Doesn't this look like fun?Here's the website:  http://www.fabshophop.com/hopmain.asp

Continue to Meet My Goals

Check off another 3 hours in the pool, plus  Saturday pool time with my daughter.  Saturday had a "feels like" temperature of 104!  Pool water was 82- a bit to warm for the girls, but my husband was in 7th heaven.  This week I'll be off to visit a friend that I haven't seen in 2 years. So, I'll be able to check off another completed goal.  Later...

SALT- the movie

Just returned from seeing SALT.  I recommend seeing it, and not because my husband is in it.  Yes, Paul is in the escalator scene, in Washington,D.C.  He is on the right hand side of the escalator and is wearing a typical trench coat. He is pushed aside and gives the 2 CIA guys a "dirty" look.  I have to admit that I didn't see him. Why? Because I turned to Paul to ask what he was wearing. At least he didn't land on the cutting room floor!

I Piece 2-Mary: Summer Bag Swap

I Piece 2-Mary: Summer Bag Swap
To see the tote bag I received from my swap partner click on the above link.

What an opportunity!

My daughter called and said, pack your bag and make sure your passport is up to date.  Agra, India here I come.  My daughter is going on business, and she asked if I wanted to tag along. So I'm going to see the Taj Mahal, in November. Do they quilt in India?

Goals Completed!

Finished reading Jodi Piccoult's book...PICTURE PERFECT.  I enjoyed her book, PLAIN TRUTH, much more.  Currently I am reading SECOND GLANCE, by the same author.

Visited with my friend, Carla, who I haven't seen in nearly 18 months. She was passing through on her way back to Pittsburgh, from Bethany Beach, DE.

Family room has been supercleaned.

I've been spending the 3 hours in the pool and one day a week-end with my daughter.

I took my less than 2 year old Bernina 440  to the dealer yesterday.  Since day one, I have been having problems with the embroidery software called EC on the PC.  Without this software I cannot use the embroidery module.

So I needed to make a banner for my nephew's up coming wedding. I used an embroidery only machine, that I've had for at least 8 years now. It did a basic job.  I'll use my mom's 55 year old Pfaff machine to add some decorative stitches to make a border.  Since I can't finish what I'm working on, I decided to take advantage of the 40% off coupons that were in my email in box. Right now, (4:30p.m.) the temp is 94, but with the humidity feels like 100.  POOL TIME!

Charming Girls Quilt-Along Quilt Is Ready for the Parade

The earth shook today, not because my quilt top is completed, but because there was a 3.something  earthquake in the Washington, DC. area today.  I live about 30 miles from where the epicenter was ,Germantown,Maryland.
Right now the sky is lighting up, and the drums are rolling, again not because my Charming Girls quilt top is completed, but because a summer thunderstorm is rolling through. Temp today was 97.  I spent 3 hours in the pool this week, and finished reading a novel, per my Charming Girls goals.  Thanks Kelly for figuratively holding my hand, while I worked on my first quilt.  Thanks to all who commented on my  blog and encouraged me.  Looking forward to our next challenge/project.  OOPS! cable just went out- better shut down before the computer gets zapped.

As I Promised

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had a heart attack 13 years ago, when I was 50.  I had not been plagued with headaches, allergies,  or aches and pains, so when I woke up at 3 a.m.  and had this burning sensation that kept moving across my chest (left to right, right to left). What I mean by burning, is a heat sensation, not a burning sensation like you would attribute gastro-heartburn.  This burning sensation lasted less than 5  minutes. I fell back to sleep.  I awakened around 6 a.m. and now I just wasn't feeling right.  I was getting clammy, but my stomach wasn't upset.  My husband  was getting to leave for work, I asked him not to go in that day.  I said, "I'm not feeling just right. Something is wrong."  I  called my primary care doctor.  The doctor on call said," Take a couple of Tums, and call the office during office hours, to make an appointment to come in."  Well!!!! I did wait 'til the office was open, but I walked in without an appointment.  I was probably seen within 15 minutes, by my doctor. She did an EKG, and came back with my husband.  She said, "You are having a heart attack.  I am sending you to the hospital. Your husband will take you.  The ER will have all they need."  So off I went.  I did throw-up in the parking lot.  Remember I said I was feeling clammy.  Other than that I felt great.  If this was a school day,(I was teaching 5th grade at the time), I would have gone to work.  I was admitted, and the next day I had an angiogram done. The results- not good- 5 blockages-  a 99% - a 97% and another one that was 78%.
There was 1 more blockage, but it did not warrant  a by-pass.  I was to have the by-pass surgery done the next day, (Friday).  Surgery was postponed to Monday. I had to stay in the hospital.  So that Monday I went in for a triple and came out with a quadruple by-pass.  On Wednesday, I went home for lunch.  That's right- one day of rest before I went home.  They dubbed me a "rabbit", which means quick recovery. Spent July recovering- and by the third week in August I was driving down to The Outer Banks, for my annual vacation, before returning to the classroom for another year.  I have had no problems since.  Actually, the one blockage that was not by-passed has remained the same. No advancement.  So ladies, my advice is to listen to your body. You know when things aren't just right.  I had no shortness of breath, no pain radiating down my arm, no back pain- in other words, none of the symptoms one would associate with a heart attack.  Heart disease runs in my family.  I expected I too would have to deal with it, but not at 50!  I've added a website you can go to, to learn a bit more.

http://www.gregmaustin.com/webdesign/sites/heart/symptoms.html

Something funny did happen after surgery.  As I was coming out of the anaesthesia, I felt someone pulling a zipper up on my chest.  It sounded like a zipper being zipped.  I remember asking, "Did you put in a zipper in case you have to go back in?"  The zipper I heard was on the bra they were putting on me.  Still have that bra. Hope I never have to wear it again.

Quilting is almost finished

This is my first attempt at quilting.  I'm using a Bernina 440QE, with the machine embroidery component.  Purchased and downloaded the design from Embroidery Library.  There are only 15 more squares to quilt.  Hoping to finish before 1 tomorrow.  If I don't then, it will have to wait until Thursday.

Time to set  July/August Priorities and Goals for The Charming Girls Quilt Club
Spend time with 2 friends I haven't seen in a while.

Take a day to sew with  2 friends.

Go the see the movie SALT with hubby. He should be on the escalator with Angelina Jolie, that is if he didn't end up on the cutting room floor.

Weather permitting, spend 3 hour per week by the pool.Additional pool time on  Sundays, with my daughter, if she's in town.

Read a book written by Jodi Piccoult.

Super clean the family room.

Embroider a wedding banner for my nephew's wedding: With this ring...

I learned the hard way to take care of myself.  At the age of 50 I had a heart attack, and then quadruple by-pass surgery.  Ladies, in another posting I describe the symptoms of a heart-attack. They are NOT anything like what you think they would be.

Pool Chair Covered

One down, 7 more to go!

The QUILT TOP is done.  Still need to figure out how I'm going to quilt it.

Slow but Steady

A little bit to cut off at the end.

The summer cold I have is almost gone.  It slowed  my progress.  Hopefully I'll get caught up today.  Last night, I worked on piecing the 3 1/2 in pieces together.  Boy was I LUCKY!!!!  It matched up with only  about a1/4th of an inch that will  need to be cut off.  I did it the Polish way.  I can hear you saying, "What technique is this?"  The Polish way is: piece a few of the strips, place it along the edge of the quilt top ; add a few more pieces, (these are not sewn together , yet)  Continue  in this manner until you get to the end of the quilt top. Now, if you have too much at the end, adjust the strips prior to sewing  - sew a few strips with a wider seam allowance;  if your strip doesn't quite reach the end, sew the seams a bit smaller.  I didn't need to do either. Lucky me.

Not bad for my first attempt at quilting!

Off to to Jo-Ann's to pick up some  fabic to make slipcovers for  my outdoor patio furniture cushions, and  some for my daughter's cushions, as well. Her covers will be a Christmas gift.  I'll post fabric choices later.