It's Round-up time!

I just got back from a fall trip to Nebraska.  It feels so good to be back home, back on my usual schedule and in my own bed!!  Does that sound like I'm really old???  I AM!! or at least sometimes I feel that way.

I had so much fun in Nebraska.  A big thanks to J&L for their awesome B&B!  It comes with 'our own sewing room'!!!  I highly recommend a sewing room to use when you are on the road!  And J even let me - okay she was asleep, but I knew she wouldn't mind - raid her stash for some pinks!!  It was lovely.

Mom is 94 and still doing pretty darn good!  She had a 'honey-do' list and we got thru it.  I put away summer clothes; put in new waistbands on favorite pants; got out fall/winter clothes; washed shirts; cleaned out drawers; shred some old records; trouble-shot some financial/health care questions and we even had time to play a few hands of cards. Always busy and fun at mom's.

A great-great nephew was born when I was there.  The little squirt was in NICU for a week, but all is well and everyone is back home now.  Welcome to the family, Baby B - we're glad to have you.

I also packed some name banners out for presents.  R, B and I got together for lunch on a gorgeous fall day.  We walked around the acreage and enjoyed catching up with each other again.  These name banners are for R and BJ's grandchildren.

These are some of my favorite presents for the kiddos in the family.  Fun to make, and oh so very scrappy - my favorite kind!

I didn't seem to have as much time as usual in Nebraska [even though J pointed out I had more????] and there are some friends I missed seeing.  There are even some friends that didn't even know I was there!  Sorry, hopefully next time I will be better organized and able to see you all!!

At the end of my trip to Nebraska I got to go to the retreat I attended when I lived there.  Can I just say "Awesome"!!  It was truly a relaxing weekend and so much fun to get caught up with everyone.  Usually on my NE trips I manage to get to a meeting or two - now mind you, I'll keep doing that, but trying to keep up with 8 different conversations in the same room, not my strong point!!  There were 3 1/2 days to get caught up with everyone at retreat, sew and shop - very easy and enjoyable!

My time in NE was filled with making new baby receiving blankies; adding a border to a quilt I was leaving there for hand quilting and a surprise quilt that I can't talk about yet!!  All in good time, I promise!  When all that was done; I'm happy to say that I got to spend time finishing the top of THIS UFO!

Mine is the blue-ish one on the left.  Another good friend "J" brought her finished quilt for me to study while I was sewing mine together.  The pattern is Reminisce by Lori Smith of From My Heart to Your Hands.  Not for the faint of heart ...but with patience ... it goes together well. 

Six years ago my small quilting group "Scrap Happens" decided we NEEDED this quilt.  We studied the colors and had a block exchange for the outside [4th] border blocks. [which I used in my outside border too!] About that time my DH remarked that he was kind-of tired of brown quilts.  J's quilt is in the awesome original colors.  Okay, I thought, I can switch the filler borders and blocks from brown to blue - that will be easy enough!!  LOL!  

Well, it was taxing to get my mind to switch them - I told you I was old!!!  Hard on the confidence too! And so the project wasn't done by our deadline - I just have to mention that it wasn't the only one not done!!!  Then I moved to Oregon; took it out once or twice and worked on the little blocks in the 3rd border and put it back away.  It's a little bigger than J's - I floated my blocks and it's not quilted yet.  That's my excuse and I sticking to it!  I hope to have it machine quilted by Christmas.  Off to the local store this week to get some wool batting.  Has anyone machine quilted with wool???  Any tips???

I'm thrilled that the top is done and happy with the coloration.  It will go lovely in our coastal condo decorating!  My quilting plan is stitch in the ditch and possibly some hand quilting in the setting squares.  High hopes, you know, is the norm in my little world!

I flew back into Portland on Oct 30.  So we stayed for Halloween with Miss P and Mr M.  So much fun watching a bumble bee and dragon go out and collect the loot!  Our pictures didn't turn out ... so for now you'll have to be satisfied with pumpkin pictures.  L&J carved these!!!  Amazing! Trust me, L didn't grow up with jack o'lanterns that looked like this!!  WTG kid!!

Ta-ta for now.  I'm home and hopefully back on a regular blogging schedule ... time will tell!!