Friday, December 11, 2009

Gleaning every bit of 2009..............

As we approach not only the dawn of a new month but a whole new year, I am busy trying to enjoy every bit of 2009.

As always, we have made it to the movies quite a bit enjoying: Amelia, The Box, 2012, A Christmas Carol, Blind Side, Old Dogs, and Everybody's Fine.

Books read: Just Breathe, Ford County, A Quilter's Holiday, and Fox's Earth.

During November, I attended the Gift Shop in Orange, TX bringing all the aprons for the sale. It was so much fun getting to visit with old friends. The following weekend, we tailgated and attended the LSU vs. LA Tech game in Baton Rouge. It was really an exciting game. Tech made the Tigers work for that win!

I completed one of the sweatshirt projects purchased at the Houston Quilt Festival and have enjoyed wearing it several times.
























I have been working tirelessly on the handquilting of my Dear Jane quilt. Having completed all the quilting, I was able to get the binding stitched on and have it finally complete after all these years. How excited I was to make that last stitch.























It has been a busy month with getting decorations up, shopping, attending holiday functions, etc. We are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas celebration with Chris, Lori and Jordon here at the house then will travel to Arizona t see Aimee, David, Alex and Caitie.

It is getting to that time when everyone is thinking about New Year's Resolutions. Well, here is mine: I aim to do a better job of giving more attention to this blog.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Approaching the end of October............

I have been one busy little bee lately! In September I read Identical Harts and Black Hills and saw several movies: All About Steve, Whiteout, The Informant, Pandorum, and Surrogate. I stayed busy making aprons for several days finishing all 24 of them. I ordered the Simplicity Bias Tape maker and was so excited that it arrived perfectly for me to give it a good workout for the apron project. Aren't new toys fun? Accompanying David on a few business trip during the month was fun. On the 16, I attended a 50s theme party and couldn't resist dressing the part. It gave me a chance to wear my Pat Boone portrait pin with the little white shoes and a circular skirt. I always have loved playing dress-up!

October arrived with a break in the drought bringing lots of rain. I have read Sullivan's Island and am now reading 92 Pacific Blvd. So far this month, we have seen Love Happens, Invention of Lying, Couples Retreat and Law Abiding Citizen.

Last week was a time for fun. Yvonne and I attended a quilter's group in Jasper, TX and made tote bags called Sunday Satchels. On Thursday we headed to Houston for the International Quilt Festival. Oh my, what an adventure. We had so much fun shopping the 2000+ vendors, we didn't even get around to viewing the quilt exhibits until Friday. We made some excellent purchases and enjoyed seeing all the new products and creativity of others work.

This week I have been busy catching up from being away. I am looking forward to attending my Thursday sit and stitch group so I can put a few more stitches in Dear Jane. But the biggie is coming up............my 40th high school reunion in Galveston. I know the weekend will fly by in the blink of an eye. It will be great getting together with friends after so many years. We invited the class 1970 to join us so this should prove to be a very exciting time.

Although I didn't get a great deal of sewing/quilting done this month, I refueled my creativity and hope to enjoy productive time in the studio real soon.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

September 2...........but wait. What happened to August?

Just when I think I am getting better about keeping up with this blog, I realize that I am further behind than ever.......two months worth!

July ended up being pretty busy after all. I read three books: River's Edge, The Girls from Ames, and A Thread of Truth. As always, we frequented the Celebrity Theater seeing: Public Enemies, The Ugly Truth, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, and Funny People.

We participated in an Employee Free Choice Rally in Little Rock, AR on July 11. It was a very moving experience as we heard speakers remind us of how far we have come in our struggle for equality. Our march began in front of the Little Rock high school where history was made and ended on the steps of the AR capitol building. Later we gathered on a huge tent to enjoy fried fish dinners and cold drinks.

Yvonne and Fish came up for a visit on the 15th. Since Fish forgot his golf clubs, our guys were a bit lost for something to do. David suggested that we follow them home so he could help Fish with a few projects at their house. So we sent the guys to Orange on Friday so Yvonne and I could enjoy a little girl time. Then she and I drove down the next afternoon. While there the guys installed a whole house water filtration system, repaired the sprinkler and built a deck and steps for their pool.

Once back home, I plunged right back into planning a quilt for our parish priest. My Thursday quilt group decided on the quilt pattern Fractions made in greens for Fr. Blane O'Neill. He had come by our group gathering one day hinting that he needed a new bed cover. We will present it to him September 17.

On July 26, David invited some of his union friends and their wives over for a barbecue. He prepared ribs and sausage. I prepared Potatoes Au Gratin, Ranch Beans, Saurkraut salad, garlic bread and peanut butter bars.

As always, most days are spent in my studio working on one of my many unfinished projects. On Thursday's I work on the hand quilting of my Dear Jane. Some day I will complete it!

August was here before we knew it. David spent a week in Pittsburgh. I miss him when he is gone on his business trips, but it sure gives me the opportunity to work and not think about cooking. As soon as he returned, we had to pack up and head to Orange to attend the 40th Reunion of the West Orange class of 1969. They invited the classes of 1967(which was David's),1968,1970 and 1971. We had so much fun.

To our surprise, Aimee and the girls had made a quick visit to Orange that same weekend and drove up to Ruston on Sunday just after we arrived back home. We had such a wonderful time having them for a few more days. Aimee and I took the girls to see Julie and Julia. Caitie says that she needed to see that movie since she plans on being a chef one day. They all got hair trims while here. We didn't do anything exciting but spent time and relaxed together. Well, until Thursday, that is. That is the day that we went shopping for the girls some school clothes. Oh the memories of shopping with girls! Caitie was quite entertaining; I enjoyed being in the dressing room and helping them. On Friday, Alex and Aimme went to see The Time Traveler's Wife while Caitie and I went to see G-Force. On Sunday, they had to pack up and head back to Austin. David and I went to see The Time Traveler's Wife to console us for having to face an empty house after our week of fun and games with the girls.

That Friday, David and I went to see the movie Inglourious Basterds.

I have been working on a Bulls-eye quilt with blocks from an online group swap. It has been so much fun seeing all the different fabrics everyone uses. I finally got it all together with borders. I kept needing more blocks because I kept enlarging the design.

For the past couple of weeks I have been working on a project in blue and white fabrics for a gift. Yvonne gave me a pattern for my birthday called Dulcinea that is a small wall hanging. I used that pattern but enlarged the blocks a bit and made it into a lap quilt. I have been collecting blue and white fabrics for several years. About a year ago, many of these fabrics were included in a box along with a center I made for a Round Robin I was participating in. Once my center medallion made the round and came back home to me, I was busy on other projects so just put it away. I pulled it out so I could start thinking about how I want to finish it. In doing so, I got the idea to make this blue and white lap quilt knowing that I had way more fabric than I would need to finish the round robin quilt. I can't say who this blue and white quilt is for because I don't know when I will get it quilted and don't want to let the cat out of the bag just yet.

We had another barbecue for union friends and wives this past Sunday. It was a lot of fun. David again did his famous ribs and sausage. I made homemade macaroni and cheese (I love it so), Ranch Beans, garlic bread, cole slaw and those peanut butter bars that David loves so much. His review of them states that there is only ONE THING better.................

So as I sit here mulling over the past few months, I realize that today is my brother, Mike's 60th birthday. Hope I can catch him on the phone later. It is very quiet here today as David is away on business for a few days. Sounds like a great time to get to work in the studio. But instead of working on any of my unfinished quilting projects, today will be my day to cut and plan the aprons for the St. Mary's Gift Shop in November. So I best be getting to work................

Saturday, July 4, 2009

July and it's hot, hot hot!

Since my last installment, quite a bit has gone on around here! On June 14, David and I celebrated 39 years of wedded bliss! Not being one for romantic dinners and such, we opted to just do our usual thing..............movie on Friday and dinner on Saturday evening. We had a business trip to Dallas; he worked while I shopped! What great fun! When we left Dallas, we headed down to Orange to attend his family reunion. I always tell people that Broussards are like ants; there are just so many you wouldn't believe! The older generation keeps decreasing in numbers and there are more babies all the time. The best part of this reunion is that both of our children and their kids were able to attend also.

The movies we've seen this month include: My Life in Ruins, The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3, The Proposal, The Hangover, David saw Transformers and I saw My Sister's Keeper. Explanation on that will come later!

Aimee, Alex, and Caitie arrived here Friday, June 26 for a week long visit. The girls wanted to see Transformers so Poppy agreed to take them. He didn't want to see My Sister's Keeper but Aimee and I did, so it was a natural solution to Friday nite entertainment. The movies were at different time so we couldn't ride together. But just as our guests arrived, we realized that the
A/C was not cooling!!!! We were not overly optimistic about getting someone out at 5:50 on a Friday evening. But one phone call and "the man" was here within 30 minutes. Poppy and the girls were able to get to their feature but "the man" was still working when it was time for Aimee and I to leave. We voted that A/C was definitely more important than the movie. We had a cool night and "the man" returned Saturday to replace the fan motor.

While the girls were here, Aimee needed to get some homework done toward her teacher certification course while Alex, Caitie and I played games and worked on sewing projects. On Sunday, David fired up the grill and played with the girls while Aimee and I caught the early feature of My Sister's Keeper. Aimee had read the book and said that although she enjoyed the movie...........the book is way better. David had to leave Sunday evening for a business trip. So for 3 nights, we were an all girls household.

On Monday, we headed to the Blueberry Patch where we braved the sweltering heat to pick 2 1/2 gallons of delicious blue fruit. When we returned home, Aimee made a big pot of chicken and dumplins while the girls and I washed and sorted the blueberries. Aimee spent the afternoon studying while the girls and I made pies............delicious, juicy, blueberry and peach pies.

Several days during the week, we went to Chrissie's to swim and enjoy a relaxing time. Caitie made several small artsy projects with fabric, sewing and markers. Alex wanted to make a quilt; so several days were spent finishing it. They both wanted frilly skirts so they chose fabric from my stash, drew their plan and I made them each a skirt. The top layer of Caitie's skirt was scraps from my bridesmaid dresses while another was scraps from my graduation dress. Alex chose fabric that I had bought to make a dress that never happened with the lining from a bridesmaid dress Aimee wore in a friend's wedding. I am sure they will get many hours of fun playing in these skirts.

















As of Friday morning, things have quietened down quite a bit.............the girls headed back to Austin, TX where their two dogs Jack and Bridget and their husband/daddy eagerly awaited their return.

In June I readThe Ocean Inside, Red Leaves, and River's Edge. Loved them all.

David and I will be attending a 4th of July party today that has come to be an annual event.
Happy Independence Day!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Summer Time.......and the living is easy!


Oh my gosh! Someone must be stealing my blog posts. Surely I have not neglected my blog all this time? Have I been in a coma or what? My last picture posted was of the challenge project I made for the Quilting Retreat I attended in April. Yvonne and I had a great time in Quitman, TX. We met 30 wonderful ladies from all over. We each made a Turning Twenty quilt top and I even made 15 Paducah 9-patch blocks for our church raffle quilt. The quilt top is finished and already quilted and ready to give away.

It has been an exciting time in that I finished piecing the border blocks for my Dear Jane quilt. It is in the hoop and I already have about 8 of the blocks hand quilted. No promises on the completion of it any time soon. I have designated it my Thursday project to occupy my hands during my church group sit and sew session.






During this time I have also finished my Mystery on the Oriental Express quilt from my online group. I hand quilted it also.





I have been busy the past few days making tote bags. I purchased a couple of pieces of color print fabric and black for lining. I sandwiched each print with batting and a lining then machine quilted with loops and swirls. I cut tote bag sections from the prequilted fabric and made 4 tote bags with outside and inside pockets. I had previously purchased nylon web for handles; it takes quite a bit for each bag because I stitch the handles around the bottom of the bag for extra strength and stability. I still have to make sturdy fabric covered cardboard inserts for the bottom of the bags.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

March blows in...............


I received a package containing a variety of fabrics all sizes in the mail a couple of weeks ago. It was for a challenge associated with a retreat I will be attending in April. The challenge was to make a project using only the fabrics included which were mainly left from block of the month kits and such. There was a one yard cut of a leafy fabric. I studied the fabrics and gave it serious consideration before coming up with a plan. I wanted my project to be something that I would use. One of my aims this year has been to make small wall hangings for my stairwell. From there the idea evolved. My project is called "Lost Cabin in the Woods". I grew to like it the longer I worked on it. I decided to hand quilt it using the stitching to form cabins in the leaf fabric squares.


Just a lot of everyday stuff going on these days. February ended with the beginning of Lent. I finished reading The Bronze Horseman by Paulina Simons. What a wonderful book. I have now started reading Alexander and Tatania which picks up where the other ended. There has been much cooking and baking lately. As we have a program at our church called Stork Bites where we bring a hot meal and frozen casseroles to a family with a new baby. Another program that I volunteer with is Dollar Lunch. We prepare lunch for college kids on Wednesday. They get a complete home cooked meal for $1. What a bargain! It is so rewarding to see how excited they are as they come through the line. They are so appreciative.

I have started the machine quilting on my king 4-patch Posie quilt but ran out of thread and am awaiting the arrival of more. Hopefully, I will get finished within the next week or two and can start enjoying it on my bed!!!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Just keeping busy!

The past month has been a flurry of planning and plodding. I did attend a quilt show in Jefferson, TX and thoroughly enjoyed the day with friends Julie and Chrissie. To prepare for the big fund raiser at church, I made 4 batches of Roux, each batch made with 5 lb of flour and a quart of oil. During the month of January, I read several books - Revolutionary Road, The Memory Keeper's Daughter, A Single Thread, All That Matters, and The Quilter's Kitchen. I liked them all. I am now reading the first in a Trilogy by Paulina Simmons call The Bronze Horseman. They are all three large books with small print. I will be consumed with them for quite a while. I also have at the ready John Grisham's newest, The Associate.

David and I continue to enjoy our weekly movie dates. We have seen some really good movies lately - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Grand Torino, Last Chance Harvey, Slumdog Millionaire, Taken, The Reader, He's Just Not That Into You, New In Town, The International.

The first week of February, I drove down to Orange, TX to visit my Mom and do a few things for her. The big thing was getting her a new flat screen TV and setting it up on the new console that had to be assembled. We got some visiting in and a little cleaning done.

Last week was Gumbo Week. Monday was the day of bell peppers, celery, and green onions; we cheat and buy the white onions already chopped. Less tears! Once everything is chopped uniformly, it is weighed and bagged in a appropriate amounts for each pot of gumbo. Tuesday and Wednesday we cook. Each pot makes 52 quarts of gumbo. We cook 5 pots at a time and two cookings each day. once cooked, the gumbo is put into quart containers and ready for pickup. By the end of the second day of cooking, we have sold over 1,040 quarts of gumbo. We all have a wonderful time together working on this project but are always glad when it is behind us for another year!

I had thought I might start my machine quilting on my 4-patch posie quilt. But just received in the mail fabric for a challenge. I will be attending a Sew n Spa in April and forgot about the challenge associated with it. So that is what is taking up my time right now. I am trying to get my creative juices flowing to come up with a idea.

David gave me a beautiful Valentine card that said all the right things along with a heart shaped box of Pecan Millionaires. He knows what I like! I gave him a card and washed his car. We went to dinner last night and played cards with friends. It was a very nice day.

It is hard to believe that our granddaughter, Alex, will celebrate her 10th birthday Tuesday. She is such a joy! We have so much fun together. She is learning to cook and sew; we have so much fun together. We also like playing games. She loves to read too.

Monday, January 19, 2009

January 19,2009


Well, since I am well into the new year, I realize that I have been excessively quiet. I continue to diligently plod along doing the hand quilting on my Mystery on the Oriental Express quilt at my Thursday quilt group. Since my new year's resolution is to whittle away my UFO stack, I began putting together my 4-Patch Stacked Posie quilt. Whew, is it big?! It will be used on my bed so needs to be a king. I have never machine quilted one so big but I plan to give it a whirl using the backing fabric design for the quilting pattern. I haven't decided on the thread color yet or done a practice run. So I have no idea when I will get to work on it. I will definitely make sure I have lots of time with no distractions.

I am looking forward to going to my first quilt show of 2009 on Friday, January 23 with two friends to Jefferson, TX.