I hope everyone is enjoying their Mother's Day!

Traditionally, we would go on a long car trip: The London Free Press Shunpiker.  I did go and get this morning's paper so I could see what was on the Shunpiker's itinerary, but I've opted to stay home and relax today.  I'm just going to take it easy and prepare my stuff for school tomorrow.

I've declared today a PJ Day for me.  Da Boyz are upstairs doing all my housework, and DH is going to do the grocery shopping.  I've heard the vacuum, and I've "looked" at the bathroom (Baby Soldier told me I was not permitted to "scrutinize").  And I think there's just two loads of laundry left to go.

I've been given a "walkie-talkie" so I can call for assistance with anything I might need.

Now....if I could get those collars that they have for dogs that make them stop barking....well, I'd be all set.  Cuz I can't stand all the yelling they are doing at each other. 

I pressed and squared up a few more tri's and a block for my Dear Jane.

• RS 7 Fedelia's Hearts
• LS 7 Kiwi
• I5 Maria's Majesty

Step 1

Cut your remaining nickels into 2.5” x 2.5” squares.

For Crib/Lap size, you will need 24 squares (6 nickels)

For Twin size, you will need 54 squares (14 nickels)

For Queen size you will need 72 squares (18 nickels)

Step 2

Randomly sew one square to both ends of a 2.5” x 8.5” strip of background fabric.

For Crib/Lap size, you will make 12 units.

For Twin size, you will make 27 units.

For Queen size, you will make 36 units.

I had Itty Bitty choose randomly from those who left comments on this entry.  Ready to find out who he chose? I've emailed each of you, and hope you'll email me back soon so I can send your prize.

1. Ursula - winner of the busy bag
2. Molly - winner of a FQ that represents two of my favourite things
3. Debbie - winner of a FQ that represents two of my favourite things

I packed up all my nursing scrubs and posted them on Kijiji, and a nice lady in Simcoe offered to purchase them.  I needed an excuse to go to Simcoe (okay....well, actually, Renton to The Quilter's Haven) so I drove down by myself, and exchanged the scrubs for a crisp $100 bill, with advice not to spend it all in one place.  Don't need to tell me twice!

So, my first stop was The Quilter's Haven in Renton (just east of Simcoe) where I had finally located yardage to match the Moda Prairie Paisley jelly roll for a quilt I have in mind.  YIKES!  I had too much choice.  I hummed and hawed, and finally chose one for sashing, and one for the side triangles.

Somewhat north and west of Renton, and visited Waterford's Quilt Junction.  Oh - I was in love.  The shop itself is housed in an old train station, and me, born and bred in the Railroad Capitol of Canada, I'm positively cuckoo for trains, and have traveled to see many a 19th century train station.  In one room several smiling ladies were sewing together on their individual projects, and sweetly greeted me when I entered through a door, not normally an entrance, but today open to let in the breeze.  Every single bolt in that shop screamed out to come home with me, but I resisted. I even managed to find another pink CW print.

Next - to Paris to drop in to Mary Maxim.  No fabric buys here - just some hardware for totes and purses, but look at my new keychain!!!  It's a CROC!!!!  and the best thing?  Ya BABY!!!  Jibbets fit in the holes!!!!

I asked the gal who checked me out for directions to Woodstock, to see what Country Patchworks might be like.  She offered me a choice - cross-country? or highway?  Me, the intrepid traveller, and avid adventurer, insisted on the cross-country directions....which I followed until....well...I couldn't.  I couldn't find the roads and turns she told me to take.  I was soon in foreign parts indeed. The cows in the fields didn't look like any cows we have here at home!!!  That's for sure!!!  I had no cell signal.  I kept trying to call ahead to my next destination so see if she could lead me out of the woods, and welcome me when I finally arrived, but it wouldn't ring through.  My internal compass was very shook up - it felt like I was going north, and I certainly didn't want to go that direction. 

I can't tell you where I drove, but it was some of the prettiest country I've had the pleasure of seeing. I was actually ENJOYING being lost.  I drove as fast as I liked, sang "Video Killed the Radio Star" (ooooh wah ooooh!) loudly to the alien cows, and giggled myself stupid.

A FORK IN THE ROAD!  I still not sure where I was, but there was a signpost that pointed in four directions, so I was somewhere between Washington, Princeton, Innerkip and Wolverton.  I pulled off the road to try my cell again, discovered the quilt store was closed an hour earlier, and decided to dead-head-'er to the 401 and come home to play with my new purchases, and sort through my yard sale treasures.

I received this email last week, and post it here as warning for the two ladies who I met at Quilt Junctions in Waterford (which, incidently, is just about the cutest place I've been in a long time - every single fabric NEEDED to come home with me) today.

Stage 1 - Apathy

"Oh, who would waste their time fiddling around with all those little

pieces. I would never do that and those Civil War fabrics are so boring."

Stage 2 - Curiosity

"Are there directions for those blocks and do you have to do everything

by hand?"

Stage 3 - Making a Small Wall Hanging

"I think I will only do 12 blocks and use up some of my stash."

Stage 4 - Addiction

"Was that 15-20 yards I need of background fabric and what website was

it that had the poison green and cheddar yellow fat quarters?"

Stage 5 - Hard Core Addict

"I am already thinking of DJ #2 in Aunt Gracie fabric and I also want

to do one in batiks."

Stage 6 - Beyond Help

" I am thinking of stenciling some DJ blocks on our front walkway and

have decided on Papa's Star for my ankle tatoo."

A beautiful day out there today.  A little cool when we first set out, but sunshine galore!  I'll likely end up putting three or four entries in tonight.  I want to share my yard sale finds, declare the winners of my 50,000 hit draw, tell you alllllllllll about my adventure on my own little "shop hop" this afternoon, and I think I'll post the next clue for the mystery too.

I got these large tin boxes for storing patterns and things in.  See the cute little treadle sewing machine magnet.  One of the boxes is full of double-folded bias tape and ric rac.  I held up this University of Western Ontario mug to ask the owner for a price.  She asked if I was a graduate, and I answered no, but as of Monday the 12th, I would be a student, so she INSISTED I take the mug at no charge.  Love it!  I got two big boxes of assorted craft things at another yard sale, and sorted out some fabric, a box full of bobbins that will fit my machine, a package of quilt templates, and an old Aunt Martha's quilt pattern book.  The rest of the stuff I posted to FreeCycle, but if there is a silk ribbon embroiderer among you, I'd like to RAK these two Mill Hill beaded silk ribbon pin kits, and packages of Bucillasilk ribbon to someone who would like to have them.  Email me.

EDITED to add another photo:  I was putting away some more things, and found two more pieces of fabric. I got 1/4 yd of the blue floral, and 1/2 yd of the school print, all for a quarter! 

On Wednesday, Baby Soldier and I had some time to kill between appts, so we had lunch and strolled around this little mall area in London that I had never heard of before, and would be hard pressed to identify.  The building is on Talbot St. and ?Fullarton???  It's a big blue glass office building, but on the lower floor, there was a food court with nary a sign of chain shops - for less than six dollars I had a beautiful lunch of a homemade egg salad sandwich on 12 grain bread with a giant pickle, a huge hazelnut coffee and freshly baked banana bread.

There was a fountain, live music provided by a man with an acoustic guitar, and some of the prettiest shops: a flower shop, a Celtic jewelery shop, a gift store so beautiful that I made a point of talking to the owner and complimenting on her decor.  Finally I was drawn into an area where a woman was seated, adding some final touches to an oil painting of tulips, and 8 or 10 large painting were hanging on the walls.

The colours of her paintings were incredible - - my favourite painting would have to be one of dark pink zinnias with a hand reaching in to the scene.  Any quilter who loves fabric would have been drawn in to look closer, because while those zinnias "read" dark pink - there was yellow, green, blue, and dozens of other colours in each petal.  To me, the centre of the zinnia flower looked alive with pulsing arteries, and plump veins, fleshy and warm.  I was completely hypnotized by it.

All of the paintings excited me, and so did the artist Rose.  We spent quite a while talking and asking each other questions.  I'm sure Baby Soldier was as uninterested as I was enthralled.  I remembered he was with me for a minute, and said to Rose, "I think we've lost him.  I'm surprised he hasn't whipped out his cell and dialed 1-800-BORED-NOW!!"  We laughed, he groaned.

We talked about our "Power Colours", and discovered that we had yet another similarity: her's is scarlet, mine is rose, although we are both naturally earth colour women.  And I was thrilled to learn she teaches art classes in her home, and will be "in residence" at this mall for at least another six months.

On to Thursday.

While I was dressing yesterday morning, I knew I had a couple of appointments ahead of me, and I was still feeling a little shaken by all the CRAP that happened the day before - so I intentionally picked pink panties with raspberry stripes hoping my "power colour" would energize me, and "gird my loins" against whatever battles may erupt this day.

In the afternoon, I went for a two hour walk to work off some stress, and then came home, stripped off my wrinkled clothes, and laid down for a bit of a nap.  At quarter after five, Itty Bitty woke me up, and we visited and giggled together for a little while, and then I remembered at 5:36 - I WAS PICKING JACQUI UP IN NINE MINUTES TO GO TO GUILD!!!! ACK!!!!  I quickly threw on some clean clothes, ran a comb through my hair, jammed my challenge quilt into my bag, and ran out the door.

Thursday night at my house is Grey's Anatomy.  When I got home from guild, Itty Bitty already was in my bed with the TV tuned to our show.  I grabbed my nightgown, went to the bathroom to change, and that's when I realized.........

......I was in a room with about 70 women wearing white capris, and pink and raspberry striped ginch.  OMG

It was Challenge Reveal night at Guild.  Here's mine:

"Square Dance of the Sea"

The Laurel Birch fish fabric was the challenge fabric.  We were each given a fat quarter, and instructed to create something using this fabric. Sooooooo many beautiful projects.  My favourite was a small handbag, and another favourite was a quilt with folded hawaiian shirts in the blocks.

DH and I went on a "date" tonight.  To say today was stressful would be a complete understatement. I was next door neighbours with a nervous breakdown. The reasons for this are sooooooooo complicated, revolve around Baby Soldier and his plans for college this fall, but I'll get it all straightened out tomorrow.  So, dinner, a cocktail or three, and a little retail therapy was definitely in order.

When we got back in the truck with my new purchase in hand, I giggled myself stupid 'cuz I got BACK TO SCHOOL SHOES!!!!  That just struck me as so funny. Anyway, here they are:

YEAH BABY!!!!!!!  CRRRRRRRRROCS!!!!!  The colour: "Chocolate and Cotton Candy" SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!  I love my Crocs. 

I made some more tote bags today, except instead of pillowcases, I found this totally "Brady Bunch" sheet at the thrift store.  I got five totes out of it:

Oh - and the BIGGEST NEWS DU JOUR???  After TEN months on the waiting list, I finally have an appointment with the sleep clinic for my insomnia problem.  I've got two more months to go, but at least I have an appointment now.

No quilty news today.  I'll probably do a little handwork on my DJ blocks while watching Criminal Minds tonight, but that's about it.

TR 12 Jane's Oak

RS 8 Love Forever

LS 7 Sally's Steeple

LS 13 Watermelon

I've been giggling about this all night Jen!  'Cuz I want to tell you about another product:  Herbal Essences Dangerously Straight 2-in-one Shampoo and Conditioner. 

When I saw the bottle - well, ALL the goofy named new Herbal Essences products, I thought: "oh, as if!!!  How the heck is some shampoo supposed to make your hair straight?  Okay - - well, it's on sale, and it's pink.  SOLD!"

I lathered, rinsed and repeated, and was truly surprised with how it turned out.  Very cool.  Now for the record, I don't have CURLS, just annoying waves.  And I do have enough hair on my head for two golden retrievers. 

It cracks me up when I think of all the money and time I spent on perms and product - particularly during the mid-80s when "Mid-West Wedding Hair" was all the rage.  And how bad did I wish I had the right texture of hair for one of those sexy spiral perms. Now I'm obsessed with achieving pin-straight hair.

You might as well click on the link for the Herbal Essences website, 'cuz it's kind of fun!

Yesterday, I achieved Jubilee block status on my Dear Jane project.  Today I have achieved Baby Jane triangle status, having completed 10 triangles.  TR6 Carla's Candle Flame and TR 8 Brigadoon

Itty Bitty came in to my bedroom this morning, I guess to make sure I was still breathing or something.  Award yourself some bonus points if you "get" this reference.

Itty Bitty: What are you gonna do today, mom?

Me: Whatever I feel like I wanna do. Gosh!

 

Need a hint? 

I had gotten a little slow with my Dear Jane blocks, and fully intended to have completed 100 blocks LAST week.  Well, here I am this week, and just completed pressing and squaring up # 101!

1. D3 Jason's Jacks
2. F6 Deanie's Daisies
3. G11 Decisions, Decisions
4. H12 Hannah Lou's Hearts
5. J12 Rebecca's Basket
6. M7 Junko's Rose Garden

Fifty Thousand.  That's A LOT!!  Let's take a look at what such a huge number represents.  This is what fifty thousand pennies look like.  That's about 1 cubic foot of copper coins.  Fifty thousand pennies would weigh more than 300 pounds.  With fifty thousand pennies, I could get about 30 yards of premium quilting cotton.  I was going to say how valuable each visitor is to me, but now that I've done all this penny computing, the real question is....why didn't you each drop a penny here??? 

So, to celebrate 50,000 hits, I'm giving away a "busy bag", a nearly identical twin to the one I posted photos of earlier this week.  To enter the draw, please leave a comment.  I'll need to contact you if you are the winner, so remember to include either your email addy, or a link to your blog where I could find your email contact information. Two "runner-up" prizes will be awarded as well.

It almost looked like the skies would clear today - alas, raindrops kept fallin' on my head!  We headed out bright and early towards Ilderton for their town-wide yard sales.

A little disappointing actually....I didn't find too many treasures.  I did score a HUGE box of household linens which will completely outfit Baby Soldier when he leaves for college.  I chose about a dozen nice towels, a few pillowcases, and some tea towels for him, and FreeCycled the rest.  The towels tooked brand new and had "Sears" tags on them, and I paid $4 for the whole box so that was a good bargain. 

For myself I got two books - both are Canadian authors, and neither appears to have been even opened - $1 for the two of them.  A spool of 1000m of Gutermann thread for a quarter, and a vintage letter opener (an advertising giveaway from Clark's Flour and Feed in Watford - I wonder what their phone number is now??  I don't think dialing '39' is gonna cut it) for a quarter.  I thought it would be a handy little tool for poking out corners.

I'm working on Clue 5 of the Quilts of Valor mystery, and the Block of the month for Simple Scrappy Treasures.  Not much else going on around here.  Tomorrow's looking like a brighter day!

I've already completed my first project today! 

One of my favourite purchases from yesterday was a Little Bag kit that I spied out of the corner of my eye while I was cashing out at Ye Olde Fabric Shoppe in Stratford.  If you are going on the Shoppe Hop today or tomorrow, look for this kit - - it was less than $15 I think, AND I got 10% off when I showed my Guild membership card.  There is PLENTY of fabric leftover, so I was able to personalize this bag for my own needs.  I lined the pockets to give them a little more body, added a cell phone pocket, and trimmed out the pocket tops. 

These are the lining pieces of the bag, so you can see my "personalized" pockets.

There is enough fabric leftover, that I could probably make a matching wallet.  I've been hanging on to an email from Michele L. with links for wallet projects.  I need to find a special gold button to put on the flap to finish this bag off.

• "Cash Keeper" Pattern at Studio Kat Designs (click on Free Patterns)
  http://www.studiokatdesigns.com/
• "Super Cool Wallet" Pattern at Craftbits.com
  http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=1454
• Quilted Fabric Wallet Tutorial at "That Darn Kat Blog"
  http://darnkat.wordpress.com/quilted-fabric-wallet-tutorial/

Can't blog - - gotta SEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!

That would just be mean, wouldn't it?  After all, you've come for details on yesterday's Shop Hop.

Oh, we had a good time.  We only got lost once. At every stop on the tour we were given a strip of fabric, and at the very end, we got a bag with the pattern and materials needed to finish a totebag.  And all of us were relatively well-behaved and didn't blow the bank. I really wish I had throught to bring my camera, so I could have snapped a couple of photos of some of the quilts we saw. 

Hitchin' up the wagon and heading out to Shop Hop with quilty friends in about an hour.  I've been looking forward to today for WEEKS!  All my best laid plans to get away for a few days for a mini-vacation have been blown one by one.  So, today I'm on vacation!

Do you suppose I can talk my co-hoppers into giving me some spa treatments between shop stops???

Roxene!  I want to book you for a one hour massage!

Heather, can you spare a French mani/pedi???

I went to UWO this morning for 1) an appointment 2) pick up my parking permit 3) pick up my text books

As you can see from the following photo - I've got everything I need for a successful summer:

Let's see.....I've got

• my textbooks
• my pink notebook
• my pink coffee mug
• my pink "Oprah" highlighter

Okay, so if you know me - well...even if you don't know me, but you've read this blog longer than a fortnight, you will know that one word describes me: CHEAP.  I don't mind spending money, I'm quite good at it, but OMG do I love a bargain.  I feel faint when I see "Clearance" signs; my car automatically brakes for yard sales; I've been elbow deep in Lord knows what at many a thrift store in search for a treasure.  It's very much a hobby for me - sorta like those whackjobs with the metal detectors wandering the park.  I have absolutely NO intelligent conversation beyond "what I got" and "what I paid" - - which gets boring fast. 

BUT - here's the exception to the rule - if there is something I want, I won't even look at the price.  For today's example, I must tell you that I have been searching for the "Oprah" highlighter over many weeks, and a couple of counties!  When I first saw it  (oh come on - click the link - you know you want to watch the video of Sophie the Post-it-note expert give her reading tips!) on her show, I KNEW I had to have one for my very own.

I had a couple of minutes to make a quick stop at Staples on Wonderland in London to do a Oprah Highlighter check on my way home from Western this morning. 

Sales Associate: Can I help you find anything?

Me: I'm looking for the Oprah highlighter.

Sales Associate: (walking a few yards up the aisle) Here you are. (hands me a card with three in the package)

ME: (beaming gratitude, barely restraining myself from bear hugging the poor kid) THAT'S IT!!! Thank you! Thank you! Oh, thank you!

Sales Associate: You would not BELIEVE how many people come in here asking for the "Oprah" highlighter....(shaking her head, silently "tsk-ing, and yet beating a hasty retreat before I try to indoctinate her into the Oprah cult)

Oh, yes. Yes, I would, child.  It was the second last package in the store.  I briefly thought of taking both packages, but decided double dipping on the Oprah Highlighters could probably qualify as an EIGHTH Deadly Sin. Walking away from the lure of the Post-it Siren would buy me some Karma.  Besides, I'd never open the second package.  I'd end up constructing a mini Oprah shrine somewhere in the house with the highlighters as a central piece on the altar, and that would just mean more dusting.  The candles could nullify my house insurance.

Next door to Staples is Michaels.  I toddled in - still drunk and giddy from the Highlighter purchase - to look for a small pair of sharp scissors for snipping threads to put in my busy bag. I wanted something small, lightweight, and covered ends so I wouldn't poke anything.  Plus, a reasonable price, so if I lost them, I wouldn't grieve too long.  Found the perfect thing.  Just a little over 4" long, and cute as a button:

I'm taking Baby Soldier to Windsor tomorrow to tour his college.  I'm NOT looking forward to the drive.  The 401 is soooooo boring.  I wonder if there are any quilt stores nearby?

I'm sorry I don't have a pattern to share for this project.  I just sort of "winged it" and came up with my own design for this busy bag, and in the process, busted a couple of fat quarters from my stash. Inspired by one that quilty friend Jacqui received as a gift recently (which I secretly coveted) I decided to try my hand at making one for myself to jam in among my books for quiet moments while I wait between lectures.

Closed, the busy bag measures about 6" x 9" and a strap holds it closed with Velcro tape.

I zig-zagged a rectangle of felt to the pocket on the inside front cover.

I stitched six ziplock bags to the centre, covering the bottoms with a strip of the contrasting fabric. 

On the inside back cover, I zig-zagged a larger piece of felt to "stick" small fabric pieces to while I work.  I also stitched small pockets to hold a stitch ripper and glue stick (I'm a big fan of freezer paper/glue stick applique.

I actually made TWO of these, because I've got my 50,000 hits mark in mind, and decided this might be a welcome gift to someone in celebration.  I'll post more details about that as we get closer.

Do you suppose my university tuition could be refunded?  'Cuz I could make some serious plans here!  I want to make every single quilt in this magazine that I discovered at Wal-mart this afternoon.  I am INSANE about scrappy quilts!  You can see a preview of the projects on the McCall's website.

I've got a super swampy week ahead of me.  Tues, Wed, and Thurs are completely booked up.  So, today, I think I'll take it easy....putter around the house, finish up the laundry, and enjoy a little sewing.  Right now, I'm enjoying a coffee with a splash of caramel toffee cream in it - oooooh!  very yummy

Just wanted to share something NOT quilty, NOT about my boyz, NOT about the weird life that I lead....

I shop several times a week at Shopper's Drugmart.  With two growing teen boys, and my all time favourite meal being cold cereal, we go through at least 8L of milk each week.  There is no cheaper place to buy 2% milk than Shopper's Drugmart @ $3.97 for 4L.  It's not hard to rack up those Shopper's Optimum points.  I found out by chance that yesterday was bonus rewards day at Shopper's ~ that is, if I cashed in 75,000 points, I could get $200 in free product (usually, it's only $150).  Hubby, Itty Bitty and I went to our favourite of the three SDs in town and loaded two shopping carts.  Time to SPLURGE!!!

This is the fourth time we've been able to cash in for big rewards.  Last time, Hubby got an MP3 player and we loaded up on all the pharmacy staples: soap, shampoo, razors, deodorant, etc. etc.

This time, I was going to treat myself to some new cosmetics.  I'm sure you've seen the Queen Latifah commercial for Outlast Lipcolour that promises up to 16 hours of wear.  Okay - the only reason I noticed it is because everytime the commercial comes on there is a current of electicity in the air - - Hubby has serious hots for Queen Latifah.  But the 16 hour thing interested me.

So, I went to the Cover Girl display at the drugstore, and started testing shades on the back of my hand, finally choosing "Canyon".  Let me tell you, this stuff DOES NOT come off.  I washed with soap and water.  I scrubbed at the stripes with cotton soaked in eye makeup remover. Here's another review.  It's on sale at SD this week for $7.49 (about 25% off).