Where does the time go?

Its been a very long time since I've posted!
First of all, my computer has been SO slow that it was no longer enjoyable to use it, so I sent it to get fixed. The 2-3 days that it was going to be in the shop turned into almost 7....
And I was very surprised at how many hours there were in a day when the computer isn't in front of me helping me to use many of them up!
While it was gone I got some cleaning done and spent Valentines Weekend at the farm where I awoke Saturday morning to find this:
I'm not sure if you can really tell what is in that pile of gifts, but My Guy got me a Burpee Seed-Starting kit (he's a hopeless romantic!) several packets of seeds, a Borders gift card, and a "Little Something" from VS....presumably to wear while I am out in the garden planting my seedlings.

I bought him a card, which I forgot at home in my nightstand drawer.

So anyway, since I've left most of my sewing & quilting out at the farm I only have this handwork to share:
I made some dishcloths. Nothing fancy....although the yellow one has a star knit into it and the large colored rose one is basketweave. I felt like trying something different.
I also finished another block for the Hawaiian quilt. Ya know, I'm really sick of leaves after this one:

The last is a shot of the Rooster Quilt that just cam back from Karen the Quilter. I made this a couple of years ago from a pattern in one of Nancy's books. I don't know why I didn't have it finished before now, but I think the thought of hanging it at the farm spurred me on to get it done.

That's all I have for now, Chicks. Talk to ya later!

February Thaw

Can you chicks believe it is in the high 50's outside today in Michigan? Holy Crap!
Of course I had to go outside and enjoy the weather for awhile. I returned some bottles at Kroger (a fair weather activity for me) and grabbed stuff I could BBQ. Couldn't pass up an opportunity for some chicken on the grill!

After that a quick trip to JoAnns for a couple new balls of cotton yarn for dishcloths & some floss so that I could finally start the Gail Pan "A Christmas Wish" BOM.....
I wanted to do a project that would come from my stash and wasn't a huge commitment. Just needed something new to work on.
I didn't bother to shoot the photo too upclose because my stitching is primitive, at best. I havent done much of this since I was a girl scout. I did enjoy it though, and I look forward to getting started on the next block, which is "merry".

I also thought I should show you this. I finished it a few days ago, but as usual, I procrastinated snapping a pic, so here it is, another block for the hawaiian quilt. I think that has me at 6 blocks completed. I've got another one started that maybe I'll be able to show by the weekend.

That's all I have for now. Get outside and enjoy the weather!

So What Did You Do Today????

I waited in line, in the COLD with my good friend Claudette (aka The Photophreak) at the local Denny's for a free Grand Slam Breakfast.
Now those of you who know me well know that I wouldn't normally wait in a line on a cold February morning for much of anything....not even a free breakfast, but this friend of mine has a way of getting me to let go a bit.....I've known her since I was a pretty young chick (yea, even younger than I am now, if you can believe it), so she knew me When...well, when I did things I don't brag about now but laugh about when I'm with her.

So there we were, with the News Copter hovering over the restaurant, sharking for a parking spot and wondering how long that line would be by the time we got into it and how long it would take to get through it.
We were surrounded by an interesting group of people. Some who probably needed a free meal, some who would have to give up due to the length of the line, people with improperly dressed babies (who most likely needed that free meal) and high schoolers skipping classes who were dressed more for spring than an icy, painfully cold day. An unorganized, fractured wave broke out...but the freezing line standers were unable to keep it going.

Lucky for us, the line moved fairly quickly, and when a counter seat for 2 opened up we jumped at the chance to get inside and warm up. Our feet were just about frozen, but we quickly forgot about the pain as we dove into our pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage. It was delish!

A big Thank You to you, Claudette, for calling me and getting me off my butt and out into the world for a little while. I had a great time.

Holiday Road Quilters Retreat

Ok, so I admit it. I'm a terrible blogger. Blogging and procrastination do not go well together. I will try to do better in the future.

Here are some photos of some of the projects The Quilty Chicks worked on this weekend at our quilt retreat. We all stayed pretty busy, with breaks for eating and sleeping, as well as some time Friday night in front of the tv watching Sex and The City.
First up is a baby quilt that Faye created. The batik colors really played off well against the black and white fabrics.
This next quilt is one Nancy has been working on. Her extensive stash is very evident in this quilt......these blocks are 6", and she is using a green sampler fabric for her setting triangles. This one is just gorgeous. She's at home, as I type, working on more blocks, I believe. Cant wait to see this one finished!

This is Nancy's Turning Twenty.....She prefers smaller blocks, so this quilt wasn't rocking her world.......so she gave up on getting it just right and sewed those blocks together and called it done. Way to set yourself free, Nancy! Now she can get it quilted and give it away!

I also was able to get to work on some long-neglected quilts. The first one is my first quilt with jelly rolls.....While I enjoyed working with those pre-cut strips, in the end these colors dont really move me. Oh well!

I also now have all the blocks done on this applique quilt. It was a Blackbird kit that I got a while back from Cottage Quilts. I just LOVE this one, and I'm looking forward to sewing those rows together and getting the scalloped border on it.

There were a few more pics, but I still need to go through them to see what I have.

I'm looking forward to getting together with the girls again soon............