As sleepy as I am this morning I couldn’t be happier. After work yesterday I got all my vegetable plants in the garden. The seeds are to be planted tonight. Don took the day off yesterday for some home maintenance projects and got the garden all tilled up and ready to go. I spent the evening getting all the hanging baskets placed back in their spots and the frost/freeze warnings have passed.


Chelsey had friends over last evening and the grilled and ate outside for the first time this summer.


This project began last summer and completed a week ago today. Excuse the poor photography but the front porch got a facelift.
Don built the brick sidewalk last summer and put a new rail on the front porch last week. The flowerbed is filled with impatients that were planted last week by my MIL and me. With freeze warnings for the past two evenings, I’ve been tucking them in at night with blankets. I think they made it.

I close today with this photo of sign on our back porch ---the Covered Porch--- that remains out year round…

I getting My groove back…The last of the relatives have departed. I’m about to start my second day back at the office. Chelsey’s Graduation was outstanding. No tears… more of a feeling of victory I guess. She was asked to speak for Memorial Day on her Voice of Democracy and how she will honor today’s veterans. While she is not smiling-- you can tell she spoke with real conviction.
All the relatives got to hear her talk on Saturday. She spoke again at her high school graduation Sunday.
Here is a snapshot in the same pose as taken when her brother graduated two years ago. It was great having Eric home for the holiday.
Yep – I’m probably bragging…But today it’s OK that I do.

I enjoyed visiting with my Mom. My Dad shared several stories of my Grandmother quilting when he was a kid. I’ll definitely tuck those away.

It was 28 degrees this morning. I’ve been hauling flowers in every night. Mother Nature is definitely reminding us where we live. I have all of my garden plants and seeds ready to go. My dad and I bought them together. I got digital photos ready to post….probably a week’s worth. I’m thankful life is slowing down.

Gratitudes:
Safe travel for everyone home
Green Leaves on the trees
Muslin in my sewing basket

I’ve been around, just not quilting a stitch. We’ve been making preparations for Chelsey, my last, to graduate from high school. Both sides of the family are coming up for graduation in ten days. It is customary up here to throw a open house for the graduate. We’re doing a Barbeque theme, with just barbeque snack items as there will be tons of these ‘get-togethers’ the same day of ours. People go from party to party.

Eric came home for Mother’s day this past weekend. I was Queen all weekend. I really did nothing productive, but the whole family spent a lot of time just talking together.

Last week was a tough week at work. It was a great surprise to open the mailbox Friday evening to this:


It was a thank you gift from Leanne in Australia. What a treat. I think I have worn the pages out already, reading it cover to cover--- over and over again. My favorite part is the Natalie Lymer Embroidery piece in the issue.

Spring is creeping in to the U.P. I’ll probably be ‘out-of pocket’ until the end of the month. I’m definitely looking forward to a summer of gardening and quilting. Thanks for the emails checking on me. I’ll be back to posting June 1st.

Gratitudes:
Don’s Patience—So many hidden emotions about your last kid finishing school
Ransom---always being glad to see me.
Daffodils – reminding me that winter does end….

I’ve been tagged several times and finally got around to putting my thoughts on paper. So here goes:

Five things found in your Purse/Bag:

1. Checkbook with quilted checks. – No-Brainer…
2. Deck of Cards - If I’m ever deserted overnight anywhere, I have to be entertained.
3. Change in the bottom – Always a gold mine there because I never put in back in the wallet… I just ‘chunk’ it at the checkout counter.
4. A wallet with a photo of Terry Redlin’s ‘Comforts of Home’ tucked inside…My definition of Paradise.
5. A Jar of Bubbles – You know the little kid kind that has the stick attached to the top. I guess it is left over from a Sunday school class, but I’m sentimentally attached to them and they are great therapy--- Everyone needs bubbles.

Five favorite things in your Room:

1. A Treadle Sewing Machine
2. Eric and Chelsey’s first Trick or Treat Photo Together—Tinkerbell and Peter Pan.
3. A framed Copy of my Wedding Invitation – 24 years old this year.
4. A grapevine wreath over my bed
5. Bronzed Baby shoes of both my kids’ first pairs of Nike Baby Shoes. My Mother has the same of my Brother and I

Five Things you’ve always wanted to do:

1. Own Property that I could stand in the middle of and own as far as I could see.
2. Take a photography class.
3. Write a weekly/monthly column in a magazine.
4. Have a sewing room with windows and yellow paint
5. Be a Grandma

Five Things you are currently into:
1. Quilting – Embroidery on Quilting
2. Table linens
3. Rubber Stamps that speak to me
4. Old Keys
5. Lanterns – I have three…

I’m not tagging anyone but it’s kind of neat putting your thoughts down on paper and looking back later to remember--- Do you still have “that stuff”? How many of the “always wanted to’s” did you do? And what are you into now? You should play along. Thanks Caron for the idea….

I had a great day…There was chaos at home and so no one asked, I didn’t offer, so here I am.

I normally get to work at 6:00 am. Sometimes ten minutes one way or the other depending on the weather, but today I was there at 5:40 am. I tied up loose ends. Checked emails, handled a couple of parts quotes. By that time, my boss arrived and we headed toward Lake Superior. We have an outstation there and it’s opening for summer aircraft maintenance. I inventoried equipment and parts while the boss dealt with policy and employee issues. You’re thinking what was so great about that?

Well, for starters--- I drove. We all know I have a driving “history” to put it nicely. This guys gambles on me and I drive the company HUGE Chevy Silverado Cab and a half. First thing—“Bruce, I can’t drive backwards…” His response, “Sure you can…” With all the confidence to the world.

There’s a coffee shop in town that makes the best coffee, but I can’t bring myself to spend the calories on it. First stop--- the coffee shop. All the while working with me on driving the monster of a truck.

We travelled two and a half hours talking about everything but work. When we arrived, We knocked out the work. Bid our good byes and cruised through the town. It’s a college town with the workings of an abandoned mining community around Lake Superior. We stopped for lunch and a place called The Library. Decorated with old books, it was a brewery and pub. I had the best Chicken Chef salad in a while. We rehashed this morning’s meetings and checked the menu for Key Lime Pie. They didn’t have it so we decided not to settle and moved toward home.

They next stop--- a Quilt shop. We Stopped at the Portage Quilt House. He even went in. He told me not to rush, he chatted with 2 other customers and the 3 ladies that worked there. We played with a cat named Cheddar.
I paid for my purchases and we moved on. Being a businessman, we went through a discussion about how the shop could make more money. It was an awesome shop. Tons of samples, “primitive toys”, a line of needles, threads, and thimbles that were the best I’d ever seen in the U.P. --Confession—I hope I get to go back real soon. Here are my purchases. Truthfully, they are for giving away. Ever have a friend you want to remember “just because”. Not having a quilter’s resource close, I purchased these just for that.
It was 37 degrees with the wind blowing off the lake. But we stopped for ice cream just because the ice cream store was open and they don’t stay open year round in this part of the country. I opted for the Pepsi—kicking myself now—I should have done the ice cream. We got back in the truck and headed back to the office. The road meandered next to Lake Superior a ways and we noticed a statue. I told him I had to find a picture to take. “There’s your picture.” We turned down a dirt road that led to the top of a cliff where the Snowshoe Priest stood looking out over Lake Superior. It doesn’t matter what your faith is, you have to admire the work of this man remembered. Coupled with the dangerous weather conditions… it really restores my faith in humanity.
A couple of snapshots and a chat with the Sister there and we headed home.
It was a ten hour day, but I’d do it again tomorrow. Everybody needs a break from the back of the hangar every now and again. A great day.

Got up Saturday—6:30 am, after sleeping in (See wake up time in previous post!!). Checking my email, sipping my coffee when I get a phone call. It was Don announcing he’d be home early because he had to go back to work in the middle of the night. So I start running around like crazy doing the weekend cleaning for the place, because Don won’t sit around and just watch me clean. I pull the shades from my bedroom and look out into the garden. Time stands still for a moment because in the garden the tulips are coming up. Amidst the dried leaves and the brown dirt there is green.
The little fence protects the plants from the tiller when the remainder of the garden gets cultivated for planting. Though the winds howled all day. The skies were gloomy. It may have snowed in towns all around us…It was spring in my garden.

I finished the binding on my Blessings quilt – Blessings because the majority of the fabric is from the Fig Tree Collection—Yuletide Blessings.
The quilt is going on my bed, but the pillow shams haven’t been made so I have it in the entryway now. The remainder of the weekend was spent on my block of the month projects, keeping up to date on them. Mother’s day is just around the corner. I’ve been contemplating gifts for my Mom and MIL.

I had 11 kids in Sunday School. Chelsey and Cortney helped me as my regular assistant was out of town. We played ‘Pin Zacchaeus in the Tree’, as opposed to Pin the tail on the Donkey, each child answering a Bible story question before taking a turn. It was a review because this week’s story was the story of Cornelius, the Good Soldier that believed in God and yet did not know about Jesus and Salvation. How do you get a point like that across to four year olds???? My class in incredibly active—We pray for pets, fingernails, and toys that break. If I ask if they know of anyone who is sick—Half the class has a cold and needs prayers. To get a point across, I put Cade, a really outgoing kid in my lap. I asked the class---- give me some things you do every day that get you in trouble. I got answers like, hit my brother, take cookies out of the jar without asking, not sharing. Then I asked---“How are you punished?” I got responses like spankings, timeouts, sitting in the corner, having toys taken away. So then I responded, “Let’s say Mattea takes cookies she shouldn’t. This time--- Mattea is not going to get in trouble, we’ll let CADE take her spanking.” Then I went to the next child—“ When Micah doesn’t share his toys, We’ll let CADE get the time out.” All the while Cade’s eyes get bigger and bigger. The class laughed each time. Well, we went around the circle talking about sins, and each time Cade takes the rap for it. Finally Cade speaks up, “ But I didn’t do anything!!!”

BINGO!!! Exactly. And that’s just like Christ. He didn’t do anything either, but he took the punishment for us so that we could get to Heaven. So while there may not have been a great craft in yesterday’s class, there was an outstanding lesson…. I can’t wait until next Sunday….

While life at our house never runs at a ‘slow’ pace, it has lessened from a gallop to a gentle trot. Don is still working a maintenance outage. It makes me realize how much he does around the house when I have to do it all when he’s working.

I’ve been stitching the past couple of nights on my Four Seasons project from Country loft. I plan on knocking out the weekend chores today after work, so I can spend the weekend catching up on my block of the month projects.

This morning at breakfast---4:30 am--- I let Ransom out and left the door opened with just the screen door closed. While it was still dark, the birds had already started their chatter. I really appreciate the music because you never hear it in the wintertime. We have dense fog this morning and a rainy forecast for the weekend with a possibility of snow on Sunday night and Monday. It’s still April and this weather pattern is completely normal, but how I ache for gardening weather.

The snowshoes have been put away. Ransom and I take our evening journeys along the roadside. He has a time chasing the squirrels and chipmunks that are back from winter hiding.

Eric plans on staying downstate and going to summer school and working down there this summer. I guess I’m prepared for that. It’s all part of life and Don and I have both rationalized that the odds of the kids settling down in the Upper Peninsula are slim.

Joann’s is having a sale on Perle Cotton to fill my jar. This may be the day to purchase to fill my jar. I’ve got some ideas for embroidered fabric postcards.

Enjoy the weekend…I hope everyone gets to keep a needle in their hands….

"And they all lived happliy ever after.... we hope...." Here is the Slide show from Saturday night. I sprinkled some comments among the photos but a couple of things that I want to add from for memory sake and I'll shut up and you'll never hear about them again.

We moved the furniture out of the living room for the occasion. I wanted the high-tech TV to vanish. Trying to "work" Don (Who got the day off of work) We all dropped subtle hints about the television not being part of the decor. He didn't bite. Finally he said--"We're not moving the TV-- it could get broken, but I have an idea." He uploaded slides of photos he took of the dinner guests throughout the evening and they got to see themselves as they ate dinner.

The teacup cakes --- get it--were pieces of my wedding china. My family kind of thought it was silly as I explained it, but then they all got involved with making them and they were the hit of the night.

There's no way I could have done it without my friend from work. She came dressed in creme and black. She bussed tables like a mad woman. We laughed. I told her to get a table's request for salad dressing without writing it down. We comes back and rattles it off. I telling her to get to pouring. "Wait I have to remember this???" "Lora, they do it at the Olive Garden...you have an accounting degree for God's sake.." We laughed all night.

After the guests left for the dance -- We dissassembled the living room and ate the leftovers. Great memories....

Spring just might make it to the U.P. after all. We’ve had a week’s worth of temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s. Funny— My Mom called from Louisiana and said, “It’s cold here—53 degrees…” My response, “Mom, it’s warm here--- 53 degrees…”

Just another great example about life being just a series of perspectives…..

On my buffet at home --- my apple/cupcake/pumpkin/Christmas ornament stacker now holds birds’ nests with a promise of spring.

I’m just about set for the Prom dinner tomorrow. Shopping this afternoon and cleaning house after work so I all have to do is decorate tomorrow. Despite the hustle and bustle, I really want to appreciate the night and hold onto to things as it is an ending mark for my kids, the last of the high school dances.

Pictures coming on Sunday….

Gratitudes:
1. My job --- while I’m proud of my budgeted party—none of it would be possible without the job to fund it.
2. My kids--- trying so hard to become adults
3. Don—having patience to endure all of us and working long hours

Good Morning --- a friend emailed me that it had been two weeks since I last posted. Life has been so busy. I took a week off of work last week to go downstate with my daughter. She completed her term as FCCLA state president. I enjoyed the time I had with her. Lots of fanfare—she spoke several times. I’m glad I didn’t miss it. They had competitions and workshops during the day. I got out of the hotel room every morning with a standing ritual. I headed to Barnes and Noble for my religious experience of coffee and reading. In my “dream world” it would be like that everyday. An hour and a half later, I come up for air and head to Michael’s Craft store. I had a handful of 50% off coupons. I have a friend that had a birthday yesterday, so I shopped daily for her. The afternoons were spent quilting. Here is the completed birthday gift.
It’s not an original pattern. I saw Dawn made one similar to it for a friend and I was charmed by it. I didn’t have a pattern, but “winged it” and hand-quilted it for her. It’s the first time I’ve done any wool appliqué. The wool was hand dyed. My friend always remembers Chelsey so I made her a gift bag with Chelsey’s fabric and filled it with trinkets from Michael’s--- A rubber stamp with the quote on the quilt, ribbon, charms, markers, and Cuttle kids dies;
Oh and A dragon fly hole punch. We had lunch together… I hope her birthday was special.

Here are pictures from Chelsey’s week.
While I don’t think the year was quite what she had planned--- she learned tons about life, both good and bad.


I can guarantee this will be the only post this week. Saturday night we are hosting a prom dinner for 16 kids--- Chelsey’s senior Prom. I don’t even remember what the Prom theme was, but I didn’t like it, so the dinner has our own theme. I’ve always wanted to put together an evening with a crème and black decorations. So here’s the sign for our Prom dinner.

Complete with invitations.
The furniture is leaving the living room and the tables are coming in with tablecloths and napkins made from these swatches. (Ok--- they will be completed by Saturday night).
We’ve got Birch Tree limbs that we are wrapping in Christmas twinkle lights along with plenty of old windows and grapevine wreaths to fill the corners of the room. In my constant effort to prove to my family and her friends that quilts are cool anywhere I enlisted the help of Libby who has loaned me a crème and black quilt for the occasion. More pictures to come and Black Wooden crows will be sprinkled in.

Chelsey works tonight and Don’s on a maintenance outage so I’m in charge of waiting for her to come home so I’m thinking those tablecloths will be completed tonight.

While life hasn’t been filled with writing lately, it has been filled with friends, family, and quilts – and I’m grateful for all. Thanks for the emails checking in on me…

P.S. A couple has asked about FCCLA, FCCLA is Family Community Career Leaders of America. It's the old Future Homemakers of America. They do projects to promote leadership and healthy choices. Projects this year included:
Trick or treat food drive on Halloween
Dance Lessons for Underprivileged Little girls with donated tap shoes and the girls are even teaching the lessons and making the costumes. A local Dance teacher is helping.
Internet safety campaign
Healthy weight loss program for teenagers.
One group spent the night in boxes outside of walmart for donations and as an attention getter for the homeless.

that kind of thing.

I haven’t posted in a few days but I found myself with a needle in my hands almost every night--- at least for a few stitches. We got socked with a blizzard last night and this morning. Mother Nature was sitting around laughing the entire time I’m sure—it’s April 1st after all. Thanks for all of the emails checking on me.


Ransom and I hit the woods after work. Snow photos are probably old news to people who see it all the time but not growing up with snow--- I’m still amazed. With the strong winds the snow blows sideways and clings to the birch trees.
Our trails were drifted over with the heavy snow and high winds so Ransom and I were hiking through deep snow today. Here’s a shot of my snow shoes. No—I don’t have the” tennis racket“- looking shoes – I’ve got the “Uptown Girl” kind of snow shoes and I love them.
Chelsey has a friend that is doing volunteer hours at our local Goodwill store. I’ve had him shopping-- watching for a jar for me.
He found it yesterday…. While it’s an incredible jar, it’s based on the wish of being filled with cotton floss like this…. I guess every dream starts somewhere.
I had asked Pat about her quilt block rolls she made. A really neat lady—based on the premise, ’you give a guy a fish, you feed him for a day--- you teach him to fish… he eats forever…’ she gave me the makings of one roll, got me started, let me complete it and sent stuff to make a larger one.
Thanks again Pat--- and I’ll definitely make another to share with someone else…
It’s getting late, I better get some sleep….


My Gratitudes:
1. Laughter and being able to forgive yourself for mistakes
2. Sunshine after a winter storm
3. Leftovers for easy supper

The weekend is almost here. We’ve been coasting with sunny days in the Mid 30 degree temperatures. I told my Mom a couple of weeks ago I had an idea for a fabric postcard—an Easter idea, I told her. But it would have to wait until next year because there just wasn’t enough hours in the day. She said, “ Go ahead and make them, I want one. I don’t care if they are late.” So I’ve been stitching a little each night and tonight I completed my postcards.
They’re not original idea. I saw a photograph from Lea and thought what a great idea for a fabric postcard. So I took bits and pieces from my scrap box. I machine stitched the squares and hand appliquéd the bunnies. I decided changing the basket to a simple posey making them spring time postcards instead of Easter ones….
They will be travelling to their new homes tomorrow. I have a rubber stamp that that I use on the back to accent the address.
As for as a pattern goes, I cut and pasted the Lea’s photo into a word processor and stretched it to 4 x 6 inches. I printed out several copies and cut pieces to use for the pattern.
No special plans for the weekend – and that’s a good thing…
Time for bed--- Until tomorrow…

In my last post I spoke of taking a few minutes the past few days to ‘fluff’ my sewing treasures. Here are my threads--- I collection literally spanning years. But you never know when you are going to need that “aqua thread”.
I threw out several spools that I felt were ‘dry-rotten'. But I just couldn’t part with the aqua.

I rounded up my embroidery thread. I was an avid cross-stitcher about 25 years ago. I can remember girls in the dorm room at college all cross-stitched. DMC Numbers???? I was lucky to have the plain threads--- I never had threads to match the color charts. When I got married and actual was able to purchase “the good stuff”--- what a luxury…. When the local department store would run threads 5 for $1.00, I would grab a handful, trying to get one of every color. When quilting took over the thread kind of took a backseat. Chelsey went through her “bracelet “ phase and she pulled out her favorite colors. With the recent tasks of embroidery to quilted pieces, I pulled out my DMC threads and organized them again.
I’m half way through the project. As dorky as it sounds--- Gosh, I’m having fun. What is it about thread and needle that just charm me--- Maybe the colors, maybe the collection. I’m still trying to figure it out.

I’m wishing for the Perle Cotton 8 balls of floss (incredibly fun to stitch with), but I’m using this as an exercise in contentment--- at least until the next holiday……

I stopped by the gas station to fill up the jeep after work… a hefty jolt back into reality… that already “paid for” thread is looking p-r-e-t-t-y good after that pit stop.

We have a local unpainted furniture factory and Tuesday I stopped by the outlet store looking for a ‘steal of a deal’ for organization. I was thinking of a lingerie chest with a bunch of tiny drawers to hold things. Lots of wishing going on, but that’s about it.

Some days I wonder what is would be like to have a sunny sewing studio---Painted yellow in my mind—complete with a huge window with plaid curtains. Then I laugh and think I’m pretty lucky to have my cozy corner of our basement, not having to put away my sewing machine every time I use it….which is almost every day….

Counting my blessings--

We’ve been dusted with a couple of inches of new snow, but it’s supposed to get up to 40 degrees today, so it will be gone by nightfall. I usually take the back roads to work, but I think I’m going to take the long way through town today. Everyone is tired of the snow—included the plow truck guys. So the roads are messy.

I haven’t given up on my embroidery work. Here is a piece I worked on last night.
I keep working at it… And not to be bragging – but check out that ‘E’. I think I’m getting the hang of it. And I’ve fallen in love with my DMC threads all over again. I’ve been spending about ten minutes before I sew to do a little organizing in my sewing area. Don helped me hang spool racks for my threads over the weekend.

The ‘birth festival’ ended last Saturday as a total success. I was queen for a week. Pat over at Bits and Pieces forwarded me a Crabapple Hills Pumpkin pattern she had completed.
I can just picture it framed and resting on the corner of the buffet this fall. She also included another surprise--- I’ll share tomorrow.

My Blessings—
Pumpkin Lotion --- never goes out of season in my book
Needles and thread
Crayons—a perk of being a Sunday School teacher. The world would be a better place if everyone had crayons and a coloring book.

Thanks for the compliments on the new header of my journal. I'd like to take credit for it but it was a design created by my son. He creates magic with the keyboard. I ask-- how did you learn this? -- 'Mom, you just have to love it and spend time playing with it.." He definitely has a gift. Is he going into the right career? -- he's a Pharmacy student...I'm hoping he gets to find the best of both worlds. Thanks again.

A springtime weakness—I had to have it.
I purchased this for the front porch this weekend. One can only hope Spring arrives sooner rather than later….. I just keep telling myself, ‘Every day is a quilting day that you can’t play in the garden…’

Catching up on stitching, I’m up to date on my March block with the Capricorn BOM…
I think my stitches are getting better. Practice is definitely the key.

My Four Seasons quilt blocks kept me entertained over the weekend.
I had it prepped them ahead of time, so I sat and sewed and laughed with Don and the kids and worked on each block.

While it may not look like it—these are definitely stars. I have enough pieces cut for the 22 stars that anchor the corners of the Primitive Garden.
Lisa Bongean uses a different technique for creating the flying geese units. I think it is going to help because these pieces are only one inch in size.

My birth festival continues ---Birthdays last longer than one day in our house. Don built me this ladder to hang quilts.
With Easter coming so early this year, I have really haven’t done much decorating, but I pulled out the Easter bunny for a week or so. He’s handmade and a remnant from a late 1980’s kitchen decoration.
Tea-dyed with a sweet embroidered face… With the addition of Don’s LCD television, I’m trying to find some way of bringing the quilts into the ‘High tech’ world without it looking silly. Don’t get me wrong—I’m enjoy the television with everyone, I’m just having trouble getting use to not having it stashed in a cabinet when we’re not using….

I should not have been at work yesterday – I must have had a virus or something, but I’m feeling tons better today.

Gratitudes
1. Feeling better—I guess you need bad days to appreciate the good.
2. Seeing old friends in town yesterday
3. Safe travel for Eric

Today is my birthday. A quiet day, and it’s been wonderful. A morning full of phone calls gave way to an afternoon nap and a couple of hours of quilting. The temperatures outside made it to 40 degrees – a sign that spring is on its way. Icicles line the rooftop as the sun melts the snow.

A friend called and told me it was 45 and Sunny in Flint --- “Just like you…” It’s nice to be thought of that way….
My Mom gives me a quilt magazine subscription every year and she sent this cookbook. It’s filled with beautiful pictures and recipes. Eric picked two quilt books off my wish list. Chelsey gave me two stamps and pages of scrapbook paper for cards for my Sunday school kids.

Don built me a quilt ladder -- -- pictures to be taken soon -- -- and gave me the ‘Gilmore Girls’ on DVD.
Birthdays never bother me. I guess I have the “Glass is half full…” attitude. I reflect a little, but never dwell on what I “haven’t done” in my life. I kinda keep my eyes forward because there’s so much to look forward to.
I’d like to tell you the flowers came fresh out of the garden, but that’s why God invented silk ones…. I love the ironware coffee pot.

Quilt photos tomorrow.
I told Don it was fitting that National Quilting Day was on my birthday. He said, “ Every year?...You are a Dork”… I’m OK with that.


My Blessings:
Alfredo for a Birthday Lunch
3 miles in less than 30 min on the Ellyptical just to prove I can
Family that loves me…