Oink Oink

I've been a bad blogger.

All I've done for a week is pork out.

It started at Francesca's for the bday over a week ago. 

And then, it was Thanksgiving.

for 10 days, the consumption was ceaseless. 

I've also had lotsa wine. 

& Baileys Irish Creme.

Delicious during the gorging.

Post chow is sluggish & gross. 

Tomorrow, it's back on the wagon.

I have a plan.

I will send all the leftovers & pie back to school with baby tonight. 

Next week, it's fruit, veggies & fish.

And no wine or Baileys.

Well, maybe a little wine.

I can't decorate the tree without libations. 

My inner grinch won't allow it. 

There has been a smidge of sewing...

There's this...

And this old thing...

D cups

Graffiti quilting. In the blue

Neither is finished.

Just call me underachiever.

Next week...less swallowing & more stitching.

And I have to decorate the tree.

Unless you think I can get away with it as it is now.  

Probably not, huh? 

Be kind.

Brilliance

15 pounds of potatoes to be peeled & turned into make ahead mashed potatoes for Francis House Thanksgiving Feast.

Liz was having trouble finding someone to make them.

Now I know why.

All this, the day before I'm hosting an early Thanksgiving celebration.

And I'm working the 8-12 tomorrow...

 

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Looks like we'll be eating late.

You can't fix stupid.

Look what Barb sent me for my birthday.

I sat in my kitchen & cried when I opened it. 

At least I managed to land an awesome friend. 

Baby comes home tonight for the weekend.

It's feast or famine with that kid!

I bought a nice Beaujolais to sip while I await his arrival.

I'll need it. 

Kindness. 

Tidbits

I've been a busy girl.

I found a thread booker of epic proportions on Barbs quilt, so I fixed that. 

I put hook swirls on Lesa's 2nd Spark Quilt.

I forgot to photograph it before I rolled it.

Here's a pic of the back, already rolled for delivery. 

Yesterday was my birthday.

Phil took me to the Bloody Mary bar in Skaneatles.

Susan & Robert joined us.

Friday night we had dinner with John & Jenn at Francesca's.

It was delish.

I was supposed to visit my bubbly this weekend in Massachusetts. 

She got sick, so she cancelled. 

Phil did a great job making my weekend special.

I'm a lucky girl, indeed!

I spent today preparing the house for the Thanksgiving Festivities. 

Kindness folks....

A Driveby & a Finish

Well, almost a Driveby...

My babiest baby...

The apple of my eye...

My naughty boy...

The Fazio grand finale.

I haven't seen him in months.

It was just quick visit to pick up a suit & tie.

But it was so wonderful to see him & get a hug.

We also got his hair did.

The girls LAX formal is this weekend.

Why does this make me emo?

Cause I'm weird. 

But that's already been established. 

Should I rename my blog 'the weird one with threads on her clothes'?

If I do that, I might attract an unseemly audience. 

Better stick with the status quo.

Since I was feeling tender, I hit the studio in an attempt to settle myself.

I wonder if I'm going to be one of those old ladies who's always crying and never knows why?

God, I hope not.

I think I finished Barbs beauty.

Doesn't Barb makes the prettiest flimsies?

I still have to review it and make sure I got everything. 

I learned a lot with this quilt...mostly doing the border.

It was a worthwhile project, but I'm glad it's done. 

The border was mitred, and there was some unevenness in it. 

I was able to smooth it out using the ribbon candy filler in the diamonds.

Thankfully, she had a larger outer border so she can trim it into square. 

I love it when a plan comes together, especially unplanned plans.

Actually, most of my plans are unplanned. 

Especially my Quilty plans.

Creativity and planning don't live harmoniously in my world. 

6 1/2 bobbins in that pup...where does the thread go?

If it's really done...and no do overs are necessary, it's T minus 1 more quilt til unlimited Claudia playtime. 

And Lesa's will go much faster.

It's modern, much smaller and she wants minimal quilting. 

I wonder if I will get a German accent from all that Pfeil Pfun I'll be having?

Ya never know?

Parenthood tonight....on the previews, it looks Zeke gets sick again.

Have a good one...

And please, remember kindness.

XO

Relief

I've been tense lately.

Since I returned from Florida. 

Now I know why.

I was seriously stressed about my eye doctor visit. 

I've got a genetic predisposition to serious eye issues.

That's scary for anyone.

Especially a visual girl like myself. 

Today was the day.

It went great. 

First of all, there was this....

Einstein, 14 YO lab mix rescue who is the docs assistant. 

As my sister said, that's the only reference you need !

She's a doll...he says if he goes into the room of a non dog person, she won't go in.

She senses it and waits by the door for him to finish. 

Obviously, she came right in to my room.

She reminds me of Belle, my sisters dog. 

Then, after a myriad of tests, I found out my pressure was within the normal range!

Monumental news, since last time (different dr) I was slightly elevated. 

I seriously had to hold back from crying (big girl panties, meg)

Just weird me...obvi I didn't realize how this had been weighing on me.

It makes sense, everything I love to do requires vision.

I guess I'd never thought about it.

I really should try to think on things more. 

That probably won't happen, though.

Anyway, I danced out of that place!

It didn't even bother me that I had to wear sunglasses in the gloomy weather. 

It didn't bother me that I had to act like a rockstar & leave them on in Wegmans. 

(I make fun of people who wear sunglasses indoors)

He did say my eyes are VERY dry. 

If one more medical professional uses dry as an adjective for me, well, I may scream!

I'm officially titling my postmenopause 'the anhydrous years'

He couldn't believe I wasn't complaining about it. 

He told me to use artificial tears. 

I just tried them. 

OH.

MY.

GOHD.

They're awesome.

Get some. 

It's cold here.

Frannie is in a fireside coma.

A good day all around. 

Keep kindness. 

XO

Back at it...

I finally felt better today,master wasting the whole weekend recovering from my tests. 

Now I remember why I was avoiding the doctor. 

In celebration, I  braved the mouse issue & hit the studio. 

I was halfway thru with the swirling on Barbs Beach Party, so I finished that. 

Then I had to face the borders....

DA DA DA DUM

When we talked, I mentioned egg & dart.

I wasn't feeling good about that...my swirls are just to organic.

I thought we needed some straight lines.

So, here's what I did.

I first marked a line on the outer edge that made the green borders the same size. 

Then I used adding machine tape to determine how big the diamonds would be.

Then I marked dots to hit so the diamonds would be relatively uniform. 

AND I USED MY RULER...DeLoas Castle worked great. 

After I had the diamonds stitched, I put ribbon candy in them.

I then took the quilt off the frame and turned it so I would be using my ruler the way it's most comfortable for me.

(Remember, we are only passing acquaintances, my rulers and I. 

Therefore, we have trust issues.)

I got one more done before calling it a day. 

But the last one is marked, so it should go fast. 

I still don't know what I'm going to do in the corners. 

And I think I've got to echo the diamonds...but I'll decide that after the corners are done. 

The weather has been crummy.

I've been home a week, and the sun has been out for a total of 4 hours. 

These 2 know how to handle the gloom.

Frannie is finally over being mad at me for leaving her. 

She was giving me the 'evil eye' til yesterday. 

Could it be my luck is changing?

Pray for sun.

Remember kindness.

XO

Let the Good Times Roll

I made this unneccasary purchase at Trader Joes yesterday.

The merriment continues....

Today, I went for some blood work, a tetanus shot, bone density test & mammogram.

All I wanted was the tetanus shot.

But, you know how it goes. 

It has been some time since I visited a medical professional.

Im pretty sure they will call me back for an ultra sound on the udders.

Apparently, I have cystic mammilla.

They told me that when I was in my 30s & they were certain they 'felt' something. 

I was put through test after test, revealing nothing.

After all that, they informed that I had very dense, cystic breasts, but was, indeed, fine.

Perhaps this has something to do with my avoidance of all things medical?

In fairness, it's not that.

I just don't like to be told what I should do.

And doctors are, well, bossy.

I would like to share with you my thoughts during my 'cold pressing'

I thought of cows & men the whole time.

First, the cows.

You know, the cows in those huge dairy barns who are hooked up to those milking machines. 

How barbaric for these poor girls....twice daily to endure such degrading discomfort. 

It makes my switch to Almond Milk seem socially responsible.

Second, the men.

What do you think the chances are that they put the treasured weenie in a vise in the name of early detection?

There has to be a less arduous, more decorous way to do this.

If men were undergoing such persecution, the movement to improve the technology would be monumental. 

On top of that, my arm is sore from the bloody tetanus shot & I have a bulging bruise where they drew the blood.

No sewing for me today.

|:-(

The bone density test went well, though.

I shall now cease grousing. 

Is grousing a word?

It is now. 

At least it is keeping my mind off the rodent situation.

I stopped at JMichael after my trials...for comfort.

In my world, shoes are comforting.

And it's cold.

And snowy. 

And not sunny, green, balmy, blowing palm fronds-ie.

Did you know Toms are making fleece lined moccasins now?

They're delightful...& sparkly.

If I'd had a brain in my head, I would have taken a lesson from these 2 and just stayed in.

They know how to peacefully pass the cold, snowy CNY days in warm comfort.

Currently, it is 74 & Sunny in Fort Myers.

Be kind to one another. 

XO

Bday, BeachParty & Gadgets

Today is my sister Patty's 69th birthday.

She is spending it with her granddaughter. 

Obviously, it's a good day to be a Patty.

Happy Birthday, Sister!

XO

With the freezing, snowy weather here, I spent some time today swirling Barbs beach party. 

(It's early for this hideous weather, even for CNY)

I decided it best to finish obligations before my Claudia (P)fun.

I have one more of Lesas, too. 

I had hoped to finish the entire swirling today, but Alvin started jumping up the walls.

I was sure he would be soon gnawing on a mouse, so I went to Trader Joes.

There is no food in the house.

Herman came to check Alvin & left the fridge open while we were away, spoiling all the food.

My good fortune abounds. 

I waited in the garage for Murray to get home to come inside.

He said there were no mice.

I think he's telling the truth, but can't be positive.

At this rate, it will take forever to get these done. 

Once they're done, it's all play & creativity for me. 

I have this idea to try a little graffiti quilting using Claudia's designs.  

On another note, let me share this tidbit on gadgets. 

In case you have never read my blog before, this is my feeling on binding. 

They're no fun to make, tame, attach, hand finish or machine finish.

On the forum today, I found this link that might make bindings a bit easier. 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/easybindingwinder/the-easy-binding-winder

It's a new gadget, for rolling prepared binding so it's easier to handle. 

It's a good idea, and it will probably sell well in LQSs.

There are so many Gadget Girls out there. 

I already have a system that works great to tame my bindings.

I use this pretty silk bin my niece brought me back from her world travels many moons ago.  (I have a kickass extended family, by the way)

I set it under the ironing board and let the binding drop in as press it.

After I'm done pressing, I move it over to my Bernina and just pull it out as I go.

Works great!

And every time I use it, I think of my California family. 

And I wind up smiling for a minute. 

Until the thought of binding quilts makes me grouchy.

I'm just not that into gadgets. 

Given my 'fabric collection', I bet most folks think I'm a gadget person.

I like specialty rulers for piecing difficult blocks, like LeMoyne & Hunters star or Pineapple blocks.

But I mostly use my omnigrid 8.5x24 for fabric cutting.

I readily admit to a scissors and rotary cutter fetish.

I have & use my Joen Wolfram value finder & color cards for fabric selection. 

I have been known to use 2 longarm rulers when I have no other choice.

(I only collaborate w rulers when absolutely necessary)

I have a TOWA gauge I use ALL THE TIME.

I like my BOHN chalk pencils for marking. 

But these are actual tools, not gadgets, in my opinion.

I guess the only gadget I would buy for binding is a person who would do it for me. 

Veterans Day

I would like to wish a Happy Veterans Day to all who have served.

But, especially, to my 2 favorite Vets in the whole wide world.

One lives in heaven...

One lives in Texas.

Both are style icons.

I miss them both, everyday. 

A better daughter/sister would have pics of them in uniform.

Oh well, Veterans Day is not about my shortcomings.

Be kind to one another.

XO

My Return to Hell

It's tomorrow. 

I have to go back there tomorrow. 

I will no longer be myself.

I will become unstrung.

I will have no concentration.

The simplest tasks will be difficult.

I will continually be on the verge of tachycardia.

My stomach will be flitty.

I will not sleep due to micemares. {Meglish}

I will be startled every 2 minutes, perhaps more frequently.

I will feel things crawling up my legs.

I will veiw every spec of dust as mouse poop.

I will wince when I open a drawer.

I will jump back from cabinets.

I will stand on chairs.

I will scream like a raving maniac. 

I will be afraid to look at Alvin's mouth.

Perspective....

I will see my love, Frannie.

(she will sense my hysteria & commence the customary licking of the feet)

I will see my children.

I will visit my Bubbly at her new house. 

It will be Thanksgiving.

I will return to Lola. 

I will finally have the opportunity to stitch out my Claudia lessons. 

I have all this to take back for Lolafication.

Nope...not helping.

I will not be able to focus on Lola...

I will be completely preoccupied with keeping myself safe from furry intruders. 

I do not want to go there. 

I simply can not.

It's too much for me. 

There have been 10 caught in the past month. 

I'm sure there are colonies living in the ceilings & walls. 

Nests in every nook and cranny.

I suspect they have crawled on my precious fabrics. 

What if they are in the folds of my yardage?

What if they have snacked on my treasured batiks?

Traversed my beautiful Lola?

Attacked my batting?

My thread stash?

My waiting for binding pile? 

Murray has again today met again with his incompetent exterminator. 

They can't find the entry point. 

Why must this man hire idiots?

They assure me they are only in the storage room & no where near my studio.

Do they think I am mindless?

Of course they have been out of the storage room.

Alvin brought one to Herman....IN THE KITCHEN. 

How hard can it be to rid a well kept home of rodents?

Isn't this his specialty?

How can a grown man be outsmarted by hordes of disgusting one ounce creatures?

Usually writing helps me put things in perspective. 

Not today...

I'm overwrought. 

How will I ever board that plane tomorrow?

And why am I regardless of lizards?

But completely terror stricken by the thought of a single mouse?

Heres a link to a NYT article that I found today...proof that it is truly a rag.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/nyregion/white-rat-in-the-curious-incident-is-unexpected-broadway-hit.html?_r=0

How is it these people can entertain a rat in their home?

At least I know I am not the MOST unhinged person alive.

I just can't imagine being back there living the horror. 

Where is my mommy when I need her?

I request your prayers for my fortitude.

Try to be kind...

Fantasia Fractured

Free patterns are never really free.

At least for me... 

I loved this panel...I only wish I'd photographed it before I cut it up & pieced it. 

Another blogging mishap to add to my long list.

It appears I'm on a panel kick...very odd as I was never much of a panel fan.

The colors on this are fabulous, the composition is aces. 

This should have been a relatively easy one.

And, it would have been if I'd just approached it without the pattern.

But, I didn't. 

Of course, there were 4 different corners...

And they were confusing.

But, I was ok with that. 

Since dither is my norm, it's nice to have a project to blame now & then.

Makes me feel, uh.......reasonably dithered.

It worked out fine with the weaving border effect in tact.

(By this time, I abandoned the pattern and had gone rogue)

What I wasn't ok with was the D cup aftermath in the fractured center.

I followed the cutting & piecing directions to the letter.

I used more pins than a bulletin board attaching the border.

I NEVER pin.

Well, obviously not never...but rarely.

At the quilt shop, she CAREFULLY cut the panel.

(She was so exacting I was rolling my eyes, fearing I may miss Jeopardy)

Still...D cups. 

Ok, maybe C cups.

Either way, cups too big for my boobs.

Did I just say that?

Isn't it bizarre that I write this blog in large part for posterity, yet still allow myself to appear cuckoo?

My lineage will refer to me as 'the one with threads on her clothes & bats in the belfry.'

Remember, things are rarely as they seem.

Again...I find myself adrift...

I did get nice compliments from my IG family. 

& it does look ok if you're riding by on a galloping horse.

(After all, the fullness does not change the glorious colors or completely destroy the composition)

& it kept me engrossed all through the dull football weekend that Mr Bixby finds so amusing.

I guess there's always a bright side...

There's that perspective word again.

Lolafication will be challenging...but I think I can tame this beast.

We shall see how it comes out.

I had intended it to be a wallhanging.

I suspect it will be far too cattywampus to hang & will just serve as a cuddler.

Even after applying perspective, this still enforces my belief....

free patterns are never really free...you get what you pay for.

At least in my universe.

St Vincent not St Francis

As my sister was kind enough to point out....

The movie we saw, and loved, is St Vincent.

Not St Francis as I wrote in my previous post.

It ain't easy being a dingbat. 

Carry on.

Sunshine

If you're here for the Quilty eye candy...skip this post.

There was no sewing today...

There wasn't even sewing yesterday. 

Yesterday, I was sick.

Like..can't pick your head up sick.

Today. I just had a headache. 

So, we went to the beach.

We got in lots of selfie practice.

At the beach.

With our fruity cocktails...

At sunset.

It was a spectacular Fort Myers Beach sunset. 

And the full moon over the pool was perfection. 

I've enjoyed my time with Murray here. 

Rodents, Punta Gorda & St Francis

John went to check on Alvin at lunchtime today.

Alvin greeted him at the door with a mouse in his mouth.

I simply cannot go back there.

But I must go back there and save my stash from mouseification {Meglish}

Plus, I have to make Thanksgiving dinner.

Who wants to eat in an infested environment?

Murray informed me he caught 7 mice in the 2 weeks after I left. 

He hired a pest control guy who guaranteed results.

Where are the results?

How is this man still in business?

Why is this happening to me?

AHHHHHHHHH!

While I understand my reaction is irrational, there is nothing I can do about it. 

Except wring my hands while my heart is pounding, obsessively thinking about mice crawling all over me & feel sick in the tums.

As you might have guessed, these activities do nothing to rectify the situation. 

We spent the rest of the day rewarding ourselves.

I saw some fabric at Gloria's Stash in Punta Gorda last week.

I've been thinking about it ever since.

It's been haunting me....literally.

I woke last night from a dream about it.

Do you think this means I am disturbed?

Nevermind, I already know that answer.

Today, we drove up there and I bought a yard.

(should have bought 5 and made a stack & whack)

It's called Wanderlust...isn't it delicious? 

I mean...please...I NEEDED it.

It was keeping me up at night. 

Even Murray agreed I should have it.

It's all his fault.

(I bet mice hallucinations keep me up tonight)

I didn't do any sewing today...just cutting.

We were hardly home all day.

Here's a peek....

I'm hoping to start sewing in the am.

****Quiltnerd alert****

Tonight, we went to see the movie St Francis.

We both LOVED it.

It was touching, sweet, sad, funny & thought provoking...all at the same time. 

Bill Murray & Melissa McCarthey were so real in this movie. 

The little boy was perfection....I wish I knew his name. 

Even all the supporting roles were awesome, especially Naomi Watts.

There was not one irritating thing about this movie. 

It was just right. 

(Except that we had to sit through over 20 minutes of previews. 

20 minutes...of my time....and I PAID to get in there. 

I find that excessive and think they need to limit it to 5 minutes.

I will admit I liked the 2 minutes looking at Matthew McConaughey during the spaceship one)

****mini rant alert****

Ok...back to St Francis...

Grab your hubz, kids or a friend, and go see this movie.

(& save yourself the trouble by arriving 10 minutes after the listed start time)

I baked some cookies for Pat & Jim.

When I brought them down, Pat said Jim was already in bed. 

He's not feeling well....

Maybe the cookies will make him feel better. 

I just read that ginger is a great healer. 

Only one more week in my slice of paradise...

Lizards are so much better than mice...

Why is that?

Keep it kind...(unless it's a rodent)

XO

Miscellaneous Monday

I got in a bit of sewing this morning while Mr Important Pants did some computer work.

Who knows what he was working on?

I finished this flimsy, which is important in my world.

(I like it here in my world, they know me here)

 

I'm calling it Berries in the Orange Grove.

It's bright...& citrusy...& berryish.  {Meglish}

Isn't it weird that I named this quilt?

I never name quilts.

Well, sometimes, I do.

Like right now.

It's happening again, isn't it? 

The incoherent rambling...good thing I'm here in my own world.

I plan to practice Claudia designs on it upon my return to Lola.

I've been drawing them out in the evenings while I watch tv. 

I hope I can find a lime green backing for it.

Who am I kidding...I'll find the backing.

If I look.

I wonder if I will look.

The suspense.....it's engrossing. 

I hope I can sleep tonight.

When he was done with his Mr Important Pants tasks...he became Clive and invited me to lunch.

Clive Bixby is so much better than Mr Important Pants. 

Clive LOVES to eat out.

I decided it was time he saw downtown Fort Myers.

We ate at Fords Garage.

It's a cool place, good burgers, & touristy for Clive.

After we ate, we walked around window shopping. 

Well, I window shopped.

Mr Bixby bought a golf club beer bottle opener. 

He says it's for his boss.

Yeah, right.

Just look at the window we found!

Just for my Toots...her very own Dollar Store.

I love that there's a huge heart in the window.

We strolled along the water a bit...

The Fort Myers Riverwalk...or Harborside...

Or whatever it's called. 

We are perfecting the art of selfie teamwork.

When you are old, selfies can be challenging.

Not wrinkles & gray hair challenges, although those are serious problems. 

I mean actually TAKING the selfie.

After all, we were not raised in the Age of Technology.

We remember Kodak film.

And pay phones.

And typewriters.

And clocks with hands.

We have found if he holds the camera & I push the button, our results are better. 

Unfortunately, I find it necessary to make a face, squint or bite my lip while pressing the button.

I will work on this....

I'm so weird.

See that bridge behind us?

It leads to one of my favorite quilt shops.

It was hard being that close & not visiting. 

My sacrifice is immense.

My suffering unending.

I think Mr Bixby might finally be unwinding. 

He's reading JFK The Smoking Gun.

Riveting...NOT!

Men are so peculiar. 

I'm now going to enjoy a glass of wine with the hubz.

DWTS & Limey are on tonight. 

It's so nice to have someone to watch with me. 

Keep Kindness...XO

Stuff

When Murray went to Mass, I stole a few minutes to sew.

99 Dublin blocks. 

Then we walked to Taste of the Town.

Today was a perfect day to sit outside, eating, listening to music and people watching. 

It was fun, even if Murray got a sunburn.

We had to be back by 430 for some football game.

I took that opportunity to sew a bit more.

The color is off, but you get the idea.

Yesterday, my neighbor brought over a quilt from Indonesia. 

Fans..

His parents were missionaries & brought this back to him upon thier retirement in 1990.

He spent his childhood over there...so cool.

It's batik...but I'd never seen batiks like these before. 

Browns, blues & blacks...

Not stamped, but HANDPAINTED!

All hand pieced & hand quilted, as well.

The design of the batiks reminded me of the Australian fabrics in stores today.

And the quilting design resembled what I would consider Celtic quilting.

What a treat to see such an awesome piece. 

I've had a great year of quilt viewing....that's for sure!

Tonight is part 1 of RHONJ Reunion...

Murray & I have a date with a bowl of popcorn & those crazy broads!

Guilty pleasures...

Remember to be kind.

XO