SEW much to show! Blocks galore!*tons of eye candy!

There is SEW much I have been working on...I don't even know where to begin!
First of all, the fat 8ths have been rolling in. I LOVE CHECKING THE MAIL! I am receiving fabric EVERYDAY! It's wonderful!I have gotten several blocks finished and mailed back to their owners. I also signed up for 2 or 3 additional January swap partners for the One block per month swap.
I've been doing a lot more applique, and am really enjoying it.
Soon I will start on my snowman blocks for a different swap.
Well here's the eye candy!
Here are blocks I've made to send to people:








Here are blocks I've received from others!! I LOVE THEM ALL!!




This one is for my "pinks and greens" quilt. This is the theme for my one block per month swap.

I have also been working on LOTS of quilts for Project Linus and am almost done with my first quilt for the Downy Quilts for Kids Challenge. I will post pics once the top is completed.
I am teaching a quilting class in my home on Friday evenings starting in February. I ordered kits from Downy for all class participants and received them in the mail today!! YAY! Kyle is also participating by making a quilt for the Downy kids. He chose the kit that has Karate fabric =) I am encouraging him in this endeavor for charity. He will be making it on his own with guidance from me.
I will take pics of my Linus quilts Thursday and post them...it's so fun to see eye candy!!

I got my weed whacker quilt pinned and my Cherry Spinners quilt pinned! Yay!! This is a HUGE accomplishment. These are BOTH items on my UFO list. I am not allowing myself to start any new quilts (for me) until my UFO list is clear! (this does NOT include block swaps, lol).

I have received 5 of 8 fat quarters for the Valentine's day swap..and also purchased some ADORABLE cat Vday fabric!
I went to the LQS on the tenth and they had a HUGE sale! Ten fat quarters for ten dollars!!!!!!!!!! And...40% off most of their fabric! Here are some pics of what I got..
This one I bought a half yard of off the bolt...I received the floral F8 as part of the swap I'm in and got the fabric nehind it to use in the coordinating block (pic of block is above). This fabric was really neat because it graduated from light to dark.

I love paisleys and i LOVE pink! So...this Moda fabric was 40% off and I got a yard of it. I cut it in half and sent half to my bestie =)

This is a FQ that I just thought was so unique! Since I love to read, I had to have it too!

Here is a group of FQ's I got...remember I had to buy ten to get them for a dollar each! (For those of you who don't know about Fat Quarters...they normally sell for about $2.25-$2.75 each). The light blue one I bought for Lisa...and some of the rest of those I used as coordinating fabrics for the F8 swap. The antique-y red/blue and cream one I used in an above block for a swap...but it is a fabric I've used before and REALLY love it. I think my next F8 swap is going to be an "antique red/white/blue quilt...using off white or cream instead of white and being inspired by this exact fabric!

I bought this for the round robin swap I'm doing through Cafe mom. This is kind of hard to see but there is some purple in with the blues and the lady's fav colors are purple and blue.

The black floral fabric is a fat8 I refceived (the finished block is above) and I got the matching polka dot fabric and it was just PERFECT!

I got these to go with the cat fabric someone sent me for their F8 block (finished block also above). The bluish looking one os actually a deep grape purple color. I ended up only using the yellow for her block though!

This is the laptop bag I made for Ruth for Christmas!!!


Here is how wonderful my mail has looked almost daily for the past week or so!!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Monday, January 18, 2010
Outside my window... nighttime. It's been extremely cloudy all day and they are calling for snow tonight.
I am thinking...that I will be SO glad when this Algebra class is over
I am thankful for... how wonderful my hubby is!
From the learning rooms... school as normal. We have an upcoming field trip to the NV State Museum.
From the kitchen... Same ol' same ol!
I am wearing... jeans and a shirt
I am creating... SEW many things right now....lots of blocks and lots of charity quilts.
I am reading... A Lady's Secret by Jo Beverly
I am hoping... that I pass this Algebra class!
I am hearing... The tv...YUCK!
Around the house... things are great! =) Flylady rocks!
One of my favorite things... the flannel board on the wall in my sewing room!
A few plans for the rest of the week... Tomorrow is the Lady's bible study, then Awana's, Wed-Fri will be ops normal!
Here is picture thought I am sharing... The WONDERFUL quilt-art that Fran made and gifted to me...WHAT AN HONOR!!!!!!!

Wonderful mail.......

I got WONDERFUL mail today!! Fabric and romance novels...2 of my FAVORITE things!
I received 2 more Fat 8's in the mail today and another Valentine's Day FQ...and...the first round being sent to me of the Cafe Mom winter round robin! I also received 2 books from paperbackswap.com!! YAY!

Here are the pics of the Fat 8's...



Here is the FQ I received for Valentine's Day:


Here are the two blocks I received for the winter round robin:


And here is something VERY exciting!!!!! I did my very first ever paper-pieced quilt block!!!!!!! I started it yesterday and posted some "in process" pics last night...but here is the final block! It is for a "one block per month" swap I am doing. This person's quilt theme is "patriotic".

Isn't it BEAUTIMUS!!!!! :)

Here's my favorite mug on my favorite coaster...

Here is a pic I took today of my ADORABLE Jacob...I just can't resist taking pics of him (notice he gravitates towards the fleece...ALWAYS.......)


And here is a FABULOUS tip for your sewing room!!!
This is a tablecloth.......yes...one of thos vinyl ones with the flannel backing....I found out Thursday night that when you buy a flannel board/design board (whatever they are called) to hang on your wall and put your work on...all it really is is flannel on one side and vinyl on the other.....I swiped my hand across these blocks ... AND SURE ENOUGH they clung!! Unbelievable!!


Tomorrow is a very exciting day too! I have church in the morning and then I'm meeting Nancy at the quilt shop...It's the 10th so they have fat quarters on sale...10 for $10!!! Even some Moda!!!!!
OK...I have got to get off this computer and watch Julie & Julia...I've had it from Red Box for 3 or 4 days now!!! Goodnight!

Works in progress & fabric eye candy!

Last night was my VERY FIRST Project Linus night!! It was GREAT!! Here are the ladies, working away...(see my purdy lil machine sitting there!!) =)

Here is a pic of one area...look at all that!!!!! WOW....

Here is some of the work all bagged up and ready to go! Each of these large bags has ten blankets/quilts inside. All labeled by the size of the blanket!

Here is a fleece quilt kit I'll be making for Project Linus:

And here's another, in a little more vibrant colors. I am using both of these as leaders and enders.

This is a book that Fran has on her bookshelf! She's letting me borrow it!!

And here is the quilt that I made last night!! It's my first ever Project Linus finished product! You can't see it in these pics (b/c I took them with my cell phone) but I did a lot of quilting on it...it was really fun. I did the sailboat and the sails, the star on the boat, and multiple other borders too.

Here is some cute fabric I got off the red-tag area at Joann's...all their red-tag was half off! I got the stripes for binding and book covers and the cat fabric...well just to have the cat fabric! lol.

This is the fabric I bought for the snowman block swap:

And this is my all time FAVORITE winter fabric!! Don't you just LOVE it!?!

Here is a fantabulous Christmas panel that I found for a DOLLAR!!!

And the correlating fabric! Also for a DOLLAR (per yard). I got 2 yards of this stuff b/c it's not really Christmas-y colors...I can use it to go with other fabrics as well.

I found this pre-made binding on clearance at Joann's for $2 a roll!!!!!!!!!! Each roll is 12 yards and says it's for a Queen or Kind size quilt!!
I joined a Fat 8 swap...I send one fat 8 to each of 35 women and each of them send me one. The idea is that you make a 12 inch block out of the fabric they send you plus some of your own. By mid April you will have all of yours back from the 35 people you sent to and you have 36 12" blocks! Since I have NO idea what I am going to do with all my cat fabric..I decided to send that out to all 35 people! It will make a HUGE and unique quilt when I get them all back! I am SO excited about this!!
Here is the first Fat 8 that I have received to make into a block....

I also joined a Valentine's Day Fat Quarter swap on Cafe Mom...here is the first one I have received:

And here is the fabric I bought to send my fat quartes out:


OK, here are the two Round Robin blocks I am sending out for the Cafe Mom, Quilting Mom's Winter RR. I chose these colors because I will be getting my final project back from the 4 rounds in April, so spring-timey colors


Here is my very first time ever paper piecing!!!




This is the book I bought yesterday after Julie, the wonderful shop owner of "The Uncommon Thread" in Fallon, showed me how to do paper piecing! She is so awesome...she will always take the time to physically show me when I am not understanding something! I haven't been brave enough to try anything out of this book yet..but soon. The above block is from Quilter's Cache.

I also bought some fabric from Julie....I had bought this panel during the shop hop in September...no one had any correlating fabric....well...

Julie had the panel in her shop yesterday and this correlating fabric! Isn't it cute!!

This is the panel my WONDERFUL husband chose for me!! Can you believe it, ladies??!!?? He not only went into a quilt shop alone, but brought me home a bundle!!! It's called "Love Is"...if you click on the picture it will enlarge and you can see it!

Here are the correlating fabric that came in the bundle he brought me home....1million + hubby points!

Here is Jacob, playing with fabric :P


This is the devotional I am doing daily. Ronnie had gotten me this a couple years back but I never did it all the way through...this is the year I will!

And my snookiepies...

Friday Night Sew In!

Heidi over at Handmade by Heidi is hosting a sew in Friday, January 15th! With giveaways!
I decided to join in and hope you all will too!!

And for those of you asking for WIP updates and pics....they are coming soon! Hopefully tomorrow...I just have to steal my batterries back for the camera (Ronnie took them for something).

Things I am looking forward to in 2010 and New Year's Resolutions

Things I am looking forward to in 2010:
the Pacific ocean in California, Yosemite, RVing, San Fransisco, exploring Oregon, 3rd grade English, Ronnie's govt. pension increasing, donating my charity quilts, 2010 BOM, International Quilting Round Robin, Quilting Retreat in Fall, growing in the Lord through the women's Bible study at church, having my family come to visit NV.

My Resolutions, or GOALS as I like to say, for 2010:
In my Christian walk: staying plugged in. With uprooting and moving across country, last year was a difficult year for me to stay plugged into the church. This year is going to be more "normal" for our family and I am very much looking forward to the peace and harmony as a result. There's the women's bible study I recently joined, the monthly women's dinners, Awana's, VBS, the Easter play, the Christmas play, etc. I am just glad to be settled in and to have found such a wonderful church family.
I also want to get back on track with my bible reading program and my daily devotionals. These make such a HUGE difference in how my day goes.

In my hobby world: I want to complete and donate at least 4 quilts this coming year to Downy. I am also making the Project Linus chapter here in Fernley a part of my weekly commitments. Meeting every Thursday and producing A LOT of blankets and quilts to local area hospitals for children. I want to finish ALL (yes, all) of my UFO's from 2009! (Lisa...def gonna need your help on this one!) I am going to participate in an International Round Robin this year...VERY excited about that! And I want to stay on time with my Cafe mom BOM.

In mommy land...I just want to continue to cherish and nurture Kyle in his schooling. I love teaching him and hope that this year we can get our # of field trips back up to at least once a month again. Kyle wants to be involved in Baseball this year as well...so my goal is to ensure that happens.

In wife land...I commit to pray deeper for my husband. I love and cherish him but I need to pray on a deeper, more serious level, not a passing prayer that he have a good day.

Around the house: I want to stay up with the Flylady system. (I have been doing very well at this since I started again this month).

As a family...we are absolutely going to be taking advantage of Ronnie being home more and traveling around this beautiful part of the country we moved to!!
OK...share yours!