Thanks for the great ideas!!

It was nice to post again and I appreciate so very much the idea of just keeping this as a journal for ME!!!! Sometimes life has to be "all about ME!" That is what I am going to from now on. I'll read and post where I want and update here as I have time...not necessarily about quilting either. Life right now is full of so much more than quilting. Soccer consumes the fall season around here and I wouldn't have it any other way! ;-D

Speaking of soccer, my dh and I are headed to Bloomington, IL to watch our 3rd child, Kevin, play college soccer for North Park University! We just love that we are fortunate enough to have the financial capability and the time to do this!

On the quilting front, I am attempting to make my first King Size Quilt. I wanted this to be fast and showcase the gorgeous paisley fabric so I chose the Ohio Star. ( love stars) I got the blocks done the other day and this morning I figured I could get a bit done before heading out of town. What do you think? It's nothing fancy, but DH and I are loving it! Even if it's far from finished! LOL



Here is a closeup of the paisley fabric!

Not a lot going on

I have had this post written for a few days but forgot to post it. I have been deactivated on Stash Quilts because of my lack of posting. Fair enough...

I haven't posted in a long time cuz nothing quilty is going on. Life is hectic here. I did a quilt for a project that ended up not being needed. Now I am working on a quilt for our bed. I am anxious to get it done.

I am spending a lot of time on the road to see my son play college soccer, as well as watching my youngest son play his final year of HS soccer. I just LOVE this part of my life. It will be coming to end before I know it!!

I am not sure if blogging is something I want to, or have the time to continue doing. I think of you all often and continue to read your blogs.

Hugs
Laurie

Haiku's...Evelyn started it...BLAME HER! LOL

Mine is not about nature...it is about quilting! What else? ;o)

Quilting's sew much fun
There is sew much to be done
We quilter's are one

HAHAHAHAHA...not bad for my first try! Second try? This time about being a soccer mom!

Soccer is my life
Along with being a wife
No wonder there's strife!

OMG...this is too much fun! I remember having to write these in school! Let's see, nature...

A cardinal is a bird
Gorgeous sound when they are heard
Red is their color

OK...that's it for tonight! Thanks Evelyn for bringing back English class memories!!!

Anyone wanna join in?
Hugs
Laurie

Quilting and Faith/Tim concert

I ACTUALLY QUILTED TODAY!!! I realized that I had this tshirt quilt to finish up for one of my DS's high school friends. I had told her I'd have it done before she went back to college...she's leaving on August 2!!! Now to trim and bind! This is a closeup of the quilting...not sure if you can see it or not...it's just my random meandering! Something fun and fast!
The Faith Hill/Tim McGraw concert was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No warmup band and no intermission...just 2 hours and 40 mins of SOLID music! It was GREAT!!! They opened with a duet and then Faith performed for awhile. Then Tim joined her for another duet and afterwards Faith left the stage for Tim to perform solo. Then they finished with more duets! We were only 11 rows from one of the 4 runways that came off the circle center stage. PHENOMENAL!!!! If you haven't seen them and love them...GO GET TICKETS!!!

Hugs
Laurie

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw TONIGHT!!!

Tonight DD and I are off for her 21st bday present...Soul2Soul II Tour with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw! We are SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!!! First dinner and then the concert!!! I hope it's not too HOT in there...the weather has been ridiculous! It's even been too hot to go swimming! Maybe tomorrow!

Hugs
Laurie

How does your garden grow???

I haven't done anything quilty lately so I thought I'd share some of the garden! It is GORGEOUS right now...lots of colors going on! This is our Rose of Sharon bush...did you know there's a pattern called "Rose of Sharon"? I believe it's an applique block...probably one I could handle! LOL...I might have to look it up! This is a shot of a LOT of Hibiscus blooms! GOSH...this is just GORGEOUS right now! With TONS more blooms to come as you can see! The droop looking ones in the bottom left aren't OLD, they are just awakening!!!
Here's a closeup of one bloom! STUNNING huh? ;o)
I have no clue waht these are, but I zoomed in so you could see the worker bee here! Pollination and Mother Nature at it's best!!!
DH is out running and I need to shower. Then off to church, lunch, and possibly a soccer game...it's so DARN HOT here...heat advisory thru tomorrow night. Triple digit temps and heat indexes even HIGHER!!

Hugs
Laurie

Upon Request...

Here is a pic of the necklace that I bought. Sorry for the towel design in the background but it was the best I could do. What is really neat is that it says LOVE on the heart opening and on the toggle clasp it says YOU on the bar!!! I just LOVE this necklace!!! I wore it to dinner while on vacation and DH said it was made for my outfit! Here are the FQ's that I bought for DH's "pepper" quilt! Aren't these neat??? I think I'll use "Turning 20" for this one...fast, simple, and showcases the fabrics! I have to add a few and I'll make them tone on tone ones...to settle it down a bit! ;o)
I hope you like the pics!!! Thanks for asking!
Hugs
Laurie

Back from the Desert

We made it back with an uneventful trip! The temps were HOT HOT HOT and we spent a lot of time poolside...and Finn...no eye pokes with the umbrellas in the drinks! ;o) This is a pic of a hummingbird that was always outside of our villa. He or she was there every day. Actually, 3 of them were always there to greet me each morning! This is the view outside of our villa. I took a picture every morning because the mountains always looked different. This was my favorite morning though because of the clouds.
One day we went up the tram to the mountain...there was about a 35 degree temperature drop and it felt good. We spent about 3 hours or so hiking around and soaking in the beauty!
Here are my goofy guys and their walking sticks...you can see that Dh took this waaaaaaay too seriously! LOL...we got a good laugh out of it!!
This was sunset one night after we came out of the Italian restaurant at the hotel. We had an AMAZING dinner with AMAZING service and then walked outside to an AMAZING sunset!!! Does life get any better than this? I don't think so!
I also had time to go to a new quilt/bead store. I bought some FQ'S for dh (peppers...japeno type peppers) and a necklace for myself. I had to talk the owner into selling the necklace to me. She had promised it to an employee and then said aw heck, my husband can make another one!!! I call that being a smart business woman!!!

I caught up a bit on everyone's blogs...sounds like many of you have been busy! Tomorrow it's groceries and cleaning...UGH...reality stinks!!! ;o)

Hugs
Laurie

Gone to the Desert!

On vacation to Palm Desert, CA! A week of HEAT and poolside drinks with umbrellas! WOOHOO!!!

Back late on 7/8! BEHAVE and have a safe 4th of July. Thanks to of our military people!
HUGS,
Laurie

GREEN ALERT!!!

Judy, you'll be happy to know I was at the longarm today! :o) It felt good too!!! This is a customer's quilt. Can you believe that this customer told me for a LONG time that she was NOT a quilter??? (gasp) I kept telling her she sure was and an AWESOME one at that!!! She finally believes it now! LOL She made this one after making a sample one to test the pattern...she is also QUEEN OF SCRAPS...She will make one quilt and then say I have enough scraps left over for another quilt and the next quilt I see is that scrap one! I wish I had that kind of discipline!!!

Enjoy the pics...and have a great day!
Hugs
Laurie

Year Long Mystery

This was a quilt I made from a year long mystery. The designer is Gwen Lundgren (sorry, no link for you) and she works with a shop in MN that I took classes from before moving to KS. When we moved I signed up for her year long mysteries and she mailed me the directions every month. I LOVED this one...and it was a top until I went to see my oncologist in MN. I was SO POSITIVE that my Dr. was going to release me from her (it had been 6 years of cancer free living) that I wanted to give her a gift. SO...this quilt seemed appropriate! I went to my appt. with her and dh joined me. We went thru the blood testing, the check up and was told I was doing SUPER!!!!!
My oncologist then asked if I had any questions. I said nope! She said great, see you next year!
I said, HUH? I thougth you'd be done with me! She said, well, I'd like to see you again! And she started to leave the room!
I said, WAIT...I have a gift for you! She stopped dead in her tracks and said for ME????? I said yes!! She opened it up and was stunned! Tears welled in her eyes and she loved it! She said I might want to hang this on my wall instead of using it as a quilt for warmth. I told her that it was fine but to please love it and use it if she wished to!!!

I thought I had a picture of the label but i guess not. Darn it! It was cool!

I hope you enjoyed this!
Hugs
Laurie

Sometimes it just HITS ya...

I posted on 5/20 about the death of my mom from ovarian cancer. It has been 14 years now and her death is still a huge void in my life. I have dealt with the grief, but the love for my mom has never died.

It also amazes me the ways that bring my mom to the forefront of my mind. A cardinal, a pink rose, talking to my dad...but today it was a song. My dh and I were at church and we sang a hym that I love called "Be Not Afraid" was sung. Well, for whatever reason, it brought back a HUGE wave of emotions/memories from mom's funeral. I remember being at the funeral home the morning of mom's funeral and saying what I thought was my final good-bye. Then on to the funeral. It was just my dad and my siblings in the funeral home limo. Our spouses were in other cars with our kids.

We arrived at the Church and the funeral began. One thing I HATE about Catholic funerals is the incense that is held over the casket when it first enters the church...it is a hideous smell. Then I remember being strong for my kids at the service...especially for my little DD who was 6 at the time. You see, Grandma was her buddy...they had a special bond and Sarah was struggling...so she couldn't see mom struggling as well. Then came the time when my older brother and I spoke about mom from the pulpit. I did it without any tears and felt honored to be able to speak about mom!

Then came the hard part...the cemetary. Prayers were said and we all put a pink rose on mom's casket. Then people came to console us. Well, this is the part that got me that day...everyone left the cemetary to go back to church for the luncheon. My immediate family, kids, and spouses, were the last ones at the cemetary. It was INCREDIBLY difficult for me to leave the cemetary. I felt it was the end and I just didn't want to go there. Finally, my dad said, "Laurie, we need to go." I told dad that I just couldn't do it. He put his arm around my shoulder and we walked away. That is when I lost it! I sobbed like I had never sobbed before.

As I said earlier...a song at church today brought back a wave of emotions. I found myself crying, holding DH's hand, and remembering MOM!!! You see, mom chose the music for her funeral...and this was one of them! Here are the words to this hymn and a link to the midi file.
I think it's appropriate not only in death, but life...especially tough times!

Be Not Afraid (click for the midi file)
written by Bob Dufford, S.J., a Catholic Hymn

You shall cross the barren desert,but you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety,though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands,and all will understand,
You shall see the face of God and live.

Be not afraid, I go before you always,Come follow Me,and I shall give you rest.

If you pass through raging waters in the sea, you shall not drown.
If you walk amidst the burning flames,you shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the pow'r of hell and death is at your side,
know that I am with you, through it all.

Be not afraid, I go before you always,Come follow Me,and I shall give you rest.

Blessed are your poor,for the Kingdom shall be theirs.
Blest are you that weep and mourn,for one day you shall laugh.
And if wicked men insult and hate you, all because of Me,
blessed, blessed are you!

Be not afraid, I go before you always,Come follow Me,and I shall give you rest.


I love you mom!

Help Fight Cervical Cancer

If you go to this website and order a free bead bracelet kit, a company will donate $1/kit up to $100,000 towards Cervical Cancer Research. They send you 2 kits when you order one. Pass it along!

https://www.maketheconnection.org/order_beadkit/default.asp

Hugs,
Laurie

24 years to the same man! ;o) & Father's Day

Here is a pic of DH with the kids!! We were going to leave for our brunch. It was a GREAT day! We started out going to Church, then brunch, and then our oldest son, Dh and I went to the KC Jazz and Ribfest! It was AWESOME...great weather and great music. We didn't eat cuz we were full from brunch!!

It's also our anniversary today! 24 years to the same man! GO FIGURE!!! I figured, once again, that I would renew his annual contract...it's too much work to train a new one! LOL...here is a pic from our wedding...dang we were YOUNG!!! It's not great quality cuz I just took a picture of a picture...no time for scanning today!
And here were are today! I know you've seen this pic before but wanted to share a "then" and a "now" pic. I guess we've aged gracefully! LOL We will celebrate our anniversary tomorrow...today was DAD's day! ;o)
I hope everyone had a great day!!!
Hugs
Laurie

The Quilt Show comes to an end...

This quilt was GORGEOUS...The back was as gorgeous as the frong...the green is all done in thread...I have the front/back of the full quilt together, as well as the close up shot of the center. I hope you enjoyed the pics of the longarm quilting show!!!



Hugs,
Laurie

There's still more!!!

I saw this quilt last year, it was best of show, and saw it again this year because they had a display of all the BOS quilts displayed. It was a neat display. This is by Renae Haddidin. It was a whole cloth and the diamonds forming the circles were done completely in thread using her longarm! The octogon is done with embroidery. I wish I had taken a pic of the back of this one...it was TOTALLY different and she lined it up perfectly...AMAZING piece of work! Here's a link to her website with this quilt...it shows the back! This won best of show in the clothing section...this was amazing to me...I spent a long time looking at this! Notice the decorated tennis shoes! LOL...those are bright buttons!
The applique and color choices are superb on this ensemble!
I loved the weaving look to this one! I wish I had gotten a closer pic of the quilting though.
Batiks...gotta LOVE batiks!
I hope you are enjoying the show!
Hugs
Laurie

Just when you thought I was out of pics! LOL

Here is a big cat quilt! I'm not a cat fan and I'm not sure why I took it...but it is by the quilt that won best of show. (to the right) A closeup of the feathering and meandering on the black squares...this is brave by the longarmer! Just MHO!
A closeup of the cat, this was all piece work, not applique.
I loved this colorwash piano...
and the quilting was fun as well!!!
Believe it or not...there are more to come...enjoy!
Hugs
Laurie

A few more quilt pics

I'm getting to the end...but here a few more! THis is a whole cloth quilt. I thought I had closeups but I guess I don't. Being a breast cancer survivor I found this one a hoot! Meaningful and humorous...exactly how I attacked the dreaded "C" and survived!
Notice the boobies around the outer borders? I was giggling to myself! Too funny!!! I just wish I had caught the maker of this one so I could've talked to her!

I should have more quilt pics tomorrow...Have a great day!

Hugs
Laurie

How I grieve

You might remember that almost 2 weeks ago, an online quilting buddy, Cheri, died of brain cancer. I was fortunate to meet her in person and went to her funeral in Arkansas. While driving there I saw billboards for a quilt store so I stopped! I love brights as did Cheri. I found some AWESOME Jane Sassaman's and bought 1/2 yard cuts of 5 of fabrics. (4 of them JS) I didn't have a clue as to what I wanted to do with them but bought them anyway! We've all done that a time or two!!!

Last weekend I thought, this quilt needs to be made in honor of Cheri! SO...I set out to find a pattern that was FAST and would SHOWCASE these gorgeous fabrics. I found "Turning 20" by Tricia Cribbs and it called for 20 FQ's. I thought, hmmmmm...I can get 20 FQ's out of my fabric that I bought!!! SO...I set to work CUT CUT OOPS CUT...that OOPS was a miscut and I had to put my project on hold until I could get more fabric! The fabric arrived and here are pics of the top.

The pattern calls for 3.5" borders all the way around but I like it as it is and don't want it any bigger. It's meant to be a lapquilt for me and remind me of Cheri and the love she had for quilting! I think I might call it "Shine On Cheri" but I'm open to ideas!

I wish the computer showed the vibrant colors! They are SO fun!!! Enjoy!!!!
Hugs
Laurie

New look!!

Hi everyone!

I felt my blog was boring so I updated...what a TON of work this is! LOL...problem though, I spent a long time bolding all the type and it worked when I previewd my updates. Then I published it and it won't show up! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...hopefully it's bloggerland's fault!!! I rechecked the html and it's all BOLDED...who knows!

I hope you enjoy it!
Laurie
PS(the bolding of the font made it easier to read!)

Had a great day!

Hi everyone in BlogLand!
I had a great day today. Went to church with dh and then lunch...our new routine! ;o) Then did some weeding and pool cleaning. Then I went to watch my 2 oldest boys play softball...2 games back to back! THEN...went to watch my 2 youngest boys (the middle boy being involved in both softball AND soccer) and my daughter play soccer! That was FUN...

We then cooked pork on the grill and everyone was together...all 6 of us! It was a gorgeous day/night out and we ate on the deck and then enjoyed a few beers as well! Just a fun, enjoyable evening!

Here are more pics from the quilt show as well! ENJOY!!!
HUGS
Laurie


I love the B9P...have yet to make one though! I do have fabrics for one!
Here is a NYB that was pieced by someone and quiltd by a gal that I know here in KC. They won a ribbon!
This clown quilt was waaaaaaay too adorable!!!