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Friday, July 27, 2007

Happy Birthday to Me! - I'm now 33!

edited -AGAIN - I am so embarrassed that I still haven't completed this post and hit publish YET!!! ...OK, so two weeks later here goes again -So sorry!!! ~Bonnie

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Just like everything I do lately - I began this post on my Birthday (7/26-Thursday).....typing here and there when I got a minute or two... but I am not getting around to finishing it until today!!! :P Sunday

It's a good thing you can't hear me singing... "Happy Birthday to me, I'm nooooooow 33!" LOL I will never have trouble remembering how old I am b/c all I have to do is add 30 to how ever old Nora is. ;) The year I had her my "big" gift that year was an electric breast pump! oooough wow! Yeah, right! It was something I wanted and cost over $200 so it had to count as my rotten birthday gift that year. LOL ;P


This year, my "big" Birthday gift is I am getting my string quilt quilted by Bonnie Hunter!!! I first contacted her back in May about getting it done and at that time she was booked thru Jan 2008... and I was still looking around and pricing out longarm quilters.


I really love the Baptist Fans Quilting she has used on several of her quilts and found some other LA's who had the template and prices were good - but one thing that Bonnie offered that other's didn't was attaching the binding on for me! It's been ages since I have attached binding and I am not sure I would remember what to do for the corners - so even if I had to wait longer for her it would be worth it!


So this week I emailed her again about it and confirmed that I wanted hire her to do the quilting on it - and out of wishful thinking on my part I asked if she by chance had any cancellations? or would she now be totally booked thru December 2008??? LOL


Well, to my surprise she replied back and said that in fact she had a cancellation and had an opening for late August! WHOO HOOO! :) This made my day!!! My quilt will be done a lot sooner than I had hoped!

I don't know if I have shared with you the story of this string quilt - did some back tracking of my blog and doesn't seem that I have shared the story about it so here goes :)

For my string quilt, I had used cut up scraps that I've had since before I even quilted! You see what you don't realize is that 90% of of the fabric used to make up my string quilt came from a very special place. My grandmother "Momma Newt" had her quilting scraps in Wal-Mart bags under her bed when she passed away in 1995. At the time, I was only 21 and my mom and aunts were cleaning out and said to jut throw these bags out to the trash!

To every one's surprise I said, "NO, I want them!!! Maybe one day I can use that fabric!" At that time, I had never quilted much less sat behind a sewing machine. They didn't go thru all the bags and what they saw was only the polyester fabrics - but there was some "good 100% cotton in those bags as well!

Since then both my quilty family members, my mom and aunt Elender have passed away.... if they could just see me now, they would be so proud! ;) In those bags were a lot that I did end up trashing but also there were fabrics worth keeping - as a matter of fact, enough for this string quilt and those boarder fabrics were from the larger pieces - thankfully there were two that somewhat went together in there so I picked them first and planned my middle string to be the same all throughout. I only wish now I had cut them all even and centered them evenly so that the "x" seams would match and would be pretty.

In the photo above is my girlfriend Tracie who came to vist shortly after we first moved to TX - (Tracie use to be my neighbor when I lived in GA & we worked together) - anyway that year, she used her bonus check from work to fly to TX and spend a whole week with me in Jan of 2006 and she brought her son Anthony with her too!


We wanted to plan something easy to sew while she was here and I had found the BEST EVER Quilting Internet site = http://www.quiltville.com/ and this looked like the perfect project for us to work on together!! Sure enough it was - so I prepared all of my scraps into strings and we were able to work together on this "Brainless sewing" as I call it and chit chat and stay up all hours on the night (after our kids were in bed) sewing and not having to worry with matching or paying attention to seam allowances or patterns. :P
A few days later we had my string top (the one I showed you above) and this one done and ready for boarders! Sorry the photo doesn't show the colors like they really were...more "blue" in the photo that they were in real live.



The corner stones between the sashing were left over scraps from a quilt that she and I put together for the St. Jude's Quilt Project from the year before..... and after the top was put together I ended up having the perfect boarder fabric to tie together all those bright and colorful fun fabrics. I had bought it at Hobby Lobby and there was just enough! In her quilt, the only fabric we had to buy, was the solid black sashing. Using the same ABC boarder fabric made it tooooo busy.


Funny how the same two people can work on two totally different quilts at the same time and they each turn out to be so unique and pretty!!? I love each of them and it was really hard to let her take this black/bright string quilt home with her but I did. :) I wanted Tracie to have a quilt from her trip to TX and before I had moved she had given me several of her scraps which I still have today so all in all we are even .... only her fabric I gave her is pieced into a beautiful quilt and the fabric she has given me is strung out all over the floor of my quilting room b/c Nora likes to "organize" my scraps! LOL.


and sure enough we each pieced a top that week and had so much fun as did our toddlers playing in the strings on the floor. Nora was only about 18 months old at the time and I think Tracie's son Anthony was just under a year old. He wasn't walking at time, but crawling and pulling up.


I have already purchased backing for this quilt but need to make sure it has been washed first. I've gotta get it ready to ship to South Carolina! The backing is a red fabric so I may was twice just to be on the safe side. Also I need to figure out how to cut the binding strips and get that prepared for her. I have no idea if I need to cut on the grain or bias...? I haven't done that in years either! This is one of those times, I wish I could pick up the phone and call my momma...

Oh, how I am so excited to finally be getting this quilt QUILTED and done!!! Until now it's been hiding in the closet... but now after it comes home I will enjoy seeing it everyday!!! I didn't aim for it to - but it is the PerrrrrrrrrrrrFECT square to go on my square kitchen table as a table cloth! I mean Perfect!!! You'll see - come September after I get it back from Quiltville! ;)

This was my first time making string blocks and certainly not my last! I am currently involved with the Heartstring Quilt Project and have been the block hostess for my HGTV Sunshine Quilters collecting string blocks for the Heartstrings Project. :) For the month of June we mailed in 45 blocks!! I am anxious to see how many more we collect during August.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Time passing by tooo fast!

Well we finally got around to having Nora's Birthday Party. She actually turned 3 on June 23rd but I wasn't recovered enough to have it then so we were waiting until July and had her party at Chuck-E-Cheese the Saturday after we returned from KY. I just can't believe she is 3 already! Boy time passes by too fast!

I had invited her friends from our weekly playgroup. Four boys and Four girls.... however, only 2 of the boys showed up! Which was a little disappointing for me b/c I paid for party bags for 8 kids but just fine with her - she didn't even notice!
They had a great time playing on all the rides and games and Nora especially thought the TV screen was cool! They stood in front of a blue screen and camera and were on TV with the music videos! While the big kids played the twins were happy in their car seats. I had the double stroller so I was able to push along and keep up and watch Nora having fun with Daddy. Below, Paul Thomas snoozes and Olivia waves her arms!

Last Saturday night, I got the idea to use sponge rollers on Nora's hair hoping it would turn out cute and curly for church on Sunday. Well, I think b/c I only used 5 on each side they were not sectioned off enough b/c the next morning her hair was still damp.... and the curls were a flop. :(
We will try them again though, surprisingly she liked me fixing them in her hair and didn't complain once about sleeping in them. Next time too I may add a little moose too...? Any suggestions from mom's with girls?

Here is Olivia in her Sunday Best last week too :) Those shoes she has on are actually SOCKS!!! and they are so big on her they fall off so I had to keep a close eye on those so we didn't loose one! This little outfit was one of my favorites that Nora once wore. My Aunt Barbara in North Carolina sent it to us when we had Nora along with some other great yard sale finds! :)


"Hey, what about taking my picture!?!?" says Paul Thomas.. sorry brother, Daddy had already changed you out of your Sunday best while Momma was getting a photo of sister. Sadly his out fit will go to the washer then to the box to be put away for the next baby boy. It was very cute on him, but already too small! David was running behind and of course he got Paul Thomas dressed last and at 10:10 was buttoning him up and discovered that the top two buttons on the back would not meet much less button.... so being that we should have left the house at 10:00am we just left and kept a blanket around him the whole time at church so no one noticed the UNbuttoned buttons! LOL :P

After we got home, I snapped this one of Nora in front of "her Jesus". Yes I let her wear her candy necklace to church... and the princess crown too! After all she is God's little princess! :)

I have been getting a few moments here and there to do some sewing. Nothing major just a few blocks. I am lucky if I get 15 minutes each night while Nora takes her bath - but every little bit helps keep me from going crazy!
Above are my blocks I am mailing to OwneJulesMommy for this month's HGTV block lotto. She selected the Star Struck pattern from http://www.quiltville.com/ I got a head start on these blocks in June that is the only way I have as many done as I do. It only takes 1 to win, but i am really hoping that by sending in 15 that I have a greater chance to win these!!! as I am in love with them! My Birthday is July 26 - so wouldn't think make a great birthday gift, if my name was drawn for the block lotto???? :D
Here are a few more photos before I close - We had a lot of rain last week here in SE Texas. Nora and I went out to check the mailbox together and she was delighted to use her own umbrella!

of course the twins didn't get to go out in the rain to play like us "big girls" but instead snoozed inside the house. (Olivia left, Paul Thomas right = 7 weeks old)
Thanks for all the comments that have been left for me :) Those are the best emails of the day :) ~Bonnie

Friday, July 20, 2007

HGTV's CharityChallenge Quilts - on eBay!!

The painting on the side that you see was created by J. Christopher. It was this year's inspiration for the Charity Challenge that Quiltaholic coordinated this year on the HGTV quilter's board.

I didn't participate this year but many of my board buddies did. I think it is awesome that they got together and did this to raise funds for charity! I know they all spent lots of long hours on their quilts. So I am sharing the message here with the links so that my blogging quilt friends can go take a look and make a bid on the one of a kind quilt creations, if you desire ;) Enjoy! ~Bonnie



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The following was posted by the organizer Quiltaholic on the HGTV board 7/19/07:

The auctions have been listed on Ebay for the 11 quilts that we made during the Silent Bid Charity Challenge. It has been a while in the works trying to get this set up but finally we have an auction! I hope to see lots of bids on these quilts!... THE AUCTION WILL RUN ONLY 10 DAYS FOR EACH QUILT, STARTING TODAY. SO PLEASE DON'T TARRY ABOUT BIDDING. 10 DAYS WILL BE GONE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT.

Below are the links for each individual quilt. I will not post photos here because I would have to do that in different replies and everytime we would have 1,000 views, I would be uploading 33 photos again. For time sake, please click on each link and it will take you to that named quilt.

Thanks a lot for all who will help with this auction...

Quiltaholics quilt:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280135670191&rd=1&rd=1

Rondiquilt's quilt:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280135670191&rd=1&rd=1

creative1's quilt:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280135673836&rd=1&rd=1

Downsouth's quilt:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280135674619&rd=1&rd=1

Applik's quilt:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280135675437&rd=1&rd=1

Quilting Wifey's quilt:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280135676131&rd=1&rd=1

ToryAm's quilt:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280135677223&rd=1&rd=1

Auntie Reba's quilt:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280135677892&rd=1&rd=1

Nickilee's quilt:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280135678590&rd=1&rd=1

Needlecrazy's quilt:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280135679103&rd=1&rd=1

Elizabeth's quilt:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280135680193&rd=1&rd=1

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Anyone else intrested in this???

Anyone else interested in doing a podcast??? I just was reading my most favorite quilting blog - Judy L's and she has just recently started doing a few podcasts. It was so fun to hear her voice, not at all what I expected - BETTER! :)

I left her a comment asking for her to give us a few instructions on how to go about doing this too?? I already have a microphone now what??? Do I need to download a program?

Wouldn't it be neat to have a day of the week where all the bloggers post a podcast and we can hear each other? :c) I think that last post about our trip to KY would have been easier to talk about than type and with the twins these days it would be so much easier for me to talk rather than type....

I have a webcam too - but no one wants to see me these days!!! The twins are keeping me busier than busy!!! I am having a hard time remembering to eat much less finding time to shower during the day. :P ~Bonnie

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Getting back into the Grove

Hey everyone, I am still alive and kicking. I am slowly getting back into the grove of things. I see from the date of the previous post that I didn't make any posts the entire month of JUNE!!! Not b/c I didn't want too, but I didn't know quite how to manage my time yet. Thank you to all of you who have stopped by to take a peak and see if I am here or not.

I am embarrassed I didn’t come sooner and say THANK YOU! So many of you took the time to send happy thoughts my way and let me know you were thinking of me and my family. Thank you all so very much!! You really made me feel special and although I already knew I had several friends on line… still it WOWed me and my husband to see so many nice comments in my email box. Thanks! :)
Here is one of my favorite photos of Nora with "mommy's babies" - she also has two new babies of her own that MiMi gave to her (David's mom.) Nora is doing better than I had expected and is fascinated that the babies "don't got any teeth!" :c)
Between feedings, pumping, changing diapers, laundry, keeping up with a 3 year old and remembering to eat and drink lots of water - I have found a few moments here and there to take a peak at some of your blogs. I really miss my daily/nightly blog reading time that I use to have before twins! Soon, I will being posting replies to everyone else's blogs and posting more often here.

The babies are doing great. Can you believe they turned a month old on the 4th of July – which we spent in Kentucky with our families!
Yep, you read that right! We took our first road trip to KY!!! We thought of it on Saturday on a whelm and didn’t know for sure if David could get off work until Sunday night – so we left home on Monday afternoon headed North and NO ONE knew that we were going to roll into Campbellsville!!! What an exciting adventure…
Good thing we have a Dodge Grand Caravan - b/c we were loaded!!! Here is a photo of our set up inside. I had the seat behind the driver stowed away and that was my area to sit on the floor and use the breast pump. I spent most of the trip on that pillow!

Nora did really good this time, we bought a DVD player and that made the trip for her bearable but she still got cabin fever. The 2nd day of traveling when we were just outside of Nashville I called my dad b/c I remembered he and Clara had plans to leave to go to her sons, but couldn’t remember exactly which night… so if he wasn’t going to be home I needed to “feel” him out and tell him so he could get the baby bed out of the attic..

When I called, they were not going to be leaving until the day after we arrived… but I still couldn’t’ keep the secret! Clara had asked if I had mailed them photos yet (they were just down to TX two weeks prior and no I still hadn’t made photos to mail) so I had to tell her no… but that I had something better than photos and she asked what’s that? And I yelled, we are almost to KY and you can see them in person! It blew both her and my dad away! They couldn’t believe it!
Our little hometown has the largest July 4th Celebrations in the whole state of KY! I just love this holiday! There are hot-air balloon races, tractor pulls, truck & car show, beauty pagents, cook offs, craft booths, Big-wheel race for the kids, a quilt show and fireworks that are set to patriotic music that comes thru the Big Dawg Radio Station. Each year it gets bigger and bigger and this year they added a 5K run and 1K walk sponsored by the Taylor Regional Hospital, the college held a hot-air Balloon Glow (which we didn't get to go to but drove by...Nora would have loved it!) and they even had a Civil War Encampment set up with a re-enactment of a robbery and gunfight.
After the parade, we usually walk around downtown and visit the booths. It's like a huge homecoming getting to see so many people we went to school with and family and friends. This year we didn't leave the spot we watched the parade from b/c even if we wanted to walk down the street we couldn't b/c we had tons of people (we knew) coming up to visit with us and the babies!


Nora went with her godmother ("GiGi") down town and was gone for a little over an hour and we continued to get visitor after visitor. Talk about the word getting out fast - everyone found out from someone else where we were located and came running to get a look at the babies. It was so exciting!
Isn't this an adorable photo of Nora walking along the street with her cousins - From Left to right - me pushing the twins, Malorie 8, Lance 6, and Nora 3. and that old man ? who knows?Here are the kids while we waited on our "Lee's Famous Recipe" the best chicken I have ever put in my mouth!!! too bad we don't have one of these in Texas.
There is no where else I rather be on the 4th than at home!!! The year Nora was born ('04) we missed it b/c she was only a week old and we lived in GA. Then the year following ('05) we missed it b/c we had just moved to TX. However last year we went home and while there held Nora’s 2nd Birthday party at home. This year no one expected us to travel b/c of the twins.. and you can bet I am already making plans to be in KY next 4th! Hopefully next year we can be there the whole week of and possible enter the kids in the "Little Stars & Stripes" contest perhaps??

We had fun on the 4th and got to see lots of people who were so excited to see the twins. Our next trip to KY will be when we go back in November around Thanksgiving. I know by then the twins will have grown so much!
Well that is about it for now... I hope to make more updates with photos here more often. Thanks to everyone for stopping by our family website and posting a message in the guestbook! The day after the babies were born we got more hits on that day than all of last year!!!
Love from TX,
Bonnie