Getting ready

Only one guess on my last post?!
Peggy guessed potholders, but nope, that's not it. (though a very good idea, if only I knew how to make potholders..) Who else has any ideas? I've made 4 and have the pieces cut for a 5th. I've also got some really cute red/orange floral fabric that looks like it belongs in someone's kitchen. Tonight I'm taking a break, but I've still got time to whip up 4 more... what are they?
On my way home from work I stopped at Office Depot to make color copies of the McCord vine pics to take with me on my trip. (don't want to lug the whole book and waste precious luggage allowance space..) Last night i started laying out the leaves, but I have a feeling it's not going to all get pieced very easily. I think I need more leaves.
I should try to applique some down and get a better idea of the spacing. I'm really liking the colors though. I've got to piece a few leaves with the blues and greens, because the fabrics I pieced originally weren't in the right value family and didn't stand out enough on the background. I've still got so much to learn about fabric/color choice. I envy people like Robin and Kristin who can go to these week long quilt-workshops and just play. Learning is so much fun that way, isn't it?
I've got one suitcase laid out on the bedroom floor already, with all sorts of stuff piled in it. Anything that I don't want to forget to bring gets tossed in there (or in the general direction of the suitcase) as soon as I think I won't need it anymore this week. There's about half of the clothes I'm bringing, some CDs, sample sized bottles of Mastic shampoo from the wonderful Mastic Spa in NYC (for souveniers), a shoebox to carefully pack a glass jar of Greek honey, a 2 lb bag of long grain rice so I can make yuvarlakia (stewed meatballs) from Maria's recipe, my beige purse..
and as I write this list, 5 more things popped into my head that I really should go run and put in there right now before I forget. Can you sense that I am someone who gets packing/travel anxiety? I don't mind the traveling, in fact I almost love long waits in random airports. Take me far from home for an extended period of time and I'll rediscover myself and come alive. But before the trip.. I am seriously obsessed with planning. I want everything to be perfect. I've re-written my packing list 3 times. I've even drawn out all the clothes i want to bring on scraps of paper and rearranged them to create the most outfits possible. I've decided to only bring 2 pairs of shoes. I'm ok with that. If I get there and find that I brought the wrong two pairs of shoes, I'll ...I'll... console myself with shopping?