I am SO bad!

At posting! I come home in the evening after working a long day, and either die (after putting a frozen pizza in the oven) or spend a couple hours working on a customer's quilt with no time for my own. I don't know how you other working girls do it, how do you keep up, how do you find time for your OWN projects?

I thought I'd have morning time..after all my first client isn't until 10am, but wait...there are linens to wash from the day before, and dry and fold, and the house needs cleaning, and I need to leave 45 minutes before the time I need to be there for work to allow for traffic etc...there goes my morning quilting time!

What to do what to do? How can I get myself out of this slump. I feel like kicking myself out of my own blog ring because I can't live up to the parameters we set on keeping blogs current!

I did piece ONE block, for a block lotto I do with a small group. That felt good, and shoot, it only took me about 20 minutes to piece it, so why can't I find 20 minutes a day? I am supposed to be the organized one.....

Other news...I am saying good bye to my living room furniture because DH and son decided they want a POOL TABLE! *gasp* So, the living room doesn't really have much living going on in it anyway, we use the family room for that, but I did have it set up very victorian and was a great place to display my quilts. I've got two nice wingback chairs in there (one will go to our bedroom) some beaded glass lamps, a pedestal duncan fife table, a queen anne style camel back sofa with claw feet and a really nice coffee table with leaded glass inserts also with claw feet...and my hinterberg 3 rail quilt frame (that I will admit, only gets used for quilt DISPLAY as I don't like to sit at it anyway.

I also have an antique radio cabinet that I think can be moved to the front hall, but the treadle machine cabinet with the eastlake door on it? (this one doesn't have the treadle visible, the whole thing folds up into itself and it looks like a table) is going to have to go somewhere too?

I guess the quilts can STAY on the WALLS at least!? And if I have a pool table, I have a place where I can lay out blocks?? I'm not sure hubby and son will be happy with little thread bits all over their felt table surface! *LOL*

I'm counting down the days to the family reunion in MN. I haven't seen my mom in 4 years. That is way too long. She lives in Idaho, I live in South Carolina. Neither of us live in an easy to get to place without many layovers at airports, neither of us by a najor hub airport so it makes travel expensive. I know it's no excuse. Need to remedy that, so I am going to be at the family reunion to see my mom with both of my boys.

I guess I better get those massage table linens in the dryer and get this day going. I've got about 1 hour before I have to leave for the clinic....what can I sew? hurry! Help me get inspired!

Bonnie

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Boney Macaroni & Etc!

I have been neglectful and slow at posting some pics. The hard part has been 1.) getting the scanner to cooperate, and 2.) being able to pinpoint one photo subject to stand still and be HERE so I could take a pic!

The other part is that Blogger is not LIKING me and is not uploading my pics. AUGH! I get the "waiting for photos.blogger.com" prompt on the bottom of the screen, but nothing uploads. I've edited my photos. they are way under 100k a piece...I don't know what the deal is, but I did upgrade my firefox and maybe it has something to do with that. Some glitch or something. I didn't have the problem with the OLD firefox!

FINALLY! I have tried IE, I have tried netscape, I went back to firefox, I rebooted the computer...FINALLY..I can get pics in!

This quilt pic is of a customer's "dutch geese" quilt. I LOVE IT! It reminds me so much of the colors I saw in the netherlands, some places even the walls were painted this bright blue, or the golden yellow...this is the next quilt up on my machine and I'm needing some ideas on how to quilt it. The fabrics are SO busy, there isn't alot of space for quilting that will show. I'm leaning towards baptist fans, but what thread color? Every color is going to clash somewhere...I'm thinking either the gold, or kind of an in-between grey-blue that might hide itself in the prints of the fabrics. I can use any suggestions you can send!

When Jason and Shanon came to visit in March, we made an appt to go to sears to get pics made. The fight with the scanner meant that I never got around to uploading them! Here is one I really like....done in sepia tones. The boys are 22, and 16 and when they were little, you could tell the age difference. I see now that the gap is getting narrower! They are about the same height and I hope that when Jeff has also grown into adulthood that they will form a strong brotherly bond. With the 6 years in between they never had a lot in common, other than pestering each other.

This close up is of Jason and Shanon. A couple weeks ago they moved up to Mankato Minnesota where Shanon's family and grandparents live. This tickles me, because I was born in Minnesota! I still have aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins and one grandfather who also still live there. There is a family reunion for my mom's side of the family at the end of July and I am looking forward to going. My mom lives in Idaho, and it's been FOUR YEARS since we have seen eachother due to the fact that we are nearly on opposite sides of the country. Jason and Shanon will be able to come to the family reunion too, and I will get to meet Shanon's family. I'm really looking forward to this trip.


And now for the Boney Macaroni part! It's a nickname we have given Jeff...he has gotten so tall so fast, that there is no meat on his bones :c) His brother did the same thing, and so did their father and myself in our teenage years. I have no fear, just wait til they hit 40...and I know they will fill out :c| This is the buzz cut that Jeff and his friend did last week. When he said he SHAVED his head...I thought really SHAVED...it's just a short buzz, and I really like it! So does he. You can see his friend Allen behind him in the pic if you look close.

I did get my bernina picked up last friday, and hallelujia, they did a cleaning/maintenance on it too, not just fix the foot pedal, so I don't have to take it in next month and be without it again. I also bought the new foot that has the knife edge on it for accurate 1/4" piecing. Not sure if I like it as well as I liked just having the screw on guide up against it, but I haven't done much piecing to really tell if it is going to work for me or not. I pieced ONE block over the weekend, and that was for a block lotto for a small group that I belong to.

This past weekend I did post-event massage at an olympic distance triathlon in Greenwood SC..it was 100 degrees, with the heat index make that 105 in the shade, and I was roasting! When I came home from that I just died in front of the a/c for the rest of the afternoon. My massage practice is building, which is wonderful....I'm still keeping up on customer quilts, but it has eatten in to the time for my own piecing/quilting and I feel bad about that...like I've chopped off my right foot. I just hope it grows back soon!

I'm heading into the clinic in about an hour...I'm fully booked this afternoon, I don't finish my last client until 6:15, I'll be home around 7pm....I'll feel like going to bed, and starting another day when I wake up tomorrow morning. That's about the extent of it!

Bonnie

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From One Extreme....

My 16 yr old (Jeff) called yesterday...he is spending a few days with a friend who lives on Lake Murray....I was walking through Walmart trying to pick up some things I needed in between clients (My last client was at 5:30pm yesterday, I didn't get home until after7..ugh) and I hear "Hi mom, guess what I did?"

Believe me..if you have kids like mine, that phrase brings on a panic reaction!

Turns out he shaved his head...he and his buddies. I guess it could be worse, he could have only shaved PART of it and left a mohawk, but from what I understand, they thought it would be easier with all the swimming on the lake they want to be doing if they just got rid of ALL the hair on their heads. This is a complete switch from the kid who refused to CUT his hair all last year. I haven't seen him yet, he's still out at the lake, but I'll get a pic when I can just to record this momentous event for posterity.

And I suppose if that's the biggest piece of news I have to report, that I can consider ALL IS WELL!!

Bonnie

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Tour De Cure for Diabetes

I had a wonderful weekend for the American Diabetes Association's Tour De Cure! My mom is diabetic, and Dave's Mom was diabetic before her death (which played a definate roll in ending her life early 22 years ago) and one of his brothers is also diabetic. This cause is near and dear to our hearts. I want to let Patty at Morning Ramble know that Dave's team was riding for her daughter Melanie too!

Dave and his team had rented one of those huge econoline 15 passenger vans. There were 8 people including me plus all the bikes and gear, etc. The 400+ cyclists left from the USC stadium to ride their choice of either 85 miles if you were doing the regular ride, or if you wanted to ride the "century ride" you took an extra loop that put you at 100 miles for the first day. Dave and his buddies are die hards and decided to do the century ride!

So while they were setting off on their cycling, I loaded the van with
my massage canopy and table and all the other stuff I needed, and drove
down to St George SC to meet everyone at the finish line at Woodlands
Highschool out in the middle of "nowhere'sville SC". It is SO fun to be
in the lowlands area of the state. The rural roads are scenic, and the
spanish moss drips off the old oak trees and just waves in the
breeze...love it!

I set up my massage booth outside in on the grass, The canopy/tent thing
gave me lots of shade, and there was a nice breeze blowing. Saturday was
mostly overcast, so it took most of the brutal heat and made it
bearable. I was fully booked with massages from about 12:30pm when the
first riders came in, until close to 5pm when we had to tear down and
head to our hotel...they had set up huge tents at the hotel outside and
we were catered a dinner by "Sticky Fingers" BBQ...mmm! It was also a
"luau night" And everyone was in hawaiian shirts and leis. Actually
since it wasn't quite hawaiian fare, it was more like Margaritaville
night! Fun.

Everyone was so exhausted from riding the 100 miles (and me feeling like
I gave 100 massages) that we were in bed by 9pm. We had to be up at 6am
to get breakfast and transport the team guys back to the highschool so
they could start their second half of the ride at 8am.

After dropping the guys back off (this ride had about 400 riders total,
plus all the spouses and families and support/volunteer people. It is a
very well run and well attended ride!) I went back to the hotel to
gather up the rest of my stuff, take a shower, and head out to James Island County Park, which is just off Charleston. This is where the ride was ending,and it was a beautiful setting for the party at the end of the two day ride.

I got to the park just about the same time as the other vendors and
support vehicles...the lunch after the ride was being catered by Moe's
Southwest Grill! What is funny too, is that as I was setting up my
canopy/tent in my chosen spot...the beer wagon set up next to me. I knew
this was a good location because it was going to give me great walk-by
traffic....and cyclists didn't mind sipping on a beer while they waited
their turn for their massage! *LOL*

Again I was fully booked, and also cozily tucked inside my canopy/tent
when an afternoon shower came through. It just added to the ambiance.
the shower didn't last long, but it sure cooled everything off nicely
and smelled great. I was so busy that I never had time to get some of
the Moe's grub myself...so on the way home I made the van stop at Mc D's
instead of a rest area, just so I could have something to eat.

I enjoyed meeting the cyclists from all over. Quite a few of them are
from my area, so I passed out a lot of biz cards, and hopefully will get
some calls from that in the future.

I hope you all had a great weekend!
Bonnie

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More About Me Than You Ever Wanted To Know!

I have the honor of being the Featured Quilter for the month of June on Real Women Quilt!

Pam has been after me for quite some time to submit myself to the interview...she first contacted me when I was in the middle of school and drowning with 3 term papers to write, and I told it her it would have to wait until AFTER school. :c) It's now AFTER!

What seems funniest to me is since I took this massage therapy position in February....my creative streak has suffered a serious time crunch! So it's really egging me on to get back to my own projects as soon as I get my machine back :c|

This weekend is Dave's Tour De Cure ride for Diabetes. So many of you donated to this worthy cause and I want to personally thank you for your efforts! Thanks to you we raised over $3,000 for the American Diabetes Association. WAY TO GO! Tonight the team is coming to our house for a cook out "aka carbo load!" And the ride starts tomorrow morning early.

The first day they go about 85 miles. I'll be at the finish line set up with my tent/gazebo thing, and my massage table set up in the shade under it...he's riding, I'm massaging tired biker legs.

The second day they ride the rest of the 150 miles and end in St John's Island, which is just outside of Charleston SC. There is a big BBQ and party at the finish, and I'll be massaging participants there too. Somehow..I don't think I'll get any quilting done this weekend either! But I can dream, can't I?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Bonnie

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From An Avid Ring Reader..

I received the most wonderful email yesterday and I wanted to share part of it with you!

Sally writes:

On your blog will you let your friends know that I (and lots of others I'm sure) are "checking on their lives" regularly. They have become dear to me. I am holding Patty's daughter Melanie close as she fights for her sight, I love the sound of Finn, and "Screen Door" is somewhere in the UP where I lived for 5 years and where 2 of my 3 children were born. So many threads that seem to tie us all together. I don't like feeling like a voyuer or one of the "dead" characters on Ghost Whisperer, but not being a blogger I can't let them know I am here and enjoying their work and their thoughts so much. From all of the interlacing comments I see how special you are to each other and I hope everyone realizes that the ripples go much farther.

So ladies, I want you to know how much your lives are touching the lives of all of us, bloggers and readers alike!

Bonnie

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Bobbin Along!

Ever have one of those days? One of those days that just....you wanna give up and start over? Or un-quilt it and start over?

I'm not even sure how this happened....but it must have been when I was changing a bobbin. Did I put the empty bobbin back in the bobbin container? Nope! All I can figure is that I laid it on the roller, and when I advanced the quilt....in it went!

I just finished this row of pantograph on this customer quilt..went to clip the threads, and....behold! I find a LUMP..a very distinct, round lump mind you...INSIDE THE QUILT! Can I wiggle the bobbin out? NOPE! It is completely encompassed in the stitching! AUUUGHH!

Okay, I know from your point of view it is funny. And from mine..well...okay..I can see some humor in it, and you know what? i don't know HOW I ended up not jamming the needle bar into this thing and completely messing up the timing of my machine, so this is a good thing.

So...now that I've had this break of venting and whining, I'll grab my trusty seam ripper and go get that bobbin the heck outta there, and get back to business!

I'm sure i'm not the only person who's ever had unknown objects wander their way into the inside of the quilt :c)

Bonnie

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