How I'm spending my vacation

Today is. the first full day of my week off. I got off to a slow start this morning because it felt good just to be lazy. I read a little and then I started in. I decided today I'd start on my bedroom closet and show no mercy. Anything that didn't fit or hasn't been worn in the last six months was to go. Wow 13 bags later there isn't much left in there. I'm clothes poor but it's ok because it all went off to Goodwill. The bottom of the closet is now done and it looks great. Tomorrow I'm attacking the cabinet I have and the small dresser. Then the top shelf of the closet. Once the bedroom is done I know I'll be a very happy camper.

No sewing today but hopefully tomorrow I'll go and get the backing for my shower curtain.

I was just about done and I went into the bedroom and stubbed my toes on a large roll of garbage bags, OUCH, I heard one of the toes crack. I've done this two other times so I recognized the feeling and the sound. Nothing can be done for a broke toe so thank goodness for crocs. The rest of tonight I'm going to finish up some laundry and rest my foot. It really feels good to be going through things and tossing. Through the years we all accumulate so many things that we dont need and I have the huge urge to toss. Wow am I clothes poor. Oh well atleast I know that everything I own now I wear.

Stay tuned to see what I accomplish tomorrow. Does anyone else out there feel the need to toss? Tell us your stories.

Sewapaloosa

Sewing went great this weekend. I packed up my machine and fabric and headed over to sew for the first time in Jen's new sewing studio west. That room is a quilters dream. It's huge and it bright and has a huge window that she always seems to have a great breeze coming in. I took along a table for me that I'll leave there. Got my things all set up and we still had so much room left we could easily put in another quilter and still have room.

First on my list was to figure out what I was going to make with some great fabrics I had brought along. I decided on making a "Yellow Brick Road". If any of you haven't make this quilt yet let me just say what a great pattern and it's so easy to follow. In the first night I cut it out and sewed the blocks together. By then it was getting late so I went on home to rest up for the big Sunday sew. I started thinking about what to do with my new Yellow Brick Road and decided I really needed a new shower curtain more so tadaaaa it's a shower curtain. Then of course I started thinking of all the things to change the bathroom now I'm so excited I can't wait to finish it up.

Sunday we ran a couple of errands and then on to Jen's to sit and sew. I finished the shower curtain top and now I just need to buy backing, prewash that and then onto the quilting frame it can go. This is so exciting. I've been dreaming of making a shower curtain for years now. I think after a while Jen got tired of me always saying I wanted to make my own and now I have. When I had gone as far as I could on it I then moved on to my next project. I had taken some red white and blue fabric along to make my Mom one of the patriotic table toppers I made myself last week. That pattern goes together so quickly in no time I had it finished.

I left my machine at Jen's or I'd be tempted to do more sewing today and what I really need to do it clean things out and get ready to hit Good Will. Jen said if I tossed two bags of stuff each day by end of the week I'd have 18 bags. That sure does sound like alot of stuff but I have way too much in my apartment so it's time to scale back. In probably 10 minutes I already have my first bag ready.

I'm finally on VACATION

When I left work yesterday, after working OT I was finally on vacation. I haven't had any length of time off in I can't remember when. I don't go back to work until July 7. It felt so great when I walked out that door. On my way home I had to tell someone so I sent Jen a text message telling her I was on vacation.
So far I've spent some time over at her house helping her with more unpacking. I didn't have to go home early because I was " on vacation". I have no grand plans of going places but this is what I've wanted to do. Stay home and just do things around here. I have grand plans so I hope I go through with them. If so in the end Good Will will benefit nicely and I'll have cleaned out years of "stuff" that I don't need and someone else can use. There is also sewing in my future as Jen and I are going to start what we're calling a sewapaloosa when she gets home from work today. This event will run tonight and tomorrow. I'll be taking pictures since this will be my first time sewing in her new studio, studio west.

So far these are the things that I've accomplished on my
SUMMER VACATION

I slept later than usual and it felt wonderful.

Stay tuned there is more to come.

Time to Sew

It's been a really fun night so far. I was getting restless and wanted to do some sewing. I've got a ton of blocks for two different BOM's but that didn't interest me at all. Then I remembered that I had picked up a kit at our last Friday BOM for a 4th of July table topper. All the pieces were cut out for us so I figured it couldn't be that hard to put together and I was right it was a snap. First you sewed together the wedges and I pressed as I went. Next up and it's not that easy to see you made prairie points out of the same fabrics and placed them face down on the pie. Then that was placed on a square of fabric and I sewed around the edges and you turned it through the hole in the center. Out popped the table topper and I pressed the prairie points. The last thing was to take the star and fuse it to the center and then with a button hole stitch I stitched it down. Any simplier it couldn't have been. Not even any batting. The coloring on the picture didn't turn out great but it's really cute in person. Next it's time to go through my stash and come up with some red white and blues and make another one for my Mom.

Moving Update

Well the big moves are over with. Mom is settled in her new apartment and all that is left to do there is hang pictures and rearrange her storage locker. She is finally staying there and her new home is great. It's a retirement complex and everyone there is so very friendly. Last Saturday they had a big breakfast and we were invited to attend. They introduced Mom to everyone and they even had a cake welcoming her. We then did a little more unpacking and putting away. Then it was on to Jen and Mike's move. There move was hampered some by them not being able to get in when they were promised. Things moved along slowly but finally it was time for the furniture to be moved and things started to take shape. Lots of maneuvering had to be done around all of the huge rain storms that we had all week. This made for a very soggy move. As of last night I think everything but a few things from their garage has been moved and now it's time for the big unpacking and putting away. Their town house is fantastic. It's huge and I've never seen so many closets in a place before. My fun part is running in the basement and watching the washer do it's thing. I sure do love that glass top. Last night Jen told me to bring one of my guilts over and a blanket to use the huge washer. In the end I went home with the quilt done and it' turned out great but the blanket was still in the dryer but I knew if I stayed any longer I would be asleep on the couch. Today I'll clean some here and then go to see what I can do to help. Once it's all finished it's going to be awesome and I'm sure Jen will put up pictures on her blog. I can already visualize quilts hanging in the stairways. There's so many places to hang quilts and she certainly has enough of them to hang.
Off to do my own cleaning and laundry so I can help out at the kids house later. Don't worry I haven't forgotton about the 4 sided placemat tutorial.

So many new things

It seems that this weekend has been very busy for the ladies in blog land. Let's see, we had one marriage. We've had one house bought, and don't worry Suzan it's just a little panic attack and that will go away once you're in your new home. Two are moving and the one, Jen, well I got to stay in her basement with her and watch the wash go round and round in the new machine. One bought a quilting frame and a machine for it and that would be Jill. One had part of her second floor walls put up, way to go Kristie and then there's me. OK I must confess I bought a tube of goop for getting spots out and a bag of red and brown licorice. OK so my life wasn't as exciting as the rest of you but I still had a good time. Darn, tomorrow is work again and I haven't worked on one quilty thing. OH I take that back I'm reading the new Elm Creek Quilters book. Have a happy week in whatever you all do............

Fun at Jen and Mike's

Today is another rainy day here in Wisconsin. We had a rough time with rain yesterday and last night with lots of flooding. Today it started all over again. It's finally stopped for now but they say more is on it's way. Once it stopped today or atleast the rain lightened up some Jen and I put on rain ponchos and headed to Target to do a little shopping for her new home. Then it was time to check out how Mike and his friend had set up the dryer venting. With all that said and done it was time for the maiden voyage of her new washer and dryer. I thought you'd all enjoy seeing some pictures from that. Let's just say we've never had a washer that had a glass top to it so it was really interesting to watch what goes on in a washer. Sorry but we're simple people.

Everyone's Moving at once

I just wanted to take a minute to stop in and let everyone know I haven't forgotton about the tutorial on the four sided placemat. It just so happens that Mom and Jen and Mike are all moving this weekend so I'm a little busy. As soon as things calm down a big I'll get the tutorial together for everyone.

One to pack up and two to unpack and put away.........