What I'm Thankful for

In our family Thanksgiving happens to be the all time favorite holiday. Being that it is Thanksgiving Eve I'd like to say what I'm thankful for.

First off I'd like to thank Heather who just got back from deployment for keeping us safe. She is a great young woman who has devoted her life to the Navy. Thank you Heather for keeping my freedom free.

I'd also like to say that I'm thankful that I have the best daughter, Jen. She's the light of my life and always has been and always will be.

I have great family and wonderful friends. So to all of you Happy Turkey Day.

Black Ice

Tonights ride home took forever. We experienced our first "black ice" of the season right at rush hour tonight. My ride home started out normal until I got about half way home. I came up to one of the large intersections and noticed up ahead a ton of red lights flashing. Well, I sat at that light for 4 lights and we never moved. I had the chance to switch lanes and thought what the heck I'll just turn right and go a little further and then I'll be on my path home again WRONG. Oh I turned right only to find another sea of red flashing lights in front of me again. The over passes were so iced over that traffic was be taken off the roads before the bridges. I ended up going in the direction that I had just come from. At one point I was on a bridge and had to stop for traffic. When I went to go again there was this awful sensation, my tires were spinning and I was going no where fast. Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive. I popped that on and it gave me just enough extra traction that I could move. In all my 20 minute peaceful trip home took me about an hour and 15 minutes. Now I live at the top of a pretty steep hill so of course at the bottom I stopped to pick up my mail and sure enough it was time for 4 wheel drive again just to get up my hill. I'd rather drive in a foot of snow any day rather than "BLACK ICE". I just woke up and it's time for bed. I was so exhausted, mentally, from my drive I just missed the entire night.
This just reminds me that we never know what our weather is going to be like and best of luck this winter driving wherever you are.

My tree is up

Last week one night when I was with Jen at the J store I came across this really cute little Christmas tree and fell in love with it. I've wanted one in a pot for a few years now but never bought it until the other night. The tree was on sale for 30% off plus Jen had another coupon for an additional 10% off. That good of a deal I just couldn't pass up. Then on top of that I had a gift card that I'd gotton for my birthday so I was in really grate shape. Home I came with my little tree. My plans this year were to put up the tree on Thanksgiving weekend. I'm headed into some really busy weeks ahead at work and there won't be much time to do these kinds of things. I either would have had to store the tree or I figured what the heck and I put it up. Now all I need to do is swap out the table it's sitting on for a lower one and then after Thanksgiving hang some ornaments, the lights were already on it complete with pine comes and groups of red berries. This is the perfect size for my livingroom. The days of the big tree are over for me, small and simple is the way to go. Anyway I just had to share that my tree was up. I haven't given a thought to shopping for Christmas but Hey I've got a tree already.

My first stroller quilt

About a week or so ago I received the best email ever. It was from my great nephew Ethan written with help by his Grandma Karen, my sister. Let me just say Ethan is a very smart little guy and knew just how to get to me and I went willingly. They live in Arizona and it's the time of year when they say it's getting cold out. Now Ethan's problem was an easy one to help with. He needed a quilt smaller than a regular crib quilt so that when he's out in his stroller it's not as big and bulky. I went right into action. First I picked out a great charm pack at the quilt store and some even better backing. I'm terrible at remembering fabric lines I just know that I loved it and made a quilt from it. At first the blocks made the quilt to small so I added so sashing and a few borders. Then I layered it up and tonight I quilted it on my machine and added the binding. I think it turned out pretty darn cute. I might have to make a few more of them for him. I just washed it and it's in the dryer and one night this week I can send out the package that I have that will go to Ethan with all kinds of goodies in it.

I can't believe it

I can't believe it but I've become a fabric snob. I would have never thought it possible but it's happened. I went through life buying fabric from Joann's. I bought fabric from WalMart and now I'm a fabric snob.

Tonight for the first time in ages I went into a Joann's. I haven't bought fabric there since way before I started working at the quilt store. I think the last fabric I bought from there was probably a year or more ago. While I was shopping with Jen we went into the store looking for styrofoam trees but that's a whole different post. I can't believe how small the quilting department has become in our store. We looked around and I realized that I'm a snob an out and out fabric snob. I don't buy alot of fabric but what I did purchase comes from quilt stores. I love the feel of the fabrics, the colors, the quality. When did all this happen to me? Thinking about it I haven't even purchased thread there in a very long time. Now it's not that I have tons of money. It's just the opposite I have to really watch my spending so I buy fabric for specific projects. I lusted over a fabric kit for about two months while I saved up to buy it. Now I look at it and it's so pretty I'm afraid to cut into it but I will.

Now before anyone gets their feathers ruffled I'm not cutting anyone who purchases fabric in places other than quilt stores. But since I've been using better fabrics I really do notice the difference. It's unreal how times change a person. I've made so many quilts with fabrics from other places. They are still holding up great.

Has anyone else had this revalation? Oh and while we were looking around we came across some great fleece that would have made great lounge pants but then I started thinking the huge candy canes just wouldn't look that great across my butt. The fleece stayed in the store. Wow what a night it's been.