First Camping Trip of the Summer

We just got home from our first camping trip of the summer. It was alot of work to clean out the tent trailer and get it restocked, but also rewarding to use it again and appreciate the value of not having to sleep on the ground. We went camping over by Bend, at Lake Billy Chinook, with my oldest son and his family. They just bought a beautiful trailer and this was their maiden camping trip with their new toy. We had two side-by-side camp sites at Crooked River campground with nice large sites, all grass. It wasn't crowded and Peter's friend Adam came along and brought his boat. So lucky us spent all day Saturday on the lake surrounded by these rock walls as the lake is down in a canyon - it was so beautiful, mountains covered in snow in the background and the lake was not very crowded so we just had a blast. My daughter Hannah loved being towed behind the boat on this huge inner tube like raft and even though it submarined her once, she got back on like a trouper and kept signaling faster, faster. She is quite the daredevil and loves an adventure. We had smores and banana boats, and Peter cooked two amazing breakfasts, I got to sit in the shade and read a book, and the kids had a blast riding their bikes all over. All in all - a great first camping trip, so much so that we are going back next weekend. I left the tent trailer at Peter and Paula's and brought my grandaughter Berkeley home with us for the week, we will go back to Bend on Friday and back up to the same campground for another adventure weekend. Off to a great start of the summer.

Quilting Away

I have been working madly on a quilt that will hopefully be a special wedding gift. Bryndle, a very special friend to my daughter and I, is getting married in June and my daughter is the flower girl in the wedding. Bryndle and her husband to be Steve, have bought a home and fixed it up. Their colors are teal and brown and they have alot of brown but not alot of teal. The minute I saw their home and furniture I knew it needed a homemade quilt draped over the back of the couch to snuggle under and watch movies together (them, not us). So a quick trip to Craft Warehouse, lucky me hit the sale, and a bag of gorgeous fabric later I have been sewing like mad. I need to get it in the mail to the quilter ASAP so must keep sewing, must keep sewing, must keep sewing. It is going to be different, of course no pattern, just random piecing and squares. I will post a picture before it is wrapped and given away. Bryndle and her future husband are an inspiration to me. I thought purity was all gone and lost in this world, but they took a vow of purity and are truly waiting for their wedding night. I so admire their faith and the fact that they walk their talk. Thanks Bryndle and Steve for the great role models that you are to the world. Must get sewing, must get sewing...

Love you baby boy

It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to my grandbaby boy that was stillborn on Friday. He was only 17 1/2 weeks and too small to make it in this world. We were so excited as a family to see what and who this little baby was going to be. My son was so excited to be a daddy and he and his girlfriend are, needless to say, devastated. It was a somber Easter around here and we are all kind of in a daze. I know that God has a reason and a plan, and I trust Him, but it still hurts and will take some time for us to heal. God bless you baby boy - I love you! Grandma

You've Got Blog

In the movie You've Got Mail, Kathleen Kelly (aka. Meg Ryan) is talking about going home and reading her e-mail everyday and she says - I log on and wonder, "what will NYC152 say today". That is so me, I get home from work and log on and wonder, "what will the blogs say today".

You see, I don't have alot of crafting friends here. I moved away from all my quilting and crafting friends about 6 years ago. My mother, who was my first crafting influence, is older and limited in what she can do. My sister is not a crafty type (hard to believe we have the same genes), and my daughter is still in the learning stages. I have tried the local quilt guild but unless I am over 70 with white hair, I didn't feel like I fit in. I have joined one quilting group, but it is hard being a single parent trying to participate on school nights and still stay on schedule. Soooo, I get my ideas, my inspiration and my delight in my daily cruise through the blogs. I feel like I know some of you by your blogs and pictures. I am still learning my way around this blog world, but so far am loving it.

And by the way, tomorrow during my lunch hour from work I am heading to the book store to find the Farm Chicks book! Can't wait! Judi

My name is...

my name is Judi
childhood ambition to be a choreographer
fondest memory the day my grandaughter Berkeley was born
soundtrack Mama Mia
retreat quilting
wildest dream is to travel around the country
biggest challenge is to lose weight
alarm clock is not working
perfect day waking up in the woods camping and spending it outdoors
first job was at the Oregon State Fair working in a food booth
indulgence is buying fabric
last purchase was swim suit for my grandson Caleb
favorite movie You've Got Mail
inspiration nature, fabric, paper
my life is blessed
my card is - don't own one

Old Flour Sacks

A friend at work asked me if I would like some old fabric sacks, he wondered if I might be able to use them in a quilt or something, he had a few. So this is what I got, a whole basket of flour, meal, salt, oat and sugar sacks. Most were made here in Oregon, even some here in Salem. They are not made out of prints, but look at the wonderful condition they are in. They all appear to have been used, as I was taking one apart to press the flour was fluffing out of the seam. So the question is . . . what do I do with them? Do I frame them in with reproduction fabrics and put them in a quilt? Do I stuff some and make them into pillows? Frame them? Just not sure where to begin. How do I wash them? Once they are in a quilt do they need special care? With such a special gift I need some special ideas :-)~

Quilting away

I was in a quilters block and spent time pulling out some UFO's, but just couldn't come up with anything inspiring. I had two wonderful suggestions from Sara and Helen-Mary and just stuck with it. I have been especially admiring the free form type quilts I keep seeing on blogs and decided to dive in. I pulled out my stash of ME fabrics and have been having a ball. I have done some rough log cabin type squares with some fussy cutouts for the middle that have been five or three sided. It has been fun and definitely outside the box for me. I will put a few more together and then post some pictures. Fun, fun, fun!!! Judi

Quilters block

I am totally blocked and restless, can't seem to focus on one project to finish it. I have gone through my stash, over and over. I pull something out, lay out all the fabrics and try to get inspired but I can't. I have even sewn alittle on some UFO's but can't seem to really get into a project. I keep looking at quilting blogs trying to get inspired but can't seem to put the fabrics I already have into the patterns and ideas I am seeing on the blogs. I think I really want to go out and buy some new fabric, but can't justify the cost when I have a room full of fabric just waiting to be used. What to do??? Hmmm...

Horseback riding

Hannah has a new love in her life, his name is Chex and he is her favorite horse a the Embers farm where she is taking horseback riding lessons. Chex is very patient with her and he is a big horse, I can almost feel her confidence level go up when she is on his back. Her and I spent over half an hour brushing him down and we even braided his hair (he wasn't even embarrassed). She loves riding and talks about Chex all the time, as if he was her very own horse. The horse riding has been so good for her, helps her to forget her own issues and care about another living thing, it has been very healing for her and we look forward to many rides ahead with our friend Chex. Judi

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! This is a picture of my little valentine. She wanted her hair in curlers on Thursday night so her hair would be curly for her valentine party at school. She laid out her favorite red dress and was dressed up fancy and ready for school early on Friday. She is extra excited because the Grandkids are supposed to be here for the weekend and she loves having other kids in the house and especially loves being "Aunt" to Berkeley. Then we got the call, Berkeley is sick with the tummy flu so they won't be coming. Hannah is sad but still gets to go to her horseback lesson today and they are having a valentine party so I think she will be okay. I hope to get some sewing in later today, working on pink and red scraps - who knows what it will become. Pictures later.

Pink and Brown

I have had a lavender and purple bathroom for about 6-7 years now. It started when I lived in Lacey, Wash. and I remodeled the bathroom after my youngest son moved out. Made the main bathroom into a girly one with lavender walls, a quilted lavender and purple shower curtain, white cabinets, etc... So then came the move to Salem, Ore. and I put the same shower curtain up in the duplex I rented for the first year I lived here. Then I bought this house and it was an easy at the time decision to paint the main bathroom lavendar and put up the same quilted shower curtain. Well how do I say this but I am sick of it. Sick of looking at the same shower curtain, walls, colors - all of it. So I have been thinking maybe I would paint the walls a mint green and quilt a new shower curtain with pinks and greens. I brought home some paint samples and have had them up in the bathroom and I keep looking at them. The green just didn't do anything for me. Then I finally came to the decision that I really want the bathroom pink - pink walls with the white trim. The counter top is speckled and will match anything. Then I can quilt a shower curtain in pinks and browns. I am excited to begin collecting fabrics for this new project and am also dreading the painting (I hate to paint). If I am lucky I may be able to talk my Daddy into painting it for me. Hannah is excited with this color scheme as pink is her favorite color and her bedroom is light and dark pink and entire wardrobe is some version of pink. I will post pictures as I progress through this change but for now it is a plan in process.

I am in Heaven

Soooo, I have discovered blogs by quilters and other crafters like myself. I am in heaven - I am hooked. I anxiously await free time when I can read about all the creative things other people are doing, I love seeing the pictures and can relate to their fabric addictions. It has inspired me and I have made a quilt top in the past 3 days as well as started another one. It is also interesting to hear about other lives - their struggles with the doldroms of winter weather, frustrations with being snowed in, and in one case in Australia the joys of summer weather. I love this! It has opened a whole new world for me and I look forward to making new long distance friends. Now I just wish for more free time!

New to this blog thing

Okay, so I am a big talker but am a little new at this blog thing. I guess I don't really think anyone really cares what I think or what I am doing. But then it is sort of like a diary, I can put my random thoughts down and not really care whether anyone reads it or not.

My interest in this blog thing started when I found a bunch of quilting blogs and got hooked on reading what others were sewing and creating. It made me jealous of their time and energy, what with working fulltime, having a seven year old daughter, and taking care of my parents I don't get to sew as much as I would like. But I can live vicariously through others, be inspired by their pictures and hopefully get in a little sewing time. Thanks for reading!