First of all – how do you spell frustration? 

This week, I spell it   L-A-P-T-O-P   C-O-M-P-U-T-E-R.   I had a couple days of major frustration with my computer this week.  And knowing you were looking for a blog from me made it even more frustrating.  Seems my computer decided it didn’t want to accept pictures from my camera this week.  And what’s a blog without pictures?  Pretty boring, I would think, with just lots of words from me.  And the very last thing I ever want to be is boring.

So Dear Hubby was the Hero of the Day and since his Mom really likes to see pics of him and she reads the blog religiously and was missing it the last few days……

This is for you, Mom!

A big, smiling, Dear Hubby face!  And he has a fresh haircut too, Mom.  And his beard was trimmed short recently too.  (For the hot Texas summer which is here in full force.)  And the funny part of this picture?  I had to wake him up in his recliner to get it.  He was dozing in the chair in front of the TV.  And he said to me?  “Now I can see why all your friends might start running when they see you with the camera.”  Funny guy, isn’t he?  We’ll see how he reacts when he reads this in the morning………

Boo wasn’t too happy to see the camera again either and decided to just leave his eyes shut for his picture tonight.  Just before I snapped it and he closed his eyes, he had that, “Aw, Mom, not again”  look in his eye.  So I think perhaps the two men in my life just might be happy when the camera and the computer don’t want to talk to each other.  Just sayin’.

So to catch you up with the happenings here….. earlier this week I worked on secret projects.  The JSS Bee does secret projects all the time.  Which isn’t very helpful for blogging.  Unless I can get all the JSS gals to not read the blog for a few days.  Do you think I can trust them?  Probably not.  But I really could use some help with the Brown Bag project for this year.  Maybe I should explain.

Every year in January (at least for the last 3 years) we exchange a brown bag with one yard of fabric in it.  Our instructions are:  1) We can’t show it to any other JSSer and 2) We have to make a quilt top by our December Christmas party.  That’s pretty much all the instruction that we have.  Then we have a big happy exchange of our quilt tops at Christmas and it’s such fun that you almost have to buy tickets to that party.  And it’s very crowded.  All the Moms and friends and sisters want to come to our party.  It’s a big hit!  Judy R and Susan usually have their tops finished by Jan 29th (the day after they received the bag) and I usually have mine finished on December 2nd (the day OF  the party) at about 4:00 a.m.

This year, since I’m blogging, I thought I’d get some help from my loyal readers.  So I’m going to show you my brown bag so you can help me with designing the quilt.  So at this point – all JSSers are instructed to turn their heads and scroll way past the next picture before looking again…… ready JSS gals? Start scrolling…….

Keep scrolling…….no peeking…….

Turn your head…………. and scroll………

Keep scrolling……..(can I trust these gals?)

……………………

……………………………………….

Of course not!  Can’t trust them as far as I can throw them.  You didn’t really think I’d show the fabric here, now did you gals?

But I can show you this fabric…….

This fabric is for another challenge we’ve been doing each year.  Remember the quilts I showed you back on June 1st?  It was the posting entitled “A Special Display of Quilts.”  You can see those quilts and the fabric again by clicking here.  I would love advice for what to make out of this year’s fabric.  But alas, I can’t show you what I’m working on until after the Christmas party!  So along about November 29 – December 2, be expecting lots of blank pictures in the blog.  Because these two projects will be on my design wall.  Perhaps I’ll have photoshop by then and can hide things behind other things and at least give you something to look at.  Because I’m sure by then, Boo and Dear Hubby will not be in the mood to pose for more blog pictures.

Earlier today I failed miserably in the picture department.  A friend (Hi, Brenda!) came over for lunch and I fixed “Summer Stir-Fry” from The Pioneer Woman’s cooking post today.  It was very yummy!  We had a great visit and a fun lunch.  I guess if you want to see pics of the food, you’ll just have to visit PW’s site and see her pics.  Mine looked pretty similar except I added one ingredient.  Close your eyes, Sally!  I added red peppers.  Oh, wait….. I don’t have a picture to show.  So I guess Sally can keep her eyes open this time.  Unless she can’t even stand to read the word “peppers.”  Then she’s in trouble because I’ve already said peppers twice….. make that three times.  Peppers, peppers, peppers.  I love giving Sally a hard time, can you tell?

And tomorrow is Bee Day at Pam’s house.  Yeah!  Lots to blog about when the Bee gets together.  I’ll be snapping pictures right and left.  And word has it that Pam has hired a World Famous Chef to come and cook for us!  OK, maybe it is just a friend who loves to cook and wants to meet Pam’s quilting buds, but maybe someday she’ll be a World Famous Chef.  You never know. And the way I look at it, it’s going to be great to have two Barristas from Starbucks to prepare our lattes for the day.  I plan to arrive early to be first in line for my favorite Cinnamon Dulce Latte.  Maybe I’ll even call along the way so it can be ready when I arrive.  My mouth is already watering just thinking about it. 

But the best part of all is spending the day with the fabulous ladies of the JSS Bee!  I promise a big report with lots of pics afterwards.  Wish you all could be there too!

Hugs,
Barb