Quilts & a Trip North

I've had a lot going on. 

Shortly after Lolita's arrival, I headed back to the 'Cuse for the baby shower. 

I flew into Atlantic City, picked up my mother in law and drove the 5.5 hours home. 

In the snow. 

I hate snow. 

Here's the only pics I got at the shower. 

It was crazy...I had no time for photos. 

We had a great turn out, especially when you consider the huge snow event on the East Coast. 

Over 30 people!

Phil was in Orlando on 'business'

Thank God for Barb...she was my savior. 

Jenn got lotsa very nice stuff.

And I think my MIL really enjoyed the week away from home. 

Jimmy was home most of the week and spent a lot of time with her. 

I was glad he did, too. 

Gave him a chance to visit with her...and gave me a break!

After I dropped her back home, I flew back to my paradise. 

Phil, Sherry & Mike were here waiting for me. 

With mucho vino.

And martinis. 

And too much food. 

The weather was crappy & cold the whole time. 

The guys only got 1 round of golf in. 

As usual, we made the best of it & had a blast. 

Wii Bowling, a movie afternoon and time with Mimi & Georgie. 

S&M left yesterday. 

Phil left tonight. 

I miss him already. 

Not one picture of our antics. 

I'm trying to refocus to my healthy lifestyle...prayers appreciated. 

Phil played 9 this morning so I hit the studio. 

I finished up this, which had been loaded onto Lolita for 2 weeks.

2 weeks and it's a baby quilt.  

I completely over quilted it....almost 4 bobbins. 

And I was away.

And had company. 

Don't judge. 

I also got all but the borders on this today. 

It's a kit. 

I'm not a big fan of kits.

I'm meh about it. 

Mimi helped me add some leaves to Manatee Mangrove last night. 

We had all kinds of issues with the fusible, but it worked out. 

Just borders left on this. 

And I also finished this before I left for the shower. 

This is the back of my incorrectly cut & poorly constructed quilt. 

Here's the front. 

I left out the batt cause of the Minkee backer. 

I'm considering a Minkee binding. 

I've put it up on some of my quilting boards for discussion. 

How does one press Minkee in half?

Hmmmm....

Spread kindness. 

Over & Out. 

Florida Happenings

Meet Lolita. 

Lola's little sister. 

(I think she may be a tramp...My Lola didn't arrive dressed with a red bow)

I'll shall tame her. 

I've already got her playing nice with Glide thread. 

And I've put her to work on a poorly constructed Nugget quilt. 

Why not?

She's got to get used to hard work, after all. 

Yep, I'm a badass. 

Especially after a few drinks in Baby's sunglasses. 

Merry belated Birthday & Christmas to me!

Sprinkle Kindness. 

It only makes things better. 

Bye Bye Baby

I've had 2 great weeks with Baby Boy. 

So has Frannie. 

We did a lot of card playing and laughing. 

Had an awesome beach day in Naples. 

We also did a good amount of partying. 

We shall miss having him around for sure. 

I got teary when I dropped him at the airport. 

What is the matter with me?

Safe travels, Jimmy. 

Thanks for the nice visit. 

Have a great semester. 

Come back soon. 

Frannie & I love you so much. 

Today

I'm sad about David Bowie. 

He was such a talent. 

And a hunk. 

'Detach from station and may Gods love be wth you.'

I've been awaiting the arrival of 2 measly squares of whale toss fabric to finish the last Nugget flimsy. 

I must say all this pink does get tedious. 

So, while I was waiting, I decided to sew with some color. 

Here's what that looks like. 

Yep, I'd say that's a lot of color. 

I love a lot of color. 

I'm working on a fun name for this future flimsy.

And, late this afternoon, my whale toss fabric arrived. 

I wasn't sure I'd ordered the right fabric. 

Luckily, I had. 

Things are working out. 

Look!

Frannie already loves our Nugget. 

She climbed the stairs tonight, which ain't easy for her. 

Just to set some love on Nuggets flimsy. 

I love my Frannie. 

Then, I got this awesome text pic from California. 

Hannah & Darren got their quilt today. 

A good Quilty day!  

Kindness folks!

 

Shortage

I am exactly 2, yes 2, 5 3/8" squares short. 

Are you kidding me?

A measly 2 squares short. 

Of course I am. 

I now have to wait to finish this Nugget quilt. 

Ugh!

Inspiration

I've been doing a lot of cutting tiny pieces. 

And pinning tiny pieces. 

Ad nauseum.

Last night, I got a big dose of inspiration. 

A head shot of my little Nugget. 

Be still my heart. 

She gets more perfect with each update. 

She weighs 3lb 8oz already. 

Little porker!

And the doctor told them that she's perfect. 

I already knew that!

I am not even showing this to Murray.

He clearly is not on the same page as me. 

Kindness!

My 2016 Word

Since Thanksgiving, I've been thinking and thinking. 

Well, thinking and thinking on and off. 

(I've thought of lots of other things too)

Trying to figure out what could be a better word for me than acceptance. 

My guiding word for 2016. 

I've decided on........

<<<insert drum roll>>>

DIRECTION

di·rec·tion

dəˈrekSH(ə)n,dīˈrekSH(ə)n/

noun

noun: direction; plural noun: directions

1. 1. 

   a course along which someone or something moves.

   "she set off in the opposite direction"

   • the course that must be taken in order to reach a destination.

     "he had a terrible sense of direction"

     synonyms:

     way, route, course, line, run, bearing, orientation "a northerly direction"

   • a point to or from which a person or thing moves or faces.

     "a house with views in all directions"
   • a general way in which someone or something is developing.

     "new directions in painting and architecture"

     synonyms:

     orientation, inclination, leaning, tendency, bent, bias, preference; More drift, tack, attitude, tone, tenor, mood, current, trend "the direction of my research"

   • general aim or purpose.

     "the campaign's lack of direction"
2. 2. 

   the management or guidance of someone or something.

   "under his direction, the college has developed an international reputation"

   synonyms:

   administration, management, conduct, handling, running, supervision, superintendence, regulation, orchestration; More control, command, rule, leadership, guidance "his direction of the project"

   • the work of supervising and controlling the actors and other staff in a movie, play, or other production.
   • instructions on how to reach a destination or about how to do something.

     "Preston gave him directions to a restaurant"

     synonyms:

     instruction, order, command, prescription, rule, regulation, requirement "explicit directions about nursing care"

   • an authoritative order or command.

     "to suggest that members of Congress would take direction on how to vote is an affront"

     
     

     I've decided to use the word direction.

     It's so applicable to my life right now. 

     With all the changes that have happened and are on the horizon, I need to keep myself on track. 

     I'm so easily sidetracked. 

     I will try to think about what direction I want to head in before I make a move. 

     I will try to keep myself on task. 

     I will try to remember that I must take care of myself to be happy.

     And sane. 

     I will try to make sure I am developing the way I wish to be personally.

     With my self discovery. 

     With my family.

     With my friends.

     With my quilting. 

     With everything. 

     And, if I'm not, I will redirect myself. 

     At least, I'll try. 

     
     

     And, I will still remember to think about acceptance.

     Cause it was a good word. 

     
     

     Wish me luck!

     
     

     KINDNESS!

     
     

Progress

The Martians (Murray & Jim) arrived home just before noon. 

They had a great time. 

A victory for UofM put them in good cheer. 

It was thier first bowl game.

They were here long enough to eat a sandwich and went golfing. 

Papa Martian leaves tomorrow night. 

Baby Martian stays a while longer. 

They're trying to get as much golf in as humanly possible. 

After Papa leaves, Baby will need to switch gears and become a beach bum. 

I think this transition should be a cinch for him. 

Here's what happened in Venus (my world) today.

I added some more detail to Manatee Mangrove. 

Did I mention that fusible appliqué is tedious?

And I finished constructing this quilt.

I must've cut some pieces wrong cause this is the most poorly constructed quilt I've made in a very long time. 

But, I made it work...

Who could toss this fabric.

Not me. 

I bet I'll learn a lot when I load this puppy to longarm.

Super puffy batt should help a bit. 

Back to my regular walking only 4 days & I feel so much better!

I love it here. 

Tonight we're hitting SkipOne. 

Best fish fry in FM. 

Kindness folks!

New Years Day 2016

Venus & Mars

That's men & women. 

Phil & Jimmy were pumped to attend the Citrus Bowl & see UofM play. 

They love UofM football. 

I think it's cause we lived in Ann Arbor for 17 years. 

Jimmy was born there, a true Michigander. 

They even borrowed jerseys from Herman. 

I was content to stay in my paradise with Frannie & sew all day. 

How long does it take me to mess up a studio?

Minutes. 

It was neat & tidy when I got back.

Swear to God.

I worked a bit on Manatee Mangrove. 

Fusible Appliqué is tedious. 

And I made up these blocks.

Can you guess who this is for?

Last night, New Years Eve, Murray, Jim, Mimi, George and I headed to FMB to watch the last sunset of 2015. 

Mike & Sherry told us about the Outrigger.

It's now Murray's favorite. 

Can't blame him, it is beautiful. 

I had a mudslide. 

Then we came back home and ate Mimi's ala King and played cards. 

Well, Jim, Mimi & I played cards. 

Murray & George watched football. 

Murray & I made it to midnight!

We have no flutes here in paradise. 

Gasp!

But we made do with martini glasses. 

We had LaMarca Prosecco...get some. 

It's so nice to have my Murray and Jim here with me. 

Well, they're not actually here right now. 

But they'll be back tomorrow. 

I haven't forgotten about my 2016 word. 

I'm still pondering. 

If nothing else, let's make kindness a priority in 2016. 

It really helps.