just how I Imagined it.........

My babies are here in Utah.....They are tucked up in their beds ready for a good nights sleep and I am oh so happy....I don't think I could ask for anything more. We left on Wednesday morning at 7 to make the trip to Portland. They were waiting for me. I slept between the two of them with a big smile on my face. That night, Don ended up in the ER with a kidney stone....He got some really good pain medication and slept most of the day while my daughter packed a moving truck. I played with Andrew and Olivia and Lisa kept little Trace. We left yesterday morning at 7:oo with an 8 yr old, a 4 yr old and an 11 month old....Lisa drove the truck and Don the car...I played with the kids...A twelve hour drive took 16 hours....Don and Lisa are exhausted, I am happy....I have smiled so much, my cheeks hurt....So they are tucked now in the room I redid for them and all the work was worth it. They both love it and feel right at home.

Andrew was all happy to get his picture taken, Olivia is tired and ready to get in her p.j's so she put them on her head in protest....it has been a long couple of days....for the kids too.

Have I said yet how happy I am?

Famous?

My fabric piece is officialy on the Quilting Arts magazines website under online extras.....

Remember this guy?
Here is the link to see it....Someone is even requesting to buy it....Does this mean
I am famous? I feel famous...kind of....

http://quiltingarts.com/media/p/14763.aspx

One World One Heart Giveaway!

It is that time again and it is a Magic Carpet Ride...One World, One Heart is a blogging event that was started by Lisa Swiftco of the Whimsical Bohemian...It has grown to epic proportions and last year, included bloggers from all over the world.....Please click on the logo on my sidebar to go to Lisa's blog and find out how to participate...
As far as my blog, WELCOME and thank you for coming by....I was in the event last year, and made some really good friends...I also won three wonderful giveaways and got to visit all kinds of beautiful blogs...Blogs that I never would have found on my own! For my blog give away, just leave a comment with a way for me to reach you in case your name is drawn....please also feel free to look around and have a little visit...I love company! You must have an active blog to participate in this giveaway since it is a blogging event.......It ends February 15th when will draw a winner....
Here is my prize:

It is a handmade charm necklace on a gunmetal colored chain.....I wore one of these to a craft fair and people were coming up to me asking where I got it, so I thought it might make a nice prize....It is a longer necklace, and it looks really pretty against a sweater or plain blouse....I also have decided, for every 100 entries, I will be adding another giveaway to this post and they will get bigger....So leave a comment, have a look around and go visit some blogs! This is going to be fun.....Melinda
Update: It is The second day of One world, One Heart and I have over 150 comments! holy cow...I am answering them and also visiting blogs and seeing so many woderful things...After a lot of thought I am going to cap out the prizes at three....I just dont want to overextend and have anyone be disappointed....so My second prize is a custom quilted and painted pet portrait....There are about 11x 13 roughly and really fun....Here are a couple I have done.....

this is Elvis in real life.....
and here he is made into a quilt for his owner......

I did one for One World One heart last year and Marilyn Butler won...This is her cat Emma......

and here is Emma immortalized in a quilt just for her mom.....(she was really hard to do with all the grey).....

Thanks again everyone for stopping by and keeping me so busy!!!!!

Finished quilt and goodies!

Wow! Busy couple of days here with the blog, and more to come with "one world, One heart" starting tomorrow......Yesterday was so fun with the Valentine Sewing party....I really am looking forward to revisiting all the new blogs I found...There were some really beautiful blogs participating and some really nice people to go with them. The rodeo was fun last night...I am really glad that we went. I have gone to Bull Riding events only, but not a whole rodeo.....The Bronc Riding events are amazing...Those huge horses are flying up in the air every which way and those crazy guys are voluntarily riding them....No woman would be stupid enough to do it..I screamed and shrieked and hid behind Don...It was nerve wracking and I loved it...They play such good loud music too...In between the screaming, I was rocking to the beat...Don just smiles.....Gotta love the man for putting up with my antics....The first picture I wanted to post is a better picture of my little "Bee Mine" wall hanging.....I was in such a hurry and I laid it on the floor and it didnt come out very well....In the pattern, the two red hearts were totally plain so I dressed them up....

All the black words and the stitches, I just dropped the feed dogs and free motioned....I love the bee fabric....Utah is big on beehives....not sure why?
I also finished my split 9 patch a couple of days ago and I adore it.....it is really funny, because one of the reasons I didnt ever finish it was because I didnt think I would like it....I love how the half white blocks make all the colors pop out and say "hi"! I didnt have a pattern to follow so I just laid them on the floor and played with the pattern....It is 54x54 so I put it on the kitchen table...I used cotton batting and then quilted the heck out of it (no cussing this time) and then washed it so it is nice and crinkly...just the way I like it.

Here is my newest quilt inspector doing his job before I put binding on it and washed it....He gave it an a+....(Hasnt my little Joe bobbins grown? he now is officially an "it" too, cause he had his little bobbins removed....heehee)


Today I looked out the window and there was a man bringing up a beautiful wrapped package.......I heard him ask for me and I ran out in my ratty tshirt and four sizes too big boxer shorts....."Me, it's me, right here! "...Have I ever said I love presents and surprises? I am sure it was just a lovely picture....It was Kim's husband, my "Enchanted Swaps" husband and it was her package for me.....

It is so pretty all wrapped up like this....and she has been battling health problems too....She is a great recycler and her blog is at http://greenhoneyhive.blogspot.com
The box is a recycled box that she decorated and made an ornament box out of....inside she put buttons, Chandelier crystals, A valentines panel, fabric and some denim squares....it is a treasure trove....The theme was pinecones and acorns and look at these ornaments......

I love them! Thank you so much Kim for the wonderful everything!
This week is going to be very busy, cause we are driving to Oregon on Wednesday to get my daughter and my babies...She really is coming to Utah...I am so excited! It is going to be one of those long car trips but it will be worth every minute!!!!! Life is good and I am oh so grateful.......

Valentine Party day.....

UPDATE: 5:40 pm....Well, I didnt finish four projects, but I got two done and I am very pleased with them....the party for me is over, the sewing room looks like Hurricane Rita blew threw it and I am tired of Diet Coke.....Here are my two finished projects....the wallhanging.....


and the Teachers Valentine......


I am off to get ready for the rodeo and I will visit everyone's blogs when I get home later tonight....This little party was really fun and I look forward to meeting you all and seeing your wonderful Valentine creations......until then dont eat to much chocolate..........


UPDATE: 4:15
I finally gave in to the tireds and took a two hr nap....I was doing good, thinking I had lot's of time to finish all four projects...Well now it is feeling like Project Runway around here , as I am under the gun.....Don let me know that he has rodeo tickets for tonight at eight so that means I have two hours left to sew! Darn it! The Wall hanging is almost done and I am pretty sure I will finish the one Valentine....We will see....back to the projects! UPDATE:

Ok, it is about ten thirty and I have made some progress....I am working on two things right now...The first is a "Bee Mine" wall hanging...I didnt cut out anything ahead of time, but it is a really easy little project so I am doing fine.....here is a little peek of the bee all appliqued...


I also am going to make a really cute heart potholder and two fabric and paper sewn valentine hearts for a friends grandchildren to give to their teachers...Here is the start of one heart...

Gonna go see what everyone else is doing...........
POST #1
I am a terrible sleeper at night and usually about 5:00 am I am just starting to fall asleep, but here I am up and ready to sew......I have a couple little projects ready to go, lot's of hot tea and a can of diet coke and some chocolate to keep me going.....I will check in with some progress photos soon.......

A is for Angel of Mercy........

....
I had the privilege to know and love someone all her life and yet I never really saw her in her glory until the end of her life.....I am talking about my mom.....If you follow my blog, most of you know that I lost my mom to breast cancer in 2002 at age 56...Way too young...She always had a very compassionate heart towards the sick and the old and her friends meant a lot to her...I remember when I was a teenager, she went to a women's bible study and they were studying different spiritual gifts that God gives us on this earth....She was a "mercy"..... I don't know too much about the study but that just stuck in my mind....After the cancer came back for the third time on her chest wall, (you know, where her boob used to be) the Dr recommended a bone marrow transplant...She went up to OHSU in Portland to check into the bone marrow transplant ward...It is a sad place.....Using intense chemo, they kill your system before they can put in the marrow and it is a long ugly process...Within a day of being there, my mom knew who everyone was and what their story was....she was the cheerleader....I would come after work to see her and she wanted me to go sit with the kid next door to her who had no one in the state. ( all his family was in Boise) The first few days while she was settling in, she was making her rounds, cheering everyone on...Then the medication hit and the hair went, the pounds went and the skin turned yellow....she didn't say too much and she got weak, I watched her go downhill, fast........I came in one day and she told me that she had had enough of staying in bed and that she had things to do...I thought it was the morphine talking........She told me that I could help her walk and she would hold her I.V pole....she wanted to wear her pink robe so I struggled to get her into it....She was weak, just shaking by the time I got it on her...I suggested a short walk to the bathroom where she could wash her face.....Oh no! we were going down the hallway.....I got her out there and she proceeded to go to every room and check on every patient, a lot of them in better shape than she was...."How are you? I have been thinking of you? Is there anything I can do? You are going to get through this, I just have a good feeling"....I could feel her fragile little body just shaking with the effort....I looked over and took her in...her tiny little face ravaged by the chemo....her bald little head and the love for these people in her eyes....I had to look away...I wanted to curl in a ball and sob for weeks....I was humbled, I was awed....my mom, an angel of mercy.......At her funeral I shared this story as part of her eulogy....

After she died my sister brought me a letter she wrote for me just telling me how much she loved having me as her first born.
she told me she would be waiting for me in Heaven and I would have to look hard because she would have two boobs, all her hair and she would be singing in tune.....Don't forget the halo mom! I know you have a big one, cause" I saw it that day....I love you mama...xoxoxoxoxoox

working on a UFO and what I like.....

I have three unfinished objects...(UFO's) Quilts that is...I have one huge quilt top to quilt..it may be the biggest top I have ever done...It is a Washington Shop Hop quilt with themed blocks...I haven't quilted yet because to be truthful, I am kind of dreading the size thing....Then I have an Asian themed quilt and I just need to add to the borders and then I have my current project...A long time ago, for a short time, I joined a yahoo quilting group and participated in two block swaps....one was fine and the blocks I got were nice quality fabric and nicely made and the other was just a train wreck...I left the group, threw away the bad set and the 17 good blocks have just been sitting there...I think this was three years ago so I am tackling the oldest project first....Too make a quilt I decided I needed 36 blocks and I almost have them all made...They probably would be done, but my finger is sore from pushing on the rotary cutter...It is sharp, but I have a bad habit of pushing down anyway. Here is my stack of blocks...

They are 9" Split 9 patch blocks......The block pattern came from www.quilterscache.com If you haven't used the site, it is awesome....They have an alphabetized list of block patterns...A whole mess of them....JoAnn's has batting 50% off this week so I am going to have this quilt all done in the next few days....
When I talked about blogging in a previous post, I got a really good comment from Robin.....I was telling her that she really captured what it was that I was trying to say.....here is what she wrote:
I enjoy your blog. Blogging is a personal thing yet you still want to blog about things that may interest others. I love pictures. I have to admit that if the pictures don't catch my eye I just skim the blog entry.
I understand that people with busy blogs or busy lives can't always reply to each and every post. What bothers me is if I ask a question and nobody sends a reply.
I like that you mentioned it is all about balance. Life and blogging are all about balance. I like to walk the line between my crafting and my personal life. I like to give just enough information for people to understand/relate to me but not so much that my life is out there for everyone to see. We all have to decide just how much of ourselves we are going to put out there.

I do like when bloggers post regularly. Daily, weekly, monthly, it doesn't matter. I get used to a bloggers "rhythm" and know when to check out their blog to see what's going on.

Then Val wrote:I don't know what makes a blog 'good' either! Why do people 'follow' up one day and take themselves off as a follower the next? So strange.......

Now I have a theory on this one...they are following you for the purpose of a contest...I will go on record and say right now, that if I follow your blog, it is because You have caught my attention and I want to read it...I don't ever follow to just get another entry..Call me outspoken but I think it is lame...I really do....Any comments about this line of thought?

Tonight I also made a Teacher's Valentine for Jean's grandchild's teacher....I did it for her last year and she asked me to do it again...I am happy to help her three little babies.......so here is the first one...

I also took pictures of a couple things around the house that I really like......

My new ironing board cover...Isn't it pretty in pink......JoAnn's half price.....Also the linen spray, which I love...it smells wonderful and here is the good news...it is from the DOLLAR STORE!!!! I never would've tried it but Julie (my sister) had it and I got hooked on it without knowing what a great buy it was...I love it on my sheets.....The fresh scent is my favorite...I use it to iron too....And then want to smell like a cupcake, cupcake?


this stuff is wonderful......it is shampoo, bubble bath and body wash and you can get it at Ulta.....I got it for Christmas and I am hooked....If you are a girly girl, you gotta go in the Ulta store...it is beauty products, hair products and perfumes...aisles of the stuff...
What are you liking these days?

Enchanted and quilted......

One quilt down....Woo hoo! It is the one I started the other day....The nice orangey bright one....I sure like it too.....it started out as a disaster when I went to quilt it...I dont know what I was doing, but somehow the backing got folded under and I quilted a whole row that way...I am going to make a confession here...I am a closet cusser.....I cuss at my machine a lot. Now in my heart of hearts I know it is not the machine making mistakes but it makes me feel better. That is why I am upstairs...so no one hears me....At least I hope no one does....So I figure out luckily that the back was all screwed up, I cuss and kick the bins under the quilter and then I get out my picker....this is what I call a seam ripper...so my picker and I spend some quality time together and I right the big wrong...I adjust and repin and then it quilts up like a dream. I swear my machine likes the orange thread I used...It just was purring and I said all kinds of loving things to it to keep it that way and to make up for my earlier potty mouth.....Here is my honey holding it up in our tiny living room....he is six feet tall and you cant see him, so that will give you an idea of the size.......

Here is a close up of the quilting......

I usually just stipple it and freehand whatever I feel like it...I dont use pantograms, in fact I took the top tray where they go off.I am short and I couldnt see up there...How fun would quilting on a ladder be anyway? When I first used the quilter, I did a queen size quilt and I worked and worked on it...I did feathers and flowers and loops all kinds of fancies....it was beautiful until I took it off and realized that I put the top on the rollers the wrong way and the top was inside the quilt...good times.....that is when my picker and I really got to know each other and I became a closet cusser....really....
Today in the mail I got a 6x8 quiltie from Donna from my round robin group...my theme has been red, black and white....Isnt this awesome? especially with Valentines Day just around the corner....I love it!

Also today, I had to go to Salt City and my first swap partner for the Enchanted ornament swap lives there so I hand delivered her package to her porch....my car has GPS which I just love.....otherwise, I never would have found it! The swap calls for one handmade ornament a month and some little goodies...she said in her questionarre that she liked old linens, ephemera, bits of old jewelry and anything to do with sewing....My ornament is a wood circle painted with an acorn, ( this months theme) then mounted the wood on a wreath and put on some ribbons....I included a couple hankies, some costume jewelry and paper items.

....I also put a retro fabric panel in the tin.....so one down 11 months to go......
Tomorrow I am going to start piecing one of the two ufo's that I have...I actually am looking forward to it...What are you working on?

For the birds and blogging....

First of all, on my list of things crafty for 2010, I forgot to include the enchanted monthly swap....Every month we change partners and send them a woodland ornament and a few goodies..Val at http://yarnigrasswapspot.blogspot.com is the hostess and each month she also issues a challenge or two..This is the first month and the ornament theme is acorns and pine cone...The challenge... a random act of kindness and do something for the birds...Both were easy and fun....I love birds, always have and have a backyard full of birdhouses...I made some suet and seed filled orange cups and hung them...Cooper must be able to smell the suet because he wants them bad....I hung them in some nice birdie places....

As for the ornaments, I have some ideas but I haven't made them yet....I also completed a rak, but that is a secret...just cause why brag? I try to do a lot of nice things for other people just because.....
Tonight I finished the quilt top I showed in the previous post....tomorrow I am going to go get backing and thread for it...I think I am going to quilt it in orange. I have been on an orange kick I know...I like happy colors...I also got out the two quilts that I need to finish piecing so they are in my line of sight...Other wise, I will start on something new and forget about them.
I also took some pictures of my creating space upstairs and this is it being used....I pretty much have it organized the way I want now and I can find things! Our whole upstairs is a long peak roofed attic...The part that we refinished in orange and turquoise, opens up to my room where I sew...It was already carpeted and painted so it was the perfect place to set up shop....

This is the end of the room.........All my little treasures are all over the wall..Whatever strikes my fancy at the moment...I also have books filled with atc's and postcards and my scrapbooks up here. They are some of my most prized possessions...

This is my quilter and frame..What I love about this room is that there is enough length for it...It is 9 ft long so it is an issue. Below it I have five bins...one for scrap booking, one for scraps of fabric, one for big pieces of fabric, one for batting, stabilizers etc and one for ongoing projects...It isn't pretty, but it works...


Across from the quilter is my 1940's wood ironing board and my cutting table...I keep a Rubbermaid container under the table for all my patterns...I only keep them if I am going to use them again...I have been good about that because I have a tendency to hoard patterns and magazines...I also have my great grandmas treadle singer against the wall....I have baskets of paint and supplies and it is a doo dad holder...I keep my books underneath, on a shelf and on my computer desk...


Here is the entry to the room....I don't usually close the door between the playroom and the sewing room...I have a baby gate for the door and Jace plays with his toys and still can see me in here, which he loves...This is one of his favorite rooms because it is just filled with all kinds of fiddly little things....Where do you sew? I love seeing how people work and how they organize...I have seen some fabulous spaces...mine is just about me and what I am comfortable with...I am at home here and it feels good.
Oh yeah, and a picture of THE car... you know the one I am in debt for...Here it is Jean....I even wore matching red boots...

I also really wanted to talk about blogging.....I had to eliminate anonymous comments because I was starting to get a lot of spam...I also got an anonymous comment from someone letting me know that they thought my blog had gotten better....I really have been thinking about that...What makes a good blog? What do you like to read or see?... To me a good blog has pictures, I can get to know the person writing it and it isn't a space to rant or be negative...once in a while I don't mind...we all have our days but I tend to like upbeat...I love seeing what people make and how they did it...Funny stories and insights are a big hit with me. I think it is all a balance. I also will visit a blog with a big following but if no one ever replies, well I guess they are just too big for me...I always try to answer everyone and if I haven't, I am truly sorry...I mostly write for me, but I want the people who read my blog to enjoy it too...What can I do to make it better? Please let me know what makes a blog "readable to you...I really am interested!!!

back in the land of car payments and other stuff.......

I have lived debt free (and money free although things have gotten better since I moved to Utah) for the last few years due to sad circumstances...life does that sometimes...Yesterday it all changed...We went car shopping...new car shopping....I had a lot of anxiety but I fought it down and we now have a new explorer in red to match the tumbleweed...( the vintage trailer we are redoing...). I love the car, we will see how I feel about the payment....There is something to be said for vehicles that are paid for, ugly or not....Lisa and the kids are coming in March and I have promised her my car...She is pretty happy about that as she is car less right now. I think once you see how a nice fat curve ball thrown at your life can change things, things like car payments can be pretty scary..Anybody else out there feel the same way? So I got a new car...mmmmmmmmm....
In the sewing room I have started a new quilt.....It is in oranges and browns and I think it is going to be pretty sweet looking. As in hella cool not sugary cute. This is the pattern I am using...

I like using patterns that you can use big, bold fabrics with...I think they are my favorite because they make a statement...Here is the fabric coming together in a quilt.

A lot of quilters that have blogs have been making quilt resolutions.....I have two finished tops that need to be quilted, and two sets of blocks that need to be pieced together and that is about it...I think my type A personality makes me attack a project like a bulldog and go at it until it is done....That can be a good thing and a bad thing....I do know that this year I want to make more quilts....I would love to have a big Christmas quilt for our bed by next December, but right now I am tired of all things red and green...When Christmas is done, I am done until the following December....I also joined Barb's 'Row round robin....http://bejeweledquiltsbybarb.blogspot.com Maybe a Christmas theme would be good...I don't know, I haven't decided yet.... I also don't buy or stash a lot of fabric. I think what saved me was when I first started quilting, I had a one bedroom condo and I sewed in the middle of the living room....good times. It does not lend itself to hoarding and I got used to just buying for a specific project....I was reading quilting blogs where people are talking about destashing 1000 yards of fabric.....HOLY COW! I do have a lot of scrap pieces from projects that I hope to use, but not big pieces or yardage....I did get two project kits for Christmas though....One is a Valentines table runner kit and yellows and reds and then a little hot pad pattern kit in Valentine fabric....I am looking forward to making these soon...

So here is to lots of great quilts in the year 2010...For me, and for all you other quilters.....
I also still am doing a monthly exchange for art quilties and then a nature journal page round robin....Here is my fifth nature journal layout....


This picture shows front and back...I really just let loose and had fun with paper and paint....I like to paint and draw eyes so that is where it started...This nature theme has been hard for me...which is really strange because I love being outside and looking at everything. I think I just have a hard time taking it from my head and getting it onto something in an artful way. This is a strange piece, but I like it and I had fun. What are your projects for this year?

And the winner is.............

bitnbyaquilting bug!!!!!!!!!! woohoo.....random number generator drew this lucky winner and her new bag will go in the mail shortly! Congratulations, and thanks for all your wonderful and very much solicited comments!!!!! Melinda

Happy 2010 and giveaway now closed!

Happy New years everyone! It is a nice peaceful day today so I thought now would be a good time to bring on the giveaway! But first, some other stuff, so don't quit reading....I have to drag it out you know, it is more fun that way.
So anyway, I forgot to tell a Wendover story...So last Friday night we were in the casino and there was an older lady with HUMONGOUS hair....it was platinum blonde and it looked like this style.....

Yep, it was Marie Antoinette hair, except it was BIG, HUGE, GINORMOUS.....(it might have had a bird cage in it somewhere) I am talking a good three feet wide and two feet high...and it had blinking red lights weaved thru it ....Now in my opinion, if you have hair like this you want and expect attention right? I said, "wow, that is some hair." (no reaction)..."it looks like Marie Antoinette's hair, except bigger" . (no reaction....) "you know who Marie Antoinette is right?" I got a begrudging "No." back....."ok, well I will let you get back to your slot machine now...Don't lose your head." (no reaction) What the heck lady.....Don and I had to run out of sight and laugh.....To me, it was hysterically funny..People are weird.
I also forgot that I haven't shown my "jingle for the Cure" ornament.....It is so pretty and had a great place on my tree....I had to take a picture of it in the snow to really show it off....




It is two sided and both sides are gorgeous.....Sandy from www.a-summerplace.com made it for me....She has a shop but not a current blog...Thank you so much for the beautiful ornament! Deena was the hostess and she is currently battling breast cancer again...I also donated to the Susan B kommen foundation in her name....you can find Deena at http://deenasstory.blogspot.com A lot of women who are fighting the same battle keep in touch thru her blog. I have said many times that I lost my mom to breast cancer so it is a cause that means a lot to me....
Today I finished a 6x8 quiltie for Peggy from one of my yahoo groups....She asked for a Victorian Christmas House...this is what I came up with...She likes lace so I added some just for her...All the details are free motion thread painted and I painted the muslin background...This is about the best I can do, hope she likes it. I added a key to the back attached with ribbons just for fun....
Ok, Ok, the GIVEAWAY! I made a really cute bag in Spring colors lined with apple green silk that I have been hoarding ....It is made from the "flower bag pattern" by Busy bee quilting....I really love the bright colors and it is super easy to make.

It would make a really cute knitting bag or anything you like... Inside there is a nice piece of the fabric...I would say it is about 3/4 yard, three wood blocks to decorate with pictures or pretty papers, (I really have had fun with these) and two patterns that are new...One table runner and the cutest purse/ wallet....I saw it made up and just fell in love but I have been hoarding it, so it must go....You don't have to do anything special to enter...Just leave me a comment and say wonderful things about me....heehee.....I will draw a winner next Wednesday....Big Thanks to all of you who follow my blog, I love your friendships and Happy New Year!!!!