April's getting it Done and Newfo challenges

Here it is, the last day of the month, and it's time to see how I did with April's Getting it Done goals, and to set some new ones for May.
 For April I wanted to:
1.  Sew together the center section of Cactus Rose
              done
2.  Catch  up on Grandmother's Choice.
           I'm not completely caught up on these, but I did get 4 more of them done. I think I'm about 5 behind, now.
3.  Finish step one and start step 2 of the Bonnie Hunter mystery that is running in the Quiltmaker   magazine.
         Done
4. Pull out and start working to finish Great Granny Squares.
         not even out of the UFO box.
So, that's not too bad. Two completely finished and one partially accomplished.

So, For May, I would like to:
1. Catch up on Grandmother's Choice. The weather is getting nicer, so I can do some of the hand pieced squares that I'm behind on while outside.
2. Paper piece 10 of the border units for Cactus Rose. Maybe if I break this down into smaller sections, it won't seem quite so overwhelming.
3. Finish step 2 of the Lazy Sunday Mystery. 
4. Do 2 more blocks for Thanksgiving Quilt
5. Quilt Endless Chain
6. Bind Disappearing Nine Patch.

As for the Newfo Challenge, the quilt that I started in April, Playful Friends, is now a finished top, and the back is done for it, as well.

For the may. Newfo, I really want to start the pattern called Meteor Shower.

Except that I want to do this layout, pictured to the right here, that is the queen sized layout. And I'll be using much the same colours as shown here, since that is one of the things that drew my attention to it so strongly. This pattern, called Meteor Shower is found in a book by Judy Martin called Scraps. It is a FABULOUS book, but then I love all of her stuff.
Between the stuff on both these challenge lists, and doing machine quilting, and being outside, and working, and going up to see our sweet Avery sometime this month, and working at the hospital, I think I just might have enough to keep me happily occupied and out of trouble.

Stash Report, week 17, 2013

I'm sitting here in my comfy recliner, right beside the window, listening to a cardinal singing for all he's worth. It's not quite warm enough to have the window open, or to sit outside but his voice is loud enough to be able to enjoy his song. This sure is  better than it was a week ago, when there was fresh snow on the ground. And the forecast is for temperatures to be up in the low 20's by the middle of the week.This is what I see as I sit here, and read, and write and enjoy my morning coffee. Another couple of days, and the leaves should be starting to come out. Matt is working on relaying the stone wall around the base of the tree, it was leaning quit badly, and then there will be garden soil and flowers planted all under that lovely tree. I'll post pictures, every now and then, as the view changes. The flowers won't be able to go in for another month, that being our usual frost free time.
I've done a little bit of sewing this past week, so I have a little bit to subtract from the stash. But the main emphasis has been getting back to doing customer quilts. So far, this past week, I've done 3, with a forth halfway loaded. I'll get pictures of them posted on another day.
The only cutting and sewing I did this past week was for the Bonnie Hunter Lazy Sunday mystery, currently running in the Quiltmaker magazine. I just might do some more on that before going in to work this afternoon.

Used this week:                                .4 yards
Used this year:                                 46 yards
Added this week:                              0 yards
Added this year:                         131.25 yards
Balance:                                            85.25 more yards in than out.
I'm linking to Judy's Stash Report link box.

On the needles, April 26, 2013

I actually don't have anything on the needles right now, because I finished, not just one, but 2 pairs of socks this week. Woohoo!! And I will repeat again, I am hooked on this hand knit socks thing. The first pair here are done with Kroy sock yarn, using 2.75 inch double pointed needles. When I first started these, I was kinda concerned that, if the stripes didn't match on each sock, it would bug me. They don't match, but it doesn't bug me. I had set these aside for a while, because I had new sock yarn arrives in the mail. (I told you I'm hooked).

One of them was an Antonia wool, with raspberry, grey and pink colours, that looked like they would work for the pooling colours sock challenge that Judy Laquidara suggested. Well, they are done, and the colours pooled, and swirled and striped, and came out looking really cool. Or at least I think they did. I used 2.75 mm double pointed needles. I sort of adjusted the tension as I went, knitting some sections tighter, or looser than others in order to keep the colours pooling The differences in the tension don't seem to be obvious in the finished product.
I have another hank of wool all rolled up into a ball, and ready to start another pair. I think this time, though, I'm going to research a pattern that works from the toe up. I still haven't gotten the hang of finishing off the toe when working from the cuff down.  I'm linking up to Judy's On the needles box

Good news Thursday

The good news is that today was a whole lot better than yesterday. Number one, I slept last night. Number 2, our taxes are done, and after an old fashioned phone call, rather than trying to do it on the internet, the government tax agency took our change of address, and hey presto...... we could fill our taxes through the internet. And better yet, we're getting some of our tax money back. Woohoo!!
Lets see, what other good news do we have? My long arm machine is up and running well, and I just finished my second customer quilt for the week. This is just a sneak peak. I seem to get a lot more done, now that my studio space is separate from the apartment area, since the distractions, like this machine I am currently typing on, are not up there. LOL!!
I am thankful for this machine that I am typing on. I love the way it keeps in touch with people all over this country, and other countries as well. I remember back when Susan, my dear sister in the Lord, moved away over 20 years ago, the only way to keep in touch was by letters, or expensive long distance phone calls. Now there is Facebook chat, where we can type for hours, and frequently do, and keep up with what is going on in each others lives. And then there is Skype. I can talk with Avery
every week, and see and hear him as he grows, even though he's 4 hours drive away. And then all those other people who I have met through the blogging medium. Just in this past week alone, I have talked, though emails, with people all over Canada and the United States, and even someone in France!! As the kids would say..... "way cool". Or do they say that any more?
I am thankful for my husband, who is always willing to lend a hand to whatever project I happen to be working on, and has done so much to help me get my long arm put back together, and all the other things, like shelves put up in my studio. Not only that, but he has the sometimes monumental task of putting up with my menopausal moments. Poor guy! LOL!! (Why did no one warn us that it goes on for years?)
I like this Good news Thursday thing that Judy has started. It's a great way to sit down, and take time during the business of the week, and to focus and be still and to write, and to just appreciate how good the Lord is, and to look at all the ways that He has blessed our lives.

Have you ever had "One of those days"?

I know you have, we all have. Mine actually started last night. I was exhausted. I wanted to sleep. I couldn't sleep. I finally ended up at about 3:30 am out on the couch, trying to fall asleep. For the last couple of years, I have been taking sleeping pills. I am now trying to wean myself off them, since they are not great to be on. Well, even if my brain wants to get off them, the rest of me isn't too terribly keen on the idea. Every time I cut the dose back, I have a sleepless night or 3  or 4. I did finally fall asleep, and woke up at about 10:45 this morning, so that wasn't too bad. I had plans for the day. I had a quilt partially loaded yesterday, and the plan was to finish loading it, and start quilting it. I even got as far as going up and starting to work on it. Then, my phone rang. My wonderful husband has been working on doing our taxes the last couple of days. He needed some information, so I found it and came back downstairs. And I never got back up. Did you know that doing the taxes on the internet is a 2 person job? Yep, turns out it is. Did you know that you can't submit your taxes until you register your change of address with the federal Canadian revenue agency? Turns out you can't. Did you know that there is a glitch in the Canadian government website that says that you have to log into your account before you can change your address, and we were already logged in to our account, but when we went to change our address, it asked us to log into our account, which we went and did again, and then tried to change the address and then it asked us to log into our account so that we could change our address so we went back and logged into the account and tried to change our address and it....... Around and around in circles we went. I'm surprised either of us have hair left, and that the computer didn't get tossed across the room. AARRRGGGHHH!!! 
So, I think there is a trip to the local office for the federal government in our future so that we can change our address so that we can submit our taxes.
The good part of the day was supper. I've found a local place that delivers organic produce, called Eat Green Organics It's really kinda neat having the stuff delivered to the front door. I'm a very conservative cook, and I usually don't get too adventurous in what I eat or cook. However, with the selections available, I got intrigued, and decided to try some new stuff that is supposed to be good for us. I ordered some bok choy and some Swiss chard and some beets. Tonight's supper was Pork and bok choy stir fry. It was REALLY good!! Tomorrow we try the chard, and then sometime next week we try the beets, probably roasted.
There is a good movie on right now, and I think the rest of the evening will be spent watching a movie and knitting. I'll try for the quilting again tomorrow.

Design Wall Monday, April 22, 2013

 I've been working on my getting it done challenge list for April. The first on the list was to get Cactus Rose out of its long neglected box, and get these 4 squares sewn together. This is a pattern by Judy Neimeyer, but I discovered when looking for the link, that the pattern has been retired, which shows how long I've had this on the go. I was really nervous about sewing this together. The instructions that came with the pattern said to make the whole 71 inch square quilt, and then do the applique. I didn't want to be doing hand applique on a project that big, so I did them one square at a time. That caused the pieced edges of the squares to stretch. But, they went together not too badly, with a little easing here and there. So the next stage for this one is to start working on all the paper pieced border units. I think the next few months are going to have a certain number of them assigned each month. That way it won't be quite so overwhelming.

The other thing on my wall is the beginnings of step 2 in the Bonnie Hunter mystery that is running in the Quiltmaker magazine. It's called Lazy Sunday Mystery. The picture was taken with my iphone, so it's not the greatest, but it will do.
I'm linking up to Patchwork Times design wall Monday link box. Then I'm off to make myself another cup of coffee..... French Vanilla..... yummmmm.... Then I have quilts to load.

Playful Friends is a flimsy...

Here they are, in all their cutefulness. (Is that a word?)

I love that little kitten down at the bottom of this close up, hugging that ball of wool! I think some little girl is going to be very happy with this quilt. It has measured out to be 66" x 80", a perfect twin bed size.








                                            And here's a face that hasn't shown up on my blog for a while,  our precious, not so little any
more, Avery. Laurie posted these on her facebook page yesterday, and I'm pretty sure she won't mind me showing them here. I just couldn't resist sharing them. He's 23 months old now, and we talk on Skype every week. He is so smart, says this very proud Grammy. He can count to 10, and he can recognize and name a bunch of letters in the alphabet. He was having some alphabet cookies for a snack as we were chatting this afternoon, and he was naming the letters before he ate them. We usually manage about a 20 minute Skype visit before he gets restless and wants down from his chair to do something else. When it's time to go, he waves good bye and blows kisses. It has been a very long time since we last saw him, back in October at Thanksgiving. We are hoping to make a trip up to their neck of the woods sometime in May. Then I can hug the boy and kiss those cheeks, rather than just looking at them. He tried to share one of his cookies through the computer with me this afternoon. So very very cute. Be still my melting heart............