no bats, little quilting or reading

If you read my post from last week you'll understand the no bats.  But really, it's what it says.  No bats were found in my house this week.

(Thank goodness because three in a week is the threshold where I need to call in a professional and with two last week, we were getting dangerously close!)

I also mentioned last week that I was going to quilt the baby quilts.

I did!

Freddie helped piece the backs.

I spread them on the floor to lay the quilt on top and see where to cut and this little nutcase burrowed right in.  At least twice for this back and once for the other quilt.

He's usually the chill, aloof cat.  Apparently not last Sunday.

Eventually I got both backs pieced and the longarm prepped and loaded.

Of course the colors are wrong here (why, oh why, can't my phone "see" the same thing I do?), but you can see the swirls going in!

This is the Colour Value Mystery Quilt Along from Canuck quilter.  The mystery is no longer available as a mystery, but you can purchase the pattern.  It's really well-written and easy to do and offers (I think) four sizes!

This will be going to my nephew and his wife for their third child.  If labor doesn't happen on its on before then, she will be induced Tuesday.

My father-in-law claims this will be a boy, but they have had multiple appointments where the docs tell them it's a girl.  I guess come Tuesday we'll see who is right!

Once this was done, I kept my "big girl panties" on and loaded up number two!

Again, it looks a little yellow, where the background is a nice white (with confetti squares), but whatever.  You get the idea.

This one got swirls also because I was being lazy and anything custom would just be insane.  (Also, it's a pattern that my longarm seems to tolerate well, even in its state of tantrum throwing.)

The pattern is a mashup of patterns from both of Lori Holt's Vintage Farmgirl books.

Binding has been attached and I've started the hand-sewing side of that, but this week has been a little busy again.

I had Monday off, but I went to lunch with friends, so that took a chunk of the day.  A fun chunk.  I haven't been able to join them in a while.

I worked Tuesday through Friday, alternating opening and closing shifts, which wears me out.  (Working till 9:30pm and then having to be back at 8am is not fun.  You basically start the day exhausted.)

Friday morning I got up and got my tire fixed.  I hope.

And then yesterday, Saturday, I got up and prepped to do a third round of this:

14 more quarts, though three didn't seal in this batch.  Not sure what's going on with that (one I could see had tomato seeds in the seal, but the other two?), but those got frozen, so all is well.  They'll be a little more work to use, but they didn't go to waste.

My house smells like canned tomatoes now.  Even with the windows open most of yesterday (it was cooler out and I'm not complaining!), but I guess it could be worse.

And THEN we headed to the in-laws for a cookout of hotdogs and s'mores.  Might be the last of the season, so I ate two s'mores and an extra marshmallow.

I have been reading, but not a lot.  For a few weeks my right eye has been giving me trouble (I have an eye appointment a week from tomorrow), so I've been wearing glasses instead of contacts and trying to limit my up-close stuff (reading, phone, etc) more to see if that helps.  I think it is, but I still want the doc to tell me it's nothing more than eye strain.  (Fingers crossed that IS all it is!)

So I haven't finished the book I started last week, but I'm enjoying this one, which is nice considering the two before it weren't so great.  I might finish it tonight, but the hubby also has a fantasy football draft this afternoon, of which I am expected to participate (someone has to get the names of the picks on the chart...), so we'll see.

Not much quilting, but I can't complain much about the stuff I've been doing.  I worked all summer to have those tomatoes to can.  I enjoy cookouts when the weather is a little chilly and family is always important.  And work allows me the means to have cats and make those quilts.

Time to go find a cheat sheet for the fantasy football (some dude makes a ranked list of players and the hubby uses that to help choose his team...can you hear my eyes rolling?) and get that printed.  At least it's at a place where I can order good bar food!

Happy quilting and reading and canning!
Katie