Catching up!!!

When I last wrote it was mid March and the weather was cool and wet........today being June 1st the weather is STILL cool and wet!!!! ENOUGH already!!! Shades of green are still very vivid here.

Our daffodils have bloomed and passed and the blossoms are fading. Our strawberry crops are late in ripening and sounds like it will be close to Father's Day before they are ready.

During all the time that has gone by since March, I have been busy, busy, busy, working on new patterns and going to and from International Quilt Market in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

 Pumpkin Patch Jack

 Mistletoe Magic

Kissing Ball Mat

 Christmas Postage

 

A Wooly Good Year BOM

Preperation for Market includes so much of so many things.....I was blessed by so many this year who stepped in to help me in every little way!!! A big thank you to my sister Jan who came and stayed with me for almost a month....stitching away....bagging....tagging....and house/puppy sitting for us while we were gone!!!

Take a look at how getting ready takes over the whole house!!

 sewing room

 living room

 dining room

 even the triplets got into helping!!!

 kitchen

familyroom

As much work as going to Market is .......we had such a good time!!!

 Jeff drives us with all of our stuff in a uhaul and down the road we go!!! We stopped in Boise, Idaho and stayed a night with a special friend there!! Thanks, Kenna!!

We enjoy being together and seems like when we are home we don't get much of it!!!! We had lots of laughs, good food, and a great time with great friends and great customers!!!!

Sample Spree

We loved having Cindy with us at this show!!!

Just a few of our friends that I remembered to take photos of.......

Country Loft Friends

Heart to Hand Friends

 

Liberty Star Friend

(we love you Renee)

Quilter's Coop Friends

Also check out these other friends of ours:

Hatched & Patched

The Quilted Crow

Epicurean Crafts

JJ Stitches

Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe

Out of Hand Needle Arts

Oh so many friends to share........I will share more friends in future posts!!!

Since being home I have caught a cold.....almost recovered....and sewing away on sample orders, dying wool, and preparing for classes at Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe while waiting for the SUNNY weather to arrive!!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Spring Time

Happy Spring to all of you!!! March 20th....the first day of Spring!!! March 20th....also was my 35th wedding anniversary!!! Jeff and I had a nice day with family and friends!!

Spring time means NEW things!! GREEN THINGS!!!! Daily I am watching little shades of greens starting to overtake the brown limbs on the trees and anticipating the green buds of the daffodils to turn to yellow. These colors have inspired me to create a few new spring patterns at the printer now. Rabbit Stew, Chicken Little, Coleslaw, and Buttercup Baskets will be ready by April 1st!!

International Spring Quilt Market is approaching and I am busy busy as usual getting ready with other new designs that will be available in May. I am excited to be working on them and am looking forward to sharing them with you. Like most of you I am still trying to find more time in my day to accomplish all that I want and need to do.

My sister is here visiting me and working on some very sweet Easter dresses for my 4 granddaughters!! We are having fun spending time stitching together and sharing storries of our childhood.

As the month of March comes to an end.......take a moment to enjoy the colors of green around you!!!

Happy March to all!!! I am awaiting SPRING with much anticipation!! How blessed we are to have different seasons to look forward to and bring new things to life and new adventures to experience!!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything,
   and a season for every activity under the heavens:

I am currently working on a wool block of the month with each block representing the twelve months of the calendar year. I am having so much fun creating it and plan to have it ready by May. Stay tuned!!!

The month of February went by fast and was filled with mostly family time....grandkids to be exact!!!

 They are all growing so fast and with five of them now it takes more time to keep up with giving them all hugs, snuggles, kisses, playtime, overnights, etc. etc. etc.!!!

I again, am so blessed to get to live so close to all of them!!

Papi with Emma, Hailey, Olivia

Mr. Lincoln

Miss Addie

Just a couple of weeks ago I got to spend the day with Jo Ann Mullaly of JAM patterns, Wool Crazy, and Country Loft!!! She has been here in town staying and helping her daughter who is going though treatment for cancer. Please keep them in your prayers.

Jo Ann took the MAX transit system out to my end of town (which is a LONG ride) and i picked her up for a day out together!! We had such a good time together!! We first made a trip out to my house to sit and visit and share wool stories....next we were off to Monticello which is an antique shop in town which you must not miss if you are in SE Portland ever. If you go to Jo Ann's Blog you can see some of the treasure she found!! After going through the place twice we needed to fill up with lunch and had another long visit over lunch at Olive Garden before I took her back to the Max for her trip back to her place. Thanks so much Jo Ann!!!

Later in the month the puppies got to go to the vet for their 6 month check up, updated shot, liscensed, and spay!! The after surgery rules are NO PLAYING ROWDY FOR TWO WEEKS!!! WE are one week into it and it is like having kids and telling them they can't play!! So I am having to spend most of my time with them by my side making sure they are behaving!!! NOT an easy task!!! They are so sweet though and are working so hard at being good!!

Hailey, Olivia, Emma

Got to go on another trip to the doctor for the triplets 15 month check up!! Now that was fun!!! Notice the nice neat paper on the table when they first sat down....and notice how it looked five seconds later!!!

They were so good and for the most part did not mind it....except poor Emma....she did not want to have anything to do with the doctor!!! Olivia on the other hand reached her hands out to him!! They sure are busy healthy girls!!!

February brought us a bit of snow....not like most people out east get snow...but it was snow for us and we did enjoy it. Our house is at a bit of a higher elevation so we usually get a bit more than most around here and we actually had snow for 20 hours straight on the last day of February and into March.....VERY USUAL for us!!

Papi got home from work EARLY just in time to join the fun!!

The girls meet snow for the first time!!

Addison did not want to leave "BOB" the snowman outside alone....she is kissing him goodbye!!

Snowy days are a great time to work on wool projects!! Well...I think most any day is a great time to work on wool projects! Recently while I was sitting stitching on a wool project it came to my mind just how much I love it!!! It truly is one of  my most favorite things to do!! What would we do without our needles!!!???

The dye room is coming along!! It is getting close to being able to be used and I am so excited to have a place to do it out of the house!! I think by spring break i will be working in it!!

Next is the counter tops, sinks. and stovetops!!

Back to stitching for me the rest of the day!!

 Hope you find time for a little stitching too!!!

Well it's about time I MAKE time to write a blog post!!

January was busy....last I wrote we were headed south to Ontario, California to participate in the

 Road to California Quilt Show. We had a GREAT trip!!  Unlike our last trip to a show...we had NO rain, NO tornado warnings, NO snow, and NO flat tire. The weather was wonderful the whole time!! We were inside most of the days but were able to enjoy nice 70+ degree temps walking back and from the hotel to the convention center. If you have never been to this show it sure is a good one!!

So many wonderful quilts, booths, and fun people!!

It was fun to meet some of you who follow my blog and came by for your free pattern!!

Thank you!!

 I did not take very many pictures at all this year. The time just seemed to fly by and before I knew it the show was over!! There were lots of wonderful returning customers and special new ones too!! Friday night I taught a class full of such fun women! Class was called "Trick or Treat" and we made two pumpkins and a black cat, learning stuffing techniques and enjoying working with wool!! Lots of laughs and a trick or two!! OH..... SO SORRY (NOT) to say I do NOT have any pictures of me dressing up like a pumpkin!!!

I made one purchase while I was at the show this year....I bought myself a new Bernina Sewing Machine!! I have not had a new sewing machine for years!! Mine was actually not working and was blessed by a friend who has been loaning me one for months now.

I am so excited to get to spend some time using my new machine!!!

 Monday after the show, we drove to Corona, CA where I taught a class and was served a wonderful lunch at Stars & Scraps Quilt Shop. Raquel, the owner of the shop and her worker bees are just so much fun!! They also participated in Road to California with a vendor booth and were surprised with a BEST BOOTH AWARD!!! 

 CONGRATULATIONS!!

These gals made our time at the show so special in so many ways!!

Thanks Cindy, Raquel, and Beth!!!

On our trip home we stopped for a night in Danville, California to visit friends Joy and Terry. Joy and I hav been friends since I was 18 years old. We met in a church college group and have been friends ever since. Joy was my maid of honor in my wedding and sure is a good friend!! I think there is nothing better than having a friend that no matter how much time or how many miles come between you, you can pick up where you left off!! We sat outside by her pool in the morning enjoying the sun rays and picked some beautiful bright yellow lemons from her lemon tree!!! Thanks Joy for the fun time and all the lemons!!!

 Our kids took GOOD care of the puppies while we were gone!!

The puppies were happy to see us but I think our kids were even happier for us to return!!!

Love my kids!!!

Since being home, I have spent most of it unpacking, reorganizing all my show props and supplies, filling orders, and catching up with all the grandkids!! I have yet to get my dye orders out..... due to PLUMBING issues!! My son spent the whole day today on the plumbing under the sink.

To start with..... we acquired a small pin leak in the waterline that runs to the icemaker in the fridge.....which...... caused water damage in the basement bedroom.....also a leak in the main drain out of the sink, and a cracked pipe while fixing the leaks!!! Plumbing problems are no fun!!!

The dye room is coming along!! The sheetrock is up, walls are mud, taped, and textured and painted (our son and son in law painted it while we were at the show!!!).   

The window trim is in place. Next is the floor!!! Getting excited to use it!!!)

Hollyhill classes for Wooly Wednesdays will resume on Wednesday February 16th at 10:30 am. Call Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe and sign up if you plan on coming and having some wooly fun!!!

My next show (wholesale only) is

 International Quilt Market in Salt Lake City, Utah during the month of May. 

Watch for lots of new designs as May gets closer!!!

Hope you are finding time for a little stitching in each day!!

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January Calendar.....

So far the days on my January calendar are passing by too fast!! I have four new calendars to keep track of all of life's happenings and it still seems that I just can't keep up at times!!! I don't know about you, but there are so many beautiful calendars it makes it hard to choose just one....so I usually end up with several. I think I have four this year....in different sizes and shapes!!

I have spent most of my month getting ready to attend Road to California Quilt Conference in Ontario, California. We are looking forward to hopefully seeing the sunshine and enjoy some warmer weather!!

Here in Oregon we had lots of cold weather and snow in the mountains early in the month,  now we are having a warm spell with lots of  melting snow coming down the rivers along with continued rain causing  rivers to start reaching flood stage.

I am working through the night tonight to get everthing ready so we can leave in the morning to head down south.....I have not done an all nighter for years....I plan to sleep in the car while Jeff drives!!

Thanks to all those who replied and are coming to see me in my booth!! See you there!!!

 January 1, 2011

Happy New Year!!!

It's been a busy few months around here with the holidays and birthdays!! I am happy to report that we survived it all!!! We have one more birthday to celebrate this month and then we are done until August!!

Our little grandchildren added so much fun on Christmas!

This month brings a trip south for Jeff and Me.

 We are going to be heading to Ontario, California to participate as a vendor and class teacher at

 Road to California Quilt Conference and Showcase.

Preparation has been slow.....I am feeling the pressure of the clock ticking away but am very excited and know that I MUST make every moment count!!

If you live in the area and are coming to the show,  leave me a comment here before January 15th.....when you visit me at my booth.....#428..... I will have a free pattern for you!!   

Happy Stitching!!

My Christmas Joy!!!

Christmas Baking with the grandkids....

 (left) Emma, Hailey,

(center) Addison

(right) Lincoln, Olivia

WISHING ALL OF YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!