Suzy's Quilting Room

Buzzzzzzy as a Bee

2012-01-30T16:50:00.000-05:00

I've been busy this month and really made a lot of progress on many things. On the 3rd of January I finished my UFO for this month -- my Scrappy Pinwheels quilt top. It is now out to be quilted and should be done by the 8th of Feb. Whoo Hooo!

I made 12 hot pads for the boutique in our Guild's upcoming Quilt Show in March.

I also made a 15" square quilt for the small quilt raffle in our Guild's upcoming Quilt show.

And I've been piecing my hexagons quilt on and off while I watch TV shows in the evening. Just putting on the last row now and then will stitch a gazillion black hexagons around it to form a "border." Not sure how wide I'll made the black border, but I'll judge that as it progresses.

What have you all been up to? Post on Judy's blog and share! :o)

Busy, buzzy, busy,
Suzy

Design Wall Monday -- aka UFO Progress

2012-01-02T17:54:00.000-05:00

Happily, I've made progress on my scrappy pinwheel flowers UFO. I decided to go with the yellow I used in the centers as sashing and scrappy cornerstones to highlight the blocks. And now they are all sewn together! Now to figure out a border. I'm hoping to be able to use stash fabric, but if all else fails, to the quilt shop I will go.

For some unknown reason, blogger has turned my pictures sideways. But whatever. I guess on this quilt that doesn't really matter. Weird though.

Here's to progress,
Suzy

Revealing January's UFO for 2012

2012-01-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

It feels so weird to type in the year 2012. I don't know if I'm ready yet. But ready or not, here it is! 2012! Happy New Year everyone!

So below is the UFO project I'm choosing for January. My scrappy pinwheel flowers. I opened the box to find 9 blocks, the paper pinwheel pattern, and lots of yellow fabric yardage that I used for the center of each pinwheel. This one was started a LOOOONNNNGGG time ago. Years and years and years. Wish I had kept a quilt blog back then, I might be able to date it. LOL! Anyway, it was made when I first started learning the buttonhole stitch by hand. And I recall using scraps from my scrap bin. It even pre-dates my EQ days, so that was a long time ago, considering I started with EQ3 and we're now into EQ7. Yes, I looked and looked in my files for a pattern I might have drawn up for it. Nada.

So now I have to figure out how I want to finish this baby up. I don't think I'll add any more pinwheel blocks -- just use the 9 I have. I don't even know if I have the matching muslin background fabric anymore anyway. So I'm figuring a 3x3 layout. That's as far as I've gotten. Hehehehe. Although I do know I want to incorporate more of the yellow fabric into it somewhere...

Oh well, tomorrow I will wrack my brain and figure out how I plan to finish the top.

'Til then,
Suzy

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2011-12-24T18:20:00.000-05:00

2012 - The Year of the UFO

2011-12-21T11:33:00.002-05:00

The finished UFO, that is! Yes, this year I am joining Judy's 2012 UFO Challenge. The only thing is, I have soooo many UFOs and kits that I can't narrow it down to a list of 12. That, and the fact that I have control issues. I'm thinking it's a residual side-effect of OCD! LOL!

Check out my UFO/kit craziness below. The UFOs are in the smaller storage boxes and the kits are in the large bins.

So, what I'm going to do is choose a UFO or kit each month to work on and hopefully complete. That way I can also gauge what my real life plans are each month and choose it to correspond with how busy or non-busy I will be that month. Then I won't be stressed with having a UFO that needs a lot done to it during a month where I won't have as much time to dedicate to it as I would need.

Sounds like a plan to me,
Suzy

(Sings) One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other...

2011-11-13T12:31:00.000-05:00

One of these things is kinda the same...

You are right...the sneakers are odd man out. They belong to my 8-YEAR OLD GRANDSON! Yes, they are too big for my feet. I wear a 7-1/2 shoe. This kid is gonna be an amazon! We went to the carnival Friday night and we measured ourselves. He is only 8" shorter than me! Granted I am only 5'3", but REALLY?!?

Not ready,
Suzy

Voting Time! aka I Need Your Help!

2011-11-11T22:22:00.001-05:00

Ok. I'm wanting to do at least one (probably more) small quilts (up to 15") for our guild's raffle at their March 2012 Quilt Show. I've been playing in EQ and came up with a possibility for one, but I'm not sure on which color combo to go with. I think I have a favorite, but I'd like your input as to which you prefer. Help! Please comment and let me know what you think...

Thanks bunches,
Suzy

Quilt Day = Progress!

2011-11-10T11:04:00.000-05:00

A bunch of us girls got together at my house yesterday to sew/quilt our little hearts out. We had a blast! I've been diligently working on finishing up some UFOs and am making great progress on my Trip To Bali quilt top. Almost there!

It was also Estelle's birthday, so in addition to lunch (pulled pork sandwiches and fruit salad), I presented her with an ice cream cake in celebration. Fun, fun, fun. :o)

Here's to fun days with girlfriends,
Suzy

The Two Saints -- St. Thomas and St. Maarten

2011-10-21T13:26:00.001-04:00

Wow. Just got back from three weeks in NJ and PA visiting my family and realized I neglected to finish off the cruise posts. So sorry. Both Kathy and I had never been to either island, so we just did the "exploring the island" thing for both. They were both beautiful and I would recommend them to anyone wanting to visit the Caribbean. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Oh, and we both bought a "bit" of jewelry. Shhh, what happens on the island, stays on the island. LOL! :o)

Paradise found,
Suzy

Quilt Days at Sea

2011-09-25T13:39:00.000-04:00

We had three wonderful, fun-filled quilt days at sea. Bonnie was an awesome hostess and teacher and the quilt she designed specifically for the cruise is beautiful and, of course, scrappy. I can't show you it, as the November cruisers will be making the same quilt and, understandably, Bonnie wants to keep it a surprise for them, too.

I can't even begin to explain here all the comraderie that happened while we shared our fabrics and pieced our little hearts away, so pictures will have to suffice. :o)

Hurray for Mai-Tais in Paradise!

Suzy

Nassau, Bahamas aka A Day with the Dolphins!!!

2011-09-20T11:47:00.032-04:00

Nassau, Bahamas. Beautiful. Even after Hurricane Irene. I think the locals did an amazing clean-up job by the marina because we couldn't see anything amiss. I imagine the tourist trade is what brings in the $$$ so they want to make sure those locations are up to par. We learned at dinner that some of the other quilters went off the beaten path and more inland and they commented that the damage was more pronounced there. Still in all, I think they did a magnificent job just one week after Irene's destructive visit.

As for Kathy and I, we've both been to Nassau before and done the Atlantis thing. Although if you haven't been, I highly recommend it.

So we wanted to do something totally different -- visit with the dolphins all day! And what a fun, fantastic, and awesome day it was! We took a ferry to Blue Lagoon Island (yes, the same island where the movie with Brook Shields was filmed). It was so beautiful, the water was so blue, and the sand was so fine. Breathtaking.

Before our dolphin adventure, we had an hour to spend on the beach, so we grabbed a couple of hammocks and chilled while the steel drum island music played in the background. Ahhhhhh, now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. :o)

After our hammock chilax we went exploring and saw a group of people on a different dolphin adventure. One where they wear lifejacket-type vests and float stationary on their stomachs in the water with their legs spread slightly apart. Two dolphins then swim up behind them and each pushes the person's feet with their noses and races them across the lake at approx. 25 miles an hour! Yep, you know what we're going to be doing next time we visit Nassau! LOL!

Next, up...our dolphin adventure. And what an adventure it was! If you ever find yourself in Nassau, do it, do it, do it! I believe the official name was "Dolphin Encounter." They split us up into two groups and then we sat around a pool-type enclosure built right on the water. In even smaller groups of 10 or so, we made our way into the water and one-by-one got to interact with the dolphin, Salvatore. We petted, hugged, kissed, danced (holding his fins), fed him fish and watched him do tricks for us. What an opportunity of a lifetime. I bought the DVD of our encounter (sweet!!!), but unfortunately haven't used up the film yet in the waterproof camera to upload any of our personal encounter pics here. Sorry. The only ones I have to share for now are the ones I took with the regular camera prior to the water encounter and, of course, the one I bought from them, which I will cherish! What memories!

Dolphin Love,
Suzy

Sail-Away Day

2011-09-18T11:27:00.025-04:00

What excitement we felt as we prepared to board the Carnival Dream. We couldn't wait to get aboard and explore the beautiful ship. Also, who would have thought amongst the 3,000+ passengers and the quite lengthy time-slot for boarding (11:30am-4pm) that I would actually run into another quilter? Well, not only did I run into another quilter, but she was 2 people in front of us in line and it was Regan from Floating on a Quilted Cloud, whom I had connected with online! How fortuitous was that! We hugged like old friends. So amazing the instant friendships you can make by just having a blog. It was great to finally meet her in person, and I also got to meet her friend, Brenda, who was also a quilter. :o)

The ship was as beautiful as we imagined and the Atrium was breathtaking! Our inside cabin and private bathroom were quite spacious. We loved the towel creatures the stewards made every night. Such a simple thing, but so fun! Especially when we added our own "accessories." LOL!

The pools were all decent sizes with plenty of lounge chairs to be had. And I can't even count how many hot tubs were on the ship. It seemed like they were around every corner!

We ate every evening in the Scarlet Dining Room. Gorgeous! And how fun to spend them with the other quilters as we reminisced about our days. Many friendships were formed and I will cherish them all. Most exciting of all was meeting THE Bonnie! She was just as sweet and friendly as I imagined. :o)

Many of the evenings after dinner, several of us would go to the shows or just hang out together. Let me tell you, don't let the fact that we are quilters lull you into some false sense that all we do is spend time with a needle and thread or in front of our sewing machines. We can party and have a great time with the rest of 'em. All I can say is what happens on a Quilt Cruise, stays on the Quilt Cruise. 'Nuff said. LOL!

Stay tuned for Nassau, Bahamas!

Cheers,

Suzy

She's Alive!

2011-09-14T14:30:00.002-04:00

Yep, and going through all the pics of the cruise. Will be posting soon!

Thanks for all the well-wishes everyone!

Antibiotics kick @$$,
Suzy

Feelin' Yucky

2011-09-07T21:50:00.005-04:00

Blech. That's exactly how I feel. I've been laying low all day. Sore throat, practically no voice, runny and stuffy nose, aching body and now my ears are starting to bother me. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't need to visit the doctor. Yuck. :o(

Darn cruise ship germs,
Suzy

Sings And We Had Fun, Fun, Fun, 'Til The Captain Took The Cruise Ship Away...

2011-09-06T13:26:00.008-04:00

Let it be known that quilters can party with the best of 'em. Don't let the fact that we occasionally sit in front of a sewing machine or with a needle and thread and fabric fool you!

The cruise was awesome, Bonnie's quilting class was awesome, and all the quilting gals and their respective sail-mates (hubbies included) were awesome as well! I've never been on a quilt cruise before, but I think I would be hard-pressed to find such a wonderful, friendly group all in one place. :o) I've met so many new friends and feel so blessed. The picture below was taken from a picture, so the quality isn't the best. But is that a good looking group, or what?

There is so much to share, that it would be impossible to post it all in one blog entry. So this will likely be one of many.

Stay tuned for "Sail-Away Day."

All Aboard,

Suzy

Kids Quilt Camp - June 2011

2011-07-09T12:25:00.008-04:00

Better late than never, right? Almost forgot to share the fun times that were had at our yearly Kids Quilt Camp. I signed up for the whole day this year -- 8:30am-4pm. Let me tell you, time really does fly when you're having fun! The morning sessions from 9am-12pm were with the beginners (those who never made a quilt or more likely never even sewed before), and the afternoon sessions were from 1pm-4pm with the "advanced" kids (those who attended last year's beginners class or had previous sewing experience).

In the morning we were 1-on-1 with a child. I worked with Victoria and she was a sweetie. Very shy and tentative at first, but by the end of the week she had made some friends. She caught on to sewing very fast.

In the afternoon we were 1-on-2. I had Catherine (she requested me again from her beginner class last year) and Holly. They were both a hoot. Since they have been best friends with each other for years, they were very outgoing and talkative. I would get silly with them a few times and then be the "grown-up" and remind them of the task at hand. LOL!

Click here for more pictures.

Can't wait for next year,

Suzy

Duh...

2011-06-29T19:41:00.004-04:00

OK, how many of you out there have so much stash that you forget what you've already purchased? How many of you have purchased the same item more than once because you didn't realize you already had it?
G-U-I-L-T-Y!

Here I am thinking I'm all that...organized that is...

Well, today I decided to go through my BOM/Kits tubs and finally take pictures of (gulp) items I've purchased in the past 2 years, promptly plopped them in the tubs and then neglected to own up to them on my blog (list of which can be seen (and clicked on) over there on the right-hand side).

Well, I guess I REALLY, REALLY liked one kit so much I bought two of them (at different times, of course). What the heck!?! Madness, I say...just madness. LOL! Guess there's a king-sized basket quilt in my future!

I'd better get this butt into gear and actually start working on (and completing) these kits and UFOs. The only question is -- do I have enough years left? I'm "only" 51, but have you seen my stash, UFOs and kits?!?! What's the saying? "She who dies with the most fabric wins."? The next question is -- what do I win? LOL!

Quilty craziness,
Suzy

Happy Father's Day in Heaven, Chris

2011-06-19T20:04:00.006-04:00

This Father's Day has been a tough one for our family. The girls' and Anthony are really missing their Dad/PopPop today and the emotions were raw. To help us get through the sadness of our first Father's Day since Chris passed, we wrote notes to him and tied them to helium-filled balloons and sent them to "heaven" for him to read.

Here are some more photos.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there, on Earth and in Heaven, including the best Father of all: God. :o)

Blessings,

Suzy

Goombay's

2011-06-08T22:08:00.006-04:00

Isn't that the coolest name ever for a restaurant? Well, more like a cozy and casual hole-in-the-wall right across from the beach with different bright-colored picnic tables. But the food was a-w-e-s-o-m-e!

Now for the story on how we found this place...

Kathy gave me an "Entertainment" coupon book for Christmas this year (she has one for herself, too). There are tons of coupons of all types in the book and each book is published for your city/area and are good for the entire year. There are coupons for restaurants, coffee shops, ice cream parlors (notice I started with the food items first LOL!), clothing stores, movie theaters, bowling alleys and all kinds of other entertainment venues. Well, we decided that we were going to use these coupons to the fullest, so tonight when we decided to go out to dinner, we agreed we would be "adventurous" and only go to places where we can use these coupons. After looking through many, many, many places to eat, we decided on "Goombay's."

We had a blast and it was fun to try something different from the same ol' same ol' tried and true places. Plus, since we had a coupon for "buy one entree, get one free," the entire bill for both of us was only $11 and change.

Can't wait to see where we end up next...

Goombayah,
Suzy

(Sings) Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay...

2011-06-05T21:06:00.005-04:00

My friend Kathy and I found ourselves at Outback for dinner, but after having our fill, we decided we didn't want to go home yet. So we drove on over to River Rocks Restaurant and had a couple of non-liquor drinks and prerequisite desserts (shared, of course). It was a beautiful evening so we sat at the outside "bar" overlooking the water, sailboats and jumping fish, with the sea breeze blowing through our hair and watching the sunset. Ahhhhh, such is life in Florida...

Blessed,

Suzy

Backyard Visitors

2011-03-14T18:50:00.005-04:00

I had some backyard visitors the other day and remembered to actually grab my camera and take pictures. However, I then promptly forgot they were on my camera, so here they are. I'm not sure what kind of cranes they are -- perhaps someone out there can enlighten me. I was just amazed that they stayed there while I was practically right next to them clicking away. I thought for sure once I walked toward them they would fly away. I do know they travel in pairs (one male, one female). God's creatures are just so beautiful and inspiring.

Uplifted by nature,

Suzy

Aloha!

2011-02-11T20:44:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! My Dad and I are back from our Hawaiian cruise and we had a great time. I will always cherish the memories. I'm so glad that I got to share this special time with him and to see one of his dreams come true. He's always wanted to go to Hawaii ever since he glimpsed it on his way to Korea while in the service. He is a big WWII buff and was especially moved during our Pearl Harbor tour. A big thank you to all the men and women who served/serve our great country!

Aloha,

Suzy

Pinwheel Party

2011-01-14T11:42:00.007-05:00

A good friend of mine is expecting her first grandchild in February. Of course, as a quilter, we all think, "I need to make a quilt." Yep.

So I wracked my brain (small as it may be) and played in EQ7, and looked through books and wracked my brain some more (ouch). Finally, voila! I found a great quilt pattern. It's from the book Pinwheel Party by Ellen Pahl. I loved all the quilts in the book, but one really spoke to me...Twice As Nice. Here's a photo of the book cover and her original version of the quilt.

I had ordered a Lily and Will FQ stack of fabrics from Fat Quarter Shop specifically for whatever quilt I was going to do, since the color scheme for the baby's room is going to be blue and brown (it's a boy! LOL!), so I thought that I had all the fabrics I would need. Well after playing in EQ7, drawing and coloring the blocks to suit my color scheme and to get the requisite amount of each color fabric I would need, I came up short for what I envisioned. (I only used one brown to represent all the browns, one blue to represent all the blues, and one background to represent all the backgrounds. This makes it easy for me to know how much total yardage I need for each color.)

So what does a quilter do? Well, go to her stash, of course! Luckily, I have quite the stash and was able, I think, to mix it up well enough that will give it a scrappy look, yet not be able to tell which were the original Lily and Will fabrics and which are my choices from my stash. I hope you agree.

Now the next question is whether I start cutting and piecing it now, or after I get back from my cruise with my Dad to Hawaii. We leave next Saturday, the 22nd, and get back on February 8. I know I want to start it now, but if I don't at least get the top together by the time we leave, my OCD will drive me crazy knowing I wanted to get to that point before then. Ugh...

Quilting quandry,

Suzy

I'm Going On A Quilt Cruise!

2011-01-10T13:44:00.004-05:00

I'm soooo giddy I can hardly stand it! I can't believe I'm actually doing this. I'm also excited to be able to take classes from Bonnie Hunter herself! Check out her blog for more information and read about her exciting quilting life and beautiful scrap quilts.

This is my first quilt cruise, and I am very lucky that this cruise is sailing out of Port Canaveral, which is only about 30 minutes from me.

I've taken the liberty of posting the photo info she had on her blog. Hopefully I'm not stepping on anyone's toes. Bonnie, if you're reading this, just let me know and I will be happy to take it down.

Quilty hugs to all,
Suzy

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T18:55:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!

I'm planning on returning to blogging on a regular basis and returning to some semblance of normalcy.

Thank you to everyone who supported me during this difficult time in my life.

Life goes on,
Suzy

A Heartfelt Thank You

2010-10-29T11:38:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to post a public thank you to all of you who supported me mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally while dealing with Chris's illness and passing. Words cannot express how much that support meant, so I won't even try to verbalize it. Just know that having you all there for me/us made a difficult journey less so. As I once read somewhere, "the nicest things are often things that none of us can touch."

Thank you for being there,
Suzy

In Memory Of My Forever Love

2010-10-14T14:38:00.003-04:00

My Forever Love

Chris Martin Prickett

December 15, 1951 - October 13, 2010

Heaven Awaits

2010-09-26T09:34:00.001-04:00

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down -- when we die and leave these bodies -- we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies. Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life.

2 Corinthians 5:1-4

Update

2010-09-17T16:30:00.005-04:00

I thought I'd check in and update all my friends and family who follow my blog. I wish I had better news to share, but I don't.

Chris has lost another 10 pounds in the past 3 weeks. He is now down to 136. His blood pressure is a little on the low side -- 100/50, and is now on both Methadone and Morphine for the pain. He is not eating or drinking much, and had a really, really rough week last week. Despite it all, I take him to his bowling leagues on Monday and Tuesday mornings. He is totally exhausted when he gets home and sleeps the rest of the day, but sometimes I think the bowling is the only thing that keeps him going; and if that's the case, I'm glad for it.

Please keep us in your prayers,
Suzy

P.S. We had to rehome Lexie, but she is now part of another wonderful Christian family with two young girls, aged 3 and 7. She is doing well and is very happy being the only furry member, with two little girls to keep her busy and active.

A Blogging Break

2010-08-27T19:37:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to let you all know I'm taking an official blogging break. Not much quilting going on here anyway.

Chris is not doing well. He has lost most of his voice and can barely swallow. He has had quite a few serious choking and major coughing episodes and is now having quite a bit of pain in his back and chest to the point that they have now prescribed morphine for him. Hospice visits regularly. He is now down to 145 lbs. I hate seeing him like this and am scared and depressed that he may not even make it to our 31st anniversary on October 6. Yet I don't want to see him in pain and suffering.

In addition to my stressing about Chris, our older dog, Lexie, is sensing that he is dying and has become terribly aggressive toward our younger dog, Tasha. She has literally tried to kill her several times and we have had to crate them, letting only one dog out at a time. Yet, Lexie still tries to attack Tasha while Tasha is crated. Lexie has been on "puppy Prozac" for almost 4 weeks now but there's not much of a change with the aggression. Now I'm also scared and depressed we'll need to rehome one of our dogs.

Yet through it all I still have faith in the Lord and his Will, and know He has a Plan for us all. Please add us to your daily prayers.

In His name,
Suzy

A Whole Lotta Sumpin' Goin' On

2010-07-16T10:44:00.011-04:00

I haven't blogged in several weeks because it's been crazy busy around here. Good and not-so-good crazy busy.

Let's see...

I've been quilting on and off and finally have a top put together. It's pastel tumbling blocks that I cut with my GO! cutter. Let me tell you, that GO! cutter is the best thing since sliced bread. I still haven't decided whether I want to put borders on it. Right now it measures 79-3/4" x 57-3/4" (unfinished). I'm thinking borders will give it a more finished look, and in my mind's eye I see three borders -- the inside border being solid white, a center border being the leftover pastel scraps somehow pieced, and a final white outer border. But I don't want the finished top to be gi-normous. I've played in my new EQ7, but nothing is speaking to me. I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

More prizes from my block design have been coming in. I get very excited when the UPS guy stops in front of my house. In the past couple weeks I've gotten a $50 Gift Certificate from Electric Quilt, 10 quilting-related DVDs from Nine Patch Media (one of which is THE Roses of Remembrance DVD), and 12 books from Martingale & Co. They accidently sent me a duplicate of one ("It's A Wrap II") so they are sending the corrected book, and I already had "Follow-The-Line Quilting Designs Volume Four". So, I'm either going to hostess a giveaway here on my blog for the two duplicates, or donate them to my Quilt Guild. The Roses of Remembrance book will be arriving in August. :o)

Next up is more family time. Chris is now in the hospice program (he's lost 20 pounds and is having difficulty swallowing). So while he's feeling fairly good and is still up and around, my sister, brother-in-law, niece and my dad decided to come for a visit from NJ last week. We had a wonderful time together. Gosh, I miss them already. So between family visits and visits from hospice (nurses, counsellors, pastor, etc.), and my trying to squeeze in some quilting time, we've had pretty full and fast-moving days. I am grateful for hospice, though. At first it sounded so scary and so final to have hospice involved in our lives, but it is a very positive thing for both Chris and me. And we thank God for our blessings every day.

Hugs,

Suzy

Kids Quilt Camp 2010

2010-06-24T09:36:00.007-04:00

Guess where I was last week? No, not the fabric store, silly. I was volunteering at Kids Quilt Camp. I even managed to coherce Kathy (the "eh, I'm not really that into quilting") into coming and we both had a blast. The kids were so great and sucked up the knowledge like the sponges they are. Most amazing was that I would say 70% of the kids had their quilts completely done by Wednesday. Guess what they did the rest of the week? Worked on piecing quilt tops for charity quilts! How awesome are they! I'm so proud to be part of this group.

Friday was Show 'n' Tell with their families in attendance where they showed off their completed quilts and even got to show the 3 (yes three!) finished charity quilt tops they completed by working in groups. Great fun was had by all.

This year I had a cutie pie named Catherine. She was such a ray of sunshine and so outgoing. The clown of the group, she had us all laughing at her antics. These kids are all so much fun to be around.

I'll leave you with some pictures from Camp so you can see for yourself how much everyone (volunteers and kids) enjoyed themselves.

Each one teach one,
Suzy

Sedona Sunset and the AccuQuilt GO! Cutter

2010-06-15T15:57:00.004-04:00

This weekend I had a blast with my new GO! Cutter, which I purchased a couple weekends ago on sale at JoAnn Fabrics in anticipation of the $100 gift certificate I would receive from AccuQuilt as one of my prizes for the Roses of Remembrance quilt design (which I recently received, BTW).

I cut, pieced, quilted and bound this quilt in only 2 days! It's 20" square and was so much fun to make! I call it Sedona Sunset.

For the half-square triangles, I just used some leftover charm squares from my Bali quilt (still in progress) that didn't match the color scheme.

If you have the GO! and want to duplicate the quilt pattern (feel free), I used the half-square triangles from the value die that comes with the Cutter, the 1-1/2" strip die for the inner border, the 3-1/2" strip die for the outer border, and the 2-1/2" strip die for the binding strips. Easy peasy.

A GO! convert,

Suzy

My Prizes Are Starting To Arrive!

2010-06-09T20:51:00.004-04:00

What fun to check the mail every day! The UPS/Fed Ex guy is now my BFF. LOL! Just check out my first arrival!

Aren't they GORGEOUS! $500 worth of Island Batik fabrics to die for! The large stack on the left/bottom are 1-1/4 yard cuts. The large stack on the right/bottom are 2 yard cuts. The two other stacks are FQs. There are also 18 hand-painted 5" squares and two very large hand-painted murals.

I can only dream what to make with them all! Although I did use one of the yellow FQs for a wall-quilt top I just completed. Pics of that coming soon...

Batik crazed and loving it,
Suzy

A Memorable Trip

2010-06-08T09:15:00.004-04:00

We're back and we had a wonderful cruise! Being treated as VIPs didn't hurt either! LOL!

We have lots of pics. We took about 80 and are awaiting the pics from Heather and Rachel, too. I'm thinking of uploading them all to either Facebook or Picasa. Haven't decided yet.

Food, fun, family. It was all amazing. Anthony got a little motion sick the first night, but was fine after the first full day. To see his face at the show (Toy Story - The Musical) was priceless. We all enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Disney's island, Castaway Cay, was beautiful! I was able to get the massage, but Chris wasn't. Apparently if you have cancer they can't do a massage for fear it may cause it to spread or whatever. They did give him a complimentary hand, foot and scalp massage, though. We also were presented with two complimentary robes. Comfy!

But the highlight of our trip was a private invitation by the Captain to tour the Bridge. Anthony even got to sound the horn (which was shaped like a Mickey Mouse face) while we were leaving port. How exciting!

I could go on and on about the trip, but will blog more once I get the pictures posted.

Cruisin' fun,

Suzy

(Sings) Cruisin' -- On A Sunday Afternoon!

2010-05-28T19:33:00.008-04:00

Yes, we will be leaving Sunday afternoon on the Disney Wonder headed for the Bahamas. For 6 days and 5 nights we will be enjoying Deluxe Suite Stateroom w/Veranda accommodations. Our two daughters and grandson will be in a suite right next door. Family Time!

We really need this right now, as Chris's cancer is progressing faster and faster. He had a choking episode yesterday afternoon that scared the heck out of me and I thought God was going to be calling him home. :`o(

Chris is really looking forward to this and having the girls and grandson together, so we are planning to thoroughly enjoy the ship, the ports, the deep blue sea, and each others' company. Chris and I even have a couples massage arranged one of the days we are on Disney's private island, Castaway Cay -- in our own private cabanas out on the sand overlooking the ocean. I can hear the seagulls already.

Time to make more memories...

Suzy

The Quilt - Roses of Remembrance

2010-05-27T16:28:00.004-04:00

Here it is in all it's splendor. THE Quilt. Made to help support Alzheimer research. My block is middle/far right. Isn't the quilt stunning! Keep an eye out for the book, dvd and embroidery cd. They should be out soon.

Roses of Remembrance Quilt

Roses of Remembrance Quilt - Back

My prizes will also be trickling in over the next two weeks. Squee!!!!!

Quilty happiness,

Suzy

The Secret Revealed . . . I WON!

2010-05-24T17:18:00.006-04:00

Yes, I can hardly still believe it myself. One of my EQ Rose of Sharon Quilt Block designs was chosen as one of the 12 final winners. See the original posting here. When I found out several months ago (December 14 to be exact) I could hardly contain myself! Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson actually picked this block as a winner!

We were told there were over 850+ entries and 11 countries represented. Sharon and her business partner Elizabeth at Nine Patch Media narrowed it down to 50 blocks and Ricky and Alex took over judging from there. They "complained" that they were given a very difficult task of picking only 12 of the 50 they were given. LOL!

My block will now be in Sharon Pederson's Rose of Sharon Block Book, as well as the DVD of the same name and it will also be available as a CD from OESD Embroidery. I also won approximately $1,700 in prizes. I am soooo tickled!

Funny thing is that I was most proud when Sharon herself told me that she uses MY block as a teaching sample in her classes because it eclipsed a variety of nuances, such as placement, color, sizing and motion. Wow, what an honor! Oh, found the e-mail: Here are her words exactly, "...here's the block we fell in love with. It's not only going to be in the book, the DVD, and the Embroidery CD but I have chosen it to be the class sample block for the Rose of Sharon class. It has the perfect combination of shapes, sizes, colors, etc. and is 'traditional' enough but still sort of contemporary at the same time."

Doing the happy dance,
Suzy

Move Over Thelma & Louise -- Here Come Kathy & Suzy!

2010-05-19T18:17:00.018-04:00

Ok, ok, so we weren't that bad and we made it out alive -- but we DID have a fun time on our little getaway weekend to St. Augustine.

Hubby was down in Stuart with his mother this past week (his Dad had to unexpectedly have quadruple bypass surgery but all went well). So while the cat's away the girl's decided to P-L-A-Y.

First thing Kathy said after I told her that hubby would be gone for a week was "Road Trip!" First thing I said in response was "St. Augustine!" Aside from the silly "pushing all the elevator buttons" and various small sundry things, we were what we consider well-behaved. Hehehehe. No falling down drunk or peeing on people's lawns and such. No, we were trying our best to stay out of jail and spend the night at the local Holiday Inn instead.

We walked and walked, and took the trolly tour and walked, and walked, and...well we were TIRED when we got home from the trip. Only a few pictures to share, as we couldn't be bothered with the camera. We were too busy window shopping and touring and real shopping and such.

We did take pictures of each other at one of the places we had dinner. The place was soooooo cute! It was an Irish Pub and Seafood Restaurant. We ate upstairs on the outdoor balcony overlooking the water, bridge, pirate ships, sailboats, yachts and even horse-drawn carriages. We even saw 4 dolphins playing amongst the boats. And the food was great, as well! Forgot to take pics of the food, but we both had the fish and chips. Dang they gave you alot. We could have shared after it was all said and done. :o)

Oh, and I can't forget to tell you we found a quilt shop! Right there in downtown St. Augustine. It was a really wonderful shop with friendly staff and great fabrics! Yes, of course I helped our fledgling economy by plopping down almost $200. But see my pretty treasures!

Hope your weekend was as great as mine,

Suzy

I Have An Exciting Secret!

2010-05-08T20:48:00.002-04:00

...And finally after waiting several months, I'll be able to share it with you here on my blog on Friday, May 21, during the Spring 2010 International Quilt Market. YAYYYYYY!

Stay tuned,
Suzy

P.S. If you want to guess what it could possibly be (hint: check previous blog entries), leave a comment with your guess and I'll e-mail you and let you know if you are correct. I can't officially B-L-O-G about it until then, but I have been able to tell family and friends. And I consider y'all my friends. :o)

Dream ~ Design ~ Create: Announcing The Upcoming Release of EQ7

2010-04-24T10:08:00.008-04:00

Coming June 7, 2010 from The Electric Quilt Company!

Quilts, Blocks and now PHOTOS!
Digital cameras will become a quilter's best friend. EQ7 has dozens of ways to turn everyday photos into quilt art images. Or crop and edit scanned fabrics right in EQ7 in minutes. And that's just the start!

New Activation Policy
You'll never run out of EQ7 activations! Activation and deactivation is as easy as two clicks of the mouse. Install on as many computers as you like and quickly transfer activations from computer to computer. This new policy gives you complete freedom to manage your own activations — and no dongle to worry about!

Easier than ever for new users
EQ7 is the most user-friendly full-featured quilting software yet.
• Complete user manual
• 22 printable full-color PDF lessons (115 pages)
• Point-and-read info on each tool – now linked directly to Help topics
• 10 videos targeted for beginners
• 67 “How do I?” topics: printable stepped-out instructions for doing everything from printing English paper-piecing templates to drawing a New York Beauty
• Built-in Help buttons are everywhere, targeted to the task you're doing
• New block tools for creating original blocks instantly without drawing
• Blocks size themselves – just drag and drop on the quilt

Users upgrading from EQ6 will feel right at home
Exactly the same friendly interface, plus loads of new user-requested features.
• 5000 copyright-free blocks
• 5000 new scanned fabrics, plus grayscale textures
• 120 new pre-designed quilt layouts
• Snap blocks to a Quilt grid
• Instant border blocks with greatly expanded Auto Borders
• Print multiple photos on fabric
• Create original fabric designs from photos, then print on fabric
• Mirror and use myriad symmetries on photos
• Use dozens of artistic effects, making everyday photos look like watercolors or Impressionist paintings
• 79 new features in all

Netbook compatible
Works on netbooks as well as laptops and desktop computers.

When will The Electric Quilt Company begin shipping EQ7?
We will begin shipping June 7, 2010.

What are the EQ7 and EQ7 Upgrade system requirements?
ELECTRIC QUILT 7
Minimum system requirements: Windows® XP, Windows® Vista, Windows® 7 (32 or 64 bit), Internet access, 750 MB of available hard-disk space, CD-ROM drive. Netbook compatible. Internet required for activation, deactivation, and periodic validations.
Recommended: Monitor with screen resolution of 1024 x 768 or greater, Adobe® Reader®, sound card for demo videos.
Activation: Internet access is required for activation and deactivation. Unlimited installations. Activations can be easily transferred between computers. Two (2) computers may be simultaneously active.
EQ7 UPGRADE
Minimum system requirements: Windows® XP, Windows® Vista, Windows® 7 (32 or 64 bit), Internet access, 750 MB of available hard-disk space, CD-ROM drive. Netbook compatible. Internet required for activation, deactivation, and periodic validations.
Recommended: Monitor with screen resolution of 1024 x 768 or greater, Adobe® Reader®, sound card for demo videos.
Activation: Internet access is required for activation and deactivation. Unlimited installations. Activations can be easily transferred between computers. Two (2) computers may be simultaneously active.

UPGRADE VERSION of Electric Quilt 7 This upgrade version of Electric Quilt 7 will install only if you are a licensed user of Electric Quilt 6 (EQ6). Visit www.electricquilt.com for other upgrade requirements.

What is the activation policy?
EQ7 has a new activation policy, created as a result of user feedback.

Activation: Internet access is required for activation and deactivation. Unlimited installations.
Activations can be easily transferred between computers. Two (2) computers may be simultaneously active

Just When We Thought It Couldn't Get Worse...

2010-04-22T13:15:00.004-04:00

First, sorry I haven't blogged since my last post asking for prayers. I've been a bit depressed (hence no quilting), but even more so since our friend and neighbor across the street passed away on the 29th. He had the same cancer as Chris and decided to take the same non-traditional treatment route. He passed away 3 years to the day he was diagnosed. His memorial service was on Friday. A very sad day indeed. His wife, Kathy, and I are good friends and I am totally making myself available to her, as I know she will also be there for me, if and when that time comes.

Second, Chris had his endoscopy yesterday. Bad news all around. The tumor is quite huge (8cm x 6cm), which translated is approximately 3-1/4 inches by 2-1/2 inches. She was shocked he can still swallow and that it hasn't yet obstructed. According to the results and the pictures (ewwwie, btw), he doesn't have much more opening to go before he does obstruct. PLEASE DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU GET GROSSED OUT EASILY. The thing that scared us both the most, though, was when the doctor started talking "fatal aspiration." Apparently he is at the point where he could be having a conversation just fine, and then suddenly have an aspiration episode where the tumor will start uncontrollably bleeding and he will just start vomiting blood and die. We are also questioning whether the bleeding episode from several months back where he was bleeding profusely from his rectum and the hospital couldn't figure out why. He was in the hospital for several days. His hemogoblin has never really rebounded yet from that episode. In fact, if it gets any lower, he will have to have a transfusion. It is a strong possibility that that episode could have been a bleeding episode from his rectum caused by the tumor. Apparently he can bleed out either through vomiting the blood or from his rectum. Scary stuff indeed.

So there you have it. Our lives at the moment. Monday we have an appointment with a lawyer here in FL to update our wills. Last time was a few years ago in NJ, but we want to make sure everything is kopasetic (sp?) now that we're living here in FL.

Living each day at a time and still asking for prayers,
Suzy

Asking For Prayers, Please

2010-03-28T10:44:00.003-04:00

I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything of substance, but my back has been killing me and I've been to the Dr's several times and even got a series of two epidural shots. Those who know me know that I have to be in quite a bit of pain to face needles, especially those in my spine area. Anyway, I'm feeling much better now to where the pain is managable, but it's not me I'm wanting prayers for...

We got the results Friday from hubby's recent PET scan and things are not good. In fact they are depressingly bad. The cancer is now progressing quite quickly and the Dr thinks the tumor will overtake his "esophagus" sometime this year. What that means is he will quickly go downhill from there as he won't be able to eat or even breathe. They may be able to put in a stint and even a feeding tube at that point, but it will only delay the inevitable and, of course, hospice will be called in. I asked how much it has spread and the Dr basically put his hand at his waist and his other hand at his neck. We were shocked. Especially since Chris is feeling and eating so well right now. But, as the Dr said, it is now progressing rapidly. Chris still doesn't want chemo (radiation is now out of the picture because of how much it has spread) because although the chemo will give him a little more time, it will most likely make him sick as a dog and his herbs and homeopathy medication has given him three years without the negative side effects. He wants what time he has left to feel as "normal" as possible and I can't blame him. Chris will be getting an endoscopy so they can see exactly what's going on, and I will post again when we learn the results.

Okay, I thought I was handling this well, but I'm tearing up here. We knew that this would inevitably happen and we are blessed and thankful that we had the time we had (three whole years) after his recurrance diagnosis (especially when they were talking 3-6 months). I don't want to ramble on, but did want to let everyone know the latest, especially since several of my NJ friends read my blog.

Please keep us in your prayers,
Suzy

Eye Candy

2010-03-20T15:30:00.003-04:00

In honor of National Quilting Day, I've finally gotten around to uploading the pics I took of some of my favorite quilts from our Quilt Show (which was a huge success, btw!)...

Seaside Piecemakers Quilt Show - March 12-13, 2010

Enjoy the show,
Suzy

"Chantilly" Small Raffle Quilt

2010-02-09T11:31:00.005-05:00

I had so much fun making the first small raffle quilt that I decided to make another. It also measures 15"x15".

I'm totally diggin' the fabrics. They are leftover scraps from my "Patisserie Stars" quilt, along with a FQ of the alternate strips, and leftover strips of some green polkadot fabric I used as a backing in another quilt. I really love the feathers that I quilted in the alternate strip areas. They soften the look of the quilt even more. I just have to put on the sleeve and the label. That should only take a minute or so as I use heavy duty wonder under to fuse them on. :o)

Small Quilt Gratification,
Suzy

We Have A Winner!

2010-02-06T11:17:00.004-05:00

The drawing has been held and we have a winner of the mystery giveaway!

Connie W. from Cootie Bug 2, this is your prize! Six yummy, soft fat quarters of Thimbleberries flannel fabrics. Hope you can use it in a quilt to keep you warm and cozy during the cold winter months. Here in Florida I don't have much use for flannel. LOL!

Thank you to everyone who entered. I'm sure I will have more goodies to giveaway in the future, so thank you for being faithful readers. :o)

Hugs,

Suzy

"In Bloom" Raffle Quilt

2010-02-05T15:04:00.003-05:00

Our quilt guild is having their bi-annual show on March 12 and 13, 2010. We are 300 members strong and it is a huge show with a lot of work involved (that's why we only hold one every other year). I give them major kudos for their organization. Amazing! I would say the majority (if not all) of the active members support the show in one form or another. This is my first year with the guild and I'm wading in the shallow end this time, just getting my feet wet.

I've signed up to spend several hours at the small quilt raffle booth and also am donating a small quilt to be raffled. I've just finished it up and here it is!

I call it "In Bloom" and I had a blast making it. It was hard to decide what I was going to make, as the quilt can't be any larger than 15"x15", which is exactly what "In Bloom" measures. I hope we raise lots of money and I can't wait to go to the show and see all the beautiful quilts our members made. There will be vendors there, as well as food, raffle booths, a boutique with small handmade items, lectures and demonstrations, doll exhibit, quilt appraisals, wearable art and I almost forgot to mention this is also a judged show. Maybe next show I'll even enter a quilt in the show! :o) We also have a GORGEOUS opportunity quilt that members worked on and the proceeds go to benefit the Cancer Care Centers of Brevard Foundation. In case you are in the area, more information is available at www.seasidepiecemakers.com.

I'll be sure to take many pictures once the show is finally here and I'll, of course, post and share.

Blooming with happiness,

Suzy

P.S. Don't forget about my giveaway! Last postings due by midnight EST tonite! See my blog entry below...

Heads Up! Get Ready For a Giveaway!

2010-01-31T09:23:00.002-05:00

Wow! Can you believe it's the last day of January already?!? Last I remember, it was just Christmas!

Good news, though! My blog anniversary is coming up on Feb. 2. I can't believe I've been blogging for 2 years now! Needless to say, I want to celebrate with you, my faithful bloggie friends. I'm going to have a giveaway. Nothing like quilty presents to make us quilters happy.

This is the thing, though. It's gonna be a "mystery" giveaway. You won't know what it is until it's over and the winner has been announced. I don't know about you, but I love surprises! :o) Also, if you are a "follower" of my blog, you get an extra entry. So if you haven't clicked that little button on the righthand side of my blog, you might want to do it and up your chances of winning. But please only do it if you sincerely wish to follow my blog. Don't be a spoilsport and "unfollow" after the contest. We quilters just aren't like that. :o/

So here ya go... You have until midnight EST on Friday, Feb. 5 to leave a comment on this post, you get an additional chance to win if you are a "follower" of my blog (let me know in your entry comment), and the gifties (yes plural) will be a surprise until the winner is announced on Saturday morning.

Good luck to all, and thank you to all my faithful bloggie friends,
Suzy

More Doll Outfits

2010-01-28T10:23:00.007-05:00

I guess I've been in the mood the past week or so to make doll clothes. Here are two of the latest additions:

Have a great day!
Suzy

A Sunny Day In Florida

2010-01-19T16:31:00.004-05:00

The past few days, the weather here in Florida has gotten back to the usual averages in the 70's. Today was no exception. There was plenty of suntanning to be had...

Not only by the dogs...

But my doll Nellie also enjoyed the warmth of the sun modeling the new sundress I made her. :o)

I also spent some time out on the loveseat in the Florida room reading a great book by Dean Koontz that I got from the library.

Have a sunny day!

Suzy

Another One Bites The Dust...

2010-01-15T13:27:00.004-05:00

Ta da! Another UFO turned into top form. I'm not even going to think about all the tops that are now accumulating and awaiting quilting. LOL!

I'm so happy this turned out so well. I really disliked the scrap blocks on their own. It needs a little pressing, I know, but I took it to my quilt gathering yesterday, so it was folded up. Once ironed, the yellow bias squares also look much better and lay flat. I had to fudge a little because when I made the scrap blocks, I had used freezer paper "templates" and being a beginner quilter at the time, well, you know how that is. LOL!

Hmmmm . . . what will I tackle next on my UFO list? Heaven knows there's plenty to choose from. :oD

Piecefully yours,

Suzy

There's A New Superhero In Town

2010-01-07T10:18:00.003-05:00

If you've been watching the weather stations, all you northerners are probably laughing at us Floridians because we've been freezing our patooties off down here -- breaking records left and right. Well as you know, one of the side-effects, of course, is static electricity. So I bring you our new superhero...

STATIC DOG!

Maybe I should rename her "Sparky"? LMAO!

Electrifyingly yours,

Suzy

Design Wall Monday

2010-01-04T13:24:00.005-05:00

Here's what's on my design "wall" this week. I've been working on a UFO that is heaven knows how old and am finally to the point of sewing the blocks together into rows. Many years ago I decided to get rid of/use (LOL!) some of my scraps and this block is what I came up with. Scary thing is I actually used freezer paper "templates" because the pieces wound up such unusual sizes. Ah, the naive beginner quilter. I had them all cut out and some of them actually sewn together and then they sat and sat. I finally finished piecing the blocks several months ago and hated them -- wondering how the heck I was going to orient them to make a "pretty" quilt out of them. Hooray for EQ! I swear I would be lost without it! I'm actually really liking this quilt now! It looks much nicer in person. Can't wait for the center to be done and then I just have to add two borders to complete the top. :o)

My resolution this year is the same as last...working on finishing up some of my UFOs to at least tops waiting for quilting. I hope to get this one done by this weekend. Here's hoping... :o)

UFO Frenzied,

Suzy

Starting The Year Sewing

2010-01-03T15:58:00.008-05:00

Ahhhh...there's nothing better than starting a new year with sewing. BTW, Happy New Year everyone! Hope it's great!

Here is the first little project that I completed this weekend.

It measures 26x26 inches and the stars are 4 inches.

I call it "Patisserie Stars." The fabric is "Patisserie" from Moda by Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts. Hence the name, duh. LOL! Isn't the fabric G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S?!?! Sad thing is I only had two small charm packs, so using my trusty EQ program, came up with a simple quilt utilizing them to their advantage. I'm sure I'll make another small quilt out of the other charm pack eventually, just because I love this fabric line so much. I had a FQ of the pink sashing fabric and 1-1/2 yards of the floral border fabric. Plenty of that floral left, for the next quilt, too, thank goodness, as long as I keep it small. I'm planning on using a green dot fabric for the backing. Although it's not from the Patisserie line, it goes so well it looks like it does. I didn't want to use what was left of the floral for the back that most no one will see. I'd rather use it in the top of the next quilt.

When I was playing with my EQ program designing this quilt, I realized I would need (ok, ok, want) some of that beautiful floral for the border. I went to my local quilt shop(s) and there was no Patisserie fabric to be had. Thank goodness for the internet. I got home and immediately went on Ebay and found exactly what I was looking for and at a great price too. Shoulda saved myself the gas and gone on Ebay first, huh? But at least the story ended happily. :o)

Anyway, now I'm auditioning quilting designs for the top and now have a whole 'nuther conundrum. So me thinkie this top will hang among the flimsies for a little bit while I decide how it should be quilted. Right now I'm leaning towards clamshells, but that means more free-motion practice by me before touching this baby. That's okay, though. Practice = playtime. :o)

Have a quilty New Year!
Suzy

Sudoku Quilt Finished

2009-12-20T14:01:00.002-05:00

Here is the Sudoku quilt all finished. Whew!

Trying to beat the holiday rush,

Suzy

Who Knew? Sudoku?

2009-11-30T10:17:00.004-05:00

Sudoku for quilters. Yes, that's right. I'm sure many of you have seen some of the quilting patterns floating around out there (or you could just buy a Sudoku puzzle book, cheat by going to the back of the book where the puzzles are already solved, and substitute the numbers for fabric). All you need are 9 FQs. Cut them into 4-1/2" squares and play, play, play. It's best to have a swatch of each fabric selection numbered so you always know what fabric #1 is, etc. My grandson even helped with arranging the last two blocks by putting the fabrics in the right spots according to the numbers in the pattern. He loved it! Then add sashing and borders as desired. Easy, peasy.

This quilt is going to my friend and neighbor, Nancy. During one of our group quilting/sewing get-togethers, I admired a knitted cable afghan she was making. I can't knit to save my life. Once done, she gave it to me! How sweet was that! So I'm making her a quilt the size of the afghan she knitted to return the favor. I know her bedroom is in blues and her living room is in browns. Hence, the color scheme that I came up with. I think the fabrics play nicely with each other. I just have to put the final blue border on it and then I can sandwich it and quilt it. This is a really quick quilt to make, easy enough for beginners, and I highly recommend it for instant gratification and a way to use up some of those FQs you have languishing in your lovely stashes. Yes, you know who you are! LOL! :o)

I'll post a final picture once the quilt is completed.

A fellow FQ stash hoarder,

Suzy

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T09:27:00.002-05:00

Blessed Thanksgiving wishes to all!

We are celebrating Thanksgiving at our daughter, Heather's. Between our family, our son-in-law's family and friends, there will be quite a gathering. What fun to celebrate with those you love. I'll be contributing vege and cheese trays. Guess I'd better get going so I can start cutting up everything. :o)

Enjoy your Holiday!

Suzy

Pretty Pink PJs

2009-11-14T12:42:00.005-05:00

I was in the mood to make some doll clothes, so here are the PJs I made. My doll, Nellie, seems to like them. :o)

Zzzzzzz,

Suzy

Another EQ Block Entry

2009-11-12T12:12:00.005-05:00

Just playing around in my EQ program again, so decided to enter another block before the deadline of November 15. Fun!

Suzy

Too (Two) Doggone Cute!

2009-10-12T11:29:00.002-04:00

I realized I haven't posted pics of my babies for awhile. Well here they are... Aren't they too cute! Luv 'em to bits. :o)

Puppy Luv,

Suzy

EQ Is Having a Contest!

2009-10-11T09:26:00.007-04:00

Any of you readers out there owners of EQ6? Well, they're having a Rose of Sharon quilt block contest ending November 15. Here are the specifics.

Now, you know I'm entering, right?!?! LOL! In fact, yesterday I sent in three design entries. Sincerely doubt I'll win with all the talent out there, but it sure was fun playing in my EQ6 program again. :o)

Here are my entries so far...

Design fun,

Suzy

And The Winner Is . . .

2009-10-11T08:54:00.005-04:00

Clare!

Thanks hubby for lending a helping "hand" by drawing the winner. :o)

Clare, please email me with your address so I can wing these goodies on their way to you!

Random fun,

Suzy

An Anniversary Giveaway!

2009-10-06T11:31:00.005-04:00

Hey you all out there in blogland! No, it's no my bloggie anniversary -- it's my 30th wedding anniversary! Yep! Hubby and I have been married for 30 years today, and given his health, I am thankful for every single one of them. So I want to share a little happiness with you all, too! I'm having a giveaway!!!

Since I love this Gwen Marston book so much (that I accidently bought 2 of them, ugh), I decided I would give away my other copy. It's brand new, never used, and I've included some yummy fabric, as well! There's a full yard of the berry print, an 8" x 36" piece of the dark cranberry, a FQ of the medium pink tone-on-tone, and a FQ of the dusty rose circular fabric.

All you have to do is comment on this post before 11:59pm EST on Saturday to be included in the drawing. A winner will be randomly picked and posted on Sunday, October 11. Just make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. If I don't hear from the winner within 24 hours of my winner's post, I will have to draw another winner.

Luck to all!

Suzy

What's Up Next...

2009-10-05T11:33:00.005-04:00

Well, since I don't have a design wall to show my current project, I guess the carpet will have to suffice. LOL! This is going to be my Trip to Bali quilt. Lots of purples, pinks, golds, blues and lime greens in these fabrics. The sketch shows how it will look once done, although when I colored it in EQ6, I just used a couple different colors to get a general idea. I didn't want to spend all my time tediously coloring each one differently. Not counting the black borders, I will be able to complete this whole top using only 2-1/2" strips and 5" charms. Finished size will be 93" x 110" -- a really good sized bed quilt. So far I have the 80 (yikes!) blocks-in-blocks completed for the center. Next up are sewing the 2-1/2" strips together and cutting them into 2-1/2" squares for the center inner border. Easy but time-consuming. I'll get there eventually and I love working on it because the batiks are all so colorful and different. It's like eye candy. :o)

Bali Hai,

Suzy

Cottage Charm aka Taffy Treats

2009-10-01T13:08:00.012-04:00

Another one bites the dust! UFO that is. :o) I think at the end of the year I will do a collage of all the projects I finished during the year and count how many were completed UFOs and how many were new projects. I think it will make me feel good to see how much I accomplished in 2009.

Anyway, here is Cottage Charm. It's a beautiful kit done by Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill. She called the kit Taffy Treats, but I named the quilt Cottage Charm. I totally love the fabrics in it -- Poetry Collection by April Cornell for Moda. In fact, I love the fabrics so much that I tracked down and bought a FQ bundle of all the FQs in the entire collection and they are being shipped to me as we speak. Yeah, I know, like I need more fabric. :oP

The scalloped border was a new one for me. I'd never done one before. It's presentable, but I'm not 100% happy with it. I know I'm a perfectionist, and maybe it's just me or maybe there's a trick out there that I don't know about to get the inside scallops (concave curve?) to not wrinkle a bit. If you know of any tips or tricks on how to achieve that, I'd love to hear from you. I cut the strips on the bias like it called for, but maybe I stretched them too much sewing the binding to the quilt, or maybe I didn't stretch the binding enough. Who knows? Hopefully with practice, I'll become better at it.

Sure hope my sister likes it.

Quilters are poets with fabric,

Suzy

Finally! -- A New Camera!

2009-09-24T10:37:00.005-04:00

Yay! Finally got hubby to break down and actually go out and look at cameras -- and we came home with a great one! A Sony DSC-W290 in silver. I love it! It's sooooo easy to use. We also invested wisely in an 8GB memory card which ups the picture storage to almost 2,000 pictures or 2-1/2 hours of video. Sweet. The store didn't have it, but we are also going to get another battery, so one is always charged and ready to go. With the nice new red case we're good to go! Can't wait to take pictures now! The picture screen is a huge 3". Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. LOL! :o)

Camera Crazy,
Suzy

Road To Recovery

2009-09-21T10:56:00.006-04:00

Hi all! I am finally feeling better (although still not 100%). Advil is now able to keep the pain at bay and as the days go by, the Neurosurgeon says time will heal it. I am soooo happy to hear that surgery is a last resort! I'm getting up and around now, and although I'm not allowed to bend, lift, stretch, clean or vacuum (jeez, what a shame -- thank you Merry Maids!), I am doing some cooking. The herniated disk is between L1-L2 and herniated toward the spine rather than out the side. That's the main reason surgery is a last resort. He would have to cut the bone of the spine to get to it and the herniation itself is located quite closely to my spinal cord which isn't a great thing either. Even with all said and done, the surgery would only carry a 60-70% success rate. No thanks. But like the surgeon said, the good part of where it is located and the size of it indicates that time should heal it. Taking it easy and not pushing myself is key. If the pain gets too bad, he indicated that I could get an epidural block, which would be a needle in my spine with quartizone (spelling?) and other meds to block the pain. Depending on the person, it could alleviate the pain for 1 day or up to 6 months per shot. I'm not a big fan of needles (so much so that I had my children naturally to avoid the epidural shot itself), so that will be a last resort for me for the pain. Right now two Advil 2-3 times a day is sufficient. So I AM healing! Yay!

The past week or so I have done a little quilting (in spurts) and finished a top for my sister's newly decorated hallway (it was an easy to piece top and is one of my UFO kits called Taffy Treats :o) ) and it is now at the quilter's waiting to be quilted. It will have a scalloped edge, which is new to me -- so keep your fingers crossed it turns out right. LOL! I'll post a pic when it's done. We s-t-i-l-l need a new camera, so I'm trying to talk hubby into it some time this week.

We also had our grandson this past weekend and I had him practicing his stitching at the sewing machine using lines printed on paper that I had drawn using my EQ program. He learned straight lines and pivoting. He enjoyed it a lot! Next visit I'll have him do more pivoting and move him on to following a curly-cue line. He catches on fast. I think I have a future quilter/sewist on my hands and couldn't be more tickled.

Recovering Nicely,
Suzy

Out Of Commission

2009-09-06T10:57:00.002-04:00

I know, I know. It's been more than 2 long months since I've posted. However, I have a very good excuse. I have been sidelined since July 5 with a herniated disc which they finally (F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!) diagnosed after a recent MRI. Stupid insurance companies!!! Now I'm just waiting for a call from the NeuroSurgeon as to the next steps to take to make my life painfree again. I have been in agony!

I can only spend small amounts of time at my computer (basically just reading my e-mail messages), so please forgive the lack of posts. I'll update as I learn more.

Big Time Hurting,
Suzy

Say "Hi!" to Tasha

2009-06-21T12:44:00.005-04:00

First of all -- Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's out there! You rock!

Next up -- Lexie has a new sister. Meet Tasha. She is also a Yorkie-Bichon mix. (Sorry for the blurry picture, we still need to get a new camera.) Anyway, she is soooo cute and soooo little. Last night was a sleepless night for me. Ah, don't you love babies of all kinds (human, puppy, etc.). Count on being up for potty breaks and the like. Overall though, she was really pretty good for her first night. I'm gonna have my hands full training this one, too. I remember the sleepless nights with Lexie making sure she didn't have any accidents in her crate. Although she caught on within about 3 weeks or so, it couldn't happen soon enough. I train them for indoor potty on a potty pad and protection tray. Lexie started out with just the indoor training and now she does both indoor and then outdoor when weather permits (which is usually the case). But if it's raining buckets or we're not home to take her out, she goes on her potty pad. Now to just get Tasha to the indoor point. I'll worry about the outdoor one when she's got the indoor one down pat. LOL! Lexie's not sure what to make of it all, but they do play "tag" together, so it will probably take Lexie a week to get used to the idea that Tasha's here to stay. :o)

I've been pretty busy lately. Even before the puppy adventure. I just finished up a week at Kids Quilt Camp where I was a volunteer Quilting Angel. My student was a cute little 9-year old girl named Nikitha. We became pretty close during the week and exchanged e-mails (at her mother's suggestion, of course). Her mom was so sweet as well. She raised Nikitha well -- she was so polite and well-mannered in addition to the usual kid humor. She was very outgoing and I can see a career in politics for her, even though she wants to be a doctor. What a charmer! LOL! "Thank you so much for teaching me to quilt, Mrs. Prickett. Your the best teacher ever, Mrs. Prickett. I really like you Mrs. Prickett," etc. What a doll. She (and her mom, I'm sure) even surprised me with a gift on Friday after they had their "show and tell." A beautiful scarf and chocolates. I was very touched.

I've also been officially "inducted" into our 300-member quilt guild -- the Seaside Piecemaker's Quilt Guild. So I'm becoming very active in that, too. We have a show in March, so lots of preparation in the works for that.

I'm sure there's more I'm leaving out; but it's already a pretty long entry.

Enjoy your day!
Suzy

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T09:52:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there!

My daughter's are cooking me brunch today. :o)

You're In BIG Trouble, Missy!

2009-05-08T11:24:00.004-04:00

Would you ever think this cute, adorable, innocent face has a terrible secret?

Behold! Her secret... A MAJOR paper fetish!

Bad Dog! LOL! I can't help but laugh sometimes. After all, it could have been worse, right? Imagine all the scenarios. Ugh.

Unconditional doggie love,

Suzy

Another Finish!

2009-05-04T10:34:00.003-04:00

I'm on a roll (for now, LOL)! Utopia is now completely finished -- label and all! I'm very pleased how it turned out. I just love the colors. It matches the decor in my house wonderfully -- and it was an easy quilt to piece! Can't ask for more. Hehehehehe.

Enjoy your day,

Suzy

A Finish!

2009-05-01T17:22:00.003-04:00

After 10 years of lingering on the sidelines, my "Sunset at Aunt Dinah's" UFO is finally complete! I'm really pleased that so far I've been sticking to my New Year's Quilting Resolution. :o) Hope I can keep this up. LOL!

Utopia is also done -- just needs the label sewn on. I'll upload pics of that quilt sometime this weekend (hopefully). We've got the grandson for the weekend so it's a bit of a question-mark. You know how that can be, right? :oD

UFO completion happiness,

Suzy

FQ Frenzy

2009-04-18T10:16:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was my lucky day. At least I see it that way. We picked up my grandson from school to bring him back to spend the weekend with us and I decided to ask hubby to make a quick stop at the really nice quilt shop near Anthony's school. Lo and behold! They were having a great FQ sale for one day only! 50 FQ's for $50. You better believe I took advantage of that one! Lookee at all the gorgeous FQ's I acquired for my stash! (Click pic to enlarge) 50 lovelies! Did I step in it or what?

Jumping for joy,

Suzy

2009-04-12T09:21:00.002-04:00

Celebrate the miracle that is Easter with family and friends.

Blessings,

Suzy

A Comforting Gift

2009-03-22T12:54:00.005-04:00

I've been busy this past weekend making a quilt for my friend and trainer Ariel's 4-year old niece. Last week she was diagnosed with leukemia. My heart goes out to her and her family, so this tiny bit of comfort for little Noel was the least I could do. Maybe she can use it during her chemo treatments. It measures 34" x 39". I will give it to Ariel tomorrow so she can give it to her sister for Noel.

If you could send up a few prayers for little Noel, I'm sure He is listening.

Trying to understand His will,

Suzy

Presenting... Utopia!

2009-03-14T12:09:00.006-04:00

This is what I've been working on lately. My new project is now a completed top! Yahoo! Presenting... Utopia!

It's a little wrinkly, but you get the idea. It was a very quick quilt to put together, as you can tell. I think the pattern is called "Chinese Coins." I just used 2-1/2 inch strips and had a blast. The hardest part was deciding on what fabric I wanted to use for the sashing. It took me a week to decide. No, really. I'm anal like that sometimes. Ok, ok -- a lot. :oD I'm very happy with my choice and I love all the colors in this quilt! I think it is one of my favorites. Had to do some creative cutting for the yellow mottled sashing, as I was limited on my fabric yardage, but I think it works.

Utopia and Sunset at Aunt Dinah's will be dropped off to be quilted at The Quilt Place on Monday.

On to the next project,

Suzy

New Project :o)

2009-02-28T11:36:00.004-05:00

I've started on a new project and am very excited! Here's a teaser...

Hoping to blog more soon,
Suzy

Ta da!

2009-02-26T08:40:00.007-05:00

Another UFO has made it to completed top form. Yay! Thanks everyone for your feedback. It really helps to get impressions from other quilters and I appreciate you all taking the time to let me know your thoughts. I'm glad the majority of you liked version 2 as well. It helped me feel better about taking the easy way out. LOL!

The borders really aren't as wrinkly as they seem. The darn dog kept running on the top and whenever we would try to catch her, she thought we were playing. Ugh! I can't tell you how many times I would straighten it out and then she would have a field day on top of it. Gotta love her! I tried to get a pic of the whole top, but just couldn't fit it well into the lens frame, so just took a pic to give you all an idea of the finished product.

So now what should I name it? I was thinking along the lines of Sunset at Aunt Dinah's or Peach Parfait; or do you have suggestions of your own. I'm open to all of them! :o)

We're off to Cocoa Beach Pier and Cocoa Village to spend the day. It should be fun and the weather is beautiful and will be in the mid-70's. Another beautiful day in sunny Florida. Wish you could share it with me.

Enjoy your day,
Suzy

Decisions, Decisions...

2009-02-24T08:28:00.004-05:00

Hi, all. We're going to visit my Uncle Dick and Aunt Mim in Port St. Lucie today. My Dad is really looking forward to it as he hasn't seen his brother in quite awhile. We'll be gone most of the day. I won't have time to sew, but that doesn't mean I won't be thinking about it. LOL!

Anywho, I have a decision to make and wanted to run it by you and get your thoughts. Which border treatment should I go with for my latest UFO project? I'm just keeping it simple so I can get this sucker done. :o)

Version 1

Version 2

I'm leaning toward version 2 because then I can treat both the inner and outer borders as one and sew them on together at one time. Lazy? Yes, I know. LOL!

Which do you prefer?

Decisions, decisions...
Suzy

UFO Progress

2009-02-23T18:31:00.004-05:00

Yes, you read the title right. I've actually been working on a UFO that is probably about 10 years in the waiting. I'm very excited, and actually keeping with my resolution for this year! Yay, me! The top is almost done -- all I have to go is the border. The before picture is on the UFO sidebar on the right called "Aunt Dinah." That is the name of the block. I have no clue what I will call the quilt once it is done. One step at a time. LOL! Here's the quilt all pieced (minus the borders, of course).

So this has been what I've been working on over Judy's Quiltathon weekend. I couldn't post earlier because I've been crazy busy all day. I had a 9:30am aqua aerobics class and then walked home and changed, ate lunch and went to my 1:30pm fitness class with my trainer, Ariel. She's such a sweetie. Then I walked home and had a shower, ran out the door and did my grocery shopping, came home and made dinner, and am just now having a few minutes all to myself. Boy, it feels good to sit down! :o)

Hope your day was productive,
Suzy

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T09:32:00.006-05:00

Spend the day with those you love! :o)

I've Been Terribly Neglectful

2009-02-13T15:21:00.005-05:00

Just want to say "sorry" to those out in blogland who may be wondering what happened to me. I'm usually not this neglectful with blogging, but life has been busy and time has gotten away from me.

My dad is now down here from NJ visiting with us for two months. He is having a ball and hubby and I are keeping him busy and out of trouble. LOL! Younger daughter and grandson spend alternate weekends with us and we see our older daughter and son-in-law usually weekly.

I've been regularly attending my aqua aerobic classes and have even hired a personal trainer at the fitness room in the Clubhouse. I've also been walking outdoors, using the treadmill and bikes at the Clubhouse and swimming almost daily. The scale isn't showing as much progress as I had hoped, but I think I'm losing inches instead judging by the way my clothes are fitting me now.

I've also gotten involved in the quilt group here at Heritage Isle (there are about 15 or so of us) and also with the Seaside Piecemaker's Quilt Guild which has 300+ members and conveniently meets in the ballroom of our Clubhouse. Tons of fun!

I've been quilting, but nothing yet to show. Plus, our camera is on the fritz and I think we need to get a new one. I'm hoping soon, as I almost have a UFO finally put together into top form. Go me! LOL!

Life is good,
Suzy

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T10:38:00.009-05:00

Happy 2009 everyone! May it be the best ever! :o)

In traditional New Year style, I have a few resolutions. I use the term "resolution" loosely since they usually don't come to fruition. How about New Year "hopefuls" instead? LOL! Some are health-related and others are quilting/sewing-related. The usual in a quilter's life, right? :o)

Anyway, maybe if I write them down for all to see I may actually achieve a few. Hehehehe.

Here goes:

First and foremost -- get healthier. Of course that means eating better and losing weight. In order to actually achieve this one, I have no specific goal here other than to eat a bit less at each sitting, enjoy more fruits and veges and less junk food, work in more exercise-related activities and weigh less at the end of the year than I weigh now. Doable, right? We'll see. LOL!

Next are the quilting-related hopefuls. I actually have specific goals for this one, but I'm keeping it real. For each new quilting project I start, it must be finished completely -- quilted, bound and labeled (sending out to be quilted counts, too) -- and then the next project must be a UFO -- UFO constititues anything listed as a UFO or Kit to the right of my blog. If the UFO is not yet in "completed top" phase, it must make it to "completed top" phase before starting a new project. If the UFO is already in "completed top" phase, it must be quilted, bound and labeled before moving on to a new project. Also, I want to try to make new projects using as much of my wonderful stash as possible to complete the project. That's not saying I can't purchase what I need for that project if something just isn't working from my stash, or if I don't want to piece my backing and want it to be one solid fabric. Let's be real, here. LOL!

For sewing-related hopefuls, there are a few of those as well. I'd like to start making myself clothing again. No goals, just something here or there that strikes my fancy. I want to enjoy the process. :o) I also want to make more doll clothing. I enjoy it immensely and find it extremely fun and creative. No specific goals for this hopeful, either. Just having fun with it. Plus, it will help deplete some of my vast fabric stash. :o)

Anyway, there you have it. My New Year "hopefuls." Do you have any?

Wish me luck!

Suzy

Catching Up

2008-12-31T08:58:00.011-05:00

I thought I would post about what has been happening in our neck of the woods since I have been so busy lately.

Unpacking/Decorating
The unpacking is all done...yay! Still a little bit of decorating to do, but almost there. I'm very happy with the way the house is turning out. :o) We LOVE our new home!

Visitors
After a day's flight delay due to snow in Chicago that was connecting with her Philadelphia flight to Florida, DD#2, Rachel, and grandson, Anthony, finally made it to Florida. To make up for their flight being a day late, they were upgraded to first class. They enjoyed that a lot! They are now permanent residents in Florida! YAY! We're all soooo happy! Now both my girls and my grandson are only 30 minutes away. :o) Rachel and Anthony are spending 2 weeks with us and then they will be staying with DD#1, Heather, and her hubby Jerry until they find a place of their own. They plan on residing in Titusville, so that works out great. Anthony starts school there on Tuesday, 1/6.

Christmas
WONDERFUL is the only way to describe it! It was awesome having the whole family together for a Christmas. It's been too many years to count since that has happened. We all spent the night at the in-laws and woke together on Christmas morning. It was exciting for everyone to see the look on Anthony's face as he saw the tree with all the presents that Santa left. Priceless. :o) Presents were passed around and opened and Santa was very generous. I must have been an exceptionally good girl this past year as I was shocked to receive a Viking Designer Diamond and Huskylock 936 serger with coverstitch capability and a freearm. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd receive such extravagant gifts! As for the meal, Heather and I cooked and everyone else pitched in cleaning up afterwards. Hubby's brother Jeff and his wife, Linda, arrived for dessert and that made Chris's family complete. I was so happy for him to be so excited, healthy and blessed after all he's been through the past two years. I truly praised the Lord that day.

Fun Stuff
We are enjoying our new community to the fullest and have been to the pool several times. LOVE IT! It's so funny to see Anthony in the pool. He would never leave it if he had his way. LOL! In addition, every Thursday from 1-4pm is a quilting/sewing get-together at the Clubhouse. I've met several of the wonderful ladies and plan on attending regularly beginning in the new year. I haven't been quilting or sewing at all since I really want to get the house settled before focusing on anything else, but I have big plans for the new year and hope I can accomplish my resolutions. I also want to utilize their fitness center and maybe even take some of their aquatic aerobic classes.

Well, that's it for now,
Suzy

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-24T18:55:00.002-05:00

A joyous season to all!

Blessings,
Suzy

Just Checking In...

2008-12-11T17:35:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know we made it to Florida with no problems. Settlement on the old and new house went smoothly and are now a thing of the past and we are making progress with unpacking all the boxes. PODS was a great way to move and although I hope to never move again, I would definitely use them again. LOL!

We got our temporary tags for the car yesterday and will probably get our licenses taken care of tomorrow. Not to rub it in or anything, but the temps here have been in the 70's and 80's and I'm LOVING IT! Just too busy to really enjoy it with trying to get the house in order. I'm currently working on my sewing room and am quite happy with the room size. It is smaller than in the old house, so I was afraid that I'd either be cramped in so much I couldn't move or that everything would have to be stored hither and yon. Luckily that isn't the case and with the exception of the larger yardage pieces which will go on a shelving unit in our huge master closet, it looks like it will all fit with room to move. LOL!

I'm typing this on Chris's laptop on the dining room table because we still have to purchase new furniture for the office. We found desks, etc. we like and just have to measure the room and where we want to place them so we know if the arrangement will work and what pieces we will ultimately purchase.

TTFN,
Suzy

A Baltimore Christmas

2008-11-28T11:15:00.003-05:00

Now that Thanksgiving Day is behind us and it is Black Friday, which officially kicks off the Christmas holiday season, I thought I would share with you a quilt I designed in EQ yesterday. Of course it is Christmas-themed. I call it "A Baltimore Christmas."

This will probably be my last posting for awhile. We hit the road tomorrow for my sister's and leave for our Florida journey early on Sunday morning.

TTYL from the Sunshine State,

Suzy

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T08:11:00.002-05:00

There are many things for which our family is thankful. Much too many to enumerate.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving. Enjoy not only the food, but each other.

Blessings,

Suzy

Killing Time

2008-11-26T16:24:00.004-05:00

Ok, ok. So I'm a bit bored in this empty house with nothing but a mattress, two TVs and two computers (hubby's lap top and my PC). I thought I wouldn't have time to blog with cleaning and all, but we got a phone call from our realtor yesterday informing us that the buyers are having professional cleaners come in to clean the house before they move in. Yeah, I know it sounds like I'm a slob or something, but I'm really not. In fact, some who know me would say I'm obsessive compulsive about my home and its cleanliness. However, the wife is pregnant and due in about 5 or 6 weeks and is now on complete bedrest, so I guess they just want to do it their way. Which is fine with me, because I was going to sparkle up the place, but hey, it's all good!

So what am I doing to kill the time? Well, since I'm really not into TV all that much except a few shows during the evening hours, I decided to play around with my EQ program again. Here is the result of today's fun.

I actually came up with a name for it already, too. I call it "A Butterfly In My Garden." If you have a minute, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Echoingly yours,

Suzy

Decorated in Early Empty

2008-11-25T08:34:00.010-05:00

...also known as I'll be MIA for awhile.

The house is empty, the furniture and boxes are packed and loaded in the PODs (which are being picked up today) and cable and other utilities will be shut off shortly. Our last day in NJ is Friday, we drive to my sister's home in PA on Saturday for a Thanksgiving/Farewell get-together, and plan to leave from there early Sunday morning. We are very excited for our next adventure (driving to FL) and you probably won't hear from me until we are set up down there. I don't know how long that will take, but if I get a chance in between the chaos of setting up the new house, I'll be sure to update you all on our progress.

Onward to the next adventure,
Suzy

Takin' A Break

2008-11-11T17:54:00.008-05:00

Notice anything different? Uh, yup. I redesigned my blog with the help of "The Cutest Blog on the Block." Figured I needed a break from all the packing, so this is the result. So whatcha think?

Suzy

(Sings) Oooohh, I'm Packing My Life Away

2008-11-08T11:16:00.010-05:00

Eddie Rabbitt may have been driving his life away, but I'm packing mine away. My house is now in official chaos. We are also putting out furniture at the end of the driveway with for sale signs on it, as weather permits. So far we've sold our kitchen dining set. We have plenty more where that came from, though...but the weather has not been cooperating. In fact, as I type this it is POURING outside! Ugh!

We are hoping to have a moving sale this coming Saturday (with a raindate of Sunday) and our POD is being delivered on Monday, the 17th. YIKES! Where is the month going??? *running around the house flailing her hands in the air*

If you're wondering about the nicely lined up boxes in the picture's foreground, let's just say that they are there to keep out our cute little, loveable doggie. She has a weird fetish for all things paper -- newspaper, toilet paper, xerox paper, magazines....she just loves to shred it to pieces. Love her, BUT! Let's just say I've had to rewrap a few things... Not to mention the one time she stole a toilet paper roll from our bathroom and our bedroom looked like a toilet paper blizzard! *chuckles* Gotta love her! :o)

Amidst all the chaos,

Suzy

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T18:11:00.000-04:00

Halloween Graphics

So Far, So Good

2008-10-24T19:19:00.004-04:00

First, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to leave such sweet messages on my blog. It feels so nice to have you all beside me as we take this journey. Hugs all around!

We had the inspectors come out to the new house today. All went extremely well and nothing needs attention. So far, so good. :o)

We will spend the rest of our time in Florida just enjoying our family and soaking up the sun. We return to NJ on Wednesday when the real craziness will begin -- sorting, packing, selling, donating. I'm definitely not looking foward to that step in the process, but it's a necessary evil. LOL!

Wish you were here,

Home Sweet Home!

2008-10-20T16:33:00.008-04:00

We did it! The sellers accepted our offer and we have bought ourselves a house. We are now under contract with a closing date of December 4. Happy Birthday To Me! What better present than a beautiful new home!

Check it all out here:

The House (Specs: Brand New -- Never Lived In; 4 Bedroom (Master has large walk-in closet w/pocket door); 3 Bath, Eat-In Kitchen w/Nook and Breakfast Island (and largest pantry I've ever seen), Laundry Area, Great Room (huge!), Formal Dining Room, Screened-In Patio (that we are going to make even larger), 2-Car Garage. All exterior yardwork and maintenence -- including painting, mulching, fertilizing, weeding, replacing dead/damaged shrubbery/trees, etc. is done by Association! We also back to an empty park-like area and have the sidewalk walking path next to our home that meanders across 3 miles of walking bridges, waterviews, lakes, fountains, beautiful landscaping, etc.)

The Community
http://www.lennar.com/New-Homes/Florida/Melbourne/Heritage-Isle-Estates?WT.mc_id=YAHO_SEM_Corp_PaidInc_&WT.srch=1

We are overjoyed as we did not have to compromise on any of our dreams. God was truly looking over us helping us find this amazing place within our budget and timeframe. :o)

Looking forward to our new life and lifestyle,

Florida House Hunting - Day 2

2008-10-18T16:33:00.009-04:00

I'm a little late with the update, but we have been busy with family and also crunching numbers to actually make an offer on a house. Yes, we're to that point!

It was another crazy day on Friday in the land of house hunting. However, it was much more productive than the day before and we actually have "THE" three to choose from (none of which are from Thursday's jaunt, although 2 are in the same "Disney-Style" resort community). LOL!

We are gathering at the clubhouse in Heritage Isle at 11am tomorrow where we will give our family a tour of the private 21,000 square foot clubhouse (largest in Brevard County) and will lunch at the restaurant there overlooking the resort-style pool. Then the realtor will take us back for a second walk-thru in the two houses in there and then shoot over to Plantation Point to show the family the home we are considering in that community.

I'll update later with the three homes and some links to them.

TTYL,

Florida House Hunting - Day 1

2008-10-16T19:54:00.008-04:00

We had a busy day today. We spent 6 hours in the world of house hunting, concentrating in the area of Viera, which is only about 25-30 minutes from our daughter. We looked at 10 houses today; two of which we really, really liked. I'm going to list them in order of preference:

House 1 - ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS HOUSE! Not only is the house to die for, but the community (55+ and gated with an actual manned gatehouse) is like a freaking Disney resort. The clubhouse is H.U.G.E and has everything in a grand scale -- a community gathering room where THERE HAPPENED TO BE QUILTERS QUILTING (yes, I spoke with them at length and it was so nice to meet like-minded gals and one was also head of the genealogy club which is perfect for hubby!), a fitness center, a ballroom, a game room, a pottery room, a library, a beautiful restaurant (where we actually ate lunch), a billiard room, the most immaculate restrooms I've ever seen, and a resort-style pool! OMG! The pool alone was to die for! We both fell in love with the clubhouse before we even saw the house there. LMAO!

Now, the house -- beautiful! Athough bank-owned and in "as-is" condition, it has never been lived in! New everything -- appliances (except we need to buy a fridge and washer/dryer), carpeting, stone flooring, huge 42" cabinetry, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2-car garage, living room, dining room, eat-in kitchen with eating island area and the family room was a huge extension to the kitchen (which we would make the office area). The master bedroom was a really nice size with 2 (count 'em 2) closets (a large walk-in for me and a double side-by-side for the hubby). The mater bath was gorgeous with two separate vanity areas, a deep garden tub and a separate shower.

The only drawback was the lanai wasn't screened in and the neighbors behind us -- well lets just say I hope we become good friends because we are in CLOSE proximity to one another. LOL! However, we can rectify the situation by extending and screening in the lanai and putting some nice shrubbery (no fences allowed) behind the screened patio. Problem solved.

House 2 - Really liked this house and the floorplan layout. The flooring and appliances were all in really good condition, it was on a U-shaped street with nice landscaping and the community had a nice community pool area with parks and picnic tables, tot lots, tennis courts and basketball courts. The overall area was beautiful.

The drawbacks were some of the rooms, although freshly painted, were wild colors like lime green, bright orange, and bright, bright yellow. So we'd definitely need to paint, but no biggie. Also, there was only one sink in the master bath and while the one closet in there was a walk-in, it was pretty small.

Tomorrow we are off again for another full day of house hunting. Stay tuned....

Heading South

2008-10-14T13:33:00.004-04:00

Well we're off to Florida tomorrow for two weeks of house hunting. I'm really excited. I love looking at houses and it's even better when it's for real we're going to actually decide on and purchase one! The realtor has a lot of them lined up for us to see and she is picking us up bright and early on Thursday morning to begin just one of what could be many days of house hunting. Hope I still feel this excited about it all when it's all said and done. Who knows -- I may just regret admitting I love house hunting after seeing 50-100 of them. Yikes -- I hope it doesn't take that many to find "the one." LOL! :o)

Nothing much quilty going on here. I imagine there won't be much quilting going on until we are settled in Florida. We won't be back to NJ until two days before Halloween and then we will spend all November packing (Y-U-C-K!). Did I mention how much I HATE packing and the actual MOVING process. ACK! Then settlement on this home is December 1 and who knows when settlement will be on our Florida home. All I know is that we will be "moved" to Florida on December 2 and either have settlement soon thereafter (as in days/weeks) or more. God, please don't let it be the "more" part. In the meantime, we will be camping out at the in-laws. We are using a POD to move and store our items. It was the best way to go for us given the circumstances.

P.S. The home inspector, et al., were here yesterday. The house was a whirlwind with all the people coming and going. But, we passed with flying colors! Both the buyer's realtor and our realtor admitted they wished all their home inspections went as great as ours did. WooHoo!

Excited and stressed,

SOLD!!!

2008-10-04T18:26:00.008-04:00

Well glory be! Our house is SOLD! After only 3-1/2 months, we can't complain at all considering the market. YAY! We have a Dec. 1 settlement date, which means we will be in Florida before my birthday on Dec. 4, Chris's birthday on Dec. 15, and Christmas. Who knew? :o) It also means that in the next two weeks or so we will be flying down to Florida to find us a new home. Exciting, nerve-wracking, scary -- and a whole host of other adjectives are being felt by us right now. Keep your fingers crossed for us. The good thing is - Florida is overflowing with choices for potential new homes. So why am I feeling homesick already? :o/

Suzy's Quilting Room

Buzzzzzzy as a Bee

Design Wall Monday -- aka UFO Progress

Revealing January's UFO for 2012

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2012 - The Year of the UFO

(Sings) One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other...

Voting Time! aka I Need Your Help!

Quilt Day = Progress!

The Two Saints -- St. Thomas and St. Maarten

Quilt Days at Sea

Nassau, Bahamas aka A Day with the Dolphins!!!

Sail-Away Day

She's Alive!

Feelin' Yucky

*Sings* And We Had Fun, Fun, Fun, 'Til The Captain Took The Cruise Ship Away...

Kids Quilt Camp - June 2011

Duh...

Happy Father's Day in Heaven, Chris

Goombay's

(*Sings*) Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay...

Backyard Visitors

Aloha!

Pinwheel Party

I'm Going On A Quilt Cruise!

Happy New Year!

A Heartfelt Thank You

In Memory Of My Forever Love

Heaven Awaits

Update

A Blogging Break

A Whole Lotta Sumpin' Goin' On

Kids Quilt Camp 2010

Sedona Sunset and the AccuQuilt GO! Cutter

My Prizes Are Starting To Arrive!

A Memorable Trip

(*Sings*) Cruisin' -- On A Sunday Afternoon!

The Quilt - Roses of Remembrance

The Secret Revealed . . . I WON!

Move Over Thelma & Louise -- Here Come Kathy & Suzy!

I Have An Exciting Secret!

Dream ~ Design ~ Create: Announcing The Upcoming Release of EQ7

Just When We Thought It Couldn't Get Worse...

Asking For Prayers, Please

Eye Candy

"Chantilly" Small Raffle Quilt

We Have A Winner!

"In Bloom" Raffle Quilt

Heads Up! Get Ready For a Giveaway!

More Doll Outfits

A Sunny Day In Florida

Another One Bites The Dust...

There's A New Superhero In Town

Design Wall Monday

Starting The Year Sewing

Sudoku Quilt Finished

Who Knew? Sudoku?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pretty Pink PJs

Another EQ Block Entry

Too (Two) Doggone Cute!

EQ Is Having a Contest!

And The Winner Is . . .

An Anniversary Giveaway!

What's Up Next...

Cottage Charm aka Taffy Treats

Finally! -- A New Camera!

Road To Recovery

Out Of Commission

Say "Hi!" to Tasha

Happy Mother's Day!

You're In BIG Trouble, Missy!

Another Finish!

A Finish!

FQ Frenzy

A Comforting Gift

Presenting... Utopia!

New Project :o)

Ta da!

Decisions, Decisions...

Sings And We Had Fun, Fun, Fun, 'Til The Captain Took The Cruise Ship Away...

(Sings) Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay...

(Sings) Cruisin' -- On A Sunday Afternoon!

(Sings) Oooohh, I'm Packing My Life Away