AM Quilts

Hi!  I know, I know.  Long...LONG time and no posts!  I'm alive and well.

My creative energy (and sometimes nervous energy during a corporate re-organization) took over and I've been busy sewing up lots of projects.  So many, in fact, that I decided to start a brand new blog over at AMquilts.com to share my sewing projects!  Why have one blog when you can have two, right?   :)  I've published the first couple of posts but I also have a backlog of completed projects share.  Plus I can't forget the endless list of in-progress and future projects that have queued up.

Recognize the paisley purse I decided to use in the new blog's header?

I'll be back at Welcome Sunshine Home blogging more about our house, recipes, pups, Birchbox, etc.  We've got some big projects underway this year including kitchen updates, craft/sewing room updates, and replacement windows.  Plus we're finally having the entire exterior of our 2.5 story house painted...by a professional certified to handle lead paint!  We've done countless DIY projects during our 7 years living here so it feels like a major luxury to hire professionals for the windows and painting.

The popular Show Us Your House series at Kelly's Korner will be starting up Friday, June 1st.  I've had a great time participating in the past and am hoping I'll get my blogging act together soon so I can join in the fun again!

Here's the current schedule:
June 1 - Show us your Living Rooms
June 8 - Show us your kitchens
June 15 - Show us your bedrooms
June 22 - Show us your dining rooms
June 29 - Show us kids rooms
July 6 - Show us your bathrooms
July 13 - Show us your mantles
July 20 - Show us your foyers
July 27 - Show us ways you display pictures
August 3 - Show us window treatments
August 10 - Show us how you decorate your dining room table/coffee table/side table
August 17 - Show us your patio/front porch
August 24- Show us your laundry room

You can follow me on Twitter now at WelcomeSunHome (general life stuff) and AMquilts567 (sewing in-progress updates).

Talk to you soon!

Show Us Your Life: Connecting Non-Mom Bloggers

Kelly's Korner hosts a weekly Show Us Your Life series and this week's topic is Connecting Non-Mom Bloggers.  If this is your first visit to Welcome Sunshine Home, come on in and get comfy!  Don't mind the dog hair...

I'm Alison. I love quilting, DIY home projects, picnics, board games, long walks on the beach...Wait.  This is starting to sound like a personals ad.  Since I already have a loving husband and two dogs that dote after me, allow me to start over my introduction by sharing a special birthday limerick my sister-in-law, Melissa, wrote in my honor:

There once was a girl named Alison
Who thought DIY projects were oh so much fun.
From morning 'till night,
They're her heart's delight
She won't rest 'till Stewart's outdone.

This limerick was copied from A is for Alison where Melissa also shares some mildly embarrassing stories about me. Any who, Melissa (aka author M.J. Fifield) is also a "Non-Mom Blogger" over at My Pet Blog.  She writes about writing novels, tv, life, books, work, etc and is the reigning queen of proper grammar.  Ok, I'll stop now before this turns in a personals ad for Melissa.  :)

So, back to me now.  Hmm.  I think I'll wrap this post up by sharing some of my favorite Welcome Sunshine Home posts.

 My hometown

View Larger Map

Sunset Beach Picnic

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe Mantle 2010

Simple Handmade Chocolates

Brewster Update - A dog's story

Gift Wrap and Ribbon Organization Wall

2010 HGTV Green Home - Cape Cod

Laundry, Recycling, and Mud Room

Gorgeous and functional!  The floor to ceiling cupboards, shelving, and island made me swoon.  When Jake and I toured the house, I couldn't resist peeking in all the cupboards and drawers.  They even 'staged' laundry!  :)

Thanks for stopping by and come again soon!

Work in progress

Hi there!  We're alive and well over here at Welcome Sunshine Home.  Just super, ridiculously BUSY with our day jobs and this ol' blog is our hobby.  We'll soon be back to sharing projects regularly so don't give up on us yet!  :)

I'll be sharing some more gifts that I sewed for Christmas 2010 soon.  I started a king sized quilt but haven't had time to work on it since January 9th.  Ok, my memory isn't that good.  I only know the exact date because that's the last time I watched anything instantly through Netflix (British series Monarch of the Glen) and I noticed when I logged into my Netflix account earlier.  :)  Any way, that king size quilt isn't going to sew itself and I'm hoping to get back to it soon.

How many craft, sewing, and house projects do you usually have going at once?  I always have different projects started and even more in mind (heck, I have a fistful of paint swatches in my purse right now).  Here are some projects that I already have all (or most) of the supplies necessary to complete the whole project.

Sewing

• Quilt to be completed before winter 2011
• Top Secret Christmas 2010 Birthday Gift for Melissa
• Apron using fabric received from Laura in Fall 2010
• Purse fabric and pattern purchased Fall 2010
• Aprons using fabric and patterns purchased April 2010

Home*

• Master Bedroom closet purge/organization started September 2010 - It is thisclose to being done!
• Finish staircase renovation started March 2010 (um, yeah, 2010)
• Kitchen pantry purge and organization started Fall 2010
• 3rd floor office to craft cave started Fall 2010
• Transform back room off kitchen into new office

*Lesson learned:  Fall is not the time to start new home projects!

Crafts

• Spring mantle and more...Jeez, I can't give away all my secrets and plans at once!

Recipes

• Pineapple Fried Rice 
• A whole bunch of stuff that I know I took photos of and can't think of right now...

Just for Fun

• Concerts, baseball, board game parties, vacation, home show, etc

Books
I recently started rereading George R.R. Martin's The Song of Fire and Ice series since the long-awaited A Dance with Dragons is coming out July 12th!  I've only ever read books 1-3 so no spoilers please...  I'm also planning to reread the Harry Potter series in 2011.  What's your favorite book series?

Are you familiar with the 'Gitter Done' party at Songbird?  Donna from Funky Junk Interiors used to host it.  It's a place to share anything that you've finished.   It doesn't have to be pretty, cute, or even be a project.  It can be as simple as finally getting caught up on all your shredding.  Which I had done but now it's piled up again.  Grr.  Considering all the different things I listed above that I have available to work on, I'm hoping to have at least one thing a month to link up.  :)

So, what's happening at your place?  Have you marked anything off your to-do list in 2011?  Jake said my to-do list for 2011 must include "Get longer to-do list."

Looking back - Berkshires Weekend

Our visit to Stowe, VT last month got us talking about some past road trips.  We didn't blog back then so I've decided to share one today while I'm feeling a bit nostalgic.

In mid April 2009,  Jake and I visited the Berkshires in western Massachusetts for the first time.  It was a last minute trip and we stayed three nights at a quaint B&B on a working dairy farm in Williamstown, MA.

The B&B is basically an apartment located in an old farmhouse on a dirt road across from horse stables.  There were only two B&B rooms, no locks on the doors, no TVs, no internet, and it was so quiet at night that we felt compelled to whisper in our room so we wouldn't disturb the owners.

Unlike our trip to Vermont later in 2009, I actually took my camera out a couple times in MA.  All these photos were taken with my old pink camera and are unedited.

This was our bedroom.  Our detached bath was downstairs.

The fresh, homemade breakfast breads that Jamie left for us each morning were fabulous.  The other B&B room was only occupied one night during our stay.  I'll admit that we avoided seeing the other couple at breakfast downstairs.  We do not enjoy morning conversations with strangers.

breakfast area

living area

The black appliance below is a mini fridge not a dishwasher.

Hallway to our guest room's bathroom and the separate owners' quarters downstairs.  

We had a reason to avoid the other couple on Sunday morning.  When they arrived Saturday evening, Jake and I were in the living area playing deluxe travel Scrabble.  We had some awkward chitchat with them about the Berkshires, finished up our game, and went upstairs for the evening.  Jake ran downstairs before bed to use the private bathroom (the one assigned to our guest room).  The guy from the other couple was waiting for Jake right outside the bathroom door.  Jake was startled (and annoyed) by him.  The guy was waiting in the dark hallway because he wanted to know if there was a freezer for his ice cream.  Jake gave him a mini-tour of the common area and bolted back upstairs before finding out if the guy's ice cream would fit in the tiny freezer compartment.  Jake came into our room, collapsed onto the bed in silent laughter, and relayed the story to me.  We joked about what we could put in front of the door to keep him from coming in our room while we slept (no door locks) and I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.  You probably had to be there.  :)  

The hall and stairs outside our bedroom.

I just remembered that I read Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff during our stay.

One morning we walked around the fields while enjoying the mountain views.  Since it is a working farm, we steered clear of the cows and other animals so we wouldn't get in the way.  The Cabot dairy trucks and the smelly manure truck came by during our visit.    

These photos remind me of where I grew up.

By the third night of our getaway, I was getting a little cagey about being out of touch and I really wanted to watch the Amazing Race that night.  It was a season that I actually had someone to root for unlike the most recent season.  Anyway, we randomly selected a place for dinner and the restaurant happened to have TVs at every table.  I hadn't seen a TV in days and now we had one of our very own and we could watch any channel we wanted.  Yay!  The Amazing Race wasn't going to be on for over an hour.  Boo!  Well, let me tell you, I've never made a meal last so long.  I took my time ordering, eating, and then ordered dessert.  I don't remember what it was but I know I made that dessert last the whole episode.  The restaurant wasn't too busy and the waitress didn't rush me.  Maybe she recognized the crazed glint in my eyes of a B&B'er that hadn't seen a television in days.  Or, maybe I blurted it out and told her.  Who knows.  Well, I'm sure Jake knows.  No worries...he tipped the waitress well.  :)


Here's a snake that Jamie nonchalantly pointed out while we were packing up the truck on Monday morning.  She said the snake is good because it eats field mice.  Field mice that could otherwise be in the house I was sleeping in.  Circle of life.  Yay.

I'd never seen Runaway Truck Ramp before this trip.  Do you have these in your area?  Don't mind the bugs on the windshield.

Passing under the Appalachian Trail

I had my iPod Touch on shuffle during the long drive.  At some point, a heroic sounding instrumental from one of the Lord of the Rings soundtracks came on.  Jake sat up, puffed out his chest, and held the steering wheel like he was riding a horse to go off and save a princess and it was hilarious.  I laughed and laughed and laughed.

This is the only photo I took in town.  It's for a little shopping center where I bought two painted signs for me ('Giggle' and 'I'm not bossy I just have better ideas') and some cat humor signs for friends.

Melissa and Joe kept Maximus for us while we were in Massachusetts.  Max had an eventful time at their house.  He doesn't do this stuff at home.  Really, he doesn't.  Melissa chronicled his visit on her blog in the following posts:

The Amazing Peeing Puppy

Schmoe Versus The Schnauzer

The Curious Case of the Shell-Shocked Schnauzer

Have you ever dreamed of running a B&B?  Do you watch The Amazing Race?  Does your dog act differently at other people's houses?