Old news? New news!

Yep, there's a granddaughter coming in the next month. Her name will be Madeline, Maddy for short. Her mommy is holding a darling outfit at the baby shower. The booties and hat are what I knit for her and we are all counting the days to meet her. They are setting on an applique quilt.......... will share it when the binding is sewn down.

This has been the busiest of Springs and Summer. Our cruise followed by a trip to Idaho. Then to California for a week with a family emergency. These things followed by a vacation at the beach and another quilt retreat the end of August. WHEW! I've been a busy girl.

While I was at the last quilt retreat my wonderful hubby installed new flooring in my sewing room. I'm trying to slowly put things back in a more organized fashion, toss what I just don't need or use and get things better condensed in there. It's a huge job, LOL! I take a break now and then to actually sew a little here and there though. Can't peek yet! I'll share later.

Next on the big change around here I'll be rearranging the guest room and cleaning out that closet. We're very excited that my sister will be coming to visit for a few weeks in November and through the holidays. I want to be sure her room is ready with places for all her treasures. Her sewing equipment, etc. will have its own place in my sewing room! I told you I was working hard, LOL. I think I've even managed to empty a few drawers in my roll arounds for her to use. No small feat let me tell ya, hahaha.

Meet YAHTZEE! This is my sister's new 5 year old rescue Corgi she'll be bringing with her. Isn't she cute?!

I have a wonderful quilting friend who is quilting some of the quilts that have been just sitting in the closet waiting to be complete. As I get bindings on them I will get pictures up. Meanwhile I'll continue to sew on this n that :-)

I hope all is well with each of you and that I can get back to the blog before another month passes me by.

We're at the beach!

Friday Jennifer and I brought the RV to the beach for a week + of quilting/sewing. We set up the screen room as our studio and put the foot to the pedal, LOL. Wednesday night Aime and the kids came down so we've switched gears to fun in the sun here at the beach. Last night when I commented to my granddaughter how happy I was she'd joined us at the beach, she told me we weren't at the beach, we were in the parking lot, ROFLOL! Yep, the RV park just looks like a parking lot to her, ggggggg. There's grass and trees everywhere but lots of RV's, ha. Today we managed to hit a great 40% off sale at the local quilt shop. Guess the business is for sale, wish I could own a quilt shop, ho hum. Hit a few local touristy type shops and stopped for our annual ice cream cone with the kids, this was Ethan's first one. 2 years ago it was here that Jaiden had her first one too! Jennifer and I each got a quilt top finished, she's working on binding of another quilt, I basted a table runner ready to quilt and made a hat for Ethan. Jennifer has also been working on a really cute Christmas project and made good progress. I'll post some pictures when I get home. I'm sure grateful to be at the beach rather than home where the temperatures have been in the 90-100's and that's just toooooooo hot for me!

Home again

July 8th I received a call from my sister while at work that my BIL was in the hospital and not expected to live. They live in California so I left work and flew out that evening. He has been ill for a long time and my sis has been his full time caregiver. He passed away on the 10th and we buried him on the 15th. Gene flew down on the 14th for the service and we both flew back together Thursday evening so I could return to work yesterday. A whirlwind of emotions, time spent with extended family I hadn't seen in many years, an opportunity to be present and hopefully supportive for my sis and the kids (who are all grown adults of course, just kids to me, ha). The service was lovely and the words spoken heartfelt. It was terribly hard to leave my sister with so much left to do, but my nephew is staying another week or two so she'll have some needed company and help getting things done. Then we're hoping she'll come up to spend some time with us when she's ready to get away.

Being there meant I was able to meet my Great Nephew Harmon!!! He is 8 months old and just adorable!! I managed to bonk his lip on a table, hit his head on his car seat and poke his leg with my thumb nail. I think I was forgiven in the end but I wasn't making too big a hit, LOL! Just have to share a picture of the cutie pie!

The puppies stayed with Aime once again and no doubt were spoiled rotten, ha! What a wonderful daughter to keep them for us when we needed the help.

Jennifer is 6 months pregnant and getting the nursery decorated. Grandma is starting to feel the pressure to finish knit items and quilts, LOL.

Eventually I will try to catch you up with pictures of this n that :-) Meanwhile I am off to catch up on YOUR blogs!!

Home from retreat

Jennifer and I went to Idaho for 3 1/2 days of lovely sewing/quilting. We do this with a wonderful group of women, our "quilting sisters" and each year we grow closer. It is a beautiful place to be and so hard to leave and return home. We managed to get a fair amount accomplished there. Both of us got a finished quilt basted and ready for quilting the first morning. Jennifer also made a darling flannel quilt all but the borders in bright colors using the Take Five pattern.
I cut and layed out the squares for a baby quilt; got 1/2 way done with a purse whereas Jennifer finished hers. While she finished her purse I worked on a small landscape "quilt" that our dear friend Thelma taught a class for. I need to decide how I am going to finish it, either add borders, just a binding or frame it. I also want to do some embellishing on it. I also finished Jaiden's bed quilt except for the last border but I did get some of the pieces cut for it. Before we went I managed to get over to Aime's and Jaiden's curtains with valance are now up, yay!! So I must get the bed quilt finished as it matches and Aime will buy a bed skirt. At retreat we had a demo on making a great string quilt and when the demo was over June handed Jennifer the little demo quilt, a pink baby size, and told her it was for her!!!! Talk about surprise, she was incredibly touched. On Friday night they gave her a surprise baby shower too. I tell ya, this is just a terrific group of women friends and they hold a special place in our hearts. So Jennifer came home with darling things for baby Maddy when she is born. And that's just 15 weeks away, YIKES!!!! Grandma better get busy on the quilt not to mention the afghan I started and all the other things I have planned, LOL!

The double trouble pups got to go to the puppy parlor and look and smell beautiful tonight. They even came home to a new bed we got while we were out.

Life has been much busier than usual or maybe I'm just more tired than normal after work these days. Consequently I'm not blogging much nor am I on the computer much. I do read a couple of blogs here and there to catch up but normally do it on my iPod at night in bed and that's too hard to use to leave comments for my blogger friends. So just know I'm still keeping up with you! I'll be back soon with some pictures to share, meanwhile don't forget about me, ha!

Technology

Do you ever feel that you're just wasting your money on new technology? I mean 2 weeks later something newer, better, faster, prettier, more efficient, cheaper (doubtful) and fancier is released. Heavens, I still haven't mastered loading audio books to my old Palm phone and now I have an iTouch and a different smart phone, ha! Then there's the issue that the books I want to load on my iTouch required me to have a working CD ROM drive and it is verrrrrrrry finicky. So since we bought that little Acer One and portable CD/DVD drive for it you'd think I'd be set, NOT. It isn't loaded with all the programs you need, can't figure out why the email won't send so for now it isn't compatible to the iTouch, ROFLOL! BUT, last night I bought a few songs and managed to load them to the iTouch as well as some photos :-) My friend Beryl will help me as soon as all my ducks are in a row, tee hee.

My sister was suppose to arrive next week and then several days following we'd head to Idaho with my daughter Jennifer for a quilting/crafting retreat. My brother in law is not well and she is the full time caregiver, and very worn out I might add. My heart just aches for her as the arrangements she made for him to be cared for while she came to visit fell through. Now she can't come. I'm so sad that she is not going to get the much needed break and sad for us that we are not going to spend time together sewing and playing.

Darling daughter is doing well with her pregnancy and baby girl is growing steadily; both are healthy and she's ready to get started decorating the nursery! I have collected the fabrics I need for a baby quilt and will get started on that soon for her.

I made a baby quilt yesterday, all but 2 more sides; it is a 50" square log cabin block. I used the Chunky Monkey fabrics and it is for a soon to be new mom at work. Her shower is tomorrow and since I messed up on my math I had to go get more fabric today and it won't be done to give her. I have a couple other things to give her instead and will finish this for once she has the baby. Hmmm, maybe I should go whip her up a few burp cloths to throw in!! Yes, that's a great idea........... night now!

Updated information

My dear daughter brought it to my attention that I posted the picture of the tram as being in Ketchikan, Alaska when in fact it was in Juneau. Ho hum. I also worked with a colleague today who left on her Alaskan cruise the day we returned and had gorgeous weather the whole week! She was able to tell me that the glacier we went to was in the Endicott Arm and named Dawes Glacier. It was the same one they went to as the Tracyarm was still too dangerous for approach by the ships. I still need to get her pictures to see what's best between us to post but above are the only 2 pictures I took in the sewing room on the ship. We had drop dead gorgeous views as you can see to sew by!! Most of you are aware it was a quilting cruise for Jennifer and I but about a month before we sailed Pat Sloan backed out when not enough people had signed up to pay her husbands' way. So not many of us to sew and we only went part of 2 days while out to sea and didn't go to any of the evening sit and sews. The machines there were a really nice Brother quilting machine and the co owner of the shop designed and taught the wall hanging we made, Sue Walsh. Mine is ready to be sandwiched and quilted. I'll share when it is done if not before. I think it is safe to say I wouldn't be inclined to go on another quilting cruise. The quilting piece of our trip was a big disappointment having Pat Sloan back out. There is so incredibly much to do and keep busy with on the ship when out to sea that I'd just rather relax and enjoy the cruise should I ever get another opportunity to do one. When I get the pictures sorted through and combined with Jennifer's I will post more. Meanwhile things are really busy at work and I'm in a wrist brace for tendinitis, ugh. I had to baby it all weekend so I'd be able to go to work today. They are letting me work in the brace and I didn't have to do any lifting today so I lucked out. I work again tomorrow and will hope it is light patient care again. Everyone have a great week!!

Sunrise at Sea

I managed to be up extra early one morning to catch this sunrise. Isn't it gorgeous?!