Post Holiday and A Give-A-Way

First, check out:

http://www.jillquilts.blogspot.com/

Jill has some fantastic give-a-way items to celebrate her 1,000th post

Cannot begin to tell you how much I needed a three-day weekend to re-charge my "batteries". Andrea and I did a lot of shopping, got our hair cut, (Her new "pixie" style is really, really cute!), watched fireworks in Mason and talked about our plans for next year's trip to Florida.

Andrea went with me to Joann's on Saturday - batting half off, folks! Best Friends Quilt Shop also had a sale this weekend - I got 13.5 yards of really nice fabric at an average of $4 a yard - not bad at all!

Finished Jessica's quilt just in the nick of time on Saturday night so I could give it to my delivery person at church on Sunday morning. Sure hope she likes it.

Andrea, Michael and I went to see "The Last Airbender" last night. Interesting film. Not sure if it's something I'd want to see again though. The 3-D did little to enhance it.

Michael had a really rough time leaving the theatre last night and refused our offer to fetch the wheelchair out of the car. Honestly, the man is so freaking stubborn at times, it's bound to do him in! We managed to get him out shopping on Friday night to the international market (Jungle Jim's in Fairfield) but he stayed parked in the wheelchair the entire time. That store is humongous. A trip outside the home is rare for Michael these days and I'm afraid he's developing some anxiety about leaving the house. His appetite is also being affected - not sure if it's the pulmonary fibrosis/lack of oxygen. I made BBQ ribs, corn on the cob and fried squash last night for dinner - a meal which would have required second and third helpings a year ago. He wouldn't eat the ribs or the squash last night. Nor would he try the strawberry smoothies for dessert. If he won't touch the meatloaf and twice-baked potatoes tonight, it's straight to the ER for him or the loony bin for me.

Lest I forget, I made another purchase this weekend. I bought a GO fabric cutter with assorted dies and cutting mats on line. I've researched and pondered this purchase for weeks. I'm all for saving time and I think this tool is going to help with that and improve my accuracy in piecing. Obviously, it's not going to totally replace my rotary cutter. The thought of being able to reduce my cutting time by 90 percent as they claim is fantastic. Most of my quilting is accomplished through 2 and 1/2 inch strips and five inch squares - both of which have dies. It was this or purchase a laptop. And those of you who know me can attest that outside the office I try to spend as little time as possible on-line. Michael puts up a mild protest each time I ask to read my e-mails. (He doesn't share well.) I will let you know how I end up liking the GO cutter - it's coming through UPS. Parcels, we love parcels at our house......

Less enamoured with the weekend activities: Smudge and Daisy. Smudge's arthritis is really giving him fits - enough that he has trouble finding his litter box. I may have a tough decision to make about him soon. Daisy's still shaking from all the firecrackers the neighbors set off each night. She's also dealing with a visit from the grand-dog Luka today. She doesn't share well either.

Love ya,
Cathy