Friday, March 14, 2008

Autumn

Yes, Laura, it IS Autumn down in Australia, although in our part of the country you wouldn't know it! We're in the middle of the longest heatwave in decades, complete with bushfires! At the same time the eastern coast has been having an over-abundance of rain - a commodity we are desperately in need of further west and the results of which are all flowing into the ocean! It's a strange world!
BEE: What's the weather doing over your way? How is the 'pup'?
I don't envy you all having daylight savings changeover so early in the season!! We are still enjoying 'summer time' though and ours won't change back for another 3 weeks.

I have started going to Curves, after hearing about it for so long. Things are going slowly but surely: I have lost 4 kg (almost 9 lb) in 3 months, plus inches in all the right places. I hope to be able to buy a whole new wardrobe by the time our Spring rolls around!

Not much quilting going on - I spent lots of time last year making bags for presents. This year I do hope to get on to some UFOs.

Congratulations to the new grandparents!
Bye from sweltering South Australia
Fran

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Quilt Show coming up in Mn also..

I haven't posted in ages but when Pat said she was excited about her first quilt show of the season thought I would drop in. Our guild's quilt show is coming up very soon and it will be my first show of the season. It is March 28th and 29th (Fri/Sat) in New Ulm - if anyone is in the area or wants to make a day trip I know it will be worth your while. I am hoping to get a couple more small quilts MQ'd - nothing fancy by any means. We are going to go to FL over Easter so while that sounds really fun, it also cuts into my sewing time! I didn't get much of anything done during the late fall/early winter months so I have to make up for lost time now. One of the quilts I thought I would enter is just too ugly. My daughter likes it but I don't think "it" is ready to be exposed to the whole world so I'm keeping it home. I have a couple others that I started last summer that were fast 4-patch stacked posies-type quilts. I just have to finish the MQing and I think I will get that done. It is looking a bit like spring here. Quite a bit of snow melted yesterday & it is so nice to see the sun shining thru the windows - We have quilt guild tonight (I'm Pres) and I need to finish up the agenda for the meeting and get all my "stuff" together so better get movin' Joleen in Mn

Nat'l. Quilt Day

I am going to a quilt show in Lansing Michigan with another quilting friend. The show is titled "For the Love of Quilting". Part of their exhibit will include Japanese exchange quilts.

This will be my first quilt show this season. Can hardly wait!!
Take care
Pat in Flint

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Daylight savings time

I LOVE daylight savings time, but I hate switching back and forth. I hate "fall-back" even worse than "spring forward", because my body insists on waking up at 4 AM for at least two weeks after we change. Part of my weight loss success has been because I walk the dogs everyday. It's really hard to walk them when it's already dark when I get home.
The Bradford pears are already budded out here, so please, no more freezes! The grass is green, spring flowers are blooming. It won't be too much longer for the middle of the US. Is it fall down under yet?
Laura in Alabama

West Michigan checking in

Where it is still Winter. I think we have about two feet
of snow still on the ground. Snow,rain, ice forecast for
early tomorrow. Sara, I'm with you. I hate day light
savings time. Light by 6:30 AM , good and dark by
10:00PM would suit me just fine in the Summer. It
could get darker earlier in the Winter but I do like it light
in the morning. Makes getting up easier. The dryer is
calling.
Mayme

Daylight Savings Time

I was in Atlanta last week, so spending three days one-hour-ahead does help me transition into DST back here in Central Time. I did not have to change my watch back when I came home Saturday. But it is harder to get up earlier when it is dark outside. Lots of folks walking around like zombies right now, until we adjust. LOL I feel badly for the kids who have to wait in the dark for their school bus....again.

Saturday a.m. DH woke up to 3 inches of snow (Atlanta got nothing) but all was melted by the time I arrived home, Saturday afternoon. Sunday was quite warm, in the 50s F, and I've been getting out walking these past few days. It's nice to see the pale yellow green buds on the weeping willow trees, Bradford pears gearing up for their blooming in a few weeks, and other trees ready to explode in bloom --- and pollen --- in a couple of weeks. And then Easter comes so early this year.

Our quilt guild had Frieda Anderson ( http://www.friestyle.com/ ) in town for the program and workshops. I took one on free-motion quilting where there are no lines to follow. I always FMQ with a marked quilt. Frieda is a great teacher and we were all FMQing stars, oak leaves, and all sorts of designs on plain blank sandwiches. I bought several kits from her, too. They will be Xmas gifts. Hope I get started early enough on them! ;-o

DH "won the lottery" for admission for one day to the practice round at The Masters golf tournament in Augusta, GA this year. We get to go on Monday. Yep, they tell US which day we can go. LOL They don't care, they don't have to care, they're Augusta/The Masters. We don't expect to see many big name players on a Monday but it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for myself and our son. We can remember when, years ago, DH would drive over from Atlanta while at a workshop, and just buy admission and walk on to the course to watch the practice rounds.

Welp, I'm off to my sewing room to try to be productive today. Too many projects and too little time. :-D

Oh Sara

I love daylight savings time!! I am more of an early morning person and love getting up most days, even if it's just getting some coffee and turning on the computer while I see daylight....living in n/west Ontario we have a lot of dark winter months....let alone when we were in northern Manitoba.... Never enough sunlight over the winter months and this year it's been a long one.... Bonus factor... I always figure is that I don't have lights on very much so I am saving the $$ factor as well as being a eco-type without too much extra effort. The only downside I ever felt was when the kids were young and trying to get them to bed while the sun was still shining!! Had to install room darkening blinds !!

Heather

I hate Daylight Savings Time

I hate it. I hate it.
For those of us who don't sleep well, what person/little god decided that those of us in the US should get up 1 hour earlier when we were just getting used to Spring?
I hate it. I hate it.
Sara in Fla. who can't sleep

Sunday, March 9, 2008

sunny days

Only 7 weeks until we head north to the Boise area - home. This winter in AZ has not been nice, way too many allergies related to mold. One doesn't think of the desert harboring mold, but it does. Have had more asthma this winter than in my lifetime. We get wind and mold spores blowing after each rain...and there have been more this winter than usual. Right now the mold and pollen counts are off the charts. Am eager to head home.

On the flip side, we are very happy to have asparagus, berries and fruit in the markets. Lovely. Raspberries and asparagus both for dinner. Doesn't get much better than that.

I'm working on three landscapes: a desert scene, fall in the mountains and summer in farm country. The design wall is full. Work on one until I get stuck, then switch to another. Free cut the farm scene without a pattern - a first. Very liberating but not likely to do it again. Prefer more precision.

Friends are coming to visit in April, the two school chums. We met at ages 7 and 8 making this a 60 year anniversary. We've been able to spend time together most summers - unusual to still be friends after all this time. Am busy planning menus and thinking of day trips. Wouldn't be surprised if they just wanted to chat by the pool, swim and lunch out with a few shopping trips. More friends are visiting this spring and summer in ID. Then comes the 50th class reunion...where does the time go?

Blessings,
MaryJo

dark/stormy/bright/windy

From Friday to today the weather has been all over the board.
Friday we had rain, hail, wind, tornados west of here. About 60 miles west is Lake City, where several houses were destroyed, one person killed. Power lines down.
Sat. morning I got up at 0-dark 30 and went to a friend's house, then we drove downtown for the River Run. There were over 13,000 people in the race, and all the other family members there. By 8:00 AM the sky cleared off and it was sunny, but still gusty winds all day. I did the 15K in 2 hrs. 28 min. Mostly walking but some joging. We had a great time, and are thinking about signing up for the Jeff Jalloway training for getting in shape and doing a 1/2 marathon for next year. Maybe with 2 or three friends we could motivate each other.
Having said that, I'm just a bit sore today. Not too bad, but I have sore toes from the ends of the shoes rubbing them, and one blister on the right heel. I'm thankful that the storms passed quickly and it wasn't raining Sat. at all.
Also glad the knees, ankles, and etc. parts will actually work and I can walk 9 miles. The bridge at the end was a monster, the wind was gusting 40-50 MPH.
No quilting here lately! I do hate this daylight saving time, what are we supposed to be saving? We just turn the lights on in the morning instead of the evening.
Sara in Fla. where the sun is shining, and it is cool.

Crescent City

Forgot to say, that is the St. John's River Catfish Festival.

Weather and other things

Sara (and anyone else in the path of the storms), hope you are all right what with all this bad weather. Here's another festival or two for you, if they still have them: Crescent City, usually first weekend in April, and the Corn Festival in Ocoee usually Memorial Day weekend. Guess you could Google either one or look for the Florida Festivals pamphlets at the Chamber of Commerce. Enjoy!

Doris, I guess you got a whole lot more snow than we did, it only came here yesterday and will melt today. Rained first, then the temps dropped, then it snowed. No one is complaining, we need the water.

Quilt-wise, if anyone ever has an opportunity to hear Mary Lou Weidman do the creative lecture thing, do NOT miss out. It sounds boring and I was not familiar with her work, but went along with a friend. My life is changed forever! Perspective on fabrics will never be the same! You can see her work on her web site, but seeing it close up is just fantastic! Check out her schedule while you are there - she's headed south, then west.
Nuff said for now. Lavinia