A New Month, A New Day

Well, I knew I'd been in a slump but this is ridiculous.  It's like I have nothing to show for a month of my life.

On July 3, I started to take some medicine to get my migraines under control.  Before I knew it, I was almost comatose.  I've never been so sick.  Rich had taken the kids to Iowa for 4 days and I was supposed to use the time to be creative and awesome.  Nope, sick and depressed.  I put new shelf paper in my cupboards...it had been 10 years after all.  And, I bought a new butter dish.  It's really cute.  That's what I did when I was on my own, without cooking and laundry for others.  So, I stopped taking the pills after a week.  There's one week of my life, I'll never get back.  Then, another week to start to feel better.  Then, the migraines came back.  I guess I don't know what happened to the other 2 weeks, they just disappeared.

I did make a table runner out of the left over blocks from my brother-in-laws wedding quilt.  Thinking ahead for fall.  Not my thing but Rich loves those colors.  I really like the fabrics when I look at them individually.  Great, rich colors.

My mother-in-law gave me poinsettias for Christmas and they came in that cute white vase.  It's been sitting empty on my table since they died.  I was SHOCKED at the prices of plastic flowers!  You used to be able to get them so cheap.  So, I waited until these went on sale 70% and did the whole arrangement for under $15.

The table mat with strawberries is from the book my friend Donna gave me.  I did the daisy block a couple months ago from the same book.  I don't feel like it's finished.  My TAS friends felt the same way and helped me come up with the big finish.  I bought some red felt to do a "rim" around the bottom.  It should cover the stitching underneath and give it the little extra something.

Then, more strawberries.  I started Strawberry Social by The Pattern Basket.  I think it's going to be super cute when I'm done but it's so monotonous!  A couple here and there and I might finish it some day.

I have really slowed progress on my own wedding quilt.  I still love it but I'm getting a bit bored with it, too.

Now I'm trying out a gluten-free diet for the migraines.  That's depressing, too.  I love cupcake lab.  A lot.  It's Rich's fault, he suggested I give it a try.  I was gluten-free all week, gluten on Thurs and Fri and migraine by Sat.  2 weeks in a row.  Ding, ding, ding.  Now to find out how to live without wheat.  Most of the pre-mixed flours contain soy.  I'm allergic to that, so I'm going to have to go into Missouri to find special flours to mix my own.  Tonight I tried a pie crust.  It's weird.  Whine, complain, whine, pout.

This is August, and August is a new month.  We bought an awesome new bed and each day I'm going to wake up feeling better.  And, feeling better is going to turn into feeling creative.  Feeling creative is going to make me awesome.

It's All About Weddings

I'm the youngest of my family, by a lot.  Consequently, I'm the aunt of several people that are barely younger than me.  It's the new American way.  Pretty sure, I was doing it before it was cool, though.  I've decided this year is all about the wedding quilts and I just happen to be in the midst of wedding season at work.

My niece was married maybe 5 years ago?  And, has 2 kids.  I'm a little behind but at least I'm getting it done, right?  She lives in Oregon and said she and her husband like earth tones.  I adapted Edyta Sitar's wall hanging pattern into a bed quilt and added 2 more birds.  One for each family member.

I used a whole roll of triangle paper to make the 1/2 square triangles and  have around a billion left over.  So, I'll be doing a few more projects from that book.   I really loved this quilt until Hunter said it was trippy.  I don't know what he meant by that.  Trippy good, trippy bad?  What?  It got applause from my Applique group, so I'm taking that as good.  Now to quilt it and get it shipped out.  I'm a little scared.  Machine quilting isn't my forte, really.  And, my machine is iffy at best.

So, then we have her sister.  She was married last year in a bright yellow sun dress.  So, I'm doing better on timing there.  I wanted to do a yellow dresden plate quilt and call it "You Are My Sunshine".  She says she's obsessed with zebra print and hot pink.  I, on the other hand, don't like animal prints.  To compromise, I'm starting a black and white dresden with hot pink centers.  It will be called "So Many Plates to Fill".  She has 6 kids between her and her husband.  That's right, I don't have the most kids anymore...  The bag you see is the white blades that need turning.  I went a little crazy and have some 350 made.  That's enough for 35 plates, which, I think is about 2 quilts.  Oops.  I guess I'll make a couple baby quilts, too?

Then we have Rich's brother, who is much younger than him.  Ross is getting married this fall.  I'm REALLY on the ball with this one.  They live on the horse farm with my in-laws and are all about cowboy living.  Last I heard, she was planning a fall colored wedding.  I went with Kansas Troubles fabrics.  Which, is the same designer that I've used for my Mother-In-Law's quilts.  I'm really hoping they like it.

Yes, they all might read my blog and now know I'm making quilts for them.  But, I'm pretty sure no one will be surprised that their wedding gift from me is a quilt...

Then, there's cupcake lab.  This time I made vanilla cake with banana mascarpone filling and topped with fresh whipped cream for my supervisor's birthday.  These were, and I quote "the best damned cupcakes I've ever had", according to a fellow co-worker.  Score!

The first batch didn't work so well.  So many yellow cake recipes taste like sweet corn bread!  Bleh.  Sierra had the idea to change our favorite chocolate cake recipe into yellow cake.  It has the perfect texture.  She's so smart.  Tomorrow, I have a quilty meeting to go to.  I'm thinking, lemonade cupcakes?

My Wedding Quilt That Never Happened

So, I've been married for 20 years.  Here's our story.  I was living with my on again, off again boyfriend of 4 years in Riverside, CA when I realized that I'd made a terrible mistake.  Some relationships just shouldn't happen.

I was working with his sister at the time (who'd also gotten me my job) and was kind enough to let me move in with her until I found my own place.  That same week, she and some friends were going to Tijuana, Mexico for the night.  Feeling sorry for me, she invited me along.

Anita and her friends met some Marines.  They claimed they had a friend they were going to hook me up with.  Honestly, no better way to get over a loser than a fling with a hot Marine.  So, we go to the hotel where he's staying.  Gross, Tijuana hotel.  But, he won't come out to play because he has a migraine, leaving me to fend for myself the rest of the evening.  Which, by the way, I managed just fine.  There was a time that I was kinda cute, and guys dug me.  For real, I'm not making that up...

Anthony, who?

Later that week I talk to the guy on the phone and I'm pretty sure we have NOTHING in common.  He tells me he's a surfer, blah, blah, blah.  His family is wealthy and owns a trucking company, blahzy blah.  Whatever man, whatever.  Anita and her friends make plans with them for the next weekend.  By then, I'm feeling much better about my future.  Who needs a man anyways?  There's nothing wrong with being single and independent.

The guys come over and they have their buddy this time.  I think we went to meet them somewhere, so they wouldn't get lost, maybe?  I walk up to an Iroc Z to see who my date for the evening would be....

He's too good looking, I'm going to hate him!  And, he's a surfer?  Eh, not my type.  He gets out of the back seat and he is SERIOUSLY good looking.  Damn it!  I really have a problem with attractive men.  They think too highly of themselves.  It's obnoxious.  I can't stand it when they care more about their looks than I care about my own!  (One of the problems with the previous relationship)

But wait, he's wearing cut offs and an ugly button up shirt.  Didn't exactly dress us to meet me... The night progresses and I find out that he's really a farm boy from Iowa.  Yes, his family owns a trucking company but they aren't exactly wealthy.  He's seriously funny and seemingly stable.  Having just returned from Okinawa, Japan he was literally wearing his only civilian clothing.  And, he had to buy the shirt that day at the PX.  It was one of two options.  He gets more and more interesting by the moment.  And still, seriously attractive.  Did I mention funny?  Hmm, pretty eyes, too.

His drunk friend kept saying his name different ways so finally I asked him how he spelled it.  Oh.  MANTZ, I thought he was saying Manson, and I was going to stop things before they got started.  No way was I going to be associated with Charles Manson in any way.  By the end of that night, the girls hated their dates but I knew I'd met my future.

We eloped to Las Vegas 3 months later.  The thing about eloping, nobody buys you presents.  Since I've always admired wedding quilts, I decided to make my own.  My guild Secret Pal gave me the book a few months ago and I'm crazy about the project right now.  Each block will have more embroidery, buttons and beads eventually.  Now that I see the blocks up against that rick rack, I think I'm going to do something more with rick rack, too.  I want it to be happy and fun.  20 years, 4 kids, a lot of pounds (me, not him damn it) and a hell of a lot of ups and downs.  But, at the heart we are still two super hot, happy, fun kids that are beyond lucky to have stumbled upon each other.

And there, you have it.  Rich and Heather Mantz, the story.

Well, At Least It's Not Candy Crush

Grandbabies are popping up all over the place at work.  My friend De is about to be a first time grandma and she quilts, so I had to come up with something other than a quilt.  And, my wrists hurt when I crochet.  I decided to give these baby blocks a try and they were a lot of fun to make.  I had a pattern, but honestly, you can do it without.  Sierra had the cool idea of making giant dice.  That would be fun!

Then I made Cookie Dough Cupcakes for another co-worker's B-day.  They were SO good!  Just use a cake batter and drop frozen cookie dough in the center before you bake it.  Don't overcook.  Only bake for 16 min.  Cool completely.  Then I topped with my favorite fudge butter cream.  YUM.  There's another birthday next week.  I can't decide what to do next.  I'm thinking banana.  Either with chocolate ganache and peanut butter frosting, ala Elvis.  Or, just banana cream.

My yellow bag was WAY too small!  I loved the fabric but I couldn't fit anything in it.  And forget about going to the movies when your family thinks you can sneak in a bunch of sodas.  No.  So, I got this pattern (McCall's?) for a dollar a long time ago.  I was waiting for the right fabric to present itself for the right price.  I love those 40% off coupons.  Of course, there are a few things I'd like to change but you know how that goes.  There's always next time.

Like my model?  He loves his mommy.  Yes, his bracelet says "I love Boobies".  He's still a teenage boy/man... supporting breast health.

Still no picture of my trees.  And, I could have sworn I took pics of my latest applique project but I guess not.  Something for later, perhaps.  Anyways, Rich and I are watching Heat.  1995, back when DeNiro and Kilmer were mega cuties.

What Can Happen In A Month

Bethany's dance recital...Check
Survive another school year...Check
Prom Season over...Check
Quilt show is done...Check


In between, I finished some projects and started some more.  It's crazy but I can't help myself.  The vase with flowers is the center medallion for a quilt that I started for myself.  That's right, myself.

Before school got out, Sierra wanted to dye her hair teal.  I thought it was cute.  It's been about a month and she wants to change to lavender now.  We started stripping the teal out and as of today it's a minty green.  I'm calling it an artistic experiment.

I got the daisy block done.  I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with it.  FYI, don't use kleenex to transfer embroidery patterns to your projects.  It took me forever and a day with a tweezer to pick out little bits of kleenex from the Mason Jar part.  Bleh.

Now, these looked really good, but were terrible.  They were pink lemonade cupcakes.  Sounded good, wasn't.  I'm still on the search for a better recipe.

Finished my menu board.  It's working pretty well.  I just have to remember to write on it...
These cupcakes were freaking awesome!  Coconut with raspberry filling.  Yum.  Yum.

My in-laws came to see Bethany's recital.  It was great to see them and Bethany did great.  She just joined the competition team...

My rose bush bloomed.  Yeah.

My TAS group is doing a Funky Fat Quarter Challenge.  We exchanged background fabrics that we wouldn't normally use as background.  So, I decided to do this.  I also used it as my "Sit and Sew" at our guild's quilt show.  I'm going to do a little more embellishment once I quilt it.

I also finished the tree quilt top.  I don't have a picture because it's upstairs, I'm down stairs and I don't want to do the in between stuff.  Yep, I'm lazy.  It'll be a good thing to show in my next post.

And, I only have 18 more states to finish in my state flowers quilt.  Another 2 years, and I should be done!

Too Much Working, Not Enough Fun

Since I so proudly proclaimed that Prom Season was half over, I got my May schedule and wept.  I still have 4 weeks before I get a Saturday off.  And, I'm soooooo looking forward to it.  At least the 9 o'clock shift ends this next week.  Of course, I'm on that shift twice...but at least it's ending.

These are, apparently, the best cupcakes I've ever made.  It's a dark chocolate cake mix with chopped nutter butters mixed in, peanut butter frosting with a dollup of fudge frosting and a nutter butter on top.  I call them Escape From the Nut House.

Pinterest update:  I tried making my own chalk board paint.  Several times, with not a whole lot of success.  Rich made a little tray with green paint but the color wasn't even.  Then I bought a bigger tray and used black but too much grout powder and it turned out like gravel.  So, Rich finally forked out the big bucks and bought some at the store.  I know, I'm just as shocked as you.  The plan is to use this as a menu board.  I'm going to attach a big bow and a clothes pin so that I can write dinner instructions for when the kids have to finish dinner while I'm working.  It should be done just in time for it not to matter any more.

My sweet baby Sierra was having a rough go of things last week.  I won't go into details but it was one of those times that really made me wonder why the hell I thought I'd be okay as a parent.  So, what's a crazy, worried mom to do but start a quilt for her daughter.  I'd been saving Alice In Wonderland fabrics for the last couple of years to make this for her.  It's the original artwork, not the Disney version.  I think I was going to do a Take 5 and then changed it to Turning Twenty and then didn't quite have the right amount of fabric for either...  I should have taken a close up.  I've got Alice, the white rabbit, tea pots, clocks and card guys all over this thing.  There's enough to do an outer border but not enough to do an inner border.  I really think it needs something more so, hopefully I can find Alice fabric somewhere.  Sierra is doing much better, so I don't feel the rush to get it done anymore.  Gotta say though, super quick and easy pattern.  I cut and sewed the whole thing in one day.

Then the other day I got a package in the mail.  My friend Donna went to Paducah and saw a book and 3 kits for pin cushions from Primitive Gatherings and thought of me.  It's so awesome!  First of all, that I have friends that think of me when I'm not in their face, and second the kits and book are soooo cute!  Naturally, I couldn't wait to do something.

I'm using wool on cotton.  The instructions suggested that I use steam to apply the wool.  I put water in my iron for the first time, and wouldn't you know, it spit brown water all over my project!!!!  Grrr.  I might work on this some next week.  I've got a crazy idea to frame it when I'm done and I spot clean it.

While I was waiting for a trip to the fabric store, I started yet another project.  I made one a few years ago for Sweet Annies' and loved it.  So, I used up the kit I've been saving since then.  It's going to be a wedding gift.

You take a layer cake and sew a charm square in the middle.  Don't finish the edge or worry too much about placement, just sew it down.  Then, cut it in four pieces.  Mix them all up and sew them back together.  It's a raw edge applique.  And don't freak out because your squares don't match up.  You did that on purpose!

I finally got to the fabric store and bought creams for the setting triangles for the trees.  And, I started piecing it together.  This is about half the middle strip.  There will be applique branches up and down the sides and then another layer of trees on each side.  This may be difficult for me to part with when I'm done.  We shall see.

Prom Season Is Half Over

Prom season is killing me.  It's half over and this was the hardest week to get through for me.  Honestly, this week was terrible.  I'm thankful for my job, I like my job, and I like the people I work with.  But, 60 hrs a week is too much time to spend with people.  I don't think I could handle Rich that much and we've been happily married for 20 years.  UGH.

Any who, I have been trying to stay creative despite the long hours.  On Easter, I made a new purse.  I bought this kit at Sweet Annie's a few years ago.  I was so impressed with her purchase of such bright fabric.  Love it!  I also have a kaleidoscope quilt kit waiting for me with the same collection.  It's going to be fabulous.  Someday.

Then I decided to do this teacup that I've wanted to get to for awhile.  I wish I'd used a different background to show the white of the cup better.  And those flowers were SO difficult.  The pattern was supposed to be enlarged 200% and I only did 150% because I wanted it to be life size.  Teeny, tiny leaves and petals.  It sucked.  And, quite honestly, doesn't look that great.  I had Bethany write the words and then I stitched over it.  That part, I like.  It's my new cubicle art.

Then, today I got some time to finish my trees.  I like the way they turned out.  It took most the day to make 18.  Well, make the blocks and do my taxes.  I still haven't cleaned the bathroom or kitchen.  Or, finished the laundry.  But, I am almost caught up on Cupcake Wars.  That's also important.

No matter how hard I tried to make these blocks random looking, I did the old "well s**t" about 6 times.  For example, these two side corners turned out to be the same fabric on both sides of the tree.  They weren't supposed to be.  And, in a few blocks I managed to put some identical half square triangles together.  Dang it!

I may need to purchase some fabric before I go any further.  I don't have any long strips of fabric to use for the applique part of the quilt.  It may be mid-May before I get to that.  Something to look forward to, I suppose.  And, with that I will say ado, my friends. 

Remember, friends don't let friends try to reserve tuxedos at the last minute.  For God's sake people, plan ahead!