Happy New Year - May I spend less time at the doctors

Hi everyone: Well today is the last day of 2008 and while things have been pretty good, I still hope that I can spend less time at the doctors in 2009. I have alot to be thankful for including my husband, my home, his job, my children and my family and friends. I'll be 43 in two-weeks and I think that physically I'm feeling about 80. It's time to do something about it again (while I sit here eating a bowl of Pops cereal). There is not alot I can do about my potential parathyroid tumor, my enlarging thyroid or my deteriorating brain, but I can try to lose the weight which is going to be my one of only two New Year's resolutions (the other being finish up all the quilt kits sitting in my closet). I think that's enough of resolutions, don't you?

On a lighter note, I finished another quilt for the store called Farmer's Market. It's a huge quilt that would easily cover a full bed and is full of bright colors. I'm currently working on my father's quilt and after that I've got three more cut up and ready to go. I do have a tote bag that I'm working on for the store and a stitchery one too for myself, but that is whenever I get to it. Enjoy my quilt and have a wonderful and safe New Year.

Sigh...The Holidays are over

Well we are past Christmas; down to the last two nights of Hanukkah and it's time to take down the tree, lights and hundreds of decorations I put up. We did have a good holiday and the kids got alot of what they asked for. Here are some additional photos. Thank you to all my friends and family for their wonderful cards and gifts too. Now I look forward to my birthday (yea right) in a couple of weeks and my quilting retreat!!!

Happy Hanukkah!!!!

Here are some photos from our first night of Hanukkah. We had our yearly traditional potato latkas which stinks up the house tremendously! Then we lit the candles for the first night and then opened presents. We have two more days until Christmas and then more presents, then up to Grandma Bailey's house for even more presents.

Our Hanukkah Bush

Yesterday we went up to Crest Ranch Tree farm up on Empire Grade road to get our Christmas Tree/Hanukkah bush. After getting it situated, we let the kids loose on decorating the tree with blue and silver with the occasional colorful ornament thrown in. The kids did a great job this year and here it is in all its glory!

And Yet the Cloud continues....

Just when things were getting better around the house, bam! I get hit with a really, really nasty cold. It turned into bronchitis and then into a sinus infection. I have more medication than I know what to do with and have gone through too many kleenex boxes to count. I'm hoping this is my one bad cold this season, because I just can't manage it anymore. Anyways, I have managed to finish up several projects during my down time, just very slowly. They are here. Enjoy!

We did have a very productive weekend though even though Mark and I are sick; we managed to get our holiday lights up and Mark put up some new shelves in my quilting/crafting corner so I can spread out more stuff. So hopefully I'm healing and so is Mark and we can have a quiet holiday.

Is there a cloud over my house?

Hi everyone: I'm updating my blog from my laptop because our main computer bit the dust 3 years to the day that we purchased it. I'm not to happy with HP these days. Anyways, between the dryer going out and the computer too, I'm lurking around corners to see what else is going to blow up. Anyways, I finished another quilt, but have to do the borders. My next quilt is a store sample which uses the Cotton Blossom line. Hopefully I'll get to that this evening. My days have been filled with family recently including my Uncle Fred from Toronto. He is my mother's brother and was visiting their sick cousin in Palm Desert. They swung by our house for an evening and here we are all (sans my father who is taking the picture). I think the dog even has a cameo.

We have a busy week with minimum days for the girls and Sarah's 7th birthday on Thursday. I have numerous doctor appts lined up as I have been neglecting my health recently and need to rectify that. We'll see what gets done!

OK, back to Fall

I pulled out this mass of material that has been in my closet for over a year. I share my clothing closet with my quilting fabric and sometimes things get lost. Lo and behold it was a quilt I had to make. I purchased the fabric from PQ a long time ago. So anyways, I decided to just quickly whip this together last night while watching a very exciting 49er football game. So Sue, what do you think? By the way...thanks for reading and responding to my posts!

Is it Spring Yet?

I know, I know, we haven't even had the holiday's yet, however, I thought this quilt would be the perfect pick-me up for those dreary winter days. I have to find a cute backing for this quilt and get it quilted.

What I'm working on!!!

Well I've been doing alot of cardmaking lately, trying to get ready for the holidays. I hate buying cards so I make my own. In the quilting world, I've just received the last two ships of this block-of-the-month I've been working on all year. The quilt is for my father, who hopefully won't read my blog, but anyways, here is what it will look like when I'm done.

I have just one more border to go and then I can put the whole thing together. I'm going to get it professionally quilted as well and then give it to my father for his birthday. So in between doing this quilt, I have several other cut out and then ready to put together. I just need more time!!!

Halloween!!!!

We had a wonderful time at Halloween this year. The girls had their events at school and then we went out to walk the block and over to our friend's event at their church. Our theme this year was Wizard of Oz. Sarah, of course, was Dorothy; Rachael was the wicked witch; and Mark was the flying monkey. Don't they look cute? I was supposed to be the Lollypop Guild kid, but just didn't feel like it. Oh well, maybe next year.

Woodland Bloom

Here is another one of my quilts. I'm determined to clear out as many kits and projects as I can within the next 18 months. It's a heft goal considering the number of projects I have. So you may wonder what I do with all these quilts. Well many I have, many I have given away as gifts and others I have donated to worthy causes after sitting around for a few years. I enjoy making them and testing my techniques. I hope others enjoy them as well!

Give a Hoot!

My hubby reminded me that I forgot to add my sweet bell pull runner that I made with a kit I purchased in Washington on vacation this year. This is so sweet because it has owls which I have recently started getting into. I just love all the blended colors and then the three owls that are hidden amongst the fabric. Enjoy!

Latest happenings with me

I know it's been about two weeks since my last post so I need to catch everyone up. In my last post, I forgot to show off my lastest quilt. This was done from the fabric line Amelia. It was a simple and quick quilt that will make a lovely gift for one of my girlfriends.

This past weekend Rachael and Sarah attended their annual Walk-A-Thon at school. It was really cold this year opposed to last year where it was really warm. Here are some photos including Sarah with the school mascot: The Cougar.

Also yesterday, October 14th, Mark and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. Mark took the day off and we want to the nursery. Why??? you may ask? Well, when we moved from Sunnyvale to Almaden, I had to leave my fantastic lilac tree. Every year, it produced the most wonderfully fragrant flowers and I really missed having that tree. So my wonderful husband purchased a new tree for me and even made a special spot in his iris bed for my tree which is also surrounded by various lavendar bushes.

Sunny Disposition

Well, I finished another quilt. My goal for the end of this year and all of next year is to complete all of the kits and quilts I have stacked in my closet. It's a hefty goal, but I can't keep buying and stuffing the closet. I must keep going and going and going. Here is Sunny Disposition. The pattern had several errors, but I muddled through.

Rachael wins Morgan Hill Quilt Show

Well my daughter showed me up this weekend. Her first quilt won first place in the Morgan Hill Quilt Show for the youth category ages 9-12. I'm so very proud of her!!!!!

Lots of my friends also won several ribbons. To see them all, visit my quilt shop at www.prairiequeensquilts.com.

Halloween Treat Bags for 2nd graders

My youngest daughter, Sarah, is in second grade this year and I thought it would be fun to make these darling treat bags. Fry box pattern is from a lady on the cricut messageboards. I can't remember her name and I've searched for it.

New Cards using Cuttlebug folders

I'm going a bit stir crazy with this cast on, but I have one more day and then I'm free!!! Although I'll have to take it easy for awhile, but at least I can drive again. Anyways, my daughters and I wanted to try out my new cuttlebug folders so we made some fun cards. Enjoy!

My Right Foot

Hi everyone: I know it's been awhile since I have posted, but a couple of weeks ago I had surgery on my right foot. I have plantar fascitis and decided to have the surgery to release the ligament that runs under the foot. As a result, I have this big cast on my leg and foot and haven't been able to do much. I'm not supposed to walk, can't drive and certainly can't sew very well. I get the cast off this Thursday and it will take about a year before I will be fully pain free, but at least I'm on the road to recovery.

I've been spending alot of time catching up on my Netflix and reading, but ready to get back to being creative. I haven't even had a Starbucks in over 2 weeks!!!! Oh well....soon.

Rachael Wordbook and Lavender Fields Layout

I made another word book for my older daughter last night. I had to wait until my shipment of 12" x 24" cricut paper arrived. I wish someone made these size papers with prettier designs. This paper is so dull. Anyways, so here is the Rachael book. Feel free to download the cut folder and use it.

Cut file available here: http://www.sendspace.com/folder/p2e6fw

I also started working on my enormous summer vacation scrapbook and managed to get two whole pages done. I used the cricut and design studio to cut out the letters and Walk in My Garden to elongate some stems and flowers to make the lavender flowers. These pictures were taken in Sequim, WA which is known for their lavender fields. We stopped by one farm and got to pick a big bunch which have now dried. I've put them in little sachets for the girls to put in their drawers in their rooms.

Our upcoming quilt show

In September, we have a local quilt show at the Taste of Morgan Hill Festival in Morgan Hill, CA. I'm entering two of my quilts for jury and even my daughter Rachael has one going in. Last year, one of my quilts won Best of Show-Judges Choice and a second one won second place for applique. Here is the Best of Show from last year. I'll post the results from this year when it happens.

Today I also received all of my vacation pictures; all 623 of them. I'm going to start working on our summer vacation album which hopefully won't take too long. I plan on cricituing as much as possible. We had a great vacation this year. We went up to Washington state where my folks and sister live and traveled to the Olympic National Park where they have the only rain forest in the US. It was cool to walk around the trees that had moss growing from them. They get over 100 inches of rain in this forest every year!

My latest quilt

For those of you who know me (and for those of you who don't), I'm an accomplished quilter as well as scrapbooker. I've made over 200 quilts and have two published in various magazines. I design and make quilts for other folks and also do machine embroidery. Some of my quilts have won best of show and judges choice. So from time to time, I'll post some of my latest ones including this one. I also work part time at my favorite quilt store, Prairie Queens Quilt Shop, in San Jose, Ca. (http://www.prairiequeensquilts.com/). My duties include customer service, running the long arm and taking care of the website. If you are into quilting, check out the website.

Sarah Word Book - Photo and Cut file

Hi again everyone. I made a word book for my youngest daughter - Sarah and I wanted to share it with you. It is made with the new "Storybook" cartridge. I just updated my CDS last night and wanted to use this cartridge right away. The paper is from DCWV Blossoms and Butterflies. Enjoy!

Sarah Word Book.

Here is the link for the cut file: http://www.sendspace.com/folder/p2e6fw

Latest Cricut Design Studio Files

Welcome to my new blog. I had one awhile ago, but never kept up. This time I promise!!!! To start, I've attached my two new Cricut Design Studio files for Fall and Boo. Fall was made with "Speaking of Fall", Boo was made with George and "Stretch the Imagination." Please let me know if you have any comments.

Boo Book.

Fall Book.

Here are the links for the cut file:http://www.sendspace.com/folder/p2e6fw