Tilda's Valentine Heart Swap

My Tilda's Valentine Heart Swap package arrived yesterday....just in time for Valentine's Day!  My partner was Wendy Ford from Pill City, Alabama.  Look at all the goodies I got!

I love the box it came in.  It is a photo box for pictures.  I love photo boxes and am in need of a new one!  This one is perfect.

Inside the box were these lovelies....  

2 pieces of pretty fabric, Valentine napkins, 3 sparkly hearts, a sparkly love sign, a Happy Valentine's Day wall hanging and of course, my Tilda heart.  But that's not all....  I also got this!

Yum!!  I love caramels and especially chocolate covered caramels.  I haven't dug into these yet.  I may have to limit myself to just one a day so I don't overload on them!

Thank you so much, Wendy.  You were more than generous and I love it all!  Check out Wendy's blog at:  stitchduchessscrazysanequiltingworld.blogspot.com

Also, a big thank you to Cat from catalinanz.blogspot.com and Lydia from lydiastreasures.blogspot.com  for organizing this Valentine's swap.  It was a lot of fun!

--Jackie

Why I love Valentine's Day!!

OK, should I copy my sister? Why not....we love the same things. I am very thankful for the many wonderful people God has put into my life. They have helped me through tough times, they have stood by me when I needed support, they laugh with me and encourage me, and they show unconditional love.

My husband who is wonderful, loving, sweet, full of patience, a great dad, and friend!

We have been married 37+ years!!

My wonderful family!

My kids doing what they always do to make life fun! HA!

My precious grandchildren!!

Oh yes, life is good! I love my nieces and nephews, my precious Bible Study friends and all of my quilting friends, my friends I have had for 30, 40, & 50+ years, and I have a special love for my sister and all the many, many things that we share!!

While sewing together we always laugh, sew, sew, sew, laugh, eat, laugh, support each other, solve the world's problems and our own, etc....you get the picture.

Happy Valentine's Day to anyone reading this!! You too are special to me.

Luv ya, Jodi

Why I Love Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentines Day to all of my Blogger Friends!!

Valentines Day (for me) is a day to reflect on all the people I love......

My patient, loyal, wonderful, strong, and kind, husband of 33 years.

My funny, loving, and caring, children.

Did I mention that they are funny???

My children's awesome families.

My fun, creative, and loving sister:

AND... of course, I love sewing with her too...

And I love the fact that I do not have to work!  I get to stay home and quilt to my heart's content!

I am a lucky, lucky girl!  I love my family and my family loves me.  Life is GOOD!

---Jackie

Do you ever have one of THOSE days?

Today was one of those days for me.  You know the kind of day I'm talking about!  The one where no matter what you do or how you do it, nothing seems to get done.  But...and this is a BIG but....I did sew!  Since we have had this much snow....

Yikes...this is what 19 inches of snow looks like in Kansas!

But, isn't it beautiful?

I haven't gotten out of the house much this week.  You would think that I could at least have my house all picked up, the laundry done, and every meal planned and prepped! Wrong!!  All I have wanted to do is sew.  

So today I worked on an Amish nine patch.  I have made two of these already and still have a lot of those 3" blocks left.  Hmmm, I might need to find them a new home soon since I am sooo tired of them.  

Work in progress.

3 inch blocks!

Finished top.  It still needs to be machine quilted.

And I made a couple blocks for a queen or king quilt called Amish Arrows.  I think I see a theme developing here!

This will be a very scrappy quilt.  My favorite!

Today I even made 5 blocks for a quilting bee that I am in.  I can't show you those yet!

I tried to make dinner tonight!  See, I even got all the ingredients together for my sisters recipe of shredded beef in gravy.  YUM!

See that diet coke?  You put that in the pot with all the other ingredients.
Seems weird, but it is oh so good!

But, since it was one of those days, my DH took me out to dinner.  He is such a sweetheart!

I really should get off the computer and at least go and clean the kitchen.  (Did I mention that I still have dishes in the sink from this morning?)  I should, right???  Well, I will as soon as I finish just one more block!

***Oh and an update on our puppy, Winston.  To date he has eaten 5 pairs of glasses (2 were my DH and 3 were mine), 1 pair of sunglasses (mine again - he ate those today, grrrr), and various odds and ends.  (I really do keep things picked up and out of the way.  I just don't know how he gets to them!)  Next up... Puppy Boot Camp!  And I have told everyone I know....NO MORE PUPPIES - EVER!!***  

How was your day???  I would love to hear your stories!

---Jackie

I'm Back and Ready to Sew!

I had a fabulous time with two of my best girlfriends the past week.  One friend, Ann, owns a couple time shares and she tries to use them a couple times a year.  This is where we went....

This is our hotel in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  Our room was way up on the hill and we had an awesome view.....

We saw tons and tons of whales from our room and the beach!  Awesome!!

We ate a lot....

This restaurant is on the beach.  Can you see the sand?

We sat in the sun a lot....

SORRY...NO PICTURES OF US IN SWIMSUITS IS ALLOWED ON THIS BLOG!

We shopped a lot....

The downtown Flee Market

We laughed a lot....

We aren't laughing in this picture, but it cracks us up anyway.
I had set my camera to take a picture of the three of us.
Then I had to run and jump on the beach bed.
I didn't quite make it in time.

We read and rested a lot...

We took a lot of pictures of our feet in the sand....a weird and funny tradition of ours!

And we took a lot of pictures of sunsets....

The beach beds.

I am so lucky to have great friends to share moments like these with.  And I have a wonderful husband who encourages me to go on these fun trips without him.

Now....back to the real world and SEWING!!  It's nice to come home and have fun sewing projects to make.  Now I just need to pick which project to start first.  More to come on that later!

---Jackie

Secret Valentine Tilda Heart Swap

I have always loved Valentine's Day. I always get a dozen red roses from my husband. It is very special to me because he really isn't a very romantic guy, however he is a great husband, Dad, and he loves me very much. I look forward to these flowers every year.

This year I joined the Secret Valentine Tilda Heart Swap sponsored by Cat and her friend Lisa. Cat is in The Calendar of Houses Bee with Jackie and me. As we looked into what it was all about, Jackie and I decided to join.......thinking it would be funny if we were paired up together as partners. We weren't even though I would have loved getting her box. HA!!!

I got a box of Valentines!! I can't wait to send them out!

This was such a fun swap. I received this great package in the mail and it was full of very fun Valentine things of love. You were to send 5 things: a Tilda heart with a pocket and a special note, a notion, a gift of love, an edible gift (chocolate) and anything else you wanted to put in the package. Can you see why I am so excited?

My package was from Nicole. Drop on over and see her blog. She says she is not a quilter but a knitter! Oh, yes!! I got a really nice knitted neck warmer (which I need since the temperatures are at zero and below) and some knitted dish cloths. I will use them both!

Do you see the hot chocolate for two? My favorite!

Look at all the other goodies. I got ribbon, soap, buttons, chocolate and candy, and my Tilda heart was great!!

Thank you Nicole!! You did a great job for me!

Luv ya, Jodi

What do you get for a 90th Birthday??

My mother-in-law is turning 90 in a few days. My husband is the youngest of 8 and he and his siblings are planning a party for her. It sounds like fun getting everyone together but with this cold weather and snowy roads we are just hoping to get there and back home safely. So, my question to you is, "What do you get someone who has everything she needs, she buys for herself what she needs, and she won't give us any ideas on how to spoil her?" Being a quilter, it didn't take me long to come up with something. I wanted something quick, easy, big enough to cuddle with, and that would always remind her of not only our family but everyone who loves her.

The fabrics I used are old but they fit her house perfectly. I made it a little longer in order for her to cuddle and stay warm while she watches TV or naps on the couch. I used a disappearing nine patch pattern and I love the outcome.

I made a label for the back of the quilt.

Now, how do I make it special to include the other brothers and sisters along with the guests who come to the party?? I made the back with a large center piece of fabric out of the lightest fabric in the quilt. I put a border around the center square out of the squares that were left over from the nine patches on the front. The center of the quilt is where everyone will write a memory or message to honor Hazel. She will love going back and reading what everyone has to say!!

Happy Birthday Hazel! You raised a great son and for that I am thankful!!

Luv ya, Gigi