And the quilting continues

So the latest purchase is a sewing table complete with a 1948 Kenmore. Which seems to still work. Definitely needs a bit of service, but even the lightbulb is still kicking.

We've moved out the big couch and replaced it with the one from my condo that had been sitting in our garage. Left just enough space for the sewing table right at the end. Now grumpy's sewing machine is no longer on the kitchen table. Hooray! Makes more space for the little monster to do her homework.

The tie quilt is still in process, but there hasn't been progress yet on sandwiching or quilting the scrappy rail fence. That one is going to be a bear to quilt - definitely queen sized.

In the meantime, I manage to get in a stitch or two handquilting the monkey baby quilt. Maybe I'll get it done before the baby arrives. We'll see.

A quilting family

My husband and I just finished our first quilting retreat together. We packed the sewing machines, supplies, etc. and headed off for the weekend to do a bit of sewing while the little girl visited her grandparents. I got started on handquilting a baby quilt, but my husband managed to finish piecing his queen sized scrappy quilt. We visited most of the quilting stores in the area and started collecting for his next quilt - a tie quilt. And the queen sized scrap quilt? The plan is to hand quilt it. My hands hurt just thinking about that endeavor, but we'll see. Hopefully it will grace our bed all in good time. As for where we're going to store a second fabric stash...the jury is still out on that one. We barely have room for my meager stash.

And while my machine is in the shop with a dead motor - I pulled out the Singer 301 and had it serviced. My grandmother, mother, and I all learned to sew on this machine and let me tell you - I had forgotten just how cool this machine is. I may borrow it while mine is being repaired, but it now belongs to my daughter. And she's already started collecting some cool scraps for her first quilt. I'm interested to see how all this quilting plays out...

What to do, what to do...

I have a ridiculously high level of nervous energy today. I'm going a little stir crazy. Worked out at the gym at lunch and still I feel it. Apparently I need to run a few miles...if I was a runner that is. Nope, no clue because honestly, I don't feel like doing anything. If I wasn't stuck being awake for the next several hours, I might consider just putting on the PJs and calling it a day. How can I be so amazingly exhausted and still so anxious and nervous? I can think of a million things I should be doing and a million more that might actually help me relax. But really - I'm at a loss as to how to get rid of this mess in my head today. Oh well, tomorrow will be better...right?

A new quilter

My soon-to-be husband has decided to take on the quilting world. Never one to be typical, he has ignored the role of the quilt husband and has decided to instead join in the fun. My honey has decided to make a quilt - one that will take up the whole living room, of course. The biggest quilt you've ever seen.

We spent the weekend roaming the local quilt stores with plans to drive a little further this weekend. He's picked out a good stack of fat quarters, some of which will now become part of a pieced back because they don't fit his newly refined vision of the quilt.

The purchased fat quarters and remants have been soaked and hung dry. Now comes the next challenge of teaching him rotary cutting skills. I say challenge because it'll be a righty teaching a lefty this quilting technique. Always a fun new skill even without the challenge of having to teach and learn in opposite directions. It should be a fun experience! Or a bumpy road. I'm not sure which yet.

Counting down

18 days until B is back and 24 until the wedding. Exciting! Each night I make another check off my mental to-do list and just can't wait to hug my little girl and marry my honey. And when all the excitement is over? Well, then I can just get busy again with school, girl scouts, and karate. Whoever said life is dull, just wasn't trying hard enough.

Happy Birthday, B!

Today my beautiful stepdaughter turns six. I want so very badly to hug her, kiss her and wish her a happy birthday. I can't stand that she's away for so very long. Two months is absolutely miserable and my heart is absolutely breaking every day she's gone.

If I miss her this much I can only wonder about her mother who seems perfectly content to only have her two months out of the year. The thought of this going on for ten months out of the year is more than I can bear.

I want my little girl back. I hate being without her.

How many dead horses?

My dad recently wrote a blog post on the concept of riding a dead horse in business. Whether it's keeping an employee or keeping a business concept; we can come up with a multitude of ways to avoid admitting that the horse is just plain dead. For whatever reason, we unable to give up and let go.

So, how often does this idea impact our personal lives as well. It could be how we manage (or don't manage) our finances or our household; how we parent our children; or unfortunately, the people we depend on in our lives. How often do we let dead horses stop us short in terms of personal fulfillment? What is it that keeps us from admitting the truth and moving past the dead horse?