I had a dream...

Last night I had a dream.  A very disturbing dream.  I dreamt that I was working in a hospital.  In the ICU.  That was not the disturbing part.

You see, in my past life, I was a nurse who worked in ICU.  During the course of my life I had children, mind you I had help.  When the children came I quit working as a nurse at the hospital and started my new life as a nurse at home.  During this time period I put my nursing license on inactive status, with the possibility that "some day" I would go back to work.  I have thought about it quite a bit in the last 5 year.  What is holding me back?  Well, after being inactive for 15 years they kind of make you go back to school to refresh your skills.  In the hospital you are in fact dealing with living people, people who would prefer to stay that way and technology has advanced significantly since the 1990's.  Since there are no re-certification programs here I would have to travel to find a school.  Since my DH already travels quite a bit, coordinating such a program would be more than a bit challenging, not to mention transferring my license from one state to the next is a challenge all it's own.  So I've put it off.

In this dream I was back in the hospital working towards re-activating my license.  I had a preceptor who was following me and showing me the ropes. I also was being evaluated by the head nurse and the director of nursing who always seemed to be following me.  All of this, while perhaps a tad paranoid, seemed reasonable to me.  Funny how in dreams "reasonable" is taken to a whole new level.

The disturbing part of this dream was that I had 5 loads of dirty laundry which I was trying to do at the same time.  Not only was I trying to do the laundry at the hospital, but I was trying to do it without anyone finding out.  I was traveling the elevators 5 floors down to the basement to use the industrial washers and dryers, caring a laundry basket full of dirty clothes trying to look inconspicuous. This required  hourly trips up and down the elevators, of course this was shortly after doing hourly vitals on my patients (of course!)

Not only was I doing the laundry but somehow in this twisted bizarre world of mine I had an vacant patient room where I was hiding the clean laundry.  Then  I would sneak off and fold, because I didn't want the laundry to wrinkle. (how weird is that? I don't ever worry about that now.)  That was the plan...until it was announced that I was to get an admission!  Now I had to find a new hiding place!

The entire dream people kept complementing me on how "organized" and "efficient" I was.  (if they only knew). I awoke covered in sweat, wondering if the dryer was done. Sometime later while drinking my 3rd cup o'joe my daughter said, 'MOM!  I don't have any clean shorts.  I did you do laundry last night?'

a plan

Do you have a box, bin or drawer where you keep your scrap fabric?  If you are like me you probably have many. 

 This is one of my scrap drawers. I holds all of my strips of fabric.  Many of them are 2.5 inch wide strips but there are various fabric strips of various sizes.  As you can tell it is overflowing with possibilities.

This week I dove into the drawer and pulled out a few neutral strips. I added a couple of teal strips sewed the strips into pairs.  Once the seams were pressed, I cut up the strips into 2.5 in X 4.5 in pairs.

I have a little plan for these matched pairs that involves a towel and a dog... cannot wait to share with you.

Great American Game

Last weekend Grandma and I took the kidos to the ballpark.  It took some time to recall but the last time we saw a game was in 2002!  It was then that we took the oldest to his first game, he was five and a half!  We were down at old Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, just a year before they tore it down.  I remember this because they were letting the kids run the bases before they tore it down.  OH! How times have changed!  

Our seats were quite high but the kids could have cared less.  The first two innings were touch and go and I wasn't sure if E was going to last! She entertained herself with the binoculars for a while, then the vendors started!   That kept her busy. Boy there is nothing like ballpark food!  Why do hot dogs always taste better there?

They stuffed their faces with it all!  We had hot dogs, bratts, peanuts, cotton candy, pizza, soft pretzels and nachos!  Yummy.  

We waddled out of there with a win! Go Reds!  This fortunate event entitled us to yet another Cincinnati favorite... LaRosa's Pizza! All in all a great day and a wonderful memory, even if it came with a little heartburn.

Done.

That's it I'm Done!  Finished.  The End.  Seven Key Chains, 2 Lanyards and 7 pouches later, Teacher gifts for this year are completed.  All of them.  I struggled a little bit with what to get the 2 male teachers in the group, and in the end I decided one cannot go wrong with Gift Cards.

I really should know better....

I have Loads and Loads on my plate right now.  With a husband who travels, three kids (the end of school fast approaching)  and a long list of things on my "to do" list I really do have plenty to keep me busy.  Yet, that didn't stop me from wandering into the quilt section of the local library and checking out this book.  It is Amy Butler's Style Stitches. It has such cute patterns and I love Amy's vibrant colors and bold patterned fabric.  They really make the bags in the book POP!

I dug through my stash and came up with this scrap.  I just happen to have enough of this print to make a couple of other items in the book, just sayin'. 

I paired it with this light color aquamarine for the lining.  I really think light colors make the best linings.  It makes it much easier to see those tiny little things hiding in the bottom of your bag.

And here is my finished version of the Key Keeper Coin Purse. Isn't she adorable.

It really is a tiny thing measuring only about 5.5 in X 5.5-ish inches.  Just big enough for coins, or jewelry or a few Lego people.  It has a cute little loop where a key ring would fit nicely.

This zipper was not the easiest to install.  The entire time I kept thinking, there has to be a better way!  Perhaps reading through the directions first would have been wise.  Ya Think? I guess I was just too excited!  The inside of the pouch also has a pocket, a cute design option but I feel it is an unnecessary extra for such a tiny little thing. 

Amy's book includes a matching purse pattern, in two sizes.  I might have to make one up.  Later.

Duck Tape

It must be a 5th grade thing.  It certainly is a girl thing. For my girl and many of her friends making things out of duck tape is the new "in" thing.  After a recent slumber party where they did fun and crafty things my 5th grader came home ready to duck tape any and everything.  Thankfully there is YouTube.  There are lots, I mean LOTS of YouTube videos for making things out of duck tape. Duck Tape in hand Emma set out to make a few things.  First we have duck tape flowers.

You have probably seen at least one of these adorning a pen at your local Doctors office.  I know I have.  If you know us, rest assured you will have your own soon. I am talking to you Grandparents.  Next, Emma decided to make a few hair bows for her younger cousins.  Adorable.  These she made up herself.  I am sure there is a tutorial out there if you really, really want your own.

Lastly, she made this...

What is this you ask?  Funny I asked the same thing.  I said, "Hm.  This is an interesting..a...Bookmark?"  (notice the hesitancy) To which she replied, "Mom, It's not a bookmark.  It's a churro."  Well, duh.  I knew that.  A churro (the same cinnamon-y, sugar-y fried pastry popular in Mexico?  One in the same.)   No tutorial for this one folks.  This one is all Emma.

Quilting for Butterflies.

We knew it wouldn't be long until I was back on my Long-arm. That day proved to be sooner than later when my Aunt Toni sent me this ....

She made this modern monstrosity (it's King Size) for my cousin, well first cousin once removed if we are getting technical. This quilt is the absolute BIGGEST quilt I can fit on my machine.  Seriously, one inch more and it would have been too big. It took all 12 feet of my machine to handle this big boy.

 I love the pattern. I have not seen this pattern before, every time I look at it I see something new.  The corner triangles remind me of butterflies and isn't spring just the perfect time for them.

This all over flower and leaf combo is one I use pretty regularly.  It is so rhythmic I tend to loose myself in it.  It has soft curves and sharp points, yet it flows just the same.  The curves and flow of the quilting complement the angles in the quilt top.

Initially I was just going to meander this quilt, because of it's size.  The more I looked at it the more the butterflies called to me.  They said, "we need flowers and leaves to rest on.  Won't you quilt us some?" So I did.  I am a sucker and I think I may be hearing things.