Posting whilst watching TV!

How sad -watching TV and typing a post at the same time. But time seems to rush by and I have to do this, it's over a week since I last posted.

So, various things.

Went to see Melody Gardot last Monday - enjoyed it - not as much as I thought I would - I was so looking forward to it so I guess that was the problem - she didn't sing the songs the same as they are on her CDs and it took me a while to adjust to that. I also enjoyed the time out with a friend - nattering about things and eating out. I'm a Mum to young boys so I don't get out that often!

My postage stamp quilt is not going as well as I hoped. We all know that sometimes when you sew strips together things go a little wonky..............

I really need to use my extension table to be able to control the strips a bit better. So I will be carrying quite alot tomorrow when I go out to my sewing class - Bag, Iron, Machine, Extension table, and Mat and stuff. I will need a BIG bag.

I only hope that as the strip sets are cut into 1 1/2 inch strips I can level things up.

Also it has been taking over the spare bedroom - that sometimes Mrs Snorey has to sleep in - it's only a small room and it's getting quite claustrophobic with pin boards with sewn strips all over the place. So tonight I have taken all the strips down off my pin boards and I'll have to pack them away after each sewing session - it looks so much tidier.

I have also been working on a block that I need to do for a group I belong to. I used a no sew fusible bond - I have actually sewn through it and it's gumming up my machine needle and breaking the thread. Not good.

On Saturday Liam went to a party - dressed as a Knight. It took lots of Thursday and Friday evenings, and some of Saturday morning to make his outfit.

I am a vegetarian, not a Vegan, but on Saturday I bought a Vegan cookery book - "Vegan with a Vengeance" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I will let you know what I decide to cook from it. Biscuits may be first - it's bank holiday weekend coming up and the boys enjoy cooking yummy things.
Isa has a website - http://www.theppk.com/There is a recipe for Jam Cookies on her website, in fact there are lots of recipes there.

On Sunday Andrew and I went out on the Harley.

The cows didn't like it very much!

Andrew is going camping for the whole weekend - Friday to Monday. I have warned the boys that we will be going clothes shopping for me on Saturday, and they need to be good. ( No running round the shops, no whinging, no bickering, no pestering) I can hope! There is the promise that we will go somewhere nice one of the other days if they are good - perhaps Sealife at Birmingham.

No no, that's not a garage!

But it does look sort of neat doesn't it!

Postage Stamp Quilt

This is one of the single track roads I go along every day to work. Sometimes I need to parp the horn if the cows won't move, but I don't like to parp the little calves because they jump vertically upwards in fright!

Oh I have been busy - I have stitched together half of the Strip sets so I guess you could say I have done a quarter of the blocks.

Things have improved a little since this picture -

My husband and the boys have been away for a few days so I have been sewing, I have had another stupid cold so have not been able to sit up as late as I would like.

Some of the sewing is going to be fiddly - I didn't just use FQs so I have some strips less than 21" long, and I have to sew together similar length pieces and trim to size after - and then utilise any small pieces cut off. It just takes longer than production line sewing.

The trips to the chiropractor are definately working - but I do have to watch how much time I sit for - sitting at work, sitting in the car, and then sitting all evening sewing isn't really very good. I went on Thursday (having had two nights of lots of sewing).

"oh your shoulders are so tight and knotted - what have you been doing?".

- how can she tell I thought, I'd better not say I'm planning on hours more sewing tonight!

Last Saturday was our big boys 12th Birthday. We went to Waterworld in Stoke on Trent. Then we went to the Indonesian Restaurant that we like to go to. Liam was rather tired by the end of the meal.

On Saturday one of the Cats bought home a dead rabbit. We told the boys that we hoped it wan't the Easter Bunny that they'd killed. Fortunately it wasn't and the EB left a fair number of eggs spread around the garden for them to find. They still have some left, and have generously shared some with us.

This is Itchy on Sunday letting his stomach digest rabbit.

I have decided not to bore you with anymore Japanese holiday reminisces, but will just post a few photos when I have scanned them. I've been too busy sewing to scan! They are just photos, the best pictures are the ones still inside my head.

Today I am meeting up with Maria before she goes back to Spain. Before I meet her I need to nip round to my mums house. Yesterday a car reversed into their house demolishing the front, the car is still in the hallway and the house boarded up as it is un-inhabitable. They are fortunate to be OK - Mum had been sitting in the living room and my step dad was in the back garden, but had they been in the hallway it would have been a different story.