Leap Day!

Or whatever the official name is for Feb.29th! Sad to say no quilting or piecing to report this week but happily much rewarding results from manual labor on youngest DS' condo to help him finish the renovations. Today, it's done & I wish that I had pictures to prove it because it's beautiful & we are all very happy with our hard work, but my body will not do what it did 30 years ago without telling me it is now 30 years older! Oh I do hate that part of the aging process. A friend once said to me that "our bodies have a 'use by' date on them", & I said "yes, the Manufacturer put it there"!

I did sew today for a while, after finishing up at Jonathan's I made the necessary alterations to some drapes for his second bedroom. The final touches to the renovation!

I have been blog hopping this evening & I am envious of everyone who has been able to sew, but I notice a few have "the crud" so prayers go out for speedy return to health. Saturday & Sunday are already committed so I have to wait till Monday to sew, but then I have to play catch up with everything I let go at the house this past week. Maybe I can sneak in a few chores over the weekend between meetings, church etc.

Tomorrow is a new month, the year is already speeding by & there are so many quilts to make, so much fabric to buy/use & so many challenges awaiting- why is it that time goes so fast as we get older? When we are children time drags between birthdays, Christmas & school holidays & now the days are gone before we know it.

I was tagged!

I was Tagged by Khris, but I told her I don't really "know" 7 other bloggers! Well, I guess I know some names of other SB's who blog, but is it fair to tag them & anyway I am really not sure how to go about it!

I don't know that I can think of 7 interesting things about me either, but I'll try!

1-Most people are shocked to discover that my oldest son is 41-& I had finished my education & got married before he was born!

2-I am actually shy & I am a true introvert[ my husband & oldest son are complete extroverts!]

On the Myers Briggs test I am INFJ.

3- I am also ADD[Attention Deficit Disorder]

4-I am 6th. generation Australian, descended from an Irish convict Isaac Wyse, who was transported to Australia for 14 years in 1809, because "he was found in possession of counterfeit coin". His sons Henry[lawyer] & David[ doctor] followed Isaac to Australia, & Henry is my ancestor. My maternal Grandfather's name was also Henry Wyse.

5-I used to play fiercely competitive tennis & have a box of trophies[somewhere in the storage shed]!

6- I hate to dust, so I pay a cleaner every two weeks to save us from being suffocated by dust!

7-This is neither random nor weird but basic to the core of who I am-I am a deeply spiritual Christian, I committed my life to the Lord Jesus Christ when I was about 12 years old at a Billy Graham Crusade at the Sydney Cricket Ground. My missionary nurse Aunt Mary took me there.

Now I have to tag 7 others? Let me think on that!

Binding class

The Bernina Connection held the "No hands, piped binding "class today- Gale & Ruth, both friends from the CO. guild, had signed up too. Gale & I visited a couple of other quilt shops on the way, bad, bad, bad! Gale doesn't often have the opportunity to fabric shop, there's nothing closer for her in CO. than Grand Junction for fabric. Gale LOVES cowboy/girl/western fabrics & boy did she add to her stash today. Gale says she would be in BIG trouble if she lived 5 minutes from a QS. I wasn't nearly as bad, LOL, just a few yards of some orientals[40% off] for more sudoku type quilts & enough extra to do the binding on my CC mystery. I was quilting away on the CC quilt & the final row at the bottom border looked a bit full but I thought I could quilt it out. Well, I did, no tucks, but I was sufficiently unhappy with the result that I took the quilt off the LA & frogged all of the last row, removed the border & will resew it. I finished up the "unsewing" tonight & have repinned the border. After I resew it I will put it back on the LA & quilt the last row. I just used a simple panto rather than investing hundreds of $$ in the baptist fan templates from which I would never have got my money's worth. I used QD wool batting & oh how I love that batting, so much so that I ordered a whole case of it! I plan to use the newly learned piped binding technique on this quilt, the piping from the red stripe cut on the bias & the binding the same as border fabric.

The binding class was enlightening & I think that it will be my preferred binding finish for my quilts from now on-I do dislike the handwork part of traditional binding, it's so slow, & this method looks very professional. I guess the girl who taught it today learned it from Ricky Timms & then tweaked it a bit .

I should get to bed, we are going to early church tomorrow so we can get a good start on finishing up Jonathan's condo renovation-he is on 2 weeks vacation & we are hoping to finish up the remaining work this next week. Madeleine & I will paint while the guys install the rest of the new wood laminate flooring, & I can't wait to see it all done. He should be right then till he finishes grad school & moves on to a full size house.

More on quilting

On the weekend I put a QOV from one of the CO. guild members on the LA & did a simple very fast panto on it.It isn't the RW&B of many of the QOV's but one of our wounded warriors will be very pleased with it anyway. Tonight I pinned on a UFO I made last Fall, because of the very bright oranges & pinks in it I am quilting freehand flames all over & it's almost finished, probably only 15 minutes or so more to "get 'er done"!

Next my CC mystery quilt goes on & I decided to do a simple panto on it also, haven't yet decided on thread color, but probably a soft white will be the best. I think I might have enough of the stop border fabric to do the piping on the binding. I may need more of the border fabric, I think I forgot to calculate that into my purchase. Darn it, that means a trip over to the fabric shop, LOL!

Saturday

Finished Katie's Aunt's quilt last night & took it off the LA, guess I need to get the next one pinned on.

It's a very sweet old fashioned sort of style so I quilted butterflies, leaves, hearts & flowers all over.
My quilting friend Gale gave me a gorgeous new vest, the picture really doesn't do it justice, it has just enough bling! We are both "girly girls" in spite of the fact that she can drive an 18 wheeler & rope a steer from a galloping horse as well as most guys, better I'll bet! And she drives a "dualie"[sp?] & totes a tool chest both of which are the envy of many a male.

The weather here turned cooler again late this week - any respite from the upcoming sizzling Phoenix summer heat is welcome in my estimation & it gave me opportunities to wear my new vest. BTW, I am NOT smokin' anything either, I promise, my eyes always look like that when the flash goes off, you should see my driver's licence I always feel as if I need to make excuses for it!

No sewing yet today-too busy with other stuff. Button always has to have her couple of miles in the morning , these little working dogs need regular daily excercise & it's good for me too, helps in keeping the Fibromyalgia at bay a bit.

I agreed to sing at Evensong Wednesday & today was a practice run after which I picked up a few groceries at Sunflower Market & here the day is nearly over, 6 p.m. already.

Walt has been busting some heavy labor working on the back yard, he figures he toted about 26 tons today alone! He'll need a long hot shower for those overworked muscles. I cleaned a couple of bathrooms & vacuumed a little at the church today so I told him that we 're getting too old for heavy labor,LOL. The pavers for the backyard will be delivered Monday, 500 s/f of them which will be a big job in itself, but the prep work is huge, careful leveling & then laying a sand foundation. It will be lovely when it's completed but I've been told a branch needs to come off the big Brazilian Pepper tree & I'm so protective, that's like asking to amputate one of my limbs!

Valentine's Day

Made myself go to home Depot today, just needed a couple of little things to finish a job I started Tuesday night, painting the front door and trim which had faded to a funky mauve. It faces west and gets a heavy dose of sun. I painted it first with a brush because I didn't like the roller finish, so I bought a tiny foam roller to do a second coat. It's done, but still tacky to touch and I am pleased with the fresh painted look, Garnet Evening is the color.It was Valentine's day and I bought my Valentine dark chocolate with cranberries[ he bought me red roses] and I put a note on the card" place out of Button's reach" after our $660 Christmas Day Vet bill! The chocolate is in the fridge and Walt says if Button learns to open that we are in BIG trouble, LOL. I pinned Katies latest quilt on the longarm and began to quilt it with an overall butterfly, leaf, flower meander. I should get it finished for her tomorrow.My Oriental Sudoku is done, no label because it doesn't yet have a home though there are many people who love it and would no doubt give it a home! I like it a lot myself but I just can't keep all the quilts I make or I would be like my friend's Mum who had about 6 quilts on every bed!We are one week into Lent and as promised I am reporting on my Lenten discipline, reading "The First Fruits Of Prayer". So far I have read every night-the intro was 39 pages long so that took me three nights to read. I am on Chapter 7 tonight.

Nichole Webb Class

Class with Nichole is encouraging, inspiring & a heaps of fun! Here are a couple of pictures of Nichole & Gale during class time & lunch break.

Machine quilters, long arm, mid arm or even DSM can use her techniques & most of her designs. Because Nichole equips her students to freehand, the designs may be stitched up any size they choose. Quilters who would like to rachet up their quilting many notches would find Nichole's teaching methods inspiring & rewarding & will come away from her classes equipped with new skills & ideas that take quilting out of the ordinary. Nichole will be teaching at MQS & may also be available to teach a class in a longarmer's studio. http://www.nicholewebb.com/

Not affiliated, just a very happy student! These photos were taken with my new Canon Powershot SD 870, which I think I will really love once I get a 4 Gig card for it & study the manuals to learn a little more about what it can do including videos.

February 8th.

Today didn't turn out exactly as planned, funny how that happens. A friend needed some care so I rescheduled the quilting class for next Tuesday, & sat with my friend & sewed the beads on the second stole.

I am pleased with these & they are done & ready for presentation Sunday. Tonight we met Bishop Augustin & his wife Virginie at a dinner for some of the leadership of LFAC, they speak French & a Rwandan dialect & some English -our visitors are warm & gracious people.

Tomorrow is the monthly "Craft & Chat" at LFAC & I plan to work on my Sudoku quilt, perhaps I can even get it finished- it's really a WIP, my oriental S & S is really a UFO!

I should count up my WIPs & UFO's, not sure why I haven't, partly because I have only just identified the difference between a WIP[Work In Progress] as opposed to a UFO[Un-Finished Object, meaning it has been semi -abandoned for some indeterminate time!] But also I suspect I am a little afraid to see the results, LOL.

Hope I have time tomorrow to continue the search for a new camera although I think I may have settled on the Canon Supershot 870, it seems to suit my needs best & has a good record.

Ash Wednesday

Here it is, Lent again & I may not sound too entusiastic. I have never been sure why Lent seems so dark to me & I am always thankful when Easter Day dawns & I can put Lent behind me for another year. This being a penintential season I really should NEVER put Lent behind me because I always have much of which to repent!

A certain young woman [of a non liturgical Christian denomination] once asked one of my sons "What is Lent"! He replied dryly something to the effect that "It's the white stuff that gets on your laundry when you wash the darks with the towels"!

Here's the Wikipedia definition which sounds reasonably accurate to me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent

Last year I ordered a book from an Orthodox Christian writer, Frederica Mathewes Green , "The First Fruits Of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey Through The Canon Of St. Andrew", with every good intention of studying it during the Lenten season. Well, as we all know the road to hell is paved with good intentions, & intention is all that occurred last Lent. Now, here I am again & once again God is calling me to the observance of a Holy Lent & I will take out Frederica's book tonight & begin & we shall see what we shall see!

I did go to Mass this evening with my friend J, & I still bear the cross of ashes on my forehead till bedtime-"Dust you are oh man[woman] and to dust you shall return", soI have begun & I will report on my progress- or lack thereof!

No work on the stoles today though I did finish the HOB quilt that is on my longarm machine. Tomorrow I plan to finish off the stoles & with any time left to tackle one of my WIPS or UFO's.

I began the task of burying all the threads on the sudoku quilt while I was at the hairdresser today-burying threads, not my favorite part of the quilting process & there are scads of said threads on this quilt.

Gloomy sort of day

Rain again, so strange for Phoenix but nice to wake to a wet landscape except for the muddy backyard where Walt has dug out for the pavers for our memorial garden. Button tracks the mud into the house on a regular basis so I'm glad that we have tile downstairs & that beautiful wood upstairs!.

I talked to niece Brooke in Aus. on Saturday, they received the baby quilt safely & she & baby Holly [here with Gr. Grandfather] & proud Daddy Adam are doing well.

I began work Saturday on the two liturgical stoles for our visiting African Bishop. I only found out about it Friday night which gives me a week to complete, rather short notice but I managed to find the materials Saturday & worked on them Sunday during Superbowl. I have one almost finished as of 1 a.m. this morning & my friend Susan is helping me out with applique's for the second stole. I have yet to decide what to do for the breast plates on this first one.

I have the borders on my CC mystery , pictured with very cute doggie. It won't be quilted for a week or so, I have a couple of others to get on the LA first & I wanted to wait till after Nichole has visited. Nichole Webb is an internationally known LA quilter, so very talented & also a gem of a lady! She is coming to the house next Monday to give Gale & me some more instruction.

I feel so blessed to have this opportunity, Nichole is not only a beautiful artist but also a gifted teacher.

I finally gave in & saw my doctor last week over the "pain in the neck" & confirmed that I do indeed have a pinched nerve in my neck, three weeks plus now. I understand it could be months before it is completely resolved but at least the meds have reduced the symptoms to a dull roar! Just as well, I was really tired of the misery of it all & the limits to my activities.

This is a busy week, lots of meetings at church & it's also Ash Wednesday. We are finally all moved into our new church home after 2 1/2 years of "wandering in the desert" so to speak! We were all so very tired of the leased property & it's a huge blessing to have our own place again.

It has been Walt's second home the past month, all day every day as he works diligently to help get the renovations finished-he finally got all the offices moved in Friday.

There's still lots of finish work to do in the office building & the sanctuary, but there's less urgency about it now that we are all moved in- I'm hoping that Walt will be able to return to some sort of normal life after this week.

We're still waiting to hear when Matthew's memorial plaque will be ready for the park. The little tree seems to be suffering from transplant shock & I see no new growth so we will have to wait for warmer weather to see if it will survive. The native desert trees are very hardy [ this is a Palo Brea] otherwise it will be replaced with a new one.

It's time to take the Button dog for her daily 2 miles plus, it's really a cold windy day with intermittent rain showers, but I try not to ever complain about rain in the desert!