It's Friday!

Yea for Friday! This week has been a bit strange with having Veteran's Day on Wednesday. We get it off from work so I went to Modesto to see the kiddos there. Got to spend some time lovin on that new grandson of ours. He sure is a cutie and for now his hair is a beautiful strawberry blonde. His mommy said the new hair coming in is white blonde so I doubt the reds will be there forever. The twins were spending the night at their aunt's so I didn't get to spend much time with them but that's ok...I got to bond with "the boy" and spend time with my stepdaughter.

Yesterday was Colton's birthday. He would have been 20. Happy birthday son! We sure do miss you!

Happy Monday

Hi! Just a quick drop in to say hello. We had the girl's birthday party over the weekend and while we didn't have as many come as we had expected, it did turn out very nice. Here's a picture of the cupcake tower we made. Bri sure had fun helping decorate them! You should have seen her face when she realized the Barbie dollhouse box really had a dollhouse in it instead of Papa's office work like we'd been telling her (it's hard to hide the box when the covering keeps slipping off the thing). We got Mia a little dollhouse and she plays with it too (mostly carries around the pieces). Bri has spent hours already with her Barbies and their house. Now she wants a Barbie camper to go along with it all. I told her to ask for it for Christmas and see what happens. I just can't believe these girls are 4 and 2 now! Where has the time gone? Here's a picture of the girls having fun in the bounce house too:

They were definitely tired that night!

I guess I better run. Time to head out to the grocery store for some much needed restocking!

Well hi! How are you doing? Come on in and sit a spell! The weather here is a beautiful 80ish degrees and the sun is shining. Fall is definitely in the air as our nights cool down and the days are a very comfortable "warm".

We've been hit with a flu bug at our house but I think we're all on the mend now. DS#2 and I both were sick last week. I ended up taking the full week off work as it turned into a nasty case of bronchitis. I'm happy to say that for the most parts the drugs the dr. gave me are working. I'm still having problems sleeping because of the cough and will go visit my primary dr. on Thursday and hopefully get something to help me sleep. The girls have a bit of a cough but Children's Tylenol for Colds seems to be doing the trick for them.

Speaking of trick...we sure had us some fun on Halloween night! We took the girls and worked at our chruch's Trunk or Treat. They had a blast! Their mom came and took them for the rest of the evening and overnight so we had some quiet time after the big evening.

Because I was sick I haven't gotten much sewing time in lately. I feel like I'm behind on it and have to keep reminding myself it's for fun...not a job! I do need to quilt a little baby quilt for a DF's grandbaby to be. I have a certain someone's Christmas quilt top made and just need to get it quilted as well. I have been knitting fingerless gloves for Christmas presents and have 2 pairs done so far. I keep thinking of people I'd like to make these for but am not sure I have time to get them all made. I may try doing one up with crochet and see if I like it as well since I'm much faster crocheting.

The pets are doing ok. Sophie is now out of heat and still a "virgin"...yea! The dogs are very happy they can play and sleep together again. Not so sure the neighbors are glad they are together cuz they bark more when there are 2 of them. The cats are starting to get along a littttle bit. Lucee is tolerating Princess...sometimes....when it's convenient to Lucee (isn't that just like a Siamese cat?). Lucee loves to start the interaction but doesn't appreciate it when Princess does. I did catch them playing the other day. The kitten was under the footstool and swatting at Lucee and Lucee was trying her darnedest to get at that kitten. Ok so the kitten was playing and Lucee was probably ticked off as usual...it's a start right?

I'd like to take a second and say hi to my friend JANM and her furbaby Miss Molly. Miss Molly is not feeling well (kidney failure) and JANM is doing everything humanly possible to make Miss Molly's days as comfortable as possible for her. JANM you are the bestest furbaby mommy there is and you are all in my prayers during this time. Love ya sista!

Until next time...in Christ's love,

Diannia

Hi! Sorry it's been almost a month since I last blogged! Let's see if I can catch you up on the to-do's at our house:

Princess is settling in just fine. Bri has stopped crying everytime the kitten wants her to stop holding her. Mia on the other hand is trying to pick her up ALL THE TIME. She does pretty good but we have to watch real close because sometimes she gets her a bit too high (think around the neck). We did have to take Lil' Man (male Sheltie) to the vets a couple of weeks ago with a scratch on his eye. The vet thought the kitten probably did it. She won't fess up to it and we can't prove it sooo... Lucee is tolerating Princess a little bit...not much. Princess thinks her place to lay is on my shoulder and she doesn't mind one bit that she is scratching me getting there...I on the other hand mind quite a bit!

Speaking of pets...Sophie is in heat...yuck! She's spending her time either in the backyard or the garage and Lil' Man is either in the house or backyard. They can't understand why they can't be together and neither can Bri & Mia. They keep wanting to put the dogs together. Mia has found the dog treats in the pantry and made it her personal mission in life to make sure they get them...alot of them...like the whole box if we don't watch her. Of course the dogs like her line of thinking just fine.

Disneyland was a HUGE success! We had so much fun! 1 day was not enough so we're planning to do it again next year only take the rest of the crew next time. We (meaning I) will do some research to see if we (meaning alot of us) will be going to Disneyland here in CA or Disneyworld in FL. I think I'll (meaning me) will start looking into this after the holidays.

I've been busy on the quilting front. I've given away 2 baby quilts and some burp cloths lately. I have several more baby quilts to make between now and January. I've also started working on the Prayers & Squares ministry at our church. I've got several flimsies done (quilt tops) and would like to have 20 done before the first of the year...not sure it'll happen but hoping by the beginning of Febuary.

We've started doing our furlough days at work and I'm loving the time off. Sure wish it could be full time!

The girl's birthdays are coming up. We'll celebrate them both on November 7th. A "My Little Pony" theme with a bounce house and cupcakes are being planned even as I type. I can't believe Bri will be 4 and Mia will be 2...where has the time gone?

Oh the church front we will be participating in the 2nd (or is it 3rd) annual Trunk or Treat on Halloween. We are also heading up the annual Thanksgiving Dinner. I think this is our 3rd or 4th year to be in charge of it. We have a new pastor and he has a "6 week prior to event" plan that I'm trying to follow. All the stuff I normally do just put down on a weekly countdown.

That's it for now. Guess I better run!

New Additions

Well, we did it...sort of. Oh we got a kitten all right...just not the one I went to get. Bri went with me and fell in love with the little girl kitten and the kitten took a shine to Bri too so that's the one we got. Here's a pic of our new little cutie. Bri said her name is Princess. Isn't she adorable? I sure hope she gets along with the pups. I'm pretty sure Lucee will never like her. Lucee doesn't like much of anything.

Me and Sugarbear both have a headcold. We caught it from DS#2. Thanks! I'm just glad the girls haven't caught it yet. We're heading for Disneyland tonight. We'll go in tomorrow and then head back home on Sunday and go pick up Princess when we get home. Wish us fun!

What's on my mind

Hi,

I'm thinking about getting a new kitten. There I've said it. We've been talking about it for several months...maybe even a year or so. Sugarbear was going to get me one for my birthday but I want a Ragdoll kitten and I just can't see spending $600 on a kitten right now. Plus we just got the 2 puppies this last year and they aren't even a year old yet and are making us crazy with their barking in the backyard and bugging a certain grumpy neighbor. Add in 2 little girls that love lots of attention and 1 older, less than friendly Siamese cat and where would a kitten fit I ask you? The answer is...right in my heart. Bri asked for a kitten the other night...then added "for my birthday" and I was a goner. I went online to our local newspaper and lo and behold a lady is selling Ragdolls! They are being sold for $300 instead of $600 since she's not going to register them. I haven't seen them yet but she sent me pics and I'll post the one I'm thinking about getting. She does have another litter that will be ready closer to Christmas that will also be $300. I'm sooo sunk...what in the world am I doing? It's sooo cute!

Between Naps on the Porch: Welcome to the Porch!

Between Naps on the Porch: Welcome to the Porch!

I've been a very bad girl!

No, I haven't done anything illegal! I just haven't posted in ages! I really thought that things would slow down over the summer but boy was I wrong!!! Where do I start? Let's see, I've dropped out of Binky Patrol in order to focus on starting a Prayers and Squares group at my church. I've been praying about this since the beginning of the year and really feel this is where God is leading me. I'm going to see if I can hook up with the P&S website on my sidebar. I haven't done that in a while and have forgotten how...I've been busy trying to create a stash of quilt tops for when we make the announcement that P&S's is going. I have a feeling we may have several that want quilts right away. I found some blocks at an estate sale and am putting them together for one. I also had 2 ladies send me some PIGS and have finished the tops from them. I have a scrappy top about 1/3 the way finished too. I'd like to have 10-15 ready before the beginning of the year but need to pray about it more and see what God thinks...after all it's not up to me!

I've been busy quilting, knitting dishcloths, and doing embroidery as well. I've started a memory quilt to honor my wonderful stepson. I have it sandwiched but when I started to do a practice piece before quilting it realized I didn't have the right kind of thread. My machine seems to love Guttermann for quilting. Weird huh? Anyway, I went to get the thread and Joann's was having a thread sell so they were out of black. I finally got it this past week so I can get back to C's quilt soon. But first I need to quilt a baby shower gift for the beginning of October. I'd also like to start on a Christmas quilt for a certain DSIL who shall remain nameless but has asked for one.

The little girls are doing fine. We're taking my 2 DS's, their GF's and DS#2's litttle girls to Disneyland next weekend. This is Bri's reward for potty training. We will be having breakfast with Lilo and Stitch and friends. I sure hope the girls don't clam up and get scared.

Are you ready for some big GREAT news? We're grandparents again! Sugarbear's daughter had her son...that's right our first grandson! He's adorable. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera when we went to see him...see yet another bad thing I did. I promise to make up for it next time though.

I'm gonna run and see if I can play around with my sidebar now...I promise to do better and come back sooner!

Hello everyone. Sorry I haven't been around lately. Just needed to get my head on straight and breath for a while. Not sure where to go after my last post. Sugarbear and I are back to work. In fact he had to open a new store already. That kept him from home for 1 1/2 weeks. He just got back this past Wednesday. He's very tired. DD and family are coming in for a short visit today. They will be there by the time I get home. I can't wait to hug those little twinsies! Bri calls them the Dacies (their names are Gracie and Macie). She's finally getting big enough to say their names but never gets the right name w/the right girl...of course I have the same problem! Speaking of Bri-she and Mia both have colds right now. Bri is heading to the Grand Canyon this Sunday for a whole week w/her other grandparents. I have a feeling she's going to pitch a fit every night cuz her daddy won't be there. She is quite the daddy's girl. Mia is staying home unless her mom decides to go too. It's just too much for the other grandma to handle them both plus the cousins for a week. Can't say as I blame her. These 2 little girls are a handful!

On the quilting front-I started and finished a scrappy quilt top right after C left us. I wanted to sew but just couldn't be bothered w/thinking and planning something. I also made a strippy puppy quilt w/matching pillow and burp cloths for a baby shower at work this coming Monday. I really like how it turned out and the pattern will be my "go to" pattern for baby showers for a while! Sugarbear and I went out and bought fabrics to make a C wallhanging. All the fabrics represent something that made us think of him...bikes, spiderwebs, music notes and doves (they released 1 at his funeral). Anyway others might not think the fabrics go together but we know better...I plan on using a t-shirt picture of him in the middle of the wallhanging.

We're leaving for vacation in just 1 short week. I'd like to get a few little gifts made before leaving. It'll depend on if Mia cooperates and goes to bed at night on time!


Well, that's about it for now...sorry no pics today.

I haven't blogged in awhile. We had a tragedy in our family. On May 14th my wonderful 19 yr old stepson passed away. For whatever reason he decided that living was harder than dying and so took his life. He left no note. We miss him terribly. We take comfort in knowing he was saved and so is with our Heavenly Father. If you feel led, please pray for the family. His sister and brother-in-law as well as his parents are devistated.

Well, I survived the weekend! It was great! I was down 1.8 at weigh in at Weight Watchers...woohoo! So was Sugar Bear which is good because if he doesn't loose then he becomes Grumpy Bear! I got 2 BOM's done so at least I'm caught up through May now. I really like doing them so I'm not quite sure why I put them off all the time. I'm now trying to decide how to do a puppy panel quilt for lady at work that's having a boy and doing his room in puppies. The blocks are cute but there are 6 of them and 3 different sizes so it's kind of hard to lay them out. Maybe it's because I haven't had much experience at creative designing yet. Oh well, I have them on the design wall and will be spending time studying the situation. Speaking of design walls, I made 2 portable ones out of presentation boards and a big vinyl/felt tablecloth cut in half. I made them early Sunday morning for the little girls before they got up. Bri loves putting fabric on mine and Mia is starting to mimic her. I can't really move around when they are behind me plus Mia loves pulling the thumbtacks out of the wall and I'm afraid she'll poke herself. Bri absolutely loves her design board. Of course Mia wanted Bri's so after Mia tore all the fabric Bri had put on the board off, Bri quickly put it back on then hurriedly shut the board and put it away so Mia couldn't destroy it again. She's one smart cookie!



I'm going to have to run but will leave you with this picture: this was found by my mom's cousin in my mom's trash heap when she moved. I don't know who made it but think it may have come from my stepdad's side of the family. It's both machine and hand pieced onto strips of muslin. It is unfinished and has no binding. I'm not sure of it's age but would like to think it was made by my stepdad's mother before she passed away when he was a year old. If anyone knows anything about findingout the age of the fabric or design please let me know! The strips are not the same width. It's really odd! I have it on the back of a chair in my bedroom and once in a while Bri and I take a nap under it and we talk about how old it is and how careful we must be when we use it. A good lesson for her to start learning now don't you think?

Hurray for weekends! I'm so glad it's Friday! If I lived in a perfect world I'd be a stay at home Nanna that's for sure! But since it's not quite perfect yet I'll have to be content with staying home on the weekends (and the occasional holiday). This weekend will unfortunately be as busy as most other ones. DS#1 has invited us over for dinner tonight as well as let the little girls ride on the horse w/DGF so that's our evening plan. Sugar Bear and I recently rejoined Weight Watchers and we go to the 6:00 a.m. meeting on Saturdays. That's right...6:00 a.m. Afterwards we stop by WalMart for any weekly stuff we need then maybe hit up a few yard sales IF I can talk him into stopping at them that is. Of course there is the usuall laundry and cleaning of the castle to do. SB has insisted I hire a friend's teenage daughter to come every other week and help me clean so that's a BIG help. Somewhere in there I'd also like to get some quilting time in. Oh and I told my DMIL they were invited over for dinner tomorrow night.

Do you have Mother's Day plans? We will be going to church and taking the girls with us. I told the guys and SB that if they want to get me something they can have the family over for a meal and plan, buy and serve it...then clean it up afterwards. In other words...I don't want to be the one doing the work! We'll see what happens.

Hi again,

Can you believe I'm writing again so soon? I took a few pics of my quilting area last night and thought I'd share them with you.


This is command central. ..this is where it all happens...this is the place to be! I love love love my long table that Sugar Bear had built for me when I first decided I wanted to learn to quilt. For about 3 months I used a long folding table until this one was done and to my liking. At first it was too tall. I'm thinking about making a skirt around the outside bottom of it.

Here is my wall of "stuff". I like having my "stuff" nearby but don't like having it out so the little drawers work out great. I also keep my scissors and rotary cutter there and little eyes/hands don't see/grab them! The shelves were already in place when
we bought the house so I decided they were a good place to put
my scrap boxes and rulers. I recently put up the thread spool holder on the wall and under it is a small bedside table that I have a little ironing board on. Under it, on the shelf I have my Rowenta iron base. It's one of those big industrial irons that sits on a base that holds lots of water (it's also from Sugar Bear). I love it!




This is my design wall (it's really just a vinyl tablecloth w/the felted backing but don't tell anyone). I like having it close but the girls like to design on it too and we get a bit cramped for space so I get a bit crabby. I'm going to make them each a portable design wall out of a folding presentation board...maybe this weekend. I'm in a BOM w/some of my online Weight Watcher friends and that's what's currently on the design wall. I just finished up April last night...yea I know I'm behind. The little quilt on the table next to my machine is Bri's baby doll quilt she is making. She's 3 1/2 yrs old and loves her baby dolls. I let her pick out 12-6" squares and put them on the design wall then rearrange them to her liking. She sat on my lap and put her hands on mine and helped me sew the squares together. Afterwards, we decided it was still a bit too small for her bigger babies so she picked out 2 borders. When we were in Joann's she fell in love w/some butterfly fabric so I bought her a yard of it for the backing. We have enough left over that I will probably make her baby a bib or pillow to match. All we have left to do to the little quilt is use the machine to embroidery little hearts on it. I'll let her pick out places she wants to place the hearts and mark the spots w/little pen marks then she can sit on my lap again and help me hold the fabric while the machine does the work!

Ok back to the tour...this is where all my fabric and some of my projects are stored. On the far side of the cabinet, behind the fabric curtain, is some of my leftover battings. I have a nice oak shelving unit in my bedroom that we are going to put here (soon) and then the curtain may come down. We got the cabinet from my DBIL. He had it custom made and it didn't fit into his new house when he moved. Lucky me!

This is the corner across from my sewing table. I love this little corner. I got the book cabinet at a yardsale for $5. It was missing the middle of the door so I brought it home, cleaned it up, got some cardboard, fabric and a lace panel and wala! The little dress hanging on it is a clothespin holder. I've seen them new online but this one was very yellowed and I think it's probably an original old one...also bought at a yardsale.


I was trying to get a picture of Sophie and this is the best I could do by myself. This is her favorite place to be when I'm quilting. She has to share it w/Bri and Mia though cuz they like it under the table too. Can you see where Bri decorated my table leg for me? Aren't I the most blessed person you know?


This is the couch in my quilting studio. We got it at an estate sale for $140! Both sides of the couch recline. Can you see my Lucee kitty beside it on the endtable? She likes to inspect ALL my work almost as much as the girls do. Beside her on the table is the quilt I recently finished for DS#1 and blogged about yesterday and all the scraps from said quilt. Next to that is my cutting table folded up w/my very old stuffed horsey I had as a little girl.

How do you like my antique rocking chair? I found it at a yard sale for $100. The lady had it custom recovered and had a matching curtain top made as well. Of course I bought that and the curtain rod from her too. This chair is very comfortable and gets moved from here to the living room alot!

This is my kind of new entertainment center. A gentleman from work gave it away. It's very big and kind of "80's" but I like it. If you look real close you can see my little storage unit that holds my 30's fat quarters on the left hand side. The girls love to open and close the doors so you will probably see lots of little fingerprints too. Oh and the tv was my Christmas gift from Sugar Bear...that man sure does spoil me!

There you have it. My quilting studio. Hope you liked the tour!

Good news

Hi, I'm baaack! And boy do I have exciting news... I recently finished my 1st Crazy Shortcut Quilt. It's queen-size and about killed me (just kidding it's really not hard at all). I had emailed the author of the book with a question regarding the sashing and since then we've been emailing back and forth. Well, I sent her a picture of my finished quilt and she posted it on her blog...now HOW COOL IS THAT?!?! She also mentioned that I should have a blog...hello I have one...just not real good at updating it. I'm going to get better though...I promise! Here's a picture of the quilt. I made it for Brad. He sure likes it (and so does his new girlfriend-they live together now).

I guess I should update you on the family:

Brad is now living with his girlfriend. He is currently unemployed...DUI and being an EMT don't mix...need I say more? Live and learn-man it's hard to be a mom and keep your mouth shut sometimes. I didn't do a very good job of it when he got pulled over. Sugarbear had to tell me to stop verbally beating the boy up since he was doing a pretty good job of beating himself up. Anyway, he's looking for a job...any job...got a job that needs to be filled? He recently got a beautiful white German Shephard named Kiah (I think that's how they spelled it). His girlfriend has a horse and lives in the country. They will be moving within a month or so.

Tim's divorce is still in the works. He got sole custody of the girls with supervised visitation with their mom. This is a good thing for now. Perhaps later that will change but this is for the best for now. They are still all living with us. This too is a good thing for the girls and Tim right now. They need the stability of living in the only home they have known. Bri still asks for her mom sometimes but is content with calling her on the phone most of the time. Mia is too young to realize what's going on and doesn't seem to miss her mom. In fact, I've been told she ignores her when they are together. Brad's girlfriend is Bri's new "best friend" especially since said girlfriend has the horse! We are still having trouble getting Bri to go to sleep at night. She sure fights it. Mia on the other hand goes in her bed and goes right to sleep. They are both adorable and have big chunks of my heart in their own way.

Sugarbear is doing fine. Ok, so not fine but ok. He goes in for a "procedure" on Thursday. He probably wouldn't want me to put it out in blogland but let's just say he has to drink a gallon of nasty stuff the night before the "procedure". Enough said.

On the quilting front...I got a midarm quilting machine! It's a Ken Quilt (KC622). It is 22 yrs old but had been stored for 3 yrs in box in a garage. The lady had bought it used and never put it up. Seems the table was 1 ft too long for the intended room it was going to go in. I got the table and machine for $700 and love it! Of course I'm still very much in the learning phase. I've done 3 baby quilts on it so far. It lives in our garage and I've named her KayCee. I'm behind on my BOM that I do with my WeightWatcher friends by 1 month so that's my "this weekend" project. I'd like to get a couple of months ahead as well, if I can that is.

I better run and see if I can remember how to add a picture so you can see Brad's new quilt. I promise I'll be back soon!

Well, March is almost gone! Sugar Bear had a good bday but wants to wait on a brew kit. Said he may want something else more but hasn't told me what that something else is yet!

DS#1 has a new girlfriend and she likes to quilt w/me! She's coming over tonight to work on DS's quilt as you go quilt. I've got almost all 30 of the squares sandwiched and started quilting them. I have 4 pieces of batting that I'm going to need to piece together and then sandwich the last 4 squares. I'd like to get all the sandwiching and quilting done tonight and maybe even get them all squared into 16" squares too! With 2 of us working we should be able to get alot accomplished. I'm off work tomorrow so whatever we don't get done I'll finish up then. After that it's on to figuring out how to put these squares together! I sure hope we like the finished project.

I've found out what all 3 babies that are going to be born this summer will be...1 girl and 2 boys. I have a girl quilt top ready to sandwich and quilt and I have the fabric for 1 pinwheel boy quilt. The other boy quilt is going to be a special cowboy and horse one for my...ready for this....1st grandson! That's right...DH's DD is having a boy! A lady at church is going to help me learn to do applique for the quilt.

The girls are doing great. Mia is still popping teeth like popcorn. She's such a happy toddler! She's definitely trying to say more words and we're finally figuring out what some of them are. Bri is one smart little cookie. She's trying her hand at coloring in the lines. She asked me to help her color the princess' hair and after I did she told me, "Thanks Nanna you saved my life!" Sure hope it'll always be that easy to solve all her problems!

It's March Already

Hi again,

Wow, March is here already! How'd that happen? Sugar Bear has a bday this month! I told him I'd get him a brew kit so he can try his hand at creating his own beer if he'd like. He really needs a hobby!

The girls continue to keep us very busy. Mia is cutting teeth like crazy and it makes her grumpy at night plus she keeps getting a rash on her bottom that looks (and I'm sure feels) terrible. Bri is getting taller but still only weighs about 2 lbs. more than her little sister. She is turning into quite a little "momma" to Mia. Last night she wiped tears from Mia's eyes for her...so sweet. They love to hug each other and Mia always wants Bri kisses. They both love spending time in the quilting studio with me. Mia is learning to put fabric scraps on the design wall by watching her big sister...she wants to do whatever Bri does.

Speaking of the quilting studio, I've been staying busy in there! I've started a "quilt as you go" quilt for DS#1. It is in greens and I'm about 3/4 done with the top squares initial sewing. Next I have to do the sandwiching (no I haven't gotten the batting or backing cut yet) and then do the decorative stitching. I finished a baby quilt for a DN in February and have another top 2/3's done. I just need to do the borders but have put it on hold to finish DS#1's quilt first. There are a couple of babies due this summer and if they'd cooperate and be girls then I'd have the tops nearly done! If not then I'll have to get busy and do some boy ones. I did manage to finish my Valentine Quilt...just not in time for Valentine's Day...but it's done! I don't have any new hand projects to work on so I pulled out an older project-Sunbonnet Sue embroidery. It's going kind of slow cuz the girls take alot of my evening time.

I better run...bbl!

Time to play catchup!

I can't believe I haven't posted anything since last August! I almost decided to give up the blog but then started reading some of my past posts and realized how valuable a tool blogging is. So many things happen and unless we write them down they are forgotten in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I'll try to do a quick update:

Bri turned 3 and Mia turned 1 in November. We had a wonderful princess birthday party for them complete with a bounce house and bounce slide, face painting, games, pinatas and of course a princess castle cake (made by mommy).

Brad had his back surgery and it went fine. He's back to work but his foot is still numb and may be for life. He made a very unwise decision to drive after drinking and got pulled over a few months ago. He's waiting to see if he will be able to keep his job after the DMV hearing. I'm just thankful that he wasn't hurt! He has a new girlfriend that is just lovely. They seem very happy and I hope it all works out for them. She has a horse and a dog and since Brad is an animal lover they are great for each other.

I'm very sad to say that Tim and Vanessa are split up. Paperwork has been started on the divorce proceedings. Words can not begin to describe my sadness over this. Tim has been very upset since this is not what he wants. The girls are currently with us and he is trying to get sole custody w/supervised visitation for Vanessa. I don't want to go into details but please pray for us all during this time of hurt, anger, and depression.

Sugar Bear is doing fine. We seem to have had one type of bug or another going through the house for several months and he was the last one to get the last bug. He ended up having to go to the drs. for antibiotics and is finally feeling some better. Work continues to keep him busy.

On the quilting front I've managed to finish a few projects recently. I made my mom a lovely purple quilt for Christmas and labeled it "Lilac Love" since my mom loves lilacs. She's in a nursing home w/Alzheimers and my brother said she loved the quilt when she opened it. I also finished another top similar to it, also in purple, as well as a baby quilt sized top in the same color and pattern. I made several aprons for Christmas gifts for all the little girls in our lives, as well as a few doll quilts. I cranked out several baby quilts and crocheted around several pieces of fleece for Binky Patrol in the past several months too. Oh and I made another fall quilt for Sugar Bear's work as a raffle prize. All in all I've been pretty busy. I'm almost finished w/a baby quilt for my niece's upcoming babyshower and will post a picture when it's finished. All that's left is the binding! I've been doing the hand quilting on the Valentine Quilt but don't know if I'll actually get it finished before Valentine's Day. I'm doing the big stitch quilting on it. I did that on mom's quilt too and love it!

We lost our little Riley dog in October. He had kidney failure. Vanessa took her dog when she moved so that left us dogless. At first I like it then I got to missing the little buggers and Bri kept crying for them so we now have a new puppy! She's a Sheltie and we named her Sophie. She's 10 weeks old and absolutely adorable! She loves running w/the girls but we have to watch that she doesn't jump up on Mia and make her fall down or scratch her. Lucee kitty is fine and only gets into a snit when Sophie tries to interact w/her. She's fine if she instigates the interaction but doesn't like it one little bit if Sophie does. Of course she loves Sophie's food but I sure wish she wouldn't eat it cuz it gives her a "touch of the gas". And on that note I think I'll sign off for now!