Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Returning to "Normal"

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and extended family!  The turkey was one of the best we have cooked..don't know what makes the difference...we do about the same thing every year!  Everyone is healthy...the weather was perfect...fun times: eating-playing games-watching football-a lot of laughing!!

Now to get back to a few projects...my Crones challenge: "When You Wish on a Star";  my new group-Art Quilts Around the World- challenge: "My Profile"; and our bed quilt which is from Karen Stone's "Unusual Lone Star" pattern (this has been a long term project!).  I also want to get some journal covers made for some gifts for Christmas.
And one of my daughter's just gave me a set of India Inks and pens for my birthday (a hint-hint gift!) which I am anxious to take a stab at!  Along with a couple of wish list books..Sue Bleiweiss's "Sketchbook Challenge" and "Journal Fodder: 365: Daily Doses of Inspiration".  And my other daughter gave me  a gift certificate to one of my favorite fabric shops!  Do they know their mom or what???

I have made blocks for a "Sandy Relief" that Michelle Foster of Quilter's Gallery has been promoting.  I made12 blocks and sent them to someone else who will add them to others and make the quilt.  Then it will be sent to the East Coast to help someone after the hurricane.  Here are my blocks:

12" blocks-totally from scraps
If you are interested in participating, this is an ongoing project and you can find out more by going to the Gallery link.  The blocks are very easy and really help with the scrap bag stash while helping out others!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Good ending to a good week!


On Sunday, we all got together at Andrea's for the August birthdays.  We met the newest member of the family...her new puppy Leo.  Leo was a lost doggie wandering around McKinney and was taken in by a friend of Andrea's who already has a couple of dogs. So Andrea decided to adopt him...he is really a sweet dog and has landed in a very nice home...she will really do him right!!!  He is probably a mix; one of Andrea's friends saw his picture on her FB and thought he looked like a Pharoah Hound  (I thought they were saying "feral" hound) !  Having never heard of this breed I had to look it up and sure
enough...there is such a breed and he really does look like a small version!!

Then yesterday, we went to the movie with both grands... a final summer event for us with them....saw "Cowboys and Aliens"!  A scifi movie with Harrison Ford and Daniel Crag so what is there not to like!  Then out to a late lunch at Cotton Patch.  Kathleen had to go to band practice but Colin came home with us and spent the night.

Today, Trinity Valley Quilter's Guild  met this morning.  We didn't have a speaker today; instead we had "Christmas in July", whereby a few of us demonstrated various activities to the rest of the members.  I had decided to show how to put together several Christmas Cards, using fabric and other techniques.  Here's a couple of the Zentangle cards I demo'd.


 



After I got home, Colin's mom had come out to get him and we all had lunch together.

So...Friday finished the week off very enjoyably!!!!  If it would only cool down, life would be perfect!!!!!!!!!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Life is Good!!


"The most potent muse of all is our Inner Child!" Stephen Nachmanovitch

One of the many theaters in Chicago.
Every five years since we turned 50, several of my girlfriends from High School get together in various places to celebrate.  This year (our fifth time to get together...figure it out!) we traveled from around the country to meet in Chicago.  Because he had never been there before, my husband traveled with us.  There were to be a couple other guys, but as it turned out, he was the only guy...with 12 females to usher around.  I think he secretly loved it!!  Actually, much of the time, he and I would take out on our own...then all get together for breakfast and dinner.
The Art Institute of Chicago
 This is one of my favorite places to visit.  I hadn't been to Chicago in about 45 years, and the Art Institute has about doubled in size.  When we went there this time, we had planned to visit in the morning then go somewhere else, but it was so huge, my husband and I spent the day there!!

Here we all are at the Art Institute after lunch.  Most of the other gals went on to other things when Dick and I decided to stay.  He came in real handy as our designated photographer!

Chicago Skyline over Lake Michigan
Six of us decided to take a Grayline Bus tour...we did the four hour version then Dick and I also took the tour of the John Hancock Tower with wonderful aerial views of the city...not as tall as the Sears Building but better viewing from their observation deck.
One view from the John Hancock Building
Looking the opposite way, Lakeshore Drive and Lake Michigan
We were so lucky the whole trip...it had been rainy and it was cold but when we were out, the rain held off.  And the sun came out when were up in the Hancock Building.

A View from our Hotel Window at Night
We stayed at the Hampton Inn in the Majestic Theater Building...I highly recommend it if anyone is traveling to Chicago.  Not only was it really well located, (we could walk to Millienium Park and the Art Institute, etc.) the staff were just great...very friendly and accommodating...and the rooms were very nice.

After the great Chicago experience, we also had a wonderful time seeing family in Illinois and in Missouri.

And as always when traveling...it is great to get home to one's own bed and shower...routine is a good thing!!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Life Back to Normal...(whatever normal is)

" Wish for Sunshine, but build dikes." Chairman Mao-Little Red Book

I like this quote....especially for this time of year!  Spring is having a hard time getting here...it got down to freezing again this weekend and, although we had none, our daughter had about eight or more inches of snow and she is only an hour Northeast from us.


I have been spending way too much time on my guild's 2010 Donation Quilt.  I volunteered to do it, designed it then collected fabric from our members...made up kits for members to check out and make 1/2 square triangle blocks.  There are 840 3" blocks in the quilt; the overall size is 90" x 106".  The design I had planned to make is not exactly how it ended up...funny how things on 1/4" grid paper look different when put up on a design wall!  I didn't have anyone here to hold it up so this is what it looks like laid out on the floor and then spread on our bed.
I may have to buy a lot of the raffle tickets myself as it looks pretty good there!!  I have been wanting to make a new quilt for our bed anyway since we got a new mattress...none of our old quilts fit it just right.
Now that I have completed this project, I need to finish my winter swap quilt that is to go to Germany. I have it made, only need to quilt it and get it mailed off.  I have emailed the reciepient and she was very nice about it coming late!  I have recieved mine from England and it is just lovely!!  And I don't think I ever posted my fall  mini swap from from Germany!  I have really enjoyed making and recieving these little quilt.


Notes on a few other things we've been doing:

  • daughter Andrea has gotten moved into her first home; we all went up to help her get some unpacking done

  • took the grands and their parents to Red Lobster for the kids' first taste of lobster...very disappointed..we have eaten there before but this time, the food was not up to par...I am trying to encourage them to try lobster some other time!

  • our daughters and grands took a trip to visit their grandma in Missouri...she is 91 this year.

  • and I am reading Stephen King's latest novel..."Under the Dome"..it is pretty good but, as usual, VERY long...over 1000 pages..very weighty to hold up in bed!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Great Day!!

I am ready for bed but wanted to comment on what a great day I have had!!  The weather is perfect...I have been with my best friends including Dick,  playing poker and eating...and I acutally came out ahead!  I have either talked to  or heard from my girls and grands!  I am going to  a guild workshop tomorrow to learn more about embellishing quilts/beading.  And I am celebrating my birthday, so today is the first day of the rest of my life, which I plan to live to the fullest for a long time to come!!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

End of Quilt Show

My quilt show entries: "Age of Aquarius", "Inner City", and "Some Assembly Required". The Show ended today...very good show, lots of fun, and of course I did get some new fabric!! Like that is really what I need! I did resist any of the fun gadgets though...I have a few of those from past shows that really didn't live up to their demos!

Some of these I have shown before but I don't think my "Age of A..." has been on my blog. It is the result of my bee's Round Robin to which I have added the circles, black edging and lots of embellishments. I had taken this on the ferries with me and did work on it some while enjoying the passing scenery. I didn't quite get finished so plan to add a little more embellishments.
Daughter Andrea leaves California tomorrow....she will be driving, plans on a few touristy stops then meeting up with the dad in Vegas and driving back together....really looking forward to seeing her. We are trying to get a time together to see all the family and show our pics from the trip, but with teenager and preteenager things get busy around their house!!
Now that the show is over, I can work on some other commitments: a "purple 8" square exchange, a small quilt swap, and "Veronica's quilt" which is almost ready to put together then get quilted....a multi colored Snails Trail...pretty wild!
And I am having "studioQ" here next Monday and need to get caught up on our "Recipe Quilt". I am behind a couple....one ingredient is "Spring"...I know what I am going to do with it, just need to "git 'r dun"! and the other ingredient is "Chicken"...however I want to interpret that!! Should be interesting to see!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

My "terrific" family!!!

Fireworks at the Botanical Gardens, Fort Worth, Texas







Last night we went to the Botanical Gardens for a picnic and fireworks...Happy Fourth of July to all of us!!! Although it was REALLY HOT!!! we had a great time, way too much food, but a terrific fireworks display and wonderful concert!
After posting my last blog, I discovered (with the help of my husband and eldest daughter that I had creatively spelled "tomatoE") so I have corrected the word by editing it! And that is why my family is so wonderful!!! Dick and I spend every morning after breakfast on our back porch with a cup of coffee and our crossword puzzles. And I am always teasing my husband about his "creative spelling" so this was his opportunity to "get me back"! And my daughter is just being the really good teacher that she is....I am sure...(while catching Mom, the retired teacher, in a goof!!!)
I have been working on my log cabin challenge quilt and what I thought was just going to be a fast do is turning into something I am really enjoying working on. So I will have to post a pic of it when I get a little farther (or is it further?) along!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Trip to Missouri





The dogwood trees are blooming in Missouri. My family from Texas and California were up there this weekend to help my mother in law celebrate her 90th birthday. It was great seeing all the family...talking, laughing, and eating way too much!!! I trespassed into a yard to take this picture. The second picture is my version of "Dogwoods in the Smokys" done in fiber.


Although we had a wonderful time, I am glad to be home and am anxious to get back to quilting my Inner City. I am a little bit of a hermit at times!! Oh, and my little mockingbird family seem to be doing quite well. I took a picture through the window of one of them which shows just how close to my studio they are.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Another week gone by

Today, I talked to almost everyone in my family! Andrea called...is working on her training for her 3-day walk in October; I talked to Dorothy; and Jack called.

Tomorrow I have a meeting with my group of art quilters from studio Q. I will post after that as we always have lots of interesting things to talk about. Three of the gals just got back from a workshop in Ohio on dying fabric and they will have a lot to tell us about!!

So I will keep this short and add more tomorrow.