Ceremony

Wow! What a week!

I have been going non-stop for the last few weeks getting ready for the last few days. 

On Thursday, our company held a ground breaking ceremony for the impending campus expansion. It was kind of a big deal - in fact, Governor Nathan Deal was there.

We had every detail planned down to the little shovel-shaped spoons to put the dirt in the commemorative jars, but the one thing we couldn't control was the weather. 

Luckily we had a big tent and everything went off without a hitch. Our company president gave a moving speech about how we've let go of so many of the ceremonies in life, and why they chose to stand on ceremony for this occasion because of what it means to the whole company and its associates. I may have been a little extra sentimental because of the timing, but the whole day was beautiful despite the rain.

I came home from work, exhausted and ready for a nap, but there was no time for that! We packed a bag, and left early Friday morning for Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for Deuce's graduation from the University of Alabama. #RollTide




More rain couldn't wash away our excitement and pride! We didn't get to bring him home with us since he's "taking a victory lap" and staying another year to get his Master's degree.

Now it's time to get back to quilting and work on Monday's post for the #machinequiltingblog hop. I hope you join us! 

WiP Wednesday - Packing for QuiltCon!

It's WiP Wednesday and I'm packing for QuiltCon!

It's a balancing act. I mean, where's the line between comfortable and willing to have my picture taken? Seeing as much of the show as possible and still spending time with people I literally never get to see? Sticking to a healthy diet and enjoying the long weekend?

See what I mean?

As for actual quilting this week, I made a block for a swap I'm in...and get to hand deliver it in Savannah!

I also started cutting out The Pit Boss's quilt and made the first block. This isn't the block, but I'm so beside myself about how great my points came out I had to share this picture again.

The white board is helping to keep me honest. Last weekend we were visiting Deuce in Tuscaloosa (and meeting his girlfriend's parents! How am I old enough to have a kid old enough to have a girlfriend???). Grace added to the list.

I'm so excited to meet some of you in person and catch up with some quilty friends. Hope to see you there...or follow all the action on Instagram and Twitter!

Big Daddy's Quilt

Remember the quilt I was working on for my father-in-law for Christmas Father's Day his birthday?

I finally finished it, and we gave it to him last night at a birthday dinner. I couldn't come up with a cute name, so I just called it Big Daddy's Quilt.

When I was first pregnant and we were trying to think of nicknames for the grandparents, someone came up with the clever suggestion to call my 6'5" father-in-law Big Daddy. Deuce couldn't quite say all of that, and shortened the nickname to Big. Now pretty much everyone who knows him through us calls him Big. It sure does suit him - not only is he a big guy physically with a big deep voice, but he also has a big heart! He is so generous with his time and advice, especially for those who find themselves in difficult situations.

I am so grateful to have in-laws I love and who are such a huge part of our family. Have a happy birthday, Big!

Special thanks to Lene for quilting it with my favorite all over pattern for men.

Happy Mother's Day!

Longer post later, but both my boys arrived home from college Friday afternoon, so I am enjoying the best Mother's Day gift ever - all five of us under one roof again.

Hope all the mamas out there have a great day!

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Blank Slate

We have been on a home improvement kick the last few months, so not much going on in my sewing room, but that is about to change! Now that both boys are off to college, Gracie convinced us to play musical bedrooms. She moved into Deuce's room - which has been largely undisturbed in over two years as he prefers the queen sized bed in the guest room when he does come home - and took over the much larger Jack and Jill bathroom that the boys used to share. My Middle Child (MMC) will move to Gracie's old room so the two of them aren't sharing a bathroom when he is home this summer, and his old room will become...wait for it...my new sewing studio!!

We have painted and changed out the twenty year old tub hardware and light fixtures and builder's grade ceiling fans. We have cleaned carpets and given away childhood furniture and emptied closets. The people at Lowe's know us by name.

Finally I have an empty room and, of course, I'm frozen; unsure of where to start. One decision I'm putting off  need to make is what I'd like to use for a sewing table. My current space and money saving setup is okay, but not ideal. Unfortunately there aren't any big shows coming up close to me soon where I might get to see some in person (or take advantage of show discounts).

If you have any thoughts, I would love to hear them. I hope to share pictures along the way and start sewing soon in my new dream space!




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#TBT - Throwback Thursday - Little Man

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It's Throwback Thursday here at Quiltin' Jenny, and I hope you'll link up and share your own creative adventures from your pre-blogging days.

Today's project is another one from my attempts at garment sewing. This may be the most impressive thing I've ever made, to be quite honest.

Back in 1998 my cousin was getting married. She is Deuce's godmother and she wanted him to be in her wedding. When she made that decision, My Middle Child (MMC) was barely a year old, so there were no plans to include him.

I found an adorable pale green suit for Deuce to wear as her ring bearer and thought we were all set; when she visited just a few months before the big day and realized how much MMC had grown up, she regretted not planning on both of them. Of course, finding a cute toddler suit in July was a whole different thing than finding one in February or March when everyone was planning for Easter! I couldn't find anything even close, so I decided to make one.

I hope you are all appropriately stunned by the insanity of this idea.

Anyway, I found some powder blue fabric, a pattern and, with Mom's help, we actually made a suit. We made a suit that fit and didn't fall apart in the middle of the ceremony. We made a suit that looked adorable! He came down the aisle with his brother, holding a calla lily to present to our grandmother in memory of our grandfather.  It was very sweet.

I can't believe this sweet boy is going to be 18 next week. He has made us laugh more times than I can count and is never at a loss for words. He's applying to college now; he's already been accepted to Alabama and Kentucky, so he has options. I'm more proud of him than I can say, and know I'm going to miss him like crazy next year!

Where does the time go?

An InLinkz Link-up

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Houseworks Holiday Plan - Week 2 - Calendar and Creativity Week

It's Week 2! Time to focus on schedules and ~gulp~ decluttering the quilt studio. I guess week 2 of any plan is going to be the tough one for me; on the Holiday Grand Plan week 2 was the office!

Last week was good. I got my desk cleared off and added to the giant "to be shredded" stack.  We reviewed the notes from last year, and thought about this year - everything from "focus" to which recipes we liked and which ones to replace.

Moving ahead: the calendar is the easy part. We are so fortunate that we do not have to travel for any of the holidays, and Deuce will drive himself home from school now that he has a car there. Since I ditched the Christmas cards, I don't do a family portrait session either.

I am looking at the calendar and counting weeks to see when to get my hair done so that I don't wake up the Monday before Christmas and realize that I look like hell and won't have time or access to a salon for two more weeks. Priorities, you know?

I have my Gift List ready, and even have a few ideas. I don't know that I'll be making any homemade gifts this year, but I always laugh out loud at the Crafter's Rule of Four on the Organized Home site. If I followed this rule I'd never be allowed to buy fabric again!

How did last week go for you? What will you schedule this week? Are you making homemade gifts this year?






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#TBT - Throwback Thursday - Because He First Loved Us

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It's Throwback Thursday here at Quiltin' Jenny, and I hope you'll link up and share your own creative adventures from your pre-blogging days.

Today's quilt is called "Because He First Loved Us." I made it when Deuce was in kindergarten for his teacher who was getting married. We threw her a little party at the end of the year, and I wanted a quick gift from all of the kids.

I made this small quilt with 4" squares of muslin that the kids wrote their names on, some four patches, and some sashing. For some reason I appliqued hearts onto it. Then I did a faux binding. Honestly, this quilt has so many things wrong with it design-wise. I have no idea what I was thinking!

The label has the verse from I John 4:19 that says, "We love because He first loved us" and all of the kids' names. 

Whatever the case, the bride did a good job of acting like she liked it. It always surprises me when a post from her shows up in a friend's feed on Facebook because she has four kids now. I feel old.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Houseworks Holiday Plan - Week 1

It's Week 1 of the Houseworks Holiday Plan. This week I think I'll be okay, since a lot of it is the same as starting the old plan. Making lists at the beginning is one of my favorite things!

This is the week we will sit down over dinner and go over our debriefing from last year and fill out the Family Values Worksheet for this year. Even better: Deuce is home for my FiL's birthday celebration, so we won't have to conference call him in from Tuscaloosa!

I don't print a paper binder; my notes are all on spread sheets that I can reuse each year. My Master Gift List and budget don't change much from year to year either.

Last year our biggest hurdle was me working full time; scheduling time to shop and plan ahead were on the list of things both The Pit Boss and I wanted to do better this year. Establishing and sticking to a budget are on that list as well.

As for the housework part of the plan, I have a head start on that, too. For my birthday, TPB gave me a ScanSnap iX500 after I shared this blog post from Abby over at Organizing your life about going paperless. We have been scanning like fiends, and have two giant bins of paper to shred.

Are you joining me this year? Which plan will you use? Remember: the more you do now, the more time you'll have for quilting later!







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WIP Wednesday - Heading for the Finish Line

I'm linking up with WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

My progress stalled last weekend when we drove to Tuscaloosa to help Deuce move into his first apartment, but I worked up the nerve to enter this quilt into the guild show. Now I really have to finish it!

I completed the feathering around the points of the star, and moved on to the small square and triangle spaces. I've been browsing for FMQ motifs over at The Inbox Jaunt, and decided to try Lori's Easiest Flower Ever.

Now I've moved on to the more tricky, irregular spaces outside the surround fabric. I couldn't find what I really wanted, so I cut a piece of freezer paper into the shape of the space, folded it in half, and cut out my heart/swirl doodle. I'm going to press it onto the quilt and try quilting around it. I'll let you know how that goes!

My next big decision will be whether or not/how much to quilt in the other areas of the quilt and what color thread to use. I'm sure I'll be back to ask your opinion soon!

Menu Plan Monday - For Real This Time!

It's Menu Plan Monday and we are clawing our way back to "routine." Deuce heads back to Tuscaloosa tomorrow morning shortly after Gracie leaves for her first day of 8th grade. My Middle Child (MMC) has a week under his belt, and is settling into the long days of school/cross country practice/dinner/homework/sleep.

We're experiencing a lot of lasts this week; tonight is our last night before Deuce leaves for awhile, and today will be my last open house at Gracie's school - our fifteenth straight one there! I'm nostalgic and excited and anticipating the very busy months ahead of filling out applications and making big decisions about high school for her and college for MMC.

• Sunday - on the fly (Fall Sports Night/Senior Pictures)
• Monday - dinner at the grands
• Tuesday - Healthy Chicken and Broccoli Tetrazzini
• Wednesday -Asian Brined Pork Loin, jasmine rice, stir fried veggies
• Thursday - chicken and veggie kabobs, quinoa
• Friday - Almost Famous Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Saturday - steaks on the grill, baked potatoes, Caesar salad

What's on your menu?



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Menu Plan Monday - Back to School But Not Back to Normal

It's Menu Plan Monday and high school starts tomorrow for my middle child, formerly known in this space as the Bear. On a side note, he has informed me that this nickname has negative connotations (I'll let you google at your own risk) and he would prefer I not use it anymore. However, he cannot think of a nickname that he does like.  ("Can't you just kill off my character?", he asked.  Ummm...no.) Henceforth, he shall be called My Middle Child or MMC.

Aaaaaaanyway....he goes back to school tomorrow, Grace starts next Tuesday, and my college boy is home for a week in between his summer research program and the start of the fall semester. Summer is over but we aren't quite back in the routine yet.

• Sunday - fast food after the dinner I made FAILED
• Monday - Quilt Guild/YOYO
• Tuesday - hamburgers on the grill, potato salad, grilled corn on the cob, mixed green salad
• Wednesday - pollo sabroso, brown rice, oven roasted green beans
• Thursday - pork chops, yellow rice, Caesar salad
• Friday- we're introducing Deuce to Big Pie in the Sky, our new pizza obsession
• Saturday -dinner with the grands TBD

What's on your menu?



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Fabric Postcards, Fourth of July, and Family!

I am whoop whooping it up because my boy is coming home and my brother's family is in town for our first visit with Batman. The only thing that makes me happier than all my kids under one roof is when my whole extended family is together.

This makes my heart so happy! #thirdchild

 There's been swimming, tons of good food, and so much laughter. There are little kids, big kids, KanJam, and Cornhole, not to mention hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, and s'mores. It might be my favorite week of the whole year!

I haven't been sewing much lately, so no finishes except my fabric postcard for the Summer Swap that Sandi over at Quilt Cabana Patterns organized.  I realized that I showed you the one Pip sent to me, but I wanted to wait until it arrived in Australia before I showed you the one I made for her.

After seeing how Pam used her daughter's art to inspire a quilt, I decided I would make my summer postcard in the style of one of my favorite paintings that Grace has done. She painted this at an art camp when she was about seven or eight, and I love it.

You can see all of the summer postcards in the Flickr group.

I'm linking up today with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?  Sarah is hosting a quilt giveaway, so check it out!




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