My Mundane Monday...


My brothers must have all the thrill-seeking genes in my family. Being real adrenalin-junkies, they ride motorcycles, fly airplanes, camp in the dessert- with scorpions as companions, and I don't even want to know all the other crazy things they do and don't tell me. They really are kind that way.

I love the dull, everyday, "same ole, same ole" routine. If my sweet William comes home and asks me how my day went and I answer, "uneventful" he knows I've had a good one. Hmmm....maybe that's a result of having 5 sons in 7 years. It was a solid decade before an uneventful day ever occurred. True to say, I might have had my share of "thrill-seeking" kicked out of me- a steady diet of adrenalin could do that. Now, I treasure days that require nothing special, no calls to the poison control center(hello, it's me again...), no wails of injustice(those would be mine, by the way) no near catastrophic events(um, Mom, John was blowing up this thing and...) Just laundry and dishes, a bit of sewing and crochet thrown in, fixing dinner, a movie before bed. A stellar day. Oh I still enjoy a bit of excitement, I just have much lower standards than the general public...

Mondays are meant to be mundane. The crazy rush of the weekend comes to a sudden halt when that alarm clock goes off on Monday morning. Back to the regular schedule of routine tasks. It's my "regroup" day.

I did have a date night with my sweet William- after a mundane day. See? My idea of excitement. Dinner- I had an amazing salad, he had enough meat on his plate to be mistaken for the local butcher shop. Then we went to a movie- Cowboys and Aliens. Why? I don't know. Bill wasn't in the mood for a chick flick and I wasn't in the mood for stupid humor, so we do what a lot of couples do- we compromise so that neither of us will be happy! Actually, he had a great time- if his laughter at my expense was any indication. When I saw the previews, I was thinking- a little action, a little western, a little sci-fi- hey, what's not to like? But a very important issue had completely slipped my mind... the whole Hollywood slime factor. Who was it that decided that all aliens must be slimy? As far as I'm concerned, "mucous membranes" is the all-time most nauseating words in the English language. No kidding, I'm holding a bucket on my lap just typing those words. gag. So the cowboys are tough- Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. The little flying spaceships are tough- all metallic and zoom-zoom. Then they have to throw in these aliens dripping...gag...mucous. Their slippery, snotty, bodies are jumping out at people- just once, I'd like to meet an alien with dry skin- in need of some moisturizer. Nope, not in this movie. The other movie patrons are getting a double feature watching me climb over seats and dash for the bright red EXIT sign! What can I say, I have finely honed my emergency responses. Were the aliens really scary- oh yeah, but I was honestly more concerned that they were gonna drip on the cute...er...tough cowboys. When I wasn't clawing Bill's arm off, I was standing up and making a dash for the door. As Bill's laughter is echoing across the parking lot, he's expressing his amazement at how fast I could move and how far I could get before he'd even had a chance to flinch. Oh yeah baby, that mugger's gonna have to catch me first.

So I'm all wrung out and ready for a tepid Tuesday. Please...


Girls, so here's the red head shot- it was supposed to be brown- with a hint of red. My hair didn't get the memo, I guess.

Happy Lord's Day!!!

"Today is a fresh day- with no mistakes in it."

Well, that didn't last long. Picked up the wrong box of hair color. Who knew there would be such a drastic difference between "auburn brown" and "copper brown?" I got up early to color my hair because I just couldn't stand another day with all that white hair at the roots. I am almost completely white headed in the front and while I understand that some people are enamored with white hair(they don't usually have that particular "blessing", mind you) I don't particularly care for the look on me. Now I'm wondering if these "beautiful auburn brown" tresses might not be "ten times worse." I'm gonna have to shoot "The peddler I met on the road, today."

This post sponsored by Anne of Green Gables.

Just like me...

Instead of working on a project that simply needs to be finished, we start a new one. But it was small, so that makes it OK, right? Sarah and I had a really good time during her visit. We ate out several times and went to a local quilt shop. She bought some blue batik to bind the quilt we quilted while she was here. Her son, Ian, has a thing for Pez dispensers, so we all had to check out a couple of the antique malls. Sarah got the find of the day with a McCoy pitcher- in robin's egg blue- for only $12! How cool is that? I found a few neat books. Sadly, Ian didn't find any Pez. My quilting machine was a bit stand-offish with her- the thread kept breaking. It must be used to me, 'cause it was more friendly when I had a go at it.

These "baskets" are by This-n-That and are called "Clutter Keepers." I got the pattern at the quilt shop and thought it would be a fun project to do, together. I had all the supplies needed except some heavy weight interfacing. I was a bit disappointed in the size. For some reason, I assumed that it was much smaller. Turns out it's 5" high and 12" long. Should have read the details. We had fun sewing it- though I must admit the directions were a bit vague and half the fun was figuring out just what in the world she was trying to convey. We both choose fabrics from my stash. Hard to believe that these two color ways came from the same stash- must have multiple personalities. One guess on whose is whose. Yeah, mine has some orange in it. Go figure.

I have more company this week- and next week. So the sewing will be minimal. But I have started painting my kitchen. I am now fully appreciative of the fact that it has taken me 7 years to repaint in there. 10' ceilings and lots of cabinetry is a real hurdle to paint. I'm taking the day off- sore muscles and all that. But my company- our two nieces- have agreed to give me a hand- bless their hearts. That will get me all squared away for company, next week.

Well, I feel the couch and my crochet hook calling me...

There's a bright golden...

er, silver, haze on the meadow. Isn't that beautiful? A few minutes before dawn. I love the skies of Indiana. We've had some extra hot weather, and the humidity you can see plain enough. Another unusual occurance, here. Usually too windy for fog or haze. It makes a beautiful change, though.

Not much sewing going on this month. I quilted 5 quilts, last month. Wanting to get out there and do some more. But I've had company and I'd rather visit than sew. Maybe I need to rethink my priorities... The quilter in me is wondering just what is going on. I am preparing for my 9th set of company since April. That's summer for ya. Not many people are brave enough to visit in the winter months. My oldest son readily comes as he misses the cold and the snow. Everyone else has concerns that they could be stranded longer than they plan.

Who's my company this week? Guess. Ok, you give up? My quilting buddy, Sarah, of www.alwayswantstobequilting.blogspot.com . We saw each other at my son's wedding a couple years ago, but aside from that, I haven't seen her since... July 2006!!! Can that be right? Surely not. But I can't think of another time. Anywho, we plan on sewing some and so I'll get my quilting fix. It's all good. I have some projects in the works, as ever. The only difficult part will be deciding which one. Hope everyone has a great week- I plan on it!

Ghost Chicken in the Sky

Just for a laugh!

The middle girl is my daughter-in-law, Laurie Anne, and the other two girls are my neices, Hannah and Caitlin. Laurie Anne dislocated her knee practising for this little skit- so she's sitting on a stool with her leg in a brace. The trauma didn't slow down her enthusiasm for performing with her new family members. Our family reunion talent show is never dull. Hope you enjoy it!

New projects...

I need a new project like I need another hole in the head. I just quilted up one of my quilts and plan on giving it to someone. It's one of my favorite patterns, but I haven't had the chance to keep one for myself. I've made a couple of them. So this one's for me. A lot of the fabrics are from my Uncle Greg's stash, so that will make it extra special. I miss him. I miss the idea of him sitting there in his chair and quietly sewing the tiniest stitches and cutting his pattern pieces- all with scissors. He would back his templates with sandpaper to keep them from shifting when he traced them. I can see him playing with paints and stamps, making the most amazing patterns. He would email me pictures of his latest completed block, always beautiful. I digress.

Sandy and I cut this one out, last week. She liked the pattern so much, we also cut one out for her. She let me go through her stash and pick her colors out. How fun is that? My favorite part of quilting. Looking through all the beautiful fabric and combining different colors. Hers couldn't be more different than mine. But using the colors from her stash, of course it would be that way. I'm pretty sure I don't own a single pastel. Except the ones she has given me. I really need to branch out from my first inclination. Sometimes we get into a rut, don't we? But I like my rut!

New hair...

Amineta is so proud! As well she should be. The process took hours and hours. She didn't mind getting the twists, but the picking out- now that was just downright painful. It took two sessions to get it all twisted up. The things we girls do to look lovely! Ami looks beautiful when it is a bushy mess, but she is so much happier now that she has hair that "flips."