Quilt Day

A few weeks ago (I'm pretty behind on blogging) I got together with two of my crafty friends and we made quilts. Rebecca's mom was in town and she is an avid quilter so we wanted her expertise. We met at 10:00 that morning and I didn't get home until 9:30 that evening. To say we enjoyed ourselves is an understatement! It was also Rebecca's birthday so she called our get-together her grown-up birthday party.

We all made the same type of quilt. We watched this tutorial on Youtube to learn to tube quilt. It turned out to be fun and simple. I highly recommend this type of quilting if you are a beginner.

We all started with 2 jelly rolls (these are rolls of 2 1/2 by 42 inch strips of fabric).

 We then went by the tutorial and cut another strip of fabric in a coordinating color. We sewed two strips of the jelly roll together and then sewed that on to the coordinating color strip. This made our fabric tube.

 Whirrrrrrrr!

We then used our square to cut the fabric tube to get blocks. I guess I didn't take a picture of the cutting part. If you are really interested, though, go watch the tutorial and you will understand what I'm talking about. 

After cutting the tube, we ironed the pieces flat which gave us small squares. Each tube gave us around 10 small squares.

The tutorial says that you can make your quilt in a chevron pattern. This ended up not to be true (more on that in a minute), but we didn't know so we all laid our blocks out in a chevron.

Rebecca picked this beautiful orange and blue jelly roll with a coordinating blue fabric.

Kristin and I are way too much alike and chose the same jelly rolls! She did get a lighter pink coordinating fabric, though.

We were so disappointed when Kristin sewed a strip of chevron together and the points didn't line up! Since we were all beginners we didn't even think about the fact that this can not mathematically work out since the blocks made a perfect chevron when all laid out not sewn. Once you factor in the 1/4 inch seam allowance there is no way this could work.

My mom, who is also an avid quilter, said that she has used several patterns that gave wrong information and that it is nothing new to have to rethink your quilt.

I finished making my blocks (or so I thought) while I was with my friends and then took them home to figure out what the new pattern was going to be.

 

I ended up doing a diamond pattern instead but did have to make a few more square for it to work out correctly. I ended up with a stack of leftover squares because I wanted there to be a pattern in the quilt even though the chevron did not work out. To achieve this, I had to discard some squares and make others. Kristin is making a quilt for her daughter's twin bed so I gave my extra squares to her to use. At least they didn't go to waste!

I still need to put a border on the quilt and then I have chosen to back it in minky and tie it. I think I will be listing this quilt on Etsy once I am finished with it.

Kiev, Ukraine Journal - 3-26-1996 and 3-27-1996

*Disclaimer: Please remember that I wrote these when I was 14! I could be a snarky brat! I also am typing these journals exactly as I wrote them, bad spelling and all, except I have abbreviated names to protect the innocent or not-so-innocent.

3-26-1996

Today we babysat A, C, and S. I played the computer and watched Pocahontas. K1 has a really neat game called chips. You have to go around and colect all the chips to get to the next floor. It is a great game. At four o'clock mom came and got us. We went to our flat and got the chili. Then we went back to the Ss. C came and got Michelle there. Then we ate tacos and chili. It was a wierd variety. After we ate we had Banana Splits with chocolate chip ice cream, hot fudge, and pineapples. It was really good. After supper and desert we played a really neat game called mind trap. It was a game where you had to solve wierd questions. Even though my team lost it was fun. :-)

3-27-1996

Today we went to the Cs around 10:00. We watched the sound of music. It was a really good movie. After we watched that we took R and a grumpy Michelle to St. Andrews street. I bought some key chains and a shirt with the Russian alphabet on the back and on the front was a Koca Kola slogan in Russian. Mom bought a shirt and Doll. R bought 4 metrouskas and 4 key chains for her friends in Tiawan. Michelle was just grumpy all that time. R was so rude to them. She would look at their stuff and they would try to get her to buy something and she wouldn't talk to them. She would just walk away. She knew how to shop on that street. We went to Centre again tonight. :-)

*R's family were missionaries in Taiwan for several years before moving to Kiev.

Crazy Hair Day

One of Chloe Jo's favorite things to do right now is play with my hair.

One day (apparently a very long time ago as there is a Christmas tree without presents under it in this picture) she decided she wanted me to play with her hair. She wanted me to use every single barrette and clip that she had.

This is what I came up with:

I can't wait for Crazy Hair Spirit Day when she goes to school!

Slump Shlump and Snow Day

I have been in a blogging slump and I'm not sure why.

I haven't had the motivation for the last few months to blog, but I'm not ready to let this little ol' blog go, either.

I have a good friend who recently started a blog and I visited it tonight. It reminded me of why I love to blog and how fun it is to share my life with others. I know, at first, this blog was mainly for my eyes only and it was a journal where I could write down my thoughts about infertility. Along the way, I came out of that time in my life and I enjoy sharing craft projects and stories about my day to day life and parenting. Her blog helped me decide to get out of my blogging slump right now.

It couldn't have come at a perfect time as I am celebrating my 5 year blogoversary in 7 days. It is hard to wrap my head around the fact that this blog has existed for 5 years.

So I freshened things up. I updated my sidebar information and my More About Me tab. I'm ready to lay aside my slump shlump and get back into it!

How much more perfect could this day have been? When I woke up this morning, I spied the tiniest bit of white peaking through the gaps in our blinds. Snow! Glorious snow!

Chloe Jo was beyond excited! We ate breakfast, cleaned a little bit and bundled up to go outside to play.

My silly girl was so funny! She stepped into the snow, realized it was "messy" and looked at me like I had betrayed her! This girl does not like any kind of mess on her! I explained to her that it was okay and took a few steps into the snow and, for once, she decided that it was, indeed, okay. After that I couldn't stop her from playing to her hearts content.

Our first snowman! We had snow once the first winter we were in South Carolina, but it was powdery and not good for making snowmen. Before that, she was too little to go out and play. This was an exciting, memory making day for us!

Now that we have had our snow and played in it this winter, I am ready for Spring!

Kiev, Ukraine Journal - 3-24-1996 and 3-25-1996

*Disclaimer: Please remember that I wrote these when I was 14! I could be a snarky brat! I also am typing these journals exactly as I wrote them, bad spelling and all, except I have abbreviated names to protect the innocent or not-so-innocent.

3-24-1996

Today we went to the Centre Congregation. It was so cold! Michelle wore my dress when I didn't want her to. Sometimes I wish I could strangle her neck. KS taught on Faith. R preached for the first time. After church we went home. That night we went to the D's apartment. to have supper. They had also invited Sasha and his wife and little Boy. The boy's name was Andrew. He was 18 months. He could talk really well and he was potty trained. He was the smartest boy I think I have ever seen. He was really cute to. After we ate the delicios meal we sat around and played phase 10. That was all we did today. :-)

*I admit I was a selfish teenager and I still struggle with selfishness as an adult.

3-25-1996

Today we went to the Cs around 9:30. R and I followed Michelle and C out but lost them around a corner. So we went to the Gastronom and bought some ice cream cones. After we bought those we went to slide on the ice and we found Michelle and C again. They were so mad at us. Then I fell on the ice and got all wet. When we went home, I got into the shower the first thing. That night R came over and she spent the night. We gave ourselves manicures and played games all night. I won the two times we played phase 10. And both of us won at master mind. Except that's a very easy game to win at. All you have to have are brains. :-)

Kiev, Ukraine Journal - 3-22-1996 and 3-23-1996

*Disclaimer: Please remember that I wrote these when I was 14! I could be a snarky brat! I also am typing these journals exactly as I wrote them, bad spelling and all, except I have abbreviated names to protect the innocent or not-so-innocent.

3-22-1996

Today we met R, S, and A at our metro to go to Geedro Park. None of the rides were open. But we got in the gate for the cages. R and I went around 20 times. It was great. We met the Boys around 12:00. We all got shishkabobs. They were really good. Then I took A across some ice that was in the way. He fell and when I tried to get him up he would slip again. He laid in the ice for about 30 seconds. Then I got made fun of because of it. I was so mad at C and J. They can be two great guys one second and then another second they are total jerks. When we got home Anatolie asked Michelle and I to go to the lavra with him, Vadime, Marina, and Lacia. The lavra is a Orthodox monostary. All the building had gold tops. It was really bueatiful. After we went through a tunnel with a bunce of dead people we got to keep the candles as souveniers. It was awesome. After that we all went to see the Mother Ukraine. Then Anatole took us home. :-)

3-23-1996

About 10:00 in the morning C and R came over. C come to pick up Michelle for a date. R came to play or get together with me. We played poker with nerds all afternoon. At 2:15 R left to go help the Ss get ready for Rs party that was over here. I helped mom make a prune bush and I frosted a birthday cake. R turned 40. Also I made a banner out of Russian toilet paper that said "Over the Hill and Startin' down the other side." When we sang happy birthday the Ns sand their version. B sang another song someone from her congregation made up. It was really cute. That night we had roast beef with barbecue for supper. It was pretty good. After we ate K asked a lot of over the hill questions. :-)

Excuses and Happenings

Don't you hate meaningless excuses?

I do.

I would give you a bunch of excuses of why I haven't blogged, but the fact of the matter is that blogging has taken a back seat in my life right now.

Since opening my shop in October, I've had a pretty steady stream of business (YAY!). With that and with taking care of Chloe Jo, Worship and Bible class obligations, friends, and all the other activities I am involved in, something had to give and it seems like blogging became that something.

I'm not ready to let this endeavor go, though. I'm just not going to be posting as much as I had been.

Anywho, now that that is out of the way...

I have exciting news!

A few weeks ago, I bought an embroidery machine!!!

I have been having a great time getting to know my new machine and I just recently started taking embroidery orders. I'm definitely still learning, but the embroidery is coming out good enough that I feel good selling it. I honestly didn't think this would happen for a very long time, but things just fell into place and I was able to take the plunge. My Mom and sister went in on it with me, but I get to keep it at my house and use it for my shop.

This is one of the first things I did on it. It is just a test piece.

In other news, my little monkey is as fun and wonderful as ever! She is turning 4 in a couple of short months. Ack! How did that happen!?!

She is going to start 4K in September so I have been trying to get her interested in a few things. She is interested in writing every now and then so I try to capitalize on those brief windows. I printed this page out for her a couple of weeks ago. She did really good with it. The last one is completely hers. I helped her with the first 2.

I also taught her how to use scissors. She loves this! I tried drawing lines on the paper for her to cut and she would do it for about 5 seconds and then go back to cutting confetti. Ha!

That's it for now, ya'll! I have an order I need to get done today and I have yet to get cleaned up or help Chloe Jo get ready for the day!

Kiev, Ukraine Journal - 3-20-1996 and 3-21-1996

*Disclaimer: Please remember that I wrote these when I was 14! I could be a snarky brat! I also am typing these journals exactly as I wrote them, bad spelling and all, except I have abbreviated names to protect the innocent or not-so-innocent.

3-20-1996

Today we met D at our metro. That is everyone except Dad. He had to teach class. She took us to the Hill called St. Andrews. She didn't know the way to get there so she asked a man that took us about three blocks in the wrong direction. So she asked a younger guy that told us the right directions. It was actually pretty funny but not at the time. We were all kind of mad. Oh, I bought 2 flutes and a necklace. This night we went to Left Bank. Dad was so slow because he hurt his back really badly. Everyone wanted to know what was wrong. Well that's all we did today. :)

3-21-1996

At about 1:00 Michelle and I went to babysit the Ss. With R. K1 and K2 went to our flat for a potlcuk. The kids were all pretty good. Except once when I told A he was a bad boy for hitting others he burst out crying. S was good mostly. R, Michelle, and I, S, and A all played Duck, Duck, Goose; Red light, Green light; and Mommy May I while C slept. When K2 came home she gave us all snickers as payment. When we finally went home at 4:00 it was dusk. Mom was waiting for us. We had class that evening. I got 1 more chapter of science done. Those chapters are long! :-)