first embroidery

my first ever embroidered tea towel. turned out ok, definitely room for improvement! one of my younger sisters is getting married next month and this is a shower gift for her. i know she won't be as critical as i am so that's a good thing. i just hope she likes it! i'm going to make her a little hanky for her something blue, at least the plans i have in my head lol!

pattern found on flickr

quilty update

So I just started playing with some Figgy Pudding using a pattern from Green Fairy, hopefully it'll go together quick, I want a stack of tops to quilt this summer! Any leftovers from this will be made into a ticker tape pillow to match.

Also just finished some more blocks for Rachel's quilt along.





I wanted to start cutting my Plume quilt out BUT! I can't find the pattern! I know the measurements, I don't know the exact number of Jelly Roll strips to cut. Plus my house got really hot today and if I turned on the A/C in April I'd have to take myself out back and beat the hell outta myself because I live in the Chicago area, we savor weather like this in April!

On a school note: I got my application for the state test!! I'll be taking it June 11th at 530pm so if I go MIA, I'm busting my ass studying for the test! Never thought the day would come where I'd be done. SQUEEEEE!!!

it's the final countdown

(admit it, how many of you sang that?!)

I'm getting down to the very last things I need for school and I'm happier than a pig in shit. Sorry for being blunt but it's the truth. I only need 10 more calls, 3 more ERs to complete and 1 more intubation. I need a couple pediatric patients, some syncopes, some OBs, some abdominal, just a smattering in a few categories.

When I first started it seemed impossible to get done, but I'm actually ahead of the game. Some of my classmates have much more to do, as of today, I have exactly 1 month before all of my paperwork is due, which I admit kinda scares me. We take our final exam May 3rd, then have another certification to complete, and review for the state test, we graduate June 1st, then take the state test that weekend. If we pass we should have our licenses by the end of June.

And guess what that means?? MORE TIME FOR QUILTING!!!!!!!

In the line of duty

On March 30, 2010 we lost a firefighter in the most tragic of ways. In the Line of Duty. Brian Carey had a dream of becoming a full time firefighter and finally that dream came true 2 mos. ago. I never knew him personally but firefighters are a band of brothers and sisters that is unbreakable.

There are always what if's when you fight a fire. The best outcome is that everyone goes home when the fire is out. You always critique and play Monday morning quarterback. Could this have been different? Could that have been prevented? In the case of this fire it was speculated that there were oxygen tanks in the home. Some people are on home O2 for various reasons, COPD, emphysema, bronchitis, vent dependent, realistically it could be one of a variety of disease processes. If that home O2 tank was to blame do you think the fire department should've known about that before the fire even happened? Oxygen is not flammable but rather supports combustion, or, in other words, it just fuels the fire. Oxygen tanks are under pressure, you drop one and the valve gets damaged that tank becomes a missle that will penetrate just about anything in its path.

The number one mantra we have is scene safety. If the scene is not safe you do not enter. Obviously, fire is a different animal but you still need to make sure you're assuring personal safety. Should persons on home oxygen be required to notify the fire department that oxygen tanks are present in the home? Could that have made a difference in this fire? That tank had the potential to launch at any time under the right conditions possibly endangering the public. It's recommended that a sign be placed on the door of the home, but in the event of a blaze will that sign still be there when firefighters arrive? At the very least I believe that Oxygen tanks SHOULD be registered with the fire department, the number of cylinders, the size of the cylinders, and locations within the home. In departments with CADs this information could be at the tips of a dispatcher and s/he could notify responding departments that oxygen tanks are in the home. If CADs are not available it could be stored in binders in the engine or truck. Would you support a law of this nature? If it saved just one life it's worth it. Brian's Bill perhaps?

winner!!

Diane is our winner!!! Please use the contact me button at the top and shoot me an email with your color choices and your address :)p

who wants another giveaway?!

That is the giveaway!! It's an 18x4.5 inch 2 layer expression from Uppercase Living in the colors of your choice! Standard colors only, no shimmer or etched glass. These are crazy easy to apply and a very fun and quick way to spruce up your creative space. Since this is a custom item I will have to order it and there is about a 2 week time where it takes to get the item ready for shipping. I'll let random.org pick a winner on Thursday! Deadline for entering is Wednesday March 31 at MIDNIGHT CST!

This is no April Fool's joke my friends!! Value of the expression is $15.95 not including shipping, which I'm also paying for!! It'll come straight to your door from UPS. How's that for awesome?? To see our colors go here to see your color choices live, you can even enter your wall color to make sure it looks good with your paint.

How to enter! For one entry, leave a comment. Want one more? Blog about it. If you want 10 more additional entries purchase something & leave your order # in your comment. Want 20 more?? Become an Uppercase Living demonstrator and leave a comment!

There is absolutely no need to purchase anything for an entry, it will simply get you 10 more additional entries! The winner will need to email me with all the details so I can place the order and have it shipped to you.

stay tuned

I have an exciting giveaway that will start on Saturday!