Hello Blog!

OK, OK... so I have been a little distracted and haven't blogged in quite a while. I always plan to blog and have some fabulously funny thoughts running through my head, but they never quite make it to my computer. I feel as though I owe my loyal readers (*cough*) an explanation, so here it goes:

The Top 10 Reasons I Have Been A Blog Slacker

10. One of me. Two of them. If you do the math you'll see that I am completely outnumbered. There's always something to do: read stories, help with crafts, explain homework, taxi to events, etc., etc.

9. Brownies. Not the yummy gooey dessert kind, but the little vest-wearing girl kind. I am co-leader of Maddie's troop and a very busy troop it is! Right now we are preparing for World Thinking Day and I have been working on making "swaps".

8. The Buttercup Quilt. I have completely finished hand-quilting this thing!!! (I feel like maybe you all should stand right now at your computers and give me a standing ovation...). All I need to do is put on the binding which, hopefully, will get completed before I start another quilt. Oh. Wait. Too late...

7. Maddie's Birthday Quilt. Because you can never be working on too many quilts at the same time, I decided to take on another project. I am making Maddie a new quilt in her favorite colors for her 9th birthday (which is approaching rather quickly!). As much as I want to hand quilt this thing, I have decided to machine quilt it so she can actually have it for her 9th birthday instead of her 10th.

6. Did I already mention that I am outnumbered?

5. Fabric. So Joann Fabrics decided to open a fabulous new store not far from my house and I am in sewing heaven! I'm pretty sure they already know who I am due to the fact that I have been there several times since they opened earlier this month. Anyway, the girls picked out fabric for their Easter dresses (and fabric for some spring/summer dresses). I am going to do my best not to start on any of the above mentioned dresses until the above mentioned quilts are finished. We'll see...

4. The "Mommy Looks Like She's Concentrating, So I'd Better Talk To Her" Rule. Without fail, my children who have ignored me all day, will need to talk to me when I am on the computer. In fact, at this moment, I am blogging while trying to undo a ginormous purple "yarn knot" for Ella who is telling me in detail why she needs this yarn un-knotted. This rule also applies to when the telephone rings.

3. Household Chores. I admit it ~ I'm pretty sure I have a mild case of OCD. Not crazy "straightening fringe on the rug" OCD, but "clutter drives me crazy and everything should be labeled and in it's place" OCD. Of course, having children has really helped relax my standards. I have worked really hard at letting things go so my girls can enjoy their home and not worry that mommy is going to go postal if they make a mess. Their happiness is more important to me than if the crayons are put in the proper plastic bin.

2. Laundry. I know you are probably thinking that this should be included under Household Chores, but I think it deserves its own place in my top 10. Just when I think I have finished all the laundry and there couldn't possibly be another dirty article of clothing in my house, I discover a hamper exploding with clothes. And no, my girls can't wear their clothes more than once before needing to be washed. If you know Ella, no explanation needs to be given. Let's just say that I always have a supply of stain remover on hand.

And the #1 reason I am a blog slacker.....

1. Facebook. Those of you with FB accounts know this is true. You log on with the intentions of just checking things out for a few minutes and then suddenly you realize 45 minutes have passed. By the time I am finished checking every body's status and writing on walls, I have no time or energy left for the blog. I know, it's sad.

Crazy Quilting Lady

My computer has been having issues for several days. Due to these issues and the fact that I have zero computer "fix it" knowledge, I haven't been able to get online since Friday evening! I can't believe how dependent I am on cyberspace ~ probably too dependent. Anyway, after threatening to toss the entire system into the back yard and let the squirrels have their way with it, I figured out how to do a "system restore" which has fixed the problem. However, because of my limited computer knowledge, I may have, in fact, caused other issues which I am totally unaware of at this point. ~sigh~

Thanks to the lack of internet, I have been doing a lot of hand quilting this week. I have made great progress on my Buttercup quilt and think I can actually have it finished by next weekend! I also finished an Autumn table runner for my mom. I have a quilt in progress that matches, but, let's be honest, I won't actually finish it in time and will have to give it to her next year. I have also been going through all of my quilting patterns and getting the urge to begin another quilt. I really must figure out the machine quilting thing and get better at it so I can get quilts finished in a reasonable amount of time.

All this quilting and the drop in temperature (along with the scent of an Autumn Spice candle floating in my house) have put me in the Fall spirit.... so, of course, I took down my five-stripe quilt and hung my leaf quilt in its place. I can hear the pumpkins and scarecrows calling from their storage containers. Now all I need is a hand-full of candy corns and I would be so very happy!

Hand quilted Autumn Leaf quilt

If Only There Were More Hours In A Day...

What you see here is progress on my Civil War Quilt ~ 20 completed blocks, thank you very much!! I only have 5 more blocks to go and then I can begin to piece the top together. I'm so excited! After that, I plan to hand quilt the entire thing (gulp). I had hoped to finish it by the Fall, but realistically, it will take me until the end of the year and possibly into Spring to get this thing done. If I only had more uninterrupted time in my day... I could easily get lost in quilting for hours and hours as I love it so much, but my sweet girls require basic needs such as food and of course a little TLC, so I guess I'll take what time I can get and be thankful!