Faithful dog.

Tallulah being a herding dog really struggles when all of the us, (her herd) are not in the same room. It is a little easier in this house, as it is all one level. Here she is laying outside of Drew's bedroom door, because Robert and I are each working around the house. She tries to keep an eye on all of us at the same time, but sometimes a girl has just got to get some rest.

Fall is in the air.

After his walk the "Florida Beagle" can be found snuggled into the quilt. I think maybe I need to make him a quilt so he will quit using mine. A nice flannel quilt with a wool batting, should me just the ticket. I do love this weather. It has been nice to need a jacket. Speaking of needing a jacket, I will need to get one for riding my bike to work on these crisp mornings. Yea! I'm excited that I still get to ride my bike to work. Though starting back up after a three week hiatus may feel like starting all over again.

A couple of quilting projects I have finished.

I found this pattern in a quilting magazine and loved it. The three sunflowers were kind of like making three tiny quilts and attaching them to the larger quilt. Complete with quilting and binding. I love the 3D effect. Which you can't really see in the picture.

Here is a shot of the quilting, which I did on my Bernina. I didn't enjoy it as much as using the long arm, but I'm also not sure I could have done this kind of quilting with the long arm. I would like to blow up one of the daisy patterns and make it into a larger wall quilt. I think it would be a good way to show people how to be creative with the patterns the buy.

I never finished the complicated paper pieced nativity quilt that Beth and Debbie and I worked on on one of our quilt retreat weekends. Debbie and Beth both have theirs done, and they are beautiful. Anyway, I bought this the last time Beth was here for a visit. We found a quilt store next to a yarn shop in Aiken SC. Woo hoo. I love the buttons. All of the fabric is from my "stash" which makes Robert happy.

I finished the binding for these quilts in the car on the way to Atlanta for our flight to Houston. My friend Debbie would be proud, not only are both of these quilts applique, but the binding was done by hand. Now if she could just talk me into needle turn applique.....

There is something to be said for small wall hanging quilts.

To Quilt Market and back.

For my birthday Robert gave me tickets to the quilt market in Houston. He and I left on Friday not knowing really what to expect, but knowing we needed to go. We got to Houston in the afternoon and registered for the market. Bright and early on Saturday we headed out to our adventure.
The weather was wonderful, and since we are now downtowners in Augusta, we wanted to find a place downtown to eat. We found a Tex-Mex place with a second floor balcony and had dinner. The salsa and patio was wonderful and the dinner okay.

What do you call this many quilters waiting for the doors to open? I'm not sure, but I wouldn't want to be in their way.

A peek at the booths. Being with Robert, we decided to go through this event with a system. We started at the right side and went down both sides of the isle to the other end. When we got to the end of the first isle Robert said, " If we are going to go down every isle in the next two and a half days I thinks we can only spend about 30 minutes on each isle." "And we have been in this first isle for an hour and a half." Time flies when you are looking at patterns and touching fabric!

We met a quilt shop owner that knows my friend Connie who has a wool shop in Colorado. Connie, is one of the people resposible for me being a quilter.

And we met a couple of ladies that have a quilters camp retreat in Arizona. The summer one is in Flagstaff and the winter one is in Pheonix. One of them lives close to Robert's parents and they both know his Aunt Evie, from the quilt store in Sedona.

The first distributor that I talked with happened to be the guy who handles Augusta for Checkers distribution. I love small worlds.

We were so, overwhelmed and exhausted after lunch on Saturday that we found a sports bar and watched the Georgia/Florida game. It was one of the best UGA games all year. We meet a couple of guys who were in Houston (not on quilting business) who were from Savannah so we all cheered the Bulldogs on to victory.

Sunday we mapped out a better plan for all the fabric companies I wanted to talk to. So, that day was better. But, I was toast by 3:30p.m. and we went back to the hotel to rest and then out for a good Texas steak and ribs that night.

All in all the trip was a good one. I think that it has given both of us a better idea of what is ahead of us. Now we just have to sort through the 20 or 30 pounds of flyers and info that we gathered.

Kathy gets a job.

The good news is I was offered a job today. It is with an outpatient cancer clinic. I am really excited about it. Of the five jobs I interviewed for the last three weeks this was one of the places I wanted to work. So, a change from pediatric nursing to grown up oncology. I know it seems like a stretch, but I think it will be a good one.
I have to go through all the HR stuff and orientation so my first day is not until November 12th. So, I am a lady of leisure for a couple of more weeks. That means I can help finish the bathroom and maybe get some quilting done.
Woo Hoo!

Wow four posts in one day. It was either a really exiciting day or I had too much time on my hands!

The difference between my dogs.

Today was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. So, Sabueso spent his afternoon basking in the sun on the porch.


And Tallulah........







spent it inside on the cool tile.

Most of the time I'm with Sabueso, but with beginning the peri-menopause occasional hot flash thing, sometimes the tile is the way to go.

24 things I love about Megan.

1. She loves Jesus.
2. She is funny, both of our kids have a great sense of humor.
3. Her red curly hair.
4. Her smile.
5. She is loyal.
6. She loves people.
7. She challenges my thinking.
8. She is creative.
9. The way she tells stories, with special hand signals and sound effects.
10. She is trusting and trustworthy.
11. She is independent, but learning to ask for help.
12. She is not only my daughter, but one of my best friends.
13. She is honest.
14. We can talk about everything or nothing at all.
15. She is brave.
16. I love to hear her speak Spanish.
17. She is smart.
18. She squeezes me into her life, giving me the gift of time.
19. Though she might hate the word, she is a real life cheerleader.
20. She thinks organizing is "fun".
21. The way she lights up when she sees people she loves.
22. She rides her bike to school.
23. She loves to serve people.
24. And last, but not least she is my daughter.

Megan is 24 today.

So, how did it happen that my little girl is now 24. Seems like I blinked and now she is a young woman. It is unbelievable how fast time has flown.





She went from an adorable, talkative, opinionated, smart, sassy, strong willed and funny little girl to...












An adorable, talkative, opinionated, smart, sassy, strong willed, and funny woman.


Happy Birthday Megan. We love you!

It looks like home.

"It looks like home." Megan said when she came in today. I feel the same way. (most of the time) It does make me smile when I see the familiar pictures and prints on the walls.

The official entry way complete with the rails and pictures.











We bought this print in Ireland. The sheep remind me that I have a herding dog.

I hung it in the kitchen for a little change of pace.

Rainy days and Wednesday.

It start raining last night and has rained off and on all day. Look we even have puddles.

HALLELUJAH!!!!!

My dogs do not really like the rain, but we really need it. I tired to tell them that a little rain won't hurt them, but they weren't buying it. So, no long walk to the riverwalk for them today.

Since, I'm not working and could be home on a rainy day I did some cooking.

I made pimento cheese for lunch. We just needed some mint sweet tea and we would be real southerners. (It did have a jalapeno in it for a little southwest kick) Then I made stew and rolls for dinner. Yum.

And though they don't look that great I made some honey cookies for dessert. The dough was really "runny" and not doughy at all. I added 1/2 cup more flour, but they were still pretty spread out and flat. When I took them off the baking stone they smushed together. They taste good and I'm sure they will be eaten, but they are not the prettiest cookie I have ever baked.

Tuesday dinner.

There is a pot luck dinner downtown on Tuesday nights. A young family who are urban missionaries host it. We all bring something and just get to know each other a little better. It is a fun time.

Tara's Mom has a catering business so tonight we got to have some of her "leftovers" and all we had to bring was soda and ice.

The food and fellowship was wonderful.

Hanging pictures, quilts, and curtains.

Today was a day of continuing to make this place home. Robert and I went to Lowe's and got stuff to make a picture rail. We had one in Alpharetta and I really like it. There is a great place in the entry for it. I'll post a picture when it is done.

Robert's Grandmother painted the two big pictures. The one with the snow is my favorite of the two. She started painted in her sixties.

You can't really see it, but we added sheers to the window/doors. I like the soft light and it hides the not so beautiful doors.

And the stained glass Robert made years ago, fits nicely in the transom.

Here is a great place to hang some of my smaller quilts, including the seasonal ones.

This one is a recreation of our refrigerator.

Looking toward our bedroom.

The round wooden plaque also belonged to Robert's grandmother. It says "My kitchen is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy."

The boy in the velveteen rabbit print reminds me of Drew when he was little.

Last, but not least Drew finally got some curtains. Black out curtains of course.

So, now our bedroom and bathroom is the only room with brown paper still on the windows.

We are making progress.

Sunday afternoon.

Robert and I rode our motorcycles to church today, with the intention of going for a ride after church. So, after lunch with Drew, Megan and Michael. We headed out. After we stopped for gas, Robert lost his tank bag in the middle of the road. He had moved it to the top of the saddle bag while he filled up, they are metal so the magnets didn't stick and it fell off. I stopped to pick it up. A nice lady stopped to see if I was okay and stopped the traffic so I could safely pick everything up. Then we headed off again. I realized I had my helmet on, but the chin strap wasn't secured. So, when we stopped so I could secure it we decided maybe it was best if we just went back home. So, we read and I quilted, which seemed like a safer way to spend the afternoon. Then we took the bad dogs to the Riverwalk for a nice long walk. As they had chewed up Drew's head phones and my birthday book while we were at church. AUGH!!!!



Here's a picture of the beginning of the Riverwalk.











Looking back at the railroad bridge. It was a lovely evening for a long walk.

Shop Demolition Saturdays.

A couple of weeks ago Robert said he wanted to start working on the shop area on the Saturdays for a few hours. There is more demo to be done. I thought it was a good idea as it will give him a break from the upstairs and it will let me feel like I am making a contribution to the process as well. So, we began after the quilt show today.

This is the first look at the bathroom corner.
















Not
Ssrprisingly, the plumbing to the bathrooms didn't work. So, we had the plumbing moved to the front of the store. Which is a story all it's own.


Drew did some of the demo the week of spring break. The plan is to make the bathroom area into storage.









This is after Beth and I took down all the ceiling tiles and the orange booths and the half wall.

Much neater.
This is some of the demo that Robert and Drew did today. They took our all the fixtures and tore down the remaining wall. And pulled up 4 layers of linoleum. Dirty job.










Here are the demolition men.
My contribution. Take down the paper we had hung on the windows and paint them. So, we don't have to worry with the paper anymore.
Classy huh?










Drew making Sabueso sit on the cutting table.

The dogs stayed downstairs with us while we worked. Everyone including the dogs got a bath afterward.

Pieceful Hearts Quilt Show 2007.

There is a quilting guild in North Augusta. They had a show this weekend. It was fun and made me want to get the shop open. They meet the first Monday night of the month, so I think I will stop by in November and check them out. They had some beautiful quilts. Some that were pieced and quilted by hand. That always impresses me, though I will never do it. They also had some venders there, the local quilt stores and a quilting machine demo. Robert braved the show with me and said on the way out " you can have a booth there next year". I hope he is right. Here's some of my favorite quilts from the show.

I think this is a great quilt, it is hand appliqued. It made me think of my friend Debbie. She would like this quilt.

This one is funky and makes me think of my friend Beth. Especially the borders. I love the borders.

I still want to make a house quilt and this one stirred that up in me again. This also is an Irish Chain pattern, which I have been wanting to do also.

You know what they say. "so many quilts, so little time."

Oh, well I can keep trying to make all the quilt patterns I love.

Job updates.

I finished my contract at the Ambulatory Care Center today. I am sad to be leaving, it is yet another goodbye in my life. I have enjoyed my last 7 or so weeks in the pediatric department. I worked with some great nurses and fun kids. But, there is not an opening so I have to say goodbye. I have interviewed for 5 different jobs, in the last couple of weeks. I had a second interview at the outpatient cancer clinic, the head nurse said they would let me know by Wednesday. I am hoping that that will come through. I really hate interviewing I feel like a used car salesman. And, I am not the newest model and I have high mileage..................so, I just want to say give me a job and if I'm not what you want there is a lemon law to fall back on.

Robert had a job interview at Augusta State University for a computer systems security officer. He has a second interview on Monday for that position. He also has an interview at The Medical College for basically the same position on Tuesday.

So, if you pray for us pray the one or two of these jobs would become reality as we need to have them to be able to stay in Augusta and keep the dream alive.

We Have Walls.

What a difference a day makes. We have walls in the master bathroom. Walls around the water closet and around the shower. I think that that means there are no more plumbing issues. And , Drew gets to do some more drywall mudding. (He hasn't had enough hours at Blockbuster to pay his car insurance) I don't really know what tomorrow holds for the bathroom, but I'm sure I will get to see even more progress.

Bath.

Tonight, I am wishing that the bathroom was done and I could take a hot bubble bath and drink a glass of wine. But, alas the tub is still upside down and nothing is quite ready. I hate plumbing issues that slow everything down.

Where did these guys come from?

Enough said.

Gainfully employed.

Drew started his new job at Blockbuster today. 5 free rentals a week plus his wages. Woo Hoo!

Check out the new shirt and you can't see it, but he has on new khaki pants! Way to go Drew!

Susan's birthday party.

Susan Davis threw herself a 50th birthday party this weekend. So, Megan and I drove to Roswell on Saturday to celebrate with her and then we drove home. We had a great time chatting with friends and celebrating with Susan. She is a wonderful woman that I am glad to have as a friend. Funny thing is she was Megan's friend first. (I'm glad she shared her with me)

Happy 50th Susan!!!

18 things I love about Drew.

1. His humor, he is really funny.
2. He looks like his Dad.
3. Yet acts like me.
4. I love to stand next to him in church and hear him sing.
5. He is generous.
6. He cares about people.
7. He is a fiercely loyal friend.
8. His red beard.
9. His long hair.
10. That he feels comfortable with kids and adults alike.
11. Nothing really ruffles him.
12. He is smart. (maybe a little too)
13. He can roll with the punches.
14. His laugh.
15. His eyes.
16. He loves his dog, and tolerates mine.
17. He knows his strengths and weaknesses.
18. And last, but not least he's my son, whom I prayed for.

Drew is 18 today!

My cute little boy is now....

This cute big boy. Drew is 18 today. Who would have believed hurricane Andrew would live to see this day?

Or, that Robert and I would survive it?

Happy Birthday Drew.

We love you.

Signs of a new bathroom.

It is starting to really look like a bathroom. The walls have been framed in for the "water closet" and the shower. The tub is moved into it's eventual spot. Holes have been made and plumbing (Robert's least favorite job) has been moved. Lights and vents have been wired. (without any serious injury) As you can see it is coming along. Yeah!

Drew's job, is to strip the "yellow tubmarine," so it can be primed and painted. (At least it is not mudding drywall)

Look at how shiney he got the brass.

Was to go Drew.

I wish I was one of my dogs.

Typical day for the Mullis dogs. Eat, go outside for a walk, and sleep. Sounds like a vacation to me. Look, Sabueso is sleeping under my napping quilt.

Tears.

TEARS

Why do people cry? Recent evidence suggests that the tears produced by emotional crying may be a way that the body disposes of toxic substances. It may seem strange to think of crying as beneficial, yet many people say that "a good cry" makes them feel better.

The belief that crying has positive effects is of ancient origin;. More than two thousand years ago, Aristotle theorized that crying at a drama "cleanses the mind" of suppressed emotions by a process called catharsis: the reduction of distress by releasing the emotions. Many people attend movies and plays that they know beforehand are, shall we say, "elicitors of psychogenic lacrimation," or tearjerkers. Such people may cry freely in movies and may delight in the experience.

There have been a few studies on the health effects of crying. Borquist in 1906 obtained reports of the effects of crying, including the observation of 54 or 57 respondents that crying had positive results. Herbert Weiner found from reports that Asthma Attacks – long thought to be largely psychosomatic – may cease as a result of crying.

While the research on the benefits of crying is intriguing but hardly decisive, other strands of evidence are becoming available. Tears produced by emotional crying differ in chemical content from those caused by irritants such as onion juice. Emotional tears contain more protein than tears induced by irritants. William Frey contends that emotional crying is an eliminative process in which tears actually remove toxic substances form the body.

Crying may "cleanse the mind" in a much more literal sense than even the catharsis theorists imagine. Other researchers are now examining the contents of emotional tears for substances such as endorphins, ACTH, prolactin and growth hormone, all of which are released by stress. While the research on psychoactive substances in tears is just beginning, there is reason to think that emotional tears may be important in the maintenance of physical health and emotional balance.

Crying is not grief; it is a way of getting over your grief. Trembling isn't the same as fear. Rather it is part of a letting go of fear. In the same manner, embarrassed laughter, yawning, and even rap[id, excited talking are parts of the healing process that get mistaken for symptoms of the problem.

There has been a lot of crying in my life (myself and people that I love) this week. Tears of sadness and of joy. I read this article today, and I thought I would share it.

First cutting.

Tapestry, Beth and Don"s church is making a float for a parade, and Beth had yards and yards of fabric to cut. So, Robert and Don put the top on the cutting table that is downstairs in the shop. Don looking perplexed and Kathy with her tongue sticking out. (as usual) We bought the cutting table when Hancock Fabric was going out of buisness in Alpharetta.




We were able to make short work of cutting the fabric because it is such a great cutting table. And, we are such great cutters.

Breakfast at the Whistle Stop.

After the race we all walked to the Whistle Stop for some breakfast.

Three breakfast specials and a pancake.