It's Monday again....

and it seems like I have so much to say. If you get through this whole thing, Bless you! LOL

We've had an incredibly busy week, especially the weekend. Our oldest daughter's 19th birthday was last Wednesday so we had her birthday dinner over the weekend. Her choice was onion rings, potstickers and egg rolls (all homemade) plus shrimp scampi on buttered noodles. Friday night I made the potstickers and egg rolls. Saturday I took her birthday shopping and out to lunch (a tradition with both girls for some years now) and we got back in time for me to make her dessert choice which was spiced apple sundaes in homemade lace cookie cups.

Saturday night, a few of their friends came over and I had some time to work on sewing projects.
Sunday, being Super Bowl Sunday, meant another food fest. Our older 4 kids were all gone for a Super Bowl party, so my husband and I and our two littles ones had the food to ourselves. I made bbq chicken wings, homemade crab rangoon, cut up cheese and sausage and we also had shrimp cocktail.

Today I'm doing as little as I can get away with, I feel like I've been running and busy for weeks!

One bright spot in my week last week was a squishy received from Julia for a Pay It Foward. This is what I got from her, thanks so much, Julia, I just love my gifts!

I've been pounding away at the paper piecing project and doing it reminded me that I have another one (striped blocks) that is also nearly finished. I couldn't find the strips for it, which surprised me as my supplies are pretty well organized these days, but I located them while gettin something else out and now I'm thinking that is another one that needs to be added to my rather long "short list."

I've perhaps gotten myself into a pickle, we'll see how it goes. We're giving our parents a 50th anniversary party this fall and I offered to make centerpieces. After some discussion and thinking some things over I decided that it would be really nice if each female head of household could take one home with her....that means 13 of them. Yikes. So I have 13 table toppers to make (which is what the centerpieces will be sitting on) along with the album quilt for everyone to sign at the party.

I really feel the need to finish these paper piecing blocks before starting those, though, and I haven't quite decided what I'm doing. While working on the pp blocks I mull over the table toppers to come up with just the right thing to do that won't drive me crazy in the process.

While I feel pretty adept at quilting, I'm not so great with things like centerpieces and putting elements together. I came up with an idea I really like and bounced it off of my email group and it turns out that it was very similar to something one of them saw at a fancy event. That made me feel better...but getting the idea out of my head and "in person" AND having it look nice...that will remain to be seen. Stay tuned for the centerpiece saga, it will be played out here on my blog!

While I say I will do as little as possible today, laundry is going (I'm still THRILLED to be able to do laundry), I have to clean up the last of the food fest mess, and I'm babysitting for a few hours this afternoon. The baby is 4 months old so I don't get much done when he's here. Ruthie loves him and if I sit him on her little sofa or in his chair she will sit with him and chatter at him. Our 13 year old son loves babies and he will often take him for a short while, too, so I'm able to get some necessities done as he's here during dinner prep time when he comes.

As for quilting, I'm hoping to finish sewing the last print piece on the pp blocks and to cut the muslin for the remaining two pieces on each block. Tonight I'll more than likely hand quilt or work on the celtic applique (which I worked on all through the super bowl, I got another couple of motifs sewn on.)

I probably forgot a whole bunch I was going to say, but this is long enough! After snowing off and on for the last several days, it's raining here now...a rather odd sight to look out and see winter, everything is covered with snow and there are piles from the plows and people shoveling, yet the rain is falling quite heavily. I'm glad to be working in sight of a window, I love weather and while some people feel down on gloomy days, I'm energized by them.

In fact, the more I look out, the more energized I'm feeling so it's time to take advantage. Happy quilting!

Sue