Miss P on her way home - [sigh]

We had a GREAT time with L and Miss P here for two fun packed days. Miss P loved going to the beach with her grandpop. She loved running, drawing with a stick and filling her sand bucket with rocks! And splashing in the buckets of water Grandpop brought up to her. Wore both of us out! Here's a picture of R and Miss P running - don't you just love those little tiny footprints! And mommy and Miss P sitting in front of the bookcases. The blue glass holds cheerios [chee chees!] Since I no longer have a cedar closet for my quilts ... I had to fold quilts and wall quilts and find a place for them! The bookcases kind of work out. I put wall quilts stacked and folded together so I don't have to unfold everything to find a particular one. I have an idea where it will be - I hope!

We went to the Newport Aquarium yesterday and had a blast. Taught her what fish say - making that 'o' with your mouth and the sound that goes with it. It apparently is what the 'kissing fish' say because if you're holding her you get a sloppy kiss at the end! Yea! Grand kids are so much fun!

Next weekend is the Newport Guild quilt show. My first time so it should be fun. I have a few things for the guild "consignment" shop. I hear FQs are running $1 each - I'll need to avoid that!

So what are you reading lately? I read a few good books since we got here. Two that come to mind immediately are: Run by Ann Patchette and Third Degree by Grey Iles. Yes, my tastes are varied! What do you recommend?

The inflatable mattress worked well this week. We gave our bedroom to L and Miss P. R slept on the couch - which gives him the tv and I slept on the inflatable mattress in the sewing room. It fit! That's very good and it was popular. L slept on it yesterday afternoon while Miss P was in the bedroom napping. R slept on it in the evening while we were gabbing in front of DVDs and apparently Miss P was in there sometime too. When I went to bed last night it was "all sand and chee chees"!!! Quickly stripped it and shook the sheet outside, remade it and all was well! LOL!

Happy weekend!

Rolling along!

Two beautiful sunny days in a row! Three this week! It's amazing! R redid the windows this am - I must have waited too long yesterday, the sun dried them too fast - because they were a mess! In honor of clean windows - great weather and a blue ocean! Woohoo!

I've never had a chair on wheels at home! Wow! It really comes in handy! Today I decided that I was going to quit avoiding it - and tie the last denim quilt for a great nephew that graduated from college in May. And I mean the LAST denim quilt - even though I love them. They are just too hard on my hands nowadays. Anyway - I used my new chair to scoot around it and man - slick as a whistle!

Staples is the only 'big box' store in our town of Newport - and they are having a special this week. An office chair - black leather, adjustable, arms, wheels, assembled ... $47! Really! Although it does involve a $25 rebate that comes later - check it out at your Staples. R was even impressed - he liked how long it spun around! My table for my sewing machine is alittle too high - so I bought the chair to raise myself up to the right level. Hoping it will encourage me to sew more! And it did! Kind of - I'm tying that quilt!

I'm officially an Oregonian today! Yep, got my driver's license test done. Truly, the hardest part was finding the marriage certificate! You practically have to bring your mother to prove ID! And I don't know if that would be good enough! I needed my official birth certificate, my official social security card, my official marriage license and the valid Nebraska license AND a utility bill proving my address here. AND you have to bring them EACH time! hope I can find them all again in 8 years!

L and Miss P come down tomorrow for 2 days. It's so exciting! They haven't been here since they took pictures of the condo for us before we moved! L will be surprised at how we've fit everything in. They arrive around lunch and then Miss P takes a long nap in the afternoon - but then - playtime! R is looking forward to taking her down to the beach. Friday morning we'll probably go to the aquarium. I made slush, pasta salad and we're having Pepsi chicken & sweet potatoes tomorrow night! Oh, oh - better '2 year old proof!' We recorded Sesame Street this morning for her! Later!

And the winners are ...

The trouble with retired people is that they never know what date it is! Then I - errrr - they go babysit and really lose track of time. So, just to create more suspense ... [okay, I really thought the 18th was Saturday] we had the drawing. My pet - DH - did the drawing and he was very suspicious - thought it was a "honey, do" list! [Now that's an idea!!!]

And the winners are:

Glenda in Nebraska!

Candace

Swooze

and Kay in NJ

Congratulations gals! Your FQs will be mailed as soon as you email me with your snail mail.

Hmmm, maybe next year I'll offer two FQs each!!

Thanks for participating - it's always fun to get comments. Happy weekend, everyone.

Back from babysitting!

First things first - here are some pictures from Sisters - In reverse order (?) Here is my daughter's DH, DD, Miss P, Me and DH! Sunday at Sahalie Falls near Sisters. MB from Lincoln and me at lunch on Saturday and my favorite street scene at Sisters. This is The Stitching Post bldg and the fire dept gets out the ladders to put up the quilts! It was a fun, fun time - again!

My daughter is just the cutest thing! She has Miss P - who will be 2 in September, but seems to be much older than that in actions! She's a pistol - on the run, talking a mile a minute to some imaginary creature who must be able to understand her!!!! Gibberish is a good descriptive word! And Miss P can put a whole sentence in her inflection. "Momma?" Means "is that my mother whom I hear coming in the door?" Of course, I do feel like second class when the first word out of Miss P's mouth when she sees me is "Bompop?" "What do you mean it's only you??? Where oh where is Grandpa?"

Anyway - back to my daughter. She's also PG - due around November. She told me a month ago that she did not want to know the sex of this baby - they knew with Miss P and they wanted to do it the other way this time. I agreed - but thinking - who is this child??? DD is a planner and definitely wants to know EVERYTHING! Well, she lasted almost a week! She had the ultrasound a week ago Thursday. "Nope - we do NOT want to know." Went to the doctors on Monday and the nurse almost told them ... it wasn't noted on the chart that they didn't want to know... "NO, we don't want to know." But L called the nurse yesterday ... "okay, I can't stand it - I want to know!"

And it's going to be - are you sure you want to know???? Oh - well, then, it's going to be a b*o*y!! Let the name discussions begin!!!

"Blog-aversary" coming up!

Time sure does fly! A year ago on July 17 - I started this blog while on vacation in Oregon. It was just after the Sisters quilt show and I met a few Stashbusters at the Sisters library. Cher didn't let me get away with saying "when I have some time I'll set up a blog"! Nope! She said, "just do it - it's like emailing all your buddies with just one email!" Thanks, Cher! I had no idea how easy it was and how easy it continues to be!

I've been without "my favorites list" since the move. They got transfered to the computer that isn't set up yet. :< and I miss surfing thru the quilt blogs I love. Some were so familiar that I knew their address - others I'll be catching up on when I'm set up again. Note to self: set up the computer!

In honor of my blog-aversary I'll send FQs to names I draw from anyone who leaves a comment this week. I've got no cute pets to pull the names - and I'm not exactly sure how many prizes will be offered ... I'm still going thru quilt stuff and will cull some FQs out as I organize. But what the heck! It will be quilt related and free - so leave a comment and enter! My anniversary is July 17 - so all comments thru that day will be in the drawing and July 18 I'll draw names. Sounds like a plan!

Sisters was wonderful again this year. The weather was a little warm but basically just right. I was walking across a street and thought - DH is right, all quilters can look alike ... I swear that's someone from Lincoln. And she looked up and said, "Doni!!" MB from Lincoln was here for the Sisters show with other friends from Nebraska. What a hoot to see a familiar face. We exchanged cell phone numbers and met up for lunch later. After lunch, the Stashbusters die-hards (Cher, Michele and me) met at the library and wandered the show the rest of the afternoon together. What fun! I'll try to post some pictures yet today.

The boys had fun golfing and L and Miss P enjoyed the art fair in Bend ... so a good time was had by all. I felt so relaxed there this year - must be because I haven't just arrived for a few weeks in paradise - I live here now! Although 'paradise' can still surprise you! We came down the mountains where it was clear skies and 98 to the coast where it was getting foggy and 61!!! Hmmm, where did I stash that sweatshirt?? Chowder for dinner, anyone??

The grand tour of the sewing space!

Okay - I took some pictures - although the sewing room isn't totally done yet - [insert dining room whining here]

#1 is looking into the sewing room from the doorway. The table for computer and sewing machine will be to the right of the tv - about where those baskets are sitting on the floor. IF our dining room table EVER arrives! [insert more whining here!]

#2 is the 3 bookcases [upright] in the sewing room. In there are the kits, UFOs, books, knickknacks and tools. It was kind of organized - then I had to stuff more into the cubbies. That's DH's hairy leg kicking in from the doorway - who knows why! - no extra charge!!!

#4 is the stash storage - which is actually out in the dining room area. The bins are clear and this shows what you can see without the handy dandy inserts we designed, cut and installed all by ourselves!We need one more blue mat from the frame shop to cut up and insert them into these 4 bins.

#5 is 3 of the Expedit bookcases sitting horizontally from Ikea with plastic bins covered. It also shows you our elegant dining area with the computer table and 2 folding chairs!

Tada - that's the tour! I'm almost afraid to get out anything to sew - it's gonna make a mess sure as the world! [Don't worry - I'll get over it!]

Thursday we leave for Portland to babysit Miss P in the evening. Friday, all of us go to Sisters for the big show. The boys golf and us girls shop. At least until Miss P's nap. Saturday I go to the Quilt show when the guys head for the golf course AGAIN. Evenings we walk about in Bend during the art/music festival. Oh, and we eat delicious food again and again!!! Yummm!

I'll check in when we get back! Have a great week!

It's all in! It's a miracle!

That's right - all the sewing room stuff is put away! Who knew there was a floor in the sewing room! And, for goodness sakes - DON'T open the closet door!!! LOL! All it took was a closet and 6 Ikea bookcases - 48 cubbies in all. My DH seems to think that's all that should be needed! My whole stash is in there too! The projects, the books, the patterns, the kits, the knick knacks, and everything! It's in tight - and I kept putting stuff in the baskets so it's not really sorted correctly - but it's in! Pictures will follow - when I figure out where I put the camera!

Whoo hoo! It's done! Now, maybe I'll get some sewing done!

Happy 4th of July!

I know you've seen "Starry starry nights" - the quilt on the left - but it's such a good quilt for the 4th of July - I just had to repeat it! It's an UFO that I finished this spring.

Good Morning, here's a secret! When we go to bed and turn out the lights at night we raise the bedroom shade on the window that faces the ocean. That way when we wake up in the middle of the night there's something to look at! There's usually boat lights out there and shimmer off the waves. It can soothe you back to sleep. This morning I happened to be awake at dawn and there must have been a break in the clouds right when I was looking! Because the foam on the waves was relecting the light - so bright that they looked like neon! I even poked R awake so he could see! [He looked, smiled and went back to snoring immediately!]

I'm about to go for a walk on the beach. We have 'below sea level' low tides this week and it's exciting to walk down to the jetty and see the tide pools. In general, this is the cleanest beach we've ever seen! Unlike Brookings which is ALL tidepools, shells and rocks all the time. This is a great beach to walk - but it's usually clear of any obstacle! So to see starfish and baby crabs and other stuff it's the 1 1/2 mile walk down to the jetty. 3 mile round trip and I do it most days! Not a bad fitness plan for a retired person! LOL! Oh, and I gather rocks when I can find them - I get so excited when I see them - and I know I'm gathering rocks that I would ignore down in Brookings! The rocks are then added to the rocks around the patio. There's about 5' x 6' area that isn't rocked. My mission is to fill that this year - one pocket full at a time!!!

We're still without the furniture we ordered! [Are you tired of me whining?? Sorry but living in limbo is NOT my thing!] But the dining room set is apparently shipping right now. Once we get that [if ever!] I can move my computer/sewing table into 'the mess I like to call the sewing room'! Hopefully, I'll get my sewing machine and computer set up then and feel more like doing what I like to do! I've done very little quilting or photographs or blogging since we've arrived. I'm sure you've noticed the blogging lags! It could all change - or I could continue with my new hobby of rearranging all my sewing stuff - trying to fit one more thing into limited space!

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday! Enjoy!