Friday's Favorite Blog #9

Tempus Fugit and it is Friday once again. Nancy from With Thread in Hand is my choice for blogger of the week. She has a great blog, with nice photos of her quilts and other projects. It is easy to see that she loves her children and grandchildren. I think you will enjoy your visit with her. Click here to go there.

Pity Party

I have been having a pity-party for my self this week. I went to see a specialist about my back last Thursday, and he said that I was healing and that it could take up to a year for it to be back to something like normal. Take calcium meds and supplements, yada, yada. Then he told me that my lungs were s**t. Yes, he said that word! He did get my attention though. On Monday I decided to quit smoking. I know I should have quit long ago, and I have made the attempt several times. Have made it a couple of months before, and then something very stressful comes along and a cigarette is in my hand again. It is my only vice, and very hard to give up. They need to start a re-hab program for smokers. If I had a bad drug problem, I could get all kinds of help to get off them. If I could be locked up in a padded cell for a couple of weeks with out cigarettes, maybe that would do the trick! I have tried all the products that are supposed to help you quit, but they cause a rash or make me sick to my stomach. So……I guess using will power is my only choice. I am trying. Have cut down by about 80%, which isn’t good, but it’s better than nothing. Anyway……..my week has been all about not smoking, and it makes me irritable and nervous and edgy and not interested in anything. I have managed to do a little bit of embroidery. It’s just something to keep my hands busy. My back is getting better and I hope to be able to get back to my sewing machine soon. Please excuse the ranting of this post. I will try to be more upbeat in the future.

I managed to get the July installment of the Noah's Ark BOM finished.

This is a little embroidery I did and colored it with colored pencils. I still have to go over the colored pencil with some textile medium. I am trying the method called colorque, by helen of hugs and kisses. I don't have her link handy, but will add it to my list soon. I am not sure if I like the look of it. It seems to take away from the old fashioned feel of embroidery.

This is a larger stitchery that I am doing. The fabric is unbleached muslin. I used Paint Shop Pro trying to get the green of the trees to show up better, but it made the whole thing more green. Oh, well. I am going to make a pillow out of this one. It is about the size of the bed of my scanner. If it turns out to be as pretty as I hope, I may give it away when I get to one hundred posts. That is a long way off so I have plenty of time to finish it..........God willing, of course.

Friday's Favorite Blog #8

I can’t believe it is Friday already and time to pick a new blogger of the week. This week’s choice is Kieny from the Dutchlady blog. She lives in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She has an interesting blog, with lots of pictures. I really enjoy the pictures of people and places in Taiwan. I love the quilt she is making called “magic moments”. It shows what a great quilt you can make with 2 different blocks. I may have to make one like it. She is involved in a siggie swap. She has siggies that have been sent to her from so many different countries, and she puts lots of pictures of them on her blog. I think you will like visiting her blog. Click here to go there.

The Closer

Just a reminder to make sure you know that the new season of The Closer starts tonight. It has been my favorite show since it's first season. If you haven't seen it before, you might want to give it a try.

I Have Been Given an Award

A couple of days ago, I got a really nice surprise from Arlette at the Polka Dot Pineapple blog. She was given an award and passed it along to me. It was given to her by Alicia from Curiosities 808. I am passing it along as required by the following rules:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.

2. Link to the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours. (The links are in my side-bar)

5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.

I am passing along this award to:

1. Finn at Pieces From My Scrapbag

2. Sweet P at Coffee Time Quilt Studio

3. Stina at Kviltstina

4. Marsha at Threadbender

5. Cathi at Quilt Obsession

6. Pat at Bits and Pieces

7. Kieny at The Dutch Lady

PS........I had to take Myra from Tactile Pleasures in Fabric off my list because she has just been given the award from another blogger! Ditto with Nancy from With Thread in Hand!

I am so grateful to these bloggers, and many others, for the fun I have when visiting them. They have helped me get through a lot of trying days by getting my mind off of my problems. Like it says in a song, a little bit of sugar helps the medicine go down. They are my little bits of sugar. Did that make any sense? Oh, well, I have never claimed to be a good writer, but I hope you know what I meant.

I am going to wrap this up with a little note to Arlette. Your blog is a cheerful and fun place to visit. You have made so many of my days with your friendly comments to me. Thinking of me as your long-lost Aunt was so sweet. "Mahalo nui loa" for the award.

Friday's Favorite Blog #7

Stina is my choice for this week’s blogger. She has a very pretty blog. Always has nice pictures and she is so funny! I really have a good time reading what she has to say. She lives in Sweden. Blogging has allowed me to talk to people from so many different countries. It is like a world tour I can take sitting in front of my computer in my own home. I would rather go to these places in person, but my check book says I must do it this way!! I hope you will take the time to visit Stina. Tell her I said Hi. Click here to go there.

Stitchers' Angel

It has been a few days since I have found anything to post about. Today while blog-hopping, I found this. Helen at Hugs and Kisses Blog has a new project called "The Stitchers Angel Project". Click on the Stitchers' Angel in my side-bar and it will take you to her blog where you can learn all about it. She has several designers that are going to provide a free patten. You can sign up to be involved in a swap, or just visit there each week to get the free project. Sign up ends the 15th of August for the swap. I have never joined a swap before, but I am going to do this one, God willing. I am going to try to talk my sister, Kathy, into doing it also.

Happy Fourth of July

Today I am not going to have a favorite blogger.

Will pick it up again next week.

Have a fun and safe Independence Day!

God Bless America

Another Giveaway

While blogg-hopping today, I ran across this lovely blog. It is by Helen Stubbings and she lives in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. She is the designer of a block of the week program called Nice People, Nice Things. The picture is a little snippet from her quilt. It is adorable! I don't think she will mind that I am sharing it with you. I hope!! She is offering a giveaway, but she is not sure what it will be. I love the sticheries on her site, so am sure whatever it is, I will be happy to get it if I am the lucky winner. Oh, yes. You must leave her a recipe for something chocolate in your comment to enter for the prize. Click here to go there.

My Muslin Quilt

I know it has been several days since I have made a post. I have not been very productive. I will take this time to show you another of my quilts, or rather one block from it. I don’t have a picture of the whole quilt. Must remedy that one of these days. I don’t suppose it really matters, since it is a one block quilt. The blocks are 10 inch finished squares of unbleached muslin, front and back. The design is a quilting motif I had used in one the blocks of William’s quilt. It is hand quilted using three strands of DMC embroidery floss. That was not a good idea. It was hard to thread the needle, and hard to pull through the quilt. I used a different color on each block. It is a small quilt, 5 blocks by 6 blocks, but I was sure sick of doing those blocks by the time I finished. Boring!!!! Glad I finished it though, because this quilt I made for myself, and I have used it nearly every day for the last 10 or so years. My sister, Kathy, made one like it and she uses hers all the time also.