Good Stuff!

Can't help but post about some good stuff going on.

First, it's Sunday and I'm home relaxing!!!!! Love, love, love lazy Sundays!

Secondly, in my laziness, I'm watching the playoff game, and the Packers are beating the Bears quite convincingly! Go Pack! I'm really not a huge Packers fan, but I do like Aaron Rodgers, and I do despise Jay Cutler, like every other self-respecting Coloradan.

Next, Camille of the fabulous Thimble Blossoms patterns and fabric, is having a great little giveaway on her blog. So, go enter to win her wonderful book, and look at all her beautiful photographs. Amazing!

(Don't you just love that red and white polka dot chair??)

And, if that isn't enough good stuff, my Valentine's quilt is almost finished, and it isn't even February yet!

Can you tell I'm easily pleased? Enjoy your Sunday, and I hope it's filled with lots of good stuff!

Finally Finished!

Here is the newest addition to our family! This is 4 month old Isabella. She is keeping us on our toes, and we love her to death already!

Last February I posted that one of my goals for the month was to complete a Schnibbles pattern called Madeline. It's only been 11 months, and the goal has been accomplished-just in time for Valentine's Day a year later! I'm such an overachiever lately! So, drum roll, here it is:

I love how it turned out! I'm almost done with my other Valentine project-a design of my own. I will get a picture up once it's finished.

Have a great weekend!

I'm Back...Happy 2011!

So, I've realized it's been almost a WHOLE YEAR since my last post to my blog! Yikes, a year goes by quickly!

Instead of exhausting you with all my excuses, I will simply sum up my 2010 by telling you that it had some highs and some lows, and very, very little quilting!

Here's to a wonderful 2011, full of lots of highs and lots of fabric!

Hopefully, I will get my next post up before 2012!

February Projects!

I'm feeling the optimism at this time of the month...will see what happens by the end of the month. I'm going to try not to bite off more than I can chew, so here are my modest goals:

Catching up on my Schnibbles and staying on track! So, I've got Tuffets to make, followed by a Madeline and a Sunday Best-still waiting on charm packs to arrive.

Then I want to put together my Butterfly Fling quilt. I've had the fabric for some time and know just what I'm doing with it, now I just have to actually DO it!

So here's to a productive February for everyone out there! Good luck!

Hello February!

Well, February is here! Super Bowl is less than a week away, the Olympics are coming, school valentine's parties need attention, and my tax pile is looming large on my desk!

So, what am I doing, you ask...no not preparing for a super bowl party, not crafting super cute valentinesy items, and, no, of course I've not started my taxes...We're repainting our bedroom and bathroom...what else????

This project started last spring when I decided that I was sick of our bedding and needed a change. So, I made a huge quilt for the bed, a wallhanging, bought new sheets and towels, shopped for cute knick knacks, prepared things for the walls, and even bought the paint. And, that's been the story ever since, with absolutely no painting.

My husband is having shoulder surgery next week, and as he is the painter extraordinaire in our home, our bedroom either needs to get done NOW or what several more months! You'll never guess what my vote was for....well it seems victory is mine...assuming we actually finish the painting and get everything put back before next Tuesday morning at 9 am.

Will post more pictures as the adventure unfolds!

As for what else we've been doing...

Preparing to walk the plank occurs regularly at our house!

Meeting some gymnastics celebs at DU-Joey Hagerty and Alicia Sacramone!

Finally finishing my Schnibble from November!

Working on a few of my own projects, too!

So Happy February everyone! What are you busy doing?

Better Late than Never...

Happy 2010 (I'm only 3 weeks late)!!!

So, it's only been 2 months since my last post...YIKES!

Where have I been? No good reason, other than the normal Holiday busy stuff. Oh, and the real reason, of course, which is that I haven't even touched my sewing machine since November. Definite withdrawl coming into play! I abandoned all things quilty for the Holiday season, and now I'm back and itching to do something creative with my hands. Thanks goodness for fabric, right!

So, to my sad, lonely, dusty sewing machine I go! I'll let you know what I'm working on in my next post, which should be up before March, I promise!

Anyway, here's some pictures of what we have been doing for the past 2 months!

See you soon!

November Projects and a Fun Box!

Well, first of all, just look what arrived yesterday afternoon!

If that doesn't put a smile on my face...well, I just don't know what will! I got a whole box full of goodies from the Fat Quarter Shop! I ordered a bunch of Essence fabric, Blessings fabric, a jelly roll and yardage from French General, and some Wiscasset fabric! It feels like an early Christmas!

Speaking of which, I'm realizing I better get busy sewing some Christmas presents! So here are my November Projects that will hopefully get done!!!!

First of is my Schnibble of the Month which is the Picnic pattern. I'm not using charm packs, I'm going to use some Picket Fence Fat Quarters that I've had forever!

Next is my Gobble Gobble quilt which is now on Month 3 trying to get finished. The blocks are done...my fingers are crossed.

The rest of my to-do list is projects for presents. I have 2 small wallhangings and some cute calendars to do (Moda Bake Shop).

Meanwhile, it's 70 degrees outside in November, and I'm very torn between sitting down and sewing, and going outside to enjoy the weather! I'll let you know!

Time flies!

Is it possible that October is over? It can't be...it just started...it can't have been a whole month...there's no way tomorrow is November...I'm just not ready...

Can you tell I'm a little behind! I have these grand ideas and expectations at the beginning of the month, and then somehow the month seems to slip away from me, and here I am again. It's the end of the month, and I didn't come even close to doing/finishing everything that I wanted to!

The good news is that my October Schnibble is done! It's the Cindy Lou Who pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co done in The Caroler fabric by Mary Engelbreit! Now, with any luck, it will be quilted and hung up before Christmas (there I go with those big ideas again!)!

I knew the Halloween treat bags for the kids would be ready...and I was actually right about that! There's something about those very subtle reminders that help get things going!

Here's Ryan with his bag! I think it's almost bigger than him!

Here's Miss Anna with hers!

Just think of all the candy they can fit into those bags! Yikes! Why didn't I make them smaller?

Anyway, I'm afraid that's all I've got to report for this month! Even with the snow delay my Gobble Gobble quilt is not completed! I did get some work done on it, and I'm hoping to finish by Tuesday when I meet up with my quilter friend! We'll see what happens!

Here's the stack of blocks just waiting to be sewn together!

See you all in November!

I'm back...finally!

It's been awhile, I know. It's been a busy few weeks. So what have I been doing you ask...well, let me show you...

I went to San Francisco with my mom to run the Nike Women's Marathon! It was a great race and a fabulous weekend with my mom! We had such fun!

Here we are race morning, getting ready to go!

And, here I am about to cross the finish line about 4 1/2 hours later! Hooray!

It was a super race to run. We started in Union Square, ran out to the Embarcadero, saw Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge (very hidden by fog!), out to Highway 1 and the Beach, through Golden Gate Park, around Lake Merced, and back to the beach to finish. There were firemen dressed in tuxedos at the finish line to hand you a beautiful little blue box, Tiffany's, of course!

Here I am post race, showered and wearing my Tiffany's finishers necklace.

We enjoyed a girl's weekend full of laughs, sightseeing, and great food! I can't wait to do it again...the weekend, I mean, not the marathon! I think I'll need a few more months before that sounds like a good idea!

Since I've gotten home, we've been getting ready for fall and Halloween! My husband decided to show off his creative side with some pumpkin carving! He has a Bronco's pumpkin, Ryan got an Ironman pumpkin, and Anna got a Hello Kitty one! When I got back from San Francisco he even had a surprise for me!

This is my pumpkin all lit up at night!

The kids have been counting down the days until Halloween! They love dressing up, and, of course, the trick or treating!

Here are my very own Peter Pan and Tinkerbell!

And, my loves in their Halloween p.j.'s!

Oh, and did I mentioned we got a bit of snow last week! We were snowed in for two days! The kids loved their snow days, and so did I! We baked, watched movies, did lots of playing, and even fit in a little sewing (more on that in my next post!). Here's the view from our driveway, after I shoveled!

Happy Halloween everybody! Hope you have a safe and sweet one!

Nothing but Fun!

Well, it's been nothing but fun this week! My kids have Fall Break (why didn't I get this when I was a kid?), so we've had the whole week together. It's been a blast! Saturday afternoon was our mother-daughter group outing at the Bead Gallery! Lovely necklaces and bracelets were made by all the girls! So fun to see their personalities come out in the way they designed and made their creations!

Monday, my husband was off from work, so we got a great family day! What do funny shoes and a funky smell you can't quite identify make you think of???? Yes, that's right, we went bowling! Luckily for me, we put the bumpers up, for the kids, of course! My score improved significantly! Then we got to see G-Force which was pretty cute, even for those of us who don't particularly enjoy guinea pigs!

Tuesday was mommy-Anna day, and we had a great time. Drinks at Starbucks to start the day right, followed by the mall with visits to Build-a-Bear, Claire's, Bath & Body Works, and Borders. Next, lunch out and a trip to our great local toy store. My daughter literally could spend the entire day in there. They have playmobil sets, Calico Critters, every baby doll made, a great train set, and lots of games....the list for Santa grew and grew! Then we went to have tea-Berry Bunch for her, and Coconut Vanilla for mom! We chatted and relaxed and giggled! Then a stop at Pottery Barn for Kids (another favorite spot), where we played restaurant, cleaned the house, and did some puzzles! Off to dinner at PF Chang's (my daughter's choice, I swear)! Before returning home, we did have to make one last stop at Gymboree! A few outfits later, we were out the door! All and all a great day with my daughter! I can't wait for the next one!

Wednesday, not quite as fun, it was laundry catch up day. The pile was almost as tall as me. But, a certain package on my doorstep sure did cheer me up! My winnings from Sweetwater! Yeah!!!! It was like having a birthday without having to get older! A beautiful layer cake of their new line "Make Life", which is so cute. The pictures just don't do it justice! Now, I get to figure out what I'm going to make with it!

We've also stayed busy baking and turning siblings into mummies! What else would we be doing?

Today, I'm staring at my very empty suitcase, and trying to get ready for my trip to San Francisco! I leave tomorrow evening, and am not ready...in fact, totally unprepared! I going to run the Nike Women's Marathon on Sunday, so keep your fingers crossed for no rain, please! I'll let you know how it goes! My mom is joining me, and I'm looking forward to a wonderful long weekend in such a fun city. Our itinerary is full of great restaurants to visit, places to go, and, of course, the shopping we want to do!

Better get back to that suitcase! Have a great week out there!

October Projects

October is here, and I've decided to be slightly less ambitious this month. Wisdom, pessimism, lack of motivation, ...who really knows! I see fall break, halloween, room mom responsibilities, pumpkins, a dirty house, a huge pile of laundry, a marathon to run in San Francisco, etc in my near future. It doesn't seem my sewing machine will be getting much of my attention this month. However, in order to remain somewhat hopeful (and, quite frankly, knowing that I will need some quilt therapy), I have a few projects that I aspire to finish this month! So here goes, and please wish me luck:

The Year of Schnibbles project which is the Cindy Lou Who (I love the name!) quilt made with The Caroler fabric by Mary Engelbreit.

Next up are 2 Halloween treat bags for my kiddos. These will be the first done, I'm sure. Somehow, I have a feeling I will be getting some reminders about these until progress is made. As in, "Mom is my treat bag ready yet?", or "Mommy what will I do without a treat bag on Halloween", or "Look, Mom, there's a cool Hannah Montanta treat bag since I don't have anything else to use yet." They really are very subtle!

And, last, but certainly not least is the Gobble Gobble quilt that I wanted to finish last month, but didn't quite get around to. I'm hoping a second time is a charm in this case, plus wouldn't it be nice if it was done before Thanksgiving! It's the fabulously cute Sweet Escape pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co, and I can't wait to see the finished product. My fingers and toes are crossed for this one!

So, there you have it! We'll see what happens! Enjoy your fall wherever you are!

Oh, and GO ROCKIES!!!!! Roctober is here again!

Lucky, lucky girl!

I have been on top of the world since Wednesday! I won the online giveaway from Sweetwater for one of their brand new, hot off the presses precuts. In fact, they are so new, they haven't even arrived yet. I will post a picture as soon as they are here! I'm so excited-I won something (which never happens to me), plus I get some really fabulous new fabric. Could I be any luckier?

The new line is called "Make Life..." by Sweetwater for Moda. If you haven't seen it yet, you simply must go over to their site http://sweetwater.typepad.com/makelifesweet. Thank you, thank you ladies! You "Make Life..." much sweeter for me!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Better late than never-September Finishes!

Well, here I am again! No posts for two weeks, and now 2 posts in one evening!

I started the month off with a bang and had finished my shams and pieced the blocks for one Schnibble by the end of the first weekend. Somehow, other "stuff" just seemed to get in the way! Perhaps I was a little over-ambitious with my goals, too.

Okay, well here are the shams for my bedroom redo. I'm still waiting for the quilts from my miracle worker quilter, but I think they are going to look great. Will post pics...I promise...no 2 week delays!

Next, I worked on and finished the Schnibble of the Month which was the Winter White Schnibble pattern from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co made with Aviary fabrics! Love it and all that it now means (see post below for more on that!)

Then, I finally finished up my other Schnibble project. Literally, I just turned the sewing machine off and took the picture of this one! Nothing like the last minute, right? It is the Imagine pattern made with Peace on Earth fabrics.

My Gobble Gobble quilt is still waiting in a plastic bag for me, maybe next month, I mean tomorrow, I'll get around to that! We'll see, no one holding their breath out there, right?

Anyway, it's been fun and I probably got way more done thanks to this group than I ever would have finished on my own. So, thanks and can't wait to see what October brings!

Schnibble of the Month

So, I've been gone for too long! We had the "blue screen of death" as my husband called it on our computer last week. A trip to Best Buy and a very large purchase later, we have a new computer! I'm figuring things out...and so far so good...knock on wood!

Did September fly by for anyone else out there? I can't believe it's the last night of the month. Nothing like waiting to the last minute to post my Schnibble of the Month picture, huh? Truth be known I didn't finish it until last night while watching the Rockies (finally) win their game! Anyway, drum roll please....here it is....

It is the gorgeous Winter White Schnibble pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. done with the Aviary fabric by 3 Sisters. I love it! My office is done in 3 Sisters pastel prints, with green paint, and this will be perfect hanging on the wall! I have to admit, I tried to hurry with this one as the deadline seemed to be approaching much too quickly. I tried to get by without trimming up my flying geese blocks. Mistake, big mistake, huge mistake...have I mentioned I hate my seam ripper. I tried to piece the blocks together and couldn't stand it! Everything was turning out so wonky I wanted to scream. So, out came the seam ripper, and everything was redone. I feel much better about it now.

The kids and I decided this was a perfect example of mom not practicing what she was preaching. I always tell them to do their very best the first time, so they can avoid all the do-overs. Well, nothing like a little hypocrisy to add to my mothering skills! Oh well! I think in the end it was good for all of us. We all got to see the wisdom of my words, AND the fact that everyone, even mom, makes mistakes! We've had a few good laughs about it, and realized that this quilt hanging in the office will be our constant reminder to do our best and take our time with the things that are important to us!

With that bit of life lesson, I think I'll go pack some lunches for tomorrow! I'm toast! Happy October everyone, and may you do your very best (at least most of the time!).