Well, I finished sewing the pretty lady today...I just need to prep the back and get it quilted.  Up close, this quilt doesn't look like anything in particular, but when you stand back you can see the Mona Lisa...

Three weeks ago, Michaela's dog had 7 puppies.  She bought this dog from the Humane Society for $300 against my wishes and brought it home.  The dog was malnourished and abused and guess what...pregnant.  After having the dog for 1 month, she delivered the little ones.  We have found homes for all but 2... 

The little one is Lady.  My daughter in law wants her.  She is adorable and has the cutest markings.  She also has a black spot right where her tail is....cute cute cute!!!

Checking in with Mona...

 Here's how I have set out making Mona...I've attached the pattern with magnets and  have a paper handy to show my place...

 This is the current section I am working on...It has 7 sections of 10 rows and I am currently working on the 5th section...

 the pattern suggests pressing open seams and I have found out that is the only way I can get a good press...very time intensive, but worth it...

 I diligently mark each row with a label telling me what row it is so they stay in order...

This panel shows the chin on the Mona Lisa...I really have had fun doing this quilt.  It is not one for me that I can just whip out.  It is meticulous and accurate so you can get the image right...my fine art piece is on it's way...

The Loaded Weapon...and Suppose...

 It all started when I was going to meet my little sister, Rosie at the Suppose quilt store in Preston, ID...While waiting, I thought I would check out their solid collection for this quilt I want to make in the near future...The Mona Lisa...wouldn't it be fun to have some fine art and enjoy making it in the process???

 The store had the following solids for my quilt, but I need to get about 10 more colors...After I completed the fabric hunt for solids, my sister, Rosie, arrived and we went to go on a search and destroy mission for their scraps by the pound..(we needed some fresh scraps for our scrap quilts).  My daughter, Leah came up to me and said, Mom, I need help.  Cooper (grandbaby) has had a blowout.  Luckily we were prepared and went to the restroom to remedy the situation.  He was covered in poop all over his onesies and his outfit...and I proceeded to clean him up.  I just got the new diaper under him when he lifted his little legs and fired like a missile and it shot all over me  hitting me all over the front of my shirt and down my pants and on my shoes...we were just getting him cleaned up again and a new diaper inserted when the missile went off again.  By this time, Rosie came to assist as we were laughing hysterically.  4 or 5 diapers later, wiped out of baby wipes, a change from skin out on the baby, cleaning up the bathroom, running my shirt under water to remove the carnage and trying to wipe the destruction from my pants and shoes, we purchased our bag of scraps and fabric and left for our 1/2 hour drive home...Our biggest regret is that we didn't have the camera handy in the bathroom---but trust me, a memory that will not be soon forgotten...I had 4 children with their occasional bathroom stories, but nothing like this little one...he takes the cake.  He is the loaded weapon...I will have to be more prepared next time we take an outing with him...

 This is the precious culprit last Sunday in his church clothes--could he look more innocent???

A shot of some of the carnage on my pants taken in the car on the ride home...my shirt was soaking wet...A very handy tip for anyone in similar situations...Hydrogen Peroxide works wonders on protein stains such as blood and especially poop.  I have a bottle at home that I have a spray nozzle attached to.  I gave everything a really good soaking, let sit a minute and then used liquid hand soap to rub out all the stains...It all came out lovely...Such a nice ending to the disaster at hand!!!  Moral of the story--be like a Boy Scout and always be prepared!!!