http://msbitchcakes.blogspot.com/  You will just love this blog.. Not only is she “cute as a bug” she has great tips on weight loss and the most beautiful pictures of New York City..  I just love this site. I go there all the time. She looks like she stepped out of the 30’s and 40’s..   Visit Sheryl today!

In just a few hours it will be 2010.  It is just unreal that we have zipped by another year so fast.  Some of you that read this blog, it could possibly be 2010 for you already!

I am NOT making any resolutions. You know why? I don’t keep them. No use lying to you and myself. I WONT KEEP THEM.

I did work on a quilt today that someone has placed an order for. Well it is coming along right nicely. When I finished  sewing for the day, I started going through old quilt magazines, craft magazines and general craft magazines. I found Candlewicking, Tole Painting, Woodworking and all kinds of sewing magazines along with quilting books and magazines.  I started a pile of the ones that I am going to get rid of.  Clearing out. No more buying a book just for one pattern.  I have some magazines from the 60’s with cigarette ads in them. So how old is that? I will never for the life of me figure out why I kept a magazine with Joan Kennedy, Ted Kennedy’s  exwife on it because it had potholder patterns in there.. A lot of patterns. Now I have just turned 56 and I don’t ever recall making potholders! What was I thinking?  I think it was Good Housekeeping. The potholders are all different things, pumpkins, animals, people and just about anything you can think of. I guess one day I figured I would be making potholders! Not going to happen.

I found books that I have no idea why I bought them. I have outdoor furniture books, Tole painting, Tshirt painting books by the hundreds. I did use the t-shirt books. Remember back in the 80’s when handpainted clothes were popular? I bought every book Michaels Craft Store had. We painted from “can to can’t” . I did very well with that.. But that phase has passed along and I must put it aside and concentrate on my fabric postcards and my quilting. The rest, must go!  I must move on also.

This is just a start. I have not decided if I am giving away the books, donating to  Goodwill or thrift store, selling them or throwing them away?  ANY IDEAS?

I hope you all have a blessed year that is coming up. I thank each and everyone of you for reading my blog and leaving comments.  I dont always post 100 percent about quilting and guess what ..I never will. I am not 100 percent on anything! I like all different things so here you will see a mixture.

If you get a chance, also visit the fabric postcard groups.. We have a great time and receive many beautiful cards from each other. I enjoy this better than making the quilts!

If you get a chance visit my other site www.myfamilytreeisfullofnuts.   I am working on it with Buck and Wayne, two cousins I have that I never have met but they found me online and yes we are kin!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, I hope you all prosper in health, wealth and creativity!

Chris and Gary Wheeler

I have had several people ask what pattern did Gary use. Well it was the Turning 20 pattern by Tricia Cribbs. You can see more patterns and book here.   http://www.friendfolks.com/    I saw some great quilts made out of this pattern. I especially like the ones with the african prints. Just beautiful.

10 years ago this week, a large majority of the world was stockpiling  water, toilet paper, and other items. We even got a 500 gallon propane gas tank filled to the brim with gas, crackers, rice, beans stored in canning jars in the pantry and under the beds in boxes, ready to keep us alive, hiding money, piling up blankets, extra security on the home and waiting for the bug.. the Y2K bug. At midnight, the banks were going to fail, all the information on everyone in the  world disappear,  computers completely shut down, never to work again , banks shut down without a way to get to your money, electricity cease to exist, phones not ring, cars would not crank and your neighbor would appear on your doorstep with 666 on their foreheads! 

For months we listened all night long to Coast to Coast with Art Bell. He had us terrified.  His sponsors were selling food rations in sealed packages for the time following midnight December 31, 1999.  Art and Ramona, his wife at that time was giving us ways to survive during this tribulation period. Whatever you do…don’t take the mark!!  We stayed glued to the radio as if it were H.G. Wells telling us about the arrival of the aliens in Wars of the Worlds.  We were sure anarchy was going to break out in the streets. We were waiting, rifles, shotguns, pistols and enough shells to hold off the masses! 

This was the first New Years Eve we decided not to work at the our jobs at the Post Office.  Yep we were then Postal Workers night shift. From 10 pm to 6:30 am your mind can wonder out into the darkness with only the voices of the night on the radio! We were terrified. How could this happen to the world? Could someone not stop it?   We anxiously sat up to ring in the new year, not with toast of glasses full of champagne,laughter, love , hugs and kisses and dreams of the year 2000, but with fear of not knowing what the unknown was going to bring. I was still trying to figure out if  I had  gotten enough paper goods that filled boxes under each bed but I hope we would have enough. After all surely someone would have restored order before we went through 2000 rolls of toilet paper and ate up 3000 jars of pinto’s and drank 4000 cases of water while listening to our wind up radio from CCrane Company and used up all the power from our solar power flashlights! Thank goodness I had canned an extra lot of food this summer. I could help feed the neighbors and possibly find someone to loan me a horse to go to another town to get Aunt Jan to bring her here to safety. We could travel during the night out of sight of the people pilfering and robbing and doing their dirty deeds! Hide in the ditches and woods making our way back to keep out of harm.  Surely someone would come through for us and help us.  All this had gone through our minds for months. Planning and wondering what we were going to do and could do.

Here is was December 31, 1999. Gary and I sat on the couch holding hands , hearts beating loudly with fear, staring at the clock ticking off the time and hoping that when exactly 12 midnight came and the ball was going to drop at Time Square in New York that it would not be the end for us in the world as we had known for a long time and learned to love. THE END. Scary!  10, 9 , 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Kisses and hugs possibly goodbye,  HAPPY NEW YEAR and not even a flicker of the lights! We made it.We still had our credit, we were warm, our computers worked,we had gas for our vehicles, money in our banks, did not lose out identity and I did not have to ride a horse to Anniston nor did I have to fire off one single round!   HAPPY NEW YEAR    Y 2 K is 10 years old this week! I am still using items I stashed back from the “bug”. Were we all not silly for worrying????    Sometimes now I wish my computer did not work and my phone would not ring!  Well maybe just the phone! I could not do with out my computer!

Remember when you were kids and one of your brothers or sisters would stare and you and make faces and you would holler “Mama he is looking at me again!”

Well believe this or not but I have witnesses.  Every night from about 6 until midnight I sit on my couch recliner with my feet propped up working on my computer and listening to the television. To the left of me against the wall by the front door is my aquarium. Well I only have two fish in there because Conan, named after Conan O’Brien has a funny shaped head and the other goldfish that is in Gary’s tank try to hurt him so we had to seperate them.. Not caring he is about 10 times bigger then they are, he is a chicken fish and will not fight back. The reason he got the name Conan is because if you have ever watched Conan you know he has funny hair. Well so does my Conan! Weird shaped head.

Well Conan has this habit of laying in the corner of the aquarium for hours staring at me. I blogged about it a few weeks ago and thought this was a passing phase but I dont think it is going to stop. HE STALKS ME! Sometimes it really give me the creeps. Tonight he is laying in such a way that I see his reflection and it looks like he has ears! His fin is reflecting on the other side and I swear he looks like some type of animal besides a fish.

Does anyone have any idea and I am serious as to why he lays in the corner and stares at me..  You can wave at him and his fin wiggles. NO I AM NOT CRAZY!!

My all time favorite pottery is the face jugs.  We have a man here in Locust Fork, Alabama who makes these.  I am ashamed to say I have never been to his business because frankly I am timid when it comes to going somewhere the first time. I dont know why I am like that. If any of you know why please tell me.  This is something in my life I am working on conquering.  Well this morning my husband went to the post office and called me from the parking lot with the information of the pottery place. It was on the side of his truck. I emailed him and told him he should contact my webmaster Carol at www.2fishweb.com   she does an awesome job with websites. I am very happy. Not only does she do a great job she is very affordable and keeps you up on all the lastest .  You want for nothing!

Back to Mr. Gaither.  You will see me real soon. I want to get a jug for myself. I only have one from Jerry Brown Pottery and now I need one from Gaither Pottery.  I just love these.. I have found most of the time I see one that looks like a family member!!!  VISIT GAITHER POTTERY’S SITE TODAY!!  www.gaitherpottery.com    You know what would be cool… Face jug jewelry like for a necklace!!! TO COOL!