Too Quiet

The dogs went off to cousin camp.  The kids went to the beach with their dad.  The cat went outside all night.  My sewing machine went haywire.  I can't find my book.   It is too quiet and lonely around here!  Good thing I leave for Minneapolis tomorrow morning!

Quilt and Read

bright quilt on right is not included

I finished the top of the quilt I am making for Dr. Fetting...shh!  I will send it off to be quilted, it is larger than I had planned.  I actually followed ALL of the instructions, used pins and measured carefully, it is about as perfect as I will ever get.  I made this from a set of mint chocolate chip bali pops.  My only complaint is that it slightly reminds me of tissue boxes, maybe I will title it "Bless You".

I haven't blogged much because my head has been at Tara.  I reread "Gone with the Wind", and it took a few days get myself back into the current time.  Scarlett O'Hara is the perfect "woman you love to hate".  I am drawing a blank on how to spell villian, it looks correct but spell check has it underlined. 

I am currently reading "Cutting for Stone", so far it is awesome.  It sounds as if the author is friends with John Irving.  I have his latest book in my Hopkins bag and as I predicted it is long winded, rambling, drawn out and disappointing.  It is not bad enough for the read and vomit list, but pretty close.   Verghese's book has fabulous prose and characters so incredibly human, he finds beauty in these people and their surroundings.  This book is high on my recommend list, hopefully the second half will be as good.
 


Summer is going by too quickly.  We have been having such a relaxing fun break.  I am not ready for August to be here.

Chummi Bear visits MAQ

Chummi Bear spent the day reading with Ellen.  They were reading Harry Potter together. 

Chummi went quilting with me last weekend.   He visited the grotto on campus for a little exercise. 

His next trip is to Minneapolis and Madison, Wisconsin.  He will then be heading to the Pacific Northwest to have a little college time.

FIVE and Nothing

I am back to five items on the side column.  I am feeling well enough to do stuff and report on it.  I have more than one thing on my mind, really.  I was bored with listing accomplishments, because I don't really accomplish much. 

Today was a glorious day of nothing.  We hung around the house just being summer time lazy.  It was rainy and blah.  I did some quilting and actually have a dilemma.  I have too many projects going on at the same time.  I have five quilts in various stages on my design wall.  I need to put something away, but I am really enjoying all of them.  I also have one quilt that just needs me to piece the back and two that need bindings.   I need a burst of manic energy, too bad I don't seem to have received any special powers from the meteorite.

I went to see "Eclipse" tonight, yes the dorky old lady at the movie alone!  I was next to three giggly teenage girls.  They were so silly and obviously on the side of Jacob.  They kept oohing, aahing and sighing over all the cornball lines.  They were actually squealing.  The movie was painful.

Quilt Weekend and Bird Houses

I spent the weekend quilting at the Mid Appalachian Quilt Symposium.  I had a very enjoyable weekend. This was my third year attending and hope it works for me to go again next year.

Friday I spent the day making a scrap quilt in a "Rags to Riches" class. We all brought in scraps and did an exchange.  I was the last one to choose, so I had no choice and ended up with a lot of dark country style prints, which is totally not my thing, but looked good anyway.

The Friday night speaker was very entertaining this year.  Two years ago the speaker talked about antique pillowcases, it was excrutiating!  This year the speaker showed scrap quilts and discussed all the ways to make scrap quilts. She was a dynamic speaker and it was a good time.  The other good thing about this year is the soft ice cream machine was working.  Last year almost saw a riot when 300 quilters saw a broken ice cream machine, they take their swirl cones very seriously.  The food is very good at the retreat.  I took this picture to torment my kids, they love red velvet cake.

Saturday I spent the day learning a circle technique that I am indifferent to.  I mastered the curves, but don't think I will make another circle quilt.  The teacher of the circle class felt the need to talk incessantly and share every detail of her life.  I fortunately had my iPod to help tune her out.  I did win a door prize in that class.  I won an 8" set of circle rulers, so if anyone wants to make a  circle quilt let me know.  Saturday night was show and tell, I enjoyed seeing all the amazing quilts.

Sunday I took another technique class to make crazy stars.  I enjoyed this class the most.  I didn't have to line up anything and could use little scraps of fabric.  I made my stars with a muted, pastel background, because I am making a gift for someone.  But, I really, really, really liked the stars with a black background that someone else in the class made.

The symposium is held at a catholic college outside of Gettysburg.  At the end of my hall was a giant statue of Jesus with his arms raised.  Sitting outside my door was a yoga ball, it was just too tempting to not do "he's got the whole world in his hands".  The college is loaded with plaques and statues that really made no sense to me.  For example, the statue for the "year of priests, 2007-2010".  In the hallway of the seminarians was a plaque that said "pray for the families", why is this in a hallway with young celibate men?   What is the significance of a grotto?  Chummi Bear visited the grotto and found it quite beautiful, he will be reporting on it later.

Today the kids and I went to see the movie "Despicable Me", it was actually cute, not too overdone.  I was quite surprised how good it was, the minions are clever and make the movie.  We even saw it in 3-D.  I then dragged the kids to the shoe store to buy school shoes.  As we walked along Ellen was singing, "we'll have fun, fun, fun til daddy takes the tv away".  Cracks me up!  I was helping Ellen try on shoes and when I turned around Ned had the ped on his head.

I discovered today that my neighbor put up two birdhouses.  I only just noticed them, the kids said they have been up for a couple of weeks.  I walked over to her yard to see them, the birdhouses are a great addition.  Walking back I saw the most beautiful lily plant that she has planted close to her back patio.  The lily is about three feet high and stunning.  My neighbor has a lovely yard and very generously shares it with us!

Flying Rocks

I had an extremely scary car event yesterday.  I was fortunately alone, except if the kids had been along I might know what hit me.  I was driving out to the airport to pick up my friend Jane and was on 695.  I was coming up to where 695 intersects 95 when something loud hit the right side of my car.  It was a giant bang and in the rear-view mirror I saw something black rolling away.  I thought maybe it was a bird, but when I checked at the airport I have a big dent and scrapes.  Whatever flew into me took a chunk out of the car.  I think a rock either flew out of a truck or off the overpass.  I was lucky it hit low and didn't break a window.   My poor car is so banged up!

Whatever hit was black and heavy and so actually I think it was meteorite.  I should read the paper today to see if any strange atmospheric disturbances happened yesterday.  It is also a good thing that I put off buying a Ferrari until next week.  

Summer Reading and Bike Accidents

Ellen has been assigned for summer reading the book "The Outsiders".  She has told me that she doesn't like it so far, but she may revise her opinion.  The fifteen year old babysitter told her it is his favorite book ever.  I am not sure Ellen has any reference for this book.  When I read it, the Crips and Bloods were really at war and spreading through the U.S.  I had just seen "Grease"; never missed "Happy Days"; loved Mustangs and Paul Newman.  Ellen doesn't have a knowledge of the fifties.  Class struggle now is portrayed as snotty little rich girls or gangster rappers.  "The Outsiders" had a beautiful realism that is lacking in our grossly exaggerated society.

I decided to reread it, and for me it has really held up with time.  S.E. Hinton started the book when she was fifteen after hearing of a friend being beat up.   It was published in 1967, but still has a timeless story. The book's characters are so real,  it is an excellent book.   Ponyboy reads "Gone with the Wind" to Johnny while they are laying low.  This is another book I have not read in years, but will start next.  I was so disappointed with the "Catcher in the Rye", but still love "the Outsiders". 

It is so hot here and I can't get my pus-nodule injection sites wet for another three days.  The pool is the perfect temperature and I am side-lined, sitting with a panting, stink-breathed labrador.

The kids have had bike spills this week - each and every kid.  Ned is scabbed everywhere, Ian is complaining of his shoulder, but Ellen has the best story.  She loaned her bike to a friend and rode off on her old bike.  She rode off on the old bike with no helmet and without mentioning the bike had no brakes.  She rode down a hill - no brakes - crashed into the neighbors tennis court chain link fence.  She is black and blue, but fortunately not hurt worse than she could have been.  She bent the bike to a crazy angle and was really quite lucky.  Only the school of hard knocks made Ellen say, "I am never riding without my helmet again."  Doesn't matter I have screeched at her one million times to wear her helmet.  I am just back ground noise, static interference.

Friday I am off to the Mid Appalchian Quilt Symposium (MAQ) and I am really excited! I am taking three classes and will post pictures next week.  Whoohoo, this will be the first quilting I have done in weeks!  I still have to do the class prep work, hopefully I won't be cutting fabric late Thursday night!

Chummi Bear Hangs with Amanda

 

Chummi Bear hung out in Baltimore with Amanda.  They had lots of fun adventures together.  Chummi is now sitting on the counter waiting for his next outing.

Amanda had quotes for all their adventures, but I couldn't get them to line up.  In fact, the pictures just kept shuffling and disappearing, it was driving me nuts.