Diet Blues

I have been trying this week to really stay on my weight watchers points and I was doing really well until today. I went to a wedding reception. Need I say more. It was the appetizers( I can't spell the French word) that got me. I really just want to not outgrow my 16 talls. Most stores don't carry tall sizes above 16. I cleaned out my closet and gave all my size 12 pants to the Salvation Army. If I ever get down to a size 12 again I will be delighted to buy all new clothes.

Helpful Arnold

Arnold follows me like a puppy everywhere I go. That is kind of nice except when I am trying to sew or quilt. I have a basket on the floor with a towel in it that he likes to sleep in and I have cleared a table by the window. He likes to lay there too. But sometimes he wants to get even closer and he will lie on top of what ever I am working on. He is a hefty cat and I really don't want him on the quilting frame. My quilting frame is a Grace self basting frame which means the top is on one roll, the bottom on another and the batting on a third. It all rolls together as you quilt. The other night, as usual, Arnold jumped onto the quilt on his way to the counter top. In the process he dumped all my little quilting pins. I didn't think much about it ( or of it for that matter) but several days later as I was quilting I began to find safety pins inside the quilt. I found the pins he spilt landed on the batting roll. I had to unroll the quilt far enough to get my hands in it and pull all the safety pins out.

A Trip to Maryland

Last weekend Hubby and I went to Maryland to visit the grandchildren (and their parents). Russell is looking good and full of energy. Thursday night we went to a restaurant in Hyattsville called Franklin's. The food was great but the parking lot was wanting. While we were having dinner someone broke into our car and stole Hubby's camera and his Garmin. Bummer! On Friday we toured the Bureau of Engraving and Mt. Vernon. They were both neat. No pictures. On Saturday we met up with Amy and the kids. Keegan and Russell are only 6 months apart and had a great time together at the Baltimore Science Center and Kameren gets prettier and sweeter every day. No pictures. Sunday Amy's family and Hubby and I went duck pin bowling. It really is hard to get a good score but lots of fun. No pictures.

Obsessive

Whenever I start a quilt I really obsess on finishing it. It starts with the piecing but accelerates once the quilt is on the frame. I make an Excel spreadsheet and divide the quilt into parts for both assembling and quilting. I assign each part a number of points and then decide how many parts I can reasonably do in a day. I then calculate a finish date for the assembling and the quilting. Each time I finish one of these parts I list it as complete in my spreadsheet and the sheet calculates whether I am ahead or behind schedule and, at this rate, when will I finish. Because I become obsessive about quilting I always finish ahead of schedule. I must admit that this time I was quilting away and wondered if maybe I shouldn't take a break after this quilt.

Michigan State Fair

Hubby and I manned the booth for the Michigan State Extension Office and Master Gardeners for two days last week. It is always fun to talk to the people although most of the time they ask gardening questions which we don't know how to answer. We were in the same building as the "Miracle of Life" exhibit. Here is a picture of a new lamb. Hubby also took video of a calf being born. He has it posted on U-Tube. After our work was done we walked around the fair, looked at all the animals and the quilt and photography displays. Then we ate a Coney Dog.

A New Grandchild

My son, Bill, and his wife had a baby boy, Sammy, last week. He weighed only 4 pounds 9 ounces so he is still in the hospital but is doing well. I made a quilt for him. It is a tumbling block pattern which I pieced and quilted by hand. I also knitted a blanket, sweater, overalls and a hat. I made them promise not to laugh at my attempts. Unfortunately, they are all in Portland, Oregon so I mailed my crafts along with lots of cute baby clothes which I bought. We plan to see them for Thanksgiving.