Have you ever...

...done this??

Yes, the needle is through the pin. I think only I could manage this!

Alyssa's quilt is quilted. Tomorrow is binding and washing. Thanks for all the great suggestions for keeping it from bleeding. Looks like a cup of salt wins so tomorrow night I will give it a whirl!

This is a picture from Saturday and the snow we had. I love how the trees look.

This is half of a 55 gallon drum that protects my rose bush. That is how much snow we had. We now have about 2-3 more inches. I am ready for Spring!

Yesterday was my one year check-up with my cardiologist. They were thrilled! My progress was way beyond what they had hoped and they were all surprised at how good I am doing. My surgeon was there and I got to see him and he was completely thrilled! I didn't come off any of my meds yet, but that's okay, small price to pay! Here are some pictures I took yesterday with my phone. I always mean to take my camera; there are some great churches down there, but I always forget! And of course there was a huge snowstorm coming home!

The New Heart Center (from the parking garage)

One of the churches

Off to blog read and have some hot chocolate! It's only supposed to be -10 for a low tonight! Yipes!!

Question

...for all you quilters out there!

I am not a pre-washer of fabric, I know, the horror of it. But I do want to wash Alyssa's pink quilt before I give it to her because

A. She is a little girl, it will get dirty and
B. No one else will think about it bleeding and will probably just through it in the wash.

So how do you keep the fabric from bleeding when you don't pre-wash?
Any and all suggestions are welcome, especially if they are tried and true to work!

Thanks!

Snow, Facials and A Top

We had a major winter storm here this weekend. There is easily 12-14 inches of snow and drifts from 18 to 20 inches. Lots of fun. I did actually get stuck in the driveway, and after that it was bad, but I am loving Traction Control on my truck! It works great! One would think that my Dear Hubby would have said "Hey its really bad out, I think you should stay home." But he didn't so out I went! So he comes home because I told him I got stuck and brings the plow truck from work. What happens - he gets stuck in the yard because he went too far and it wasn't frozen. Now there are some serious ruts in our yard. I meant to take pictures of the snow but just haven't gotten there.

I actually went to get a facial yesterday. My "son" TJ gave me one from his mom who does that kinda stuff for a living for my birthday last year and I just never used it. So I went. And well not so much, I didn't really like it. It was nice and all but it seemed to last FOREVER! and made my face feel really oily when it was done. I didn't see much difference. But then again, I did get carded the other day...

Yes, I got carded. FOR A VIDEO GAME!!! I had all three boys last weekend at Wal-Mart to spend their gift cards. We were buying a video game rated "M" which you have to be 17 to buy. So the lady says "Are you 17?" I was like "yeah, do you want to see my ID?" Mind you the boys are rolling by this point! She said YES! I couldn't believe it. As I am getting out my ID she says "Are you their mom?" "Yep" I answer. She looks at my ID and says "Oh, OK". Not really sure who was more embarressed Me that she thought I was their sister or her because she carded me. I happen to be 34 for those who want to know! And of course the first thing they say when we get home "Dad, Sara got carded for a video game!!" and start rolling with laughter again!

So next weekend Ashley and her fiance and his daughter are coming up for a visit. We are going to have our little Christmas celebration. So this is what I have been crazily working on to get done. The top is done. All I have to do is baste it, quilt it and bind it! I am not sure how I want to quilt it though. I can't do all that cool stuff so its either in the ditch or meandering. I am thinking meandering, but what do you think?


Not much else is going on here. It has been a great weekend to stay inside and quilt. I do have to work tomorrow since I have my one year check-up with the Dr. on Tuesday. (Mom, Dad I will call you both when I am done.) I am riding with LST and Fire tomorrow so hopefully it will be good and we will get some calls, but no dead guys! I have had two in the last 2 weeks!

I am off to do some blog reading (which I know I won't get to all of you!) and then some reading for book club before I head to bed in about an hour.

Happy Quilting!

Booking Through Thursday

It’s a week or two later than you’d expect, and it may be almost a trite question, but … what were your favorite books from 2008?

Ok, this year was not nearly as good for me reading wise as it was last year. I read 130 books last year, this year only 93. Looking back on my list I don't believe I had any real standouts! I don't think I rated a single book a 5 which is weird because there are several that really stand out. Some of my favorites from this year are:


1. It's All About Him by Denise Jackson
2. Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez
3. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
4. The Necklace by Cheryl Jarvis
5. Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
6. The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer

Notice that of those listed above 3 are Non-fiction. It was a good year for Non-fiction, which is not normally what I tend to gravitate toward. But I am looking forward to reading more NF in the New Year. I did read the Heretic's Daughter about the Salem Witch Trials and would definately like to read some NF on that. I will have to see what I can find!

Overall, a decent reading year (since I didn't really read for almost 2 months!) and hopefully a better one this year!

What have you been reading?

New Shift.

So I started this new shift at work. I am in my last weeks of training before I go on my own. This shift happens to be Tuesday through Friday 9 am to 7 pm. I hate it. I feel like I get nothing accomplished at home and it has only been 2 days!

Yesterday I did end up staying till almost 8 because of the horrible ice storm we had, but still...Its like I get up at 7:00 ish and what can you really get accomplished that early in the morning? I am barely awake. I get home about 7:30 and its dark. Can't do much. Ok, great, I have 3 days off, but still - I don't get to see the kids that much and well, its just stinky!

Tonight I rode with one of our township officers, which is part of my training and nothing exciting happened. I didn't even get to go to the guy who owns the lions and tigers and bears OH MY! Ok, he doesn't own bears, but you get the point.

So while I will probably not be around during the week for a few weeks I will be back on the weekends. And I will have a new project that I hope to finish this weekend. It is a quilt I want to finish for my soon to be step-granddaughter before they come up over the holiday weekend, in just over a week!

Till the weekend, Happy Quilting!

Challenges

I have decided to compete in both the challenges in the previously mentioned post. So here goes....

First, the WIP challenge for 2009. Complete a WIP/project every month. I can do this...

The second is the 09 TBR Challenge. This challenge I actually have to list the books that I would like to read that are currently on my shelves. And they can't be rereads, which is fine because I usually don't re-read books anyways.

So here is my list:

1. I, Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis

2. The Vanishing Point by Mary Sharratt

3. The Zookeepers Wife by Diane Ackerman

4. Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster

5. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

6. Anna Karenina by Tolstoy

7. The Eight by Katherine Neville

8. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

9. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

10. The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

11. One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus

12. Follow The River by James Alexander Thom

Alternates:

1. Snow Falling On Cedars by Guterson

2. Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris

3. THe Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

4. Snow In August by Pete Hamill

5. The Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle

6. THe Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

7. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

8. Golden Country by Jennifer Gilmore

First Top Finished

I finished my first top of the year! WOO HOO!!!

It is something that I had started around Sept/Oct and just finished up today. I like it. Its funky and colorful. I have no idea what I am going to do with it, but I am sure it will find a home. And maybe tomorrow I can start another one! I think I am going to join this challenge since I think I can do it. I am also thinking of joining another book challenge here. I just have to decide what books I am going to put on my list for the TRB Challenge and get everything set up with the badges.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.