A blink of an eye

This is a quick post to say, I probably won't be posting very frequent in the next few days and weeks.

My family, father, mother, sister, niece, and two daughters were coming home from the beach this past Saturday and were involved in a multiple car accident. Everyone is alive. My niece and father are still in the hospital.

It was severe. It was awful.

As a mother, sister, aunt, and daughter, I got an unimaginable call Saturday afternoon.

So please send any thoughts our way.

Thanks so much,
Melissa

Back to the real world...kinda

First let me say, I've been back in my own house almost 48 hours and I have to say no matter how beautiful, how wonderful vacation is, for me "There's no place like home." That being said, my kitties were so happy to see me. Hubbie and I have been enjoying life as a "childless" couple. The girls stayed at the beach with my parents, sister, and niece for another week. Of course, even though we're enjoying our time alone, I miss the Munchkins....but as I've been told by both via phone, "We're having a great time, Mommy." Tomorrow I return to work and I thought a revisit to another "back from vacation" posts would be appropriate.

I kept my promise and sewed Sunday. The Boss Lady's Bulldog quilt is half quilted. I fought with my embrodiery machine, it needs a new needle, but I'm determined to play with it anyway. Hubbie and I have played tennis twice and Wimbledon started today, Roger Federer, MEOW!

Oh, and I finished Twilight in a day and a couple of hours. And now I'm half way through the sequel. Loved the book (thanks Shannon)! It was a page turner! I can't wait for the movie. Between the action, love story, and vampire mythology it was right up my alley.

Finally a couple of funny observations from my vacation. First my father telling me how to open the gas tank on his vehicle (we switched cars).

Dad: First, turn the car off. (Obviously his car is unlike every other car I've ever put gas into and let run as I pump.)
Me: Ok, done that. (trying not to be too much of a smart ass, saved that for the blog)
Dad: Next, make sure that the car is in Park. (I guess that's been my problem with the car rolling forward all these years at the pump)
Me: Ok, done that.
Dad: Now get out of the car and go to the tank and press the right side of the tank cover door. (the real piece of info I needed)

And then next, driving through downtown Pensacola I saw this sign and had to take a picture, yes you could say that my mind was in the gutter, but really.....
It was for a Subway store, but call me crazy but there may have been a better way to advertise sandwiches!

More from sun, sand, and surf

Just thought I'd take a quick moment to thank Shannon for introducing me to "Twilight." I've already smiled way too many times reading the first 150 pages. And for keeping me up to date on her quilting trials and tribulations. I have to admit I'm missing my sewing machine. I've already informed Hubbie that all day Sunday I'll be sewing (he may get an hour or two to go play tennis). Until my next post more pictures from Destin.....

One of my faves....
She wouldn't smile, but she'd do a cartwheel for the camera...

Boss lady actually listening to her Daddy....

We're here! We're here!

We're finally here! We've been enjoying Destin, FL entirely since our arrival Saturday after lunch. Of course, as soon as we unpacked, the Munchkins had their swimsuits on and we were headed to the beach. Even as we were white sand bound, the dark clouds were driving the masses back to their abodes. Hubbie and I decided that we would tough it out, after all the Munchkins had been anticipating this moment for months. It rained alittle and the Munchkins didn't even really notice until they came out to ask us to come in the water.
So here we are Day 3, all pleasantly full from a dinner of boiled shrimp and King Crab. All except Rosy, nursing some slightly sunburned part of our anatomy (noses, shoulders, or backs), planning our early evening back out on the sand. The best part so far this year...the Munchkins LOVE the ocean. They can't get enough of Hubbie and I escorting them out to the sandbar to jump waves and go under to see the sealife (a crab the size of a dinner plate-yes I screamed, at least a footlong fish swishing by Lily's and my feet, and Rose's almost too close encounter with a jellyfish-"what's that, Mommy?") And to document the crazy eating preferences of my Munchkins, here they are cracking crab legs and their finished plates.....
Tomorrow, we'll be trying to gain some educational value out of the trip and head over to Fort Morgan--"Damn the torpedos, full steam ahead." What Hubbie doesn't know is that we'll be making a quick stop into a Borders to purchase "Twilight" (thanks Shannon :)). I finished the Harry Potter I brought 2/3 done and "The Next Big Thing" my friend Christy loaned me. All I have left is a cheesy romance a friend loaned me and a Fanny Flagg novel I've read a million times. I need something else....vampire romance...sounds good to me!

Beach Bound!

Finally, after weeks of saying repeatedly, "Soon. We'll be leaving for the beach soon. No not this weekend," it's finally here. Tomorrow, squirrely early, Bullseye, the big red van, will be rolling south towards the beach. So before I left I thought I'd put up a nice long post to keep my 4 or 5 avid readers satisfied until I return. Although, Hubbie is a computer geek, so most likely the laptop and purchased wireless internet access will keep us connected to the outside world. So you might get to see pictures of me sipping a vodka tonic on the balcony!

We've settled into our summer routine, and I actually found some time to do some sewing this week. The oldest Munchkin joined in and finished her cousin's quilt!

Yes that is a Hello Kitty sewing machine. I picked it up last August at the AQS Nashville show. Let me just tell you, that little machine purrs like a kitten. I swear it's almost quieter than my machine. It's a Janome and it only runs at one speed no matter how hard she pushes the pedal. It's been a very good learning tool.

So that's the Munchkin's progress, here's mine. First, Sunday I taught my first class. OK maybe technically not a class, only one student, but I taught(go Kristin, GO!). She wanted to know how to make the curved pieced art quilt. So while she worked I worked. One lesson I learned....don't sew after a Saturday night full of fun at your best friend's house playing Wii fit and drinking vodka tonics. But here's what I got accomplished.

When I get back to this and ready to think I'll be adding the green...so stay tuned.

After having to think entirely to hard on that one, I did more hourglasses. Finished on set of 64 blocks, only five more sets to go. I love how this block comes together. It is so relaxing. I have a stash of other 5" squares....maybe a scrap quilt in my future....
I couldn't resist laying them out and auditioning them. Oh how lovely they will be when they're done. I got some chocolate brown fabric that will make a lovely outer border, now I'm on the hunt for a green and blue for two inners.

Of course, quilt squares left on the floor only meant one thing....
CAT INVASION!!!!

So there we go, what's been happening in my world. I also joined Quilting Bloggers. I found a blog of a quilter in Germany. Of course, totally in German, and I can even understand most of it. Do I dare leave a comment??? Maybe...and I found a new blogger friend Shannon (hey Freckles)! I'll be adding her blog to my Places I like to Visit list...sounds like we may be kindred spirits.

Summer, summer, how I've missed you

If there's one thing I can always count on living in the South is the sticky heat that summer brings. It appears this year that July and August couldn't wait and decided to make a surprise visit in June. It's just been plain HOT! Of course the munchkins have been taking advantage of the heat with almost daily trips to the pool. It's made the new found tennis hobby that Hubbie and I have taken up, challenging in the heat (but we keep going.)

Anyways I thought I'd share a couple of new projects that I've been working on. I've needed to take a break from the art quilt. It takes alot of creative thinking, and I need a break to do some just plain sewing. So first, the youngest Munchkin has her 7th birthday coming up. Somehow, even though I am a Georgia Tech graduate, she was a born UGA fan. She told her Daddy that she wanted to paint her beautiful pink room, red and black. So as a compromise I've decided to make her a quick and dirty Georgia snuggle quilt. It's just a yard and a half of Georgia fabric with a black border and a totally awful Georgia backing fabric. Here's the top. We leave for the beach this weekend, so it'll probably have to wait until we get back.

My other project is a quilt inspired by some fabric I bought off ebay. I then started collecting the charm packs. Then I saw a beautiful hour glass quilt that caught my eye. That got me rolling. I bought some white on white background. Experimented with coffee dyeing. I found I'm much too impatient to let the fabric to soak long enough. And now have a plan. At first I thought I would have enough squares to make a quilt for my bed, but now I don't think so. So I'm currently trying to decide if I'm going to buy more fabric or just make a throw. Here are the first set of squares I made.


And finally, my sweet Sunny cat has become an irresistible subject of photos recently. A few days ago, my oldest Munchkin spent almost an hour searching the house for her cherished feline friend and I finally located her when I was packing up for our daily trip to the pool.
Meow, meow and stay cool!

Sometimes, Hubbies can be so cute!

So just had to post this....I constantly tease my Hubbie, who is very technically savvy, works in IT, yada yada yada, that I had a blog before him and that I actually update my blog regularly. He knows the name of my blog and sometimes reads it (so naturally there are some things I can't reveal here...maybe a should start a secret blog...hmmmm). Anyway, we were sitting on the sofa watching tv and I realize he's online using my laptop. The next thing I hear is,"Oh, a 'GOOD' Hubbie story, I like those." He was excited that this time instead of being a foil to my plans he actually was getting props. He was so cute as he read my entry. The women who are part of my life often only hear the BAD Hubbie stories (in fact it was only a few weeks ago I was drinking very big, very expensive margaritas and explaining in great detail Hubbie's shortfalls), so I try to make a concerted effort to also share an occasional GOOD Hubbie story from time to time. They can't be all bad, all the time, right?