Lots Of Sweetness

Hello baby brother…are you ready to play. We have the coolest car room that mama and dada made for us and so many fun toys….hello are you listening.!!! Little Polka Dot was so glad to see his mommy..he missed her so much, now life is the way it is suppose to be.Meeting Aunt KK for the first time…..love at first sight! How did my two babies grow up so fast, and now my son has two of his own…amazing!!!!!! There has been lots of holding and visiting this week and I am getting all the holding in that I can because I know the holding part doesn’t last very long.

There was a bit of time to squeeze in working on a mini..yummy! And then three quilts of my own back from the AMAZING quilters and ready for the binding to be put on.

A sweet comment left by Corrie on my last post led me to her blog Quilt Taffy…which along with her sister Des they have so many wonderful things to share and then to their FANTASTIC EBay store Quilt Taffy that is brimming with kits, patterns, jelly rolls, charm packs, fabrics and on and on and on which then led to this arriving in my mailbox licikity splicity….great customer service ladies!

I am pleased to introduce you to Boogie who is one lucky pup living with my friend Beth and her husband. Even luckier because he gets to go to school with her and hang out with her students. Sleeping on backpacks is one of his favorite spots . Are you looking at me?? Woozers those are some blue eyes..sorry Boogie I couldn’t get that blue out!

I would like to thank you all for the very special comments and emails welcoming our new bundle of joy. Your friendship means so much. You guys are the best. Happy Thursday everyone!!!

Our Hearts Are Full

Early this morning (4:05 to be exact) we got the call that it was time. I threw on some clothes and rushed over to stay with Little Polka Dot. So exciting and nervous all rolled up together, but with my DIL’s mom keeping me informed it was just a matter of waiting! Well at 8:30 a.m. our sweet baby Caleb Joshua was born. Baby, mom, and dad are all doing fine! Here he is sleeping so sweetly on his mama. Those chubby little baby cheeks, so sweet and we hear there is a possible sighting of TWO dimples. He just had to outdo his big brother. He chowed down right away…so he definitely is one of us!!

Papa, Little Polka Dot and myself had to go have a look see in person, but not before we took care of some very important business. You probably have heard we are having some wild weather here in California, and our wild weather turned to snow early this morning. So Papa and Little Polka Dot had some fun in the snow. So sweet, when he saw the snow out the window he said oooooooooooooooo! He was so excited and had his rain boots on .

Off to the hospital we went. Little Polka Dot had to stay in the waiting area with his other grandma…….no little visitors anymore because of the Swine Flu. There was our sweet family, I was just overcome with emotion and we are so grateful that all went well. Mom and dad were just beaming and little Caleb was sleeping so snug on his mom. His mama looked beautiful and hard to believe she just had a baby! The nurse came to bathe him, and wouldn’t you know it, but it was a quilting friend. She was so gentle with him, answering all our questions, and of course getting a bit of quilt talk in!!!

Life is good………..and you know more pictures to follow!!!

Check!

My Churn Dash top is done……CHECK..ok, so it’s only 16 X 20, but it’s done and so cute. My piecing abilities are a bit in question, but nothing that a little practice can’t correct!! I just love it and now I think I’m on to something…SMALL QUILTS….. I can actually get them done.

Two of my next options……both small so why not do both!

Here’s a real finish..pieced by a friend, quilted by a friend and I put the binding on. Perfect on my table and chocked full of friendship!!

We are still on baby watch or waiting I should say. Little Polka Dot is coming for a play day tomorrow and we can’t wait. Wednesday we have a visit with our girl and some sight seeing in her neck of the woods, then Thursday and Friday a visit from some long time quilty friends.

Feels so good to be back to getting something accomplished…now to keep the ball rolling. Happy week everyone!

Thoughts And Prayers

Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to all those in Haiti. So many lives lost and so many suffering. Such an enormous tragedy...it's just hard to wrap your mind around it all.


Mary Anne at Moombeams In A Jar came upon this wonderful site....Craft Hope, and in Mary Anne's words, "a blog hosted by 3 gals who organize crafters to benefit all sorts of good causes." They busily put together an Etsy site to help the people of Haiti, and we all have an opportunity to help by either purchasing items from them, or donating items. 100% of the proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders. Thanks Mary Anne for passing the word. Off now to do some shopping!

Inch By Inch, Stitch By Stitch…I Am Determined!!!

  I’m in need of some quilting time, so I decided this mini churn dash would do the trick and I could whip it right out…some piecingsome  trimming…….. some laying out……

some more piecing….progress is slow, but progress is progress!!!!

The week has been fun and tonight is my sit and sew night and there is a binding just waiting to be done!!!

I have had several emails about where to get the wooden cars we painted at the baby shower.  Info to follow when I hear from our hostess. Here’s my wonderful sister in law and sweet niece showing their models.  Love them both so much and that sweet niece of mine is graduating from college  in a few months…..WE ARE OVER THE MOON PROUD OF HER,  and can’t forget her brother who is graduating from High School…again OTM PROUD OF HIM!!!!  There’s going to be some major celebrating going on!!!!   Happy mid week bloggers:-)!

A Good Quilty Week…..and ahhhhh …A Baby Shower!

Such a good quilty week. Tuesday my weekly breakfast with my quilty friends Evelyn and Carol….Wednesday night , weekly sit and sew---my cheeks hurt from laughing…..Friday night a quilty dinner exchange!!! Last January another friendship group I meet with, decided we would pick names and take a year to make a quilt for the person we picked. Friday night was our dinner and quilt reveal, and wow, the quilts were wonderful. Here’s a peek at some of the beauties and the butterfly quilt is MINE!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the oh so pretty quilt Lillie…I love it and it is so beautifully made. Fourteen quilts exchanged in all....so more pictures to follow!

Today was Baby Polka Dots shower and was so, so, so, so much fun. My DIL has a car theme in the boys room, and her friend Adrianna who hosted the shower ordered wooden cars for all of us to paint. It was so much fun to sit and paint and visit, and of course lots of eating was happening too. And finally a chance to use my wonderful cupcake stand that my friend Lani gave me!! This little guy got a HUGE pile of cutie patottie outfits. He is going to be one stylin’ little guy! Sixteen more days and Little Polka Dot becomes a big brother! So much in the moment not many pictures taken

I am so grateful for all my wonderful quilty friends and so grateful for the wonderful family and friends that made the shower so special for our sweet mommy and her baby to be!! Happy week everyone!!!

Hold On To Your Hats…..Tech Support Here!!!!

Me giving anyone computer help is at the very least hysterical…in fact I know Sharon is probably crying she is laughing so hard. To start off my computer knowledge is itsy bitsy, and what I know my girl has taught me, Sharon has helped me with as well as fellow bloggers. I just stumbled upon this quick way to post totally by accident….so here goes.

A quick way to do a post with pictures….. On my computer this bar pops up when I turn it on. I clicked on the camera icon and then clicked the box below the camera icon. Up popped all my photos. The bar above the photos says “make” which I clicked and then up pops make a blog post!!! What ….are you kidding…whoohoo, sorry back to business. It walks you through inputting your blog name and then up pops my blank background all ready to write a post on. On the side bar there are lots of inserts you can do…pictures which I added in a blink of an eye. AMAZING….Then at the upper left hand corner is an icon that says Publish….and whamo, bamo my post was done. I can’t believe how fast. Sorry for not knowing the correct computer lingo!!! It has spell-check and all the other neato stuff to jazz up your post. This is all done off line, and when you publish it sends it to your blog.

Hopefully this makes sense!!! It is so fast I’m thinking I have no excuses for not blogging now!!!!! Happy Tuesday!

Testing, Testing!!!

This is so exciting!!!! I found this program on the computer that I think will make writing and adding pictures to my blog so much easier!!! So I am doing a test and couldn’t help but use Little Polka Dots picture, and that’s his cousin Beth!!! She has taken some wonderful pictures of our little guy….so nice that we have one of her and him!! Ok, off to see how this test works out.

Happy Tuesday everybody!!!!

Some Thoughts From Nana.....and Happy New Year!!!

Hi everybody and a very Happy New Year to one and all. I know our friends in some parts of the world are already on to 2010, and some of us are fast approaching the celebrating. Hard to believe we are to 2010.

The Xmas holidays were wonderful for our family. Little Polka Dot is so much fun and so darn cute...sorry, again, can't help myself. A while back on his own he started calling Mr. Polka Dot ..Papa. How cute. His mom and dad thought we were teaching him that and we thought they were, but he just figured that out on his own. Now he has picked my name....Nana...I LOVE IT, and the fact that he choose it makes it even better. He could frankly call me anything, but Nana it is! Here he is at our family Xmas party on Aunt Jane's carousel horse with Papa helping. Such a happy guy!! We had lots of great family time this year and feel lucky to be close enough to have time with everyone. My daughter in laws family had their annual tamale making party....SO MUCH FUN, and in the words of her mom, what is talked about at the tamale making party stays at the tamale making party!!!! Because our girl had to work on Xmas day we decided to drive out and have dinner with her and her boyfriend and his family.....FUN, and a great Italian dinner. Christmas day was spent at our house with Mr. Polka Dots family joining us and then the BIG SURPISE.........our girl drove here after work anyway. She made us cry happy tears!!! The day was perfect!!! Tamales, taquittos, chile casserole, beans, fruit salad and my daughter in laws AMAZING Brownie Balls..... totally amazing!!!! My sister in laws helping me to pull it all together...so lucky to have them both!!!

Our girl came home for a gingerbread making party the week before Christmas with her high school friends, and Little Polka Dot and his mom...again FUN, and yummy all rolled together. Years ago we were given this wonderful gingerbread house mold from Williams Sanoma and it makes the perfect size house. Fun that the girls wanted to do it again this year...just like old times. They are such good friends, and so fun they included Little Dot and his mommy. The tradition lives on :-)!!!

Miss Geranium sent me the most wonderful box of Xmas goodies. I had decided to try one of the biscuits, but the tin was filled to the brim with more wonderful Xmas goodies. She spoiled me!! Then I got this wonderful "Random Act of Christmas Cheer" from Nanette. So sweet, and the fabrics are just amazing. I can't wait to find the perfect project to use them in.

On the quilt front.......well I did get all the rows together on my camp quilt, and one of the side borders added. As you can see by the fold marks it's been tucked away for a bit of time. I'm thinking I will work on the other borders tonight while I watch the New Years Eve celebrating on TV...yes I know it sounds like a wild old time, but I'll try really hard to control myself. Mr. Polka Dot will be at the blanket show long before midnight for sure!!!! Here's some mini quilts that I put the binding on yesterday for a friend. I LOVE THESE BABIES......think they need to go on the to do list...boy that list is long!

This seems to be the time of year to make resolutions. I am not doing it this year because I don't seem to follow through. I just am going to reflect on the great year we have had as a family and we are all looking forward to our new little guy due in about 4 weeks....so exciting!!! This has been a year of change, and one think I have learned for sure is that change is good...very, very, very good!!! Thanks for a wonderful year of blogging and bloggy friendships and my best wishes for a Happy New Year to all of you!!

Merry Christmas

The elves are busy around here getting packages wrapped, and goodies made.....a fun Xmas Eve dinner with our girl and then plenty of family here Friday for Christmas. Little Polka Dot is having so much fun...going to lots of parties, having his cousin Caroline and her mommy and daddy staying at his house, and presents, presents, presents to be opened. He only has about 5 more weeks and then poof, he magically turns in to a big brother!

I borrowed this wonderful Santa from my friend Annie..hope she doesn't mind. I just couldn't resist that polka dot hat!!

Time for me to get myself tucked in bed. Wishing all of you and your families the best Christmas ever!

Hellllllllo, It's This Thing Working???

I'm back and I have really missed all the happenings....BUT, lots of binding deadlines and then a little bug that came to visit took priority. So now for some catching up!

First Thanksgiving.....WONDERFUL!!! My sister in law hosted, and the food was so good and so much visiting and talking and eating, just a really fun day. Our girl was able to come by after work and arrived just in time for dinner...perfect!!! Here's Little Polka Dot enjoying the day....honestly isn't he just the cutest??? That was a very shameless grandma comment, but I just couldn't help myself! Our niece Beth took such great photos of him, and I could show you a trillion but I won't!!! Sixteen months old, so hard to believe and we are enjoying each and every moment we get to spend with him. What a character he is and such a big boy already.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving I sewed at an all day Quilt Till You Wilt event. So much fun and the food......yummmmmmy!!! There was a traveling cowboy chef that came and made the best ever beef sandwiches and again the best ever, ever, ever potato salad....oh yeah..and we quilted!!!! There were three of us that decided to use my friend Annie's pattern using a Happy Campers jelly roll.....those are the pieces to the one quilt I didn't finish, but here's the two I did! Picture in the middle is my friend Beth's quilt and mine. What a great pattern and whips up really fast.

Great mail came!!! My SSCS parcel arrived from Jo Jo in Australia....love the wool snowman
ornament and how am I ever going to resist opening this gift till Xmas day???!!! hmmmm, don't think I can do it, I am so tempted........Jo Jo came to my rescue and said I should go ahead and open it so I can use it this Christmas.....YIPEEEEEEE, love this Santa. She did such a beautiful job making him. Thanks JoJo and BIG THANKS for giving me the OK to open my parcel!

Then there's the binding deadlines....amazing so many beautiful quilts, lots of pieced quilts this year. There will be some happy people on Xmas
morning...just sayin'! Here's a few Xmas ones that I wanted to share. The trees on the left are my friend Carol's. She got the pattern when we went to Houston a few years ago and did a fine job collecting greens, black and whites...someday I'll do this one!!! Then a wonderful snowman sampler and a Lover's Knot toopper ......so beautiful!!!!

Between the Thanksgiving celebrating and the binding deadline thingie, there was this 24 hour bug that came to visit and knocked me on my keester...wow!!! Then it knocked Mr. Polka Dot on his keester except for him, a cold came right along with it. Me feeling very smug that I didn't get the cold part....MISTAKE, then the cold part knocked me on my keester again!!! Finally turning the corner just in the nick of time.....I just get these things this time of year you would think I would be use to it by now!!

Xmas decorating is happening......FINALLLLLY!!! Word has it there's a wild Gingerbread decorating party happening next week, so things better be looking festive! Nice to be back amongst the blog world......15 more days till the the big guy comes!!! Happy Friday (and Saturday in some parts) everyone!!

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all my bloggy friends in the States!!!

Be back next week for lots of catching up....happy rest of the week everybody!!!