Happy Birthday Addison!

It's hard to believe that 3 years ago today I was holding my first grandchild!  Where has the time gone?  It was such an incredible time in our life.  To finally meet this beautiful baby girl was a joy like no other.  She was perfect.  I couldn't get enough of her!

I was still working during Addie's first year and was lucky enough to change my hours in order to watch her one day a week.  To say we bonded is an understatement.  Addie is ATTACHED to me.  Of course, I will never complain about that.  I love her that much back!

When Addie finally started talking, I immediately became Nana.  She was becoming such a big girl with a big personality.  She is our little princess and I love her with all my heart!

Addie is still the ONLY granddaughter in our family!  Her brother Blake joined us and she will have a new boy cousin this summer.  So I guess the boys are winning right now and Addie will just have to settle for being our little princess.

Happy 3rd Birthday Addie!   You are the love of my life!!!!!!

Da Blizzard and Da Quilt

I have been around for the Blizzard of 67, the Blizzard of 99 and now the Blizzard of 2011!!!  Wow, what a storm!  And it's so ironic in thinking back that in 67 I was in Junior High and playing in the storm myself.  In 99 my children were playing in the snow and now in 2011 my GRANDCHILDREN are playing in the snow!  Crazy huh??  And although it's hard to really measure it in inches, the only thing I can say is that it was a shitload!  Reports say anywhere from 12-24" depending on your area.  Even at the lowest, it's still alot of snow. 

I have to admit that I love storms and how they force people to actually stay home and slow down.  Of course the aftermath is not fun with the clean-up but while it's happening, it's kind of a cozy and fun feeling.  This is from someone who does not have to leave the house.  My sister is a floor supervisor for Labor and Delivery at our local hospital and her shift was this morning.  She actually had to go to work yesterday and sleep over so that she would be there.  The hospital goes on emergency mode since that is one profession that you MUST get there.  So I guess I feel thankful that I don't have to be anywhere.

So what do I do during a blizzard? I sew!  Our power went off for about 5 minutes last night and I immediately panicked.  Oh no, what would I do without my sewing machine?  But it came back on and I was able to sew all evening.  I really got alot done on this beautiful quilt out of Bonnie Hunter's new book.  It's called Tomalo Trail and it is such a fun project using up scraps. 

Here is a picture of two rows done out of six!  I am really loving it!

 Of course, it starts out as alot of 1 1/2" strips that have to be cut and sewn together to make 9-patches.  I have a ton of strips that were already cut for a different project.

After they are sewn together in strips of dark/light/dark and light/dark/light, they then get cut apart into 1 1/2" strips and then sewn back together to make the 9-patches.

I need 210 of these babies to finish this quilt.  It then gets a piano key border which is MORE 1 1/2" strips sewn together.

I'm thinking we have one more day of staying in so I'm hoping to get a couple more rows done!  Thank you Blizzard 2011.  You were a big help!!!

The year of finishing...and starting!

One of my New Year's resolutions was to FINISH many of my projects sitting in boxes in various stages of completion.  The first on that list was my Farmer's Wife Quilt, which I already posted about.  Now just because I made this resolution to finish, doesn't mean that I can't start something new! 

Enter the Dream Catchers Baby Blanket by Susan B. Anderson, which was published on the Spud and Chloe Blog that Susan writes.   I have had my eye on this afghan for quite some time because I thought it was a great portable project to take along.  The blocks are all knitted separately and then sewn together.  It sort of combined my love of knitting AND quilting! 

Here is a picture of the pattern that I downloaded.  Did I mention that this was a FREE pattern?  If you check out both Susan B. Anderson and Spud and Chloe, you will find some fabulous free patterns, as well as some you can purchase!  Susan writes her patterns in such an easy to follow way.  I re-discovered my love of knitting by making baby hats out of her book called Itty Bitty Hats.  She has gone on to write several other books and has a new one that is available for pre-order.  You can't go wrong with her stuff!

 I wish I was using Spud and Chloe yarn on this afghan because I know I would have liked it better and if I do another one, it will be out of Spud!!!  But until then, I think this is turning out very pretty.  I love the different patterns for each block.  The yarn was very inexpensive.  It's a non-pilling worsted by Deborah Norville that I got at Joann Fabrics.  It has a nice feel to it for the price.

I'm not thrilled about having to sew the blocks together but Susan has made a fabulous tutorial on how she sewed them together.  That will certainly help.  I made these 5 blocks in just a couple days off and on so they go really quickly.  They each measure about 6" each. 

So do you think I will finish this before I start a new project?  I'm thinking not!  I've got a sewing machine calling my name from upstairs!  I think I may need to visit her!  And besides, I started this with the intention of it being something I can do while sitting and watching TV.   It has a great home next to my Lazy Boy!

One BIG reason to get organized!

I did something last night...something REALLY big!  I couldn't believe I actually did it and when I woke up this morning I thought that maybe I dreamt it.  But nope..it's real!  I'm the new President of my quilting guild!

I do have somewhat of a long history with this guild.  It started out many years ago when my youngest son was a year old.  My next door neighbor and good friend Sandy and I decided to take a quilting class at our local quilt shop.  From that moment we were both hooked!  Within a few years we decided to visit Pride of the Prairie Quilt Guild in Plainfield and immediately became members.  We attended meetings, workshops, quilt shows and events for many, many years as our kids were growing up.  We even held office several times. 

But then in 2002 I decided to work on my degree at DePaul and substituted guild meetings and activities for homework.  After receiving my degree I was offered a marketing job at my company and got totally wrapped up in my new job, which at times required travel both in and out of the country.  In 2009 my working world was pulled out from under me when my position was eliminated.  In hindsight it was the BEST thing that could have happened to me.  I was missing many things I truly enjoyed and also had a granddaughter and a new grandson on the way that I wanted to be able to spend time with. 

These past two years have been fabulous.  I have been able to do things that for quite some time I hadn't been able to do.  I look outside on this below zero day and am glad that I don't have to leave the house.  I have rekindled old friendships.  I have been able to spend lots of time doing things with my family.  I have begun quilting again.  I pulled out my old knitting needles and started knitting again.  I have met some amazing friends through my online knitting community, and I am able to serve as an officer in a guild that has been good to me for many years!

Here's to a successful term!  I know it will be great.....but WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!  :-)

Addie's "In Threes" Cardigan

I am a HUGE fan of Ravelry and love going online and looking at all the different patterns that you can either purchase or get for free.  There are literally thousands of choices for anything you would ever want to knit or crochet.  One pattern that I fell in love with was a pattern written by a woman expecting her third girl...hence the name of her sweater "In Threes:  A Baby Cardigan."  This is the second one I have made.  Addie wore a red one for Christmas.  It is the easiest knit ever.  I did this in just a couple days and it turned out adorable.  I covered my own buttons with a cute pink, blue and white check fabric.  I may still add a crocheted flower to it but haven't crocheted it yet.  It is the prettiest bubble gum pink color and will look adorable with a pair of jeans.  I may even make her a little ruffled skirt to go with it.   

Here is a close-up of the little checked buttons!  I love how they look on it.

The back hangs very nicely with the yoked top.  I wouldn't mind one in an adult size.  Unfortunately it would take much longer than a couple days to do!!!!

Now that it's done and blocked I need to go on Ravelry and pick my next project!!!

On and Off the Long Arm!

One of my New Years Resolutions was to FINISH some of the projects that I started last year (and before)!!  One in particular that was worthy of finishing was my Farmer's Wife Quilt.  As I said in my previous post, I did not want a king size quilt so I only did half of the 100+ blocks that were in the book.  They were way too much work and way too beautiful to leave in a plastic storage bin on my sewing room shelf.   So my goal was to get the top finished and get it on my long arm machine before I lost interest in it!

Here she is all ready to quilt!!!

Once you get it quilted, it has to be trimmed down to size.  I actually got a little nervous while quilting this because I didn't think I allowed for enough batting.  But once I got to the end, I was okay!  Whew!

Here she is in a prominent place on my railing.  I'm still trying to figure out where I can actually hang it in my house because it's way too pretty to use!!!  And folding it on a chair doesn't do it justice because of all the different blocks in the quilt!  I am so proud of this quilt!!!

So, until I figure out which unfinished project I want to work on next, I decided to start Addie another sweater!  This is something I can do while sitting and watching TV and don't have to be in my sewing room to do it.  This is a pattern I purchased off of Ravelry called "In Threes."  It was designed by a woman expecting her third girl.  It is a super easy knit.  I already made one for Addie in red to wear at Christmas so I thought it would be fun to make her a pretty pink one for spring.  I may even make her a dress or a little ruffled skirt to wear with it.  I'm thinking a cute little crocheted flower would be nice as well as some fabric covered buttons in a fabric to match the dress or skirt I make to go with it!

Okay, wasn't I supposed to be finishing projects instead of starting more?  That's the fun of crafting!!!!

What did you do on this snowy day?

No, no, I'm not that fast of a sewer.  The blocks were done (except for 6) but it took me an entire day (and I mean ENTIRE day) to put the top together.  The pattern is called "Farmer's Wife" and it was a monthly class I took at my local quilt shop.  We met once a month and the assignment was to have 10 blocks made for the next class.  The book has 110 block patterns in it.  By doing 10 a month, you would have a complete quilt done at the end of the year.  I didn't want a king size quilt nor did I want to make that many blocks so I opted for the Lap Size, which is perfect.  I only had to do 50 blocks but that was plenty.  The blocks are 6 1/2" so it makes for some difficult piecing.  There was no room for sloppy piecing in this quilt.  And those that were less than perfect fought me when I tried to match them up to a lattice.  But overall, I was very happy with the end result.  If you are in for a challenge, I would suggest you buy this book and give it a whirl!  Or better yet, you can use my book because I won't be making another one soon!!!

I Lucked Out!!!!

Last night was my "after" Christmas Guild Party and we had our Christmas block exchange.  I always worry when I participate in these for fear that the blocks I get in return won't be nice.  Now I don't mean that my fellow quilters don't do a good job, but I mean that they may not be to my taste in blocks.  Well......I have to admit, I got fabulous blocks last night.  I actually took two to exchange and got two great ones back.  But then my sewing friend Sandy made me a Snowflake block just because I said I liked it when she was sewing hers at our sewing bee day!  I love it!!!  So now I have three blocks to start a Christmas sampler.  I think I may have a few other Christmas blocks in my closet so I may have to wait a few years and keep collecting them before I make a quilt out of them!  But this is a great start!

This is the Snowflake block that my friend Sandy made.  Wouldn't a quilt with all snowflakes be a fabulous quilt?  Love it!

And here's the three of them together.  With a pretty lattice strip between them, they will be awesome!!

So now that everything Christmas is behind me, it's time to start focusing on NEXT Christmas.  Yes, that was my resolution that I plan to keep this year!  Work on gifts NOW so I don't find myself under the gun at the last minute!  Wish me luck!

I might just have to keep these!

Well, block #2 is done for my guild exchange on Sunday.  I love how this block looks but it kicked my butt!  First, as you can see from the colors, I used a different green on the center block.  Why do you ask?????  Well, because I screwed up the cutting on the other fabric and had none left to work with.  This green came out of the same fabric line but in this picture it looks awful!!  In person, it really isn't that bad.  But still....not that happy with it.  I also made a note in the book to cut that piece larger than what they say and trim it down (Di, I will explain!).  My daughter-in-law (I can't call her a DIL, as per her request) made this same block and didn't have good luck with it.  Now I see why!  It has tons of matching points on it that makes being precise in your sewing a necessity.  No fudging on this one!

But I have to admit that together these blocks are beautiful.  I almost hate to trade them away in my exchange.  And for the work involved in these two blocks I sometimes have the luck of getting a very simple block in return with not so current fabric.  But hey, in the spirit of Christmas, whatever I get I will be happy with.  There is always alot of talk around the sewing table about exchanges and the thing is that for the work involved in these blocks, I should just not participate in the exchange and make blocks that all match and are done in the same shades and colors and keep them!  But I guess the fun is being surprised by what you get back!

I'm SCARED!!! 

One perty Christmas Block

My quilt guild has their annual Christmas Party every year AFTER Christmas due to the craziness of everyone's schedule in December.  But I kind of like it that way because it's much more relaxed and I really look forward to it.  We always do a Christmas block exchange.  You put them in a paper bag and everyone gets to pick one.  The more you bring, the more you get in return.  I pulled this block out of a great book by Judy Hopkins called 501 Rotary Cut Quilt Blocks and it is fabulous!  It gives you cutting instructions for 501 blocks in various sizes ranging from 6-12 inches.  This particular block is called Flying Cloud.  Our exchange was for a 12" block so I had to make it in the largest size but really loved how it turned out!  I'm thinking of making a second one using a block my DIL just made for her quilt called Around the Corner.  That will be on the list to do tomorrow!

And since this is my first post of 2011, I decided that I needed to document a New Year's resolution that I have on the top of my list EVERY year and never do.  I WILL start on Christmas gifts for next year now so that I don't get to November and wish I had made things that I couldn't possibly get done in a month!  Di, are ya with me???  I have already started writing down those gifts and REALLY want to stick to it.  The only problem is that I won't be able to post about them because my family would read about them and then know.  But I guess that shouldn't be a problem because I can't keep a secret anyway!!!

Wish me luck on my resolution!!!!

Christmas Procrastination

Well, I've done it again.  I start out in January with a list of all these fabulous ideas I want to sew or knit for Christmas and get excited just thinking that I have almost 12 months to get them done!   Welllll....as we all can see, Christmas is only about 39 DAYS away and I did it again.  I procrastinated most of the year and now I have those fabulous ideas swirling around in my head and no where to go!  Now I have gotten some things done but not anywhere close to the ideas I had.  Why do I do that every year? 

So does anyone else feel like they "missed the boat" again this year when it comes to getting your holidays gifts made?  I do have a good chunk of my shopping done and I usually am pretty good about getting a jump on that but it's the handmade gifts that I love to give each year that seem to get delayed.  I can look at the many things I have made or knitted throughout the year but most of those have already been given away or used.

I may have to try a different strategy next year!  I think I said that this year too but hey, I'm not a quitter......just a great procrastinator!!!!!

I won....I won....I won!!!!

I can no longer say "I never win anything" because I have won TWICE this week, yes twice!!!  First, I was at my Scrap Club at Prairie Stitches on Monday night and we had to bring in a completed project that we made with a 9-patch exchange we had.  Well, out of about 18 women, only 3 of us completely finished our challenge.  The owners, who were to judge our projects and pick a winner came back in the room and said that all three of us were winners.  So I received a gift card worth 25 fat quarters to be used within a year.  That is huge!  I was thrilled because I was sooooo close to not finishing my piece.  I only exchanged 8 blocks so I couldn't really make a quilt so I made a table runner out of mine.  It's complete and on my table.  Isn't is cute?

It was so worth me rushing to finish it before class!!!

My second BIG win was a giveaway I entered on Susan B. Anderson's blog.  She is the author of the Itty Bitty books (Itty Bitty Hats, Itty Bitty Nursery, Itty Bitty Toys)  I buy every book she publishes.  Not only are her patterns fabulous, but her books are the cutest knitting book you can buy!  Her hat book is what brought me back to knitting when my little granddaughter Addison was born!  I have made quite a few of her hats for my grandbabies as well as for gifts.  Aaaannyway....she had a contest to win an entire set of Alana Dako's patterns from the Never Not Knitting blog and podcast fame.  I even mentioned in my comment that I enter every contest and never win.  Wellllll.... I got an email today from Susan and I WON!!!!!!!!!  I won a set of all 13 of Alana's patterns, which are beautiful!!!  I can't wait to receive them.  Now to decide what I will knit first when I receive them.

On another note, I posted last time about finishing Addie's Little Tea Leaves Cardi.  Well, I finally got a picture of her in it.  Isn't she a goofball?   I was so happy with how it fit.  I'm always nervous knitting garments due to size issues but I have to say I nailed this one.  It fits her so well and looks so cute on her.  I think I might have to start a red one for Christmas!  I guess I better get knitting!!!

Sweater finished - check!

Remember this cute little sweater for Addison...minus the sleeves?  I started on it a long time ago.  Well, IT'S FINISHED and ready for her to wear this fall.  I am so proud of myself for finishing it up.  I was actually inspired to finish because I saw my friend Lynne's pictures posted on Facebook and her granddaughter Lily was wearing her sweater.  I knew I only had the sleeves to go so decided to finish it up!

Here is a close-up of the pattern on top.  It almost looks gathered and was very fun to do.  The pattern is called Tiny Tea Leaves Cardi by Melissa LaBarre.  You can find the pattern on Ravelry.  She also makes an adult size version of the same sweater.

And here is the final sweater....done and ready to wear.  I chose different buttons for it because I thought the dark brown ones were too big so I added a flower button in a shade that picks up the variation in the sweater.  I used Dream in Color yarn in the Butter Peeps colorway.

Boy it feels good to finish something!   Now I can't wait to take pictures of Addie wearing it!!!!

A Beautiful Fall Day at the Zoo!

Today was a beautiful fall day so Jen and I decided to take the kiddies to Brookfield Zoo. We were so lucky to have fantastic weather and got to be up there for Boo at the Zoo. Alot of kids (including big ones) were dressed in their Halloween costumes; as well as all the employees.


We rode the tram around the park to start our day. Although we didn't take a path that allowed us the chance to see too many animals, it was still fun to ride it around and enjoy the beautiful day!

And of course no trip to the zoo would be complete without a ride - or two - on the Merry Go Round. Addie was trying to decide which animal to ride with Mommy and chose the Lady Bug.

Here she is all ready to go round and round!

Nana always wants to buy the kids a stuffed animal when we go to the zoo. They are getting quite the collection. Today Addie and Blake both wanted a Polar Bear. But Addie's favorite treat this time was a long sucker! We have never let her have one on previous trips but since this was probably the last visit this year, we decided to treat her.

Do you think she is enjoying it?

On our way out she wanted to carry her Polar Bear AND her sucker AND walk like a big girl! Whew, lots to do at once. But I have to admit that this was by far the best trip to the zoo we have had. Both kids were absolutely perfect.

And to end the day I had to capture a picture of the loves of my life! Good Bye Zoo....see you in 2011!!!!!

Hoppy bootday to you...hoppy bootday to you.....

Today is my daughter-in-law Diana's birthday. She made me spell it out because she didn't like being called a DIL. I wonder why that bothers her? :-)

Yesterday we spent the day together and did several of our favorite things...went to the fabric store, the whole foods store and Barnes and Noble. Could it get any better than that? Of course, after we got home she accused me of being an enabler. Go figure!

Diana has become my partner in sewing crime. Just a short two years ago she asked if I could teach her to sew and quilt. Her first investment was an inexpensive Brother sewing machine. Within a VERY short time, she needed a better machine and moved up to a Kenmore. Well.....if it means anything, her skill has advanced so much that she is now sewing on this bad boy!! The Janome Memory Craft 6600! Fabulous machine!!!

and...boy does it get the use!!!

I can't even BEGIN to list the things that Diana has made. Anyone who has sewn as long as I have knows what experienced sewing looks like. That is exactly what Diana's looks like. You would never, in a million years, believe that she just started sewing. Her work is THAT good!
I am still working on her to admit that she is good but we haven't gotten there yet. I need to really show her UGLY to get her to understand!

And this birthday post would not be complete without mentioning my son Adam! I tell Diana all the time how lucky Adam was to have found her! They complete each other and Adam could not have found a more perfect partner in life. We could not have found a more perfect addition to our family!

So today "My Wish" for you is many, many more wonderful times together sewing, creating, laughing, crying, celebrating and enjoying being family! You have been a blessing to me and I would be lost without you in my life.

Love you Di!

I got my game back!

My DIL Diana had a blog post the other day about our "obsessions" and I couldn't help but comment on my #1 obsession...golf! Of course, anyone who golfs knows that it can be a frustrating sport. You can have the shot of your life one moment and then be in the dumper for the next.

My game has been kind of in the dumper for about a month. I had the best round of my life and then - WHAM - couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. I really wished that I could have bought a driver like this one. Chances of missing the ball would be slim. But then as badly as I've been playing, this might not have helped at all!

Well finally I GOT MY GAME BACK!!! My swing had left me so I decided to go hit a bucket of balls at the driving range. I had to figure out what I was doing wrong. Since golf is such a mental game, I think that half of my problem was the "head" part. I knew what I was doing wrong but couldn't correct it. I would stand over the ball and say to myself...head down, eyes on the ball, bend your knees, put your hips in it, follow through. I would then proceed to whiff it!!! Geeze, it made me nuts. Then suddenly the light bulf went off and I realized that the missing component was my backswing. I just wasn't taking the club all the way back and was doing kind of a half-swing. How could something so simple be the problem? Well, if the club is not in the slot, it's not going to go straight.

To all of you non-golfers, sorry for the boring post but I just wanted to celebrate my "new game" and to let you know that I have played the past two days and feel good about my game again. I played today with my neighbor Audra and we almost had the course to ourselves. We had lots of fun and even went looking for the "19th" hole. Nowhere to found today. Bummer! Well, maybe next time.....if we are lucky!!!

Happy Birthday to my baby girl!

How could it be possible that 30 years ago today I was looking down at my beautiful baby girl and feeling a love that no one could ever explain. I remember the long nights and exhausting days taking care of you as a newborn. All the while I had to keep saying to myself...enjoy these moments because they will be gone and I will never get them back. Cuddling you and holding you against my chest while you slept is a feeling that I can remember like it was yesterday.




How could it be possible that 5 years later I was putting you on the bus for your first day of kindergarten. I remember everyone saying that the school years will fly by. Enjoy each moment of these interesting, frustrating, fun and joyous days because they will be over before you know it.

How could it be possible that I watched you walk across the stage as you graduated from college. When we moved you to Carbondale for your first year of college I remember everyone telling me that if you thought grade school and high school flew by, wait until college. I remember watching you in the rear view mirror as we drove away...leaving my baby girl 300 miles away from home without her Mom!!! Could it be possible that 6 years passed that quickly as you completed your BA and MA in English?

How could it be possible that my little girl was now a grown woman getting married? Where did those years go? How could they have passed so quickly? I remember everyone saying.."wait until the grandbabies start coming." Your life will take on a whole new meaning.

How could it be possible that my sweet baby girl was now looking down at her baby girl....not yet understanding how quickly the years fly by. As I would hold Addie against my chest as she slept, I couldn't help but think about the days that I rocked her Mommy to sleep the same way. As I looked at the love in your face as you saw your baby girl for the first time, I couldn't help but remember that same feeling when I saw you for the first time.

How could it be possible that my sweet baby girl now has a son. As you watched Addie grow from a baby to a little girl, I know that you are now realizing how quickly time flies and that these hard, frustrating, exhilirating, beautiful moments with your children will be gone in the blink of an eye.

How could it be possible that I am now Nana to two beautiful grandchildren? I look forward to the next 30 years with them as I watch you continue to grow into a beautiful Mother who will wonder how time has gone so quickly! Enjoy the moments!

"I'll love you forever, I'll love you for always. As long as I'm living my baby you'll be." Happy 30th birthday baby girl.

I love you Jenny,
Mamacita