My Head is Spinning!!

Have you ever had so many ideas in your head and started and stopped on a half dozen projects without focusing?? That has been me for the last while!

While killing time during the hour of Aine's Irish dance class last week, I did a shop hop in "downtown Ballina" the group of about five shops in our village on the Tipperary side of the river... Cross the Shannon River on the old stone bridge and you enter the metropolis of Killaloe, Co. Clare, approximately one minute's walk away (at least 2 streets with shops there!) I love my town/s and this is the first time I checked out some of the small gift shops. Look at the lovely wreath I found for 4 euros (6 dollars) at the local hardware shop. I found the cute stitchery at the little gift shop.

I also got this great group of gifties from Lissa in Australia. I sent her some triangles on a roll to try out, and some civil war repros, and I got Homespun, some yummy repros for me and a lovely drawstring bag with some goodies for the girls!

I've also finished another angel for a swap, which will soon make its way to......???? It is a Tilda kit and is so pretty, I nearly want to keep it!

I am also making a flock of these which are also a Tilda design. Can you tell I like her stuff?? These will be ornaments for patchwork friends.


I have started working on a table runner as well...kinda making it up as I go along...maybe tomorrow I will pick a project and focus on it... I've also tea dyed some muslin and am making some stuffed kitty softies for the girls for Christmas! Focus, must focus!!!

Getting Behind With Things...

I need to find balance in my life again...it seems to move forward at the speed of light and I barely remember what happens from day to day.

We had a great trip to London and Paris. The kids had a blast in Disneyland even with their poor mom limping after them (I managed to swan dive into a Paris tree on the way to the Eiffel Tower...was looking ahead of me and twisted my ankle when it landed half on the pavers and half in the dirt where the lovely Parisian tree was growing near a cafe, graceful I tell ya...and what a lovely shade of black, purple and yellow my foot was for a while!)... The kids got autograph books and pens from their nice momma and proceeded to stalk any characters in their vicinity for autographs...we have minnie, daisy, snow white, donald, goofy, and Aine's favorite, Robin Hood.  We really enjoyed our time with Katy and her family as well...the kids loved their London Halloween and just loved hanging out with their buddies! Moms and dads enjoyed time to read, play games, and mommas got to sew and knit (well I knit...) it was a lovely time...

Election Day was only a few days after we returned home and I stayed up till 5:30am Irish time watching the amazing returns come back. I actually burst into tears when they flashed the announcement that Barack Obama was the next president of the United States, who knew I would be so emotional. And then I cried again when the future First Family came out and when Obama gave his speech. It was a great night and I'm glad I stayed up to see it happen. 

I haven't been producing a lot lately, we've had lots of playdates and activities, the normal pace of life here, and Aine has just had her 6th birthday party just yesterday which needed organizing as well...an Art Party for her and 10 friends (a SMALL party, woo hoo!) I had a local art teacher come and do some projects and face painting with them and it worked out really well...

My kids like chocolate cake, so I do a Betty Crocker special and then print out on photo paper whatever character/graphic they want that year to personalize it. When it is time to cut cake just lift off the paper and go...very inexpensive, personalized and easy! Love it!

I have managed to finish one pink sock and here is the current status of the second one...


Here are the slippers I knit for Aine at Katy's house, slightly smaller and felty now...

I made this angel for someone...for Christmastime...

I am verrrrrrry slowly working on marking my ocean waves quilt with this celtic knot pattern in the muslin areas..
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I am also slowly doing freehand fans on my tree quilt...


So I am doing things, but nothing finished but the angel at the moment.

Tomorrow I start my diet yet again...I am tired of being the weight I am...maybe if I can find some balance to my days, more exercise, more sleep, less running around...a better rhythm to the days, that might help. Here's hoping that I can do that...and find more time to QUILT too!!

I See London...

And soon we'll see France! We are having a nice time so far in Katy's house. I even managed to get a quilt started and completed for her daughter Olivia's Birthday! Thanks for letting me raid your scrap basket Katy!! Olivia loves dolphins, so...


I also finished another of the ballerina slippers that I will felt. I finished Aislings and they look very sweet, but she has been wearing them and I couldn't find them to photograph before we left. Here is their size beefore they are felted, it always amuses me!!


I also wanted to show the Halloween stitchery and cute pumpkin we had in the house before we left on holidays...guess I will finally be starting some seasonal decorating!!


We are heading into Central London for some sightseeing with the kids tomorrow and then our adventure starts in Paris. I have learned that the Paris quilting shop Le Rouvray is not far from Notre Dame so I think a small stop might be arranged during our afternoon in Paris. Then it is off to Disney for a few days before coming back to have Halloween in London with Katy and family!! You might see me blog again if I get inspired by Katy's good habits, but more than likely I'll be updating after our visit to France.

Golf Widows Sewing Retreat!!

Last Friday DH left for 3 days of golfing, and I got down to work!! Don't worry, I still managed to feed the kids and even go on some walks to clean up the rubbish on the roads (Aine's idea to tidy up the environment, so cute!!). I managed to get several projects finished and even a few project started and finished over last weekend!! Tell me, why is it easier sometimes to be more productive without "help" from DH :)

First two long term project finishes!! My ocean waves quilt top!!


And the first of the pink socks...now to start and finish the second one before Christmas!!


I also decided to make some jack o lantern bags for the girls to bring on our trip to London (to see Katy and family!) during our midterm break at Halloween. (We are also spending 3 days in Paris at Disneyland for the kids!!) I made up the bags as I went along and they are machine quilted and using up scraps of batting. I wouldn't want them compared to really nicely finished bags but they are lined and have strong but not perfect straps...and are cute :) I had the girls design their own faces for the pumpkins and I translated them to fabric...Aine's is the scarier one! I used strips of halloween fabric I got from someone ( I can't remember who anymore, how sad am I?) so the backs of the bags are cute too.


With scrap strips from the Halloween fabrics I inserted a muslin center and downloaded a halloween stitchery I traced the design over the weekend and started stitching this week.


I also made a pillow out of a hand quilted motif I did at a class in April when I was visiting mom in Bend. I used tons of small squares in the same variegated colors of the quilting thread for the back. I like how it turned out!!


Not to mention I built the two Ikea bookcases and a drawer unit from my successful shopping trip that DH didn't get around to making during his evenings home during the week. And made homemade (can't buy pancake mix here!) pancakes and sausage dinner for the girls one night, and did our little walks and litter collections...and kept the house tidy...very productive few days I had!!!

Of course, once the week starts I am off and running again and it took me till this weekend to get this blog post sorted...Only have worked on the stitchery in found moments this week, and catching up with the emails in my inbox. I really appreciate all the comments and encouragement from everyone and hope that you all continue to visit, even if my blog posting is fairly sporadic at the moment!!

Haven't given an update on mom in a while. She is finished all treatment and the cancer is gone, may it never return!! Her hair is growing back in and she is so much better within herself, getting out on her own, having a lot morre energy... I am so glad she is in a better place these days. Love you mom!!

I hope to do some shopping on my own tomorrow when DH is here with the kids...need to get a new laundry basket and a new basket  for their dressing up clothes...not thrilling but a little retail therapy on my own will do no harm at all. I hope to layer and quilt the halloween stitchery this weekend as well...and work on the angel story quilt...very slow progress there.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!! I'll leave you with the crazy poses the girls did with the sock when I got it out to take a photo of it.

Are You Still With Me??

What was that about trying to do weekly or more posts? I have fallen far short of that goal. It has been a busy month, lots to do but not a lot of crafting to show for it. We have also had our fair share of colds and flus coming through and holding on to reinfect us...the joys of seasonal changes.

One thing DH got done for me was getting my Dear Jane up on the wall!!

I'm making progress on the pink Marilinda sock, I've done the heel and am working on the foot now, then to start the second sock...ugh...I do like that 2 socks at once thing...I like finishing a pair together. It is a complicated pattern, but I am enjoying it, keeps me on my toes. I think that I will do some more scrubbies and facecloths for Christmas gifts, but my next project to start will be a felted bag, it will be weird using big needles again!! I also need to make some socks for Aisling and ballerina slippers for Aine...add to this list all my quilting and stitchery stuff and I need 48 hours in a day!!


Last weekend I decided to make a few birthday presents. I had some insulbrite for ages and so made 6 potholders. Two to replace the sad ones I have (why it took me years to do this I don't know). I did some green ones for my mom's kitchen, some purple and turquoise ones to match a tea cozy I knitted for Dave's mom, and some red ones for me, and just free pieced them with scraps and some pieces that I had in my scrap stash already pieced by other quilters and passed on to me with fabric scraps I got!! I used them as practice for my free motion quilting...I think they are actually a bit too big, so I may have to whip up a few smaller ones next week...


I also did a little DIY decorating for the girls room a few weeks back...some dust ruffles for their bed to hide the ugly storage containers I have under there... I used pink scraps, and then put the gorgeous quilts Barbara made them on top.  I like it much better than the Dora and Tinkerbell covers!!

I also got a Betz White covered tape measure kit on Wednesday and whipped this up in record speed...aint it cute!!

I also have to say a big THANK YOU to Paula who sent me some great Civil War repro fabrics from Australia, I owe you big and will gather some embroidery goodies to send back in return!!

I am very excited about a road trip to IKEA up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I am going up with the girls for DH's mom's birthday tomorrow and DH will be home from his weeklong trip to Barcelona for work (poor guy had to have a sea view at his hotel and visit a winery too!). Sunday he is taking the kids for the day and I am doing a road trip!! I will take my sister in law with me and get some bookshelves, and then just browse and get tons of little bits and pieces too I am sure. We should eventually get an Ikea in Dublin, hopefully next year...

I really hope I don't take 3 weeks again for my next post. I am going to make an effort to finish the 21 blocks I need for my ocean waves quilt, so maybe next week I'll have that to show!

I'll leave you with a quilt I made in action at a teddy picnic... More soon, sooner rather than later, I hope!!

Surfacing...

I have been away for far too long, but we made it home safely from America after a fun road trip to see cousins and friends. The airplane trip was long and not as great as the one over, but the girls and I survived and I got my Featherweight home in my carryon with no major hassles at security...no one even opened the box!! Amazing. Here are the "few" things I scored on my trip to the States. A lot of the FQs are for the girls...from a bargain bin and very ugly, eek!!


I managed to finish AIne's socks since returning home. Sarah, can I borrow the needles a little longer to make Aisling's pair?? I have to figure out how to do toe up socks on two circs again all by myself, scary!! It was great having Sarah and the knitting group in Bend to help me out this summer!!


Stina, can you believe that I have finally started the Angel Story quilt?? The bond-a-web, vliesofix, wonder under, heat and bond stuff I bought in the States has not worked at all...I remember buying the cheapest wonderunder stuff before and having no issues, went for heat and bond (more money) and it hasn't worked at all...reduced to using craft glue for temporary adhesion till I can get to local quilting lady. What is the best to use for machine applique?? I'd love some tips. Also, do most folks use pencils for tracing stitcheries?? And what about the bits that are on the fabrics that are appliqued, do you just draw them in by eye?? I am such a novice to this type of quilting and the book has basic info but I'd love any good tips from other stitchers!!

Here is my little lap desk I will use downstairs to hold the stitcheries in for livingroom sewing. Can you see my cool new little computer? It is the size of a paperback book and runs Windows XP, I love it!! I got a design put on the top of it, such a geek am I!! Can you see my applecore quilt on it?

I'll leave you with a photo of a sad demise. My favorite water bottle I used all summer from the Sisters quilt show...I guess Irish dishwashers are set a little higher?? I has become a little mangled. Wonder if I can still get one of these from the Stitchin' Post ?? I'd love another one!!



Hope to get back to weekly or more posting soon, and more family photos and updates. The girls are adjusting well to school. AIne has already been to 2 birthday parties (we're not back 2 weeks yet!) and has 2 more in the next week...geesh!! Aisling is not too keen on her new montessori but is slowly adjusting and has a friend or two now. Me, I am starting Weight Watchers again tonight and hoping to stick with it this time. Patchwork group is great, and I will be doing a little class on hand piecing for the local ladies so that will be fun...

Hope everyone is doing well!!

Viewer's Choice!!!!

Last Saturday Bend had an outdoor quilt show and Kristen suggested that I enter my Dear Jane again. It is a smaller show but the quilts looked great hanging out in the park.

This show actually has a Viewer's Choice award, where the Sisters show didn't...and I WON!! I've never won anything for my quilting ever, so I am so excited!

I haven't been great at keeping up my blog. No real excuse except summer laziness and lots of activities. I helped clean out the house and did a yard sale for my folks last week. Mom is holding up okay with her radiation but she is having digestive issues with it as well, doc says it is because she has a large field for her radiation due to the lymph nodes that were involved. Not fun.

I have been slowly working on knitting projects, and have even started tracing my angel blocks, but they are all packed up now. Tomorrow we leave on an Oregonian road trip. Aine has been obsessed with crystals, rocks and fossils this summer, getting out books from the library and collecting stones. We are heading to the John Day Fossil Beds, then on to family visits in Pendleton and Portland.

Next Friday we are back in Ireland and none too soon, the kids and I are ready to go home, though I will miss it here too!! I might not be back again till Ireland. Will try to get going on some good stuff when I get home...