Quilt Retreat

Being inside during cold Minnesota winters isn't all bad. Last Friday I went with some girlfriends and we sewed all day at Millie P's quilt shop in Anoka. They brought our lunch to us, so we didn't have to go outside for that. The next day we went to Princeton for an even longer day of quilting - 8am to 10pm... yes, a long day, but very productive. Here again they brought food to us so we didn't have to go outside again. We each brought a snack to share, so the food was never ending. Lots of chocolate for creativity. It was great fun to sew, eat, visit, eat, sew... you get the idea! Here is my friend Barb showing her many squares sewn together. My sister-in-law Lynn is standing behind her (just to the right) visiting with other quilters.

I was very pleased with what I was able to accomplish on my projects during these two days of non-stop sewing.

This quilt top of Christmas trees and squares was all put together - just needed to add the final white border (which has been done). I love this pattern because the trees are actually dimensional and not sewn down all the way around. After it's quilted, I will add buttons for ornaments to the trees.   

The blocks for the border of this cute baby quilt was my next project. Isn't it sweet? Some baby will really sleep well wrapped up in this!

I'm well on my way to reaching my goal of finishing 3 projects each month this year. Stay tuned!

New Tool

Today was an exciting day... Max (from the cooperative) came and installed my new desktop computer. It runs like a charm - no more waiting 15 minutes to boot up. And it's so fast! I have to get a seatbelt on my office chair to keep from falling off while surfing the internet. I love the wide screen, and the power switch is on the top of the tower instead of down by the floor. No more bending over to turn it on and clunking my head on the desk!

When the monitor goes into sleep mode it has multi-colored bubbles floating across the screen.

Life is good!

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know January is almost over... but I'm running late so Happy New Year to 2011. I've been very busy and that makes me happy. John and I joined the YMCA on new year's day and we have been extremely dedicated to our workouts. Mine takes place in the pool... water aerobics! It's a lot of fun, but hard work. As my friend said, "Fran has exchanged her favorite perfume for "ode de chlorine". The exercise is doing wonders for me - I'm tired (who knew a body has so many muscles) and I'm hungry all the time!!

I've also been sewing up a storm working on projects I've purchased throughout the years. You know how I love math - my calculations indicate that if I finish 3 projects per month, I will have 2 1/2 years of sewing projects. Not bad!! I must discipline myself not to buy more projects during that time (hahaha).

I'm happy to announce my 3 projects for January are completed. Don't they look nice?!

These three projects are now ready to be quilted, and my unfinished pile is a tad smaller! Time to get back to my sewing and aching muscles.

More Purses

Three posts in one day... must be a new record for me. Tawnya scolded me, so I had to make all these postings!!

Here is a picture of my latest creations - two new handbags for two lucky gals (it's a secret yet)! Each one looks so cute, but they take a lot of time to sew. I'm pleased with them when they are done though, so it's worth the time spent sewing.

Thanksgiving 2010

We had a wonderful time with friends and family this Thanksgiving. Joining us was mom & Curt, Shawna & family, Cassie & family, Travis & family, Ed & KC Brown, Clarice Loseth, and the Manning family (minus Mallory). It was great to have the house full! I didn't take many pics, but captured a few highlights...

Miranda Manning loves to make cupcakes. She shared some of her masterpieces with us:

Aren't they adorable?!

Tawnya was with us in spirit and sent this beautiful fresh floral arrangement to remind us of her:

How thankful I am of all the many blessings in my life.

Walk or Ride, It's All Good

My babysitting of Ethan is getting to be more challenging. He wants to walk but only if I hold his hands. It gets a little sore in the back after a while. Ethan loves anything with wheels, so he is combining his two favorites - walking and wheels. I have a walker/chair I use in the kitchen, and this is quite the attraction to baby E as you can see.

He loves to walk behind and push the walker, but gets a little upset when he runs into something and can't turn it free.

Another discovery we made, is his love of riding - that's when the really big smiles come out!

Oh, how we love this little guy!!

She's Here!

Grandchild number nine arrived last Friday, November 5th. She is a beautiful healthy perfect little princess! She weighed in at 8 pounds 10 ounces, and measured 21 1/4 inches long.  Mother Cassie is doing well also. Congratulations to the Brown family! After much deliberation, parents decided on a lovely name - Jocelyn Rae Brown.