Quilting Time

Here is the baby quilt I just finished. I am happy with the quilting, the first time I did any feathers. Even though they are sort of primitive looking, I think they look decent. They fit the style of the quilt. The back is a darling animal print flannel. It is so cozy.

I have two more baby quilts to make before May and one is almost all pieced. I have enough blocks to make another one just like this Stacked Stripes one, but I'd have to get more dots for borders, or something else.

It is snowing again... expecting a lot. Maybe a snow day tomorrow??

One Long Week

It's Friday and the long week is just about over. It's pretty icky weather out- very windy, wet snow, starting to accumulate although the roads seem pretty wet. I'm tired from long work days and brain energy exertion.

Five favorite parts of this past week:
1. Fun with our church family and the great food at the church chili cook-off last Sunday.
2. Election Day went well with minimal problems (and those easily solved), good weather, enough energy to last. This was the first with new staff configuration and we were really nervous about it.
3. Went to the gym Wednesday after work. This always makes my life feel normal.
4. Went running Thursday after work. Good stress relief and mood booster. Slept like a rock last night.
5. My m-i-l is fine after she had a car accident and her car was totalled. Drh was able to be a great help that day, and will continue to help them work through insurance and car purchase details.

I will have time to finish up a quilt and some other sewing projects and take photos this weekend. YAY. Have a great Friday! Come back soon!

Friday Faves

Just a quick list of five things that made this week good:
1. Public test of election equipment at work went smoothly.
2. Had a cold, but it wasn't that bad.
3. Finally shaved my legs (you don't want to know how long it's been).
4. Made and shared some great Raisin Applesauce bread (recipe here) with drh and my co-workers.
5. Enjoyed cute videos of my granddaughter showing her darling 9-month-old skills.
Oh, and because I only went back to Sunday for the 5 above, but I realized Saturday needs to be included:
6. Last but not least, visiting d#2 and her husband, seeing their puppies and going out to eat at a fun and good German restaurant with them, and having good driving weather for the day's trip.

Short Break

I've kind of already been on a break, I guess. Very busy with work, have had a cold, kind of tired. I don't want to whine, so I'll sign off and be back in a few days when the busy time is over and I feel better.

Friday... Finally

I do have a few favorites this week:
1. The crescendo of busy-ness at work has come and gone. Now there is still lots to be done, but not the frantic crunch that always happens 3 weeks before an election.

2. The weather has warmed up! I got to run outside last night, and apart from being out of shape and having a sore hip, it felt wonderful!

3. I had a quiet Sunday with time to quilt a baby quilt. The binding fabric is washed, pressed and ready to cut.

4. Great crockpot meal last night of potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, pork steaks with rosemary, garlic and lemon pepper. Also salad made with romaine lettuce, apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, green onions, celery, honey/mustard dressing. MMM.

5. We still have a couple clean garments to tide us over until I can get laundry done this weekend. :-)

I'd love to get back to Friday Fix-Ups soon, and posting some pictures of my current sewing projects. I have a couple of Valentine projects in mind, too. Just a couple more weeks of concentrating on work, eating, sleeping and running - hang in there, I say to myself! That's about it for today. Have a great weekend.

I'm Back

I have not had much time the past couple weeks to think - well, I guess I've been thinking a lot, but no time to write any of it down. No photos today, either. Just might have to wait on that...

Random thoughts:

The gym was pretty crowded on Monday - lots of "resolutioners" perhaps. But I did go twice this week, and ran on the treadmill once. The weather is bad for running. Though I've run outside all winter the past 5 years, I just can't take this cold - it's been in the 10's or lower the last several days. The last day I ran outside was Christmas day. Hopefully it will warm up soon.

Work is hectic, trying to get all aspects of the election to come together with fewer people and a new boss. But we're getting it done. Just looking forward to the middle of Feb. when it will be over until fall.

I have done some sewing, especially on the three-day New Year's weekend and on Thursday when I was snowed in at home. I am really looking forward to working on several projects I've started for spring baby gifts, etc.

I miss my kids and grandbaby more than ever, probably since we got to see them so much over Christmas week. I am sure we'll head out for more visits as soon as weather and work permit!

Basketball games are fun.

Cooking is fun, when you have a plan, ingredients and time to mess with it.

Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts a weekly blog meme (what does that mean - can anyone answer that for me?), so I decided to participate. It does everyone good to focus on things to be thankful for.

Friday Five Favorites (from the last week):

1. Cooking a festive and yummy dinner (pan seared steaks with grilled veggies, acorn squash, wild rice pilaf, chopped romaine and tomato salad, apple betty with ice cream, cabernet wine) and going to a basketball game with friends who celebrated their 34th anniversary, and spending the evening with them. Drh sang at their wedding. It was just as cold then as it was this year - 3 degrees.

2. Watching the beautiful snow on Thursday and not having to drive in it.

3. This morning's drive to work - bright sunrise, heavy white frost on the trees, blue sky.

4. Catching up on some volunteer paperwork commitments on Thursday while snowed in, and having time to sew in the afternoon.

5. New crossword calendar I received from drh for Christmas. It's a good one - challenging vocabulary without being full of words that are just impossible to know (like names, titles and celebrities I never heard of).