Kinda like a blog vacation...

I didn't mean to stay away...there was just too much life in my life!

Thanks for all of your comments on the previous post...lots of new people to meet! But...I didn't get to Austin and Amy's house after all. :( I actually cried. I wanted to go so badly, but Claire was sick and I could tell she was too sick for me not to be here. She ended up with Strep Throat so I guess I made the right decision...I just hope we can do it again soon!

T-Shirt quilt stabilizer: it's called "OESD Embroidery Stabilizer Fusible PolyMesh". I used white, but I don't know if it comes in other/dark colors. It is 14 inches by 10 yards...that's a lot of stabilizer! But if you are doing a t-shirt quilt, you iron it onto the whole back piece of the t-shirt you are using-so be sure and cut your shirt to the right size square before stabilizing! If you are just using little pieces here and there, it should last just about 74 years-LOL! It comes rolled up in a tall (18" maybe?) plastic tube with a red lid and costs $28.99 at my quilt store. And I do have to say this is hands down THE BEST stabilizer of any kind that I have ever used! If you are serious about your embroidery, I would definitely use this!

The Kids Classes: Well, I was planning on teaching 2 classes...the heart pillow in February and a tote bag class in March. No one signed up for either class! I was totally shocked and I'm hoping that it's just because everyone was so sick around here. Seriously, kids were dropping like flies there for a while and I hope all of the germs in the schools died out over Spring Break! For now, I'm getting some projects together (some embroidery, some machine sewing and some hand sewing) for Summer Classes. Hopefully those will be more popular-couldn't be any less popular-and kids will get all signed up and come back for more! This is something I really want to do, and I'm really hoping it will work out.

In other works: I am making another t-shirt quilt. This one is made out of the different t-shirts the kids' elementary school has had, and it will be auctioned off at the school carnival in April to raise funds for the PTA. Something I'm thinking about is this...donating a few hours of embroidery or hand sewing lessons to auction off as well. It would be for say, 2 people so that a couple of friends could come together or a mother/daughter thing or something like that. Then, if whoever won it wanted to add on say, another daughter or son, we could just add on a set figure like $10 per person or divide up the final bid and add on another 1/3 or 1/4 of the price and that amount would also go to the PTA...does that make sense?

Major Spring Cleaning going on also, as well as Allison and Claire trading rooms! Right now, Allison has a loft bed and she doesn't really like sleeping in it anymore, but, it would provide some wonderful extra space for Claire so she could actually play in her room and not in the gameroom. We can put her kitchen and other things underneath it, plus she wants to sleep up there. Allison doesn't need that kind of space anymore and wants a bigger bed, so...it's a win-win for everyone! Well, except for me and Steven, who will be repainting and some minor redecorating with curtains and new comforters and things like that. We have already gotten the comforters and duvet covers and curtains-all from Ikea. We just haven't bought Allison's bed yet; but it's coming from Ikea also. I love that store! Anyway, I spent 4 hours in Claire's room alone yesterday, going through things and cleaning and all of that fun stuff and today Allison is already switching their closets and the clothes in their drawers, and they are vacuumming really well...all around the baseboards and everything! I guess that means I need to get the paint and get to work, as well as make a trip to Ikea. Looks like Allison will be getting a new bed for her birthday that is coming up waaaaaaay too soon! Next year she will be in high school! I told her though that we are not allowed to say "High School"...we will only be saying that she will be in "Ninth Grade"! LOL!

OH! Can't forget to give kudos to the hubby! He actually, finally painted all of the inside of our house! (Except for our bedroom, because I can't decide on a color.) Well, there may not be many pictures in this post, but you should be seeing a lot coming up!

Here is one picture I do have...a little Easter chick coming out of an Easter Egg. I started making these 3 or 4 years ago, and I still love them!



Hope everyone is doing well and that I covered all questions from the comments. If not, let me know!