Self-photo...

Darcie says that I am "never" in my family pictures- well, it is difficult to put yourself in the picture when you are the one taking the picture! I did use the timer on the xmas picture and managed to get myself in there. This one I took at arms length- which can work for one or two people, but with a family of 10- even I don't have arms that long! Gives a whole new meaning to "long-arm quilter." This is my college roommate and dear friend of 22 years. Kelli and I were at Crater Lake, Oregon, this past spring.

I have been quilting, a little. I finished quilting up a full-sized quilt for my Mom. A twisted sister in pink, brown and green. I am lovin' it, and I'd like even more to share a picture... but whose bright idea was it to put the USB port on the backside of the computer? My father would call them "nitwits." I'd have to agree. So I'll pull the thing out and upload a stack of pictures... maybe later. I also quilted up a little table topper. Funny thing about that... I made a quilt for a college graduate, a couple years ago. Made another quilt top from the scraps and still had enough left over to make the table topper!! The blue and green that would never end!! I think I am ready to leave it behind.

Spring Cleaning is in full swing, even if Spring is having second thoughts about appearing. Eva(age9) woke up in the middle of the night with the tummy bug- kinda slows my momentum, I must admit. Forge ahead, for tomorrow... I might be hurling my own cookies.

Hmmmm...now what color shall I paint the bathroom???
Dh has this orange shirt that I just love, it's so soft... yeah, that'll work! He was a bit...flabbergasted by the whole thing. He said he was glad his shirt is not semi-gloss!

Thinkin' spring!

The weather has been warming and the kids and I have been finding any excuse to spend some time, outdoors. Yes, the north sides of the hills still have some snow, but it feels lovely! We have only a few trees around us- just acre after acre of fields, but our friend, Kathy, has a woodlot, and it's one of our favorite places to hang out on a sunny afternoon. We climb trees, have "sword" fights and even pole vault. I say "we" 'cause I am a supportive audience, ya know. It's gotta count for something.

I can't say I have been spending much time in the quilting room. What's wrong? Well, nothing really. I am just too busy doing other things. I painted my bathroom- after living in a construction zone for 8 years, painting is fun, but it's never as simple as in a finished home. Joint compound to apply and sand, then priming the walls, painting, and we're still without trim. But I'm pretty happy with the progress... I have a picture around here, somewhere... and I can't seem to arrange them in any particular order, so you're on your own to figure out how it all came about!

There, see? It was a team effort! What a crazy thing it is, to look around you and realize that so many of your children are bigger than you are! With our five oldest being boys, that is happening all too often. I had all eight of them in the kitchen with me this afternoon, cooking up a storm- what a crowd! DH Bill comes in and just shakes his head, "You're surrounded!" Yep, that about sums it up. Of course I have been surrounded for quite a few years, but now that so many of them are getting "adult-size" you start to realize just how outnumbered you are! Oh, it's a good thing! have a great week!

Ice Storm...

Well, it's pretty bad when I know just where to look to take a good picture of ice on a log! Been here before, I guess. We were without power for a very short while- last time it last 5 days. So we are happy and warm and quilting! Hope everyone is safe! I am planning to take advantage of the working pump and shower up before the next front hits!