More Eye Candy

For all of you cat lovers out there!!!
HUGE Eagle Stack and Whack...it was neat!
Pretty applique
FUNNY!!! We should ALL have one of these on our sewing room door!!!!
I just like this one!
That's it for today! And until upload the rest! I hope you enjoyed!
Hugs
Laurie
PS...amy, I don't remember how that tie dye quilt was quilted sorry!

Belated Happy Mother's Day

I hope all had a fantastic Mother's Day! My day was fun...but TOOOOOOOO much food! YIKES! I feel bloated! We went to brunch AND dinner! (sigh) Back to Weight Watcher's with a vengance today! Here's a pic of DH and I at brunch! I got my jacket at the IMQA show!

Darilyn, this one's for you!!! I looked at this quilt while strolling the aisle and thought...WHY would someone put a huge "P" on their quilt. Then I stood back and GASPED! It is a GORGEOUS pineapple using the double wedding ring technique!!! Darilyn, and Hawaii quickly came to mind!!!

I loved the quilting on this...Judy, gorgeous feathing!!!
That's the quilt eye candy for today! There are LOTS MORE to come!!!

Have a great day!
Hugs,
Laurie

More eye Candy from IMQA

I LOVE brights...so here are 2 quilts that caught my eye! They are BRIGHT!!! Enjoy!
Hugs
Laurie

Best of Show from IMQA

Hi everyone! The International Machine Quilter's Association convention is in my backyard! It is an awesome opportunity for me and I take full advantage of it! Here are some of the pics that I took today...I'll try to add some each day for your enjoyment!

This is the "Best of Show" by Sharon Shamber. It is a very bright, happy quilt! And the quilting on it is AMAZING...

Here is a closeup of the quilting...

This pic blows me away...look carefully at the edging...LOOPS all around the edges! YIKES!
Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

Hugs
Laurie

Birthday Pics do over!

Laurie Ann asked me to repost a pic of me in the balloon hat! here goes!

YIPPEE...it worked this time!!! Now to go and applique some leaves! Have a great day everyone!

Hugs
Laurie

Birthday Memories...DO OVER!!!

Here are a few pics from my birthday! Brace yourself!!! There are comments written with each picture! DH gave me a new pocket/purse sized digital camera and he took these pics! I'm still getting used to how this works! I hope you enjoy!

DH...so proud to take the first pics with MY new digital camera. Here's dan waiting for me to come out of the bathroom! A big thumbs up! lol

DH takes a pic of the closed bathroom door...the suspense is killing him!
TADA...the unveiling!
getting a closer look...
FINALLY... a closeup of the alien shooting lazers! Is this not the neatest balloon creation???!!!


Hugs
Laurie
PS(not sure why these are little)

MIA

I'm still here...I had to send the laptop in for repairs and then got sick with the flu...UGH...now I sign on to my BLOG and see that my WHOLE sidebar is GONE...VANISHED...POOF! WHERE IS IT????????? I have no clue how to put it back on there either. (sigh)

It's my birthday today as well and I'm not 100% recovered from my day in the bathroom/bed yesterday. The tummy isn't quite up to snuff. So we'll see where the day goes from here!

Hugs
Laurie

I'm still here!!!

Hi everyone! I'm still here! I have to tell you that Mr. Mallard was here AGAIN yesterday afternoon. My son went and chased him away! It is just too weird to see a mallard here in KS...there aren't a lot of ponds/lakes...I guess he just loves our pool! ;o)

I read Amy's blog today and she wrote about her starting to quilt. I thought I'd share my story.

It goes back to 1998 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. (the story is in this link, scroll all the way down to December 1st) http://gottaquilt.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_gottaquilt_archive.html 1999 arrived and my sisters were busy making quilts for kids that were graduating. To keep my mind off of chemo and to get me out of the house (winters in MN can get cold and long) they dragged me to the LQS with them. I found that they were asking my opinions a LOT about fabric choices and colors. I WAS GOOD AT THIS! LOL...

Then we went shopping again and I thought to myself, "I can do this!" It's just taking fabric apart and putting it back together in a different way. Kinda of like puzzles. SO...that is how it began...I told my sisters and they said sure I could do this!!! I started in June or so of '99 and haven't stopped! I also bought a longarm about 4 years ago so I could qilt my own stuff!

Quilting has enabled me to meet lots of neat people as well!!!!! One thing I have learned is that most quilters are great, kind, giving people! I truly am grateful for the gift of being a quilter!!!

Hugs
Laurie

Our first pool swimmer of the year!!!!

Last night I went to see KC & the Sunshine Band! It was FUN!!! Disco sucks but the dancing was fun and KC does have some good songs!!! (OK...maybe disco wasn't so bad!) My 2 girlfriends and I went to dinner first at PFChangs and then on to the music!!!

This morning I woke up, made the bed, then opened the blind. NOW...this is very UNUSUAL for me because I usually wait to make the bed until after I've jazzercised and showered. WHY did I open the blind this EARLY morning???? I think God wanted me to giggle!!! I was laughing so hard...you see, rarely do I see mallards in KS (in MN they are all over the place), much less swimming in my pool!!! He was just as content as could be. I yelled to DH to hurry up and come see this. By that time DH got to the window the mallard was on the pool ledge cleaning himself. DH went back into the bathroom to get ready for work and I said "HURRY UP!" again. DH got to see the duck...and the silly duck was looking for fish while swimming in our POOL!! ;o)

SO...this was my happy start to my day...and as Jeanne would say, I'm grateful for Matthew Mallard making me SMILE!!!

DH and I are off to Chicago today. We're going to go see our son. He has a girl he wants us to meet and a church service he wants us to go to with them. We will be gone until Monday. I'm looking forward to it!

Have a great weekend!!!
Hugs
Laurie

Ahhhhhhh...Easter Sunday and the Kids

When oh WHEN do we stop with the Easter Baskets???!!! LOL...well...here are my kids right before we eat! We had a great lunch together. DH is already gone to the airport. Kevin decided to buy an airplane ticket back to school tonight. So Dan and I will take him to the airport and then go to Old Chicago and get a snack at Sarah's table. (she's serving tonight) Joe will go home!

I hope all had a great time! The kids below: Sarah(almost 21), Kevin(19), Dan(17), and Joe(22)

Happy Easter

Lancaster Goods!!!

This is a picture of all the patterns and gadgets that I bought!!! I found a place that has gorgeous but simple floral applique patterns...bought a bunch! http://www.distinctivepieces.com Check them out. I found this fabric at Sauders. It is a striped coordinate to the fabrics that I bought in February and am doing the applique hearts with. The smaller piece is going to be the stop border. I included a sample of 2 of the heart blocks.

This fabric I got at Zooks. WOW...I just HAD TO HAVE THIS FLORAL!!! And of course with the prices so darn good I bought coordinating stuff as well! The bottom part of the pic is truer to color with the focus fabric. The fabric below the green is a deep brown/burgundy color! This is going to be YUMMY!!! But first...I have to figure out what I will do with this puppy!!!
Here is a pic of the bright batiks at $5/yard that I got. I figured as long as I was getting a yard of each bright that I might as well buy the mulit-colored batik as well and use it as a focus...I'm thinking bow-tie for this one...but that could change by the time I actually get around to making it! ;o) AND...last but not least...thanks to Laurie Ann posting her polka dot quilt...I decided I needed to start a new fabric collection...what better than BRIGHT POLKA DOTS????!!!!! Thanks Laurie Ann!!!
SO...there you have it...my Lancaster stash!!!

Last night my dh and boys went to see James Taylor. It was in a venue that holds about 2500 people...old and quaint...but HOT cuz the air conditioning broke yesterday and the high yesterday was near 90 degrees! But it was a very good concert and I enjoyed it! So did my boys!!!

Now to the longarm...I really MUST get something done today down there!
Have a great day!
Hugs
Laurie

Lancaster Quilt Show

It was a SUPER trip! It really only rained one whole day! ;o) Friday it rained in the morning but then was quite nice! The quilts were GORGEOUS! There are so many talented quilters out there!!

I arrived on Thursday and hooked up with my friends! Getting caught up was so much fun!!! Friday was spent shopping at the show and looking at all the gorgeous eye candy! I managed to get a few things at the show but spent most of my money Friday night shopping at the local quilt stores near where we stayed.

The prices there are AMAZING and the fabric is very good quality! $5/yard for BATIKS!!!!!!!!!! I bought several BRIGHT batiks with no design on them!!! WOOHOO...not sure what I'll do with 'em but having them on hand is NOT a bad thing!!!!

Saturday we stitched in the lobby and had show and tell. Then a few friends that I hadn't seen in a couple of years stopped by our hotel and we chatted for a couple of hours. We had met on the Alex Anderson message board a few years ago!

Sunday I was taken to the airport by Tracey and able to get home at 5:30 PM instead of 11PM!!! That was WONDERFUL!!!

Here is a link to the quilts that I too pics of!
Quilts
ENJOY!
Hugs
Laurie

I'm leaving on a jet plane

OH...that was a great song wasn't it!??!!! Today will be spent getting ready to fly out of KC tomorrow morning...BRIGHT AND EARLY...to head to Lancaster. This will be my 4th year in a row now of going to the Quilter's Heritage Show in Lancaster, PA. About 6 of us or so meet up there for a weekend of girl quilting fun! WOOHOO!!! I am using my NWA frequent flyer miles so that is why my flight schedule stinks. I don't get back until 11PM on Sunday night...but it's free! I'll live!

I am going to look for bright tone on tone batiks at the Friday night sale at Country Store. They sell their batiks that night for $5 a yard! And they are NICE batiks too! The price of things in Amish Country is amazing!!!!! It should be a fun time!

Here's a picture of an Amish Quilt...a little pre-show eye candy for you! LOL

I'll report my naughtiness when I get back!!! Have a great weekend!
Hugs
Laurie

Angel Quilt Delivered

Last night the Angel quilt was delivered. Marg was taken to Linda and Bill's house under the pretense that it was a retirement party for Bill! She was SHOCKED when Linda handed her a box. "WHAT IS THIS?", Marg said. "This is Bill's party". NOPE...She opened the quilt and tears flowed. A gentlemen, whose name I forgot, read the label out loud to everyone! There were a LOT of hugs and thank yous for me. One gal said "Thank you so much for being our angel. Bill and Linda said all you asked for is to keep you in our prayers...and you have them!" I cannot tell you how honored I was to be included in the gift opening/quilt receiving festivities!

The best part is that the treatment that Marg is receiving is WORKING!!! She has not had any chemo or radiation OR surgery! They are treating this with the same medicine I am on to PREVENT a recurrence! I guess Marg's success is proof that Femara WORKS!!! She looks great and healthy...

The pic here is of me, bottom left, Bill, Linda, and Marg (in the orange). Lots of smiles all around!!!
Hugs
Laurie

BTDT

Been There Done That
(BTDT)

:o)
Laurie

Back from Vegas

Hi everyone!!
Elton John was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He sang 110 minutes of his GREATEST HITS!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was phenomenal!!! What an entertainer he is!! He could've talked to ME for 10 mins and it would've been worth it! I hugged dh after the concert and said, "It was worth every penny!" He agreed!!!

I have learned that Vegas is NOT for me though. I've btdt and unless I want to see as how that is ONLY at Vegas, I wont' go back on purpose!

Now to get back to quilting!!!! I did get 4 heart applique blocks done!!!
Hugs
Laurie

MIA in Vegas

Hi Everyone! Thanks for the great comments on the Angel Quilt. I think that Linda and Bill are hoping to present it on Friday night. My Dh and I will be present if that is the time of it!

We left Sunday for Las Vegas. I've never been. We are actually staying at Ritz Carlton at Lake Las Vegas (about 17 miles from the strip). This place is so-so for a supposed 5star resort...but it's fine! Last night we went to the show "Blue Man Group" at the Venetian. It was strange, funny, unexpected, different all rolled in one. Basically I give it a thumbs up!

This afternoon we are going to explore the shops more. We have Elton John tickets for tonight as well! I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! ELTON JOHN IN CONCERT IN VEGAS!!!!!!!!!!! Does it get any better than that????

I'll get caught up with everything later!
Hugs
Laurie

Angel Quilt is DONE!!!

The Angel Quilt is done. Linda and Bill have picked it up and will plan a day to give it to Marg. They want me there. I had to give them my dates when I'm gone so they can try to plan around it. ;o) Enjoy the pics! There will probably be one more post about this project (sorry if you are tired of hearing about it) after it is presented to Marg.
Hugs
Laurie

Angel Quilt is QUILTED!!!!!!!!!

I got the Angel Quilt done today. It went surprisingly well!!! I loaded it lengthwise so that it wasn't rolled too much. That was a light bulb moment! ;o) I also covered up the block with the mountain dew snippets on it with extra layers of fabric when I rolled it so that it didn't cut other angels or fabrics. All I have to do now is the hand stitching on the binding. I'll post a pic when it's completely done! Thanks for the good thoughts!
Hugs
Laurie