Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Lovely Autumn sunshine

These days are so precious and so few.  So indulge me for a few minutes with some wonderful views in a nearby city park.

It was crisp, but simply gorgeous.



I have to remember this on those multiple grey, dreary days of November and December and January.


Monday, October 28, 2013

Oh, I'm behind

Oh I am sorry.  You know how sometimes life happens.  Well, mine has been happening and I'm still trying to catch up.

A week ago Friday, Ronda and I headed out in the motorhome for a week-end with my CTA ladies for their annual sewing retreat.  YEAH!  The weather wasn't quite as fabulous as we might have hoped but the hours behind our machines, the lovely locale and the spectacular meals made it all just terrific.
We really were out in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.  You can notice how some of the leaves are changing color - it really is autumn.
I think I counted 30 of us - busy, busy, busy.  Here are some of the projects people were working on,





It just fills your head with so many colors and patterns and ideas of something new to create.

People worked on service projects, made clothing,


And quilts for twin grandchildren.


Ronda worked on a wedding quilt for her daughter and we cut flannel strips for a little project while Caro is here visiting in a few weeks.

After I got home, I cut even more flannel, from my stash - so now we have even more strips.  Getting ready for Halloween, of course, as well,

And this past week-end was our last rv outing for 2013.  Oh boo hoo.  We are all sad to think about putting away the rig for now.  But in our climate it is a necessity.  So we will have it all winterized and get a cover put on it.  We'll start back up, again, next March.  Saskia has been a great trooper!

Friday, October 18, 2013

Friday departure

No photos (obviously) but we're leaving for our sewing retreat in about an hour.  So I have the camera and new batteries, all ready.  Of course, I have about 12 projects [do I really think I will complete them all?] is that too many?  Back on Sunday.

Fijne week-end.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Saturday morning

Well - the blog is looking so boring.  I really should do something to spruce it up, I guess, but my skills are limited.  So we'll try a new color.

"Our" team won the volleyball last night.  Great fun.

Friday, October 11, 2013

What's up this week?

Not a whole lot that is new - lots of "same old, same old", but that isn't to complain.  Now if you were talking about our Congress, that deserves LOTS of complaints, but in my little world things are doing just fine.

Here's another photo from our dinner last week-end - doesn't it just make you laugh?

Most of the usual this week with visits to the gym, walking, grocery shopping; I spent some time online needing some new inspiration for cooking.  Learning more about using quinoa - tasty if you haven't tried it.

Finished my CTA projects,

These will be "turned in" along with a few items to include in the stocking.  Finished the top of a table runner,
now to find something Asian for the back.

Starting a couple of years ago, two other RVing friends and I started a block exchange.  Each month we chose a color and made blocks for ourselves and each other.  So I have finally added a few to the collection and put them all together.



What do you think - should I try to figure out a border?  Do I hunt for something rainbow or ????  What is your opinion?  It's a pretty good lap size - especially with a border, but it would work without one, too.  I do love to sew tops and am really not very proficient at finishing them.  Such a quandry.  I probably have 8 or 9 tops to be finished.  Hmmmmm.

Tomorrow is another gym morning.  We are thinking that we will go to the University Women's Volleyball match tomorrow evening.  Sounds fun, huh?  Good Friday!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Family Dining

There are only a limited number of restaurants that really cater to families with children, but we found one and enjoyed our dinner together.  Here are the girls yesterday,

Yes, Grandma is a bit biased, but they are pretty cute.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Sunny Saturday

Friday sunset - lovely.  Sky blue pink?




Oh it is so cheerful to have some sunshine today, even if it is not hot.  The plants (and the weeds) in the garden are loving it.  Elaine is busy working in the garden.

After all my grandma duties last week and week-end, this week has been one of catch up with some other chores.  Dinner with friends one night, Dutch lessons, Stashbusters Quilt group and yesterday, I can happily report that the whole mainfloor got vacuumed, dust mopped and dusted.  Whew!  NOT a job that I get done very often, so I'm feeling quite delighted today.  [When I lived in England, they used the word "chuffed" to describe how one felt when being a bit righteous about what they had done.]

In amongst that, I have done a couple of little sewing projects.  This was a block from a pattern that I found in a magazine.  I had to shrink it down about 20% in order to use the fabric I already had in strips (it is paper pieced).  But I liked it and maybe it could become a pattern for a whole quilt.  Hmmmm.


I also managed to get the Streak of Lightening blocks put together.  The pattern is difficult to make out except from quite a ways away.


I think I still feel like I did before - I would prefer it with somewhat plainer lights to make the pattern stand out more.  But now I know.

CTA will likely do an ornament exchange again this year, so I was playing with a pattern.  This obviously isn't a finished product, but I do think it's pretty cute and with some hand quilting, at least outlining the pieces, it would be fun,
And lastly, I have been picking out fabrics I have to "go with" the tree of life central panel which Dieuwke gave me.  [Thanks, Dieuwke, I love it.]

I haven't 'visited' the blues pile yet.

I did get to have lunch with friend Ronda on Friday and we designed a project that we will make with Caro when she arrives mid November.  So I also pulled out all my flannels and set them aside for that little project.  Hmmmmm - what could it be?

Tonight it's dinner with my DS, DIL and little B and L.  Oh won't that be fun!