Quilt As You Go, Simply Done

Simply Done

Marguerita

Robbed by Skype

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Stolen: half a month’s bandwidth at $65/month!!

Sarah, Audrey and I keep trying to find easier ways to stay in touch. We bought webcams and have tried Yahoo!, Google Talk and then Skype. Then Tom got the monthly cable bill and we were charged for a humungous amount of usage. We went looking and found that the day I downloaded Skype, our bandwidth was maxed out. Not by the download or usage, but because they routed their traffic through our router & computers!!

Theft is what I call it, plain and simple and stupid me for letting it happen. I knew Skype’s reputation (bad) but had been reading about all those free calls (free because Tom is paying for our bandwidth – which they steal and give away!)

I had no idea that their business operation was funded on stolen bandwidth! The jerks! I don’t support P2P, pirating music, copyright theft and now I don’t support bandwidth theft either.
Link to research #1 Link to article #2 Link to article #3

Do you Play Pool or Billiards?

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We decided, on the spur of the moment, to go to Anchorage for the weekend so that Tom could play in the Fur Rondy Pool Tournament. First, for anyone not in Alaska, Fur Rondy has its traditions in the old fur trade (furs are still traded today) and as a break in the monotony of the tremendously long arctic winters.

When Sarah and her cousins were growing up, it was the highlight of our winters. I’d bundle up the kids and we would go to the carnivals (outdoors rides like ferris wheel, tilt-a-whirl) then go see the snow sculptures, maybe stay late enough for the fireworks. Then we would do the indoor stuff. Craft fairs, face painting for the kids, whatever sounded interesting 🙂

That kind of stuff waned as they became teenagers, so I haven’t really participated in any of the Rondy events in years. In the past I had visited one of the local pool halls, in the basement of a popular bar, just to see what it looked like, but you could cut the cigarrette smoke with a knife and I can’t stand the smell of it, so I quickly left (besides it was intimidating with all the guys concentrating on their shots and games).

Anchorage banned smoking in restaurants and bars a few years ago and the pool hall moved to a new location so I was in for quite the surprise.

Anchorage Billiard Palace was an exceptional treat. So much so that I gave up the chance to shop for fabric, poke around for a few antiques and all the other errands that I put on my list when I heard “two whole days in Anchorage”.

Tom taught me to play pool and he’s very, very good at both playing and teaching. He placed on both Saturday and Sunday, in 8 Ball and 9 Ball, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him and the other players in the tourney. Most of all, the staff at the Billiard Palace was outstanding. Polite, friendly, warmly meeting the needs of all the players and spectators, allowing me to take video of the room, they are the reason I’d go again. I am shy by nature and a hermit in my old age, so it takes a *lot* to get me out of the house, but I’m thinking about putting in the practice hours on the table so that I don’t embarrass myself if I ever play at the Billiard Palace. I put up a poll on the right hand side of the blog, at the top, because I am curious – do you play?

Some of the things I loved the best: 12 nine foot tables, good lighting, great staff, dress code for men and women, no children allowed, central location in Anchorage and the nicest, most interesting people I’ve chatted with since I came back from Quilt Market.

I did get to see Sarah and Audrey for breakfast and some fabric shopping, but afterward I couldn’t wait to get back to the games! If you have never been inside, here’s what it looked like for most of Saturday and Sunday:

Quilt Block Layout

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Okay, this is just silly! I have been switching these squares around for an hour or more! I am giving up 🙂 It’s just that the fabrics are so funky that no matter how I move the squares around, it’s always going to make some goofy match-ups. It is going to be a wild quilt! Tell me if you see any areas of “too strong” a concentration of fabrics, or too many of the same thing clumped together. I am open to all suggestions!

Making Breakfast Burritos in Bulk

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I found this blog, The Simple Dollar, which I now *love*. In this post, Trent talks about pre-making batches of breakfast burritos and freezing them for later. I have been thinking about doing this for a year!

Anchorage has the very best breakfast burritos I’ve ever eaten. They are wonderful and you can make so many choices!! I love the black bean, potato, egg, sour cream, mmmmm.

I read the recipe that the Trent posted to his blog, and then made my plan. We eat burritos all the time for dinner, with the same wraps, using refried beans, rice, salsa, cheese, onions and anything else leftover too. We love them! So, I am going to follow his recipe but add potatoes and rice, for more protein and carbs. I want to get good at making them so that I can send them out on the boat this summer for Tom and his fishing crew. Did you know that the combination of rice and beans creates as valuable a protein for the body as meat? And it’s a lot more digestible too! Here’s the wiki …

My Super Sunday

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Granny’s Closet, Jodi, Judy W, Desertsky & Garnet Rose, I *did* go out for a wonderful walk yesterday, after everyone’s urging and it was GREAT! I walked on the beach in the salt water, listening to it splash onshore (bundled up in my parka and ExtraTuffs!) Still, the sun was out and it was great!

Rannyjean, Becky and Karen in MN, and Karol, you gals really made me laugh and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!! 🙂

Tina – -take me with you!!!

Snoodles, you are a genius! I have a pic of a warm looking ocean, but never thought of looking at webcams! And I have one!

Tessahjake, I have been converting friends into bloggers (abracadabra, you are now a *blogger*) and that’s been really fun. Good idea to get in touch with old friends.

Both Sues in Australia, I almost want to trade houses with you gals but I *die* at temps over 75 degrees (23-24 C) – – let’s meet in the middle – – say, Hawaii?

Jackie – -I used to live in Indian Rocks Beach as a kid – -Gulf coast, south of Tampa/St.Pete. I’ve often thought of going back to see all the changes, but then again, I like remembering just how it was when I was growing up there 🙂

Here’s a view of the harbor, I walked to about where the coal terminal starts (the blue thing in the center of the photo) and here’s a coal tanker coming in as I was out for my walk.

Okay quilters: Rannyjean was the first name pulled, so she gets first choice of the bundles of fabric in the photo below and Jodi was the second name so she gets the bundle that Rannyjean doesn’t pick! Karen in MN, you made me laugh the hardest (and it was your wading pool in the living room that made me think of putting sun tan lotion on just to smell it!). I need your addresses all three and I’m going to find something to put a smile on Karen in MN’s face!

I feel so cheered up by everything that you all said. I did some blog hopping and found a few blogs where the gals are keeping track of their exercise goals and weight loss and that was a great motivator too! I am really happy that even though I am stuck in the back of beyond physically, I get to visit with wonderful people from all over the world. Thank you!

Comet Lulin

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Have you heard about this comet? It’s supposed to be visible to both hemispheres, visible to the naked eye, and fascinating to watch!

From this page: “Feb. 24th: Closest approach! On this special morning, Lulin will lie just a few degrees from Saturn in the constellation Leo. Saturn is obvious to the unaided eye, and Lulin could be as well. If this doesn’t draw you out of bed, nothing will. [sky map]”

I don’t know the declination, but my guess is that it is lower than the mountains surrounding Seward to the southwest. I’ll try to see it anyway 🙂

Cabin Fever fabric give away!

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Yikes, I have cabin fever *B*A*D*! Do you get this? How do you deal with it? This is one of the worst years ever! Can the “hormonal” issues of being age 50 have something to do with it? (yes, the “M” word). I am going to go clean up my stash (again). When I am done I think I might have 1 fat quarter left! LOL 🙂

I want to hear some cabin fever solutions and I’m going to draw names and send fabric to for creative solutions posted in the comments here! I’ll have a bonus for what ever post makes me laugh the hardest 🙂

Drawing on 2/22 Let’s have some fun!

Quilt as you go with Amy, Pat and Suzzett!

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Amy, (here’s her blog post), Pat (link to Pat’s blog) and Suzzett’s daughter Lindsey (here is Suzzett’s blog) all posted about their Crazy Shortcut Quilts – -with photos!! I am so happy to see them all 🙂

Thank you for showing us your quilts and if I missed someone, please let me know at marguerita.mcmanus[@]gmail.com

New Fabric!

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Oh what a great trip to Anchorage! To visit my favorite quilt shop (Seams Like Home Quilt Shoppe) and see the familiar faces and the new, gorgeous fabrics. Heaven!! Then Sarah arrived with granddaughter Audrey and the *real* fun began 🙂

Confession: I do not shop for fabric. I have asked (that being the polite way of saying ‘forced’) Sarah to pick my fabrics for me for years. Last time I went to Quilt Market I just gave her the cash and said “buy what you wanted but didn’t get”. She always picks the best stuff 🙂

When I buy fabrics and show my choices to people, they politely force a tight smile and whisper “oh, how nice ..” and turn away quickly. It’s true. Honest. I am a total loser at picking fabrics. That’s why I buy the fat quarter bundles or have someone do it for me. I relied upon Doris, my all time best quilt shop friend, and now Sarah. Hopefully Audrey will take after her mom and have a good eye for color too 🙂

So anyway, Audrey and I played with the shop toys while Sarah selected my sashing fabrics for the two projects I have in the works now.

The quilt shop owner, Maret, found a minute between class sessions to say “Hi” (she is a total sweetheart) and take a look at my projects and THEN I spied, hidden at the bottom of a rack, my most favorite thing of all – -scrap bags!! Yay! I *love* buying scrap bags! At the counter Sarah spied a bit of left over ribbon with bunnies on it so of course we had to have it. What a wonderful day!

Going shopping for fabric – yay!

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I’ll be in Anchorage for a short period over the weekend and I get to go to my quilt shop! I *love* it there! I always bump into someone I know and I get to look at all the great new fabrics and get inspired by the projects on the walls. Since it is a 5 hour round trip (driving) it’s a big deal to make this trip and a rare treat to have enough time to visit the quilt shop 🙂

I finished my Funky, Fuzzy squares and I need some sashing for them and I need sashing for another project (photos and video coming soon!). If I fall in love with a stiletto, I may even treat myself to one! Right now I use my seam ripper or a long, strong hat pin but I’ve always admired Eleanor Burn’s stiletto and it sure would have helped when I was couching down that fuzzy yarn. Since I really liked that project and want to do more like it, I just think I *need* a stilletto, don’t you? Do you have one? How do you use yours?