Dog wash

Enjoy this photo "essay". Note the dog jumped out so I had to jump in. That's why there are to pictures of the drying process.



We now have a pleasant smelling hound laying in front of the sliding glass door snoring in the sunshine.

The last one!

I did it! Here's the last barn raising square. I counted all of the squares 3 times before I came up with 42. I was a bit scared because I thought that I was finished, then when I had the wrong number. I counted again. 42. Then 42 again.

As we speak, the last 6 are downstairs being blocked. Now, all I have to do is set them out in the order that is somewhat pleasing, sew them all together and stitch around the outside. Have I said this before? I feel like I am repeating myself. Sorry if I am.

The boys Christmas gifts

Do you realize that Christmas was only a month ago? It seems like "months" ago to me. I promised pics of the boys with their gifts to each other. Above Simon is flying the owl that Ian designed and stuffed for him (I did all of the cutting and sewing.)

>Ian really didn't want to take part in this photo shoot, but there's the cat that Simon designed and stuffed for him. When Ian opened it, he said, " Huh a crab. Just what I wanted". Simon said," But it's a cat." "Oh I like it even better now."

Quilt Barns

One of the perks of my job (this week there are many) is that I get to drive around from school to school, district to district. I've noticed these barns on a weekly basis. I finally had my camera in the car the other day and captured them.


This is the barn of a friend. She had the quilt put on it about a year ago because it made her happy. This fall she died from cancer. Every time I drive by I think of her.

Sunday afternoons

It has been cold here. Too cold to go outside and play or do anything else. Today it was finally warm enough to send "them" out. A balmy 13 degrees. The boys went out to shovel snow.

Simon taking a break.

We went to see Green Hornet yesterday. Simon has been perfecting his "dead" pose. boys....

While the boys were outside, the big boy was watching the game and writing his color commentary on facebook.

Here are the final peace pals that I am making for the group going to Haiti, from our church, in February. I already "turned in " 3 boys. I just have to get the faces on them by tomorrow night. They were fun to make and fast. The putziest part was sewing them together because I didn't have a long enough needle to do magic loop. I think we will be sending about 25 dolls to be distributed to children. Each of the dolls I made has fuzzy brown hair because every kid deserves something soft and snuggly. I can image a little boy or girl rubbing the hair against his or her face at night or anytime for that matter. After I finish each one, I give it a kiss and whisper "go have fun".

Shadow

Her whiskers really are that gray.

"Ok now that you embarrassed me, can I at least have a treat?"

just because

Eddie will let me get close enough to take pictures like this. Shadow won't and I really want to get a picture of her gray beard.

Day off

trying to finish quilting on the 2010 Christmas quilt

two boys who really needed to go outside

Yesterday was my day to stay home with the boys. I went downstairs to change over the laundry and decided to do some quilting. I came up and told these two to tell me when their movie was over and we would go to the library. Three hours later...I came upstairs and they were still on the couch watching a NEW movie. I had to smile because on some level they must have "known" that I needed that time sewing. Right? Ok let me be a bit delusional - just for a bit.

But I have that quilt almost done. There is about an hour left of quilting and then I have to bind it.

Maybe I'll go down and work on it after supper. It has been a doozey of a day - full moon - but this time it wasn't the students. It was the parents. Oh well tomorrow is another day right? I'll like my job better tomorrow right? (say right!)

Sometimes...

Sometimes I don't like blogger very much. I have been trying to upload pictures for the past couple of days and it won't "let" me. Ugh! I'm not sure if the problem is on my end or theirs or somewhere in between. Suggestions?

I am down to TWO more squares for my barn raising afghan. Yeah, I am really excited to start sewing the squares together. Please make sure to remind me of this moment when I am on square 15 and don't want to go any further. My goal is to have it completed by the first of March. It will have taken me roughly a year to complete it. I don't know what color I will use to sew it together or for the outer crocheted border. Luckily I know how to single crochet :).

Oh on a sad note...we went to see The Green Hornet 3D today. Well we tried to anyway. We sat in the theater for 20 minutes and they came in and told us there was a malfunction. The boys were devastated. We were reimbursed the ticket price and given extra tickets. Oh there was complaining. They kept it together, but when they had to give up their icies for concessions refunds they lost it. Simon dropped to the floor and sobbed.

So here is my question for you...why did we have to give back our left over popcorn, sodas, and icies? It was not like they could recycle them. They weren't going to refund Kal's soda because he had drank it and thrown the cup away. I don't get it. Truly, I don't.

All down and almost put away

Ahh, the living is almost back in order from the holidays. I just have a few more boxes to go downstairs to be put away.

I got all of my knitting that has been stored behind the couch for the last month and a half in the ottoman. That feels good. When I pulled it all out I was a bit scared it looked like a lot, but it wasn't as much as it appeared. I also stacked up all of the chicken wings (pictures later... do I have your interest piqued?) that were on the end table and took them downstairs to the craft room to become completed items.

Some people feel sad when the Christmas stuff goes away. This year I don't... I feel like I can start fresh. Finish some of the stuff I have started and start some new things.

Enjoy the weekend

New years day

I guess too much fun was had by all on New Year's Eve. This was the scene in the back seat on the way home from gma and gpa's house.