That was EASY!

OK - I NEVER thought I would voice these words, but I had an AWESOME visit to the dentist. And I was having a root canal.

WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Did I actually write that???   You bet I did!!!  I am still in shock!

I arrive at the dentist about one minute late. The assistant was waiting for me and immediately whisked me into the chair. WHOA??  What's this????   A MASSAGE CHAIR!!!!!  Are you kidding me????   Ah - I am in love already. I have a very bad habit when I go to the dentist (well I think everyone is the same), but we tend to tense up. And I get this fierce pain in my left upper shoulder. It makes me so uncomfortable that I think I dread that more than I dread the dentist digging in my mouth.

I have to say that the massage chair worked the entire time I was there and I felt NO PAIN in my left shoulder at all. NOTHING!!!!!  

The dentist comes in - and of course he says he is going to give me the needles to freeze my mouth. ICK!  I hate needles, but I have learned this amazing trick - I just take a couple of deep breaths and take myself somewhere else than the dentist chair. I have perfected that technique apparently because I felt NOTHING on the first needle and just a pinch with the second. And the dentist tells me that the worst is over. Really?????   Is that a guarantee?????


I start to feel the freezing right away, but we have to wait 5 - 10 minutes for the freezing to fully take effect. He gives me the REMOTE to the TV. Hmmmmm - I think I can still figure out how this works. I mean how hard is it to change channels on a TV. Keep in mind that I haven't touched a remote in over THREE years. I know - I can't believe it has been that long and I don't miss it one bit!!!!

I start to hit the buttons and ACK - it is satellite or something (some soccer game is on). Oh dear - now I have these menu things on the scene. Now what????   Well I managed to move the TV to the NEXT channel which was DARTS. I think I had better stop before I really mess the thing up. Those menus stayed on the screen for a couple of minutes, then they disappeared (thankfully before anyone came back in the room). DARTS????   Really????   I bet the dentist got a laugh over that one!

Anyway - they put a rubber dam on my tooth and then drilled and poked and prodded and whatever else they need to do for a root canal. I felt NOTHING. I just relaxed in the massage chair and towards the end I even started to doze off. OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Then I was up and out of the chair and WHOA - that's it??  I'm done????   Seriously?????

Was told to take a pain killer before the freezing wore off (which I did) and once the freezing came out (and even this morning) - NOTHING. NADA!  It is like I never went to the dentist. OH MY GOD!!!!   That was awesome!!!!!!!!!!

Have to go back for the follow up sometime next week.


OK - so that is way more than you need (or want) to know about my dentist appointment, but honestly, I have never experienced that before and I had to tell someone!


Let's get some pictures in here................

Here is the pattern for that OTHER ironing board pad that Margo had. Remember the one that needed the cording!!!!

Here is the ironing pad - DONE!!!!!!    It isn't as PRETTY when it is folded up as the other one, but then you don't have to worry about the lumps created with the buttons and the handles. I need to think about options to finish that off. 

I will share some of the show n tell from the retreat..............


A couple of years ago, seven of us decided to participate in a round robin. Each of us made a center block and then the rest of the group added a four inch border around that. The quilts ended up around 60 inches square. The goal for this past retreat was to have the quilts quilted so we could show them.


Here is what we got to see (and sorry - there is NO place to really take good pictures there)

Mary's quilt - Quilted and bound

Lynn's quilt (my favourite) - quilted and bound

Detail of the quilting

Flo's quilt - quilted and bound

Pauline's quilt - quilted and bound

So..............   Carol, Sharron and Elaine - where are your quilts?????


Well - I really tried to have mine finished, but at least I have started the quilting process...........

My quilt - on the quilting machine. GOT to get it off today. 

Sharron and Carol both have CRAZY jobs and so they are forgiven for not having it quilted.


We were still very excited about exchanges after we finished these tops and so we did ANOTHER exchange. For the second one, we each chose a theme and the rest of the group (there were nine of us) made blocks that went with that theme.


We were supposed to have the top sewn together for show n tell at this retreat.  Here is what we saw.........

Mary's theme was The Kitchen (Mary LOVES to bake and cook). While she did not have a top, she started to work on the layout at the retreat. Here are some of the blocks

And this is what it looked like when she started to add fillers - I LOVE IT!!!!!

And here are both parts - you can see a HUGE difference in the two parts. She made more progress, but I don't seem to have taken a picture. Drat - well I will get it when she finishes the quilt

Lynn's theme was On The Farm (or in the country). She did NOT add fillers and took a few blocks out that didn't fit

Detail of some of the blocks!!!!

More details

Pauline's theme was Secret Garden (or something garden related). She did NOT add any blocks and used them all. 

Details of garden blocks

More details

And more details

And what happened to Elaine, Marian, Flo, Linda (ACK - I still owe her a block!!), Carol, Sharron????

Well - I know for me that I am going to have to add a LOT of blocks to make it work and I haven't started yet. And I still owe Linda that block which I MUST make a priority and get done. It is one of those things that I keep shuffling from the ironing board (well not anymore), but I shuffle between the prep table, the cutting table and the sewing table. That HAS TO STOP!!!!!!


We had other show n tell as well..................

Linda brought in her Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - this is the Block of the Month this year at a couple of guilds. She is my tester so she got to move ahead. Mary is supposed to be the tester as well, but Linda scooped her because Mary was away!!!!!!   It wasn't Mary's fault at all, but MINE since I only gave the pattern to Linda while Mary was away. Oh gosh - we are nasty!!!!

And THIS GORGEOUS quilt belongs to Marian. She has been working on it for a long time. The blocks are hand appliqued. All the applique pieces are wool. And there are TEENY TINY connector blocks between the big blocks. Well the quilt is just stunning.  She still has a bit of work to stitch down some of the applique pieces (where the borders join) and then off to the hand quilter!!!!! 

OK - so there are still tons of pictures to load, BUT I have to get to work soon.


I have a bone to pick with my "friends".  Yesterday we had Rosewood Cottage class and we always have NON class show n tell. Jeanette brings in this quilt that she made - well she has made several, but have a look.

A SCRAPPY pineapple quilt made with 1 1/2" strips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ACK - that is perfect for using up some of my stuff, BUT how will I fit that into my schedule??????

Here is more of the quilt. It is just stunning and Jeanette has made several more of them. 

So now I am going to have to get the ruler that she used to make this quilt. Anyway it is a BRILLIANT way to use up scraps. "Thanks" Jeanette!!!!!


Pineapple ruler


On that note - I have run out of time and I still have a bunch of e-mails to send out.



Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!