All Packing and No Play....

makes me a very dull person and this a very dull blog.  Also, moving and selling a house is the opposite of fun.

Yes, every moment is being spent packing, sorting, cleaning, and more packing.  The second bedroom in my house has become the box room.  

Some days, I wish I didn't collect things (antiques, vintage dishes and glassware, miscellaneous stuff), had all my books on a tablet, and didn't have quilting as a hobby.... 

but that's not me so I just keep getting more boxes.

Here is another view a couple days later. My fabric is being buried in the back so I'm not tempted to sew...

Yes, those are my vintage snowshoes.  Can't wait to hang them up in New Mexico where they will have a more appropriate context LOL!

Needless to say, I am way behind on visiting and commenting on blogs, have an overflowing email inbox, and have no idea what else is going on in the world.  

This is my first house and at times I'm happy to be starting on a new adventure and a few times, I have shed tears for having to leave my little sanctuary.  S. wisely told me that my memories travel with me and are not left here when I leave.  I have been through a lot in this house.  But then again, this house is 101 years old and my 14 years here is a relatively short period of time. 

 Remy, on the other hand paw, is having the time of his life.

He thinks all the boxes are for him.

"ROOOOOARRR" ----Remy, First of His Name, King of Boxes, Lord of Cat Toys

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!!!!

Photo from Yahoo News

Big huge news at Stella Bella Quilts!

News so big that I needed a town crier.

Good thing Will & Kate had their baby and I was able to borrow this guy ----------------------------->
all the way from London.

Who knew that town criers still had jobs in this economy.

Who knew that town criers apparently belong to every house at Hogwarts (check out all those badges).

Who knew that town criers got to wear such fabulous hats.

I may have missed my calling 'cause I way dig that hat.  But I digress....

BIG NEWS ITEM #1

During our recent trip to OBX, S. proposed to me and I said yes!  Yes, it is true, S. is going to be Mr. Stella Bella Quilts.  Our families and friends are overjoyed as they have been waiting and waiting and waiting for this to happen.  After a decade of togetherness, S. and I are making it legal.  We are going to pass on the pageantry of a royal wedding, however, and are just going to have a civil ceremony at some point. Oh yeah and a town crier with an even bigger hat.

S. is overjoyed with his dowry of fifty-eleventeen UFOs, let me tell you.

The cats already consider him one of their staff and they see no change in the situation.


BIG NEWS ITEM #2

Also during the OBX trip, S. had a phone job interview for his dream job in his dream location and after anxious waiting of approximately eternity, which really ended up being a couple weeks, he was offered and accepted the job....

....in Santa Fe, New Mexico!

Poor dear S. had the most stressful vacation ever but it all turned out wonderful and exciting and exhilarating and fabulous.

And this means we are moving from the Southeast to the Southwest....with four cats.

The cats have not been told about the cross-country car trip nor have they been told about changes to their routine let alone moving to a new house that they have never been to.  Let's keep them oblivious for awhile, shall we.

S. will be moving out there in mid-September and I will be following (with the four cats) after I pack up everything and sell my house.  All fingers and toes and cat paws crossed that I can sell my house easily and successfully in this market. 

I have never been to New Mexico or the Southwest so I checked out every book in our county library system and instead of quilting, I've been reading. And researching online. And thinking of the zillions of details and questions and logistics and everything else possible. I am not thinking about goodbyes or leaving my house that I love so much yet.  Just thinking practical for now.

Does Remy know how adorable he is???

I also started the arduous task of sorting, cleaning, packing, etc. of 14 years worth of stuff in my house.  A Herculean task that I have spent 14 years hoping I would never have to do.

Remy, however, is thrilled to have lots of boxes and paper to play with and has proclaimed himself Box Packing Supervisor in Chief.

I am also lamenting the fact that I inherited my mother's love of collecting antiques and dishes.

All the paper is mine and don't even think about trying to get it away from me.

Schnibble for July's Parade

I was overjoyed that "Lincoln" was chosen as this month's project for Another Year of Schnibbles project because....

I already made mine way back in spring 2010.  I used Moda's "Verna" fabric line by Kate Spain and this started my Kate Spain I-love-all-her-fabric-and-her-cute-kitties fan-girl-ness.

Here is optimistic original post that said I would have it all quilted and bound by the weekend following April 3rd 2010....

April 3, 2010

and here it is today....

Ummmm... not quilted and bound and a rather bad photo since it is overcast & dark in my house today.

I think I remember seeing the backing fabric for this so I need to dig that out and hopefully it won't be another year (let alone three!) that this Schnibble will be done.

You can see all the great Lincoln projects on Sherri and Sinta's blogs.

I can't wait to see what the new project is for August.

Remy Stayed Home

Even though he was all packed up and ready to go (see previous post), Remy and the other three cats stayed home while S. and I went on vacation for a week.

Don't feel bad for the cats.  They had a great cat sitter, who spoils them rotten.  And face it, cats seem like they are on vacation all the time.

An obligatory beach-at-sunset photo.  My iPhone photo doesn't do justice to the amazing colors of the sky.


S.'s extended family rents a beach house every year in Corolla on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
The Outer Banks (often abbreviated as OBX) are small barrier islands off the coast of NC and is a popular tourist destination for this part of the country.  

Siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, nieces, & nephews drive from north and south to play on the beach, swim in the pool, and eat lots and lots of great food.

Beach houses 

We had a great time getting away for some relaxation and a break from work.  We walked the beach in the mornings and after dinner and stayed out of the mid-day sun and the heat. Took quite a few naps. Read books and magazines. Enjoyed porches and hammocks and lazy days.  I missed the cats and got text updates on their latest antics.

My favorite place to while away the afternoon is Island Bookstore in historic Corolla village.  There is nothing better than an indie bookstore, especially when there are no quilt shops anywhere nearby.  

Now it's back to the real world and the cats are the only ones taking naps.

TIme for some sewing too.

A Remy Post: Ready to Go

Remy says: "Vacation anyone? I am ready to go."

A Garden Post

Not much sewing going on here so I thought I'd post some photos from my yard.  We have had an exceptionally wet summer in Atlanta with rain and thunderstorms just about every day.  This is in sharp contrast from the severe drought we had for the past 5 or so years.

My hydrangeas love the rain.




 The Recession Garden: Year Five

The rain has been great for our vegetable garden.  The cucumbers have taken over and are crowding out the green beans. Okra plants are in the back.

We have one bed filled with tomato plants with some basil on the far end.  The tomatoes are doing great and are growing taller than their cages.  I envision lots of salsa and salads in the next week.

Happy 4th of July!

Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe 4th of July!

On this day especially, remember to keep your pets safe indoors!!!

There is nothing but rain and more rain in the forecast for today in metro Atlanta.  No fireworks or grilling out for us.