Thursday!

It has been a while since my last post...and very busy around here!  The last post was about my kitchen make over, here is some of the progress!

One day soon it will all be done...

The puppies have kept me very busy, they are getting big and into everything!

They are almost the size of my Boston Terrier!

I made a hat for my nephew...

The Trickster is trying it on to see if I needed to add more rows...

My oldest daughter turned 16 and is now a cheerleader!

And hopefully, I can get a Christmas quilt made before Christmas.  I've only had the fabric for the last five years!

Actually, I bought the black dots last week, but the rest is about five years old!

And the best news of all...Mary Ann and Bob (my family) finally got non-profit status to help the people on the Wanblee Reservation in South Dakota!  You can also read about them here Families Working Together   Two weeks ago my SIL and I filled the whole back of my Escape with clothes, shoes and winter coats to send out on the next trip!

That's all the random I've got for this week!

Linking up with Live a Colorful Life-Really Random Thursday

Kitchen Make Over Part One

This is where I started...

I have hated my kitchen from day one!  The house was built in the 70's so this was the quick update I originally did about 8 years ago...it was a an improvement, but I still hated it!  I took the week off from work and have been busy!

First, I had to remove the wallpaper border (what was I thinking when I put that up?) and then remove this wallpaper from behind the fridge...Bicentennial from 1976, the year I was born!

I made a huge mess...but this is semi cleaned up!

It seams like I have been painting for days and days, I chose Magnetic Force (a deep wine/burgundy color) for my backslpash  and soffit and I am going to end up doing 5 coats by the time I'm done!  What was I thinking?!  I hate painting!  The other walls are called Family Crest which is a beautiful light green.  Now my next dilemma is whether or not to paint the cabinets.  I have a cream color chosen but I am not 100% sure I should paint them and we are possibly going to sell the house, so I'm thinking of maybe stripping them.

And finally this is my project for the day...

Clear the hubby's desk, move it out of the way or take it apart, remove the border and paint the wall.

And paint yet another coat of Magnetic Force...

And keep these two out of trouble!  Don't let them fool you, they are not sweet innocent puppies!  They are tornadoes with legs!


Linking up with Live A Colorful Life Really Random Thursday

Random Thursday

What does a fox say?

Are you or your kids singing this insanely stupid, irritating song from YouTube?  My kids, customers and random people on the street are singing it!  I watched about 30 seconds of the video and could not take it!

What does Jen say?

SHUT UP!!!  Stop!  Its not that great of a song, not everyone wants to hear you sing it!!!  If you must hear it, here is the link What does a fox say?

When they get to the chorus you'll know what I mean when I say irritating!

Disclaimer: This is just my opinion...if you love it great, just please don't sing it around me.

Here's a song I think more people should sing...Colors by April Smith  My kids are allowed to sing this one!

Did you know? (according to uselessfacts.net)

Mr. Rogers was an ordained minister...

Dogs and cats consume over $11 billion in pet food a year!

According to Genesis 1:20-22, the chicken came before the egg.

Some people say that when the bands of black on a woolybear caterpillar are wide, a cold winter is coming. Uh-oh..I checked these myself this year-dress warm the bands were wide!

On average, right handers live about 9 years longer than lefties!

Nutritious food costs about 10 times more than junk food!

Grapes explode when you put them in the microwave.

A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.

You spend 7 years of your life in the bathroom! 

Quilt facts...

The most common color in traditional Amish quilts is black.

Quilting wasn't considered an art form until the 1960's

In 1856 Singer started the installment plan making sewing machines affordable.

Most common patterns in the early 1800's- nine patch, Irish chain and pinwheel.

# of hits on quilterscache.com as of today= 24,028,662 

Linking up with Really Random Thursday at Live a Colorful Life

So Cute...

It's a good thing they are cute because they are double trouble!

It's a BOY and a GIRL!!!

I said no more babies...but I could not help myself!!!  We were only going to get one but my hubby wanted  Bella too.

Mateo (pronounced Ma-tay-o)

4 LBS 12 OZ

Born September 1, 2013

Bella Ella

6 LBS 4 OZ

Born September 1, 2013

We brought them home last Sunday and have been basking in puppy cuteness all week, however there have been sleepless nights, endless puppy laundry and lots of this...

And of course, puppy proofing the kitchen where they will live for the next few weeks during training.  Now my daughter and I are trying to figure out a middle name for Mateo, any suggestions?

Linking up with Really Random Thursday-Live a colorful life

The Great Debate!

For the last week or so I have been going back and forth trying to decide if I should use all the squares from my "Glamping"  charm packs in my quilt.  I'll show you whats bugging me...

The lady in the corner looks like she's enjoying something a little too much while the other lady and the dog watch!  The dog even looks surprised!!!!

Here is what is actually happening...

I'm assuming she's putting on perfume and I know I don't react like that when I do!

And this makes it even more funny...

I wonder what the bare necessities really are!?!

 I think its hilarious but would it be too naughty for a quilt?  Do you think anyone will notice?   Maybe I should just fuse these two together and chuckle every time I use the quilt and say "Who cares?"  Or should I put these on the back?  Oh, I can't decide!


Linking up with Really Random Thursday at Live A Colorful Life

Twins plus one!

Quilts for twin girls and a boy that is!  I needed something quick because I have been so busy lately, I made the blocks for the twin quilts one evening last week.  I had Friday off so I got to sewing around 11 am and at 11:30 Saturday night (after a cross country meet and apple picking) I put the last stitch in the binding on the third quilt...

The boy quilt is my favorite out of the three.  Its simple but oh, so cute!  It's hard to see in the pic but its theme is frogs in light blue, green and white...

The backing is my most favorite part!

Frogs and turtles, too cute!

Now that these are done I can get back to my "Glamping" quilt for me!  I will hopefully be sewing the blocks together this week and have a finished quilt by next week!

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday

Field Trip...

This morning my oldest daughter ran at a Cross Country meet in Verona and afterwards my hubby, daughter and I went to Madison to the...

I went last year and had major sensory overload and ran out of money!  This year I went prepared for the crowd and with more money but I only bought two charm packs.  Go figure! A word of warning though, it is pricey just to get in the door, for the three of us it was $33.50 for admission and parking!

I go "Glamping" every time I go camping!  My camper has two kitchens, my own bedroom and bathroom and a place to hook up my ipod and charge my phone and did I mention we have a TV, too?...I don't like to "rough it"!  So this is destined to become a quilt for the camper! Or should I say a quilt for me when I camp!

  I also wanted to try playing with a long-arm quilting machine but most of them I was afraid to try!  Too many buttons and gadgets-I am a simple girl!  However, we stopped at this booth...

 The model I played on was perfect, simple just like me!  Now I need to find an extra $7000 laying around so I can bring one home...

Some of the quilts on display were amazing!  The only thing that disappointed me was a lot of them looked alike or some variation of these, there must be a trend going for this type...

Don't get me wrong, these are beautiful but way too busy and not something I even remotely want to make!  Again that's just my lowly opinion!

And this is the quilt that inspired me the most to possibly make someday...

Simple, inspiring, striking...maybe someday I'll make it...ok its on my quilting bucket list now!

This one was the most amazing in my opinion...

I think it was called Persephone's Garden, the detail up close was insanely mind blowing!  The roses were made from velvet!  I voted for this one for peoples choice award.

This quilt was the funniest...The Cereal Killer Strikes Again!

This is what my kitchen looks like after breakfast some days!

The best part of the day...the hubby said it wasn't too bad!  Maybe I can drag him back next year!

It took 8 years!!!

I bought this 8 years ago when we did work on our house...it sat in the box for 8 years despite my whining and nagging...

Last weekend the hubby finally hung it in the entryway and I LOVE it!!!  Now I need to paint again so this will stand out more. BONUS- the hubby put the vanity, sink and faucet in the kids bathroom, too!

Today after work I was chewing out my youngest son for taking a hammer to our front sidewalk and he found this...

I don't know what ants do with grasshopper legs but this one was working hard to get this leg home!

I also finished some hats this week too!

My youngest daughter had to go to the childrens hospital to see her endocrinologist and orthopedic doctors yesterday so I took a loom and started the gray hat while we waited.  It took a long time for doctor visits, x-rays and blood work and I was able to get 3/4 of it done.  What a conversation starter knitting on a loom is, hopefully I inspired others to start knitting.

And just to show how far I've come with my knitting skills..

 
This is the first hat I made 3 years ago and its awful!  Good thing she loves what mom makes even if it is ugly!

Linking up with Live A Colorful Life Really Random Thursday

What a difference a day makes!

It took me all day but I am finished!  I was at my mess tolerance in my sewing room and I finally cleaned today, now maybe I can get some quilting done...

Here's the before...

I could hardly move around without bumping into SOMETHING!  This room seems to be the place where things go that my kids don't know where else to put them.  We now have a new rule-ask before you dump it in mom's sewing room!

And here is the after...

Oh, so much better!  I found some UFO's that I need to finish and a lot of fabric I forgot I had!  Another bonus...there's room for visitors now, too!  

I also finished two hats this weekend...

Two down, many more to go!

Jackpot!

Last night I went shopping with my sis, the other Jenni, and I hit the jackpot in yarn!

These are normally $8.99 a skein and they were on clearance for $1.97!  I bought all they had left and I will be making hats for the kids on the Indian Reservation for the coming winter...
Here's one in progress...

Last week I made Aunt Suzie a tablecloth for her farmers market table...

It turned out really cute so if you are ever in Galena, Illinois on a Saturday morning, stop at her booth and get some Suzie Bread, cinnamon rolls or brownies, she is an excellent baker!

I also made lots of these!  This is the second batch...

And yesterday a friend and my neighbor gave me more cucumbers so I will be making more refridgerator pickles this weekend!  I got my recipe from Crazy Mom Quilts with a few changes-no sugar and I add extra red pepper flakes, peppercorns and extra garlic. I brought these to both family reunions last year and was told to bring a whole bucket this year and again they were a hit!

Linking up with Live A Colorful Life Really Random Thursday today...
and tomorrow...
Crazy Mom Quilts

Happy Quilting and Knitting, too!!!