Weekend Update - a little of this and that

In keeping with my new goal of completing 9 UFO's this year, I dropped Shirt Stripe Boxes off to Mr. Quiltman on Monday evening.  Since then, I've been piecing the borders for my Black & White Quilt.  I got the pieced border on tonight, and now I don't know what to do.  It's only 70x70.  Too big for a lap quilt?  Too small for a bed quilt??  What do you think I should do???

Two more weeks of school left!  Next weekend (the long four day Easter weekend) will be filled with assignments to be handed in. 

Gotta tell you...it's been a sad week.  My friend lost her husband last Saturday, and while I've tried to be supportive for her, I feel AWFUL!!!  I suppose it's got to be the accumulation of lots of stressors and losses since the New Year, but truthfully?  I am terribly depressed. I find myself thinking about my friend all the time; getting choked up and misty eyed. 

I'm just going to power through the next couple of weeks, and then I can take some time and get some perspective on everything I've experienced these past two or three months. It's been challenging - between my ill health in Feb, the death of my ex-husband, Sailor Boy moving to the Maritimes, and now my friend's husband's death, not to mention the rapid-fire trauma of a high-school guidance department - - so many crises, two student deaths in three weeks,  horrible stories, and frustrated efforts to be helpful. It ain't easy, particularly when all I really want to do is snatch up some of these kids and bring them home with me!!! 

Hubby and I took a day off to ourselves today.  We went to Komoka first, to a Nostalgia Show.  That was fun.  I saw a couple of things I would have liked to have brought home with me, but oh my! the prices!!!  OUCH!  Still, it was fun to browse around.  Then we had lunch at the Little Beaver in Komoka and then off we went to the Spring Gardening Show at Canadale Nurseries.  The local hospital was having a fundraiser there with an old time "penny sale". I bought $5 in tickets, and put a lot of them into the draws for some lovely pieces of stained glass and garden ornaments.  No calls yet, so I guess I haven't won! SHUCKS!! But it was fun to see all the spring flowers, and interesting items.

We sat down tonight and made up our "to-do" lists for the week.  Itty Bitty and I are completely swamped.  Not one extra thing can be squeezed into our tightly scheduled calenders.  But we HAVE to get our passport photos done this week - - ugh!!!  I want to come home from Nova Scotia through the States next month (I'd love to see Portland,ME again!) so we need to have passports.

Sewing Sunday Morning

Good Morning Gibby Kitty!

Doesn't he look terrified?  He's fallen in love with a shirt that I bought at a church rummage sale yesterday.  We were quite worried that he'd suffocate inside the plastic bag it was stored in, he simply could NOT get enough of this stupid shirt, so we wrapped him in the shirt, and oh my!  THE LOUDEST purring ever.  What a weird cat.

Up an at 'em early this morning.  I finished six more blocks for my Black & Bright quilt.  It's now coming off the design wall for the time being.  And I've pieced an uncountable number of HSTs for the border of my Black & White quilt.  So, it's going back up on the wall, so I can figure out what my intentions are with the border.

I've been sewing!

In honour of (inter)National Quilting Day, I decided I'd better sew something! I made six more blocks for my Black & Bright quilt. I only have six more 'brights', so this project will soon be on hold until I stumble on some more brightly coloured nickels - - I don't want to repeat any fabric. I also pieced some 3" units for my Black & White quilt, but that wasn't exciting enough to take a photo...

What I AM excited about is the two new books I got last night!  BQF Gail did a bulk order for a few of us in the local quilting group for the latest Bonnie Hunter book "Adventures with Leaders & Enders".  Since I didn't have the first book "Scraps & Shirttails" I asked her to order that for me as well.  I am so excited, because I'm a huge Bonnie Hunter fan, and I love scrappy quilts.

There was a rummage sale at the Presbyterian church a block up the street this morning - - I was there bright and early and snagged four shirts to 'repurpose' a la Bonnie.  I think my favourite quilt in either book is Virginia Bound. 

I intend to do some more sewing this week - - I have a couple of sewing 'dates' on my calendar! Even just the little bit I did today makes me feel more like "me".  It's the creative time that I carve out for myself that I was missing these past couple of months.  I really should put this important item on my 'to-do' list.

Goal ACHIEVED!!!

I DID IT!

My goal to use $1000 in coupons has been achieved!  In fact....if you scroll down to my ticker at the bottom, you'll see I went well over my goal today.  This weekend is Bonus Redemption Days at Shopper's Drug Mart, and I had enough Optimum Points to redeem $200 worth of free products, PLUS I used an additional $30 in coupons.

Now to set myself another goal....hmmmmmm.

It should probably be quilt related.  It's March.  How about finishing 9 UFO's before the end of the year?  That would be a challenge!  I know just where I will start.  I'd love to finish the Kaffe Fasset inspired shirt quilt (Shirt Stripe Boxes)I started last summer.

Oh Mr. Quilter Man!!! I'm bringing a quilt over for you!!!  ;)

Happy (Inter)National Quilting Day!

http://nqaquilts.org/

The 19th Annual National Quilting Day is today, March 20, 2010. Whether you celebrate with your quilting friends or alone, take time to reflect on the rich traditions of quiltmaking and the contributions to family and community made by quiltmakers for many generations.

IKEA - - start the car!!!

It's March Break for some people - - sort of including me, because the school where I am doing my practicum is on March Break, but the school where I go to school?  No March Break.

Anyway, everyone at this house had yesterday off, so we decided to go on a road trip to Burlington to visit Ikea.  Neither Hubby nor Itty Bitty had been there before, so it was an adventure.

Itty Bitty and I lost Hubby at one point, and decided to "test" out the mattresses.  We flopped onto a firm Queen sized model.

ITTY BITTY: Yeah. I'm staying right here.
ME: Yeah?
ITTY BITTY: See that sign?  Says I can sleep on this mattress for 90 Days.

No crazy purchases.  Although Itty Bitty did buy a new table named Dave.  That cracks me up.

First of all...

I'm loving this spring-like weather!  We had windows open this afternoon, and Gibson LOVED it.  He enjoys sitting on the window sill in our bedroom watching the cars go by.

THE GOOD NEWS IS!!!  The snow had melted sufficiently in the back yard to allow my applique foot that I lost just after Christmas time to make a reappearance!!  Yeah!

Itty Bitty has taken over Sailor Boy's bedroom.  He's spent the better part of the evening moving furniture, and sorting through ...well, I'd call it CRAP, but I guess it's important treasures.  Sorta like my applique foot.

Four more weeks of school.  And a ton of work to finish between now and them.  I believe I'll be camping in the Cardinal Cardinal Library until Easter. 

What happens after that?  I think I'm taking a Spring Intercession half-course, going to a conference or two, and hoping to find work as a Research Assistant for the summer.  But not until AFTER I get home from Halifax!

Hippity Hoppity...can spring be far away?

Forgot to share this delightful piece of spring I found yesterday. 

I went thrifting for the first time in weeks and weeks yesterday, and found this old planter. A little bleach, soap, and water....won't he look cute filled with some Easter treats? 

Gonna do a little "Carpe Diem"

It's 6:30 in the morning.  My work table is covered in bits and pieces of fabric, books, papers, stuff that belongs elsewhere.  My dining room table is covered in school work, notes, files, and stuff that belongs elsewhere.  My laundry is piled waist deep.  I have two important pieces of work to finish - one was due Feb 12, the other Mar 5.  I need to fill out some paper work for Itty Bitty related to a benefit he's entitled to since his father's death.  I need to complete our passport applications, in case we want to ferry over to Portland, ME on our Nova Scotia trip, and come home via the US.  The kitty litter must be changed.

So far? The cat is fed.  The coffee is brewing.  A load is just about ready to come out of the dryer.  And I've blogged all about it!