I've Been Tagged

Mary Ann has tagged me! I have to list 7 weird things about me, then I have to tag 5 other blogs!


1. I make up silly songs. My kids think it's funny. There's a song called "Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup" that my daughter Julia and I made up together. It would make a cute jingle for Campbell's Soup! There's one about me picking tomatoes in my garden. It has an old time country music flair, even though I don't care much for old time country. I could see Dolly Parton singing it. There's a song about me not being able to find clothes hangers. It's called "Where Have All The Clothes Hangers Gone?". It's to the tune of American Pie. I made up beautiful songs about the day my grandbabies were born. My first three grandkids birth months end in "ber". The fourth one was born in January, so I'm kinda having a hard time coming up with that one, but I'll have one before he realizes it. What's so adorable is that the last time we went to LA (the state. I always feel I have to say that!) was when my first grandson was born. I wasn't thinking and I started singing his song to him while I was rocking him. My Dad asked me what song that was and I told him I made it up for him. So, he started singing the song that he made up for me when I was a baby! How cute is that? I didn't know!

2. I'm constantly embarrassing myself. My husband travels a lot, so my neighbors look out for me. There's the time that I thought my electricity was faulty in my bedroom. My neighbor who is an electrician came over with all of his electrical equipment and testers for sockets. All I had to do was put in a new light bulb. There's the time I got my arm caught in the car seat and couldn't get it out. My granddaugther was 2 and no one else was home. I started screaming "Help" many times. I woke up my neighbor down the street. She came running in her PJ's. My next door neighbor came running. He helped me get my wrist out. Come to find out I was putting the seat belt through the wrong holes. Who knew? Alexis, however,learned a new word that day, "help". At least it wasn't a bad one.

The one that tops all times of me embarrassing myself was the day my washing machine went crazy. One night my washing machine started making this weird noise. It sounded like it was about to lift off. My dog even started barking at it! I turned it off and unplugged it. The next day I called a service repair man. He looked inside and couldn't find anything. Then he plugged it up. He heard what the dog and I had heard the night before, so he unplugged it again. He said, "I'll tell ya what. I'll lift up the washing machine and you can put my tool box underneath it so we can prop it up for me to take a look. Both of us were on the floor. He took out his pliers and started looking. He said, "Oh. Now I see what it is!" He pulled out his pliers holding a pair of my thong underwear!!!!. "This was wrapped around the motor!". OMG!!!!! I grabbed them from him and threw them in the trash!

3. I have dyslexia, even though I have never been officially diagnosed. My Mom and Dad thought it was cute that I could spell backwards. I could even read backwards. How adorable! Bless their hearts. They didn't know and my teachers obviously didn't know. I'm not so sure that 30 something years ago they even knew what dyslexia was! I do a lot of things backwards. Quilting has helped me a lot. I really have to think about what I am doing. What Terry (best friend) says she can do in 4 hours, takes me 8. I don't use a rotary cutter like a right handed person, and I don't use a rotary cutter like a left handed person. I cut like a left handed person with a right handed twist!

4. I have poetry that flows out of my head. All I have to do is sit in a quiet place for a little while and it starts flowing out of no where. It can sometimes drive me crazy. I once wrote a poem about my children that was 6 pages long. It's a beautiful poem. I once became overwhelmed while watching Fons and Porter doing all of these special stitches with their sewing machine that was just like mine. I then wrote a poem about all the things I could be if I had time for my creativity! I once heard someone say that "Quilting is like writing poetry. It's not because you want to; it's because you HAVE to". I completely understand.

5. Before I started quilting I did lots of other crafts. I needed to learn patience, so I learned how to do counted cross-stitch. I made this beautiful picture for my mom and gave it to her the day before my first baby was born. It was a poem that someone else wrote and designed, but it "fit" her so well. On the back of it I wrote, "I hope that I can be the best mom to my baby as you have been to me." That same year I entered it into the Louisiana State Fair. There were lots of entries, and I won first place!!!

6. I cry at serious times, and at times that it is not appropriate. They aren't boo hoo kind of tears like they are at serious times, nevertheless, they are embarrassing and down right weird! I have met several quilting celebrities and have done fine. I wasn't nervous, shaking, or crying. However, I saw Alex Anderson at the AQS Nashville Quilt Show, and I started crying! Tears were rolling down my face (were not talking "rock star groupie screaming" kind of tears) so bad that I couldn't talk to her. She never knew. Now I wonder what I would do if I met Monica, Heather, Pam, Pat and all of the other quilting celebrities here in blogland? Hopefully, I would give them a big hug and not cry!

7. I chew loud even when my mouth is closed. Is that weird or what? It drives my kids slab dab crazy, but my husband and friends have never said anything. It mostly happens while I am eating chips. I guess I don't eat chips around my husband, Terry, or anyone else that I eat with. I know for sure that if this was a really, big, huge problem my husband and my best friend Terry would say SOMETHING!!!

My Favorite Foot

I haven't posted anything "quilty" here lately. That may be because I haven't done anything quilty. I have cut out three Turning Twenty quilts for some friends that are graduating High School, and I did clean out my sewing room. I guess I have been doing something quilty, but nothing exciting to blog about.

I have two Bernina's: a 1030 (mechanical, 18 years old) and a 1530 (computer, 10 years old). I have more machines, but this foot is for Bernina's. I love my Bernina's. They may not be top of the line now, but I love them still. For me the construction of the machine (nothing plastic), the stitch quality, and the warranty were everything I needed in a sewing machine.

Soon after I bought my 1530 the Artita's came out, and Bernina changed the way they made feet. Now I know there is probably a more technical term for this, but all I know is that the new feet they are making for the new machines don't fit the older machines. That didn't bother me until I discovered this new foot.

Bernina has a patchwork foot, #37. For years I have sewn quilts with this foot. It's been great, but I have also had to use moleskin as a barrier beside my foot to keep me sewing straight. Here's a tip: some people think this is "cheating". Anything that you can do to make your quilting experience more enjoyable, successful, and close to perfect as it can possibly be, then that is what you need to do!

I have seen other machine brands whose patchwork feet have a guide on the side to keep the quilter sewing straight in order to keep that perfect seam allowance. I often wondered why Bernina didn't have one. I asked my Bernina dealer and she said they were coming out with one, but she didn't know when.

Bernina finally produced the #57 patchwork foot. It had all of the great qualites of the #37, but it had a guide on the side just like I had seen on some of the other brands of sewing machines. I went to my Bernina store all ready to buy this foot, and she said they were only making them for the new machines. What??? I was so disappointed.

The more I thought about it the more it irritated me. I had been a loyal Bernina customer for 16 years, the least they could do is make a #57 for us quilters that have been with them for so many years. So, I e-mailed the company. In a very nice way I told them that this foot should be made for the older machines. Afterall, we have been loyal customers for many years buying their machines and products. I told them that this foot would make our quilting so much more successful. I think the #57 foot should be made for everyone! They wrote me back and said they were planning to make the #57 for the older machines, but they had so many new machines to make them for at that time it would be a while. I was okay with that, and I thanked them for explaining it to me.

About a year after that I was reading Judy's blog and she was showing us this fantastic patchwork foot that Bernina had. She, like me, has the older machines. She said they finally made the foot for the older machines. I immediately called my Bernina dealer and she had the foot. I was sooooooooooo excited.

I love this foot. I can sew absolutely perfect points, and straight seams! I think any tool or gadget that will make our quilting life more successful is worth buying. My woodworking husband totally understands.

Picture of Me

The best gift my husband ever gave me for Christmas is my digital camera. I just love it.

Well, now the reason for this post and the reason why I posted a picture of myself. Alicia at Posie gets Rosie posted a picture of herself. She's beautiful. I'm not posting a picture of me because I think I am beautiful, total opposite. However, after reading some of the 124 comments that were posted on her blog, I felt like I had to respond in my own way.

My Dad is a professional photographer. I was his subject many, many times. He would use me to practice a new technique, a lighting idea, or test out a new camera. Sunday evenings were his best opportunity to shoot pictures of me. I would be all dressed up for church that night, waiting on my mother to finish getting ready. I would just be sitting there and my dad would say, "Uh..Manda. Let's go outside for a second. I need to test out a new peice of equipment." Now, my dad didn't just shoot one picture, he shot many. There would be different cameras and umbrella's for lighting (not a rain umbrella). I just wish my mom had shot pictures of my dad shooting pictures of me because I am sure they would all be a hoot.

I never minded my dad shooting pictures of me. That's not to say that I enjoyed it and jumped up and down every time he called my name, but it was fun to get the pictures back from the photo lab. What was really fun was to help him develop them in the dark room we had at home for developing black and white pictures. It's so cool to see your face pop up on a sheet of paper when it is carefully dipped into a tray of chemicals.

I remember a picture of my dad when he was 12. He had gotten his first camera and was trying it out. He has several pictures of himself with his camera. I guess he shot them much like I did this one by using a mirror in the bathroom.

Over the years there have been times I haven't enjoyed having my picture made. All of it has to do with my weight at the time. Some pictures I have were during the time I had three chins. Really. I don't like those, but they were a part of who I was at the time. Some are of when I was a teenager and have acne really bad, but then there are some that I have when I am 43 with a huge zit right between my eyes.

As I have gotten older I learned about gravity, puffiness, and crooked teeth. To keep from looking like this
I need to have someone shoot my picture from above so my sagginess will go away like this
Believe it or not those pictures were shot the same day within minutes of each other. I'm sure my grandson won't like that puffy picture of him when he's older either, but it was him at the time.

As I have gotten older I have learned to accept the little laugh lines around my face. That's what I get for being happy and smiling all the time. I can accept the (what I thought was) occasional zit, but I can see it happens more than I have realized. I try to change the things I can such as the frikin beard that Alicia says she has discovered and my crooked teeth. My hairdresser takes care of the beard, and the kid's orthodontist fit me with retainers. I'll save the retainer information for another post.

There are lots of things that I don't like about me that a camera shows all too well. Notice I didn't post pictures of my butt and hips; you may never see that one! However, even though pictures show all of my little imperfections, they also show the fun life that I cherish so much. Thanks, Dad, for teaching me not to be afraid to have my picture made.

Happy Mother's Day

I wrote this post on Mother's Day. I found some pictures of my Mom, but I'm not sure about how to scan them. You may not be interested in reading such a long post, but that's okay. Maybe this post was my way of paying a tribute to my Mom for myself. It felt good to write about her.



Happy Mother's Day to all women, if you are a mother or not. It is a day to celebrate us as the caring, loving, intelligent people that we truly are.

I don't know about you, but I have lots of "moms". My aunts are always there for me, even if I do live 12 hours away. My sister and sister-in-law are pillars of strength for me. They live 12 hours away, too, but they are just a phone call away. Then there are the 150 women that make up the Quilt Guild that I am in. They support me in everything that I do.

My best friend Terry...what would I do without her? She loves my family so much, and I love hers, too. Between us we have 11 grandchildren under the age of 6. We realize how blessed we are when our families get together for holidays (Christmas and Birthdays) and they are running and screaming. Terry is my thrifting, quilting, fabric shopping buddy. She is always there when I take on huge tasks of being Quilt Guild President, Quilt Show Chairperson, and Quilter's Day Out Chairperson. She paints rooms, wallpapers, grooms my dog (he passed away last year), and is there during difficult times (rebellious teenager stuff again).

Of course I can't mention Mother's Day without talking about my Mom. Mom passed away in 1989 with breast cancer. She is the reason I am who I am today.

I was 25 when Mom passed away. She was my best friend. I had two children (4 and 2), my husband was working in South Carolina, I was living in LA (the state) in our home, and I was about to graduate from college. She had battled cancer off and on for about 10 years. I feel so blessed to have had her as long as I did.

Okay...that's the sad part. The happy part is the heritage that she left me. As I looked at her resting it dawned on me that she entered this world with nothing, and she left with nothing. However, the many things that I learned from her and the wonderful memories I have of her far outweigh all of the material things in life.

She taught me how to have faith in God, even when those around you say there's no way out. I may not have battled cancer, but I have battled a rebellious teenager. Believe me, faith can move mountains.

She was a mentor to young people, young mothers, and to her clients at her accounting firm. She taught me that you don't have to be related to people to care for them and love them.

She taught me how to sew. She bought my first sewing machine when I was 12. I can still see her hands over my hands as I push fabric under the needle. She had such patience, bless her heart. Her teaching me how to sew has made my home beautiful, kept our bodies warm, and clothed me and my children. My sewing machine has been my therapy for when life gets too hard to handle. I have figured out a lot of lifes problems while making something beautiful with my sewing machine.

I understand now why she loved to walk so much. She walked everywhere she went. I thought she was doing for exercise, even though she weighed 118. Little did I know that she not only did it for exercise, but she did it to get away, clear her mind, and to get those endorphins going. She probably also did it so she wouldn't spread out from sewing and sitting at a desk all day, thus the reason I don't weigh 118 and she did.

She and my dad taught me to have a positive spirt. They both read The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale, and that's all I heard. There's always a positive side to things. My family and I get teased because we smile all the time. A man that I knew when I lived in PA asked me one day what was there to be so happy about? He told me that every time he sees me, my husband, or my kids we're always smiling. I don't know...I have lots to be happy about. Happiness is a choice. You have to work for it. It doesn't just happen. It starts first with a positive attitude.

She taught me how to love unconditionally. I think that the best gift a mother can give her children is to love them no matter what. (That really came in handy when my daughter was 16, pregnant, and ran away from home. Talk about hard times. All is great now.) I think if we all loved each other, no matter what, the world would be a happier, more peaceful place.

She taught me how to forgive. That's a big one. It is hard to forgive, but forgiving sets you free. It doesn't excuse what someone has done to you, but it lets you live. It doesn't let you forget, but it lets you move forward.

She taught me how to bake. I am known everywhere for my chocolate chip cookies. I use the same recipe that is on the back of a bag of chocolate chips, but for some reason mine turn out better. If you read my personal profile you all know I can't cook. I got that from her, too.

She taught me how to comfort others, whether they are grieving, homebound, hurt, sick, or overwhelmed. She also taught me how to accept others comforting me when I am grieving, hurt, sick, homebound (I was homebound for 3 months with a sick baby. I couldn't go anywhere and no one could come to my home),and overwhelmed.

Our fun times were spent shopping, shopping for fabric, sewing together, visitng family, spending time at the lake house, traveling with our travel trailer, traveling to visit her brothers in Colorado and Texas, taking long walks, watching her fall in love with my oldest two children (she died before my third one was born, so I named her after my Mom: Julia!) and so many more. Thanks to my parents, I had a great childhood.

I don't know about you, but it seems that this Mother's Day I have heard more people not only talk about their Mothers, but of all the women in their lives. I like that! The power of women is great. Just look at us all in blogland. We laugh, cry, pray for each other, get inspired by each other, and so much more. I hope you're feeling the bloggie love like Monica talks about!

Blog Header

I am trying to make a new header for my blog. I thought that I finally figured out how to do it, but I can't seem to "size" it the way I want. I'm about to lose patience, so I guess I better accept what I have got, and try again tomorrow. I think Mary Ann's idea to pay someone to do this sounds like a whole lot easier.

My house buying experience is going okay. My friend that is a home builder went and did the inspection for me. He doesn't like that the house sits so close to the ground. It also has a musty (is that how you spell it)smell that he doesn't like, so I have the termite inspection guy and the vapor barrier guy going over there to check for termites and mold. If those things are both present, then the deal is off.

Yesterday the home owner called me. He calls me every day wondering when closing is going to be. Well, I've got news for him: it will be when all the inspections are done, and when my lawyer is ready. Anyway, he called me yesterday. He always calls me when I am checking out at a store. That tells you a whole lot about me: I shop a lot. So, here I am at Walmart trying to get my daughter all ready (snacks) for a band trip to Chicago. He tells me that the people that he is buying a house from want proof from my bank that I applied for a loan and that we are in the process of getting things ready for closing. I could feel STEAM coming from my ears. I was soooooooooo mad, but I didn't let him know that. I was nice. (It's that southern charm rearing its sweet little head again).

I started getting a head ache. My TMJ stuff was kicking in (it probably didn't help that I had on a head-band), and my muscles along my temples were twitching. I'm not usually that way, but I guess I had had enough. So, I called my banker. I wasn't spouting off, but she could tell I was upset when I said that I didn't think this was ethical.

Missy started laughing, and she said that under normal circumstances it would be unethical, but it was common business practice for the other people selling their house to want to make sure that we aren't playing games. Oh...okay. Common business practice? Ok. I'm better.

The sweet thing about all of it is that yesterday my husband called me. This was before the "common business practice" thingy. He said that he is so glad that I have a level head, and he thinks that I am doing great handling all of the business aspects of this. Wow! I love getting compliments from him. I am learning a lot, and it is kinda fun. I just wish the homeowner would quit calling me!!!

Just Checking In

Ugghh!! I feel red in the face because I haven't written since the 30th of April!

Well, as my blog says, I am a busy little quilter and more. Quilting isn't what I have been doing, though.

I have been working on buying a home for my daughter and the grandbabies. It's been exciting. I have learned a lot about real estate, banks, lawyers, percentage rates, and much more. That part of it has been work.

The fun part of it is that, not only do I love to quilt, I also love to decorate. My best friend, Terry, is like that, too. We have been thrifting for furniture, pictures, fabric, and little do dads to decorate with. This house is going to be decorated with such pizzaz and it won't cost that much.

Well, I know this is a teaser. I know you all love pictures. I don't have any, yet.

I did, however, want to let you all know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, but I have been a busy little quilter, real estate extrodinnare, financial wizzard, and thrifty decorator.

By the way...my daughter has given us full control of decorating. She works full time and doesn't have time to do all of the extras. We just keep reminding ourselves that she is 22; not 43 or 47.