Quilt in a Day Forums

Good morning!

I woke up this morning about 0400 and just couldn't get back to sleep. After laying there 45 minutes I finally got up and even disturbed the 'kids', who were happy to get up for an early breakfast. I have a lot to do today and I'll probably be dragging tonite - during our Christmas party! lol!

Today we'll be sprucing up our downstairs 'wreck' room and setting up extra chairs and a buffet table. And we'll try to de-hair our bed as much as possible for coats. Plus I have some appetizers to make. Our guest list has been fluctuating wildly. On Monday two couples cancelled. One was bringing a houseguest of their own, as well, so that really took the head count down by almost half. Which changed where in the house we 'party'. We first planned the party for our small upstairs living room and decorated and arranged furniture. But enough people accepted that we decided to move downstairs to the larger 'wreck' room. Then when 5 people cancelled, we moved everything back upstairs. Last night, everyone called back and said they were coming after all, so this morning we're moving it all back down! Bill and I just looked at each other and started laughing.

I will walk this morning, and then on to the chiropractor, with a quick stop at the grocery, then across the road to fetch our mail at our UPS mailbox, so I'll be setting Bill to vacuuming while I'm gone. I love parties - I love the planning, the preparing, even the cooking. I think it's the party itself that's my least favorite part! lol!

CHICKIE - I sure wish I had some flannel for your mom. I have quite a stack of it, but it's all plaids, Christmas, florals, etc. How was the luncheon you went to? Was it potluck or 'catered'? You know, I think it's not so uncommon for step-children to marry. It sounds bad, but it's really not. Our kids didn't get married until 18 months after Roy died, but they'd been an "item" for several years and never lived in the same house. My dad's half brother on his mother's side and his half-sister on his father's side married in 1915 and it was the scandal of the town. They had been raised together from about age 14, but they were no blood relation to each other.

IRISH - I try to put myself in your shoes but no one really can unless they are living it, I expect. Sadly, we got news in a card yesterday that another of our friends has been dx'd with Alzheimers. We've seen it coming on for a while, but getting the official diagnosis makes it real. You had all tuxedos on your day of cat duty?? What great luck for you! and two fluffys! The best of the best! One of the cats at the party on Monday was a 20# tuxedo. He was one fine dude! And we have TWO eaglets! I feel like we're all honorary aunties!

BECCA - your situation, I can imagine more easily as my DB was so sick for so many years. I so admire you and Irish and my SIL for all the loving care you give your spouses. I fear for my middle brother, Al, who is beginning what will likely be a long road of ca treatment. His wife is definitely not the support you and Irish are as he takes care of her! He figures he'll have to go to a care facility for a while and is worried about who will watch her. I wish Al lived close to me, but he's almost 2 hours away.

TINA - you have really made awesome progress on your quilts! They are beautiful and the kids are going to love them! I hope you do binding by machine because that looks like it will take the most time.

BECKY - I always liked having the kids' friends around. Was easier to keep an eye on them! lol!

Tonite's supper is going to be party food. Cocktail sized chicken salad sandwiches, deviled eggs, cookies, etc. Bill has even sneaked some smoked something in there! In MY house! On one of MY special holiday plates! My own husband!! There will be repercussions for this insubordination.

You're all invited to our party!! We'll be in the big room downstairs! Please don't bring fish!!

mary z

Good morning! We are 20, but going to 60 today! Of course, when I have Choc and Maggie tomorrow, the temperatures will be down again. When I went out to feed the calves this morning, I was greeted by birds chirping—LOTS of birds! Upon further investigation, the trees, hills, prairie was alive with robins! Flocks of robins… everywhere! We receive an influx about this time, and then they disappear until spring. My MIL used to say they were the Canadian robins on their migration.

Mary, I want to come to your party and eat my way through your buffet! You are married to a sly one! Not too many repercussions… remember who runs the bit quilting machine! That is a crazy fluctuation in attendance! Now… if they all keep their word and show up…

Really, no fish… I was thinking of a hot smoked fish dip… OOPS! My bad!!!

I laughed… I also liked to keep an eye on the kids. From the time DD was little and there were 20+ neighborhood kids in the single car garage playing games and running in and out—I served the best Kool-aid and cookies (the only Kool-aid and cookies) and on as she got older and it changed to sodas and pizza or chips and cookies, I always said I knew where my kid was and knew that other parents had no idea where theirs were or what they were doing.

Tina—I love your quilts! I agree with Mary… stitch those bindings by machine! You have been crazy busy!!!

Becca and Irish—I put in my kudos with Mary… you are my inspiration!

Irish—those kitties have to be as wonderful therapy for you as you are for them! When I think of tuxedo cats, I think of you and Mary.

Yesterday, the luncheon was nice—nothing special, but nice. Chicken from Chicken Annies in Girard (there are several different Chicken Annies over that direction—all sprung from the strip mining era and providing lunches for the miners), seasoned green beans, yummy scalloped potatoes, Italian bread, and for dessert cobblers and ice cream. I think the cobblers were Marie Callendar or Mrs. Smith, but still yummy. Yes, I did have chips, melted cheese and salsa for supper.

After the luncheon and extremely short business meeting chaired by DH, I talked him in to driving north 10 miles to another quilt shop. I found a piece of pink flannel and another of cream that I purchased to go with Mom’s scraps. I think she will be in business now, although she doesn’t have any great, great granddaughters… yet. She may make a small blanket for my grand niece who is 9. It’s just good to have a project for her!

Dinner tonight… if I don’t get to Mary’s party, it will probably be steak for DH… maybe Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. Those “nachos” were pretty good last night, and I may go for them with a salad.

Bon appétit!

Good morning!

Been AWOL, but eating. I have been in the Batt Cave sewing. And dulling my good scissors. That minky is a beast on scissors. Still have a bunch to finish, but will get a couple done today. Michael has PT this morning, so I can get things done. He found the outdoor missing lights and put them out last night, in 17 degree weather. I think the train will be set up today when he gets home.

Dinner - later I wil put on a corned beef I got at Costco the other day.

Ethan and the baby cat are becoming fast friends. No longer when he gets out of school, does he want to come here. Now it is home to play with the baby kitty. The other day, Sarah found a bar stool in her linen closet and was trying to figure out why. Then she saw Ethan with the very expensive digital camera taking pictures of the new kitten. He also was taking pictures of his other kitty, Padme, so "she wouldn't feel left out". Ethan changed the camera settings from the manual mode to automatic, so the pictures came out fairly well, for a five year old!

On Friday I will have Baden and Emma in the morning. Matt's company bought out all the tickets at the local movie theatre for the showing of the new Star Wars. Crenda will go with him. Only thing is, Matt is going on Thursday night with his BIL to see it. Aaron and Kate have their tickets for Saturday. Star Wars is a big deal in this family. Even Ethan is a fan.

Mary - enjoy the party. One of my favorites to bring would be banned too! So since, your good dishes would have a problem, I would bring it in one of mine. I have some very pretty christmas themed dishes. LOL Am I now with Chickie on the bad list?

Chickie - checked my flannel stash, but nothing in those soft colors. Glad you found something at the LQS.

Well I should get going. The fog has just closed in on my house and you can't see my back fence, it is so thick and icy too.

Enjoy
Jana

Good morning )
Yes, I'll be doing binding by machine, most of mine these days are done that way.
Mary, I don't think I'd want banned at a Christmas party either LOL I like mine for lunch or supper, HOT. LOL Your party sounds lovely, if I lived closer I'd sure be there in a heartbeat!
Irish and Becca, you both are so loving and caring for you DH's, I find it comforting to read your posts.
Chickie, something happened to my time last night that I didn't get to the flannel stash, I will in the next couple of days though )
Jana, LOL isn't it funny how these little ones can figure out electronics so easily ;o)
Vel, your quilt project looks amazing!

I'm going to be a tad busy today, I have a dr's apt this morning and I'm taking the boys with me and then I'm stopping to get some grey fabric that I don't have that first piece of grey in my stash and Mathew's quilt is having grey borders to match his curtains. Then home to do lunch with the boys, then nap time, then at 3 I need to start macarons for Jazmyne for a school thing they're doing and we're taking her to that because Holly works till 7, I've got to put the spaghetti on before we take Jaz and then run a plate to Mom and Dad after we drop Jaz off then we'll get to eat. My list makes me tired LOL
Tina

Good frosty morning,

Been running around like you all are, shopping, delivering, sending, receiving, baking, quilting, etc. Also got my permanent crown seated. Four replacements down and one to go. Think I will stall it until February.

Got my Jinny Beyer quilt back from the longarmer. That quilt has become the bane of my existence. To begin with it was difficult to make with all its applique and y seams. Had to only work on it in short spurts. Did LOTS of frogging. Then when I finally got it it back from the quilter, I am not happy with the quilting...it needs more, plus her quilting caused the corners to pull down and are not 90 degrees so I had to steam and block to get them as square as possible. Then when I put on the binding and went to cut the edging straight, I failed to check to see if the binding was turned toward the center and cut off part of the binding on two corners. So I had to splice in two new corners, again more frogging. In the middle of this I was dropping the needle, needle coming off the thread, losing the clips, getting the quilt hung up on everything. I swear the quilt had it out for me and was thwarting me at every turn. It did not want to be finished. But it has to be finished and given to the intended by Friday. So I finally have the binding on and am going to do some extra stitch in the ditch quilting and put the label on. Good riddance on Friday.

DH is sanding away on his bathroom cabinets in preparation for the next bathroom reno. But he went down to the wood and now can't match the stain of the rest of pine cabinets. So he is frustrated too, and the master bedroom and hallway are covered in dust. Think I will leave the house for a bit and do some errands, just to let the tension lesson.

Not much else happening. You all have pets to take care of, I just have plants. So I have to share that one of the orchids I saved from my SIL, is putting out a flower spike. I have been nursing it back to health for a year. The other little orchid was in worse condition when I got it, but it is busy putting out arial roots. Maybe it will have a flower spike next year.

Dinner is egg drop miso soup and Chinese stir fry beef with broccoli. DH loves to cook Chinese.

You all have a wonderful day and take a breather once in a while. You deserve it!

**Linda

Hi all,
Sounds like things are happening, as always!
Mary, sounds like your party will be fun, in spite of the banned food! Just look the other way....LOL...
And Jana and Miriam, you sound like you are happy to be on the Naughty List, and Tina too......I think I am with Mary on this one, mostly......
We are glad the kids come to our house too. I agree, a lot of times I don't think parents know that they are at our house either. In the summertime, we have an above ground pool set up, and they seem to get a lot of visitors then too. I usually have drinks and snacks ready.
Tina, your list makes me tired, and I am just reading! But enjoy!
Our dinner tonight, I have a pork roast in the crockpot. Maybe it will smell so good by the time my grands or DD get home, they will go ahead and peel some potatos. HAHA....that was a funny, but a gal can wish, I guess.
Hope you all enjoy your day! Becky

Good afternoon from a slightly snow covered, cold, SW. Pa...We do have snow but not much but enough for me for the rest of the winter....It can go and stay gone!

Mary, We all have decided to come to your party if that's OK.....You know, when you think of the number going up and down, you just have to laugh...I don't know why I haven't taken pictures of these gorgeous cats I've taken care of...Also don't know how I've not brought any of them home with me, lol...I had sent Kathy a picture of a basket full of kittens and told her this was her Christmas gift! Then I sent a picture of a case of wine and told her, she'd also need this....She's now working 10-12 hour days trying to get all the mail and packages out...She might be pushing that retirement up closer....

Chickie, Oh My gosh, I know what Tina mean about something happening between reading your post and looking for flannel...I completely forgot until I came here today...(Just wrote myself a note)...I felt as you did, keeping the kids home and where I could see them...We had our pool put in right when the kids would have started to want to go but that kept everyone home along with what friends they invited...And remember, years ago when Happy Days was the big hit? Well, my living room would be filled with bodies watching that show...Some would even come early to reserve their seat...Loved, loved those days! Today's kids have no idea of what they're missing....

Tina, how can you remember everything you have to do and how can you possibly get it all done????Talk about "Wonder Woman"! You really deserve so much credit, amazing.....

Jana, nothing like a new kitten in the house! Oh boy, do I remember...Before we had our outside cats "fixed", we had 2 litters at the same time, 11 kittens, and the kids would call and ask if they could visit with the babies...Not, we're coming to see you, Grammy, they wanted those kittens, lol...But, that also means, Ethan has a big heart, full of love.....

Becca, Hope your day is going good and DH is feeling better...Is it winter in your neck of the woods?

Linda, it sounds like you will be very happy to see that quilt, gone, lol...A few years ago, I made a "hockey player" quilt for one of the grandsons and I called it the quilt from H*** and when I was done, threw the pattern in the trash...I'll bet your orchids will be beautiful...You really have to have a special touch to raise them...

Well, I'm carless again today...I was so happy when he called yesterday and said, he'd like to check something else and I didn't have to go out last night to get it...He said, it might just be the tires and they will drive it and if so, replace them...So, I guess I'll have to brave the weather and get it later...Terry will probably pick me up on the way home from work..(hate to think about it)...But, I do miss not being able to visit with Jim but I had told him, I was leaving the car and/or if the roads were bad, he might not see me for a day or 2....
Did have a call from my sister and her DH is back in the hospital...He had been working in his shop and passed out, fell off his stool, hit his head, arm and wrist...Was able to call a son when eh came too (my DS was away)..They called the ambulance and after all the testing, really not sure what happened and are calling it a Cardiac Event...But, they are kind of hinting towards TIAs...Always something!
Dinner tonight will be chicken, not sure what I'll do with it and of course that's also depends on, if the fur babies leave me any...I also just took a gingerbread out of the oven, so if nothing else, I'll have gingerbread!

I really forgot to eat last night, I was working on Jim's fleece blanket, then started making toppers for a few gifts and it was about 11:00 when I thought I'd better hang it up...But, it felt good to finally accomplish something....

You all have a great day, stay warm.............

Happy eating..............

Hello everyone,been an up & down life here$DH is up on couch today for 1st time in 5 day’s.Lost 10 lbs.Im Trying Everything to get him to drink & eat.He started yesterday so I’m encouragied.Yesterday was a duzzey.Started out by scrubbing floors from accidents.
Got my town errands done.Come Home & tried to find something he would eat.It Worked.
Stripped the beds & bedspreads today.Lysoled the rooms.cleaned bathrooms,Floors & dusted.Tried to sterilize everything.This Whatever never goes away.The congestion is so hard to get rid of.
He kept saying he needed to be in a Nursing Home.I made it clear that won’t happen unless I can’t care for himLife is never dull.lol

Thanks for your support.I can’t respond to all.Maryz your guest list is a hoot.
I made stewed apples.baked sweet potatoes.cranberry relish.Will add a burger.He asked for some meat so that’s a plus.
UPS just delivered a fruit cake from my DB.He loves them like we all do.Mom used to make so many & I used to always make them but not anymore.

Hugs to all & Happy Eating.Our children too stayed at our house & their friends came over.Our DGChildren used to bring their friends to our house a lot too.loved it that way.Becca