Kevin's Quilts of Valor Block Drive!

I find myself playing blog catch up once again.   I can't seem to keep up lately with all of my hobbies.  I feel like I'm getting a lot done it's just difficult to get a lot done AND record all that I get done.  A long time ago someone in my life stood on the principle that "The unexamined life is not worth living".  This is a famous quote by.......well, you'll just have to Google it because I can't remember at the moment.  My version of this is that "Sometimes examining your life takes away from the time you have to LIVE your life".

But some things need to be recorded and shared and Kevin the Quilter's block drive is one of them!  Kevin is collecting blocks to make into quilts for donation to the Quilts of Valor program.  You can read about the specifics on his blog at the link above.  The blog drive continues until June 1, 2014.  So far I've made these:

I'm not going to mail them in right away, Kevin, because I'm hoping to make some more before the deadline.  They are super easy to make.  And there will be some prizes.  For every 5 blocks you send to Kevin you will have one entry into the prize giveaway.  One of the prizes is a gift certificate to Missouri Star Quilt Company! But, everyone really wins because having a way to show our thankfulness to those who protect us, sometimes literally with their very lives is a great, great, great privilege. 

 

 

 



 

Celtic Solstice Progress

Before I left for our travels I managed to finish all of my Celtic Solstice blocks and get them up on my design wall.  I took one vertical row off to create a rectangular quilt instead of a square.  So, just to show that I am indeed still sewing I thought I'd share a picture:

 

Yes, Winkie DID travel to Florida Too....and My Pants Bag

When I started to write posts about traveling I mentioned that we usually take a little stuffed pig with us.  It's just one of those quirky things we do.  We like to take pictures of the pig in different places.  I forgot to mention him in my travel post, so not wanting to leave him out let me assure you that we were not pigless for our travels south.

 And, my pants bag - an "original Jen" came with me, too:

 

UFO Welcome Center

On our recent trip we relied on a navigation system to help us find our way to our destinations.  Our navigation system monitors traffic and occasionally will re-route us to avoid congestion.  This can result in some interesting side trips.  On the final leg our trip we had one such re-route that took us past an all-American roadside oddity.  You know what I mean...."World's Largest Ball of String" or a giant cowboy statue or a the big Longaberger basket in Ohio.  This time we went by the "UFO Welcome Center".  At the time we wondered if it was a center to welcome aliens or if it was meant for earthlings to be welcomed BY aliens and several miles down the road we wished that we had stopped and taken a picture.  But......thanks to the wonders of the internet I can show you:

It even has it's own Wikipedia page.  It is located in Bowman, South Carolina.  We learned after we came home that we could have even taken a tour of this place.  And it IS meant to welcome aliens.  You can read all about it and it's creator on Wikipedia.  There are also several You-tube videos devoted to the place. I mentioned to son #3 that I thought South Carolina was a strange place to welcome aliens.  After all, wouldn't New Mexico (a la Roswell) make more sense.  But he pointed out to me that aliens coming to earth for the first time would probably just use Google to find a Welcome Center so location wouldn't really matter.  Of course.  Why didn't I think of that?

Escaping the Cold

I've been playing hooky again from my blog.  We decided to celebrate the husband's retirement and escape the frigid winter here at home.  Florida is just about the only place in the states where you can be fairly sure to have warm weather this season!  We set out on a driving trip to visit a few fun spots and to visit my sister and her family.  They moved last year and we hadn't had a chance to visit yet.  My brother joined us from the colder and snowier state of Indiana, so it was a bit of a mini family reunion. 

We started out in historic St. Augustine on the east coast of the state.  There is plenty to do there and we only skimmed the surface.  They claim to be the oldest city in the US and it was originally settled by the Spanish.  There is a great Spanish fort to visit and my favorite...a lighthouse:

You can see that the day we visited the lighthouse (actually on our return trip) was our only cloudy, rainy day.

From St. Augustine we crossed to the west side of Florida and spent several days on Sanibel Island.  This area is known for its great shelling.  They also have an abundance of birds and a great bird sanctuary that you can drive through.  And the sunsets are awesome.

From there we went to my sister's house (also on the west coast).  She lives in a great community with lots of activities available and that perfect Florida weather.

Then we retraced our steps and came home to our 30 degree weather....but also to our beloved dog and beautiful new grand daughter.

Lots of shells, lots of new baby clothes and some great fabric jumped in our car and followed us home.

I have lots of pictures and more to tell but for now the sewing machine is calling my name....and I must answer. 

Whisper Block #2

Remember my post about the Whisper Block project at my quilt guild?  Well the next block is due tomorrow (assuming the meeting isn't cancelled due to the weather).  I guess some members were a bit confused about the workings of this project because this month I received both the original picture and the first block (You are only supposed to see the previously made block and create yours from that).  In this case it didn't matter too much because the first person did a rather straight forward interpretation.  Here's the picture and the first block:

At least, I think that's the original picture.  In the same envelope was also another Christmas picture of a sled and a snow scene.  I'm guessing that the maker of this block thought she needed to choose another picture related by theme to this one.  In any case, since I was only supposed to get the block I choose to ignore that other picture.  This block is all applique but I didn't really want to go there, so I decided to make use of my machine embroidery module and came up with this:

So, two down, two to go.  This has been an interesting ride so far!

Back from My Blogging Sabbatical

I've been on a bit of a blogging sabbatical this last month.  Things got a bit busy around here and it seemed like a time to just be quite and to myself instead of sharing.

I've been keeping up with most of my bloggy friends even though I haven't commented much at all.  I can't say the same for my sewing.  Some has gotten done, but I don't have a full and complete finish to share and still might not for awhile.  I have actually been NOT reading the posts that make me want to start yet one more new project.  I'm determined to finish up a few things.

So....one good news item to share:  I'm now officially a Nana!  Our granddaughter arrived late January 22, one week before her due date.  Her mother got to experience everything the hospital offered from natural labor to pain control measures to induced labor and finally to C-section.  But they are both doing well now and I am truly smitten by this little one as is the husband.  He bought the most girlish lavender dress with ruffles that he could find and he can't wait to fill the backyard with a sandbox, playhouse and all manner of play equipment.  I've tried to point out that it will be quite awhile before she can use such things, but he just wants to "be prepared". We were supposed to have our babysitting debut tomorrow but that might now be in question due to:

We are buried in snow along with much of the East coast.  Fortunately our power is still on.  I've cleared the bird feeder for our feathered friends and we've broadcast seed on top of the snow for them.  The colors of the birds are so brilliant against the white snow.  So far we have at least 12" and it is still coming down.  Not much is moving outside in our neighborhood.  I've called to be put on the list for a driveway "plow out" so all that is left is to sit and wait.  I may make a snowy excursion to the mailbox soon although I don't think my boots are quite high enough to keep the snow at bay!

 

Spring will be SO welcomed this year!