Ok, so maybe I am a crack whore-

The 3 things you need to know before this gets started are as follows-

1.       My son can imitate Cartman, one of the little kid characters on South Park, perfectly.

2.       Cartman is a catcher on the South Park Cow's baseball team, as was Sean on his high school  baseball team.

3.       In one episode, Cartman’s mother is on the cover of Crack Whore magazine.

 

Now, on with the story.

  Several years ago we were able to spend the Christmas holiday in Pennsylvania with my family. It was the first time I had been able to do that since I left in ‘85- and it was wonderful! We were headed to NYC for a day of fun, and of course when I got up that morning I was starting to get sick. WTH?? My lovely niece then explained to me the magic of Sudafed. I was convinced I needed this magic elixir. On the way out of her small town we stopped at the local pharmacy. I proceeded to the counter to ask for “some of that there Sudafed” and handed the pharmacist my valid Colorado ID. I was excited- this was no ordinary medicine- I actually had to show my ID to get it- this was serious!

She typed something into her trusty computer, and then slowly starts looking me up and down. Did I put make up on today? Is there egg mcmuffin in my teeth?  She proceeded to hand me back my license, looked down her nose at me and told me she cannot sell me Sudafed as I had already purchased my allotment. Allotment??? I have never had the shit before!!! In Pennsylvania or Colorado! I was not amused, but since I am no longer able to carry a gun I left.  Bob also tried to purchase some and she told him the same thing. So, we had to go back to my niece’s house and get her drivers’ license so she could go in and get me my drugs. We laughed about it - A LOT-- and we decided right then I guess I really was Cartman’s mother and, without knowing it, I was the one on the cover on Crack Whore magazine!

  Fast forward to last week. I ended up with early stage shingles. I got put on a few meds, one of which was a steroid.  Now, growing up I never tried drugs. So help me, I didn’t. Hard to imagine, I know. I liked my hooch, but not drugs. I was always too chicken to try them. I am enough of an idiot without the help of enhancements. So the past few days I am noticing things. While I don’t think I am a total lazy ass, more things got done- faster! And with less sleep!  When I went in to the doctor for a follow up, I asked her which of the drugs was making me so productive. When she told me it was the steroid, I asked her how to get more. She did not think it was funny. I have no idea how I ended up with a doctor with no sense of humor.

 So, now as I am weaning off the damn steroids,  my ass ended up on the couch last night at 8pm and I proceeded to fall asleep by  9 pm. Dammit-guess I better call my contacts at the magazine and see if they could hook me up- my doctor is of no use at all!

Here are a few of the things I got done while on steroids-

Got this top done- using the Quick Curve Ruler by Sew Kind of Wonderful-

 

Made 2 pillowcases to match-

 

Got this runner done for a wedding present-pattern by Bunny Hill Designs

 

And I machine stitched binding to the front of this wedding quilt-

I also managed a quick trip to the mountains with Amber-we ate our whole way there and back. Gotta love Freddy’s Custard.  She needed a picture taken of her in the mountains- this is what I came up with-

 

Please Crack Whore Magazine- come through for me! I have many more projects lined up that need to be finished soon!

 

                               Ears, oh my ears

    Isn’t it funny how certain things transport us back in time immediately? For example, I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday. One of the things they did was flush my ears. I automatically started to panic when I heard what they were going to do. When I was a kid, I had many ear infections, and they hurt. So, I ended up at the doctor's office for frequent flushes. My doctor back then seemed to be 150 years old, and no bedside manner that I can recall. It was all business. When I closed my eyes in the office yesterday I could smell his office and also picture the glass jars he had filled with various torture instruments. I had to talk myself down during the whole process yesterday- grow up, you big freak, this doesn’t even hurt, etc. It did help that the little gal who was flushing them was wonderful and we joked and chatted while she was roto rooting my ears.

How I remember the doctor's office and his instruments:

 

 How my brother remembers the doctor's office:

 

    It isn’t always experiences that take me back- it can also be a conversation with someone. I was talking to one of my brothers a few weeks ago, and a few things popped into my head that I had not thought about in a long time. We started reminiscing and even more things came up. We laughed until we cried- what a great way to end a phone call! One of things that I recalled like it was yesterday was the wild dogs/mini bike episode. I must have been about 6 or 7. He had a mini bike- which I never really got to ride. So, one day he asked me to go with him to my sisters’ apartment. (Hanging out with him was awesome- he was 7 years older than I and it made me feel so special when he wanted to hang out with me J ). Now, she lived about 7 or 8 miles from us if we were driving, but if we took the railroad tracks that ran behind our house it was probably only 3 or 4 miles and we ended up in her front yard. Convenient! So, off we went. Now, I do not remember the ride to her place, or the visit at all. It was the ride home that got interesting.

 How I remember my brothers mini-bike:

 

How my brother remembers what it looked like:

 

   Now, this mini bike did not go very fast. Plus, it had 2 riders, and even though back then I was the size of a toothpick it still added weight to the bike. We came around a bend in the tracks and all of a sudden 30 (ok, maybe 6) wild dogs started to chase us! Of course, they were closer to me than to him as I was on the back. I was screaming at him to go faster, and he was screaming that he was going as fast as he could. I am sure there were plenty of F* bombs thrown in when he yelled that but I blocked them out. The dogs finally gave up their pursuit. I am sure they figured if they ripped me off of the bike they would have to put up with a skinny little girl screaming bloody murder and I wasn’t much worth it since there was no meat to be had. We proceeded home. And to the best of my knowledge that ended my rides on the tracks. It did not, however, end my brothers’ love of his mini bike. It did, however, cause him hearing loss in his right ear. Just kidding- but I bet his ears rang for a few days.

How I remember the wild dog pack:

How my brother remembers the wild dog pack:

 

  Several months later, he promised me that when he got home from mini bike riding that he would come push me on my swings. I heard him come in to the house, and I ran out back and waited. And waited. And yelled to him- where are you?? This went on for days. (Ok. Maybe just an hour or so). Finally, my parents checked on him. He had taken a huge fall on his mini bike and had snuck upstairs past my parents so they wouldn’t know. Well, the dork ended up in the hospital for several days. I remember when he came home I actually gave up watching Mr. Rogers and the Brady Bunch so he could watch Gilligan’s Island-I was such a good little sister. Not really – I was a brat and the baby which is a lethal combination. This was a big sacrifice for me- Joe Namath was on the Brady Bunch once and what if it was that episode and I missed it? I was going to marry Broadway Joe someday- we would have matching fur coats when we wed- and I would have an endless supply of pantyhose. I could not miss seeing my future husband on tv! Yes, I was a pervert even back then. But I digress-that trip to the hospital ended the mini bike era at our house. So sad-

How I remember my brother after his mini-bike accident:

How my brother remembers his mini-bike accident:

 

   Smell is another powerful transporter of time. My mother could grow anything. Too bad she still isn’t around- she could set me up growing pot out here in Colorado- our batches would be awesome and I would be rich! Anyway, she grew the most beautiful gardenias. I have always loved that smell. About 10 years ago I was walking through a nursery and wanted a plant for mother’s day. Lo and behold- there were gardenia plants! I leaned over, took one whiff and BAM- started bawling in the middle of the damn place! I took the plant home as there was snot all over it and proceeded to kill it within the week. Now when I need a gardenia smell fix I just go candle shopping. I can’t kill anything there. Well, I could, but they won’t let me carry a gun anymore.

How I remember Mom's garden:

How my brother remembers Mom's gardenia garden:

 

      Here is hoping that by writing some of these things down my own kids will have some sort of idea why I am the way I am. Poor kids-they don’t have a chance!

    Have a good week everyone

                            The wheels on the car go round and round…..

I am fortunate enough to have a hubby that supports my addiction/hobby. Whenever we decide to go on a ride, he always asks if there are any quilt shops we need to hit. What a guy, I know. A lot of our rides end up heading towards Rocky Mountain National Park- and why not? Elk, deer, big horn sheep and even an occasional moose are there for the peeking!

On our way up to the park we sometimes go through Lyons, Colorado. That poor town was devastated by flooding last fall. The quilt shop made it out ok, but plenty of other businesses and homes did not. It is nice going through town now and seeing the re-building of the town and businesses. A few weeks ago we stopped at Lyons Quilting quilt shop. WOW! What a wonderful shop!

 

Their address is 260 E Main St., Lyons, Colorado.

First off, their door knob is an iron, which made me giggle on the way in. Somehow right away I found the clearance area- I have a nose for sales, you know. I found quite a bit of fabric that was marked at less than $7 a yard! I remembered I had a Halloween quilt made out of my favorite fabric- The Ghastlies- by Alexander Henry and it needed a back. Lo and behold- they had Ghastlies fabric on sale!!! WHOOO HOOO! They only had 4 yards left and that was not quite enough, so I bought some black fabric to help make the back big enough. No problem!

I ventured on into the next room and they had a ton of batiks- my eyes went bonkers! All the colors you can imagine! And on top of the batik racks they had packages of Quilter’s Dream batting in all sizes and lofts. It is one of my favorite battings to use and sometimes not easy to find.

I then wandered on into the other part of the store-fabrics were arranged very nicely by color.  A feast for the eyes! As I came around the corner, the last area of the store was filled up with juvenile prints- flannels and cottons. There was also a notion rack by the cutting table I had to look at. I always need to make sure there isn’t a notion or 6 that I don’t already have!

 

They also have a wonderful frequent buyer awards program. They keep track of all of your purchases and when you fill the card you get a percentage off of your purchase. The owner of the shop had purchased the inventory from another quilt shop in town that was closing, and she brought all of the buyer cards with her, which I thought was very sweet. A lot of new shop owners would not have honored the shoppers from the previous shop, but she did! It is the little things that make shops work.

There were lovely quilts on the wall, and they are having classes at the shop as well.

I encourage everyone who is traveling near Lyons to stop in and say hello! Tell them Courtenay sent you! You won’t be disappointed!

http://lyonsquilting.com/wordpress2/

Travel on my friends!

                                                                                RECYCLED

 

   I finally dove into my pile of cut up jeans, got out my design wall and started the jean quilt. I have to say it took less time to piece and quilt it than it did to cut the damn jeans up! I decided not to put a batting inside- it is going to a house in Louisiana and I figure warmth is not an issue there!  The jeans and the brushed cotton backing would be plenty to keep the recipient warm if needed!

   I am very pleased with how it turned out. Usually when I am done with a quilt I wish I had done at least 1 thing differently- I did not find anything I disliked about this one.

    I was fretting over how I wanted to quilt it- I was leery of all of those heavy seams where the blocks meet. I was bitching about it on my way to Zumba one evening with my Zumba partner in crime and fabulous long armer Eileen. She suggested an idea. In much nicer language she said screw the straight line quilting idea and do wavy lines instead right down the middle of the blocks. There is a reason why we all love her and why her quilts are all fabulous! That was the perfect solution. I did not break one needle the whole way through, either! Here is a pic of the finished quilt-

 

And here is the fabric I used for the backing. Mr. World Traveler went to Scotland last year (among many other fabulous locations)and I thought this brushed cotton looked Scottish to me. But what do I know?

And here is a close up of the quilting. I used a YLI on the top and a 40wt Signature thread in the bobbin. I also used a 100/16 Jeans needle in at all times. Worked perfectly!

 

The good news is I have plenty of squares left to make both kids a jean quilt too. But I hope they are not holding their breath when they will get theirs. Maybe Christmas? 2018??

 

Sew on my friends!!

   CREATING THE PERFECT ENABLER: LESSON TWO

 

THE IDEAL SEWING TABLE

 

I had been struggling for weeks trying to decide what would be the perfect Easter present for my wonderful, adorable, handsome husband. After many anguished hours of pondering what would be the perfect gift for my hubby, I finally figured out what he needed most- a new sewing table!

Now this won’t be your average run-of-the-mill, everyday, common, semi-functional sewing table. It will have everything that a quilter my husband would want in a sewing table. There will be a place for my his sewing machine(s), an attached cutting table with inlaid cutting mats, and a fold out ironing board with iron holder, multiple drawers for sewing gizmos and gadgets, various racks for things like threads and wine, small refrigerator/freezer, microwave, keg cooler with tapper - everything a perfect sewing table would have.

 

The ideal sewing table will have a designated Creative Area where  a quilter can sit in solitude and work on new designs and patterns and color combinations:

 

The ideal sewing table will have a small Inspiration Area where a quilter can sit and get inspired and come up with creative new ideas:

 The ideal sewing table will have multiple uses:

 

My husband was ecstatic as he unwrapped his Easter present(s)! Skill saw, drill, router, electric screwdriver, jig saw, sander, - all cordless. The kids joined in, gifting him assorted tools and a nice selection of lumber. He loved his Easter card, which also included the carefully drawn plans for his new sewing table!

 

Lumber from the kids:

 

From the sketch on that back of a bar napkin to professional blueprints:

 

 

Though it was not quite what I had in mind, I love my new sewing table because it was crafted with love by my wonderful, adorable, handsome but not too terribly handy husband!

 

 

 

We both agreed that it was his best Easter ever!

 

Happy Sewing!

HAPPY EASTER

 

FROM CHIP AND DALE DESIGNS

 

 



                                                                  A day of fun-

A few Saturdays ago I had the pleasure of hanging out with some of my favorite people!  I have known some of them for many years-others not so long- but it seems as if we have known each other forever! Since I just got back from the Big Easy I felt like I shouldn’t ask for more time off, so I missed out on a lot of this retreat. I was able to join them all day Saturday for a day filled with food, sewing and of course laughs!

My friend Terry drove us up there-with a stop at Subway J so we had something for lunch.

After another stop for a breakfast burrito at Café Mexico, we arrived at this lovely place- The Quinberry Lodge in Black Hawk, Colorado.

 

This is their website-

http://www.quinberrylodge.com/

What great accommodations for quilters- everyone had their own 5 ft table, super comfy chairs and their own sewing light.
 

I was working on this lovely quilt-Gardner's Alphabet by Crabapple Hill.

 My great friend Lexie, a gifted graphic artist, colored the whole alphabet in for me! I do not like to color at all, and was bitching about it at one retreat. Then, Lexie tells me how much she LOVES to color- God love her. I went home, traced all of the blocks in 2 days, got carpal tunnel J, then handed the blocks and crayons off to her. I had them back in a few weeks! I am not nearly as far along as I should be, but I am making a little progress!

 

Terry was working on this adorable hedgehog runner- pattern is by Bunny Hill-

 

Susie was working on this beautiful quilt top from a pattern by Karen Stone- not for the faint at heart-

 

Randi was quilting this cute tractor quilt-

 

Val was trimming up this wonderful floral braid- it has so many beautiful fabrics in it-

 

Roxanne was finishing projects like a mad woman-the first one is from the Little Red Button Company, the second is a table runner, and she had another  runner she was busy quilting!

Eileen had a baby quilt top all done by the time I arrived, then she shared these 2 paper pieced blocks she finished. She can almost see the light at the end of this paper pieced tunnel-

 

Rae was using the new magazine by The Missouri Star Quilt Company to make this purple beauty-

 

Several of the girls went home and bought the magazine after seeing it. There are great patterns and no advertisements! It’s a beauty! You can find it here-

http://www.missouriquiltco.com/

Yes, I have already ordered my copy! It is more like a book, not a magazine. It is very well done!

My camera wasn't holding a charge very well, so I failed to get pictures of the projects that Jan, Judy, Chris, Michelle and Cheryl were working on. They were very busy as well!

The lovely ladies had us eat with them at lunch. Michelle and Cheryl made wonderful pulled pork, so we had sandwiches, chips and peach and apple pie and homemade ice cream for dessert.  Now, I love my Subway but it did not even come close to that! Thank you Michelle and Cheryl!
Terry and I wanted to get down the mountain before it got dark, so we had to leave before dinner and before the beergaritas were made L. But we stopped and had the most fantastic fried oysters at Yorkshire Fish & Chips in north Denver. I have blogged about them before, but Terry had never been. I think she was pleased! There wasn’t an oyster left on either of our plates!

 

 

Sunday my poor hubby was under the weather, so that kept us home. I finished up a few birthday presents and started cutting up all of the jeans I have for a quilt top for a friends’ son for college graduation. I am only half way through the pile of jeans and had to stop twice to give my back a break. I also actually sucked it up and replace my rotary blade half way through cutting - that made a big difference.  I am hoping I will have enough parts to make several quilts when I am done cutting. I cut the jeans into 6-1/2” squares, 2-1/2” x 6-1/2” strips to make rail fence blocks, and then 2-1/2” squares to make 9 patches. It seems like that is a fairly good use of the jeans. I do have some waste, but since I didn’t pay for them I don’t feel too badly about tossing some scraps out! Here is my pile of jeans so far-

 

I hope everyone has a great week- spring is coming- I think!

  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR FOUNDERS

This month marks the seventh birthday of our founders, Chip and Dale, or the twins as they are affectionately known.  The time has flown by quickly and it is hard to believe that they are that old. They are truly amazing little critters and we love them dearly. Many people would not believe the stories we could tell about them. They are a constant source of amusement. They comfort us when we are down or don't feel good. They give us their unconditional love. They keep us warm - and apart- at night.  It was only appropriate that we held a huge party in their honor.

Many of their little canine friends attended. There were party games including Hide-The-Cat and Tethercat!

 

 

 

The puppies not only  helped with the shopping for their party,

 

 

 

They also came up with the idea for their birthday cake!

A great time was had by all. The birthday party ended with a slumber party for Chip and Dale and all of their little friends!





Happy Birthday Chip and Dale!