Heat Wave

We seem to have gone directly from early spring into late summer, with a terrific heat wave. Of course it has been too cold to have the AC serviced for spring, they said it had to be over 72 to do that. I have an appointment scheduled for Wednesday hoping that it would be over 72. Yesterday it hit 85 outside according to my thermometer, and upstairs in the sewing room it hit a hot 100. I shut down the computer and came down and turned on the AC...

Guess what, it ain't workin! Nope, instead of blowing nice cool air it blows hot air, and within minutes the house was up to 95. Of course I shut down the AC, and opened all the windows, bringing in the cooler (at that time 78) air. As night arrived the house cooled down.

Now it's sunny and hot again, and I've closed up the house, shut all the blinds, and will hope that it stays coolish until tomorrow... I hope tomorrow is cooler outside. But it doesn't look promising, tomorrows forcast is "mostly sunny - 87". AND according to the weather it will be rainy and 70 on Wednesday, and guess who won't get her AC serviced.

Did I mention that this system is just under two years old....

Oh yea... every tree in the state is pollinating which does wonders for my allergies. Which is why we have AC mostly, besides staying cool.

Fight Like A Girl T-shirts

Here’s the latest fundraiser to hit the market, Fight Like A Girl T-shirts. These came to us from the staff who I believe “borrowed” it from another regional event which has had great success with them. They hit town on Wednesday and are selling like hotcakes.

Now, I just know that everyone will want one, so I am offering them for sale on my web site. The cost is $20.00 of which $12 goes to ACS, plus shipping ($6.20 priority with delivery confirmation) and a little bit extra to cover the PayPal fees.

They are very nice shirts, a nice brown with the pink ribbon and logo on the front, and the ACS logo on the sleeve. Shirts are gildan, 100% Pre Shrunk Cotton
If you want one, check out the web site.

And please note, with three weeks to Relay, well less than that now, and so much other stuff going on, I will NOT ship any t-shirts until after May 15th.

Sound of Music | Central Station Antwerp (Belgium)

Thanks to Katy for sharing this with me, it certainly put a smile on my face, and a song in my heart… and I needed it.

It's been an up and down morning so far, an award, notice that a friend had passed away last night losing her battle with c, a nasty email I am not dealing with, and then this... thanks really.... I needed the smile!

And incase the imbedded file disappears..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k

I won an award…

Marge: I've awarded you the Friends Blog Award for your fun and interesting blog. And all your relay stuff, And the quilts, and the insight... Stop by http://institcheswithbonnie.blogspot.com/ to pick up a copy of the award. Bonnie


First, thank you Bonnie. That is an honor. The best things in life are friends, and I was surely blessed when you came into my cyber world. When I read your email this morning I “heard and saw” you saying it, now that I have a face and a voice to go with that cyber friend.

Second, I’m not sure I should accept this award. I never set out to win any prizes; I am not a competitive person. I set other more important goals in my life, winning prizes is not one of them. What a horrible world it would be if we were all out to be #1. Perhaps if people weren’t trying to hard to beat everyone else at what they were doing, life would be easier and nicer too.

But this isn’t that kind of award, so I will graciously accept it. I got this blog in November 2004 although I’m not real sure why. I was (past tense) one of those people who had to do what everyone else was doing on the internet so I got a blog. I couldn’t tell how it worked, so it sat until May 2005, when I started talking about my children.

I had no intention of anyone reading this blog, I was writing for myself only. So many people use blogs for so many different things. I have a web site full of “my things” so I wanted the blog to be just a little bit of everything, and that’s exactly what it’s become. I won’t share BOMs or patterns here, but I might talk about my quilting (or lack of). I have a family web page, but here I talk about daily things, which sometimes includes family and sometimes doesn’t. Here I can put down my private thoughts, so my friends who read this know what I am thinking… sometimes… other times they have no idea what the heck I am talking about, LOL!

I do read other blogs, although not as much as I used to. I check on friends’ blogs, and family members too. I read the blogs of friends I like keeping up with, and seeing what they are up to. I thought it would be easy to award the five I am obligated to award, that’s about all the blogs I’ve been reading lately.. but

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind writers.”

I tried to go back and see who started this award, but after more than an hour of blogging I reached a dead end. And surprisingly, most many of the blogs I read along the way I’d never visited before, and most were not quilt related either. I saw some darling children’s pictures, some beautiful scenery photos, some not-to-my taste “art” pictures, some wacky funny made me read the blog photos, and some very interesting video clips. I heard some lovely music, saw some interesting backgrounds, and viewed some things on blogs that I never even knew blogs could do.

So thank you Bonnie for this award, and although it may not be permitted, I am awarding it right back to you. Your blog is one I try to read every day, and it meets all of the requirements of the award, and more!

I am also sharing this with my friend Mama Koch who has shared part of her world with the www on her blog, OklaCookiemaker Quilts. I love reading about farm life and how closely our lives are, her boys and mine. I’ve enjoyed her photos and her thoughts.

Kim in Northern NJ should share this also, her blog is fun to read, her life interesting, and her joys similar to mine, family, quilting and finding the cure.

I choose to share this award with Shoshana at http://www.justjosmidden.blogspot.com/. Sometimes her blogs are opinionated and I don’t always agree with her opinion, but I like the way she writes, and through reading her, I’ve decided I like her a lot.

And I am going to pass this award to The Numismatist who is my next door neighbor on the Stashbuster Blog list. I’ve been peeking at her blog since we became neighbors, and enjoy her world, and feels she deserves this award.

Oh by the way Bonnie, thanks for giving me something to do the first two hours of my day…. Not that I had anything else to do….
finish Relay work
laundry
errands
other chores….

Instead I’ve been Blogging…

Oh well, it’s been fun, LOL!

Eleven Million One Hundred Thousand U.S Dollars

Date: Thursday 23 April 2009
Time: 13:00 - 14:00 (GMT +00:00)
Dear Friend, I am Dr.Gari Compore, Bill and exchange manager, in-charge of Foreign Unit of our bank and i have had the intent to contact you over this financial transaction/transfer worth the sum of Eleven Million One Hundred Thousand U.S Dollars (US$11.01M) for our progress and richness. This is an abandoned sum that belongs to our late foreign customer (an International Billionaire French Businessman) who died in plane crash disaster since five years ago along with his wife. I was opportuned to see the deceased deposit file bearing this huge amount of money when i was inspecting the dated and current customers files in other to sign and submit to the entire bank management for an official validation / re-documentation against the statement approval to the account holders for the year. In a swift investigation carried out by me, i found out that non of the deceased relative is aware of the abandoned fund except his late wife. As a result of that, it is an extremely confidential matter between me and you .Hence you are a foreigner to our country, you are authorized by our Banking law to apply and claim the fund into your account as the NEXT-OF-KIN to the deceased. For assisting me to get the fund transferred into your bank account, the ratio of 40% of the total sum is for your share where as 60% is for me as business pioneer. i will give you more details and for your assistants as soon as i receive your reply


Hmm… now what would I do with that money… let’s see, my share of it would be more than enough to pay off some bills, including the three mortgages I make monthly payments on, my sons’ college bills and every other bill we have. Of course I would donate a LOT to Relay and make my event, my team and myself #1, and buy that sponsorship again. And then I could buy a new lap top… mine is barely hanging on. And then…. well I can dream can’t I?

However, I don’t think I will bother replying to Dr. Gari…

Spam can be so entertaining sometimes!

Frosty morning

I knew it was going to be a chilly morning, the weather man had warned us to bring in delicate plants. We only had one to bring in, everything else is planted in the garden and frost proof. However I wanted to get up bright and early and take some photos of the spring flowers with frost on them.

Well I did get up early, and there was a light frost, but darn if I could find one pretty frosty flower to photograph. The warmth of the sun had already taken away every single bit of frost on the flowers, which had their heads all facing that warm sunny glow.

Now, two bits of advice, when you go out to take early morning photos, first, take your camera with you. It wasn’t until I reached in my pocket that I realized the lump in my pocket was my cell phone and my camera was still sitting up here on the computer desk. And second, if it is frosty out, it most likely is cold, so wear more than just your sweatshirt. Sure it’s a heavy sweatshirt… but I needed more than that this morning… burrrrr.

On the left are apple blossoms!

Wonderful World

A friend sent me this and I wanted to share it with everyone else. This is one of my favorite songs ever, and I love this video too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZasc0oejtY




I’ve always loved Louis Armstrong, I have several CDs with him on them. I truly think I was born in the wrong generation, since I love 30s jazz so much. And I love Aunt Graces too, 30’s fabric reproductions.

Susan Boyle dreamed a dream

If you haven't seen this already, then go look now, and be prepared to be amazed!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

So what have I been up to?

A friend called me and asked what I’d been up to, since I’m not filling her in via my blog. I was amazed she was even reading my blog, as I am with most people who email or call me about it. I didn’t realize I had such a following, LOL!

No, I won’t be posting every day, which was my goal at one time. (A photo a day I think I said) Life is keeping me busy, and when it isn’t I’m trying to do some sewing. Exactly what I do every day I can’t say, because the days are so full it seems time is flying past.

Most mornings I start my day by checking email, which always seems to bring some work with it too. The work can range from a quilt block question to Relay For Life work. Sometimes that is time consuming, other times it’s an easy job. Sometimes people are asking me how to make a certain block, and I refer them to my BOM page.. if the block they want isn’t on there, I do it up for them as the next BOM. I get requests to change a Relay participant’s goals, which I like doing. Usually when I change a goal that means someone has reached their original one, so it’s a good thing, and it is an easy job.

Fundraisers keep me busy too, sometimes people just send me the information, and I have to fancy it up to make it interesting. If I just posted what they sent, no one would even look at it, so I add graphics and fancy text. Although I will admit, after five years of this, it’s easier every time I do a new one.

Mornings usually include a brief chat with an internet friend, sort of my morning coffee break. It’s a nice break in my morning. OK… I’ll admit it, sometimes it is how I start my morning, and sometimes I’ve been up for hours before she comes on line… but we live in two different time zones and worlds apart, but I sure miss our chats when we don’t have them.

Recently I’ve been looking for a place for another friend to move to. She is ready to give up her home of many years, and I’ve happily been looking for a new place for her. This is not an easy job in this area, especially since she didn’t want a house. If she’d wanted a house she would have had hundreds to pick from, maybe even thousands. The problem here is that it’s almost summer and most rentals are converting to summer rentals. Can’t say I blame them, summer rentals bring more money. A two bedroom apartment might rent for $900 a month year round, but take that same place, throw in some cheap second hand furniture, and you could get $1500 a week for the same place.

Hunting for an apartment/condo type place has sure made me appreciate my little home. I didn’t realize how much I disliked apartment living. I think it also made me fussier about what I was looking for. We found a cute place, conveniently located, quiet, and hopefully she will be happy there….

So I’ve been busy, and things aren’t going to slow down much. Relay is just around the corner, three bank nights and then the event, which means lots of data entry. At least I hope it does, because lots of data entry means lots of money for ACS to help fight cancer! And when Relay is over, we’ll be helping my friend move. And then it will be summer, and who knows what this summer will bring… no plans now, but I never make plans any more… they keep me too busy.

Here are my redbuds, getting ready to pop open.

Hoppy Easter

Meet Violet.

Aunt Sheryl gave her to me; she is the Easter in my life this year… the bunny not Aunt Sheryl, LOL! She's been keeping me company here in the sewing room since I brought her home. She doesn't normally sit on the machine, but that was the best place to get her picture.

And I finally took down the Christmas wall hanging on the back porch, replaced it with my seasonal baskets. These came from a BOM series I did for the guild with my friend Carole Blades. I would have never done it without her help… but I liked them in the end.

Wow

Well I guess they took down the funny video, so I'll remove the empty video link black box from my blog. (Replacing it with a picture from my front yard) It's a shame too, it got me lots of emails and phone calls! Everyone was so tickled I'd won and then so ticked I'd fooled them, LOL!

If you missed it, it was an advertisement for identity theft protection. It said I had won a big prize, but there were people claiming to be me. Now who in their right mind would want to be me?

And see if I offer any advertising links on my blog again, if they are just going to take it off and leave big black holes in my blog!

In a hurry?

The other day I went to the post office to mail two small packages. As usual at our small post office there was a line, a long line. I needed the packages mailed, so I joined the queue. Two other people had joined me when an elderly lady came in and exclaimed she was in a hurry and would anyone mind if she got in front of the line….

At first I thought she was joking, as did I am sure the others who chuckled at her suggestion. But then she asked again, and offered an explanation, she was running late and was going to sing at an old folks home. A kind gentleman at the head of the line offered her a place in front of him, and she took advantage of his offer.

OK, so she was doing a good deed, and he’d done his good deed. But it doesn’t end there.

The lady in front of me said she was on her lunch hour, and couldn’t wait, she left. Another patron left also, probably also in a hurry. I stayed, I wasn’t in a hurry, but I wasn’t happy.

So Mrs I’m-in-a-hurry-to-go-sing-at-an-old-folks-home pulls a carton of cigarettes from her bag and says she needs to mail these as fast as possible and hands them to the clerk. The postal clerk says they need to be put in a package, addressed first. But the old lady can’t do that herself, and insists the postal clerk does it for her, which she does. Mrs I’m-in-a-hurry-to-go-sing-at-an-old-folks-home then balks at the cost of the postage and starts to argue with the postal clerk.

In the meantime a friend of Mrs I’m-in-a-hurry-to-go-sing-at-an-old-folks-home comes in and remarks something like how did you get to the head of the line and walks right up and joins her friend. She hands Mrs I’m-in-a-hurry-to-go-sing-at-an-old-folks-home her money and tells her what she wants.

While this was happening, three people came and left because of the long line, and two people in line followed them.

So my question is, were Mrs I’m-in-a-hurry-to-go-sing-at-an-old-folks-home’s cigarettes more important than what ever it was the other people had to mail. And if they were, why did she wait till she was already running late to stop at the normally busy post office to send them? Why didn’t she mail them on her was back from her singing engagement?

I felt genuinely sorry for the elderly man who had allowed her to get in front of him. I know he was horribly embarrassed, and most likely quite sorry he’d done his good dead for the day. And I feel sorry for Mrs I’m-in-a-hurry-to-go-sing-at-an-old-folks-home too.

I might never catch up

I am too behind to catch up, so no posting today. However, here’s a link to the Spring Retreat Photos if you want to look!

http://delawarequilts.com/Retreat/2009/Spring/

Home from Retreat

What a great time I had at this year’s Spring Retreat. It was a gathering of October Retreaters, November Retreaters, some seasoned Spring Retreaters and even a few newbies. Everyone blended nicely, and a fun time was had by all. How do I know for sure? Everyone is signed up for next year, which tells me that they all had a great time too.

Of course the best part of the whole week for me was giving Joan her heart quilt. I had the housekeeper let me in her room before she arrived, and put it on her bed. When Joan and her roommate arrived they came to say hello in the conference room first, so I whispered to Laura what was ahead.

As I expected, Joan was overwhelmed with emotion as she looked at the quilt on her bed…

and when Laura said oh look at the other side,

emotions went wild… Joan had us all in tears with her joy.

This quilt was by far my most favorite project yet, and I doubt anything will top it.