Quilting Marathon

My sister came on Saturday and has been super-productive over the last few days. She quilted three small quilts and a twin size quilt on the longarm machine. She did a great job for only having done one baby quilt before, and that was several months ago. For some reason the photos reversed themselves above, so the first photo is actually the last one she finished, and the last photo is the first quilt.

While she did that, I supervised her, wound bobbins, helped her learn to put the quilts on the frame, set the rails, and baste the edges, etc. I also managed to put together a baby quilt top she had started, make her a pair of pajama pants by using some old ones as a pattern, finish making a pair for me which I started a couple of summers ago, alter a tote bag which had construction problems, reorganize some of my fabric collection, do all my weekend laundry, make some good meals (on the menus: Italian beef sandwiches, potato salad, blueberry cake, chicken nachos, Harvard beets, tossed salad, sauteed broccoli/squash medley, and Thai pork veggie stir fry), and cut out pieces for a set of four placemats for an anniversary gift.

Tomorrow morning she is off for home - it was fun and I hope she comes back soon.

Joys of June (Friday Fave Five)

Relay for Life quilt top with borders, ready to quilt

Finally I planted flowers in the pots on the deck! After a month of being gone, bad weather, and other interferences, I am so happy to see the flowers! Since we don't have any flowers in the yard except the flowering shrubs, which are all done blooming now, I have really enjoyed the pots for many years. This picture doesn't really do justice to the beauty of the plants. Drh has worked hard on the yard this year, and it looks great, too.

I got the last borders on the Relay for Life quilt last night. Now it's folded and waiting for time to quilt.

This week has been a good one. My five favorite things this week are:

1. I helped with Sunday school, teaching about 14 kids ages 5-12 how to make an origami house. The lesson was on Luke 6: The Wise and Foolish Builders 46"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." The kids were fun and the houses turned out very cute.

2. Drh's cousins' family reunion was on Sunday, and visiting with family members, joking, and eating were top activities of the day.

3. Went to the farmers market on Tuesday in the rain and bought locally grown beets, lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, and olive wheat bread. MMMM.

4. Got my flowers planted finally. Summer is here!

5. Phone chat with Daughter #2 - a good update of her summer in Montana. She seems to be doing well and learning what she hoped.

Visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for more Fave Fives. Have a good day!

Relay Quilt Progress

Just a quick look at the center of the quilt top. Tonight I can cut and add the borders, I hope. It's coming along! After a design problem (good design, bad instruction following - both by me), it is really going to turn out looking like I planned. (big smile)

Another Friday Flies By

I was blog-hopping today and ran across a wonderful quote. I hope it 's accurate because it's SO true:

"Life is largely a matter of expectation." – Horace

It reminds me of a discussion with friends at church. It happened to be one couple's anniversary and we got into a chat about how one survives? enjoys? a long marriage such as theirs. Most of the couples around the table had been married at least 30 years, or 40. My dear hubby was shocked when my answer to a happy marriage was to "lower my expectations." Actually it was not anywhere close to the slam it first sounded. In the pursuit of happiness, not only the marital kind, I've had some hard lessons which taught me that if I would only quit expecting perfection, most things would work out better and be more satisfying in the long run. So without giving up expecting the best out of myself and others, or looking for good things around me, I have come to feel that lowered expectations sometimes mean less stress, more fun, and just a happier day.

Friday Fave Five for this week:

1. Enjoyed family time and baby time with little G while attending a wedding last weekend.

2. Daughter #1 turned 30 - and is the wonderfully sane, beautiful, positive, friendly, smart and faithful woman I raised her to be. (smile)

3. The summer skirt-wearing weather, including storms, is wonderful - I LOVE summer.

4. Have had time to get a lot of work done on the quilt for the Relay for Life auction.

5. Getting Friday off - time to catch up on house chores, think, sew, piddle around the house quietly.

See more Fave Fives at Susanne's Living to Tell the Story. Have a great weekend!

Back to Earth

I've been gone for awhile. Drh and I took a ten-day trip to deliver our daughter L to Montana where she is attending a photography school for the summer. On the way, we stopped at Yellowstone National Park for three days, stayed in Missoula, MT, for a day where we left her, and took in Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument and Museum, and Badlands National Park on the way home through South Dakota.

My main impression was that the West is HUGE. I can't imagine the thoughts of the pioneers and explorers as they first encountered those amazing and majestic spaces.

I took several pictures (hundreds, actually), but those taken by L were so much better that I will just direct you to her blog - enjoy!

Yellowstone - Day One, Yellowstone - Day Two, Yellowstone - Day Three

The most interesting part was the other-worldly scene created by the hundreds of hot springs and geysers in the thermal fields and basins. Just like being on another planet (I think, as I've never really gone to one).

Because it's early in the season for most park visitors, we avoided lots of crowds, and were blessed with chilly but mostly dry and sunny weather, the sight of lots of moms and babies - bison, elk, grizzly and black bears, great horned owls, nesting eagles, pronghorns, and regular calves on the ranches along the way.

I didn't forget about the activities and plans waiting for us at home - in fact, I probably added to the list as I was fortunate to find a great, cute quilt/fabric shop in Missoula (and bought a little fabric). They were even open early on Sunday morning and right next to the little breakfast deli where we ate a great meal. The shop is Selvedge, and if you ever get that far away from home, I urge you to visit. They have a wonderful corner full of vintage fabrics, home decorating and drapery bolts, a big selection of printed oilcloth, some fascinating books (I wish I had bought them all!), and beautifully selected designer quilting cottons arranged in the most delicious and inspiring displays. Here is their blog. I didn't take any pictures, but I wish I had.

The travel schedule was demanding enough that I only got to run once - about 3 miles in Missoula on a great trail next to the Clark Fork River. But the walking, stair climbing on boardwalks and trails, a short hike at Yellowstone, plus the adrenlin of driving so far pulling a trailer must have worked against the constant eating, since I managed to lose a couple of pounds on the trip.

I would say my Friday Fave Five are:

1. Beautiful open spaces and skies of the West.

2. Reminder of the great timelessness of the universe as we saw all the baby animals and the care given them by their mothers.

3. Appreciating the natural wonders of our country and how they are being preserved.

4. Spending time with my husband and daughter on a unique adventure.

5. Getting home again to my comfortable and welcoming place of my heart.

(See more Friday Fave Fives here at Susanne's Living to Tell the Story.)

Now it's back to work and routine - oh, we'll be attending a wedding and the surrounding festivities this weekend, so maybe not! Have a great week!