UGH...WHY OH WHY DO I DO THIS???

Here is today's MAJOR PROJECT!!! This is what happens when a quilter is a road trippin' soccer mom! LOLOL I can't concentrate here so it's time to
C-L-E-A-N!!! That way I can mess it up again tomorrow!!!

Here's my longarm...it actually got worked hard yesterday with 4 small quilts being done! WOOHOO!!! Now to clean her up and load another one!
This is the view going out of my quilting room. The pile of quilts on the chair is what I accomplished yesterday!
This is my pressing board and design wall...lots of "stuff" ended up here in the past few weeks!
Here is my sewing area...the pile of fabrics on the chair are from various projects or projects wannabes! LOL...a stack of books ready for action...garbage ready to be hauled out...

I guess I'll be busy today!!! Have a great day!
Hugs
Laurie

Bittersweet Award

My son Kevin, who plays soccer at North Park University in Chicago was named CCIW Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday. It is an AWESOME honor but it became bittersweet when his team lost 1-0 in the conference semifinal of the tournament. In order for the team to go to the National Tournament now they have to wait until Sunday and see if they get an "at large" bid. If they had won the tournament they would get the automatic bid. There were a lot of long faces after the game and some tears. The team finished the season at 19-2-2! Nothing to hang their heads about! Keep your fingers crossed that good news comes along on Sunday/Monday!!!

Here's a link to the article: http://www.cciw.org/fall_soccer_m/POW06_9.php

Here's a pic of Kevin. I can't tell you how proud I am of this young man. He is a kind, smart, gentle, handsome, and loving person. Seeing Kevin after the game Tuesday night was one of those painful moments for a mom. I didn't have any words to say to him that could take the agony of defeat away. All I could do was give him a hug and tell him I loved him.


I LOVE YOU KEVIN!!!!!
Heart
M

One Flaw in Women

By the time the Lord made woman, He was into his sixth day of working overtime.

An angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a brokenheart-and she will do everything with only two hands."

The angel was astounded at the requirements. "Only two hands!? No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

But I won't," the Lord protested. "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my ownheart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days."

The angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?", asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate."

The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak," the Lord corrected, "that's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride."

The angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing."

And she is! Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideals.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

What a Rest Stop!!!

While driving to Chicago yesterday to watch Kevin play soccer, my dd and I stopped at a wayside rest in Iowa. (it's off interstate 80 somewhere about 2 hours east of Des Moines) I just HAD to get the camera and take pics of this! It was just too amazing! My DD called me a DORK! EH, whatever...I gently but firmly reminded her what keeps her warm at night! ;-)

This is one wall on the outside of the rest stop.

The floor in the lobby of the rest stop.
This is the wall between the entrance to the women's restroom and the exit! TOTALLY COOL!!!
The other outside wall of the rest stop...
I hope when you click on the following 2 pics that you can read them. They describe the Underground Railrood quilts.

Have a great day!
Hugs,
Laurie

Senior Night

Tonight marked the end of our time with HS regular season soccer. Our youngest, Dan, had his final regular season home game and it was the night when the Seniors and their parents are honored. I just LOVE this night!!! The seniors want to win the game badly and the parents are just honored to be on the field before the game and being able to be very proud of their son!!

Unfortunately, the stupid coach managed to coach very poorly and we lost 2-1. We managed to salvage the night and have fun afterwards with pizza, gatorade, cake and fun stories about the seniors!

Here is a pic of myself, Dan, and Steve! It's not very clear because my dd took it from the stands. It still works though!

Hope you are all doing well!
Hugs
Laurie

6 House Blocks done!!!

This quilt is going to be so happy! My sister said it should greet people when they come into the house! I think that's a SUPER idea!!!
Hugs
Laurie

I think I've found my groove!!!

Thanks to several of you who suggested using my blog as a journal...I not only found my blogging groove again, but more importantly...MY QUILTING GROOVE!!! It's exciting to be at the sewing machine again and doing some piecing!!! I think my trip with my sisters helped as well...new fabrics and new projects!!! ;-D

Here are a couple of pictures of the King Size BEAST on our bed. I put the flannel sheets on as well as the winter blanket. It's supposed to get chilly around here!

Have a great day! I'm off to quilt!!!
Hugs
Laurie

I just COULD NOT wait!!!

I just HAD to see how these 2 new projects that I bought in Iowa were going to turn out! I think I am going to LOVE both of them!!! Especially the dot houses...that quilt is going to scream at people and be so lively! WOOHOO!!!



My dh and I are off to a wake and then dinner with our son. I hate wakes but it's just something that has to be done.

Have a great Sunday...what's left of it anyway. I'm going to go outside and read for a bit before we leave. Tomorrow is supposed to be much cooler outside so I will sew then!

Hugs
Laurie

The DAMAGE from my road trip!

Well, here ya go! Pictures of my shopping in Iowa! GOLLY it was FUN!!! I added several dot FQ's to the collection and will make the house quilt out of it! I think I'll call the quilt "Freddy Moran meets Buggy Barn"!!!!!!!! LOL...what do ya think?
These are 3 squares with a rose in various stages of opening. One says, Hope, Love, and Peace! I will put them on the bathroom counter! One more thing for the cleaning people to dust! ;-D
This banner will hang on our front door this winter! It has 2 of my FAVORITE things...a snowman and a cardinal! I just HAD to have it!!! My sisters agreed!
Here's a closeup of 4 FQ packets that I bought of breast cancer fabrics. The black will be the border and backing...I think I'll make a courthouse steps or log cabin with this one. The hot pink batik (shown on the snowman flannel in the first photo will be the center of the blocks and also the stopo border!)
SO...that's it! I think I did done good! LOLOL

Hugs
Laurie

Checking in from Illinois

Hi Everyone!
I am checking in on my road trip! So far it's been GREAT but I miss my DH something fierce! My son's soccer team lost 3-1 on Friday night...a great game but the other team had an AWESOME player on their team who scored all of their goals. DS's team bounced back on Sunday and won 2-1 and looked great! I have had some great alone time wtih my son and that is GREAT!!!

I met up with my sisters in Waterloo, IA and we went to a quilt store and then to my DS's game. Unfortunately, it was raining quite hard and we didn't have any time to talk to DS.

The next day, Saturday, my sisters and I wanted to go shopping at a quilt store while we were in Iowa. We were staying in Waterloo and the Quilter's Travel Companion didn't have anything nearby. There was an ad for a shop, The Quilter's Quarter, in LaPorte, IA and the ad said it had 5000 bolts. It also opened at 9AM and everyone else that was surrounding us didn't open until 10. We debated going to QQ last or first. Well, we went there first.

This shop was in the middle of a CORNFIELD!!!!! We overshot the turn and had to backtrack. Then we hit a gravel road and thought...OH NO!!! We were wondering what the heck we got ourselves into and then I saw a mailbox with QQ on the side of it. We turned into a driveway and saw a house. At this point we were all still baffled. I said it must be in their house! When we got past the house we saw another free standing building...YEP...THE LQS!!!

Well, let me tell you...this LQS was the BEST!!!!!!!!!! It was about 9:30 and we walked around and took it all in. VERY CLEAN AND NEAT!!! The building itself was all brick and had a full basement for a full 6400 SQUARE FEET!!! Her DH built it for her after working out of her house was not good enough! She is ONE LUCKY lady!

The fabric in this shop was AMAZING! BRIGHTS, BATIKS, GEOMETRICS AND MORE!!! My kind of shop!!! My sisters and i shopped and then got hungry before we were done!! We told Melinda, the owner, that we needed to get something and could she recommend a place intown? STUPID QUESTION...the gas station was our option! I had 2 cheese stix and one sister had nothing while the other had a pizza slice! Back to the quilt store we went...when we were done spending almost 6 hours there we dropped almost $800 between the 3 of us! WOOHOO...it was FUN!!!!

Honestly though, it was the NICEST quilt shop we've ever been in! SHE ROCKED!!!!!So, if you are ever on Hiway 20 in Iowa go to QUILTER'S QUARTERS in LaPorte...its' off the beaten path but well worth it!!!!! They hope to get dairy cows on their farm soon!!!

Hugs,
Laurie

On the Road Again!!!

I am heading out for a 5 day road trip tomorrow. I will head to Waverly, IA tomorrow where I'll meet up with my 2 sisters. We'll shop a bit and then go to my DS's soccer game at Wartburg College. It should be a great game as DH's team is ranked #17 and Wartburg is rated #20 in the nation.

Saturday my sisters and I will continue to visit and play. I am taking handwork with as well! I know we'll have a great time!

Sunday, I head to Kenosha, WI for another soccer game for DS. After the game, DS will ride with me to Chicago. We'll probably get a bit to eat for dinner and then I'll take him to his dorm. AFter that I will head to my hotel. I have 2 days and 3 nights there waiting for DS's game on Tuesday PM!

On Wednesday I will head back home to KS where my youngest DS plays soccer for his HS team! WHEW...I'll be tired!!!

I'm looking forward to this trip but in a way I'm not. DH left town yesterday, is on his way home tonight but I'll probably be in bed before he gets home. Tomorrow I MIGHT see him in the morning before I leave. If not, we won't see each other until a week from today. That's a LONG time! We'll survive but I still will miss him terribly!

I did get the king size quilt done and the binding machine stitched on. I will get the hand stitching done on my trip! I am also taking my applique hearts to work on! I'm also taking my laptop with since I'll be gone so long! ;o)

Hugs
Laurie

Just need to do borders!!!

Well, I didn't get to quilt as long as I wanted to today, but I sure got A LOT done!!! All that is left are the borders. I have to figure out if I have enough fabric for an inner border. I want to do a red border and then finish it off with the paisley! I thought this might get too "Christmassy" but the red and green are deep enough that it's fine!

Thanks for all the compliments on the small section I showed. Unfortunately, the piecing isn't PERFECT! LOL...photography is very forgiving!

Our trip to IL to watch DS play soccer was fun. The team won 2-1 in OT and Kevin had the assist on the game winning goal!!! They are still undefeated! Kevin has a sore muscle and might sit out Wednesday's game. If he does, I will stay home and QUILT this monster. I know he hates to sit out, but I kinda hope he does cuz I know I'll get this quilt ready for binding for my weekend trip with sisters and soccer!

Hugs
Laurie

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