A New Member! Mascoutah, IL

Thanks to my brother for showing us around St. Louis and for letting us talk him into adopting a cat!  It all started when we went to PetSmart and saw two very cute cats.  They were both quiet and wanted a lot of loving.  I guess we talked about the cats a little too much.  By the end of the evening, Jay was heading home with a 3 year old cat.  He plans to give her a new name.  "Paine" just doesn't fit this sweetheart of a cat.















Last night, Jay sent us a text:

Litter box set up, cat tested and approved: CHECK!
Flea prevention applied while cat purrs: CHECK!
Water & food bowls cat tested and approved: CHECK!
House & owner (servant): Still under inspection, approval pending.

Sounds like the beginning of a beautiful relationship!  Did you notice?  She looks a lot like our cat, Dusty.  The one testing my fabric in the banner.

We had very slow internet while we were in Illinois, so I have a lot of catching up to do.  Photos to upload, emails to answer, blogs to finish, you know, the usual stuff.

Eros' head. (Jay's inside)

Today was a travel day or maybe I should say a long day of traveling.  We are just outside of Branson, MO.  We will probably stay a week or two.  It is nice to have full-hookups again.  I can iron and sew together again!

No Quilting in St. Louis, But...

I did take some fantastic pictures of the Arch and of the CityGardens.

My brother Jay played tour guide all day Sunday and we had a wonderful time! The CityGardens is a very interactive park with artwork you can climb on and water fountains for cooling off are everywhere. Many people were taking advantage of the fountains by just sitting in them and not moving during the heat of the day. I was tempted to join them!

We walked down to the Arch and I took quite a few picture of it from different angles with my wide fish-eye lens. I think they came out better than using my regular lens.

After the park, we made a quick stop at a very large mall. I'm afraid I would get lost if I went by myself. This weekend was "No Taxes" for school and it was packed with shoppers.

After lunch, Jay took us to Trader Joe's. It was so nice to pick up some of my favorite items. We had a great time!

I'm still working on the photos. I'll try to get them posted soon.

A Lap Quilt for Me! (Mascoutah, IL)

Squirrel approves!

We are in Mascoutah, IL visiting with my brother.  We are only 30 minutes east of St. Louis, but we are back in a campground with 30 amps.  We need 50 amps to run our motorhome's electronics like air conditioning.  That means no ironing for now.  And no ironing means I won't be doing a lot of  sewing.  I managed to sew all the blocks into rows and iron before we left Paducah.  At least, I can sew them together while we are here.

This is one of my UFO's I have been carrying it around with us for the last 2 years.  I always wanted my own lap quilt and this one is going to be mine.  All mine.  Well, most of the time.  When I can talk the cats into letting me use it.

I have been a big fan of Laurel Burch for many years.  The jewel colors draw me to them every time I see her fabric in a store.  I cannot walk away... must buy.....muuuust buy.  Yep, I have a lot of Laurel Burch's material.  I better start using it.

Anyway, this pattern is called Fractions.  I think the material is perfect for the pattern.  Now that I have started working on MY quilt, I can hardly wait to finish it.

How about for you?  Do you have a large stash from one designer?  Or maybe it is a color? Or a theme?