Wow, its been over 2 years since I last posted. I am reading blogs every day, but never post myself. Maybe I will change that this year. Intended on doing a run this morning along the waterfront but another run/walker that showed up was having back issues so we just walked and visited. Pretty foggy but sooooo pretty. MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you. Lol. Sorry, not sure how that got in my screenshot  save. Oh well.  Lots to learn

Thanksgiving

It has been a while since I posted. My summer was a challenge with some personal issues but I am thankful and grateful for how things have changed for the better. I am enjoying my marriage and the new chapter in our lives. My son is loving college. We are missing our oldest as he is serving in Afghanistan right now so please say a prayer for him to keep he and his servicemen are safe.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Since yesterday afternoon I am only able to see one blog on my thread. Any idea what may be wrong? Meanwhile I have not been posting. Been busy with my son's last year of high school.  He is all graduated. I have been working on samples for my friends online shop and quilt shows.

Snow in Portland

Nothing says Chaos more than the anticipation of snow in the Portland Metro area.  Our news people had been talking about snow, earlier in the week for this coming Saturday....ok....no problem...I can still get to Bend to First Friday at Quiltworks and see all of Ann's work- from Cotton and Wool..( I can't remember how to get her blog link here).as the week progressed, there were threats of ice on Saturday...ok...still no problem...if I can get over the mountain, Central Oregon is a breeze as they are prepared for this type of weather..

Well...Wednesday night the forecast changed to snow on Thursday, Friday AND Saturday....so I cancelled my trip...knowing that even if I could get over the mountain on Friday - getting home might be a concern...so...with that....I will wait to see Ann's work.

Here is a photo from this morning.  We have been having high winds, so in some area's, there is no snow, or very little snow, but then in our back yard and driveway, there is.  All I know is that in Portland, the roads become grid locked....took my husband 2 hours to get home from work and he only travels 9 miles one  way.  Took my co-worker 3.5 hours to get home.  I was smart and left early - as I dropped my son off at school - thinking that the snow was not to start til the afternoon.  I left at 11:15 - was to his school at 11:30 and then we were home by noon...and I stopped at the store.  Whew...dodged that mess.

I will just work from home for a couple of hours and then putter around the house and continue stitching on the Flowers quilt that I am working on with a couple of friends.

As you can see, it is not a lot of snow, but enough to shut the city down - and that it did.  LOL

Have a great weekend.  I am off until Tuesday (well...once I do about 3 hours of work)

vacation

My son and I came to Bend, OR for vacation. I will be working on the following projects. Saturday will be spent with Carrie from Cricket wood Proms sewing all dsy. So looking forward to it.  I want to get a quilt tip done if I can.  Sewing machine will be set up and great conversation will be had.

I can't get the pics to rotate but I will be doing the simple quilt hanging in above the white bed and will finish the one block and prepping the other today

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and yours.  I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas. 

Vacation starts for me today starting at 3pm...Christmas eve with my mom, hubby, son, step-son and fiance.  Then off to Bend, Oregon on the 26th for a week....have two sewing projects prepped and hopefully will get them done.  One is a simple quilt, the other, block 4 of Flowers by Linda Brannock that I am doing with Carrie and Lori.

My friend Carrie from Cricketwood Prims and Garden was in Portland yesterday and wanted to go to Pioneer Quilts in Happy Valley Pioneer Quilts as I have been telling her about this quilt store for some time.  We made it in there - me, with just two purchases, her - several.  :o)  Then we ventured to Holly Hill Quilt store in West Linn Holly Hill Quilts.  My purchases were a bit more as I finally found more fabric to use for my "Flowers" quilt that she, Lori  - Humble Quilts and I are going to do. 

These are from Pioneer Quilts -

And these are from Holly Hill

And lastly, my son is starting his senior year in high school and I found this for when he leaves home and goes off to college...I will bolt it down to his computer so he will always see it.  :o)

It was a fun day and then we ended our evening with dinner at Oswego Grill in Lake Oswego.  Happy Day.

Portland Quilt Market, walking a half marathon

This week will be Spring Quilt Market here in Portland and I am fortunate to attend this year.  I am so looking forward to this experience and meeting the designers that I so enjoy.

Maybe if I can get my camera and computer to see eye to eye, I can upload some pictures.

For the past year and a half I have been walking pretty regular and decided last Memorial weekend that I wanted to walk a half marathon the following Memorial Weekend.  I have been a training fool..yesterday we walked just about 13 miles and I was hurting pretty bad...the feet...but I know I can finish the half that will be in two weeks..just not sure I can finish in my 16 minute pace time without doing some running.  I am so looking forward to it and if anyone takes pics, I will post those.  I will be joined by a good friend and then a friend of hers will be going as well.

Hope all had a good Mothers Day.  Mine was pretty quiet..it was my birthday as well.  Off to try to get some gumption to trace out some patterns.

Happy Quilt week.

Michelle

No blogging, lots of lurking and LOTS of walking

I have not been blogging like I told myself I would.  I do lurk daily as it is my down time when I come home from work.  I love reading about everyone's lives.  I have been trying to get 15 miles in each week for walking as I am doing my first half marathon Memorial Weekend in Bend, Or.  I was over there the first of February and took a look at the first half of the marathon route.  OY OY OY....last year I split the half marathon and my friend, Cathy, from Wildharefiberonline did the first half and I did the second.  The majority of elevation gain is in the first half, so I told myself that when I come back to Bend (before the race) I need to walk the first half to see what my time is..well...I did it and feel that with proper training, I should be able to walk the 13.1 miles in the allotted time of 3.5 hours.  It was a beautiful but windy day, so thankful I had my head band and gloves.

Here are a few pictures of my walk at the top of the race...from here it is pretty much down hill for the next 3.5 miles, then the last half has a hill to get out and back on top...once getting into Bend, there is another hill, then its flat and then downhill till the last two miles...which are up hill again.  Oy...but...I am looking foward to completing the Happy Girls Half.

In the distance you can see the Cascade Mountain Range.

Enjoy your Sunday

I finally found the new issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects at Barnes & Noble...will enjoy looking thru it tonight.

Not much has been happening here.  Working on a couple of samples for Cathy at Wild Hair Fiber and find that I want to do more of what I want...so will and have her use them as a sample and make up kits.  I think they will sell as the patterns I had her get for the quilt shop last summer sold out!

Been walking and became a pace mentor for our local walking/running store.  We meet most Saturday mornings..I was going to do it anyway and why not volunteer as a mentor...keeps me more accountable to show up!  hee hee.

Back on Thanksgiving I went for a two hour walk with my friend up at Washington Park in downtown Portland,  She made me do lots of stairs when there and I felt great the next two days...then I woke on Sunday with severe back spasms....I finally got rid of them about a month later but then started dealing with numbness in my right leg and foot...Thursday I finally went to the doctor and during one of the tests, she and I noticed some deminished weakness in my right leg.  So this morning (yes on a Sunday) I had an MRI done on my lower back  She thinks that there is some damage to my L5 in my lower back and when she said that...my head dropped as I knew exactly what she was talking about.  I had a car accident 14 years ago and my doctor then said that I will have issues with my lower back when I got older....ugh...cross your fingers this is NOT it...will see what the result say this week.

Off to do some more hand stitching, laundry and then I will drool over all the fun projects in the current issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects...a mini retreat is needed...I am still looking for an affordable place to have on in Bend on Presidents weekend...

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday...ours is pretty wet here today.

Michelle

Do you Zumba? And no much sewing....

I finally put in my first Zumba DVD..  Oy vie...I was only able to get thru 4 "dances" and one of them I barely did the moves...I just moved...I am very uncoordinated and thankful that no one can see in my basement.  I am slow at this but I can see how fun it will be and let me tell you.....it really does work all parts of your body.  We will see how I feel tomorrow.  I took today off from walking as my body has been hurting.  Will get back to it tomorrow.  I walk on my morning break for 15 minutes and then have been trying to walk 2 + miles at lunch.  I need to return something at the mall so maybe I will walk up there tomorrow to do so.

Little tracing and cutting has been going on.  I am working on the first pattern I posted in my last post.  I have a hard time putting colors together and need to see samples to choose something.  I have the stems and leaves yet to cut out and that is the color I am having a hard time choosing.  I went to Pioneer Quilts on Sunday looking for just the right color of wool and didn't have any luck.  I did find two more blues to add to my stash and think I will just settle on forest green.

Looking forward to getting to know our neighbors on Stitchen by the lakes blog.

Happy Wednesday....busy weekend ahead.  Taking my high schooler to a baseball camp at Oregon State University this weekend.  I must get some hand work tacked down so I can pass the time.

Michelle

I hope everyone had a good Christmas.  Trying to decide when to take down the decorations.  Most likely will wait til New Years Day.

I am going to be prepping two projects to work on this year.  I say year as it will most likely take me that long to complete them.  I have to find some back ground fabric today and the rest will be done with wool.

The first one is:  Flowers From My Garden.  The pattern shows four different color versions so that you can see how different it can look.  I got this pattern from Pioneer Quilts in Clackamas Or.  I would never have given this pattern a look had I not been taking a class and saw this done up in two different color variations.  I was hooked and had to have it.  And I cant get it to rotate, so just turn to your right.  LOL

The other is Humble Farms that I got from Wild Hare Fiber - my bestie, Cathy Ware owns the online shop and I love the patterns she gets in.  I also like that she listens to my input of what patterns may do well at the quilt shows.  She had done her sample with a wool background but I am going to do it in Cotton and the rest in Wool. 

Anna from http://wooliemammoth.blogspot.com/ is prepping the Crow pattern from a magazine that we get.  I think she has inspired me to make this as well as I have been looking at it for some time.

Enjoy your Friday and I am curious to know what you will be working on this coming year.

Lori from http://gettogoal-lorid.blogspot.com/2012/12/new-year-new-beginnings.html has asked what our fitness goals are this year.  Mine is to definately WALK two to three half marathons in 2013 .  I belong to a local walking group and will try to do some running to improve my time and fitness.  The first one I hope to do is the Rock n River 1/2 marathon in Reno, NV on May 5th..just waiting for the registration to open and the 2nd one will be the Happy Girls Half in Bend, OR on Memorial Weekend.  I have already signed up for a 10 K that will be in March that is in downtown Portland.  I will get out tomorrow and hope to walk 5 miles or so.

My other goal is to try snow shoeing.  My husband and I went shopping yesterday and I found some light weight snow boots from the Columbia outlet that I think will work.  Just want to rent some snow shoes before I take the plunge to purchase some.

Other fitness goals will be to do some hiking in the Mt. Hood National Forest this coming year, so will see how things go.


Again, have a great day.

Michelle

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone.  My blogging goal this coming year is to get my name out there and blog more. 

I found this Maggie Bonanomi (sp) pattern at a fabric sale and made if for my mom.  I now need to make one for me and will turn it into a wall hanging.

It is cold, raining and windy here today and I am trying to get the gumption up to head to downtown Portland to meet a friend to go walking.  Ugh...that is another goal...to walk no matter the weather.  I don't mind, just need to find my Smart Wool Phd socks.

Hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving.  I will be dropping the boy off at his school for football practice....yes..they are practicing today, just like last year, which means...they are in the 3rd round of football playoffs..  I will then head out for a long walk in downtown Portland with a good friend...Then it will be time to head home, relax and then we head out to my brother in laws for dinner...sadly, there will not be a football game on while we are there for dinner, BUT...I did see that they will be re=playing the Thanksgiving Day parade...which I am thankful for as I normally watch this every year in the morning...but with going for a long walk, I was giving that up.

I am working on a Maggie Bonomanomi (sp) pattern for a Christmas gift and should be able to get it done today.

Have wonderful holiday.

Michelle

Today I went to a quilt guilds Holiday Stash sale...I am thrilled at what I got for $24.00...7 yards of fabric (my cell does not take the best pictures) three patterns and some thread.  I forgot to include the thread in the photo.  Some of the fabric is homespun, others are linen or cotton...GREAT for back ground/bases.  Then my good friend had her wool booth there and I had asked for some scraps in various colors.  When I got home, I found two fat quarters, 6 fat eights and numerous 7x7 or 8x8's...ALL FOR FREE!  Cathy at Wildharefiberonline.com is wonderful.  Again, my cell phone does not take the best pictures as the yellows and greens are pretty bright.  I found two more patterns for $9.00.  Once is a Maggie Bonanomi and the other is a block of the month that was created by a quilt store that is no longer in business....can you say SCORE?  I feel so lucky and so blessed for my finds and gift today.

Now I am watching football and am going to go in and try to finish up my Threads That Bind Santa doll.  Enjoy your Saturday evening.

Free Give away

I have not posted anything since April.  I find that I am more of a quilt blog stalker rather than a poster but I need to change that.

My friend, whom I met thru blog land, Anna of http://wooliemammoth.blogspot.com/ lives in Bend, Or and just got back from a wonderful trip to Paris to visit a quilt show with other quilters from around the world.  She is having a give away.  (not sure how to input her link here...)  but she is woolie mammoth and is an EXCELLENT blogger.

Go visit.

Michelle

The count down is on....

My friend hand dyes wool and I help her out when I can.  We decided to try to find a place to "vendor" at the Sisters Quilt show this year but did not have any luck....so she decided to open a shop for the month of July...up!  Wild Hare Fiber will have its own shop in Sisters.  I will be helping her as much as I can and am looking forward to spending about 15 days in Bend and Sisters with her.

So....the count down begins...many hours of sample making, kits being put together, cutting and bundling wool.  Will try to take pictures along the way...it will be a lot of work but so much fun...we will be staying in a Condo in Bend and we CANNOT WAIT!!!

She will also be getting her online shop up and running and you too can see the beautiful wool that she is dying and will be able to purchase most things from her.  www.wildharefiberonline.com is her site and her name is Cathy Ware...she is amazing.  She is in the beginning stages of also creating her own patterns too!  Fun, fun, fun!

So...will keep you updated as we begin our count down.....

Michelle

Wild Hare Fiber at Stitches in Bloom

Spent Saturday in Silverton Oregon at the quilt show helping my friend with her booth. She had a lecture at 11:30 and I finally got there at 11:10! Oy...Her booth was very busy ALL DAY LONG...I was so impressed...she was there on Friday with her husband and she said they had a steady pace...but nothing like yesterday. Love all of her hand dyed wool and I enjoyed talking to ladies who either have worked with wool in the past or those that have wanted to...what a great day.

Looking forward to helping her at other shows this year!

It is raining here today so I have been pretty quiet. I am trying to finish WIP's..I have four going that I know of...and know where everything is...going to get them done before I start on another project...lol...well...that is my hope..but I got a pattern yesterday from Cathy and may need to cut and prep all the pieces...she showed me the pattern last month and I was not impressed..until I saw the sample at the show...but didn't take a picture of it.

My husband has made some chicken tortilla soup today. He got the recipe from a friend..it looks good, so cross our fingers that it will be. I am a fan of Red Robins Tortilla soup and have not found anything similar.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Michelle

Pink Lemonade

Last week I had to go to Fabric Depot to purchase some pink fabric to make "Pink Lemonade" as I don't have any pink in my stash...s9 today, after one football game, I went to it..it took be about 5 hours to complete six blocks...The blue ones don't all meet on point, but I don't care..I am not ripping them apart and trying again....did that too many times today already...I like the color choices and maybe tomorrow I will work on step 2 that Lori from Humble quilts has provided.

Hand Dyed Wool

Spent the day with my friend, Cathy, yesterday preparing wool for her next quilt show. Was a great afternoon visiting with her and DROOLING OVER ALL THE WOOL....She gave me a goodie basket with some patterns and wool! Look at the wool.

If you are in Oregon, she will be at the Stitches in Bloom Quilt show on January 27 and 28th. I will be helping her on the 28th. Come help support her! She will have a website up soon that is: http://www.wildharefiberonline.com/. Cannot wait til its up.

Michelle