Luck...or intuition?

Since I am on the road in West Virginia doing school visits, I am done each day by about 3:00 PM. I didn't get my act together and bring some quilting with me, so I thought I'd investigate the possibility of finding a quilt shop to visit and get my "fix". I looked online and found a couple shops close to me. The first two I went to, however, no longer exist! I was pretty bummed! But then, on my way back to my hotel, I thought, let me try just one more. Not only did I find it, but there is a SHOP HOP going on!!!

Jackpot!

I got a list of 15 shops, and made it to 4 before they closed. I'm going to try to hit 2 or 3 more tomorrow afternoon. And even though I am on a "no-buy", I couldn't really visit these peoples' shops, take their free patterns, enter for their door prizes and not buy anything, right? I didn't bring my camera on this trip so I can't share photos, but I bought 4 neutral remnants for my scrap quilts and 2 flannel remnants for my buzzsaw quilt that I'm trying to get off the UFO list. At another shop, I bought some fabric gripper circles to put on my rulers to make them no-slip. At another shop I bought a pattern - perhaps the first pattern I've ever bought, but it is BUTTERFLIES, and I think I've already shared my affinity for butterflies. It is this crayon quilt from Black Cat Creations. I've been wanting to do a crayon quilt. I doubt I will actually follow this pattern, but I am excited to have all these different butterfly patterns to copy and use.

Then, at the last shop, I just ate their yummy free cookies!

So, not only did I enjoy my shop hopping, but when I arrived home after my last trip and before this one, there was a package waiting for me. It was a book that I ordered back in May, not realizing that it wasn't going to be released until late September. While it was disappointing back in May, it was a pleasant surprise to have a book to take on this trip. So, during my meals and any other stolen moments today, I've been reading the latest Clare O'Donohue book, "A Drunkard's Path". In reading it, I realize that I never read the first book in the series. I'm enjoying this one, so I guess I'll have to go buy the first one, too.

I hope some of you are able to get some actual quilting done. I'm going to climb into bed with my book.

No buy = no problem!

With generous and thoughtful quilter friends, this scrap quilter has no problems not spending money on fabric. Here's my latest bounty - a bagful of scraps from my quilter friend, Judi. Thanks for thinking of me, Judi! This was a long and miserable Monday, and receiving the scraps was the only bright spot until after work when I was able to spend time with my family.

Even though I have new scraps to play with, I haven't sewn yet. I arrived home on Saturday afternoon, and within 2 hours I was off to a cub scout campout with my boys. Fun, fun, fun!

Then, Sunday involved karate, some housework, and a sneak preview in our new home theater which is VERY CLOSE to being completed. We may never go to the movies again!

I am packed up (again!) and hit the road in the morning. Next weekend, however, I am determined to sew!

I've accepted the New Year's Eve UFO Challenge

This week away from home and away from quilting is killing me! Thank God for the internet - at least I am caught up on blogs and am finding more wonderful blogs to follow. (just what I need, right?) Anyway, I'm at least thinking about quilting, if not actually doing it, so Finn's UFO Challenge appealed to me - I work better with deadlines, and I have so many UFOs floating around out there.


I decided that it is reasonable to expect to finish 3 UFOs by New Year's Eve, and I'm going to focus on my flannel tops.


This one should be easy - I am already halfway done quilting it. However, since I am using a super high loft batt (the only thing I had available when I was ready to start) and am a hand quilter, it is slow going. I just need to jump back in the saddle and complete it. It would help if there were something I wanted to watch on TV while doing it - that usually keeps me sitting still long enough to make some progress.






Then there is this top that is already quilted and just needs to be bound (not in the picture, but in reality, it is). Should be easy, right? In fact, the binding is already sewn on in the front. However, I sewed it on wonky, and need to take it back off and put it on again. I hate un-sewing, so that stopped me in my tracks. Get over it, Erin!




And finally, there's this flannel buzzsaw quilt that is still in the piecing stage. I was hoping to receive some more flannel scraps because my motto is "the scrappier, the better" and I am on a self-imposed "no-buy" since all of my money these days is going into finishing our basement (there will be a sewing studio in there for me when done, so the least I can do is not buy fabric!). However, I am thinking I should just make do with what I have.



You know what? While going through my photos, I came across this flannel Strawberry Shortcake top, too. I should finish it up. Maybe I'll keep my total goal at 3, but this gives me options, I can just finish any 3 of this 4 that strikes my fancy. I love having options. Of course, that is probably why I rarely FINISH things.

OK guys. I'd love some cheerleaders to help me finish these, help me stay on task. Of course, I will still be working on my GGG quilt and my scrappy star quilt, but I want these to get done. Wish me luck!

For Kwiltmakr

After yesterday's post, Kwiltmakr left a comment and asked me to go to the church here in Quito where Our Lady of Good Success is to say a prayer for her. I'm not Catholic, but I'm always up for an adventure, so after my school visits today, I went hunting for this church that no one here seems to have heard of. Thank God for the internet - I found it!

Unfortunately, it was closed. Sorry, Kwiltmakr! But I did find another church nearby that was open, La Iglesia de la Compania, a baroque style church built in the early 1600s, so I went in there and said a prayer for you. It is the thought that counts, right?

And I just had to share this little thought with you. Both of these churches were near the Plaza de la Independencia, the square around which Quito was planned back in 1535. Also surrounding this plaza is the Palacio where the Presidente lives,

the Palacio where the Archbishops, Bishops, Cardinals and everyone else of religious power lives,

and the Palacio where the Mayor of Quito lives (pretty ugly modern building, not worth photographing). Doesn't it seem like poor planning to have all these powerful people living right next to each other? Perhaps I'm still sensitive about 9/11, but that just seems like an easy target for a terrorist looking to destabilize the country.

Anyway, just a few more school visits tomorrow, and then I leave for home on a red-eye flight. I can't wait to see my family again.

Greetings from the Andean Cowgirl!

I had a free day here in Quito, Ecuador, so I planned a little adventure for myself - a trail ride around the crater of Pululahua volcano, apparently the only volcanic crater in the world that is inhabited. It is a vast fertile plain, inhabited by about 45 families, one of them my wonderful guide, Astrid Mueller. Here she is brandishing her machete, which she used to clear some of our paths.

Here I am on my mount, Morgana. See my hurt foot, still in a brace and silly open shoe since my foot doesn't fit in my other shoes yet?

It was beautiful, and a bit surreal. I mean, this is an "active" volcano that erupts every 4000 years or so. It is due to erupt again in about 500 years. But every so often, there are mild eruptions. One such eruption 70 years ago wiped out 3 farms. I can't see myself setting up house there. In fact, I'm surprised I went in there. We came in over the crater walls, and I forgot to take a photo, it was so breathtaking. We were above the clouds, and then drove 15 km down the side of the crater to the crater floor to reach the ranch. Once we saddled up, the 4 hour ride included riding through some farms and through some ancient pre-Incan footpaths, and I swear my horse was part mountain goat. There are some places we went that I wouldn't want to go on my own two feet. And it was so exhilarating to gallop around out there. I was the only client, so everything was at my pace. It has been 10 years since I have been on a horse, and even then it was just a sedate trail ride outside Las Vegas. It has been 20 years or more since I've ridden like this. AWESOME!

OK, here's what happened

As Nancy Rose mentioned, the crutches and splint aren't a sexy look...but they DO garner attention. I have never had an easier day of travel! I alerted the airline (COPA, based out of Panama City, Panama) of my predicament the day before my trip was to begin. From the time I arrived at the airport (Washington Dulles), through Panama City and all the way here to San Jose, Costa Rica, I didn't have to walk, or carry by bags or even WAIT IN A LINE. If it weren't wrong, I'd bring these crutches and splint on EVERY trip. :)

I wish I had a fun story to go along with my injury, but I don't. It was after lunch on Friday, and I was walking back to the conference center with my co-worker. We were talking and I wasn't paying attention, and I missed a step. You know those random steps you find places where you wouldn't expect one. I caught myself before I fell, but I twisted my foot and ankle. It hurt like the dickens, but I told myself to just walk it off, so I grimaced and kept going. And wouldn't you know, it started to not hurt so bad. I sat through a conference session rubbing my foot and ankle, and when I stood up, all the blood rushed to it or something and it started to hurt. Walk it off, I told myself. So, I walked down to the college fair where I was to stand behind a table for 2 1/2 hours. That didn't seem like such a good idea, but there was nothing for it, so I found someone to get me a back of ice, and did my job. By the end, my foot was numb from the ice, so I walked with my co-worker to a reception at which we were expected. I'm glad I went, because they had some AWESOME crab cake appetizers going around (I had three). After that, we met some others for dinner. The restaurant was farther than we expected, and I was having problems walking, but I had my bag of ice, and as soon as we got there, I put my foot up and iced it all through dinner. When I stood up to go home, however, I buckled. I couldn't put any weight on it whatsoever, and tears sprung to my eyes. I took a taxi to my hotel, and the kind people there got me up to my room, and brought me ice and Advil. I told myself that I'd be better in the morning, but if not, I'd go to the Emergency Room. I didn't make it to morning - at midnight I figured if I wasn't going to sleep, I might as well not sleep at the hospital where I'd have something to distract me from my pain. By the time I arrived, I was shivering and sweating simultaneously, shivering from the pain and sweating from the exertion of trying to get around without using my foot. A couple x-rays and a painful examination revealed that nothing was broken, but that it was sprained in two places.

Now, two days later, it is still pretty swollen, but I can touch my foot now, and even put a little bit of weight on it. I plan on taking it easy as much as possible, which unfortunately means not exploring my surroundings as I'd like to, but I am determined to be well again by the time I get home next weekend.

For now, I'm hanging out in my hotel room. It's nice. Even though I look for the best deals when I travel, I always feel a bit guilty because the places I stay are so nice. My suite is twice as big as my first apartment after college and light years better appointed. Honestly, I don't need all this space - it is just me. There are whole families around the world living in smaller spaces, not to mention the homeless who have nowhere to sleep tonight. Somehow, it just doesn't seem right.

Anyway, gotta find someone to deliver food to my room. I'm certainly not going to venture out alone at night on crutches. Catch you later!

Not quite according to plan

My trip is off to a rather inauspicious start.

More later.