Exciting Week

I have been doing some sewing again. I have Tasha's graduation quilt sandwiched and the quilting has begun. And I did my June Tisket, Tasket block. I had intended to use bright colors since it's the beginning of summer. But these fabrics just begged to be used. I love how it turned out.



The big excitement for the week has been my anniversary present. It's a bit early - the actual date is July 11th. It's a treadle sewing machine. I have wanted one for years.

Here it is fully opened:




And closed up and decorated:




Thunder says hi and despite the look on his face, he really does love his crate:



Until next time, hugs and stitches. Jody

A Great Book and Some Quilting

As I said, I have been doing a lot more reading that quilting (although there is some of that too). Yesterday I finished Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas:



I am familiar with the name but not the work of Sandra Dallas and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking for another of her books very soon. This one is set in 1936 in Middle Swan, Colorado and has for it's two main characters Hennie Comfort and Nit Spindle. Hennie is 86, likes to tell stories and quilt. Nit is 17, likes to hear stories and quilt. While Hennie was telling Nit stories it took me back to a time when I was much younger and I sat around in my Grandmother's backyard listening to my Mom and Dad and my aunts and uncles tell stories.

We learn of Hennie's life through the stories she tells Nit. There are some twists and turns and some great surprises. I highly recommend this one.

As far as the quilting goes, unfortunately there are still no pictures. I have my daughter's graduation quilt top done but she doesn't want to see it until the entire quilt is finished. So we're in a holding pattern until I can get the backing pieced, then sandwich and quilt it before I can post a picture.

Another "almost ready but not quite" project is the June block of the Tisket, Tasket BOM. The applique is all done but I need to do some embroidery and put on the buttons.

Until next time, hugs and stitches. Jody

Graduation - Part Two

We are home from Tasha's graduation. We had rain so it was held indoors. Through some mix-ups and situations beyond our control a good bit of the family was missing. However, Grandma Voron and Tasha's friend Ashley (who now lives in Ohio) were there. And when we got home we found out that Tasha's god-father and his friend came in a bit late (and without tickets) but were able to get seats in the auditorium to watch the tv feed.

So here are a few pictures:



The proud graduate (this is in front of our house).





The graduating class of 2009. They had about 330 graduate but only about 280 were allowed to participate in the ceremony.





Mom and Dad are so proud.




And the promised picture of Thunder - who has suddenly become camera shy.

Until next time, hugs and stitches. Jody

Graduation - Part One

This is a big day in our house. We have two graduates. Joe, our middle son, is graduating elementary school. I attempted to get some pictures at the ceremony but between the terrible lighting and my son who decided to do his impression of a roadrunner and go across the stage at the speed of light I didn't get a single one. So I settled for numerous pictures of him and his friends in their natural habitat (the food line lol), eating, one with his teacher and this little gem (my personal favorite lol):



On the way home we stopped by work because Esther had graciously added Tasha's name to the reader board along with the kids who work at the restaurant and are graduating. I knew she was doing it but Tasha was completely surprised.



So this is part one because Tasha's graduation is being held tonight. In the meantime we're going to make ice cream and I'm going to work on her graduation quilt - which will never be finished by tonight but she won't mind that.

I'm still struggling with the tennis elbow. Working on Tasha's quilt is really more that I can tolerate at times so I'm still spending my free time reading. This series of three I read about on my friend Barb's blog. Since we are so much alike I figured if she likes them I would too - and she was right. These are winners.





You need to read these in order as they build on each other. I love books like that. Sometimes I get so invested in the characters I want to know more and more about them. Each book is as good as the one before it - and I'm hoping there will be a fourth book in the series - SOON.

Right now I'm reading Sandra Dallas' Prayers For Sale. So far I really like it.

Well I'll be back later with Graduation - Part Two. And I'll try to snap a shot or two of Thunder - he misses being here.

Until next time, hugs and stitches. Jody

Checking in quickly

After almost two months I am still having problems with my tennis elbow. However I have given in and started some quilting - you can only stay away for so long. lol.

Only two things in the works right now. The May A Tisket A Tasket Block:



And I have been working on my daughter's quilt. She'll be graduating high school in two weeks and I don't even have the top done. So that's my goal - to finish the quilt top for my daughter by June 10th in time for her graduation.

I'm working on my new computer and have only loaded a couple of pictures so I don't have a parting shot of Thunder but he sends his love.

Until next time, hugs and stitches. Jody

All the news

Well the major news and the news that every thing else revolves around is that I have tennis elbow. I've had it before - it's rather painful. It comes from repetitive motions. When I had it last time it was from spending too much time on the computer. This time it's a combination of work related actions (lots and lots of portioning) and too much time on the computer.

So I'm supposed to be not using the hand anymore than I absolutely have to. Which leads to I shouldn't even be doing this. But I have to tell you I'm going about buggy. NO QUILTING!! What a nightmare! Especially with my daughter graduating high school in less than two months and her quilt not even half finished - and that's the top never mind the actual quilting. sigh.

I have been reading quite a bit. I read the latest Elm Creek Quilters book and have proclaimed it my absolute favorite. I love all the books but the ones set in the Civil War time frame are my favorites. The Lost Quilter is the continuation of Joanna's story - Joanna being the runaway of The Runaway Quilt. Jennifer Chiaverini has a wonderful gift for telling stories. If you haven't read her books this is a wholehearted recommendation to pick one up - soon.



My next book was The Help by Katherine Stockett. I had heard that this book was a "must read" and it certainly is. Set in Jackson Mississippi in the early 1960s it is the story of the white ladies and the black maids who tended to them. It's told in the voice of three different women and it's a page-turner. It's an unvarnished look at the lives these women lived and parts of it are not pretty - as it accurately portrays the times that were not always pretty. Ugly things happen that mirror events in real life - events that I am thankful I was too young to have been a part of. But in amongst the ugly truths about the past of our Country there are the loyalties, loves and risks that these women were willing to take to make a better Country. If you only buy one book this year - buy this one.



And the one I just finished about an hour ago - A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick. I will admit that I looked at this one a number of times before actually getting it. I'm so glad I finally decided to pick it up. And thank goodness this is the first book in the series because I'm not ready to let go of Evelyn, Abigail, Margot and Liza. If you need a book about the encouragement of friends and the need to have friends in your life - this book is it. And they quilt - who could not love a book about a group of quilters? I can't wait until the end of May when the second book comes out.



Next on my list - if my library has it - is Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas. Maybe I'll get the chance to check tomorrow.

Well the elbow is throbbing so I'm off to find my ice bag.

Until next time - hugs and stitches. Jody

Happy Easter!!

Easter is my favorite holiday. Christmas is really great because it's a celebration of Jesus' birth. But Easter is a celebration of Jesus' completion of God's plan. It's the celebration of the eternal life that we can all have in Heaven because of Jesus' sacrifice.

We have also had another celebration this week - our daughter Tasha turned 18. We asked her what she wanted to do and she decided on a road trip. So early Wednesday morning we loaded up the Durango and headed to Washington DC to the zoo. Here's a shot of the kids between exhibits.



Yesterday our oldest son got a fun assignment at work:



LOL. He wasn't all that thrilled. The ventilation was close to nothing and the eye holes weren't really near his eyes. But he's a good sport and did his best. He said it was amazing how many kids loved him from afar but were scared to death to sit with him.

So today has been low key. Our plans for church were not to be so I ended up running to the store for raisin bread and then in to pick up Ryan at his apartment. Rodger made french toast and it's one of Ryan's favorites - and since he was supposed to go to church with us we would have missed seeing him today had he not come out.

We did an egg hunt for Joe and Timmy although Rodger tried to tell them they're too old for it (the eggs were in the back of the shed at the bottom of a stack of bins and the store was sold out of them). But we managed. Here they are as they take off:



On the quilting front, as I mentioned in my last post, I'm doing the A Tisket A Tasket BOM from Bunny Hill (you can click on the link on the right hand side if you'd like more details). I'm making individual wallhangings and I finished up the April one last night.



I can remember a time I was completely intimidated by applique work but I noticed the other night almost every thing I've made lately has included applique in some form. I haven't perfected it - but I'm getting more comfortable with it.

Well there's a ham and some sweet potatoes I really need to get in the oven. So here's a parting shot of Thunder. If you look closely at his nose you'll notice a little red dot. That's Ryan's laser keychain. Thunder loves it. Rodger has one too and one night they were both playing with him at the same time. Great entertainment for those of us easy to amuse. lol. It amazes me how big he's gotten.



Until next time, hugs and stitches. Jody