NYE Mystery Steps 8-10 Done and 11 Started!

Well we were going strong for a long time there and then suddenly my machine broke a needle and I spent an hour trying to coax it back to work! I finally gave up and packed it up to go in for a cleaning and to have the timing worked on...it was due after these projects anyway. Meanwhile I had my heart set on getting these done so Kathy ran out and got me another machine so I could finish them up. She was putting in phone calls looking for one before I even asked. One gal from my online group emailed me and said I could come get her old one too! Sweet people quilters are!
So we took a break for dinner and I had a margarita along with my steak dinner...and Randy made his fabulous Strawberry Spinach Salad which I love too! We played several games of Dutch Blitz which is my new FAVORITE game. Randy hates it. Then we played Smartass and I actually won! That is the one I usually hate. Lastly, we played Don't Forget the Lyrics which is kind of fun and silly though I am not too great at that one...Randy won!
Then I decided to wander up and finish the last of Kathy's blocks (she did most of this quilt, but I was helping her and she was ready to be done!) and laid them out and took this pic just to see what they would look like. I like it! She does too, thinks she will do two crib size quilts instead of one lap size so we will be two ahead on baby gifts.


Then I HAD to sew at least some of my blocks together...so I got two rows done and took this picture so you could get the idea. I LOVE it. Not sure where this one is going or who it will go to but I like how it turned out! Ann Smith always outdoes herself with these mysteries! So tomorrow you should get to see two or three completed quilt tops!

NYE Mystery 8-10 Mostly Done!

The dogs got tired of following me up the stairs to sew and down the stairs to print the next clue..so they waited in the middle! Aren't Joe and Rosey adorable?

Part of Kathy's...

Same part of mine...

With the edges on (gotta get to that on Kathy's--she ran to the store to pick up the steaks and I promised to finish mine then start hers....hehe and here I am posting..shhh!)

My blocks side by side...I AM LOVING THEM! YAY!
Should have a top picture for you soon!

NYE Mystery Steps 4-7 Done!

Check it out---steps four through seven of mine!

And of Kathy's!

Looking good so far we think!

NYE Mystery Steps 1-3

This is what we have been up to so far this morning...NYE Mystery steps one, two and three.

Kathy's

Mine

More of Mine

Looking better...
Kathy is working on step 3 as I type!

More later!

Presewing on NYE Mystery Quilt Completed--well for one anyway!

You can see I spent several hours today cutting apart and squaring up these presewing clues. They look pretty good if I do say so myself. I am loving the fabrics so that makes all that tediousness a more fun process. I sewed and cut apart all of Kathy's presewing too, but am hoping SHE squares her up...lol. We have to share the machine tomorrow so she can square while I sew. Last year we had two machines for this and hopefully next year we will too! We are each only doing the lap size so it should work out...one pinning or pressing or stirring lunch, etc. while the other sews.

Happy sewing all!

Picking out Fabric for Bonnie's NYE Mystery--Double Delight!

Here is what I have here that looks suitable for Bonnie's NYE Mystery--Double Delight. I am pretty excited that I actually have lots for this quilt! I do need to pick up light shirting type fabric, more cheddar and more pink but I am on my way to this mystery! YIPEE.
Now to get sewing on the other NYE Mystery which I need to do presewing for! Anyone else playing along with two mysteries this year? Or three? LOL I convinced myself not to do the third, but am helping Kathy do one of Ann's so there will be three anyway! What an exciting few days it is going to be!
CJ called this morning apologizing for punking me...lol his situation has improved and things are looking up a bit for him, which makes my day easier too!

Last Christmas Gathering and a Sewing Bee Prize

These gorgeous pieces of fabric are from Mary in AZ on my stashbuilders group. They are really pretty and will find their way into a quilt soon!

This is Kathy's neice Megan holding up her Orange Crush quilt we gave her tonight. She seemed to like it, but didn't even open it up and ooh and ahh. Which I would have if I had gotten a quilt...but this is likely her last quilt anyway--she has two now and this one is huge!

Her oldest son Mikey was FAR MORE EXCITED to get his quilt. Of the four kids getting an ABC quilt with their initial on it his reaction was the best. Megan was thrilled that the kids would have new quilts since they have been loving their old ones to pieces. So that was good. Next quilt for these kids might be graduation..again they each have two now!
Came home and watched a movie with my sweetie and it was nice to just be at home. Tomorrow I am going to get sewing and pick out fabric for my Bonnie NYE Mystery. My sweetie gave me a gift certificate to my favorite quilt shop so I can buy whatever my heart desires...which will be nice!

A Busy Christmas

Yesterday we spent the day chihuahua shopping with my sister, my mom and a few of my sister's friends. One of them took home this sweet girl who liked the spot between the heated seats and me in my sister's car!

My sister got the black one the night before. She is calling him Chai (as in tea since he is a tea cup) but half the time we call him nugget. He has a great personality, travels well (puked on me once lol) and is good with kids, cats and huge dogs already. I love him! The other one is one of my sister's friend's new one. She is sister to the other one. Very hard to get a picture of them all together they move so much. You can see my nephew's original I Spy quilt underneath them as we were trying to keep them warm in the car.

Here you can see Quarto (or Cujo as we often call him) my sister's huge mastif dog. Left to right...my step dad Gary, my mom Toni, my sister Tina, me, my brother Sam. You can see my nephew's navy pic in the background and he took this photo too! Was good to have him home for Christmas..the Navy is doing worlds of good for him! I was more dressed up Christmas Day when this was taken, but started cooking and cleaning and changed my clothes..never did change back...Oh well!

This is Ben in his new pajamas with cute feet on Christmas Eve. He enjoyed opening his gifts and several of the things I got him were a hit and were immediately put on or played with. Glad he is a happy boy!
Today we are going to Kathy's sister's house for Christmas with that side. I am Christmassed out...seriously ready to just chill at home, but we will have fun once we get there. Very excited to sew tomorrow...going to get all my HST's done (and Kathy's too since she works) and also going to pick out fabrics for Bonnie at Quiltville's NYE Mystery. I know, two mysteries...but Bonnie's starts that day so I will work on it between clues for the other one if I have time, or work on it the next day since the next clue will come at some unknown time. I skipped Bonnie's last mystery-Tobacco Road because it coincided with the start of the school year and I had so much to get ready for. I really liked it and wished I had done it! So I am finding time for this one...don't know who any of these quilts are for or anything. Some people drink, I sew. LOL. Hoping one quilt will suit Coleman when it is done. Oh and speaking of my oldest son...remember the bad news I got from him? He sent a letter out the next day (but I wasn't home to get it until yesterday) and he informed me that I had been "punked" which in case you don't know means fooled...he was kidding about the bad news. Chalk one up for him...I am not happy about the joke, but he is high functioning autistic and his sense of humor isn't quite on with the rest of us. Still I love that kid to pieces! And as he reminds me often "gotta love me" which is so true.
These two pictures are several years old now but all my children are together at Christmas in these pictures so will show them to you. The youngest is now 16 so this has to be from 2002 or so (it is I checked)!
This one may be the same year or the next year...not sure but it is tradition when we are there for them to sit on Papa's lap (he is their great grandfather DeLos and is 81 this year and still recovering from surgery and his stroke but doing well).

Ann M. Smith's NYE Mystery Cut!

In case you have forgotten here are my fabrics for the Ann M. Smith NYE 2008 Mystery. Kathy and I spent a few hours tonight cutting everything out and listening to Christmas music.

We picked these fabrics from my small stash for Kahty to make one too. We bought a kit with circus stuff in it over a year ago and there is still fabric left over after cutting the stuff for this mystery...I am sure the rest of it will go to good use though.

Here are Kathy's clues all bagged up.

and mine.

A side view of my clues...lol.

I also quickly cut out the pieces for the history quilt block.

And we whipped up two dog beds to donate to a shelter..used ugly ish fabric from my Goodwill find the other night and stuffed it with all the leftover scraps, thread, etc. that I have been collecting since we moved in here. So my hamper is empty and ready for my scraps! I love recycling!

Soon we will do the presewing for the mystery! WHOOT WHOOT. Mood is somewhat better...can you tell?