Holiday Lights Parade

On Friday night, Punkie, my husband and myself went to see the Holiday Lights Parade in Willimantic. Fire trucks from Willimantic (my husband's firehouse) and surrounding area fire companies, dress up their trucks in lights and come into town to have a parade down Main Street to the tree lighting and Santa comes along. This year we (Punkie and me) had a big treat. My husband drove the big tower fire truck in the parade and Punkie and I got to ride along! AND since we had the tower ladder... WE drove Santa in the parade. Amelia had a BLAST. She kept saying "We have Santa with us!". It was a lot of fun and being that it was cold outside, I was glad to be in a nice warm fire truck!

I'm sorry my pictures are so dark but you can get an idea of what it's all about.

I did get some sewing done this Thanksgiving holiday. I made a few more pillowcases and I quilted Amelia's doll quilt. I just have to figure out how I want to bind it; since I've never done it before. We also went out on Friday to the mall (I know, I'm crazy but we were only there 2 hours) and Punkie got her picture taken with Santa. It's a very cute picture. I need to scan it and then I'll post it here.

Okay, I have to fix Punkie some dinner. Have a nice evening!

Jen :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day! Enjoy your time spent with family and friends!

And if you're going out tomorrow to help stimulate our economy on Black Friday (I haven't decided if I'm going to join the mob scenes or not)... have a good time but don't spend too much!

Gobble! Gobble!

Jen

Today is a Good Day...

I'm feeling under the weather and I just wanted to crawl into bed when I got home today. When I walked into the house, I see the mail and what's there but a box... HAS to be my Polka Dot & Rick Rack swap goodies. And of course, I was RIGHT!

LOVE all of it! Sinta (my polka dot swap maker) was so kind as to make things to pamper ME! Travel pillow... LOVE IT, of course my husband has already claimed it. A lavender neck roll; which I think I will use this evening, a drawstring bag and wallet (so cute!), bath salts, a cute polka dot basket... musk.... a pin cushion... a pink polka dotted luggage tag... a postcard from her area. I just love it all.

THANK YOU SINTA! You've brightened my evening!

Here are three pictures of my goodies. Sorry for the terrible lighting. I'm working on getting a new fixture for my sewing area.

Sinta and I have a couple things in common... we are both Libras and she shares a birthday with my brother; both being 10/1.

Thank you Sinta! I love that travel pillow and if I didn't have projects ready to go for Christmas, I would be making a bunch of these to give out! I think I have my idea for next year.

Enjoy your evening!
Jen :)

Weekend Almost Over Already??

I soon have to leave to pick up Punkie from my mom's house. She spent the night so that I can have yesterday to myself. But before I go, I thought I would do some updating here.

Friday, my BFF, her husband and baby girl, along with my cousin and baby boy (her husband was working and so was mine) came over for lunch. We had a very nice visit. Amelia enjoyed the babies and showing off for our company. She was a very good girl and hostess. As soon as it got dark out, she told everyone to leave. LOL. Here's a picture of all our babies together.

Saturday, Barb and I did our girl thing and went shopping and did lunch. I started my Christmas shopping so I'm happy there. Now I just have to find time to get some stuff wrapped. I have no idea what to get my husband. He's last on my list unless he starts giving me some ideas. I also went to check out a quilt/fabric shop that I've never been to. Not impressed so I probably won't go back. But we had a great time together and I miss her already. They aren't hitting the road for TX until Turkey Day but their schedule is so jammed with family visits that we said our goodbyes last night. I hope to be able to get out to TX in July for Julia's first birthday.

I promised a picture of Punkie's Butterfly Fling wall hanging that I got all pieced together.

It's needs to be quilted. I will work on that soon. I have a few others things that I really want to get done for Christmas so if I have time, this will get quilted for Christmas. If not, I can work on it during my Christmas break. I borrowed the layout idea from Deb (I looked and looked for the posting on her blog with the picture but I can't find it. I think I saw it on Sharon's blog). I hope she doesn't mind! I loved how her ME table topper looked so...

I also made Punkie two new pillowcases. I LOVE the white fabric. I think it's from the Lakehouse line; I'm not sure. But it reminds me of candy buttons and I just love it. I love it so much, I'm going back to the fabric store next weekend to get 2 more yards so that I can make more pillowcases for myself and have some for my stash. The green fabric is from the Smores christmas line. I love that one too. I think my pillowcases will be pink and white instead of the green. I like how I did a reverse image on the pillowcases. One has a green cuff, the other the white. Fun for a little girl. No one said bedding has to be serious! Not even for adults!

One last thing before I have to hit the road... this morning, I pieced together a doll quilt for Punkie for Christmas. I used the "Sugar and Spice" fat quarters I had in my stash and an another fabric but I think of what the name of it is. I need to piece together all my rows and then I can quilt it. I'm planning on making a matching pillow for it too. I can't wait to see it finished!

Enjoy your day!

Jen :)

Hard at Work... Sewing Some

Work has been crazy. I hate when it's like this but lots to be done to meet an aggressive timeline. But I have had some time to sew in the evenings this week and I actually got Punkie's "Butterfly Fling" wall hanging all pieced together. Finished it last night with the help of my trusty 3 year old assistant. She was in charge of making sure I didn't sew over any pins and when I removed them, she was in charge of placing them back into my pin cushion - as far as they would go. Luckily my pins have a colorful ball at the top or I would have a hard time getting them out of there in a hurry.

I did take a picture of the wall hanging but I didn't have time to upload them to my computer last night. I will show it off tomorrow. I'm happy with it. Some of my 1/4 seams are off so of course, my corners don't meet in some places. Do I care? Sure I do. Do I really, REALLY care? Nope. I'm glad it's done. I just have to quilt it. On my list for Turkey Day weekend. I'm going to make 2 more of the same style. I want to make one for my bedroom. I have a wall with nothing on it. I think a quilting wall hanging would be a nice addition. And I want to make a Christmas one. I have all the fabrics for both; I just don't know if the Christmas one will get done for THIS Christmas. I'm not worried. The wall hanging went together so quickly, I think I can get it done.

Next on my list to get done is a doll quilt and possible matching pillow for Punkie for Christmas. She's been playing with her "babies" so much now that my husband and I decided to get her a new one. This one cries, coos, crawls... very interactive which I think Punkie would like. And with the doll, Santa is going to be bring her a high chair, crib and maybe the matching changing table. Amelia asked Santa for all of the above (and then some!).

Back to the wall hanging.... how do I get it ON the wall?? Do I make and attach a hanging sleeve and figure out some holder for it? Do I clip it somehow on the corners and then get it on the wall? Anyone have any tips for me in that area??? I'm sure someone has a neat trick...

And tomorrow, I have the day off. WOOHOO! Can't wait! My best friend Barb is here from TX! I talked to her yesterday and she, along with her husband and baby girl, are coming for lunch tomorrow. I also invited my cousin and her new baby boy since we all know each other. I think I'm going to make baked ziti with some garlic bread. Quick and easy. I have extra sauce that I made for Amelia's birthday, thawing in the fridge. I just have to get ziti. I have every other pasta in my pantry but ziti. I can't wait to see them! Saturday is our "girls day out". I think we're going to do some Christmas shopping. At least that's on my agenda. It's going to be COLD here so I really don't want to hang around outside. Going from store to store, I can handle that. And there's a quilt/fabric store I want to check out since we're going to be out and about.

More tomorrow!

Enjoy your day!

Jen :)

Polka Dot Swap Goodies Revealed

My husband failed to send out the package to my secret swap partner on Thursday but he did stop at the post office first thing Friday morning to send it off. I have no idea if my swap partner has received it yet but I'm going to show what I did anyway...

I started with a black/white/red theme and then got totally off-track. I tend to do that. LOL. But I made two dish towels, two button magnets and I tried my hand at a pin cushion... then eveything went off-track. But I'm happy with everything and I hope my swap partner is as well.

We went to my cousin's little boy's christening on Sunday and her cousin Monica (complete other side of family from me) has a little boy named Jake who is 4 months older than Amelia. She tracked him down in the church... look at them holding hands! Aren't they the cutest couple?! LOL!

They are adorable together and they had a great time at the reception after playing with the matchbox cars I brought with me.

Amelia has been getting quite maternal lately with her baby dolls. Here's one of her feeding her babies while she was eating her breakfast...

And a couple of her having a tea party...

That's all I got. Enjoy your night!

Jen :)

I'm an official parent of a student

My husband and I just got back from our very first Parent-Teacher conference. Felt kind of weird being in the "parent" spot and not the child dreading the outcome of the P/T conference. LOL.

Amelia is doing very well for her first months in Preschool. I believe she is the youngest in the group, being that her 3rd birthday was 2 days before the school year started. She can recognize 9 colors - 2nd year Pre-K should recognize about 15, I think the teacher said. She can recognize 35 out of 52 upper and lowercase letters - 2nd year Pre-K should only be recognizing 15 so she's pretty advanced there. Doing really well with numbers and writing her name. We have some areas to focus on and I'm glad to hear that they are all acedemic and not "personal" issues like hitting, pushing... that sort of thing. The teacher also said that Amelia is extremely polite and she can be a role model to a lot of the students in the Pre-K class.

All in all Amelia got great reviews from her teacher. I'm quite pleased with my first parent/teacher conference.

I will stop bragging about my ultra smart 3 year old now. LOL!

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

If my husband follows through with his task...

My polka dot and rick rack swap goodies are off to my secret swap person today. I took pictures and packed up and addressed the box last night and left it on the kitchen table. This morning, the box was gone. I'm going to ASSUME my husband took it with him on his way to work to drop off at the post office for me; doing me a great favor.

Let's hope he doesn't forgot to do it!

I will post pictures tomorrow of what I sent. I hope she likes everything!

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Let the countdown begin!

My best friend, along with her husband and new baby girl, are on the road from TX to CT for a visit. I'm sooooooo excited! I haven't seen her in a year. I went to visit her in TX last October for my birthday for a long weekend. It was a nice visit but I really miss her. And I can't wait to meet her baby girl! Barb moved to TX January 2007 with her husband for a change. They were living in Rhode Island and wanted a change of scenery. They had no ties to the area and her husband got a job transfer to the Fort Worth area. They sold their house, packed up the 3 cats and dog and off they went.

Barb and I have been best friends for 17 years but we have known each other for 31 years. We met when we were 4 years old when she moved into my grandmother's neighborhood. Her parents still live in the same house... I think with the same living room furniture too. LOL!

So needless to say, I'm on pins and needles waiting for them to arrive. She didn't give an ETA into CT; they were going to take it slow and make plenty of stops with the baby. I'm banking on them arriving late Friday night/early Saturday morning. I'm hoping they will be in on Saturday as I will be in the general area and I can pop by and say a quick hello. We have plans to get together NEXT weekend. She's coming to my house on Friday afternoon for lunch with her husband and daughter and next Saturday, we're having a girls day. Just she and I and were going to have lunch and window shop.

Can't wait!

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Quilt Giveaway!

Not my giveaway though... Dana at Old Red Barn Co is have a Win 1 of 3 quilt giveaway. Hurry! Go check it out! But don't enter. LOL. I wanna win one. LMAO! JUST KIDDING!! Good luck!!

Jen :)

Pretty Productive Weekend

My husband and Punkie (along with the in-laws) went to New Hampshire this weekend. I had to stay behind because I had to work a full day on Friday and who was going to feed the pigs and goats?! Since everyone was gone (and still are; they will be home sometime tomorrow), I took this weekend for myself.

I went and did a little fabric shopping at a semi-local fabric store Saturday morning. Did a little bit of damage to the credit card, not much. I stayed to my list as best as I wanted to. Only things extra I picked up were a couple of patterns (like I need them) and two different fabrics to make Punkie a pillow case.

Then I made a quick stop at home to write out my grocery list and took a ride to check out a new Target and grocery store that opened about 20 minutes from my house. While at Target, I started my Christmas shopping. Quick stop at the grocery store for the week and home I went. I got home about 2:00 on Saturday afternoon and I haven't left since then.

I've done some sewing. I completely pieced together the stars and stripes table runner for my ceramics Christmas grab bag and I completed 2 coloring bags for gifts. I wanted to get more done but my machine was giving me issues earlier today. Everything "fixed" itself. Good thing because the sewing machine was going to get pitched out the window at about 1:00 this afternoon. It was also slow going because I practiced my free motion quilting lack of skills on one of the coloring bags. I used monofliment thread so at least my quilting isn't too noticeable on that one.

I really wanted to get more sewing done. I had a long list in my head. But that's alright. I got a few things done and off my list. OH! I also finished my Polka Dot swap stuff. So now I have to locate a box and get my stuff in my mail to my secret partner this week. I also started laying out the Butterfly Fling wallhanging that I want to get done for Punkie for Chrismas.

Got caught up on all my movie watching while sewing too. I watched:

Enchanted

Mad Money (only the beginning; the disc is scratched so I'm getting a new one from Netflix)

Sherk the Third

Charlie Bartlett

Hairspray

Talladega Nights (repeat watch)

North and South TV mini series

Maybe all that movie watching is the reason I didn't get as much sewing done as I wanted too?! LOL!

That's all for now. I need to get off this computer and get my breakfast and lunch ready for work tomorrow... oh, and I should probably eat something for dinner.

Enjoy your night!

Jen :)

Top 100 Things to Do...

I found this list out on Vickie's blog and I thought I would play along too. I've done 39 things listed over my lifetime so far. How many have you done?

1. Touched an iceberg - Not touched an iceberg but I saw one up close and walked on a glacier. I went to Alaska on my honeymoon...

2. Slept under the stars

3. Been a part of a hockey fight

4. Changed a baby's diaper

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Swam with wild dolphins

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a tarantula

10. Said "I love you" and meant it

11. Bungee jumped (A lot more scary than Sky diving)

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise

15. Seen the Northern lights

16. Gone to a huge sports game

17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - during my cousin's wedding ceremony

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Bet on a winning horse

23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Taken an ice cold bath

28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Ridden a roller coaster

31. Hit a home run

32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

33. Adopted an accent for fun

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - my mom and dad were both born and raised in Poland. I was there for a month one summer

35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment

36. Loved your job 90% of the time

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Watched wild whales

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach

41. Gone sky diving

42. Visited Ireland

44. Visited India

45. Bench-pressed your own weight

46. Milked a cow

47. Alphabetized your personal files

48. Ever worn a superhero costume

49. Sung karaoke

50. Lounged around in bed all day

51. Gone scuba diving

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Done something you should regret, but don't

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Been in a movie

60. Gone without food for 3 days

61. Made cookies from scratch

62. Won first prize in a costume contest - when I was 8. Does that still count??

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Been in a combat zone

65. Spoken more than one language fluently

66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone

67. Bounced a check

68. Read - and understood - your credit report

69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy

70. Found out something significant about your ancestors

71. Called or written your Congress person

72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

74. Helped an animal give birth

75. Been fired or laid off from a job

76. Won money

77. Broken a bone

78. Ridden a motorcycle

79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph

80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing

82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

83. Eaten sushi

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read The Bible cover to cover

86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about

87. Gotten someone fired for their actions

88. Gone back to school

89. Changed your name

90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands

91. Eaten fried green tomatoes

92. Read The Iliad

93. Taught yourself an art from scratch

94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Fishing and deer hunting)

95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt

96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

97. Been elected to public office

98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream

99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

No time to blog...

Checking in..

Work has been really hectic these last week; thankfully tomorrow is Friday. But I physically have to go into work tomorrow. I've been working from home on Fridays since May or so but I'm attending a workshop for 2 weeks so I gotta be in work. I don't know how I'm going to handle that. And I've been getting home late from these workshop days. I'm tired.

So, I have been reading every else's blogs but just haven't had time to update my own. I hope to have more to update over the weekend. My husband, Punkie and in-laws are headed to New Hampshire for the weekend while I stay home. So I'm free, free, free to sew and get all kinds of projects done... like my Polka Dot and Rick Rack swap stuff!!

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Freemotion Quilting...

Can't be THAT hard. Can it??! Well, for me, it is! I took a freemotion quilting workshop today with my friend's mom who has been my quilting and sewing mentor this last year. Man. I thought, COOL! That's a piece of cake. I can handle it. Nope. I am just not coordinated enough. Thankfully it was a workshop and we were working with muslin quilt sandwiches so we can see our stitching easily and not waste good fabric on our efforts and working at our own pace. I think I spent 2 hours just getting the feel of everything. I will NOT show you my handy work. It is pitiful. I have LOTS of practice in my future. But I will practice since I really want to get the hang of this freemotion quilting.

Punkie had a great time trick or treating last night. We took her to my grandmother's neighborhood where I used to trick or treat. We went with my cousin and her 2 kids. Amelia did great saying her lines "Trick or Treat!" and "Thank You!". She got a ton of candy. I'm tired of looking at it already.

That's all I got. Oh. Don't forget... Fall back tonight. Turn your clocks back 1 hour and you get an extra hour of sleep... at least that is my excuse tomorrow morning!

Enjoy your night!
Jen :)