My Day.......

Robin:

Today is a National Chocolate Day!

 Finally!  My favorite!

Robin:

I've been teaching 25 years. 

 Congratulations on this accomplishment.  Do you remember your first day teaching?  There aren't many who are where they thought they'd be at our age any more.  These past years have done a number on my retirement plan, too.  I was hoping the ruling on the 3% contribution to employees retirement funds would be overturned.  That's so unfair in my book.  Barb was affected by that one, retiring from state employment herself.  I am looking forward to retiring to a simpler life.  I still have a few years to go.  I won't be working one more day than I have to, believe me.  I wish I had some big pension to count on, but no.  Just my tiny retirement account and Ricky's.  Both are a fraction of what they were when we got married, due to the great recession.  Tough stuff, but hopefully retirement will be possible eventually.  Like you say, we'll have to see where we are when the time comes.

Darlene, just sending up prayers for Tim and you for tomorrow.  Post when you can.

Jo, haven't heard from you in a few.  What are you up to?

Robin:

I'm looking for a pattern to make a lattice looking border.   I don't want to end with just the traditional hextagon edging.  I want to make a lattice looking border out of greens and whites and then applique a couple of the flowers on it.  What do you all think?

I'm also working hard to finish my BOM this year.   I currently stitching on April.  I did finish March I just haven't post the picture for it.   Once I finish April I just need to do May and I'll be ready for putting it all together.   I'm thinking about tying it instead for quilting it.  Would that be more traditional?

In honor of today's big event,  You all have Super Sunday!

I think a lattice border will be outstanding, Robin.  Perfect for the garden theme.  When I make my GFG, I was wondering how to resolve the border.  I chose a very wide eyelet border that I gathered around the corners.  Sort of a Victorian treatment.  It turned out great.  I was amazed, lol.  I sewed it on by hand and kept the hexagon shapes on the edge of the quilt top.  It took me a week to get it done.  I took off Spring Break time when I had my 2 grandchildren with me.  I worked only on that, with brief trips to the store to get stuff to keep the kids busy.  They enjoyed their week and so did I.  It was for my DD so I didn't mind putting in the extra time, but if I were to do it again, I would have trimmed the sides off even.  I hand pieced and hand quilted the whole thing.  It took me 3 years to make it.

Kudos for keeping up with your BOM!  I think you'll deserve a prize for finishing it.  CQs are normally not quilted, but if you are adding batting and backing, you could tie it.  You could choose the ties points strategically so they don't interfere with your motifs.  Maybe add a button or bead here or there to hide the ties.  Be careful when you choose your batting that it has a good scrim and mind the weight of your individual motifs to make sure they don't sag or stretch your fabric out with the weight (maybe closer tying in these areas).  I'm sure it will turn out beautifully.  You've been at this quilting/sewing thing all your life.  I'm sure you have a few tricks up your sleeve.

I hope you have a Super Sunday, too! 

Diane and Linny,

Interesting that you have to join every group to see what's happening. Oh well. If that's what I have to do, then I'll do it.

Thanks for letting me know what I need to do.

Linny t:

Imagine going through all of that while having to battle cancer right after breaking your shoulder.  Just terrible that they didn't make the process easier for her knowing she was that ill.  It has caused her many sleepless nights just when she needed her rest the most.

Honestly, I couldn't even fathom having to go through all that she has with her shoulder and cancer. And have this on top of it. I forgot to mention that keeping copies of all the applications sure makes it easier when they have to be filled out again and again. God Bless her Linny. I hope everything works out for her. Putting some prayers out her way to help her perservere.

Linny t:

better now than later when you're on your back with the aches.

Amen to that!!! Definitely don't need that to happen. I have two jobs frantically waiting for me when I finish this, It's all or nothing this time of year. I'd rather  have it all! LOL.

Linny t:

It's beautiful outside today here in sunny Florida, isn't it?

 

It's gorgeous. I've had the dogs out about 8 times today. It's good for them to have some run around and sunshine time. I think though that they have asked me more times than they really needed to go. Might have something to do with getting treats when they come in. I can't blame them, I seem to be an eating machine today myself. LOL

 

Linny t:

 I chose a very wide eyelet border that I gathered around the corners.  Sort of a Victorian treatment.  It turned out great.  I was amazed, lol.  I sewed it on by hand and kept the hexagon shapes on the edge of the quilt top.  It took me a week to get it done.  I took off Spring Break time when I had my 2 grandchildren with me.  I worked only on that, with brief trips to the store to get stuff to keep the kids busy.  They enjoyed their week and so did I.  It was for my DD so I didn't mind putting in the extra time, but if I were to do it again, I would have trimmed the sides off even.  I hand pieced and hand quilted the whole thing.  It took me 3 years to make it.

Sounds beautiful with the eyelet border. Hand pieced and hand quilted too! Wow! 

Stephanie:

Putting some prayers out her way to help her perservere.

Thanks Stephanie.  She emailed me back after reading it and said, good, at least it's not me...not my imagination.  She keeps copies of everything she sends them.  She has an advocate group involved that have just started moving things along for her.  She has renewed hope.

Stephanie:

Sounds beautiful with the eyelet border. Hand pieced and hand quilted too! Wow! 

 Thanks, dear.  I became so attached to that thing it was hard to give it to her.  It's the first quilt I actually blogged about.  

Stephanie:

Might have something to do with getting treats when they come in.

 I do this too.  When I get a new box of treats Lucky has learned to beg to go outside.  Lillie's picking up on it, too.  Lucky also hounds me for treats whenever I'm on the phone.  I think she learned this trick from my 2 grand kids when they lived with me.  They would ask for things while I was on the phone knowing I'd be more likely to give in to get them to leave me alone, lol. 

Linny t:

 It's the first quilt I actually blogged about.

 

Of course. I remember now and went back and looked again. I hadn't remembered the eyelet border. You did a beautiful job of attaching it around each of those pieces. I would have never attempted that. I can see how it would have been hard to part with. Can you believe we have been on this site that long?   

Linny t:

 She has an advocate group involved that have just started moving things along for her.  She has renewed hope.

I'm so happy to hear this, and happy that voicing my experience could help her in any way to have hope. It's not an easy thing to talk about. I remember at the time feeling like such a failure. When I went back to Publix for that short stint and two thirds of the new hires with me had lost their businesses completely, I realized I was part of a bigger picture. A housing crash that affected so many lives and businesses. Something good came from it. That payment after the reduced interest and finding a cheaper Homeowners policy dropped from $2500.00 a month to $783.00. Unreal, huh? If I could have been smarter in the first place and gotten that kind of rate, I could have had a whole lot of money in savings and life could have been a lot easier. Hindsight. 

 

Linny t:

 They would ask for things while I was on the phone knowing I'd be more likely to give in to get them to leave me alone, lol. 

 

So funny. They know! And even the four legged's catch on very quickly to what they can get away with. LOL

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that you are set to have a wonderful day, even if it is Monday.

Today is National Blueberry pancake day!  

Yesterday was a baking day for me.  I put off until then to try out four new recipes, three of which I am planning on doing a lab with this week.  2 muffins and one biscuit.  Although the lab will actually have two biscuits when I'm done.   Boy did it keep me busy.  I did the cookies because my immediate supervisor loves oatmeal cookies and I have been promising to find a recipe.   He went and visited a Culinary Program that had a cookie bar and they had some that he thought was out of this world.  So this is a work in progress.  To find and create the perfect oatmeal raisin cookie.   My family really liked the ones I made yesterday but I thought they were to sweet.  We'll see what the boss says. 

Anyway today is demo day.   I have to do demos on two separate labs today and then two more tomorrow.   They the next two days will be spent watching the children do the lab and scoring them.   Follow by a demo on biscuits.  Oh and state is in 30 days!   So the next few weeks will be an extra kind of crazy.   

It is the immortal words of The Bangles  "Just another Manic Monday".

Robin