Lucky

Today I was working on finishing my Double Delight quilt and cut my finger with the rotary cutter. I have the top pieced and was cutting fabric for the border when my finger came away bloody. I didn't even realize that the edge of my index finger was over the edge of the ruler. I cut a dime size piece out of my finger and it wouldn't stop bleeding. I ended up going to the emergency room to have them stop the bleeding. Now I have this gigantic gauze wrapped finger. I can't believe how bad it hurt and still hurts. Typing is such a joy and I guess I won't be getting the quilt finished for awhile. I have to keep the gauze on for two days and then I can switch to a band-aid.

Ava ended up going to the hospital last night. She is having a hard time keeping food down and I became very concerned. They gave her a shot and stopped the antibiotic. If she threw up today then we were suppose to go back. Well, she has vomited twice, but we haven't gone back yet. I'm going to try to wait till morning because the regular docs will be back in the hospital. She has kept some food down, but she is eating tiny amounts at a time. I'm hoping that it is just the previous medicine because I can't afford to have much more down for her. The money is almost all gone.

Poor Girl

Ava ended up going back to MSU friday night and stayed the entire weekend. Her infection was causing her alot of pain and I was not handling it well. I decided that it was better for her to be in professional hands. She came home this afternoon and is a different dog. She is more like her old self now. I'm so happy. As soon as we got home she wanted to eat. She hasn't eaten much for over a week since I'm sure her throat hurts. Tonight she basically dove into the food. She ate a whole can (3oz) and then a package (5oz) as well. Its not alot of food but its more than she has had since this started. She ate again just a bit ago. She needs to have food with some of her medicines, so now that she is eating it is helping me out. She does have to wear an e-collar (cone) now because she won't leave her bandages alone. She has been fine since we got home, but I'm watching her like a hawk. I catch her licking at it once in awhile but she listens to her mama. Tonight will be hard because she will have to sleep in her crate with the collar on. She is used to sleeping on the bed but can't right now because she isn't suppose to be jumping. Hopefully she won't do much crying because I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow she has to go back to MSU to get her bandage changed. The drainage has finally slowed down and the doctors are hoping to remove the drainage tube tomorrow. I'm just so happy to have my girl back. She is acting so much like herself, its great. I'm hoping the healing process will move along nicely and we can get back to some semblence of normal. I'm not even sure when the staples are suppose to come out. I'll will be checking with the doctors tomorrow to make sure that we get her taken care of. She is going to be a bit deformed on one side for the rest of her life. The way they cut her ribs has created a bulge. It may get a bit better as she heals, but it will always be noticeable.

Ava

Ava came home from MSU yesterday. It has been a rough 24 hours. She ended up back in the hospital today because the incision was draining an extreme amount. Come to find out, she has an infection and the antibiotics they prescribed haven't helped. She now has a penrose and drainage tube. They have changed her antibiotics and are doing a culture to find out what the bug is. Once they have the culture back they can prescribe the correct drugs to make her better. It has been a very scary and stressful day for me.

This morning I noticed that there was some drainage from the incision. I called the doctor and he said that it was okay, just cover it and monitor it. A little while later it had soaked through the gauze pad and I was using a paper towel to help clean it up. When I put a little pressure on it the drainage came spraying out. I immediately began to panic. I talked to the doctor again and he recommended that I bring her in if I was concerned. Needless to say, it is a good thing that I did take her in because the infection is currently just at the incision and hasn't spread into the body cavity.

I hope everyone keeps Ava in their prayers as I think she needs the help. I'm not ready to lose my dog and hopefully the change in medicine will be enough.

Dog Surgery

Ava ended up having emergency surgery at MSU on Monday. She had a pig's ear (chew toy) stuck in her esophagus. The surgery took a very long time and I couldn't sleep because I was waiting for the surgeon to call. She pulled through, but hasn't wanted to eat. This morning she came out of ICU. They are starting her on oral medications and will be removing her IV soon. They are planning to send her home tomorrow. I'm very nervous because there are lots of rules that have to be followed. I've been to MSU for the past two evenings trying to get her to eat. Last night, she was interested, but wouldn't eat. Tonight she finally ate some food. I was so excited. She ate about 3 ounces which isn't much, but its a start. I also got her to eat a raw egg and drink a bowl of water. She also went potty outside, which is good because she hasn't been doing that since being there. This surgery is going to cost me a pretty penny, but my dog is alive. She's not out of the woods yet because she has lots of healing yet to do, but I'm happy and its just money. Here is a picture of her, post surgery.

I hope everyone is enjoying this weather. Its nice to see snow, but I hate the cold and wind. Hopefully the sun will come out again soon!

Sick Dog

Yesterday my baby girl, Ava, ate something she shouldn't have. I think that it was a large chunk of rawhide because I saw her chewing on a rawhide bone. In the afternoon she started crying in pain and scared the hell out of me and the husband. Her belly was distended and rolling. It really scared me. DH started rubbing her belly and throat to try to dislodge anything that was possibly stuck in her throat. She was breathing without any problem, just crying in pain. She was very uncomfortable all and trying to dealing with stomach contractions. Needless to say, there wasn't much sleep to be had. Today she is feeling a bit better, but still has not eaten. I did get her to eat a raw egg and some butter. I'm hoping to get whatever is stuck in her belly to move. We've been outside walking around. I'm trying to keep her moving periodically hoping that she will poop. If she isn't better tomorrow then I will be calling the vet. I can't afford another $3,000 vet bill (her brother earlier this year), so I'm really hoping it will pass on its own.

Today I baked an Orange Buttered Rum cake in a holiday wreath bundt pan that I purchased 4 or 5 years ago from Williams Sonoma. I had lost the recipe and have been searching for it, but could never find it. Well, a couple of days ago I decided to check the Williams Sonoma site instead of Nordicware. Come to find out the recipe is a WS recipe and not from the manufacturer of the pan. Let me tell you, my house smells so good and I want to dig into the cake. My office is having holiday goodie tables every Monday this month, so I thought I would make the cake. I can't wait to have a piece. The recipe is from scratch and even uses cake flour. The batter is so soft, smooth, and fluffy. I hope its good. I know the last time I made it, it was great, but that time I didn't grease the pan good enough and the cake tore apart when I tried to get it out of the pan. This time I thought that I would try to spray some Pam in the pan and then coat with flour. There are so many small spots on the wreath that greasing by hand is a pain. Well, my idea failed miserably and I had to wash the pan and grease by hand and flour it. I learned my lesson on that one today. I won't ever do that again.

Weather

Yesterday we saw our first snow. We lucked out compared to the west side of the state. The Grand Rapids area received up to a foot of snow. The news showed downtown GR and it was a mess. It seems that people don't remember how to drive in the snow until after the first snow. Ionia, which isn't that far away, got 8 inches. They are saying we will get snow tomorrow night into Monday and then a huge storm on Wednesday. I need to get the snowblower ready, so I don't have to shovel. Its way too much work to shovel when its wet and heavy.

I've been piecing my double delight top. I've only got a few more rows to go and the top will be complete. My next step is find some fabric to use as borders. I would like to find the same cheddar/rust color, but I can't remember if I bought it at Joann's or Walmart. I may have enough pink to do the borders, but I'm sure I will check out some new fabric while searching for a cheddar/rust.

The new Bonnie Hunter mystery is already up to step 4. I've been printing the directions out as they are posted and I'm not sure if I want to tackle this quilt. It looks amazingly difficult and lots of little pieces. It looks even more involved than the Double Delight that I'm trying to finish. I've got a few other quilts to finish before I even think about starting this mystery. Its hard because I do want to start collecting and cutting up fabric. I just have to keep telling myself to get the UFO's done first.

Stuff

I went to Silver Bells this past Friday in downtown Lansing with some friends. I have never gone before and it was pretty cool. The weather was great and there was a ton of people there. What I could see of the electric light parade was nice. The state tree is pretty and the fireworks were great. Some of them had such large explosions that a few of us were joking about running for cover. Its an Army thing.

My husband's uncle died unexpectedly yesterday, so a funeral is in my near future. The details are still sketchy at this time, so I'm not sure if it is going to affect our Thanksgiving plans or not. At this point we are still moving ahead as planned. Tomorrow after work I will be baking the pumpkin pie. Yum.

I'm pinning the last 8 blocks of my double delight rolling star blocks. I can't wait to get these bad boys sewn together. They WILL BE done tonight. Then I can start looking at the lay out. I forgot about the triangle end pieces, so last night I went looking through the stash to see what pinks I have. It could be an interesting layout. I can't wait to get it done.

Next I have to finish the quilt I started for my sister so I can get it quilted and sent to her. It was suppose to be her X-mas present but I don't think that is gonna happen. I don't think she will mind getting it a bit late.

I'm giving up all my fabric scraps to my long arm quilter because I'm never gonna use them. I did find a big piece of green batik in the basket, so I'm thinking I'm going to have to keep that piece. I might have to rummage through the basket before bagging it up for her.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Happy but Sad

Today I sold my Quarter Horse mare, Maggie. I've been wanting to sell her because she needs to go to someone who will use her. A lady from Hillsdale came over tonight with her trailer, in case she wanted her and to save herself another trip. She fell in love with her and bought her on the spot. She brought a young lady with her that boards are her house and she rode Maggie as well. She didn't want to get off of her because she was enjoying riding her so much. Maggie was well behaved, amazingly and she even loaded into the trailer without any problems. My jaw about fell to the ground. Melody could care less that she is gone, but Mia is very upset. She was walking around calling to her, but she was gone. Hopefully she will be alright. I'm hoping that Julie will love her as much as I do. Now, I've just got to get the other two sold and find my show horse.

I've been getting quite a bit of sewing done. I've got almost all the blocks for the double delight sewn together. I'm very excited and want to start working on the layout. I can't wait to get the top done. I need to get this one done and another one then I want to finish a show shirt that I've got cut out. I'm hoping to get a few shirts made this winter so I can sell them as the spring tack sales.

Friday the 13th

Well, my Friday the 13th turned out to be a humdinger. I did get the leaves bagged up in the front yard, so at least that is now done. In the morning, the oldest weim got sick from eating bark, so I ended up being late for work. Then I had a headache and some of my co-workers didn't help it any. I ended up leaving work early and when I got home I loaded up the leaves to take to the farm. I got the load all secured and ready to go. I went to get some water from the fridge and it was dead. I ended up packing up all my food and taking it to the farm. On the way to the farm, two bags of leaves decided they wanted to take a trip. They flew out of the back of the truck in heavy traffic on the highway. Luckily there wasn't a 20 car pile up or anything. I got to the house and found our neighbor died the day before. He was only 39 years old. At that point I decided that I wasn't going horseback riding because I was afraid of what would possibly happen to me or the horse. It was a heck of day and I hope to not have another one like it for some time. I did end up having to buy a new fridge and hopefully it will be installed tomorrow. Its amazing how much we rely on having a fridge. I hope no one else had a Friday the 13th like mine.

Leaves, Leaves, and More Leaves

I worked on leaves again until the dogs couldn't stand it. They decided to bark continuously and cause me heartburn. The neighbors don't care for dogs barking, so I had to quit even though I'm close to being done. I filled up a few more bags and got the side yard done. I also got the front yard raked, I just need to put the leaves in bags. I'm hoping to get it done tomorrow. I still have to finish the backyard, but I'm not in such a big rush to get that little bit done.

Here is a picture of Miss Ava hanging out in the leaves. I just love this picture. She looks so pretty and blends in with the leaves so well.

I've been working on my Double Delight quilt tonight. Since it gets dark so early I have to do stuff in the house. I figured I better get rolling on this so I can work on the next mystery quilt. I have two other quilts to finish before starting a new one. One is bargello wall hanging that is almost done. It is a quilt as you go and I only have to finish putting the borders on and then the binding. I also started a quilt to send to my sister for Christmas this past winter. I really should get it done so maybe I can send it to her sometime close to Christmas. It is super cute dog christmas fabric. I'm hoping to make some headway on these projects soon. With the holidays and the cold weather creeping in, I think I might be able to get some of these things finished.

I also want to get some more show clothes made so I can sell them this spring at local tack sales. I have such a different variety of fabric. Hopefully they will turn out because I've never used decorator fabric to make clothing before. I also want to order a few more patterns because I want to make my own showmanship outfit for this next year. I'm not sure what horse I will be showing, but I'm hoping to have something to show.

Veteran's Day

Please take a moment today and thank a veteran for the service they have given to our country. Our servicemen and women are very important to this country and stand up for what is right. Also, please say a prayer for the soldiers and families at Fort Hood that have had to endure this horrible act of aggression against them. I know that I am thinking about them often and hopefully the man who committed this horrible crime will pay the price for what he has done.

On to better and brighter things. The next Quiltville mystery quilt is about to get started. I don't plan on starting it when the rest do, but I will follow along and hope to make it sometime this winter. I'm still working on the last mystery quilt, so I can't start anything new until I finish that one.

I think today is going to be spent raking leaves. I'm hoping to get them finished up. I just have to finish the backyard and do the front and side. I've already filled 35 bags and I'm hoping not to have to do another 35. I really want to get these leaves up because I'm one of the last houses to still have leaves in the yard. Luckily, I'm not the last last, but its getting close. The day is suppose to be beautiful and I know the dogs will enjoy hanging outside.

Happy Veteran's Day!!

Long Time

Sorry for such a huge gap in posts. This summer has been crazy. I showed my Appaloosa mare at all the Rose City shows. We had a good year. We placed in at least one class at every show. The last show at the beginning of August was a bit rough. We were doing great in our classes and at the lunch break I decided to work her because she was fighting me. Well, she decided that she had enough of me and decided to take off as fast as possible. I thought for sure that she was going to run through the fence, but she stopped and off I went. I was very lucky that I didn't hit the fence or the fence post. I landed right next to them. When I got up and started to walk my pant leg was stuck to my knee, so I pulled it up and come to find out I had a huge gash in my knee. I ended up having to call the DH to take me to the emergency room for stitches. I have a nice scar.

I've been sewing more show clothes as well. I bought a bunch of fabric at Field's to make more shirts. I haven't gotten to that fabric yet, but I'm hoping that this winter I will get lots of sewing done. Tonight I busted out the Double Delight mystery quilt from Bonnie Hunter. It started on New Year's Day and I haven't finished it yet. My machine was being troublesome so I had to work through that before I could get one section sewn. The day was too nice today to sew and the dogs and I spent most of the day outside. As it gets colder I will get back to sewing.

Another Day

Today, the weather is crappy. It has been raining most of the day. I had to leave work early because my baby girl decided to rip her bandages off. My in-laws came over and called me as soon as they found her with them off. Thank god for them because they took her to the vet and I met them there. Luckily the vet was okay with the bandages being off, but the wound started to bleed when we got home. I got out my husband's EMT bag and found some gauze to re-wrap her leg. We have to go back to the vet on Monday because she still has some swelling in her leg and the vet is just a bit concerned because the swelling is in her joint. The vet wants to make sure that she doesn't have a bone infection happening. This kid is going to give me gray hair.

Last night we baled hay. DH hired a couple guys to help because we needed to get it up before the rain came. Well, we only got about half the field done. The cows will be getting lots of fresh hay, which will make them happy.

Work is still crazy. I feel like I can't ever get anything done. I was making progress today until having to leave unexpectedly because of the dog. I still am buried in paper and have so much to get done before friday. I have two big projects that need to be completed this week. I'm hoping that I can get them done otherwise I might have to do some work on Saturday.

Sunday is another horse show. I haven't had an opportunity to go ride my horse to make sure that we are in sync for the show. Things have been so crazy at work and home that I haven't had time to think let alone ride. I'm looking forward to the show. I'm starting to enjoy the whole process of prepping and then showing. I get nervous before showing, but I think I'm getting better.

The above picture is from Hawaii. This is Waimea Canyon on the island of Kauai. The southern part of the island is like a desert and the northern part (where we stayed) is tropical. The canyon was really cool, but it was a long way up.

Way Behind

I've been meaning to post more often, but I've been super busy with work, the DH working overtime, and trying to get my horse ready to show. We went to a horse show this past Sunday. We were suppose to go for the entire weekend, but the girl who is training my horse had an accident with her horse on Friday. While trying to clip her mare, she reared up and cut her head open on some steel. Ended up having to call the vet and have stitches done, plus she also scratched her cornea. We ended up just going up to Mason on Sunday morning and showing that day. We placed in two out of three classes, but I think we should have done better. The judge seemed to have her favorites. I made some mistakes in the classes, but overall we did much better than our first show. We are suppose to go to another show this coming Sunday down in Clark Lake. Hopefully I will get a chance to practice before then.

Today, I didn't make it to work because I had a migrane and then ended up having to take one of the dogs to the vet for an infection in her leg. She had a small fight with one of the other dogs on Friday, but I didn't see any puncture wounds, well I was wrong. By Sunday her leg was swollen and this morning it looked horrible. I took her to the vet and they did a short procedure to create areas in her leg to drain the fluids. She has to go back Thursday to check on the healing. She also has to take some antibiotics for awhile. I feel like a horrible parent, but I really didn't think she had gotten hurt.

I'm ready to head back to Hawaii and leave reality behind. With summer here life is crazy. We have hay down right now, so I had to do some raking this afternoon. We will probably be baling tomorrow or Wednesday. Hopefully the weather will hold out.

Hawaii

Sorry it has taken me so long to post about our adventures in Hawaii. Work was long and difficult this week and I didn't feel up to writing.

We left for vacation on a Saturday. We stopped over in Vancouver, WA to stay the night with my sister. They also went to Hawaii with us, so we all had the same flight over and actually got to sit together. The flight to Vancouver was almost 5 hours and on Sunday morning we boarded another plane for a 6 hour flight to Oahu where we had to catch another flight to Kauai. Our flight out of Portland left late, so we missed our connecting flight Honolulu. We were lucky that we heard an announcement regarding our missed connection and we ran to jump on another flight to Kauai. Of course, our luggage didn't make the plane, but they have flights over to Kauai about every 45 minutes. It made it on the next flight and we waited for it. By the time the boys got the rental car, my sis & I had secured our luggage. We stayed in Princeville which is almost an hour drive north of the airport. The island isn't that big, but there is only one main road, so traffic gets ugly.

We were in Kauai for 8 days. We saw lots of sun and rain. It rained everyday, like it does in Florida. We had a very relaxing time, which is why my DH and I went. More to post later.

Horse show results

Sorry, I've been away for so long. Things have been absolutely crazy. We just returned from a vacation in Hawaii. I will post more on that later.

As far as the horse show went, we did pretty well. We entered 7 classes and placed in 4. I think we actually placed in 5 classes, but I couldn't hear the announcer well, so I'm not completely certain that she called my number.

The next show is June 21st and I am looking forward to it. This show helped me to feel better with riding my mare. I think we would have done better in more classes if I would have had time to ride her more often. Thank god for Mandy. She has been doing a great job with getting her trained and ready to show.

I hope to get more posted. Right now I'm suffering from a 6 hour time change, so I'm off to bed for tonight.

Getting Ready for 1st Show

I'm starting my preparations for the horse show this weekend. I went over and got both girls tails brushed and braided to help keep them nice. I brought the horse trailer up by the house so I could clean it and prep it. Found out that something is wrong with the electrical system in the truck because only a portion of my trailer lights are working. One more thing to get fixed before the weekend. I still have to hem my show pants, but that shouldn't take too much time.

I'm posting a picture of two shirts that I embroidered for my mom's husband. They turned out pretty good. I got the placement alittle high on the one, but it was the first one I did. Now I'm waiting for my mom to find some shirts, so I can do them for her. She told me that lots of people have been asking who embroidered the shirts for them. I guess people like the design. I'm pretty proud of myself for figuring it out. I had to shift the design sideways because of the way I had to put the shirt in the hoop. I really enjoyed doing those shirts for them. Hopefully I'll be able to do more in the future.

Embroidery

I've been doing some embroidery work for my mom and her farm. I made a couple of test ones for her and she & her husband loved them. I made a towel for her, but I didn't get a picture of it before I gave it to her. They came over last week and we made another test one to see what it would look like on a shirt pocket. Well they loved that one too, so now they are bringing me some shirts to embroider. Hopefully I will get it right and they will be correct on the shirt. I always worry about lining things up correctly, so that the embroidery is centered and straight on the shirt. They are suppose to bring the shirts over to me today, so we can get them done.

Mom is also going to help me hem some pants of mine. I can't do it by myself very well, so she volunteered to help me. Its hard to bend over and fold them hem correctly. I have to get these pants hemmed because they are my show pants and I've only got a couple more weeks to go before the first horse show.

Rain, Rain Go Away

It seems that Mother Nature really took spring to heart. It seems like it is never going to stop raining. My hay fields are loving all the rain, but I would really like to be able to drive down the driveway without splashing through mud puddles. All this spring weather has helped with getting the aspargus going. I've been picking some this week. Not alot yet, but there are alot of tops just peeking out of the ground.

The black shirt is the first shirt that I made. It is done except for the bottom hem. I haven't hemmed it yet because I haven't tried it on with my show pants yet. Once I do that I will put a hem in it. I'm happy with how this shirt turned out.

The butterfly shirt is the second shirt I made. I really don't like this shirt because I made some mistakes. For some reason the sleeves are not right and I put the cuffs on incorrectly and had to rip them off and resew them. I also sewed a little close to the zipper so you have to work to get it zipped. I'm just not in love with it. I think I may try to sell it super cheap, just to get rid of it. I have enough of the fabric to make another one, so I may try it again. I really like the fabric, just not the way I sewed this shirt.

Really Been Awhile

Sorry I’ve been away so long. Spring is here and life is busy outside again. The daffodils and tulips are up (not blooming yet). A huge storm is headed our way right now. The sky is black and the power has gone out twice already. My dad just called to make sure that I was aware of what was happening. It’s kind of scary looking out right now. Dad & I got caught in a quick moving storm this morning. We finished cutting wood just in time. We ended up sitting in the truck for a few minutes to wait for the rain to slow down.
My DH is away at military training. I’ve been taking care of everything with help from my dad and his parents. Thank god for all of them. They are all life savers. I couldn’t do it without them.

The storm has arrived. The thunder is shaking the house. The wind is blowing the rain very hard. It has been windy all day, but this storm blew in with a ferocious wind. Hopefully the horses and cows will be fine.

Anyway, I have made another show shirt. I will post a picture as soon as I get it fixed. I finished it and put it on and realized I put the cuffs on incorrectly. I’m in the process of taking them off. I’ve got one done, but needed a break. I’ll get the other one off yet tonight. Hopefully I will have it fixed by tonight. The shirt didn’t go as smoothly as the first one. I’m not sure why, but I’m very disappointed. It looks fine when I put it on, but I also know where all the mistakes are.
Less than a month to go before we leave for Hawaii. Yeah!! I need a vacation badly. Going to work is hard for me. I just don’t even want to go anymore. They did get me a laptop finally so now I can work from home. It’s a good thing and a bad thing. I like being able to work at home when needed, but I don’t want them to think that I will always being working at home during my down time. It’s a catch-22.

Anyway, the two horses in training seem to be doing well. I have ridden one of them once (lesson). She did really good and I’m super excited about the next show. I plan to go and show walk/trot and hopefully halter. She probably won’t make a good western pleasure horse because she has an issue with her lope, but her walk/trot is great. She was a show horse at some point in her life because she knows cues that only show horses would. I can’t wait!!!!

Been Awhile

Wow, I didn't realize how long it has been since I made a post. Guess the warm weather has made it here because I've been outside quite a bit. The hay fields are growing (yeah) and the animals are happy to have grass to eat.

We took two of the horses to the trainer last weekend. I'm headed over there today to see how things are going. We had a huge snowstorm on Monday, so she didn't ride Monday through Wednesday. Hopefully she is riding them now.

I haven't gotten too much sewing done in the last few weeks. I did get the cuffs on the shirt I have been making. The only thing left to do is hem the bottom and put some crystals on the collar and cuffs. It turned out pretty good. I've got some more fabric to make a few more. I've been taking classes at the LQS on my new/used machine. They offer owners classes for free, which is really nice. I've had two classes and I've got two more to go. The next two are for learning how to use the embroidery unit on my machine. Yoohoo, I can't wait. I've been waiting to embroider, but I don't know how on this machine. Thursday I took a class on the software I can use to embroider with my machine. It was a good class because I learned alot about the things I can do. I've played with it a couple of times, but didn't have much luck. Now I know what I was doing wrong. While in class I fixed the quilt label I had created for my dad's quilt. Now I'll be able to get it stitched out and sew it on for him.

Speaking of my dad, I think he is on his way home from Florida. He has been down there for a month and a half. Him and one of his buddies from the U.P. go every year. They stay around Naples. This year they took a boat trip down to Key West. They were talking about stopping in Gainesville on their way home. Hopefully they didn't get mixed up in the horrible weather that has been happening in GA, TN and various other states.

Interesting Morning

This morning I noticed the cows were acting funny out in the pasture. They were all grouped up and then would run. I got the binoculars out to see what was going on. I could see a large gray something in the pasture with them. I threw on the carharts, grabbed a gun and out I went. I shut the electric fence off and started walking out to the cows. Ava thought that she should join me and was headed out to the pasture too. As I got closer I could see what the cows were messing with. It was a coyote!!! As Ava got close to it, it took off like a shot and she was right on his heels. Of course he was headed for the woods on the other side of our property and she was gonna stop chasing him no matter how much I yelled. I fired the gun up in the air because she is afraid of gun shots, but that didn't slow her down. I was headed to the truck to go look for her and I saw her coming back. I think she chased him to the edge of our property and came back. I checked her over to make sure she didn't tangle with him, but she didn't have a scratch. Thank God for that because she is due for her rabies shot right now.

The horse vet is scheduled to come today to give shots and pull Coggins for all of my horses. Of course the weather has to be crappy and cold today. I'm hoping that there won't be any problems for them getting down the drive, since it rained last night. It doesn't look like it should be bad, but who knows. DH did a ton of work on the drive trying to get the water to shed off to the side instead of pooling in the drive.

Tomorrow I start a series of classes at the LQS on the new sewing machine I bought last month. DH has several pairs of pants that need to be hemmed, so hopefully I will learn how to do that on this machine. I've got a couple days of basic machine use and then a couple of days of embroidery training. I'm looking forward to it because I have the software to do some cool embroidery stuff, but I don't know how to use it. These class are one day a week, so its gonna be a month before I learn how to do everything, but it will be worth the wait.

Home Again

I made it home from Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA very late Sunday night. It was a great week out there. I learned alot at the classes I took and I got to spend some much needed time with my sister. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go out there. The flights were a bit rough, however. There must be something about Portland because my flight in was rough and my flight out was rough. The airport is right at the western edge of the Columbia River Gorge, so I think it gets alot of wind. The whole flight to Minneapolis had alot of turbulence. I saw the radar once we got to MN and it showed some serious storms. We were flying at 37,000 feet, but we still had the rough air. We were late taking off out of MN due to an international flight that arrived late. They had to use our gate area, so we couldn't get on the plane until after they cleared out. Once we got to Detroit we couldn't get off the plane because the jet-way wasn't working. We stood waiting on the plane for 20 minutes before they got it fixed. All in all it wasn't bad, but I just felt like venting. Anyway, I had a great time with my sister and the area is so beautiful. I thought we had pretty country areas here, it is absolutely stunning there. The picture here is of the Columbia River Gorge.

I went back to work yesterday, but I was a bit late because of getting home so late the night before. I didn't get home until midnight, so I needed a little extra sleep. The time zone change also has kicked my butt. I stayed home sick today because I wasn't feeling good. I did work from home for about 5 hours today. I have a property report that is due, so it was good to be able to get it done in the peace and quiet. Things haven't changed at work. I'm really considering starting to look for a new job. It is a hostile work environment right now due to one person in particular. The bad thing is no one will do anything about it. We can complain to our supervisor, but he won't take it any further. Its rather unfortunate.

The beginning of April two of my horses are headed for training. A girl down the road does a really good job of training, so we are sending two to her for a couple of months. Scott wants to be able to ride Melody (since she is his) and I want to show this year. I'm hoping that Maggie will make it as a show horse, but I'm not sure. We're going to give her 30 days to see if she has it in her otherwise she will come home and be my trail horse. I'm hoping to be able to show this year, since that is my plan and dream. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Visiting my Sis

I made it to Portland, Oregon today. The flight from Minneapolis to here was a little rough. It was raining here and the clouds were very turbulent. It was like riding the roller coasters at Cedar Point. I didn't enjoy the landing at all.

My sis picked me up and we had some very yummy mexican food. Then we went to her house and I got to meet the new boys (dogs). They are both very nice pups. We went to a park and let them run. It is very funny to see a doberman play with a boston terrier. They are quite a pair.

It is only 6:30pm here and I'm ready to hit the sheets. It has been a very long day and I'm still on Michigan time. I was up at 4:30 this morning to do chores and get my butt in gear for the drive to the airport. We didn't get home from the retirement ball until midnight, so it was short sleep time for me. Tomorrow my class starts at 8am so I think I can get some sleep and be rested before having to exercise my brain.

Not Quite Finished

Well, since I'm not sure when I'm gonna get the shirt done I thought I would post a picture of it. I'm working on the cuffs right now, but they are gonna be a stinker to get on. Of course the pattern instructions aren't making sense either. I'm taking a break and looking at the shirt I bought to see how they were done. It usually helps me to look at one that is completed to understand how the construction went. When I get the cuffs on and the bottom hemmed I will put some crystals on the collar & cuffs. I'm trying to decide what design to use and how many to use. I guess it will all depend on how it looks when finished.

I went to the salon today to have them do my hair for me for tonight's shindig. The girl was running 20 minutes late, so it took a bit longer than expected. She didn't do quite as good a job as my normal lady does. I think I can do some stuff to it to make it look better.

My sister asked me to get her some herbed salt before I go see her because they don't have it out there. I ended up buying her 3 packages, so she won't run out for awhile. Its kind of funny how some food items are regional.

Friday the 13th

I took the day off because this weekend is so jammed packed with activities. Today DH & I went to the Stallion Expo at the MSU Pavillion. Today was definitely a good day to go because it wasn't super busy like it is on the weekend. I enjoyed walking around and seeing what the vendors had on sale. I need a halter to show in, but the cheapest one I found was $200. I should've bought the one I wanted at a tack sale last month. It was used and only $40. Oh well, lesson learned. Anyway, I bought some more fabric to make another show shirt. I also got some swarvoski crystals to decorate my shirts with. I was going to get some Ultrasuede to make my own chaps, but decided against it because it was $42/yard. As soon as I get the shirt I'm currently working on done I will post a picture. I only have to make the cuffs and hem the bottom and it will be done.

Tomorrow is Night O'Knights, yeah!! It is a retirement celebration for soldiers that belong to our local brigade. We go every year and have a great time. I bought a BC/BG Max Azaria dress last year that I only got to wear once, so I'm going to wear that to the shindig. I'm 100% positive no one will have the same dress. Last year there was three of us with the same dress :( We always get our pictures taken as well. It is the only time that we get dressed up and they have a professional photographer there.

Sunday I fly to Portland, Oregon for a training class. I will be able to visit my sister while I'm there. She lives about 10 miles away from where my class is being held. We are both super excited because we haven't seen each other since she moved last labor day weekend. I hope to get some pics while there.

Sewing Construction

I have finally started the sewing process for my western show shirt. I got everything cut out last week, but didn't have the chance to start sewing until today. I got the zipper in and the shoulder seams sewn together. I have forgotten how much work it is to construct clothes. I worked on it for 2 hours and that is all the farther I got. I am so happy with what I have done so far. I had to do a little happy dance over my progress and how it looks.

This past weekend I didn't get much done. I did work on finishing the Bargello quilt that I started at a class at the LQS. I'm almost done. I have one piece of the thin border left to put on and then the wide border and binding. At least it will be one more project done.

This coming weekend is going to busy. I took friday off work so that I can go to the Stallion Expo. Saturday we have a big military retirement ball to go to and Sunday I fly to Oregon for a training class. My class next week happens to be in the town next to where must sister just moved to this past year. I haven't seen her since she left on Labor Day weekend. We are both very excited that I am able to get out there for a week.

My in-laws are out in VA visiting their daughter and grandkids. I'm hoping that they have a nice time and enjoy the nice weather. It seems to be getting cold here again. At least the rain has stopped for now. This weekend was horrible. The drive back to the horses/cows is still a mess. Hopefully things will dry up soon.

When I get the shirt done I will post a picture. I'm hoping to get it done before friday because if it turns out nice then I may buy some more fabric and another pattern at the Stallion Expo.

Whew! Glad that's over

The auditors were here the beginning of the week. They worked Monday through Wednesday looking at our files. We didn't do bad, but there was few items that were of concern, but it wasn't something that we did wrong in our office. Our headquarters had made some mistakes or didn't enter some required information. It was good to have an audit because it made us think about what we are doing as an agency and how we can make the process better within our state. They have moved on to another state, so we are done for now.

I'm getting ready to start cutting some fabric to make a western show shirt. I've been trying to get it done for awhile, but things have kept coming up. I want to get it done before the Stallion Expo comes in two weeks, because if this is something I can do I'm going to get another pattern and some more fabric.

I think I've convinced one of my friends to show with me this year. Her horses have been idle for a couple of years now and she would like to get back to doing speed events. I'm hoping that we can make it work because I think it will be alot of fun. I have several other friends that are showing this year and they really want me to go as well. That is my goal and I'm working towards doing it.

I had planned on doing some riding tonight because the weather is so wonderful, but DH is working overtime, so it is hard for me to leave the dogs for an extending period of time. They were locked up all day, so I don't want to lock them up anymore. I can leave them out, but they tend to find trouble if I'm gone for too long. I'm just going to spend some time with the horses and get them brushed out, since they have started the shedding process.

Don't forget that the time changes this weekend. Spring ahead!!

The Auditors Are Coming, The Auditors Are Coming

As you can tell the auditors are coming to my office on Monday. So, that means working this weekend to make sure we are prepared for their visit. Plus, I really need to clean my office. I think that my stuff is in pretty good shape, but I guess we'll find out when they get done reviewing my files. Keep your fingers crossed that I survive this thing.

On a good note, I like the new sewing machine I purchased. I'm still getting used to it, but it works very well. The one thing that I don't like is how you have to wind the bobbin. Maybe after I take the owner's classes it won't be so difficult for me. I love the integrated walking foot. It is so nice not having to take the shank off and change the whole thing. I've done a little sewing on it, but I haven't tried any embroidery yet. Need to take the classes.

I've got two horses that each have one leg swollen. I'm not sure what happened, but I've been giving them bute for a couple of days and the swelling has gone down. I'm hoping that it was just something they did while playing and its not something more serious.

That's about all the exciting news I have today.

New Sewing Machine

I took my Viking in to get repaired today because I'm having a bobbin problem that I've had in the past. Unfortunately, my husband wouldn't let me buy a new Pfaff Creative Vision. Our LQS is having a huge sale because of a special guest instructor is here for the week. That is the machine I really wanted. Well, he said that I couldn't spend the money, so I took mine in to get fixed. He had told me that I could get a machine if it was less that a certain amount, which wasn't reasonable for a new machine. I found a used machine today at the LQS that does everything that I need and more and it was within my budget!! I couldn't believe it. So, I now have a Pfaff 2140, which is an older model, but the software has been updated to the 2170. I now have to take some owner's classes, so I can learn how to do everything on my machine. I did a little sewing on it earlier tonight. It is going to take some getting used to. It is different than my Viking.

I'm still working on the Bargello quilt from the class this weekend. I was working on it when my machine broke on Sunday. I'm almost done with it, so I'm getting excited. It is looking really good. It is only a wall hanging, so it shouldn't take me much longer to get it done. I'm also still working on the double delight. I'm hoping to get that completed soon. I'm sick of looking at all the pieces on my table. I need to get it done.

I also want to get started on my western show shirt. When my machine broke I thought about starting on that. I just don't like having all these UFO's laying around. When I start a project I really want to see it through instead of putting it away for another day. I just don't like trying to start an old project after a long period of time. So, I will keep working on these two quilts and then make the shirt. However, show season is just around the corner.

Learned Something New

Tonight I successfully edited and added music to the polar plunge video clip from my Valentine's Day post. You'll have to go watch it again and see all the neat things I figured out how to do. I'm so excited about it. Now I can make lots of video clips.

I finished cutting up my fabric for the Bargello quilt class that I'm taking on Saturday. I'm hoping that my choices turn out nice. I was going to post a pic of the fabric strips, but didn't get around to taking a pic. I will post a pic when I finish it on Saturday. We are suppose to do the whole thing on Saturday. Its only a small wallhanging, but I think it will be fun.

The super cold weather is back again. The wind has been whipping today. It is a bone chilling cold. I was hoping that it was gone for the year, but no luck. Hopefully March will bring us some better weather.

Serger Class

Last night I took a serger class at the LQS. It was a 3 hour class that went really fast. I have a Huskylock 936 and had only used it once since I bought it 3 or 4 years ago. Unfortunately we didn't cover everything that I had hoped to. The instructor recommended taking a couple of other "serger retreat" classes to help learn all the different stitches the machine will do. At least I got the basics down include inside & outside corners and the rolled hem.

Yesterday two of the kids got in a fight over a beef bone. It was a pretty vicious fight and the little one got hurt. She received a bite in her throat and the bleeding didn't want to stop. I had to take her to the vet to make sure she didn't need stitches. The vet said her jugular probably got knicked and that is why the bleeding didn't want to stop. He decided that she didn't need stitches, so that was good. She got it bleeding again tonight right before I got home from work. Of course it was difficult to get the bleeding to stop again. This time I'm not taking the bandages off for 48 hours instead of 24 like the vet suggested. It kind of scary watching blood run down your kids neck.

We have more snow headed our way. It is suppose to start with rain and change to snow over night. I have heard a couple of different amounts from 1" up to 3". It could be an interesting ride to work in the morning. Well, it's Michigan and that is what our weather is all about. 60 degrees one day and snow the next. I'm ready for summer to be here.

Valentine's Day

For some fun this morning the DH participated in the law enforcement Polar Plunge for Special Olympics. 76 people decided to be crazy and jump into a freezing lake. They raised over $15,000 for the Special Olympics. I think that it is a great cause and it was wonderful that all these law enforcement people came together for such a cause. The costumes were great. DH wore his class A military uniform. One of his co-workers work camo and another was suppose to jump in his ACU's, but due to bad weather he slide into a ditch and didn't make the jump. It was fun to see everyone. As you can see by the picture that people wore all kinds of costumes. You can watch the DH jump in below.

The snow has come back to visit us. Unfortunately the weather has gotten alittle colder and the snow piled up over night. At least during the day it is above freezing.

I'm still working on the double delight mystery quilt. I haven't given up, but it is slow going. Hopefully I will get some done tomorrow and Monday. I've got Monday off because it is a holiday. I also am taking a serger class Monday night. I've owned by serger for years now and really don't know how to use it. I threaded and used it once (not successfully), so now its time to start using it.

Record Warmth

Today we beat the standing record for the warmest day since 1820 or something like that. We got to 60 degrees today. It was very nice, but very muddy. The drive going back to the barn is horrible. DH spread stones, but it didn't seem to help much. Sometimes its nice when the ground is frozen.

The farrier came today, which was great because of it being so warm. Out of four horses two have issues. My gelding cut his coronet band (right above the hoof) while playing this afternoon. He had lots of blood on his hoof, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him. I put some cream on it to try and keep an infection away. My little mare had an abscess in one of her feet. It blew out through the bottom of her hoof. So, once we got her trimmed we cleaned up the hole and put a home remedy on it and wrapped it in vet wrap and duct tape. I'm praying that she doesn't get an infection from it. She doesn't seem to be feeling real well right now, but the farrier thinks its just "spring fever" which they basically get a minor cold.

I'm still working on my double delight quilt. I haven't made alot of progress, but I am working on getting the SNS blocks put together into the larger blocks. I am using my walking foot on my machine because I'm having problems with sewing over some of the seams. I'm also going to start working on a western show shirt for showing horses. I bought a pattern this winter and got the fabric, so now I'm going to try and make it. I haven't sewn clothes since high school, so it might be interesting. I'm hoping that it goes well and if it does then I may get into making them to sell on e-bay and such.

Today I got some training approved for the month of March. I found training available in the city next to where my sister just moved to. I'm super excited to get to go see her and her new house and kids (dogs). She is super excited too. Now, I keeping my fingers crossed that the class is a go. Sometimes if they don't have enough people register for a class they won't hold it. Let's all hope that they do hold it, so I can see my sis.

Heat Wave

Yesterday the temps got into the low 50's. It was so nice even though there was a breeze blowing. This morning it was above freezing when I got up. Kind of sad when you get excited about something so simple. Most of the snow is now gone, but there is alittle bit left and some ice from all melting. Today its only suppose to get to 40, but hey its better than the bitter cold temps we had for most of January. Its going to be above freezing all week and they think we may hit 60 on Tuesday. Woohoo!!

Yesterday I went to a tack sale sponsored by the MI Quarter Horse Assoc. It was held at the MSU Pavillion in conjunction with a horse show. The place was packed with people. They had a lot of vendors as well. Most were just people selling sme of their old stuff or they make show clothes to sell. I found a few things I liked, but couldn't spend the money since I'm not sure if I'm going to show this year or not. My goal is to show, but I'm not sure if I will get there.

I also went to Everlasting Stitches in Holt to look for fabric for a Bargello class I'm taking in a few weeks. They had an unexpected bus load of ladies stop, so they were packed when I got there. Pam has some very nice fabrics right now. I had a great time just looking around and finding all kinds of fabric that I would love to have. Pam helped me picked out the fabrics for my Bargello. She then gave me 15% off of my total. I thought that was great. She is working on putting a bus trip to Chicago together for the International Quilt Show in April.

Last night I got some more trimming and sewing done on my Double Delight. I only have 7 more blocks of step 5 to sew together. Of course I have to go back and finish step 4 before I can start putting them together. I'm getting more excited about finishing it now. I'm hoping to get some more done today. Of course I'm neglecting all my household chores, but I just don't care. I want to get this quilt done because I want to see the final outcome.

Back to Work

I went back to work today. Of course I was bombarded the minute I got there. Its amazing that so many people need assistance from me. I wish someone would get the idea that there needs to be more than one of me. Everyone sees it except for the guy who has to approve hiring someone. I've been by myself for a year now. Anyway, back to today, the morning was a bit rough. I guess when you have a concussion you shouldn't be spending alot of time on the computer. I had a horrible headache by lunch and thought I was going to get sick. I ended up going out to get some fresh air and eating my bland lunch and I felt a ton better.

Tonight I cooked dinner for my mom and her husband. It was nice to spend some time with them. I don't see them often even though we only live 5 miles apart. I also got some more 9 patches trimmed and a couple more blocks sewn together. I feel like I'm making some progress. I only have about 40 more 9 patches to trim. I still have to sew most of the blocks together, but that goes much faster than the trimming part. DH has military duty this weekend, so maybe I can get some more done. I really want to get it finished and get back to the project I was working on before this mystery.

Day Off

I ended up taking the day off because of the concussion. I still have a headache, but its getting better. I spent some time with my mom today. It was nice to see her and have her with me when I'm not feeling well. I did a little sewing, but not much because I'm trying to keep the headache at bay. I got two more of the 9 patch big blocks done. I'm still working on the double delight, slowly but surely.

One of my friends just got back from a military school in California. She was gone for the month of January. She had a good time, but a reality check when she got home. It was warm where she was, so this weather is hard for her to adjust to. She said that she can't get warm at all. I'm really not feeling sorry for her.

Concussion

It seems that my bad luck is continuing. Yesterday one of my horses was sniffing the back of my head while I was climbing through the fence. I stood up and we smacked into each other pretty hard. I didn't think anything of it, but I had a headache. I woke up this morning with the headache and decided to go to the doctor. She thinks that I may have a concussion and if the symptoms get worse I have to go to the emergency room to get a CAT scan. Its amazing to me that such a simple thing can cause so much damage. So, today I am to lay around and not doing anything stressful for my body or brain. I guess I can get caught up on the soaps today. She said that I can do some sewing if it doesn't bother me or make my headache worse.

I stopped at a local shop that carries fabric. I ended up buying a bunch of fat quarters. Not sure what I need them for, but I liked the colors and designs. Hopefully I will find something to use them in. Right now, they are just an additional to the stash.

Super Bowl Sunday

Today is the first of February. We are hoping that the weather will start to warm up now. Today it has made it to the upper thirty's, maybe even 40. This weather has been very hard and has gotten me a little depressed. It has been soooo cold and ugly. Today is beautiful. The sun has been shining and the animals seem to be enjoying it.

My DH & I celebrated our 6th anniversary in January. For our anniversary my DH told me that I could get a new kitty or a fish tank. I decided to go with the fish tank. I don't feel that a cat gets a fair deal living here. The dogs are alright with cats, but can cause some havoc. I just didn't feel that a cat would get the attention it deserves. So, the DH bought me a 120 gallon tank. I have started getting some fish. We are using it as a cichlid tank, so the larger of our babies have moved in there along with some new fish. We changed our 37 gallon tank to piranhas. The babies moved to the 10 gallon tank. We santized that tank and the two fish that lived got salt baths. They are both doing fine and the babies like their new home. I also put two apple snails in there. They are interesting to watch.

I have finally gotten the nine patches done for the Double Delight quilt from Bonnie Hunter. I didn't think I would ever get done. I didn't have enough strips set out, so I had to get some of the extras I had made. Now, I've just got to get them trimmed up. I did start sewing some of the blocks together. I'm excited to finally get to the steps of making the larger blocks. I can't wait to get them done, so I can put them together and get the top done. I'm already planning on going to a LQS to get some fabric for the borders. I don't have anymore of the cheddar, so I've got to replaced it with something.

Bad Times Continue

Well, I thought the fish dying was bad enough, but today my cat died. We think that he ate some leaves from my house plant and got poisoned. I rescued him from the shelter after having to put my Rottweiler to sleep 5+ years ago. I had sworn off dogs because it broker my heart when I put her down. I had one cat and decided to rescue another to hang out with her. She was very lonely after the dog passed. Well, now I'm catless. I think I'm going to stay that way because I don't feel that I gave the cat the attention he deserved. Its hard for a cat in my house with the 5 dogs who could eat you at any second.

This pic is of my kitty and my ridgeback taking a nap together. It was super cute when they were snuggled up together, but when I took the pic he decided to get out there. I will miss him!

On a lighter note, I got my hair cut last night. I look like a completely different person. I'm totally loving it. She cut it into a bob and its short. Lots of highlights. I keep playing with because I have to get used to wearing my hair down again. I went to a salon called Divinity Design Salon in Jackson. They are a little pricey, but it was worth it to me. If anyone is looking for a new stylist let me know because if I send referrels I get $20 off my visit. My stylists name is Michelle Lyke. She is great. I'm so happy that I finally found a new stylist because my hair was in desperate need of some attention.

The other big news of the day is - WE HAVE A NEW PRESIDENT! Not sure if that is a good or bad thing, but hopefully President Obama will be able to make some positive changes for this country. The previous president didn't do much in his last term. I'm hoping that Mr. Obama can live up to his promises and turn some things around. The American people need a change and lets all hope this is the right change.

Bad Week

I haven't gotten much sewing done on my Double Delight this week. Its been pretty rough. The weather has been horrible. We had three days with the temps in the negatives and highs in the single digits. Our farm truck (diesel) had the fuel gel one morning, so we had to walk back to the house (almost a 1/2 mile) in the freezing cold. For the most part the animals have done well. We had one calf die Tuesday night, but he had been sick for a couple of days and we didn't catch it in time. We tried to save him once we realized what was going on, but it was too late. I'm also have horrible luck with my 10 gallon fish tank. Some how my fish got ick, even though nothing new has been introduced into the tank. I've been treating the tank, but it doesn't seem to be helping. I had 5 little cherry barbs die and then today my expensive pleco died. I'm at my wits end.

Tomorrow is MLK day, so I don't have to work. I'm looking forward to having an extra day off. I'm hoping to get some sewing done. I'm still working on the 9 patches. I got some done during the week, but they seem to be never ending. I'm hoping my top turns out as nice as the ones that I've seen completed. It is a very pretty top, but I don't have a vision of what mine will look like when complete.

Oh, Its Monday

The weather is about to make a significant change here. Tomorrow our high is going to be 9 degrees with the wind chill around -15. I have concern for the horses and cows. Tonight I bedded the horses with extra straw, so hopefully that will help. Its going to be ugly until Sunday according to the weatherman. This weather could cause some major issues for everyone.

I haven't made it to the sewing room since getting the two blocks done. I'm hoping to get some time within the next couple of days. I didn't make it yet tonight, so I probably won't get any done today.

I bought the new Janet Evanovich book "Plum Spooky." I love her books especially the Stephanie Plum series. I've been spending my free time reading it. Last night I stayed up very late reading, which is a no no. Bad timing because it takes away from my sewing time. I'm sure I'll be finished with it in the next couple of days.

Couldn't Stand It

Okay, I just couldn't wait to make the block in the next step. I really wanted to see what it would look like with the previous block. I'm still working on sewing all the nine patches which is going to take quite awhile. I just wanted to get a pic posted of block in step 5. Let me know what you think!

Block finally made

I finally got a block made from step 4. I only made a couple of the nine patches to see how they would go together. I then put together one of the blocks. It looks okay, but they are kind of a pain to put together. The nine patches are going to take me awhile to get finished. I have to make 130 of them. They are turning out to be bit bigger than they are suppose to be so I'm having to trim them. Overall it doesn't look bad. I need to get a few more nine patches made so I can make a block from step 5 and see how they look together. Its nice to be done with the cutting and little piecing. Can't wait to get the blocks made.

We got quite a bit of snow yesterday and last night. I had to get the snowblower out this afternoon to clear a path for the DH to get up the driveway in the car. We are suppose to get another 2 to 4 inches tomorrow night. Then it is going to get really cold. Wednesday, Thursday & Friday the highs are only suppose to be in the single digits and in the negatives overnight. I guess the generator is going to get a good workout those few days. I'm really not looking forward to the extreme cold. Its hard on the animals and hard to keep water from freezing even with the generator running.

Still Working on Mystery

I finally completed step 2 on the NYE mystery from Quiltville. I've been working on step 3, which is making 9 patch blocks. I've got my strip sets sew together, so now I just have to get them all cut. I cut up the light/pink/light and found that I need to make another strip set. It seems that either I didn't follow the directions correctly or the number of light strips is off. I haven't cut up the pink/light/pink yet, so maybe I made one too many of those sets. I think I'm going to be one or two short on those sets as well. I hope to have a few made tomorrow, so I can post a pic here.

We are up to 19 cows now. It seems that 4 more moved to our place on Monday. One I knew would be coming, but the other three came as a surprise to me. They seem to be doing okay, but this weather is hard on them. DH gave them some antibiotics last night, so hopefully that will help them to feel better. Its always hard when livestock comes from an auction. You just never know what they may catch or bring home with them.

It started snowing last night and hasn't stopped. They say we have a couple more hours to go. I'm not sure how many inches we have, but I have given up on clearing the driveway. I didn't go anywhere today, so the drive doesn't need to be clean. The DH is at military duty, so I don't have to worry about him trying to get home till tomorrow. My DFIL has already said that he will come take care of it in the morning.

Snow Again

Sorry to have been away for so long. I was off for the holiday and have been working on the mystery quilt. I'm still working on step 2. The block is a square within a square (see previous post picture). They are very time consuming to make. I haven't been able to devote all my time to making them, so they are taking awhile. I'm over halfway done with the second group. I can't wait to get them done and move on to the next step. I've been printing out the steps as they are posted, so I now know what the overall quilt will look like. It is going to be very nice when completed. So far, Bonnie hasn't posted the border step, so I'm curious to see what she's got up her sleeve for it.

We moved the 10 gallon fish tank out from under the large tank and put it up on the kitchen counter. DH let me put community fish in the tank, so I bought a betta boy and two girls. I thought I would free them from their tiny dish hell. I've also put a few other fish in the tank including a pleco and cherry barbs. Now I want a bigger tank, so I can have more fish. Alas, we don't have much more room to add more tanks.

Going back to work this week sucks. I enjoyed the 5 days off for the New Year holiday. I think I'm in need of a vacation. I can't wait for May to get here because my dad, DS, BIL, DH and I are going to Hawaii. Our aunt and uncle will also meet us there. I'm so looking forward to the trip. My dad, aunt and uncle go every year. We were invited previously but couldn't make the trip.

More to come later, I'm headed back to sewing!!

Working on the Mystery

I've got all the cutting done for steps 1 and 2 of the mystery. I started the piecing process and thought I would post a pic of my two units. Very tedious work and I have to make 120 of each unit. This is gonna be a long process.

I do like the way the blocks turned out. I can't wait to see how it gonna all be tied together. We still haven't seen what the pink fabrics are gonna be.

Happy New Year!

The new year has started. Yesterday our generator died. We use it to keep the water open for the horses and cows. We went looking for a new one yesterday and couldn't find what we are looking for. It seems there must have been a run on generators. Late last week several thousand people were without power in the area, so that maybe why there aren't many to choose from. DH wants electric start, so that way he doesn't have to go out with me in the wee morning hours to start the generator. I couldn't get our old one to start.

We both fell asleep last night before the new year started. I was trying to stay up, but lost the fight somewhere after 11pm. Oh well, not like anything exciting was going on at that time in the morning anyway.

I'm off to start on the mystery quilt from quiltville. I didn't get a chance yesterday because I did house chores and went shopping. I ended up buying some fabric at Wal-mart for the mystery. I didn't like alot of the fabrics I had, so I picked up a few more to mix in. The first two steps are posted and boy Bonnie didn't make it an easy one. lots of squares within squares, which means cutting lots of half square triangles. Ugh!

I hope everyone has a great 2009!!