Oh, The Insanity!

Posted on July 8, 2016 by prairiemoonquilts in Studio News

Not that you’ve noticed, but I’ve been a bit absent online lately. I’m extremely busy with some very important projects and deadlines (and very behind on some of them), so I’ve had my nose to the grindstone.

Did you catch that word “extremely”? It’s a bit of an understatement.

Since Monday morning, I have stood at the frame and run my longarm a total of 74 hours so far this week. I’ve been at it like this for a month, and the marathon isn’t over yet. I still have 10 quilts to get finished by July 20th.

And I can’t even show you any of what I’m working on yet!

I’m not complaining, and I don’t need any sympathy — I LOVE my job! I’m just explaining where I’ve been since I haven’t been online much.

It’s very rewarding to create beautiful designs on beautiful quilts, and as I’m working, I keep thinking up more and more things I want to try, and getting more and more inspired. And getting lots of practice!

Every quilt presents a challenge that makes me try things I might not have otherwise, and I’m so proud of myself when I do it and it works out.

Then there are those times when it doesn’t, and I have to stand there and rip out something ugly!

I’m a tidget sleep-deprived, jacked up on caffeine, and sometimes slip into delirium (or grouchiness), but I’m still plugging away at it. Long hours of machine quilting are not for the out-of-shape! I need to get back to a regular workout regime (because I have time to add that in).

I’ve emptied several 6000-yard cones of thread:

emptycones

And amassed quite a pile of thread tails!

threadtails

The other night, my sister brought me this little guy that someone dumped in the parking lot where she works. He’s so full of energy and so entertaining, it’s helped keep me going just to watch him!

Stormy2

I’ve named him Stormy, since he tears through the house like a cyclone. He plays so hard that he crashes and sleeps like a rock!

Stormy1

And just like a little baby, he wakes up hungry! What kind of person dumps a baby in a parking lot? I’m thinking he’s much better off here with us. He acts as if it’s the natural path his life was supposed to take, and perhaps it is. He’s got the greatest personality and attitude! (I think I could learn from him.)

Stormy

I’ve also been listening to the radio to keep me motivated. There’s a local station that I love — they play 70s and early 80s music — my era!

And here’s a funny for you related to that . . .

A while back, I promised My Cowboy a date, since we’ve not had much time together due to my Extreme Quilting Marathon, and he suggested the rodeo this weekend.

Some bad storms blew through our area yesterday morning, and to the south of us, power was knocked out in several counties. Entire towns were without power for quite a bit of time. That radio station I mentioned was knocked off the air when this happened, so I switched to another station temporarily.

On the station I switched to, I heard them advertise the rodeo, and although I wasn’t paying much attention, at the end of the ad, she said, “Fifth caller wins a set of tickets.”

I thought to myself, “Did I just hear that correctly? I didn’t hear them give a number to call.” But knowing where the radio station is, I grabbed the local phone book, looked up the number, and called it.

As luck would have it, that gave me just enough time to be the fifth caller, and I WON THE RODEO TICKETS!!

So tomorrow night, I’m getting a bit of a break from the quilting, and I’ll be enjoying a date night with My Cowboy at the rodeo! I’m ready for a break!

11 responses to “Oh, The Insanity!”

  1. Leah G. says:

    Enjoy your new family member. I just finished a book from my book club called Dewey. It’s about
    a cat left in the night book drop of a library
    in Spencer Iowa. Delightful!!!

  2. Melody A. says:

    I love reading your posts, they are so real life and full of everything that makes it good, Love your kitty and wish you a wonderful time on your date with Mr. Cowboy !! haven’t been to a rodeo since I was young.

  3. Paula says:

    Will look forward to seeing the beauty you have been creating.

  4. Wendy says:

    Well, I’m glad you’re a tad bit behind, because then maybe you won’t notice how extremely behind I am on the Creativity Challenge. Haha! Being creatively busy is great fun, even when it’s exhausting! Enjoy the rodeo with your man, and sneak in some naps with sweet little Stormy if you can 🙂

  5. Kathy Fraser says:

    Nice going girl. I love rodeos.We don’t get them much here in Maine.
    Just wanted to let you know we almost lost the hubby Monday night. He is still in the hospital. It was a close call. No potassium in his body at all. B/P was 86/62. His kidneys were shutting down. He was so dehydrated he didn’t know if he was coming or going or even if he had already been. He kept falling. So daughter and I took him at midnight. We didn’t even have to wait in the waiting room. He was really bad and he looked like death. But he is doing a whole lot better now. He will hopefully come home by Monday or Tuesday.

  6. Judy S. says:

    Your productivity makes my head spin. Take care of yourself and enjoy your date night.

  7. Ceil says:

    Enjoy your date night. You guys have a good time. Can’t wait to tell Christian you’ve got another cat! Am learning a lot with my attempts at free motion quilting on my little Janome. The biggest lesson has been the vital importance of the right needle and the right thread… and how much thread is used. I have to go to the shop to stock up!

  8. Marlene Clausen says:

    A kitty and the rodeo as a reward for all your hard work!! How’s THAT for a pat on the back?!

  9. Cindy says:

    How was the rodeo? I guess I need to make a visit to come meet Stormy. Looks like a sweetie!!!

  10. Rose Marie says:

    Talking about attending a rodeo made me remember that when I was a child, we used to always go to the Hinton, Oklahoma rodeo where my mother’s brother and family lived. Obviously this was not a big rodeo but I always enjoyed it. So I looked on Google and guess what! They still have a rodeo there every year. http://rodeosusa.com/rodeos/hinton-kiwanis-club-rodeo/

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