I just couldn't do it...

I feel like I have to apologize to my readers.

A while back I wrote of freeing myself by cleaning out the closets. I wasn't completely honest.
Mine was easy. Mike's not so much.
I found myself staring at his ties.
When we were first married he wore a uniform and boring uniform ties. When he got a promotion to manager he got to wear regular shirts and TIES. I love a man in a tie!
I had a good time shopping for his ties. I just could NOT throw them out.
So I took my favorites and made him a memory quilt.

AND I QUILTED IT ON MY NEW MACHINE. (picture of machine to follow soon I promise).

A friend, who has one of these quilt monsters, told me that a machine this technical is all about the thread. She gave me some of hers and I did it!!

Garden Helpers

Ten years ago I took a little boy into my garden on Kate St. and he helped me pick my tomatoes.

That little boy is now recovering fumbles, running back kick offs and scoring game winning 2 point conversions for his middle school team. He also is taller than both his grandparents. Our first grand child is growing up fast.
Time is flying by.

Dylan still talks about helping me.
I thought Roger would get a kick out of it too.
We picked tomatoes!
He picked just "the red ones" and only squeezed one, because it was not coming off the vine. I thought for sure as soon as he knew they squirted he would squeeze them all, but nope.

 Then he wanted to pick the cucumbers. He found some in the vines all by himself.

He was very disappointed that we didn't have any zucchini ready.

He carried them into the house and took some home with him in a baggie.
He was very proud of his crop!

Oh Brother

Here they are Kathy!
All your Brothers in one place.
We had a picnic and I got them to pose for a picture for you...
They must all miss you because you were the topic of many of the conversations. I miss you, too!

Hope you are staying some what cool down there in AZ.

A Sign

I believe in "signs"  and I don't mean street signs people.

Well, my Mother has been sending me some strong signals lately.
The day I got my money from Mother's estate I also got an email from "The Quilt Show". The show was moving back to the Rosemont from Cincinnati. Yipee - It's back! Sharen and I made plans to go.

I really have been enjoying "quilting" my own quilts. The rack I have was working just fine. It took me a long time to get one done, but it worked. I wanted to try something bigger.
Enter the quilt show - a Long arm quilter - floor model on sale (still a large amount of money). After some encouraging words from Sharen and a safety pin I found on the floor. (Mom would always tell me to keep a safety pin in my purse). I spent Mother's money and bought it!

After 2 months I still have not used the damn thing. Every time I think it's ready to go something else goes wrong. 4 times I have had to call the store for missing pieces.

I am thinking I made a huge mistake.
A few weeks ago I got out my first project and laid it out to pin to the rack and a ticket fell out. The date on the ticket was 9/4/12. The day Mom died. Mike and I were in MB and bought tickets to the pier. How that got in there I have no idea, but I knew it was a sign to keep going.

I called the store one last time for help. She more or less called me an idiot for using cheap thread. I AM DONE!!
I now have 5 quilt tops ready to be quilted and still don't know how to continue with this thing. They promised me a lesson and every time I call they put me off. Time to let it go and get help someplace else. Reading the paper I looked out to see a Cardinal on my bird feeder. Mom's favorite bird.  I saw an ad for a class on long arm quilting in Arlington Heights. I called and signed up.

It gives me a stomach ache every time I think of the money I spent on a machine I have yet to use and a business that treats their customers like sh*t after you spend lots of money at their store.

Yesterday, I couldn't stop thinking about Mom (it was 1 year)  and the stomach ache came back. I knew I better eat something and asked Mike to go thru Wendy's for a chicken sandwich. He wasn't sure he heard me right. See I never eat fast food, ever! (unless you call Chinese take out fast food).

We order and go to pick up our food and the young girl in the pick-up windows name tag said "EDNA".

I hear ya Mom! I won't let anything get in my way!