Hey, where's spring?

We've been having some really nice weather lately but this morning woke up to this!

Maybe we need to take this down!

On the quilty front. Here's block 4 of Wool Garden by Waltzing with Bears.

And all 4 of them so far. I'm liking the way this is looking.

I prepped Block #7 of "Reminiscence" by the Rabbit Factory, so it's all ready to be stitched down when I have some time.

Got another block stitched of "Winter Wonderland" by Crabapple Hill. I decided to do these blocks in order from largest to smallest. I'm glad I did it that way because even though I love it, it's ALOT of redwork. I tend to get bored quickly with this one. I'm plugging along though and at least the largest blocks are finished.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions about what to watch next while I'm on the treadmill. I just started Season 1 of "24", and I think I'll watch "John Adams" when I'm finished with "24". By then the weather should be nice enough to start walking outside again. You all gave me some great ideas and I've written them all down to check out.

I'm sad and I need your help.

Now you're probably wondering why this would make me sad, right? Well, it's the last season of The Gilmore Girls and I just finished watching it. And where did I watch it?

Right here. Want a better shot?

That's right... I rigged up the portable DVD player on my treadmill and watched all seven seasons while exercising. This series actually made me WANT to get on the treadmill. Have you ever heard of such nonsense? I would watch 1 and a half episodes which usually took me about 4.5 miles.

How do I describe the series? Let's see...it is sharp and witty with such fast paced dialogue you really have to concentrate to keep up. Lots of references to pop culture, politics, social commentary, etc. It's all about family, relationships, (especially mother/daughter) and friendships, with the most quirky side characters. All told with humor and love. I can't say enough good things about it and I'm so sad that I've finished the series. If you've never seen it, you might like to start watching. But beware, as you might get hooked like I did.

Now I'm in a quandry... What to watch next? I need something that will really pull me to the treadmill. Let me know what series does (or has done) that for you. I need to find something new. I'm going to borrow Season 1 of "24" from my friend Brenda but I've seen the rest of the seasons so, after that, I'll be anxious to find something else.

So, since I'm so sad, I'll end this with those occasional pictures of Miss Emma which always cheer me up. We were in Seattle last week playing with her.
A short moment of contemplation.

Papa taught her how to do "thumbs up". (She loves her hats!)

Hmmm, what could be so interesting?

Why trikes, of course. Guess we better go outside and ride one!

A happy Emma makes a happy Grammy!

Trip to Calif, part 2

After I did that last post, I felt really guilty that I hadn't taken any pictures of the giftys that Janet gave us all. It was just a case of the lazy's on my part. So, I gathered everything up and grabbed my camera and here's the "loot". Sorry Janet, I didn't mean to seem ungrateful!

Fun stuff, huh?

And this is what I purchased at the quilt stores. Not much, but then, I don't NEED anything! I'm trying to use my stash and finish up all those UFO's and BOM's I have looming about. The border paper is to help me quilt my own stuff. I'm very challenged when it comes to machine quilting, so I thought that maybe this little aide will help me. Couldn't resist that wool piece. I'm a woolaholic for sure! Patty had that pattern in her hand and I thought it was so cute and since there was only 1 left...guess what? It's now MINE!

And now, on to the tour of Janet's house. I made her that little house quilt. Sure wish I had made myself one too.

Marsha made this quilt for Janet when she was her Secret Santa two Christmases ago.

Patty made the cute table mat. It's all wool.

Aren't those snowman ornaments absolutely darling? Janet made those and gave all of us one a few years ago.

Marsha made the quilt above the sofa a couple of years ago. And the best part?...she made one for each of us!

Look at what she did with this tray. Isn't it darling? (I hope it will enlarge for you).

Her brand new iron bed.

This is what she looks at in her computer room. Very cozy! Marsha made her the framed quilt block and I made the small quilt on the cabinet.

I was trying to get a picture of the little glass shaker candle and Patty decided she needed to "go". Just kidding, she's just wanting her 15 minutes of fame. LOL.

So, that's it for my Calif trip.

Hugs, Anne

Trip to Calif

Last week we drove to California to visit my Mom and brother since we weren't able to see them at Christmas due to the snowy weather.

We had beautiful weather the whole drive. This is Mt Shasta which is always such a beautiful sight towering so high.


California is experiencing a severe drought which was very apparent when we drove by Lake Shasta which supplies water to much of California.

I can't remember ever seeing it this low. They will need alot of rain to get out of this drought.

This is what I was working on in the car. It's another block of "Reminiscence" by The Rabbit Factory. Someday I'll get it finished!

On Friday I met up with Anne at HomeGoods and then we had a yummy lunch at Macaroni Grill. Go on over to her blog and see what fun things she got at HomeGoods. She LOVES this time of year. Bunnies multiplying everywhere.

Saturday I met up with my girlfriends and we had a whole day of shopping, eating and laughing.

We all met at Janet's house and she had bagels and fruit for us. Everything looked so festive. It was all decked out for Valentine's day.

The bowl was as pretty as the fruit.

And under our plates? Some fun stickers! She also made us towels with hearts applique'd in wool, a geranium plant, a shaker candle (actually it's a candle in a jar that you'd put parmesan cheese or something like that). And we also got a cute little candle and dish. I forgot to take pictures. Sorry about that.

So, after visiting for awhile, we went over to Bearpaws and Hollyhocks Quilt Store for some retail therapy and by the time we were finished shopping there, it was time for lunch.

Aha! Look where we went. Yep, my fav place...Panera Bread. I had my usual French Onion Soup and was a happy camper.

From there we went to Auburn to Cabin Fever Quilt Shoppe. It was a Top 10 quilt shop a few years ago in Quilt Sampler magazine. Sorry I didn't get any pictures, but I get very involved in my fabric shopping and actually, didn't even think about it. Bad blogger!

On our way back to the car we spotted this darling little sandwich shop. Too bad for us....it was too early for dinner. (Although that hasn't stopped us in the past...LOL)

Saturday I'll post pictures of all Janet's decorating. Her house looked so cute.

I wanted to thank everyone for the nice comments you've been leaving me. Right now I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the emails because I usually try to respond to your comments. However....my Mom has DIAL-UP! Needless to say, it took way too long to get online to answer the comments and to try and read a blog was nearly impossible. So, if you asked me a question and I didn't get back to you, please ask again. I know you'll all understand if you haven't heard from me.

Hugs, Anne

A Tisket a Tasket, Block 2. A couple others too.

Here's my wool version of A Tisket a Tasket for February. Go on over to Bunny Tales to download the next block, or click the link on my sidebar.

Love the way they are looking together.

Here's block 3 of Wool Garden. If you're observant, you can see that the sunflower block is a little different from what it was on my wool tutorial. Well, it seems that I reversed the fabrics for the star and the sunflower seeds. (Thanks Karen). I felt like a real dodo since my boo boo was out there for the whole world to see...(well, maybe not the WHOLE world, but it felt like that). Anyway, I took those pieces off and dug deep into my stash and came up with something that looks a bit better. Geesh!

And finally, these are the current blocks for Jan Patek's Girl Gang. It really feels good to be caught up.

Now if I can just get to some of the other projects in the closet, drawers, shelves, etc.

I won!

Sharon over at Red Geranium Cottage had a giveaway and I was shocked when I read on her post that I had won! I was so excited.

She said the giveaway was for a kit put together by Quilter's Coop called "Easy Nine Patch", but when I unwrapped the package, she also included a darling Valentine pin and 2 pocketsize journals. Perfect for my purse. The fabrics in the kit are from the Cottage Charm line by Joined at the Hip. Right up my alley! Thanks Sharon. It looks like a fun quilt to put together. Hurry up and post yours so that I can see what it's supposed to look like! LOL

Bloggers are the best!