What a Surprise – Nominated for Outstanding Blogger

I have been nominated for Outstanding Blogger Award by Laura and what a shock!   I definitely take this as an honor from Laura who is one of the hardest working Ladies with a full time job and yet has time to take some day trips for getaways, and still produce some beautiful quilts.  Thank you Laura!

So here goes!

Which lifestyle are you most comfortable living…cluttered or organized?

I love Comfortable living in the country away from the a City.  I am also a true Organized Perfectionist that does not do well around clutter.  I am blessed to be married to another Perfectionist who does not like clutter.  I have always been that way when it comes to my home and vehicles, but when I worked my Desk was always cluttered, but organized in my mind.  I knew where everything was and it drove my peers nuts.  I was blessed with a photographic mind, and if not under stress, can remember where everything and anything is in my daily life, or quilting world.  (Remember ‘NOT UNDER STRESS’!  LOL)   Clay and I share an 800 sq ft. Studio during each day where we spend time on our hobbies like my sewing and he works on whatever the day brings.  After a day of sewing, I prefer to vacuum the floor, straighten up, and clean the sewing machine at the end of the day so when I come in the next morning the room is in order.    Before we enlarged the Studio in 2009 I had my Longarm in the Den and my sewing machine in the one room I had in the original Studio.  What a difference it makes to have a place to do a hobby and come into the house that is in order.   We are so blessed to have this ‘playroom for retirees’ all built by Clay.

What is your favorite quiet place? 

My quiet place….Hum…I would say just being at home on our 5 acres away from noise with Clay.  When we get up each morning, Clay comes to the Studio  to talk with his buddies on the Radio (Ham Radio Operator) and starts our coffee.  I take time to do my sunlamp and watch the weather and then come and have coffee before my daily walk.   I love my 1.5 mile walk each morning listening to Mark Levin or John Solomon and other Podcasts.  I very much miss Rush Limbaugh and he will never be replaced.  Sometimes when the weather is very hot, I will walk at 6 AM in the dark (advantage is that I never leave our property).  During the winter I love walking around 8 AM).  My favorite place was in Sierra Vista, AZ where we would winter in the RV.  But we no longer do that, so I would say that going to Rockport, Texas and just sitting by the water with the wind blowing and the waves coming in and going out can be a very peaceful and quiet place for me.  There is one place that I love to go to clear my head – A Casino!  Where else can you go and be around people, play the poker machines, and have noice so loud that you no longer can think about problems!  LOL. Think about it!

To party hearty or enjoy an intimate gathering?

I have found that smaller gatherings are my cup of tea.    I am what you might consider a ‘loner’.  I love visiting with my friends on the phone (most are out of town or out of state) or doing FaceTime with my friend Kathy.  But I am content to just be at home with Clay working on our hobbies, or just enjoying the sunshine on the porch or watching a movie in the evening and working on my hand projects.  I used to read a lot, but have not read a book in a few years, although I have a full library of books, I figure when I can no longer quilt that I will have plenty of time to read!

Early to bed or a night owl?  

This one is easy!  Early to bed – 10PM every night and Early to Rise – 6 AM!  Why waste the day sleeping – I only take a nap, or lay down during the day if I am sick or just worn out!  I do believe that “no naps here” came from my childhood when my sister and I had to take a nap each afternoon when we were young.   Mother came from Waterloo, Iowa and I do believe that it must be a tradition to take a nap each day if you are from the Mid-West area.   My cousins on my Mother’s side still take naps in the afternoon!  Clay will take an afternoon nap and still be able to drop off to sleep at 10 before I do.

What makes you accountable to your goals?  What keeps you motivated

I am a Type A personality and it makes me feel good to have accomplished something each day.  I wanted to attend college but was unable to do so after high school, so it took me 30 years to the day to walk across the Graduation Stage at Southwest Texas University in 1993!   I earned my degree by going to night school off and on for those 30 years!  It was the greatest feeling that I had ever experienced to be able to achieve my goal even with all the ups and down during my life.  Plus, I started working when I was 14 and retired when I was 54 1/2.  so the majority of my life has been working and producing.  As a younger person I always felt that I was not self disciplined, but soon realized that I am a very disciplined person when it comes to setting goals.  Such as the importance of my daily walking routine to maintain good health and staying on top of household chores (now I have a cleaning lady and just do the laundry).  I love a challenge, and blogging challenges me to stay on top of my goals (providing that unforeseen requirements stay away).  I enjoy seeing what other quilters are working on and becoming inspired more and more to produce more quilts.  I love to make a quilt that challenges my skill as a quilter.  Sometimes though it is nice to make a quilt that is easy to make without much thinking involved.  I was highly motivated when I entered Quilt Shows and miss that motivation immensely, (that stopped in 2014) so I have now challenged myself to quilt a quilt on my Longarm once a month, keep up with goals that I set for myself, and maybe just enjoy doing whatever comes that day.  But my preference is to have my days planned, along with planning trips away from just staying at home all the time.

Here are my questions for the next 5 Bloggers that I nominate for Outstanding Blogger:

How did you learn to quilt?  Self-Taught, Taught by Mother,  Grandmother or a Friend ?

What are your favorite techniques when quilting?  Traditional Applique or Machine Applique, hand sewing, hand quilting, paper piecing, or other techniques used in your quilts. 

Who is your favorite designer?  And why?

Do you attend retreats and if so what is your favorite thing about quilting with a large group of quilters?

Do you feel that Quilters still support and enjoy Quilting Guilds as we did before the Blogging world came into being?

I nominate the following Bloggers for the Outstanding Blogger Award:

Frederic at Quilting Patch Applique

Susan at Quilt Fabrication

Lori @ Quilting Needs

Wendy at Wendy’s Quilts and More

Sharon at Piecing Life Together One Stitch at a Time

To those nominated, there is no obligation to take up the challenge of answering and asking the questions. If you do accept, then please answer the questions, nominate 5 other bloggers and then compile a set of 5 of your own questions.

I leave you with this thought! From GodTube.com Hugs, Nanette