It's a boy!

 My daughter is pregnant with our second grandchild and we found out yesterday it's going to be another boy!  We are thrilled to know Joshua will have a buddy to grow up with.  This is the quilt top I made to celebrate.

Celebration!

 

The latest quilt top on my frame

I've taken a week off from stitching because I stretched a ligament on the side of my knee. Not wanting to make it worse I rested my leg for several days to give a chance to heal. Today I'm gingerly walking around my longarm frame to start a quilt for a customer. Here's a photo! You can't see it in the photo but I'm stitching the Linda's Daisies pantograph on it with pink thread.

Ode to Sewing Machines #36

 Many of you follow my "Ode to the Sewing Machine" posts.  We've all seen the ads on craigslist, ebay and elsewhere.  The clueless sellers give those of us who sew a belly laugh, or two! Here's installment #36…

Did you know?

 In July of 1839, a group of Africans illegally taken into slavery from Sierra Leone, carried out a mutiny on a Cuban ship called The Amistad. Not knowing where they were headed, the Africans landed on the shores of Long Island where they were imprisoned on charges of murder. The case eventually made it to the United States Supreme Court where former president, John Quincy Adams, defended the Africans' right to liberty, leaning on the words of the Declaration of Independence—that all men are created equal.

Today, I think of my great, great grandfather, who fought in the Civil War on the Union side from start to finish. If you'd like to see his story click on the Civil War link at the top of this page. I'm very proud of our nation. We have fought for injustice since the beginning in 1776. Slavery was abolished and freedom is guaranteed every person no matter their color.

How grandchildren perceive their grandparents

1. I was in the bathroom, putting on my makeup, under the watchful eyes of my young granddaughter, as I'd done many times before. After I applied my lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye....

2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 72. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"

3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, "Who was THAT?"

4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like. "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"

5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.

6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story.

"What's it about?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."

7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I really think you should try to figure out some of these colors yourself!"

8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."

9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised "Mine says I'm 4 to 6." (WOW! I really like this one -- it says I'm only '38'!)

10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting." she said. "How do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."

11. Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child."

12. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties.

"They use him to keep crowds back," said one child.

"No," said another. "He's just for good luck."

A third child brought the argument to a close. “They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."

13. A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived. "Oh," he said, "she lives at the airport, and whenever we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we're done having her visit, we take her back to the airport."

14. Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smart as him!

15. My Grandparents are funny, when they bend over, you hear gas leaks and they blame their dog.

A recent customer quilt

 This quilt top is from a friend of mine who is also a customer.  She found this top for $15 at the Scrap Exchange!  The Scrap Exchange is a thrift store where any type of leftover materials can be donated.  You might find a microscope, pool noodles, beakers from UNC or anything you can think of!  Businesses, individuals and Colleges donate their leftover scrap/materials and you can buy it for a song. 

A good reminder