I'm still here

I think I've been sucked into some kind of time wasting vortex. 

Vacation feels like it was 2 months ago instead of 2 weeks ago!

 Time flies, apparently whether I'm having fun or not!

I did start quilting again on Libby's quilt-that I had loaded and quilted one pass on BEFORE we left for vacation.

border peek

all-over feathers

If I can get myself out of this black hole of paperwork and what feels like a to do list that's a mile long. It really isn't but cement is in my shoes or so it seems. 

I would have posted sooner, I do have things to say/share. But I was having trouble getting used to the new computers' photo editing software. 

 I think this one is actually better than what I had on the old computer, it's learning how to use it and remembering the next time I upload that is making me more nutso than I like to be on a daily basis. For example, last night I uploaded the 2 pictures above and this one too.

There were 2 other pictures from a weekend bike trip we took.  But when I put the card in my computer,  I must have clicked on a different wrong button for 'where' to upload to. Because it then took me an hour to find them. And actually I didn't find them I juststumbled on found the right place and re-uploaded them. 

And now I can't seem to locate the bike pictures anyway. 

(I can hear the swoosh of the black hole of time coming to envelop me again...ahhhhhhgggggg)

Then I stayed up until 1:30 making folders for the nearly 3000 (OK only about 2700, I tend to exaggerate!) pictures that I transferred from the old computer. Sadly, most of them now have a date stamp of August 2 2011, which is the date of the transfer.  I'm sure I screwed that up somehow when I did it. Although some of them will show the correct date when I click "insert date" but the majority say "8/2/2011". So weird. 

It has sure made it NOT FUN to try to find a picture. 

I made folders for My Quilts, Customer Quilts and OBX Vacation 2007 and 2011.  As you can guess the quilt folders are what took all night to do.
 And to think I only have maybe 1000 1500 pictures yet to go.
 And why did I do vacations 07 and 11 but skipped 08 and 10? (we didn't go in 09) WHO KNOWS.

 This is what I mean about the time wasting vortex.
 I'm not being my usual organized, OCD, list making, list crosser-offer self.  I'm starting to think I'm sick or maybe it's all the walking we did on vacation and we've kept it up here at home.

That would just be my luck: regular exercise makes me lose organizational skills! 

 Maybe it's stored in the belly fat I carry around!  And I thought it was just a protective layer of flub cushioning my wash board abs. (You know the abs you can't see because of the protective layer...)
 We all have them some of us just don't like to flaunt them.

Fun times, fun times...Life is Good.

It's good to be home...

only because there is a hurricane poised to hit the Outer Banks tomorrow. I hope everyone is prepared and the damage isn't bad....

 Otherwise, I'd be wishing I was still there...doing nothing but walking on the beach early in the morning

 and in the evening.

 Sitting in a beach chair watching little kids build sand castles...TOO CUTE

boogie boarding with Meghan until we couldn't boogie anymore.

 A little retail therapy in the evenings and a few delicious meals out here, here and here and some pretty good ones in our condo too.... and I was ahhhhhh so relaxed.

Meg and I worked another puzzle.

The sky on this one was soo difficult, we started to think we wouldn't get it done. But we did and it's been "Mod- Podged"

and now just needs to be framed.

My sister, her husband and my nephew (Sam- U- L)

"HI Sam!"

(he is one of my followers!)

 came down and we spent Friday and Saturday together at the beach!

On our way home, we stopped at The Mount and visited our oldest son Paul. We got a quick tour of the grounds (Beautiful) and the buildings (Beautiful) and met a few of the other seminarians. 

Since the university is 11 (yup eleven) miles from Gettysburg you know we had to go there!  We showed Meghan The PA monument, went up inside and from the top we could point out many of the other big monuments. 

We only stayed about 1/2 hour which was enough for Meg- it was hot as heck, we'd been on the road since our 5:35am departure and we still had about 3 1/2 hours driving to get home.

 But FIRST we ate an early dinner at the Lincoln Diner.

I kid you not, eating here and spending about 1/2 an hour at the battlefield in Gettysburg was the highlight of Paul's vacation. 

A beach bum he is not! 

And now we're home and between dogs getting groomed,

Mr. Otis

groceries, uploading photos, figuring out that my camera is not ka-put just the scan disk (whew!) a surprise bday dinner for my FIL (84!).....

....and I think I need another vacation

*wink*

I've thought about quilting, wistfully but all I've gotten finished is the binding on Debbie's Beau

32 x 38

and a Zentangle birthday card for my niece.

Vacation!

Corolla, NC 2010

I'm so excited-I can't stand myself!

1ST Post on my new laptop

I feel like I'm all thumbs!

I wanted the Geeks at Best Buy to transfer all my files for me (I'm lazy like that). 

I did back up my photos and some other quilty documents myself, but not everything, don't ask me why (I'm lazy like that).  I got a call from them that the hard drive was bad and they couldn't get anything off it.  Bummer!  

On one hand, I lost all my music; only about 100 Cd's worth. I hardly ever listened to them through the computer anyway so it wasn't critical but I would have backed them up if I had remembered them though.

On the other hand,  I feel very good that I got every last penny's worth out of the old computer.  

So I've been spending the last few days learning the new stuff, kinda fun since this computer actually works right and doesn't freeze and mess me up.  I forgot how nice it is. I did finally install the wireless mouse yesterday and in typical "me" fashion, I couldn't get it to work.  I was really getting upset-I even went on-line and downloaded a bunch of stuff for such situations, changed the batteries -twice. I had been at it for over 1/2 hour and was starting to say bad words. Paul had been sitting on the couch reading the paper quietly while I muttered away at how I KNEW I should have just got the wired mouse. Why do I listen to those guys at Best Buy. I know ME I can't do stuff like this....

 Paul said, "let me take a look at it." 

Just for the record: I'm better at computers; which isn't saying much, so therefore I don't think it can be called bragging or anything-just wanted to clarify.

 :)

He opened the mouse and in 2 seconds said,

 "You have the battery in backwards."

I love that guy.

********

So I've been a very good binder and have all the binding sewn on to the quilts I quilting over the last couple weeks.  I only have the hand sewing part done on Madeline and Winter White.

But I'm pretty happy with that.

Finally got my first tomato! Yum.

 

I quilted My Apple Orchard. I stippled the center and did a curling feather in the 9-patch and outer black border. 

I made the 8th block for HWhiskers BOM.



Here is a picture of the top so far.  Just one more block to go.

Oh and I thought you might like to see a picture of Annie with her inner tube collar.  I posted about it a couple weeks ago. 

She's all healed now. Yeah.

*******

I spent part of today walking around the downstairs with a tape measure trying to decide on furniture arrangements.  I've come to the conclusion that some of the stuff has to go or be repurposed.  I measure and say "hmmmm"  alot. 

Oh man, I just accidently changed the view on my screen to 125%---wow I can read it way better! 

 lol.

Scary, the things that can crack me up.



I finally got some pictures

In no particular order.

close up of quilting -free-hand feather meander

  

back of Madeline

Evening Shadows-custom

"Irene" (formerly LCQA quilt)

Jelly roll quilt -stippled

back of Jelly roll Races quilt

Last night I started to load My Apple Orchard. I'm just going to do an all-over either stipple or maybe a double ribbon, but probably the stipple. 

I still have 6 big quilt tops that need quilting. They are all from  my 2010 block-a-day personal challenge.

Apple Orchard was the smallest at 73 x 93, which is why I picked it. 

I got a new laptop yesterday, have to take my computer for them to transfer what they can from it. I'm hoping for an easy transition from desktop to laptop-I did get a wireless mouse for it though.  I'm using Meg's laptop for this post and I'm ok w/it but I've been using it everyday for a month or more and I think I'm as good as I'm gonna get, I just like the mouse better.

****

Our oldest son Paul is visiting with us. 

I'm not sure if I've shared in the past that he is a religious brother in the Oratory of St Philip Neri.  Last week he received his acceptance letter from Mount St. Mary's into the 2nd year of their pre-theology program.  In 5 years (by God's grace) he will be ordained.  We are excited for him as he takes this next step in discerning his vocation. 

My husband is excited also that Mt. St.Mary's is 10 minutes from Gettysburg, PA! 

Update

Molly and I are spending time together outside in the yard (she's a professional tennis ball retriever-I think)

If we're not outside we stay in the basement.... So I've got a lot of quilting done. 

LCQA --now named "Irene":

Jelly roll races:

Evening Shadows:

Schnibbles "Madeline":

Schnibbles Winter White is loaded now and 2/3's quilted

  Jelly roll races, I just stippled, Irene I did custom quilting on and will have better pictures after Molly leaves and I can find the time.... I quilted with an all-over feather meander on the others-just love using that!

I did sew the binding to my Jelly roll races top but am waiting now to see what the next step in the basement deconstruction/construction will be.  If I can't use my stuff downstairs, I'm figuring I can sew binding upstairs.

**some of you may see through this flimsy excuse to just avoid the dreaded binding process--basically you'd be correct **

****
Our oldest son, Paul is here for the week (BIG SMILE). More news on that later.