Unforgettable Summer Vacation :)

I spent this past week on the amazing and wonderful Isle Of Palms, SC with my whole family! It was great to see my parents, my brother, his two daughters, my sister and her boyfriend. We rented a condo right on the beach. I have never had more fun in my whole life!

I drove down from NY. On the way I passed through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. The scenery was spectacular! This is in West Virginia…

Also in West Virginia. This is the New River Gorge bridge. It is the longest arch bridge in the Western hemisphere!

The view from the back porch of our condo- it was so wonderful!

The U.S. 17 bridge in Charleston, SC. What a lovely bridge!

The U.S.S. Yorktown in Charleston.

No trip to the Charleston area would be complete without a visit to Fort Sumter! It was very small. I guess I imagined it was much bigger. Such a tiny place to have been the beginning of such an important event in our country’s history!

Part of the original tabby wall at Fort Sumter.

Most of our time, however, was spent here. In the lovely warm Atlantic ocean! This is my dad (otherwise known as PopPop) and my nieces playing in the waves.

All in all I drove 1,993 miles. I drove the 16 hours down there in one shot but on the way home I stopped in Clarksburg, WV for the night. I was tired and there were bad storms all over the place.

It was a wonderful, wonderful vacation! I can hardly wait to do it again next summer!

Busy And A Blog Hold

Hey all! Guess what? I GOT A JOB!!! I am so, so excited! I start on Monday. I will be doing medical billing and accounts receivable at a large local skilled nursing facility/rehabilitation center. The company also has independent and assisted living houses. I am sure I will be very busy at work and I can hardly wait.

I went on a major shopping trip today, using money that I’ve saved up over the last several months to buy clothes for my new job. I also bought some shorts and capris and am ecstatically happy to report that the shorts and capris I bought today are SIX SIZES SMALLER than ones I bought at the beginning of last summer!!!! I was happy dancing all through the mall, let me tell ya!!

On to the blog hold- between working full time and going to school 3 nights a week I will have little to no time to create. I also just don’t seem to have any desire to make things at all anymore and it makes me sad. I’ve been toying with the idea of selling all my quilting stuff, it’s gotten that bad. I do have one swap item (and I know I am late sending, I am sorry about that and plan to mail it by Friday) that I will be completing and after that I have no idea when I will be sewing again.

This is supposed to be a quilting blog and since I’m basically not quilting anymore I feel like it’s kinda pointless to continue writing this blog. I don’t plan to delete this blog, and if I have anything to show you I will certainly post again. I will also see some of you on Flickr and Facebook!

Hugs to all and thank you for being there for me with your thoughts and prayers!

Life Is Full (And Fun!)

Well, life continues to move at a lightning pace here at Maison de Jennie! My adult education class is wrapping up. I’m hopeful that I’ll be working soon (I’ve had several great interviews in the past week) and last but not least I’m starting another class on Monday!

From 1996 to 2002 I was a NYS Certified Emergency Medical Technician. I enjoy helping people and that was one way I could really get out and help people that really needed help. I am so excited to be taking the class again to get that certification back! The class starts on Monday and is 3 evenings a week til mid-August. I picked up my books today and have been eagerly reading them :)

Not much else. I have been decorating the walls of my home and it’s amazing the difference it makes! I am starting to feel like my apartment is “home” now, not “temporary stopping place”. I know I’ll probably be here for a few years while I work and go to school so feeling at home is nice.

And speaking of going to school, I am making plans to go to college starting in September. I plan to attend a local community college to get an Associate’s degree that will transfer to a local university to finish a Bachelor’s degree. I have chosen my major and I’m really excited about it! I will have to meet with a counselor to work out if I can actually do it and work full time, so I won’t say what it is just yet :)

Maine

This past weekend I was in Ogunquit, Maine. It’s one of my favorite spots in the whole world! There is a lovely bed and breakfast there called The Ogunquit Inn. That’s where I stayed. It was quite lovely- I had a room in the front of the house and at night I could hear the ocean… wonderful!!

This is Herbert. He was a little unhappy about how close I got. But not so unhappy that he was willing to abandon his breakfast :)

Sunrise over the Atlantic… isn’t it beautiful?

And what trip to Maine would be complete without heading to a lighthouse? This is the Portland Head light in Cape Elizabeth, ME.

Following, in no particular order, are some of my favorite pictures from my trip… :)

I ate lobster pie, lobster quiche, lobster pizza and lobster rolls. I also came home looking a bit like a lobster due to not being vigilant with the sunscreen, but it’s faded now :)

It was an unbelievable weekend- just what I needed after these past several months! I spent hours just sitting on the beach, watching the waves and listening to them crash. Add in the foghorns and the seagulls… I still hear them in my dreams :)

I am already planning to go back in September!

Rest In Peace

My grandma (my dad’s mom) passed away this morning after a battle with pneumonia and a Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers.

Random Images

One of the {many} things I like about living in New York again is the scenery. It’s just SO beautiful here! I have been a lot more inspired to get out and do things like hike and ride my bike. Which has the happy side effect of losing weight :)

Here are some pictures I’ve taken recently on my rambles…

Taken yesterday during a hike on my friend’s property….

Seneca Lake. This was taken in March.

Seneca Lake. This was taken earlier this month.

The Hobart and William Smith College sailboat team. I ♥ this picture :)

A little roadside waterfall near Honeoye Lake.

Cloud shadows on a hillside near Honeoye Lake.

At Lake Ontario (Webster Park).

Amazing double rainbow after a storm a couple days ago!

There’s a bit of my world for you! So much to see- and photograph! I have always been interested in photography and with the help of a friend have been learning a bit more about it. I am saving up for a DSLR camera. I love my friend’s photos and I know a lot of the amazingness of his shots are due to his awesome camera :)

Still Alive….

My visit to Wisconsin was so much fun! Except for the weather, which was awful. So awful I couldn’t get to Illinois to visit Michele. Which I was super bummed about. But it was so awesome to see my parents and my sister!

I’ve been redoing my craft room so I can sew and scrapbook/stamp in it. I’m almost done with it- it’s been so nice to organize my fabric. I have all sorts of fun ideas!

Not much else. I’ve been going to school and hiking and eating sushi and reading. I like living in an urban setting. It’s nice to have a 5 minute walk to the grocery store. And the pharmacy. And about a dozen restaurants. And the Erie Canal :)

My trip to Maine is one week from TODAY!! I am so excited… and hoping the weather forecast changes. Sitting on the beach is going to be a bit less pleasant if it’s raining… :)

There’s been a lot of negative stuff in blogland lately about quilting and crafting and what the definition of “art” is and talking about “dumbing down” quilting. Seriously, people. We’re all just cutting fabric up and putting it back together again. Does it matter how complicated or simple the process is? Or what designer fabric collection we’re using? And for the record, I like Sherbet Pips. I think it’s darling and I only wish I could afford to buy more of it! :)

Ink

SO lately I've been thinking I wanted to do something... different. For me, anyway. I've always been pretty straight laced and walked a narrow path. Well, I decided to dive off the path into the woods. Take a walk on the wild side. For me.

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do. Then some friends suggested getting a tattoo. And then I thought, why not? ;)

So, I did! Here it is! It's a tribal sunflower motif on my upper left arm. This was taken just after Seth (awesome tattoo artist at Rite Of Passage in Victor, NY) finished. It's not so red now.

I ♥ it! It's in a place where I can either show it off or hide it, depending on my mood (or job situation...).

I'm already planning another one :)

Break Out The Cheeseheads!!

Jen is coming for a visit!! That's right- I'll be visiting my parents in Wisconsin April 15-22. I am so excited! I can hardly wait to see my Mom and Dad again- I haven't seen them since September 2010!

I'm hoping to get to Illinois, too, to see some of my friends there. More info when it's available!

A Sunday Drive

Today was an amazingly beautiful day- sunny, not a cloud in the sky, not too windy and about 35 degrees. Perfect for getting out and seeing some of my favorite places in NY- waterfalls!!


First up: Taughannock Falls in Ulysses, NY. This is one of my favorite places ever. The trail down to the falls was closed today due to ice, but that's OK- it gives me a great excuse to go back!


Another view of Taughannock Falls.


Then I continued south on Rt. 96 and came to Ithaca. And Buttermilk Falls. You can actually swim at the base of these falls in the summer time! Sounds like another road trip to me!


Then I kept on driving, just enjoying the day and the scenery. I strayed a bit too far from home!


But home has a way of finding me again. :)


Finally, on my way home I stopped to see one last waterfall. This is in Montour Falls, NY.

It was a wonderful day!

2011 So Far…

I finished 2 projects! I am SO excited and my desire to create has definitely been re-ignited. I am SO happy about this!

First up: the project that got me back in the saddle!

This is the mini quilt I made for QuiltyBee (Kolleen) for the Flickr S.T.U.D. swap! I was longing for spring when I decided on this, so I went with springy greens. The fabrics are from the “Wildwood” collection from Erin McMorris.

I started school this past Thursday. It’s an adult education class that will update my medical billing and coding skills. They also provide support on how to interview, how to write a resume and in actually finding a job. I So far I am really enjoying it! I like the instructor very much and all the people in the class (there are 8 of us total, all women) seem to be very nice.

It became apparent that the backpack I was planning to use was going to be WAY too big for the books and supplies I would need, so I decided to make a school bag for myself.

I just love it and it’s definitely a better size for my few books. It’s made with Joel Dewberry’s Modern Meadow and Essex linen in Putty.

I think 2011 is off to a pretty good start!

Back In The Saddle!

Hello all! I finally managed to find some sewing inspiration! It came from the first group I joined on Flickr. What could be more motivating than a deadline? :)

I joined the S.T.U.D. (Swap Till U Drop) swap for Jan/Feb 2011. My partner was Kolleen (QuiltyBee on Flickr) and WOW! Did she make the perfect mini quilt for me!

To me it looks like sunflowers. It’s so bright and happy! I just love it. It’s about 12” square. I’ve decided to hang it on the wall opposite my front door. That way everyone who comes to see me will see it too!

I mailed the mini I made for Kolleen today, so I will blog about it later, after she’s received it. I didn’t want to send it away! I have pieces cut to make another one and I just might do that.

In other news, I start an adult education course on Thursday. I’m looking forward to it! It will update my job skills and at the end of the course (end of June) they will help me find a job. I’ve also moved into my bigger apartment. It’s so much nicer and I use the extra bedroom for my sewing room. It seems to be working well and I hope I will be happy here for a long time. I don’t want to move again anytime soon. Moving is awful!

Indefinite Hold

I have decided that I am going to put my blog on hold for a while. I have a lot going on right now (looking for a job, going to school, etc) and I just don’t have the creative energy I used to have. I hope it will come back to me someday, but right now it’s just… gone.

I still enjoy reading blogs, although it seems to me that a lot of previously interesting blogs have just become advertisements for quilt shops and pattern designers. The online quilting world is growing and changing rapidly and I just don’t have the time to keep up with it.

I will continue to post on Flickr as I have anything to post, and I will see some of you on Twitter and Facebook.

Hugs to all!

Jennie

AMAZING Giveaway!

DO NOT follow this link to the Lucy and Norman blog. Megan is having a giveaway on some awesome fabric… and I WANT IT!

So don’t go enter to win, OK? :)

A Pause…

Well, my plans to get sewing again have been put on hold, since I have started packing everything up again to move to the bigger apartment in a week. I have been sketching like mad, though, and I can’t wait to set up my sewing room and get going!

In other news I decided to go back to school- and I’ve been accepted! It’s an adult education course that will really update my medical billing, coding, reception and transcription skills. It is Monday through Friday from 8am till noon, so I probably won’t be working until it’s done in June. I have been looking for a part time afternoon job but so far no luck. On the plus side, I will have afternoons for cleaning, cooking and of course, sewing!

I’ve lost another 6 pounds and had a great milestone this past week- I bought jeans that were THREE SIZES smaller than jeans I bought in the summer! I was SO excited and it’s nice to finally see some real changes in my body :) I am a lot more active here than I was in Illinois- I have a lot of friends here and I love getting out and doing things with them. I have none of the severe depression problems I had during winters in Illinois, and for this I am so thankful :)

I am also excited about getting back into one of the things I missed SO much when I was in Illinois- volunteering with New York State Special Olympics! The Winter Games are in about 3 weeks and I am all set to start volunteering again. I can hardly wait to be in Syracuse the first weekend in February!

A Chance Taken!

So this morning I got a phone call from my apartment complex, just asking how I liked the apartment and if I was happy and stuff. I AM happy and told them so, but I also mentioned that I wish I had rented a 2 bedroom apartment. When you move from a house to a 1 bedroom apartment, it gets a little cramped. My bedroom looks more like a storage unit right now and it’s not very restful.

Fast forward to this afternoon: I got another phone call to let me know that they have a 2 bedroom available, with a move-in special rent that’s not much more than I’m paying for my 1 bedroom! They have no problem with me transferring from one apartment to another within the same complex, so it was a pretty easy decision! This one not only has another bedroom (can you say sewing room?), it has a 1/2 bath in the master bedroom, so I’ll have my very own private bathroom space.

I have amazing friends who have all agreed to help me move and I can move in about 3 weeks! I’m so excited to have more space!

Happy New Year!

It’s 1/1/11 today! I am so excited. I just know this year is going to be amazing! I know I’ll be discovering a lot about myself this year. I’m looking forward to it!

I’ve been sketching some quilts and other projects over the past several weeks. As soon as I have my tiny little sewing area organized and useable I plan to get started on them. I still have a bit of “sewer’s block” going on but I know once I just sit down and start making something it will go away. I plan to get started this coming week.

Happy New Year everyone!

Lizzie

So today for my birthday I went to Build A Bear. I had always wanted to go there, so today I went!

I did a little dance and made a wish on the heart that went into my bear. I gave her a bath, dressed her in pretty clothes, and picked up her birth certificate.

Meet Elizabeth!! I call her Lizzie for short. She’s really soft and cuddly.

And during the party I noticed that she’s a chip off the ol’ block. Kind of. I don’t really like Smirnoff- this was someone else’s drink! But she partied hard for my birthday just like the rest of us did :)

We spent the evening eating pizza, drinking beer and playing with my Wii. It was the best birthday I have ever had!

Happy Birthday To Me!!

32 years ago today the most amazing thing happened to me… I was born!!

This is the youngest picture I have of me- Mom and Dad have all my baby pictures. I was 4 when this one was taken :)

I’m going to Build A Bear for my birthday, then this evening all my friends are coming over to my place for pizza and cake. It’s shaping up to be the best birthday ever!

Typical…

Here’s a typical Western/Upstate New York forecast for you… ;)

10 Day Forecast -  °F | °C

View the Detailed Extended Forecast »

tue	wed	thu	fri	sat	sun	mon	tue	wed	thu
dec 14 Snw Shwrs 18° 16°	dec 15 Snw Shwrs 23° 21°	dec 16 Snw Shwrs 27° 24°	dec 17 Snw Shwrs 30° 23°	dec 18 Snw Shwrs 28° 19°	dec 19 Snw Shwrs 24° 20°	dec 20 Snw Shwrs 27° 22°	dec 21 Snw Shwrs 27° 24°	dec 22 Snw Shwrs 29° 24°	dec 23 Snw Shwrs 29° 24°

Details for Tuesday, December 14 (Evening)
Evening: Snow showers. Low 16F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 80%. 4 to 6 inches of snow expected.