Where did 2010 go?

I can't even keep up with a simple blog.  Sigh.  So here I am again, with a resolution in my heart that THIS TIME I will do it.  Right.  Why don't I start with 2010, seeing as how I didn't blog a thing all year.
Let me first introduce you to my granddaughter, Kilee Reese Petasek, born Dec. 29, 2009.

She is already a year old.  Here she is, getting "caked":

And I have an announcement!  Kilee has a sibling on the way.  Yes!  I have a second grandbaby due May 19.

Darling Daughter Leslie has been going to school at Blue Sky School of Massage & Therapeutic Bodywork in DePere, WI.  She graduates in just a few weeks.

Darling Son Matt, Kilee's dad, is going to Fox Valley Tech in Appleton, WI.  He's enrolled in the Culinary Arts Program.  He wants to be a private chef.

Hey!  My own private chef and masseuse.  I just need a housekeeper and personal assistant and I'll be good to go!

As for the rest of 2010...

• Mark and I are empty nesters.  It's not as easy as I thought it would be.  
• My beloved Siamese, Max, passed away at the age of 18 people years in January.  I miss him so much.

• In August, we welcomed Simon, an abandoned kitten found in our barn.  Tucker and Simon have become buddies and Tucker takes great care to keep Simon entertained, and vise versa.

• I worked at home, quilting for clients and making quilts to sell on Etsy.  
• I worked at my local quilt shop, The Quilter's Escape.  
• I got hired by Northeast Wisconsin Tech College (NWTC) to teach Electric Quilt Software and sewing/quilting classes for my local Oconto Falls District.  I don't start until June, I think, because they have already planned the spring session, but I have that to look forward to.
• I did go on two retreats.  The first in April to Fern Hill, a retreat house down by New Glarus.  And the second in October at the EAA Air Academy Lodge in Oshkosh.  If you ever get invited to go on a retreat here, you have to check it out.  Awesome!
• Darling Hubby, Mark, is still running his painting business.  2010 was pretty slow for him.  Not too many people looking to pay someone to paint for them.  He did get in as a subcontractor with a local ServPro company doing smoke and water damage jobs, which is really nice.  We're praying that it will turn into something big.

Guess that's it for now.  My life in a blog post.  :o)
Imagine this quilt with scalloped borders and 30's green binding.  I will post a picture of the finished one as soon as I get one.  It's hanging on the wall at the quilt shop.

Happy Quilting,
Terri
p.s.  The Packers are in the SUPERBOWL!!!!!!  Go Aaron Rodgers!  Go Pack Go!
        Brett Who????

Still here....

....but not much new. 
Anticipating the arrival of my first grandbaby in December.  Had the baby shower on November 7th.  I am soo glad I decided to hold it in a restaurant banquet room!  The food was great, everyone had a good time and I didn't have to clean up!
Working. 
Trying to find time to sew (on my own stuff). 
Trying to stay warm.

Happy quilting.
Terri 

I Must Have Got Lost....

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I posted! Holy Cow!
It's been a busy year, I guess. LOL
Let's see...

• Daughter Leslie transferred from UW-River Falls to UW-Green Bay. She didn't like being so far from home.
• I made a king size memory quilt from my father-in-law's old clothes.  It was a gift for Mark's mom.  We lost "Grandpa" in Feb. 2008 to cancer.
• Son Matt & fiance Becky moved in with us for a few months.
• My longarm went back to the factory for a much needed overhaul. A long story, but it made it back home safely and is running good!
• Matt & Becky moved out and into an apartment in Green Bay.
• Leslie moved out and into an apartment in Green Bay.
• We harvested the garden. Hubby Mark canned salsa, pickles, apple pie filling, tomato juice, italian sauce, corn, etc.
• Our puppy Tucker isn't a pup anymore. He turned a year old in July. And he's rotten (as in spoiled).
• I turned 50 in August.
• Mark bought me a laptop for my birthday! A much needed (and desired) replacement for the dinosaur I was using before.
• Matt & Becky are pregnant. I'm going to be a Grandma in December!
• It's a girl! LOL
• My mom and Dad came for a visit. They are on a 2 month trek in their RV. Lucky them!
• Other than all that, besides longarm quilting at home, I've been working part time at the quilt shop plus teaching classes, leading clubs, learning how to set up and run the booth at a quilt show, and making shop samples.

Sorry I was away so long. As soon as I get pictures transferred from the old computer to my laptop, I'll post my quilting accomplishments from the last year.
piecin' love!
Terri

I Blinked....

...and it's October already! What a summer!

Here's how my summer flew by:

1. Spent lots of time getting darling daughter ready to go to college. She finally decided on University of Wisconsin - River Falls. She's majoring in Elementary Education with a focus on Early Childhood Education. She likes the itty bitty ones. It totally blew me away how much it cost just to get her ready to live in a dorm room.

2. Son Matt spent a couple days in the hospital with food poisoning. Stay away from the jalapenos.

3. We lost our beloved black lab, Sam, to (we believe) stomach cancer. He passed peacefully at the vet's after a couple of weeks of suffering. We were sorry to see him go. He was only seven years old.

4. Someone dropped off a cat in our yard. She was pregnant and had kittens in an old silo on our property. She brought them to us (three) and we spent several weeks looking for homes for them. They are finally off with new owners, including "Mama".

5. We got a beagle puppy named Tucker who is a ball of fire and energy. He has a great personality but he's going through the "terrible twos". LOL

6. We moved Leslie into college. She's doing well, although it's four hours away and she's been home almost every weekend because she's homesick. I figure this will last till after Christmas break before she is really comfortable with college life.

7. Two weeks after Leslie went off to school, Darling Son moved back in. So much for empty nest. LOL

8. Darling Husband's painting business picked up again, but after the rough winter we had last year, he was hesitant to quit his job at the yacht company. So he spent the summer working two jobs while teaching son Matt the ropes of running the business. We are waiting to see how this winter goes. It would be wonderful if the two of them could make the business take off permanently.

9. Working at the quilt shop, teaching classes and quilting at home have kept me busy when I'm not taking care of the house, dog, etc.

10. Harvested the garden and canned veggies, salsa, pickles, etc.

11. Helped organize and set up my town's first ever quilt show. We had a great turn out. Over 200 entries!!!

12. Went on a quilting retreat that totally rocked. I put the final borders on my Women's Voices quilt and I can't wait to get it quilted and on my bed. This is it, but it's huge so couldn't get the whole thing in the picture.

I'm sure that's not all, but it makes my head spin just thinking about it.
Hope everyone had a great summer. I think I did but I can't remember.

piecin' love,

Terri

I'm Still Here!

Hey there. Did you miss me? I know it's been a while but it seems like I just don't ever have time to catch my breath lately. I'm still here but things around my house have been on the verge of frantic.

DD Leslie (pic is from the powder puff football game during homecoming week) is graduating from high school on Memorial Day weekend. I've got all the functions to attend (such as Senior Tea, Senior Banquet, Senior Picnic) as well as the scholarship banquet and the senior awards ceremony. Plus family coming in from out of town, a party to plan, and college stuff to do. She's an honor roll graduate and will be attending the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay for a degree in Early Childhood Education.

DH Mark recently got a new job. You may remember he owns a painting business. Well, the housing business is sucking air and with fuel and everything else going up in price, no one is spending money on painting their house. We struggled through a really long hard winter and finally he made the decision to go work for someone else. Anyway, he was hired by a yacht company as a supervisor in the painting department. Surprisingly, the yacht industry is going strong. Go figure. LOL
He seems to be very happy there, although it's only been two weeks, and the pay and benefits are great! We are adjusting to him working second shift, but so far so good. I adjusted my hours for quilting at home so that we could spend time together in the morning and get stuff done around the house before he goes to work. It's hard to get any quilting done when he's home anyway, so it works out for both of us.

As for me, I'm still longarm quilting while working at the local quilt shop, teaching classes, and doing all the afore mentioned "stuff". My latest "favorite thing" is quilted totes. I'll take some pictures and post them. At the quilt shop, we're doing monthly "bag lady" classes and are we ever having fun!

Here's a couple of pics of our bluebird couple who returned this year. They were building a nest in an old cut off tree trunk but it only took a few days for some really obnoxious birds to come and chase them off. The trunk they chose was just too exposed for safety. Hopefully, they hadn't laid eggs in there yet. We still see them around but they haven't "shown" us their new nest yet.

Have a great day!

piecin' love,

Terri