♥ February + Pink ♥

It's snow day number two in north Texas and the coldest day on record in the last 15 years. The sleet and snow that fell on Monday night thawed a bit yesterday when the sun was out, but it all re-froze last night and today is cloudy with temperatures staying in the teens. We're staying inside today.

February is Rachel's month for the do. Good Stitches bee. She asked for wonky stars in pinks and reds. Pink is something I seem to have no shortage of.

I hope you like them, Rachel. The are making me crave some Valentine Sweet Tarts!

I started this quilt back in November for my cousin's new baby. I intended it to be finished before she arrived, but she was born on January 5th and the quilt was still stuck on the design wall waiting to be assembled. I focused last night and got the top finished. I can't decide how I want to quilt this one. The last time I did meandering free-motion, it looked terrible and I don't want to mess this one up. Any suggestions for something quick and easy?

The blocks in this quilt are from an American Jane pattern called Popsicle Posies and the fabrics are an assortment from my stash.

Snow and the Superbowl descend on Texas.

Just in time for the crowds arriving for the big game, ice and snow descended on north Texas last night. We had a record snowfall last February, and this year we may hit some record lows. It's hard to believe that on Saturday (four days ago), it was 76° and sunny! I worked outside all day in shorts and a t-shirt. Welcome to Texas.

Earlier today, we made a quick stop in downtown to see the ESPN set-up for the Superbowl. I think the Packers and Steelers fans felt right at home in the cold weather. Did you see us waving from the crowd on ESPN?

On the local news last night, I heard that the city had purchased a new ATV "snowplow" just in case something happened during Superbowl week. I'm sure they are excited that they got to put it to use, but all I can think about is how stupid the only snowplow in downtown must look to our visitors. Everything's bigger in Texas... except the snowplows.

There's a park by our house with a great hill for sledding. We have some sleds we bought in Colorado and we love getting to use them one or two days out of the year. (You can't buy a sled in these parts.) The other sledders today were sledding Texas-style on wake boards, garbage can lids, cardboard boxes, and inflatable pool floats. The cardboard boxes seemed to be the fastest of the four.

Luc even got in on the action. He thought this sled was a frisbee...

until he ended up with both front paws on it and took off sliding down the hill. I think we thought it was much funnier than he did because he wouldn't go near it after that.

School was out today and we just got word that it's canceled again tomorrow. If this storm came your way, stay safe and warm! It's cold out there!

Bee Blocks

I had a wonderful time in Milwaukee! I survived the cold and made it back to Texas just as the sun came out for the first time in days. I tried to get my husband to serenade me with Aint No Sunshine, but he didn't know the words.

So, first things first back in Texas... January bee blocks need to hit the mailbox.

This one is for Brooke of apriltwoeighty.

This block is from the first issue of Fat Quarterly and it's the block for the new bee I was invited to join over at Flickr, Bee Hexed In. Brooke requested neutral colors with touches of turquoise and orange. I hope you like it, Brooke!

Next on the list, Mod Mosaic blocks for Elizabeth's month in the do. Good Stitches bee.

Elizabeth requested blocks in cool winter colors with plenty of gray. The finished quilt will be donated to the Wrap them in Love Foundation. Maybe Elizabeth will show us the finished quilt on her blog, OhFransson!, before she mails it off. BTW, these blocks are fun to make and I highly recommend giving them a try. The tutorial is available at OhFransson!

For some reason, arriving back in Texas yesterday where the sun was out and the weather was warmer has given my ever present gardening itch a tickle. Maybe it's because we visited the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee where I saw pothos leaves as big as my head and some of the tiniest orchids I've ever imagined. Early this morning, I trimmed the dead growth on a few of the bargain perennials I managed to get in the ground before they went dormant, but it didn't calm my itch. I think I'm going to try starting some plants and herbs from seed this spring. Spring come quickly! I can't stand the wait!

Meet Luc

This is Luckenbach.

Luc is a super sweet, seven-year-old Doberman who came to live with us last week. He's a gentle guy who loves following us around the house, running and playing at the park, and looking handsome. Luc is extremely well mannered, but he seems a little confused about who is supposed to be walking who when we go out on the leash. He really likes hanging out in the sewing room on the rug, but he's a little bigger than the four and ten pound Yorkies I'm used to stepping over. We're excited to have him with us and I wanted you to meet him.

I did a little sewing yesterday. I made a laptop sleeve for my work computer. I'm going on another trip to Milwaukee this weekend and I'm trying to avoid having to check a bag. I can think of a number of things I'd rather spend $50 on than giving it to American Airlines just to transport my suitcase in the belly of the plane.

I still use one of those big, black 1990's style briefcases to carry my laptop and all it's stuff. I see cute laptop sleeves all the time for smaller computers, but mine is 17" and the pickings get slim in the larger size, plus this one didn't cost me anything. I'll just toss this and the power cord in my tote and be done with it. I hope it's as functional as it is cute.

I used one layer of bamboo batting inside and constructed it quilt-as-you-go style. If I made another one, I'd probably use two layers of cotton or bamboo batting or maybe a layer of cotton and a layer of high-loft polyester. The lining is the same black stripe as the binding. The closure is a small length of hot pink FOE (fold-over-elastic) and a button.

Now to figure out how to cram five days of Milwaukee wear (that's Texan for clothes for freakishly cold weather) into a carry on. Hmmm.