Our time in Romania is coming to an end

We fly home from Romania on October 28th.  This will be the end of our time in Romania.  It will be bittersweet as I will be very glad to be home, but I will miss Romania and the wonderful people that I have lived among for the last 4 years.  It looks like we may be in Canada next, but that is not set in stone.

I will be happy to be able to spend some time in my studio again.  I have some quilts that need to be finished and more ideas that I want to work on.  I have a long list of things to do and that list is growing each day.  Oh to play with my stash will be delightful!  I have missed my sewing machine because I took it home in August to make more room in the suitcases when we leave here for the last time.

I will have much more to blog about when I get home and go through my UFOs and PIGs.  I will get a list together so I can join one of the other bloggers that help to keep quilters on track to finish their quilts.

Until then
God Bless you and keep you safe

Sorry I jumped the gun

It seems that the lock-out for the NFL has not been lifted yet.  The players have not signed so maybe spring training will have to wait.  The news takes a while to catch up from the States to Romania.  I sure am missing home.

Joy in cheese town and what I do instead

I am not home to see it but I know there is much joy and celebration in cheese town (Green Bay).  The football lock out has been lifted and Spring Training can begin.  That's American football not world soccer. I don't sit and watch football on the television and I have only been to one game at the stadium in the 10 years that we have lived in Green Bay but if you live here you are automatically a supporter of the Packers.  You also support the team with a bit of tax money as the team is the only one that is owned by the public. 

What do I do instead of watching football?  My favorite thing to do when I have the time to spend in my studio, of course.  I quilt!  I am looking forward to staying home and hibernating in my studio for hours on end.  I have so many UFO's and PIG's that I would not be able to list them right now.  I think when I get to stay home for a bit of time, I will set my goal to finish one UFO a month.  I hope I can stay home soon.


Until then,
God Bless you and keep you safe

Missing home ....

Yes, I am missing home and my studio! I thought maybe looking at some of the photos of home would make me feel better but it really hasn't helped. I think I will share them with you because I don't have much in the way of anything new to share and I have set a goal to blog more often than I do. Thanks for stopping by to visit.

I have a bulb garden in my back yard. I love Spring when the flowers are in full bloom.







We also have 3 cats at home, 2 were rescued and 1 was brought home by our daughter. She takes care of all 3 when we are traveling. I do miss our 'fur babies'.


We also get a bunch of wild animals. They live in the conservatory that is next to our home. I know the dark photo is hard to see, but the raccoons only come out at night.




We also get deer and chipmunks but both of those are very hard to photograph. Many birds come and visit too.

Oh, how I miss home!

Until next time,
God Bless

Time has gotten away from me ...

That old saying of time flies when you are having fun is probably true. It also flies when you are busy! I am busy making plans or let me say busy trying to make plans as we don't know where the company will send us next.

We have been on assignment in Romania for the past 4 years. We only have 3 and a half months left, which sounds like a good amount of time, but really isn't. We have accumulated a bunch of "stuff" and will have to take some of it home. We have already started the sorting process and did take some of the electronics home in June. I took one of my sewing machines home and will take the other one home in August. No quilting for me the last 2 and a half months and I am already not looking forward to that. Our power in the States is not the same as it is here so we won't be bringing home any of the kitchen appliances. What to do with them, only heaven knows at this point in time.

Our daughter graduated from college in June and we were home for a week to be with her as she accepted her AS degree. She is going on to get her BS at the same school. I am so very pleased with her as she has maintained an A average and seems to be continuing on in that same way. She has received 2 scholarships to assist with school fees, which is a great bonus for the wonderful grades.

I don't have any quilting to share this time. I really am missing my studio. I am hoping that the company sends us some where close to home so we can be home every weekend or at least every other weekend. Staying away from home for 3 months at a time is a bit hard when you only get 1 week at home and then away for another 3 months. One of the good things of being in Europe for so long is getting to travel around to different countries when we take our vacation. There is always good in everything even if you have to sometimes hunt for it.

Until next time
God Bless you and keep you safe

Back to the real world

So sorry it has been so long since I posted.

We went on vacation and I was ill when we got back to our flat in Romania. I am feeling a bit better, but still not fully recovered. I haven't felt like doing anything so I have no quilting to show.

Our vacation was great. We flew into Brussels. From there we took the train to London and to Paris then back to Brussels. I found some great fabric shops in Brussels and Paris and of course had to bring some of the fabric home with me. I had not visited any of these cities so each one was a new experience. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, to the Tower of London, the Atomium, Notre Dame, St Paul's and many more landmarks. I'm adding some eye candy for you:

Hopefully I will have some quilting or sewing to report soon, until then

May God Bless you and keep you safe

Back to life

We had our week at home! It went by so fast that it didn't feel like a week, but just a few days. I didn't get to visit with everyone that I wanted to so I am feeling sorry for myself. On a brighter note, I did visit with my quilting friend. She has been very busy creating quilts and purses. I always get inspired by her creations.

We have been back in Romania for almost a week and I am just now starting to feel free from jet lag. There is an eight hour difference between home and here. My favorite airport in Europe (so far) is Amsterdam. This is just one of the control towers. The airport is very large and it takes a long time just to taxi from the runway to the boarding area. There is also great shopping in the airport. Bucharest airport is becoming a favorite also. They have just enlarged it and the architecture is really lovely in the extension. They also added a lovely place to eat when they extended the building.

This stack of fabric will become a quilt for our youngest daughter. She picked the fabric a long time ago and I hope she will be very surprised to receive a finished quilt. It has been so long that I doubt she will remember picking the fabric. As my blog says, I am a very slow quilter. I love the process and I don't like rushing just to finish a quilt. Each quilt that I make is filled with love and prayers for the person who will receive it. Well, I better get cutting if I am going to finish this one.

until next time
May God Bless You and Keep You Safe

Getting ready to fly

We will be flying home on Friday! We will be flying back to Romania the following Saturday so next week will be very busy for us. I love going home, but I don't like the fact that it takes 20 to 24 hours to get there. I don't like waiting in airport lounges, but that is better than having to run though the airport to catch a connection. We usually fly through Amsterdam and then Detroit or Minneapolis so there are waits in each of the airports before we get home to Green Bay.

I will pick up several UFOs from home and bring them back with me to Romania. We purchased a new sewing machine last weekend. It has 16 different stitches and is bigger than the one that I brought with me. I have had to use a transformer with the one I had because of the power in Europe is different than that at home in the States. The manual for this machine is in Romanian so I sent a little prayer of thanksgiving for pictures which allowed me to thread it. It sews very nice and is quieter than the one I was using. I still need to experiment with the other options because I can not read the manual and a search on-line did not provide any help. As you can see from the pictures my space for sewing is very limited, but I am thankful that I have any space at all. I can't imagine not being able to sew while we are here. We have 2 lap tops and a printer/scanner on the table that seats 4 so it is pretty crowded. Yes, that is the quilt top that I have been working on and should have completed already. I must be the worlds slowest quilter! I am also posting a close up picture of my machine so you can see the color. It's purple, my favorite color!

until next time
God Bless you and keep you safe

Technology...

I have a love/hate relationship with technology. Showing my age I can say, I remember when the computers filled a room, but didn't have any disk space or very much memory. I remember life without Microsoft! I remember when sewing machines had just straight stitches. I barely remember life without television and definitely remember when t.v. was black and white only. Wow, have we come a long way in a short time. Or have we....

Sometimes I miss writing a letter and waiting weeks for a response from a pen pal. I loved receiving a handwritten letter, but I do like the quick response that I get from e-mail. I also love Skype and the way I can see the person who I am talking to no matter where in the world each of us are at the time. And now with the new cell phones, I-pad or I-pod touch we have face time.

I learned to sew on a Singer Featherweight sewing machine when I was twelve. My Mom taught me and I must say, she had the patience of a saint. I continued sewing on that machine and when I married and moved out my Mom gave me the machine. I don't use it often, but I do keep it serviced. I prefer to use my Juki for patchwork and my Pfaff for embroidery. Come to think of it, I also used to embroider by hand and not machine. Those were the days! Well, I still do embroidery by hand but not as much as I used to.

I created all of my own clothes while attending high school and made most of my daughters clothes when they were young. Now I quilt because it is more fun. I love being part of the quilting world. Quilters are the best. Talking about quilting, I guess I better get back to my quilt top because it isn't going sew itself.

Until next time,
may God Bless you and keep you safe

Where did the time go?

It is Tuesday already and I haven't sewn since last Wednesday. I have no excuse, I wish I could say we were gone, but we weren't.

I did make my goal of getting all of the blocks completed for the quilt that I am working on, but I only got one column sewn together. I am working on getting the rest of the columns and rows sewn so I can finish the boarders and take the top home with me to be quilted. I really want to finish it this year so I can send it to my son by Christmas.

I have been reading and watching the horrible news from Japan. It seems with technology the world gets smaller and foreign lands seem so much closer than they did before social networks, u-tube and other types of media. The horror of the earthquake is so real because of technology. I have friends on Face Book that I have never met, but feel as though I know them because we have like interest and converse the same way I used to with pen-pals in my youth. My prayers are with everyone that has been effected by the tragedy.

Until next time
may God Bless you and keep you safe

A visit from the breakfast club and International Women's Day

I had a visit from the breakfast club this morning when I opened my door at 6AM. These 3 cats belong to the neighborhood and many of us feed them when they show up at our doors. You can see that none of the cats are under fed. As you can see from the date stamp my camera is still on central time which is my home time. It really was this morning and not yesterday that the picture was taken. I always forget to change it until I see the wrong date on a photo but by then it is too late.

In case you didn't know, yesterday was International Women's Day and here in Romania it is well celebrated. The women in my town of Cernavoda take over the restaurants and party together and the men know better than to interfere. It does marks the contributions of women to the world. If you want to know more about this day follow this link http://www.internationalwomensday.com/ it has a bunch of information. I am a firm believer in sisterhood and the power of women to make a difference when we band together. It makes no difference where you were born or how you were raised if you are a woman you have a shared commonality with other women of the world.

Today I start to sew the rows and columns together for the quilt that I am working on. I have a good idea for the borders but will have to see what the quilt tells me when I am finished sewing the blocks together. I am thrilled to have all of the blocks completed as the mock friendship star had many pieces, but I am satisfied with the way they came together. I only hope no one looks real close because not all of the corners match. I love each step to making a quilt and get more excited as each step is completed. As I see it I am starting step 4 sewing the rows and columns together.

until next time
God bless you and keep you safe

SCORE!

Sorry if I seem too excited but I just got back from the market with some bacon! Well, it isn't really the same as the bacon we get it the States, but it is close. It isn't as cured or salty and it is extremely thin cut. I love bacon and egg sandwiches or BLT's when I can get lettuce, but getting lettuce is very difficult also. I am so spoiled and I didn't even know it. I found out how spoiled I am by living in Romania for the last 3 years. I plan my menu for the week but I may not be able to get all of the ingredients so I have learned to be flexible. There are so good things here that we don't have or command a higher price in the States. Brown eggs are the only eggs you can buy here and at home, if you can get them, are a much higher price than the white ones. Virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar are very inexpensive here but command a higher price at home.

Well, I'm off to cook my bacon. There wasn't any lettuce so I guess it will be bacon and egg sandwich for lunch.

until next time
God Bless you

Did you notice?

Did you notice my new button on the side? It is my declaration that I am a very slow quilter. I love the process and the stitching of quilt tops. It does take me a long time to finish a top. I have a very large pile of quilt tops to sandwich and quilt. I have to make the backs for most of them so maybe instead of piecing I should just buy yardage for the backs. That would be the fastest way to get them sent off to the long arm quilter. I do have some that are small enough to quilt myself and I plan on hand quilting several just for the fun of it. I should have finished them long ago!

I am still working on the blocks for my current project and looking longingly at the table runner kit that is still in the package. I really want to start a new project but I won't until I get the top finished for my current project. I have finished 12 more blocks since my last posting and hope to finish the top in the next 2 weeks or sooner if I can manage.

I guess it is too late to officially join Judy's UFO challenge since since it is already March, but I plan on doing it unofficially. I will watch for next year around December and join then if she hosts it again. I really need something to keep me on track to finishing my UFO's but I need to make a list of them. I don't have an exact count so I will add counting and listing UFO's to the long list of things I need to accomplish when I am home for a week in April.

Until next time
may God Bless you and keep you safe

Snow again

It snowed again but it was just a dusting. This picture is what I see from my bedroom window. The trash can used to be under that staircase, but the neighbors built an enclosed storage there so now the can sits right by the stairs going down to the lower sidewalk and street.

I didn't sew on the weekend but plan on getting the last of the blocks done this week for the quilt that I have been working on. I have 25 blocks to finish so if I complete 5 a day, I should have enough to start sewing the top together next week. Then I have to decide what to do for the boarders. Did I mention in an earlier post that I must be the world slowest quilter? It seems that it takes me so long to finish a quilt, but then I really enjoy the process and feel a real sense of accomplishment when I put that last stitch on the binding. I usually sew my label into the binding on 2 sides so it is really secure.

My next challenge will be to count the number of pieced tops that I have at home and create the backs so I can finish them. That will have to wait until April when we get home. I also should count the number of kits and UFO's but I'm afraid to do that. I know I have many, many, many UFO's and PIG's. Did I mention that I have a real abundance of kits and UFO's? I have never formally joined a UFO challenge but maybe I should just to stay on top of them.

I did not do all the shopping for my stash and kits. I am one of the lucky ones that has a husband that loves to shop. He did a good portion of the buying. He also designs some of my quilts and has a much better sense of color than I do. I have learned to trust him when he says 'put that piece of this fabric in that quilt, you'll love it'. It always makes the quilt 'POP' but it was never a color that I would have chosen!

Well, back to the sewing machine
until next time
God Bless

What am I working on?

I'm still working on our son's quilt. It seems like I have bee working on it for a long time. I know I am a very slow quilter, but I really do enjoy the process. I have a dozen more blocks to make for this quilt before I can start sewing it in rows and columns. I already have the boarder material picked out and it is here in Romania with me so I hope to finish the top before we have to go home in April. Then I can piece the back from my stash. As you can see from the picture it is a 2 block controlled scrappy blue, green and orange colors.

When I am working on a quilt for someone special I say a little prayer for them each time I finish a block. If I am making a quilt just to make it and I don't know where it will end I just say a little general prayer for whatever is in the news at the time. Prayers and quilts just naturally fit together as the quilts will bring comfort and warmth to the receiver and lets them know someone is thinking of them.

I was doing laundry while I was quilting today and happened to get a picture of one of my visitors. She was very interested in the spin cycle.

Until next time
May God Bless you

Quilting Area in Romania

Today I am sharing the quilting space with you that I have in Romania. Here we have a small 1 bedroom flat so there isn't much room for quilting, but I do have my small travel sewing machine (Janome sew mini) and a travel iron which has a steam setting. I do miss my quilting studio at home with the wall to ceiling built in cabinets and all my lovely stash. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining as I am well aware that our accommodations could be much worse with no place to quilt. I think I'm just a bit homesick.

Yes, this is a chest freezer and it is right next to the counter where we eat because the lap-tops and sewing machine have taken up residents on our dining table.
Until next time we visit together,
May God bless you and keep you safe

Thank you

I must send a thank you to Pippa at Welsh Quilts for pointing out the Stats tab where we can go to see some great statistics about our blogs. (if you use blogger.com for posting your blog) I do love the blogging world and the wonderful people that are so willing to share their knowledge with each other.

It is Friday morning here in Romania and Bruce just left for work. I am way behind on my goal of finishing one quilt every six weeks in 2011. I have so many UFO's and PIG's that I may never finish them all in my lifetime. I have stopped buying fabric unless it is yardage to finish a UFO and I am not starting any new quilts unless they are PIG's. Stay tuned for updates.

Until next time
God Bless you and keep you safe

Blog Envy!

I guess you could call what I suffer from is blog envy. I have never felt envy towards anything or anybody before, so I am not sure that is what I am feeling. I get this longing when I read other blogs and see the amount of comments or followers that are listed. I wonder if anyone reads my blog or even looks at the photos that I have posted. I need to lean how to jazz up my blog with some of the neat graphics that others have on their blogs. I guess a class is in my future!

until next time
God Bless you and keep you safe

Super Bowl Sunday

Today is 'The Big Game' for American football. I don't know much about the Steelers but living in Green Bay I would have to have my head in the sand to not know about the Packers.

I don't 'do' football, or I guess I should say I didn't do football before moving to Green Bay. The joke in Green Bay is that there are 2 cathedrals in Green Bay one belongs to the Catholic Church and the other is Lambeau Field where the Packers play. The Packers are a unique team as they are owned by the people of Green Bay.

Win or loose today, the 'Pack' will always have their fans behind them. The team has class!
GO PACK GO!!!

Until next time
God Bless

Windy Saturday

It is very cold and windy here in Cernavoda, Romania today. Our internet connection is going up and down so I hope I can get this posted before I loose it again.

Not too much going on today. I brought supplies for two quilts from home. I plan to complete both of the tops before we leave for home so I can get them to the long arm quilter. We leave for home the beginning of April and each quilt will be queen size so I better get working on them. I am having issues getting motivated because of jet lag but that should clear up by next week, I hope.

I am reading Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell one of my favorite authors. I love to curl up with a good book, a cup of tea and a quilt on a cold windy afternoon. I think I will do that right now.

Until later,
May God Bless you and keep you safe

February 2011

I must apologize for not writing in such a long time. It seems that the days just slip by so quickly the older I get. We have been traveling so much lately that I sometimes have to stop and take a breath to know where I am.

We made it home for Christmas, but I was worried that we wouldn't. It took us 3 and a half days due to weather. We had a lovely hotel in the Netherlands that is a Summer Resort but doesn't see many guests in the Winter. KLM bussed us over and took care of meals and lodging. We were stranded with the rest of the hotel guests so at least we were not alone in our adventure.

I am still working on the same quilt I have been working on for most of last year. I really need to find the time to sit and sew until it is finished.

We returned to Romania on January 31st and had a three cat welcoming committee. These 3 belong to the complex that we rent our flat and everyone seems to take care of them. 2 of them had to nap after the welcoming party that they threw for us.


Until next time, may God bless you and keep you safe.