Bloggers - let me ask you a question...

so just this week, I've not been able to post any photos to my new posts...

I use to simply send an email to my blogger email and they'd be there as drafts ready to post... but they've not shown up.. I thought there was somehting about a secret word that needed to be changed and I did that... then resent the 5 emails with photos and they still did NOT show up.

hummm.

so tonight I looked into it further and it seems I've REACHED MY LIMIT! Apparently all photos posted here on my blog and the family blog are stored thru Google to Picasa Web Albums....

so I follow the links to find out more, and apparently I have to pay $5/year for up to 20GB of storage b/c I reached my maximum limit of 1GB...

anyone else experienced this????????

So I paid for the 20GB and was told I'd have to wait 24 hours before I can post photos again... WISH me LUCK!


Love from Texas!

my scrappies ready to swap

Ta-Da!

Here are my scrappies ready to swap. I got a total of 18 sets of 10 completed. It did take a whole day to trim them up but boy oh boy do I LOVE the perfect results! Pulling strips from my 2.5" noodle bins was a great idea after all. ;)

Love from Texas!

Wrapping up my own sets for the 4 patch swap

I will be sewing again tonight and tomorrow night as I wait on the last packages to arrive… I had thought I'd just quit where I was and be happy with swapping 10 sets... but then decided since I still have 2 more packages to arrive - I could go ahead and finish up this stack of noodles sewn together already and that would bring me to about 18 sets complete *if I get them done in time* ;)

It's gonna take me a day or so to clear off my table and get all the 30+ packages unloaded and onto the table and ready….. but maybe I'll clear off the guest bed upstairs instead...?

I took photos to post onto my blog to show what I'm working on .. but they will not show up when I email my blog post??? still trying to figure that out...

EDITED TO ADD PHOTOS ;)

but for now - all the packages that have arrived... have been sitting here mingling with each other getting to know one another.... I can NOT wait to see them all spread out together... it's gonna be fun - FUN- FUN!

and once I'm thru swapping these I'll email everyone about the fall "Round 2" swap (due date of 10/31) and take sign-ups thru email for a week before starting a new thread post here on the board.... so if you are interested and have not told me yet - send me a PM or email

Love from Texas!

Happy Birthday to me!

After a week of setting my alarm for 6:30am to get everyone ready and fed before leaving for Vacation Bible School last week... the only thing I wanted to do today for my Birthday was stay at home and chill out. ;)

This morning, when the kids woke up, David quickly went to each of their rooms and got them changed and dressed and sent them into my bedroom to come say "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!" ;) At least that is what the twins did... Nora on the other hand told me "just don't think about anything today" and refused to wish me a Happy Birthday :/

but around 4:30 when the phone rang and I saw it was David calling from his cell phone (meaning he had left work VERY EARLY for his usual time) I knew something must be up...

I answered, "Hello"

and his reply was simply, "May I speak to Nora Minor please."

LOL - so of course I called her to the phone and she and him discussed their "plans." I made sure to leave the room so that I wouldn't overhear. ;)

After David called a second time and requested to speak to Nora Minor please, I then made sure to ask her after she hung up if I needed to make our usual "Spaghetti Birthday Supper" - or did Daddy have other plans...?

To which she told me, "Daddy is taking care of E-V-E-R-YTHING, you do not need to make supper at all. He's bring home what we are gonna eat."

So when he got home, he called yet a 3rd time asking to speak to her.... telling her to come outside he was home... and they together carried in an ice cream cake and bouquet of yellow flowers! :) It was then and ONLY then that she wished me a Happy Birthday as she yelled "Surprise!" ;)

Then David asked... do I need to put this in the freezer until after supper? and I asked, what do you mean?.... come to find out he had not brought home supper! LOL Apparently in a 6 year old's mind, ice cream cake REALLY IS ALL that we need! LOL :P So we laughed and had cake first then I heated up Mac-N-Cheese in the microwave for the kids and then warmed up leftovers from Chili's restaurant (where we went yesterday after Mass)

and want to know something else funny? David apologized more than once... twice before I corrected him, about not being able to find a 7 at the store so he didn't even buy candles at the store - but said that Nora remembered where the numbers were in the tea towel drawer from when she had her "6th" Birthday and the twins turned "3"... and so he "tried to make it work the best he could" but sorry it didn't say 37 instead....

UM, HELLO, I am 36, not 37! LOL I'm always 30 years older than Nora... but I won't hold my breath expecting him to remember that... after all he still thinks that my birthday is in June... and will say that 9 times out of 10.

Don't believe me.... then why is the truck registration due in JUNE...? (The truck is in my name) and they are always due the month of the owner's birthday month... don't even get me started on how I couldn't fill a prescription once b/c he had listed my birthday on his paperwork for the insurance for me as birth month June... LOL :P

Tonight was just us... and what a wonderful night it was - after all we did have a pretty fun weekend ;) afternoon at Chuck-E-Cheese Saturday and eating at Chili's after Mass yesterday - so tonight was perfect easy going night here at home.

I love this last pic of the kids, don't you? Nora huggin the twins... the perfect gift for any mom to see - all of her children getting along... ;)

Love from Texas!

One package in today's mail

and it's from sewjill.

They’re heeeere! ;) I just opened up your package just now and THANK YOU for the towels. My Olivia loves strawberries and the cow is cute too! I know that they will enjoy these to use for drying their hands on in the bathroom – and I’ll love not having towels fall on the floor ;)

And ooough la la! Your Bricks and Stepping stones is gonna turn out gorgeous if these are just 2 of the leftovers! TY I love leftovers!

Love from Texas!

A package from SewJill

SewJill - They're Heeeeere!

I just opened up your package just now (on my Birthday) and THANK YOU for the towels!! My Olivia loves strawberry juice (V8 Fusion, Strawberry/banana juice) and I know she is gonna like the strawberry towel!


The cow one is cute too :) and what little boy doesn't get excited about farm animals? So I'm sure Paul Thomas will love drying his hands on that one in the bathroom.... and I'll love not having towels fall on the floor! :)

We now have enough that I keep 2 hanging in the down stairs bathroom and also upstairs in the kids bathroom... and of course one on the oven door handle :) Thank you everyone who has read my blog about me liking these for the kids and also about me liking the crocheted or knitted wash cloths! My blogger friends are GREAT!

And ooough la la! Your Bricks and Stepping stones is gonna turn out gorgeous if these are just 2 of the leftovers! TY I love leftovers! Thank you for sharing them with me! :)

Love from Texas!

I'm signed up for my frst "Official" Mini Quilt Swap

Last year Holee hosted a Fall Mini Swap over on the HGTV boards and it sparked my interest. However I was too scardy cat to join up... and after emailing with crazy'boutquilts - she and I decided to play along with each other from the sidelines :)

It was so fun and I loved it - so this year when I saw that Holee had already had the signups and I had missed it I thought OH NO... but thankfully sewloves2quilt also spoke up that she would have liked to sign up and so we were partnered up together! :)

I do know that when I messaged sewloves2quilt she wrote back and said that she la,la,loved 1930's.... well.... hum. I'll have to think about that... I've been looking on line already....

However when we were over at the big town this weekend - we took the kids to Chuck-E-Cheese.... we stopped by Joann's and I bought some fall fabrics...... I mainly bought them for a fall colored "Candy bars" swap I'm in that vickquilts is hosting, but I made sure to get 1/2 yard cuts of each for just in case I decide to use them for a fall mini

So..... for now I'll have to let them simmer.... while I finish up some of my own scrappy 4 patches. The rest of the participants are also working away and preparing to mail their packages to me no later than Wednesday.... I can't wait to see all of them together... there will be close to 4000 total! Eeek!


EDITED TO ADD - here's one of the comments that was posted on the HGTV board after I shared a photo of my fabrics in the wooden bowl. (BTW - that bowl was so pretty, and even marked down 70%... but I ended up putting it back on the shelf. I know just under $14 was a good deal... but after thinking about it - I really didn't "NEED" it. ;)

quote:

OOOO, they look so pretty all together. It looks like you pulled all the colors from the end one on the left!

My Reply -
Yeah, you would think that wouldn't ya??? and I sometimes do find a inspiration fabric and pull colors from it... but not this time... nope that one was already at the cutting table from a previous customer and another worker was getting ready to re-shelf it when I spotted it and shouted excitedly - OOooogh I NEED that one too! again, I have no idea if these will be used for my fall mini project or another swap that calls for fall fabrics... I just opened up my EQ7 last night and installed it... can't wait to learn how to use it and make my first project with it for this fall mini




Love from Texas!

blocks from ?? Oh I figured it out - they're from Darcene!

I received THE cutest little square box today - It looked it was made just for these sized blocks! It was all wrapped up in tissue paper just like a gift. ;)

and what a gift indeed!! I think there is nothing that makes a swap hostess more happy than a package that is put together so neatly and precise. nothing to worry about. ;) and who'd thought that plastic paper clips could be so handy! Sure beats being stuck by a pointy pin! :P Great thinking Darcene! :)

Yep 10 in each clip... and 20 sets! :) Welcome to the "Super Swapper" Status for sending in the full maximum amount of 200 blocks! There are several already in this club! ;)

I'm so glad that Darcene found me from the Quiltville Yahoo Chat group!

Love from Texas!

I've had my hands full this week

T.G.I.F. and this week is coming to an end. It's been a fun week! and busy... and tiring.

Not only did the kids all go to Vacation Bible School (the twins' first year to go) but I also helped volunteer with the snacks and so setting the alarm clock at 6:30am each day really made for a long day for all of us.... not to mention that this week David had Japanese Guests visiting the plant and therefore he had to wine & dine them every night after work... so we hardly even saw him at all this week.

So yep, I've done 5 nights of Bath & Bedtime by myself... and oh how I wish I had one of those huge garden tubs or jacuzzi like we had at our home in GA - then we would have all joined in together for a soak! "Calgon take me away!" just don't mix soap with a jacuzzi though... AMHIK. :P

Seems like forever ago that I took a similar photo to this one... one night following bath time. (((I thought I shared it on the blog - but after looking and looking I can't locate it to link to for comparison... you'll just have to take my word for it :P)))

WOW the twins sure are getting so big... and HEAVY. This may very well have been our last group shot with me holding both of them. They are 3 now! Have you ever tried to hold 2 kids and get everyone in the window.. makin sure no one's privates are exposed... AND SUCK IN your own tummy???!!? :P

Maybe one year they'll be holding me up for a group shot. LOL

Love from Texas!

sunbeltsue's package rec'd 7/22

Today I received the sweetest letter... I really do love the notes my swappers take the time to include in with their packages. Before hosting I never took the time to write a note to go along. I jsut stuffed everything required in and sealed the package...

but now that I'm on the receiving end - it's like a note from a friend each time :)

She included a whole set for me! wow isn't that super kind of her... thanks ever so much Sunbelt Sue! It will be fun to pick my "top 10" favorites :) For a first time swapper, I think you are going to be well pleased and may catch "swap fever"... so there, don't say I didn't warn ya! LOL :P

I'm so happy that you jumped in to join my swap! Your work is just fine ;)

Love from Texas!

and the prize for longest distance traveled goes to Canada

When I started this swap and posted about it here on my blog - quickly I was emailed and asked by several of my readers if they could join in too? Sure! :) and then I got an email from Pokey... "what about international swappers?".... sure! :)

Then came another email from her asking if her good friend Beth could join in on the fun too? Sure! ;)

Just as long as you send me enough postage money to get your return package back to you... and as long as you get it here before the deadline.... and CHECK, CHECK! She met both of the requirements! :)

Yeah, I'm pretty easy like that ;) haha and back about 3 weeks ago I when I got a phone call from her I was so delighted that she'd take the time to give me a call to ask me some questions about the swap. Soooo nice and fun to talk to. I even escaped the kids for a while and went upstairs behind locked gates and then into my girls' bedroom and into their closet with a shut door so that the kids wouldn't hear my voice and come looking for me.... haha

At the time I did NOT remember that this was one of my Canada swappers.... and if she told me in the beginning of the call I honestly didn't hear it over the kids at my feet...so Pokey - PLEASE tell me you have FREE long distance or roll over minutes or something! b/c now I'm worried I may have costed you a fortune for the length of time we talked! aak!

I'm guessing that you didn't get charged too awful much, or you wouldn't have been so kind to share with me a collection of your "vintage" floral fabric squares. How cool to make them large enough for using as "bricks" in vickiquilt's upcoming swap! I may just do that.. cut and keep one and then send one to swap... you are so thoughtful Pokey! thank you! ;)

Didn't she do a wonderful job in selecting a variety?

~~~Also included in the package were these blocks made by Pokey's friend Beth~~~

She too, sent in a great variety! Looking at them makes ya just wish you could pick off 1 of each doesn't it? ;)

Which reminds me.... I better get to sewing myself! Only a few more days before the deadline of July 31st.... I am sooo looking forward to the weekend - and NOT going anywhere except for the grocery on Saturday & then to Mass on Sunday. I only want to sew, sew, sew!

Love from Texas!