NOTE: Fitzy's WIP muse has left the building

Sorry everybody, my absence is your blessing, believe me.

OK, so I am (you pick the excuse you'd belive the most, lol):

Busy at work - the accountant left, I'm stuck doing her job as well(with NO education)

Watching paint dry - completely re-did the guest bathroom, including removing 80's floral wallpaper from walls that had not been primed or basecoated; painted and re-decorated.

Repacking boxes - did you know that if you leave boxes unopened, the stuff doesn't stay protected? It also doesn't put itself away. It may earn more value tho, it's lots of depression glass and crystal that I will someday sell!

Mentalpausing - tired, grumpy, not-able-to-create, hormonal...ok, add crabby too.

I'll be back!

Hugs ~

Tagged for a Meme-25Q

25 Q's MeMe

I was tagged by dd#2 to do this 25 question meme!

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be? Tucson, Arizona
2. What's your favorite article of clothing? Jeans
3. Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex? Smile
4. What's the last CD that you bought? I have NO clue
5. Where's your favorite place to be? In dh's arms, sorry, I'm still a romantic!
6. Where is your least favorite place to be? Anywhere where I feel COLD.
7. What's your favorite place to be massaged? Shoulders...feet...calves...ANY PLACE!
8. Strong in mind or strong in body? Mind
9. What time do you wake up in the morning? 4:30am...without the alarm...dang
10. What is your favorite kitchen appliance? Microwave, couldn't live without it anymore.
11. What makes you really angry? Company politics
12. If you could play any instrument, what would it be? Piano, better than I do.
13. Favorite colour? undeniably BLUE
14. Which do you prefer...sports car or SUV? SUV I guess, but I never want to own either one!
15. Do you believe in an afterlife? No
16. Favorite children's book? A Golden Book called, "Where's Goldie?"
17. What is your favorite season? FALL in the east, SUMMER in the west
18. Your least favorite household chore? Vacuuming, ugh
19. If you could have one super power, what would it be? strength
20. If you have a tattoo, what is it? heavens NO
21. Can you juggle? juggle...no; jiggle...you betcha
22. The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to? My mother, I left way too many questions unanswered.
23. What's your favorite day? Friday, the last day I have to work each week.
24. What's in the trunk of your car? 1 frost scraper...period.
25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger? Sushi, but only cooked meat please. eel = YUM

If you want to be tagged, consider yourself TAGGED, just leave me a message! Participation encouraged...not mandatory, lol.

No long an IKEA virgin

I am happy to report I have now been socialized. (Aren't you glad?) I play well with others. no, no, no...not that silly.

I went to an IKEA store for the first time today! Oh my goodness, what an experience. It's a good thing we're getting ready to list our home on the market and my pursestrings were shut...I could have done some MAJOR damage! Every item you could imagine that is considered "storage" as well as kitchen cabinets, living room & patio furniture, dishes, glassware, etc., etc.!

WE still managed to spend $100 and purchased this nifty kit to turn this pile of "junque"

...into our well organized camping gear and paper good supply area!

We even put a shelf back up above the laundry area (in California, it's mostly found IN THE GARAGE!) to take care of the multitudes of washing preparations that dh uses.

Yeah, I know, we aren't the glam types. Give me a tent, a chair and warm sleeping bag and I'm in hog heaven.

If you haven't been to IKEA and have the chance, don't even THINK there's nothing there that you'd want (there's even chocolate!). So if you're even visiting relatives and they have an IKEA, tell them lunch is on you if they take you! Lunch was only $11 for dh & I to have chicken ceasar salads AT IKEA!

Christmas Across the Miles

Sorry, no WIP today. I'm exhausted from work, things are quite behind!

Thanks to dd#2 I am able to share my dd#1's apparent happiness with her quilt. Thank you again dd, you're awesome, and you take good care of your Momma!

Living 2500+ miles from my 3 adult children is a large burden to carry. The computer (with instant messages and email), cell phones that are "inside the network" ( not to mention texting), and digital cameras all help facilitate a closeness that we 4 share.

So even tho we curse technology sometimes, I thank every convenience I enjoy. I'd be uncurably lonesome without it!

A Good way to start the New Year

I'm starting out with a goal of 50 pounds of weight loss for 2007. I was successful last year, but fell off the wagon in July. I'm on track once again, but boy, it seems harder this year! Is it because I'm another year older?

What I did for myself today:

8-8oz glasses of water (MAJOR achievement)
941 calories (out of 1530 permitted)
fat: 29.4 (out of 42.8 permitted)
carbs: 94.6 (out of 173.2 permitted...YEAH!)
protein: 84.1 (out of 112.8 permitted)
fiber: 26.9 (needed 25.0)

Oatmeal with walnuts for b'fast, a sandwich wrap and salad with sesame dressing for lunch, cauliflower, baked potato with fat free sour cream and bacon bits and steak for dinner. Snacks were an apple and 1 oz beef jerky.

I am following the Calorie King program, found at www.calorieking.com . It is a wonderful download (~$30) that has almost every food I've ever consumed, lol. Dh and I are in this together again, it sure does make it alot easier!

Off to do some knitting so I have something to show for WIP Wednesday!

"Honey, I'm home!"

Didjamissme? OK, admit it, you surfed by more than once, sorry!!

We are beginning the research towards our retirement home in Arizona. We drove south to the LA area to overnight at my sister's house on the way to Tucson. She was away, so we visited with the cat, lol.

Retirement for dh will be April 2008, unless his company decides to lay him off first. While that sounds horrible, it just isn't. His company is downsizing at at an alarming rate, taking most of it's business back to Germany. Lay-off would be accompanied by a huge severance package, or patience will be rewarded by the traditional retirement perks.

Nonetheless, we are doing a great deal of internet searching to decide upon style and ammenities for our future home and went to the greater Tucson area to scout neighborhoods, traffic patterns, etc., and to get the general feel of the area to see if it would likely be a good match.


We fell absolutely IN LOVE. We came a hair away from signing on a home, but were wise enough to realize that if everything wasn't aligned correctly, then it probably just wasn't meant to be. Didn't actually mean to go inside with a realtor, really we didn't, it just happened that she was checking on her listing when we were pulling the sheet from the info-tube!
This is a sunset picture that we took while we were in an hour and a half traffic standstill. Unfortunately a fatality had occured and poor old I-10 just doesn't hold gazillions of holiday travellers well.

We're home safe and sound in N. CA after 2000 miles of driving (and another stay at my sister's on the return trip-and actually got to see her, lol).

I've accounted for 2 of 3 of my daughters on this New Year's Eve, and hope you all are safe and enjoying your evening your most favorite way. (Our's is being home and in our jammies after a dip in the hottub.)

Happy New Year!

On account it's the holiday, and I don't have ONE original thought left, lol...I've stolen this MeMe from Dorothy who stole it from DebR, yadda, yadda...please feel free to follow the trail.

Do you own a gun? No.

What do you think of hot dogs? The more mustard, the merrier. They MUST be Omaha Steak's version too btw. Grilled to a crisp.

What’s your favorite Christmas song? I must be getting cynical, "Momma Got Run Over by a Reindeer," came to mind first.

What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Starbucks fresly ground Verona. One Splenda, thank you very much.

Can you do push-ups? Yes actually, I'm good for 10.

What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My diamond studs my dh gave to me the first time we met.

What is your secret weapon to lure the opposite sex? My smile? Dunno.

Middle name? Jean

Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:
1. Wish I was closer to the space heater
2. I've had my oatmeal, now let's blow this popstand!
3. Are we there yet?

Name 3 drinks you regularly drink:
1. Coffee, coffee, coffee.

What time did you wake up today? 4:53am - digital clocks are the worst!

Current hate? Never

Dislike? Frequently, lol. As to what? My own self-image, when I know I ain't that bad!

Favorite place to be? I ditto Dorothy, behind the wheel. I love to drive!

Least favorite place to be? In a dirty public bathroom.

Where would you like to go? Arizona, and did I mention, are we there yet?

Do you own slippers? Yes, blue knitted ones by moi.

What shirt are you wearing? My green fluffy terrycloth bathrobe, nope, haven't gotten rid of it yet!

Do you burn or tan? Burn & peel

Favorite color(s)? Blue baby blue...never waivering.

Would you be a pirate? Yeah, especially if I could be like Rupert on Survivor, argh!

What is your favorite holiday? My birthday, I get to be selfish with a license

What songs do you sing in the shower? From Sesame Street, "That's why I sing, sing in the bathtub, cuz I like the way my voice sounds so loud and clear!" (Yeah, I never get the words right!)

What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? Ants and crawly things.

What’s in your pockets right now? Hopefully not the used tissue I'm so famous for leaving. (I'm not the one who does the wash.

Last thing that made you laugh? dh and I both selecting the same random letter for a computer drive as "Q", ok so I'm weird!

Best bed sheets as a child? anything fresh from the laundry line

Worst injury you’ve ever had? Toboggan hit & run, 6" stitches and LOTS of hair shaved off while a sophomore in a new high school, new city, etc.

Are your parents still together? Both are deceased, 1985, 1997

Do you wish on shooting stars? ABSOLUTELY

What is your favorite book(s)? Bridges of Madison County, Tuesdays with Morrie

What is your favorite candy? Thats a toughy, Payday or Heath.

What song did you have played at your wedding? Eloped in a park. Does that make the music "The birds-n-bees?"

How is the weather outside right now? 38º, partly cloudy and ridiculously cold

What was your first thought this morning when you woke up? WHY isn't the heater on by now?

*****************************
Consider yourself tagged, if you wish.

Mostly, I just want to wish you a Happy Holiday and wonderful New Year for 2007.

Fitzy

He knows if you've been bad or good!

Happiest of Holidays to everyone!

Wisely, I surrendered !

(image clickable for enlarged view)

Last Thursday I showed the two blocks that I had finished for a project that was due yesterday (Monday) for our office Christmas Secret Santa luncheon. We have only 2 ladies at our office, and I was fortunate to have chosen the "easy recipient" as far as gift-giving was concerned. I initially intended to make her a quilt to keep warm in the edit room. She's a "thin mint", very tiny, and always cold. As a gift from her Secret Santa(me), she received a mug and an assortment of teas. The game we play is to decide who gave you the gift. Her first pick was me. OK, so I guess I'm transparent. I'm the Office Mother, always concerned for my kidlets, you just can't shut that OFF. After her guess on the first package, I pulled the wrapped quilt from behind my back...if I had given that first everyone would have known where it came from. I guess it really didn't matter after all, now did it!

Once again, my ideas and expectations were wildly out of my reach. Will I EVER learn? Each block took 30 minutes (paper-pieced) and by Sunday morning I had completed only 16. Mind you, on Saturday my errands included a bank, haircut, Target, lottery, grocery and Starbucks, and on Sunday I had to be at work from 11-4. I intended to be removing the paper from the blocks on Sunday, but I got involved with the tribute we were shooting and that never got done. I had made the decision late Saturday that she could just use it for whatever...a small lap warmer, a wallhanging, a table topper. She's a young lady, mid-20's who's fiance is a resident....good as a starving college student, lol.

I utility machine quilted around the blocks and once on the diagonal with invisable thread. I was up at 3:30am yesterday morning (woke without the alarm-ha!) and put on the binding and hand-stitched it down. Got it in the wash during my shower before work and it was wrapped and ready to go.

The lavish quilt shrunk to a finished 28" square or so. It is hung with care in her cubicle right behind her laptop. I'm happy. She's thrilled.

Sometimes you just have to surrender, glad I listened to the little voices.

Um...WIP "Thursday" ??

Good Morning! (Afternoon/Evening)

Working full-time puts a cramp in my sewing time, but I try to squeeze it in wherever I can. So my WIP Wednesday melds into WIP Thursday...Friday...whatever!

I am still doing the MQ on the faux log cabin as previously blogged, but I need a lap quilt as a Secret Santa gift for a co-worker. I used the paper-pieced pattern from Quilter's Cache and love the way these are looking. If this doesn't use up my "avacado/sage" stash, I don't know what else to do! We are only supposed to spend $15, I consider my scraps as freebies, and most likely have something leftover for the backing. Heck, I have batting scraps as well that I will piece together.

This lap quilt will get alot of use, my recipient is one of our Producers who spends a huge time in our edit rooms. We have to keep them cold to preserve the edit machines themselves. Makes it really cold for the operator howsomever.

Do you have a recommended size for this lap quilt? The blocks measure 7" or so (if I remember right.)

Edited: To repair link, it took me FOREVER to figure out how to get back in to edit!!!

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony-CA style

Many know I've moved from Ohio to CA. I thought the transition would be easy. I didn't take into consideration the fact that being, well being "my age" would have any play in how well I would assimilate into life on the west coast.

I am constantly surprised by things here, some are cultural, some are climatical. But OH! The traditions are the ones that are grabbing my attention the most.

Take last evening.

I work for a small local community television station. My husband and I have been trained in camera operation on the side, and took up the assignment of covering the Mountain View Tree Lighting Ceremony. We donned our parkas and comfy shoes and were at our cameras at the ready at 5pm. DH had the wide shots, located at the rear of the seating area and I was up near the front for the close-ups. We were LIVE. We had a blast, got a little cold, were amazed at the goobers who have no notion that they shouldn't stand right in front of a huge television camera on a tripod, or that a 6' adult with a child on shoulders are hard to film thru even if you are on a riser...argh.

My real amazement...and my total shock was yet to come. Obviously I'm in denial that my expectations had possibly gotten the better of me. Aren't Christmas trees (ESPECIALLY THOSE PICKED FOR CEREMONIAL TREE LIGHTING!) supposed to be elegant evergreens? (OK, so in San Fran., there is even the artificial one at the wharf that is relatively acceptable to me, lol.) I wanted all twinkly lights, and feel the total awesome-ness of it's beauty. What I got was this:
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I guess if you put enough presents UNDER it, it might be OK...sheesh.

Oh yeah, and to make matters worse, DH got the good parting shot with the blurry lights fading to black.

Bah Humbug.

Good thing I wasn't in charge of cropping photos, huh?

Tagged for a MeMe!

Tagged by DD#2 for a MeMe...gee thanks! 8^)
(You can access her blog from my sidebar, I can't figure out to do it now on beta-boo!)

5 favorite Christmas Songs:

1) Silent Night
2) White Christmas
3) Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer
4) Deck The Halls
5) Twelve Days of Christmas

Yeah, DD#2, I changed it to add "Favorite"...

Basically I love ANY Christmas music that I know the words to, and the louder I can sing it, the better! (In private of course! The kids used to just hate it when I sang out loud, I couldn't be THAT bad, huh?)

If you would like to participate, consider yourself "TAGGED", leave me a post too, lol.

WIP Wednesday

This is the top that I started last weekend. It's for our company's Bid-n-Buy which will be held at our Studio Party (that I just sent 300 invitations for yesterday, lol).

I'm not thrilled, I see LOTS of room for improvement in color choices, but I refuse to waste the fabric since it is made entirely from my stash. It's meant to be a quicky, and it was. I really did enjoy the faux and easy piecing.

I've finally gotten around to the "it's OK" opinion, it's layered, pinned and ready to be quilted. I designed a holly and berry continuous quilting pattern that I will try, or otherwise I will just meander. I purchased a varigated green/cream combo to try and also a light golden to see if it might work.

I can't wait to see what you're working on, I am really loving this Ring!

Christmas MeMe

I found this on Maria's blog who got it from Dawn, etc...and thought it looked fun, thanks Maria!

Christmas MeMe

1. Hot Chocolate or apple cider?
- Definately ROUSTER'S Apple Cider
2. Turkey or Ham?
- Dark meat turkey
3. Do you get a fake or real-you-cut-it-yourself Christmas tree?
- Prefer real but will settle for artificial or none at all if we are gone.
4. Decorations on the outside of your house?
- I love to decorate the outside but rarely have the stamina! A few on the inside is good.
5. Snowball fights or sleddin'?
- Sledding, have always loved it since childhood.
6. Do you enjoy going downtown shopping?
- I love it. Used to enjoy going downtown in Flint, MI as a young adult...spending $.35 and rode the bus alone and would catch a movie.
7. Favorite Christmas song?
- Silent night, sung at Church on Christmas Eve.
8. How do you feel about Christmas movies?
- Love the moldy oldies...over and over and over.
9. When is it too early to start listening to Christmas music?
- Before Thanksgiving at least pul-lease!
10. Stockings before or after presents?
- Stockings while waiting for the rest of the family to gather.
11. Carolers, do you or do you not watch and listen to them?
- Maybe across the street at the neighbors? 8^)
12. Go to someone else's house or they come to you?
- They can come here, but I need help!!!
13. Do you read the Christmas Story? If so when?
No, never, just not my preference.
14. What do you do after presents and dinner?
- Just enjoy the moment!
15. What is your favorite holiday smell?
- Cinnamon and pine.
16. Ice skating or walking around the mall?
- Ice skating definately.
17. Do you open a present or presents on Christmas Eve, or wait until Christmas Day?
- Prefer Christmas Morning...but it's great to be flexible.
18. Favorite Christmas memory?
- Seeing an antenna with a blinking light and just KNOWING it was Rudolf.
19. Favorite Part about winter?
- The smell of an incoming snow.
20. Ever been kissed under mistletoe?
- No, but there's still time!

Thank you dd#2

Thank you for the switch over to Beta. You know I would have waited until "they" made me switch if you hadn't done it for me! I'm so chicken.

I was SO afraid to open my blog this morning! But HEY, it doesn't look any different, lol!

You are really good at this stuff, ya know?! I'm one proud Momma.

Thank you darlin', you are just THE BEST.

2 fer~ Random Acts of Kindness

I've been waiting for Dorothy to announce this! (Ok, why I waited...I have no excuse other than I've gotten procrastination down to a fine art!)

We went to Flames this morning for breakfast. We had the best waiter I think we've EVER had. Cesar is going to have a letter written to his manager today. We eat out probably at least 4 times a week, to have someone go the extra mile puts him at the top of my list.

What American Accent do YOU have?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
The South
Philadelphia
Boston
The Inland North
North Central
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Well I guess my results were predictable.

I lived in MI for 23, OH for 21, MO for 4, CA for the last 1.

Everyone outside of MI asks, "Where are YOU from?" so I must "talk funny", lol. But stubbornly, I don't see how I do, when I hear the MI accent they all sound like Canadians!

I'll be either sewing or knitting today, likely both. What I won't be doing is SHOPPING. I see many stores are opening at 5am, sheesh.

Have a great day today!

WIP Wednesday

OK, OK, the day isn't over yet. I just got home from work!


I'm not thrilled. I'm hoping more blocks will improve it. I'm hoping not displaying it against gosh-awful unflattering carpet will improve it. I'm hoping for a miracle I think!

I'll keep making the blocks, they take 5 minutes each and go ahead and finish the top. Everyone needs a picnic quilt, I don't think this will ever go to my bid-n-buy at the station! Yuck-poo.

How would you quilt this?? I will do MQ but haven't the foggiest of ideas. The strips are cut at 2.5", the longest is 10.5". It will be a great place to practice for sure.

Ever have one you just didn't love. (I'm talking about quilts!)

Thanksgiving "our way"

As Thanksgiving 2006 draws near, it's a time that enables one to have a few focused memories.

Our tradition in the 60's was to go to the Parade in downtown Detroit sponsored by J.L. Hudson. I guess it was my maternal mother's idea of how to get the men and kids out of the house so Grandma and mother could cook our Thanksgiving dinner. My father and brother would pack Grandpa's stepladder and we would go to the steps of the same church each year, on the side of Woodward Avenue. That way my younger sister would sit on the platform of the ladder's flippy-part and I would stand behind her on the rungs. We'd be heads above the rest of the crowd and Santa (who would of course be at the very end) was in plain site. I clearly remember seeing floats of the Green Hornet, I was totally impressed being the tomboy I was. I remember being totally frozen, Detroit has a way of being perfectly miserable on Thanksgiving Day!

Little did I know I would be one of the marching band members marching in that same parade a few years later. It was warmer marching rather than waiting for Santa in those younger years!!

I also remember marching in the Lions football game during half-time during a blizzard. Our game-time seats were right behind the team's bench...couldn't see a thing, lol.

I remember having dinner in my Grandmother's small dining room with the table leaves all spread. When I would finish before the rest of the family I was permitted to crawl under the table thru the sea of legs to free myself from table bondage.

My own children are all grown and miles away. They are having/creating memories of their own. My soldier is happy to have a day off of duty and training but is warned of a 12 mile "hike" on Saturday. Dd#2 will travel to her grandparent's home, and dd#1 will enjoy a few days off from college with her girlfriend.

I am very happy to have a 2:45pm reservation at a local restaurant on Thursday. No cooking, no clean-up, no leftovers to find places for in the tiny 'frig. I am absolutely thrilled. We will buy a turkey while still at a good price and tuck it in the freezer. We'll spend the rest of the weekend catching up with laundry and each other, I hope to get a bunch of sewing in, Dh may have time to finish his book, and maybe we can squeeze in a hike in the mountains.

...just have to get thru Wednesday...*sigh*

What memories does this holiday stir for you?

Cheddar & Greens

I'm doing the Happy Dance, it's DONE. A breeze blew just at the exact moment I snapped the shot and I had to cut the underwear hanging on the line outta the picture, but you get the idea, don't you?

This is a baby quilt began long ago and is being delivered late, dang. I have such good intentions, and very poor follow-thru, but I AM working on that!

As mentioned before, this was my first attempt at meadering machine quilting. I always do grid quilting using painters tape or stitch-in-the-ditch, I gravitate to what's easy to do "right".

When the Quilt Police come to arrest me regarding my binding,I'll cleverly distract their attention over to the fact that THE BACK binding corners show perfectly mitered corners. When I attached the binding this time I chose to do a 1/4" seam(I usually like it about 3/8", but when I turned it to the back, it was about 1/2-5/8" wide! I was going to resew the binding on with a deeper seam allowance, but once I turned the first corner and found the corners turning SO easily I was in heaven, lol. Guess I'll go back to my 2-1/4" binding strips like I used to do...or not.

After I finished this baby quilt I ran and started something NEW, oh yeah! I am trying Billie Lauder's Faux Log Cabin pattern. I needed something fast to donate to our Company's Bid-n-Buy at our Annual Christmas Party mid-December. If it turns out ok I'll donate it for that, if not, I'm sure it will find a good home.

Have a good week!