Good Morning!

I'm running late for work, but I couldn't resist stopping here to say, "Good Morning!" My boys saw this billboard on their way home from camp and stopped to take a picture. How fun is that? Hope you have a great one- I'll be cutting 1,000 yards of fabric... the show must go on!

...Blogger isn't in a happy mood this Monday morning...

wouldn't let me upload a picture. fine! I figure I'll just edit a picture I uploaded a while ago. My mom asked me, Friday, what I was doing and I answered that I was spending the whole day trying to figure out what I was doing. So here's what that's like...

• I changed the quilt over the piano- my Aunt Shelia gave me this one- made by her Grandmother. It's in sad shape, but fun. All the green "blocks" are actually where the backing is showing through!
• I quilted one pass across the quilt of valor. 2 more to go.
• I made two more quilt blocks for my hand-dyed sampler. "Sarah's Choice" (guess what color it is) and "Indian."
• I made 2 batches of cookies.
• I looked over the garden. Aim to pick more beans in another day or two. The corn silks are being feasted on by the Japanese beetles- aren't they a plague this year?
• I weeded the flower garden.
• I took the air conditioner outside and sprayed off the condenser and scrubbed the wheel/fan in it. Amazing how much better it works- I'm even cold, now. Must have had a premonition of how hot it was going to get this week!
• I decided since I was miserably dirty, I might as well clean out the freezer and figure out why I have an inch of solid ice on the floor. Evaporation tray in the back had a clogged drain. Fixed it with a clothes hanger. Couldn't find the strength to get the fridge back against the wall. How did I get it out?
• Did 1 load of laundry. Pathetic, I know.
• Moped some, as DH was out of town. He went to Alabama to pick up the boys from camp. They are home now. Yeah! (Joe said he'd miss me, before he left. Then he pauses and says, "I'll really miss your cooking." Guess he did. I made him weigh himself as he seemed awfully thin when he returned. Lost 10 lbs at camp! I'm wondering if they have camps for mommies...)

I'm sure there are other miscellaneous odds and ends that got done, but it's all a blur now. Quite a bit was accomplished, but without any real purpose in mind. Evabeth and I stayed up until 5am- she couldn't sleep. We watched the commentary of Walk The Line. Had crazy dreams about crazy Joaquin Phoenix. I like him, but his eyes freak me out a little bit.

So, it's off to work, today. I usually just work Tuesdays, but Tanya's doing very well at her quilt shows, so she can afford me for an extra day this week! I jest. But things have been going very well for her. Her husband is Bahrainian and, with all the mess in the Mideast, they are feeling that all these quilters are thinking it's Armageddon, and so they're throwing their money away on quilting supplies... which brings to mind my question... what would be the point if there's the end of the world to contend with? Maybe I don't have a clear understanding of this "Armageddon" thing. No, I don't think I want an education- I did see the movie with Bruce Willis! Not the same thing? Well, I guess I'll just wait and see. In my mind, quilting usually is the solution for a whole lot of problems... Now see? I'm having another one of those days with no purpose in mind.

Me and Abe...

He's put that twinkle in my eye. Ok, the flash put that twinkle on my glasses. But the sentiment is there. He said, "Librarian," today. Clear as a bell. Something we have in common. We love to read books. Tonya was talking about books, lately and so has Tracey. I thought I'd let you guys in on a really great book for children. It's "Sir Kevin Of Devon." By Adelaide Holl. It's an older book and you have to buy it used- which it is usually available through B&N or Amazon. But it is such a good one and the boys are always asking for me to read it to them. It's in poem form. It's not how big you are, but how big your heart is.

Not much sewing going on here. Ok, no sewing. But I did get my quilt of valor on the quilting frame and have made a pass or two. I was hoping to get it done by tomorrow so that Bill could hand deliver it for me, but I just don't see that happening. You never know. I might should have just done something very basic and simple over it, but then... it has been almost a month since I have quilted anything (shameful, I know) and I just felt like taking it up a notch. It is still very simple- a baby meander and a baby loop with stars, but because I am doing it very small, it is taking longer. My shoulder and arm aren't what they used to be! And I have had a nasty summer cold- still achy. But the binding is already made and if I can time my breaks and then get back to it- not so easy... I might pull it off. If I don't, well, so I'll need to mail it. No big deal.

Been a bit off-beat these last few days. Three of my boys are gone and it just changes the rhythm of our lives. I made entirely too much bread dough, yesterday. We're talking a mountain. So I made rolls for DH and the guys who are helping him build a porch just down the road- I think they enjoyed that on their break. I still had a mountain of dough left so I made cinnamon rolls for the 5 remaining children... Eva and Boo even made cinnamon rolls in their easy-bake ovens, still had a hill of dough left and I guess we'll be having pizza for dinner, tonight. Or maybe pepperoni rolls. One of my dryers died- we have 2, and I am beginning to see how essential 2 dryers are in a household this size. I could never get ahead, before, but now I've about given up hope that it could ever happen. But I keep forging ahead- if very slowly. yep, that's me, sssslllooowwww....

Mommy's little helpers...
We picked our first green beans, Saturday evening. The weather had cooled and the sky had deepened into a beautiful blue. The children and I headed to the garden and began picking. The air is still and quiet... then I hear this... music... Carmen? I look around and there's Jack(9yo) humming... so we had to go get the CD player so we could all hum along. Opera(Charlotte Church) in the garden. It was lovely and we had a great time picking 15 gallons of beans. So, Monday morning, we began snapping them and then canning them. It doesn't look like 15 hours of work... but when I finally set my head down on my pillow that night, I could still hear the air venting through the valve on the pressure cooker. Yeah, it was all in my head. The kids were so great about really pitching in and helping. I couldn't have done it without them. I hope I still think finding the stem ends in my green beans, this winter, endearingly charming. I'll need to ask Joe and Dan- who are away at camp- how they timed their little getaway to coincide with canning beans... We canned 42 quarts. Every can sealed. Now, to rest up for the next batch in a few days. An hour a gallon.

I beg your pardon,

but I do know how to crop a picture. But I thought it might be a tad bit deceitful in this instance. Yes, my work space is a complete mess, but we have already discussed the fact that I work best in disaster zones. Now ain't that lucky I live in one? Oh, not really. At least not all of the time... I have made three major trips in the last three months and it is just so hard to... well, find a place for all of the wonderful new things coming into my already filled-to-the-brim old space... and the water bottle is a reminder of my son, Paul. Do any of you have a child like that? I swan, you could follow his trail through the house like he was Hansel and Gretel dropping bread crumbs! Ever leavin' a trail. He had used the iron and was thoughtful enough to put water in it for me. Thoughtful and yet, thoughtlessly forgetful. I just say he's a genius and figure all of them are absent-minded. What's a mom to do?

So, how do you like the blocks for the sampler? It is a lot of fun to actually make something from the dyed fabric. I tried Darcie's trip around the world... well, that's another story, but lets just say I'm not well-traveled. These blocks really are a little more interesting in person- you can see the variation in the fabrics more. I like these 6, best. I've made 2 others and I like them, but I just don't particularly like them with the other 6. But I might when I get a few more blocks done. I tried contrasting fabrics, but found I preferred a little less contrast. Left to right the names of the blocks are, Aircraft (My DB builds them. I like this simple block more than I thought I would,) Swamp Angel, Fair and Square, Four Square(there were 4 kids in my family,) Big T (Maiden name starts with a T,) and the blue one is Windmill Square. You guys would get a kick out of watching me put these little blocks together. (They are 9".) But I am actually pinning, on occasion. Pressing, oh, so carefully. I usually like to sew quilts using one block- repeating it so that there is an interesting overall pattern. If I mess up- and I often do- it won't make that big of an impact in the whole scheme of things. But with this sampler thing... gotta get it as right as I can, 'cause it's the only chance I've got. Oh, not that I'm losing any sleep over it, but I am applying myself a little bit more than I would, normally. And the Kona fabric is very nice to work with. Lots of body to it. Not much give. Well, think I'll sneak into the quilting room and see if I can do one more...

** As a little aside... You'll notice that I am getting enough blocks done that I am actually beginning to cover my Post-it notes of all the things I should be doing... hmmm...

Swamp Angel...

I'm not kidding, that's the name of this block. Figured that I better put something quilty in or I might get the hook from Sarah. I have, over the past week, done 4 blocks from my dyed fabric. I just got Judy Hopkin's "Around the Block" book out and made a few of them. That's kinda fun. I made this one because I liked that name. I keep singing, "Dream Angel," with the lyrics changed to "Swamp angel, swamp angel, won't you be mi-ine?" The kids just stare. Well, I thought it was funny. Sarah made a blue and yellow(imagine that) sampler a couple years ago and I remember that Bill especially liked the different blocks together in one quilt. So, since I have all these fat quarters... thought I might make a sampler for us. I'd post a picture of my other blocks, but the days have been so hazy and dark that this very light one is the only one that took a decent picture. I think I'll be able to squeeze one more block in (want to try a red one), today, if I don't succumb to a nap while the kiddos are taking theirs. Napping or quilting... hmm... now that's a tough decision.

Trying days...

tryin' to get something done... tryin' to stay cool... tryin' to find my brain... Yep, trying days...

Funny thing happened the other day. Was in a hurry to get to an appointment. Took my shower, and was brushing my hair when I realized that I had been in such a hurry, I had completely forgotten to rinse the shampoo out of my hair. Not just done a poor job of it, but completely left that step out. Lather. Rinse. It's not complicated and I've been doing it for years. Typical of me, lately- doing things halfway. Only it gets worse. much worse. A few days later, I am running late for work... I shower and I am brushing my hair... wait a minute... I had completely forgotten to wash my hair! I would have remembered doing it as it was a new bottle of shampoo. My legs were shaved, but my hair... No lather and no rinse. So it was back into the shower... drying your whole body off is a lot more time consuming when you're running late.

Another funny thing happened.... my Dnephew is staying with us until camp, next week, and we decided to fix a big dinner in his honor. So I asked him to think about what he might like- anything he wanted. The next evening when I got home from work, I ask him if he had thought of anything... He is following me around the house as I am doing my chores and towering over me as he tells me his thoughts... He is 17 and simply adorable. BBQ sandwiches- broiled open faced with mozzarella on top. Onion rings- home-made, and an apple crisp- "with a touch of cloves." How cute is that? So I get 2 huge pork roasts and... well, before I get them in the roaster... I am approached by a neighbor asking if I were aware that there is a company from North Carolina that is proposing to put a 6,000 head pig operation about 1/2 mile from my house!? I am a country girl and I really don't have anything personal against pigs... but 6,000 pigs??? Bill used to work as a pigherder and I can tell you that the smell does not wash out- and it lingers on your person for a good 6 weeks. Speaking of maloderous smells that linger... So I signed the ladies petition against the pig factory and put my pork roasts in the roaster... it was a sign... Now you guys know how hot it can be in Indiana in July, right? Real hot. So I am using my thinking cap and figure that if I put the roaster on the counter in the laundry room- which isn't air-conditioned and is closed off from the rest of the house... well, I thought it was a good idea. The laundry room would get hotter but who cares if the laundry is sweating? I covered them with water and turned the dial to 320*. Let them simmer all night. Kept dreaming about things burning... Yep, that would be those pork roasts. I jump out of bed and run into the kitchen... ok, I stagger outta bed and stumble into the kitchen...the laundry room door is glass and all you could see was white smoke. I'm thinking that the laundry room would be an excellent place for a smoke detector. Unplug the silly thing- obviously the thermostat has had a melt down. Open the doors and set up a fan. Bill carries the roaster outside where I filled it with water- again. But the smell remains. (any thoughts on how to make it go away? I've tried candles-ha! and Febreeze.)DS Jacob slept through the drama, and was doing his chore of getting the laundry put into the laundry room . When he comes out, he says, "OK mom, so why does the laundry room smell like cigarette smoke?" If I had been in a better mood I might have teased him by saying that yes, I have this little secret vice that I've been hiding from him for the past 14 years... All I said was I burnt something. Burnt something up. DH was so sweet about it. He gave me a big hug and volunteered to run back out to the store and get another roast. He brings home a beef roast. It was a sign.

And see, Darcie? Don't those peonies look familiar?

Some of my stash enhancement from Tennessee...

It is and it isn't at all like me. The colors are very soft, true, but I love the oversized print on the one in the foreground. (I have some antique peonies just like that in my yard.) The quilt shop had some similiar fabrics done up in a little 5" block quilt and it was very simple and charming. I like the blue in this piece, but haven't had a lot of luck matching it. It's almost a robin's egg blue. A very romantic pallet, I thought. Don't know if I'll get around to working on it- maybe this winter. Wouldn't that be a nice, cozy, project?

I made some of Mama Koch's soft ginger cookies last night. They were wonderful and I had to hide 4 for the oldest boys who were out at a birthday bash. The other kids ate the cookie sheets clean. Then I headed to town where I helped a friend paint her sons' bedroom John Deere yellow. Whoa, seemed a bit on the bright side to start off with, but it grew on me and it wasn't obnoxious in the twilight as we were finishing up. Their mom was a bit concerned that it would only serve to charge the 2 little boys' hyper ways even more, but I figure- if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. They were thrilled with it. Now to paint the dresser John Deere green...

I'm off to work, today. I had mislaid my cellphone charger after my trip to Tennessee and have been incognito for a while now. Seems I might should have worked, yesterday, if I had checked my messages... But then, I would have missed out on those home made cookies... So, last night I actually tried looking for the charger and found it, so Sarah, no more incognito for me. We had a quilt show last weekend and again, this weekend, so I know they'll be no playing at work, today. The work that goes into vending at one little quilt show is amazing. And I'm only talking about the prep work! Well, I guess I better get at it. Hope everyone has a great day- it's a beautiful morning here with the queen anne's lace floating in the corn flowers.

Purple... Lavender... Lilac...

Here is that quilt with the "biggest blocks" Sarah's dad has ever seen! She made a green one for her dad and I made this purple one for mine. I don't think that you could really call the components of this quilt "blocks." They're just way past that! I figured that if I tried to do some interesting quilting on it, that might make up for the rather dull piecing. hmmm. Well, it improves it, anyway. (The pattern was from the book, Quilts for the Dorm Room. And it took us about an hour to piece. I have a friend who borrowed the book and made three of them for the bridesmaids in her son's wedding in August. See? There are times when you need a really fast quilt.) I love the batiks in this purple quilt and my Dad seemed to like it. He isn't your average guy.

I have decided to put the new projects on the back burner. Every time I try to work on something, the results are just... well, yucky. I even "unsewed" some the other day. I "unsewed" a lot. Now, if you know me, you can be sure that unsewing is something I rarely ever do. So I'm pretty sure I must be losing my mind. But really, it wasn't so bad. The unsewing or the losing of my mind. Think I'll just tinker away on a few established projects and stay away from the rotary cutter that seems to be unable to cut a straight line these days. And away from my mind that seems to be unable to put 2 colors together that don't make me nauseous!

Summer afternoon,
summer afternoon...

two of the most beautiful words in the English language. ~Emmerson, maybe...

Probably, no one enjoys the warm days of summer as much as a child. I never remember feeling miserably hot when I was young. It's just more hours of sun and play time. This is Boo. I love how everything on her is moving- but her sweet smiling face. We have been to WV and back. Both of my brothers and my sister were all there- and all of their families. I lost count after 25. We "camped." Had a good time, bittersweet, and now I am home with the aftermath. Sniffles from allergies- no place worse that WV- all the vegetation and dust, and bug bites. Chiggers. Mosquitoes. And wet laundry from the little ones playing in the creek. And this awful ache in my heart after seeing my DH kiss my dad goodbye on the neck, knowing I might never see that again. But we are rebounding. And it is such a beautiful place. 30+ acres of woods and hills and meadows. The one night we spent in the woods, oh, you should have heard the birds trilling and singing- like a sound track of an Amazon movie- it was really beautiful. Unfortunately, Evabeth was a bit of a sissy girl and after a 1 hour nap, decided to keep me up until 2:30am- when we decided that it was Daddy's turn to say 5,000 times- "It's only a tree branch falling." and "Deer can't unzip tents." and "They're more scared of you than you are of them." And my personal favorite, "Would Daddy be sleeping so soundly if you were in danger?" We spent the other two nights in the barn.

On the quilting front... My Dad liked his purple quilt, and even my Mom liked it and didn't act a bit offended that I was adding another color to her decor. I'll post a picture. I showed my DSis-il how to do a basic Stack and Whack- and I cut 36 blocks out for her. She had 18 of them sewn together before I left. She had a very pretty black and pink Asian-inspired fabric. I picked up 3 quilt tops from my Mom- to quilt for her. She said there was no rush, she just feels less guilt about starting another one, if her bins are empty. hmmmm.... I've lost count of how many quilt tops of hers that I have in my bins... yes, I feel guilty about not getting them done sooner. BUT... I have big plans to work on them. Really. I have turned down 2 separate quilting jobs in the first 24 hours that I have been home. Bill did a double take and pats me on the leg and says, quite enthusiastically, "Good for you!" He knows how hard it is for me to turn that kind of thing down, but I'm a little burned out with deadlines. And especially so when I have so many other things going on. And they wanted both quilts- well, one by the end of this month and one by the end of next month. I just don't want to live that way! My Dad is really not doing well, and it was hard to be there knowing that you very well might not be seeing him again, like that. And it got me to thinking, that there are people that I love, really love, that I'd rather be making quilts for- rather than, wouldn't it be nice to make a quilt for so and so. I'm not saying it isn't a sleep-deprived thought, I'm just saying that I'm feeling a need to make a few quilts for those very special people and I am not feeling so inclined for people that, yes, I like, but not like that.

So, I'm off to make a big pot a soup for my sweet children. and maybe some rolls. Then maybe some puttering in the garden, that always cheers me up. And then, maybe, I'll sneak off to the quilting room...

Teapots For Tonya...

Tonya has been making a great quilt with "liberty tea" and she has been walking us through the making of an improvisational teapot. Very cool. I always have to wait to read her blog until I know I am done on the computer because I am always catching myself running to the quilting room to try out her techniques. Then DH says, "I couldn't get ahold of you today- were you on the computer all day?" Ooops! When I saw this teapot at the thrift shop I just had to bring it home with me- well, because it's handmade and I love its funky shape, but I also knew that Tonya would get a kick out of it, too. Isn't the lid handle neat? And the little curl at the end of the pot handle? And see how that silly spout really isn't at the right angle- you couldn't fill it more than half way or the tea would spill out! So, Tonya, we'll hear no more talk about you redoing the spout on your pot- it takes all kinds. Now I need to go and make my own imperfectly perfect teapot! Or maybe I'll just settle for the 3 cups of tea that will fit into this 6 cup teapot! Just what I need, more caffeine!

Can you tell I love these fabrics? These are the dyed fabrics that Sarah and I made while we were in Tennessee. Sarah had the fabric (Kona PFD) delivered to her Mom's place- along with a couple more dyes. The dye is called fiber reactive dye and comes in a powder form. (She got everything from Dharma Trading Company) So you wash your fabric in some kind of ash stuff- real technical there- and then you're ready to go. Sarah tore the fabric into 1/2 yard pieces, so we each got a fat quarter of everything when we were done. We have a real rainbow of colors, by mixing the dyes and diluting them to make different tones.
While the dye is called fiber reactive, you'll notice that Sarah and I are wearing plastic gloves, because the dye is also skin reactive. That didn't keep Sarah from dying her feet a lovely shade of blue- and my forearms looked like I had been wrestling with a bear- did I mention what a messy cooker I am?- same goes for dyeing, I guess. I was splashing stuff everywhere. That's the rag in the upper right hand corner- our mop up. But didn't my messy cooking make a lovely color?
After dyeing each individual piece of fabric, we put them in plastic containers and set them in the sun to incubate. 30 colors in all. Sarah- look what is in that upper left-hand corner of this picture. Can you believe that? Caught that truck red-handed. (You see, after all of our dyeing, we had worked up an appetite. So we headed into town for lunch. Figuring that if we ate at Sonic, no one would see our splattered clothes. As we are driving down her folks' road, there was this jumbled wad of aluminum tubing in the middle of the road. It was over a foot high and what looked to be a tractor or motorcycle radiator was off to the side. Well, we just figured someone had spilled some of their load all over the road. I hop out to move it... thinking back, I'll never do that again. Promise. I push it over to the side so we can get by... driving further down the road.. "Hey Sarah! Look! That guy must have dropped that stuff all along this road... wait a minute...uh, all that metal is attatched... to that... telephone pole, and maybe that wasn't a radiator 'cause it looks... like that box... up there... on that pole..." At this point, well, I honestly nearly peed my pants. I could have left those sweet children without a mommy! No touching anything on a road! Turns out to be the cable wire, but wow! that was too close. That big truck with the boom on it was the culprit!)
After letting the fabric heat up for a while in the sun, we (Sarah) washed it all out and ta-da! some really gorgeous fabric. How cool is that? Nearly turning myself into Southern fried chicken aside, I had the best time dying that fabric. It was loads of fun and I highly recommend anyone try it. And have you seen those cool "trips" of Darcie's? Made with her hand dyed fabrics and a feature print. Very, very nice.

Never thought much about it...

but it isn't an easy thing to get a good picture of a ceiling! I'm laying on the floor here and I still could only get the smallest corner. It's not like I could back up any further if you know what I mean. Well, maybe you'll need to take my word for it, but it looks real sharp with my floors! The floodlights(4 sets) are gorgeous and make me feel like I'm in a gallery of color when I look at all the quilts in progress and the finished ones hanging on the walls. So Darcie, be it "Cottage Industrial" or "Industrial Country" it works for me. Actually, it reminds me of my grandfather's "shop." That's what I remember it being called and we were forbidden to enter- but like most humans, we found the temptation too much to resist. The door was locked with a big padlock- protected by a circle of rubber cut from an old innertube and nailed over it. I think that was pretty clever. A couple broken boards around back, though. It was always cool in there. Grandpa had been a welder and there were all kinds of interesting things in that shop. And the roof was metal and all rusted. And I know it sounds weird- I haven't been in that shop since I was 9 years old, but I think my quilt room smells like that shop, now. Maybe it's the metal roof... or maybe, just maybe it's the two guys who worked- and sweated- in there for 2 days straight!!

Was it really only a week ago...

that I was in Tennessee with Sarah? Here is the quilt that I made for her for our birthday challenge. She gave me the blue fabric... which of course, I had nothing that remotely matched. So I threw in what I had (part of the rules that you couldn't buy fabric) and she seemed to like the results. Some one said it was very subtle for me. Yeah, it is. I really enjoyed working on this quilt, even though... the fabric choices were out of my usual sphere. The fact that it was Sarah's quilt probably had a lot do with that, but I think the best part was just taking my time working on it. I received the challenge in the end of September. And I just made sure I worked on it a little every week. I already had the pattern picked out, I just needed to sew. I usually pick out a pattern and fabric and then really push myself to finish it quickly- like it's some kind of race. Or it is for some one and I have a deadline of when it needs to be done. This had a deadline- our birthdays in June, but I had nearly a year to make it. A lesson learned- plan ahead. It's lots more fun.

Since coming home, I have been in a post-Xmas funk. You know what I mean? Months spent in anticipation and preparation of a big event and when it is over... now what? Not that I don't have tons to do, but I just don't seem to have any steam built up to do it. So... I cleaned the living room. Weeded the flower garden. Might have sewn or quilted, but DH was working on decorating my quilting room ceiling- very cool. Corrugated steel, from the old barn- rusty in spots and primitive. He finished a couple days ago and now I need to clean up the mess. All the price you pay for progress and I don't mind a bit. Looks like you're in an old shed. Bill just laughs at me and says, "People are probably wondering why you want to make this old house look even more run down..." I guess I don't figure into it what other people think. Plus, I ask you, what do you think a nice new room looks like on an old house? Out of place, that's what. This looks like it's been here for years. Very cozy. Goes with my whole "industrial cottage" decorating theme. Love the metal. At any rate, I need to clean up the saw dust and straighten everything out. I also need to unpack my sewing machine. I so pity the poor people who have to lug the sewing machine out every time they want to sew. I remember those days and I am so happy they are past. It really inhibits my creativity. I guess that's how I get so much quilting done- it's just sitting there, waiting on me. How could I resist? But just knowing that I have to take the sewing machine out of the box has kept me from binding that coal mine quilt... and who knows what else.

We had a pitch-in, yesterday at DH's sister's house. So had lots of cooking to do for that. Thought about Judy L. She says they rarely go out to eat and that she cooks a lot. hmmm. I guess that could be said of me, too. But I jump at the chance to eat out- just to have someone else do it. Of course, the whole cooking for 10, might jade me a bit. But mostly I love it. Cooking, that is. Oh OK, and eating. Did too much of it, yesterday. So today I'm feelin' weary from all that cooking and eating. So, I thought I'd take my time- like with Sarah's quilt and fertilize the flowers. Did a load of laundry. And now I need to take DS Joe back to the dentist. He had a root canal, last week. He gets very defensive when people learn this, "I don't have any cavities! I brush my teeth!" He got shot in the mouth with a pellet gun. He had protective goggles on- he just smiles, too much. Cracked his tooth- in two directions. The dentist didn't have much hope that it wouldn't fall out, but so far so good. At least I get to just sit in the waiting room. Now doesn't that sound relaxing?

Had a great time...

I've been trying to post for a couple days, but Blogger hasn't been very cooperative. Finally figured out how to get next door by going around the block. A bit tiresome, but it gets you there.

I had a wonderful trip to Tennessee. Bekah said, after 5 hours in the car, that she was gonna ask Sarah why she put Tennessee so far away. But it was a pleasant drive with very little road construction. It was so good to see Sarah. I'm afraid that is going to be the best picture that you'll see of us- all the others in the collection have caught us hard "at work." Complete with crazy hair and scruffy T-shirts. We exchanged quilts upon arrival. Can't wait to show you.

We went to Franklin, TN, on Tuesday. My cousin, Beth, gave us the guided tour. We saw Kenny Chesney's house, Dolly Parton's house and Trisha Yearwood's house. Other than that, we went to an incredible quiltshop, a sweet quiltshop- tiny but I rather enjoyed it more than the bigger one, had a yummy lunch at a cool place called "Dumplin's" and all, in all, had a great visit with Beth. Tuesday evening, we pieced one quilt, each. Gives you some idea of the size of pieces! Sarah's dad says,"Those are the biggest blocks I have ever seen!"

Wednesday we dyed fabric- 15 yards. I have to say that this was incredibly fun, and I can see how it could be very addictive- considering getting my own dyes and doing some fun things with it. Sarah said I was like a mad chemist- and if she only knew how I restrained myself... But that's for another paycheck... Then Sarah treated me to lunch at Sonic's. Like an old drive-in. We came home and started piecing some more on our soldier quilts. She is giving hers to a guy who worships with her Mom and Dad. Beth knows a soldier there in Nashville that I'll be sending mine to.

Finished the soldier star quilts, Thursday, and took the kids out to Chinese for lunch. We had a bonfire for the kids, that evening. (Amazing how "Bonfire" and "Barn fire!" sound so similar to those 911 dispatchers- but that's another story...) The kids had already been treated to a hay ride. Packed up and hit the road, early Friday morning.

Well, that's the very abbreviated story of my happy week in Tennessee. I'll elaborate on everything as I post some pictures of our presents and projects. Hoping everyone else had a great week, too.