I'm Getting IQed!!!

Hi--

No it's not a test, but it is sort of like a brain implant. It will make me seem a lot smarter and more talented than I really am.

You see, I am getting a computer, called an IntelliQuilter, for my Emma, my quilting machine.

The IQ does so many things. If I can even think of a few of them, I'll be doing well. It stores quilting patterns (for actual quilting the quilt, not piecing patterns). Then you can resize, rotate, flip, combine patterns and add as many repeats as needed to fill the space. Then you tell IQ where to quilt and when to start and when to stop. You can also use it to create and store your own patterns. Wow!

Now all I have to do is wait for the next seven days.

Here is a picture of my latest project, Catlettsburg Town Square, a Bonnie Hunter design that she calls Carolina Crossroads. I just took it off the machine after quilting it in spirals; now I need to finish the binding.





Genie

The Great Kitchen Counter Make-Over!

Hi to All--

First, here is an "Aw, he's so cute," picture of Miles:



And here is DH Jerry after breaking up and removing the old ceramic tile from Jeff and Sherry's kitchen.

They have been working for some time improving their kitchen, mostly by their own hands.
Now it was time for new kitchen counters and the old had to come out. We were out there and Jeff was at the hospital everyday for a while so Jerry went to work.


After tile removal, what was left underneath had to be perfectly level. Yes, a very big job, but Jerry is always ready to tackle those kind!

Jeff called to tell me that their counters would be installed (yesterday). They chose a dark gray Corian. Can't wait to see the kitchen finished.

Genie

Miles Makes Dramatic Entrance into World!!!

Hi Everybody!

Here is our new grandson, Miles, with big brother Jonah and Mom. Miles was born on October 29, about three weeks early.






















It's really hard to see his face with him all bundled up, but that is to keep him warm as he has a hard time regulating his own temperature. These pictures were taken Tuesday when he was allowed to come home just for a few hours. Yes, unbelievable, but an hour after he arrived home there was a call from the UCLA NICU asking Jeff and Sherry to bring him back because a lab test indicated that he might have an infection. We were all in shock at this upsetting news.





















His parents were allowed to wait until rush hour traffic was over to make the return trip. They returned home without Miles, about 11 pm.

Now it looks like the test might have been wrong. He might get to go home again on Saturday if all goes well.

Since the nurses who care for these preemies are so great and so skilled, he is in really good hands. A few more days of their TLC will just make him stronger for when he does get to be home.








Here is the first quilt I have made for little Miles. It is a print with fire, police and paramedics on it. My son, Miles' father, is a dispatcher for the police department, so his son's have gotten quilts with a law enforcement theme.




Here is the quilt that I brought to work on. I cut the patches at home before leaving for San Diego last month. I did a lot of the sewing while we were there. I was only home for one week before getting the call that Miles had been born during the night. It was back to California that day for us.

I don't get much time to quilt (or to blog!) except during Jonah's naptime, but he is wonderful fun. I am so lucky to have four wonderful grandkids!


Genie

A Wine Tasting in San Diego....

Hello to All of You Out There!

Here we are in beautiful San Diego, enjoying the most stunningly perfect weather possible, and we ran into a bargain.

You know, neither my DH Jerry nor I can resist a great bargain. So we were in Von's supermarket and Jerry cast his eyes on some wine that was marked down to $4.99. There were four bottles, all French Bordeaux, in very unusually shaped and attractive bottles. But did the wine taste good?

I suggested that we buy one bottle and see if we like it. But ****NO**** my bargain hunting hubby figured someone else would snatch up the rest of the bottles before we could come back.

I forgot to tell you that these bottles had a screw-on top. I bet you can guess what happened next.

Jerry opened one of the bottles, takes a taste, then offers it to me! I am cringing, shaking my head, no, no, no, and wondering how many local liquor laws he was breaking.

But it is too late to pretend I'm not with him. A girl walks up, and says, "Did you guys just taste that wine? How was it?"

Jerry indicates that the wine is quite good, as he scoops up all four bottles (including the opened one) and heads for the check-out line. By the time that we actually paid for the wine, the one bottle was down a good eight ounces. Our checker thought it was quite funny.

This one will go down as one of many San Diego memories!

Genie

I'm Back...Did You Miss Me, Kids?

Hi All---

Had to take a break from blogging and picture-taking but I have gotten some quilting done. But mostly I was doing my taxes and filling out endless paperwork for the house we are trying to buy.

Yes, we are moving, at least we will if this escrow ever gets off the ground. You see, our sellers made it a part of the contract that they would find another house for themselves and have both houses close escrow at the same time. We thought that would be OK, but they are having trouble finding the house of their dreams.

I have also been filling out a claim for VA assistance for my elderly mother so that she can afford to move into a group home. This is a little known benefit for war veterans and their spouses and widows who need help with tasks of daily living. It is said to take 4 to 6 months for approval, and I just filed the paperwork a few weeks ago. I am saying prayers that both these endeavors will be swift and successful.

I also completed this quilt top.

It is **BIG** even though it has no borders....about 102" square. I did "float" it a bit with the setting triangles because I don't like points of blocks up against the binding. These are "bullseye" blocks made with raw-edge applique.

I had made these blocks about a year or so age but I was stumped for a setting for them. I would find some setting that I liked, but then changed my mind. Have you ever done that?

I think deciding on a setting is sometimes the hardest part of putting together a quilt top.

Here is a close-up of a few of the bullseye blocks.


I have also been working on Old Tobacco Roads, and have come up with the name for mine---it's officially "Lemaster's Old Tobacco Roads" to honor one of my ancestors who was born on a colonial-era tobacco farm in Maryland along the Potomac River near modern day Washington DC.

This wonderful design has taken just about forever to make.....the pinwheels have such small pieces and everything is on the bias.

But I love how it is coming out! I have the center finished and am now putting on the borders. Here it is.



Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville, who designed this quilt, used flying geese in her border. However for my version, I chose the zig zag border in Gwen and Freddy's first Collaboration book. And
is it ever fun! This quilt, with all its busyness, needed something really strong to keep it corralled. This does just that. Oh, and I modified the border a little to "float" those jags so they don't run into the narrow border or the binding.

I'm going to do some quilting. I hope you are doing something that's fun!

Genie

Three Cowboys Herding Cattle!!

Hi Everybody!

I have been real busy lately and haven't even been finding time to post on my blog. So I'm going to start with what's happened just now and work backwards.

We are camping in Williams in northern Arizona, in the beautiful and
******COOL******* mountains. We are here for the annual Hamfest, a get-together of our Amateur Radio group.

We were startled to hear this bull bellowing mournfully and loudly so.
He seemed to be missing his lady friends. I got this picture of him before he moved on in his search.


About 30 minutes later the cowboys came through with these cattle. We asked them if they were looking for a bull and they said they were. We showed them the direction that "Mournful" took.













I just had one day to get ready for this trip because we had just returned from a week in California.

I needed my grandbaby fix. Here is Jonah, our blue-eyed towheaded two year-old darlin' with his daddy. Jonah calls me "Meemaw."





Isn't he cute?
















Here is everybody checking their Blackberry and texting. Actually, the cute little brown eyed, dark haired baby.....my other grandbaby boy, Danny.......is playing with my camera. His sister, Marbeya, at sixteen, is a veteran texter. She keeps in touch with us regularly.

OK, so I am out here with nothing to do except sew.....poor me!! I brought my Bernina and several projects to work on. When I get a little done, I'll post it. Meantime, I'm keepin' COOL:)

Genie

Pics Are Back!

Hi Everyone,


Halleluia!!!! I can once again upload pictures. I was not a happy camper for the last few days trying but not succeeding with getting pics up on Blogger.

I thought all along that it was a Blogger problem but began having these nagging thoughts that it might be some little thing that I changed on my computer that was the REAL culprit!

So...the problem resolved itself without any intervention from me!

So you can see how we had to move the dining room table out into the great room so I could lay out Old Tobacco Road. The only other place that I have that is big enough is right in the middle of the great room where Yeager spends a great deal of time walking or running around. That is not an option. But Yeager rarely goes in the dining room so
it's a good choice.



You can see that the center of Old Tobacco Roads is nearing completion.

Genie