Patience for a Penley

Are you an "instant gratification" kind of folk or wait 'til the cows come home' kind of folk? Hmmm...I'd have to say, in this particular case, the cows have come home, produced heirs for several generations, and provided some great fourth of July hamburgers.

You see...I waited. I could have saved my pennies for years and bought my own Steve Penley painting (somehow). May have had to forego food and shelter at times, would have been worth it. But, decided to not spurge. My Hero and I even thought about letting that be our 20th wedding anniversary gift to each other, but it really would have been for me so ...naaawwww. At the school auction, I pulled out of the bidding for one he did on cardboard...it went for $20.00 more. It's as it should be.

I've coveted, studied, enjoyed and longed for...the artwork of Steve Penley. It's been more than a decade that it's been a secret desire of mine, kept to myself mostly and admittedly ashamed of how much I enjoy his work. He's an upstanding guy as well. I've heard him speak at a local school and he may have missed a career as a stand up comedian. It takes true talent to do that without the dirty jokes and he's accomplished for sure. I didn't know if I enjoyed his talk more or that he can whip out a portrait of Jesus, in no time flat, that will put you on your knees. There's something down deep in that guy.

Here's my story:
Atlanta Ballet is near and dear to my heart, no secret there. It's time for the end of the year concert for the students. Hectic. Exciting. Inspiring. Bring you to tears kind of moments. In order for all of that to happen, the teachers (and a host of volunteers) need to give up their personal lives for these students for 2-3 weeks in order to make 2-3 minutes on stage a life changing experience for the dancers.

One teacher, in particular, is near and dear to my heart. She, knowing that I love Steve Penley, somehow, by hook or crook, gave to me... a gift of a lifetime.

After the show, after the parents and children have gone home, after all the candy wrappers have been picked up, the sweet teacher says has something for me. With her best poker face, she claims it's backstage and will be right back....returning, she has a large board, turns it over and reveals a signed and numbered "Hearts for Haiti" to which Steve Penley added hand painting.

I cried and cried.... She cried, my little one, standing there watching it all unfold,.... teared. Then I went home and cried. I wrote this post and....well... , cried.




Patience.

Bernadette

Good morning everyone! This is Bernadette and her cousin, Clarisse (whom you've already met). Bernadette is my latest creation resulting from my waiting hours in the lobby of Atlanta Ballet. (I like it to count for something, you know)

She'd like a new dress for spring, pink to be exact, so I may surprise her at Easter. Clarisse is pleased to have her cousin visit after a long winter with several bouts of snow.

Spring is coming!

Enjoy.

Hearts for Haiti - Steve Penley

Steve Penley, one of my favorite artists, (correction, my favorite) has painted this beauty for a dinner to raise money for Haiti. His website...well, just check it out. I would give my right arm to have one of his paintings...a large one of anything he does. I have a 2 story wall in my living room that has been "shouting" for one of his landscapes for 5 years now. Can't quite figure out how to pay for it though.

Here is an bit from his biography on his website:

"The values and attitudes of every generation are reflected in it's art. This generation is definitely no exception. There is a battle being waged between world views which are diametrically opposed to one another. This polarization is visible in politics, entertainment and culture. In today's post-modern world, God has been removed and secularism seeks to fill the void. Once God is out the equation, all objective truths are out with Him - Any standard of beauty or aesthetic value is gone."
-Steve Penley

I completely agree. He makes reference to elephant "droppings" being displayed in a museum as fine art. I had the same feeling when I saw a roll of chicken wire in the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. I'm sure there's a lofty thought behind all of that and deep meaning conveyed but I missed that part in my Art History classes.


Just thought I'd share the "Hearts" with you....I love that kind of stuff you know....

Enjoy!

Starry, Starry Night

This batik quilt was a surprise for my nephew. I can tell you that I have broken every quilting rule, regarding thread, known. Used polyester and cotton and all different weights

I've used machine quilting and hand quilting threads even though it's all machine quilted.

I've used non matching thread on the bobbin. I've used metallic thread on the top and cotton on the bottom. I've used polyester thread on the top and cotton on the bottom. Can you think of any more "sins"...that would be me.

I've gone fast when I should have gone slow. I've created non uniform shapes. Nothing is consistent......I like it though.

Here's why I'm such a "sinner": In making this quilt, I wanted it to have a bit of my dear Mom in it. She's no longer with us but her memory and what she stood for are firmly etched in my everyday life. Soooooo....what I did was use all of her left over thread found in her sewing basket...in this quilt. All of the half used thread spools are now in good use in this quilt, I call Starry, Starry Night because the haphazard quilting looks like the Van Gogh painting.

It is for my nephew, and will be appreciated, I know. My mother was known for her economy. He is somewhat the same way. Never cheap in anyway...she was as classy as they come, beautiful home, beautiful clothes, etc. She could make everything look like the White House on a Dollar Store budget. Tell me how you give 5 out of 5 children a college education, 3 of which went to private schools, on $10,000.00 dollars a year. It's baffling when I think about it. Truly, she was amazing. Honestly, I never saw her worry over money...but I'm sure she was on her knees plenty.

Here's my nephew and my mom, notice the well worn broom...He turned 25 on New Years Day.

Mom's first grandchild, my sister's son.

Just passing the time.....Sweeping....

Think of Spring!

It's a Wonderful Life.

Come on in and sit with me for a minute....


I was just thinking about how much fun I've had in the last 2 months. SO much had happened that I've kept under raps but really....it's all good.

My son stopped playing tournament tennis...and it's been great.

My daughter set new goals for ballet.


We had a ton of fun with 20 of us playing tennis on Thanksgiving day.


I still like to see him play...


Great life sport....if you can still walk. I have one brother in his early 50s that can hardly walk because of all the tennis and squash he played. Collegiate and national levels.


Of course, there's always this side of it.


This is my other brother, 15 years older than I. He's the oldest of our 5 siblings and I'm the youngest. We all think my brothers hung the moon. You would think we're a small country worshipping idols. Honestly, I'm quite sure they hung the moon.


My hero, of course, who hangs the planets as well.


Ummp.

Oooohhhhh....

Yep, I'm pretty sure....it's a wonderful life.

It's Nutcracker Season - 2009

Atlanta Ballet is celebrating 80 years and is performing Nutcracker at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. The "performance group" is making the rounds in Atlanta to promote the show. They will be at Phipps Plaza, Buckhead Diner, Four Seasons Hotel and The Ritz Carlton. Not a bad gig, would you say? Great food included. This photo above is My Nutcracker at the very swank Phipps Plaza in front of Tiffany & Co. Needless to say, I was doing a tad bit of window shopping.

It was rather nice as the mall was closed to the public and only open to employees of the management company for the mall. Santa was there and word has it that he takes appointments several months in advance. I must say, he had very lovely hair. Thus, the appointments.

If you're in the area...as Bob Barker would say...."Come on down!"

The Latest

First let me say...I've missed you too! I love hearing from my blogland friends, and thank you for checking in on me. I promise all has been well but with sick children and My Hero traveling every week, there's been a bit of an adjustment period. Something had to go and that was my blogging. It will have to take a back seat for a short period. Falling but not forgotten.

Now for the fun stuff:
My Nutcracker (12 year old daughter who loves ballet) and I (just the 2 of us) went to....

a very fun place, beautiful and chaotic at the same time.

Oddly enough, not very quiet,

but can be tranquil if you find a nice spot to sit and eat your lunch which you picked up that morning at the corner grocery as you walked to your ballet class.

This photo should give you a hint if you look at the gold shiny statue in the background (especially if you watch the Today show).

And this is the photo from our hotel room. That's right, Times Square. My Nutcracker and I went to New York this weekend to do a weekend curriculum called Passport to Purity by Dennis Rainey. The weekend focused on the importance of waiting until you're married to have...well, you know what. It was a wonderful venue to have those "odd" conversations. It was nice to decide on "when" to date and "who" to date and what certain kinds of peer pressure look like before you are actually "in the moment". Overall, a smashing success!

Highlights:
My daughter took a ballet class at "Steps on Broadway" (a ballet studio in NYC) from Gelsey Kirkland. Anyone know who that is? Probably the most famous American ballerina of all time. A tragic figure in some respects but seems to have come out on the great end of life. Her battle with a hard childhood, anorexia, plastic surgery, drug addiction and difficult relationships with Mikhal Baryshnikov and others led her to write the book, Dancing on My Grave. There were many parts of the book I didn't let my daughter read but some of it was beneficial in knowing what goes on in the mind of dancers.

Another highlight was getting a fitted for pointe shoes from a professional fitter at Gaynor Minden. Click on all of those pictures, it's exactly as it's shown. The showroom is in the Chelsea neighborhood in the most precious brownstone. See photos. There's a lot of controversy over these shoes in the world of ballet for various reasons but I swear they have cleared up a lot of "issues" we had with the other shoes. Mostly "fit" issues.

Another highlight:
Seeing Ground Zero...no pics but a haunting experience. Our tour guide said that New Yorkers really came together after that and everyone washed off their "ugliness" and became kind and genuine to each other. We really noticed it being tourists. Everyone was more than generous.

And the last highlight:
Wicked.

The Broadway musical. Encouraging story, full of forgiveness and learning to come out on top when the world is less than kind. If you haven't seen it...it's a flat must. Costumes are outstanding, story...phenomenal. Singing...to die for. I'd recommend it for all ages. Even my sports loving, corporate executive, never go to a museum husband would have loved it. We'll definitely see it again.

We also saw West Side Story....wished we had seen Billy Elliott or Jersey Boys instead. Those got great reviews.

In short, it was a wonderful weekend and a much needed getaway for me. I'll be thinking about it for ages! Now, for a little quilting...I'm doing the signature blocks, due at the end of this month. If you are not signed up for it, but are one of my readers, I'd love to have one of your blocks in my quilt. If you're interested, post a comment and I'll send my address to you and send my signature block to you as well.

Please know, all is well. And as they say in New York,
Take care.

Toy Knits

Meet Clarisse.
This is my first attempt at knitted toys. This one is from an egg cosy pattern at the link below. I just added some legs. She's very small, just as tall as a small pepper mill but adorable and floppy. I'm hooked.
Here's my inspiration:
Little Cotton Rabbits
I'm working on my technique but Clarisse is such a favorite at my house and at ballet.
I like the process a lot and I seem to be leaning more to that hobby as it is so easy to transport. I'm still working on my Baby Jane but she's taking a back seat right now as I'm thinking about Christmas gifts! Hope you like her!

I'm working on a post from the Atlanta Quilt show. Stay tuned!
Stay well,
Lindsey

Swine Flu - H1N1 - Helpful Tips

First let me say a big thank you to my blogland friends who so contacted me during this time. It is a huge blessing to have folks praying and thinking about you when a hard time hits.

Now, here's what I've learned during our 3 bouts (husband, son and daughter, one daughter and I have not had it) with the H1N1 virus at my house. It's not over yet but we seem to be on the back end.

1- What can you do now? Drink lots of fluids...not just lots but lots more. Gatorade is your new best friend. For some reason this strain of flu dehydrates a body very quickly. With my 15 year old son, we stayed on top of it like crazy but he would still wake up in the morning asking for water. Drink. With my little one....well, you'll see at the end.

2- What's the fuss? It's not as bad as the media makes it out to be. Yes, it can be very life threatening but we're finding that it has a fairly short lifespan...4-5 days plus a lingering cough that is fairly easy to deal with. The folks that suffer the most are the ones who are compromised in some way already, such as someone having asthma or general poor immune systems. Did I say drink lots of fluids?

3-Managing: Dayquil / Nyquil are as good as manna from heaven. This made all the difference for my teenage son. He actually had it twice. That has been the pattern for some folks...to have it twice in the space of 4 weeks or so. The first time we just used ibuprofen. The second time he had more severe symptoms but dealt with it better. Of course, always ask a health care professional about this.

4- How does it start? Headache and sore throat. Then you are slammed in the bed hard for 3-4 days with fever. The first day is worse with each day gets a little better. Drink fluids.

5- Why is it such a scare? Because it's a new strain of flu and no one has antibodies built up to fight it, thus, lots of folks will get it. The doctor and hospital both told me that they are not testing anymore for this particular strain because they already know that's what it is. Why? Because the regular flu cannot survive at the outside temperatures. Regular flu season doesn't start until November when the temperatures drop. The CDC has to confirm all the cases and by the time all the testing is sent and completed, you're over it by then! BTW, our children's hospital has 50 emergency room beds but had 92 cases, in one day.

6- Prevention: A very wise home school mom told me that she started her family on Vitamin C, morning and evening until they developed diarrhea. That would take about 2 weeks. They had all had the headache and sore throat but no one was in a non-functioning mode. I'm saying the vitamin c works pretty well. 4 kids.

7- What happens if you don't drink fluids? You start throwing up. Go immediately to the ER and get help. Here's baby girl in the ER getting her fluids after waking up at 4:00a.m. with the throw ups. She was non responsive; the only thing coming out of her mouth in a whisper was, "Mama, Mama, Mama" Over and over again. It was a heartbreaker to say the least and very scary.

Notice the Gatorade box in the corner in the picture at the top...even the hospitals are giving it out.

The IV was no fun but I'm grateful for modern medicine!
She got a bag of just good old fluids and then a half a bag of glucose.

My final piece of advice...drink fluids now and lather your hands for a full 26 seconds at least 5 times a day. One more...don't use your hands to open public doors...use an elbow or back into it. One more, elevator buttons, use your knuckle not the tip of your finger. Keyboards, keep a can of Lysol handy.

Do you have any good tips for preventing or managing the flu? Add them here!
Thanks and stay well,
Lindsey

Early Christmas

I've been knitting lately!  These are mini-stockings from little cotton rabbits.  It's a free pattern.

Knitting is easy for me to transport and a great way to pass the time while waiting for ballet class to get out.  

We've had three of our five sick with the flu so I haven't been a very good blog girl lately.  Baby Girl hit 103 degrees with her fever 2 nights ago and that's when I start to squirm a bit.  She's fine now and just dealing with a lower fever and cough.  

Hope you enjoy my mini stockings!  I have more to show you soon.

Enjoy!

Sweet Nostalgia Giveaway - Free BOM

This looked like a nice giveaway...drawing is September 30. Good luck everyone. Dorothy Baker Designs says, "There are 10 colors of the wonderful Cosmo Marble thread, 4 Fat Quarters of the repro 30's fabrics, a Clover embroidery hoop, John James Embroidery Needles, and a marking pen."...all in one giveaway...sweet!
Good luck everyone!

Thankfulness

Today, we're going to the memorial service for Baby Samuel. The family has been a wonderful testimony and yesterday's post, Life and Love, was no exception...worth a read. It is a constant reminder to me that everyday with my family is precious. Every exchange is to be cherished, not wasted. It's a moment to look at each other like it was your last time.


This is a comment posted on my blog some time ago and I've saved it. I read it every now and then and I will share it with you.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "This Will Make You Smile":

I'm a quilter too. I really love it and like you I exerience health scary situations. I never had a heart attack but I just started whithering away and it became hard to breath. I had a lung infection and now I have to wear oxygen so it's hard to me to jump in the car and get fabric or things I need from the store like I used to. No more surprise quilts for my family members because they have to accompany me to the store if I have the energy to go. Life's been hard since my illness. Count your blessings that you can, do all the things you do and can make a full recovery.

The last few lines ring so true for me....today is a blessing, treat like it's your last.

Enjoy,
Lindsey

Note to Self

Here's the note....Next year...in blogland...

Take the month of August off.

August presents a whole long list of transitions/additions that complicate life. These would include but not limited to:

1-Returning home from vacation.

2-Starting a new year of home schooling (my girls 6 and 12).

3-Starting a new year of "go to" schooling (my 15 year old son).

4-Ballet everyday. The round trip travel is 1 hour minimum. My pony is tired.

5-Having a strong desire to "store" nothing in my home...everything must be "everyday useable". I'm even thinking about having only 20 clothing items in my closet. Comments?
6-Baby girl having strep throat for a month...no lie. Started last month in Montreat.

7-My boy looks like he's on the way to having that same strep throat.

8-We have a "Shelter Breakfast" coming up on Saturday....Have I told you about the Shelter?

Maybe not...my husband and children cook and serve (just the 5 of us unless we invite a friend or two to help) 150 women and children at the Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children. We do it 1-3 times per month, provide the food and get some great fellowship. That is a very long story about how I got involved with that and I'll save that for a time when we can all put our feet up for awhile.


And the list goes on and on.....

As for quilting...not much to share except that I did the Streak of Lightening block(I did mine in hot pink) 4 times...and finally got it right. I started doing some of the blocks by hand because I can sit at ballet and get a whole one done. I am actually pleased with the results because my points line up like a dream. The applique techniques from Pearl have changed my life! I did the reverse applique on Streak of Lightening which was a little tricky but the results were OK. Applique has opened up a whole new sewing world to me and that is a beautiful thing.

By the way, did anyone see the free pattern on Little Cotton Rabbits from Freebies for Crafters? This woman does beautiful knitted toy animals. (please click that last link....they're so precious) She has an autistic son so there's not a ton of production going on, understandably. Her stuff sells like bananas on her etsy shop. I did order the Debbie Bliss books she talked about.

So ladies, that's just a snippet of my life in the last month...I didn't mention the boating accident of a 9th grade girl at our school (femoral artery and both femurs severed by propeller, flat lined 4 times) or Baby Samuel who is fighting for his life (friends of ours). All I can say is...please pray.

Have a great day!

Heart Lesson #1 HDL and LDL Cholesterol

Welcome to lesson 1 - I hope these will be informative, inspirational, and life changing snippets to get us all into a healthier lifestyle...that's our goal. We will focus on three main parts of reaching our goal everyday: Exercise, Eating and General Heart Healthy Knowledge. So dive in and enjoy the ride with me.


Exercise - First of all don't freak out...don't put all this pressure on yourself to go out and run a marathon the first day or ever. Most of this heart stuff is all about the mind...changing your mind to live a different way.
Homework: Just do something. That's it. It can be one push up or one sit up or 5 minutes of jumping jacks, even walk your stairs an extra time, check the mailbox again even though you know you've already brought it in....it doesn't matter...just so you get in the habit of doing some exercise everyday. There are many days I crawl in bed at night with no exercise done that day. I, then, make myself do a few sit ups right there in the bed. Cheating? Not for me...I did something. There are other days I do yoga or run 20 minutes or only do weight training. But, there are far more days that I just get by with the minimum. It's a process of changing your mind. I'm still working on it.
Bottom Line: Do one thing a day for exercise. Anything.

Eating - for now, let's take it slow and easy....just think God food. By that I mean, whatever you can get from the earth...God made, not man made. This will get you out of the processed food department. At the grocery, shop on the outside walls of the store...the stuff on the inside aisles is mostly packaged....but yes, you will need a little packaged food, not much thought. Mrs. Dash makes a great line of sodium free spice blends. But, for the most part, you'll buy fruit and veggies and meat, or fish.
Bottom Line: Think God, not man.


General Heart Healthy Knowledge - Today, let's talk cholesterol. Did you know that there's good and bad cholesterol. Most folks focus on the total NUMBER....anything below 200. That may be OK but if it's all bad cholesterol...that's not great. The real measure is the RATIO of total cholesterol to good cholesterol. I'll talk more about that later or click here.

For now I want to talk about trucks and trash. Good cholesterol is called HDL or I call it "Happy Cholesterol". These are your trucks...garbage trucks to be exact. Now, LDL is the bad cholesterol or I call it: "Lousy Cholesterol", the garbage. That's the stuff that clogs up your arteries and gives us strokes, heart attacks, etc. The trucks, the HDL, actually carry away the garbage, the LDL. Make sense so far? Your goal is to have more trucks than garbage. Thanks to my statin (cholesterol lowering medicine), I have a ton more trucks than garbage.
Are you with me, so far?
Bottom Line: Think Ford F350 when you're at the grocery store.

This is just the beginning of our heart adventure. There's more to come, recipes, things that work for me and others that didn't, thoughts on doctors etc. Remember, it's all a work in progress and changing the way our minds think about food, health, and how we relate to our environment. That's about how we handle stress. More on that later....for now...just enjoy!

"I Think She's Got It" - C-9 - Jane's Tears

I did it!  I'm so proud of this one!  It's Dear Jane block C-3 called Jane's Tears.  I thought she'd be crying when she saw this one for sure but I think Jane would like this one.  I believe a speech is in order.

"I'd like to thank The Academy, and of course,   Yvette with  BOM Quilter and Carrie P. with  A Passion for Applique, who without their help, I'd be be stuck at Hancock's on a Tuesday night in a beginner sewing class. "

 All kidding aside, Yvette loaned the Pearl P. Pereira DVD to me which was INVALUABLE.  I watched it 6 times and now have it down pat.  Even took notes once.  Carrie, in all her wisdom, held my hand through a few tough Dear Jane blocks and could figure out exactly where I went wrong.  

My next goal is to get all the tools (on her site as well) that make applique a little easier.  Can you say "Stocking Stuffers"?

Thanks, Girls...you're the best applique friends a girl ever had.  

And now, I proudly begin a new label...called...."Applique" - ::::can't you hear the trumpets?::::

We had so much rain in Atlanta while I was gone, so I came home to a lusciousness in my backyard.   Those are my girls' swings....used every single day without fail and a cute little playhouse.  As for the playhouse, I can count the number of times they've been inside it on one hand since we put it in 3 years ago.  

Any suggestions how I can make it more play friendly?

These are my heirloom tomatoes.  I can promise you they did not look like this when I left.  It's almost as if the steroid doctor came by everyday we were gone.  At one point they are over 10 feet tall.  The tomatoes were some of the best I've ever had.

What's your favorite variety of tomato?  This inquiring mind wants to know!

Enjoy!

The Marriage Saver

What is a Marriage Saver?  

Well, when you're in the mountains, folks up there have a different sort of humor than us stuffy city slickers.  At the Saturday fair,  there was the son of an elderly couple selling these.  He said if he sold these it would save his parent's marriage.  Why?  Because his mother buys yarn all the time and doesn't use it up....sounds like a stash to  me.  hee hee.  Guess what my sister said as she laughed her head off.....(he was being funny btw)

"I'll take the whole box!"

He was so thrilled to pack up his box, save his parent's marriage, and take the rest of the day off.  He probably saw her Tory Burch sandles coming from far away...(who wears those to the Saturday Fair?)

These really do make a great scrubber....perfect tough scrubber and luscious latherer at the same time.  Am I making any sense?

Does anyone have a pattern for these novelty items?  I've never seen anything like it before.  It's a dollar store scrubber with knitting/crochet around the edges.  Hysterical!  Especially when you bring it to your next house warming party labeled as "The Marriage Saver".

Let me know if you have a pattern or clue as to how to make one...I couldn't find anything in my extensive research ....of course, nothing was posted under "marriage saver"

Enjoy!

As Promised TWUM

The World's Ugliest Man....I made him in pottery class in Montreat with the hopes of him being some great garden fabulousness.  But nooooo.....he turned on me.  The only place he should go in the garden in UNDER the garden!  

After I got his face done, I said to myself,  "He's so ugly, what can I do to cover him up".....so I put leaves all over one side of his head.  The next thing I saw was the rest of the 8 girls at the table putting leaves on their faces too.....then, the teacher followed suit.  I knew I had no where to turn.   The only saving grace is that he is fired in raku which gives him a nice shiny sheen.

He may be ugly but...he's growing on me every day.  

Oh well!

Heart Disease / Obesity

In a recent issue of Quilter's World magazine, I noticed an insert for women's clothing. It was several pages long and an odd size page from the rest of the magazine....sooo.....I took a peak. I quickly realized it was a larger lady "ish" sort of catalog. I was shocked. Sizes starting at 12W to 44W. I'm not even sure what the "W" stands for.

Are we, quilters, branded as having a certain body type?

It made me realized that possibly we are spending too much time in front of our sewing machines and not enough time "beating the streets" with our "feets". Major industries have marketing departments that know this and focus their marketing accordingly.

Because heart disease is near and dear to my heart, and obesity it somehow linked to the quilting industry, I'm going do a few educational posts regarding eating, exercise and general heart disease knowledge. I learn so much from all of you who are so accomplished in the quilting world, now it's my turn to give back.

I realize this may not be what many of you want to hear but if we take care of ourselves we'll be around for those who love us. We are a great "blogland" community, full of support and friendships galore. I hope we can support each other to be healthy.

I hope you will take the time to read these posts as it can only help us in our fight against aging and poor health. I'll try not to hit you over the head with it but truly mean it for support purposes.

My Goal....that I'll never see another "catalog" in my quilting magazine. Those companies will want to run from OUR industry!

Don't worry, I won't stop blogging about "Jane" or any of my other quilting adventures...I'll just throw the heart stuff in there every now and then.

And....(we all raise our glasses) "Here's to having a Healthy Heart" !!!!!!!!

I'm Back from Montreat

We had such a good time! So much to do and see. It's nice to get out of the city air and enjoy sleeping with the windows open, especially when it rains.

Here's a small list of a few of our fun times:
1- Long walks with the dogs - 3 times a day!
2- Going to "Clubs" every morning and afternoon
3- Skipping rocks on Lake Susan
4-Getting an ice cream at the "Huck"
5- Sunday morning family hikes with Daddy
6- Making pottery at the pottery barn hoping for a masterpiece
7- Blackberry cobbler with friends and s'mores
8- All night "lock in" with the Senior Highs (no sleep...literally)
9- Trout fishing every night at 7:00 - with corn
10-First annual fish fry at Monkey's Bottom - no adults allowed
11- Tennis, tennis, tennis
12-Pottery talk...finding out how hard Davidson really is
13-Making the world's ugliest man...photos to follow
14-Mosquitos bites...enough said
15-Mold, mold and more mold....everything is stays wet in the mountains
16-Bear hunting...in the car, of course
17-"My Father's" pizza - great little restaurant
18- Meeting Baby Logan for the first time (he's 3 but was given a terminal diagnosis at 3 months - doctor declared it a miracle!)
19-Sparklers and barn dances
20-Rock hopping at the Tot Lot

Life, as I know it will resume as usual shortly. School starts in 2 weeks. I will start on my signature blocks nonetheless and dream of a new project. I don't want to get too heavy in to something as I'm saving myself (swoon) for the Spirit Cloth workshop....should be fun.

Have a great day and enjoy the last few days of summer...it was a great one!

Quilt Giveaway

Shock of the century! A whole quilt to be given away! At Marie-Madeline Studio.
Hop on over and enter to win! The quilt is fairly large at 66 x 90. Entries close on August 8th with the winner chosen the next day.... Nice!

When was the last time...?

.... you went to a barn dance?

And really kicked up your heels and said, "YEE HAW"

Or actually went square dancing and heard the caller say, "Now dig for the clam", and "Take a little peak" and "Tallest buzzard in the middle", "Bow to your partner, bow to your corner" or my favorite, "Now, Promenade"

There's nothing like a good old fashioned square dance. It happens every Friday night in the barn...young and old, rich and poor, dancing knows no boundaries. Last year, I sat on the side lines and hoped to muster up the strength to do just one of the novelty dances but it was not happening....I was getting better and better by the day but dancing was not on the doctor's orders. (see sidebar for Life Flight story)

What do you do if you're not invited to the square dance? ...you find a semi-packed suitcase with a nice mixture of clean/dirty/wet clothes (perfect dog spot) and sulk.

Funny thing happened while we were in Black Mountain yesterday...I saw 2 lab puppies in training with Southeastern Guide Dogs, which is where Noel (pronounced Nole) was born and worked for the first 2 years of his life. Of course, we had a long discussion about him. She asked me if he had a tattoo on the inside of his ear. Sure enough, he does....it is some sort of code for his birth year and litter. He's in retirement to say the least. Noel is loving Montreat with all of it's new bear, raccoon, and who knows what else smells. It is soooo nice and cool up here that we have on fleece every morning during his walks.

Other Montreat happenings...last week my roommate from Salem College (established in 1772, 13th oldest college or university in the U.S.) came to visit with her son. Super fun...we went to the pottery class where I made the world's ugliest man known. He's suppose to go in the garden but the only place I want to put him is under the garden! Photos to follow...maybe.

My favorite class thus far...the pastry class....big surprise, right? I have perfected a pie crust and make a mean apple crisp, not to mention this kind of pocket book looking thing that is too hard to explain but will try at a later date.

Classes for next week: more pottery - I'm making mugs and bowls on the potters wheel, bread making, silk fabric painting and book making classes. Won't that be a fun posting!

Enjoy and don't forget to kick up you heels today and ....dig for the clam!