MAY 4 ME–NO BINGO–But HAPPY

 

May is coming to an end, an although I have BINGO on my card I still have not won.  It was fun playing and I have a finished quilt to boot.  I still have a chance for Blackout I hope.  I am missing B- Cupcake; I- Star and Tiger; N- Hearts and Lizard; G- Trees; and O- Butterflies, it is a long shot, but hey it was fund to play.

I have sang my way through may, I have done little things that made me happy and June will really make me happy.  My oldest grandson will be graduating on June 7 from Jr. High to High School, and soon both grandsons will be with their mother.  I will miss them (yah right), I really will.  But it will be nice to have my home to myself with the few grown people still here like my son and stepson and Tom.  I wont have to worry about coming home and fixing dinner every day or cleaning up after the little one, or fighting with him to go to bed.  YAH!!!!!

Another May 4 Me is that I finally was able to have my front porch done.  I took my little income tax check found a reasonable contractor to do the work.  The floor is laid and the banisters will me next.

I still need the upper ceiling and frame to be worked on, put it was important to get the floor done since it was rotten and I was afraid that someone would fall through.  I guess if any extra funds come my way I will have that done next year.  Love those tax refunds, might have to see if anyone wants to give me a couple of dependents.  I don’t want to keep them just need them for a tax write off.

I like to wish you all a happy near the end of May, and may all your Happy May 4 Me Days be as happy all the rest of the year.

Until tomorrow

The Slow Quilter.

Surprise, Surprise!!

It was a Wee Bee surprise for one of our members this past Saturday at my quilting bee. Charlene Marshall of Quilting With Charbee  check  out her blog  http://quiltingwithcharbee.blogspot.com/2012/05/queen-bee-for-day.html.  She was our Queen Bee for the day (or is it a year) but this was our first time honoring one of our members.  She is always there to help you with a quilting question, she is a teacher at heart, she is OUR QUEEN BEE.  These are the beehive blocks that each member presented to her with our names.

She received about 21 or more beehive blocks.  It is one thing about a surprise, you never know if the person that you plan to surprise will show up.  We usually meet at 12:00 and we sent a e-mail out saying the meeting would not start until 1:00.  Charlene took her time and did not show up until almost 2:00.  From the pictures below you can see we really setup a surprise. We covered the floor with yellow rose petals, she had a crown and thrown and even a bee scepter. 

Our Vic Pres. Carolyn Burgess even made the beehive cake and the bee cake.  It was a lot of food.

For a gift we gave her this lovely charm bracelet and her best friend Shirley made her a apron and gave her the bee to put in her garden.  She was also surprise to see her sister, nice, nephew and his wife was there too.

My Second surprise is that my air conditioner went out on me.  I was talking to my baby brother on Friday, telling him how hot it will be this weekend and that my air conditioner went out on me.  Well surprise for me is that is called me Saturday morning and told be to come up the door.  I went down an there he was was a new air conditioner for me.  I was so happy I could cry.  So after our Queen Bee celebration, I went home a turn on my new air conditioner and passed out.  I have been passed out the whole weekend.  I did not even go to church.

Me a Tom today, went out for awhile, and came home to sit in the cool air and watch movies.  I did not work on my block today or yesterday, but tomorrow I will have finished the block I need to do.  I do not plan to run around any where if I can help it.  The people are coming to work on my porch I hope.

So until tomorrow

The Slow Quilter.

What Do Old Quilters DO????

This is just the musings of my mine when I think to long.

What do old quilters do when:

Their eye sight fades? Call on a friend to thread the needle or pick out the right color fabrics.

What do old quilters do when:

Their fingers get arthritic?  Call on a friend to help them out.

What do old quilters do when:

They can no-longer quilt?  They cuddle up with the quilts they kept, they look at the quilts that hang on their walls, and they remember when they made that quilt.  They talk to their friends who still quilt and give them their wisdom. They share their knowledge with the young so that one day they too will become quilters.

What does an old quilter do with her stash?  She sells it to her friends, she gives it to the guild, she sends it to place that will use it to make quilts to help others.

Old quilters never die, because their quilts will live on, with the label of their works.

What will you do when you become old and cannot quilt?

The Slow Quilter

MAY 4 ME–RAIN AND MORE RAIN

It is raining like cats and dogs out tonight. We have had rain for the last 3 days and still have more to come. I am talking flash floods, cable signal out, and If I do not finish this blog the internet might be the next thing out. I thought the the saying went like this “Rain, rain go away, come back another day…Felicia want to go out a play”. Or maybe April showers bring May flowers. It looks like it need to change to May showers brings hummed weather. Yes, by Saturday we will have temperatures in the 90’s and high humidity. All this brings me to the Top 30 Rain Songs. You did not think is was that many? Well they are, and for May 4 Me – I plan to sing snippets of the songs at working in the morning this week. Here are a couple of songs with rain in them. Do you know some.

1. Laughter in the Rain – Neil Sedaka

2. Raindrop – Tripping Daisy

3. Shadows In The Rain – Sting

4. Rainy Days & Mondays – The Carpenters

5. It Never Rain in California – Albert Hammond

6. Rain On My Parade – Bobby Darin

7. I Love A Rainy Night – Eddie Rabbitt

8. No Rain – Blind Melon

9. Rain – Madonna

10. It Must Be Raindrops – David Cassidy

11. Here Comes The Rain Again – The Eurythmic

12. I wish It Would Rain Down – Genesis

13. Kentucky Rain – Elvis Presley

15, Blame It On The Rain – Milli Vanilli (I can just lip sink this)

16. Why Does It Always Rain On Me – Travis

17. Fall Like Rain – Eric Clapton

This is a long list, so I might not get through all of them and I do not feel like typing all 30 songs.

Well, the interlopers that live here in my house, and the stop byes are crying for food and I feel a bit hungry myself, so I will run on down a cook something fast and listen to the rain. Note to self: Make sure the ceiling is linking in the bed room or I will be singing “Rain drops keep falling on my head”.

The Slow Quilter

Well, like I said, it seems that I can not post my blog at this time, it seems the net is out and will have to try again later. It is 7:04 pm down so I will check back later tonight to see if it is working. If you are wondering, I do my blog in Windows Live Writer and it goes right into my blog page. When I do pictures they come faster then doing it in the blog page.

Would you belive it took 2 hours for me to get reconnected to the internet.  I do not want to be on the phone that long with anyone every again.

The Slow Quilter

The Secret Quilt

It is killing me not to tell you about the quilt I am working on. As you know in an earlier blog, my quilting bee does this quilt challenge every year for Family Day at the recreation center that we meet at. This year’s challenge was to do a traditional quilt block(s) (usually we do art quilts) using the fabric from our stash, and believe me, some of us have enough fabric to open up our own fabric store. The block I chose to do is one I have never done before and always wanted to do. I cannot even show you the fabric I am using, because then they will know what quilt I am doing (also a couple of the girls will probably know anyway since they were with me when I brought the fabric last year, since they are at the age they can barely remember their own names, I hope they forgot the fabric I brought and where). In our challenge, we guess who did what quilt (you know we all have a style that is easily distinguished by others), but when you throw in something new to the mix, then it is hard to tell who did what. For example, a certain block a person likes to do, or fabric and colors they use often, or the style of quilting they usually do on their quilts.  I am not sure if I am reaching far out of my normal style, but I will try.

I did start on the block last night, but tonight since I had a bible study meeting, I will have to try to get back to it on Wednesday.  Luckily Monday is a Holiday and I will be off Tuesday, if things do not get to busy for me, I might be able to finish it by next week, I can only hope.  So no pictures of anything.

Now I need to check out the blogs that I follow to see what has been happening, also I need to check my BINGO quilt to see if I have any new hits yesterday and today.  I could have won I did not even check them yet. 

So until tomorrow

The Slow Quilter

Fifty Dollars or More Poorer

As you all know I went on a bus trip to the casino, but it was not Atlantic City.  That trip will be coming up in June on a fun bus. This trip was with the AARP group of church ladies to the Perryville, MD Hollywood Casino.  I don’t think the AARP group is ready for Atlantic City.

Now I walked around the casino, looking for a nickel slots, put I found this two cent slot and thought I would play it.  First twenty dollars went in and I won $43.00.  After that win, I went out side and read my Kindle.  I just loaded up one of J. R . Rain’s book for $3.99 called Vampire Dawn (Vampire for Hire Series).  Those of you who are not into the vampire reading, should check out this writer.  I introduced his books to Livin’ Blue Quilter (my soul sister) and I think she has out read me in her books.  It about a women, with two kids, and she is a detective who  is also a vampire and with a shitty ex-husband.  Her name is Samantha Moon, and I can totally relate to her dilemma.  Trying to pay the bills, take care of the kids, stay out of the sun, and dealing with her asshole of a ex. and working nights.

Before we went to the casino, we stopped at a restaurant that seems to be their most liked place when they go on this trip (they really need to find some place different) don’t get me wrong the food is good, put I just like to go some place different.  the Place in called Cozy’s in Thurmont, Maryland.  If you listen to the news this week you know that the President and Foreign Dignitaries would be hanging out at Camp David, which was not far from were Cozy’s is and were Presidents come to eat.  Already when we pulled up, there were news crews staking out the area.

We also made a side trip to this little side road marked that sold fresh produce.  And let me tell you, they also bake fresh fruit pies, they smelled so good I just wanted to buy one, but I resisted the temptation, and the flowers look good too.  Nothing like good country air.

Now, I must tell you that I slept all the way up there and back.  I was so tired, I even woke myself up from the snoring.  It was a good sleep.  By the time a read 3 pages, I was out like a light.  But back to the casino.  After reading for awhile, I had to go back into the casino to hit the little girls room.  On my way, I ran into two little old ladies from my church who have been sitting in front of a penny slot since they got there and had not started playing.  So I asked them was anything wrong, and they said that all the slots were different from when they were up here before and was not sure how to play.  While being a lover of helping I sat down and with them to show them, that is when I lost $20.00.  After that I went to the little girls room and then walked around, found a nickel machine and started playing, I won like $50 and instead of taken my winning a running for the front door, I kept playing it.  The next thing I knew I had lost what I won and put more money in the slot and lost that money.  I was about to put more money in the slot, but reason took over (you got to love reason), I realize that I had to go bowling when I got back home, and needed funds to play BINGO and pay for my game and may get something to eat.  I was saved!!!!

Now when I got home, my daughter was still there cleaning her room, she was to go to work, put decided to take off to finish cleaning her room, (I would have taken a picture, but was to embarrass to show anyone what a mess that room was) and believe it or not she still has more work to do in there.  She took me to the bowling alley so she could go to the laundry mate (she never made it there).  I have not bowled since last summer a was rusty.  It takes me awhile before I can find my spot.  My average is 87 my first game I bowled a 103, the second 82, the third 118.  Not bad.  I did not pay BINGO I was still reading, the book was good.  We finished about 11:30 and by that time I was ready to hit the bed.

I know this is a long post, but I know you like to read, so on to todays activities, I’ll be brief.  First 11:00 choir rehearsal that lasted until after 1:00, we are getting ready for the Pastor and First Lady anniversary Sunday and the church anniversary next Sunday.  Here is a picture of our Pastor and his wife.  Rev., Dr. Winston C. Ridley, Jr.

Then we had a Scholarship Meet and Greet at 1:00 to 3:00.  I got home about 4:00 and started to clean.  With three boys in the house you would think they would try to keep the bathroom clean, it seems no one wants to clean the bathroom, I sure don’t, but I have to have a clean bathroom, so in I go, mask, gloves steamer and Lysol.

Well it is 12:30 and time for bed, I have a long church day tomorrow.  I do so love the Lord and I am glad that he wakes me up in the morning and gives me traveling mercy.  But Lord, I am really missing my Guild meetings and hope you will allow me to attend it next month.

Bless you All and My God always watch over you.

The Slow Quilter.  

MIA From Blogging–WHO ME?

Yah, I have been MIA this week from the blogging world.  After finishing the photo quilt on Mother’s Day, (and I like to thank all of you who sent me comments and liked the quilt),  and my co-workers mother loved the quilt.  One of her nice was following the blog and explain the concept of the tree, the fabric that looked like seeds and the pictures on the side.  I was also told, that her husband was a little upset that his picture was not on the quilt and his daughter told him that it is a Mother’s Day gift from her children, not the dad. 

I had to take a little me time.  Yah, right, me time is over stated in my case.  I had the little one, who does not want to eat and crying all the time to drive me crazy.  It is a wonder I still have what little hair I do have on my head.  His mother has him tonight.  God, I am counting the days when school is over and she move the kids to her house.

I have not been MIA from my quilting, I have been working on a couple of quilt blocks that I cannot show you and also working on a quilt that I cannot show you.  Woo that sucks big time.  I have been checking out all my followers blogs and trying to leave comments while I was at work.  Some I need to go back to because they are doing some interesting blocks or project.

Below are pictures of a quilt that each member did a block for a former member who’s father died (I think 2 years ago), and was just finished and she brought it to show us the quilt.

 

This is the block I did, appliqué and embroidery.  The sun’s eyes move. How cool is that.

 

 

 

  This is Gwen sporting her Wee Bee Quilters jacket she made.

 

       President Obama is to be at our building tomorrow and because of the security and check points they are asking us to telework.  Which is great, but I will be on a bus trip with a group of ladies to gamble away their social security funds at the slot machines.  O.K. I am one of them, mama needs some money to take some bus trips.  Once I win a couple of hundred, I will go somewhere a read my book on the kindle.  After I loose my first $50, I will not hit the slots anymore.  O.K. I’m cheap, but I cannot afford to loose anymore then that.

So if I don’t make it to Trump Towers from all the money I hope to win, I will be blogging with you tomorrow.  OH NO!!!! I almost forgot, I bowl tomorrow, so I will be getting off the bus and heading straight to the bowling alley and will not get home until after 12:00. 

Have I said I need to change my name to “The Busy Quilter” or maybe “Who Has Time To Quilt”????? 

Blog with you later

The Slow Quilter

Picture Quilt Finish

First I would like to wish you all a Happy Belated Mother’s Day.

I had a very nice Mother's Day were by father took my stepmother, sister and myself out.  We usually go to Applebee’s is favorite restaurant, but he wanted to take us to this all you can eat place.  When we got there the line was out the door, so we ended up at I-Hop.  Which was not that bad, since I did not have breakfast before church and they do have a dinner menu.  I hope you all had a great Mother’s Day.

Now, I have finished the quilt.  On Saturday after my church meeting (does it seem I am in church all the time other then Sunday?  I do.)  You know that I had put on a miter boarder.  After looking at for awhile, it just look like something was wrong, like it was lopsided.  I try to fix it, but it just was not working for me, so I took the boarders off and put a traditional boarder on.

I like to thank all the bloggers out they who gave me suggestion on the seam allowance on the piece backing and the iron it up or to the side.  I got the backing together and sandwiched the quilt.

Sunday after I got back from the dinner, I went in and stitched in the ditched (I’m still not a freehand quilter).  So if you have not seen my little trick with the binding here is a pictures.  I roll it on a tube and sit it under my table and run it off so it will not drag on the floor since it need to be vacuumed.

I sewed the binding my hand while watching Once Upon a Time and Games of Thrones.    So here is the quilt, not a very good picture, but hey it was late and I was tired.

 Now my co-workers mother is do back in town today, so they will surprise her with it.  She said she will tape her reaction or get pictures, so hopefully I will be able to share that with you tomorrow night.

I am off from work today, so after dropping of the quilt when into the sewing room to make a block for someone special, which I can no tell you about until after next week.  I had these two eggplants, so I decide to fix an eggplant parmesan, which I like but I do not think anyone in the house does, if they do not like it, I will take it to work with me tomorrow.

While, I have a church meeting tonight and got to run, so until tomorrow.

The Slow Quilter.

Piece Backing and Bowling

For the last two days, I have been sooo tired that all I could do is hit the bed.  It is a good thing that I have time to finish the quilt this weekend.  I have found a backing fabric for the quilt, put I will still have to piece it.  So, since I have never pieced a backing before, does anyone out there know how to do it?  What I need to know is two things:  (1) What seam allowance do I use?  Do you do 1/4” or 1/2” or 5/8”?  (2) Do I press the seam open or close?  Thank you for your help on this.

This is the backing fabric I am using and I will be piecing it with black.  I know it is buzzy, put it will hide any mistakes I might have.

 

 

 

BOWLING

Well it is bowling season for me.  I bowl in a summer league on Friday nights.  This bowling league has been together for 36 years and I have been in it for a least 6 or 7 years.  It is called Friday Fellowship League and it is a summer fun league.  We play bingo during bowling, play song blocks (listening to music and guessing the song and artist), and also have raffle ticket drawings.  All these games you win from $15 to $35.  We even have a wheel of fortune which you can win up to $100.00  At the end of August we have a big Banquet at Martin’s Crosswinds with guess artist such as Kool & The Gang, Zap Band, Morris Day & Time, WAR and this year Jeffrey Osborn.  All free to league members and about $40 for guess.  It is always a sold out event.

This is me with one of the Zap  Band Members last year.  I do have a picture of me and Jerome from Morris Day & The Time, put could not find it along with one of Bill Graham

So must likely will not be blogging on Fridays, since I have to get to the bowling alley by 8:00 and most nights do not get home until after 12:00. You will be quilting info from me along with Bowling scores from now until August.

 

 

Bowling and Quilting

The Slow Quilter

MAY 4 ME - FUNNY

As you know, for the May 4 Me Link, I had decided to sing a song every morning when I walk in the door to work.  I stared off sing Julie Andrews “Sound of Music” soundtrack.  By mid-day everyone is singing something and we break up the long day.  One of my co-workers, was sent to the hospital the weekend, but she is doing fine now.  Someone suggested to send her a Get Well Card that we all signed.  Another co-work decided to make a special card for her for, when I saw it, I almost fell out of my chair laughing.  I’m sure this will send her back to the hospital.

  She imposed my head on Julie’s.  What a great May 4 Me moment.  I think if you click on the picture you might see it better.  Not sure since this is not a picture put a Adobe document.

 

 

 

 

BREAK ON THE PHOTO QUILT

Great news, I have gotten an extension on the photo quilt.  My co-workers mother is going out of town on Mother’s Day and she will not be able to give the quilt to her until Monday, and she is going out of town Friday night, so I have the weekend to finish it up.  So tonight I will be looking through my stash to see what I will be using for a piece backing, and see how I will be quilting it.  I will most likely do stitch in the ditch, put would like to do something on the out side boards.  Since I have no experience in quilting other then lines, I might have to use the embroidery machine for a design.

The Hills Are Alive – Blog With You Tomorrow

The Slow Quilter

SUBSITUTE FABRIC–OH MY!!!!

OK, this is what happen.  As you all know I ran out of the red batik fabric I was using for the picture quilt (that is what you get when using stuff out of your stash with less then a yard).  Since this was my creation, I did not take into consideration that I would need that much, but as I really got into it, it started to expand.  Also I am thinking of changing my name from the “Slow Quilter” to “Late Quilter” or “Procrastinator Quilter” or even the “Last Minute Quilter”.

Quilters are artist, some of us plan out what they are doing with measurements or  drawings, I just go with the gut (could me sour stomach).  Anyway, as I was going to work, an idea hit me (I checked, no one threw a rock), I was look for some bee fabric I knew I had and ran across this red/black fabric (looking like seeds) and I said to myself, “self you can use that fabric to break up the red”.  Woo Hoo, what a great idea.

This is the fabric, sorry that the picture does not give you a good read, bad lighting, (I think a couple of bubs blew out, and I don’t think I have anymore, add this to the shopping list).  This is a match red and they look like seeds to me or even leaves which is a good theme.

 

Sew a sewing I did go, a sewing I did go, hi, ho, a merry go a sewing I did go.  Sorry music in my head again (next Dr.’s appointment get MRI, check for musicians in head).  Here is a couple of shots of the almost finished quilt.

Now I am really on a roll (seriously, I am rolling around in the chair).  As I rolled around looking at this quilt from all angles, I think I need another boarder, nothing large no more then about 2”, and I thought maybe in black.  So, as I was about to put the black strips on the quilt another thought came to me (who is in my head?).  Why not do a miter board?  Because I do not know how.  So up to the computer to YouTube to watch several videos on how to do miter boarders.  Did you know that using miter boarders also helps square up your quilt?  Well at lest that’s what the lady said in the video.

Adding Mitered Boarder to a Quilt

God is on my side tonight, because the 4 strips that I had cut was long enough to do the miter without having to piece the strips together. Oh Happy Days, oh happy days, oh happy days (when Jesus wash…….).  Ok really need to check those musicians in my head.

So here is a copy of the almost finished quilt.

 

I know you can not see the miter well, but they did come out very well.  I did not cut off the ends yet, because I need to tighten it up a little more, it is kind of wavy.  That is what happens when you get tired.  You need to stop, step back, and comeback to it later.  So that is what I am doing tonight.

As you can see I have a sink of dishes to wash and my sewing stuff to clean up before I go upstairs.  I also have a load of wash clothes and towels in the washer that I need to put in the dryer.  I have to come up stairs and write this blog, then find something to wear to work and do something to my hair (since I got get cut, I just have to brush it to the side).  It is now 12:25 and I am ready to hitting the bed.

Tomorrow it will be all about straitening out the board and finding a backing.  I know I do not have enough fabric for the backing, but I have a lot of fabric so it will be a piece backing and I will try to stay in the black/red thing or something.  Something might hit me on the way to work tomorrow (hopefully it is not a car or bus).

ALMOST FINISHED

THE SLOW QUILTER

Ran Out of Fabric–OH MY!!!–Early Mother’s Day

Would you believe that I am just about finished the picture quilt I have been working on and I have ran out of the red batik I was using.  Well I guess I will have to run to the fabric store or send one of my quilting friend out to see if they can find it for me.  I just need about a 1/2 yard, but to be on the safe side (and I need some red for another project) I’ll most likely get around 1-1/2 or 2 yards.

I only have to put the picture of the mother at the bottom to represent the root of the family and the pome at the top.  I hope I can find the same red of I will have to rethink this (maybe a black border???).

 

 

Early Mother’s Day

My son (I do love that boy) took me out to dinner for an early Mother’s Day. You know how all the restaurants will be packed after church. This is a great idea, and it will give me time to might have a Mother’s Day dinner at my house for my step-mom if the sisters don’t plan to take her out.

 

Until Tomorrow

The Slow Quilter