another Blog-give-away

Myra over at Tactile Pleasures will soon be celebrating her 200th post and is making a thread catcher to give away and the best part is - she will be sharing a tutorial on how she makes it. Her drawing will be Oct 5th. ;)

And speaking of tutorials... I know, I know... I mentioned it recently... but to tell you the truth I just have not been able to start Nora's "Bonnie Blanket" - I have to try and finish up with my minis before time to swap *3rd quarter ends this week* but after that I should be ready.

And I am hoping to get on a roll with the "Bonnie Blankets" once I get starte. I bought fabric for another one today while we were in the town next door ;) I'm hoping I can complete that one for a Christmas gifty this year to a special couple...

Love from Texas!

Mail Call - More Minis have arrived

5 sets of minis are here from missingNJ.....
3 sets of minis from STinMT....and 10 "super sets" from Sewinglady50...

and I am sad to report that I had nearly 8 sets of my own "IN PROGRESS" before I evacuated for IKE... and in a hurried frantic rush to get out before all the traffic.. I quickly piled everything up on top of the DR table... and now nearly a week later of cleaning the table off.. I still can't find ALL the "parts and pieces/strips" for my green mini sets! :P *urgh*

But I do have 3 sets finished and trimmed and counted for... now if I could just find the others so I can finish them up THIS coming week! ---before all the swappers packages arrive. If not, I'll just have to save them for our potluck/makeup swap for 2009 next year... and any "leftover" hostess gifts I receive will be even more appreciated this round! :D

Hope everyone had a happy weekend!

Love from Texas!

We are back home again

We drove back Monday of this week with my Dad & Clara. Clara and I took turns driving my van following my Dad in his truck. They've already gone back to KY (yesterday) but I am so glad that they made the trip with me and the kids and could stay a few days to help out around my home!

Can you believe that counting last night I have only slept in my own bed 10 nights counting last night??? That's what evacuating two times in one month will do... but so glad we did both times.

Nora started back school today (Thursday)... and I also hosted an @home Preschool here in my kitchen this morning (actually as I type) so things are getting back to normal for us. However just less than 10 miles down the road the people there are going thru a really hard time as they clean up from Hurricane IKE. Take a look here for photos of IKE damage and more details.

It is so sad. I'm still trying to think of a way that I and my family can help in some way... my best friend is trying to contact the library so we can go with out children and help them clean up. Never too young to teach a child about service. Another friend of mine is collecting clothing of all sizes to take and give out...

And before I end... ATTENTION to My MINI-9 PATCH SWAPPERS:
Great News! My mail has resumed!!! So you may now mail any mini greens that you have made for this quarter!


Yesterday, while Dad and Clara were here we drove around looking and here is a photo of our new post office while the other one is cleaned up.

So today while the twins napped and school was taking place in my kitchen... I got busy cleaning off the dining room table form all the stuff i piled high on it for evacuating. I now have it able to work off of and trimmed up some minis myself! :) thank goodness for LEFTOVERS that my swappers send me as hostess gifts b/c this month I just haven't been home much to work on my own sets!

Well I better wrap this up...it's almost time to go pick Nora up from Preschool and I need to use what little time left to get things done before the twins wake up from their nap... I have mini-9-patch packages to open that came this week... and I'll be back to share photos. ;)

Glad to be home again & Love from Texas!

until further notice...

Some of you who follow my blog know that I also have a family blog at Minor Happenings and until tonight that's been the only place I have been making updates since Hurricane Ike.

I've read thru the comment/emails and I'm very excited that so many of you are anxious to know more about how to make the "Bonnie Blankets" I shared recently.... and are waiting for a tutorial....however it is gonna be a while - days, weeks or maybe longer. *sigh*

Until we receive notice of power being restored back home in SE Texas... we are gonna stay put here in KY visiting my Dad & Step mom. ;) I think approx. 3 weeks... but not certain??? That was just a rough estimate given directly following the hurricane.

Also - for any of my mini 9-patch swappers - PLEASE HOLD OFF ON MAILING ANY SWAP PACKAGES FOR ROUND 3 until further notice. :) thanks!


Love from Kentucky!

Mail Call - More Minis have arrived

Today I got another package of minis for the swap I'm hosting. (Mail by due date is September 31) These were made by crazy'boutquilts.

Thankfully they arrived before leaving for Hurricane Ike. Aren't they cute??? It's hard to believe but I had never "met" any of these fabrics before today ;)

Edited to add: Crazy'boutquilts is my HGTV quilting friend and she hosts a variety of swaps herself. :) for instance all of those scrappy stars in the quilt top as the header of my blog... she organized that swap ;) Take a look at her blog and let her know you found out about her thru me. Okay? thanks...

and PS _ to find out about me and my whereabouts during hurricane Ike - click over to my family blog www.minorhappenings.blogspot.com as that is the only one I will update this coming week.

Love from Texas!

Guess What - I WON a blog-give-away ;)

Remember a week or so ago when I had found several blog-give-aways??? Well I entered most all of them and I actually WON one of them while I was evacuated to Mississippi last week for Hurricane Gustav! :)

The box arrived Monday of this week and I did take my own photo of the loot... but right now my camera is outside in the van and I'm too lazy to go get it... :P and rather than postpone this post... I'll just use the pic Debbie shared on her blog so you can see what I won.

Thank you Debbie and speaking of blog-give-aways... Debbie has come up with a very exciting challenge to ALL Quilter's who blog - take a peak over on her blog and find out the "Fall into Fall Quilt Blog Giveaway" she is heading up.

I plan to participate... just gotta figure out what I have around here to put up for grabs. But it won't be for a week or so. I gotta first figure out what I'm doing about Hurricane Ike. ?????

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and speaking of blog-give-aways, here is ANOTHER BLOG GIVEAWAY that I read about yesterday in celebration of Jane's 53rd Birthday!!! :) If you are like me you're gonna Love it and dream of this loot every night until she announces the winner!!! She is giving away FIFTY 1930 reproduction FQs!!! FIFTY!?^%! *eek* :P Her Birthday actually falls on the same day that was my Mother's Birthday, September 16th. If mom was still living she'd be 72 this year.

....and b/c I would really, really love to win this stash of 30's FQs ((they are suddenly non existent in stores near me, are they hard for you to find too?)) ....I'm gonna increase my chances for winning and add her blog to my sidebar.

Honestly I have clicked and made this photo larger and looked... and I only recognize 3 out of this bunch that I have ever seen before!!!! I'd love to add these babies to my babies :)

Also, Jane has a neat variety of music on her blog which I like... :) maybe one day I'll figure out a play list of my own???

So enough reading already - what are you waiting for? go sign up!! :P

Love from Texas!

I'm Back... and Bonnie Blankets ;)

First Off -Thanks to everyone who left a comment here or over on my family blog telling me to take care and that I'd be in your T&Ps :) I left a week ago Saturday up to Mississippi and the normal 5 hour drive took me 9 :{ and I stayed there until Thursday... now I've been home less than a week and we may be leaving again. My husband actually just called at 3:15pm and was diving to the city's emergency planning meeting... so in about an hour I'll know more. I think David will have a conference call with the National Weather Service around 10:30pm tonight.

....anyway - on to quilting :) or at least quilt talk... since I haven't really accomplished anything. Nora and the twins and I dd happen to find a Hancock while in Jackson. (ours closed last year when they declared Bankruptcy)



Now before you go thinking i busted the bank -I'll have you know that I was VERY GOOD! :) Despite their 40% off sale on all of their quilting fabrics... I added NOTHING to my cart for stash or some day projects.. nothing, nada! Can you believe it? I know, I can't either!

However Nora on the other hand.... spotted a Tinkerbell fabric (she LOVES Tinkerbell) and just had to have it! So I stuffed it in the bottom of the double stroller I was pushing the twins in and began the search for something to go with it....


I'm not gonna fool myself in to thinking I can whip out a quilt for her soon... but perhaps I can make her a chenille type blanket. I saw a demo for these called Timberland throws the year I was pregnant for her...('04) and since have made dozens for family and friends... and now they call them their "Bonnie Blankets" :)


I know the plaid colors are not an exact match.. but it will work. The plaid, is the part that will be cut up and chenilled..... it's a sear sucker type. I used that once for a baby throw and it was super soft! I am hoping that this will turn out nice too. Not sure about that shiny thread in there.. so we'll see...


Here's a pic of that baby one I made a couple years back for my Cousin Cindy's baby Lillee. It turned out SUPER Soft. I wonder if she still uses it?


Now the only thing I forgot to buy were more safety pins! I quilter in one of my swaps or bingo sent me a box full earlier this year... which at that time I was so needing.. however they are still in use... so I need to buy more!


And how about that metal Princess box??? Again Nora's idea.. but what she doesn't know is that it will forevah be limited to using in the Sewing Room for me to store safety pins in! :) Again, I just wish I hadn't forgotten to swing by the notions and buy more... who knows when I'll make it to Joann's in the town next door...????



and if anyone would like to know how I make these "Bonnie Blankets" let me know and if there is enough interest.. I'll make up a tutorial :) (I'm sneaky about asking for comments aren't I? LOL)


and I'll leave you with a few more photos of different types of fabrics/colors I have used in the past. I don't' have photos all all... but some. :) Enjoy! :)

Nora still uses this pink lovey as her pillow at night ;)

Love from Texas!