Gratalie is all set!

Grataie is all set for life on the frozen tundra! I finished the second bootie today!!!! The second bootie went lickity split fast. I might be tempted to make another set once we know if is a boy or a girl. Modeling this outfit is none other than Shivers.....one of Kala's baby dolls. Cute cute cute!

Too cute!

Too cute. This is "J" is for Juggler. It took 59 minutes to stitch out. Holy cow!!! I start my FABULOUS embroidery machine stitching and started working on cleaning the bathrooms. I am close enough that I can hear when the machine stops stitching (it is finished with that particular color of thread). I change thread colors and restart it, and then get back to power cleaning. Before I knew it, the juggler was completely stitched out AND my upstair bathrooms were done. Too too cute. I wish I could post other pictures but I think Kala reads this blog and I want something to be a surprise for her. hehehehehe Love Mom

One bootie done......and a cute Panda

Things moving right along here. I finally finished one of the booties. I hope I do not get SSS (second sock syndrome). I don't know why this little thing has taken me so long but I do know that I have learned alot along the way. The second bootie should go a whole lot faster.

I Spy is coming along really well......I have been stitching out a storm. Below is one of the latest blocks. All the other ones are "top secret"! ;-)

I Spy a Sea Horse!!

I got a new toy!! It's an Innovis Duetta 4500D! To most of the you and the world, you have no idea what this is......it is a super duper, way beyond cool embroidery/sewing machine. I guess I just "outgrew" my Janome so it was time to upgrade. Paul, the business-minded one, thought it would be a great idea to take advantage of Jeff's 35% off Memorial Day Sale. What a great idea!!!! I spent almost my entire Memorial Day playing with my new machine. I did the sea horse for the I Spy quilt (and a few other blocks which will not be posted here so they will be a surprise when Kala & Mike get the quilt!) We also went down to the pool and tried out our snorkeling toys.....very fun. I am anxious to try it out in the ocean when we go to Tybee Island in a couple of weeks. Finally, we went to see Indianna Jones. Fun to watch movie......Harrison is still a doll. Now I have to jump in the shower and get ready to re-enter reality ....back to the j-o-b. PAL

I Spy....an Octopus!!

This is an octopus that I just stitched out on my embroidery machine. Soooo cute. I am working on a baby quilt (of course!)...just playing with ideas right now. I thought about doing an "I Spy" quilt but not a traditional one. An "I Spy" quilt is a quilt that has dozens of pictures on it. Around the border of the quilt you embroider things to find in the quilt. You can play with your lil one and the quilt by starting the game you say "I spy a..............puppy" and the game is to find the puppy in the quilt. I want to have the quilt top have lots of different fabric novelty prints, some embroidered blocks (like this octopus that I just tried out), some appliqued blocks (because I am a glutton for punishment), and some paperpieced blocks. I want to put all of the blocks together in a creative, cool, clever, and cute way. I am not stuck on the blocks all being one size either. Different sizes adds interest to the quilt I think. The picture of the octopus is a design I downloaded off the net and stitched out on my embroidery machine. How cute is that! Love-n-Stitches..... Patty

Hail Storm!

A couple of pictures to share today.....We had a huge hail storm while I was at work. Paul was home and thought to get the camera and snap some pictures. Paul says the pictures do not do the after effects justice. We did not suffer any damage that we can tell. Below are a couple of pics of the hail. One picture is kinda special..... Paul gave me an Easter Lily last year and after it bloomed I planted it in the yard. Maybe it will come up, maybe it won't. Well....it came up and I have been nursing it along for weeks...staking it up, watering it, getting plenty of sunshine for it, etc. It bloomed THE DAY OF THE HAIL STORM. As soon as I got home from work I ran out to the yard and picked what was left of my beautiful Easter Lily! Still a pretty flower, but the hail broke it all up. I have it in a vase of water to enjoy the few days of color it will have left. The next pictures are of my Grandmother's cedar chest. I have loved this piece since, well forever, and am so fortunate to have it in our home. Many years ago, Mary or I may have accidentally laid a wet swimsuit on the chest and this left a horrid water mark. Twenty plus years later we could still see it. The years have been hard on the cedar chest and two of the legs crumbled and a hinge needed to be replaced. Kyle gave Paul an idea. For Christmas this past year Paul took the cedar chest to have it refinished and repaired. It is now BEAUTIFUL....beyond BEAUTIFUL. It holds the most respectful spot in our guest bedroom, the "Jane Room", where my Dear Jane, Don't Complain quilt dons the bed. Anyone who gets to visit me will have the priviledge of staying in our Jane Room. Doesn't that make your knees go weak??? Enjoy the pics... stay in touch. Love Pat

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Gratalie will have toasty ears!!

I was on a roll tonight....I did some coughing and could feel my chest getting tight, so I did the inhaler thing and decided to stay up for a while until breathing was back to "normal". While I was up I decided to be productive and distract myself from the breathing issue so I continued to work on Gratalie's lil hat for his/her sweater set. Every new baby needs a sweater and hat and booties that Grandma knitted, right? It is 1:03 a.m. and I finally have finished the hat. Cute cute cute. Booties are next....these might go a little bit quicker as I am finally "getting" the various stitches in knitting. I can't wait to get back to quilting! Once we find out if it is a boy or girl I wonder if I am going to be inclined to make a colored set??? PINK PINK PINK????

Kala says she is feeling good and Mike tells me that he has wired the baby's room with an infared television set up so they can see the baby and what he or she is doing in complete darkness. Sounds like they are getting all set up for the next chapter in the life of the Larsens. Patty/Mom/Grandma to Be!!

To breathe or Not to Breathe....

That is the question...... I have had an awful week breathing-wise. Apparently I had an allergic reaction to something in my office which caused me to feel like I was having an asthma attack. No fun. After going to the doctor, and then to the ER, and then to a pulmonologist.....we think this is an allergic reaction and not asthma. I am going to see an allergist to determine if there is anything in particular that doesn't agree with me. I have an inhaler and epi pens now for emergencies, and a nebulizer and some drugs to settle things down. I lost my voice for a few days, maybe Paul was enjoying this??? lol My chest does not feel so tight anymore, though it is sore. I do feel better and actually swept my kitchen floor in preparation of mopping it. Now, I don't sweep when I am feeling perfectly fine so this is truly something new for me. I am about half way through the hat that I am knitting for Gratalie. Pictures soon to come. It is a beautiful day outside......enjoy it! Patty

A baby sweater for Gratalie

I am so excited to present my latest creation..... I have knitted a baby sweater for my 1st grandbaby, Gratalie. We call "it" Gratalie because we do not know the sex of the baby yet....it could be Grant and or it could be Natalie (The Girl Scout in me wants a Natalie of course!!) I am not a knitter really, my love is quilting, so this was a stretch for me. The great thing about the internet is you can google anything and find out how to do it. I had to google "yarn over" and how to "increase" and a few other odd stitches. Google brings you a complete video on how to do it. Gotta love the net. I am now working on a baby cap to go with the sweater. Then I must get down to business and work on the quilt. Can't wait until I can sign my blog "Grandma"!!