a wake up call about his health. I think and hope it scared the crap out of him. He is only 55. Now he has to take heart meds for the rest of his life. I have been a mess sense it happened. I spent the day trying to find him programs to help pay for medicines. He has no insurance. I can't wait to see this doctor bill. He was there 4 night and 5 days. At least he is ok. I was worried.

I did have a little time to sew this week. I made a baby quilt top for My aunt. Her son's girlfriend had a baby. She is now a grandma. I also made a patriotic wall hanging for a swap. It turned out nice. I hope they like it. I mailed it out today.

My hubby is gone away for two weeks. He is in the National Guard. They are doing their annual training right now. He is about 4 hours away. We sure are missing him. The boys and I are ready for him to come home. It is hard on the youngest boy. He isn't as used to Dad going away for a while. He is only 4.

We went for a walk to night and took our puppy. Well she really isn't a puppy anymore. She is about full grown. She got tuckered out quick. It is so hot and humid here. We are having a drought. We are praying for rain.

I have a ton of projects to work on. It is hard to figure out which one takes Priority. I will post a picture soon of what I am working on.

God Bless you all.

3rd Time In May

I am really on a roll. 3 posts in the month of May. I have to pat myself on the back. Now that I am a homemaker life is more relaxing. I don't have to stress any more about getting things done before or after work.
I finally planted the seeds I bought. Some of them are starting to sprout. I planted tons of seeds. Fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. We will see. My problem in the past was that I either over watered them or didn't give them enough water. We are having a drought here and it has been hot so I have been checking them everyday.
I have a few sewing projects in the works. I am going to finish my sister-in-laws quilt tomorrow. She is going to watch the boys for me. It is king sized and takes a lot of concentration on my part to finish it. A friend is making me a driftwood lamp. So I am making her a quilt in return using civil war reproduction fabric. It will be lovely.
I found out last night that a dear friend is moving to another state. I am sad about this. I am also very happy for them. They will be about four hours away now. I want to make her a quilt before they leave in August.
Well have a great day where ever you are in this world. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS.

Bow Tie Baby Quilt

Hello everyone.....A friend at church is getting ready to have a baby on June 11th. We had her baby shower today. She is having a boy. I made her this quilt. It took 8 1/2 hours to make it. I was up until 3:30 am and got it all sewn and pinned for quilting. I quilted it this morning after church. Talk about the last minute. I knew I had to make this. LOL. I am a procrastinator big time.

I quit my job on Thursday. My boss wasn't a very nice person. So I decided I had enough and quit. It felt so great knowing I didn't have to put up with his crap anymore. YEAH..... I now have tons of time to take care of my family and for sewing and other crafts and so on and so forth.

I am going to try to make some things. I have a ton of UFO's. And a lot of ideas of things I want to try but haven't had the time.

God Bless....

Baby Quilt and Wall Hanging

Hello everyone.....Today I made a top for a baby quilt. After church tonight I have to sandwich it and get it sewn together. I am giving it to a friend from church for a baby shower gift. Her baby is due the end of this month. This is the first top I have made this year and the second wall hanging. I need to make three more baby quilts for friends and family. God Bless to all of you.

Say a prayer for my uncle who is in Iraq. He won't be home until October. God Bless our troops.

Quilt Wall Hanging Project

Good morning everyone. I am getting better about posting. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

Yesterday after the evening worship service we went to a friends house from church. Her and her family recently moved into a new house. So I decide to make her a wall hanging for her house. It took about 3 1/2 hours from start to finish. I didn't use a pattern. I just made it up as I went. The finished size is about 16 x 16. I used a satin stitch on all of the pieces for a finished look. Not bad for my first time.

I am also making a wall hanging for a swap on http://groups.msn.com/3SistersCyberQuilting. I should find out who my partner is today. I have been making a few practice blocks. Trying to figure out what appliqué pattern I want to use. I am also a host for a swap. It is called Circle or Dots Mini Bow Ties. The material has to be polka dots or have a circle pattern. It is a very simple block to make. The pattern is from www.quilterscache.com. They use a lot of patterns from there with permission for swaps.

I haven't had time to make any big quilts. I want to make quite a few baby quilts. 2 ladies at church are getting ready to have babies. My cousin just had a baby boy. And my Uncle and Aunt just had a little girl. We are very blessed this year with births. I still have to finish my sister in laws quilt. I need a good solid 6 hours of time with no interruptions to get it done. No luck there. I need a vacation so I can get all this done. LOL.

I hope you all are having a blessed day.

Holly

It's the end of March already.....

I can't believe the month has gone by so fast. Where does the time go. It is sad to say I haven't done much sewing. Work doesn't allow much time for that. I have a ton of projects just waiting for me. They are calling out to me. What am I to do. I think of ideas daily that I would like to do. There just isn't enough time for me. I am being pulled in too many directions.

One thing I do get to do is go to a writing class. Some other ladies and I all get together once or twice a month and write. We usually pick a topic out of a hat and write for 15 to 20 minutes about the subject. Then we take turns reading it out aloud. It is fun and nice to see what other people write. It is my intellectual stimulation for the month. LOL.

My male cat Dash got into a cat fight with a stray cat last week. We ended up having to take him to the vet. He had a big gash on his stomach that got infected. It was gross. He is okay now and itching to go outside. Poor thing.

Well I am off to do more house work. GOD BLESS

WOW 2 in one month...

I am on a roll. LOL. I had the weekend off. It was lovely. We spent time with family, went geocaching, and to church.

My hubby was appointed Deacon at church Sunday morning. We are very excited. He will make a great Deacon. He is a honest, hard working man. And solider to boot. We love church and all the family we have made there.

I didn't get much house work done. I made a yule log. It was going well. I unrolled it too early and it cracked in one spot. So I went ahead and put the stuff in the middle an rolled it back up. All was going well. Until I put the icing on. It was heavy and cracked the top. So my husband was joking and saying that a lot of logs end up splitting. LOL. It still tastes good. Better luck next time I guess.

I haven't gotten much sewing done. I haven't had the time. I need to make 4 sun bonnets Sue's this week for a swap.

I hope everyone has a blessed week.

Quilting Blues.....

I can't believe I haven't posted sense November. Where has the past few months gone?

Christmas was great. The kids got guitars and so did hubby. I got a mini iron, a new dishwasher (YEAH) and a bunch of other great things. No more dish pan hands. I have also taught my oldest son how to load it and unload it. He has turned in to a big help around the house.

Both of my boys and my hubby had birthdays in January. It was a busy month. I have been working full time. I finally qualify for insurance, dental, and vision. It was sorely needed. Today my oldest son had an eye exam. He is near sighted. The frames he picked out look very nice. It was inevitable. Both myself and my hubby wear them as well as many other family members.

I found out a week or so ago that my 80 year old grandfather has throat cancer. They are going to do radiation to see if they can get rid of it. They think they caught it early enough. I have my church praying for him. If it is God's will everything will be okay.

I haven't had hardly an time to quilt. I have sewed some blocks. I have to sew the border on to my sister in-laws quilt and it will be ready for sandwiching. I am so far behind on projects it isn't funny. Some one wants me to make a t-shirt quilt. I just don't have time. All I do on my off days is clean house and do laundry. Which reminds me, I need to switch over a load.

I hope all you lovely people out there are having a great month. I will try to visit every one's blogs very soon.

GOD BLESS AND HUGS TO ALL.

T-Shirt Quilt

I hope everyone is having a great day. Here is a picture of a t-shirt quilt I finished yesterday. It took me a while to complete. I am so busy with working and the kids and such that I just can't find the time to make bed sized quilts like I used too. I have one more big quilt to make before Christmas. The material is washed. Now I need to start cutting it up. Wish me luck. LOL.