Shoo, Cupid!

Several weeks ago Dear Hubby and I had a conversation that went something like this:

Me:  You know, Valentine's Day is coming up in a couple of weeks...

DH: (silence, crickets chirping in the background)

Me:  I just want you to know, I don't want anything.  

DH:  Is this a trap?

Me:  No, just a card...only don't get me one with naked backsides on it like you did at Christmas.

DH:  Okaaay.  This will come back to haunt me, you know.

You'd think he'd be happy not to be schlepping to the grocery for a last minute pickup of wilted roses and picked-over cards...the Valentine equivalent of being the last kid chosen for a game of dodgeball.  This is the same man who will walk in the door in the evening, take one look at my face and say 'What did I do?'

DH is convinced that women live longer simply because we wear our men out by constantly keeping them  in fear of doing or saying the thing that will set. us. off.  Silly man!  I get my kicks by rearranging the kitchen cabinets then sitting back to watch him try to find stuff...big fun! 

So, what did we do for Valentine's Day?  DH and Co-Def #1 are at a basketball game while #2 and I are  at home enjoying the testosterone-free environment while it lasts.  I got a swell card from the kids and a naked-backsides-free card from DH, bless his heart.  My Mom brought the kids a yummy heart-shaped cake...

I keep telling them she wasn't this nice when I was a kid, but they don't believe me.  Who knew Grandmas could be so...conniving?

I did get myself something for the big day...no, not chocolates, although the thought occurred.

This one, like the one I married, is a keeper. 

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!

And Then There Were Four

In between all the hustle and bustle that is running a household, working, and yelling at my kids (and if you believe their story, this is what I do all. day. long), I managed to finish up my set of four extremely loud placemats.....yipppeeeeee!

The tops are all the same, but the backs...now that's a different story (hee-hee).

I'm so thrilled to get these done and be able to move on to the next project, which given their attitudes this morning, seems to be refereeing the children.  Have a great Friday!

I'm linking up to Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? from Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finish It Up Friday from crazymomquilts. 

Happy quilting, y'all!

WIP Wednesday: February 8, 2012

Yep, it's one lonely placemat...the sum total of what I've accomplished since last Wednesday.  But one gal's lonely placemat is another's 'holy crap, look at all that quilty bounty!'  I confess, I really like handstitching my quilt binding.  Call it cathartic, my little slice of quilty Zen, my zero-calorie scrumptious fabric treat, call it weird.  Whatever!  It's progress and it's all good!  I even managed to work on it while cheering on my son's basketball team...stitch-cheer-scream at opposing team's coach to get off the court already-repeat.  How's that for multi-tasking?

The heart pattern is from Carol Doak's book Show Me How to Paper Piece.  Have I mentioned before how much I love paper-piecing?  Yeah, I thought so.  Some folks are really intimidated by it which gives me a chuckle because I can paper piece, people, how hard can it be?!? 

Here's a shot of the back...

Lollipops, anyone?  I also tried something a little different when I went to quilt these babies.  Instead of marking my lines with a pencil or disappearing marking pen, I used (drumroll, please) masking tape.  I learned two things by doing this:

1) You get nice, straight quilting lines without the worry of 'will the pencil/pen marks wash out'

2) Masking tape, even when you DON'T sew into it, gums up your needle and makes your stitches skip

So, will I be using it again...probably not.  Actually, no.  But it was worth a try, right?

On the home front, my son's school basketball team finally won a game...WHOOP!!!!

This is the only shot I'm allowed to show you, 'cause geez Mom it's like totally embarrassing since you're gonna put this on eBay and all.  I didn't have the heart to tell him it was my blog and not eBay...would anyone on planet Earth pay to put up with all his drama and sarcasm?  I think not.  I wonder where he gets it from? 

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced.

Happy quilting, y'all!

Super Bowl Sunday? GACK!!

Let me be blunt...

I. HATE. FOOTBALL.  With a passion usually reserved for spiders and snakes.  Ya'll know I'm a huge hockey fan...football holds zero appeal.  I am grateful, however, that my home will not be Party Central for any sort of football revelry.  Dear Hubby's only request was for sandwiches and 7 layer dip and I happily accomodated him.  I thought it would be nice to make a pan of brownies to serve with ice cream for the kids.  THIS is what happened...

Do you know HOW this happens?

Need I say more?  Co-Def #2 swears she didn't do it, but when asked if they tasted good she squeaked out a pitiful yes.  DH was out mowing the grass and I was running errands.  It was either her or the dog (whom she kept trying to blame, I might add).  I imagine this is what the surface of the moon looks like, don't you, with all its craters.  Gee-ma-nee!

Brownie thievery aside, I've been busy at my sewing machine this weekend and am almost finished sewing the binding onto my placemats.  I can tack down the backside while waiting in the pickup line at school or during #1's basketball game on Tuesday.  Yay!  It feels so good to finally get something quilty accomplished!

Happy quilting, y'all!
  
P.S. It's now 7:54 pm Super Bowl Sunday and I'd just like to say OMG DAVID BECKHAM IN HIS TIGHTIE-WHITIES!   I loooooove Super Bowl commercials.

Success Depends On Your Perspective

I was starting to feel a tad down on myself because the urge to stitch seems to have abandoned me for a bit and this is FIUF, after all.  But, I said to myself, what else (if anything) have I managed to accomplish this fine Friday?  On that note, I give you my Non-Quilty version of Finish It Up Friday...

*I changed out the toilet seat in the front bath (hey, it's the little things, okay?)

*I walked 2 miles before picking up the Co-Defendants

*The dishwasher's emptied, the house is clean and the laundry's done...look quick 'cause it won't last

Which means I'll now have time to sew this weekend, guilt-free...and there's a ton of sewing to be done.  I keep a running list in my head of all the WIPs I want to complete hopefully before I die by year's end.

*Co-Def 1's airplane quilt

*Handquilting Mary Ellen's Sunflowers

*My obnoxiously colored placemats

Not to mention the Civil War quilt I haven't even started for my Dad.  I'm trying not to sweat it because it's a self-imposed deadline which in and of itself is just ridiculous.  Hopefully by this time next Friday, I'll have something fiber-related actually finished but for now, I'll be happy with what I've accomplished and call it good!  I'm linking up to Amanda Jean at crazymomquilts. 

Happy quilting, y'all!