Formerly Feral Friday

I am very lucky to be Formerly Feral. I would not like to be outside trying to survive in 100" of snow. That's how much Concord NH has had so far this year, and we will be having more tonight into Saturday.

I am watching Mom design a block for the HAM Meezer Quilt. See:

Mom stayed out at her day hunting gig quite late, so although she designed this block, she hasn't sewn it together yet. Monday is the Boy's 11th birthday, so his party will be on Sunday, so neither Auntie nor Mom may get much sewing done that day either. It looks like the HAM Meezer Quilt Raffle will be extended another week. Mom and Auntie want everybody to see pictures of the quilt all finished, and extending the raffle will make that possible.


Lookit what Derby gave Mom and me:

Derby said this is for: "being such a generous twosome. Making all of the quilts, the auctions for those in need, and the quilts Millie's mum makes are awesome."

Thank you so much! Mom and I are very honored.

We would like to give this award to Jan, who this week rescued a dog named Barkley, who was dumped at an old mill nearby. We think this makes Jan a Hero.

Thursday Thirteen Things

I haven't got 13 things that are the same to talk about today, so I just have 13 thoughts.

1. Mom made another block for the Meezer Raffle Quilt yesterday.
2. Mom went to her day hunting gig yesterday. She fixed all the problems that cropped up on the days she was sick.

3. Then she went to the dentist and got a crown, but it isn't at all what I expected. What the heck is it doing in her mouth, anyway?

4. Derby's got his Gizzy quilt, and he likes it. Pictures to follow this weekend on his blog.

5. Mom hates the snow, we got another two inches last night.

6. Rami is going to show his collection on Project Runway next week. He beat Chris.

7. The landlord fixed the drainpipe in the kitchen sink. Finally. It's been leaking every time Mom uses it. Now she hasn't got an excuse not to do the dishes. Good thing. She's running out of clean ones.

8. The washing monster spins just fine if Mom uses it on Permanent Press. Mom is not interested in having to replace it, but she figures it's gonna cost lotsa green papers one way or another.

9. Mom and Auntie are a little bit behind schedule working on the HAM Meezer Quilt. Between you and me, I don't think it's gonna be finished on Sunday. They are whispering about an extension (but don't let them know you heard it from me.)

10. You should go over and check out Auntie. She's got some very striking combinations she's putting together for the HAM Meezer Raffle Quilt.

11. I have been sleeping next to Mom at night. Every night. I don't go to bed when she does, but I join her later.

12. Sometimes she wakes up, and feels me lying up against her, and she reaches over and gives me scritches. I purr contentedly.

13. We're supposed to have 4 - 8" of snow Friday night into Saturday. I've had it with the snow, too. ENOUGH ALREADY!

What's Up Wednesday

Here are some of the fabrics Mom is using in the HAM Meezer Quilt.
and here is a picture of some of them paired up into strips, ready to be cut into chunks:This is one block. The quilt will have 15 of these blocks. They are 18" wide by 24" tall. Auntie will make 7 of these, Mom will make 8.There will also be 5 of these "big blocks." These are 18" x 30" .Auntie will make 3 of these, Mom will make 2; so there will be 20 blocks in all. When all the blocks are complete, Mom and Auntie will get together and lay them all out on the floor and decide which block will go where. The blocks will be arranged checkerboard style, with these "big blocks" in the bottom row.

Mom is feeling a little bit better, but she spent a lot of yesterday in bed sleeping. Thanks to everybody who send her Get Well Wishes!

Something for Everybody Tuesday

I have a lot to report today, but I want to start with the CAT stuff, since I have not been featured much in my own blog lately! I am certainly happy to help out, but...

Since today is Tuesday, here is my Tuxie Tummy shot. Monty Q is probably in the icebox already. (giggle)

Next, some HAM Meezer Quilt News.

1. Ticket sales are good, and Mom has already sent the Meezers some green papers. Mom says they need it, and couldn't see any reason to wait.

2. The Cat Blogosphere gave Mom and Auntie Karate money to buy backing fabric for the Meezer Quilt. Mom likes the quilts to have one big piece of fabric on the back, not different pieces, so this was a good thing. Mom and Auntie Karate selected the fabric together. It arrived yesterday, and I inspected it thoroughly.

Looked good to me. Next Mom put it in the washing monster.

That's where the interesting news starts.

3. Later Mom heard a terrible noise from the washing monster. It didn't wanna spin on its own and needed some help. (Mom got it to spin and the backing fabric is all set now.)

4. Mom was talking on the phone to Auntie when suddenly she said, "I gotta go!" and ran into the human litterbox room and hacked up a hairball. Except it wasn't a hairball. I don't wanna know what it was, but it sounded nasty.

5. Then Mom went to bed and took a nap for the rest of the afternoon. I went over and tried to get some attention, but she ignored me. Imagine!

6. When she got up, she was fine for a few minutes, but then she started going back the human litterbox room over and over. No more hairballs, but she doesn't look very good.

7. She didn't eat anything for dinner, and just lay on the couch, doing nothing.

8. So all work on the HAM Meezer Quilt has come to a screeching halt, and she won't be going to Auntie's today, either.

9. And we're supposed to be getting more snow!

10. Have I mentioned lately how glad I am to be a cat?

Fabric, Fabric Everywhere!

Auntie Karate is such a pest. She thinks Mom needs fabric and then whenever she needs it, she gets it from Auntie! Boy, is she wrong, Mom has plenty of fabric!

Mom sorts her fabric by size, like this:The bin on the left has full-width pieces, that she wants to save for something other than Gizzy Quilts. The bin on the right has pieces that are too small to cut into strips.
This bin has pieces that have been used as backings for Gizzy Quilts. They are pieces of fabric about 18" x 25" in size.These are full width fabrics (45" wide) that she has to cut into strips.These strips in the closet comprise the bulk of Mom's "stash." She has tons of fabrics in lots of colors, cut into wide and skinny strips, all sorted by color.

In these bins, Mom has all her "chunks." These are pairs of fabrics sewn into 6-1/2", 4-1/2" and 2-1/2" "chunks." Mom assembles the Gizzy Quilts, and she even made Gramma's Quilt from chunks in these sizes.

So, why did Mom go to Auntie's yesterday to get these fabrics?

Because Auntie and Mom will be making the quilt TOGETHER. Auntie buys different fabrics than Mom does. You can go over and see here. So, in order for the quilt NOT to look like it was made by two people with two different tastes in colors, Mom got some of Auntie's fabric, and Mom gave Auntie some of her fabric.

The quilt for the Meezers will be made by both Aunties, using ALL their fabrics and with both of their unique senses of design.

The HAM Meezer Quilt will probably look a lot like THIS quilt, which was made by BOTH Aunties for their Mom and Dad, Mimmay and Pippay. You can click the pictures to biggify, but you still might have a very hard time figuring out which one made which part.

The ladies at the local fabric store call Mom and Auntie Karate "The Bicker Sisters." Auntie and Mom think that's pretty funny, because they get along very, very well. But they love to tease each other.

Ya think?

How Big the Raffle Quilt Izz!

The quilt Mom and Auntie Karate are gonna make for the Meezer Raffle will be as big as SIXTEEN GIZZYS!

Mom and Auntie say it will be about 90" x 102", so it is big enough for a Queen size bed, and will be useful for a King size bed, too. The quilt will be 100% cotton, it won't have a filling, and it will be tied, not quilted. Quilts like the ones Mom and Auntie make are completely machine washable and dryable. These quilts are very durable, and will last for many years.

Mom's family puts these quilts above the top sheet when they make their beds. Then, if you can believe it, they put their blankets ON TOP! They say these quilts are perfect in the summer, because they aren't too heavy. And they make great beach blankets, or picnic blankets.

Raffle tickets are $10.00 each and will be on sale for one two weeks.

Winner will be announced Sunday, March 2, 2008. March 9, 2008.

Winner gets the quilt and US Priority Mail to anywhere in the US. If the winner lives outside the US, the winner must pay any additional shipping costs.

Yo! MOM! What color is this quilt gonna be?

It will have ALL colors in it, Millie, and it will be bright and cheery.

When are you gonna post a picture of it?

As soon as it is finished. Auntie and I are working on it now.

OK everybody, empty your piggybanks, and buy lotsa tickets to help the Meezers!

Millie!

And the Winner Is...

Mom spread all the tickets out on the bed, and I reached over and picked one:

Derby
The Sassy Cat from Whiskeronsin

The Ginger Gizzy Quilt will be flying out to Derby on Monday!
Yippee!!
Concatulations!!

Thank you EVERYBODY, for contributing to Churchill's v-e-t bills.
We raised $550.00! Isn't that wonderful?
~

P.S. Mom has added the button to buy Raffle tickets for the Meezer HAM (Help A Meezer) Quilt over to the left. Mom will (finally) reveal the size of the quilt at noon.

Churchill at Home with his Gizzy Quilt

This is Churchill, with the Gizzy Quilt that Mom made for him. Isn't he handsome? Doesn't the quilt look lovely with his furs? I am really happy to hear he is feeling comfortable in his new home with his forever fambly.

Last Day for the Churchill Raffle

Today is the last day to buy tickets for the Gizzy Quilt Raffle to benefit Churchill. We have sold a great many tickets and raised LOTS of green papers to pay Churchill's v-e-t. Churchill is one lucky guy. But somebody else is gonna be lucky too. Somebody is gonna win a beautiful Ginger colored Gizzy Quilt.

The winner will be announced tomorrow!

Also tomorrow, the Meezer Quilt Raffle will start. Mom will have a NEW button on the blog to buy tickets for the secret-sized Bean Quilt. Auntie and Mom are working together on this special quilt, so it's gonna be quite unique. Remember, anybody can buy a ticket for the quilt raffle. It doesn't just have to be folks from the Cat Blogosphere.

This quilt isn't either of those. It's Gramma's quilt, all finished and ready to pack up for its trip to the Furry Bambinos' Gramma.

Gizzy Quilt Raffle for Churchill

Today is the Final Day of the Benefit Raffle for Churchill!

We are raffling this lovely Gizzy Quilt to benefit Churchill. He was hit by a car and has some large v-e-t bills. Since I was hit by a car too, and lots of people helped me, I want to help Churchill.

Mom has added an "Add to Cart" button to our blog over on the left. Raffle Tickets are $5.00 each, and you can get as many as you want. You don't have to have a Paypal account to buy a ticket.

Winner gets this lovely Gizzy Quilt plus free US Priority Mail Shipping anywhere in the US. Shipping outside the US is extra.

For those who don't know, Gizzy Quilts are 24" square, made from top-quality 100% cotton top and bottom and have a fleece middle. They are completely machine washable.

Raffle ends at midnight tonight Saturday February 23, 2008.

Winner will be announced tomorrow, Sunday February 24, 2008!

Thank you very much!

Fanatical Friday

Mom, this is the black quilt you have on YOUR bed.And this one is the one you made for your friend 'Rhette.

Right on both counts Millie.

Hey Mom, this is the quilt Auntie Karate made!

Yes Millie, she makes terrific quilts!

So OK, I guess it's pretty obvious, you and Auntie Karate are gonna make a bean sized quilt to raffle to benefit the Meezers, right?

You've got it in one, Millie.

How many Gizzy Quilts big are these?

Between 11 and 12 Gizzy Quilts, Millie.

Omigoodness, those are E-NORMOUS!

Well, not quite...

WAIT A MINUTE! Whaddya mean, 'not quite?' Are you telling me that the quilt you are gonna raffle for the Meezers is gonna be BIGGER than either one of these?

Uh, yes.

Why?

Well, bean beds come in different sizes. Mine is a "Double" but there are bigger sizes, like a Queen and a King.

A Queen and a King?

Yes, Millie. But see how the quilt Auntie made hangs down over the sides? She wants her quilts to be big enough to cover up the beans when they are in the bed.

So the quilt is big enough to cover a Queen and a King? Yeah, right! A-n-y-w-a-y-s... tell me more about this raffle. How much is a Raffle Ticket for this Gizzy-normous Quilt gonna cost?

The raffle tickets will cost $10.00 each, Millie.

When will the raffle tickets go on sale?

They will go on sale on Meezer Sunday, February 24, 2008 and be on sale for a week.

When will the winner be announced?

The winner will be announced the following Sunday, March 2.

But Mom, just how big is this quilt gonna be, anyway?

That will be announced on Sunday.

Jeez Louise, Mom, you don't give up, do you?

(you can click on the pictures to biggify)

Thursday Thirteen

This is the quilt Mom made for Mr Karate to take with him when he went away to college. It was about the size of 10 Gizzy Quilts! But halfway through college, he got a bigger bed. Mom thought she'd have to make him another quilt, but Auntie Karate asked if there were any pieces left over. There were. So Mom made the quilt bigger. Our Thursday Thirteen continues the quilt theme that's been going on all week. (you can click the pictures to biggify.)

1. Mr Karate had to help take the quilt apart.

2. He had to cut all the ties and then gently take apart the seams around the edges.

3. You can see the extra pieces on the table beside him. Mom had to sew them into a big long strip.

4. Mom added 15" to one side of the quilt.

5. Then Mom had to iron the new, bigger quilt top.

6. Mom also had to add a piece to the middle of the backing fabric to make the quilt wider, too.

7. Mom lay the quilt top on top of the backing and trimmed the excess away.
8. Next, Mom and Mr Karate tied the layers together every four inches. Mom doesn't add filling to her quilts. We like them better that way. As you can see, Gizzy helped.
9. Mom folded the back over the raw edges of the quilt top to make a "self-binding."

10. Mom pinned everything in place.

11. Mom sewed the binding in place. 12. As you can see, Gizzy took his job as Quality Assurance Manager very seriously.

13. Mom removed the pins, and ironed the quilt. Gizzy helped.

Millie, what Auntie Karate and I are going to make for the Meezers will be bigger than Mr Karate's quilt, both before and after...

Yeah, okay, Mom, whatever you say. You guys are gonna make.....

Ah, Millie, that's a secret!

Oh yeah! A -secret- ! Sure Mom, whatever you say! *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*

What I Wanna Know Wednesday

I still can't get past this Bigger Than a Gizzy Quilt thing. I mean, how big is BIG, that's what I wanna know.

So this is the quilt Mom is finishing up for the Furry Bambinos' Gramma. This is a lousy picture. The quilt is WAY prettier than this.
So Mom, is what you and Auntie Karate gonna make for the Meezers bigger than this?

Oh yes, Millie, much bigger.

But Mom, this is as big as EIGHT Gizzy Quilts.

Very good, Millie.

Mom this is plenty big enough for a Bean and a Cat to nap on together.

Yes, it is, but Auntie and I will be making something bigger.

Bigger? Bigger? But this is as big as a bean!

Just about.

Whaddya mean 'just about'? This is gi-normous! Why does it have to be BIGGER? I don't get it!! My head hurts. I think I am gonna go take a nap. You are crazy.

Maybe, maybe not, but the quilts are!

Two-fer Tuesday

Mommy Meezer got a jobbie, but my Mom says they still need lots of green papers. I'm still hung up on this ''bigger than a Gizzy Quilt" thing.

This is the quilt Mom made for Kashim & Othello's sticky little bean cousin:

and Mom made this one for Kiera, Kimo & Sabi's blurpy girl sisser.

So Mom, is what you're gonna make for the Meezers bigger than these?

Yes, Millie.

Bigger than both?

Bigger than both of them put together, Millie.

But Mom, bigger than BOTH of them put together would be as big as SIX Gizzy Quilts.

Yes, Millie, that's right.

Mom, yesterday Beezer asked if it would be "big enouf for a bean and cat to nap together?" Well, would it?

Yes, surely. Plenty big enough.

But Mom...

Oh, and Millie, the Karate Lady, (Roxy and Lucky's Mom) and I are doing this together.

But Mom, that's gonna be one Giant Gizzy Quilt.

You could be right, Millie. You'll just have to wait and see.


I don't like waiting.

Meezer Monday

Mom says we aren't going to make a Gizzy Quilt to raffle to help the Meezers!

Before I could object, she stopped me with a look. She says we are DEFINITELY going to make something and have a raffle to help the Meezers, she just said it wasn't going to be a Gizzy Quilt.

It's going to be bigger.

Bigger than what?

Bigger than a Gizzy Quilt.Bigger than a Gizzy Quilt?

That's what I said.

Bigger than two Gizzy Quilts?
Yes.

How much bigger?

You'll have to wait until the Raffle for Churchill is over to find out.

But Mom, one Gizzy quilt is the perfect size for a cat. Why would anycat want anything bigger...
WAIT A MINUTE....

That's all I'm telling for now, Millie.

Mom keeps secrets better than I do.

Jemima, Tiger Lily & Ruckus are showing off their new Gizzy Quilts over at Bizzy for Gizzy. And Merlin is showing off his new Gizzy Quilt today too! You should go check them out!

Easy Sunday for Me, Not Easy for Churchill...

I'm thinking of my pal Churchill. He was in surgery yesterday for over 2 hours. He's got a pin and wires in his leg, and he'll be stuck in a PTU for two months while his leg heals. That really sucks. I just hope it heals and he is OK.

Mom finished the Raffle Quilt. Here are pictures, and you can click them to biggify:

Isn't it handsome? I know there are several Ginger cats hoping to win the raffle and get this quilt.

Have you bought your raffle ticket yet? There's a button on the left - it says "Add to Cart." Click it to buy a raffle ticket. Tickets are $5.00 each. You can get as many as you want. The drawing ends at midnight Sunday February 24, so you have plenty of time. The winner will be announced on Monday February 25 and the quilt will be flying out to the winner US Priority Mail soon after that.


But I kept thinking about Churchill, stuck in that PTU, not being able to run around while his leg heals. Mom and I decided he needed a Gizzy quilt too. We made this one for him. It will be very handsome with his grey furs.



Get Well Soon, Churchill!

Sleepy, Sickly Saturday

Mom's still croaking, and now she says her throat hurts. She left for her day hunting gig yesterday before the sun was up, and got home well after dark. She says Al Hell didn't break Lucy, the Date-a-base converted in 41 minutes flat and everything went very well. She is pretty zonked and doesn't feel so hot, so she'll probably be spending a lot of time sleeping this weekend.

She has finished the quilt top for The Furry Bambinos' Gramma, but because she is feeling miserable, she doesn't know if she'll work on it today. Mom hasn't got any good pictures of it yet.

The pieces in the picture above are from left over pieces from Gramma's quilt, but as you can see, they will make a lovely Gizzy Quilt. Mom will sew up this quilt to raffle for Churchill's v-e-t expenses. Poor Churchill was hit by a car too, same as me, and will need surgery so I want to help him out.

Next up, we gotta help the Meezers. I know~ MOM! Make a Gizzy Quilt to help the Meezers!

Yes Millie. We can do that too.

Friday Folly ??

See these birds in the tree outside? I want one. Heck, I want ALL of them. I watched them. I followed them. I chattered, and twittered, but I couldn't get them. (The window was closed.)

Mom says they are crows, and almost as big as I am.

I don't care. I still want one. I have a titanium rod in my right rear leg. That means I'm a bionic kitty, right? That means I am a super-cat. That means I can get one of those crows right?

I know I can.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

But most especially to my sweetheart, Monty Q!

He's such a handsome mancat. He's thoughtful, considerate, friendly. He's fun to be with, and he can sing to me anytime.

*smootchies*

with love from your Darling Millie

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox... (infinity)

White & Wordless Wednesday

It snowed a lot last night. Lookit the silver macheen. It is raining now. And it is freezing. So it is nasty. It is WHITE outside.

But that's not the best part. I think Mom swallowed a frog somehow. She's croaking. So she'll be staying home today. She is WORDLESS!

(She says because of the silver lapbox and something called a Vee Pea End, she can still prepare for the All Hell Breaks Lucy day on Friday. Lucky her!)

Ha Ha! I'm so glad I'm a cat!

Tuxie Toesday Tuesday

Mom's gonna be wicked busy this week at her day hunting gig, and she isn't looking forward to it. She says the rest of the week will be a Week From Hell on Steroids. She talks about what she has to do, but it just sounds like jibberish to me. Eeeeeeeeeee are pea, database engine, crystal retorts, email, user eye-dees, groups, writes, data-base conversation, gigabites, con-sultans, off the network, sit-tricks, ottocad... I dunno. I think she's losing her mind.

Anyway I explained that she's gotta get off her butt and set up the raffle for Churchill. We're gonna make a Gizzy Quilt to raffle for his v-e-t expenses.

And it's gonna snow again today. Ain't life grand?