Send those kids home, NOW!!

This is my husband around 6:00 tonight. Nick's mom came in to use our oven cause theirs don't work to make cookies with the boys. That meant that she had all three of hers here. Jamie stopped by and brought Zoey.That was after we thought that we were going to have a quiet afternoon and evening. HA! That didn't happen. It didn't happen of Saturday either. That was when we had a cookout for Zoey's first birthday. All 5 of Shawn's kids were here. From 9 1/2 to 1 years old, it was like a zoo here.

Zoey's cake was really cute.

Her small one was cute too. For the first birthday we always get them their own little cake to eat all by themself. Of course it is always better if it ts chocolate and they can make a big mess.

Zoey dug right in and she did make a big mess with her cake. It wasn't enough that she had it all over her face and hands she had to get up and walk in it, oh yeah she had a good time eating that cake. She went right in to the tub when she was done. Nothing left of her cake!
In other news, I haven't done much sewing but I have been cutting 5" square for my next quilt. It is from one of the Nickle quilts book and I have enough dark squares but not enough background squares, I only need around 400 of them. I have about half cut. I am useing some of those background fat quarters that I have no idea why I bought them.

Have you seen my tote?

Thought I would start out with a picture of the other side of the boys room. Looks pretty neat right now, they haven't had a chance to mess it up yet. Give them time.

My family quilt group got together last Sat. and cousin Lisa brought cousin Terry's and her quilt block pattern from last year for us. We are making row quilts with blocks that we exchanged through the year. We each picked a block pattern and then each of us made 7 blocks so we would have one of each from everyone. Theirs are the last 2. So I have been looking for the tote that had the fabric I was using for my blocks in it along with my set of blocks for my quilt. I looked every where more than once. I looked everyday more than once. I took things off of the shelves in the barn, I looked in the boys room even though we took everything out of there. I looked in the dining room where I had some of my quilting things. I was getting pretty upset and called cousin Lisa to see if it got put in her car the last time she was here by mistake. I still did not have any luck finding the tote. Then tonight when I was going in to put my jammies on I looked into my bedroom and it hit me! So I went in and looked under my bed and there it was. I put it there so I wouldn't loose it. It wasn't lost, I just couldn't find it! I knew that I hadn't seen that tote in the barn.

This is the fabric that I have used in my first 5 blocks. Our first 5 blocks are Tree, Cardtrick, House, Star and a signature block. Our last 2 are a girl block and a kind of swirly star. I was going to make my star block out of the red and gold but I don't have enough of the red so I guess it will be green and gold. My girl block will be made with the orange for her dress.

This is the signature blocks that we have already. Terry and Lisa still has to make theirs so I am showing their tree blocks. This was a fun exchange and I think that our different personalitys show in the colors that we put in our blocks. It seems like we each like different colors which is a good thing or all of our blocks would be the same.

Change Is Good

Remember last fall when Judy L. wanted us to show our stash and I showed these 2 pictures of my sewing room? Well my end of the room went from this......

and this.....

to this. Looks a lot better. We got the boys bunk beds after my sewing stuff was moved out. Now they have room to play in their room.

and my wobbly ironing board went from this.......

to this. I got 2 kitchen base cabinets and put it on them now it is very sturdy and does not move when I use it. I even gained some more storage space.

Grandson Nick likes to iron for some reason and was helping me over the weekend and when I looked up to see how he was doing he had the iron laying down as he moved the fabric to the new spot. When I yelled at him to set it up I was too late, it had already left a spot. I tried Maryellen"s Best Press for the first time and I really like the way fabric presses with it. I was pressing background fabric because I am starting a new quilt out of the nickle quilts book and I need something like 296 background squares and I don't have enough in my 5" squares. I have plenty of med./dark squares to do the quilt. I have to show some progress at the family quilt gathering on Sat. I want to do some 4patchs by then. I only need 144 of them. My secret sister picked the Blackfords Beauty quilt for me to make this year. I have to make 36 blocks to make it big enough for my bed. One step at a time is how I am going to do this one. It takes 4 patchs, flying geese, and picket fence units and I thought that if I did it one unit at a time would go faster for me. But I have to work on it before I can get anything done at all.

April Fools Day

Can you believe that it is April already? This year is flying by. Today was 80% WOW. I have been looking for a job and not having much luck. Kelly's temp [where I had to call for Whirlpool] told me that I was not qualifed for a job there because I have never worked afternoons or midnights and because I have always sat at my job. I haven't heard from any others. I only wish I could make what I would at a job at home quilting without alot of cash invested. My friend Judy just opened a longarm shop and said she would hang some of my quilts and put a price tag on them but I don't have any of them quilted yet so I am in a stand still on that. Does anyone else save bits of ribbon that comes on candy and other things? I do and as Gabby and I was in the barn putting things away we decided that I would find a glass gallon jar to put them in. That way we could see them as they are all colors. I have some silk flowers that came on some summer tops but I took them off that will go in there with the ribbons. My DH empted his dill pickle jar last night so guess where that is going. GAbby and I was going to go out to the barn but she fell asleep so I will wait till tomorrow and let her fill the ribbon jar.