What Our Kids Know...

Well, last time I commented that I couldn't post any pictures because I couldn't find the cord to my camera. Lo and behold ~ leave it up to my 10 year old to inform me that my computer has a port to put my camera card in...I don't even *need* to have a cord!!!! Thank goodness for technology-savvy little boys...

On the quilting front ~ I spent a few days at the vacation house this week with some friends. I completed an easy Turning Twenty Around the Block quilt top for my uncle and began a quilt for my SIL. Even tho I vowed this year to make sure the emphasis was on ME and projects for ME, these other things have seemingly worked their way in. I guess I just can't say no. Plus I know how comforting a quilt can be ~ and wanted to make sure that each of my uncles had one to cuddle up with while going through surgery, chemo and radiation. Here is a pic (not the greatest) of the first Turning Twenty Around the Block that I made for my Uncle Chub:

He loves horses so I used a line from Wilmington Prints (I believe) that had horses, cowboy boots, horseshoes, etc. I really like the way it turned out! And it was fast...I had the top put together in a day.

Here are a few pics of the quilt I made for my niece, Gracie. It's a line of fabrics from Piece O' Cake Designs and I think it turned out really cute! I'm a little behind as it's been in my UFO bin for a year or so...it was supposed to be given to her when she was born and she turned 1 year old in December of 2007. Better late than never!

I decided to get really creative towards the end of putting it together and decided that I would add prairie points in each of the fabrics in the corners. Just a little something extra that I think turned out really cute!

I've also almost finished my nephew's quilt. It was made using a "peek-a-boo" pattern and it was a true PIA. The binding has been machine sewn on...I just need to either hand tack it down or machine finish it. That's on my list for this coming week.

I'll post more pictures as the quilts get done. My other uncle's comfort quilt is going to the long-armer this week as soon as I pick up some backing fabric! :)

Family-wise, it's been an eventful start to the new year. Miss A has to go for a surgical consult this week ~ we're thinking she needs to have her tonsils and adenoids removed as she's been having problems sleeping and is developing sleep apnea. Our youngest son had to have it done a couple of weeks before he turned 3 years old so Miss A isn't far behind as she will be 4 in April.

Youngest A is going to be 19 months on the 1st of March. Where oh where does the time go? I am 'over' the "I *need* to have another baby" syndrome/whine...but I still miss when they were little. I probably always will...

We have just returned from a few trips. We visited Seattle for five days in January for hubby's work. It was a fun trip and a nice break from the everyday blahs at home. Will and I were both ill with strep before we left ~ I was fine while we were gone ~ then Jim and I both returned home with strep AGAIN. Miss A also was sick and Austy had an ear infection. We almost needed a vacation from our vacation!!

We've been traveling to Minnesota to do some relative-visiting, too. I have two uncles who are both dying of cancer and the visiting was long over due. Spent a short-day in the Cities, visited with my stepdad, and came home in the WORST weather I think I have ever traveled in. Blizzard warnings, blowing snow, reduced visibility and 2" of ice on the Interstate for 60 miles. We were glad to be back home after that trip.

One of my many goals this year is to keep up better with my blogging. I've been working on cleaning and reorganizing my studio (again!) and hope to be able to get to the point where I can leave a project out and continue working on it whenever I have a few free minutes. I *really* hope to knock down my L-O-N-G list of UFOs (and maybe start a few new projects, too!).

Don't forget to visit my sister site ~ Treasured Threads. We are the largest supplier in the US of Australian designer quilt related patterns. We're growing more and more everyday and are always adding something new!

Still No Pictures :(

Well, darn. I still can't find the cord to my camera. I guess I'm going to have to go out and buy another one. Hopefully, it will be easier this time!!! The last time, I ended up ordering one off of the internet because I couldn't find one locally. UGH! What a pain!! If only I were more organized...

Anyway, Suzette sent an email asking us to post for WIP Wednesday. Since I can't do pictures, I'll give you a basic rundown of what I have going that needs to be done before Christmas:

Gage's Quilt ~ This was started for my nephew shortly after he was born (2 years ago!) and was meant to be a baby gift. It is based on a pattern called "Peek-a-Boo" from the Quick Quilts magazine and Let-Me-Tell-You...this quilt has been anything but quick!!!! It's a cute idea but for an anal retentive quilter like me who has to have everything *perfect*, it's been a nightmare. The reason it's still not done is I have to keep putting it away because it's been so frustrating!!! I remember that the last time I had it out, I came to the conclusion that I was going to go away from the pattern a little bit and make some of the blocks different so as not to have so many of the PIA blocks to do. That involves some frog quilting and I haven't gotten that far yet. My secondary goal was to have it done last year for Christmas...but since it's still on my WIP list, you know that didn't happen either :( SO...my FINAL goal is to have it done this year for Christmas. We'll see how that goes...

Gracie's Quilt ~ This is for the aforementioned's little sister who will be one year old on December 11. I have all of the fabrics purchased and know what I'm going to do, but haven't started yet. It really is simple so need to get that one put together and to the long-armer SOON.

Sharon's RR ~ Yet another frustrating project. I participated in this absolutely *wonderful* round robin with my small group and I still have my best friend's quilt. I was the last one to get hers and got frustrated with my round. She told me to put it away and come back to it. I have been working on it lately and just have some final embroidery to do. It should be an easy finish. Since she doesn't have a computer and can't read my blog ~ LOL ~ I can tell you that I've purchased her a gift certificate to our local long-armer as a thank you for waiting for it for SO long. I know she will love it but I feel so guilty!!!! (Or is that Quilty?!?!?!)

I have also been on a creativity HIGH lately ~ so went shopping three times last week. I purchased Nancy Halvorsen's new "Love Is" fabric calendar and the focus block fabric and coordinates to make wallhangings for my kids' rooms. There's even a weiner dog in one block! :)

I also found some really neat fabrics on clearance for 75% off and am going to make the girls' Christmas dresses. My husband laughed when I showed it to him and said maybe I should make them in *next year's* sizes because he bet that I would never get them done for this year's holiday celebrations!! LOL We'll see who wins out on that one...

There's a WHOLE other list of WIPs that are listed on the right side of my blog. I have my small group meeting all day tomorrow and hope to get lots accomplished! At the end of this month, I'm going on an all weekend quilt retreat (Friday noon to Sunday 10am) and then again on the weekend of the 8th of December. I have Hello Kitty flannel-backed satin to make both of the girls pajamas as well... I don't think I've done this much clothes sewing in a LONG time!!!

I really feel that 2008 is the YEAR OF THE WIP!!! I hope the rest of you will join me!

Where DOES the time go?

Of course, we all know that's a facetious statement. Time DOES march on...whether we want it to or not. Consider this: my "baby" is now almost 11 years old. Son #2 will be 7 this month (birthday party at the "vacation house" this weekend). Daughter number 1 is three and a half. Youngest daughter is now 15 months. Didn't I just give birth to these babies?!!?!

Ah, well...as such, it's been since September since I last posted. I never lack for anything to do, mind you, it's just that, well, for whatever reason, this blog has fallen to the bottom of the priority list. I think part of it is that I have lots of other blogs that I try to read on a weekly basis and those people ~ their LIVES ~ just seem so darned *interesting*!!!!! Mine just seems so hum-drum. Most days, it's wake-up, get the boys off to school, get the girls up and going, spend all day with the girls doing "girly-girl" stuff (mostly related to Hello Kitty, baby dolls and telephones), wait for the boys to come home from school, make dinner, get the kids ready for bed, fall into bed exhausted and still try to find some time to please the hubby :)! Add (on certain days), dance class for daughter #1 (I said I'd never do it!!!), 4-H for both of the boys, homework, preschool...you get it...I know you do :)

On the quilting front, I've been quite busy, although there are no pictures to show you today because I can't find the camera cord to connect it to the computer. :( But I'll tell you a bit about what's been going on.

On Pat Sloan's list, I've been participating in a 'gridded' Round Robin based on Pat's book, "It's Your Turn ~ Round Robin Fun". It's a great book and really neat concept if you're tired of the traditional "add-a-round" Round Robins. I haven't received mine back yet ~ seems as though everyone in my group is a little behind (including me!) but can't wait to get it back. I have a couple of pics of the ones I've been working on, but they're stuck on the camera right now...

Several members of my quilt group got together to make a friendship quilt for another member who hasn't been feeling up to par lately. The center block is based on Amy Bradley's "Spool Flowers" quilt and the rest is made up with cuddly chenille and plain blocks. I'll post a pic as soon as I get the camera situation resolved...

For ME...I think I've finally gathered all of the necessary materials for Verna Mosquera's "Vintage Valentine" quilt

and plan to start on that after the first of the year. Of course, that is only ONE of the many that are on my "TO-DO" list... I'm using alot of Robyn Pandolph's florals and am going to make some of the flowers (shown above in white) using Clover's new y0-yo maker to give it some dimension. I hope to post my progress on it as I get going...

Hubby and I flew to Houston at the end of October to attend International Quilt Market. While there, we met with Melanie Hurlston & Rosalie Quinlan from Australia (Melly & Me and Rosalie Quinlan Designs...see their patterns on my other website), Anni Downs from Hatched and Patched (hope to start carrying her things soon!), Pat Sloan, Mark Lipinski (from Quilter's Home magazine), Janell Cleveland and her sister from Lasting Treasures, Elaine Waldschmitt from The Quilted Closet, Judy Martin, Verna Mosquera from The Vintage Spool, Edyta Sitar from Laundry Basket Quilts, and a host of others...It was a great time (as usual) and there are SO many really neat things coming out SOON. Check your LQS for new products...the fabrics, notions and patterns are absolutely FABULOUS! :)

I'll have pics from Market to share soon...

Hope everyone's start to November is Fan-tab-u-lous! The holiday season is upon us (as evidenced by all of the Christmas stuff in the stores...even BEFORE Halloween! UGH!)...

Join in the happiness of the season and count your blessings!

WOW!!! It's September already!

Hello Everyone!

Hope your summer was great...it's good to be getting back into a routine with the kids back in school.

Still no quilting going on around here with the exception of a few small projects...I found the neatest fabric on clearance at JoAnn Fabrics last week. It has a black background with big, colorful, funky flowers all over it. I'm going to make a purse and needlepunch one of the flowers on the front. If it turns out, I'll probably be making a couple more for Christmas gifts.

It's also official ~ Treasured Threads has gone "live" with a temporary website of its own. You can visit here. Lots of pictures up of all of the current patterns we carry. Exciting things are happening! Check back often!

I'm getting ready to head to Market in Houston in October. It will be an exciting time to catch up with all of the new things that are happening in the quilting world! I'll keep you all updated.

Since I've been so slow at getting anything done with my LONG list of current projects, I'm putting a challenge out there to all of you in blog-land! Starting in October, I'd like to see us pick a current project for the month and MAKE PROGRESS on it. Finish piecing it, start quilting, put on a binding, etc. It doesn't have to be the entire set of steps to get it to completion ~ it can just be one ~ but something that will move you a step forward. If you're interested, let me know! I'm intending to make a list of my UFOs, WIPs and WD (wanna-dos) here soon. I'll update on the sideline of my blog when I have it ready to go.

Enjoy this beautiful weather we've been having!

LOTS of new quilting things!!

I have been absent from the blogging world for awhile and after I tell you all that I've been up to, you'll understand why!!

First of all, I was overwhelmed with the response to the Australian designer patterns. I think they're great and am glad that you do, too! I just put in another order as I can't seem to keep any stock around here (not complaining!) and am currently working with five more designers to add to the list. I'm also working on creating a new blog just for the business end of things so as not to clog up my personal blog here. Watch for the news of its grand opening!

SO...what have I been up to? Quilting, quilting and more quilting!! Not in the physical sense, but I have been filling my little brain up with it until it's coming out of my ears!! LOL The first Friday in June was spent on a short road trip to the nearby Omaha Quilter's Guild show in Omaha, Nebraska. My friend Barb and I went and spent the day, all the while watching the sky as it was storming all around us. We never did run into anything other than a few sprinkles. The show was set up nicely ~ TONS of vendors and new ones that I'd never seen before. I did plenty of shopping!! LOL The quilts were displayed nicely although there wasn't really anything that caught my eye. I had to giggle as the raffle quilt this year was a Pam Bono design and the guild must have had a class on it...there were plenty of that same quilt in the show. :) Sometimes that's just the way it goes ~ I find it's usually easy to tell what the speakers and/or theme for the guild is for the year. It is usually pretty evident in the shows.

The next week, a friend and I attended MQS in Kansas City. WOW! The long-arming talent out there still just astounds me. I was lucky enough to meet Sharon Schamber (this year's winner at Paducah and also the ribbon-taker at MQS). I tried out ALL of the machines I could find as I'm currently considering investing in a mid or long-arm. There were the big names...Gammill, A-1, APQS, Nolting and there were the smaller machines (and smaller names), too ~ Voyager, KenQuilt, TinLizzie, Handy Quilter, etc. It was great FUN to test each machine, but there was so much information, I was about on overload!! I have it narrowed down to two selections...but will not be making a decision until I can spend a day at each distributor's place to play more with their machines. I'll let you know when the time comes for one to 'come home' to my house!

I also was priviledged enough to be able to stay with a great bunch of gals in a hotel suite right across the street from the convention center. I don't think I've spent as much time laughing in a long time!! Here we are in all of our glory. Don't we look like a fun bunch?!?!

I'm also going to put just a couple of quilt pics here for your enjoyment. You can find the remaining photos of MQS quilts at my Webshots album here.

So...after the excitement of MQS was over, I took off the next week with my friends Barb and Sharon to the MN State Quilter's Guild show in St. Paul. We spent Thursday at the show and had a marvelous time. TONS of inspiration and, in speaking with others, have decided that this year's show was really "Inspiration for the Everyday Quilter". Meaning that, while there were some beautiful advanced quilts on display, there were also plenty of beautiful quilts that provided tons of inspiration for those who don't consider themselves professional or advanced. My pick of a few pics from that show are below. The first one took Best of Show (and did it ever deserve it!). The second one is a pattern I've considering purchasing but have yet to. Seeing it done up in person has convinced me that I need to find it again! It was gorgeous!! If I remember correctly, it is a pattern by Marti Michell's daughter.

You can see the remaining photos of the MN show here. The evening and two days following the show were spent shop-hopping around the Twin Cities area at every quilt shop we could find! Some of the ones we visited were Bear Patch Quilting in White Bear Lake (GORGEOUS shop with TONS of samples, fabrics, stitching, etc.), Rosebud's Cottage in North St. Paul (awesome selection of wools and very nice classroom space), Quilter's Courtyard in St. Paul (very nice shop with great samples and awesome fabric selection!), Gruber's in Waite Park (boasting 10,000+ bolts of fabric ~ very well organized plus a yarn selection for knitters/crocheters/embellishers as well) and St. Croix County Dry Goods in Hudson, WI (awesome shop with TONS of quilt fabric and oodles of antiques...what more could you ask for?!?! LOL). We stayed in a very nice Holiday Inn in east St. Paul the entire time and it worked out well as the central point for all of our excursions! My main focus this trip was accumulating fabric to begin working on my Vintage Valentine quilt. I'm almost sure I now have everything I need!!

I spent the next couple of weeks 'recuperating' LOL and hitting the local shops for a few items. Yesterday, I attended the Ankeny Quilter's Guild annual show and it was a hit this year!! I've attended every year for the last 7 and, I have to say, I was very disappointed in last year's show. They had moved it to a new location (which was nice) but the quilts and vendors last year either weren't my style or I wasn't in the mood (which is rare!). This year, they did an excellent job and the quilts on display were great! They also had Karen McTavish as this year's speaker. If you don't know who she is, definitely check out her website at the link provided. Her long-arming has definitely revolutionized the quilting world and she has TONS of followers! She is now a rep for APQS and teaches classes in her own studio as well as all over the US. She gave a great lecture and is such a nice person to talk with. I hope to upload my Ankeny show pics soon and will share as soon as that's accomplished.

We also added a new furmember to our family this week.

Max is a 6 year old AKC Golden Retriever who was given up by his family who didn't have enough time for him. He rode great in the van on the five-hour trip home from north of the Twin Cities and has been great with the kids!! He seems like a horse compared to our mini-dachshund, but he's really just a gentle giant :) He already knows some commands ~ sit, stay, down, fetch, shake, etc. He LOVES to be around people and has become part of our family already. He's not so sure about our cats, yet ~ but we're working on that. He doesn't really want to eat them, he just wants to play with them and they're not so sure about that!!!

I'm getting ready for our biennial quilt show coming up at the end of August so hope to have pics of my own projects to post soon! (Have to get on the ball to get them done for the show!)

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!!

More Australian Designers...

Just a quick note on Leanne's House BOMs. I have had several inquiries about doing the BOMs on a monthly basis instead of purchasing the entire pattern set at once. I have no problem doing that with a minimum sign-up! Monthly BOMs would be $10 each postage paid and would be sent out around the 1st of every month. If you're interested in this option, please email me!

**Just a little clarification on any of the BOMs...I am offering them at $10 per month per BOM for the PATTERN only. I do not have them kitted although that may happen down the road.**

Now, onto the other Australian designers I will also be offering.

Sisters Rosalie Quinlan and Melanie Hurlston have teamed up to offer patterns under the name "Melly and Me". They offer a unique line of contemporary, fun quilts, bags and 'softies'.

Baby Floss Quilt

Cherry Blossom Bag

Little Kitty Softie

These are just a few of their designs. You can see all of them here. Patterns are $9 each with an ordering deadline of May 25th. I am offering a pre-order discount. Contact me!

Rosalie Quinlan also has her own line of patterns and they can also be seen at the same website. She offers four different BOMs, quilts, stitchery patterns, bags and softies.

I Remember BOM

The Joy of Life BOM

Cotton Candy Bag

Christmas Blessings III Stitchery

As above, Rosalie's patterns are $9 each and I will be offering her BOMs on a monthly basis for $10 postage paid. Pre-order discounts are available on the patterns and BOM sets (monthly price is without discount). Contact me if you're interested!

Our third featured Australian designer for today is Gail Pan of Gail Pan Designs. Gail is another fun designer who offers a variety of quilts and bags. She is especially fond of Christmas! Check out these examples:

The Magic of Christmas BOM

Home Sweet Home BOM

In My Garden Quilt

More of Gail's patterns can be seen here. Individual patterns are $9 each and BOMs will be offered monthly as well for $10 postage paid. Pre-order discount available! Contact me!

I have a few more to post, but Blogger is fighting me so will try in another post.

Have a great day!!

I am SO excited to tell you that I will soon be offering patterns from Australian designer Leanne Beasley. She offers wonderful patterns such as:

The Couch Companion

Girls' Birth Sampler and Prim

Nana Doreen's Sewing Tote

Quilt Bag and Block Keeper

And my personal favorites...her two BOMs. They are wonderfully inspiring! Leanne's House is shown first and The Journey of a Quilter is shown second. If you are like me, I sometimes (!) have a short attention span and lose interest quickly within the process of making my quilt. These quilts will hold your attention as they combine a little bit of everything! Piecing, applique, embroidery...you can have it ALL! GORGEOUS!!

The rest of Leanne's patterns and books can be seen at her blog:

http://leanneshouse.typepad.com

Make sure you check out her neat "365 Challenge", too!

I KNOW you want to be part of the fun!! I am preparing to place my order with my Australian distributer SOON and am offering those who would like to order in advance a discount off the price of any of her patterns or books. All orders MUST be paid on or before May 25th. I take PayPal, MO or personal check (must clear before that date to qualify). Contact me via this blog for more information!

I am also investigating carrying patterns from five other top Australian designers and will be posting when I have the information available so keep watching!

Some New Fun Things!

I've been talking with other quilters who attended either the MQX show on the east coast this week or the International Quilt Festival in Chicago. Both were AWESOME shows and some really neat things came to life there. One of them is this new rotary cutter lite by Clover.

At only $7.95, it attaches neatly to your rotary cutter and gives you that extra little burst of light right where you really need it. Being the smart-ie that I am, I would say first off, you are TRULY a dedicated quilter if you are cutting fabric in the dark. However, as the aging process sets in even for me, I have found that I just can't have enough light to be able to see anymore. My hubby constantly complains that I have every light on in the house!!!

Another neat product that came out recently (I'm sure it was being sold at the Chicago show) is this new yo-yo maker. I've never made yo-yos, but I've thought about it alot!! I always think that whipping a few of them up here and there would be easy and soon, I'd have more than I would know what to do with! This has gotten great reviews online. It looks like this:

And using one gets you this:

What fun!! BTW, the above pictures were borrowed from The Quilter's Buzz. The actual link to the yo yo maker (with a review by Joan Hawley of Lazy Girl Designs) is here.

And I tell you, Clover is really on a roll...

PamKittyMorning (LOVE this gal!) talks about another new Clover product, the PomPom Maker. Who'd a thunk it?? It sounds like so much fun!!

One other really cute thing...two years ago before Christmas, my friend Marilyn taught me how to crochet those fuzzy scarves. That's the ONLY thing I know how to crochet!! LOL Anyway, they've been talking on the Pat Sloan group about these really cute little crocheted buttons.

I can think of TONS of things they could be used to embellish!! Now I think I'll have to learn how to do it... Sherry has a tutorial on her blog here.

And as if I don't have enough other things to do...my birthday is coming up on Monday and I think I might have to go shopping!!!!!!

Speaking of birthdays, my little used-to-be redheaded baby is going to turn 3 on Saturday.

Yesterday, I took her shopping to get some decorations, etc. and it all had to be Hello Kitty, of course! She will look so cute with her little birthday tiara on! I'll share pics from the party later on.

AND speaking of shopping...hop on over to EBay to check out this week's Quilt Pink Auctions. Some members of Pat Sloan's group made this one.

Bid and win! You get an awesome quilt and you can feel great about your $$ going to a wonderful cause!

'Til Tomorrow...

What a Fun Weekend!!

Last week, my hubby turned 35. Not a big deal to some, but I always try to make his birthday a little extra special. He grew up in a family that didn't celebrate birthdays/holidays much as opposed to my family where we celebrated every little thing that came along and always in a BIG way.

A few weeks ago, I got a wild hair about throwing him a surprise party. I invited 15 other couples to eat with us at Rube's Steakhouse (YUM) and I hired our community's supreme baker to make a couple of cheesecakes. I had it set up with a girlfriend and her husband from out of town that we would meet them Saturday night at Rube's for dinner. In the three week period between the original invitation and this past Saturday night, I have never lied so much in my life!!! LOL I had his friends RSVP either via my personal email or via my cell phone. The only thing is whenever someone called, they always did it when he was in the house or with me!! It was hard to explain all of these "unknown" male voices to my dear hubby!!

Anyway, I pulled it off without a hitch. He never expected a thing and was totally awe-struck to show up to 30+ people all yelling "SURPRISE"!! It was awesome! Not to mention the food and friendship were great, too. And it really was a lot of fun putting it together.

This week is going to be a busy one with the kids...they didn't have school yesterday as the final day of their "Spring Break". Then there is Kindergarden Registration later on this week which means William will be home on Thursday and Friday. The weather this weekend is supposed to be rainy all day Friday and Saturday so I think we're going to take a family trip to the City for haircuts (we all need them!) and a fun family day out. There's a new dinosaur exhibit at the State Historical Society that I'm sure the boys will love.

I'm hoping to have all day tomorrow to get some quilting done. Lots and lots of stuff on the to-do list!

House Looking...But Not Buying

We went again yesterday to look at more acreages. I'd previously been to two (one of which the pictures were WAY better than the actual house) and the other needed way more work than what we were willing to put in. And both had hardly any outbuildings or ones that were ready to fall in if you touched them. (a husband's requirement!)

The ones we saw yesterday were...UM...Okay. One was in town and was a huge old victorian with a wrap around porch. Thought I'd love it. And I did. For it's craftsmanship, oak woodwork, and open-oak-curved staircase. GORGEOUS!! But not practical for my family. With four kids, four inside cats and a dog PLUS a quilting studio I am NOT going to give up, there just wasn't enough practical space. It really hurts me to say that because my dream has always been to own a Victorian house with a wrap around porch.

The second one we visited had a nice metal building wiht heated shop area and office (score for the hubby), detached two car garage and a house with ALL hardwood floors (score for me!). Unfortunately, it was S-M-A-L-L. I need space. I'm a closet claustrophic, I'll admit it. Large open spaces are what I need...

The third one we looked at scored BIG time. Of course, looking at it from the outside, it was the one I thought I'd like the least and actually ended up being the one I liked the most. LOTS of space, five bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, 5 acres of ground, a metal shop buildling and two big bins. It had been lived in by a little old lady and, when she either passed away or moved to the nursing home, the son moved in and renovated it. All new everything...fixtures, carpet, hardwood (Pergo), linoleum, etc. It's bad side came after thinking about living there for 30 years and having to do all of the stairs. It was a split-level so when you walked in the front door, it was either up or down but no where else to go. And am I going to want to do that 30 years from now??? Am I even going to want to do that right now? Visions of carrying a sleeping baby with armloads of groceries came to mind... The other bad thing is the carpet that was redone was put in as a tight-weave Berber. And I HATE Berber carpet. Especially with kids.

Anyway, all of this 'looking' has me thinking about what I do want in the "perfect" house. Then I'm going to try and get my hubby to do the same so that we know what we're looking for. The thing that scares me the most is being able to find it around HERE.

My perfect house would have:

1) Five bedrooms
2) Three bathrooms (kids, master, 'community')
3) Large open room with separate entrance (or opportunity to make it so) for quilting studio with room to put a long-arm that I hope to acquire someday
4) Eat-in kitchen with an island big enough to sit six seats
5) Breakfast nook off the kitchen with a fireplace
6) Private balcony off the master bedroom
7) Double hung windows
8) Walk-in pantry in the kitchen
9) Fireplace in the family room
10) Rec room for the kids

I could live with a ranch style house if the basement were finished and a walk-out. That's all I can think of right now.

Otherwise, not much quilting going on here this week. I'm preparing to put in a book order over the weekend, ordering more Vintage Valentine patterns (see further down in the post for pics) and ordering some patterns from Jacqueline de Jonge of the Netherlands. You can see her patterns here. Very, very nice paper-pieced patterns. Let me know if you're interested in any of the above! I will be putting orders in on Sunday evening so payment by then is appreciated. Contact me for pricing and more details.

Even though I haven't gotten any actual sewing time in, my thoughts are quilting-based EVERY day. Since my trip to Minneapolis to IKEA, I'm slowly getting my things put together and moved into my studio. Of course, that type of thing always takes three times as long as you think it should!!

The kids are home from school today and Monday for Spring Break...so I'm off to help them clean-up in the toy room today. Then we're going to color Easter Eggs later on!