Second Day Of The Show

It's the second day of the show, we are up early and it is pretty cold outside. I feel so bad when I'm walking the little creature. She shivers and the wet grass gets her paws soaked wet. Daiseymae seems to handle it much better. We are off again down the main road from hell, traffic not so bad this time.  We decided no matter what side McDonalds  is on we would stop.    WAIT! Duncan Donut straight ahead..........so you got it  glazed donut, egg croissant, and coffee.  Sorry McDonald's, catch you next time.  Anyhow realized all the coupons I have are for Tennessee and can't use them here.

Arriving to the Fairgrounds and parking this time was much better.  Although they put us way on the other side of where we wanted to be.  Found out that yesterday because of the huge traffic jam, they had to open the parking gates and let over 600 people in free just to move traffic faster and get the traffic jam off the expressway. Found out it happened just after we arrived.

I made sure I wore several layers cause it is chilly and windy. Should have brought my gloves and scarf. Oh well, I'll deal with it. Much more crowded in the vendor building. Everyone wanting to stay in where its warm.  But again, these people with dogs that just don't want to be there. Now we just saw a guy come in with about a 200 pound, Shepard/malamute mix. I could put a saddle on him and ride him.  He took up the entire isle and wasn't moving for no one.  The ones with the dogs in strollers were cute. Dogs behaved and didn't get in your way.

We found the other vendors we were looking for and a few more. Spent more $$$$$$$. Johnny bought this squeegy thing for the windshield and as we walked around we had about half a dozen people ask where we got it.  So we walked back to the booth to tell the and he said he had sold out. Probably because of us.  Then we realized sitting in a carrying case on the floor was a little Yorkie. She was a 4 pound, long haired, with a cute bow in her hair. Just watching all the people not making any noise.  They had inherited it from his mother. Of course I had to take my phone out and show pictures.

Now during all this my friend who we are having dinner with on Friday is texting me that the restaurant we are going to doesn't allow blue jeans.  Guess what.........  So we leave the fair grounds in search of a mall for Sears or Penneys.  Took a little bit, but there is a mall with in 7 miles from the camp ground.  While we are driving there we get a call from Freight Liner, that the tech is on his way to our rig to replace a part.  We had to do a marathon run thru the store, find pants in his size, try them on quick and race back to the campground.  We both made it there at the same time. This time replacing the part (by the way was #2) worked..

So we are now settled in for the evening, walked the dogs and got dinner in the oven and both on our computers catching up on email.  This new RV is really so much more comfortable.  The layout makes it so much easier to relax and less getting into each other's way.  Still haven't sewed. Hope to on Friday after I straighten up and do some laundry. Johnny is going back to the show alone.  I'm done......been there done that....... Hopefully some of the ladies will be at the club house sewing and I can go chat with them....so for now I'll close and catch up with you later.......

The RV Show Starts

Wednesday, January, 15

Off we go to the first day of the RV Show.  On the way we stop at Denny's for breakfast.  I would have settled for McDonalds, but for some crazy reason they were on the opposite side of the street going in the opposite direction we were.  Traffic was terrible and it was taking longer than expected to get to the fairgrounds.  Once we got in the area all you could see was a line of traffic that was standing still circling the parking lot.  Loads of RVs were parked in a grassy area dry camping. We slowly get to the entrance, found a parking space and shuffled off thru Gate #1.  Now you enter this sea of motor homes.  You get a map and still can't figure out where you are.  It's HUGE........ Our first stop was to the Tiffins to get a catalog that had a colored picture of our RV.  We took the picture to the booth of ladies that painted your RV on a welcome sign.   Yes I paint, and have time when?????????
We place our order and move on to wander towards one of the vendor buildings.  We have to find 2  companies who have merchandise for us and then we can do what we want.  There are all kinds of entertainment throughout the show. Singers, mimes, piano players, jazz groups, etc. kind of fun wandering around people watching and then................I run into Lois Howard a friend from home. We chat a minute and then went our ways.  Now the one thing that really bothers me is people who drag their poor dogs thru all this confusion.  Some dogs can handle it and have no problems in crowds. I know mine would not. But I watched this stupid man who was carrying a dog that was winning. Maybe he needed to go out, maybe scared, but for what ever reason he kept smacking the dog on the face and jerking its collar.  I had to walk away cause I was ready to start a scene. The majority of the dogs I saw were Yorkies.  Now it's not just because I have and love them, but because there really were Yorkies every place you looked. Made me miss my girls.  We saw this lady sitting in a chair, with a Yorkie in a sling for dogs, it's head leaning back on the ladies chest, fast asleep. I had to take a picture. Such a sweet shot.

So now we are back to the RV Park and we have to move to our new spot.  I quickly walked the dogs and while I did, Johnny got the rig ready to go a few streets down.  I followed him in the car and with walkie talkies helped him back into our new spot.  Very roomy.  And right next to the small doggie fenced in play area. There are ducks and squirrels all over and Daisey is going to love this.

Now that I'm finally settled in, I can rest my knees and sit on the couch with the girls. It's about 7 pm and Johnny is falling asleep.  Long day for him too. So the first day of the show is over.  We spent some money and got some stuff.......tomorrow is another day and is suppose to be colder.  Not looking forward to that.  But for now I will put my feet up and rest my knees. Ahhhhhhh feels good to lay back on the couch......I may just go to sleep early myself.......

Rainbows End Quilt Shop and Country Quilts and Bears

The first quilt shop we went to was the farthest away.  Rainbows End Quilt Shop had 5 stars next to the name and I was told it was huge.  And HUGE it was.  Several large rooms filled with fabrics to die for. One room was just designated to Christmas.  Then rows by colors and patterns splattered all over.  Johnny and I saw a real cute purse sample hanging on a rack.  So he went in search of the pattern while I tried to find fabrics to match fabric I brought with me.  As I was entering and getting ready to take a picture,  I met this cute gentleman sitting out front smoking his pipe and told him he would be in my blog and he chuckled.  He started chatting with Johnny and he and his wife traveled the country and she too had to hit as many quilt shops as she could. He warned me that the place was much larger than it looked from the outside.  So inside I went.........................


I'm sorry but for now you will have to check facebook or wait till I return for pictures.  I am having trouble loading pictures from my laptop.  I may try on Johnny's tomorrow.  But for now you will have to wait.


Second quilt shop was Country Quilts N Bears.  Smaller than the first and has a totally different style.  More country and civil war fabrics.  And a variety of others.  Plus one of the ladies that works there is a bear maker. I was very impressed in all the bears sitting around the shop. They were every size color and shape.


I highly recommend both places if you are in the Tampa area.  Friendly employees willing to assist you look for fabric. In both shops I found most of the fabrics I was looking for and a new fabric for a spring purse.


Tomorrow starts the RV Show and we plan to go there a couple times.  So maybe Thursday morning I will go sew with the ladies for a few hours.  Then we can chill a little and then go back to the show Friday when we meet up with friends from work.  Hopefully we will go out to dinner together and they can come back and see our RV and meet the girls. Now I need to stop writing and watch my favorite Tuesday Show.  NCIS.......LOVE Gibbs and Tony.

You Know Your In Florida When.......

Tuesday Morning.................You know your in Florida when...........................the rude, inconsiderate, couple in the spot we were suppose to move into today.....................refused to leave. Yes you read correct.  At 11 am when they were suppose to be out, we drove by the spot and there was no sign of them even packing up.  So Johnny went to the office to find out what was happening.  After the office called and got rude answers and no indication of the couple leaving they were warned they had to leave as we were suppose to move there.  They refused to leave and we were asked to stay where we are one more night. Only problem is we paid for 50 amp service and a premium spot and we were at a spot that only has 30 amp service.  Which means we can't run the heat or air and too many light or appliances going at one time and we blow the fuse.  So to make us happy for our inconvenience we were given last night free. All fine and good but we still need to move because of the amp service.  It's going to get colder here in the next few days and we need heat and won't be able to run it.  So we went off for the day and decided to go back to the office after our day out. QUILT SHOPS here we come.  Lucky for me Johnny is good about taking me to them.


Now listen to this............right before we were leaving I decided to make a pit stop. As I was walking across the room, a little voice said to me...............look to your left.  So I did and what did I see. 2 ladies sitting at a table working on quilts.  Of course I forgot I had to pee and walked over to talk to them.  Found out one lady was working on a quilt made from a huge scrap bag of wools she got from a trip to Ireland and Scotland.  If I see her tomorrow I will take a picture and post it.  Was in a hurry and forgot to carry my camera with me. They told me they meet on Tue and Thursdays and invited me to join them.  They also asked me if I was going to look for fabric and I told them I had already googled quilt shops. They gave me the names of a few that were on my list, so I loaded the addresses in the GPS and off we went. 

You Know You're in Florida When......

You know you're in Florida when..........IT'S raining!  Of course it is.  I shouldn't have expected anything else.   You know your in Florida when..........you walk along a path that is covered with crushed sea shells instead of river rock.  You know your in Florida when...........it takes you 30 minutes to go 7 miles.  Bumper to bumper traffic.  Traffic for us is 4 cars and a deer.  Today I am in search of a quilt shop and lunch out. But first it has to stop raining and we have to move the motor home to its new spot.  You all have a wonderful day. I'll let you know if I find any fabric.  

Johnny also known as the Road Warrior

It's now Monday morning and cold.  I feel so bad walking the girls.  Never thought about bringing their coats.  Think I'll just keep them in the rig and get new ones for the house.  That way I don't have to worry about forgetting.  We are heading south on I75 and trying to decide how far we want to go for the day.  As we cross the Florida state line the temperature starts to warm up.  Nice when I have to walk the dogs.  We decided to gas up before we hit Florida and found a Piloit Station.  Now we get to go into the Deisel lanes with the trucks.  N I C E and easy.  While Johnny was gassing up I ran inside to the Steak and Shake and got us burgers for lunch.  While I was getting lunch Johnny was approached by a lady of the evening! doing her work in the daytime. Wish I would have been there to see it. We drove around the parking lot next to a grassy area, ate lunch and I was able to walk the girls. While we were on our way I decided to put the address to our Tampa RV Park in the GPS and we realized we were only 4 hours away.  After calling them and reserving a site we decided to go straight thru.  It was a nice idea to be here already, but no one warned us we would hit 5:00 traffic.  Living where we do we forget about work traffic and just work. OMG. It took us 30 minutes to go 7 miles. Lucky for us after the long 7 miles we were 2 turns from the RV Park.  Although the office was closed when we arrived they left our reservation with the security and he guided us to our spot and we settled in.  We will have to move in the morning so I'm not unpacking yet. Looking forward to relaxing tomorrow and maybe taking a ride in search of a quilt shop. And best of all being in warm weather. Nite, nite.....

On The Road Again - Tampa and Warm Weather here We Come

Sunday morning at 7 am and 28 degrees, the Walker family piled into Little Red (new name for the RV) and off we went out of the Cove (name for community I live in) en route to Tampa Florida.. I'm telling you it was cold. I had Daisey and Lacey next to me and wrapped them in their little blankets to keep them warm and I put a quilt around my lap to keep me warm. Although it was cold the ride was smooth and without incident.  It was a beautiful morning.  You could see the sun trying to come out and the frost on the grass was glittering. Picture perfect.  Johnny had his country music on the radio and was really enjoying the quietness of the new rig and the air brakes.  Because we were going to loose an hour and it was Sunday and football was on tv, we decided to stop at 2 pm so we could get set up and Johnny could watch his game and I could write on my blog.  We found a KOA Camp Ground, and yes I am partial to KOA's, and got a spot right away.  They always have super nice people working there, they escort you to your spot and this one picked up your garbage for you.  But we hit the jackpot this time.  A few minutes after arriving there was a knock at the door and one of the guys had brought us a box of 4 huge, warm, chocolate chip cookies.  They also had Hunts Brothers Pizza and delivered to your site.  So guess what we had for dinner. Johnny went to his tv to watch his game and I turned on my tv and set up my computer, but only had 30 minutes for free wi fi and never got to work on my blog.  The night got pretty cold and I hated walking the dogs for me and for them.  When we woke up this morning it was about 35 degrees and Florida was looking better and better.  We took our time having breakfast, packing up and finally departed around 9 am.  Late for us, but we have no time schedule and I hate being rushed.  So off again on I75 southbound towards Tampa.

Talk About Cabin Fever

Just as I was starting to get cabin fever I saw this posted on FB.  I just loved it.  So I ran to town to get the color nail polishes I needed.  Like I don't have any thing to do.  It's not exactly like the picture, but close.  Very hard to do.  I do suggest, if you try it.  Pour a small puddle of nail polish on wax paper and use a stylist and not a toothpick.  Let each color dry, and really let it all dry before putting your top coat on.  You can buy the sticky tape for French nails that helps make the line for the red.  Next time I will make my red line wider and even the dots. And there you have it. Mickey Nails.

 



Old Man Winter Hits Hard

At 6 am this morning it was -8 on my porch.  How about you.......In the 13 years I have lived here in Tennessee this is by far the coldest I have seen it.  And for a few days to boot.  The last couple of mornings we had our power go on and off numerous times.  Just as the tv would reboot and come on, you got it......the power would go off. Didn't want to take a shower, because I was afraid just as I was ready to dry my hair, the power would go off.  I had a load of laundry that took me all morning to finish.  Then last night, our power went off just as I was starting dinner.  So we sat on the couch as it started to get dark.  Got the candles out, lit the fireplace and curled up on the couch with the dogs and several quilts.  1 hour goes by, then 2.  OK now its time to start the wood burning stove cause its below 0 out and the house temperature is dropping.  So Johnny worked on the fire and I went to the kitchen with a flashlight and made us a big salad and a cup of hot coco.  Just as we sat in front of the fire to eat....................................the power came on. By then it was too late to start dinner so Johnny went to the warmth of the bed and quilts and me and the dogs stayed on the couch and we all watched what was left of our programs.  Today no power outage.  It was great, but very cold.  I worked on a few classes I'm teaching, caught up on email and finished my laundry.  While I was starting dinner tonight Johnny went to check all the faucets and realized the cold water in my craft room was frozen somewhere in the pipes in the wall.  Then we found one of the 2 faucets in the upstairs bathroom wasn't working.  Now we have to wait till it warms up a little to see if there is a break in the pipes (that means we will see water leaking somewhere) or if they didn't break just wait for the thawing and when we leave for our trip we will turn the water off to the house just in case.

Pleated Bag Class

Check under classes for information on this purse class in February.  Should be a fun day.

My Mom

Back in December of last year my wonderful mother, Rose, turned 89. She became my mom when I was just 15 and not only has she been my mom, but my best friend.  I can talk to her about anything. She is always willing to listen. No one could ask for a better step mother than Rose. She has always treated me as her very own daughter. I miss her so much as she is miles away living upstate NY. Here she is with the flowers I sent her. I Love You Mom, and Miss You.

Fur Pelts for the Crafter in Mind

If you are a crafter who makes Vintage Santa Dolls this is for you. I have a bag of rabbit pelts for sale.  Enough to fill a jumbo zip lock bag.  Fur Pelts for $25.00.

 

 

QUILT FOR SALE

I have this cute quilt that I made last year for sale at a reduced price. It is pastel pinks, greens, and lilac colors of little bunnies appliqued to the blocks.  It measures 32" x 28".  I am selling it at a reduced price of $25.  I know I paid more for the fabric but would like to clean out some of my inventory and add new items for this year. Contact me if you are interested.