tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205526962012-02-02T23:21:02.695-06:00in which I write about quilts, dreams, everyday life, and almost nothing about giraffesCarol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.comBlogger11581100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-82019149204933826712012-02-02T23:04:00.004-06:002012-02-02T23:21:02.715-06:00

I'm not a regular reader of this blog, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, but maybe I should be! Someone else directed me over there, and I jumped right in to the challenge she is providing. This blogger and her friends make gorgeous quilts and donate them through their quilt ministry. The quilts go to people battling serious illnesses. She recently got her hands on this book:It includes patterns

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-41391101663441661792012-02-01T22:59:00.005-06:002012-02-01T23:12:57.738-06:00

I finished 15 quilts! Tomorrow I will turn them in for hanging in the show. This has been fun. Even though I have complained about doing bindings, in the end it is so gratifying to get lots of quilts done.These are the last two. I picked them up from my machine quilter today.This one is a retirement gift from her. I retired in June 2010, but I was told she was making something.. and as a fellow

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-59078283023471811442012-01-30T09:38:00.005-06:002012-01-30T09:57:15.238-06:00

Here are 4 more quilts that I am putting in our show. It's been a busy few days of attaching hanging sleeves and finishing bindings. I have two more quilts coming from the machine quilter.. I'll need to bind them and attach sleeves, then I'll be DONE! I'm eager to get back to my fun sewing - doing whatever I want and creating magic, more or less. Welcome Home which you have seen before. It's

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-32513004581479407402012-01-27T19:12:00.002-06:002012-01-27T19:17:40.545-06:00

working on a binding... still have a couple bindings to do after this one... bindings: my nemesisIt’s Friday evening. I waited until now to write my Friday Books log, because I was hoping I could say that I finished my book. I’m close to done, but I just didn’t take any time today to read.I am inundated with quilt bindings and hanging sleeves, so I didn’t set aside any reading time. Oh, I did

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-50003192146483426272012-01-26T16:42:00.014-06:002012-01-26T17:16:52.886-06:00

I think I will have as many as 16 quilts ready to hang in our guild's show this year. I don't think I ever had that many, even the year I was Featured Quilter. Well, this year they are encouraging small quilts, and small is part of the theme, so it was easier to churn out a bunch. Many of mine are just simple, quick, unimpressive, and small. A couple of them are beauties, but most are average.

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-29241368288464766282012-01-22T14:34:00.007-06:002012-01-22T15:07:40.284-06:00

Have you been to my house some time in the last 4 months? If so, did you leave a pair of shoes here? I don't know who belongs to these shoes that are now waiting quietly in our front closet.I have about 12 quilts registered for our upcoming show which runs for the month of February, and I have to finish about six bindings. I hate doing bindings! They are soooo B-O-R-I-N-G!! But it will be fun to

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-35517373820285699182012-01-20T01:20:00.002-06:002012-01-20T01:20:00.090-06:00

Last weekend when I went to visit my mom, she had recently finished reading an Advance Reader Copy of The Good Dream by Donna VanLiere. Mom said it was good, so I picked it up and started reading. By the time I left town the next day, I was about 2/3 done with the book, but had to bring it home to finish it. I finished it quickly and give it about 3.5 stars out of 5.A single woman in 1950 ("an

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-76472118771775859212012-01-15T14:17:00.003-06:002012-01-15T14:28:31.854-06:00

When I was a kid I absolutely hated peas! Yecchh! I would take the smallest serving possible, eat as few as I could get away with, then hide the rest of them under my knife and declare that I was done with my peas.I went to see my mom this weekend, and she served peas. I can eat peas now, but they're not my faves, so I still don't eat many of them. She glopped a huge pile on my plate, and I ate

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-56860653609137345062012-01-13T10:31:00.004-06:002012-01-13T10:44:53.601-06:00

I am currently reading Dangerous Ambition: Rebecca West and Dorothy Thompson: New Women in Search of Love and Power by Susan Hertog. In fact, I've been reading it for a while and still not done, and I have interrupted it with a couple other reading choices (as in last week's post, The Twin).I wanted to like this book, because it got a great review from Laurie Hertzel (Book Editor)in the St Paul

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-36116806777011635202012-01-11T16:37:00.003-06:002012-01-11T17:00:55.133-06:00

Remember Tonya's Legos quilt which is her reproduction of an antique quilt she loved? Several other quilters have made them, too (including me). I would have thought that we could call Tonya's quilt the "Second Legos Quilt" , the first being that antique quilt she admired.Recently I was organizing pictures from the past year, and I came across the group of photos I took at a quilt show in tiny

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-43760844782270236932012-01-08T14:35:00.005-06:002012-01-08T15:08:02.319-06:00

Recently I talked about re-uniting with my friend, L., after about 47 years. It has been such a joy! L and I had another friend, MJ, who was another child who attended church with us. MJ lived on a farm, and it was always a huge treat to go visit her and play on the farm... endless joys and games to invent and things to find and get into. Those are some of my fondest memories.Now that I have

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-69650487359084745392012-01-06T01:06:00.001-06:002012-01-06T01:06:00.496-06:00

Tuesday night I went to bed, intending to read before nodding off. I realized I had left my Kindle downstairs and was too lazy to go down and get it. I grabbed a book off my shelf and started reading. By Wednesday evening I had it done. It was one of those can't-put-it-down books.The book is The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker, translated from the Dutch by David Colmer, winner of the International Impac

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-31677887876851718932011-12-31T17:36:00.009-06:002011-12-31T18:01:31.698-06:00

Today is New Year's Eve. I spent most of the day doing what is fun: sewing. But I also spent a little time trying to clean up my pile of clean-but-still-in-piles laundry. It's crazy that I don't just put stuff away. It would help my life be so much better organized. I'm going to work on that (being better organized) in 2012.My sewing for the day started out with some sewing room organizing. (

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-27087077614011293922011-12-30T12:30:00.001-06:002011-12-30T12:30:00.346-06:00

This year I participated in an A to Z challenge, reading one book by an author from each letter of the alphabet.I ended up reading 52 books! That's an average of one per week, and two for each letter of the alphabet. However, my list is not that neatly organized. I read six books written by C- authors, four by T- authors, and two of many of the letters, with only one in a few letters. I am going

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-64146208774733925042011-12-26T19:09:00.008-06:002011-12-26T19:25:03.726-06:00

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-70389238452586341182011-12-23T19:38:00.004-06:002011-12-23T19:59:14.283-06:00

Last week I mentioned the book I was trying to read, Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian and Mabel Lee. I valiantly tried to continue reading the book. Supposedly it's a good one - it's a Pulitzer Prize winner! After pushing through the equivalence of about 100+ pages in a 500+ page book, I decided I'd given it a proper trial and gave myself permission to stop. I couldn't quite get this book.. a guy is

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-53081632148555929622011-12-22T11:11:00.004-06:002011-12-22T11:32:29.543-06:00

I recently acquired my 100th follower! Thanks, everyone! What a nice compliment! In celebration of you all, I am paying 50 cents per member to my favorite local charity, Ampersand Families. I will send them $50 today!Ampersand Families recruits and supports permanent families for older youth, and champions practices in adoption and permanency that restore belonging, dignity and hope.Thanks for

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-33914093538299301622011-12-21T13:30:00.006-06:002011-12-21T13:41:48.903-06:00

Last summer I went on a Minnesota safari (OK, I was driving along the freeway, on my way to visit my mom). I stopped in at Aunt Annie's Quilts in Avon, Minnesota... a tiny town with the best-ever quilt shop. The owner, Lucy, is a gifted artist. She had some samples for sale, and I decided to splurge and buy one for myself.All I did to this beautiful quilt was add the outside, black border. Then I

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-49239452285784483102011-12-18T20:18:00.000-06:002011-12-18T21:40:23.878-06:00

I finished my Legos top! I'm thrilled to have it done, and I love how it turned out. I call it "Plays Well With Others" for these reasons: we were calling the strips Legos, and with this many Legos, players and blocks would have to cooperate, which they did, to a beautiful end. Also, Plays Well With Others is a sort of a theme at my new job. The theory is, if one plays well with others, she/he

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-11359789124194742752011-12-17T12:17:00.000-06:002011-12-17T12:17:00.169-06:00

Legos are everywhere! I have been in the Legos Trance, churning out the blocks, until last night when I hit the wall and could not do one more stitch. You can see that my blocks are growing so fast that they no longer fit my design wall. I have only four blocks left, then I can sew the blocks together. It'll be 60"x80" when done. I am debating whether or not to put a solid border (thin) between

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-12852504743785506752011-12-16T23:16:00.000-06:002011-12-17T01:35:43.409-06:00

Not much to report this week... I am reading Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian and Mabel Lee. I hear it is a 600-page book, but I am reading it on my Kindle, so I can't see how long it is. I am only 10% into it, but I have not made a serious effort with it yet. I am reading it because the author's last name begins with an X. I needed an X book to complete my 2011 challenge to read a book by authors

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-67646628151729172372011-12-14T09:25:00.005-06:002011-12-14T09:46:20.968-06:00

me with my friend, L., from way back.. see previous postDecember has been a busy month. I found that I gave myself too many work hours. Managing my new job is still a work in progress. I really love my new job!! But I need to figure out what will work best for me in my semi-retired life. It is still, and may always be, a high-intensity job. I have found that I can work four straight hours, but

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-84732296618649791302011-12-10T12:10:00.000-06:002011-12-10T12:10:00.345-06:00

my family in 1960; I'm in the front row on the rightRecently I reconnected with my best friend from elementary school. Over the years we have heard bits and pieces of each other's lives. Sometimes our family members would see one or the other of us and pass along some information. But for the most part, for over 45 years, we have been mostly out of touch.L. was the first girl I met when we moved

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-63807983710082655392011-12-09T22:39:00.003-06:002011-12-09T22:49:10.593-06:00

My most recent finish is The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson. I enjoyed this book. The writing was very good... the kind where I would go back and re-read a sentence because the word combinations were beautiful. I had to return the book to the library, so I can't look up an exact quote to give you an example. But one that I sort of remember was something like this: 'she was the kind of person

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-25555532331288722792011-12-01T12:11:00.000-06:002011-12-01T22:30:14.724-06:00

Victoria and Bumble Beans BASICS distributed quilts to people transitioning out of homelessness. It took place this morning in New York City! She didn't reach the goal of 400 quilts by Thanksgiving, but got about 200 which is wonderful... and so she is still asking for completed quilts.Here are a couple pictures from today's distribution. Don't the people look so happy?? You could make someone

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-12745638004781194262011-11-27T21:45:00.004-06:002011-11-27T21:53:46.519-06:00

Tonya R. saw an old fashioned quilt made from tiny strips. She just loved it and decided to reproduce it in modern fabrics. Tonya called her strips Legos. The trend caught on, and now several folks are making their own versions of Legos quilts. I decided to give it a try, too, and have a few blocks made so far (I think 10, though I had only 7 when I took the picture).One can get almost into a

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-55111336758828595822011-11-25T01:25:00.000-06:002011-11-25T01:25:00.026-06:00

Wherever you go, read a book!Last week I forgot to post a Friday Books message. I think I was between books anyway, and didn't have anything new to say.This week I have two books to tell you about:1) My Dear I Wanted to Tell You, by Louisa YoungThis book is historical fiction about World War I. The story is of a few men who go off to fight in WWI, and the women they leave behind. As the war

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-30392322042396233162011-11-19T16:48:00.006-06:002011-11-19T17:18:01.360-06:00

1. Today Charles and I were talking about how long we have lived in our current location. We realized that today is the actual anniversary of the day we moved in, 18 years ago. It doesn't seem possible it has been 18 years. On the other hand, it seems like a whole lifetime ago that we moved in here. Our son was 7 and daughter was 13. Now they are both adults. Think of all the things we

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-13065616573288674072011-11-17T19:38:00.009-06:002011-11-17T20:17:35.070-06:00

Are you ready to see my masterpiece? You're going to love it! I know I do... the pattern is from Quilt Sampler magazine, Spring/Summer 2010. It is called Nine Patch Medallion. They had kits available, but by the time I called, they had run out. I ventured to my favorite quilt shop and had the owner, L, help me pick out fabrics. I wanted colors similar to what was shown in the magazine, because I

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-17288057510695675002011-11-16T12:00:00.016-06:002011-11-16T12:28:13.228-06:00

We have a bed tour at our annual retreat. It's fun to see all the beautiful quilts! Guess which one is mine! Every year we make a quilt to donate to the camp; goal is to have a quilt on every bed. Each room has 8 beds. The first year we got a grant and were able to make 8 quilts. They are all like this, scrappy fence rail. After the first year, we've made one quilt per year. We decided to make

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-88313184250945797792011-11-15T11:15:00.000-06:002011-11-15T11:15:00.421-06:00

Here are some of the quilting projects (and their people) I saw being worked on at the retreat.The quilting fairy even made an appearance!

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-43541784351510911732011-11-14T04:14:00.001-06:002011-11-14T04:14:00.131-06:00

I'm back! Did you miss me?? I was gone for a few days. While I was gone, I scheduled my Friday Books post to go up on 11/11/11 at 11:11 AM. Did anyone notice that cool coincidence?Why I was out of town: I retreated, as I do annually, into Wisconsin. My quilt guild and I and spent hours and hours sewing, talking, eating, sharing, laughing, sewing, eating, sewing, sewing, sewing. We had a great

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-41107473817857337432011-11-11T11:11:00.001-06:002011-11-11T11:11:00.752-06:00

photo found at stumbleupon(dot)comMy recent finish is Friendship Bread by Darrien Gee. At first I thought I was not going to enjoy this book. It is rather light and "fluffy" compared to what I usually read. But I found myself enjoying it anyway. There is nothing wrong with fluff!The story takes place in a small town and centers around a few women who have had serious challenges in their lives.

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-80839998150823114332011-11-10T09:09:00.006-06:002011-11-10T09:27:00.220-06:00

Can you help Victoria collect 400 quilts by Thanksgiving? Here is a link to the program site:http://bumblebeansbasics.com/Victoria is a quilter in NY who is sharing her quilting talents with a program, BASICS, that helps people transition out of shelters into permanent housing. They need quilts!! She once asked if BASICS could use quilts (thinking she could donate a few) and the guy said "do you

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-11859364301396743552011-11-07T22:02:00.005-06:002011-11-07T22:28:06.352-06:00

Today I worked a morning shift of three hours, then I returned home to discover that our power was out. I had forgotten! The City warned us they would be working on our neighborhood transformer, and our power would be out most of the day.I packed up my knitting project and a good book, and I headed off to the library. We have a library with windows that look out on a beautiful "estate" of oak

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-6377764702360062372011-11-02T23:02:00.000-05:002011-11-02T23:51:24.394-05:00

I have been sewing like mad! What fun! My tendency to bounce between projects means it's hard to get things done and show you pictures of completed quilts. But I have been having fun, and I trust that everything will eventually get done. (I may be 100 years old, but I'll get'em done by hook or by crook.)Here is one (above) that I made recently and decided to send to Margaret's Hope Chest (MHC).

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-22516355701432010052011-10-29T10:29:00.002-05:002011-10-29T10:29:00.179-05:00

I have always been a natural night owl. I love to stay up late and putz around. That's when I get my second wind and my energy for doing "stuff."Now I'm in this new job where I am discovering that I love to work the early shifts. Friday, for example, I worked 7:30-10:00 AM. A nice little stint at work, a little cash in the pocket, and I still had almost the whole day to myself. I'm still a night

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-64771784813379666052011-10-28T10:28:00.001-05:002011-12-10T00:44:19.570-06:00

Oh, boy! State of Wonder by Ann Patchett is a GOOD book!! Definitely a 5-star book. When I'd read the first third-to-half of it, I was describing it as "dark." That's because it takes place in a jungle, the protagonist is not comfortable with the heat, the huge insects, the snakes, the thick undergrowth... all those things made me kind of squirmy, too. And there's kind of a mystery that is not a

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-80889253016949424112011-10-27T13:27:00.000-05:002011-10-27T13:27:00.586-05:00

Our boutique and turkey dinner took place last night. We were very busy! Tons of people came, and we all had a good time. Boutique items were plentiful and varied. So fun! A few of my personal friends came just for the boutique part (not the dinner) and did some shopping. That was fun!Totals have not yet been officially tallied, but I believe we took in about twice the usual amount of money for

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-22868760142414676992011-10-26T22:26:00.000-05:002011-10-26T22:48:34.858-05:00

Our fall colors peaked a while back, and most of the leaves are nearly off the trees... now we're getting a second peak, this time of the lovely reds. This week while out running errands I snapped several pictures of the beautiful red trees that are among the last to show their full, brilliant colors. Breath-taking, aren't they?? I love fall!

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-12499476004881929572011-10-23T22:13:00.005-05:002011-10-23T22:30:01.958-05:00

Lately I have been concentrating on Bazaar sewing. Usually I like to concentrate on Bizarre sewing, but I haven't had time for that. Our bazaar (boutique) will take place on Wed. this week, so I'll soon be back to sewing what and when I want. Hooray!I finished this table runner. I actually started it a couple years ago and let it sit. I wasn't sure how it would finish, being this odd shape, but I

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-1598882482677170502011-10-21T15:33:00.001-05:002011-12-10T00:44:37.293-06:00

Books! How I love them. I went to the library this week and found State of Wonder by Ann Patchett on the Lucky U shelf. I snatched it right up and started reading. I have a week to finish it and get it returned to the Lucky U shelf for the next lucky reader.I’m very interested in the story and happy to be reading it. Little did I know, the story begins in Minnesota! But it doesn’t stay there. So

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-76516227417261338732011-10-20T23:13:00.003-05:002011-10-20T23:19:12.423-05:00

I finished a couple more tote bags. I’m eager for our church bazaar to happen (it’s next week)! I’m tired of sewing for it. I don’t even know if my items will sell. Probably a lot of them won’t… which is OK, but if I’m wasting my time, I’d rather be sewing some other stuff.Oh, well… the bazaar will have come and gone before I know it. It's a fund-raiser for our mission work; maybe I will have

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-58464680556439528452011-10-18T21:08:00.005-05:002011-10-18T21:31:50.885-05:00

Yesterday before Son moved away, he (and we) had about five minutes to pop in and say goodbye to his grandparents. I was surprised to see this quilt. I recognized right away that I had made the quilt, but I had forgotten all about it. Usually I take pictures of all my quilts; somehow this one slipped through the picture-taking system, and in addition, I had never seen this quilt being used in the

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-90010286372682179552011-10-17T15:17:00.006-05:002011-10-17T15:46:30.548-05:00

He's gone! Our son moved away today... he's off to L.A. and a new life. (He's in the air right now as I write.) We are so happy for him, and excited, and proud. And also sad. We're going to miss him. I was surprised when hubby came into my sewing room today, weeping. It was still a few hours away from waving-goodbye-time at the airport. In this picture hubby is trying not to cry. He gave son a

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-19525462183460408502011-10-13T16:46:00.005-05:002011-10-13T17:14:17.252-05:00

pile of quilts for a housing program in NYC - I made the one with green bindingThis week my quilt guild did the Big Reveal of the latest challenge: the LOL Challenge. You probably think that means Laugh Out Loud, but you are wrong. This one means Love Our Library Challenge. The participants had to use a book from our guild library, and make something from another person's fabric. At the end it

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-19839755850640173012011-10-09T14:49:00.006-05:002011-10-09T15:05:17.541-05:00

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the blazing colors of changing leaves, and I love the cool, crisp air. Something has been wrong this year. It hasn't been cool and crisp! We've had highs in the 80's! Whoever heard of 85 degrees in October??A lot of people love this warm weather, but not I. I am eager for the cool fall temps to arrive. I hope they do. I'd hate to go from hot directly to

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-32132965943444958262011-10-07T22:07:00.000-05:002011-12-10T00:45:17.066-06:00

I finished a book, but that's all I'm going to say.Then I started two others: a friend told me about a free book at Amazon Kindle. My Sister's Voice by Mary Carter. I "bought" it (for $0) and am almost done reading it. I'm really enjoying it. It is about a Deaf woman who discovers at age 28 that she has a twin sister who is hearing. Very interesting story and well done. A lot of times books about

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-79253838758234436732011-10-05T14:43:00.003-05:002011-10-05T14:49:28.544-05:00

It’s “get rid of stuff” day at my house! This feels great!Hubby is taking a bunch of old car oil to the oil recycling place. I won’t tell you how many years those old bottles of oil have been sitting around in our garage, waiting to be removed. Finally! He is also taking away old electronics.. burned out fluorescents, two old TVs, an old bread making machine, a computer monitor, a couple old DVD

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-40838334764442599362011-10-02T21:36:00.007-05:002011-10-02T21:52:40.127-05:00

What a gorgeous weekend! Too bad I didn't get to enjoy it too much. I was sick all weekend. Last week I knew it was coming... just had that little tickly premonition that a cold was building inside me.Saturday I went ahead and attended my scheduled event. We had our monthly crafty group meeting at church. And we overlapped with another group and ate lunch together. I had prepared the main dish.

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-86233140323836236532011-10-01T16:49:00.003-05:002011-10-27T12:35:18.569-05:00

What do you think? Would an ideal world be enjoyable?Recently my niece and I discussed this… you know how a person will glibly say, “well, when we create the ideal world, this will happen” (politicians will get along, for example).We began to think about what an “ideal world” would be like. Would we do away with deafness in our ideal world? I asked. Immediately I answered my own question: no!

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-43312932379778672452011-09-30T22:13:00.003-05:002011-12-10T00:45:56.845-06:00

a photo from fall 2009This week I read The All of It by Jeannette Haien. A man makes a death-bed confession, but only part of the story. His wife is left to tell the rest (the all of it). It was beautifully written, and a little gem of an Irish book. I loved the language and the descriptive prose which made me feel like I was in Ireland! I was hoping I would totally love the book, which I

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-56297857083389908702011-09-29T17:22:00.005-05:002011-09-30T22:06:35.548-05:00

edit: I found out it is supposed to be A Pot, a Pan, a Broom, a Hat.. but I figured this was close enough, and everyone who guessed got it right, except Mr. S who thought I was going to give away a million dollars... haha! I wish I could! It is from Fiddler on the Roof. My well-educated readers weren't even stumped.Anyone know where my title is from? If you guess it right, I might send you a

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-4875290145779510082011-09-26T15:06:00.004-05:002011-09-26T15:17:05.035-05:00

Today is my birthday! I’m 59 years old. About 40 years ago this age was unimaginable. But now that I’m at this age, you couldn’t pay me to go back to what I was 40 years ago.I’m having a laid back day. I slept late this morning (9:30). Then I spent some time sewing. I took myself out for lunch, and while I ate yellow curry chicken over fried rice (yum), I started reading a new book on my Kindle.

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-46405203343626918482011-09-24T21:24:00.000-05:002011-12-10T00:45:56.847-06:00

Friday I worked most of the day, then I went shopping. The dress code at my new job is a little more professional level than I've ever had to do before, so I had to get some new duds.Right after that I went out of town.. traffic tie-ups made an hour and a half trip turn into a three and a half hour trip. Not fun! But I ended up at my niece's house for a home party.. had some good snacks, and

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-71331039387316682162011-09-20T22:20:00.001-05:002011-09-20T22:48:35.609-05:00

nephew's recent wedding celebrate!I want to talk about the photo I recently posted in my blog header... giraffe and ostrich enjoying a good confab. Isn't that a great photo?! I did not take it. I recently re-discovered it in my saved photos. Unfortunately, I did not record who took it and where it came from. I would love to give the photographer credit. I'm sorry I didn't keep better

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-45749851977497693802011-09-18T18:31:00.006-05:002011-09-18T22:18:10.414-05:00

a cutie at churchDo you want to hear a boring blow-by-blow account of my busy weekend? No, I didn't think so. I was busy all day Saturday and Sunday. It was busy, but a good weekend. Finally I got a nap at about 3:30 today. That's the gist of it.I'm loving having Son living at home for now. He plans to move away in mid-October. I'm also loving having Hubby at home most days. [edit: what I meant

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-20533140184480555142011-09-16T13:38:00.005-05:002011-12-10T00:45:56.848-06:00

Lately I have been on a huge sewing spree... having a blast, but it leaves very little time for reading. Mostly I read in bed just before my eyes slam shut, a very inefficient way of making it through a book.I'm currently reading Gravesavers by Sheree Fitch. It was chosen as a book club selection at my online group, but people had a hard time finding a copy. I guess it is out of print. Because of

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-59956931529862072912011-09-14T09:14:00.000-05:002011-09-14T09:14:00.334-05:00

I've been sewing things to sell at our church boutique. I'll need to perfect my system on lunch bags, or I'll have to charge $35 per bag to pay for the labor I've sunk into these things. This one took me several hours, and almost every step required ripping out and re-doing at least once. And did I think to write down the correct steps so that it could be streamlined the next time? Well, yes I

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-64736561425340565242011-09-12T19:20:00.004-05:002011-09-12T20:15:52.576-05:00

I've been to a bunch of movies lately, which is way out of character. I saw "The Help," and loved it. I wanted to see it again, so I took hubby. He liked it, too, and I enjoyed seeing it a second time.We took our son to see "Contagion" for his birthday. That was one of those pure entertainment movies that was just fun. ALL the previews before we saw "Contagion" were so violent. I couldn't even

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-20661875296844009172011-09-10T15:41:00.004-05:002011-09-10T15:56:00.463-05:00

Son's first Easter, 1987Today is our son's 25th birthday! Happy Birthday, Son! You have been a joy for 25 years. A mom couldn't be happier. In fact, I'll come right out and say it... you are my favorite son!Also today our nephew is getting married in New York state. We couldn't make it to the wedding. I hope they are having a blast! 9/10/11... they have an easy anniversary to remember, unless

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-90479357930594096512011-09-09T09:09:00.006-05:002011-12-10T00:45:56.850-06:00

This week I did a lot of reading while we were vacationing at the lake. I finished Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese (paperback). Great story teller! It grabbed me.... but not always. Sometimes I just loved the story and could hardly put it down. Then I'd get to another boring part and feel disappointed. There was too much detail at times, and excuse me, but just WAY too many strange

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-50267775386578856452011-09-07T16:33:00.013-05:002011-09-07T16:48:08.983-05:00

Because Hubby was laid off, we had to cancel our vacation that we had planned for late August (to Canada). Instead we went to the lake for a few days of leisure, combined with fun with family and friends.Beautiful scenery, singing around the campfire, breadsticks over the fire, planking, jumping, and more. Can you tell we had fun? I don't even mind that we had to cancel Canada.

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-17572250769364622392011-09-04T12:24:00.005-05:002011-09-04T12:39:19.353-05:00

Saturday night we did our usual clubbing in downtown Minneapolis. HAHAHAHAHA! I crack myself up. We did go to a music event at a bar in downtown Minneapolis Saturday night. This was way out of the ordinary for us. It was kind of eye-opening, too. I'm used to quiet, little St. Paul which goes to sleep at night. Minneapolis does NOT go to sleep on a Saturday night. Wow... talk about loads of young

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-10735568141200269412011-09-02T10:41:00.004-05:002011-12-10T00:45:56.852-06:00

reading in downtown Saint Paul I am still reading Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese. I'm loving it, but life takes over sometimes, and I don't get the reading time I want. Yesterday I spent all day sewing stuff for our church boutique, even though I wanted to spend some chunks of time reading. I only read a few pages when I got into bed, and stopped when my eyelids started slamming shut.

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-33697157530896134042011-09-01T09:01:00.000-05:002011-09-01T09:01:00.145-05:00

unemployed love birds Charles was laid off but given a month's notice. So all through the month of August he continued to work while knowing they had decided he was "expendable." That may not be the way they would word it, but when one gets laid off, that's how it feels. Yesterday was his last day of work. The worker bees, as I call them, the ones who do the work and know how valuable Hubby's

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-38935154929922909112011-08-30T21:42:00.004-05:002011-08-30T21:55:44.751-05:00

I made a quilt for my nephew for his high school graduation. Hahaha! He's in his second year of college now (or is it, heaven forbid, his 3rd year?? Now I can't remember). I finally got it finished, and I wonder if he even remembers that I promised him a quilt. I once showed him the unquilted top, and he said it was "nice, rich colors." I hope he wasn't really thinking that it's too juvenile or

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-63600898189839821042011-08-29T22:44:00.005-05:002011-08-29T23:05:29.199-05:00

Per request, I am posting the recipe that I mentioned in yesterday's post. Hey! Give me a break! It's a small plate! Alright, yes, I did pile it on that time... but I was hungry and knew it would be so tasty! Our son taught us this quick and easy dinner idea one night when he was at our house and needed something to eat. I guess I'll just call it Easy Vegan Meal. Quantities are up to you, but

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-25313873792515464572011-08-28T21:09:00.007-05:002011-09-01T00:35:29.377-05:00

1) On my last tank of gas I got 40 mpg. 2) Our son moved back home today; his plan is to stay here for one month. 3) We stayed at a cabin in Wisconsin for one overnight. The sunset was gorgeous. 4) I hate cleaning refrigerators. 5) Our son taught us an easy, yummy vegan recipe. It's my new fall-back plan when I don't know what else to make for dinner. 6) I am enjoying the book I'm currently

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-74447754633963580862011-08-26T20:26:00.000-05:002011-12-10T00:45:56.854-06:00

This is Lily.. she and her daddy are reading a book that I sent to her. Sweet! I'm going to try to remember to use Friday as my "talk about books" day. I expect I'll forget sometimes, but I'll try to be as faithful as my failing memory will allow. I am currently reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. My one-book-a-year book club is reading this one. We'll meet in October to discuss it.

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-82882873951153249102011-08-25T15:21:00.006-05:002011-08-25T15:48:01.577-05:00

OK, I'm a hypocrite. I'll admit it. I probably am hypocritical in more than a few ways. But this is the one I'm going to share with you today: HOT GUYS. I still have eyes. Here's where I am a hypocrite: I won't allow my husband ever to admit that he notices beautiful women, and I won't let him talk about any "crushes" he may have. Yet I get to have crushes. See? I'm a terrible hypocrite. He

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-17186956614734098062011-08-22T11:29:00.014-05:002011-08-22T12:18:07.656-05:00

I sent myself on a solo quilt camp retreat. I went to the lake and stayed at the cabin alone. The idea was to use extended time to concentrate on making a particular quilt that is coming up on being overdue. The four days alone were lovely, except for the times when it was TOO quiet. Luckily two of my cousins were at their cabins, too. We had time to visit and had dinner together Saturday night.

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-50521864661083282072011-08-16T21:44:00.007-05:002011-08-16T21:56:18.344-05:00

I'm finally enjoying a carefree summer without job obligations and schedules that send my mind reeling. So I have enjoyed hanging out at the sewing machine. I have had fun making blocks in the last couple of days. Some have specific destinations. Others are kind of "speculation" blocks that will find a home eventually. Today is my husband's birthday. We had such a nice, quiet evening of

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-76475541024523598632011-08-15T08:15:00.000-05:002011-08-15T08:15:00.817-05:00

If you are RB from Czech Republic, this note is for you: For others of you, FYI: I have had a pen pal in Czech Republic for 20+ years! Is it really that long?? Yes, because my son was four years old when we started, and he will soon be 25! Occasionally we send each other an email. Infrequently we send real letters through snail mail. We used to write letters quite regularly! I never thought I

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-16650006738739457212011-08-12T18:08:00.004-05:002011-08-12T18:26:38.995-05:00

flowers at Glacier National Park Time to stop being sad! After my latest meltdown (see previous post, if you must), I have felt much better. Son answered a bunch of my questions. I sure appreciate his patience with my journey through the doldrums. I really think I've gone through the worst of it and am on the mend. Son's answers to my questions have a lot to do with that. Now he's planning to

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-4899576739819436762011-08-11T16:03:00.004-05:002011-08-11T16:24:25.548-05:00

Mary J. Blige My son got married two years ago, and it was one of the happiest days of my life. Then things went really wrong; he and his wife have decided to get a divorce. This has been very painful for me. I know it has been the same for them, of course. I think my son probably did most of his grieving before I even knew anything was wrong. I gradually learned about the problems and found

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-69504208817981626182011-08-10T14:44:00.003-05:002011-08-10T15:04:55.924-05:00

This is a very simple quilt that I finished today. I have NO idea where I got the inner fabrics that I used for making 4-patches. They seem a little "old-ladyish" to me, so I made sure the borders are kid-friendly. This quilt will go to Bundles of Love through my guild. It's one of our community service projects for the year. Today I finished the borders, then quilted and bound it. Sometimes I

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-6991484915911650422011-08-09T21:56:00.005-05:002011-08-09T22:08:09.739-05:00

Tonight at quilt guild we had an Ugly Quilt contest. I entered one, but alas, I guess it was too "pretty." I didn't win. Jackie won. And before I show you the picture, I must tell you that she is a FABULOUS quilter. Everything she makes is beautiful. So this one was quite a shock. When I saw it and saw who made it, I said incredulously, "that's a Jackie quilt??" I could hardly believe it. She

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-25759182330347490632011-08-07T12:11:00.006-05:002011-08-07T12:56:17.107-05:00

home-made shorts, pillow-case dress, and a skirt that I will send to Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota (a program for kids in foster care)Recently I was with a good friend of mine, telling her about a community service project I had done with my church... only two of us had shown up, but we decided that was OK, and we did the best we could and had fun. My friend said "when I grow up I want

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-79309671414196878502011-08-06T08:06:00.001-05:002011-08-06T08:06:00.886-05:00

The official photos from my recent conference in Atlanta have just been posted, so I'm sharing a few with you, to show more of the work part of my recent week in Georgia; well, except for the first photo which is a party focusing on food. Opening reception with lots of yummy treats; I didn't get to go, but I met the woman on the right (Erin, from Alabama) Another woman I met, Donna from Georgia,

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-51275092892425613782011-08-05T08:05:00.002-05:002011-08-05T11:48:35.589-05:00

Crazy for Books blog sponsors a Friday book blogger hop and a question we are to answer each week. Check out Crazy for Books here, and visit all the book blogs!(BTW, mine is sometimes a quilt and sometimes a knitting and sometimes a life in general blog, in addition to being a book blog.)Here's the question for the week:“What is the one ARC you would love to get your hands on right now?”For those

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-13619072639221546002011-08-03T20:28:00.005-05:002011-08-03T20:49:59.045-05:00

I went to visit my mom and my sister. On the way, I stopped at a booksellers' warehouse and picked up several boxes of books for my sister's bookstore. Was that ever fun! I got to look through the boxes and take some books as my fee for the delivery service!There were so many good ones! I decided to quickly read one of them and return it to my sister, because I didn't want to be such a book hog

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-75502736899690494632011-07-31T22:27:00.006-05:002011-07-31T22:59:30.041-05:00

(heat index today: 100 degrees F)What a good day, from start to finish! First I went to church. The Rosebud team reported on their recent work week. I didn't get to go along this year, so I was eager to hear about it. They had good pictures and good stories.After church we ate fry-bread tacos. Yum.Then six of us took off for a day-trip to the lake. This was a real treat! JR won a Retreat for Six

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-54503892962433304292011-07-30T14:22:00.005-05:002011-07-30T14:38:10.079-05:00

I found this fun idea today and just have to join in. Crazy for Books is sponsoring a blog hop every Friday. The blogs will be all about books, reviews, new books we can't wait to read, and everything fabulous about books! This makes my heart flutter with happiness!The question of the week is this:“Highlight one book you have received this week (for review, from the library, purchased at the

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-16478687847195646442011-07-27T21:20:00.006-05:002011-07-27T22:05:25.120-05:00

There truly never is a dull moment! We just found out that Charles is getting laid off at the end of August. You might be interested to know his lay-off history: right after our first baby was born, he was laid off. Six years later we had recovered and decided to have another baby -- right after second baby was born, he was laid off. Once again we recovered and about six years later we decided to

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-90840789724757163302011-07-25T21:41:00.009-05:002011-07-26T16:16:14.703-05:00

wedding cake by cupcaketasticRecently I finished reading Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin. We are having a lively discussion about it at a small group that is part of goodreads dot com. Very fun. The book is sweet, funny, and simple, on its surface. But it's not a simple book. It is about healing and re-building lives after the genocide in Rwanda. The main character bakes cakes for a

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-4921416253119411552011-07-23T19:23:00.002-05:002011-07-23T20:55:40.233-05:00

I just returned from a week in Atlanta, Georgia. I stayed with my friend, JS, and I also stayed a few nights in a downtown hotel. We attended a national interpreters' conference.Amazingly, this is the 4th national conference I have been to! They take place every two years. I used to never even consider going, but once I experienced one, I saw the enormous value in them. The main benefit is

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-47211019484265315512011-07-21T19:21:00.000-05:002011-07-21T19:21:00.615-05:00

I often see signs and notices containing misspellings or incorrect use of quotation marks, commas, and other grammar markers. I usually don't have my camera with me, but I was able to catch this one."Please" ... with quotes, I guess they wanted to make the politeness of this request optional. Do it, bud! I guess is what they really meant.Have you noticed any glaring grammatical errors,

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-36624400963832739972011-07-19T07:19:00.000-05:002011-07-19T15:12:47.317-05:00

Here are the answers to the Opening Line Challenge I presented on July 16. Did you know some of them? Let's see...1. (..dreamt I went to Manderley..) Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier. I still have my old paperback copy that I purchased in high school. It was printed in 1967 and cost 50 cents.2. (Mma Ramotswe had... ) The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Robert McCall Smith. I am in a slow progression

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-90689414132597542842011-07-16T07:16:00.002-05:002011-07-16T07:16:00.622-05:00

I found this challenge idea at Books For Walls, which, to be honest, is a web page that I'm not quite sure I completely understand yet. It appears to be a site that loves and supports books and libraries, but I need to read more of it to be more familiar.Nevertheless, as I also love books and libraries, I decided to use this challenge which I found at Books for Walls.Presenting the What's Your

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-21870746545514958102011-07-12T19:12:00.001-05:002011-07-12T22:57:29.802-05:00

A year or two ago I was invited to write a guest blog post at Goodnight Gram. Recently I returned the invitation and asked Goodnight to be my guest blogger. Here is her wonderful post. I always learn so much from her! Read below, and you'll see why...Name Your Blessingsby Goodnight GramA few weeks ago, my friend, Carol E., invited me to write a guest post for her blog. I agreed to do it. What I

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-77371688847453203122011-07-10T13:45:00.011-05:002011-07-10T14:32:03.522-05:00

Every summer since 2008 I have participated with our church on a mission trip to Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. This year's team left this morning, and I am not with them. I am so disappointed that I could not go along this year! It is a life-changing experience. This year I could really use some of the soothing and warming experiences that one receives there.We call it a mission trip, and

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-79661296423295129262011-07-06T22:06:00.001-05:002011-07-06T22:15:55.267-05:00

Huh? Does that title make any sense?? I visited Walk a Mile blog; she asked readers to describe our current life in three words. "Depressed but Happy" is what popped into my mind. Yes, I have been a tad depressed lately, moreso than usual. But today I'm feeling happy. I still have a couple things in the far, back reaches of my mind that are sad thoughts. But I had a good day, so I'm counting my

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-63383571044622610862011-07-04T21:44:00.006-05:002011-07-04T22:01:05.654-05:00

a picture I took a couple of years ago, but the same scene is happening right nowWhile I hear fireworks popping in the sky around our neighborhood, signalling the end of the Independence Day weekend, I'll show you the last of the sewing I accomplished this weekend. I was pretty much a fixture at the sewing machine, except for tonight when we went out for dinner with Hubby's parents and a

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-22669157285635133572011-07-03T19:31:00.000-05:002011-07-03T19:49:51.461-05:00

So far I have spent my Independence Day weekend sitting behind the sewing machine... getting a lot done!I made a top for Bundles of Love.. the colors are a little odd for a baby, but hopefully someone will like the brightness of it.This top was assembled except for the borders and has been waiting patiently for me to remember it. I finally got borders on today and am hoping to get it quilted

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-66348739466648679102011-07-03T07:03:00.001-05:002011-07-03T11:53:15.471-05:00

Edit: I wrote this at 1:00 A.M. That accounts for my poor memory. Most of this is a repeat of an earlier, more timely post. I didn't remember that I had already said most of this and even posted some of the same pictures. The life of a Night Owl... sometimes it's hazardous to one's memory.I had a little summer trip to the cabin and haven't reported much about it. It all started with the

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-72513678703007046712011-07-01T20:22:00.005-05:002011-07-02T00:02:21.687-05:00

Thanks for being nice readers. I'm feeling a little better.. that little gray cloud makes a regular appearance in my life.. luckily it hasn't been bad and serious in many years. I'm taking care of myself.It got really hot yesterday and today... about 99 F. Now it is raining, and a cool front is coming in. Hooray! It won't be "cold," but it will be a big relief from the heat.We have no particular

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-43280820828773769762011-06-28T21:34:00.004-05:002011-06-28T21:46:39.706-05:00

I have been reading Ahab's Wife. It is taking me forever! I'm enjoying it, but I have other books I want to read. This one is over 600 pages long. I'm finally nearing page 500, so I should finish it soon. What a long haul this has been! I mean... with so many other books waiting in line, it is frustrating to devote this much time to one book! Good thing I'm enjoying it, though I'm not putting it

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-89490626833232329022011-06-25T07:09:00.027-05:002011-06-25T07:52:16.007-05:00

Round 2 of 2011 MQ Show... enjoy! made and beautifully quilted by a friend of BrendLou's (Madge?) patterned after the photo in the bottom right corner You have seen this quilt before! It was made by a woman in my guild, and it hung in our local guild show in February of this year. I am posting it again, because it was fun to see a lot of people gazing upon it. these last quilts are by the

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20552696.post-1266107456897095132011-06-24T06:24:00.000-05:002011-06-24T06:24:00.968-05:00

Here you go -- some of the very gorgeous and amazing quilts posted at the 2011 Minnesota Quilt Show in Saint Paul, Minnesota -- this year I was particularly amazed at the beautiful, fine piecing, and the tiny and intricate quilting. There was also a lot of 3-D and textural stuff. Very interesting and beautiful!I'll post more in the next day or two. Sorry I don't have names to go with the quilts.

Carol E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02741550863747328734noreply@blogger.com3