A week sure can go by fast!! It seems like I was just in a panic getting ready to leave for Quilt Festival in Long Beach California and here I am back home unpacking!! Set up is always a lot of work and no matter how you plan or how many times you set up it always seems to go together different than the time before!! We heard lots of encouraging words about our booth display which always makes all the effort put into it rewarding!! I got so busy that of course I did not get a very good pic of the booth when it was done!!!

Jeff is such a trooper....he does most all the hauling, ALL the driving, most of the unhauling, takes orders (not just those from our customers!!) and still smiles at me!! I have to say that we have met some very special friends over the last 6 years while being a part of the quilting industry!! It is just the best part!! I have to thank Scott Lindsey from Dream World for helping Jeff unload our trailer in Long Beach!! Check out Scott's Bendable Lights!!
We stayed in Seal Beach while we were at the show which was a few miles away from Long Beach. It has a cute litte downtown street and a boardwalk out over the ocean which made for a great sunset picture!! One of Jeff's UPS customers recommended Beachwood BBQ resturant in Seal Beach for dinner.....so of course we tried it out and it was YUMMY!! Last but not least....the triplets are healthy and growing!! The latest doctor appointment revealed that they are all girls!! Three little granddauthers on the way!! Our weather here is extremely hot!! Yesterday 105 and today 107!! It is supposed to cool down tomorrow to 102!! I am thankful that Jeff has the week off and does not have to be out in his big brown truck!! We are staying cool with our AC and playing in the shade with Addison in her little pool!!

Heading to Long Beach, CA

Yesterday as I was working on hauling stuff out to the trailer I heard all this commotion going on....birds swuakling and squaking from every where it seemed!! As I looked to see what was causing the problem....I saw the neighbor dog investigating something on the ground at the base of a tree where there is a bird nest in. It appears that a baby bird had fallen from the nest!! I shoooed the dog away and the bird began to calm down!! OH my the poor little bird.......the the parents were just beside themselves!! The nest is somewhat low to the ground in some short limbs that are growing out of the side of the tree....so I hauled a ladder out to the tree and got some gloves, carefully picked up the little birdy and placed him back in the nest!! The parents were a little concerned with what I was doing....chirping at me the whole time!! Now I am not sure if the baby bird will survive or not....but I just could not leave it on the ground all alone!!

We are all loaded and about to head down the road!! What alot of work to get ready for a show!! The last few days have gone by way to quickly, extremly short, and fill with way too much to do!! But we made it....and the trailer is loaded ready to go!!
Looks like we will be leaving behind a beautiful sunny week here in Oregon!! Our kids are holding down the fort while we are gone...checking in on things for us!!


Amy and Ivo have a doctor appointment this wednesday and will most likley fine out the gender of the triplets!! She is currently at 19 weeks.

We are all so excited to hear the news!! Daniel and Karah and Addison are in the process of purchasing their first home and should be moving in a few weeks!! All very exciting things happening here!!

Addison had so much fun playing in the trailer and then said what?? You have to put stuff in here!! I thought this was my new play house!!

In two SHORT days we are heading down to Long Beach, CA for Quilt Festival!! Needless to say I have been going nonstop in preparation for it!! Burning the candle at both ends you might say!! If you were a guest in my home today you would see a bit of a mess......a productive mess.....dye pots still going in the kitchen........all tables are covered with projects, kit making, tags stamping, piles of wool, patterns, pictures, and bags!! Really there is no place to sit and eat....so as my guest I suppose we would have to go out....OH....but then there is no time for that!! So I maybe it would be a good time to start a diet??!! OH my....can you tell I am running on not much sleep.....this story seems to be a bit silly!! I better get back at it...just wanted to let you know what I have been doing!!!

Plus of course a little nana time in there too!!

Making a MESS!!

There is just now way around making a mess!!!

These are pictures of the what

I have going on around here right now!!

Getting ready for a show is alot of work and creates a mess!!
Most of my house looks like this right now. You have to almost ignore everything else there is to do when it is a week away from leaving for a show.......which means

things like laundry, cooking, and cleaning get neglected!!

The result is a HUGE MESS!!

Today is wool dying day.....probably the whole weekend will be!! Should be fun!!

DH is always a good sport and such a good helper.

Back to work!!

Today is the last day of the Sew Oregon Shop Hop.....35 area shops participated in this event and provided a different free block pattern in each shop for you to collect and make a commermorative quilt from a special theme fabric. Here are a couple of projects I put together based off of that fabric.

This was my late night (or should I say early morning....I went to bed at 3am!!) project to finish up last night.....Strawberreis and Cream.

And I am off and running again today!!

NEW PATTERNS

New Patterns finally........

I had no intention of it taking this long to get my new patterns out.....I started them in preparation for Spring Quilt Market in Pittsburgh.....but when that got scratched from my schedule so did my motivation!!!

It sure is easy when there is not a deadline to procrastinate and put things on the back burner.....You may have seen bits and pieces of these in my past blogs but here now are the final projects.........the patterns are coming home from the printer tomorrow!! Just in time for Quilt Festival in Long Beach, California July 24-26 2009!!

Fresh Fruit


















Sewing Mends the Soul


















Short and Sweet Sayings


















Wooly Red Fruit


















WHOOO Goes There????


















BOO!!!


















Gingerbread and Gumdrops


















Goody Goody Gumdrops (jumbo wooly gumdrops)










Trimmings













Holiday Wishes (9 Holiday embroidery blocks)


















Holiday Cheer!!

July Activities

The past few weeks have been going by way too fast!! The faster I go the behinder I get!! I was thinking that I had bloggers block.....but when I actually thought about it I realized how overwhelmed and how long it would take me to catch up with all that I've been up to!!

So....JUST DO IT!!
Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today!!

There is no time like the present!!

First and foremost on my mind right now is getting ready for International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, California. We leave in 12 days!!! YIKES!! My kids have asked me and suggested after I return from a show why don't I start earlier getting ready?? Well .......why don't I......because of LIFE!! Even if I started way earlier I know that I still would be doing just as much at the last minute because I would make more for myself to do!! DID that make sense?? So my deadline is approaching and I'm working more and sleeping less!!

I will be spending much of the next week dying wool, finishing up projects, putting together kits, packaging my new patterns, and gathering all my booth props!!











Since my last post.......
Addison and I recently took a trip to Old Navy and she found this hat that she was having fun trying on and checking herself out in the mirror!! Girls are so fun!!













We took a trip to the zoo, practiced learning somersaults, and stopped at a park and had lunch with our favorite UPS man on the way home!!











Our neighbors recently got some little chicks.....and we have been watching them grow over the weeks....until one morning when they were gone.....the local coyotes came for a visit!!
So now there are more chicks.......and a new fence!! Sure looks cute!! They are going to paint the chicken coop still and I gave them the old window to add to it's charm!! We even got some fresh eggs!!

June has gone and July is flying by.....We enjoyed some nice hot summer days over the 4th of July weekend!





We began the morning of July 4th attending the local community parade....watching all the old cars, tractors, and horses go by while candy was tossed out to all the kids....All the children usually go home with a whole bag of candy!! Addison enjoyed the event and was in the spirit!!

After the parade we all went our own ways which meant we all went home for naps......in preparation for the evening bbq and fireworks show.
Although in this picture you cannot tell that she enjoyed them...Addison actually did enjoy the fireworks!! Guess they were a little loud at times!!!

After a good night sleep and a late morning wake up we all headed to Ivo and Amy's to paint the nursery!!

We all had so much fun helping get the nursery started....the boys moved all the furniture out,

Daniel taped around all the trim.....looks like he got too many paint fumes!!
Karah rolled all the walls,
Ivo painted around all the high trim and the ceiling edge,

I painted around all the low trim and the baseboard,

Amy cuddled with Addison, checked on the progress, and served us ice cream bars, and Jeff stayed out of the way (he took a nap)!!

Daniel and Karah are in the process of buying their first home!! They found a cute home that is move in ready and things are going smoothly so far!! Looks like they will get to move in around the second weekend in August!!

Amy is doing a good job taking care of herself and the babies.......they are beginning to make themselves noticed by moving and kicking daily now!! She will have an appointment later in July and most likely get to find out what they are going to be.....so many possibilities........all girls.......all boys.........2 girls and a boy......2 boys and a girl...??? We all can't wait to hear!! So time continues to go by without slowing down for anything or anyone......so I will continue to do my best to get ready for the show along with enjoying my family at the same time!!