Belated Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year...Wish to all!

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions....but I am really going to try and be a better blogger in 2012.  I have really enjoyed reading everyone's blogs!  So much friendship, sharing and love goes into each one.  My only problem is I see too much I want to try!  I work full-time so finding time to try every cute thing I see being done is tough.  I have already joined three swaps and challenges.

The "Wonky House" swap over Jane's Fabrics and Quilts is a very limited group of quilters, in fact, she has already closed it after opening up 4 groups.  This sounds like it is going to be fun and you should at least jump over and see all the cute blocks this group has posted on Flicker.

Brenda, who works at my LQS, Mama's Quilt Shop, talked me into trying "Just Takes Two"....I really think I may have lost my mind, agreeing to this, but I hope to learn paper piecing in 2012.

Then "Oh My Stars" over on "Thought and Found" is going to be fun.  I like my stars and her tutorials are great.  Jump on over and see what you think.

Of course, I am still going to participate in Lee's WIP over at "Freshly Pieced".  This great group posts so many beautiful projects, it is mind-boggling.

So let's make this a great year!

Honey....I'm home....

I am so glad to be home....but I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the Quilt Market in Houston.  Last year I went to the Quilt Festival and that was wonderful, but this year my LQS owner, Brenda Wages and I only went to Market.  As tired as we were every evening we sat up late talking about all of the wonderful, beautiful and talented people we met and their quilt products.  It was difficult making the decisions on what to buy and what to take back to our local quilters who weren't able to attend.

You can see I had fun!  This had to be one of the most memorable sites at the quilt show.  I grew up reading Dr. Seuss books so I couldn't resist having my picture made with "The Cat In The Hat".

I didn't take as many pictures as I should have....most of the time I was too busy trying to hold onto all the wonderful brochures and free gifts I was given by the booth owners.  And of course, even though we said we weren't going to buy fabric (our reps come to the store)......

I still wound up buying fat quarters in the Thimbleberries booth and the P&B booth.  Finally had to make a trip out to the truck and unload before I got to the point I couldn't pack them anymore.

We spend a lot of time at the Checker's booth ordering new items, like the new "Littler Twister", a "Slice" since I won the bag, two discs and the repositionable spray at the Slice booth,

 the "Wonky" block and numerous small items to complete some of the patterns we bought.

We stopped by to see Eleanor Burns

and purchased her new ruler.  She is every bit as sweet in person as she appears on her TV programs.  What a delight to meet her.

And fabrics......wow....made into such stunning quilts....of course I wanted every one of them.

I was particularly excited to find out Stonehenge is offered in 5" Charms, I guess you know why...if you have read my other posts on the "Little Twister"....can't wait to put one of those together.

The Anthology booth had four beautiful quilts around their booth, Moda, Riley Blake, P & B, Bernatex and so many others....every where you turned beautiful fabrics.

Even the car was for sale!

And patterns....oh my gosh....we bought patterns....but this one was one of my favorites...

Now this is my kind of Christmas tree...cats can't climb to the top of it!

Our local quilt shop owners gathered to pick out the fabrics for next year's "Shop Hop" at the Bernartex booth.  I enjoyed getting an early look at the fabrics they picked out.

I will try to post a few more pictures tonight....and if you see something you are interested in, I will try to provide my information from my stash of brochures.

Well...it is time to "make the donuts", back to the real world....in other words I have to go to my real job now....so I can afford to buy more fabric.......
Have a great day.

WIP....I am so excited...

It is Wednesday and I am doing the happy dance because in two days I will be in Houston for Market....but I have been working extra hard with my Twister.  My "adopted" daughter, Andrea, finally gave me some very good news.  I am going to be an adopted "grandma" in May.  I have been waiting for this news since last year.  I am hoping for a little girl (I want to do lots of frilly things) but I will be thrilled with a boy too!  So you know me....so impatient....I started with this.....

whipped out my little twister and a couple of hours later I had this....

Isn't so pretty and springy....going to be just right for a May baby.  Haven't decided if I am going to put border on all four sides and make it fat and square.....or just a small border down the other two sides and make it longer and skinnier.....

I just can't get over what this little tool can do.

I course I admitted I was hoping for a girl....but I have the fabric laid out to do a boy quilt just like this one.....just in case....I figure she can use the one she needs and I will give the other one as a gift.

I already have the fabric laid out for 3 more of these little twister quilts.  I like the big twister, too....but it takes a little more space to spread out and a little longer to put back together.  The little ones just work up so quickly and they make me giggle.

Going to link up over at Lee's Freshly Pieced....

then go finish packing....

so excited.

What I see....

Kit Lang - What do you see on your way to work? posted a picture of what she sees on the way to work every morning and invited everyone to share their view....so I decided to play along.  I am so blessed to live and work in a basically rural area...no big cities for me.  So here is one of the first things I see when I leave every morning....

and just for fun....thought I would show you what I see when I get to work....

I am the bookkeeper and general manager of a independently owned Chevron.  Chevron is extremely strict on the requirements of how the station should look to meet their criteria.  But these little birds are determined.....we take the nests down and within two to three days they put it back up.  This is just one of them...they also build on the opposite side.  The "e" seems to be the perfect spot for their nests.  After taking the nest down two or three times....I gave up....the last Chevron inspection....they saw birds and nests.  I figured if they graded me off, I could remind them of their "caring" commercials about nature and beauty not being disturbed.  They are not hurting anyone and actually most people get a kick out of them as they hatch little ones at least twice a year.  And as an added bonus....they earn their room and board by keeping all crumbs picked up off the parking lot.  

Well I started out good....

I got up early, drank my coffee and started in my sewing room.  I am working on my "Big Twister" quilt one row at a time and I course being my impatient self....I cut another "Little Twister" and put it together.  You see, cutting and resewing is my meditation....I kind of "zone the world out" when I am piecing.  Other than those few morning minutes....life is like fighting fires right now.

But thanks to Kelly, I am trying harder to concentrate on wellness!

My purple fountain grass is really putting on a show

and the last rose of summer

I don't know who was enjoying it more.....me or the grasshopper!

Since I am not really a big fan of fall and winter this is going to be tough for me.

and McKitty......well a picture is worth a thousand words....

Yikes! It's Wednesday again.....

I wasn't ready....Friends of the Library meeting Monday, Garden Club last night....ooh...quick pictures because I have been doing a little work on my quilts.....

I had to try the big twister....this is before....

and the first few rows....my sewing space isn't large and so I cut and sew back together as I go along...this is tougher...because there is so much fabric to hang on to as you are cutting.  Can only work on it some mornings....so since I only had a little while Monday and Tuesday....I couldn't resist trying the little twister again....

made it smaller...thinking about making my pokeno pal some placemats out of this beautiful cardinal Christmas fabric...the cardinal is our Garden club bird and we both are members.  She has a beautiful home and decorates a lot for the holidays.

Have to go to work....linking up to WIP#48.....go see what everyone is working on.

We can't do enough....

For our veterans.  These men and women provide protection for us in an unsafe world.  Aren't we blessed!  I don't know if I could do what they do.  I am so thankful to all of them.  In my younger days it was Vietnam War veterans.  Everytime I meet one today, I shake their hand and tell them thank you.  They had it rough when they came back from war.  I abhor the way we are treating our veterans of the current wars.  Their benefits are few, the pay is terrible....let me climb down off my soapbox.

So I have joined "Quilts of Valor"....I will find time to make blocks and I am so proud to be able to do so for our veterans.

Read about Tom's Quilt of Valor at the Valor Quilt Bee