checking in

Just a bit ago DJ asked me what I have planned for the day. I am finding it particularly difficult to get motivated today since I am going on only 3 1/2 hrs of sleep for the 2nd night in a row. Hate that! DJ and Skyler are both morning "people" so no way are they going to let me crawl back in bed and try to cop some zzzz's anytime after 7 a.m.

You try to put everything out of your mind so you CAN sleep but sometimes thoughts keep coming unbidden. That block at left is part of what I was thinking about in the wee small hours of the night. I need to make a 3 inch finished friendship with a half inch finished frame around it for a name tag for the Pell City Quilt group at some point. I want to foundation piece it so I eliminated a few lines when I drew it up in EQ. To me, this is spinning backwards but that is their insignia, being the Friendship Quilters. I should have just gotten up at 230 and drawn the darned thing instead of thinking about "what size did she say we were supposed to make?" I have a Gordian Knot class scheduled on Saturday with the guild but I think I can either fork over the quarter for NOT having a name tag OR use my old one for this trip anyway. I am not sure where you are supposed to be embroidering or inking in your name (continuity needed for the quilt show in the fall.)

This is what I am actually working on --well, Friday and Saturday anyway. I took Sunday off except for marking the top's 8 inch squares. I finally decided to go with a sitting cat shape and the shape of a cat's face alternately. I found the shapes in my foundation piecing software, printed them off, scanned them to re-size and then printed it up to the size I wanted to fill the block. All that remained was to transfer to thick template plastic and mark around them. I'll set up to quilt the blocks this afternoon---after lunch and a couple errands are run.

The pattern itself is called "Leap Frog" but only because of the fabric the designer used to make it--found in McCall's "Quick Quilts" May 2001. Cher brought the pattern to the Belles attention when she came to Alabama from her Oregon home for one of the groups Sew-In's way back when. I re-sized the blocks to use this fun cat prints and some of the go-with's gifted to me from my pal and fellow Bama Belle Linda S. This will finish about 63 x 81. Better yet, it is one less project piled on the armoire when finished!


I did a little baking this morning to use up some ripe bananas. These are Banana and Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins from the Taste of Home site. I prefer to make jumbo ones and then DJ and I split one for "coffee break" time around 10. We don't do this every day even when we do have something on hand in the freezer. He is just as happy with a piece of toast and I try to hold out till lunch most days. Pretty good actually in spite of my mis-measuring the liquid. It calls for a 1/4 cup of 2% milk and 1/4 of sour cream. I was talking to DJ at the time and poured a 1/2 cup into the batter so all milk it was! The mini chocolate chips added just the right hint of chocolate so I don't think I would eliminate that part from the recipe. I don't know how they will freeze with that dab of cream cheese (fat free version) in the middle. Guess I will find out!

And lastly, here is Skyler in play mode---at that point he was pushing off the couch back with his paws and about to take off running. His toys are there and they might get a token pawing but mostly he just wants to run at top speed up and down the hall using the couch for a launching pad.

The weather is staying reasonably warm---highs in the 60's and even close to 70 by our thermometer. I figured if it is going to stay that warm I can resume a walking schedule. Even if it cools off again, and it will, I can get back in the habit and adjust the time I go. I am breaking into it easily so I don't aggravate my back, hips or knees. Just a mile every other day for a week or two and gradually increase my rate and add a lap or two as we go along up to 2.5 miles/5 days a week.

Soon we will be changing the clocks to Daylight Savings Time (hate it! and how exactly does that save energy????) and it be spring by the calendar anyway. DJ said we have a daffodil open this morning so I will be sure to check that out when I get ready to roll on outta here on my errands.

I have quilt group tomorrow so will need to pack up for that-------hope you are having a good day and thanks for stopping by.