From the Mailbag

Dear ____ Mountain,

I've missed you. Have you missed me?

I'm terribly sorry that I've ignored you for the last six months. I hope you didn't take too much offense. I admit that I was preoccupied with work and a little self-absorbed, but you were cold and didn't seem all that interested in a relationship.

Now that the nice weather is threatening to return, I'd like to come back to you if you'll let me. We can spend some quality time together every day. I can appreciate all the little changes you go through, and breathe your fresh air, and enjoy all your views, and listen to the sounds of all who call you home. In return, you will hopefully get the pounds I shed as I walk all over you.

Did you recognize me? I know I've gained a little weight over the winter months, but I'm still me. You, on the other hand, had a surprise for me today.

I'm happy you are making new friends, but don't change too much, OK?

Well, I hope you accept my apology and I look forward bonding with you again.

Signed,
Your Fair-Weather Friend

**********

Dear Debby's Legs:

What happened to you? When I last used you, you ran for five miles without much complaint. Now, today, all I asked for was a 30 minute hike and you barely made it. I realize it was a huge hill and that it's been six months since I've really used you, but still....... I'm very disappointed.

Shape up.

Signed,
Your tired and weary owner

*********

To the Readers of my Last Post:

I did buy my husband an anniversary present: a speed rope. I'm just romantic like that. Keep your husbands away from me, girls... I know how to spoil a man.

Signed,
Debby (the lame gift giver)

Love is...

... a little blue box.

So maybe I should buy him an anniversary present now? Any suggestions?

I found him!

I've been looking for Waldo most of today, and I finally found him!

My son, Waldo, was supposed to fly home from college for spring break tonight. Since it's spring, we're in the middle of a snowstorm expected to dump up to 2 feet of snow on us.

The flight from school was fine, but then he'd be stuck in Detroit for a few days waiting for a flight to Antarctica New York. After three birthdays and several blue moons an hour or two on hold, we finally found Waldo. He was right where we left him -- at his grandparent's house-- where he'll stay until Sunday when hopefully he can get a flight to a not-so-close airport.

We are all now safe and warm and look forward to seeing Waldo on Sunday. Or after the end of this ice age. Whichever comes first.

I dare you to say global warming to me.

Haunted

A long time ago, we were young and poor. Our darling son was 2 years old. We moved to a very tiny apartment in New York. One set of grandparents donated a small, used television set and a used play-only VCR. The other set of grandparents donated a single new VCR tape:





To say that my son watched this tape a lot doesn't quite cover it. He watched it every day. Every single day. Many times every single day. Over and over and over and over and over. This was the only video tape in the house for over a year, and we had no television reception. It was Land Before Time or nothing. I always chose 'nothing', but the darling little boy ususally chose LBT. By late afternoon, either Littlefoot and his friends had to take a nap on top of the refrigerator out of the reach of toddler hands or mommy would institute the 'cocktail hour'. We chose naps for Littlefoot.

After a year or so, the local library started carrying VCR tapes and the last of my sanity was spared. But this movie had already done it's damage. I can still hear, "Petrie, do not feel sad. It is alright. Many things cannot fly. Rocks, trees, sticks, Spike... " (one of our cats is named Spike and he also cannot fly), "Mother present. Very important.", " I fly? No, you falled." and other inspiring dialogue.

There are now over 842 sequels to this great movie. Our home is a LBT-Free Zone and my children are forbidden from watching any of those movies where there is even a remote possibility of my hearing them. Since my kids are 16 and 20, it's not an undue burden on them. The rest of the world, however, refuses to cooperate.

I'm haunted by the Land Before Time. If I go to get my oil changed and there's a tv in the waiting room, there's a good chance the LBT is playing. Same with doctor's offices. Once, it was even playing in the quilt shop!!!! We walked into Best Buy one time and it was playing on every television in the store! Dear Lord, make it stop! I've seen LBT on the screen in the minivan next to me when I'm running errands. The Land Before Time is like dog poo --- it's EVERYWHERE!

This week, I was once again attacked by the Land Before Time. The only show I watch is American Idol. Ok, so we also get Australian Idol off the computer, but it's kinda the same thing. This week on American Idol was Diana Ross week. I was enjoying my weekly dose of mindless entertainment when BAM! Jordin sang If We Hold On Together, sung in the Land Before Time by Diana Ross. The horror!

The next night of American Idol was ruined for me when I realized I'd have to listen to Sanjaya sing again next week. But that's another post.

Public Service Announcement

If you haven't read The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory yet, run (don't walk) to your nearest library and mug whoever else is trying to check it out. Then clear your schedule for a day or two. If you have the opportunity to listen to the unabridged audio recording, that would be even better.

Today's post in which I pledge my undying love to Jennifer

Wednesday at 2:30 finally came. I had a wonderful visit with my most favoritest hairdresser ever. She is truly a magician. And she's really cute and really nice and I don't even hate her that much for being so skinny.

Anyway, I feel human again. She kinda noticed where I cut my bangs with some crayola scissors (like I don't sew for a living and have anything sharper than my kids' old kindergarten scissors). "They weren't that crooked," is the actual quote, I believe.

One to always keep my word, I have an appointment in 7 weeks.

I need to give a great big thank you to a lurker who arranged for a surprise for me with Miss Jennifer. Your gift was much appreciated, but the gift of your friendship is more than I ever knew to ask out of life. You mean the world to me and I am a much richer person for knowing you. When I grow up, I want to be like you -- wise and warm and wonderful.

And in case any readers think that I'm exaggerating about the wonderfulness that is Miss Jennifer, you should know that a church friend of mine had an appointment with her last week, my lurker friend had an appointment with her yesterday, my quilt friend had an appointment with her a few hours after mine, my daughter had an appointment with her today, and another church friend sees her as well. Miss Jennifer is 'da bomb' and many people have seen my haircut and become believers. If you are in the Hudson Valley and need a good hairdresser, I can hook you up.

For clarity -- Miss Jennifer does a great job so I don't have to. I wash my hair and spend about 3 minutes bonding with my blow dryer. Then I get to forget my hair until the next morning. One worry down, forty-six thousand to go. Do you think Jennifer can work her magic with my tax preparation? Or the raising of teenagers?

Bad Hair Days (aka Ode to Jennifer)

Four months is way too long to go without a haircut, especially when the hair in question has never even heard the word 'body'. Just sayin'.

Can I stay home until Wednesday at 2:30 when I have an appointment with my most favoritest hairdresser in the world?

I, Debby, do solemnly swear to make an appointment for my next haircut WHILE I'M IN THE SALON.

I wish you joy

This morning my alarm went off at 5:20 as usual. What wasn't usual is that I was really happy and peaceful as I reached to turn it off. I felt like I was waking up to the best, most-anticipated day ever. As I was laying there, just trying to put a name to it (could it be joy?), I found no reason for it. Seriously, in less than 2 minutes I realized that:

1. I'm getting sick with a clogged ear and very sore throat
2. I have way more stuff to accomplish today than time to accomplish it
3. The problems I had when I went to sleep didn't disappear over night and I was able to fully remember each one

But, in spite of all that, I was given a gift this morning. A sliver of joy. A glimpse of God.

I'm holding onto that for the day. Whatever comes my way today, I had one brief moment of joy. Sometimes, that can be enough.



Or I could have been in the middle of a really cool dream. The world (and I) may never know.

Something for Freecycle

We seem to have an extra cat bed:



Because apparently this cat bed was made to hold 35 pounds of cat:

The Old Grey Mare .... is me!

And I ain't what I used to be. I used to be rested and have energy to spare. Many long years ago.

I didn't actually finish anything this week, so no 'hey, I actually finished this' pictures. Hopefully soon, but work does get in the way occasionally.

Work is going well but weird. I'm teaching 4 classes this month. I've never taught more than 2 a month and in this shortest of all months I'm teaching 4. They last all day. I have a lot of fun, but I do get tired and Sunday nights seem to come very soon. And, I have my regular work to accomplish still. Boy, do I need to work on my time-management skills!

I taught an extra-long class on Long Island on Friday which made for a very long (but rewarding) day. Saturday my husband and I drove to Millbrook to see an exhibit of quilts by one of my customers. I quilted the quilts. It's always interesting to see some of my older work.



This one has my swirls in a shiny variegated thread.



The winding ways has tons of cat fabrics in it. All of the quilting is geometric done with white thread.



This one was done with a ginger variegated thread in clamshells. I did this the old-fashioned way. No Groovy-Boards. No Circle-Lord templates. I used a circle template and made each clamshell. One. At. A. Time. Painful, but it came out quite nicely.



This large pink quilte was from quite some time ago. A lot of subtle meandering and feathers in the borders. I didn't quilt the jacket on the left or the small wallhanging on the right. They were done by the artist.

The exhibit is at the Millbrook Library. There's an event on February 25th that I'll probably go to and support my customer. She's one talented lady.

For those of you who don't know, I live outside of New York City. I live in the woods, but I can be in Manhattan in about 1-1/2 hours. Millbrook is a town about 40 minutes from here. It's very popular with the city-folk. Lots of antique stores and gallery type places. Fun to drive to and visit occasionally but I'll stay out here with the deer, thankyouverymuch.

And since I'm bored, I started another quilt for myself. There's a Yahoo Group working on a Women of the Bible study and a quilt that corresponds with it. The first woman we studied was Eve and the first block was the Garden of Eden.



There will be over fifty 6-inch squares. I changed the colors from the pattern. The yellow represents the sun. The green stripe represents the vegetation. Even though I picture Eden to be lush and tropical, I chose a stripe because God created order out of chaos and I believe the garden was well-planned. The blue stripes represent the four headwaters: the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates Rivers. The green clover in the middle represents the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I think the colors in this block are a little odd, but when they are next to the other colors I picked for this quilt, I think it'll work out well. I was originally going to set the blocks in black, but I'm now thinking a Moda Marble in light blue? We'll see what the quilt wants to be when it gets there.

My body is acknowledging the recent extra work and lack of sleep, so maybe I'll listen and hit the sack now. Or surf the web some more. Probably the second one. It would be awful to wake up refreshed tomorrow morning, now wouldn't it?

Is life good, or what?

My husband is fine. He slid off the road and into a tree during a snowstorm on Friday night. The damage is across the entire front of the car, but this view was most photogenic. We now get to spend more quality time together when I drive him to work so I can have my car.

This week's gratitudes:

1. Having an airbag set properly so it didn't deploy and injure my husband
2. Car insurance and a good body shop
3. Reminders of what are 'big things' and what are 'little things'.

___

A short story to help explain the depth of my gratitude:

When I was in 10th grade, there was this really, really cute senior named J. He was so smart and so funny and he would never want to go out with me.

I was at a marching band party one night when there was a phone call. J had been in a car accident on his way there and no one knew how serious it was. He had fallen asleep behind the wheel and hit a telephone pole. He was unconscious and there was a possible injury to his spinal cord. In the weeks that followed, he regained consciousness and began his long recovery from compression fractures to C4 and C5 (Christopher Reeves broke C2 and C3 just for reference). J's recovery was slow and the long-term diagnosis was hemiplegia (sp?). He was partially paralyzed on one side of his body and lost sensation on the other side of his body.

During this recovery, we began dating (I still am amazed he wanted to go out with me) and married when I graduated from high school. In the intervening years, J has pursued a few master degrees, maintained employment with a large techie company, and raised 2 children. He did well.

Seeing the car on Friday night reminded me how different the outcome could have been.

Friday already?

Judy has posted a quilt-for-an-hour-a-day project. I pulled some fabric from the stash and worked for an hour today to cut it all out.

Here's my progress:



Last night I finished the binding on this small quilt:



I don't like it. It was made from the scraps of a quilt that I did like. A good lesson in design and proportion and all that. I did finish it though, and it'll go to some charity.

Tomorrow I'm teaching all day and Sunday I'm going to a Souper-Bowl sewing class at a not-so-local quilt shop.

Happy quilting!

January's Tally

Even though I still have more fabric than I can possibly use in 3 lifetimes, in January I have completed the following:

7 Quilts
1 block caddy
1 pair of socks
1 mohair wrap
1 pincushion
1 embroidered tote bag

On to February!

Optimistically calling it 'Progress'

I have way too many sewing projects started.

The quilt guild that I just joined issued a New Year's challenge: to finish 5 unfinished projects by June. We were to list and describe them, formulate a plan of action, and sign a contract. I started listing projects and submitted 14, I think. After the meeting was over, I started writing more projects on the back. There are approximately 45 projects listed so far, and I'm embarrassed to admit how many I knowingly left out.

This week's meager progress:

Another scrap quilt from my 2-inch squares collection. This is the first time I used scrappy neutrals. I'm not sure if I like it, but I am certain that it's DONE!



Here's another quilt from the church quilt group. It just needed a binding. Da da dum, dum, dum, another one bites the dust. Will be delivered Monday.



At long last, I finished the very yummy wrap. I'm not sure of the fiber content (mohair/wool?), but it's absolutely delicious. I just had to wear it to church this morning. I was toasty-oasty warm. I'm wearing it now, 'cuz I can. Eventually, I'll make the dress I bought this to match. Holding your breath would be ill-advised. Oh, and the picture doesn't show how absolutely HUGE this thing is. The point in my back goes to my knees.

On a non-sewing note, I must say goodbye to a dear friend:

My Bible ended it's usefulness this morning when Genesis fell out -- Page. By. Page. I had previously taped larger sections back in the binding when they fell out, but I cannot rationalize taping 20 single pages -- especially when each time I touch it (even to tape it) the next page falls out. So, I am auditioning a different Bible. I'm very resistant to change and I'd like to learn to be more flexible. I'm not going to buy another copy of this exact Bible until March 1st. I'm going to MAKE myself try and get comfortable with another Bible. Wish me well!

For those who are paying VERY close attention, these will be the last pictures with the wrong date. I finally fixed it. Wait until next week for proof.

After posting last week about my Camp Fire days, another stupid pledge keeps running through my head:

I desire to seek the way that shall become a delight to my heart for it will bring me to the fires of human-kindness lighted by those who have gone before me on the Camp Fire trail.

MAKE IT STOP!

Random Fact

I was a Camp Fire Girl. Not just a Blue Bird in grade school, either. I went all the way through until I finished high school. I earned my WoHeLo Medallion the same time my brother-in-law earned his Eagle Scout.

One of the pledges from the Camp Fire Girls was:

To have fun
To learn to make things
To remember to finish what I begin
To keep my temper most of the time
To learn about nature and living outdoors
To have adventures with people, places, and things
To make friends

Thirty years later I still remember this, but if you ask me my cell phone number, I'm clueless.

Thirty years later, I'm finally trying to do part of this -- the finishing part, of course.

I made a sample for the local quilt shop this week, but forgot to photograph it before they hung it up. I used this pattern and fabric:



The pattern was so fun and easy, I went through my stash and made this quilt:



It will probably be a wedding gift. Great pattern -- check it out.

A few years ago I ran a quilt group at my church. I have a pile of unfinished tops that I'm slowly working my way through. This was the latest:



I just rejoined my local quilt guild. My membership lapsed due to competing times. I had a Wednesday night obligation that just ended, so I get to go back to my quilting friends. Last week at the guild meeting, we worked on English paper piecing and were each given a kit for this:



Remembering my Camp Fire credo, I finished it the next day instead of adding it to the UFO pile. (BTW, it's a pincushion).

SNOW!

We live in the woods. I mention that often. We have a sizeable front yard (about an acre). To say that we have a lot of leaves to rake is an incredible understatement. We've been in this house for about five years, and not once have we (meaning, my husband*) completely raked the front yard. I'm sure we are the subject of much neighborhood talk, being the new trashy neighbors who don't take proper care of their yard. We've concentrated on much more frivolous matters in our time here, such as plumbing, the well, missing floors and ceillings, heat issues, a roof, etc. Maybe someday we'll work on the yard, but I wouldn't hold my breath. A lot of our neighbors have their houses close to the road with manicured front yards -- we're further back and feel like God does the landscaping so why should we bother?

Anyway, we had some wonderfully warm days around Christmas (like 70 degrees!) and while I was inside coughing and sneezing and generally feeling lousy, my husband spent much of his Christmas vacation outside raking. He didn't finish the yard, but it looked much better than it ever has since we moved here. I'm so proud of him and his efforts. The unusually warm winter has given him many more opportunities to tend the yard.

Thursday night, something strange happened. White flakes began falling from the sky. We weren't sure exactly what it was, but it sure was pretty (and the unraked leaves were hidden from sight).

Friday morning:



Saturday morning:



Will the leaves be once again covered in white? Or will it return to leaf-raking weather? I have no idea, so stay tuned.

Please notice that the date on my camera has been changed. Unfortunately, I cannot read a calendar, so the date is one day ahead. Maybe I'll try and fix it again, or maybe I'll pop the batteries out and let the date return to 1999. We'll see.

*in case anyone had ideas that I, possibly, could help rake the yard, please think again. I am a married woman with a credit card and a cell phone: I don't plunge, shovel, rake, or change tires. I can, however, restart our furnace in less than 45 seconds (just in case I seem completely useless).

More Photos from the Pit of Despair

Let's see if Blogger lets me post some more pics here:

When I'm sick, my home remedy is to sit in front of the fire, watch CSI and sew. While sick over Christmas, I spent several days attempting to empty some of my scrap buckets, but to no avail. I finished a quilt, but the buckets are still full! Someone must be sneaking in here at night to refill my scrap buckets. Seriously.

Anyway, I made a scrap quilt to send to my son for his college friend. I was so efficient in this that I mailed the quilt without taking a picture of it. Here is a pic of a few leftover blocks to give you an idea of the quilt.

The quilt is all from my 1-1/2 inch scrap bucket (small bucket yields many quilts, grasshopper). The real quilt is a little more colorful -- I pulled out the duller blocks.


I've recently realized that I'm a huge fan of scrap quilts. It's almost like I sew and the desired product is SCRAPS rather than a quilt. Sick? Probably.


I made this quilt last year sometime as a sample for the local quilt shop and just recently brought it home. It's new home is in my living room and I adore it. I'm quite a fan of red (such a shock to those who have lived through my red quilt phases in the past, I'm sure).


The camera is now empty of quilt photos. Off to produce more scraps.

Happy quilting!

Photos from the Pit of Despair

Have you ever completely lost track of time? I have. Anything that happened between September and New Year is all one big haze.

I'm starting to pull photos off my camera from that haze.

This is one from the gift pile. I made it from my 1-1/2 inch strip bin. It's been done a long time but I gave it away last fall. A woman in my Bible study group fell down and broke both of her legs. I hope this quilt brightens up her rehabilitation.



My husband's co-workers got married in October and I gave them a cream Turning Twenty quilt. I guess I took this as a before picture. I never got around to an 'after' picture.



This next quilt was a 'why didn't I ever finish this?' project. I pieced and quilted the quilt one weekend maybe last summer, but I never bound it. Another set of my husband's co-workers got married and I quickly bound this quilt for their wedding present.



This is another one from the gift pile. I took six 1/2-yard cuts and made a quickie rail fence a year or so ago. My husband's little cousin had another baby so this went into the mail. This cousin was 8 years old when I started dating my husband, so it's just WRONG that he's now old enough to be a really wonderful man with 2 children. Wrong, I say.



My poor mother-in-love has had two hip replacements in the last few months. She is recovering well. She was in so much pain before that the surgeries were an immediate improvement. I pulled out my batik fat quarters and made her a Yellow Brick Road for her birthday. It took me a while to place the room in the photo -- it's her family room. I must have taken the photo when we were visiting for Thanksgiving.

Some trends:

Most of the quilts I make are simple (photographs do not lie).

Most of the quilts I make are given away.

Most of the quilts I make and give away are given as graduation presents.

My son is in his second year of college and has some pretty good friends there. Over Christmas he realized that these new friends are missing something that his old friends have -- quilts. So I am now in the process of making "sorry I didn't know you when you graduated from high school" quilts. Here's one that was also made from my 1-1/2 inch scrap bucket:

This last photo is an all-purple all-batik Turning Twenty made as a Christmas present for a friend. She loved it.

Blogger has decided that this is a sufficient number of photos for one post. I'll try and add more in another post at another time.

New Shoes, New Peanut Butter, and Mondays

I'm back. 100 quilts in 100 days = getting really, really sick for about 2 weeks at Christmas time. Oh, well. It was a vacation of a different sort, I guess.

The day after Christmas I felt pretty lousy but decided to feel lousy in public instead of just feeling lousy at home. DH wanted to go shopping . I didn't have anything in mind but to my surprise I found my new best friend. I bought my trail running shoes last summer. They served me well, but it is definitely time for us to part ways. When I put these new shoes on, my feet started singing. (Really. Other shoppers stopped and listened. It was cool.) I despise shopping, really I do. The proof is that I bought THREE PAIRS (they were seriously on sale). I won't have to shop for running shoes for a year now!!!

For the last week, about 3 times a day, I mention (completely out of the blue), "I love new shoes." My family just shake their collective heads and walk away quietly now.

Do you know what else I love? New jars of peanut butter. You unscrew the lid, peel back the foil .... The aroma! The smooth texture with that little swirl in the middle! Not much in life is better.

I also love Mondays. A whole new week spread out, empty and just waiting to be filled. The possibilities are endless. Mondays are wonderful days.

I love new things.

These revelations are my way of saying "Happy New Year!" It's my favorite time of the year. Our family's biggest holiday is not Christmas or Thanksgiving ... it's New Year's Eve.

Five days into this blessed New Year, I've accomplished little of importance. I'm still recovering from being sick and taking a lot of naps. But there are 360 more days of endless possibility spread out in front of me.

1. I could start exercising again.
Actually I did on Thursday and I am SORE! Whoever said yoga was gentle should go after not exercising at all for nearly 4 months.

2. I could be really disciplined in my work and not be behind like I was for one. entire. year.
I started out this year owing people quilts, but I'm hoping for a calmer, gentler work schedule real soon.

3. I could remember that I am a child of God and live each day focused on Him and not on me.
I think God likes the New Year, too. His whole plan of salvation is about wiping the slate and starting clean. He welcomes the repentant sinner and his mercies are new every morning.

A small glimpse behind the curtain of my mind.

Happy New Year!

Another Event

It's time to plan for another event.

February's event was a large work celebration dinner thing for my husband's company. After much pain, I ended up with a nice cocktail dress, very cool shoes, an AMAZING Ralph Lauren wrap, a basic black purse, and a new hairdo. I think that was all that was involved, but it took effort and agony and lots of shopping. The event was wonderful and all my preparation was worth it.

Last week we were invited to the wedding of my husband's co-worker. We think we are going, but maybe not. Jeff may have to be out of town that week and the bride is OK with our unsure answer.

Now, I have to plan for another event. The only thing I can carry over from the last bit of torturous (sp?) shopping is the purse. I could wear the dress from the last event, but it's a black cocktail dress and the wedding is at noon. Also, I've lost 30 pounds and this thing hangs on me in obscene ways (i.e. plunging neckline). With the dress go the shoes and the wrap. The hairdo needs a serious trim.

Time for a new plan:

1. Dress: I bought some fabric from the Japanese fabric company that I work for to make a dress. It is very yummy. Photos and links will be forthcoming.

2. Wrap: I spent today at the Wool Festival with some friends. It was amazingly huge and wonderful on a perfect October day. I purchased some variegated mohair that matches the potential dress. Knitting will begin this evening.

3. Shoes: I ordered some boots online and, with what I paid for shipping, they had better arrive on Monday for size and color match. There's enough time to replace them if the color and size are wrong, but not much.

4. Hairdo: I have an appointment on Wednesday.

5. Purse: Am hoping to reuse the last basic black purse unless I get some nutty scheme that I should make something 'just perfect' for the dress.

6. Wedding gift: An all-white Turning Twenty quilt that I haven't started yet.

Did I mention that I have 13 days to accomplish all of this?

I'll keep updating, but now.... I knit.