I found the new-to-me quilt shop today. It is not too far from home (closer than the other shops in town), and was quite LOVELY. The Notion Nook will be seeing a lot of me! There are walls of 1800 repos, 1930's repos, Primitive Gatherings, and more Moda than you can imagine! (click on the link, cause she has online shopping too) I did not see any hand quilting notions, so I asked the lady behind the counter if she carried any. Cay introduced herself as the owner, and led me directly to a peg holding Dritz quilting betweens. UGH....they suck. Just my opinion. I told her I was looking for a place that carried thread, batting, and needles that were hand quilter friendly. She apologized and said she had not had a need for those items, but had been trying to get a hand quilting class going so she could broaden out into that arena. I told her that I had been teaching for Acorn for the last 4 years, and before I could get another word out, she ran and got a pad of paper and a pen and said, "What do you need in the store, and can you teach classes here?" So long story short, she is ordering all my favorite hand quilting notions and I have a class in June!! I did not come home without sampling her wares! I got the bumper stickers shown above, and some darling Moda packs (a 5" and two 2 1/2") that will be perfect for the Simply Charming quilts.
I also grabbed a stack of Civil War Repo fat quarters. I love them!! They are so gorgeous!
Cammy was very interested in what was coming out of that bag!
Don't worry....we don't eat on those placemats ;)
Yesterday my WW friends, Carol and Melody, came over so we could baste Carol's "queen" sized quilt. I say "queen" cause it was NOT queen!! It was bigger than KING! We had to piece an 8 inch wide strip onto the 120x120 bat. Luckily she had another one in the car!
Carol (in the lime green) pieced together blocks that her 80-something year old mother embroidered. The 16" blocks are gorgeous!!!
She used the perfect fabrics to sash them!
4 hours later (that includes a break to eat a wonderful salad Carol brought) the quilt was ready for the hoop.
Now back to today...I am flip flopping LOL....I spent the day with my mom shopping for wall decor to match her new couch. I love what we came up with!!
So pretty!!! That couch is BIG! While we were at Old Time Pottery, I found this metal star that I knew would look good on the small wall in my eating area.
It's all textured, which doesn't show in the picture, and looks like it was made for that spot!
That's all for now. I am going back to Mom's for the morning tomorrow, and then grocery shopping. The rest of the week should be very relaxed. We are expecting sunny days and climbing temps....and Friday brings grandkids!!!! YAY!!!!
This trio of pumpkins holding pumpkin scented tea lights graces the kitchen table. It is much {pretty}-er in person, and I love the look on the table runner. Pumpkins make me 
As much as I like the look of pumpkins, I love the taste of them even more! Weight Watchers has had an impact on that. I am 17.6 pounds down and do not want to mess that up with pumpkin pie! I did find this, which made me very 
...and it gives my coffee a "dessert" taste for 1 WW point! Also, there is a wonderful pumpkin dessert that is only 1 WW point per 2x2 inch square....1 box of angel food cake mix (the one step, just add water kind), 1 15 oz can of pumpkin, 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice, and 1 cup of water. Mix and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. I top it with cool whip....my kids love it! It makes me VERY {happy}!
Because of PTSD, this time of year is difficult for Charlie-girl. Use your imagination, but it is less than fun around here. My mother and I decided to go see the movie "The Help". We had both read the book and looked forward to seeing it. She (my mom) told me it was rated PG, so I thought I would take Charlotte along....I would not allow her to read the book, but we were assured the bad part was not in the movie....by the way, it is rated PG-13 for some language. Anyway, I told Charlotte to be ready to go by 3 pm on Tuesday. I did not tell her where we were going. Little did I know, a neighbor girl had told her "If your mom ever tells you she is taking you somewhere fun, and won't tell you where, she is taking you to BOOTCAMP." Are you cracking up?? Poor Charlotte thought I was taking her to bootcamp!!! Nope....just a girls day out to the movie theater!
She cried so hard when we got to the parking lot, it freaked me out a little bit. We had to wait a minute before going in to meet Grandma! I don't care who you are...THAT IS {FUNNY}!
He is also starting to "see" someone. I do not know how serious it is, and I don't need to know. I am still the only one not "over" the divorce. It feels like a death still. I know life must go on, and that is {real}
It will be ready to go to 
Can you guess how I am spending my Saturday afternoon?? Oh yeah! Now I just need a hot cup of coffee next to me, cause it is COLD outside!
Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup for dinner. It is such a crisp September day, that it had to be soup! Now I am off to get that cup of Hazelnut coffee and grab that quilt back up! Praying you are having just as wonderful a Saturday afternoon!
My fall runner, made by 
I put her on the quilt, as for the first time EVER she didn't just jump up there. The girl loves a quilt! She insisted on being at the end instead of centered nicely, and just looked annoyed.
Of course it immediately became bath time, so I had to just sit back and wait. She gave me a few glances....just enough to say "I'm in charge here."
Then it HAPPENED! She saw a fly!!!
The squirrel chattering began and she prepared to strike.
I did get a pic that I think will work. If you do not already see the new header and blog design, you can come back later and check it out!
He was my dad's best friend. They spent all their time together when Dad was at home. It has been a very difficult time for them both, so if you think of it, could you say a prayer for them that the healing will happen quickly. They are adamant that they will NOT get another dog. The pain of loss is too much for them to take. I am hoping they change their minds. My father gets such joy from dogs...especially a lap dog, which Ike was.
I didn't buy as many "things" as I usually do. I did get gifties for all the kids...including this one...
She LOVES this toy, along with the new cat nip bags, and laser lights I got her! The kids love the laser lights as much as she does!
I got the kids sunglasses and Kyle a new pair of sandals he had been wanting. I also got the grandkids the COOLEST gifts! They are AWESOME, but I can't share it here yet. It is just as much a surprise for Rachel as for them, and she might read here still. Just incase....I know they will ALL love it!
I did come home with this.....
A new Keurig coffee pot and carousel. Isn't that cool how the carousel matches my spice rack?? We still use our main pot as the coffees are quite costly. It is nice to have a "cup" when you want just one though, and we have used it everyday!
Another thing I got on my trip was some wonderful teas. An Orange Spice and an English Breakfast tea. I think the Orange Spice will make a nice iced tea, don't you?
I have this wonderful quote, shared by 
Now I am off to "take the trouble to make things nice" here!!!
My mom and sister joined us for church too!
After a wonderful church service we all came back and had a cookout. The grandkids were with us this year, which made Easter extra special!!!
I will share more Easter pics next time.
Charlotte is, well,.....Charlotte is Charlotte. She has good and bad days. School has been an issue here, but I think maybe, hopefully, prayerfully, she is starting a new trend.
Zach is doing well in school, and is looking forward to a summer break. We homeschool through most of the summer, so he may be an unhappy guy very soon! Oh well, we only work in the mornings. He LOVES that cat, and is spending lots of time outside playing with his best friend, Stephan.
Kyle is so glad the weather is nice. He is outside more than he is inside and loves playing basketball with the guys in the cul de sac!
Me? I have been getting Bud and Rachel's old house ready for the new tenants. My sister in law, who lives in Colorado, owns the house, so I am helping her by showing and renting it. The new family signed the lease here this afternoon. I am so glad that is over!! Now on to some Spring cleaning around here and back to some quilting projects that have been far too neglected! My mom an sister are coming early in the morning to attend Mother's Day service at my church. How blessed can I be? 2 times in 3 weeks!!! Next Sunday, Zach is getting baptized, so that will be an event also!