A busy, busy week!

Suddenly my dance card was full!  I recuperated from my wonderful Thursday "Shop Hop"with Linda and Gillian and it only took two days.  Then I received  a Facebook message that made my day.  Cathie and Gail wanted to come for a visit on Wednesday night.....YEAH!!!!  I was thrilled!

So - now I need to make room to sit!!!  It's really not a joke!  Unfortunately I have yet to snag a much needed storage locker so the boxes are still strewn around the living room. Making room is no easy feat!  However, with a little ingenuity and some "elbow grease" I managed to make it work.  Cathie and Gail showed up with dinner from Mr. Greek and we had a wonderful visit.  We even managed to make room for Jonathan and his friend Frasier - yes they hung out with the "old ladies" for a short time!  Luckily they got fed up pretty quick and went into his room to watch the Leafs game.  I got to show off my progress on The Farmer's Wife and we just had a great catch-up evening! Can't wait until our next Stitch'n'Bitch (I missed the last one, wasn't feeling up to it)!  They managed to top up on some thread needs while they were here too!!!  I do not exaggerate when I say I have thousands of spools of thread here!!!

I have also managed to complete 6 more blocks -

 Block # 62 - Old Windmill (32 pieces)

Block #64 - Peace & Plenty (32 pieces)

Block # 66 - Periwinkle (12 pieces)

Block # 70 - Prairie Queen (25 pieces)

Block # 71 - Puss In The Corner (13 pieces)

These five blocks represented the "order" group.  I stitch up one group of 5 blocks in "numerical order" so that I am just stitching blocks and then I start working on the "row order" so that I am able to put the rows together.  The 6th block that I completed is the start of Row 8 - another row of 13 blocks of which I already have 8 completed.  I am just finishing the stitching of Row 7 to the quilt top now. 

Block # 81 - Snowball (13 pieces)

Now I will start adding the sashings and cornerstones to this block and stitching the completed blocks to make Row 8.  This is the second row of 3 rows of 13 blocks and then, because the quilt is on point, each row after that will be smaller by two blocks.  This marks the halfway point of the quilt top....I can't believe it!!!

My week did not end here!!!  I had another Facebook message that Linda was coming to visit with Bosley and Ainsley on Thursday!!!  I have not seen my "baby" Bosley since May 2011 when I did my first chemo.  Not only that, but Linda has been working in Ottawa for the past year and she was bringing me a present!!!  Egg rolls from the Golden Palace! Okay, I know, that sounds nuts - but you haven't tasted an egg roll if you haven't had one of theirs.  I salivate just thinking about these egg rolls.  A trip to Ottawa for Egg Rolls was on my bucket list!!!  The rest of their menu is also to die for but the egg rolls are by far the most outstanding item!  They sell them by the dozens - people come from all over to get them.  I remember as a kid, Saturday night was Golden Palace night and believe me the whole city was there - you always ran into someone you knew!!!

So, again I had to Bosley-fy the house - he still likes to gnaw on the odd sock!  I managed to get quite a bit of organizing done before Cathie and Gail came but I still needed to do a bit more for the Bosley visit.  I actually managed to clean off my desk (been a mess for six months) and organize the computer area.  If only I had a storage locker!!!!  One of these days!

They arrived around 2:00 P.M. and it was glorious!  There is nothing like a great big fat kiss from a chocolate Lab!!!  It'll cure everything!!!  It was great hugging Linda and Ainsley too!  I adore this dog!  I gave him up for all the right reasons and I happily gave him to a family who would love him as much as I do.  Matt, Linda, Morgan and Ainsley have given him a wonderful home and since I get visiting privileges I couldn't ask for anything more.

Jonathan and I just couldn't give him the exercise and attention that he needed.  He gets plenty now!!!  Of course I took a few pics while they were here!

 Finding his spot on the couch (his couch I might add)

 A rare face pic!  He does not pose for pictures - always on the go!

 Ainsley holding him just long enough to see that gorgeous mug!

 This is the norm - he wiggles into you on the couch so you can rub his belly....Linda is quietly raiding the thread baskets in the background.....

 Never sits still- pushing into Ainsley for a good rub.

He is just a big galoot with such a wonderful personality and just look at the love from his Mom (Linda) and sister (Ainsley) - I so miss having that around....

It was a wonderful visit, unfortunately Jonathan was working and didn't get a chance to see him but Bosley kept running back to Jonathan's bedroom to look for him and next time we'll schedule it on one of Jonathan's days off.  Of course, all good things come to an end and so the visit was over but not before I got some much needed hugs and some really great slobbery kisses.

Needless to say I had a good dose of Egg Rolls after they left and I even treated Liz to one so she can tell you how good they are!!!!  She was surprised I would share this delicacy but there isn't anyone I would rather share with!!!  She dropped by after her guild meeting with a Peppermint Hot Chocolate from Tim's and we ate our egg rolls and chatted for a bit - she's just back from Calgary visiting Brian (her son) and Sarah (his girlfriend).

Yesterday I spent the day cooking!  First there were the sweet and sour meatballs for the potluck at our guild meeting on Monday night.  Then I threw together a Shepherd's Pie and then Jonathan made steaks and baked potatoes for dinner.  

Today I am content to sit inside and watch the snow fall and worry about my son driving around out there boosting batteries.  He called a little while ago and says it's pretty bad out there, he can't do over 20 km/hr or he starts to fishtail.  So - I suggest you all get done what has to be done and get home.....

My plan is to possibly clear off that dining room table, set up my sewing machine and get some stitching done....we'll see if I can manage that....

Have a great day everyone! (I know this was a long one.....)

Jo-Ann

Made It!

Thursday was amazing!  Linda and Gillian scooped me up at about 11:00 A.M. as promised and we were on the road.  Missy came with us all snuggled up in the back seat with Linda. We were off to Guelph first and our first stop was Greenwood Quiltery.

I was on a mission to find Kaffe Fassett Shot Cottons and this was definitely the right choice.  As a matter of fact, they were waiting for me right there at the front door along with some very tempting KF prints.

However, I was on a mission and I behaved myself.  Out came those gorgeous prints I bought from Hygelitt at Black Creek Village this summer and I matched up the two shot cottons I had in mind for my project.....

My mission for the day was done.  Linda did well too, she chose a number of fabrics for her new project.  Gillian, unfortunately, did not find what she was looking for.  We didn't break the bank but we did some damage.....

Next stop was St. Jacobs and lunch.  We were all starving and getting lost on the way to St. Jacobs was truly not part of the plan but once we got back on track we had no problem finding our way to the Stone Crock Restaurant for lunch.  It's definitely my go to place for St. Jacobs....that, however may change and you'll see why later on....

Linda and I headed inside to get seated while Gillian took Missy for a much needed outing.

I had to reminisce about the next photo, this place has been around forever.  When I bought my house back in 2004 I came here to buy my mailbox, which I hung onto for years.  They've got some great little items which I why I stayed away.....

We had a lovely lunch - Gillian had French Onion Soup while Linda and I had the lunch buffet which was delicious.  Real down home fare!  Of course we had to go to the Stone Crock Bakery and pick up a few goodies to take home.  The ladies continued their shopping at the Silo while Missy and I took a nap.

Then we were off to find the other quilt store which is just north of St. Jacob's on Hwy 85.  It's at a little complex called The Crossroads which boasts a lovely restaurant, gift shop and Quilters Nine Patch, a wonderful quilt store.  We actually drove right by it because we didn't know what we were looking for but once we found it we were happily impressed.

The Crossroads Restaurant is something like the Stone Crock and boasts a lovely buffet as well.  Once we finished at the quilt store we stopped for a cup of tea for Gillian, Ginger Ale for Linda and a hot Peppermint Chocolate for me.....

Just so you can see why it's worth the drive (on the way to Elmira)...I took a few pictures of the gorgeous fabrics and quilts at Quilters Nine Patch....

She's  got a great variety of fabrics and a really welcoming store.  Loads of kits and samples which are so much fun to look at.  Linda did some major damage while Gillian bought a bit as well.  I, unfortunately, did not bring my current project with me so I couldn't get the additional fabric to complete it.  But I will definitely be coming back.

We left Elmira at about 5:00 P.M., a little later then we had anticipated but Gillian really needed that tea to get moving.....That was when we heard the news about Nelson Mandella, so on the long drive home we tuned in to CBC.  It did take a little longer than anticipated to get home but we made it by 7:00 P.M..

Of course, I paid for it!  It was an extremely long and wonderful day for me, however I spent most of Friday and Saturday in bed recuperating.  Sunday was a little better and today I did three more loads of laundry....

I have managed to get back to The Farmer's Wife (stitching) and will update all of that in my next blog....in the meantime, the plan for tomorrow is to work on organizing and cleaning....

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Getting things done....

That's really what it's all about these days,getting things done in spite of all the physical setbacks.  I managed to get two loads of laundry done yesterday and trust me this was no easy feat.

First of all, I found out that I am phobic!  I have this "laundry room phobia"!  I absolutely hate laundry rooms....which is why it has taken me so long to get something so simple and mundane done.  When you run out of clothes, I mean it's been at least 6 weeks since I did a proper laundry run, you have to just buck up!  So I picked yesterday.  Dumb choice - it appears Wednesday is a very popular day to do the laundry.  When I got down to the laundry room there wasn't a machine to be had - so I waited and managed to snag two of the three machines I needed.  When I came down again, half an hour later there were carts and bags of all kinds of laundry just waiting to snag machines.  Luckily I made it in time to snag two dryers just before someone else came in looking for a dryer.  It was survival of the fittest so I figured that third load can wait a few more days.....

I also managed to finish prepping the next ten blocks pictured below.  You will only see 9 on my little work tray (a much used gift from Liz) as the tenth one is underneath one of the pages as it is pictured on the other side.....

 Once I have these stitched I will only have 22 blocks to go before all 111 will be done.

Today is a "red letter" day.  I am just waiting for Gillian and Linda to come and pick me up and we are off to Greenwood Quiltery in Guelph and then to St. Jacobs and Elmira.  We planned this outing pretty much last minute but I can now see if I can get some "Shot Cotton" to go with those scrumptious Kaffe Fasset's I bought in the summer at Black Creek.

Should be a great day!  The weather looks promising so that too is a bonus!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Inspiration!!!!

It really is about time I got some inspiration!  I guess you could say that I have been a little out of sorts for the past two months.  This morning started off well for a change although I did wake up in pain and had to take my OXY again.  However, I managed to get in a few phone calls from friends and after coffee and a muffin, I was feeling almost motivated.  

The T.V. seems to be on 24/7 in my room, I even fall asleep to it and there are certain programs I actually enjoy watching.  I usually watch The Chew at 1:00 P.M. and then at 3:00 P.M. Best Recipes Ever and In the Kitchen With Stefano (both on CBC).  Well, this afternoon Stefano prepared this really awesome looking (sounding) pasta dish and that's what inspired me.....

Jonathan was off today so I made out my grocery list and off he went to Metro to get all the fixin's.  Here's the picture of tonight's dinner and even my son was impressed (not an easy feat).  I haven't been doing alot of cooking lately so this was a real treat.....

My Recipe (from Stefano's Recipe)

In a large saucepan, some olive oil, 1-2 cloves garlic finely chopped, about 6 slices pancetta (or bacon, but I prefer the pancetta) finely sliced or shredded.  Season with Italian Seasoning (he used sage, so up to you) Saute until cooked, add 2 chicken breasts sliced thinly and brown on both sides.  Add about 5 finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  In the meantime, while chicken is cooking, prepare linguini to package directions and add a full head of broccoli florets cut into fork size pieces. (I did the pasta and broccoli in one pot, as did he - why waste pots!).  Back to the chicken - once the chicken is cooked add a little chicken broth (or wine) to deglaze the pan, scraping all the little brown bits (the good stuff) off the bottom and sides. Then add a small container of whipping cream and bring to a boil.  This is your sauce.  Once the pasta and broccoli are done, drain (do not wash, the starch helps the sauce to thicken) and add to the saucepan, mix all together and let simmer about 5-10 minutes.  Serve in bowls and add grated parmesan to your liking.  Absolutely delicious and a great dish to serve to guests too!  Enjoy...... 

So, you ask what I have been up to the past month (it appears to be almost that long since I blogged).  I've been sleeping, taking pain killers, sleeping, taking pain killers, etc.....  I am really sick of this schedule and am ready to push on with my life.  

I have been able to get a few blocks done on The Farmer's Wife and tonight I worked on prepping the next 10 blocks to be stitched.  Here are the ones I've completed... 

 Block # 83 - Spider Web - 20 pieces

 Block #108 - Windmill - 8 Pieces

Block #97 - Waste Not - 12 pieces

I believe I already mentioned that I had finished another full row but nothing has been done with that yet.  Hopefully in the next few weeks I will get my act together and start doing some stitching.  In the meantime I am prepping blocks to be stitched so that's progress too.  I was suffering from a mental block for a couple of weeks with the prospect of having to choose fabrics for the next 10 blocks but I finally got over it, so off we go again!

Hopefully tomorrow will be another productive day and I will be up to continuing with this sudden spurt of inspiration.....

In the meantime, I'm off to bed again,

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

I have a way!

Sabotage!  Should be my middle name!

I got absolutely nothing done yesterday and at the end of the day when I usually sit watching TV and stitching, I played one of my Hidden Object games (I can really get obsessed).  I know, some days you just have to give in and do nothing.  

I've found myself falling into a rut.  I have my daytime TV and my night time TV and it's really getting out of hand.  I need to break out and take my life back.

I am planning to go to the new members tea at the Etobicoke Quilters Guild on Sunday so that will be an outing for me.  For the past 4 months, the only places I end up going out to are doctors appointments and hospitals.   The odd time I have gone somewhere else.  I went to a fabulous Stitch'n'Bitch with some great friends in September and I managed to get to the quilt shows at Black Creek Village and Halton Hills (thanks Gillian), and I did get to Studio C (Etobicoke Quilters Guild) once in September (thanks Liz).

Hopefully things will begin to change and I will definitely start making plans to go places and do things but I'm still taking it one day at a time.

I need to get my day kick-started so I am off to put the coffee on and get ready to do a huge amount of laundry (it's been weeks, ugh!).  Also, I am planning on working on that disaster kitchen......

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Finally!

The past few weeks have definitely been the worst so far.  I can safely say that I am feeling very close to "human" again.  To be brutally honest, there were many days where I felt that I couldn't take anymore.  In August I was told by one of the residents at the Odette Cancer Centre (Sunnybrook) that I was terminal.  At that point I chose to start taking pain killers, Oxicodin to be exact and so I found myself in a drugged stupor for a good portion of September.  My primary Oncologist, Dr. Osborne, then suggested that I go for radiation treatment to help the pain.  He made arrangements for me to see the head Radiologist, Dr. Ackerman.  After being examined and set up for the radiation tatoos, she told me that the cancer could very possibly be lymphoma which, not only is curable but is usually eradicated by radiation.  Virtually a new lease on life!  I immediately stopped taking the Oxicodin (I hate pills!) and soon began the radiation treatments - 10 treatments over 10 days.  When they tell you there are no side effects, remember, "they" don't get side effects, you do!  I found myself in excrutiating pain, nauseous all the time and extremely weak.  I was tired all the time and was bed-ridden for most of the last 6 weeks. In addition, I developed a bladder infection.  For the first time since I was originally diagnosed in February 2011, I felt defeated!  However, the worst appears to be over and I am beginning to feel almost normal again.  I am still having a few stomach issues but after being flat on my back for weeks, this is nothing!!!  My "get up and go" is beginning to come back and I can actually sit in front of the computer and even get some cleaning and other important things done.....Glad to be back in the fight!

To bring everyone up to date - before I fell prey to the side effects of this illness, I had one of the best and truly productive days at Studio C with all the wonderful ladies from the Etobicoke Quilters Guild at the Neilson Park Creative Centre.  I managed to get quite a bit done on one of my flannel projects with the help of Sylvia who was kind enough to be my "pressing princess" as well as helping me do a fair bit of "unstitching".  Thank you ladies for a lovely day.  I hope to take advantage of Studio C in the near future, now that I am feeling quite a bit better.

Since the last time I blogged (September 23rd) I have managed to complete, although I'm not sure how, 10 of my Farmer's Wife Blocks.  Most were done before I fell ill and then in the last few days I have finally gotten back to them.  I have 76 of 111 blocks done which is more than two-thirds of the blocks.  Only 35 blocks to go!  Here are the blocks I've completed......

 Block #103 - Whirlwind - 21 pieces

Block #90 - Single Wedding Ring - 29 pieces 

Block #91 - Strawberry Basket - 28 pieces 

 Block #87 - Star Gardener - 57 pieces

After these 4 blocks were completed I began working on Row #7 which consists of 13 blocks.  I have been working on these blocks with an alternating method.  I choose them in groups of 5.  I choose my fabrics for the 5 blocks and them mark and cut and stitch. One group is chosen in order as they appear in the rows that I am working on and then the next group is chosen in numerical order and stored in my Farmer's Wife binder.  I'm finding this method is really working for me.  I also have been marking and cutting sashing strips in between each set of 5 blocks and have now completed the 252 sashing strips required for the Queen Size quilt.

 Block #61 - Northern Light - 12 pieces

 Block #60 - Noon & Light - 28 pieces

 Block #59 - Night & Day - 24 pieces

 Block #58 - Mother's Dream - 17 pieces

There are only 4 blocks in the above group and there is a perfectly good explanation for that.  I made a mistake!  I actually needed one of the 5 blocks to complete Row 6 and I didn't want to wait until I got to this group to complete the row.  They are now stored in my binder.

 Block #65 - Peaceful Hours - 37 pieces

Block #20 - Storm Signal - 20 pieces

The last two blocks will go to completing Row #7 and once I complete the 5 blocks in this group, Row #7 will be completed along with some of the stored blocks in my binder. Once I complete Row #7 I will have 8 more rows to complete, 2 more rows of 13 blocks, 1 of 11 blocks, 1 of 9 blocks, 1 of 7 blocks, 1 of 5 blocks, 1 of 3 blocks and the last row of 1 block.

I'm glad I chose to begin assembling the quilt as I was stitching the blocks, this seems to be going faster.  It is encouraging to see the quilt top coming together and since I am stitching the whole quilt top by hand it is nice to work on different parts of the project as I go.

Hopefully I will also get back to doing some machine work as well.  I really do miss that but unfortunately I have not really been able to get back to it since my wonderful day at Studio C.  As a matter of fact, I haven't even unpacked my machine since that day.

The house is a complete disaster!  Although Jonathan tries (not extremely hard), he does work very hard and very long hours.  Now that I'm feeling better, I am slowly tackling one room at a time.  So far - the bathroom is done!!!!  I have started on the kitchen but it's no where near done....slow and steady wins the race!  Off to get stuff done......

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

OMG!

I had an amazing time on Saturday!  First, I was so excited the night before that I couldn't get to sleep.  That resulted in an extremely late start to the day.  I arrived just in time for lunch (perfect timing if you ask me!).  Since it was my first "real" outing in the car, I took the scenic route which took a little longer (no highways)!  Gail served a lovely salad with a fabulous lasagna and we had "West Coast" chocolate covered Nanaimo bars for dessert. (They were imported from the west coast!).

The girls (Cathie and Gail) had just come back from visiting Cathie's sister out in B.C. and so, our first order of business was Show & Share.  There are oodles of quilt stores out there and they really had a great haul to show.  You can see what was on Gail's mind while she was away.......

She did a bit of shopping for Halloween, the fabrics are great and I love the panel.  Her project for the day was also a cute Halloween table runner.  Of course there were other great purchases too......

The Laurel Birch cats are adorable and she's doing it in the pattern she's holding.  The cupcakes speak for themselves and the floral, well, that is just gorgeous!  I know I took pics of Cathie's haul too but I can't seem to locate them and I've gone through the whole disc of photos so I'll have to get those next time.

There was one more purchase which just blew me away!  Can you imagine making this miniature Christmas Ornament.  I don' think I would have the patience - and IT IS pieced!

Finally, after oooohing and aaaahing I had to really get down to work to catch up with these girls.  They were way ahead of me.....

Here's the quilt that I needed to make the backing for......a scrappy flannel quilt top which was completed in 2009 and then just set aside.....

The backing is made from the same fabric as the borders (I confiscated the bolt from the store...).  It took a fair bit of time to get this pieced, I had blocks left over that I wanted to use and I had already made a label which I wanted to incorporate into the back rather then sew it on later.....this is the result, thanks to Cathie's expert cutting!

FYI - If you are using flannel to back a quilt, take the measurement on the bolt selvage to selvage - this bolt measured 40" exactly and was tight, I had barely enough (Sandy's going to kill me!).  The quilt measures 68" x 79" so since it's being basted only she can put it on the long arm sideways where I gave her the extra inches.....

I have to say that is all I got done on Saturday but for me it was a huge accomplishment. I could have kept going but I didn't want to overstay my welcome!  It was a fabulous day, catching up with the girls and just having a great time!

This morning I dropped the quilt off to Sandy so I should be able to start hand quilting it some time this week.  Uh oh, another hand project!  I'll have to split my time between this and the Farmer's Wife so I can get them both done!

Have a great day everyone and happy quilting!

Jo-Ann

I'm so excited.....

I'm like a kid in the candy store today.  I was invited to join the "Stitch & Bitch" tomorrow (Saturday) at Gail's.  This is the continuation of that once a month Sunday "Stitch & Bitch" I used to host at the store.  First, I am absolutely honoured to be included and second, this will be the first time I am having a "sewing" outing since I closed the store.

It was a bit difficult deciding what to take along so Liz popped over this afternoon to help me with the packing (okay, I know, it's only a day thing but still, you have to have choices!).  For some reason I was leaning towards flannel quilts?!?!  This was a little weird for me since I don't really do a lot of flannel quilts but, I knew I had one completed that needed a backing and two more which I had started piecing so I thought it was a good theme to go with.

The first quilt is a scrappy quilt made from 6" inch squares purchased years ago at the Hobby Horse.  I had cut them into triangles and made half square triangles which were sewn together as the centre and one of the borders (larger pic tomorrow when someone can hold it up).  I have the fabric for the backing plus a bunch of extra squares I can use so the plan is to get that done so I can take it to Sandy (Lindal) on Monday and get it basted. I'm going to "big stitch" quilt it by hand with Pearl Cotton.

 Project #1

The second project is Yellow Brick Road in flannel.  This was from a kit I purchased on a trip to visit my grandmother in New Jersey in 2000 at a great store, Patchwork & Pies which used to be just off I 81 in upstate New York near Cortland.  I used to stop there every time I went down to New Jersey.  Most of this is cut and ready to go but I'm a little confused as to how big it's supposed to be....duh!  Started it about two years ago when I had a private student who was a beginner and wanted to make this quilt.....should go pretty quickly......

Project #2

Project #3 is a quilt called Bricks & Mortar which I started probably some time in the first year I had the store.  It combines flannel and the  Faux Ultra Suede I had in the store and is made up of all different flannels from the store as well.  I really like the pattern and think it's definitely worth finishing.  Not to mention, it is already partially pieced so again, should move along quickly.

Project #3

I know, I know - too much!  However, Liz and I discussed it and we came to the conclusion that "variety is the spice of life".  I may only get one thing done or be lucky enough to get something done on each of these projects.  I'm just so excited to be able to get back to my sewing machine, (it's been quite a while - probably at least 92 days!)in a place where I can actually set up the machine and sew..... Whatever gets done will be an improvement on what has been done!!!

Speaking of done - I managed to finish another Farmers' Wife block today.  This is the last block I need to complete the row I was working on.  Now I can finish the row and attach it to the growing quilt top.  (I have 66 blocks done!)

Block #78 - Shooting Star - 26 pieces

I was interrupted (happily-I might add) in the midst of completing the row when Liz called and mentioned a quilting dilemma she was having.  I immediately volunteered to come over and take a look!!!  I had an ulterior motive!  I wanted to drive the new car! Actually, I just wanted to drive, since I haven't driven since the night I drove home from the store on June 29th.  Jonathan and everyone else I know (Liz, Gillian, Linda, etc.) have been driving me everywhere.  Since I'm going to drive to Gail's on my own tomorrow I figured a little practice wouldn't hurt.  It's like riding a bike - except for the red light I almost drove through....ugh!  (Don't tell my son or he won't let me have the car again - ha,ha!)  

Lurch (the Kia Sportage) finally died about a month ago and we replaced her/him with a 2002 Ford Escape which, if tonight is any indication, is a dream to drive.  I haven't come up with a new name yet because I haven't really driven her at all but I know it's gonna be something sleek!!!

Liz and I came up with a solution to her dilemma and were planning to sit outside for a bit when the downpour started so we had a spot of tea and muffins inside and I finally left her at around 1:00 A.M. - so much for getting some sewing done Liz - sorry!!!  However, I really enjoyed getting out of the house - especially since it was last minute and unplanned. Felt almost normal!!!!

Okay, I'm off to bed now - need my beauty sleep!  It's a long drive up to Maple.

Have a great day everyone and happy quilting!

Jo-Ann