Friday, October 31, 2008

I Was Booed!



LuAnn at Loose Threads Booed me today! Happy Halloween to you and I hope you have lots of fun. I think I will Boo Brenda at Pumpkin Patch Primitives. She is a fellow Halloween fan and should appreciate it. Here's to you Brenda!!

For whatever reason our trick or treat here in Valley is tomorrow night. I am proud to say I didn't spend any money on costumes this year. We used things we already had. Hooray! More money to spend on fabric!!! Also, it is quite cool here, which is unusual for Halloween. It seems more like Halloween when the weather is like this.

I am a little down today. My boss called me into her office this morning to chew me out because I forgot to give a kid back his Rice Krispie treat yesterday. I had taken it from him because he snuck it out of the lunchroom (which is what we are supposed to do). She told me she "was not playing with me and would 'write me a letter' " if I didn't give it back to him today. (Write me a letter means an official reprimand that would go into my personnel file.) Hmmm. Nothing like being treated like a professional.

Julie

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Fall Jelly Roll Bag

I made two of these cute bags using a Bunny Hill pattern for jelly rolls. I bought the jelly roll from Brenda at Pumpkin Patch Primitives. I just wanted to share it with everyone because I think it is very cute. I gave the one pictured here to my sister, Jo Ellen, for her October birthday. She loves it. Maybe I can make a Christmas bag next?

Sunday, October 26, 2008

TAGGED!!!

Renee tagged me - YIKES! - almost a month ago!! I have been putting off doing this because I am not sure I can think of 7 interesting things about myself that you don't already know. Well, here goes - this may take a little while as I rack my brain.

1. I am terrified of large grasshoppers and cockroaches.

2. I live across the street from my brother, three houses down the street from my sister, and on the opposite corner of the block from my mother.

3. I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to be when I grew up. I have degrees in speech pathology, business, and education!!! I also got a double minor in anthropology, and spent several summers in "field school" doing archaeological digs of an old Creek Indian village.

4. I love to bake! I made oatmeal banana nut bread Friday and am thinking about baking peanut butter cookies today.

5. I have always wanted to take several weeks and go on a cross-country trip. I want to drive all the way to California across the southern part of the U.S. and then come back across the northern part, stopping at anything that seems interesting and visiting as many National Parks as I can.

6. My great grandfather was a convicted murderer who escaped from the federal prison in Atlanta. He moved to Oklahoma and took an assumed name, married, and started a whole new family. He got away with it for many years, but got drunk with some friends one night and told them the whole story. He was then arrested and put back into prison.

7. My grandfather abandoned his family during the Great Depression after my grandmother told him that if he couldn't come home sober, to not come home at all. He left and never came back! He left my grandmother with 5 children to raise alone in that terrible time. They lived in a two room house that they shared with another family. We never knew what had become of him. I did some research and found out that he had died in Spokane, Washington, in the 1950's. He was indigent and was buried with no marker. My mom then paid for a marker and we have always wanted to go out there to see it.

Well, Renee - thanks for allowing me the opportunity to talk about things I otherwise would not have talked about. Now I am going to tag the following bloggers because I would like to know more about them:

Roseanne at Razzy's Special Place
Marion at Villa Kunterbunt
Jo at Jo in Tas

Ladies, I hope you will join in. I enjoyed it - but I did procrastinate about the post. Now I am glad I did it. Thank you Renee, for tagging me!

Julie

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Bonnie Hunter Workshop

What a fantastic two days it was! The workshop was on October 15th. I took a personal day at work in order to attend. It was definitely worth it. Bonnie is like an old friend - she is so sweet and personable. You really do feel like you already know someone when you have been reading their blog and interacting with them through other Internet venues.


We chose the Starstruck workshop and here is Bonnie's quilt. It was so interesting to see other people's color and fabric choices.


You may recognize the names Linda and Emily from Columbus, Georgia. They are on Stashbusters and they came to the workshop also. It was really fun to get to know them a little better.

Here is a Quiltville member, Anne D. She was the coordinator for the workshop and we are so grateful to her for making sure that everything ran perfectly. Here she is hard at work on her own version of Starstruck.Sarah - a member of the Quilt Mavericks blogring - came to the workshop too. It was fun to meet new people - especially people who previously only existed on the computer. LOL.Thursday night we had our regular guiild meeting, but the program was Bonnie's lecture and trunk show. I took lots of pictures but am only showing a few here. I just loved this quilt of Bonnie's but I can't remember the name of it.


These crumb quilts are my absolute favorites. I just love the wonkiness and fun of them. And the fact that they are made from what many folks would have thrown away.
Here is Bonnie with her own Carolina Crossroads. This was the first of her online Quiltville mystery quilts and I jumped right on board with it.
Here is my version of Carolina Crossroads. I pieced the top and gave it to my mom for her birthday. She had it machine quilted by Cindy Wall of Cinnamon Dreams. You may remember my recent post in memory of Cindy. She has since passed away and we all miss her.
Here is my version of Orange Crush - another of Bonnie's online mystery quilts.


Last but certainly not least, this is Cindy's Old Tobacco Road. She had just finished it the morning that she died. She was going to photograph it and put it on the Quiltville site that afternoon but she died before that could happen so I am going to do it for her. Cindy used some of her Laurel Burch fabric stash on this one and it is very bright and colorful.

By the way, Cindy's elderly dogs were left behind when she died. They still do not have a home and are living at the veterinarian's kennel. We are all hoping to find them a good home. Do you know of anyone who would like to adopt one or both of them? They are so friendly and sweet and it would break Cindy's heart to know that they are homeless.
Here they are, all dressed up for Halloween. Just look at those sweet faces!!

Julie











Thursday, October 16, 2008

Halloween Giveaway



Brenda at Pumpkin Patch Primitives is having a Halloween giveaway. Brenda doesn't skimp so it should be a good one. Go to her blog and sign up, you just might win!!

Look out for my next blog post - it will be about Bonnie Hunter and our workshop yesterday. Also she will be at our guild meeting tonight. I am just too darned lazy to get the camera and download my pictures right now. For some reason I am exhausted today but I am getting ready to drive to Auburn because I wouldn't miss Bonnie's lecture and trunk show for anything!!

Julie

Friday, October 10, 2008

Package From Tasmania!!!

Well, here it is!! I was so excited to get this package. Roseanne from Tasmania sent me a sweet package for my birthday. I found inside this pretty purple wrapping. Here is what was inside! What is that furry thing?
Oh, TOO cute!! It is a little wombat! It is just precious, and nothing like our animals here.
Wow, a fantastic tea towel with some of the popular tourist sites in George Town, Tasmania. And to think not long ago I wasn't even sure where Tasmania was. No one is allowed to use this towel - it is for decorative purposes only. I love the penguins across the bottom. Do you have penguins there? Wow!!!!
This is a fantastic needle case for sewing machine needles. What a great way to keep them organized. Believe me, this is something I needed. It certainly beats my current organizational method of needles stuck in pincushions all over the place.
That isn't all! A super calendar for 2009. It has sights from Australia and great local information such as the school calendar, pension stuff, just things that give a taste of what life is like there.
Do you see the incredibly cute Tasmanian devil postcard? And there is a scenic postcard too. I forgot to take a photo of the lovely card Roseanne sent. I was so touched. And don't think I didn't save the packaging so that I have Roseanne's address now. Look out, Roseanne! Now I owe you one! Thank you so much for a fun package!!

To change the subject a bit, check out the pincushion pattern on Lynette Anderson's blog. I just LOVE the hen and beehive. Oh, I am drooling over this pattern. I will put that on my wish list for later. :-D - Lynette Anderson is a great designer. I think I will start talking her up to my local quilt store owners. (Well, by local I mean within an hour's drive.)

Take care everyone, and have a great weekend.
Julie

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Caramel Apples!!

My kids love to do little cooking projects and caramel apples are so easy and FUN!! This is just a quick post to document the fun. I can't wait to post about the fantastic package I received in the mail from Rosanne in Tasmania. Stay tuned!!


Oh, and here is little Cabalito attacking his stuffingless stuffed animal, Hunch Punch!! He really knows how to show that owl that he is the boss.

Check back for photos of my fun package from Roseanne.
Julie

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Alabama Outdoor Heritage Festival

Today I went with several members of my quilt guild to Midway, Alabama for the Alabama Outdoor Heritage Festival. It was a beautiful Fall day, although it was hot. I am going to let most of the photos speak for themselves. Mr. Wehle, a famous bronze sculptor, began rescuing log cabins and bringing them to this land many years ago. It is set up like an old town. So beautiful and safe. I don't worry about the kids, they roam about all day long and I only see them every now and then. It is not crowded and it is very open and friendly. We had a wonderful day.

This is my son and his friend petting some of the sweet horses who came to the festival.
This is one of the bronze statues by Mr. Wehle. He had champion hunting dogs and this is one of the best.



Here are the other guild members who were on hand. It is such a pleasant way to spend a day.

Yummy, the kettle corn man is always set up next to us. We love to eat that kettle corn!!
Here I am with Smokey Bear. Notice it is not Smokey THE Bear, it is just Smokey Bear.



I loved this old handmade washboard. Can you imagine having to wash clothes that way?





Most people who were volunteering were dressed in "regalia" or period clothing. (They made sure we knew it was not a costume, but regalia.) They represented the period from about 1730 to 1830, when non-native people were first settling in Alabama. I'm glad I wasn't yoked up with two big water buckets.
This is a replica of an old covered bridge. It is so much fun to drive over it. I don't know if you can tell, but the bridge dog-legs over at about the middle because the original bridge was built over two creeks that ran near each other.
What a fun day we had. It is so good to hang out with folks who talk like me! Linda is the only person I know outside of my late Daddy, who says someone is "Balling the Jack" when they are going really fast! I tend to say it too. We also say things like, "It was locked up tighter than Dick's hatband." I could probably think of lots more if I put my mind to it.
This was my third year to go and I definitely plan to go back next year. I hope you enjoyed the photos!
Julie


Wednesday, October 1, 2008

October!!

It's October!! I love Halloween and the cooler air that is supposed to come with it. I say SUPPOSED to come with it because, here in Alabama, it is usually still hot and sticky. Right now I can't complain though because it is cool. Jacket weather is my favorite kind of weather! The leaves are starting to change color. Pumpkins are starting to appear in stores. I'm loving it!!
Julie