Where did the last two months go?

  Well, if you have checked in lately you will know I have been off line. I wish I could say I have gotten tuns of stuff done, but to be honest a good part of that time I was trying not to walk much and just not doing much. I did a 5K with my girls in early Nov. and for the silliest reason of all I wore the wrong shoes and came home with two huge blisters one on each foot. I a pretty sure I will lose at least one toe nail and maybe two. I have learned some great exercises for my feet and they don't hurt as often as they have most of my life. But this has been a painful time. UGH One of the blisters is gone and all the skin has come off, but still it kind of burns when I walk or stand for long. I am not letting that keep me down I got back on the road last week and actually made it four days. I'm back up to 1.16 mile and that is pretty good since I am just back four days. LOL
  I can say I finished one quilt, and have one that if I can I will finish it either Fri. or early next week. I made four so far beanie slouch hats for two of my grand daughters and I am working on another one for my daughter. We got a work bench for our new to be son in law and it came in the some assembly required form. We got that all built yesterday, and we found a pair of short bar stools for one of our daughters in someones trash. We took them all apart and repainted them and took the seat cushions off and I reupholstered them with fabric I had for her curtains in her living room . Curtains that I also got made during the time I have been off line. I also have completed mothers whole house in curtains and pillows. She got 4 lumbar pillows and I made them to match the guest bedroom and the master bedroom. I guess maybe I haven't just been sitting around after all. It just feels like it.
I have pictures on my phone, but I am having problems figuring out how to get them onto the blog. I haven't taken much time trying to figure it out lately. I did spend a few min.s last month, but not lately.
  We have started our Christmas cooking, and I really need to get more done so I guess I need to get off here. Yall have a very Merry Christmas and a quilty new year.
Tennye

Google Changes and Kit Crazy

  Just a short rant, about Google and the changes they have made recently. I don't use the email associated with this blog for email other than for the blog. I do however have a gmail account I use for email. Now Google makes me connect them to each other. For what ever reason when I clicked to sign on to my blog it automatically went to my other email and I had to figure out how to log in so I could post. Frustration!!!!
  Okay I will leave it along, I just needed to vent. I have bought 2 kits this weekend and I already have another one I got for a very reasonable price. I got to looking at the latest one and I could not have bought the fabric for the quilt for the price I paid for the kit. So pattern, fabric and backing for the cost of some patterns. Color me excited.  I will post pictures along with progress in the next few days.
  My niece had her baby girl early on the morning of the first. They live in Pennsylvania so we have only seen pictures, but she is a beauty. I know her mommy and big brother and sister are excited that she is here. I bought a lovely breast cancer awareness fleece that is white with the pink ribbons. I will embroider her name and birth info then either use a satin blanket binding or just use the serger and finish the edges. The fabric is so pretty, and I know it isn't baby fabric, but the pink is the color her room is decorated in. Maybe they won't think it is a bad choice.
  Update on the 3 UFO challenge, I have the wall hanging almost completely quilted, and I'm working on the hand quilting as often as I feel the urge. As soon as the wall hanging is finished I will get right on to the baby quilt. I am so excited about these 3 getting finished. Well, until next time yall have a very quilty week.
Tennye

Always Anotheer Day

   Well, I just hate it when my day doesn't turn out the way I though it would. Even worse when it is that way more than one day in a week. This week has been that kind of week. I am glad that is hasn't made me crazy, but I wish I was on a better track for completing the UFO challenge and, you know, other things I want to do.
  Last week I found out my first cousins daughter who is 35 has breast cancer. I am hopeful for her, and very glad that she didn't ignore the lump she found on her breast by accident. Through this we are hearing that more and more often cancer is being found in younger women. Not just breast cancer, but cervical and all of the reproductive parts. We aren't being told what they think is causing it, just that is is happening. I know that just a short 3 years ago my daughter was diagnosed with HPV, and after she was treated they did a final pap and it was abnormal. We went through a lot of emotions during that 3 years, but what she went through was more. She got angry, and she decided to fight for her health. She started working out 5 or 6 days a week, and lost over 75 lbs.  She is much healthier and the last pap was clear. After her bad one she went every 6 months for a year and a half. With 3 clear paps she is free to go back to yearly or bi-yearly tests. We get to breath free again, but how many families are still suffering. My heart and prayers go out to those going through it all.
  All of that was to say I have a quilt I want to complete for her while she is taking chemo. I have heard much about how cold they get during the treatments, and I would hate for her to not have a home made quilt to keep her warm , from someone who lovers her very much. 
   On a brighter note, my son got a day off and came to town for the day. He took his dad and I to lunch and we are all planning to get together for dinner. Then he will have to drive back to Houston so he can go to work again tomorrow. He is getting his latest tattoo touched up in the mean time. Guess I will try and get some sewing done while i wait. Until next time yall have a very quilty week.
Tennye

Woo Hoo Great week

 Well, finally things are starting to look like normal again after, what, a year now. Then getting sick two weeks ago didn't help. LOL The end of this week though things in my head started feeling better and along with them I got some motivation to get moving and get sewing.
  I am happy to say I layered my grand daughters wall hanging so it is ready for some time at the machine. Then I got the quilt out that I am hand quilting and I have put a couple of hours into it already. The weather has been nice out side, but that means it is kind of hot in the house. The A/C won't come on and why turn it on if we really don't need it. However that makes it hot enough that getting under a quilt is not as appealing as it would be if it was cooler. The weather man keeps promising us cool fronts, but so far they have not given us cold, just cool.

  I have been out for a while, so let me tell you I had a wonderful time in Chattanooga in Sept. We played hard and we enjoyed our grandchildren. We got to go to a soccer game and just plain hang out with them

 At the Aquarium, there is a tropical butterfly enclosure on the top floor of one building.

It was so cool when one landed on my son in laws shirt.








Hubby and granddaughter had funn playing in the shark cage. 

We got to see three families of penguins with babies. The daddy's had been taken out for the day to get some exercise and food. They were going crazy trying to get back to their babies. 
  I have some great pictures of the creatures we saw and of other things we did, but the site isn't letting me add them the way I want to. So until next time yall have a very quilty week.
Tennye

UFO Challenge for the End of the Year

  Well, I have several things I would like to say ,so I will start with the title one. One of the Yahoo groups I am in has started a UFO Challenge for the end of the year. Three projects between now and Dec. 31,2013. I have chosen the wall hanging I started for my granddaughters birthday last Dec., a baby quilt I started almost 3 years ago and a hand quilting project I should have finished 4 years ago. I get started on it and some major world changing problem hits my family. I think that is all over now and I will be able to finish it quickly now. I am believing that.
  The next thing I need to talk about is the fact that I got an email from someone saying that I have 24 followers on some free.... website. I have not given any one or any websites my permission to publish my blog. So if you happen to be reading this on any site other than my blogspot, I would appreciate if you would come over and post a comment for me. I am not sure how I will take care of it, but I will start with complaining to Google for allowing someone other than me to forward it to some other website. I have read about this one another blog and I thought I did what she recommended, but maybe I haven't.
  I have been MIA for a long time, I am sorry for that, but family life has been stressful and busy for so many months now. My mom and daughter are still living in their homes without them being completely finished. We ,just this week, have gotten the moisture barrier under both of the room additions. That means the underpinning can be completed under those rooms now. Once that is done we will be clear for a few months at least. We still have to finish out the insides of those rooms, but will have time to do that as we can afford it. So excited to see the light at the end of this tunnel.
  I spent a week with my daughter in TN in Sept. , we had a great time, I will post pictures in a day or so. We saw the Aquarium, and Rock City both in the same day. Then we went to Lynchburg, TN to visit the town and tour the Jack Daniels distillery. I will have more on all of that next time, so until then yall have a very quilty week.
Tennye

Can I Say Oh My Gosh!!

  Life has been a roller coaster this whole summer. We went to DFW and picked my mom up from her sisters home a few weeks ago. It has been busier, since she got home, than it already has been all summer. I still have her car with me, but I think tomorrow I will take it back to her. We have a very busy month coming in Sept. and we will be traveling almost all month. I just want this process to be finished, and both my mom and daughter living in their homes. I know hind sight is much clearer than foresight, but wow I wish we had known what this was going to be like. A new house or even a previously lived in house would have been easier and faster than what we have gone through with these.
  Time to sew has been limited and quilting has been out of the question. Now I am working on a reupholster project for my daughter, and curtains for both mother and daughter. Today I finally have time, and here I am writing. I will head to the sewing room in a few minutes, and hope to get back to write again tomorrow.
So until I can get back yall have a very quilty week.
Tennye

Hello, Hello

  Wow, I miss my time blogging and my time sewing. I finally found some time last week and early this week to do a few little things. I had prepped some fabric for a project a month or so ago, and it got cancelled. I got a couple of those out and made some lanyards for keys, and cut out four make up bags.

I made 7 of the lanyards, and then discussed it with my daughter, and we agreed that I had made them too long. So I took them apart while I was watching TV that night, and remade them the next day. I like the way they turned out and with the fabric I cut off I was able to make three more. So now I have 10 in that color and I ended up with enough to make three in the fabrics I am making the make up bags in. I ended up with 13 lanyards to either sell or give away. I have 2 of the make up bags made, and will make the other 2 this after noon if there is time.Yea, I had so much fun just doing that little amount of sewing.
  I have a quilt that needs to be layered for quilting, but I usually have to do that on the floor, and I pulled a muscle in my back at the gym a few weeks ago, so floor time is limited. I am looking for a table large enough to use so I can get on with it. I could clear off my table that I have my sewing machine on, but that is maybe a little more trouble than I want to take. I have started doing some physical therapy exercises, that I found on line for the back, so maybe i could just wait another week until I feel better. I need to work in the sewing room and I don't want to dismantle my table and put it back together. That would mean not getting to work there. LOL
  Well, I guess I need to get back to work on house stuff so I can find time to sew. Until next time, yall have a very quilty week.
Tennye

Will This Ever End?

 Well, it took us what four or five weeks to get mother moved out of her place, and demolition done to the buildings we needed to remove. Then the night before they told us they would move the old one out, we had to take the porch down, and store it for future use. Five weeks later they finally moved it completely off the property. The new house is in place and has water and electric connected. The A/C is in and we have started moving in the boxes and furniture. However, we cant turn the water on because there is a leak that is a factory problem. Problem; no one bothered to tell us or to tell the sale office either. So I finally called them and now they have contacted the plant and we should be hearing from them soon.
  My daughters house is moving much more slowly, since there has never been water or electric on her land. I have a ton of pictures, but just decided to no bore you all with those. Every time I have to go over and wait for some one to do a service, I open a few boxes and empty them. As soon as we can turn the water back on I will start doing some dishes and putting more of the stuff away they I have been taking out of the boxes. I am ready for this to be over as you may have guess. I have had about three good days in the sewing room and I really wish I had more tome to sew. I will soon enough and when I do I will have two projects to really get busy with. So until I have a some more time yall have a very quilty week. I miss you all.
Tennye

I am still alive, but what a month

  Hello friends,
I find it hard to believe that I have not been able to find time to post since April 9th. We have been so busy and done so much, I have pictures to share that will maybe give you an idea of what our time has been like.
  Well, I am unable to upload any pictures tonight, I have no idea why, but I can't delete the incorrect file I uploaded to the photo posting tool, and no pictures will open either.
  We have torn down three buildings, and filled two 20 yd. dumpsters. We have filled a Cool Box which is a brand of pods that is insulated so in our Texas heat we won't destroy mothers things. We moved her boxes and furniture as much as she decided to keep into the Box. When we were down to a chair and a bed we took mother up to her sisters for the duration. They have moved the old trailer off its location, but not off the lot. They poured concrete for the foundations today. I am sure it will be a while before they are finished, but the work is finally started.
  Needless to say I have not done any sewing or crafts in a very long time. I got a message from a friend today that she needed to borrow some rubber stamps. I spent an hour or so in the craft room getting them out and sorting them. I took out all the flowers and put the others back.I got the Christmas ones all together, the critters, and the plants, then I put the others in too. So I can say I did some crafting today. LOL I will be back on to post pictures and just get back into the swing of things.
Until then yall have a very quilty day.
Tennye

Where Has this Year Gone?

  I have no idea where this year has gone, I just know that it is suddenly April and I can't remember what I have done the last three months. Well, that isn't completely true, but I have not accomplished the things I had thought I would have in this length of time. I have quilts to make and curtains to make and so many other things I want to get done. I have to keep on my mother and help her too with cleaning out her house so we know what is going to be moved and what is to be sold in the garage sale. We gave them the down payment and they ordered the home, so it is in line for build. When will it be complete, I do not know. They say most likely in early June, which means it will be getting pretty hot when it comes time to make the move. Our daughter is in the same place and her home is in the same line, with about the same schedule for completion. That may mean two moves in one week, or I guess we can take as long as we need to move her since she lives here with us.

  Our daughter and grand children were here from Tennessee last week, and we were busy and had a great time. We took them to San Antonio to the river walk and the Market Square. We rode the river boat tour, and had a great day. Then on the way home we stopped at the outlet mall so she and her daughter could shop.

Sister with niece and nephew.

Grandpa and I were tired and stayed in the car with the baby. He is adorable and we had a great time with him, Since he had been in the car seat or stroller all day I let him stand in the front floor between my legs. He was happy with that for almost 30 min. then he got bored. He moved to Grandpas lap and crawled all over him. He was happier about getting in the car seat for the remainder of the drive home after that. We did so many things all week long and then Thurs. before she went home her sisters and I took them to San Antonio to the zoo.

Now we have a zoo here in Austin, but we have never been to it and we all grew up going to the one in SA. So that was our choice, and it was a great day, I took lots of pictures, but not as many as the other girls did. However I took them on my phone and I still have not gotten savvy enough to move them from the phone to the computer. I am going to give that a whirl before I post , so if I figure it out you will know. LOL


  Well, I started this post last week, before my husband and I went to visit my aunt and uncle in the DFW area. We had a nice visit and before we left I figured out how to save my photos from the phone to the computer.  Now if I can just figure out the ones I have saved from facebook. I can save them, but then can't open them. ;(

  Since the beginning of this post new things have happened. Mother and Aislynn have signed more papers. Now we are looking at delivery maybe as soon as three weeks. That means we have too much to do, and too little time to get it all done. So this week I must complete everything I need to in the sewing room, and around the house. You see while my daughter was here, she opened the blinds in the kitchen and broke them.  My husband has bought new ones and put them up, but while the curtains are down he thinks we need to wash them and replace them. Needless to say that has added a whole round of cleaning to be done. Curtains, quilts, and other things. I know quilts in the kitchen??? well, they are just an aside, not really in the kitchen.
  I have to go this time, but I will be back. I am documenting the clean out and moving, so until next time have a very quilty week.
Tennye

International Qulting Day

Well, I have been so busy working on my body, it seems that is all I have a chance to do. I am trying to get up earlier, so my day has a few more hours in it. That has not gone as well as I thought it might. LOL I do love to sleep. On the other hand I really want to be healthy and feel better, so I will keep trying. Today I actually woke up at 7 and didn't fall back to sleep, Yea!!! Maybe tomorrow I will get out of bed as well as stay awake. I know how lame is that, but it was cold this morning and I just stayed under the covers. I do not miss having a job, but I do miss that I was up and out early enough to feel good about myself. Now it is too easy to stay in bed and go back to sleep with hubby still there too.
  Okay, so I wanted to quilt on Sat. since it was the International Quilt Day, and I never did, but I did take an hour or so to go to the local quit shop. I had to support them with a purchase of course!! LOL I am adding fabric to my stash to make my darling Grandson a play mat quilt, before his second birthday. I browsed all the new books, and patterns, and of course the gadgets, since I am so crazy about those. I do have a very limited income though so I only bought a few things. My quilt store is in the Spring/Summer 2012 Quilt Sampler magazine and I never got it, so they had some on hand and I bought it. They have some lovely star quilt patterns, I want to try. One even showed an option to make it a table runner instead of a full size quilt. That makes it easier to think about adding to my list of things to do. Honey Bee is the store name, and I love the ladies there, and they have a great variety of fabrics. That makes me happy! While I was there I also got the last fabric for the quilt top I am making for my granddaughter, so sad to say I still have not finished her birthday gift. I still need the backing, but I have the last border now and this week or next I will get the backing and get it quilted. I have a quilt for her daddy's birthday started, but who knows when I will get it done. His birthday is of course the end of March, so I should get it done asap, but with my youngest daughter and her children coming Sat. for their spring break, I think sewing time will be limited, and I am still figuring out how to work out every day and get anything else finished. I get lunch cooked and cleaned, and then wonder what happened to the day after I go work out. I think I am just tired right now, and after I get used to it I will not be quit so tired. LOL
   Well, I want you to know things for my mom's new house and my daughters new house are going very well, and they have both been approved for their loans and we just need to give them the down payments and they will start the building of both places. We are hoping to get them moved in some time around June. We are all praying for the weather to be nice enough for the moving. Here in Texas it can easily be in the high 90's by June, and on occasion it gets into the 100's by then. We are asking for the cooler 80's this year. Sorry I have been out of touch, seems like I get the computer out, and have to get off before I can even get logged on. Until next time yall have a very quilty week, and lets hope for some pictures next time.
Tennye
 

Busy Day

  Well, the insurance adjuster came by today and took pictures and looked at mothers house. I am sending him the photos I posted here this week too. Then mother and I went out to run errands. I didn't sleep very well last night so I was too tired to do any thing when I got home. I have so many emails and little paper work things I should do and I just took a half hour to lay down. I didn't fall asleep, but it was enough to refresh me for the paper ( computer) work I needed to get done.
  Planning a family reunion seem to have been left in my care. I have help in another state, but I have been made the point person. I will learn not to volunteer to help next time. I thought I was going to help and I am not sure how it went from I will help to so glad you are planning the reunion this year. The hard part is done, and now my cousin who is helping me has the information to post on both face book and emails. I have to admit I would rather be the one finding a location and making the arrangements than doing the emails and postings.
  Now that the reunion is on track I am hoping to get back into the sewing room and do some real sewing. The last few days that I have been able to get in the sewing room, all I got done was hemming the jeans hubby and I have recently purchased. Not sure why we have had to hem hubby's, he is getting a shorter length than he has in the past and they are longer on him than the length he used to buy. I am not a tall woman but seem to have long legs compared to the normal. So I buy tall pants, and hem them. Well, I want to get the quilt for granddaughter done and finish an embroidery job I have had on the back burner.
Okay well I have rambled for too long, and I am going to get back to the things I need to get done. Until next time yall have a very quilty weekend.
Tennye

Things Have Been Happening.

   Hello, sorry I was not able to get back as quick as I planned. I have lots of pictures to show. We had a bad wind storm this week, with sustained high winds of 30 or more mph, with gusts of 50 Mph. We were lucky here, but my mom a few blocks away was not so lucky. Her mobile home is well over forty years old, and the roof, of her porch blew off. Well, part of it at least, the center section, right over the front door.

  We found that section in the back yard. Initially we just went over and got mother and brought her home with us. Later at dusk, my girls went over and picked up some clothes and her meds. We made her stay here over night. Hubby was busy most of the day and didn't get over to her house until late afternoon, to clean up the porch and make it safe for mother to get in and out of her house. She went home then and we feel like she is safe. The wind is still

   blowing, but not as hard and the gusts are down around 20mph and less. They say we may get more of the same kind of weather next week. I really would hate to see that, but we will face it if is happens. The insurance people noticed that the news has said nothing about our wind, but talked a lot about the blizzard in the panhandle. Ironically most of the damage they are getting calls about is from the wind. When they showed the storm on radar, it really looked like a hurricane only on land not ocean.

   We have been praying about getting mother a new house, I guess we got our answer. So much stuff has happened since we lost daddy. The water heater went out, the heater went out, and now this. Hubby and a friend have done some work on the roof to make sure it won't leak if it rains. The place is old and falling apart, what happens next. Lots to pray about for sure.

   Well, one of my faithful followers asked me about the quilt. I am not sure which one she is asking about, but I have posted a little of the progress of my granddaughters birthday gift. I will begin quilting it as soon as I find the backing. I feel pretty bad it is now almost March, and she still does not have it. I have a larger quilt all ready to piece for her daddy too. I won't start that though until hers is quilted and in the mail. I want to go see them soon, and had plans for that trip will have to be changed.

 We are having an extended family reunion at the end of April. That is exactly the weekend I planned to go see them. I will have to make plans for another weekend.

Until the next time, I hope yall will have a very quilty week.
Tennye

Happy Madi Gras, and Happy Valentines Day

  Well, I have been busy for a change and not just out of commission. LOL That kind of feels good, but then again I had every intention of getting on here and posting. I have just seemed to get involved with other things thing and forgot. I apologize for that. I had promised my lovely granddaughter that I would have her birthday gift to her by the middle of the month and here it is the middle of Feb. and it isn't finished yet. I feel really bad about that. I do love the way it is turning out though. I will post more pictures soon, but haven't taken them yet. I am not great at applique so it is taking a little longer than it should have. I love it but I am not sure it is turning out the way it should have. The pattern shows using a different fabric for each piece, and I chose to use the same fabric for most of it. I thought the satin stitch applique would make the separations show up, and unfortunately I used a variegated thread and it blends in so well it doesn't. I keep wondering if I should go back and do a small stitch with black so the doors and definitive lines of the car would show better. Some for a customer, and some for hubby and my self.  
   I still have two pair that need to be done, but we are also starting the process of cleaning out my dads out buildings so we can tear them down and get things cleaned out. We also are looking at cars for mother. We had planned to put that off for a few months, however now her car is acting up and we need to make this change sooner rather than later. Everything seems to be happening so fast and yet it also seems to be at a snails pace. She is right now as I write out looking at and test driving a car. She does not need a new one just something that is newer than her 10 year old current car. Daddy got his truck in 2009 right after the 2010's came out. I hope that we can get this done very soon, since we are also starting the process of getting her a different house. Too much too much. LOL I need to have my head on to keep up with it all. I need to go for now, I will try harder to check back in quicker next time. I have some other stuff to talk about, but will save that for later. So until later yall have a very quilty week.
Tennye

A Little of This and That

  Well, I got up this morning with yuk in my throat, and I have been sick too often lately so I got up and took something right away. Well, I have had to take it again and I hate to say it, but I am feeling pessimistic about the prospects of not getting sick. I am trying to think positive, but the throat is starting to hurt. Yuk!!!
  I have started a new project and I am conflicted as to how I will proceed. I am using a pattern, but cutting the fabric at 37 1/2 inches across left a nice piece of the fabric on the ends. Maybe I can make to original pattern and then use those lovely shorter pieces and make my own addition to the piece so it is larger than it is supposed to be. I am still thinking about it. This is for my 17 year old granddaughter and I am unsure if she would like a wall hanging or prefer it be something she can put on her bed. I will continue to think about it. I have a little job for a friend hemming some pants so I will do that tomorrow and then get back to the quilt.
  When that quilt is finished I have a friend from high school who is interested in having me make a quilt for her. She posted a picture of one on face book and asked me how hard it would be to make. It is not a hard quilt, even though I have not made it before, I have wanted to. It is the puzzle piece quilt. At least that is what I call it, the blocks are simple squares, with interconnecting puzzle nubs.
  I love it that some of you are so faithful to comment on my blog posts, so please keep it up. I have book club tonight so I will go have a bite to eat before I go. Until next time yall have a very quilty week.
Tennye

Happy Sunday

  Well the day started out dreary and misty, but has turned sunny and bright. My son is here to get as new tattoo. His sisters old bosses son is his tattoo artist and he comes here for them. He was supposed to be here a couple of weeks ago and got sick. So he made his plan to be here this weekend too. Then he had to work yesterday, so he came in last night about midnight. One of my girls and I stayed up until he got here and visited with him for a while. Just enough time to let him decompress from his long drive. Then he slept almost as late as the rest of us. We had a good breakfast together, then he went off for his appointment.
   I have started a new wall quilt for my granddaughter. Her birthday was in Dec.and I told her I would be late getting her gift made. She is such a good girl and understands that life has been a mess the last few months. I love what it is looking like so far, but I took the pictures with my phone and I have not learned to send them to the computer yet. I bought the pattern and then the store where I got it was having to go out of business and I got two others for 40% off. I will make all of them eventually, and had thought of making her a large quilt with all of them. I only have three though and I am not sure how I will put them together if I do. I guess I could use one of the scenes twice, to make it square. I could even make it rectangular by adding some sashing or pieced boards.  I have thought about this a lot, and I don't have any commissions right now so maybe I should just do that. However I did have a friend ask me if I might make her a quilt. I found the pattern for it and I will message her about it.
  Well, sorry no pictures this time. Until next time yall have a very quilty week.
Tennye

Resolutions or Revalations

  I have been reading other blogs and my groups, and it seems reorganizing the sewing room is the main resolution I have seen. Wow, some of you are very creative and down right genius with the methods you come up with for controlling your stash and organizing your fabric pieces. My favorite is the mini bolts so many of you have come up with. I will be checking out making some of those. I am also going to get out those little scraps and get them pressed and cut up for future use ,then going to add the hst's to the boxes. I have been sewing them to begin seams and end seams. So I need to press them and sort them in color ways. Now, I am not going to get too crazy and say I will be getting everything organized and cleaned up. I would like to, but I know I won't. I am sure I would love the end result, but I would also get started and not sew for months because the sewing room is all messed up. Okay, enough of that.
  I had two new quilting magazines when our life fell apart back in Oct. Nov. time frame. I found them Sat. and they were open to the last page I had read, so I picked up  the oldest one and started reading. By mid day Sun. I had finished that one and started on the next one. One article I read that made an impact on me was "New Recipes for Leftovers" By Bev Getschel. She suggests you make an extra block with each quilt you make and then at the end of the year you have a great sampler quilt for that year. She saves extra borders and small blocks as well. I may just try that out, if I am making my own quilts. Then again I have so many Unfinished quilts I might not want to add any more to what I am doing. LOL
  Well, I started this a few days ago and I really don't have anything to add. So until I see yall again, have a very quilty week.
Tennye

2013 Challenges

   Well, the group of ladies I first met in an on line group did an exchange a couple of years ago of signature blocks that would make either a wreath or a Christmas tree. I have the pattern that will make the star for the top of the tree, or I can make the wreath. The wreath is what I think I would like to make out of mine. We have one or two ladies who have completed their projects, and the rest of us need to complete ours. So we have issued a 2013 challenge to the remainder of the group

   who still need to finish ours, complete them by Aug. 2013. I have added to this challenge completing my own birthday block quilt. I have posted pictures of those block in the past, but here are a few of them just to remind you or show them off to those who may not have seen them before. Some of the other ladies also added their Birthday blocks to the Aug. challenge. So as soon as I get the commissions I have completed and my grand-

daughters birthday gift finished. This challenge will be my first priority for 2013. Along that same line, I have also made the commitment to go back and do the Free Motion Quilting projects from 2012, give them my attention. You see I had thought I would be able to do each of the Challenges they put out last year and improve my FMQ. I just got too busy and I never finished even one of the challenges. Then on my visit with my daughter in TN, my granddaughter

 commented on the commission quilt I had with me on the trip. She asked me why I always quilted in those swirly lines.I asked her why she asked" Did she not like the way that looked?" She said" no I like it okay, but that is the same way you quilted my quilt. I thought maybe it was the only way you quilt." So I explained to her it was a quicker way of quilting and I used it

 when I am in a hurry or behind on a quilt. I also told her I had just learned to do it when I made her quilt and that is why I used it for her quilt. She was happy with that. I however came to realize I need to be a better FMQ'er, and the only way to do that is to practice, practice, practice. The challenge projects should help me with that.  I will use these projects I have been challenged to complete this year, I may even use them on each block of my birthday block quilt. Quilt as I go, and

finished faster and easier.
  I do love these blocks, and I have not looked at them in a while, I look forward to finishing this quilt.  i have not made a quilt for me that is complete yet. I have either given them all away or sold them. I will love having a quilt that I made. Maybe I will even finish the one I have 2/3 completed for my hubby this year. I will not load on to myself the weight of complete all UFO's.

 Until the time I am able to get back with you yall have a very qilty week.
Tennye

Great Vacation and Quilt Finally Delivered

 Hello and Happy New Year to each and every one of you. I had a very nice vacation with my husband. We traveled to visit our youngest daughter and her family for the New Years holiday. We left on the 28th and spent the night with my Aunt and Uncle in the DFW area. We got up early on Friday morning and headed for Tennessee.

   We had a little problem with our car on the way and had to have it repaired before we could continue our trip. That being said we were delayed two and more hours . It made us late enough that we were too tired to continue the drive. We found a hotel for the night and got some good rest. We got up early the next morning and found a Waffle House for breakfast.

 Finally made it to our daughters house about 10 that morning. We sure were glad to be there and the kids were as glad to have us as we were to be there. Our precious grandson seemed to remember us even though it is three or four months between times we have gotten to see him. It is amazing how smart those little ones are.

   He turned 1 Dec. 13th his sister turned 11 Dec. 10th, and then on the 2nd of Jan. his daddy turned 37. They have a busy winter with birthdays since it all starts with my daughter in Nov.
  Our friends who live in TN were able to come visit with us for a couple of days, it is so good to get to visit with them. They are the kind of friends you don't see for long

 Periods of time and just pick up like you saw them the day before. We always enjoy our time in TN with the kids. They wanted us to go see the top of Look Out Mountain where you are supposed to see 5 states. However the weather was raining and nasty, so even though we took the incline tram up and back down all we saw was the top of some thick clouds.

 I have a picture and I think it is very cool. My daughter does not like the tram so she and the baby drove to the top in our van, and then back down. We then went to a surprising cafe in a grocery store. The food was great, but had I been told to try it with out my son in law having already done so, I would not have gone.

On our trip home we stopped in DFW and spent the weekend with my Aunt and Uncle. Other than just stopping on a trip to TN we have not had time to visit them in almost a year. They are not just family, but friends and we always enjoy visiting them. During the visit I delivered the second quilt of clothes to the family who commissioned them to be made. As you can see the one I have photoed in this post. I was unable to take pictures of the first one I had my daughter deliver earlier in Dec. while she was in DFW for a training with her job. I used blues as sashing on that one, but the blocks are almost the same in both quilts. I have not heard from them, but I think they are happy with both of the quilts.
  Well, I have a lot of things that I need to get done in the next couple of weeks, and now it seems my mother is having a problem with her refrigerator, so I guess we will need to go find one. I hope it holds out until we can get a new one delivered. So I will be helping her with that. Until next time I do hope yall will have a very quilty New Year.
Tennye