Lab test results

I finally got the call with my lab results. "Normal male pregnancy". Hmmm. I thought there were 3? Initially when this whole situation was at it's high point I was okay because there wasn't a heartbeat or fetal pole to see and fall in love with. That call made it real, knowing that we lost a baby boy. When I read on message boards that people lost babies as early as I did and they name them a boy or girl name, I often wonder if it's just them naming them to help themselves cope. Now I know that they probably knew with testing just as I know now. Do I name him? Do I name him and not tell my husband? I have a hard time keeping secrets from him, how would I keep a name from him. What are his feelings? Does he feel we should put a name to the baby? So many questions that one part of me says it's just silly ramblings, the other says that it's a mark in my past and I need to name him.

**SOAPBOX COMMENT**
Okay, this totally disproves the comment from Pro-abortionists saying that it's not a baby until it's delivered. The ultrasound technician, doctors, or Hubby and I couldn't even see anything on the screen but yet the lab tests tell us the baby was a boy. A BOY! That is a baby. It starts when the egg and sperm meet.
**STEPPING DOWN FROM SOAPBOX**

Trapunto Workshop

Today my friend Zegi and I took a machine quilting trapunto workshop with Nelly Vileikis. This was really fun and pretty easy (to understand that is). My biggest challenge is that I really haven't worked much with free motion quilting, so following the lines for me was a bit rough. Back in March I took a beginning machine quilting class and have only practiced about 2 times since. I'm hoping that this class has brought enough encouragement to my quilting desire to push myself to complete my sewing room organization. All in all, I don't think I did that bad. What do you think?



I think I need a little more practice time on following a line but otherwise, not bad.

You start off with tracing your design onto your fabric with water soluable pen. Pin traced fabric to poly batting (about a 12 oz or 16 oz). Use water soluable thread in your top thread and trace, with a basting length stitch, the areas that you want to puff up. Trim away any areas of batting that you do not want puffy along the stitching edge, being careful not to snip your fabric. Now make your quilt sandwich with a backing, cotton batting, and trapuntoed top piece. Quilt in the recessed areas as you see fit.

Nelly suggests to use water soluable thread that is removed with cold or cool water. If you use the warm water removeable, you run the risk of your fabrics bleeding. Also, keep the thread stored in a ziplock bag to keep it away from humidity so it won't become sticky.

Remember that dream?

Earlier this year I had a dream shortly before my friend gave birth to her baby girl. I just found out that my friend's father doesn't have too much longer to live. From what I understand, they found a tumor on his heart. So sad. My prayers go out to her and her family.

Halloween 2008

Here she is! My Little Red Riding Hood. She looked so cute in her costume. I made her costume out of the costume suede knit from JoAnn's. The cape is a 3/4 circle with scalloped edges with a hood (of course). The skirt is a full circle with elastic waist. Her little vest was fun, I found this cute sheer with ghosts and stripes. I layered the sheer with a black cotton for support.


She and her cousin had so much fun Trick-or-Treating. Cousin A is more outspoken than Little Girl so when they would approach a house, Cousin A would scream "Happy Halloween! I want some treats!" LOL! Little Girl just walked up shyly and I had to whisper for her to say "Trick-or-Treat". She did really well though, she enjoyed the whole scene. When we got back to the house, the girls allowed us to trade candy (chocolates for Cousin A, suckers and skittles to Little Girl).

Now it's time for the rest of the holidays to come... I already started shopping for her last night.

Seamstress-in-training!!

Excitement!!! I'm such the pushy mother. :) I know that Little Girl will be 3 in January but as any normal mother would say "she's just so smart and picks things up quickly". So, yesterday I went to JoAnn Fabrics and bought some of those lacing cards (you know, the ones with the holes that you sew string through). It says 3+ years on the box. You know as well as I do, nobody listens to that? She's almost 3 anyway, big deal, buy it. I bought the Disney Princesses one and the Winnie the Pooh set too. Gotta love branding... So I took it home, sat down with her and showed her what to do... She did it! She loved it! She was so focused, it was fun to watch her little mind at work. She finished up her first one and asked for another.... I'm in heaven! Now I just have to wait till she's old enough for me to trust with a real needle.

FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network)

Hi everyone!

As Halloween comes, the more nervous I become.... NUTS!! UGH! I can't tell you how often in the store I'm just afraid she's going to pick up something with nuts and have a reaction. FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) has been a great source of information and comfort for me and my family. Currently FAAN is holding a "Trick-or-Treat for Food Allergy" donation drive to help fund research and education about food allergies. If anyone is interested in donating (it's tax deductible) to FAAN on behalf of my daughter, please click the "Firstgiving" link on my sidebar.

Thanks for your help!
Robin

More toddler talk...

Hubby had sent me this email earlier this week.

Little Girl and I were out on the deck listening to the THS band playing at the homecoming bon fire. She says.

"That's the Blue Devil Band"

"I have a Blue Devil Sweatshirt"

"Decker has a Blue Devil Hat"

"Listen Daddy, they're stomping their feet"

"Look, they have hats on"

To give you an idea of the proximity of the house to the football field is about 1/2 mile with many houses in between. We've taken her to a football game before so we think she remembers them marching in their uniforms. Her memory amazes me. Oh, and Decker is her "boyfriend".

From a toddler's mouth...

... can come some embarrassing things to a parent. Here's a good example. Little Girl will be 3 in January so her vocabulary is quite extensive already. Because of this and her great memory, I am trying my hardest not to let her see me naked. (Hubby and I have been together for 12 years, it's kinda hard to change some habits). Anywho, the other day Hubby was keeping Little Girl busy while I was finishing getting ready. I'm in the process of putting my bra on and I hear her running down the hallway. As soon as she sees me, she stops and cocks her head to the side... "You have elbows?" she says looking at my chest. Needless to say, I was laughing too hard to even correct her.

Fast forward to yesterday. I was buckling her into her car seat when she proceeds to place her hands on my chest... "You have elbows?" Again, I am laughing but I'm able to get out "no honey." "Armpits?" More laughter at a quizzical looking child. What do you tell her? She'll repeat everything. I feel bad but I just ignored her question and changed the topic (which it's very easy to do with her).

"Baby" update...

Today was the follow-up ultrasound. The sacs were still empty and didn't grow. I'm scheduled for a D&C next Wednesday. I'm just very sad. Thanks to everyone for all of your support and prayers. They have been a big help over this 2 week journey.

Love,
Robin

Baby update #1

Today was the ultrasound with the high risk OB. They did find one more, making that 6, however they are only focusing on 3. They believe the others to be blood clots, cysts, or pregnancy tumors? The 3 larger ones are measuring +/- 6 weeks (where as I figure I am 8w5d). How can I be almost 3 weeks different? Anyway, I go back on the 25th for another ultrasound. If there is no fetal pole or heartbeat by that time then a D&C will be the next step. They want to do a D&C because there is too much going on in my uterus to feel comfortable about me going naturally.

So now, I guess I just sit back and wait...

ETA - I did call my regular OB to get my blood results. My beta levels are high, 45,000, showing that I am pregnant. She said that it is high enough to be thinking multiple babies too...I just got used to the fact that I was going to lose a baby, now I have to get used to the fact that my numbers are good and there might be triplets?! Someone up there likes to make my life a little challenging?

Loss for words and emotions

Well, today was ultrasound day and things didn't turn out quite the way we expected. My appointment was at 10 am. As I wait for 20 minutes with that paper sheet over my legs, Hubby and I are talking baby stuff. The Dr comes in and the ultrasound starts. For those of you who haven't experienced this first ultrasound, it's not the one that they show on T.V. with the jelly in your belly... this one's internal, basically a joystick in your hoo-ha... not comfortable. Anyway, the Dr proceeds to twist and turn the wand and had a quizzical look on her face. She then tells us that she sees 3 sacs but no embryos. She asked that we come back in the afternoon to see the u/s tech for a more defined look. That appointment was scheduled for 1:40 pm.

I told Hubby I wasn't ready to go back to work, which was just around the corner. After a quick bite to eat, I dropped him off (we work at the same office) and he informed my boss and his boss of the situation. I then called a girlfriend of mine who had a similar situation a couple years ago. Thankfully she was home and able to talk to me. She was a big help to all of my wandering emotions. She listened to my questions, answered me truthfully and with great information. Thanks Kim for all your help!

I then called Hubby and he had me pick him up. We drove around almost mindlessly running some errands wondering what's going to happen next.

Now it's time for the u/s tech to see what's going on. "Hmm" she says, "I haven't seen anything like this in my 22 years. Were you on fertility treatments?"

"No..." I said. "Dr. saw 3 sacs, do you see more?"

"Yes. But I'm not sure if they are sacs or cysts."

"But you still don't see a heartbeat?"

"No."

Dr's consult... "Um, we're not sure what to do. We see 5 sacs or cysts, none of them viable from what we can tell. I would like to send you a high risk OB to get a second opinion."

"O.K." I mean, what else can I say?

So at this point, I'm waiting till Monday to see what the heck is going on in there. Luckily my ovaries look good...

I'll keep you posted...

"Yeah!" and "Boo!"

All right, I can't take it anymore.... I'm pregnant!! Yeah!! The "Boo!" part, morning sickness has kicked in with vengeance! I was SO hoping that it wasn't going to be as bad as it was last time but it looks like it's going to be just as bad... UGH! The part that's harder is now I have a toddler that I have to take care of in the morning when Hubby is out of town. Luckily this morning was one of her best mornings. I am only 7 weeks along and will get my first ultrasound next Thursday. I haven't been able to fit in my regular pants since 5 weeks. Last time I was able to go the whole 12 weeks before announcing and wearing maternity clothes.

Hopefully my grandparents don't find out before they come and visit at the end of the month. My parents have agreed not to say anything but there's always room for a slip-up.

I'll post a picture of the little bean next week. Keep your fingers crossed that there is only one! :) (My MIL said that I couldn't fit into my clothes already because I was preggo with twins. Apparently they run in her family. :-s )

I started taking my Lovenox shots once I got the positive pregnancy test. I hate shots, however, I'm getting used to them. The medication burns and I have many small bruises all over my stomach. No bare belly shots for me! This is preventative for my blood clotting in hopes that my pregnancy will go full-term this time with no pre-eclampsia. Also, I continue to take the baby aspirin and Rx folic acid.

My due date is April 22nd but we are hoping for the 17th as that is my birthday, plus Little girl was born on the 17th of another month as well as my MIL is the 17th of another month. Hubby only has to remember months, no dates! :)

The 3 Stooges

Last night we went to a baseball game with our friends. They had a loge so the kids were able to run around. Here's a picture of the Little Girl and two of her friends. The boy on the left is 1 month younger than her. The boy in the middle is 1 year older than her. Notice that she is on her tip-toes. :) She's such a peanut! They had so much fun.

Laughter is the best medicine!

This is a post (click here) from my friend in Chicago. Her baby is so cute!

Food Allergy follow-up

I was looking over my old posts and realized I didn't post about the milk challange. She failed! UGH! It took two days to show but she failed. We gave her pizza with regular cheese on a Friday night, cheeseburger on Saturday night. By Sunday at lunch time, she was covered head to toe in one big red rash. I gave her Benedryl and she immediately cleared up. Bummer. Well, since it did take two days to react, we know that she's growing out of it. We're going to wait about 6 more months and then try again.

Chicago!

I love Chicago! Hubby just had a work convention there earlier this week and I tagged along. My mom came to watch Little Girl. Being away from her was tough but the 3-4 phone calls home to hear her talk made me feel better. :) We left early Saturday morning on an 8:30 am flight. Shortly after we pushed off from the gate, the pilot announced that we won't be taking off until 10:10... well, I guess that gives me more time to work on my quilt!

You heard me, a quilt! I wanted to try the English paper piecing so before the trip I ran to JoAnn's and picked up some templates and fabric. Recently I've become a "fabric snob" and realized that quilting fabric at JoAnn's was not nearly as good as something from a quilt shop.
However, my thought process for buying at JoAnn's this time was that if I didn't enjoy the hand piecing, then I wouldn't be out much $$. But if I did like it, it would be a great throw until it dies. I was okay with that. So, in my search for fabric, I found a bundle of 20 FQs for $14.99! I couldn't pass that deal up. Here's a sneak peek.

We had planned to visit Quiltology just on the edge of Chicago but with the delay on the plane, we couldn't make it. Bummer. We did get there in time to eat a yummy lunch at Miller's Pub right before we went to see Wicked!! OMG! If you've never seen this show, you have to find a way. It's fabulous! With a theater background, this show amazed me. The costumes were amazing, the scene changes were flawless, and the show just flowed. The story line was great. Nothing from the "Wizard of Oz" was changed, this just had you looking at the story from another direction. Awesome. It's THE best show my husband and I have seen, hands down. I could keep rambling but I'll move on now. After the show, we met up with friends that lived in the area and went to Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, a tapas restaurant. Um, the food was good but I have a hard time spending so much money on a small dish of food.

Sunday was a relaxing day, we got to sleep in some (internal alarm clocks suck sometimes). We decided to take a walk to the Shedd Aquarium. What a wonderful place. Next time will bring Little Girl, she will love it. After lunch we went back to the hotel to rest. Hubby left for his convention and was gone for a couple hours. I just chilled out and worked on my quilt. He was back by dinner. We decided to sit out side and people watch at Su Casa. The food was good. The Gold margaritas were better! :)

Monday, Hubby had to work most of the day. After he left, I went an had a deep tissue massage at Spa Space. I hear it's one of Oprah's favorite spas, I can tell you, it's now mine too! I felt soooo good afterwards. When I got back to the hotel, I called my friend to see if she wanted to go shopping. She had just laid her son down for a nap, so she would call me when he was up. In the meantime, I took a nap. I was so relaxed that I then passed on shopping. I know! How do you pass up shopping on the Magnificent Mile?! But I did. Hubby's convention ended earlier than he expected so when he got back, we went to Navy Pier. I was able to eat some yummy roasted almonds (I miss nuts). Inside one of the buildings was a stained glass museum. I took a couple pictures of some that I would love to recreate in a quilt. Stained glass quilt is another one on on the "some day" quilt list. For dinner we went to the Reagle Beagle. If that sounds familiar to you, you were a fan of Three's Company, it was the bar they used to go to. We wished the food was as good as the atmosphere. The drinks were even worse. We thought about going to a piano bar that was close by but the drink list looked way to pricey for our liking. We decided to go to the store and get ourselves something for the hotel room. We played online trivia, drank, and watched T.V.... boring but relaxing at the same time.

Tuesday, we packed up to come home. No delays this time. That evening, Hubby took care of the Little Girl while Mom and I worked on my sewing room. Yes, it's still a work in progress. We did get a lot accomplished. I'm hoping that it will be up and running soon. With me recently cleaning (scrubbing the floor, painting the floor, and peel-n-stick tiling the floor because it's where the previous owner had the kitty litter box) the basement closet, I have a lot more storage space to put some of my "not so often" used items. The room is finally taking shape.

Little girl had her first gymnastics class yesterday. I'm so proud of her. She actually joined in after about 15 minutes! Once they started doing the actual tumbling/circuit, she was following along very well. We did have to stop early because she decided she need to have her diaper changed. UGH! I was embarrassed. All the other kids in her class (2 year olds) were wearing underwear. She still won't go on the potty. I know it will come in time... "no kid is in diapers in Kindergarten". It's still frustrating. I will give her anything she asks for (well, almost) once she does finally go on the potty. It will be a glorious day! :)

Cake spelling

Have you ever seen that email about the WalMart cake misspelling? (google "WalMart good luck cake). We were celebrating one of our co-workers birthday today and had a similar instance with the local grocery store...

It reads... Happy Bithday Daun!


It should say... Happy Birthday Dawn!

Remodeling

My husband decided to redo the shower in the master bathroom because the hot water wouldn't turn off. When removing the ceiling tile of the shower, this is what fell out. I feel like I could be on that HGTV show, If Walls Could Talk.

LQS closing!

I've received an email that on of my LQS, Cotton Candy Quilt Shoppe, is closing! Often I wondered how these shops were doing because there are many around here. Recently at one of my guild meetings, we had a meeting in one of the LQS (Fabric Obsession in Medina) and they mentioned that there was going to be another one opening in Stow. I can say there is probably at least 10 within an hour of me in any direction, 3 of which I travel to frequently because their selections vary. One opened in Kent about a year ago called Katie Brooke Quilt Shop. They have a good selection of 30's & 40's, Civil War, and florals. I also visit, what some people call the "Verb" store, Stitch, Piece, and Purl. The third one is the one going out of business. They had good brights. I'm sad...

More food allergies

Well, it's official, no nuts period. About a month ago was my Mother-in-law's birthday. Her brother had given her a German chocolate cake, you know, with the coconut frosting. We had a suspicion, that Little Girl might have some sort of break out with the coconut but we weren't sure. We kept her away but I still ate some. After I was finished, I scrubbed my hands and brushed my teeth (we were at our house). While I was cleaning up, my Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law were packing up to leave and gave kisses all over my daughter's face. About 10 minutes go by and she's covered in welts. We gave her Benedryl and wiped her down.

A couple weeks later we had a check-up at the allergiest and I mentioned this reaction to coconut. Her doctor decided to test her for coconut, along with almond, cashew, pistachio, pecan, pine nut, walnut, and three that we knew she was allergic to - peanut, egg, and milk. We received the results the other day.... positive/high to all but pecan, pine nut, and milk. Coconut was low but still enough to be aware.

Wait, a zero to MILK?! We were so excited! I called the doctor's office to verify... It's true! The did warn us to start off small and see if she has any flare-ups. Keep your fingers crossed for us! It will be so nice not to have to buy soy milk, it's twice the cost of regular milk. Plus, she will only drink water or milk, she hates juice. I've only seen her drink juice once and that was because she was real thirsty and that's what was available (we were at church). We can get her chicken nuggets! Did you know that chicken nuggets at fast food places have milk? We didn't at first. For a while there, we weren't allowed to give her beef so fast food was out of the picture until recently. Now she loves hamburgers. Can you tell I'm giddy? I'm rambling more than the normal ramble. :)

This makes me wonder... she was the same range for squash as milk. After I test milk for a while, I think I'm going to test squash again. You don't realize how many different foods are in the squash family... zucchini, cucumber, melons, pickles... WISH ME LUCK!

Productive!

...on many things but not the sewing room. I think I'm having a similar problem that Jen is having with packing up... I can't seem to unpack. Most of the time I sit here and stare at my shelves that need to be filled with books that are in the boxes right at my feet.

Last week I was talking to my Mother and she said she needed a grandbaby fix. My parents came up Saturday afternoon. Saturday evening Mom helped me organize some fabric. It was sooooo nice to see an area "clean". Sunday, Hubby wanted to work on the garage because since we've moved in he hasn't been able to get his truck into the garage. Little girl played very well in the driveway on the misc things we pulled out. Her favorite "toy" was my old couch from college. It's one of those foam couches that folds out to a mattress. The couch has since moved to her room with a new slipcover. In fact, she now wants to sleep on the couch rather than her new bed! Novelty hopefully will wear off soon. Along with the couch, many other boxes were moved into the house... my sewing room now has several more boxes to open... OMG. I just need another eye to pull me out of this mess that sees what I don't. The good news is now we can get Hubby's truck in the garage, with an inch to spare in the front and back! He removed the inside handles off of the garage door because it was too close for comfort.

In my last post I showed you my EQ rendering of the attic window project. Saturday was the class with Peg Bingham. So glad I took that class. She made a great change to my color selection...

This coming weekend will be a "sewcial" with one of the guilds so I hope to get this top completed.

Vacation days

Well, the plan to take 10 minutes a day hasn't worked. I've taken a vacation today and tomorrow to work on my room. So far, I've taken pictures of a couple projects and it's about 2:30 p.m. "What has she been doing?!" you say? I left the house about 8:30 a.m., got breakfast, and then drove to the Habitat for Humanity's Restore to see if I can find used cabinets for my room. They didn't have what I was looking for but it was fun to look around. They had a couple old (60's) sewing machines with tables.

After that, I walked around the mall. It was so nice to walk around without the stroller and not have to say "Let go please... Let go please..." I bought Little Girl a couple new PJ's and some cute jeans from Children's Place. Then I went to the book store and bought Diane Gaudynski's "Quilt Savvy." I've read good things about her book and I had some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, so now I own it. :)

Okay, now on to the pictures. The first picture is of a few of the blocks that I made at a mystery quilt class with one of the guilds back in March. It was the first class I've taken and it was really fun. The directions were to pick a light, dark, and medium (suggestions were given) and do some pre-cuts. The pattern is called a Split 9 Patch. I love how the colors turned out. Once the room is together, the quilt will come together.


The next project is an Attic Window class being taught by Peg Bingham. Here are my fabric choices. Next is the EQ6 version of what it might to look like...

It might be a bit too much orange? What do you think? We'll see what Peg suggests.

Well, it's time to get working on the room... I'll share pics of the transformation... whenever it gets completed. :-p

Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! My day started out with Hubby getting the little girl up, hearing some paper wrestling, and whispering. This only leads to something cute, seeing this little body carrying a bag about as big as her "Here Mommy!" she says. She hands me the card. It's a cute little card with birds that she colored "Pink and Orange Mommy!" The card went along with the present, it's an Oriole bird feeder. What? Yup, an Oriole bird feeder. Apparently Hubby was walking down the gardening aisle when she screamed for it. It's orange, she loves orange. It is now filled and sitting on the railing of our back deck waiting for a hanger.

Later at breakfast, she was being a bit of a handful. One of her little habits that drives me crazy is to have her foot up on the table, while she's eating. After several requests for "foot removal", Hubby looked at her and asked, "is this how today is going to go?" With this question, Little Girl tilted her head to think... "Ummm, I think so!" We bust out laughing. And she lived up to that comment for the day.

In the end, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I love being a mother.

Quilting?

I know that I say that I'm a quilter but if you look at my blog, it really doesn't look like it. Since we've moved into our home in October, I've been trying to get myself motivated and get my sewing room together. Recently my friend Quilt Bug has been doing 10 minutes of quilting a day. Working along with that idea, I've taken upon myself to do 10 minutes of working on my sewing room a day. It's coming along well. My file cabinets are about 3/4 organized. There are now 2 new wall shelves up and occupied. I drew out plans for cabinets and a built-in L-shaped table. Even went to Lowe's and priced out everything that I would need in hopes of using the stimulus check (or at least my half) on the "remodel".

Last night my hopes were quickly dashed when I asked Hubby what he had in mind to do with the check. He quickly reminded me that we had a slow leak between our bathrooms that is in need of repair. Unfortunately, I don't think this check will cover all of the costs. :( Let's jump back to when we bought the house. The home inspector mentioned that there might be a leak but since the home was a flip and was vacant for a year prior, he couldn't find any immediate problem. So from the laundry room, which is under the two bathrooms, we've been watching a couple areas. From time to time there will be a wet spot on the floor but couldn't find a wet pipe to blame. About a month ago, after taking a shower, I went to change a load of laundry. While there, it happended... a stream of water came pouring out of the floor board above my head, not a pipe. That means that it's in the walls. UGH! Normally we would have a few extra scheckles to pay for something like this but we recently had all the windows (all but 3 were original to the house with no screens) and the interior garage door (no seal at all, 1/2" gap) replaced. If you noticed all the repair work on this "flip" house that we bought, you will also notice that we are learning that this flip was purely cosmetic. Well, they did replace the furnace and hot water tank....

Why do we buy expensive toys?

My friend sent me this video. It is too cute! If you don't laugh, something is really wrong with you. :)

"The Tinkler"

One of my girlfriends sent me this article. I was laughing so hard because we have one at work too. There are even signs posted "If you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be sweet and wipe the seat!" Even with the signs posted, nothing has changed. We all know who it is and can't wait for her to retire next year! LOL!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/05/06/o.tinkler/index.html

Hippo Birdies Two Ewes!

"Today is my Birthday! Na na, na na, na na! Today is my Birthday!"


(No shameless promotion here!!)

Baby is here!

My girlfriend had her baby yesterday. I'm happy to say that the only thing I got correct from my dream was that she had a girl! I'm so excited for her! Her baby's name is Tessa. Isn't that pretty? Congrats my friends T & A!!

Pop can tab donation

A few years ago, a friend of ours asked us to collect the tabs off of our pop cans. A friend of his had a son who was collecting them for a school contest. We have since been collecting the tabs with no idea what to do with them. Recently I was talking to someone about this and they mentioned checking with the local hospital. I Googled "pop can tab hospital" and was able to find my local children's hospital was collecting them to help patients on dialysis.

I ran across a Snopes.com article basically saying, it's a myth that some places are turning into a truth; however, if you want to make a donation, why don't you just give them the money rather than the tabs? Now, I would have to agree with said statement. But if you look at it in another fashion, it can be used as a learning tool as how the boy's school was trying to do. It made everyone aware of the little things we can do everyday to remind us that someone out there needs some help. Some people can't open up a checkbook and donate, be it for one reason or another. Since we all are recycling our aluminum cans, why not put a small piggy bank, cookie jar, tissue box, shoebox, whatever, next to the recycle bin and pop those tabs off. I would say first, check with your local hospital to see if they have such a collection. If they do, great!

Now, here comes the lesson on removing pop tabs easily... Please be warned, you will be putting your fingers close/in the opening of the can so getting cut is possible. If done correctly, you will not be injured.

1. With the can empty, turn the tab to be covering the opening of the can.
2. Using gentle pressure, use your thumb to press down the tab towards the hole while grasping back part of the tab with your index finger of the same hand.
3. When it pops off, you will already have your thumb and index finger holding the tab, so the next thing to do is put it in your container.

Enjoy your pop!

Don't get me started on pop, soda, drink, coke... I'll save that for another blog some day...

Dreams

Last night I had a dream that made me happy and then made me sad. A girlfriend of mine is pregnant with #3 and is due any day now. In my dream, she had a healthy baby girl, 10 lbs (she has big kids), and her name started with a "C" (all I saw was the "C"). We were all happy for her...

Now the sad part... I saw my girlfriend's father crying and gave him a hug. He said he was said because this is the last birthday he will see. Let me back up a minute and mention that last summer he was diagnosed with cancer. I'm not completely sure of severity but to my understanding he was on a intense course of chemo. Unfortunately my girlfriend has moved across the country and I haven't been a good friend about keeping in touch, so I don't really know where he is in his battle. This dream really made me sad for her and I wanted to give her a hug when I woke up.

My only hope is that the first part of my dream comes true...

Is that real?

I don't remember what podcast it was (I thought it was Alex Anderson's but I can't find it) but one of the topics was about Fraser Smith. He makes wonderful woodcarvings that look like real items. Quilts are one of his focus items. Check out his website www.gofraser.com. Then tell me, don't they look like you can just take them off the rack and cuddle up in them? They look so real.

15 Year High School Reunion

Yesterday I received an email from someone in my high school class announcing the planning of the 15 year reunion. I can't believe it's been 15 years already. Years have gone by and I know that I have matured. One can only hope that others have matured as well. Looking back at our 10 year, one guy started out like he had changed but ended up being the same old obnoxious "kid". I felt sorry for his wife as she looked mortified at his actions. It was amazing to me how much some people changed and on the flip-side, how some didn't at all. I tried to keep in touch with a few but it seemed to dwindle after a short time. It's hard to remember some of these people. I wasn't one of the "popular" crowd. My family had moved to the area when I was a sophomore, so I only spent a few short years with this class. I remember when we were practicing for the annual "Powder Puff" game my senior year, I felt as if I was being left out and walked away. A little while later, one of my friends came by and told me people were asking her where the "cute little girl with glasses" went. I'd been in that class for 3 years of about 150 kids and they didn't even know my name. I wasn't unpopular, I had plenty of friends that were "lifers" in the school and very active. I'm interested in seeing how many of my circle/extended circle of friends will show up as compared to the popular crowd that was listed in the email (I was on the email because my mom works with one of the popular girl's dad).

Quilt Expo - Part 2

This past Saturday, Quilt Bug and I went to the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo. We had a good time. We took a free-motion quilting class with Sheila Finklestein, which was very helpful. I had many questions that she was able to answer. I felt bad for Quilt Bug because she kept having trouble with her machine (not her fault). Finally she was able to get the ball rolling. I would have to say we both did pretty well for first-timers. Speed seems to be the key.

We also took a binding class with Connie Spurlock. I have to say, I think I got more out of her batting lecture then her binding lecture. The binding finish didn't look "finished" to me. It was just overlapped and then you had to whip-stitch it closed. I don't know about you but I prefer to make mine look like you don't know where the beginning is. I prefer the Liz's Lumpless Finish method myself.

At the end of the Expo, they had a big drawing for 4 new machines and other miscellaneous prizes, so of course we had to stay and see if either of us would win (you needed to be present to win). Well, neither of us won a sewing machine. :( However, I did win something!! It was funny because when they were calling names, you could hear groups of people cheer because they all seem to come in big groups. Quilt Bug and I came together so when the called my name it was very quite except for me screaming "That's me!" and they didn't hear me! I was really afraid that they would pull another name before I got there to get my prize. Finally I made it up to the stage and picked up my prize... a magnifying lamp (like it), a CD for creating a blazer (like it), a booklet for measuring accurately for garment creation (handy to have), and this pattern....

I'm really sorry but I'm sure I'm going to offend someone in saying this.... This thing is beyond words. Who would make this? I'm offended in the fact that someone would use a sweatshirt and put velvet on it thinking it would work well. You pay half as much for the sweatshirt than you do for the 1 yard of velvet. I am skipping over the fact that this is just not pretty. I would say that someone was trying to do a "Renaissance" feel with this but went a little bit in the wrong direction. Okay, I'm going to stop before I say something even worse...it's just bad. It almost reminds me of a blog I read a while ago about the 1977 JCPenney's catalog.

Easter 2008

Here she is, Miss Easter Dress... She loves her dresses. She loves to spin and spin and spin and watch it flow. Such a little girl she is. Who taught her these things? I don't remember teaching her to twirl? Is it something that little girls just know how to do? It's been so long since I was a little girl, I just don't remember.

Mommy got a new Easter dress too. To go along with the new haircut. You can't tell but it's that new "in" style that Victoria Beckham has, the wedge. Let's see how well I maintain this one...

Quilty excitement!

Monday night was one of the monthly quilt groups I attend. While at the meeting, they passed out brochures of the Sewing and Quilting Expo that is coming to Cleveland the end of next month. I had looked in the past at some classes but decided it just wasn't the right time. This year I saw that they had a beginner machine quilting class. That is something I really need. I'm very comfortable with my piecing abilities to get the tops made but to quilt them has normally been "stitch-in-the-ditch". I've been wanting to take a class like this for soooooo long. The time has finally come! On Tuesday morning I was so excited that I just signed up for the class, along with a binding class. Later I emailed Quilt Bug to let her know I just went ahead and signed up, come to find out she was going to sign up for the same classes! Yeah!

I've been watching my email for conformation, afraid of the email going into the junk/spam folder. Nothing. Quilt Bug asked me if I had heard anything. Nope, nada, nothing. Being of paranoid mind, I call the 800 number. We made it into the classes! Whoohoo!! The lady was so nice to let me check to see if Quilt Bug made it too. We were concerned that because this event is so big and the spaces were limited, we might not get in to the classes. I'm soooo excited!

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Just a quick note to wish my parents a Happy 39th Anniversary!!

Love you both!

Muppet Personality Test

Yes, it's true, I'm Dr. Honeydew in disguise...

You Are Dr. Bunsen Honeydew

You take the title "mad scientist" to the extreme -with very scary things coming out of your lab. And you've invented some pretty cool things, from a banana sharpener to a robot politician. But while you're busy turning gold into cottage cheese, you need to watch out for poor little Beaker! "Oh, that's very naughty, Beaker! Now you eat these paper clips this minute."

The Muppet Personality Test

Happy Day After New Year!!

Well, I guess I'm a bit behind as usual, didn't quite post on the 1st like I was planning. Maybe I should make that one of my "resolutions", being on time? I told hubby the other day that I don't make resolutions, I make life goals, that way I have longer to work out the kinks. :)

Here is a list of my "goals"

1. cook more at home - we eat out almost every day of the week, no joke. Hate is a pretty strong word, but I do HATE eating out. Plus, we recently found out that our daughter has multiple food allergies. We knew she was allergic to squash from a test we had taken when she was an infant. Now we know that she is severely allergic to peanuts, moderately to eggs, and mildly to milk and green peas. Next Monday I have an appointment with a dietitian to help me with food suggestions.
   
2. workout - I love to do yoga. The rec center near my house offers a yoga class but it's off-site and doesn't offer childcare at the off-site location. I would need childcare when Hubby is out of town. What's the point of having a membership that includes childcare if I would still have to pay for a sitter?! I have found that our cable offers "on demand" exercise shows which include yoga. I have done pretty good and worked out the past 3 mornings. Let's hope I can keep it up.
   
3. sewing/quilting - this would entail me getting my sewing room up in order. Once I get the room together, it will give me the opportunity to sit and relax with my sewing machine and be creative. My first project will be to start on my daughter's quilt.
   
4. baby - hope that trying for child #2 doesn't take as long as #1 did... I don't need to advance on the rest of the steps, you get the idea.

I want to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year! My fingers are crossed for everyone this year that they are able to scratch off at least one completed resolution this year.