I’m on vacation this week! Well it’s hard to go on vacation as an entrepreneur but I’m only working 2-3 hours/ day checking emails and stuff while the staff hold down the fort. I’m super excited because I haven’t been on a vacation like this in a long time. I don’t plan on doing anything other than sewing, quilting, playing WOW, cooking, going to yoga and just hanging out as the mood hits me. If I feel like it I may start painting my bedroom. When we moved, I took over my sister’s room who had painted it a dark purple. It’s a really pretty eggplant purple and while I love the color (it’s one of my favorites!) I can’t live in a space that dark for too long. So I have the paint and primer waiting for me to find the time to do it. The hubby taped up the room and maybe this week I’ll feel like doing it.

I love not feeling like I HAVE to do something. I love not having appointments or tasks. It’s definitely something I have to do more often to rejuvenate myself and keep my sanity.

So DAY 1 of my vacation was really Saturday. That was the day I spent at my Guild’s workshop with Anelie Belden. I enjoyed learning her method on Dresden Plates. Just so you know, I went to the guild meeting for the second time (first time as a member) last Tuesday and that’s when I learned about Anelie’s workshop. I signed up but I didn’t really have time to go through fabric. With my stash and my Sunday Stash Update looming over me I just pulled from my stash… And because lighting is such as it is at my house, I couldn’t really see what worked together or not. At first I really tried to get it to work but I couldn’t see so I gave up and just pulled things that were medium, light, and dark as her instructions called. Did all the cutting and made it to the workshop on time. I was a little leery as it was my first workshop with this Guild and I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know what to expect and whether there was going to be food or if I should have brought a lunch. Well, all the ladies were really nice and I enjoyed myself immensely. They will be doing something called “Camp Stitch” next month where a group of quilters get together at 6pm Friday and stay until Saturday 10pm. It’s a quilty sleepover! I’m going to try to go to that too.

here are pics of my Dresden Plate wall hanging:

Dresden Plate Wall Hanging

The back of the Dresden Wall Hanging

Right now it’s pinned and ready to be quilted. I’m not ready to quilt it as I don’t know how I’m going to do that and I’m not ready to switch to a walking foot just yet. I’ve stashed this in my little quilty cupboard so that next time I’ve got my walking foot out I can quickly quilt it.

DAY 2 – Sunday

I took most of the day to finish the Dresden Wall Hanging top and backing and pinned it so that it’s ready to be quilted. I also started listening to Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander on Audible. I’ve ready it quite a few times already but Tanesha at Crafty Garden Mom mentioned it in a recent podcast and that the a TV Series will be coming out in the Fall of 2014. With 8 books (or something like that) I wanted to refresh myself on it before the series started. My physical book is in storage somewhere. So I borrowed it from the library but it is still sitting on top of the piano unopened. Then I received a little $10 gift from Audible, so I decided to use it to get the audio version. It is going much faster, I started listening to it yesterday and with all the quilting I’ve been doing, I believe I’m now at chapter 10.

DAY 3 – Monday

So even though it’s DAY 3 – It’s really my first day off. I checked emails in the morning and basically worked the 2-3 hours I’m allowing myself to. But for the most part, I’m sitting here binding Kayla’s Thirties Quilt and listening to Outlander. I made lunch for the family with Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken while the girl helped. I’m trying to convince her to make Bibingka (which is a Filipino dessert/cake dish and if you are familiar with this.. there are a number of versions all called Bibingka but completely different from each other – do not ask me why they call different things the same name. Well – maybe there is a longer name in the language but for simplicity sake here in the US they just call them all Bibingka). Anyway, this particular Bibingka is similar to cornbread but more cakey and corn is not used at all. I used to make it all the time as a kid and now my mom has taught my girl. This is one of the benefits of living with the older generation and I absolutely love it. My mom is a wonderful cook and there are many Filipino dishes that I would love to learn from her. The problem is TIME TIME TIME!!!!! I never have enough and when I have it I’d rather be quilting. LOL. 🙂

~ Happy Quilting!

Melanie