June 12, 2013

Last Thursday, my high school friend, Becky and I took a little trip. We drove to a lovely little town in southwestern Ohio. We stayed at a wonderful old inn which was delightful and the lunch and dinner we had there were to die for! We shopped at a couple of antique stores and the other little stores we found in town. Then in the afternoon we drove to a wonderful international grocery store. Becky thought it was a little dumb to drive so far to go to a grocery store, but I had to pull her out of it 2 hours later! It was great...so many things you could buy! They had ostrich eggs...for $39.99...that's for one! Fruits and vegetables we had never seen. And counters and counters of cheeses! Loved it!

The next morning we drove down the road a bit to a little town that boasted its antique shops...we weren't impressed and ended up at some gardening stores instead. We bought lots of neat things. That evening we met up with a couple of our high school classmates and had dinner with them..had such a great time. So nice to see them again!

Love doing things with Becky! Can't wait until our next trip!

May 6, 2013

The May flowers are beautiful this year. Last Saturday we had the grandgirls and we dragged them all over the county! They had fun and so did we. We went to the Carlyle Visitors Center to see the raptors. We saw the bald eagle, some owls, red tailed hawk and a turkey buzzard. The girls thought the birds were awesome. We then went to the Equestrian Center next door and there were some people there with their horses. The girls went crazy over the horses and enjoyed petting them. Of course the horses were a little intimidating as the girls are very small and the horses quite large.

We stopped at McDonalds and picked up lunches. We went to the Russia Township Hall complex to eat, but it was so windy there that our lunches kept blowing away. So we put away our lunches and let the girls play on the playground equipment. I still find it frightening when the kids climb up on the slides. They are so high and there just isn't enough protection (I don't think) to keep small children from falling from the top.

After that we went to Schoeffle Gardens in Birmingham where there is a carousel that the girls can ride for free. They love it! I tend to get dizzy on it so I stepped off at the last moment! The flowers in the park are just beautiful and I wanted to walk around and check every flower, but the girls had other plans. We found a picnic table and finished our lunches.  It was a wonderful day with the girls, but we were really pooped by the time they went home. We just love those girls so!

Blocked Mind and Other Things!

I can always think of things to write when I'm driving home or laying awake at night...but as soon as I click to post a blog I can't think of much to say! Dang! I have been trying to make healthy meal for supper, but this week wasn't so good. In fact I think I only cooked on Monday and Tuesday. Strawberry salad on Monday and Taco bake on Tuesday...wasn't even home for supper on Wednesday or Thursday. I think I will go with a salad tonight and clean out the refrigerator!

Yesterday was BEAUTiful here! Today not so much. The weather on my desktop says it's now only 44 degress out....only 40 degrees less than yesterday..ick!

Tomorrow we will be painting Jake's old room...it's been the same color for about 20 years...guess it's time for a change! The carpeting has been ordered, and the bed and mattress set too...so better get to painting so it will be ready when those things finally get here.

Not doing much sewing lately. I need to get started on the quilt for Erin's new baby...and put the borders on my peach and brown quilt and a million other projects I've got going. I think I need to take a couple of sewing days for myself...we'll see.

My Kitchen is a MESS!

I decided a while ago that I wanted a new counter top in the kitchen. The old one had a couple of big chunks out of it and it didn't really look too nice...so new counter top it is. I wanted something different and I thought red would be cool...well the only red I could find was a matte finish and was told that it is very hard to keep nice...go figure. I couldn't find any shiny red laminate! Dang! So I went with a boring beige again. I hope it looks nice. Right now we are waiting for it to come. Should be here on Friday. All the stuff in the bottom cupboards is all over the kitchen, the sink is out so there is no water, no counter top, no table...the place is a MESS! Can't wait to get everthing put back the was it should be!

I would like to start working on the upstairs...new carpet and paint job...should spruce it up a bit. Jake's room has never been painted since we moved in and the carpet is also 23 years old..ick!

Working on a new quilt...pretty! Can't wait until it's done. I got the fabric at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Cleveland last Friday. It was 10 1/2 yard pieces for $30.00..not bad. Pinks, browns and apricots. Maybe it will be for Jordan's graduation...or maybe I'll just keep it myself. We'll see!

The Big Move

Jake was here today. He and Shawna have been moving into their new home. It's  so exciting for them..and for us. I sat up in his room with him while he was going through his stuff and cleaning it out and was feeling a bit blue. I think it's because now I feel extremely old! We are the only ones of our friends who had a third child and he is much younger than the other kids. Their kids and our older kids have been out of their houses for probably 10 or 12 years. I guess we should just be happy we had this kid with us for so long. He has been the only child in our home since he was about 11 years old. He has been such a great kid, and we have enjoyed having him live with us, he hasn't ever been a bother or a pain and we will miss him terribly. He will be 26 in April so I guess it's time, yet it just takes my breath away knowing he's leaving our home for his own and won't be back except to visit.  It will never be like it was again. I know I sound sort of depressed, and I guess I am, but I am so happy for him...he is so ready to begin his life with Shawna and have a family. They have much to learn about each other and living with each other...Ah to be young again!

February Weekend

Boy were we every BUSY this weekend. Tim and I drove up to Port Clinton in a snowstorm to pick up a quilt I was having quilted. It turned out very nice. The first time I've had someone quilt for me...I'd love to have all my quilt tops quilted, but it's expensive (to me anyways). Then we made our way back to South Amherst and went to Jamies flea market for a while. I was looking for tea cups with yellow flowers to match my newly painted yellow kitchen. I found a couple that I liked.

We got back home and  I made the top curtain for my one kitchen window then I rested a while and then got ready to meet 2 couple that we are friends with. We hadn't seen them much since Jake graduated. They each had a son in Jake's class and they all played basketball together. We met at Lorenzo'e and stayed for about 2 hours. It was fun and we talked and laughed a lot.

On Sunday we went to the Great Big Home and Flower show at the I-X center in Cleveland. It was  ok...I was heartily tired of walking by the time we left. We stopped in South Amherst and picked up Jake and went to his new house. It's looking more like a house everytime we stop there. The cabinets are in and the woodwork is on.

We got home around 4 pm and I was sooo tired. I just sorta sat and watched TV and did a little hand sewing.

Tonight I have to get the house cleaned and dessert started because my sewing group will be at my house tomorrow night around 7pm...Yikes!

Another Busy Weekend

Friday night Melissa came home from Columbus to gather some of her belongings to prepare for her move into an apartment of her own. She had been living with a girlfriend since the beginning of October. Anyways all the kids and grandgirls were at our house for a dinner of pizza and wings. It's alway so nice when the 3 kids are all together. They seem to have so much fun.

Saturday with Jake helping Tim and Melissa, they loaded the u-haul for the trip to Columbus. We left around 10am. We got her unloaded and some stuff unpacked and then she wanted to show us where she works. So off we went. We drove around her neighborhood, stopped for a late lunch and then went to Giant Eagle so she could get milk, eggs and a couple other things to keep her tided over until she gets paid.
We got home around 7 or 7:30 and went to bed really early for a Saturday.

Sunday, I put up the border in the kitchen and made a curtain for the kitchen window. I also helped my sister's friend decide how she wanted to make a memory quilt out of her father's shirts. Made roast beef and cabbage and noodles and corn for supper...was good!

Today the weather is raining, but around 48 degrees...nice as it was so darn cold last week. It is supposed to get really cold again by the end of the week. Nice to have a little break!

Busy Weekend

Bev, Sue, Shelley, Retta, Rachel, Cheryl and I went to Sauder Village Inn in Archbold, OH for a quilt retreat. It was a beautiful inn, with a swimming pool, hot tub, workout room, game room and continental breakfast. The staff was very nice and the food was quite good. We had salads, chicken, soup, porkchops, roast beef, chicken cordon bleu and baked potatoes. After we went through the buffet line, we were waited on by a great wait staff. They brought our drinks and cleared our tables. Oh and the desserts were quite good also.

The women at the quilt retreat were so talented...the quilts that were being made were just gorgeous. We got to shop at the quilt shop after hours and during hours too, which was really nice. It was fun to sort of listen in on different conversations going on throughout the day! We met lots of nice ladies. Sue, Shelley and I left after work on Thursday and we got home late Sunday afternoon. I think we were all pooped. It was fun though and we could sew to our hearts content! I finished a market bag and sewed the tops for 3 quilts. I still need to put the borders on, but got the piecework done.

On Monday, which was Martin Luther King Day and a no-work day, Tim and I went to Chuck E. Cheese with Jesse and the grandgirls. It was fun to watch them play the games and get tickets.

I came home in the afternoon and put the border on the baby quilt I was making for Christina Nichols. I also sewed the back of the quilt...so I just need to put it together and quilt. I better do it quickly because Christina had her baby girl, Cecilia Rose on Friday, the 18th which was Tim's birthday!

Just another day...

Last night got my hair cut and colored...I look so nice. Ha!  Kind of slow day at work...everyone is getting ready to go to New York City for a big event...I am not going. I am going to a quilt retreat! I can't wait! They are so much fun and you see so many wonderful things and find so many inspirations. I am taking four different projects to work on. Three bags, a yellow and green baby quilt, a small quilt with a panel and a new quilt that I saw a picture of and just loved. I have enough cut for twelve 12" squares...we'll see how that goes. Seven from my sewing group are going. I hope we have a good time..so looking forward to it.

I bought tickets for the Home and Flower Show in Cleveland for the 2nd of February. Haven't been in ages, so looking forward to that too. We are also having dinner with some parents of Jake's high school basketball team mates. We just happen to see two sets of parents in Home Depot and the one of the gals made plans for us to get together!

Next weekend I think Melissa is moving into her new apartment so we will be going to Columbus and probably spending more that we should...she alway seems so helpless. She has been sick and she is supposed to take her physical test for the police academy on Saturday...She has been working out alot, but she sounds awful on the phone. I hope she'll be ok.

Today is cold and partly sunny...not too depressing!

Winter Weekend

Actually it was hard to tell that it was January. On Saturday the temperature hit 60 and Sunday the same. So it was nice weatherwise. I was so busy on Saturday. I picked up Jake in Vermilion where he dropped his car off to get fixed, then went to the Farm Market for meat and veggies. I dropped Jake and home and picked up my mother and Bev and off we went to Port Clinton to take a quilt to be quilted. It was just too big for my sewing machine. I feel like I've wrestled a bear when I get done and I just didn't want to do that right now. We got back around noon and I picked Jake back up and we went to the mall to exchange a pair of jeans I got for Christmas. Macy's had good sales, but Jake was antsy so I didn't get to shop. Then we went to Lowe's to get some wood stain that I couldn't find anywhere else. We got home around 2:30 or 3...I was pooped. I just wanted to take a nap when Jesse called and asked if we wanted to go bowling with them and the grandgirld...I never like to miss a chance to see the grandgirls so of course we said yes we'd meet them a 6 in Amherst. I took a shower and changed clothes and laid on the bed...I promptly fell asleep. Tim woke me up and wanted to know if I wanted to go bowling...so we did. It was a great time and the girls had a ball. I didn't do too awful bad for not bowling for  a couple of year. Today though I am pretty sore! My hands hurt pretty bad..they hurt anyways and bowling certainly didn't help...but it was fun!

On Sunday the laminant guy came to tell us about his countertops...he was here for about an hour. I baked some banana blueberry bread and some muffins. I quilted a little bit. I also made a chicken chili soup which was quite tasty...not low fat by any means, I guess that's why it was so tasty! Watched Downtown Abbey for the first time...it was very good..I hope I get the chance to watch it again next week.

I've got a lot to do this weekend...Mostly mundane things, but I really would like to get them done. Go to the Farm Market, get some stain, take some jeans back. Then I'd like to get my wallpaper border up in the kitchen. It's so pretty, I can't wait to see the kitchen with it up. Then Sunday the guy is coming to show us what kind of countertop he could get us. I hope he's not too expensive. Next week our new windows are coming and then I can make the curtains for them.

Also, I would like to take a quilt up to Port Clinton to have it quilted. I've never done that before, but this one is sort of big and it's so hard for me to do on my little sewing machine. If it's not terribly expensive I may see about having some of the others done that I have sitting around waiting to be quilted.

It's supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow...it's already sunny and 55 degress! Nice for a little break. But winter will be back next week.

Sewing Tonight

I belong to a sewing group. It's just a group of ladies that sit and sew. We have fun and go to quilt retreats when we have a chance.

The Beginning of the Blog - January 7, 2013

I'm not sure how to start this. Let's see...I like to sew quilts, read, take pictures and I love working on my family trees. I will put on here the things I am sewing on, some pictures that I have taken, mention a book I've finished reading or talk about my family tree. If I happen to cook or bake something scrumptious, I might even post a picture of that.

The picture above is my grandfather's family. He is the young boy in the second row, second from the right. I think he's about 13 or 14. He was small for his age. He was always kind of short! One of my second cousins sent me a copy of this about 6 months ago. I had never seen it before. I loved it!