I am still here and making little projects.  School ended and I had to think about a few things.  I did not like how my family life was reacting to my full time student status.  I also was very troubled that I was getting a Masters degree in a field that suffers job cuts, and low salary while paying 6.8% interest.  My youngest son is having alot of emotional problems, mainly anger.  I definitely lean towards the expressive, passionate side of the anger spectrum and my husband does too.  My little guy has alot of problems when the adrenaline is pumping.  Fight or Flight for him.  So we are working on that at home and will be contacting professionals to insure his future in public schools.  He is my most creative child and his imagination can't be beat.

I finished a few long term projects last month.  The first of which is my zig zag afghan.  Gosh I love this thing. I will be making another one because the yarn is the softest while keeping a firmness that is really nice.  It's called "Impeccable" from Michael's.  I only wish they made a pink in that brand.

I finished using all my hexagons that I paper pieced.  This was pretty fun to do.  I sewed all these flowers onto broadcloth using a small blanket stitch on the machine.  The few blocks I hand sewed had problems shifting when I quilted.  I really liked how the back looked when I finished.  This quilted ended up really crinkly when I washed it.  It now hangs in my sewing room.

Some Lazy Angle Star Blocks for my blue eyed boy.

What would my life be without another crafty project?  I found these quilt blocks in Branson and had to make them.  

I have found the project for my Reunion Fat Quarter bundle.  I have been eyeing these Swoon Blocks forever.  I love how they all look so I am trying my hand at it.  I am not using white and opted for the the tea stained instead. I'm having alot of fun.  Each block is 24" so I will have a King sized quilt when I am done with my 12 blocks.  What kind of summer sewing are you all doing?
I had a whole bucket list planned but my oldest son wanted to go to summer school.  What?  yes...he loves school.  He gets to have a real fake job, earn fake money, pay fake taxes, spend money at different businesses.  He loves it so far.  He was a quality inspector then a cashier.  He's having a blast.  We are waking up early to take him to the bus, but he gets breakfast and lunch at school which is nice for me.  There has been a vast decrease in fights too.  There's a little boy that was my youngest son's friend and they have been playing alot together.  No matter how bad my son behaves I have to remember...All 4 year olds act pretty much the same way.  So when you see a woman with a 4 year old don't be too hard on her.

New projects= spring break + rain

  I love these fabrics.  I have a throw on my couch and it always makes me happy when I cover up with it.  I have two honeybuns and decided to make this pattern with it.  I paired the honeybuns with a cream solid fabric.  It should be funky and fun when I'm done with it.  Now that spring break is over it's sitting in nice neat piles next to my machine.

 Finished crib quilt.  I really liked these fabrics from Birch.  So cute and androgynous.  A good quilt for girls or boys.

 I turned out these pillow covers for my couch.  I love orange and I loved these riley blake fabrics from all the quilts I have made with them.  They make me happy.

I made a quilt with these Ann Marie Horner line in Voile.  I made a simple pillow cover with them.  They don't match my house.  

We are busy busy once again.  Boys are both in soccer, I have tons of school.  Why am I taking 3 summer classes?  Cause I want to be finished by Spring of 2014! 

We are also remodeling our house alittle bit.  We figure with the houses in our neighborhood that we are stuck for awhile.  We have a big yard, love the school and the fact that we are next to a park and a basketball court.  If we just make our current house more liveable for us we can stay.  The boys need their own rooms.  We are getting bids on concrete right now.  My father in law will build the cabinets and shelves for us too.  Its stressful in the meantime. 

This weather is crazy nice.  It feels like June in March.  It's hard to concentrate on school and work, I want to go on vacation!  I packed up all my winter clothes.  I sure hope it doesn't turn cold I will have to go dive into my storage bins. 

Breaking up is hard to do.

I'm breaking up with the whole Curly Mom Quilts thing.  If you noticed there is no facebook link.  I have things still in my shop but i will be selling them all or giving them all away as gifts.  I have several more quilts to make.  The hospice that took care of my grandpa had a new quilt and crocheted cover on the chair every morning.  I'm thinking some of my scrap quilts should go to them.

I just thought I would put this picture in here.  This is my Grandpa Joe and I at my first graduation.  He's on my mind alot.  He was a new year's baby.  He would have been 83, but how blessed I was to share 35 years with him.   He left us mentally before he left us physically and  that's where my joy comes from, to think of him complete and whole.  He was known as Frito Joe in my hometown because he was the Frito Lay man.  Do you realize how many chip commercials and how many times you see a bag of Frito's  or a Frito Lay product in a day?  After the funeral my aunt talked about getting stuck behind a Frito truck.  I think he'll be sending us reminders every day like that.  I'm taking it alittle hard because I've been so blessed not having any loss of loved ones except my cousin who i think of  all the time too...esp once a month if i remember my self breast exam.  I can't help thinking it will only get worse and worse.  I have had all my grandparents with me this far in my life. It's amazing.

I will not have much time in the new year for alot of crafting because I will have my nose in a book.  I'm going to grad school starting January 9th, and I'm excited.  I'm alittle bummed because I won't get to see my quilting gals at the guild but who's kidding who?  I won't be sewing too much.

Some finished/and semi finished crafts.

So I have gone through my box of WIP's and churned out some this week on break/and this weekend.  This Riley Blake quilt is a testament to finishing your mistakes.   I didn't mean to make this quilt.  I was trying something else and got cutter happy and ended up with the wrong sides cut...  This quilt was supposed to look like bamboo.  But I finished it and it's actually better than I thought.

 Baby Clothes Quilt top pieced and ready to be sandwiched.--Memory pillows for the Grandma's.

My foray into the memory quilt.  This has been a difficult quilt to make.  I realized it wasn't about the pattern or the design as much as it was about the memories and the baby clothes.  To make this quilt match or be symmetrical, would involve cutting up these clothes and perhaps losing some of it.  I really like how it's turning out.  Some of these clothes are so tiny and had so many snaps the only option was sewing on whole.  I hope to have this baby quilted and on it's way this week....BUT....

My mind and creativity always gets ahead of my shoulder.  Any hours spent at my machine and my back seizes and then my neck is sore and frozen...it's a vicious cycle.  So while I want and need to finish all my WIP's I still need to pace myself.

I started the new years in the best way, going to my new church home.  I can't tell you how much i love this place.  Worship alone, I am fed completely.  Perhaps I have alittle depression or am extra sensitive these days.  I have been so emotional lately.  Not with sadness but with Joy and amazement.  I have such a renewal of spirit and of life lately.  Perhaps being home for 7 years wasn't good for my depression problems.  I tend to have problems every winter with the blues.  It's wonderful for creativity by the way.  I am a melancholy person and being home with crybabies has made me a cry baby.  Seeing myself as an intelligent person with more to give than my effort at cleaning and cooking and child care has helped especially since one of those skills I am terribly lacking.  What my children and my husband expect or believe about me isn't all there is.  I love them with my whole heart but I get resentful when I am not feeling appreciated, however it's unfair to place all your self-esteem on your husband and children's attitudes.  They are irrational crazy people most of the time.

I'm going into 2012 thankful for my salvation that is unwarranted, unmerited, and undeserved.  Nothing I do can ever give it away and I'm so thankful for his grace that I can be a human, and sin and fail over and over again and I know that i have "unmerited favor."