September's Snowman...

I'm feeling ahead of the game (in one respect) because I've already finished September's Camelot Snowman wall hanging.

September's Camelot Snowman

This will go in my mom's package for this month along with another wall hanging I'm working on for her.  It's also her birthday on Thursday and I'm almost done quilting her gift.  Hopefully I'll finish it tomorrow.

So for September's snowman, I had to make a few changes.  This was the original pattern...

Original September snowman

But my mom doesn't drink at all, so I didn't think it was appropriate.  I tried to modify it to represent the start of a new school year by changing the sign to 'Bus Stop' and adding some books...

Modified design

I think he looks cute, but could maybe have used some arms.  I liked the bee on the original drawing and so left him in place. 

He doesn't really have anything to do with the theme, but I think he's adorable.  The buttons came from my stash again.  They're a very pretty apple green color. 

Buttons from stash

And the surrounding apple fabric was also from my stash.  I didn't know I had it until I went digging through some piles.  Isn't it great when we find stuff we completely forgot about?

Apple fabric

Luckily these wall hanging don't take much fabric and I had enough to cut the print so that all my apples ended up in the same direction.

I've also packaged up most of my orphan blocks to send to a new home.  These are extra blocks or pieces of blocks left over from quilts I've made in the past.  It seemed a waste to throw them away, but I didn't have a use for them.  Shannon over at pieceful kwilter is making a 'Kitchen Sink' quilt using all those leftover blocks.  It'll be great to see them get a new life...

Orphan blocks

And I mentioned earlier that Sam had lost some weight.  Well, she's gained it all back plus some.  In the past 10 days she's gone from 17.9 lbs to 17.1 lbs to 18.3 lbs to 18.1 lbs.  Is my scale just not sensitive enough to accurately keep track?  (I'm using the Wii Fit board.)  Could she just be really constipated right now?  I have no idea.  If you have any weight loss suggestions for a cat, please send them my way.

Sam - on an unsuccessful diet

If she were healthy at her current weight, I'd leave well enough alone.  But she's has degenerative arthritis in her elbows and the weight makes it more painful for her to jump up and down.  Plus you can hear her coming from rooms away because the joints pop with every step she takes.  She really needs to lose weight to improve her quality of life.  By the way, she's turning 10 in a few weeks.

Until later...

"There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it."  

1 Timothy 6:6-7 (NRSV)