What I've Been Working On

This post is short and sweet. I'm pooped and have to be to work by 5:30am tomorrow so I need to get some things done.

I keep saying I'm working on my quilt. Well, that's all I've been working on. LOL. I have the top done and pinned to the batting and backing. Now comes the part I think I'm gonna hate. QUILTING!!!! You have to understand I have a very short attention span and jump from project to project. Sometimes I give up on them if they take to long to finish. But I'm hoping to finish this one by next fall. LOL. Seriously, it will take me awhile.

So here you go my first quilt... By the way can you tell I had to piece the green border. If so don't say it out loud LOL. I think it looks pretty good.



Yesterday I decided I needed to find fabric for my Christmas swap partner and send it out. Think I'll be able to find it in this mess? LOL. All those blue tubs have fabric in them. Hmmm.... what to choose... LOL. Hey Kim I sent yours out yesterday.



I got a package in the mail from Kim for my Christmas swap today after work. Isn't this fabric fabulous??? Though my camera has the coloring off a little. It's more of a brown. Oh the wheels are just turning Kim!!!!! This is the last time you will see this until the Christmas swap is complete.



Christmas swap ladies your fabric should be sent out by now. If someone does not receive their fabric by Saturday please email me right away.

#2 What I'm thankful for...

I'm thankful I have a full time job with health benefits that fell into my lap after my ex-hubby left. They may have cut my hours, but I know that if one of us gets sick we can go to the doctor.

Happy Monday!!!!

Happy Monday!!! This day started with my electric going out and being off for who knows how long. I took my daughter to the orthodontist and came home to it. Did you know your heat won't come on either if you have an electric ignitor? LOL It got a little chilly in here. I am still sitting with a light jacket on as I type. Then I wanted to work on my quilt. DUH no electric you can't sew. LOL. So at least I could take pictures. But I couldn't post them until now.

So as promised the Christmas signs Steve painted... None of these signs have been prim'd yet just in case someone wants them un-prim'd.





Bumpy paint... in case you missed it here is the tutorial.





Steve's favorite...he wanted to put a cookie monster on it and I talked him out of it. LOL



One of my favorites...



Absolute favorite one!!!!! Not sure I can part with it. LOL





Not to shabby for the first time. LOL.

I am going to try to write things that I am thankful for during the month of November each time I post. This is number 1.

A year ago today my soon to be ex husband left me. I look back and see how far I've come from that dreadful night. Am I thankful for it? Yes and no for many reasons. It is what it is and I have moved on. I am thankful for all my friends and family who stuck by me and helped me through this year.

Also I just learned that a boy, who's parents I grew up with, broke his neck in a football game Friday night and is having surgery to try to repair the paralysis from his chest down today. Please say an extra prayer for him.

Happy Halloween

Today Steve and I decided just to hang out at home since the kids weren't here. They both went to their Dad's this weekend. We went to IHOP for breakfast, a new flea market we had never been to, and Menard's (basically a Home Depot or Lowe's but HUGE. We bought wood for signs. You know since I bought all those new Christmas stencils I had to try them out.

No I'm not gonna show you Christmas signs on Halloween LOL. Wait til Monday. Anyway, I asked Steve to get me some nice 1X8X8 planks and thought we could cut them down for signs. I was so excited to be able to use my stencils. Yea, well I thought Steve was going to unload them into my garage and come in. I was happily working on my quilt top when I kept hearing him in the garage cutting. Then in and out and water running. So I go outside to see what's up and here he is cutting the boards and painting them the colors he had chosen for each stencil. The boards were numbered to correspond with the stencil. HELLO this was my project. LOL. Then I start smelling burnt wood again out I go he is doing our bumpy paint technique on some of the boards. I figured I could always buy more boards. LOL. Next I tell him he has to stencil and of course he has never done it. We go upstairs he sits down at the table and is ready to learn. I give him a Reader's Digest Condensed version on how to stencil and off he goes. I check in periodically to see how things are going and he say "Fine." I'm quilting away and I here him humming "Oh Come Let Us Adore Him." He humming Christmas carols. LOLOLOL. Finally he comes down to the basement where I'm sewing and we chat. He admits that he LIKES to stencil and not to tell anyone. So yes I had to tell all of you. He is hooked. He made 7 different signs and not only stenciled, but added his own personal touches to them. I will take pics and show you. We have decided to sell some of them because I just don't have room. Stay tuned next week because he is still messing with some of them right now.

Anyway, I'm stuck on my quilt because my fabric is too short to make my borders and I don't know what to do. Do I add extra to the strips to make it long enough? But then there will be seams showing. If so do I do it in the middle or off center? Now I remember why I never attempted a quilt before. :Sigh: So I sit stuck. Any assistance would be appreciated.

Mental Health Day in 1 1/2 hours

Warning: Long post BUT with pictures. LOL.

Today I decided I needed a mental health day. Sure there was laundry to do and a house to clean, but I decided to take some me time. I took a whole 1 and 1/2 hours to myself. I decided to head to Kidron Ohio which is only about 15 minutes away from my home. There is so much to do and see and today is Thursday so it is flea market and auction day too. There is an awesome quilt/fabric shop that I was mainly looking to go to. But of course there is a thrift store too that I haven't gone to in about a year since the divorce started so I figured I'd stop there too. So my mental health day is your mental health day. I took my camera along for the ride. LOL.

First stop the thrift store... MCC Connections a church based thrift store where the workers are purely volunteer and the money raised goes to missions. On the other side is the quilt side.



This is why I love this store... I was trying to be discreet taking pictures. LOOK at all the fabulous quilts!!!!! They have throws on up to queen size.




See that one on the left in between the windows? It was beautiful fall colors and was a double bed size. Guess how much???? $95.00 Yep that's it. I looked at prices and a twin ranges from $45-$79



Sometimes when you come in these tables will be full of ladies quilting. Plain (Amish),Mennonite, and English people enjoying each others company. I saw about three or four quilt frames set up with quilts on them.



Now on to my bargains... I spent $9.93. I bought another stencil but forgot to take a pic of it.





The washed out thing is cross stitch cloth.









Alright time to move on. Just about 1/8 of mile is downtown Kidron. This is where Lehmans is. This is a famous hardware store where everyone who comes to Amish country visits. It is not just hardware. It's kitchen gadgets, toys, crocks, books, paint, fireplaces, non electric lamps, and old looking stoves and refrigerators. It is a really neat place to visit.



I thought this was hilarious!!!



This is another part of the building. Look how they just built it right over the creek.



Next is the quilt shop I went to.



Remember my quilt blocks awhile back? Well I had the extremely nice lady who worked there help me pick some colors to finish my quilt. So I will finish this quilt. I just am not gonna promise when. LOL.



Then I decided to walk over to the outdoor flea market acorss the street. There really wasn't much to take pictures of. Plus I didn't want to disrespect any Amish by taking pictures and them being in them.

So instead colors of fall and a few horse and buggies...









Now I'm home threw some laundry in and contemplating dinner for tonight. I am so rejuvenated that I just want to immerse myself in my quilt. I think that house work will win over though.

SWAP LADIES I sent each of you an email yesterday with your partners name and email. If you did not get that eamil please let me know. I would like all fabric sent out by Nov. 3.

My Unfinished Bedroom as Promised

WAY BACK when I promised to show you pictures of my bedroom after Steve built that "fireplace" surround for my birthday. Well, I have some pictures. Not sure I'm going to keep it this way, but I have pictures right? I hate decorating my bedroom. I find that this room is so difficult to decide how I want it.

Keep in mind I live in a very small duplex and can't change the wood doors. I might sneak and paint though. SHHHHHH... don't tell the landlord. LOL. He'll see it when I move out if I ever move out.

Alright then lets get started. You will see a rare glimpse into my world of decorating. I start with one thing and just keep rearranging til I like it. So rest assured this is not permanent. LOL

Looking in through my bedroom door... You like my electric fireplace? Looks real doesn't it?







There is something missing on the end of the shelf, but I can't for the life of me decide what it is. I know I need something taller. I just can't figure it out. HELP!!!!







Moving on around the bedroom... Warning: Fuzzy pictures. I will figure out this camera yet. LOL







Alright my bed is next. Since I can't afford the bed of my dreams this is what I did.

Like my new bed spread. LOLOLOLOL. He knew I was taking pictures and wouldn't move. So I had to do it with him on the bed playing with his phone.



My free quilt from a yard sale. WOOHOO



Not feeling this corner either. Steve put the stars on the wall to get them up off the cedar chest. I'm thinking about putting a single shelf bowl rack on the wall above the light.



Too plain and not doing it for me.



So that's it so far. As I change things I'll try to take more pics.

REMINDER: Today at 11:59pm will be the last day to sign up for the swap. Please see my side bar for more info. Those that have signed up I will get you your partners names on Wednesday as I work 30 hours in the next 2 days. Which I found out will be changing once again. I will be losing hours and working more days. WWWAAAAAHHHH!!!!!

Shopping with Steve...

Yesterday Steve and I had the day off so we just spent the day looking around. OK looking and goofing. I had to drop some papers off at the attorney first, but along the way was a Goodwill so you know I had to stop. I didn't find anything good but got some great pictures. LOL

This is my Steve.... LOL... Yep only $2.99 for these great glasses!!!!!



Next is my turn... The glasses take up half my face LOL.



Then we went to Lowe's to look at the Christmas aisles. There was some cute bead garlands there. Well by then it was only 10:30 and we were killing time until lunch before grocery shopping. So we went into the Dollar Tree and then he wanted to go into Bath and Body Works to smell stuff. He is like a kid spraying everything on his arms. LOL. I told him I wanted some perfume since I don't own any. So we went through and smelled everything and bought nothing. I can't make up my mind what perfume I would like. So I suggested we go to JcPenny to look around and smell perfume. We went and found some great deals on clearance shirts for Steve because he shops in the big and tall section. Then I bought some Christmas presents for my kids. You know we never did get to the perfume section LOL. Lunch at Longhorn grocery shopping at Wal Mart then homeward bound.

This morning I finished my sign with the custom stencil Becca made me. I love it.



Well, I need to go and pack my lunch and dinner for work. I'll check in with you gals soon to see what you've been up to.

WWWAAAHHHH I'm Old!!!! LOL

Yesterday was my yearly check up. Have I ever told you how much I hate these appointments? Well lets put it this way I sweat so terribly from anxiety that my shirts are soaked even before the appoinment. Anyways, I am 35 years old which I am OK with until the doctor says his piece. I now must have my first mammogram screening. WHAT???? REALLY???? Now I will tell you that I am not well endowed and I can only imagine how they are actually going to be able to this. Take my mosquito bites and flatten to nothing. So instead of wearing a push up bra alone I will now have to stuff. LOL. Then he tells me I need to really drink milk, eat yogurt, and take a Vitamin D supplement. Uhhhh... do I have osteoporosis already??? I don't want to have to worry about this yet. He did try to make me feel better by saying that here in Ohio everyone has a low Vitamin D level because we don't get enough sun and that he takes a Vitamin D supplement. I will tell you that when I had my kidney issues at the beginning of the year that my level was low, so today I picked up some Vitamin D. It's bad enough that I feel old some days the way my body aches after work, but for your doctor to tell you in a round about way that are is another thing. LOL. OHHHHH and I gained 13 lbs since last year. No wonder I had to buy new jeans. :-(

Sunday I had a fabulous opportunity to standby with my partner and the owner of my company at work during the Breast Cancer Awareness Walk in Canton Ohio. They said there were several thousand people there walking for a cure. It was awesome to see all the people wearing pink and pictures of loved ones they were walking for. The survivors were wearing pink ribbons that said "survivor" on them. I didn't get pictures, but my boss did and said he'd be putting them up on the website. I just checked and they aren't up yet, but I'll let you know when they are.

Enough with that stuff I did manage to finish a few signs the other day. Nothing spectacular, but I like them.

The checkerboard is actually barn red not pink as it appears here. This was a scrap of unfinished wood I found. I put this sign on my front porch.



Another scrap piece of wood as you can tell there is a weird spot at the bottom. It is not this bright in person. The background is again barn red.



I just got a bunch a new Christmas stencils from my friend Becca at Folk art from The Harbor. If you haven't visited her website and you like to stencil or to look at some fabulous prim premade goodies you should check her out. She even made me a custom stencil that I will show you later. I used it today but the sign isn't dark and primmed yet. So who knows I may have some signs for Christmas for sale. Depends if I can get my behind moving or not.

Well, I need to get some things done this evening before EMS training tonight then back to work tomorrow.