When things are FREE!

OK—so I did NOT stop reading my e-book before bed. In fact, I finished the book. And let's just say that my sleep patterns are NOT back to normal. Now that the e-book is finished, hopefully, so will the sleeplessness. 

Hmm -- a word about the book - The Dutch Wife. Another war story that is based on horrific events that happened in the camps. I can't imagine where these prisoners gathered the courage to continue to live. There was another story intertwined, and I know how that character relates to the rest of the story, but I didn't see the point of it. I really enjoyed the two main characters, but the third one? Didn't do anything for me and the ending? I felt the ending was a bit lame. And I don't often say that about a book. 

I accomplished a lot yesterday on my Tequila Lime. I still need to catch up on the homework, so once the class is over today, I need to keep working on it to finish it by June 1. A little bit at a time. As much as I complain about Judy Niemeyer's patterns -- how wasteful they are with fabric, how poorly (I think) the patterns are written (way more complicated than they need to be), and how her certification program is simply a money grab, I LOVE her patterns and how they come together. 

I know—that seems a bit of an oxymoron statement. I ignore most of the pattern instructions. I devise my own fabric and cutting charts. I made ONE of the patterns according to the instructions, and one was enough to make me realize that wasting yards and yards of fabric wasn't in my future. A few simple changes are all that's required to cut down on the waste. I do not understand why she doesn't change her methodology for piecing the quilts to reduce waste. WAIT -- she probably sells fabric - that's why! 

Anyway, I love how the quilt looks. Seriously? How can I even say that when I've never laid the darn thing out. The students always send pictures with their quilts laid out. I've never done that, but I'm likely what's happening within each component!

Of course, I had my "help," who got covered with the Heartfelt Sampler quilt again. This time I pinned that section to the board so it won't fall again. He looks so innocent—and maybe he is!

Grandma -- it fell! I swear - it fell right on me! 

But he's darn cute, so you have to forgive him. 

A little privacy, please -- having a bad hair day!

OK, so I have nothing but pictures of the girls, the boy, and the backyard today. It's hard to get pictures of something I'm sewing when it's for a class. I spotted this guy on the bird feeder, which needs more birdseed!!

Neighborhood cardinal stopped by

I can't stop laughing at the gang. Bear has a thing for Lexi's food. If he's hungry, and there's no reason that he should be, he goes to her bowl if she doesn't finish. Lexi had started to get up in this picture, but the two girls were watching Bear eat from Lexi's bowl. I'm unsure what thoughts were going through their heads, but it was cute. 

MOM -- Bear is eating Lexi's food, and it's NOT FAIR!

I don't think I have a picture of the two girls and the boy together - well, a nice posed picture. That will never happen with Lexi around. She runs to the beat of her own drum and doesn't listen to me. But when it's a matter of food, Murphy and Bear are right there, Lexi just happened to be in the right spot. 

YES? You called? Do you have TREATS? We WANT treats! 

At one point in the day, they needed to be let out. And I swear that Bear was trying to herd Lexi outside! He's pretty vocal for a little guy. 

Come on - big dog - get outside and protect me! 

And then he proceeds to help her "warn" the neighborhood of great evils! I try not to let him out without the girls in case the hawk is around. I've seen him soaring off in the treetops every once in a while but taking no chances. 

Grandma - I'm helping Lexi! 

As we left them for dinner, all three watched me as I dug treats out of the pantry. Yes, they'll do anything for a treat—even Lexi! 

Treats? Do we get treats again? 

I got a chuckle when I was out walking. Walking past Tim's, I remembered the Roll up the Rim to Win contest. You used to get your rolls on your cup, but now, every time you get a roll, it's on your app. Have you noticed there's an app for everything? Seriously? There's an app for everything! 

Turns out I had THREE rolls that I had not spun. So I did and I won on all three spins. Which is hilarious considering that I had not won on any of the previous ones. A coffee, a donut, and a 6-month subscription to Sirius Radio. What am I going to do with that? I don't think I even understand what it is. 

Roll up the Rim contest!

Well, I'll redeem the coffee and the donut for a snack one day. The radio thing? I doubt it. Does anyone want the code? 

I'm organized for my two presentations today! Yep -- it doesn't take much to get things together, especially as I'm getting smarter and organizing my photos more. So if I need something, I know where to find it. Then, I can take pictures and insert whatever is missing!

And it's amazing what you can find out by Googling it! I've learned so much about so many things! I needed some information for my Basic Machine Embroidery class, and it was easy to find! OK -- not easy, but I found it. Remember -- if you or someone you know needs a refresher on machine embroidery, there's my free two-hour class tomorrow. Thanks to sleeplessness that is almost together, so things are good!!! E-mail me if you are interested in attending. elainetheriault@gmail.com

On that happy note, I'm out of here. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!