My Quilt Festival quilt

This is the quilt I chose to share in the Fall 2010 Quilt Festival. I finished this quilt over 8 years ago and I still love it. I don't recall the pattern or designer. I recall starting this in a quilt class and then finishing it up at home...probably several months past the class. I love log cabins and this was a great design. My favorite colors are in this quilt; I'm not a big blue clothes wearer...but I like to have it in my stuff surrounding me.

Wishcasting Wednesday

What do I wish to shed?

three things....

the pile of stuff in the basement. I've been harsh in throwing away...but not harsh enough

these 20 lbs of medicine weight I've gained over the last 2 yrs

this little attitude I've got going about a certain topic

with breaths it will all come.

It is my bee month

and while it took a bit more time than I had ever figured it would (--that is going to be my motto for this year! the whole year.)

Anyways, the bags are packed and headed out to the door to the other participants. This month I'm going to make a quilt I'm calling Chocolate Cherry Mint. I'm using all of these strips to make a spiderweb quilt. I used the quilt here as my inspiration. I made some modifications and decided to use a 12.5" block. I think this site also gives darn good directions.

After cutting my 12.5" square in half, I ended up with 2 triangles that look like this: ETA, please cut those triangles in half and then begin adding the strips.

The triangles need to be marked for specific fabric placement in order for me to get a quilt with 1 large circle and 1 smaller circle:

Also, I need to remember that in order for the quilt to come together that I need triangles marked for right and left.

After sewing on strips...and over time I will also get wonky with sewing on the strips..this is what the individual spidey arms will look like

I need to trim these and sew together. I will update the blog with the pictures when I complet them. I am excited to be working on this quilt and cannot wait for the spider blocks to come back from the other participants.

Catch up

Yes, Yes I realize these are horrible pictures. I am still getting used to my Samsung phone camera....and it was cloudy when I took these!

These are 3 "bee" blocks I finished today in order to get them in the mail...long past their mailing date.

Time with my mom this past year has kept me pretty handicapped in terms of being able to finish what I've started. My UFO list is usually pretty long...but this year's takes the cake.

For wishcasting wednesday: I am asking for the abundance of energy and time to tackle the list. From quilting bee blocks to helping DH finish resurrecting our basement after the Central Iowa of 2010. I'm going to need all the help I can get!

what do I want less of

It is wishcasting wednesday... and the prompt was: what do I want less of

Have you ever started something and then had little roadblocks pop up to test your willingness/ability to follow through? right, who hasn't...

recently I started working out in a fitness bootcamp....starts at 530 am. should be easy enough, I'm an early riser and no time conflicts. HA! I went the first week struggling with staying asleep all night due to migraine med changes. It is very hard to get up and go, let alone stay, at a hard workout when you've actually been up since 2 am all week long! So, there has been little things here and there, not precluding family crisis. Last nite my husband and I spent most of the nite at Iowa State University's Vet Med Animal Clinic. One of our dogs has been coughing and it accelerated to coughing so much he could hardly breathe. Very scary, just like when our 24 yo had croup as a child. After exams by student vets and staff vets and a chest xray, they determined he prob has a form of bordatella. our regular vet told us this am that it is going around and some dogs are getting it without contact with an infected animal. Surprised us! Oh well, he is on antibiotics and cough suppression. I'm so glad we went in though as he is worse today, can't imagine what he would be like if we hadn't already started the antibiotics.

So, needless to say, I'm ready for the distractions--of any type to Not Be Present.

My daughter is getting married and I need a smaller A**

time to sit on my ass

today's wishcasting prompt over at Jamie Ridler studios got me thinking....what do I really want to begin? I have tons of thoughts floating through my head all the time..but where to start?

I keep telling myself I'm going to start meditating. So, now I need to begin. short time every day. all I have to do is show up.

and it is the fall...back to school..means learning a new subject for me. see you there.

Wishcasting Wednesday

Today is Wishcasting Wednesday inspired by Jamie Ridler.

Today's question is what do I wish for my well-being?

It doesn't take much thought to come to the realization that I wish for some peacefulness on a relationship situation I am dealing with. And unfortunately, it is not one I can just walk away from..nor do I want to. Watching your daughter grow up is difficult at best, watching her grow up unhappy is painful at the least.

Today when I spoke with my (wise) grandmother she said...this age is a like mixing a cake, Anita. It is just all crumbles and keeps falling all apart until finally all the moisture gets worked in and everything smooths out. I simply cannot describe to you how much I love this 90 yo woman.

I think what I'm going to need to do is devise some sort of releasing ritual. And if I have to do it every single day in order to release the anger and frustration at how we are being treated and manipulated, this is what I will need to do. I need to get back to seeing my girl's shining beautiful face.

Suggestions welcome.

hello, again

Will that be the title of all my posts? ha!

just trying to work updating here back into my schedule...and one of these days I will be more successful at it.

I'm part of a project this summer called The Happy Book. I've been slow to answer the weekly requests to share what makes me happy--one because May is a tremendously busy time in the garden for me, and two because for the last 8 weeks I've had a migraine every Friday. no rhyme or reason, but definitely not something to be happy about. As such, no bursts of energy.

Have one today, just powering through. (I'm a recalcitrant migraneur...my migraine calendars are all over the charts..and I've tried everything...one of these days, it will all make sense. )

So, today what am I happy about? I powered through a couple of items on my to-do list. One of which was a sticky convo with someone. I'm not sure if I made any progress, but I started it.

Two, it is continuing to be beautiful here in central IA. and, three, I'm sooo glad to be home from vacation. (who says that?) I'm just glad to be home and getting rested up.

And, My garden is amazing. even with weeds. and especially without the ones I've been removing.

Ok, moving slow and easy on to the rest of my to-do's.

Hello...I'm back

Wow.. what a long four months it has been...

First the death of my dad, then all the hassles with my stepmother...good grief. then Mom getting so sick. then the small TIAs she had, and dealing with that--in Phoenix. and worrying and worrying.

and all the other issues that piled up one right after another--smacking me in the face, reminding me that I'm not in charge and life is a highway. One issue at a time, I could have dealt... the accumulation at the threshold? let me just say, I'm darn glad it is spring.

My mom is better at least. One issue, the tediousness and stress of additional breast tissue scans and tests turned out to be for nought! WOOT!

The other ones? time will resolve and right now however painful they are, they aren't mine to resolve at this time.

The snow is melting and I can see sweet woodruff starting to grow in the shade this makes me a believer.

And it is Wishcasting Wednesday over at Jamie Ridler Studios.

What is my wish? to say NO to the shadow comforts. to say NO to hiding. and Yes to getting up off my chair and moving.

Life is tough. time to face it with movement.