the weekend

No cute Tyler pics to share. I spent the weekend mostly feeling terrible (sick) and trying to take care of Tyler while Alisia worked. All the while hoping I was keeping my cooties to myself. No easy feat, and I hope I sprayed enough Lysol around to keep everyone safe.

It figures that when I treat myself to the "once a year" pedicure, I get the guy who is coughing into his sleeve. That is the only place I can figure I caught this nasty cold that is trying to morph into bronchitis. If that pedicurist felt as bad as I have since Thursday night, I don't know how he was at work. At all.

Nevertheless, my grandson, Tyler, made the weekend about as great as he possibly could. He was persistent in trying to kiss me. He didn't want me to leave his side. He made me laugh constantly. He is the best supermarket sidekick ever. We raced his Tonka Wheel Pals cars and trucks up and down the hallway and then switched to bowling. (the FAO Schwartz Safari Bowling set is awesome!) The hallway is our alley - no need for bumpers! Both are great options when it is raining, or like this weekend, totally too hot to be outside much. He likes "moomies" (movies) especially ones with animals, like "Babe," "Madagascar," and "Finding Nemo" or meemo, as he calls it. He only watches a few minutes here and there, but you can see his mother's love of animals in him. I saved all my kids' Disney movies, but of course they are VHS and now everything is DVD.

I am so proud of his love of books! He owns about 30 and we go through all of them at least once a week. I'm going to have to join that Books a Million club after all.

And how many 15 month olds love to pick blueberries and hold the bucket still? He doesn't like eating them fresh off the tree, so he tastes them occasionally and then takes them out of his mouth and gives them to the dog. She thinks they are great!

If you have a toddler around, let them light up your life. No matter how crumby you feel, you won't feel bad for long!

Quilt backing indecision

I've spent hours - HOURS - looking at fabrics online. Trying to find the perfect backing for this. The borders are Oceanica's stripe in black by Julie Pachkis for In the Beginning. I preordered it a few months ago from Over the Rainbow  not even knowing what I would do with it, but I had to have it. You know what I mean about that, right?

Anyway, I was absolutely ecstatic when I opened the package and saw that it was completely perfect to border my Key West Crush top I recently finished piecing! And I had ordered exactly enough! The corner blocks in the border are from the panel of Oceanica that I ordered with it.

One dilemma solved, one more to go! I will use solid black binding, so I need to find a backing that is more or less white, but not a solid, that will go with black binding. Sounds simple enough, but I also don't want to spend a fortune! I need 6 yards because this is 93" x 93" and I am hoping not to piece the back at all. Why do I want a white backing? For the first time, I have made what is basically a stained glass top! I am thrilled and I don't want a deep-colored back to take away from that.

I never, never think ahead to the borders, backing or binding when I am making a quilt top. I jump in with both feet to make the latest thing that's caught my fancy. You'd think I would learn to plan more, but I guess I am a fly by the seat of my pants gal.

Any suggestions? Please?

the Quilte Shoppe giveaway at Cluck Cluck Sew!

http://cluckclucksewgiveaways.blogspot.com/2010/06/sponsored-giveaway-quilt-shoppe.html 

I'm posting this because I want to win that Fat Quarter bundle of Whimsy, and I get a fourth entry by mentioning it here!

Just being honest. 

Kate Spain Block of the Month for Christmas

http://www.fatquartershop.com/Designer-Mystery-BOM-3-Sisters-Fabric.asp

I am signed up and awaiting the first of this BOM (block of the month) series to arrive! This is my first Block of the Month endeavor and I am so excited! The list of designers for the blocks is impressive. "Our featured monthly designers include: Anka's Treasures, Bonnie & Camille, Bunny Hill Designs, Fig Tree Quilts, G.E. Designs, Heartspun Quilts, Me & My Sister Designs, Minick & Simpson, Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, Pieces from My Heart, The Pattern Basket and This & That."   These are pretty much all on my blog roll. Never disappointing. Always inspired by this group. You will be too!

Kate Spain's fabrics are adorable. And I will have a lovely Christmas quilt when it is completed.  I chicken out of things like this regularly, but this time I said "go for it!"

So, are you part of the 2010 Designer Mystery Block of the Month? Have I convinced you to join up? I hope so. I would love to know who is creating along with me!

Weekends need to be moved to Monday and Tuesday

So it did rain all Memorial weekend, and this past weekend too. Yes, there were breaks in the downpours.  Enough so I could run to the grocery store and not get soaked loading and unloading the car. Enough so we could grill some fabulous kabobs. Thank you Jack Daniels EZ Steakhouse Marinade in a ziploc bag! You will have to imagine the top sirloin, zucchini, squash, tomato, Vidalia onion and mushroom kabobs for yourself because I just don't have the foresight to grab the camera and take pictures of food on the grill. Or on the table. It doesn't occur to me that I might blog about it. Nevertheless, they were awesome!

Sadly, that is about the high point of the Memorial weekend. No pool. No boat trips on the river. No beach. Every morning we woke up to the rumble of thunder and darkness outside that seemed more like twilight than morning. I think we must have gotten a total of almost 5 inches of rain. Every. Day. Not. Kidding.

I know that pop up thunderstorms are the norm for Florida this time of year, but all day rain that occurs only on the weekends is just not right! It is always nice on Monday and Tuesday, so I therefore make a motion to move weekends to Monday and Tuesday from now on. All in favor, say Aye!

Yes, my honey did take the boat out Friday before Memorial Day, while I was at work. Oil leaked everywhere, so back to the garage they went. He took it out again that Saturday while a storm was brewing and lost fuel pressure. Drifted to the dock and drove home through lots of lightning and rain. And because it rained for the rest of that weekend and most of this one, there have been repairs but no further testing. Needless to say, I did not miss anything and I am glad I wasn't there for the failed test runs. I would have mentally shot a hole through the hull so it sunk, a la Ally McBeal.

Got some time in with the Hunky Dory layer cake quilt I am designing. I really love many of the pieces in that line! Who doesn't like turquoise and pinks and greens this time of year. I even love the taupes. Everything I have worked with from Chez Moi is so feminine and fresh! Some of these prints are very large. If I get yardage, I may have to make some pillows.