B.O.O.K.S. and Time ~

Stars for April's BOM with Quilt Doodle Doodle

It sometimes is a challenge to juggle a balanced life. I think that is how to label the season I'm going through right now. There, how is that for being positive!  insert sarcasm :-}!  School has been a consuming work. Besides the lively group of students that I call mine, our school took on a new reading program which required all books to be given codes. 

I'll compare this to doing an inventory. It needed to be done this year so that the kids could know which books qualify and were at their tested reading level, 

and the testing could be activated by the fourth quarter.  That fourth quarter is here. Being the OCD person that I am, this has gone on for the last month, almost all free time. (Oh, that's where quilting, sewing, blogging time went!) I did ask for volunteers, and there was one of my former students that came for an afternoon and got the ball rolling. I asked him to please write down the step-by-step directions, and bless his heart, it was perfect.

Larry made the cute labels

 I've shared those steps with other teachers in my school, since it was such a daunting task! After that, I started pulling the books, 

 

 I see a Highlights in this pic, we didn't include any magazines in the count.

filling my wheeled carts, and hauling them home.   It was too much to try to spend the days at work, so bringing them home each day worked best, and then sweet daughter worked on it also. Lydia and I have worked and touched almost every book in my personal classroom collection, and I am pleased to see that there is more than 2500 books there!
The students are really enjoying the program, and I'm seeing great growth in the desire to read.

 

this is the tree for March BOM with Cindy of quilt Doodle Doodles,

and this is the April strip of stars. Both have been my little bit of sewing therapy for the last 6 weeks ~

Our Easter break is coming up, and I'm so-o ready!

"May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus…perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you." 1 Peter 5:10

February Finish

 This is a comfort quilt made for our dear friend Jeannette after her policeman husband was killed. His death was in September, 2011.

Larry, Jerry and I sat several evenings and cut apart Jesse's shirts so they could be useable for sewing. Jeanette had asked for her 2 daughter's quilts to be completed for Christmas that year, and somehow even with a full time work schedule, and Larry being hospitalized that holiday, the goal was accomplished.

 
Jeannette's quilt has truly been a challenge; I wanted to make it something special for her. You can read more about this quilt here.
This is an absolute favorite finish, I think because of the reason it was created, and for the artistic requirements to complete it.

 

There was no pattern. I used random placing, and made additional blocks and pieces to pull it together. I wasn't sure how it would look, 

and started with big 4 patch blocks and the few 9 patches. 

I knew I wanted to use the pockets*, and so the need for keeping them whole motivated the star blocks. 

 

I had really intended to complete the quilting before now, but all in all, I am most happy with it's finish. It was a challenge, and stretched my creativity. For that I am grateful, and humbled.

This is my completion for February, and I'm Happy!!

 

 the quilting on the back shows where the pockets are :-}

The binding was made from four different shirts, two are from the youngest daughter's blue and yellow quilt.

*Jesse's heart was right there under those pockets once, and it's a place she can put her hand to remember that his heart is still with her here.

"Oh give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever. " Psalm 107:1

Monday Sewing!

This is my finished BOM for February. 

 

I changed my house up a bit from Cindy's, I wanted a different roof line.










Lookie in the window, there's a bit of Dr. Seuss there :-}                                                                      


My sweet honey has some work this morning, and then he is going to his classes from 1pm to 10pm, what a long day! (yesterday was his birthday, too)

But, me? I have a day home from school, thank you Mr. Presidents! 

I sent Larry off with two packed lunches, and a piece of his birthday PIE. . .

there is chicken slow cooking and already smelling yum. . . 

. . .and this is waiting on the frame! Happy Sewing Day!

 







"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:36-40)

Happy Groundhog Day!

Happy February 2nd, Mr. Groundhog is overshadowed this year due to some football game playing today. Okay, it was "Go Broncos!" at the Davis' house. Too bad....Anyway, on to other stuff ~



Larry is settling in to his art classes, doing well but tired. Not as easy as when we were young. He is surprised at how many of the classmates do not even attempt to do assignments. He has received comments from students like"How do you know all this stuff?" (when he helped them do something on the computer, he is not one to speak out or draw attention to himself), to one teacher seeing a caricature drawing he submitted, and stating aloud, "We have an illustrator in our midst!" ~ Insert cheeky grin, I'm proud of my honey! ~

  * ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ *

The last two weeks have been report cards for the little people in my life, and the grand field trip: lighthouse tour, mariner's museum, whale watching at lunch time, marine museum with touch tank and lastly, the actual tide pools at oceanside. The Kids L.O.V.E. all the exploring time, and the parents enjoy it all, too ~

 * ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ *

I wrote out my UFO list, or rather my PhD's. Either way I started writing, and thought I wouldn't reach the end. 

 

 Look at the little note pad sheets...

I needed four pages, LOL!

 I do not plan to finish all 24 on the list, But I wanted to have them all written down. Let me show the ones I'm hoping to complete. 

 

• Jeanette's Comfort Quilt. This has been a casualty of the unorganized sewing room, but I found it last week! It needs the backing, and then quilted and bound. from June 2012
  
  
• Temecula Quilt Company projects: two samplers from 2012, 
  
• and the cakestand from June 2013. All three are small. The cakestand is bigger, but the quilt on point is what stymied me.... 
•  half hexagon. First 110 inch quilt finished on my quiltframe, and the back had some big winkles in it. It was half ripped out, and then pushed into the cedar chest. That quilt WILL be finished and used.
   
• Larry's Blue Kitchen Sink. Another monster size quilt. I have trimmed it; we have even had this on the bed, but it is not bound! Must. do. this. 2011
•  
• Great Granny. I love this. Even the backing is ready. Hmm. 2012
•  
  
  
  
  
• Friendship Stars, and Bright Hopes. Both inspired by Tina of Seaside Stitches.  2013
•  
• Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street, 2013. This needs a border and backing purchased. This may have to wait a bit ~ 
• Checkerboard and Dresdens, using a prized Amy Butler jelly roll. Quite a bit of sewing to complete the top, but it will be special! 2011.
•   
• Wiggly Whimsy with Terry, 2013. Half assembled.
• 
• BOM 2014 with Quilt Doodle Doodles
• 
• Spools, 2013. need to find a backing, and quilt it!
• 
•  Tiny Pinwheels- I dnk why I called them windmills on my list. 2013
  
• One I do not have a picture of is another comfort quilt for my friend Sharon, made from her husband's shirts. She gave me them this past fall, 2013.
• These are pictures of other UFO's I'll just show you:
•  
• flower garden scraps in green ~ Block Lotto coin stacks ~  Pineapple blossom

 Well, that is a list! I must admit, I so enjoy the learning process of the sewing project, and I see many tutorials that I want to try, that sometimes some sewing is started just for the educational experience. Does that sound like an excuse? I feel it is only an excuse if I tried the steps and decided to not take it to a project. The pictures I've shown all moved to the project stage!

My list is for the UFO and NEWFO

Now, let's see what is possible!

 

"Jesus said, 'If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.'" Mark 9:23

"...with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26