Criss Cross "Cross" Coasters

I traveled 60 miles one way to my Greenbrier County office today. The sun was shinning and most of the snow melted. It was a peaceful drive with my thoughts to myself. Lots of executive decisions made during the drive. I won't bore you with the Home Health business decisions, but I decided I would finish my table runner this evening, even if it isn't perfect, I'll use it in the RV and with all the kids coming and going I won't worry about cool aid spills, then I'll trash it after it has a few stains.

I rushed home this evening after a quick trip to Joann's, I needed to use my 50% off coupon. I quickly cooked a beef roast in the pressure cooker with mushrooms and onions and added sour cream after cooking for a thickening. We ate and I cleaned up the mess and headed upstairs to tackle my table runner, and I literally tackled and attacked the darn thing. After stretching and pulling, pushing, pinning, and cussing, I got the large blocks to fit together decently. Not perfect by any means. It does not lay perfectly flat but maybe my quilting will help that.

The biggest problem with this pattern is my choice of colors and fabric. I should have limited the number of different charm squares and the strips should be all the same fabric. This has been a learning lesson and I'm please with what I've learned. I am definitely going to make this again with different fabrics. I'm not down and out yet.


I made criss cross coasters with the left over small squares. This is a different take on the Criss Cross, I guess you might say they are criss cross "cross" coasters. These did not turn out too bad. I'm going to make them again using only two colors of fabric one color for the cross and another for the blocks.
If any one attempts this before I get around to it, please let me know and send pictures.

TGIF in about 5 minutes. The weekend will fly by. I have my stitching list ready for the weekend. I may stay up all night Friday night and sew......stitch my flannel PJ's. A twist on the old adage...make it today, wear it tonight. I'll make it tonight and wear it in the morning. I love an all nighter......

Wrong Bathroom Phobia?

Do you have a fear of walking into the wrong bathroom? Often I've read the words on the door twice just to make double sure it's the women's room. We ate at Red Lobster tonight (not my favorite restaurant), we had a gift card. After shopping for several hours we both needed a break. After being seated and ordering Don excused himself to the men's room. He returned shortly laughing hysterically! He could hardly control his laughter to tell me the story....... He entered the men's room, one gentleman was using the only urinal, another washing up at the only sink, both stalls were occupied. Don leaned up against the wall and waited his turn. The stall door opened and OUT WALKED A WOMAN! Looking at Don she said, "are you in the right.......(now looking at the man using the urinal) Oh my, I'm in the wrong place," and the red faced lady walked out the door. All three gentlemen started laughing, loud, they are sure the lady (probably about 60ish) heard them. The man at the urinal said, surely when she entered the restroom she noticed the urinal.....that should have been a dead give away.....maybe she didn't.
About 5 minutes later we noticed the "wrong restroom lady" leaving the restaurant, Don said he should have waved but he controlled himself. Why embarrass someone again who was already terribly embarrassed.

After we finished eating I went to the restroom, carefully reading the words on the door. The TP roll was empty in my stall and when I washed up there were no paper towels to dry my hands nor a hand dryer. Another lady also shared my same predicament. As we walked out of the restroom we were both shaking our hands. I sat and down and explained to Don the situation in the woman's room and shaking dry, everything, and he politely said, "you should have used the men's room, that's what they do at Red Lobster, how long has it been since you ate here?" Red Lobster is not my favorite restaurant and that did not change tonight. We arrive home too late for any other activities (cooking, sewing, etc) so I'll have a lot of catching up to do tomorrow. Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

I'm still not over my "wrong restroom phobia," it's probably worse after tonight. I'm traumatized, just knowing it can and does happen, HELP ME........I'll have to read the door three times now and ask directions....

Flooding in West Virginia

The rain continues for the 6th straight day. Our creeks and rivers are leaving their banks and as I'm typing it still continues to pour the rainy snowy mess outside. I traveled to my Greenbrier County office today, it is about 60 miles northeast from my home. It poured the rain non stop all the way. The fog was so thick you could not see more than 50 yards in front of your vehicle. I was using my defensive driving skills today. Watch out for the other guy because he may not see me and hopefully I see him first. I stopped along the way and shot a picture of the New River. This river is normally very shallow in this part of the state. You can wade across the the river and fish in the summer. The water is so high today that white water rapids were roaring. I mark a red arrow on the picture where normally a little tiny stream of water trickles into the River, today the little stream was a huge creek with rapids rolling down the hill.
I think these trees forgot to lose their brown leaves in the fall. They are hanging onto them in January. It is strange to see leaves on any trees this time of year. We've had several wind storms lately and all the leaves should fall during a wind storm. Oh, I should never question an act of God. The pictures are not good because of the dense fog, but you can see what a terrible day we experienced. If the snow we're having tonight keeps falling then the rivers will stop over flowing, temporary, until the snow starts to melt. We will see what tomorrow brings, we really need sunshine to brighten our spirits. I can certainly see why so many West Virginians become depressed in the winter (after the holidays). The weather alone is depressing and makes it hard for our elderly population to get outside and enjoy fresh air.

Beauty Is What We Make Of It

This time of year in West Virginia is brown, cold, snowy and usually cloudy. When we left last weekend traveling south the skies were blue, the sun was bright, and it was by all means a beautiful January day. I pulled my camera out to take a few shots from the window of the car. The battery in my camera was DEAD.

As we crossed Laked Norman in NC the sunset was absolutely gorgeous. Remember, the battery in camera is dead. I have the worst luck with cameras. We arrived in Greenville after dark, unloaded our luggage, and I remembered, I had my old camera with me, it was in the trunk with a fully charged battery. I missed the sunsets, blue skies and sunny mountain tops. All I have are the memories in my mind. And who knows how long they will last. It's also harder to share a mental picture than a photograph. One more missed opportunity.

Even thought the trees are brown and the skies are cloudy on Saturday in Greenville it is a beautiful day. We walked Liberty Bridge and I snapped a few shots. It is apparent Greenville is still suffering the effects of last year's drought. The water level is very low.

When we left WV on Sunday heading to VA the sun decided to stay behind clouds but the temperature was 60 degrees (that's very warm January weather). I snapped this shot from the car window as we traveled I77 in WV, a little farm and big mountains, so typical in WV. I often forget how beautiful the landscape is in WV. When you live here you forget to stop and smell the roses. Even though the trees have lost their leaves and the grass is brown you can still see the beauty of the rose, if you open your eyes and look, past the thorns.

"God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December." - J. M. Barrie

Shop 'Til You Drop

We returned last night (actually this AM) around midnight from SC and left around 10:30 AM headed to Pulaski VA to my uncle's funeral. When it rains it pours. We have been busy and on the road a lot in the past month, Columbus, OH, to a wedding, Greenville, SC, to visit family, Pulaski, VA, to a funeral, and celebrated Christmas and New Years at home.

I shopped the entire two days I was in SC, with my sister-in-law. We started with Long Creek Mill in Gastonia and then to Mary Jo's and ended up at the Bernian Sewing Center in Greenville. Then Don and stopped at the Prime Outlets in Gafney on our way home. That's why were so late getting home this morning and then turning around and left again.

I bought serger thread, embroidery thread, and lots of stabilizer by the yard at Long Creek Mill.

I bought bug fabric at Mary Jo's to make place mats picnic table at the campground, Breast Cancer Awareness fabric to make a tote, and lots of dog fabric for various projects and scarves for the dogs. I found some silk fabric (pink and brown polka dots) that will be perfect for summer pajama bottoms.

The gals at the Bernina Sewing Center in Greenville were very helpful with helping me match up Christmas fabric (50% off) to make a Christmas Tree Skirt. I found this cardinal fabric, matches my cardinal tree perfectly. Also found holly fabric for place mats and the cutest flannel for Christmas Pajamas.

I can't wait to get started on my projects.

Don't Bug Me...

All good made plans change, at least at our house, but sometimes for the better. I decided after I got home from work that the Mexican Meat was too much work. I wanted to use my pressure cooker......I cooked a frozen beef tenderloin with Lipton Onion soup, 1 cup of water, and a slice red onion, for 40 minutes, cooled the cooker normally, removed the lid, added two cans of cream of mushroom soup and a little sour cream. Set the cooker on keep warm until Don got home from work...about 2 hours later. The roast was delicious. And we have leftovers for tomorrow night.

The meal went so quickly I had time to wash three loads of clothes and finish my "don't bug me" pajamas that I've be blogging about for a month.

Tomorrow evening after work I'm going to try and find time to make a few more can koozies. If I'm not in the koozie making mood then I'll start on my other pajama bottoms. I have this coffee cup flannel and black bear flannel for pajama bottoms. I have several coffee embroidery designs from Embroidery Library that will go with the coffee flannel. I'll embroidery them on a t-shirt, probably hot pink to match the coffee cups. I'll embroider a saying "don't mess with me until I'm on my second cup." I'll embroider a black bear on a tan t-shirt to go with the red flannel and embroider "Be nice, I growl after a long winter nap". Do you get the idea....I'm not much of a morning person but I'll pick you up in the evening and late at night.

I have these two pieces for flannel pajamas bottoms for Don. I'll get around to making these before we start camping in March. He needs new flannel for the camper and the cool nights.

We're going to SC to visit Don's brother this weekend. We are never home on weekends unless we have guest visiting. All this running around is cutting into my creative sewing time and the stash keeps growing. I'm going to have to buy a storage building or add a room onto my house just to store my fabric. But I'm not complaining too loud, I've been wanting to go to SC for quite some time now. We pass through Gastonia and I love to stop (and shop of course) at Mary Jo's Fabric Shop.