I sure hope everyone had a joyous Christmas! We had a white one! Yes, it snowed! We woke to rain -- wonderful rain. Then around lunch time it turned to snow. Only a couple of inches. But Cold oh, man it's cold! Right now I am sitting -- blissfully I might add -- on a very cold morning with a hot cup of coffee and a quilt in my lap hand quilting. Five dresden blocks done! Only eleven more to go and the sashing and outer borders but who's counting? LOL I am TRYING to learn to use a thimble. Some may think it odd that I never learned to use one in my younger years. I just never did. This morning I have been watching YouTube videos of hand quilting and I will be practicing what I have learned. Wish me luck!
We had our children and grandchildren for Christmas Dec. 23. It's always nice to have a full house again if only for a little while. We enjoyed one of our hams from a Hampshire/Berkshire cross we had raised. It was EXCELLENT!
It has been a week or so! Recap-- on Dec. 19 we had our Kraz-z Quilters Christmas party. It was fun and then things went down from there. Temps were warm and humid that day--70s. That night around 10pm there was a cold front blew in. Blew would be a mild word.
The winds gusted big time. One of the big wind gusts blew a large limb out of the tree by our back porch. It fell onto our electric service line pulling the service meter almost off the pole. It caused a small grass fire! We had to crawl through the big limb's branches to get out to the water faucet and garden hose. We got that out pretty quickly. Things happened that caused us to have a power surge go through our house! Like the electric company personnel told us -- we had 220 going through our 110 outlets. Not good! We saw sparks coming out of some of the outlets initially. Thank God it didn't burn our house down. Hog Man being the smart man he is--flipped all the breakers off. He made a quick call to the electric company to get them to come turn off our electricity. LOL Not many people WANT their electricity turned off. With the wind gusts and the service hanging on the pole the electricity kept arcing when the wind blew hard. And each time the sparks flew I would pray that there would not be any more fire. Somehow or another our problem was relayed from dispatcher to serviceman that we were out of electricity. When the repair person drove by they saw we had our security light on and thought our electricity had come back on. They didn't call to check probably thinking since the house was dark we had gone to bed. The security light is on the other side of the service meter. Long story short--we spent the night without electricity, a huge limb on a live line and up until 1am or so watching sparks fly. Like Hog Man said--Thank God, my wife's a quilter--we wrapped up in quilts and stayed warm.
First thing the next morning Hog Man calls the electric company back and a whole crew shows up in no time flat. As the electricity came back on we immediately knew what was working and what wasn't. Thank God our heating and a/c unit was okay. The refrigerator, microwave, tv, stereo, clock radios, all gone. Our freezers full of meat are okay! Washer and dryer are okay! We had a big surge protector on the computer, printer, and internet and they are okay--big surge protector is toast. We have four or five holes in the roof. And lots of limbs and sticks to pick up after the large limb was moved. When it happened Hog Man was watching the nightly news and I was sewing at the dining room table. I was working on a fabric basket on my Kenmore sewing machine. It was not affected at all. Praise the Lord.
Insurance man came the same day. We will have a check soon. To say the least 2012 has been a challenging year. And thank God He not only walked it with us but protected us all along the way.
We are counting our blessings here at this house. May you and yours be blessed.
From the Catering Quilter
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Hearts are Broken
Hearts are broken across this nation after the shooting on Friday in Newtown, Ct. A school that was locked should have been safe. God bless and comfort those who lost loved ones. God bless those heroic teachers and personnel who saved many lives. May God bless not only the children but adults in this situation that they may heal and have peace again. God bless all the police, FBI, medical personnel, etc. that they may heal and have peace again.
I have a five year old grandson and I can't imagine the pain these people are going through. We had the occasion to babysit him this weekend and you can guess that I gave him lots of hugs and kisses along with his precious little sister. And then his mother called and asked if we were okay yesterday! Seems as though he woke up that same night throwing up! Poor baby--there is a yucky stomach bug going around. And yes--we are okay.
We babysat them at their house. It's always interesting to babysit your grandchildren at their house. You get to see all their STUFF. And play with their toys-- while Hog Man is glued to the hunting channel. LOL We played Memory. Well, we sorta played. DGD Paisley being a two year old didn't quite understand and kept getting the cards out of order. Her brother was pretty patient with her and I am very proud of him for that. Hog Man had arranged to pick up some young Hamp gilts from a family that were showing near McKinney Saturday afternoon. So we loaded up the kids and they got to experience their first pig show. DGS Mason wanted to do what the other kids were doing in the show rig--walking with their pig and lightly tapping them to turn them and keep their heads up. We explained that he couldn't that day but he could come spend some time with us and practice at our house -- Papaw could show him how. He told me that he had two weeks off from school at Christmas. LOL For a little boy that doesn't like getting dirty -- this will be very interesting. He does love animals, though and always ask, "Where is Sissy (aka Little Doggy)?" as if he wants to say "she's a part of the family why didn't you bring her?"
We had our WCQG Christmas party on the 8th. It was lots of fun with lots going on. New guild t-shirts were passed out. Games were played--"Pin the flowers on the quilt" and pass the gift to the right/left poem. There were quilts donated to send to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Lots of show and tell. And of course, lots of good food and fellowship. Our Christmas party is a mini reunion for past and present members and of course a time to invite friends. It's always wonderful to see old friends and visit.
I have a finish! The star quilt came off the frame the first Wednesday in Dec. and I finished sewing the binding on this past Friday. Woohoo!
I am making good progress hand quilting on DD Amanda's dresden plate quilt. As of this morning there are four 14 inch blocks completely quilted. Woohoo! I have been quilting most every evening while watching TV.
DS#1 spent a few days with us. He had a medical test that didn't allow him to drive afterwards so we accompanied him to his appoinment. He woke up with a migraine (he's been having a lot of them most of this last year) so he stayed an extra day. Could you say a prayer for him to get relief from his back pain and migraines? Thank you. He recently bought his first sewing machine. He brought it with him and I showed him how to thread it, wind a bobbin, and he made his first stitches. Another quilter! He already has fabric bought and a pattern selected. We just have to find a weekend to cut and sew.
This will be another busy week with Kraz-z Quilters Christmas party this week and then our family Christmas gathering coming up. There will be lots of cleaning, cooking, decorating, and sewing gifts going on around her.
Blessings from the Catering Quilter.
I have a five year old grandson and I can't imagine the pain these people are going through. We had the occasion to babysit him this weekend and you can guess that I gave him lots of hugs and kisses along with his precious little sister. And then his mother called and asked if we were okay yesterday! Seems as though he woke up that same night throwing up! Poor baby--there is a yucky stomach bug going around. And yes--we are okay.
We babysat them at their house. It's always interesting to babysit your grandchildren at their house. You get to see all their STUFF. And play with their toys-- while Hog Man is glued to the hunting channel. LOL We played Memory. Well, we sorta played. DGD Paisley being a two year old didn't quite understand and kept getting the cards out of order. Her brother was pretty patient with her and I am very proud of him for that. Hog Man had arranged to pick up some young Hamp gilts from a family that were showing near McKinney Saturday afternoon. So we loaded up the kids and they got to experience their first pig show. DGS Mason wanted to do what the other kids were doing in the show rig--walking with their pig and lightly tapping them to turn them and keep their heads up. We explained that he couldn't that day but he could come spend some time with us and practice at our house -- Papaw could show him how. He told me that he had two weeks off from school at Christmas. LOL For a little boy that doesn't like getting dirty -- this will be very interesting. He does love animals, though and always ask, "Where is Sissy (aka Little Doggy)?" as if he wants to say "she's a part of the family why didn't you bring her?"
We had our WCQG Christmas party on the 8th. It was lots of fun with lots going on. New guild t-shirts were passed out. Games were played--"Pin the flowers on the quilt" and pass the gift to the right/left poem. There were quilts donated to send to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Lots of show and tell. And of course, lots of good food and fellowship. Our Christmas party is a mini reunion for past and present members and of course a time to invite friends. It's always wonderful to see old friends and visit.
I have a finish! The star quilt came off the frame the first Wednesday in Dec. and I finished sewing the binding on this past Friday. Woohoo!
 |
| This is the first quilt I have marked lines with a Frixion pen. I used a blow dryer on a hot setting to "remove" the lines. On the dark area I used an Allary chalk marker. I was pleased with how the markings stayed on during the quilting. I will throw the quilt in the washer this week. I love the "homey" feel of this quilt, the "wonkyness", and the fabrics used. |
I am making good progress hand quilting on DD Amanda's dresden plate quilt. As of this morning there are four 14 inch blocks completely quilted. Woohoo! I have been quilting most every evening while watching TV.
DS#1 spent a few days with us. He had a medical test that didn't allow him to drive afterwards so we accompanied him to his appoinment. He woke up with a migraine (he's been having a lot of them most of this last year) so he stayed an extra day. Could you say a prayer for him to get relief from his back pain and migraines? Thank you. He recently bought his first sewing machine. He brought it with him and I showed him how to thread it, wind a bobbin, and he made his first stitches. Another quilter! He already has fabric bought and a pattern selected. We just have to find a weekend to cut and sew.
This will be another busy week with Kraz-z Quilters Christmas party this week and then our family Christmas gathering coming up. There will be lots of cleaning, cooking, decorating, and sewing gifts going on around her.
Blessings from the Catering Quilter.
Thursday, December 06, 2012
A Quick Post
Hello and how are you this December day? We have had unseasonably warm weather--80s in December?! A year ago yesterday we had snow. The electric bill will be nice anyway.
The computer still has problems and I am eeking out bits here and there. If it can hold off until AFTER Christmas it would be so nice.
Hog Man is continueing to do well. He is stiff and sore some days after work. Especially if he's been on his feet on the concrete a lot.
We had the two youngest grandkids last weekend while their parents had a weekend off. So that meant I had to put away ALL the sharp objects--translates scissors, rotary cutters, pins, etc. plus the projects I had going. I folded up the ironing board and put away the iron--that doesn't happen too often--LOL. Then I had to replenish the fridge and pick up some toddler type foods. Milk, apple juice, fruit, graham crackers, raisins, macaroni, etc. etc. I hadn't been to Wal-Mart in awhile. I avoid it. It always takes me at least two hours seems like plus the fifteen minute drive both ways. I made it in under one hour. Of course, I was sprinting through the store. LOL
Since the weather was so nice there was lots of play outside. We made Kool-Aid play dough. There was coloring on construction paper. DGS Mason discovered the hole punch. He was in love! He punched holes in everything to his little heart's content. Of course, this grandma learned from past little ones to buy washable markers. ; )
My quilt at Kraz-z Quilters came off the frame yesterday. Yay! Now to get the binding made and put on. I have started hand quilting DD Amanda's Dresden plate quilt. I can't wait for the weather to get cooler. It is mighty HOT with a quilt in your lap in the mild weather we've been having.
I also machine quilted a quilt I had acquired from the quilter I bought the machine from. Our guild is sending quilts to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. I got the binding made and sewn on. Sweating the whole time! It is a large one -- 91 x 98 inches and will make someone a good bedsized quilt. My hope is to bless someone who has lost so much.
Our Christmas party for the guild is this Saturday so lots to do to get ready for it. Donation quilt winner will be drawn Saturday! I have to go pick up new guild t-shirts from the printer today. Hopefully I can sell some more tickets on the quilt and I have to pick up some door prizes. Laundry and balancing the checkbook are in there somewhere! LOL
Blessings from the Catering Quilter
The computer still has problems and I am eeking out bits here and there. If it can hold off until AFTER Christmas it would be so nice.
Hog Man is continueing to do well. He is stiff and sore some days after work. Especially if he's been on his feet on the concrete a lot.
We had the two youngest grandkids last weekend while their parents had a weekend off. So that meant I had to put away ALL the sharp objects--translates scissors, rotary cutters, pins, etc. plus the projects I had going. I folded up the ironing board and put away the iron--that doesn't happen too often--LOL. Then I had to replenish the fridge and pick up some toddler type foods. Milk, apple juice, fruit, graham crackers, raisins, macaroni, etc. etc. I hadn't been to Wal-Mart in awhile. I avoid it. It always takes me at least two hours seems like plus the fifteen minute drive both ways. I made it in under one hour. Of course, I was sprinting through the store. LOL
 |
| They had a blast! You can see the exercise bike in the background! |
Since the weather was so nice there was lots of play outside. We made Kool-Aid play dough. There was coloring on construction paper. DGS Mason discovered the hole punch. He was in love! He punched holes in everything to his little heart's content. Of course, this grandma learned from past little ones to buy washable markers. ; )
My quilt at Kraz-z Quilters came off the frame yesterday. Yay! Now to get the binding made and put on. I have started hand quilting DD Amanda's Dresden plate quilt. I can't wait for the weather to get cooler. It is mighty HOT with a quilt in your lap in the mild weather we've been having.
I also machine quilted a quilt I had acquired from the quilter I bought the machine from. Our guild is sending quilts to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. I got the binding made and sewn on. Sweating the whole time! It is a large one -- 91 x 98 inches and will make someone a good bedsized quilt. My hope is to bless someone who has lost so much.
Our Christmas party for the guild is this Saturday so lots to do to get ready for it. Donation quilt winner will be drawn Saturday! I have to go pick up new guild t-shirts from the printer today. Hopefully I can sell some more tickets on the quilt and I have to pick up some door prizes. Laundry and balancing the checkbook are in there somewhere! LOL
Blessings from the Catering Quilter
Monday, December 03, 2012
Computer Woes
I thought I would post while the computer is cooperating. I started getting messages about the hard disk last week and backing things up. Oh, No! Oh, yes. So if you don't hear from me the computer has died and is in the shop.
Blessings from Catering Quilter
Blessings from Catering Quilter
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