Monday umbrella to ward off the snow?

Just a little stitching in the hotel tonight while watching the snow fall. Yes, I had to brush about 2 inches off the SUV to head to dinner tonight..... and yes another 1-2 got brushed off to get back to the hotel! We just went a few blocks up to the Healthy Living Store so my co-worker had options for food. I loved their cheddar ale soup last night... and got some again tonight. Snow = soup weather. 

The umbrella in grey was stitched at my parents yesterday. I might stitch another umbrella tonight if I finish the 8th block for Ella Marie Deacon. The middle part is done and one set of the triangles. A few stitches here and there add up.... just like the snow falling outside the window. We will see if the projected 8-12 inches happens... although it is looking like it will. Fingers crossed for a delayed opening tomorrow.... more stitching time!

Slow Sunday...

Why yes, it will be a slow Sunday! I prepped a few blocks at the last minute on Friday to take with me on my business trip. I plan to work on one or two of them today.

The #6 Ella Maria Deacon block was completed this week and I prepped the next 2 the ones with blue on the top left hand side.

I just did this block this morning! Love my little snowman in the center.

I also prepped a few of the umbrella blocks to finish off the blocks needed for that little quilt. Prep work was easier on that one - just cut the 6 inch square and draw the pattern onto the back of the fabric. Pull some fabrics for the umbrella parts and done! I am back basting these so the prep work is easy peasy.

I also put the scrubby yarn and a crochet hook into the bag.

Those projects should keep me busy this week while I am up in Vermont on my business trip. I also have the kindle loaded with books to read. Looks like a nice snowstorm will arrive Mon/Tues..... I get to test the winter driving skills! At least the drive to the office is just one exit up the road and not too bad.

Linking up with the other Slow Sunday Stitchers.

Sunday Slow Stitching....

I will be adding a few stitches into a few different projects today.

I plan to finish up the last 4 applique peels for the Ella Maria Deacon block #5 today.

Start the Happy Little Things embroidery for block 3.... yikes, how did I forget to do this one? The next one is released tomorrow!

Add some stitches into the trip quilt on the frame. I was able to turn it this week after another fix to the batting and started in on the orange block. I am officially half way through this big 90x90 quilt.

Around all that.... I'll finish picking up and cleaning the house and pick up the sewing area and finally get things up on the walls. I also need to figure out how to put my Thomas Kincade big framed photo back up in the living room. It fell in the middle of the night last week and I have yet to figure out why it fell (was a cat involved?) as it had been hanging fine for 9 years!

Linking up with the other slow stitchers at Kathy's Quilts.

I won!

I was the lucky winner over at Kathy's Quilts with the Happy Little Things Blog hop this month! The prize arrived today. I am sew excited! I got the Sunday Best Quilts book by Sherri McConnell and Corey Yoder. I just took a quick page through and the quilts are beautiful (I see some future RSC projects in there!) and I can't wait to read the beginning part to learn more about these wonderful quilters. I think it will go in the car with me for pick up of kid #2 today.

The kids carved their pumpkins yesterday afternoon ... in the hot and humid Florida air. It was feels like 97 leaving horses yesterday at 6PM. We can't carve them too soon down here... they rot fast in the heat.

Aidans - pumpkin

Emily's pumpkin cat

Aidan's gourd

Sunday....

Slow stitching finally got to happen this afternoon. I started in on the orange today.

I see a few things I need to stitch up with some orange thread - the joys of hand piecing (a few years ago - I have learned a lot since then!) and being left on this frame forever with a cat that thinks it is his personal hammock bed! A few stitches to tack it back together in a couple of spots and then more hand quilting tonight I think.
I finally played with the different angles the EZ3 can do. Flat and all the way up were not comfortable. I liked the angle of the second slot from the top. Just right for me.

Yesterday Emily got dropped to camp with our troop. I got to go home and spend the rest of the day with the boy - he had a science experiment to do and needed some Mom boy time without sister. He got his meal request - shrimp lo mien made for dinner. Lots of game time and just hanging out time.
Today I had to pick up the girl while the boy was shuttled to Grandma. I then headed over to visit my father in law with Emily and fed her lunch before coming home. She got a shower (did I mention it was 100% humid yesterday and it rained and the temps were in the upper 80's with no AC at camp?... and this morning they cleaned their cabin and then picked up the trails from any stray wrappers from the trick or treat event they worked yesterday?) and has been relaxing after researching the snake she spotted on the trail this morning. I hear every one's lungs worked great to scare it off!
Emily wants breakfast for dinner - and she and Dad are great at making eggs, hash browns and sausage so I think I'll let them have some time together in the kitchen while I stitch on the frame in the bedroom while watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Linking up with the other slow stitchers over at Kathy's Quilts.

FNSI

I'm going to join Wendy at Sugarlane Designs on the Friday Night Sew In tonight...... (at least during car lines if I can't manage some sewing tonight!)

I know I will be stitching a little on my #6 block for the Ella Marie Deacon Quilt Along over at Sentimental Stitches. I chose to hand piece mine and this applique block is being back basted and then needle turn applique. 16 baby peels in a pretty design. I just need to back baste the 8 light blue and then needle turn the 10 of them.

I have lots of bins of scraps... overflowing that need some attention. I am tempted to START something new..... that crooked courthouse steps block that Bonnie Hunter and Jo Kramer were playing with the last few weeks. It would be a great use of scraps....and not much thinking involved. Bonus.... it could be completely scrappy in color - just pull and sew! My kind of mindless sewing that is needed in my life right now.

Tomorrow we drop the girl to Girl Scout Camp for an overnight with my other leader. I am not going this time! They are decorating the front of a cabin and then handing out goodies to trick or treaters at an event, then spending the night and helping to clean up the trails at the camp the next morning. I get to supervise a science project - Aidan is baking a Vanilla Crazy Cake and determining if baking soda or baking powder will rise a cake better. We will be doing 3 cakes - one each with soda, powder and no leavening agent. I had to laugh when I wrote up how we would dispose of the experiment! Why, taste test it of course! Hehehe....
He got his choice of meal since sister is away. He chose shrimp lo mein. We will see what other things he decides to do on his Mom and boy day tomorrow.

Umbrella Wednesday

I was able to finish stitching this last night in an air conditioned house (it was feels like 95 yesterday and humid before a cool front went through last night). I get to work in my office again today and the cats are happy to be back to the normal routine - one sleeping in his bed beside my laptop on the desk and the other on top of the cat tree supervising, while Sophie has the rest of the house to herself for a few hours! I really need to count and see how many more of there I need to make. I am thinking 7..... but should lay them out and see sometime soon. One more in 'dark' colors for the month of October. I wonder if it will be black, brown or grey?