Great week, so far!

"At my age, I don't even buy green bananas!"  Claude D. Pepper

What social butterflies we have been this past week and to come!  Last Saturday, we met with family and friends for a surprise birthday party for a good friend (my daughter's mother-in-law) who is the same age as I am.

Sunday, we celebrated the Fourth of July with family and friends...many of the same we saw the night before.  And our daughter from out of town joined us.  We all went to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens for food, fun and music...then a really fabulous fireworks display!  We have done this together for several years...always fun...sometimes really hot, but this time the weather was warm but not too bad...a nice breeze kept us cool.  The Fort Worth Symphonic Orchestra played...mostly patriotic music.  There was a wonderful solo singer..very rich voice....and I always get goose bumps when they play each of the armed forces' songs and have the vets and current military stand. 

Isn't this a great "patriotic" fireworks display?  I have discovered a "fireworks" setting on my camera which is fun to have! (I took MANY more, but won't post them all!!)  Maybe a quilt in the works??  I'll have to try printing off some of my pics on fabric!

To continue with the social life...tomorrow I am having lunch with good friend I have not seen in awhile and then Thursday we are hosting our poker group at our house.  We have not met for poker for about three months...we have trouble this time of year finding all six of us in the area at the same time!!  I am definitely planning on not winning as we haven't played for quite awhile and I'm not that great to start with!!

After all this "eating out", I think we will need to curtail the calories and get back to our usual eating pattern which is, at least we try, modest!

Rainy Day in July!

"The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age" Lucille Ball

     I had collected several "humorous" little quotes to pass on to my friends as they age...so thought I would share a few with my blog friends!  (I think Lucille Ball just blew her advice...be honest and lie in the same sentence!)

     We have been experiencing the greatest weather for June/July in Texas!  We have been having rain and temperatures in the 80's.  Not so bad considering we have already had 100+ temps earlier in the summer!  And on the county road which runs right by my house, we have been eating dust or mud for the past four months.  Today, the road guys have been resurfacing it!!  Oh, the little pleasures of life!!

     Our granddaughter celebrated a very significant birthday Sunday so we were all at her house helping her celebrate!!  I cannot believe that baby girl is really 16!!!

      Monday, my art group, studioQ met and had lunch as well as our usual activities...show and tell, etc.  For lunch the hostess suggested something different...we were all to bring a food that started with the letter "P"!  It is surprising how many foods to begin with the letter P...we ended up with quite a feast..we had pulled pork on potato rolls, pimento cheese with pecans on pumpernickel bread, pineapple fruit salads, pickles, peanut butter balls, pecan muffins, pasta salads, peach pie and peach cobbler...and more I am sure!

Where Nancy lives there are deer everywhere.  These three fawns were right outside her window with their

mama.

Anne brought her Kindel Book bag which she had made out of fabric painted at another meeting at my house a couple of years ago. And Heather showed us one of the quilts she did at a Nancy Crow workshop. And Nancy showed her "recipe" quilt, all finished!

.

Heather has a couple of box turtles living in her garden.  "Charlie" had suffered a terrible attack by a racoon and lost a leg.  He had been recouperating in her bathtub...I had this "turtle" pattern for ever so made up a little memento of the occassion for her.  My husband carved the toy turtle a wooden leg!!  She was very surprised!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

"To see far is one thing; going there is another." Brancusi

I was reading an article in today's paper why we have been having such extreme weather patterns...we went from pretty cool and wet to really hot and dry with no gradual change in between.  And according to the experts, the culprits are those bad little winds...El Nino and La Nina.  Now the paper explained what they do to mess us up but my brain lost interest when it became technical!  It's like when in classes in college...I loved learning about the stories behind events, be historical or scientific, but when it came to the dates or the theorems etc. I shut down!  It was a good thing a lot of my tests were essay and I was pretty good at the ol' BS (and that doesn't stand for Bachelor of Science)!

My husband had a little surgery a week and a half ago...he is now back in the land of the living...went through a few rough days, but much better now.  He is not able to do as much yet as he would like but we are very lucky to have good help in the family as far as mowing and yard stuff.  Our granddaughter (the yard girl) and her dad came out Monday evening to mow and weed eat for us.  We really appreciate that especially the dad as he worked all day, then came out to do our yard for us.  I am sure there were many other things he would rather have been doing.....like his own yard, for one!

Our granddaughter...that baby who was just born a few years ago...is going to be sweet sixteen on Sunday..you think your own children grow up too fast, but that was nothing compared to the speedy aging  of grandchildren!!  She is taking driver's ed right now...and although I have great confidence in her abilities, the very thought of her out there on the road with all the crazies...I shudder to think!!!

My guild, Trinity Valley Quilters Guild, is having our annual quilt show in September.  Every year we have a specific challenge just for members.  I always try to do something for it....it is a fun thing..not too serious, usually.  This year the challenge is to make a quilt any size from 50 or more different fabrics.  That was no problem!!  So below is my top for the challenge...I have not quilted it yet.  It is a unique size...21" x 42" and no, I did not use scraps from the donation quilt which is making the rounds to other meetings, etc to sell tickets.   All these fabrics are from my own little stash!!  But I have a bit of a dilemmia...after finishing the top, I reread the criteria and discovered that one criteria is to take a traditional quilt block and create a quilt using the 50+ fabrics, interpreted in the maker's own fashion!  So it doesn't have to BE a traditional quilt, but must be based on a traditional block!!  In putting the cart before the horse...I have the top, but not a clue as to what traditional block I can say I used!!  HELP!!  Can anyone give me any ideas as to what block this might possibly be related to????

   I am changing my "view from my window" picture as the bluebonnets are all gone for this year, but we have been having spectacular crape myrtles.  And the Russian sage is really full this year too. 

Getting deep into summer!!

"We have met the enemy and he is us!"  Pogo

Anybody remember Pogo...the little swamp 'possum philosopher?  I used to love that cartoon...we don't get it in our paper; I don't even know if he is still being created.  But how true...what mankind does to mankind!  I am watching the news as I write...the oil disaster in the Gulf...the wars...flooding and deaths in Arkansas (not a manmade disaster, I know) but continual news tragedies!!

On a happier note...a couple weeks ago, I went to my daughter's to help her do some "organizing" in her new house and she cooked dinner for me!!  Very tasty!!  She is learning to do healthy cooking and eating, making better choices, etc.  We had a great time...went to her gym on Sunday morning...I did a mini workout while she met with her trainer.  My hubby and I go to the local YMCA a couple times a week and walk every day, but it was refreshing to try a new place! ( Although we love the "Y", her gym is much fancier!!!)

And I have finally finished my Paula Nadelstern wall hanging...at least the piecing of it.  I had planned to put the large squares on point, but it all became way too frustrating trying to figure it out with the fabric I was using...I didn't want to get any more fabric so this what I ended up doing..I will have enough to make a couple of small quilts to donate to our guild silent auction.  The small picture is the back side of one of the large squares....these are from Paula's class on "Simple Symmetry".

We had our grandson for a couple of nights this past week...he is so much fun to have around..almost 13. He and I had a marathon viewing of the three "Lord of the Rings" movies; we also have an ongoing chess match we play every time he is here.  We took him to see "Sharks" at the Omni in Fort Worth...it was OK but could have been a little more "exciting"!

And lastly...we are having a real bumper crop of tomatoes!!  Although I hate the heat and humidity, tomatoe plants really love them so I guess that is a fair trade with Mother Nature to appease our discomfort!!

Are there really coincidences???

"Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly." Gilbert K. Chesterton

I just finished reading John Irving's "Last Night in Twisted River"...a very good read!  Irving ("The World According to Garp", "Cider House Rules", etc) is one of my favorite authors.  He has the most interesting characters in his books.  He does get a little involved in his plots, but works his way back out in a satisfactory manner.  Speaking of his characters brings me to my first "coincidence"!  One of his main characters in this book becomes a writer....who takes the pen name "Danny Angel"  for reasons I will not go into to not spoil the plot for other readers. 

After having read "Twisted River"...I have begun "Angelology" by Danielle Trusonni...an author I have not read before...I think is going to develop into a mystery/fantasy...first clue..one of the first characters thinks about something that occured to him as a young man in 1804...but the current year has been established as 1999!!!  Hmmm????

And so begins my "coincidences" which I am going to list!!!!

• 
  
  Irving book....Angel
• 
  
  Current  book being read...Angels
• 
  
  Looking through my pictures...one of my favorites is the picture from the German cementary in Fredricksburg, TX of an angel on a tombstone.
• 
  
  Just yesterday I was reading an article in my Smithsonian magazine..."Savoring Puebla"...about a city near Mexico City that has a beautiful cathedral.."Puebla de los Angeles"  because legend has it that the angels helped install the 8.5 ton bell in the bell tower, repudiately the tallest tower in all of Mexico!
• 
  
  "Saving Grace", a quirky cop show on cable with a foul-mouthed female deputy played by Holly Hunter who happens to have a guardian angel named Earl just started up for the last summer season...and I happen to like the show!!
• 
  
  And another odd-ball show I like..."Dr. Who" on the Sy-fy channel just started a new season..I just watched the first one today (I tape the shows and watch while I am sewing)...the first show was an explanation to past shows and a preview of shows to come....two episodes involve the screaming stone.....Angels!!!!!

Okay, I am not superstitious...nor believe too much in the paranormal...nor am I overly religious...but I do think it is strange/interesting that "coincidences" of this nature do occur!!  So I am going to be super alert to these life moments to see if there is any connection...There could be worse things than angels coming into my space!!!!!

Kaleidoscope Workshop with Paula Nadelstern"

                  "In the Middle of difficulty lies opportunity."  Albert Einstein

Paula with her fabulous snowflake quilt...each snowflake is made up of many small pieces to make the "kaleidoscope" effect.

     Today was the Paula Nadelstern all day workshop held at the "Quilt Among Friends" quilt shop in Arlington, TX.  What a great experience!!  I had purchased fabric earlier in the week that met the criteria of being bilateral (meaning when sliced up, would create a mirror image of itself).  But once I got there and saw what we were doing, I wanted fabric that was much more vibrant and rich...I bought some there and was really pleased with it.  I will still use my Pink and Lime Green, and am curious to see it put together using her techniques...

The workshop was titled "Simple Symmetry" and this is Paula's example of what we were going to be doing.  Each row consists of three finished symmetrical blocks...using very ornate and colorful fabric, cut up and sewn back together to get the kaleidoscope affect.  Each single block is made up of eight triangles which have been cut from identical repeated patterns in the fabric.  Several workshop students had the same fabric, some in different colors, and it was amazing to see the different patterns that emerged just from the selected areas that were put together.

This is one of my blocks, not sewn together yet, but will become my first row after doing two more exactly like this one.  And when the three blocks go together, you get a secondary design where each meets.

And here is the class with Paula showing off our blocks; you can see we were getting a little goofy by the end of the day!!  Great fun had by all!!

A Correction

In telling of my trip to Chicago, I had said it had been over 45 years since I had been there..not true!  In the 70's, the Field Museum had one of three showings of King Tut, very similiar to the exhibit that was shown  in Dallas last year.  My two daughters, my sister, two of her kids, and our mom traveled to Chicago to see the exhibit.  We had a great time.....we stayed in a motel in the suburbs and took the kids in on a commuter train early in the morning...they were all very excited to be on a train for one and just going to the "city".  It was pretty funny to see all the commuters...doing that same trip day in and day out...reading their newspapaers, drinking their coffee, not making eye contact with  anyone...compared to our kids who were so excited!  Oh, they were well behaved...we didn't allow them to be too loud or disturbing, but their joy was somewhat infectuous as there were some who asked them what they were planning to do in Chicago!

Random Ramblings

" Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how popular it remains?"  Anon.

Sunday On La Grande Jatte-1884 by Georges Seurat

Such a thrill to see this painting at the Chicago Art Institute last week...when I was a kid, I did see it but after having taught art for 32 years, I had a much greater appreciation for it...knowing something of the artist and the history of the period.  My mom was also very fond of this particular work of art and had a print of it hung in her living room as long as I can remember. (I wonder what happened to that picture?)  I also really enjoyed the musical "Sunday with George"...I haven't seen it live but many years ago, PBS filmed a production of it with Mandy Pankin in the starring role. 

North Crowley Spring Band Concert

Somewhere on that stage is my granddaughter, playing the French horn.  NC held their spring concert last Saturday. The middle schools that feed into NC had their concerts first...then the high school.  I am always amazed at how wonderfully those kids, from 7th grade on up can play!!  And kudos to their band directors!!  They have to have great patience to work with all that noise...then to make it into something beautiful...what a feat!!

My guild has a members only challenge quilt each year in conjunction with our quilt show which is in September.  This year the theme is a scrappy quilt, using 50 or more fabrics.  It can be any size, any pattern, with a minimum of applique and embellishments.  Coming up with 50 fabrics is no problem...I have started on what I think will be my entry...and that may be the only thing I actually get done to enter the show this year!

Our speaker at our meeting this week is Paula Nadelstern, who creates kaliedescope quilts...she is having her workshop on Saturday...I have signed up for it and am very excited to attend and see how she makes the magic happen!!  I am working with fabric which is totally out of my comfort zone....Pink and lime greens!!!  But I hear it is good to break away into something totally different once in awhile!!  We'll see!

Nice Surprise!!

             When we got home from our trip, I had the nicest surprise in the mail...one of my blog buddies, Libby, had sent me a book...Barbara Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible" and one of her wonderful postcards along with some packets of wild flower seeds.  She and I had "discussed" books and I had said that was one I was wanting to read....what a generous person she is!!!!!!

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!!

A Celebration and a Cause

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." Vincent Van Gogh

Last night we attended the Cook Children's Volunteer Dinner with part of our family. Dick was one of the volunteers being honored for his service.  A very nice evening...dinner a the TCU Student Union Center..we got to meet some of the people he works with on his floor.  These are the ladies who nominated him for the award.  Of course, I had to tease him about making a speech...being a more than reticent person, he was adamant that he would not have to give one!!  There was a video presentation about the volunteers.  It was really inspiring to see many of the things they do at Cook... to hear their stories...and the gratitude of the Cook people for the volunteers.

And the second part of my blog is the "CAUSE"!  I don't usually listen to Oprah, but I do often watch "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" which came on right before Oprah.  So today, after the Millionaire, before I turned the tv off, Oprah's show came on...I was intrigued by the topic...to sign a pledge to not use cell phones or text while driving.  That happens to be a subject I am very concerned about...as they say, texting/talking while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk!  So after the show, I went to her website and have signed the pledge (although I am not one who does that anyway; I hardly ever even have my phone on!) but I do want to encourage everyone I know to sign the pledge and to really live by what you have pledged!!

Busy Week!

"Atheism is a Non-prophet organization!"

Our "studioQ" group met at Heather's Monday, this is Pam showing us an old book with some neat embroidery/embellishments from the '70's, but very much like some of the things we are doing today....the old adage.."what goes around, comes around"..proven true again!  Then Bethany had a beautiful baby quilt she is doing for a friend.

Beth showed a small quilt top she is doing with scraps and Susan had made her "Yin/Yang" purse with some fabric she had gotten at the Bear Creek Quilt Show.

Wendy had a top she made from a class she recently took and Heather had several pieces that she had hand-dyed using techinques for blocking out color from a workshop she had taken.  This was one of my favorites!

It was a beautiful day at Heather's so we ate lunch outside.  They have a beautiful yard! And this was the anniversary of our third year to be organized so we had to celebrate with a little of the bubbly!

Monday evening was my granddauthter, Kathleen's Confirmation and I very was proud to be her sponser!  There were 63 of the kids being confirmed, but it moved along pretty smoothly and we were home by 9:00.

Can you guess what Kathleen is saying to me????

Then tomorrow night we are going to the Cook Hospital Volunteer Appreciation Dinner and Saturday off with friends to Waco to see woodwork and have lunch.

Great Weekend!!

" Sometimes I feel like I am diagonally parked in a parallel universe!"

Race for the Cure 2010 Fort Worth, Texas

Both my daughters and the mother-in-law of one and I did the Race for the Cure yesterday...a 5K in and around Fort Worth....beautiful day and much fun had by all!  This is the 14 or 15th time I have done the race; I'll have to count my t-shirts to make sure of the number!

Have you ever seen a pink tractor before?  Pink was the color of the day!!

The crowd in front of us didn't come close to  the number of people behind us.  I think I heard there were over 18,000 people doing the race!

And... the finish is in sight!!! The race is won...of course, for us, it was more of a "Walk for the Cure", but we did out number the runners by a long shot!!

After the race one of my daughter's and I went to an exhibit at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame; a realatively new museum in Fort Worth.  The exhibit was "In the Faraway Place", paintings and photographs by and about Georgia O'Keeffe and the actual camp equipment used by her on her treks into New Mexico.

Then this morning we went to the other daughter's house for brunch with everyone...celebrating a birthday and granddaughter's confirmation which is tomorrow night.  The above mini quilt is for my daughter's birthday....she just bought a new house and frequently calls it "Casa Abba" (which is in reference to her blog).

Whoops!!!

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong!" Joseph Chilton Pearce

 I have two daughters...both very bright, beautiful...inside and out..and very observant!  One of my daughters just commented on my yesterday's blog about my picture posted of the cemetary...I did not notice the name on the gravestone...I was concentrating on the angel above!  The daughter who noticed the name is the sister of the one whose name appears!!

This is really the year for blooming things...my irises have never looked better...and I can never think of the name of this little pink thing, but it too is glorious this year!

I am about to finish Barbara Kingsolver's "The Lacuna".  It is one of those books once started, needs to be finished.  The subject matter is great....a period of time I find interesting...right before WWII and into the McCarthyism era...compelling characters, fiction and non-fiction..Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Trotsky...and a fictional boy/growing up to be an author...but there were several times I really wanted to just put it down and be done with it...then I would read a little more and become curious to see what came next.  This is the first book I have read of hers...I had thought I would want to read "The Poisonwood Bible" but know I'm not sure...anyone out there who has read it?  Recommendations?