I'm still alive, I promise! ;-)

I have gotten several e-mails asking did I fall off the face of the earth (given how long it has been since my last blog). I assure you, my feet are still firmly planted on the earth. ;-)

I've been busy, busy, busy - with a sick Grandmother and with getting school finished for my daughter.

My Grandmother has a heart condition. Sadly, at her age, surgery is not advisable - so medication is the only option. Fortunately, my Grandmother is one spunky lady and has a lot of fight in her!! I still say that she is likely to outlive me! It's been a long week, but a wonderful week. Long because of the hours spend at her bedside in the hospital - but, wonderful in that I had that opportunity with her. I know that I'm blessed with every minute that I have with her - even if it is in a hospital! Luckily, she was able to leave the hospital today. I know she is happy to be home!

Sarah is finishing K-5 next week. Only the rest of this week and 2 half days next week. Then, it is summer time for her! As is normally the case at the end of the school year - much is going on to keep us all busy! I went with Sarah today on a field trip to a local farm. It was a blast. My baby milked a goat! What a hoot! :) She has another field trip on Friday for being in the 100 book club at school (one must read at least 100 books during the school year to be in the club - she read around 200). She gets to go to Chuck-E-Cheese. Not my idea of fun, but to a 5 year old, I guess it is close to nirvana.

I did get to attend my quilting class on the 5th and I had a blast. It was wonderful to have such a great teacher. Two things came out of my class - 1) I can free motion quilt half way decent, I just need to practice (yes, many of you have told me the same!) and 2) I want a new sewing machine! I think that I'm far more likely to get the practice at free motion quilting than I am to get a new machine anytime soon. But, in the even that my numbers come up in the lottery drawing tonight - what do you recommend? lol There were tons of Berninas in the class, all of which ran like a dream! I'll be 'test driving' many a model before I put down my $$, I'm sure. Plus, I still need to convince my hubby that I NEED a new machine. Currently there are 4 machines in my sewing room (but, to be fair - one is my daughter's and one is a serger (and, while I recognize the difference between my serger and my sewing machines, I'm not sure that my husband does).

With all that has been going on lately around here, I've not had much time to create anything. I did, however, make 'monsters' for my daughters (and, at their request, for my husband and mother in law). I'll try to post a picture of the monsters in my next blog. I'm too lazy and tired to look for the camera right now.

Speaking of tired ....... til next time..........

Blogger is getting on my nerves!!!!!!

I had a long blog, ready to post and Blogger just went crazy on me....... I doubt that I'll remember what all I had written. I doubt that it was that important anyway, but still... it's annoying.. Let me TRY to remember.....

I had included a comment about a good friend of mine who lost her Dad this week. It's just breaking my heart to see her hurting so. I know, from losing my own Dad, that there is nothing that I can do to make her 'feel' better. I just hope to have her know that I'm there if she needs me!

I also included my current disdain for corporate America. I've come to the conclusion that I'm not cut out for corporate America. Not that I'm in any position to do anything about it financially. I mean, we've come to rely on the money that I make - so I can't just NOT make it. I'm not sure why I am not cut out for it. It's either a) I'm too much of a non-conformist, b) I'm too stubborn or c) a combination of both a and b. I'm thinking that (c) is the likely scenario. I want to be able be ME. Not some person who has to dress a certain way, act a certain way - basically, be something that I'm not. But, alas, as long as I wish to draw my pay check (and the mortgage company, oddly enough, insists that I continue along that path) - corporate America and all of it's restrictions/rules/idiotic rules and regulations is my current cross to bear. Oh well... not since whining over it. After all, I'll need to get to bed pretty soon, so I can be ready to go to a job that I don't want to in the morning.

And, for the fun stuff ... I haven't really felt much like making anything the last week. I did, however, make a fabric postcard. I intend to send this one to my friend. I hope that the bright colors of the hand dyed fabric will at least make her smile, if only for a moment. I hope that she'll like it.

Oh ... the best part ... I'm going to be taking a machine quilting class - FINALLY! I'm really looking forward to it. I am taking Friday off, in order to attend the class. I can't wait. I did get Harriet Hargrave's book (Heirloom Machine Quilting) that DebH and Deb recommended. It's a great read. I can't wait until I can actually put some of it to use. I hope that the information that I'm getting from the book, will be a great compliment to the class that I'm taking. I'm really excited about the class.

Hopefully, I'll find some time this week to do something creative. I have no idea what. All I've done, other than the small postcard, is sketch ... I guess I've just been lazy. Maybe I'll have more energy (and inspiration) this week... Surely, this week will be a good week, right?