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Thought some of you might like to know what I have been working on since coming back from vacation. It was very nice seeing the children this weekend. And another advantage is that last week, I cleaned very thoroughly because you never know what they might get into. So now the apartment is clean and I can concentrate on sewing for awhile.

First, the important news, it has been over 5 weeks since I had a cigarette. I think that officially makes me a non-smoker. Now the only time I think of one is when I head to the bathroom. Okay, Cord, I know - TMI - too much information - but it's the truth. I thought my inaccuracy cutting material was due to the Chantix or just quitting but I finally decided it was the caffiene I was consuming. I was so jittery and that makes a difference when your whole quilt is made of 2.5" strips. So I quit the caffiene too - except for my 2 cups of coffee in the morning. Don't know if I could function without those. Morning coffee drinking has been with me since 1968 so I think I'll keep it for awhile. Would you believe I can remember my first cup of coffee!

Did I show this before? The colors are off - my editing I guess. It is actually fern green and taupe out of upholstery material. It was outside the bathroom of Cracker Barrel and we liked it so I took a picture to try to remember how to do it. Those black squares are roosters - there is no accounting for some peoples taste - ideas?? I would have used flowers but when I make one, I can embroider whatever I want.

Found this book on sale at Barnes and Noble the other day. Love the pictures of quilt blocks. I may never make a thing but they also gave you a cardboard template of the size of the block!

This is what I'm working on. A quilt that uses 2.5" strips to make 11 different 10.5" blocks to go together as a lap quilt. I am going to make 4 of everything and make a king size quilt. As I said, my cutting wasn't precise enough so maybe my blocks will be 10"! I'll have to make it up in the borders.

I finished my Mother's Day wallhanging and will be putting that up this week for May. Come back for pictures.

Emerson Turns 2!

This is Emerson Lane! She's hiding in the utility closet because she hates to have her picture taken!

This is Jacob Wilson - her big brother!

Saturday, I was fortunate enough to host Em's second birthday. One of my dreams came true - to have someone to make a Barbie Doll cake for just like Mother use to make.

Emerson gets excited about lots of things - her big brother dancing, her trip to the zoo, her trip for dinner to the top of the Radisson in Covington, her birthday presents, her Daddy's praise, her Mother's laugh, almost everything either excites or scares a two year old.

And my baby can't keep his eyes off his babies - unless he has missed his nap!!! Like mother, like son!



Have a good day,

Char

Easter and a Special Birthday

Easter means ham, sweet potatoes and Cordelia's birthday!!!! So Lily provided her with a rabbit birthday cake, the ham, the sweet potatoes, Cil brought salads, I brought beans and corn, Sam brought ambrosia; Ric, Haylee, Hannah, Drew, Dale and Cordelia provided good conversation. We had a wonderful Easter being together and celebrating with Cordelia.

On the Way Home

Sometimes on the trip we had to remind Lucilu that she did not know how to drive and she had to keep the job of navigator!!

We got to Ray's and he and Maureen were again ironing their work clothes right before heading to the restaurants!!! We spent the night and then headed out the next morning.

We had seen some beautiful sights and we dreaded heading north. It rained on us all day and all night. We spent the night in Hendersonville. We were suppose to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway the next day. When we got up the next morning it was cold and very foggy. I told Lily if we were on the Parkway we couldn't see anything anyways. So we headed for Knoxville. We got in late that night fighting wind and rain the entire way. But I was determined to sleep in my bed that night.

And that, my friends, is the rest of the story. A wonderful vacation!!!!!!!!

Key West

Lucilu here. I'm turning the blog back to Charlene. She has her concentration and focus back, she thinks!

Why do they call it Key West when everywhere you go it talks about the Southernmost....? Should they have named it Key Southernmost? Anyway, after driving down the center of Florida on US 27 (where we have the intoxicating smell of orange groves and lemon groves for miles on end) forever, we finally made it to Key West. The drive through the keys was great and the water was an indescribable color - not aqua, not blue, not green, I don't know what color it was but beautiful. The dogs were welcome at most places - on the patio at restaurants. Here Lily tries to corral them. The palms are from outside our B&B room. Wouldn't they make a great quilt pattern?

There were too many people at the tourist place to see the sunset. So we went to another location and got this picture - the sun is right in the middle of the picture. But what was beautiful was this sailboat (yacht or pirate ship) off the coast. I tried to get a picture but wasn't too successful. Use your imagination!

This is the southernmost beach in America??!!

We ate, we walked, we lounged, we saw, and then we left. Without being 22, looking great in a bikini, cruising the beaches and bars or parasailing, after seeing Truman's Summer White House, the Light House, Hemmingway's House, the six-toed cats, the beautifully colored roosters, there isn't much else in the small stretch of land. So we headed north. The traffic to Miami on US 1 was constant and going 45. Then in Miami, on US 1 and I95, it was 12 lanes of bumper to bumper, constant, going 85. It was either keep up and get off the road. So I kept up and Lily pretended to be asleep so she couldn't see the narrow misses (Lucilu and Prissy had no idea how much danger they were in). We stopped in Ft. Pierce for the night at a Holiday Inn Express - of all the chains they have the best breakfast we think - the biscuits and gravey are delicious!

The next day it was back to Ray's for the Day.

That's as long as I can concentrate. So I'll save that for another day.

PS. I'm still a non-smoker. I have gotten over wanting one first thing in the morning, after I eat, when I go to the bathroom, when I leave the hobby room, when I get in the car. My bowels are no longer in an uproar, my house and car, my hair and Lucilu smell a lot better! Now to get my sleep straightened out. I don't know whether to blame all the symptoms on Chantix, lack of nicotine or the trip. But............. I am a non-smoker!

St. Augustine

Luci here to finish our trip tale.

We headed to Ray's in Jacksonville on Wednesday. The farther we got south, the warmer it was. Billy, the blue beagle, was sure glad to see me and Prissy.
Ray and Maureen had to head to work so they made their clothes extra spiffy - a routine they do every day,
Then they had the day off and we headed for St. Augustine. Even though Ray drove, I still had to navigate. We saw the fort, fountain of youth and walked around the historic downtown.

When the grownups rested, we dogs stayed on guard. Wasn't the sky blue? Friday night Charlene and Aunt E had a margarita at Mo's restaurant and then dinner at Mitchell's. It was delicious as usual. I stayed home with Billy and Prissy and guarded the house.

Saturday we headed to Lakeland to visit Aunt E's friend Ellen. She had hurt her foot and was at the ER when we got there. We stayed Sat and Sun nights and helped her with her dog and food. But I don't think her dog, Duke, wanted us there. He was not too hospitable to us although being me I kept trying to get him interested. He was still grouchy when we left Monday morning headed for Key West. Stay tuned for those stories and pictures.

Charlene says her father would say - "I've raised a foolish family. Animals are for the outside of the house!!!"

Savannah

Charlene says she's too discombobulated to blog so I, Lucilu, will fill you in on how the big trip went. I don't know if she's tore up because of the Chantrix or the lack of nicotine but, boy, you should smell my fur. I smell like a French whore, not an ashtray!

Anyways, back to the trip, I can tell you about it because the entire time I either sat on the console or on top of Prissy's crate right behind the driver. I was the Designated Navigator - I don't care if she does have a GPS - my sense of smell and direction got us there and back. I didn't take a nap the entire trip just so she and Aunt E wouldn't get lost on those big highways. Plus I had to guard at night and make sure no one came into the motel room. I have a heavy burden for my 11 pounds!!

Our first night we spent in Lancaster, SC so she could see her old buddy, Peggy. They had a great visit and then Tuesday morning, we headed out for Savannah. And Savannah does look like it does in the movies. It was St. Patrick's Day so we saw the green river and the crazy people with unbelievable outfits on - in green of course. Notice in the pictures how the azaleas are in full bloom and the trees are leafed out.

Charlene got to walk me just like she saw UGA being walked in the movie "In the Garden of Good and Evil". Isn't she a lucky lady? I'm so much cuter than UGA! And then on down the road we went!

On March 13

On Friday, March 13th, I quit smoking. I had been taking Chantrix for a week; I ran out of cigarettes and since I was leaving on vacation on Monday, I didn't want to buy any more. While on vacation, we visited non-smokers and stayed in non-smoking rooms. I've been home since Sunday (it's now Wednesday) and am still not smoking.
I want to be a non-smoker; not an ex-smoker. Ex-smokers have an obligation to lecture others about smoking and how evil it is. I don't want to do that.
I just want to not smell like smoke; not have a smoker's cough; not rush out of restaurants so I can grab a cigarette before we get back in the car; not stink up others' cars. I want my gums to heal faster after surgery. I want my breathing to be quieter.
I am a non smoker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next time I'll tell you about the vacation that brought about this miracle!