ready to put binding on 2 quilts.

should I bind the big one or the smaller one first; ummm.  Should I bind it with Hugh Jackman, Travolta or Colin Farrell.  I just can't decide what movie to watch.  It has to be the small quilt first.  The fat cat is laying on the big one.  George Jr. is snoring in the background.  I've had a long day at work and just want to have sewing therapy.  Just watch the needle go up and down and up and down.  Great relaxation tool and instant gratification.  Maybe it will be Denzil, Sherlock Holmes, Johnny Depp, 

 Wait, have any of you watched that new series Arrow?     Its Arrow tonite.

                                            Owls :  soon to be a quilt like Angel:  hand painted and quilted

                                                         stolen from a magazine.  do i hear copyright.

                                  I just love this quilt.  134 days and I will love the owl quilt I finished as "retired"

confused

My closet is confused.  I am confused and my internal clock is confused. My closet is not big enough for both summer and winter clothes.  Can't put away summer clothing because it's 78 degrees today.  Can't re-box winter clothing because it's November.  What is a closet to do.   Summer on hangers, winter on the floor.  Next week winter on hangers and summer on the floor.  Then??? who knows it could be 80 degrees or we could get an ice storm.  The leaves are changing.  Time to go look for elk and buffalo.

                                        wild turkeys in the Wichita Mountain Preserve

                                           Prairie Dog

                                          12 days ago too early for the fall colors

The American Prairie where the deer, elk and buffalo play

why is it?

Why is it the more you eat the day before the more you want the next day?  Why is it the more sleep I get the more tired I wake up?  Why is it ?  I follow the rules, do what I'm supposed to do and other people never do what they are supposed to do and they go through life never getting caught.  I am so busted.  Why is it that when I quilt and I measure and measure and take my time that the darn thing still comes out wobbly.  It must be a plot.                                                           look at the muscles in his neck

                                                          a 24 pound cat

                  grandparents were Servals out of Africa

                                        8 years old

                                                 needs a permit to enter Texas

                                            little female

why is it

Why is it that when I sit down to quilt something always happens?  I can't find my thread;  Can't  find my foot, can't find the instructions:  the phone rings or I left my flippin soda somewhere not next to my machine.  Why is it that when I go into a store with only a few items to purchase I end up filling the cart with 15 or more things. Why is it that I now own 8 pairs:  Yup!!  8 pairs of different shaped scissors that just cut threads. Yup! they just cut:  snip! snip!    The scary part is  I wouldn't part with one of them.  How is it possible that technology creeped into scissors and threads.  Why is it that for 50+ years I would never ever have given myself a haircut.   However,  for the past 8 months I've been snippin'  my own hair, waiting and praying for it to grow.   No one tells you that your hair doesn't grow back even and you have to keep trimming it waiting for the rest of it to catch up.  I miss my mohawk.  Yet I have really missed paying $35 for a haircut over these past 3 1/2 years.  Still have the same 2 bottles of shampoo I started w/ before the fun and games began   Ummm:  $35 for 20 minutes.  That makes $105/ hour x 8 hours =  $840 per day.   Good Night Irene!!!!  I'm in the wrong business.  Maybe some hair dresser would like to go in with me and have a quilt shop next to a salon.  Fondle the fabric and pamper your hair.   Maybe its a plot that we don't have any.

                                Lizzie is now too big for a small dog condo.  Great genes and Purina.

     butterflies everywhere.  Heading south for winter.   Take me!!!  the teacher said.

                                             Cali wanting to know why I'm not catching butterflies

                                 take me   still 138 days and still counting

Why is it?

Why is it that the "powers that be"  in the USA are complaining about the oncologists  identifying way too much breast cancer as compared to other countries.   Could it be that early cancer detection has gotten so good that it is saving lives and preventing the mutilation of  breasts?  Could it be that American doctors are doing their jobs and saving lives of women?  Maybe it's a plot.  I guess that's why when food becomes short women who have reached the age of 50  were the first to be left out on the tundra.
                                                                   learning to drive a police car

  

                                                                                      mentor at my school.  college football

                                                                                    
                                                purple and gold...looks just like ASU

You hear about cancer. you hear chemo.  you hear about radiation.  you hear about early detection.  Someone needs to start telling what happens to your body for the next 36 months.

Why is it?

5 years ago I finally found the radio station to die for.  6 months later it was off the air.  Bought and sold.  It was sold to a talk show station. I was devistated. Never spent time with talking heads before.  But, my oh my...it opened my attitudes to work, politics and money.   I started listening to these 2 good ole' boys from Texas.  I would crack-up every morning.  For example when this new taco shop opened up in Dallas, one of the guys said the tacos were filled w/ wild game meat.  You could have an ostrich taco, a goat taco, a snake taco etc.  The main host asked if they had Tiger Tacos.  As the discussion continued :  he wondered what it would feel like eating a wild game taco.   He wondered if he ate a tiger taco :  if he would roar like a tiger.
Now after 4 years...these guys have woken me every morning, entertained and rode with me to work.  I went to work on Monday and the station had been sold.  I feel like I have lost two best friends.   maybe its a plot.

          a wedding in missoui

 after 10 years I still get a thrill when George holds my hand.

            A simple dress but oh elegant

          the beginning of a wedding quilt

why is it that women insist on wearing shoes that hurt.  Do other cultures do this?

why is it?

Why is it that that when you purchase thread and you take care of it that it slowly goes on deconstruct.  My old threads are no longer happy with my high speed machine.  Maybe it's a plot to get me to spend more money.   Lots of photos for the next two weeks.   From police cars to tigers to butterflies.

 Dog Breeders have puppy mills.  Did you know they have "tiger mills"  too.  Just breaks my heart.

was i really this close?  Wild Cat Sanctuary near Springfield, Missouri

ate lunch with a retired teacher today.

9 years retired and she is back subbing.  Hope I look that good at 70.  Hope I don't have to be working at 70.  142 days and still counting.  Thank the Lord for my 30 year old financial planner.  I'm glad I have my ducks in a row so I can retire.  I can't wait to wake up and quilt in my jammies.  I can't wait to fulfill orders in my jammies.  I can't wait to have my jammies on when George comes home from work.  Sat down to download my photos and the camera battery was low.  Just too low to download.  Gonna have to get a new laptop soon.  Took 10 minutes to down load the program to down load my photos.  I wish someone would down load me to a new sewing machine and a studio where I can work all day.  I wish someone would down load me a new laptop.  Check back tomorrow.  Lots of photos this week.

buildings? allergies? light? fabric?

What were they thinking when they built buildings without windows.  Sure it saves on electricity but it sure creates headaches and heartaches.  You arrive in the dark and spend your day under false light.  Someone gets sick and of course they come to work.  Its like a person coughing at you in an elevator.  10 days and you have what they had.  If you don't get fresh air pumped in everyone gets sick.  Then the cycle begins at home , and again:  everyone gets sick.  Or is it allergy season.  Allergies cause headaches and heartaches.  You take so much antihistimine that your head is relieved and your immune system dives.  Or is it the light.  Have you ever tried to sew  in the dark?   I hate sewing under false light.  Its impossible to hand quilt at night unless you have a huge light like they use in stadiums.  I love to sew with the windows open, shoes off and the sun shining.  Guess I'll have to wait 144 more days to quilt and paint in the sunshine.  It just is so hard to go to work when you have to leave in the flippin dark.

fall is finally here.

In North Texas, we get floods, we get snow, we get ice storms and now we have drought.  Sometimes in a 24 hour period the temp may change over 40 degrees.  We had rain for about 24 hours and only received a 1/2 inch of water.  My trees are so thirsty.  And, I am so thirsty.  It has been so cold in our building I forget to drink.  Never thought I would be happy for a few hot flashes during the day.  I know its fall because its pitch dark when I wake up.  I know its fall because me and George are fighting over the thermostat.  I know its fall because I like to spend my evenings sewing and quilting.   I know its fall because I'm making cards to send at Christmas.  Did you know if you use a large needle you can sew through card stock?  What a great and easy project.  Photos to follow

"not my first rodeo"

I just love that expression:  "not my first rodeo".  A parent was talking to me about bottle feeding a kitten.   Should have stolen her when I had a chance.  kind of glad I didn't.  2 hour feedings.  Been on that horse before.  Doing a "cat show' this weekend.  Finished making cat toys.  Hope my animal art work will sell.  I need some extra money to go to the International Quilt Show.  Had to go to work in the dark.  Who the hell changed Day light savings time back to November???   Finished my t-shirt.  It says R E T I R E D   on it.  tehehehe!!! got several compliments already.  Photos to follow soon.    Went to Police Academy tonite.   It was canine nite.  He was cute.  Handsome and healthy.  Could have taken him home too.  But because of the rain... K-9 training has been rescheduled.   We will meet the canine next week.   Saw crack, coke, black tar heroine.  Even though it was wrapped-up in platics we weren't allowed to touch it.   146 days and still counting.

you can never have too much fabric!

You can never have too much energy.  You can never stand at the stove and wait and wait for water to boil.  Never thought I would get to 149 days.  Never thought I'd have to take Annie to the pound.  Never thought I'd have to buy a new laptop.  Shoes or a laptop????   Software or a laptop.  I've been waiting and waiting for a bernina sale to purchase some software.  But, can't run the software w/out the laptop.  Did I hear shoes.  I want shoes too.  Did a fun walk today.   And, later am going to a college football game.  It should be interesting.  We wait for high school to end.  We wait for college to end.  I wait for new shoes.  And, now I wait until I retire.  ummmmm  :  has anybody figured how many minutes a day we wait and wait.  

Headaches, quilting headaches, work headaches and technology headaches.

Man! oh Man!  I feel like someone took a Lead Pipe and slammed me between the eyes.  Can't seem to shake it.  It was miserable on the crazy pills but I never hurt.  You hear about cancer and all the poisons, slicing, dicing and  burning they do to you, but,  you never hear what happens to you a year later or 2 years later.  Recovery just sucks.  Recovery on my laptop just sucks.  It is 10 years old and is slower than a cell phone with a dieing battery.  The hard drive must have a headache. I feel like taking a Lead Pipe to it.   I hate being forced into upgrading.  Pretty soon my cell phone won't run unless I buy the data plan.  I will hold out as long as I can. $39/ month.
 I can take a two day quilt class on software for my machine or creating patterns.  Come home and try it and after an hour I'm stuck and stuck and stuck.  George comes along and plays with it for 10 minutes and I'm sewing and sewing again.  I broke down and bought a baby back-up for this laptop and had George look at it.   My laptop is now picking out its casket.   Decision.  New laptop or a weekend at the International Quilt Show.  I hate making adult decisions.

call me! email me! ask me to come and teach a class. 149 days left.

Why is it that when you wait for your computer to load it takes forever.  Why is it that when you wait for your spaghetti to boil it takes forever.  Why is it that when you want to lose 10 lbs before the wedding :  it takes forever.  Why is it that I have to leave for work in the dark.  Pretty soon I will leave for work in the dark and get home after dark.   What happened to the long days and beautiful summer sunshine.  Just can't please a person.  Complain that summer is too hot.  Complain that I'm too fat and eat more ice cream (yummy in my tummy) .  Complain I don't have enough time in a day and the day just gets flippin shorted.  Where is the justice.  Fly me to the Bahamas.  Fly me to Ireland.  Fly me to Quilt Guild where I can teach a class.  Call me and I will teach you how to make your own quilt patterns.  No school Monday.  Oh My!!!  What shall a person do?  Photos to follow.

squad cars and wedding belles

I can't believe me and George have been married 10 years.  We flew from Montana to AZ to get married.  I wanted only 2 people.  It ended up being 35.  Had my honeymoon at the Phoenix Zoo.  Wanted to get married for $5.  Things have a way of getting out of control  Rabbi $300.  Plane Tickets $1600.  Rental $280 and we hadn't even landed in Arizona yet. A dear friend made my dress.  Not including above:  We spent $500 to get me married.  I guess I started going crazy 10 years ago.  Almost didn't make it to my own wedding.  Left my drivers license at home.  Talked myself onto the plane in Montana but the lay-over in Salt Lake almost forbid me to enter the gate towards the planes.  Me and George forgot his wedding ring.  He got married in a plain, elegant $79 ring from Target.   I can't believe he wore it for years.  I can't believe I didn't change my name on driver's license for 3 1/2 years.  The cats got their name changed before me.  I can't believe I still have 150 days left.  Photos to follow

One little corner, one little cookie

 Sitting here at the corner of my sewing table.  Eating one little cookie after another.  Hit a bakery on my way home helping the cookies would make my headache go away.  I looked at my baby back-up generator and power strip next to my tv.  Where the hell did these cables come from.  Sewing machine has electrical cable and cable for foot pedal.  My tv, dvd, and vhs player all have cables + cables for sound and picture. My laptop has cables that go to my electronics and a cable for sound.  Don't need to worry about the crazies taking over because these flippin cables are going to encroach onto my living space.  The bakery had NO cherry pie.  I need to enter into a fairy tale.  I need some happy endings.  Went to PT today.  GEEZ!!! it was yesterday.  I thought being crazy was on the downward side.  Guess not.

                                                                  wedding photo.  more to follow

Where does the time go.........153 days and still counting.

Want to go to the International Quilt show in Houston the end of the month.  But, I need a roommate and someone to drive.  In past 7 years I have been to 5 Houston Quilt Shows.  I have worked as a Quilt Angel for 3 years.  It is so cool to be able to touch the $10,000 dollar winner.  If I ever make it in the Houston Quilt Show, I will have finally learned to be a perfectionist.  Patience and more patience.  Just Got back from Missouri.  Went to a wedding.  More to follow.  It just sucks getting old.  Never had headaches before.  Never had eye problems before.  Never needed someone to drive before.  Ummm  :  quilt show?   Packers/ Dallas game in November.  Why can't I have both.