Summer Stitch In 2012

As Pat said on her blog, Summer Stitch In is the funnest fun that ever was fun.  About 35 quilters from our Silver Thimble Quilt club come for 6 days from 9AM to 9PM for non-stop sewing and laughing and sharing (and a bit of eating) and more sewing.  Check out her blog for lots more photos and a funny story (or 20).  It's like a retreat except you can go home and sleep in your own bed.

Because of my jobs, I don't get to go for the full week but this year I went for Friday and Saturday.  Let me tell you, I needed some fun time.  And after 72 hours of quilting, caffeine, chocolate, snacks, more caffeine, and more chocolate, my friends get really loopy fun.

I just realized that I didn't take many photos.  Must have been sewing too much.

First up. I FINALLY finished the borders on my Civil War Block of the Week.

 I love this quilt.  I love this quilt, not only because it has some of my most favorite fabrics and I thoroughly enjoyed Barbara's wonderful stories every week, but because 2011 was a rough year for me and this quilt represents my perseverance through all that craziness and sadness of last year.

Pat showed me how to miter the borders since I chose not only a stripe but a stripe with a complicated pattern. Yea me.  She has a great, easy method though and if you have her book Spotlight on Neutrals, it's in there.  Love this fabric though; it's Barbara Brackman's Civil War Reunion line.

Here's another view.

  

I also started and finished this quick jelly roll quilt from the wonderful Jelly Roll Quilts book.  It's called Spiral Strips and the fabric line is an older Holly Taylor for Moda called "Natural Garden."

And here is Karin's mostest fabulous Eventide quilt out of French General fabrics.  She made this quilt just for me. 

Karin and Becky with Karin's Eventide quilt

 I wish. 

I love it!!!  

I also got everyone completely hooked on Starbucks new Refreshers energy drinks.  Have you tried them?  They are completely and utterly THE BEST THING ON THE PLANET and you need to buy lots and lots and lots.  And I can say this because I work there and I am hooked to :)  Oh yeah and we get stock options.  Hee hee!

Collections

Among the (many) collectible collections I have is a collection of city Starbucks mugs. (I am such a Starbucks geek) One of my SBux co-workers is living in Germany for a couple of years and is sending me mugs from cities that she visits. Love this one!! Prague is one of the places I hope to visit someday but for now I'll enjoy my mug. Thanks Abi!!

Briefly Stopping By

Hello!  I am briefly visiting blogland before heading back to Starbucks this evening.  Seventh day in a row for me.  Making lots and lots of holiday drinks. Have you seen the fun Starbucks holiday website?  It reminds me of the Google doodles for different holidays.  And those of you with smartphones can download an app and enjoy some techy holiday fun while waiting for your favorite drink.

Not much is going on here.  Thanksgiving day was the usual insanity with people stopping in on the way to dinner, people stopping in on the way home from dinner, people escaping their relatives, and people hanging out until we had to please ask them to leave so we could clean up and go home.

Through the magic of the Internets and Skype, I got to visit with my family for awhile.  Mackenzie was very excited to see her Aunt Gretchen and the new kitty Remy.

Yesterday, I avoided all the Black Friday madness and lounged at home with a book and black and tabby cats.   Then more Starbucks. Today is more of the same.

Tomorrow--finally a day off--and I'm hoping to dust off the Bernina and get some sewing time in.  Can't remember how long it has been; it's been THAT long.  I need to get some CW blocks of the week done and sashed and maybe start on the new Bonnie Hunter.

Morpheus Update

We are waiting on blood work results to come back and right now it is inconclusive why he is not eating.  It could be several things, none of which are good (chronic pancreatitis or lymphoma).  Morph is on medication for the long weekend to hopefully get him feeling better so he will eat.  He is scheduled to see a specialist on Wednesday for an ultrasound and aspiration for the possible lymphoma.

Thank you so much for all your kind comments. It really means a lot to me.  I have had a rather difficult summer and feel rather exhausted and overwhelmed.  To top everything off (or really because of all this and more), I am starting back at Starbucks as a second job next week, back at the store I worked at for 8 1/2 years.  I am so thankful to be able to go back.

Hope everyone in the U.S. has a good long holiday weekend. 

July UFO Challenge in August

Bet you thought I had forgotten given up fallen behind again on Judy's UFO Challenge.  That's OK, I thought the same myself.  July's challenge was #2 on the UFO list so I did work on bindings (in the middle of the hottest blasted summer ever and then the A/C went out which kind of delayed having quilts anywhere around). Even though it is August, here is one quilt, binding all done, and being held up by Quilt Holder S.

and here is another photo with Stella trying to see what is holding her the quilt up. 




The pattern is called Friendship Crossing by my friend Pat of Silver Thimble Quilt Co.  I think I bought this kit way back in 2004 and finished the top a couple years later and then had it quilted and then it sat and now finally it's finished.  Hooray!  Just like fine wine--it needed some resting time.

The quilt now has a purpose too.  A friend and former Starbucks co-worker of mine is moving to Germany with her husband and young son for 2 years while her husband works on his dissertation.  In honor of her super sweet, wonderful personality and the fun and friendship of working together.  I'm going to give this quilt to her.  The colors remind me of Starbucks too.  The endless green and white cups with red thrown in during Holiday.  Hope they enjoy this quilt and it helps keep them warm in the upcoming winter.

I'll post the 2nd July UFO tomorrow. 

Happy Earth Day from Michigan!

Hi everyone!  Happy Earth Day from the Great Lakes State!  I'm here visiting family, especially my little niece Mackenzie! She liked her quilt and knew exactly what to do with it--hug it lol.  I'll have photos next week or I may try to post via iVan the iPhone. 

For now, reduce, reuse, recycle and bring your favorite mug to Starbucks today for a free coffee.  Yum!  I have a travel mug I keep here in Michigan so you know I'll be stopping by the local SBux for some coffee. 

Cold Rainy Friday = Time for a Latte

After a long week; a very dreary, cold, gray, rainy day; and a Friday full of meetings, it was time to hit Starbucks for a cup full o' pick-me-up!


 Yes that is FOUR shots of espresso in that grande cup.



Told you I needed a pick me up....  

I came home and was ready to sew sew sew!!!!!!

I whipped out that last three blocks from the 2010 Jelly Roll Sampler by the Quilt Room. 

Zoooooooom! 

And started working on sewing the rows together.  I hope to get this top finished tomorrow and get the backing and binding pieced.

In other news:  After only looking through two bins, I also found my  February UFO challenge project.  As nicely packaged today as it was when I bought it...



.... in 2004!!!!!

I hope to either get working on this or finish up January's project this weekend.

I may need another latte...

November Coffee Musings

I love Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend!  Starbucks introduced this coffee a couple of years ago and it really is a perfect accompaniment to all kinds of foods, sweet and savory, and great for after dinner.  Being home for four days (not to mention how damp and cold it was), I went through A LOT of coffee (one of these pounds is gone).  The Thanksgiving Blend is sold out at my SBux so I'm moving on to the new Christmas Espresso Blend.  I'll give a review soon.


I can't believe it's been 7 months since I left SBux. Doesn't seem that long.  I still remember it all to vividly. It's very strange not working Holiday at SBux.

All those red cups. The instant change from making frappuchinos to caramel apple spice and hot chocolates. 

Do you have a favorite SBux holiday drink? (check out the owl on the grande size cup)


One thing I do not miss is eggnog lattes.  Bleh! I know a lot of our customers love them but I am not an eggnog fan and really do not like making them.  Eggnog is loud (!), I mean really really loud and high-pitched, when you steam it and has a tendency to spray all over you.  We had a set of "Eggnoggles"  (goggles) in our store as an inside joke. Little Sbux secret for you there.

This red cup was a quad grande nonfat latte.  

Hints of Autumn

Today would have been a perfect Fall day...if it had been 10 degrees cooler (it was 88F and breezy and sunny, just a bit too warm).

First hint of Autumn is the arrival of Starbucks Anniversary Blend coffee.
My second favorite kind. The aged Sumatran beans gives it a nice depth and a bit of spice. Perfect for Autumn. A perfect with a pumpkin scone (I resisted this autumnal fav.)

While running errands this afternoon, I stopped by my old store and visited with the Sunday crew. I miss my Sunday crew. I miss my free pound of coffee a week also. But I do not miss being zombie-tired from working two jobs. Not at all.

Not much sewing time in today but I did finish another block of Hocuspocusville last night. This is my fourth completed block and a fun one to sew.

I worked a bit on my new project this afternoon until Edgar Poe muscled in on my work space. Because he decided to get in the way, he was used for block storage space (hee hee).

Another hint of Autumn is late afternoon dappled sunshine.
Morpheus enjoys this hint the best.

Hanging Up My Apron

Yesterday I put in my resignation at Starbucks effective at the end of this month. Sigh.... I am sad, but it is time. I've worked two jobs nearly eight years and I am getting burned out. It is time for a break. I will miss my coworkers, our regular customers, and all that free coffee but I want to leave on a high note.

I am immensely excited about the prospect of more free time
to spend with S. and the cats
to sew
and to blog!

The Most Tiring Time of the Year...

Not much holiday stuff going on here. Just working many many many hours at Starbucks and looking ahead to a week of many many many more hours that's about it. This year seems to be a bit harder than others. I think most businesses are cutting back on staff due to the economy yet still expect high sales goals. Please be kind to retail and food service workers out there...

Saturday was our Silver Thimble Quilt Club. I worked on my December BOMs and a gift quilt. I haven't even unpacked my stuff since then so I'll show photos later. I worked every night last week so didn't have time to make cookies for the cookie swap and I left a little early, really wanting a nap more than anything.

Today more SBux and another nap. Fun times! Anyway, I am glad I stocked up on some quick dinner options so when I'm too tired to cook there's some half-way decent food around.
Tonight it was dinner from Ikea!
I love Ikea's restaurant--it's so reasonable. So tonight it was meatballs with lingonberry jam, rice, and frozen petite peas. Next time I'm there, I'll get a couple bags to stash in the freezer.

Well blog posts may be sparse. Hope everyone is having a great holiday season. Sort of wish I was snowed in with the rest of the east coast. I would love to go sledding!

It's a Beautiful Day!!!

Today has been an incredible, momentous day. I took a personal day to stay home and watch the Inauguration with S. (and the cats--who napped through most of it). What an amazing day!

(photo courtesy of CNN.com) No matter who you voted for, you have got to be proud of our country seeing millions of people cheering and smiling. It was fun seeing all the places I visited just a couple of weeks ago. In honor of a day staying home, watching TV, and staying wrapped up in quilts (it's freezing here in the ATL), I brought out some special coffee.

Pike Place Special Reserve that you can only get at the original Starbucks in Pike Place in Seattle. This is some awesome coffee. A nice bold roast, great for celebrating.

I also enjoyed some time sewing while watching the Inaugural parade. I finished the top for my Valentine's Day table topper. The pattern is "Holiday Charm" by Bloom Creek. The fabric is Moda from a year (or two?) ago.

I hope I'll get this quilted and on the table before next month. I am now working on the borders for E.'s flannel quilt and hope to get that finished this week.

PS: check out the new White House website. Very cool! And with a blog too!

Christmas at Starbucks

Hope everyone is having a great holiday! I worked an 8 hour shift today at SBux. Wow were we busy!!!! You would think no one had anywhere else to go or anything else to do--they all came to our store. This is my 7th (!) Christmas working at SBux. It's actually a lot of fun. Most people are in a good mood (today there were 3 unnecessarily rude people. Please! Just for once don't take your issues out on service workers!!!!!) and our regular customers bring us goodies. We all make the best of it (by having LOTS of espresso and candy and cookies). I even wore a Santa hat all day (my mom is gonna faint). I'm usually not so festive...

Here is the secret projects I was working on:

A reproduction pink & brown quilt for my mom.

And a flannel quilt with sled dogs and polar bears for dad & Shiloh (the Princess Alaskan Malamute).

Well I am off to relax with the cats and watch movies or perhaps take a nap.

The holidays arrived at Starbucks...

at precisely 9:32 PM on Friday when everyone and their brother descended on my store all at once. We were slinging milk and coffee and hot chocolate the rest of the night. And so it begins... Maybe it had something to do with the unseasonably cold weather here in the ATL (30s at night 40s-50s during the day). The Weather Channel says it's 27 degrees now and should get down to 20 by morning. That's January cold not November cold. Another sign of global weirding as Thomas Friedman would say.

I haven't blogged much this week--it's been kind of a crazy week and I mostly came home and curled up in a quilt with a cup of hot tea. The cats act like they don't have permanent fur coats and have been hogging the heat vents.

I am looking forward to (later) today when several of my quilting cohorts and I invade Sweet Home Quilt Co. like a Mongol hoard with coupons in hand for some visiting and maybe some finding a thing or two we can't live without. We let Melisa know ahead of time--hope she is ready for us LOL!

The Perfect Coffee for October

October brings one of my favorite coffees to Starbucks--Anniversary Blend. One of the perks (pun intended! I love a good pun!) of working at SBux is getting a free pound of coffee a week. If there is ever a worldwide shortage of coffee--I'm all set for a little while. Since it's only two weeks until Halloween, it's time to get out the Halloween coffee mugs. Gomez decided he needed to be in the photo, so there he is too (it's pointless to try to argue with him).

If you like a good, bold coffee stock up on Anniversary Blend because it's a limited offering (black cat not included).

Positive Changes

I feel Fall in the air. There is a smidgen less humidity in the air here in the ATL and the A/C is running less (both very positive changes). I love Fall--it's my favorite season. Be prepared (forewarned??) for lots of Fall-inspired posts. I'll wait until October to start the Halloween-themed posts...

A BIG positive change for me is that I demoted myself at Starbucks from shift supervisor to plain ol' barista. After 6 1/2 years of being "in charge" during my shifts, I am now not in charge. This means less hours and less stress (let's do a happy dance for less stress--even a smidgen). Less hours means more sleep, more time with people--and cats--in my life, more time for quilting and reading and all the fun stuff I like to do, and yes, even more time to get rid of clutter in my house. Just being able to come home after my day job and gasp--have an evening at home--is going to be great.

Hooray for Fall! Just don't remind me that holiday season is coming up...

Back in the ATL and Canada photos

Well I am back in Hot-lanta and trying to do the 50-11 things that you have to do when you get back from vacation (give the cats lots of attention, unpack, laundry, catch up on about a zillion emails, laundry, laundry, laundry, go through mail, oh yeah and do some laundry). It is nice to be home (although I do want to pick up my whole house and move to Seattle). I also am determined to organize and label all my digital photos from my trip before I forget where they were taken.

Big news: GOMEZ IS HOME!!! Picked up Gomez from the vet this morning. His new name is Gomez Mega-bux because of how expensive his vet bills were, but he is home and everyone is happy and healthy again (knock on wood!)

I promise I will get back to quilty posts soon as soon as I get settled from vacation. In the meantime here are more photos from my trip.

Arrived early in the AM in Victoria, British Columbia, and drove to Butchart Gardens. Wow! Everything that my quilt buddies Sue and Carla told me about the gardens is true--unbelievable! I took A LOT of photos for later quilt inspiration.

The Sunken Garden and here

Love the colors in this view with the purple and orange.

After the gardens, drove back to Victoria. Victoria is a beautiful city and perfect for pedestrians. Lots of fabulous shops, restaurants, harbor view, civic buildings, museums, and on and on. Walked everywhere all over town numerous times. This is the Parliament Building

This is the Empress Hotel. When planning for this trip last year, I was incredibly lucky and found an insanely great deal on rooms at the Empress since they are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the hotel--for one day only, you could get a basic room for $100 a night (they called it the "deal of the century"--no kidding). So yes, this is where I stayed for 3 nights in Victoria. It is a fabulous hotel and I hope to live for another 100 years so I can stay there again!

And while walking to Chinatown in Victoria I found this My own little piece of Quilter's Heaven--a Starbucks right next to a quilt shop!!!!!!! Satin Moon Quilt Shop was one of the 10 Best Quilt Shops in "Quilt Sampler" a while back and is a great shop! I didn't buy anything though because the US dollar is worth less than the Canadian dollar and the fabric was in meters and it was all too much math!!! It was also late in the day and I hadn't gone next door for a quad grande nonfat latte yet. Check out their website at the link above 'cause there are some great recipes as well as patterns by local designers.

Finally, check out my friend Becky's blog because she has a give-away for her B-day and check out my friend Pat's blog for info on a great upcoming retreat in FL where she will be teaching.

Wet Paws and Flopping Ears....

Was the local pet weather report in SEATTLE! Yes along with all the Gomez medical drama, I was busy getting ready for my vacation. I was prepared for rain (courtesy of my new fancy-dancy rain coat from REI), but the wind--apparently it was windier here than it has been in decades (hence the flopping ears). It was windy!!! And cold--in the low 50s. But I am lovin' Seattle and walked all over town.

First stop: The Mother Urn--Starbucks at Pike Place Market. The store is much smaller than I thought it would be. I lost track not only of how many Starbucks I passed but also how many cups of coffee I drank.


Pike Place Market was the best. Look at those veggies!!! I think all I would need is a fork and a saute pan and I would be set to live here at the market. I wanted to buy..oh one of everything but settled for a pint of raspberries to have as a mid-day snack.
Yes, I saw the famous fish-throwing vendors. Actually the person I saw dropped the Dungeness crab he was thrown.

Did I mention that I love Seattle???? Even with the weather. I walked all over town and took a zillion photos. Seattle has really great historic buildings and is wonderful walkable city.

Another place I could live in easily, Elliott Bay Book Co. They have over 150,000 titles here and the store is a fabulous historic building with wood floors and shelves and shelves of great books. With the baggage restrictions, I couldn't get that many books so settled for one on Seattle architecture.

More soon....

Rainy Saturday Plans

Woo hoo I have a weekend off!! Yes, I did a happy dance closing SBux last night knowing I had the weekend off. I hope the second step of the Orange Crush quilt are posted this weekend. Here are my 4-patches all done:

I am enjoying a pot of our new Pike Place Roast. If you haven't tried it, put down the mouse and run and get some. This is truly a fabulous coffee. And yes, I drank the Howard Schultz (coffee-flavored) Kool Aid but really it's a great coffee. Mmmmm can you smell the beans.

This is my new canister. I am such a SBux geek--I have a zillion mugs, shirts, Bearista bears, and who knows what else. But what can I say? I love the company and I love my job there (and I get a discount hee hee).

Here is Gomez enjoying the rain. Hooray for rain in the ATL! A brief respite from the Green Menace (aka pollen).

I was hoping to spend all day in my pjs but I need to pick up my Bernina. Keeping fingers crossed and cautiously optimistic.

I had a somewhat bizarre Twilight Zone experience last night at SBux. A dear friend of mine from college who I haven't seen in 12 years came into my store. In the middle of me saying "Hello can I help...." recognition. It was so great to see him even for a few minutes. I *found* him on Facebook and am so glad to have reconnected. Even though my crazy stupid schedule/life has prevented me from seeing him when he has been in town, I am glad to know he is out there. In a very disconnected society, it is nice to know that parts of your past that you thought you'd lost can be found through the wonders of the Internet. Well, more later. My cup is empty and the rain has stopped and need to run my errands.

Take a compliment where you can get it

On two seperate occasions some guy came into Starbucks asking for me to personally make his cafe vanilla frappuccinos because the one I made him last week was the best he had ever had (I wasn't working those 2 days). How funny is that??? Should I laugh or cry...three college degrees, 10 years in a professional job, and 6 years at Starbucks and I make fabulous frappuccinos. Well I'll take a compliment where I can get it. Now if you will excuse me, I need to polish my tiara---queen of frappuccinos!