Projects 5, 6, & 7

First, I should give a quick update on Mike. I think he is doing well. We are in that stage where I haven't heard from him and may not for another week. No news is good news though. That's kind of tough when I would like some news, and I know you all would love to here how he is doing too. There are just certain times in the Army when no news means nothing bad has happened and that is all that matters.

I can and probably should report that on February17th, I received a call from him that he had recycled the first phase called Darby or Benning Phase. Basically, during counseling he was told that he had one of the best patrols (civi-talk: he was graded as a team leader on a mission) and executed the mission perfectly, BUT....he allowed a couple of guys to warm by the fire barrel before the mission and allowed another soldier to dry his socks before the mission. In other words, he was failed for taking care of his soldiers, for having integrity and caring about the well-being of his men. This is a quality that would be admired and respected in a real life mission, but its Ranger school. To be blunt, at Ranger school "you're damned if you do, damned if you don't."

Sidebar: For more about Ranger school, click here, and select Student Information. There should be details about each phase, but note that the website (being Army) doesn't work correctly on all web browsers. So I'm sorry if it doesn't give you any details. (try Firefox) 

Recycling meant that he gained the opportunity to rest quite a bit and most importantly eat. Also, he had 12 hours passes (civi-talk: they get released into the real world) on Saturdays and Sundays. So the following weekend I headed down to Columbus and spent both days with him. It was such a treat, almost like a mini-vacation...except for the part where I had to drop my husband back off at the barracks by curfew. In all, I think recycling was a blessing...whether or not Mike actually sees it that way. We got to spend time together, he was able to relax and eat whatever he wanted. It was good.

Okay on to the fun stuff...

Though I have been slow to blog, I have been very busy at home.

You might notice that a certain Project 4 is being skipped over....that would be because its not quite done, but its a big project. I promise I'll finish it this week and report on it soon. Til then, it's a mystery.

Okay Project 5:

I'm calling this Sister Fringe. Its just another baby tee that I made for my friend's daughter, Heidi. She will be a Big Sister in May. The design came from Applique Market. I also made her tees just like Project #3. These were all completed back before Valentine's Day. And she looked so cute on Valentine's day!!

"Sister Fringe"

Project 6 and 7 go together. #6 is a cute tote bag and #7 is a matching Kleenex pouch (because everyone needs to carry Kleenex this time of year....did I mention I've been sick as a dog lately??)

I recently started trying...and failing to make simple things by following a pattern. The problem is I cannot read a pattern and then make an item. I need pictures people. So I have made a few things including the below mini table runner, but I kind of make it up half way through. So although the table runner looks okay, it looks nothing like it is suppose to (thus I'm not classifying it as a project....more or less an experiment.) There was suppose to be this border, but the instructions were both lacking in detail and seemed to mix up their terms. I'm not fluent in "sew."

But #6 and #7 turned out perfectly. I found detailed instructions with ...wait for it.....PICTURES! at Canoe Ridge Creations. Bless them, they get my OCD needs. On their site they have some tutorials that are easy to follow. Also, it helps that the items are really cute.

Did I mention I found this fabric on clearance at Wal-Mart?! 

You can also see some of the detailed stitching of the tote in this pic. 

So I'm learning...a lot. I'm even taking a class tonight at the Quilt Shop. And sew the adventure continues.