Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Catching Up

It's been awhile since I last posted.  I have been busy and got out of a morning routine.  Now to get back to the routine, maybe add something new also.  Thanksgiving was great.  I actually did not work myself to death this year.  I had more time to relax and enjoy the company.  My oldest son helped with some things the day before and that really made a big difference.

I found a new secret.  On Black Friday, I skipped the mainstream shopping.  I don't like fighting all the crowds.  I scheduled my mammogram instead.  There was no waiting (actually they called me many hours before my appointment that morning and told me to come in anytime, the day was open.  They were waiting for me!) and I was in and out in probably 30 minutes.  I think I may do this every year that I am in town for Thanksgiving.

I have been working on a friend's quilt.  Will post pictures later this week when I finish quilting it.  It was a round robin.  She made the center and then it was passed to four other people and they added a border.  I am always surprised how they turn out.  Our quilt show this year will feature the round robins that were done so that the community can enjoy them.

I have started some of my Christmas shopping.  Two people are already off of the list.  And I have started doing some baking.  Our family favorite is Christmas Sandies.  There are no nuts in the sandy, it is crasins and lemon zest.  So tasty!  Today there is a holiday bazaar that our extension office is putting on and several ladies in the area also do demonstrations.  I did not come up with something to do this year.  This is the first year I have not done a demo.  But, I will be there to support the group. 

Got a new camera, so I will be learning how to use and get great photos.  I signed up for a class at Craftsy.com.  It is mainly for learning to get great product photos, like quilting details for my blog and files.  Well it is time to get ready for work, so have a great day.  Keeping my fingers crossed hoping that I won the Slice kit from slice.com.  I wanted one BAD and the price was really good for a black friday special, but I decided that I could win (the chances are 1 in 64) or continue to cut the pieces manually as I have in the past.  If I don't win, I will keep an eye out for a special in the future.  Have a great day!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Day Off

Had the day off for Veteran's Day. I have spent the day cleaning house. I cleaned the bathroom with scrub free cleaner for bleach. Burnt my nose. I couldn't smell for some time. Only smelt something strange. Warning was to use in a well-ventilated area. No windows in the bathroom. Guess I stayed in there too long. I am better now. I also clearned/defrosted the spare refrigerator. It has been several hours, and it is still dripping. It was freezing everything in the refrigerator section. Hope defrosting it takes care of the problem. Also got the grocery shoppinjg done as well as the laundry. And vacumming downstairs. Boy am I tired.

Matthew took my car to Plano to look for himself a new car. On his way back, I had him stop for sushi. Mmmm, mmm, good. This afternoon, I am going to work on my family cookbook and get rid of recipes that are not famliy recipes and never even been tried. Trying to get it more organized. Might even do a book at Christmas of the recipes and pics of family on Shutterfly.

Have a good day.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

25 Years

Today is my 25th wedding anniversary.  Never thought that I would make it (back in the beginning).  Not that we had trouble, but it is a long time.  Jim and I are very happy.  We barely ever have disagreement.  We learned a long time ago to compromise.  He also made me work on communication.  If a couple doesn't talk to each other about what bothers them, it can never be fixed or changed.  We had ground rules we set for us.  I think that cut down on problems that might normally arise.  I can't imagine my life without him.  He supports me in ALL that I do and I know that he loves me deeply.  And most important, we have God in our relationship.  He guides us, protects us, and provides for us.

Elections are over and the President will stay for another 4 years.  I guess life will continue as it has been.  Enough said.

This week is full of funerals for me.  A co-workers father passed away and was laid to rest yesterday.  One of my quilting friends lost her husband and he will be put to rest tomorrow.  The service yesterday was a good one.  He really spoke about heaven and hell.  There was not much crying at the funeral, instead we were laughing at times.  It was a celebration of his life.  Make sure you have your eternity sealed up because heaven and hell both exist.

Have a great day.  I am going to dinner at a great local resturant tonight and have a first rate chef prepared dinner.  Jim and I have been licking our lips for days waiting in anticipation.  We made reservations 2 weeks ago.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Do Your Duty


Today is election day.  I did early voting a week ago.  If you are a registered voter, please make sure you have cast your vote.  If you are not a registered voter, shame on you.  I feel strongly about voting.  It is a duty, right, and gift to be able to vote.  Not all countries get to vote, they just have whatever is in place for leadership and that effects how you live.  I do believe that our soldiers help to protect our right to vote, even if they are fighting a war in another country.  Our country is set up so that we can vote and give our input to the law making decisions.  I also believe it is a gift.  God placed you in the family and country that you were born.  It has affected how you live, how you were raised, your thoughts and actions. You could have easily been born in another family in another country.  I know not everyone will accept that belief.  But I feel blessed!

Today is a sad day at my office.   A co-workers father passed away and his funeral is today.  She has had it hard for the past year.  She lost her mother earlier in the year.  It was a surprise that her health began deteriating as fast as it did because her father had more issues going on.  For about a month, she had one parent in the hospital in Tyler and the other about 60 miles (which was 30 miles from us) from there.  She was in the middle.  She would have to go back and forth between the two cities and try to keep up with the care each was getting.  For the past two months she and her brother have been the care givers and split up the time to stay in the house to keep a watch on him becuase there was not a full-time hospice nurse (he wasn't to that stage).  During the past year she has had her first grandchild born and another daughter get married.  It has been quite a year for her.

Also, a friend has lost her husband.  I think they were married for almost 50 years.  His cancer returned unexpectedly and spread quite fast.  They found out the cancer was back first part of September.  The good new is both men were Christians and they are in heaven with no more suffering and visiting loved ones.  Their loved ones here will see them again another time.

Tonight after work, I have to start gathering for the garage sale.  I may even start loading the car so I can see how much room I have left to stuff things in.  I am going to Waco this weekend for the sale.  Have a good day.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Houston

Boy!  What a trip.  I left on Friday after work so we could spend Saturday at the show.  I have always worried about going on a Saturday, that it would be too crowded.  It was magnificent.  No traffic...on the road or at the show.  We did not have to stand in line to buy a ticket to get in.  We were not cramped shoulder to shoulder.  This allowed us to actually get in the booths and shop.  You had more of a chance to talk to the vendors, especially the ones doing the demos.  There wasn't a crowd you were competing with the be heard and they wanted to sell.  The only downside was that several things were already sold out.  But hey, there is shipping!  My big purchase was Pearl P's Autum Harvest Baltimore quilt. I will be working in this for probably a decade.
The blocks are so cute.  They have pumpkins, squirrels, crows, scarecrows and wheat.  Plus a few more things.  I bought IT ALL...the show stopper special.  The kit, the applique tool kit, and the special tool kit for applying the glue baste.   I would have purchased the thread too, but they were out.  I was with my sister in law and she was surpised I called my husband to get permission to purchase.  He had told me earlier in the year when I saw it on Keepsake Quilting that I could purchase it.  I wasn't sure about it because, it was fusible (already attached and cut out), and it was so expensive.  I know it will take me a long, long time to get it finished, but I will do it.  I think with having my sister in law working on it also, we will encourage each other.  The good thing is, I have it here and don't have to wait for it to be shipped monthly.

Now for some pictures:

BEST OF SHOW

 
BEST HAND QUILTED



I noticed something about my picture taking when I was updoading the images to the blog.  I am a quilter, so I generally focus on the quilting aspect of quilts.  That is why you see pics that are of the quilting and not of the entire quilt.  If I liked the quilt becuase I might want to make something like that or the block really apeals to me, I take a pic of the entire quilt and sometime a closeup of the blocks.  So that is why you do not see pics of the entire quilt in the following photos.  This is not all that I took, just what I posted to the blog.




 
 
 
Have a good day.  I've got to go to work.  I forgot to post about Jim's weekend.  He stayed home, it was opening weekend for deer season.  He got an eight-point buck.  So there will be meat in the freezer.  (We only kill what we will eat.) He was at the meat processor when I called him about the quilt.  He is very happy with himself.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Houston Bound

I'm getting off work early today and heading to Houston.  I am going to my sister-in-law's house to spend some family time.  Tommorrow, she and I will go to the show.  I haven't been in several years.  I am so looking forward to going.  I am not planning on doing a bunch of purchasing, but will have the means to do so if neccessary.  I will take pictures and post after I return. 

Hubby is not going.  This is the first weekend of hunting season.  He plans hopes to get a deer.  I cooked venison burgers last night for supper.  So good.  We have just a few sausage packages left from last year and one stew meat.  Our favorite way to eat venison is to marinate it with one of the McCormick Grill Mates for a long time and grill.  So full of flavor and tender.  We eat that a lot in the summer.

Have a great weekend.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

People

People are funny sometimes.  They don't mean to be, but different things they do are sometimes just funny.  I am sure I make people laugh at what I do (or don't do) at times.  I work in a tax office.  Becuase it is a public office, we are sometimes an information center.  We can tell people where most things/people are located in our county. Even though it is a small town, we still have to give directions to the office.  We use the huge hardware store next door as a landmark.  If you are coming from town...if you make it to Hooten's you went one driveway too far.  Coming from Greenville...we are the driveway right after Hooten's.  Hooten's is a family owned hardware store that has expanded so much it covers more than one acre and is almost as large as Home Depot.  An elderly lady poked her head in our office yesterday and asked if this was the hardware store.  We told her it was next door and she could not see it.  After she left we laughed so hard.  We have never been mistaken for the hardware store.  The library (which is next door on the same driveway) maybe.  They come in the office and ask if this is the library.  No, do you see any books?  Politely we redirect them next door to the building that has huge letters LIBRARY on the front.

Another day...people usually lay down their keys on the counter and sometimes leave them here.  I was talking to one man who had laid his keys down.  Then another comes in.  He waits while I finish up and the first man leaves.  The second man sees keys on the counter and thinking I laid down my keys, puts them in his pocket.  The first man returns looking to see if he left his keys.  Man #2 pulls two sets of keys from his pocket identical to each other.  He said I didn't remember putting down my keys and didn't want to leave them so I picked them up.  They had to hit to open button to see which set belong to who.  I have worked here 6 years and that has never happened before.

Hopefully, you are getting some sewing done.  Maybe I can tonight after work.