About Me and a Little Mail

Monday!  A new week.  Another new beginning.  For a lot of people this is Easter Vacation week.  All of our local schools are vacant.  This means there is ample parking in front of my house.  I don't have to listen to the buses bouncing through the potholes on their way to pick up the kids from school.  Will I be starting something new this week?  Probably, I'm just not sure exactly what.  I would like to make an Easter table mat - or maybe make another Secrets of Life block.  So many ideas.  It should be a quiet week - no grocery shopping or meetings planned.  Hopefully it will be a productive week.  What are your plans?

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

April 18, 1906 - San Francisco

At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, a foreshock hit San Francisco. However, it offered just a quick warning, for massive devastation was soon to follow. Approximately 20 to 25 seconds after the foreshock, the large quake hit. With the epicenter near San Francisco, the entire city was rocked. Chimneys fell, walls caved in, and gas lines broke. Asphalt that covered the streets buckled and piled up. Many people didn't have time to even get out of bed before they were killed by falling debris.

The earthquake lasted for approximately 40 to 60 seconds. Almost immediately, fires broke out across the city from broken gas lines and stoves that had fallen over during the shaking. The fires spread ferociously across San Francisco. Unfortunately, most of the water mains had also broken during the quake and the fire chief was an early victim of falling debris. Without water and without leadership, it's amazing the city was able to get the fires under control in just four days. However, massive amounts of damage had already been done. The quake and subsequent fire left more than half San Francisco's population homeless, destroyed 28,000 buildings, and killed approximately 700 to 3,000 people.

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ABOUT ME

Friday I was able to cut and assemble the backing for my Layer Cake QAL quilt.  As I type this, the quilt top, backing and batting are sitting in a box waiting for the mailman to pick up and send it on its way across country to the Joanne, the long arm quilter.  I'm just having a simple meandering done but at least I don't have to wrestle another quilt through my machine.  I also did another couple of rows on the blue and brown quilt.  Only 2 and 3/4 rows left and then it's onto the binding.

Since I did absolutely nothing creative to share today, I thought I would share this A-Z About Me.  I first saw this on Wendy's blog, Why Knot?

Age:  55 (but only for another few weeks)

Bed Size:  King

Chore You Dislike:  All of them but especially going grocery shopping (yes, to me that is a CHORE)

Dogs:  2 - Snickerdoodle and Weasley - both mini long-haired doxies

Essential Start of Your Day:  A hot shower followed by "me time" on the computer

Favorite Color:  Green!  Green and a little blue

Gold or Silver:  Probably gold because I don't like cleaning silver

Height:  5' 6"

Instruments You Play: The sewing machine.  Oh you mean musical - the CD player.

Job Title: Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Cook, Organizer, Friend

Kids: 2 girls - both grown and living out of town :(

Live:  Bakersfield, California  - born and raised

Mom's Name:  Carolyn

Nicknames:  None - never had one. Well, that's not quite right.  When my DH and I were dating he called me droopy drawers because I couldn't find pants to fit my butt (or lack of one). No such problem now!

Overnight Hospital Stays:  Four. One to have my tonsils out when I was 5.  Twice for the birth of each of my girls. And once to stay with DD#2 when she was in the hospital at age 8.

Pet Peeve(s):  Tardiness. I can't stand to be late and don't like it when others are either. People chewing with their mouths open - we aren't cows, you know.

Quote From a Movie:  "Honey, time marches on and eventually you realize it is marchin' across your face." Truvy in Steel Magnolias.   And "We have cows!" from the movie Twister

Right or Left Handed:  Right. Unless I'm shooting pool and then I'm left handed.

Siblings: 1 Sister (one too many)

Time You Wake Up:  M-F 4:00, Sat & Sun usually 5:30 or 6:00

Underwear: Clean ones everyday!

Veggie You Dislike:  Okra, mushrooms, and beets

What Makes You Run Late:  Other people (see Pet Peeves)

X-Rays You Have Had: Oh those lovely mammograms, back, head, hip, ribs, shoulder, neck, knee

Yummy Food You Make:  Maccaroni and cheese - homemade with a white sauce - yummmmm

Zoo Animal You Like Best:  Panda - they always look so cute and cuddly.

Okay.  Now it's your turn.  Won't you share your A-Z with us?

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MAIL CALL

Friday's mail brought me two squishy envelopes.  The first one was from Toni, The Quilting Pirate.  She was my secret swap partner from the Once A Season Swap for the winter swap.  The first package Toni mailed out got lost and is still circling the earth somewhere or was eaten alive by the winter storms.  Toni is so kind and she made up a second package......

Inside was this beautiful half yard of fall fabric, three wonderful note cards, a darling 'Lil Pumpkin pattern, and two sheets of pretty stickers.  Thank you, Toni!  I love it all.

The second package came from Mare over at Mare's Nest.  A couple of weeks ago she was destashing and offering patterns for anybody that wanted them.  I choose two wall hangings that I thought were cute.  Well, when I opened the package there were four patterns....

These two were the ones that were shown on her post - Dream Spinners and Layered Hearts

Then Mare included these two extras - Harvest Time and Advent Calendar Angel.

Thanks so much Mare!  I look forward to creating some cute things with these patterns.

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TODAY'S GOAL

I'm torn whether I want to make the Designer Mystery BOM #11 or just spend the whole day quilting the blue and brown quilt.  Guess you will find out tomorrow.

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GIVEAWAYS

Simple Pieces of Daily Living is having a giveaway.  For a small donation to help fund Lauren's adoption, you can be entered to win 14 coordinated pieces of Bali Batiks - honeysuckle and a copy of The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt book.  This giveaway ends Saturday, April 30. 

Canton Village Quilt Works is having a giveaway.  You could win 6 fat quarters of Honey Child.  This giveaway ends at midnight on April 21st.

Hollyhock Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win a darling mini quilt that Glenna created.  The winner will be announced Wednesday, April 20.

Cheaper Than Therapy is having a giveaway.  Mary Lou is ready to send the Traveling Stash on its way to the next lucky winner.  This giveaway will end Saturday, April 23, at midnight EST.

Hawthorne Threads is having their weekly giveaway.  This week you could win a Daydream layer cake.  The winner will be selected on Wednesday, April 27.

The Intrepid Thread is having a giveaway.  Nothing specific is selected yet but you can sure it will be wonderful.  This giveaway ends Friday, April 22, at midnight.

One More Quilt is celebrating her one year blogoversary with a giveaway.  She is giving away a whole assortment of goodies!  This giveaway ends Monday, April 25, at 11:59 pm.

Sew Fresh Fabrics is having a Fabric Refund Giveaway.  You could win a a full Medium Flat Rate box filled with Fabric – guaranteed enough fabric to make an entire quilt.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, April 20, at 10:00 pm EST.

Jonquils & Ladybugs is celebrating their 200 sale in their etsy shop with a giveaway.  You could win a Little Castle Peeps quilt.  This giveaway closes on Friday, April 22, at 9:00 pm.
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FINAL THOUGHT

The weekend was a busy one.  We did our normal running of errands and a stop by the local Farmer's Market.  Then we spent a couple of hours out in the flowerbed removing a full garbage can of weeds and overgrowth.  Why can't my plants grow like the weeds?  Always green and tall and blooming profusely so they can spread their little weed seeds far and wide.  We pulled out milkweed that was at least 6 feet tall and vines that have come from I don't know where.  And then there were the volunteer trees - mulberry, pepper, and a few I've never seen before.  But the job is done.  The dogs no longer get lost on their explorations around the yard.  We can see the plants we want and enjoy the flowers that are just beginning to bloom.  A job finished and a sense of completion.  Well, at least until the weeds show their menacing little heads once again.

A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows.
 ~Doug Larson

Only you can make your Monday marvelous!