Morning all! I am AWOL from quilting until the end of the month! We are in Sierra Vista Arizona enjoying a change of scenery.

Of course I missed our record breaking cold at home but there will be more coming this winter.

Today we will be heading to Tombstone, our favorite spot to people watch and play Touristo!

We are staying at the Garden Place across the entrance from Ft Huachua. Great hotel.

Today is picture taking day so I will post them later. I am ‘slightly beginning’ to think about working on my Mountmellick flowers in the evenings as things are settling in after the first couple of days.

Have a great day. Happy Stitching.

I have been trying to finish the Center Medallion for Brinton Hall UFO.  I am down to only one corner remaining and will complete this today.  The next step is to select the next border.  I will more than likely change the pattern at this point.  My goal is to have that completed and the Medallion ready to stitch down before I began preparing for our trek to Arizona.  I am so ready to have a change of pace!

I will again admit that sitting all day long in my Studio doing had work is just not for me!  I will be working on those lovely small flowers for Mountmellick border while we are in Arizona.   Hopefully I will be able to finish them and upon return home, that border will be ready for completion and the remainder of both quilts will be piecing, along with some hand work, but not the constant hand work which I have been struggling to stay focused on.  It would be great if I could finish both quilt tops by the end of the year!

The weather will be humid for 3 days the cold front comes in just in time for the beginning of our trip!   YEA!

I am still struggling with the idea that I “am diabetic”.  My weight loss is maintained and beginning to go down again I almost saw another pound going away but those 2 ounces kept it at 10 (oh well).  I will meet my weight goal of 10-15 more pounds in the next couple of months, but my food list is down to eggs and chicken!  In case anyone out there eats cough drops and struggling with weight gain, here is a TIP!  Each cough drop contains 5 grams of SUGAR!  YUP – that was something that I did not know and when I had the flu in December last year I developed a habit of eating those puppies during the day!  My glucose levels have dropped like a rock since I quit those and potatoes!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Nanette

Linking To:  My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Sew Can She; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away; Fiber Tuesday;    Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHOW; Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts;  Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Show and Tell Monday with Bambi; Quilt Fabrication

Today another year older, but happier and wiser than ever!  I have received well wishes from my Clay who gave me the most beautiful card (also some speakers for my computer) we always try to outdo each other when we share cards!  On our 22nd Wedding Anniversary we picked out the same card for each other – we really had a laugh on that one.  Have received birthday wishes from Kay and Susan (cousins), Jaydee (Amazon gift certificate – thank you so much), my friend Bonnie and wishes from my older step son Ricky (who will call me later this evening) my younger stepson George will call later today.

My friend Cathy sent me a pin cushion that she made (Rabbit this year) and one last year(Remember Me) that I forgot to showcase!  She is so talented and such a dear friend!  Cathy always sends Clay and I a card on special holidays and we so enjoy them.

Cathy’s Pin Cushion – Absolutely Beautiful!

Love this Bunny Rabbit – This is my Birthday Present from Cathy this year!

Then the biggest surprise that came today from Lori.  Thank you so much Lori for the beautiful flowers!

I have so much to be thankful for, especially my great quilting buddies, Jaydee, Jan, Gretchen, Cathy and Lori who listen to me when I am on a roll, or rolling down the hill!  Great friends and great Step-sons who love me who would be with me if I needed them!

I am extremely blessed with my Clay – we would both be lost without the other – we were so blessed to have God put us together.   Someday I may post that happening.  We grew up together on the same street, attended the same school, never dated, and he located me when I lived in the Washington DC/Northern Virginia area on 3 June 1996!  Married on 2 August 1996 and again in our church on 1 September 1996 – The 3-2-1 Courtship!  We retired in March/April 1999 and have not been apart since.  Lots of good memories and lots of sad memories, but through them all we are still together!!!

I have had a great Halloween Birthday this year!  To add to the “happy”, we are leaving for a 2 week trip to Sierra Vista, Arizona soon.  We have not been there since we sold our RV in 2016.   This time it is “hotel” time!  We are both anxious to get back to Arizona and visit our friends and play Touristo in Tombstone, Bisbee, Tucson, and of course all the quilt stores that I used to frequent in the area!

Have a great day!

Nanette

A Happy Sunday and pre Halloween to all!  I was born two minutes to midnight on Halloween so everyone celebrates my birthday!  When I was younger and the weather pattern was different, I always knew what my birthday present would be – a new winter coat!  In South Texas our weather pattern used to provide a wonderful cool front on my Birthday and I loved the break in the warm South Texas summers.  SO this year I am getting a great present from Mother Nature – a Cold Front – YEA!  Looking forward to it!

I have been working on the corners for Brinton Hall.  When I last worked on it (think in 2016) this is where I left the center medallion.  There are 4 hexagon sections that I am currently working on to complete the Medallion.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that I have already completed the top and bottom middle portions.  After looking at it I see that on the Upper Top Left area are missing a couple of hexagons.  These will be added later.

This is the lower right section.  I have 2 rows sewn together and will finish the other 3 this afternoon.

This is the Upper Left Section that I will also be working on this afternoon.

How did we ever do without our cameras in our phone?  I took pictures when I started this quilt, and when I prepared all the Hexagons I put it on the design board and took pictures of each section and labeled each row and Section in separate baggies.  I was so glad that I took the time to be organized on this part of the quilt because it has made it so much easier to come back to the project without a lot of issues to work out.  Of course the quilter made a boo boo on the first Section and had to tear those tiny tiny stitches out and redo.  But it is still going to be a fun quilt to make!

I have been working on Block 8 of A Bountiful LIfe.  It is coming along, but not fast enough for me!  I need to really start scheduling my time better.

I finished Block 7 last week.

I have finished preparing all the hexagon flowers for Mountmellick and have 5 blue flowers completed, but they are so small (1/2” hexagons) I had to take a break from them!

I am doing very well on my food list!  By eliminating all chocolate and potato chips and any other carbs a lot of the diabetic symptoms have gone away – profuse sweating and restless sleep are no more!  Although I have found that I still have to have a potato each morning, or I have issues with potassium!  I was losing energy and brain power this week and finally figured it out!  I am much better now and will leave the potato in my diet eating it at breakfast only!  My walking is back on track and the walk is so much more enjoyable with the cooler weather!  I have lost almost 10 pounds since 4 October.  I think the last 10 will take another month to lose.  I wanted to be at a certain weight by Halloween, but may miss it by 2 or 3 pounds!  We will see!

Have a wonderful week and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

NANETTE

Linking To:  Dreami Moments. My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Sew Can She; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away; Fiber Tuesday;    Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHOW; Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts;  Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Show and Tell Monday with Bambi; Quilt Fabrication

Kathy, Lori, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Deborah,  Susan, Jessisca, Sherry, Nanette, Sassy, Edith, Sharon Grethen and Karrin

Greetings from South Texas where it is 51, overcast, a light mist in the air, and cold! – Finally.  This is my kind of weather and so much more palatable for my 30 minute walk in the mornings.  Today is a day where one just would like to coil up in the recliner and read a book, but I am on a mission, so not time to relax now.

I am ‘almost’ finished with RSC 2018 Sampler.  I finished the setting triangles yesterday, but made a boo boo (Gretchen warned me) and turned the center strip the wrong way!  Darn!  It was ripping time last night.  This morning I fixed that and ordered more of the fabric for the borders.   I always purchase my batiks from Web Fabrics in Virginia.  I have traded with Carly since 2004!  I belong to the 100 Club which provides me a 10% discount on all purchases!  Cannot beat that!  She has a booming on line business now and a store in Purcellville, VA.  It is a wonderful Quilt Shop to deal with.

RSC 2018 Sampler – without borders

I will have a 1 inch dark blue border to frame the quilt and then a 4 inch light blue border to complete it.  I am so excited to have this one completed on time.

Now on to cutting the border for York Lodge!  York is going to be a large quilt as the measurements are currently 73″ x 88″ and I will be adding 10 inches in borders.

Have a wonderful week and I am hoping that this cool weather continues for the rest of the week and that we do not go back to the 90’s until next summer!

Nanette