My Mom puts me to shame...

About a year and a half ago, we saw this pattern at a quiliting store. I've done some basic quilting as in actually making like small crib size quilts, but it is not my strength. I don't like that it is not portable.

Mom has been quilting for about 4 or so years now and she has gotten to be VERY good at it (despite what she tells everyone). She has a group down in TN that get together and help each other, etc..

I thought this pattern was awesome and immediately thought of Bree. We selected some fabrics - since it is all pieced - I gave Mom a close up head shot of Bree's mare, Tess and told Mom to try to make it look like Tess.

She continued to work on this for over a year going thru multiple revisions and revisions and tearing it apart and redoing, and redoing and redoing.

I think she did a fantastic job and she gave it to Bree who was thrilled! It is hanging prominently in Bree's room by her ribbons and such from showing. (Now all she needs is the Buckle case that Poppa was/is supposed to be making for her).

I love it and for 76 years old with pretty rotten bad RA and her fingers being pretty gnarly - she rocks. I hope when I'm 50 (not so far away) I have half her energy, determination, skills, persistence, eagerness to learn new things and desire to do some really cool stuff and be able to keep up with my daugher as she does me.

Mom, I bow to you! You decide how awesome she did...

The Man is Bree's Life...

Bree is an avid Indianapolis Colts fan! She also hates and despises the Bears.. (Weird being a chicagoland family) -

A few times a week, on his way home from work, Bill stops in the 7-11 store about a half mile from our house... In the beginning of August, they put up a display.. He thought Bree would go NUTS over the display...

So, Bill asked the guy who he sees most days when he stops and he told Bill that they would be "done" with the display at the end of the month - he took our phone number down.. Well, sure enough right around Labor Day they called.

Bill picked it up last weekend and set it in the garage and told Bree that one of her "friends" had stopped by and was out in the garage.. She about died when she saw it. She moved furniture around in her room - just to find the "right" place for it.

So, Sunday night's football game was the Indianapolis Colts vs the Chicago Bears. Now, Bree has been talking smack with my Mom (who is an avid Bears fan) all week and they even made a $3 bet... So, Sunday night she brought down her "man" and put her team spirit on and called my Mom and was talking even MORE trash as the game started..

Here's her good friend... Life size,(about 6 feet tall) mind you..


Yeup, It's Peyton Manning - the COOL thing is that if you turn it around, Eli Manning is on the other side - there were points in time during the game that she would "talk" to Peyton, turn it around and tell Eli to tell his Brother to get his act together...

She's eating crow this week since the Bears beat her man and her team...

-sorry for the flash "white-out" in the middle of Peyton the glare was awful!

Those "%$#$%^" Jaywalkers.. FINISHED...

I'm posting a picture of the Jaywalkers as PROOF that they did not beat me down into knitting submission.. I had one done and showed the knitting group, but, I wanted to be sure that EVERYONE knew that indeed I did finish the 2nd one -

Funny how the first one took me over THREE (yes 3 months) to finish and the 2nd MAYBE 10 days... Think the lightbulb went on finally - ah, yeup...

So, here are the Jaywalkers - My MOM just loves them, adores them, keeps talking about them, but due to some arthritis and bunyon issues, they don't fit her well - as otherwise they would be on her feet right now..

They are made out of a "2nd" of a Dream in Color yarn that I call Blue Jean - (they were messing with color ways - so its not really a real color - if that makes sense) - and I knit them on size 1's - I believe the hank is around 400 or so yards and I have a decent amount left over - not sure what to do with the left over... So, about a $20 Hank -

Here are the pictures -



I have NO idea why I'm curling my left toes in the above picture - odd...



So, I'm happy that I'll NEVER EVER EVER have to knit these again (except if Mom asks me too - LOL)

The week NOT according to Hoyle...

My Mom always used that phrase.... I guess Hoyle is a guy who wrote rules and instructions for card games..

I didn't post much last week because of this Hoyle guy not coming thru for me...

Started with Monday, finding Tessa with her knee the size of a grapefruit, Tuesday had to take Snooper (our old beagle boy - 13 or 14 years old) in for surgery to have a tumor hanging off his neck removed - it was REALLY, REALLY nasty... All the while going out to the barn 2x each day to "doctor" Tessa...

Wednesday - I can't even remember what went on..

Thursday - It's pouring rain and Bill decides to leave for work late to let the traffic clear out - well, I'm sure you can see where this is going - he gets 3 miles from home and is sitting in a left turn lane waiting to turn and a 16 year old girl driving WAY too fast for conditions with a DOG (yes, DOG) on her LAP which she obviously was messing with smashes into his nice Acura going (according to the police report) 25 mph WHEN she hit him, pushing him into the intersection into another car. He declines ambulance service but agrees (to me) to take him to the ER to be checked out.. So, dealing with all that AND "doctoring" Tessa AND getting ready for the 4H Fair AND trying to clean my house as my Mom was coming on Friday to visit and see Bree compete in the 4H Fair...

So, last week was a mess. 4H Fair is over. Mom, Bree and I had a great couple of days this week and Mom and Bree left today for Tennessee - (Back home for Mom) - Well, they were half way there (south of Effingham on 57) and Mom just doesn't get a flat tire she BLOWS a tire.. To the point that a trucker, a state trooper and IDOT worker had to take a hammer and jack handle to wedge the pieces of rubber and steel belt from the tire OUT of the underbody of her Yukon (SUV) so that her wheel would turn - Needless to say, they were a little shaken (not hurt - just the nerve adrenaline hitting) -

They called just a bit ago and said they made the rest of the journey without incident.

So, HOYLE, if you're listening - CUT IT OUT! ENOUGH (you realize that FUN spelled backwards is NUF) - just another one of my dear Mom's sayings....