Do-Over Weekend

This was a do-over weekend. I had planned on basting quilts all of New Year's weekend but with my Dad being sick a over New Year's, basting quilts was the last thing on my mind. So Friday I changed our vacant office space into Basting Central and got started. On Saturday, my BFF LauraQuilts joined me (now there's a friend) and we had a big day hanging out together. We basted most of the morning, had lunch at Sweet Potatoes and then basted until we decided we needed to go home and prepare for the evening festivities. We were both going to Nane's Christmas party that had been snowed out before Christmas. (Told ya it was a do-over weekend.)



So, we go home, get ready and meet up again at Nane's party. This is always a fun time because 1. we're all together, 2. it's the one time we have our husbands and sig others in attendance with us, 3. the quilters are usually the late partiers...which is hysterical when you consider that the Ski & Outing Club members used to poke fun at Nane for her quilting tendencies. They, like so many others, picture quilters as little old ladies sitting around a frame. We love to prove them wrong by out lasting them at Nane's party every year. It is always a blast.

To continue the do-over weekend, we went to my parent's house this evening for my birthday dinner (3 weeks late). My nephews were there which is always pandemonium. They sang Happy Birthday to me about 4 times. The youngest (there in the green shirt) would sing "Happy Birthday to You...CHA CHA CHAA, Happy Birthday to You...CHA CHA CHAA" with faces and arm movements to go with it. It was priceless.



To end the evening, Mom gave Shelby a new bed for an early Valentine's Day present. She sniffed at it, stepped in and started digging, claiming it as hers. Watching my Dad laugh at her was worth the wait for my do-over weekend.

Happy! Happy!

When asked by my mother what I wanted for my birthday this year, my response was "a long weekend of peace and quiet to quilt at the lake". Well, I got the long weekend at the lake but the peace and quiet was a bit too much to ask. What I got was a long weekend at the lake with my husband, my dog, my parents and my two nephews (there lies the loss of peace and quiet, by the way).

Though not exactly what I was looking for, it was still a productive weekend for me. I got caught up on all my blocks of the month and pieced seven quilt tops. Here are a few.

Now, before you start yelling at me, with the exception of the last one, I had all the blocks pieced. I just had to set them in rows and put the top together. Three of the other tops not pictured are 9 patches (already pieced) and a square single patch set on point. I'll try to get pictures of them up tomorrow.

I am lucky to have a room to myself to quilt in upstairs in this house (I share it with my DH when he's not playing golf or watching TV). I come downstairs for meals and occasional conversation but mostly I am the "crazy aunt upstairs" which I like very much. Occassionally my nephews would come visit, mostly to chase Shelby and jump on the bed. They did take an interest in what I was doing though. The 8-year-old took a few scraps and arranged them in a little square and I sewed them together for him. If it were just him, I may have let him use the machine but with little brother there, I didn't want to risk it. The 4-year-old sat on my lap and wanted me to make the sewing maching go fast, which sent him in to howling laughter fits. (Sometime it just doesn't take much, you know.)

The highlight of my birthday weekend had to be the cake though. Grandmother and the boys made my cake and presented it to me at lunch. The boys decorated it themselves and then after lunch, the eldest got to cut the cake and serve it to everyone. Dessert and entertainment in one sweet package.

All I wanted was a long weekend of peace and quiet to quilt at the lake.

I got the long weekend.

I got the lake.

I got to quilt.

I traded peace and quiet for two wild little boys that made a big mess, made my dog exhausted, made me a cake, made me laugh and made a memorable birthday.

If I really wanted peace and quiet...I would have stayed home. This was much better.