Happy Easter...Again

Earlier today I had posted Easter Greetings.

That was before we visited with Mom.

Will you look at those smiles?

Of course Mom was happy we were joining her for lunch...

and she was a real trooper smiling for the camera...

when what she REALLY wanted to do...

was DIG into that Amazing Easter Basket made by our dear friend Sandie! 

Thank you Sandie for always thinking of Mom!

Yes...

We are truly BLESSED!

Wishing you all a very Joyous Easter!

Lynn & Bob

The Thimblemouse and Spouse

Truly March Madness

Now I know why they call it

Yikes, what a month!

It's been one heck of a ride.
Jan & Feb had their share of ups and downs.
I was so ready for a peaceful March.

It started out innocently enough...
with a Blog Hop Party...
then some fun creating and
 "In the Garden of Good & Weevil"
was born.

"Wesley Weevil"

A quick trip to Fernandina Beach
on the evening of the 12th...
I had such a delightful time presenting a program for the

Amelia Island Quilters
they are such a fun and friendly group!

The next day I was readying up for my radio debut...
wow...
how exciting to be joining Mark Lipinski's
"Creative Mojo" Guest Host,
fellow quilt shop owner...cat lover...and author
Nessa Reifsnyder

and then Wham!

First 'the call' and off to meet Mom at the ER...
and a little unscheduled 7 day stay at Hotel D'Hospital for my girl.
*sigh*
(FYI - Mom's back 'home' and doing well)

Cruising back to 'normal'...for almost a week...
a little more stitchin' and I finished...
"Tulips for Mom"
and was then inspired to make a pin.

Nessa gave me another chance,
and on the 27th I actually made it on air!

Click HERE to download the Creative Mojo podcast.
(my dear friends say I didn't sound half bad ...
true confession time...
I haven't the nerve to listen to myself...yet...LOL)

Somewhere I eeked out a little time
to work on my very first
Covert Robin gift exchange...thankfully I managed to finish it all
even had it wrapped, packed...
and was just jumping on line
to print out a shipping label on Thurs. the 28th

when......

the Spouse calmly walks into the shop classroom and says:

"I don't want to scare you but....."

(fast foward a couple hours...)


Yes...Really!
(I wouldn't make this stuff UP!)
Bob's heart got to 'racing'...
we don't know why.
It's never happened before...
we pray it doesn't happen again.
At the ER they immediately got things under control.
*whew*
If he was a 19yr old...they would have let him go home.
But alas...
there's a little snow on that loveable face...
so they kept him overnight...
for poking and prodding..
Echo tests and the like...
Every Test was Neg!
Lab work Fantastic!
(our healthy eating pays off)

What was wrong?
I'm a quilter, remember?
I can barely remember what it wasn't...let alone what it was...
but in the simplest of terms...
"A short circuit in his wiring...a 'misfire' if you will"

24 Hours Later...

Going Home Sweet Home!

Wow...what a month!

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

PS...For "MeOwZa MonDay"
...the KiDees will bring you OPAM finishes...
I'm just wiped out!
I'm taking the day off!

Just Being Human

If you're a fan of social networking...you may have noticed the red and pink symbols flying around yesterday and today ...

the first one I saw....

 Equality for Marriage

....maybe it's other places as well

...I'll admit I've had my hands full of other concerns lately 

so I'm not always up to speed on the "goings ons" 

(I really DO live under a quilted rock at times)....

I am NOT here to speak on pros or cons...

I'm not here to express my political views....

the Spouse is the "political half" of our little duo...

I leave that all up to him.

(so please don't leave comments of a political nature...I will just delete them...that is NOT what my blog is about).

I just wanna sew and create and enjoy

LIFE!

At 2am I was awake and creating...

I'm not going into more sewing details...

I think these simple measurements are enough.

The pin will finish about 1-3/4" square. 

Please feel free to make your own pin...

share this is you think it worthy 

(just Please give me a little credit - that would be so kind).

I am now ready for today...and wearing this proudly.

Because I DO believe that 

Equality is for Everyone!

That's not being political...

That's just being human...

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

Creative Mojo...Let's Try This Again

On Wednesday, March 27th the simply Mah-velous

Nessa Reifsnyder 

will continue her Guest Hosting gig for the oh so amazing

Mark Lipinski.

Check out Mark's blog

to see just who...

that sweetheart Nessa

will be chatting with.

And yes...that would be

Moi...

in the line-up....

trying it again!

Two weeks ago I was scheduled for my radio debut...

when life happened...

 and my sweet gal took another

 unplanned trip to the ER,

ending up with a little extended stay at Hotel D'Hospital.

But here she is just three days ago...

Home again, Home again, Jiggity Jig...

The twinkle in her eye?

I tried for days....

*days*...

to get a smile...

and finally said the magic words...

"Let's take a picture to send to Mark..."

Voila!

Thanks Nessa...for giving me another chance!

For those of you following Captain Cupcake's medical journey...

Mark has made it thru his kidney transplant surgery TODAY with flying colors.

Congrats Mark! 

We wish you a speedy recovery.

Blessings to his miraculous friend,

Mary

who donated one of her kidneys to Mark.

There are Angels among us.

One is named Mary!

Our Hero!

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

MeOwZa Monday...While the Mice are Away....

MeOwZa! Will ya look at this!  Madame Samm and tweet sweet  I Piece 2-Mary are cheering a new blog hop... ...a hop we can really sink our teeth into wrap our paws around! It will be all about Birds! We know Birds! Birds R Us! In fact...there was some serious bird watching going on earlier today....

About those "blinds"...we'll just tell Mom we were researching for the hop...

Surely she'll understand....

The KiDees

>^..^<

Project Quilting...The Last Hooray!

Here it is...

the 6th and last challenge of 

Project Quilting - Season 4...

Hooray For Spring!

Later this week, I'll talk more about this little quilt...

But for now just let me say...

Thank you 

Kim from Persimon Dreams

for letting me play along...

I'm really kinda sad this is the last challenge...

it's been a wild ride...

and I've enjoyed every stitch!

I can't wait for Season 5!

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

Just a quick note...because we all love something wonderful to look and there is nothing better than discovering a fun new free pattern...Please check out Bee In My Bonnet for Lori Holts delightful "Row Along" quilt...it has recently finished up - but patterns will remain on the blog. I haven't done the quilt yet, or any of the rows...but this was the perfect reason to play with her tulips!

It's MeOwZa MoNDaY....BOO!

Our mom has sooooooo many favorite humans

she visits out in blogland, 

but this gal, 

Marjory from Pecks Pieces

is one of our feline favorites too!

She really knows how to pay homage to those like me,

who are so purrrrrfectly divine.

Miss Marjory has designed one

MeOwZa

of a quilt....

We've never met....

but don't you think 

those simply elegant creatures look

just like moi?

The best part...you can download the

FREE blocks

from Pecks Pieces

starting HERE with the first one!

(Isn't Marjory the grrrr-eatest?)

You can make this furrrr-A-bulous quilt

in time for this Halloween

...which by the way is only 7 months away!

There's nothing like a little

Black Cat...

But 9 of them?

Even Better!!!

Oh that Marvin...such a silly boy...

Come back next week for another delightful

feline discovery.

...now where did I put that Frog Spell....

Oh Marvin...here kitty-kitty.....

>*! zap !*<

Until next time...

remember...

Never fool with a Diva!

The KiDees

>^..^<

Have You Met My Friend Mavis?

Took a little nap earlier and woke up for a snack

(I seem to be doing that a lot lately - at least these weren't behind the fridge)

Just when I thought I'd go back to sleep, 

 I got an email from my friend

"Mavis Quinn"

I laughed til I cried over her..ah...

adventures... 

I thought I'd pass along the laughs to you!

I wanted to decided to post her picture here...

even tho I haven't had a chance to ask her permission 

(I sure hope she doesn't send her faithful companion "Tanya" 

or previous roomate "Simone"  

to pay me a visit for unauthorized use of her photo or story). 

For even more Mavis news...

give a click here...

and be sure to check out her Pinterest Pics....

(links are on her blog)

you will hoot...I still am!

'laters

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

Does This Happen To You?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Went to bed, fell asleep by 11pm...(a first)...

woke up at 1:26am and thought about a snack...

my absolute Favorite ww treat...

I knew there were two left...

went to get...

*gasp*

somebody

(most likely a little 1yr old somebody with 4paws and a tail)

 knocked them off BEHIND the fridge....

grrr...

grabbed the long handled gripper....

got out the step stool...

climbed on the counter thinking...

"shhh, be quiet, don't fall off and wake up Bob"...

then thinking, 

"crap! what if I fall off and Bob doesn't wake up?"

ok...I'm safe...

after several attempts...I've 'grabbed' the box...

DARN..

the bars fell OUT further down behind the fridge...

handle TOO short...

fridge TOO heavy to move...

so I ate an easy to reach (but not nearly as good) granola bar.....

I just know I'm gonna be awake the rest of the night thinking about those two bars.....

....still hungry in Florida

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

Beat the Winter Blues Winner

Jaxson is helping me spread the word for the winner of our "Kitty Chronicles" fabric. 

I am just passing thru on the way back to the hospital to visit my mom....*sigh*...she was admitted on Wednesday with a slight infection. 

Please keep those good thoughts and prayers coming...we really appreciate it.

Meanwhile...Mr. Randomness chose.....

Here's what #58 had to say....

Congrats Pat V. 

I've sent you an email so be sure to check your messages!

Thanks everyone for another great blog hop...the Party was divine...feline?....pretty dang good! 

I'll be taking a wee break for a few days...but will be back soon with lots of fun news for upcoming hops...and would you believe...in April we will also celebrate our very FIRST B'DAY here in blogland. I think that really calls for a celebration, don't you? 

Have a great weekend and don't forget....

Saturday March 16th is 

NATIONAL QUILTING DAY

...I'm sure your LQS would just LOVE a visit from you....I know we would!  

Whatever you do.. 

we hope it's a day spent with fabric and friends!

'laters....

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

Tootin' my MoJo Horn!

Edited 3/13/13: Change of Plans...it didn't happen today.
I chose to let this post remain as I really hate it when I click on a story, only to have a semi-blank page appear, saying 
"This Post Has Been Removed or is No Longer Available"
I always wonder what happened...what did I miss...why is it now gone when it's supposed to be there.
Long story short - I've spent the entire day at the ER with my Mom.
She has been admitted for a few days (oh, I pray it's only a few days) and should return home good as new. More to follow when I actually KNOW something.
Thanks....Lynn
..............................................................................

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of 

Mark Lipinski.

I follow his blog...

I stalk him on Facebook...

and I hide away in our shop classroom

so I can listen to his radio show 

Creative Mojo 

every Wednesday afternoon @ 3pm EST.

If you're a fan of the delightfully outrageous 

Captain Cupcake, 

then you know he has been patiently waiting for a much needed kidney transplant.

(ok, not always so patient, but he sure has been waiting).

 All of his Pickle Road followers are thrilled that finally, a date has been set for his surgery.

For the next few weeks, Mark will be taking a break from his radio show...

but never fear...

the show WILL go on each week as his friend

Nessa Reifsnyder

takes over as his special Guest Host!

Nessa makes her debut as the hostess with the mostess on today's show. 

You can read all about it, and meet Nessa on Marks Blog.

I'm really excited about Nessa's line up of guests today....because...

(here comes the Horn Tootin')

....one of her guests is

ME!

Won't you join in for a listen? 

I think this will be Most Fun!

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

MeOwZa MoNdaY - Something Old, Something New - Spring Fling!

Welcome to the debut of

MeOwZa MoNdaY

This week...Midnite's in charge

(earlier this morning)

"Roomates....grrrrrrr"

(Mia has an idea)

"Not now Mia...

Today it's about MOI"

"It's Free 

and More Importantly...

*I* was the Inspiration!"

(meanwhile from the other side of the room)

Marvin?

Has anyone seen Marvin?

He was supposed to join Moi and tell you

that you can also click

HERE 

to take you right to the post with instructions and the free printable PDF files.

This paper pieced pattern was designed last fall for 

Whim's and Fancies 

Halloween Blog Hop.

We thought in case you're new, or missed it, we'd remind you that it's here anytime for you to download.

Speaking of Whim's and Fancies...

Soma has done it again!

Join Whims and Fancies starting April 1st for

Spring Fling

19 Designers will be sharing their specially designed 

10-inch paper pieced blocks for you to make.

Our Day is April 18.

That's all for now...someone just turned on the can opener!

We're outta here!

"The KiDees"

>^..^<

(meanwhile....)

*****Breaking Mews*****
This just in...
There is Voting going on over at Project Quilting - we hope you might take a look and vote for our mom's quilt....it's the one from the previous post.
Even if you don't vote for hers...take a look and vote for your favorite three...they are all so amazing!
You can click HERE...our quilt is of course made by "The Thimblemouse"
Voting ends Friday the 15th.
>^..^<

Sometimes Rules Can Be Good!

There is still time to 'get on down' to the

Blog Hop Party

hosted by Michele from the Quilting Gallery.

You have until March 14th to sign up for our Purrr-ty Give Away - be sure to click HERE for more info.

Meanwhile...as if this week didn't pass by quickly enough , now we get to change the clocks!

They say that time really flies when you're having fun...if that's true...then I really had a blast this week!

Actually....I really did. 

Taxes were finished and delivered to our most awesome tax man on Monday and the 'dance of joy' began. 

I decided to treat myself to a few days of

"Just for the Fun of It Designing and Quilting"

Last Sunday Kim from Persimon Dreams posted our next to last "Project Quilting" Challenge. As I write, the challenge is "due" in less than 10 hours - (oops, forgot we're "springing" - make that 9 hours).

The 'challenge' this week was to choose a random 'publication' - turn to page 28 - get inspired - Create!

The Spouse just happened to get in a new gardening catalog and I thought that would be perfect. I imagined  beautiful plant life - vibrant colors - lots of eye candy just waiting for me.

I opened to page 28....

*GASP*

Can you read the bottom?

Really?

Pest and Disease????

I quickly grabbed the next publication I could find...oh look, a colorful sales flyer...with LOTS of pages...let's see...is there a page 28?

Yes, indeedy there is, now that looks more like it dontcha ya think?

But then my conscience got the best of me...I remembered especially where Kim said "...I realize the temptation will be great to check out page 28 of every publication you can find, but please try to honor the spirit of this challenge."

 *sigh*

So back I went...studying the page of plant disease...creepy crawly bugs...deformed carrots...more bugs...oh wait...carrots?

I've long been inspired by Artist, Quilter, Friend, Jan Mullen of Stargazey designs. I love her 'wonky, "come what may" approach to not so traditional patchwork. 

With that in mind...I decided maybe a table runner of carrots (or as Jan would call them - carrotZ) might not be such a bad idea...even deformed carrots could be cute...couldn't they?

The Challenge was ON!

I cut...I sewed...I pieced...I cut again...sew on and sew forth...it started to come together...even the Spouse was excited (he closed me up in the classroom one afternoon and took care of customers, just so I could have undisturbed work time...I just love that man).

But after 4 carrots...the table runner idea turned into a 22" x 33" wall hanging...and the carrots got company...and..omgosh...it just turned out...

So Dang Cute!

Aren't the carrots so cool? 

They are all individually pieced and sewn into place.

There of course had to be appliqued bugs....

first came the little Lady...

 

Then....

That's "Sinthia Slug"

(she just makes me giggle)

Every garden needs a worm...

Here's "Wayne"

On the page they had a "squash bug"...which looks like a "stink bug" but they are totally different bugs (didn't know you were going to get a bug lesson now, didya?)

Here's my version...

I call him "Stanley Stinker"...hahaha

Then what would a garden of carrots be without a wascally wabbit - nibbling on a carrot...

and lest he be caught....

..."Springing" away!

Isn't that the cutest little cotton tail?

It was Bob's idea...he gave me a little strip of batting...I gathered it...Perfect!

I had just finished sewing on the last of the 'eyes' when my good friend Doris came by the shop early Saturday afternoon. I was still trying to decide what to name this.

We got to talking about the bugs...and Doris thought the idea of  the Lady Bug was nice...that I had a blend of "good & evil" in my garden!

WHOA! THAT'S IT!

The Garden of Good & Evil... brilliant, right?

...until...

I skipped out to visit Mom...and on the way back in the car another *light bulb moment*

(some of my best ideas happen waiting in traffic)

so I scurried back to the quilt....

did a little research....

and added one more 'friend'....

Meet "Wesley"

The Weevil...

So now can you guess?

(I just crack myself up...here it is...)

This has been my favorite Project Quilting Challenge yet...I'm so glad I stuck to the rules!

I also must confess...I'm not sure if this is 'legal' - challengely speaking - but like Eleanor Burns once said, "I quilt with my credit card" ~ ok, I paid him with food...yes, Bob did the machine quilting and a perfect job at that! 

(Thank ya honey! *wink*)

Omgosh...I have done SPRUNG forward to 4:55AM!

YIKES! At least it's now Sunday and I can sleep in!

Have a great week everyone!

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

Added 3/11/13:

You can now VOTE for my quilt over at Project Quilting starting today thru the end of the day Friday March 15th. Just click HERE and look for "The Thimblemouse" from the list of entries 

(you'll need to scroll down the page...don't worry, it's there, I promise). 

You can vote for up to three quilts - and let me tell you - it's NOT going to be an easy choice...all the entries are AMAZING!