Mistletoe Make & Bake 2010 A Holiday Blog Hop!!!

November 15th-20th, 2010

Here is the line-up~  You don't want to miss this!!

November 15th

Sherri K. Falls of This & That Patterns

November 16th

Heidi Kaisand of Chicks & Hen

Monique Dillard of Open Gate Blog

November 17th

Celine Perkins of Perkin's Dry Goods

Patrick Lose of The Latest News from Patrick Lose

Kelly Ann Richardson of Kelly Ann's Quilting

November 18th

Lissa Alexander of Moda Lissa

Julie Stewart of Quilts 4 Julie

November 19th

Roseann Kermes of Rosebud's Cottage

Brenda Riddle of Little Acorns

November 20th

Vickie Eapen of Spun Sugar Quilts

Melisa Morrison of Sweet Home Quilt Co.

November 21st

On the seventh day, we’ll rest. And eat cookies!

Be sure to visit each site for some cookie bliss, wonderful projects and awesome prizes!!

Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Vol. 2!

Check it out!!!  Lots of cool blocks, fun give aways and awesome blogs to view!!!!  Hit the button on my sidebar to visit all the sites!!!  DON'T MISS OUT!!!!!

Another Go Giveaway!!!!!!!!!!

You've got to check out Lavender Ridge!  She is giving away a GO! Cutter and 3 dies!!  Hurry, you only have until November 10th to enter!  Good luck!

I'm back!!!

Wow, it's as if I took the summer off!  We have arrived in Colorado and our home in Kansas is being rented!  Whew!  For those of you who aren't aware, Chris is back from Afghanistan and we moved with him back to Fort Carson.  He is back into the full swing of work and the kids and I are getting used to him being home!  What a nice change!  The kids are in school (conveniently located across the street!) and are all on Roller Hockey teams (first time for all!).  I have 75% of everything unpacked and have already completed some quilting projects.  Now I just have to find time to organize my pictures and get some blogging time in!
Hope all of you are enjoying a fall season.  It hasn't quite reached us here but I am sure it will come before October is over! :-)

Give Away!!!!!

You are probably like me, desiring an Accuquilt!  There have been so many blog sites that are doing a give away and here are two that are doing them.  Millie's Quilting and Ariane's Crafts. You should check them out!  Both blog sites are awesome and personally I enjoy visiting each~  Good luck!
~ Charlene

It's hot out there but it's nice and cool in here!!

The month of June is close to an end and the busiest part of my summer is about to begin.  Chris will be home tonight after finishing his two week reintegration from the deployment and we are really looking forward to having him home! 

So what is going to make the summer get really busy?!  We are moving to Ft. Carson, Colorado!  That is where Chris' unit is and now that they are back home we are going to also make our home there too.  I just hope there is a way we can stay put for a few years instead of one.  Kansas has been good to us and we are leaving behind a nice community and an awesome church family.  Friends like that make it hard to move, esp when I have to watch my kids say goodbye... again.

I finished a quilt!  The sneak peak from the last blog is now completed.  I love the fabric (Rouenneries by French General) and low and behold there is a pattern/kit from p.s.i quilt that uses the same fabric line. 

It is called Almost Irish and was featured in the current Irish Quilting Magazine.  So... I am lining up my projects to start and complete while in Colorado.  I cant wait... and this one is staying home with me!

Another quilt I am working on is a BOM from Quilt Happy, Quilt Often and it is called Love is....  A long time ago I taught myself a little cross stitch and embroidery and I have decided to pick it back up.  It is such a satisfying, easy to take on the road craft and I am so glad I have found folks out there who encourage me to do it.  I have chosen the moda fabric line Rural Jardin by French General.  I am planing on making this quilt with a few more blocks added! 

So, do you ever wonder what happens to my finished quilts?  I am learning to keep some for myself... however my cat, Shiloh, thinks they are for his usage.  Here are a few pics of him... doesn't he have the best life?!

2 Wheels!

Well, Chris finally made it back to the states and needless to say we are really glad he is back and safe!  He was able to come home for a couple of days before heading back to CO to get things ready for us to move there.  Meanwhile we bought the kids new bikes and I even got one!  I haven't ridden a bike since I was in College and that was 20 ish years ago!  Unfortunately a slight foot accident has postponed my bike ride so hopefully in a few days I will be able to put a shoe on and ride for the first time.

As for the foot accident... well have you ever accidentally kicked the foot of your bed?!  We have a sturdy wooden frame on ours and I jumped out of bed to close a window (it had begun to pour rain outside but it was blowing in) and as I rounded our bed I smacked my foot into the frame and heard a crunch.  Now one of the toes is swollen and bruised and certainly doesn't feel very good if I'm on it too long. 

Anyhow, here is the new bike!  I love it... but I'm sure I will love it more when I get to ride it!

Schwinn Aluminum Comp All-Terrain Bike

Summer time already?!

What a year it has been so far!  Sorry I haven't blogged for such a long time, I had pneumonia and then the kids got sick(and I still had the pneumonia), the hubby was home for R&R and then I had a slight health scare and then baseball happened and now school is out.  We're now waiting for the hubby to redeploy home any day now and then we'll be getting ready to move to Colorado! (crowd cheers!) 

I have, however had the chance to get some quilting done!  Three projects were finished, a few teachers gifts were finished and several other projects are in the finishing stages.

This first quilt was for our youth Pastors wife/baby boy to be.  A name wasn't picked out yet so I embroidered an L for the last name.

The next is a lap quilt for my Mom.  It was an easy two charm pack quilt and I used the Chenille-it in white to square each charm. 

The next quilt is the signature quilt that I was originally looking for a quilter to finish for me.  My local quilt shop had stopped doing custom quilting but before I made arrangements to have it sent out there was a new quilter at the shop.  So here is a picture of her and I .  I love the quilt and it was nice to have a picture of the two of us with it.  I have some larger quilts in mind that I want to use the other quilter for but for these smaller quilts, it was a good local fit!

I also finished a special Pillow for someone (and I need to get it mailed) and then did some gifts for the kids' teachers. 

Last but not least... here is a sneak at something I am working on!

Simon's Cat

The top is all done!

I finally found the fabric for the borders... now to just find someone to quilt it for me.  Our local quilt shop will only do a basic overall pattern (bummer) so now I am on the hunt for someone who has a decent turn around time and can add some really pretty quilting.  Any suggestions?!  I'm willing to mail it out!

Working on another quilt!

Ok, I have started working on my signature quilt!  What do you think of it so far?!  I have another border or two to put on it and then I'll have to figure out what to do about the quilting.  Either I will do something simple by hand or find someone who would machine quilt it.
UPDATE: THE BORDERS ARE ON... Look at the next post to see a picture!

Catching up... again!

Have you ever been so busy that when you finally have time to sit down and write... well, you just cant think of anything to say?!  That's where I've been that last several weeks.  A lot has happened.
Christmas was wonderful despite that my husband was still deployed.  We had a beautiful white Christmas and although we had two blizzards (I even got to drive through one... yikes!) and some cabin fever moments we know we're truly blessed to have a warm home and no worries about our income or health.
The year ended and began with my 30 year old cousin, Jennifer, dying a quick unexpected death and leaving behind a then 4 month old son and a huge family that will miss her.  It was and still is so shocking.  To add to the sadness I have about that, my husbands grandmother also died unexpectantly within days of Jennifer.  This lady was the first one to really welcome me into the family and was the sweetest lady I had known.  Needless to say... I cried and even as I write this I have tears in my eyes.  Then we also received word that my husbands uncle had also passed away although we werent notified until recently due to other circumstances.  So a red cross message was sent to my dear husband regarding all of these losses... only to find out that his unit also suffered some losses (the first of the new year in Afghanistan) that same weekend.  Needless to say I have had several conversations about death, heaven and daddy's safety with the kids.  I am worn out and hence... just couldnt blog.
Then Haiti happened.  My kids dont understand and I am doing everything in my power to not have the TV on the news channel.  We know people who have family that have gone to help... Lord watch over them!
So, a new year has started and a lot of people are working on their new years resolutions.  I gave up on those a long time ago... but I was introduced to a new thought.  K-Love radio station is sending a challenge for us to have a word for the year.  One that sums up what or where we want to be by the end of the year.  I have prayed about this and I have chosen the word STILL.  I fight panic/anxiety and depression (even on some meds for it) and I have found that (esp as a military wife in deployment mode) I try to keep myself busy.  So busy that I really havent allowed myself to be still and quiet for even a moment.  The Bible says to '...be still and know that I am God.'.  If you read Psalm 46 you'll find that this chapter is about having confidence in God our refuge.  The first two verses say: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."  (I am thinking of Haiti and so many other disasters)  If you read on the chapter talks about "He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear.... Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted in the earth." 
I stay so busy because I dont want to let myself worry about the things around me that I cant control anyway.  I worry about the war(s) that my husband the rest of my military family is in... I fear disasters... I fear and worry about a lot of things and it can throw me into a panic/anxiety fit.  But I havent allowed myself to 'Be still and know he is God'.  So... my word this year is STILL.  That I will slow down, make myself be still... allow God to show me who he is and that I have no need to worry because he is my fortress and my ever present help in time of need.  I can rest in Him and know that he cares for me and will take care of the things that concern me.
I am back to blogging... and this year I hope that I can slow down... enjoy the things that I have missed while 'running' by.
What will your word be this year?!