Update: Crazy Crafter Woman!!!

As mentioned before, I was truly inspired by the first El Paso Project Linus meeting I attended. Since that meeting, I have been a quilting fool! I have completed 3 additional Linus blankets (see the photos below) and have a good start on the 4th.

I have also increased my fabric supply by 400% and am starting to worry that I'm turning into my mother!!! I've been shopping at the fabric stores in El Paso and a new friend, Susan, also has introduced me to the lovely quilt and yarn shops in Las Cruces, NM (about 40 minutes north). I have managed to restrict myself to only buying fabric with a dedicated pattern in mind, but I now have a big enough supply to last me the rest of the year!

Knitting is also something I have started recently. Susan has introduced me to several groups that meet throughout the week to knit or crochet. I've started on a scarf, but have had to pull out my work and start over so many times that I've lost count. I'm beginning to think that perfectionism and knitting do not go hand in hand!

In addition to all of that, I've been commissioned to make 3 nursing covers for friends of my friend, Jen. She has given me free range on fabric choices and I just hope that I pick something that each of the 3 ladies will like! Thankfully, the pattern for the nursing covers is really easy and I should be able to whip them out in no time!

Whether it is a good thing or not, my sewing progress has begun to slide ever since Cam has been home. Beginning tomorrow, he will be in training for the next 4 months and I should have the time to focus on my crafts ... and, I suppose, find a job.

A new pattern for a boy Project Linus quilt

Detail of the boy quilt

The same simple pattern, but fabric for a girl

Detail of the girl quilt

Left over fabric was pieced together to make...

Another girl quilt for Project Linus

Home Sweet Home

After 7 looooooooong weeks of increasing tedium, Cam finally finished BOLC II at Ft. Sill, OK on Friday, August 21st. Since I already knew how the drive home could get a little boring by oneself, I decided that it would be best if we made the trip together. So, as a "surprise", I flew up to Lawton, OK that morning in order to make the 9+ hour drive home to El Paso, TX with him. My sweet hubby was waiting patiently at the airport when I arrived with some beautiful flowers (in my favorite color!). After stopping for a little lunch and one last good-bye to Oklahoma, we headed out on our road trip!

We really enjoyed our drive home as it gave us the opportunity to reconnect, share stories of our activities for the last 4 weeks and verbally abuse the terrible New Mexican and Mexican drivers we passed along the way!!!

While BOLC II wasn't exactly what Cam had hoped for, it did make him appreciate the El Paso area and the time he spent in Officer Candidate School. He begins BOLC III (Air Defense job training) Monday, August 31st at Ft. Bliss and is looking forward to all the new stuff he gets to learn! He is scheduled to remain at Ft. Bliss throughout this training (August through December) and doesn't expect to leave again until his new unit deploys ... whenever that may be.

Eyes on the road

Not quite home, but at least the right state!

The Gratitude Campaign

I recently came across the video advertising The Gratitude Campaign and wanted to share it with all of you!

According to Scott Truitt, the founder, on his website: gratitudecampaign.org "For the past several years as I've been traveling around the country, I've been approaching Soldiers in airports and thanking them for serving for us. On several occasions I have noticed that it felt a little awkward for both of us. ... But they have always appreciated being thanked, and I have always felt better having expressed my gratitude. I started to think that it would be nice if civilians had a gesture or sign that they could use to say "thank you" quickly and easily without even having to approach. I did some research and found the sign that we are now using."

The non-verbal sign is intended to say, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart!" To make the sign, simply place your hand on your heart as though you're saying the Pledge of Allegiance; then pull your hand down and out, bending at the elbow (not the wrist), stopping for a moment at about the belly button with your hand flat, palm up, angled toward the person you're thanking.

I have attached the promotional video below (as seen in national sports arenas and local television stations around the country). If you agree with the sentiment intended, please begin using this way of communicating to any of our brave military men & women you pass!

BEWARE! Crazy Quilter!

Just in the nick of time! I stayed up late last Friday hurrying to get a quilt done for my first Project Linus meeting the following morning. In Washington, I had donated one quilt to the group, but there was no formal gathering for the charity in the Puget Sound area. So when I saw online that the El Paso chapter met once a month at a local church, I was all excited! What a great place to go and meet fellow crafty people in the area!

The meeting was so much fun!!! There were several guest speakers from some of the local hospitals and charities that receive the blankets. Many people also entertained us all with a little "Show-and-Tell" of their MULTIPLE projects. Being a newbie, I was also "forced" to get up and show my lowly little quilt! There was even a luncheon provided in honor of the groups 7th anniversary.

While I was probably the only young adult there (there were 2 kids, but the rest were retired ladies), I made some new friends who helped me decipher one of the knitting patterns I printed off online AND invited me to some knitting groups they attend throughout the week. I also picked up a couple of new quilting patterns to use in the future. I'm already looking forward to next month's meeting!

Project Linus Quilt #1 - Finished in time for the meeting!

After the meeting, I was truly inspired! I headed to the local Walmart and fabric stores in search of yarn for my first knitting project. While at the fabric store, I found some cute fabric to use with one of the new quilt patterns I picked up ... and it was even on sale! I headed home with my creative juices flowing and a car full of supplies.

I got to work that afternoon. I cut out, pinned and sewed together my final flannel quilt using the same pattern I had used for my previous five quilts. I now think that I could make that pattern while half-asleep (which I was at 1AM on Sunday morning!) After some crazy hours on the sewing machine, I finished the last flannel quilt up this morning. (3 days total to complete it!!!) Now that it's done, I'm all set to start on my next set of fabrics and a new pattern. Stay tuned for my progress...

Project Linus Quilt #2 - FINISHED ... in 3 days!

Project Linus Quilt #2 - Fabric Detail

Stay Tuned!!! Fabric for the next quilt

Stay Tuned!!! Fabric for the next quilt

Chillin' in OKC

After the 9+ hour drive last Friday from El Paso to Lawton, OK (home of Ft. Sill), I picked up Cam and we headed another 90 miles north to Oklahoma City. Along the way, it was fun to catch up on all that he had been doing for the last 3 weeks. Unfortunately, I didn't have much to share because I haven't been doing ANYTHING exciting...

After checking into the hotel, we went in search of dinner. An Army buddy of Cam's suggested we try Toby Keith's I Love This Bar in downtown OKC. After SEVERAL trips around the block, we finally located the restaurant and a parking lot. One of the features of this restaurant/bar is local live music (the band that night was really good and played several country and rock covers) and military personnel get a free dinner! We then strolled along the Riverwalk in the Bricktown area of the city and finally had to give up when we (read: Kristy only) were covered in sweat due to all the humidity!

Saturday was a super busy day for us! We started off the morning with a leisurely stroll along the deserted Riverwalk and admired many of the Land Rush Monuments that have been installed. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to take the River Taxi tour, but followed along beside one for a while. We learned that the only reason Oklahoma City became the capital of Oklahoma was because 2 people stole the "official" state seal from a neighboring town in the dead of night. These folks then drafted a letter stating the capital was Oklahoma City and stamped it with the official seal. Therefore, OKC became the capital in 1907.

We then headed to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum in honor of the Federal Building bombing in April 1995. See the post below for more details.

After getting baked in the sun all morning and afternoon, we took an air conditioned, self-guided tour of the Oklahoma state capital building. The building was full of white marble, amazing murals of the state's history, and crazy detailed plaster on the walls. I was quite surprised by the lack of people inside on a Saturday afternoon, especially given my childhood experience of visiting the Capitol Building in Olympia one summer with my family.

We ended the day by getting all dressed up and dining at a local restaurant suggested by online reviewers. Despite Cam's reservations, the food was delicious and the atmosphere charming. While we had grand plans of attending the Triple A OKC Redhawks game after dinner, after our busy day we ended up CRASHING as soon as we got back to the hotel.

Sunday was a much more relaxed day. We caught the very early showing of "Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince" movie. (It was one of the better of the series, but as always, the books are FAR BETTER!) We then had a leisurely lunch and headed back to Lawton and Ft. Sill just in time to check into my hotel. Cam showed me around Ft. Sill a little and we also found Geronimo's grave in the Apache graveyard on post. All of the grave stones were lined up by family and dated from 1901 to present day.

After a fun filled weekend, it was sad to say goodbye. The drive home Monday morning seemed to take much longer than the drive up. Could it be that I wasn't excited to get home to an empty house?