Happy Birthday to meeee....

Stash Report & UFO report

Stash Report:  I fell off the wagon.  But at $3/m for Christmas prints I could not help myself.  All my Red Hat friends had the same problem.

Used this month        4.9 m
Used YTD              21.4 m
Added this month    15.1 m
Added YTD            15.1 m
Net 2011                 -6.3 m

February's UFO is done.  done.  done.  Even hand stitching of the binding is half way complete, and I'll have that finished by tomorrow.

I'll need to soak this to remove the little blue dots in the center of the flowers.  I always prefer the crinkly look of a quilt after washing, so I usually do this anyways.

I also quilted up two small tops for Quilts of Valour.

On the home front, here's my latest from scratch bread. The crust is dark but not as burnt as it appears in the photo. It was a TOUGH crust though. I had to gently score the crust so the bread knife would stop sliding off.  For a couple of minutes there it was like watching a cartoon.

This is Molasses Oatmeal bread. Very tasty with a nice texture. And the crust gave our teeth a nice workout.  I'm thinking that buttering the top of the dough was a bad move.

On the news front, I am trying to decide who is more insane at the present time. Moammar Gadhafi or Charlie Sheen. Moammar, Charlie, Moammar, Charlie. Hmmm.

UFO update & ouchie

Check my ufo page to see what I'm up to.  There is a tip there on today's post for longarm quilters. This is pretty intense quilting in the sense that it is totally custom and involves a lot of ruler work.  This means I am hunched over for hours.  In spite of my exercises (jumping jacks, stretches, yoga, walking, skating) I still have cranky muscles.  This afternoon I am going to see my second favorite man in the whole world (Favorite being my husband.  Thought I'd clear that up.).  My chiropractor, Dr. Jim.  He's going to work on my pectoralis minor.  When DH works on it he gets confused and ends up working on something totally different, if you know what I mean.

I share my chiropractor with Anita Zobens of Cotton Mill Thread Works.  I think he's her second favorite man, too.

Bread

If you recall, we got a new breadmaker a while ago and it's a piece of drek.  That is a nice way of saying it's a piece of sh*t.  DH called Black & Decker to complain and they will send us the next model up, as soon as we send them the plug from this bad one.

In the meantime, I was craving some fresh-from-the-oven bread.  I broke down and made it from scratch.  I haven't done that in YEARS.  Like... at least 14 years.  It seems I forgot how to make the loaves look nice.  I will do better next time.

I couldn't find a recipe that appeared easy enough in any of my cookbooks (ok, the two that I looked in, if you really want to know).  So I went to my new favorite go-to blog: Patchwork Times.  I'm starting to feel like a stalker, but I absolutely love Judy's blog.

She is a quilter, author, cook, gardener, dog owner, and poultrist.  Yes.  I did make that word up.  It means she has chickens.  If I need to know something, she is my new best friend.  Even if she doesn't know it.
Her recipe for white bread is here.  Enjoy.  Next, I will be stretching my wings and making something a little less white and a little more fibre-ey.

two sided quilt, walking the dog, Leibster Award

Two sided quilt.  I love the Op Art side.

Sadie and I went for a walk today because we're going through a January thaw.  February thaw?  Nice and mild, in any event.  The melting snow exposes all kinds of interesting things that dogs need to stop and investigate.

• discarded empty water bottle.
• discarded Tim Hortons cup.  Probably blew out of someone's pickup truck box.
• empty no-name tuna tin from the neighbour's recycle box.  This is the guy who won a 7 figure lottery.  Why is he buying no-name tuna?
• a stone.  I did not find this interesting, ok?  Only the dog.
• partial plastic bag.
• unidentifiable yellow thing.  Slightly larger than a twoonie.  (hmm - google's speller does not like the word twoonie.  Should it be twoony?  toony? toonie?)
• McDonalds hamburger box.  Then the matching soda cup & straw.

 Anyhow... the shoulders of the road are VERY MUDDY.

We play frisbee out in the snowbank.  Hopefully she'll clean herself off enough that I can let her in the house.

I decided to have an herbal tea after our walk.  Apparently I bought a new blend by President's Choice.  With fibre.

Last week a fellow blogger (Dolores at True Blue Canadian) gave me a Leibster Award.  This is for blogs with less than 300 followers to help drive up traffic.  Dolores likes my sense of humour.  And probably the way I spell humour.  And neighbour.  But I digress...

I am bestowing this award on a few more blogs I like, that may fit the bill.

• Luke & Mel's food blog.  (Total nepotism here.  But I DO love their blog.) Cheese Yes Please.
•  Jill Buckley's blog.  The Quilt Rat.
•  My friend Kristyn's blog.  Melon Patch Quilts.
• Shirley Bruner, a 'list' aquaintance.  I don't think she sleeps.  The World According to Me.
• Suzanne Earley, owner of the above 'list'.  Suzanne Earley.

If you're bored, these blogs should give you lots of entertainment.

Baltimore Album Quilt and Guild Bag Swap

Baltimore Album quilt.  This is the raffle quilt for the Stoney Creek Quilters' Guild 2012 show.

Members bought block kits for $10.

They were refunded the $10 when the completed block was returned.

Some of these blocks are so pretty - with added details like embroidery and beading.

At my Caledonia guild we have a February Valentines Bag Swap.  I sent a pattern out to the members back in October.  The bags get filled with $10 worth of 'stuff'.  Anyone who participates gets to choose a bag. 

This (as you have likely figured out already - I know you are pretty smart) is the bag I brought home from the meeting.  The chocolates are all gone already.  Or relocated to my thighs?

DH and I went skating last week at the local arena.  The 'adult' hour is from 12:30 - 1:30 and costs a whole $3 per person.  It's only $2 if you can convince them you are a senior.  And actually, it really only costs if you can find the sweeper guy and give him some money.  There were 4 ladies skating, 2 men skating, and DH and I.  I was the entertainment (translates to:  fell on my arse and slid across the ice).  I am hoping that if I go a few more times I will stop feeling like a bobble-head doll.  When you try to do something (ahem) athletic that you haven't done in, like, more than 20 years, there is a bit of a learning curve.  It's kind of embarrassing that several people have already asked me SERIOUSLY if I am wearing a helmet.  I know I'm bad, but...

Lantern Quilt, another one

This Lantern Quilt was made by Doris - the gal who traveled to Asia with me in 2009. She made this as a souvenir quilt, using fabrics she bought on our trip.

I used a variegated thread - Signature 'Victorian'.

It has wool batting - my favorite.  It shows the quilting beautifully, and is very light in the quilt.

Hmm.  What I wish I was doing. 

Hah - you're thinking:  "Passed out under the coffee table????".  Well, perhaps getting there might have been fun, but no.  I just mean SLEEPING.  Today was another 5 am morning.  It is so frustrating to lay in bed feeling really tired, but unable to nod off.I woke up from a bad dream where I was fighting with DH over taking out the trash, and I was trying to refinish or paint something (?) and I'd left a teeny dog in a cardboard box for weeks without feeding it.  Crazy stuff.  As you can clearly see, I do not mistreat my dog.

I think I was stressed out over mom.  I went to visit yesterday and she was not happy.  Just not happy.  She wanted to come home with me.  She left me at the elevator which is really unusual.  It is so hard to see someone you love unhappy.  And not a darn thing you can do about it.

And, just so I don't leave you miserable and depressed:

Dresden Fan quilt & lucky draws

Here's a beauty of a Dresden Fan quilt.

A feather meander was used in the white background.

Overall view of the back.  Did I mention I love looking at the back of quilts?

A closer view showing the borders. 

Last night was my Binbrook guild meeting.  I took my January UFO and completed hand stitching the binding.  Check my UFO page (see above) for the pics.  I should have bought a lottery ticket yesterday, if the guild meeting was any indication of my luck.  I won the Show & Share draw.  I won the Block of the Month collection.  I dropped those blocks like a hot potato though.  I have ENOUGH ufos.  As much as I like the blocks...  But to continue:  I won the 50/50 pot.  I wish the universe was always that generous.