Thursday, October 26, 2006

a day for me

I'm glad I've scheduled tomorrow as a vacation day. Current plan, at almost 10 p.m., is to sleep a LOT, sew, read books and watch movies. Mostly just a very lazy day. Partially a hide out day. And partially a mental health day.

No matter what it is, it's going to be good for me.

...may there be mercy on the rest, the lazy, the hiding out and everything.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

too, too, too

…too busy…

…too tired…

…too crabby…

…too headache-y…


…may there be mercy on my “too-too’s”.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

great weekend

Quilting retreat was a blast! Much laughter, much conversation, much pampering, much good food... and much productive quilting time. Yay!

I did get FIL's quilt top done, with the exception of the border. Once I got it to that point, I decided that the fabric I'd chosen for the border just did not look right and would not work. It was too busy. So I stopped there and worked on another project.

Missed this wonderful man who happend to be my sweet husband. Need to spend some time with him now.

It's good to be home.

...may there be mercy on us tonight.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

packed and ready

In spite of the fact that fabric lines the walls and is stacked on my cutting table, there is an empty space in my sewing room and it looks funny to me.

I've packed up to take everything to the quilting retreat at my friend's beach house.

Sewing machine... check!
Cutting mat and rotary cutter... check!
6 sizes of Omnigrid rulers... check!
components to FIL's quilt... check!
extra thread, bobbins, notions, etc... check!
book with pattern in it... check!
extra fabric... check!
iron and ironing board... check!
new camera... check!
clothing, jammies, toothbrush... check!
corkscrew and a bottle of wine... check!

I'm good to go and excited that I'll be able to dedicate the entire weekend to quilting. Even better, someone else cooks and cleans up for us... and the someone who does all the work is my mentor, spiritual mom and very dear friend. Extra cool that I'll get to spend some time with her.

... may there be mercy as we travel and enjoy a little pampering as we quilt.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

a quilt for father-in-law

Been busy cutting out the pieces for a quilt for my wonderful father-in-law. And already I'm very pleased with how this one is going to turn out.

My father-in-law, or FIL, is an amazing man. He has taught me much over the years, and I'm certain he has no idea how much I've learned from him.

Mostly I've learned about how to truly love someone who has become very unlovely. (I still hate Alzheimers.)

But I've also learned a lot about how to enjoy what I have... about generosity... about joy in small things... about perseverance... contentment... planning for what I will do in 20 years, even if I was over 80 years old... staying young no matter my age... learning something all the time...oh, how the list can go on!

Last year, FIL gave me this very cool quilting, sewing and embroidery machine. And then I exploded into the world of quilts, quickly falling headlong into a love affair with fabric and stitching that will last me the rest of my life. And FIL has been encouraging me every step of the way. He praises my every effort and rejoices for the person who will receive the current "masterpiece".

It's time he got to be the recipient.

I've been planning this all year, but only found the pattern I liked enough to make for his quilt a few weeks ago. Found it while I still could not quilt and had my wrist in that splint. Didn't matter that I could not actually do the work at that time, the picture zinged in my head and screamed, "make this one for FIL!!!"

So... fabric has been chosen and cut. I've started sewing pieces together. And thankfully there is a quilting retreat this weekend so I can get it done fast. Hiding my projects from him is hard!

...may there be mercy and he get to enjoy this quilt for a long time.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

needs, wants, quilting and camera

Weekends fly by too quickly for me. There is just too much I need to do that interferes with what I want to do.

It’s that whole need vs. want thing cropping up again.

I need to get my house more in order. I want to spend all my non-work time quilting or playing with my new camera. Hmmmm… wonder which one is getting done?

Hahahahahahahahaha! Quilting and camera, of course!

And need vs. want is a topic for another day.

Friday was a very hard day covering that other desk. It wasn’t supposed to be too bad at this time of month, but it was. Glad I don’t have to cover that one for another couple weeks… and hoping that day isn’t equally as bad!

Yesterday I slept until 9… which was very good for me. I soooo needed that! Dinked around the whole morning while my sweet husband was at work. We had arranged to have him come home for lunch if the work was going to last long enough to require a lunch period. It did. Yikes! When he called to let me know, I hadn’t even gotten a shower or out of my jammies yet!

Race to start his lunch, jump in the shower while it was doing the beginning of cooking, throw on clothes, (no makeup or drying hair!) set the table, finish cooking lunch… he walks in the door. Enjoy lunch; send him back to work and start quilting for a while.

After he finished work, we ran a couple errands and went to a waterfront park up in Bellingham. Very cool… fun place for playing with my new camera!

Of course we had chosen that spot because it was on the way to our friends home where we were going to have dinner.

Lovely dinner with great conversation, wonderful food and wine… and just enjoying a long-term relationship.

Today was a good day.

With all our running around the last few weeks, we haven’t been to church for a few Sundays. Sermon was on a good topic and held my interest well. Been thinking on that one all day.

And it was really good to see my friend, having enough time to really visit over lunch after worshipping together. (Thanks sen5ei, for taking the time to drive up here so we could enjoy such a great time.)

And yes, I’ve quilted this afternoon. Another step in the process of the 36 placemats I need to complete for Christmas gifts… and all the fabrics chosen for a quilt for my amazing father-in-law.

Actually, his gift is the only one that really matters to me if it gets completed in time for Christmas. Anything else can be late.

This week… overtime, of course. Hoping to join a Quilting Retreat on Friday that will be already in process. It’s another group that I do not know the women, but it just might work out for me and KC to join them for the weekend. We’ll see. If so, I’ll spend the entire time working on my father-in-law’s quilt… and hoping I get it done!

Nothing terribly interesting in all that, just a quick synopsis of the last few days.

I still need to work on my house. But I want to quilt.

…may there be mercy as my needs are met… and a little of my wants, too.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

a little overload, a bit of random

At this point, I'm overloaded and cannot wait for the weekend to arrive. Tomorrow I've got to cover a desk that I do not enjoy at all... but I'm the only person in the office that knows how to back up this particular job. Ugh! So my own desk gets a little more behind.

Thankfully my Q-friend has kept me sane most days with funny email conversations about our day-to-day stuff. Thanks Q-friend. You rock.

Saturday I'm sleeping until I cannot sleep another minute. Then I'll do some house cleaning, but I am soooo setting a timer. Noon hits, I'm eating lunch and spend the entire afternoon quilting.

Sunday will be a time of refreshment with church and brunch with a friend. We do not get nearly enough time together, so it will be good for me. I will totally enjoy conversation and down time with her.

At some point this weekend, I'm going to take my new toy... a new camera that was a gift from my sweet father-in-law... out for a REAL test drive.

Waaaaay cool.

Have I mentioned that I adore my father-in-law? I would adore him even if he didn't give me lovely gifts. He just happens to consider me one of his kids, so he includes me when he gives lovely gifts to his biological children.

It's fun for me and I know he enjoys spoiling us all a bit.

Last weekend was very cool. Spending time with our friends, their son and his new bride was a blast. It's very funny, but the new bride has many of my attributes. I took it as a great compliment that he admired some things about me and wanted them in his bride.

Hoping for good sleep tonight. I've been on the edge of tears all day and no real reason for it that I can think of... just a bit of an emotional mess right now.

Too much happening here... and too much that needs to happen here that I don't have time to accomplish.

Tonight's mercy is a repeat for Jenna... because sometimes it's just what we need, eh? Definitely calling her for a long overdue coffee time soon.

...may there be mercy on my random stuff.