Past Quilt Project

I have not really been working on anything in particular this past week. Just a lot of little loose ends that I needed to get done. I must be in a crafting slump of sorts. But I did want to share the picture of the quilt I made for my granddaughter for when she came home from the hospital. I made this in 1992. Its hard to believe that my granddaughter will be 17 in April and she is a Junior this year. She even asked me the other day if I would make her prom dress. I don't feel old enough to have a grandchildren as old as I do, so that must mean that she is really not that old. Life sure goes by fast. This was just a panel of fabric that I added some batting to the back and then quilted around the squares. I didn't really know what I was doing but it turned out nice. And such nice memories for me as I look back for when we brought her home from the hospital. Her mother was but a child herself (16), and although I wish she would have waited to have children I wouldn't trade either of my grandkids for anything. They really are the love of my life.

I also wanted to post a stitchery I made for my very good friend Deana for Christmas. I hadn't had a chance to post it before. I really like the way it turned out and she loved it. It was a surprise for her.

I finally got rid of the extra twin bed I had in my son's old room today. So now I have the big task of cleaning that room from top to bottom, shampoo the carpet and finally get the sewing/craft room that I want. I sort of had things in there where I could use that room to sew in, but over time it seemed to become a catch all room. Things that didn't have a place, things that needed to be fixed, things that needed a new home seemed to find their way in there. I am embarrased to even show the picture but I figured I would and that would be an incentive to get get it done. It is going to take me awhile to finish this room because of my crazy work schedule and not having more then one day off at a time. I will do it as I find time but I WILL get it done. I think part of the reason I am in a craft slump is because I can't find everything I need and I need a nice place to create. Overall I am just happy to have a room where I can dedicate to my sewing and craft.

Enjoy the day and be safe.

Wishing on a Rainbow

As a kid my grandmother always told me to make a wish whenever I see a rainbow. Oh such easy and carefree days. This is a pic that was taken last June over my house. I have had a lot of things on my mind lately and I ran across this picture while looking for something else and thought of my grandmother. Brought a smile to my face. My grandmother's birthday was February 11th and she would have been her 115. She was this short little lady who so big in her heart. I have so many happy memories of her. I wish I could talk to her again. Someday I will and I know she will welcome me with open arms. I don't have a picture of her on this computer. I need to go through my actual photographs and scan them into this computer, but I just haven't had time. Time these days seems to get by me so quickly. If only there were just 2 more hours in the day I might get things done that I need to. Oh I know I am rambling but I think I its more of a cabin fever. I need to have some nice warm weather, the sun shining, the warm breeze coming in my windows and being able to be outside. I can't wait till spring. I can't wait to go to this training for work next week. I will be gone for a week and will have time to relax each day after the trainings. There are 6 of us going from work and we each get our own room. The rooms happen to be suites. So it will be nice and relaxing at least for me it will. I am making my list of things I want to take with me. I NEED to just get away and be with my own thoughts and think a lot of things through. I also am a little frustrated because my camera is broke. Not sure what happened. I took a picture, noticed the battery was going dead, so charged it, put it back in the camera and nothing. It wouldn't turn on, wouldn't do anything. Thought the battery was bad, had it checked out, nothing, its fine. So now I need to call Fuji and see about getting it fixed. It's not even a year old yet. Oh well just one of a number of things that seem to be going haywire around here.

I hope everyone is having a safe and wonderful day. Enjoy the rainbows in your life. I know I have many. I just have to put them in order.

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day. I have my bags filled with candy, gifts and cookies for my daughter and granddaughter. I also have some rice krispie treats in the shape of pink lips and pink hearts to give to both of them. That will probably be their favorite. My grandson got his bag yesterday at school from me. He was happy and scarfed down a couple of the cookies right away. That boy never turns down food of any kind, yet he is so skinny.

Now here is a picture of what I would like for Valentine's Day. So if anyone has a spare one laying around would you please share. LOL anyway, I hope everyone does enjoy this day of Love, Romance and Family.
Happy Valentine's Day

Baking and Crafting

This past week I have been working on making some of my family Valentine bags. I saw the bags on another blog, which I posted about in a few days ago. I made 4 of them. They turned out really cute. Well at least I think so. Gee hope that I don't break my arm patting myself on the back. LOL They take no time to make. I think from start to finish it was maybe 45 min. Those type of things are always good to do especially if you need something in a hurry.

At work we have a team for Relay for Life and today and tomorrow we are having a bake sale, one of many we will have before the Relay in June. I am not much of a baker. Never really have been so if I can make something that takes little time but looks like you took hours then I am all over it. So here is something that I have made in the past and has always been a hit. What does these two things have in common?

These, and boy are they good!

These take no time at all to make. Just use already prepared sugar cookie dough. I bought the big box at Gordons Food Supply, and you need Andes mint candy for how many cookies you are going to make. Just take each cookie and wrap around a piece of candy. Place on cookie sheet about 2 in apart. Bake at 325 for 10 min. They will look like they are not done. Thats ok, just let them sit on cookie sheet a few minutes to settle. They do make a flat cookie. But if you bake them a little longer the candy melts to much and they don't set up very well. I learned that the hard way. They really are just that easy and oh so good. I try to have some of these on hand so if I need to make some quick cookies for whatever I can make them.

I was having issues with loading the pictures today so please parden me for the way this post looks. I hope you have a wonderful day and be safe. Enjoy this nice weather for as long as it will last. I know I am.

16th folder, 15th picture

I have read some blogs where they pick a folder and picture by number and post that. I thought it was a fun idea and thought I would try it just to see what would come up. I couldn't decide what number to pick so I decided to use my granddaughters age for the folder and my grandsons age for the picture. Who knew that this particular picture would come up. I laughed at what came up. It actually a picture of them together. This picture of Morgyn and Kharson was taken on my birthday this past year. It had been over a year and a half since I had seen my grandson and I was so surprised at how much he had grown. The reason I hadn't seen my grandson is a story in itself. But to emotional of a one to explain. But suffice it to say this past birthday was a Glorious one for me. No amount of presents or surprises could top seeing him. Ok so now I was intrigued to see what would happen if I put in some other number combination if they would coincide. Well it didn't but this is what I came up with when I used my 2 daughters birth months. It came up only as a picture of my beautiful oldest daughter Amanda.

Ok so I thought I am going to try this one more time and see what comes up. This time I used my birthday month and day. What came up is a picture of me laying on deck on the cruise we went on last March. I really didn't want to post this because I hate, absolutely hate having my picture taken let alone show anyone, but what the heck I gotta do it. We had the deck mostly to ourselves that day as most of the passengers had gotten off to go into Calica, Mexico but we opted to stay on board and just relax. And relax we did. Oh the sunshine over this snow sounds so wonderful.

Well I guess since I have posted pics of most of my family I might as well post a pic of my youngest daughter and my son and my future dil.

Try this and see what you come up with. I had fun.

Have a wonderful day and stay safe.

Sue

I actually see GRASS!!!

I was asleep ( it's 10a, I work the midnight shift) and my cell phone rang. I got up to answer it and this is what I saw when I looked out my patio doors into my backyard... I actually see grass this morning!!!! The weather is nice for this time of year. The weatherman said we would actually hit 50 today and I think we passed that. The SUN is shining and all the snow and ice is dripping off my house. Yes things look wet and dirty outside but I don't care, I SEE GRASS!!!! From what the weather channel says its suppose to be nice for the rest of the week. I will take days like today no problem. I am so ready for SPRING!!!!!!

Well I am going to go back and lay down for a little bit longer as I still have to work tonight, but I just had to share this wonderful news. Well at least wonderful news to me. I hope everyone is having a wonderful day.

I am so tired of SNOW

I am so tired of snow, I am tired of shoveling, I am so tired of the cold, I am so tired of the ice, I am so tired of all of this!!!! Ok now thats out of my system. I guess I should be used to this type of weather since I have lived in Northwest Indiana my whole life. But we have not had this bad of winter in a long long time. So I guess we were all a little spoiled. They say we are to have 6 more weeks of this yucky white stuff. I hope it goes by quickly. My daughter has not been able to take down her Christmas stuff yet because she put the containers in the shed and she can't get to it to open it up. I had told her on New Years day she should get them out of the shed before we get any more snow but she didn't. And now she is regretting that. Oh well it is suppose to get around 50 on the weekend so maybe she can shovel enough to get them out.

I watched tv last night all bundled up in my recliner and caught up on some shows I had taped. While sitting there I made a couple of stitcheries to put in a couple frames I picked up at GW. I will use these frames to swap out various holiday things. I am enjoying stitching and I need to get busy and make my little Valentine bags for my daughter and granddaughter that I saw onhttp://bittybitsandpieces.blogspot.com/ .

I got a call from my boss at work asking if I wanted to go to a training in Indianapolis the 24-27th of this month. I said sure, it will be nice to get away and it will be about developing programs for youth that are re-entering the community after being incarcerated in boys/girls school, treatment facilities and placements. That is an area that I have been saying we have been needing for a long time. You can't expect troubled kids that have been told what they can do while in the various facilities to be productive in the community without some guidance and some direction. Will be interesting to go to this training. I also need to get myself a bag of crafts to do. The training will be during the day and I will have my evenings free in the hotel room. So I can relax and be productive. Just need to have enough to do for a week. And it has to be things I can do by hand. Will start making my list now and keep adding to it as the time goes by.

Have a safe and wonderful rest of the day.

Sue

Projects I have finished at work

As I have said before I am able to take most of my craft projects to work with me since I work the midnight shift. Need something to keep me busy, awake and make the night go by quicker. I work in a juvenile detention center with 10-17yr olds. On the midnight shift you spend 99% of your time in this little room working the control board, watching monitors of the center, laundry and bedchecks. During the midnight shift there are normally just 6 of us in the building. Myself and my co-worker on secure and the 2 on each the girls and boys unit. Here are a couple pictures of the control room, monitors and the control panel which is what we use to open all the locked doors. Pretty much no one goes anywhere in the building without the control room unlocking the door for you. It can be a little intimidating for new people when they get between doors and they lock behind you. Working where I work is not for everyone. I happen to love working there. Yes there are days but for the most part I do love it.

The picture of the monitors was taken during one of the days while the residents were in the classroom. They are all in bed and hopefully sleeping by time I get there.

Now onto to what I have been working on. I like to do cross stitch and I found these type of pins a while back and have been making different ones over the years. I don't have many because I usually end up giving them away when someone says they like it. I don't mind because I enjoy making them. These pins I am keeping except for the birdhouse one. That is one of the things I made for my mother for her birthday the end of the month. I still have more things to make for her. If I could just sit down without interruptions I can finish one pin in about 3hrs but at work between doing my job and any thing else that might come up it takes me about 7hrs. They are made on perforated paper. There is no finishing the edges. You just cut as close to the design as you can without cutting into the threads. I always glue on some felt to the back to finish it off and seal in all the threads so nothing comes undone. These kits cost around 5 at the local craft store. It comes with all you need plus extra. So more than enough.

Remember making flowers out of Kleenex when you were a kid? Well I make them out of tissue paper now and they turn out so cute. I have made them for different centerpieces and have always gotten many compliments. Its a cute but inexpensive way of decorating. I am planning on making some later this afternoon from some Valentine tissue paper I have. I just keep recycling the vase for each holiday. A couple years ago I made about 1500 flowers to put along the edge of a tent and table for our Luau picnic we had one summer for work. I also used brown paper grocery bags and cut them open flat and cut them up in strips almost to the top to look like grass skirts and then added the flowers to the tops. It really turned out wonderful. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of this because I lost them when my old computer crashed UGH! I will be taking pictures of the Valentine flowers when I finish them up.

I hope you all have a wonderful day and thank you for looking at a small corner of my world. Keep crafting and I know I have found by keeping my hands busy I am not keeping my hands busy putting food in my mouth which is a good thing. LOL

Have a wonderful day and stay safe.

A little Valentine decorating

I need more things to decorate for Valentines Day. I used to have more but not really sure what happened to the box. Or maybe I didn't have that much but I used to put it in one area so it looked like more. Not sure which it is. Oh well I am working on making some more things to put around. I enjoy decorating for the holidays or in themes. Here are a few pics of what I have around my living room.

I have some things I will be posting tomorrow for Whatcha Working on Wednesdays which is hosted by Leslie http://http://sweets-mycountryhome.blogspot.com/ everyone should really check her blog out. She has some wonderful decorating ideas. I get a lot of inspiration from her ideas she posts. I hope you enjoyed my little bit of holiday decorating. I know I am.

Have a wonderful day,
Sue

My TS finds

My mother and I went TS shopping on Sat and they were having a 50% off sale. I found some clothing that I needed. Since losing weight my size fluctuates so much that I hate to pay full price for something that may not fit in a month. And going on a sale day well I can buy twice as much. I also was able to get some wicker baskets and they were buy 4 for $1. I could not pass that up. I bought 8 baskets. I use them all around the house for various things and I like to have them around to use as gift baskets. I also found a wooden bunny and a small crock that I plan on using to hold my sugar substitute packets.

I also picked up this picnic basket for $2.50. I have been wanting one of these for awhile and for that price I couldn't pass it up. Then I had a surprise when I opened it up, it was full of yarn, crocheting books and 3 afghan needles in different sizes. I asked if that was extra and was told no it came with the basket. I quickly grabbed that up. The needles alone cost around $2 ea at the store. I was very happy. I will be adding some things I have been working on also on Wednesday. I hope my creative crafty mood sticks around for a long time. I love getting things done that I have been wanting to get finished.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.