A garden - I want one when we move to Small Town and into our new house. I just read a post from "The Secret Cave of the Sugar Mama" and she is excited about the prospect of buying a new house, but was lamenting that she would have to leave her wonderful garden. I want to feel like that about my garden!! I had one years ago when I was a stay-at-home-mom and I loved having those fresh vegetables all summer. But once I went back to work full time there just wasn't enough hours in the day. I tried to keep it up on Saturdays for a while, but that just didn't cut it and we finally let the grass take back over. In fact when we moved out last month there was no hint that there had ever been anything but grass back there!
But the new house - We will have seasons in Small Town in Northern Retirement Destination State, so my growing period will be different than sunny Southern California. I may even be able to grow some of those colder weather fall veges that I never had the right weather for in SoCal! I can hardly wait for home-grown tomatoes - I can't think of too many things that taste better than biting into a vine-ripened tomato still warm from the summer sun. If it drips off my chin - so much the better! And zucchini - not only the little finger-sized ones that are so sweet, but the ones that get a foot long that you can scoop the seeds out of and stuff! Mmm - I can hardly wait!!
Not only will I have vegetables and maybe some berries, but tulips!! I LOVE tulips!! Down here in SoCal you have to store the bulbs in the refrigerator so they will get the cold they need (HA - NOT!!), but it will be cold enough in NRDS that I will be able to plant them and just enjoy the bounty!! This new house is pretty much consuming our waking thoughts lately! My husband wants a weeping willow tree - his favorite in the whole world!! We are planning the tree placement, the gardens, the patio, the placement of furniture, becoming part of a new - much larger church, meeting new friends, spending more time with old friends. There is so much to look forward to, it will make the pain of leaving the area where we have lived our whole lives a bit easier! Two years is a long time - but the last 2 have gone fast, so I can only hope that moving day will be upon us before we know it!! Is it too early to start buying seed packets? HA!!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Monday, May 22, 2006
We Found The House
Well, we DID it!! We bought the house!! We prayed, did our homework, prayed some more, engaged a realtor in "small town" and we found the house!!
We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and Morning Glory and the Dr met us at the airport. The Dr had to go back to work in the afternoon, but we took off with Morning Glory and went out to cruise the neighborhoods that had houses that appealed to us on line. Several had nice sized yards, but there were some that had yards that were practically non-existent!! We don't have any desire to have acreage, but we didn't want to be right on top of the neighbors either!!
We met the Realtor the next morning and set a course of action. One of the houses that I had gone back to on line several times was the first on the list. Nice neighborhood, space between houses - and a VIEW of mountains - with a little snow!! We went in and it was evident that this one would be one to hold up against other houses. It didn't have quite the massive greatroom I was hoping for, or the little breakfast room in addition to the dining room - but definitely workable!! We took off and looked at some others.
A word here to any of you that want to sell a house - clean it up and de-clutter it before you show it!!! One of the houses had a "jungle" in the living room and so much clutter and mess every where you looked we could hardly wait to get out!! Not good if you want to attract a buyer!!
Anyway, we went back and looked at the first house again, then out to see some more - then back to the first. We just couldn't get past that one!! We went back to the realtor's office and made the offer!!! It was accepted with a minor $$ adjustment the next afternoon! We are technically no longer homeless!! Our loan guy and realtor tell us that it will probably close in about 2 weeks!! The seller is out of state and is ready any time!
We unfortunately won't be living in it for a couple of years - until we retire, so we have asked the realtor to please manage it for us as a rental. He agreed, so we went and bought a nice refrigerator to have in it for renters and it will be delivered as soon as the escrow closes. Do I want to rent it out? - no, It is so pretty, I would love to move right in!! My husband wants to work a couple more years though, until he hits the "early retirement" birthday. Then we can move and start enjoying the house and that wonderful view!! We'll see if we make it - he is pretty excited about the house too!! So excited in fact, that he wanted to go look at furniture and we found a new bedroom set that we BOTH just loved!! Well, we ordered that and it will be delivered to a storage unit in Small Town in 3 months!! He was afraid that we wouldn't find something we liked as well later on, and he was so excited that we agreed on it that he wanted it now!! HA!! Works for me!! The more excited he gets about this move, the sooner we may do it!!
Well, everyone is up and moving about this morning - I smell the coffee! We are still at Morning Glory's house - we don't go home til Tuesday afternoon. I think she and I are going antiquing today!! I'll post pictures later when I get home and figure out how to do it!!
We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and Morning Glory and the Dr met us at the airport. The Dr had to go back to work in the afternoon, but we took off with Morning Glory and went out to cruise the neighborhoods that had houses that appealed to us on line. Several had nice sized yards, but there were some that had yards that were practically non-existent!! We don't have any desire to have acreage, but we didn't want to be right on top of the neighbors either!!
We met the Realtor the next morning and set a course of action. One of the houses that I had gone back to on line several times was the first on the list. Nice neighborhood, space between houses - and a VIEW of mountains - with a little snow!! We went in and it was evident that this one would be one to hold up against other houses. It didn't have quite the massive greatroom I was hoping for, or the little breakfast room in addition to the dining room - but definitely workable!! We took off and looked at some others.
A word here to any of you that want to sell a house - clean it up and de-clutter it before you show it!!! One of the houses had a "jungle" in the living room and so much clutter and mess every where you looked we could hardly wait to get out!! Not good if you want to attract a buyer!!
Anyway, we went back and looked at the first house again, then out to see some more - then back to the first. We just couldn't get past that one!! We went back to the realtor's office and made the offer!!! It was accepted with a minor $$ adjustment the next afternoon! We are technically no longer homeless!! Our loan guy and realtor tell us that it will probably close in about 2 weeks!! The seller is out of state and is ready any time!
We unfortunately won't be living in it for a couple of years - until we retire, so we have asked the realtor to please manage it for us as a rental. He agreed, so we went and bought a nice refrigerator to have in it for renters and it will be delivered as soon as the escrow closes. Do I want to rent it out? - no, It is so pretty, I would love to move right in!! My husband wants to work a couple more years though, until he hits the "early retirement" birthday. Then we can move and start enjoying the house and that wonderful view!! We'll see if we make it - he is pretty excited about the house too!! So excited in fact, that he wanted to go look at furniture and we found a new bedroom set that we BOTH just loved!! Well, we ordered that and it will be delivered to a storage unit in Small Town in 3 months!! He was afraid that we wouldn't find something we liked as well later on, and he was so excited that we agreed on it that he wanted it now!! HA!! Works for me!! The more excited he gets about this move, the sooner we may do it!!
Well, everyone is up and moving about this morning - I smell the coffee! We are still at Morning Glory's house - we don't go home til Tuesday afternoon. I think she and I are going antiquing today!! I'll post pictures later when I get home and figure out how to do it!!
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
The Potter
The wheel spins around and the lump of wet clay is wobbly and off center. The potter presses on it - hard - really hard - and forces the clay to become centered so the wobble goes away and it is smooth and still. The clay is satiny in her hands. If she closes her eyes she can feel it spinning, and when it is ready there is no unevenness. It is full of possibilities but totally yielded to the hands that are shaping it. Now it is ready to open to what the potter envisions. It may become purely decorative, or functional, or both, but with its own character and personality. There are areas that will be taken away to define the form, and the clay will discover its shape in the potter's hands. Later the potter will add color and put it through the fire, and the combination of the potter's intent and the intense heat will refine it and make it beautiful.
I discovered pottery several years ago when Computer Guy first went off to college, and The VP (younger son) would be following him in another year. I had been a stay-at-home mom and had been mostly out of the work force for a lot of years. It was time to prepare for a job that would help pay college bills - so I went back to college too! I always meant to get that accounting degree and the time was at hand. Those of you who have been to college know that they want you to have a "rounded" education, so even when you are an accounting major you have to take an art class! I'd heard about the "art appreciation" classes with their slide shows and reports on artists and decided that hand building pottery with clay sounded a lot more interesting!
Boy! Did I get hooked!! I discovered right off though, that hand-building took a lot of time and I was a bit bored with the tedium of it, but I was facinated watching the "wheel-throwing" folks work!! I watched and learned and sort of taught myself to throw during open lab times. I continued with my accounting requirements and graduated "cum laude" (there is something to be said for being in college on purpose!!) then got a good job using my new skills. And continuing the pottery classes became a part of my recreation!!
That was 16 years ago! I took 3 semesters off somewhere around the 5 year mark, then got started again in night classes at a Jr College near where I work. I go 1 or 2 nights a week and I don't think I will ever get tired of the feel of the clay in my hands!
I learned something else in working with the clay that I didn't expect! There is a song that has these lines: "You are the potter, I am the clay, Mold me and make me after Your will, . . while I am waiting yielded and still." Right now the rest escapes me, but those words have become mine! In the past I had no clue what I was really asking God to do to me! Getting a lump of clay from bumpy and unformed to yielded and still takes a great deal of pressure and pushing and molding!! This is not half-hearted prodding or casual suggestions!! By singing that song (with my usual gusto) I was actually giving God whole-hearted permission to really "work me over" according to His will, to make me functional for Him!! That realization has been eye-opening and growth-producing!! When I work that clay to make it usable for my purpose, I am brought face to face with how my Lord is working on me to make me usable for His!!
I discovered pottery several years ago when Computer Guy first went off to college, and The VP (younger son) would be following him in another year. I had been a stay-at-home mom and had been mostly out of the work force for a lot of years. It was time to prepare for a job that would help pay college bills - so I went back to college too! I always meant to get that accounting degree and the time was at hand. Those of you who have been to college know that they want you to have a "rounded" education, so even when you are an accounting major you have to take an art class! I'd heard about the "art appreciation" classes with their slide shows and reports on artists and decided that hand building pottery with clay sounded a lot more interesting!
Boy! Did I get hooked!! I discovered right off though, that hand-building took a lot of time and I was a bit bored with the tedium of it, but I was facinated watching the "wheel-throwing" folks work!! I watched and learned and sort of taught myself to throw during open lab times. I continued with my accounting requirements and graduated "cum laude" (there is something to be said for being in college on purpose!!) then got a good job using my new skills. And continuing the pottery classes became a part of my recreation!!
That was 16 years ago! I took 3 semesters off somewhere around the 5 year mark, then got started again in night classes at a Jr College near where I work. I go 1 or 2 nights a week and I don't think I will ever get tired of the feel of the clay in my hands!
I learned something else in working with the clay that I didn't expect! There is a song that has these lines: "You are the potter, I am the clay, Mold me and make me after Your will, . . while I am waiting yielded and still." Right now the rest escapes me, but those words have become mine! In the past I had no clue what I was really asking God to do to me! Getting a lump of clay from bumpy and unformed to yielded and still takes a great deal of pressure and pushing and molding!! This is not half-hearted prodding or casual suggestions!! By singing that song (with my usual gusto) I was actually giving God whole-hearted permission to really "work me over" according to His will, to make me functional for Him!! That realization has been eye-opening and growth-producing!! When I work that clay to make it usable for my purpose, I am brought face to face with how my Lord is working on me to make me usable for His!!
Monday, May 15, 2006
My "2 Things"
Sounded like fun - so here goes!
2 things you compliment your husand on while in his presence
1. His terrific voice
2. His blue eyes
2 compliments you make about your husband to your friends
1. He's a very caring and loving man
2. He's extremely loyal
2 traits you married him for
1. He was cute
2. He had a great voice
2 days you cherished being together the most with your husband
1. The day we said good-bye to our home of 30 years
2. The day we had our first son (I need 3 here) & the day we had our 2nd son!
2 material things you would give your husband if you just inherited a fortune
1. His dream car
2. A Baltic Sea Cruise
2 things you would miss the most if he left for two weeks
1. His hugs
2. Eating dinner with him
2 thoughts that crossed your mind when you first met/saw your husband
1. He's really cute
2. How can I get him my phone number without embarassing myself?
2 favorite dates
1. Christmas Eve a few months after we met
2. Our 37th anniversary weekend last summer at a wonderful beach resort & spa!
2 funny odd things you love about your husband
1. His fingers get very twitchy when I have the clicker - he can hardly stand it!
2. He says he can't go to sleep before 11pm, but he falls asleep in his chair several times in the evening if he is watching tv!
2 places you have lived with your husband
1. LA County, California
2. Orange County, California
2 favorite vacations
1. England
2. Mississippi River Boat cruise
2 things you compliment your husand on while in his presence
1. His terrific voice
2. His blue eyes
2 compliments you make about your husband to your friends
1. He's a very caring and loving man
2. He's extremely loyal
2 traits you married him for
1. He was cute
2. He had a great voice
2 days you cherished being together the most with your husband
1. The day we said good-bye to our home of 30 years
2. The day we had our first son (I need 3 here) & the day we had our 2nd son!
2 material things you would give your husband if you just inherited a fortune
1. His dream car
2. A Baltic Sea Cruise
2 things you would miss the most if he left for two weeks
1. His hugs
2. Eating dinner with him
2 thoughts that crossed your mind when you first met/saw your husband
1. He's really cute
2. How can I get him my phone number without embarassing myself?
2 favorite dates
1. Christmas Eve a few months after we met
2. Our 37th anniversary weekend last summer at a wonderful beach resort & spa!
2 funny odd things you love about your husband
1. His fingers get very twitchy when I have the clicker - he can hardly stand it!
2. He says he can't go to sleep before 11pm, but he falls asleep in his chair several times in the evening if he is watching tv!
2 places you have lived with your husband
1. LA County, California
2. Orange County, California
2 favorite vacations
1. England
2. Mississippi River Boat cruise
Monday, May 08, 2006
The Foo-Foo Machine
My new sewing machine (Janome 6600) should be coming via UPS today - I am SO excited to get it!! I bought it at the quilt show and they were supposed to send it off last Monday! Not that I will completely abandon my trusty 1977 Kenmore, but the new one has a bunch of those really cool stitches that you can put on things you make for your granddaughter! (Until she is about, what - 5 - and has decided she does not like foo-foo?) I still have a few years to get in all the foo-foo her momma can handle!! HA!!
* * * *
Wahoo! It's here, and appears to be undamaged by shipping! The box is incredibly dirty, however, on every side! How does UPS get stuff sooo dirty!! Oh well - the box goes in the recycle bin anyway! Tonight the instruction book - tomorrow we sew!!
* * * *
Wahoo! It's here, and appears to be undamaged by shipping! The box is incredibly dirty, however, on every side! How does UPS get stuff sooo dirty!! Oh well - the box goes in the recycle bin anyway! Tonight the instruction book - tomorrow we sew!!
Friday, May 05, 2006
My Life Rating!
| This Is My Life, Rated | |
| Life: |  8.7 |
| Mind: |  8.1 |
| Body: | 7.7 |
| Spirit: |  9.6 |
| Friends/Family: |  6.9 |
| Love: | 9.1 |
| Finance: | 8.2 |
| Take the Rate My Life Quiz | |
Hey! - I rate my friends/family at least a 9!! Try it and see what you come up with!!
The House Hunt
I'm so excited - we have reservations to fly to our Northern Retirement Destination State (NRDS) next week to begin the search for a home! The plan is to buy a house there, live here in So Cal for another 2.5 years, then move to the home in the NRDS! We have been in contact with a realtor up there (we actually met him a year ago when we were thinking about buying property and building a house), and we will be spending some quality time with him!
I have given Super Realtor (SR) my wish-list, the list of deal makers and breakers and have searched the MLS lists to be able to send him things I am interested in - at least from the picture and the limited description. In my organized mind he will have a schedule of places to go, and the tax info as well as the association fee info for us on every house. I promise I won't be bitchy if he is totally disorganized!! HA!!
It is interesting how much and how little is in the description of homes for sale. For instance:
"This darling home has many upgrades, It is not your typical home. It has been professionally decorated. It has ceramic tile in kitchen & dining area, mandoor from garage to backyard, kitchen nook and many more. Beautifully painted colors, A truly comfortable home to be enjoyed."
Ok now, what is "not you typical home"? Is this a good or bad thing? From the 3 pictures they give you it is evident they have painted in colors that go with their furniture - - However - - they would not go with my furniture, so what use is their "professional decorating" to me? There is one picture inside of the house (the living room), one of the backyard and one of the front of the house. The sidebar tells me it is a 3 bedroom, but are any on the main floor or all upstairs? Is the master bedroom big enough to hold my bed, is there a separate shower and tub - or all in one? Does it have a separate living room or a den or a great room? What is a "mandoor"? Is the stove gas or electric - is there a pantry? And "many more" - - what? Who writes these descriptions anyway?? This is supposed to prompt me to run right out and look at it? Clicking on the "map this property" link only brought me to the generic town center - not the street address! So other than "south" I have no idea what part of town it is in!
Ok - enough griping! It's just that I am looking for homes 1000 miles away from where I live and I have so many more questions that they just don't address! If I ever do this again I will write my own description so the prospective buyer will have a better picture of what my house has to offer! And no pictures of dead grass in the back yard!!
I hadn't heard much from SR recently, except for a link he sent me for a house that was too old, on too much property and too expensive. I emailed him yesterday to make sure we were on the "same page" as far as what we wanted to look at and to make sure he did have time for us next week. We are hoping for at least 3, maybe more, concentrated days of looking at homes - and if he really didn't have the time in his schedule I wanted to give him an "out" if he wanted it. I realize we are sort of pushed for time since we will only be in town a week and would love to make an offer before we leave! Morning Glory has a realtor she worked with recently and we could contact him if necessary. Since I already had a connection with SR I did want to give him first shot, but I did want to make sure he really had time for us! His return email took about 5 minutes!! We are to be at his office at 9 the first morning and he said he has a bunch for us to look at!! Not only the ones I sent him but more beyond those! Wahoo!!
This whole thing is so exciting!! We are pretty sure that God is good with our plan so far since our home here sold so quickly (1 week, full price!) and we are not running up against any closed doors - so we are really trusting that He has the right home in NRDS is just waiting for us to claim it!
I have given Super Realtor (SR) my wish-list, the list of deal makers and breakers and have searched the MLS lists to be able to send him things I am interested in - at least from the picture and the limited description. In my organized mind he will have a schedule of places to go, and the tax info as well as the association fee info for us on every house. I promise I won't be bitchy if he is totally disorganized!! HA!!
It is interesting how much and how little is in the description of homes for sale. For instance:
"This darling home has many upgrades, It is not your typical home. It has been professionally decorated. It has ceramic tile in kitchen & dining area, mandoor from garage to backyard, kitchen nook and many more. Beautifully painted colors, A truly comfortable home to be enjoyed."
Ok now, what is "not you typical home"? Is this a good or bad thing? From the 3 pictures they give you it is evident they have painted in colors that go with their furniture - - However - - they would not go with my furniture, so what use is their "professional decorating" to me? There is one picture inside of the house (the living room), one of the backyard and one of the front of the house. The sidebar tells me it is a 3 bedroom, but are any on the main floor or all upstairs? Is the master bedroom big enough to hold my bed, is there a separate shower and tub - or all in one? Does it have a separate living room or a den or a great room? What is a "mandoor"? Is the stove gas or electric - is there a pantry? And "many more" - - what? Who writes these descriptions anyway?? This is supposed to prompt me to run right out and look at it? Clicking on the "map this property" link only brought me to the generic town center - not the street address! So other than "south" I have no idea what part of town it is in!
Ok - enough griping! It's just that I am looking for homes 1000 miles away from where I live and I have so many more questions that they just don't address! If I ever do this again I will write my own description so the prospective buyer will have a better picture of what my house has to offer! And no pictures of dead grass in the back yard!!
I hadn't heard much from SR recently, except for a link he sent me for a house that was too old, on too much property and too expensive. I emailed him yesterday to make sure we were on the "same page" as far as what we wanted to look at and to make sure he did have time for us next week. We are hoping for at least 3, maybe more, concentrated days of looking at homes - and if he really didn't have the time in his schedule I wanted to give him an "out" if he wanted it. I realize we are sort of pushed for time since we will only be in town a week and would love to make an offer before we leave! Morning Glory has a realtor she worked with recently and we could contact him if necessary. Since I already had a connection with SR I did want to give him first shot, but I did want to make sure he really had time for us! His return email took about 5 minutes!! We are to be at his office at 9 the first morning and he said he has a bunch for us to look at!! Not only the ones I sent him but more beyond those! Wahoo!!
This whole thing is so exciting!! We are pretty sure that God is good with our plan so far since our home here sold so quickly (1 week, full price!) and we are not running up against any closed doors - so we are really trusting that He has the right home in NRDS is just waiting for us to claim it!
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
I AM too!
I'm at work a little early this morning - and my phone is ringing because we have offices in the east and they have already been at work 2 hours! I'm not answering it yet - I'm blogging first!! I enjoyed Morning Glory's "meme" (? don't really know what that is, but that's what she called it!), so I decided to do it too!
I AM
I am a 30-yr old in a late 50's body!
I want to have the time to do the things I really enjoy and see all the places I want to see. I want to have a mind that is interested in everything!
I wish I hadn't let myself get as heavy as I did - I've slimmed down a lot, but I spent too many years apologizing to myself for the difference between the way I looked and the way I envisioned myself.
I hate it when friends are self-depreciating - Our talents and abilities are all so unique - God didn't create us better or worse - just different!
I miss my Grandpop - he died shortly after I was married. He was a wonderful storyteller and led such an interesting life - I would have loved for my boys to have known him.
I hear the office awakening around me as folks arrive for their work day - (I'd like to be hearing birds flirting in the spring garden I will have someday!)
I wonder if my husband and I will grow old together and be able to do the things we dream about
I regret saying things that have been hurtful to friends - I can apologize, but I can't make the words disappear
I am not as artistic as I would love to be - I have a bookkeeper's brain by nature and an art side that would love to be more developed
I dance every chance I get - and would love to take classes to learn to do it better
I sing first soprano, although I have sung tenor and alto when that was what was needed. I am loving the freedom of the melody in a song and the soaring high notes!
I cry a lot more often than I used to! Lots of things bring it on - a song, a friend's pain or joy, a hug from my granddaughters, the realization that Christ died for ME, having one daughter in law who openly loves me and another who openly hates me, having a Christian husband who loves me a lot!
I am not always as right as I would like to think I am!
I make with my hands a lot of things: pottery on a wheel, quilts, good food, clothing to wear, spreadsheets on a computer
I write a little in my blog - and I'm pretty decent on a email, but I put letters off til forever!
I confuse my husband by changing topics when a new thought comes cruising through my brain - and he's still on the last one
I need a lot of things to keep my mind and my hands active - sitting and watching tv for hours just doesn't cut it! I think I probably have a little ADD!!
I should probably get to work - it is after 8!! Alternately - I should like to garden once I retire and have the time to do it!
I start quilts and quite often don't get them finished!! (That should probably be under the "I should"! - I'll have time one of these days!!) For now - the only craft I have allowed myself in my 2.5 yr apartment stint is my sewing maching and unfinished quilts - there is hope!!
I finish my dessert, whether I got full on dinner or not!
I tag - I'm not really sure what tagging is about!! I'm just sort of out here! HA!!
I AM
I am a 30-yr old in a late 50's body!
I want to have the time to do the things I really enjoy and see all the places I want to see. I want to have a mind that is interested in everything!
I wish I hadn't let myself get as heavy as I did - I've slimmed down a lot, but I spent too many years apologizing to myself for the difference between the way I looked and the way I envisioned myself.
I hate it when friends are self-depreciating - Our talents and abilities are all so unique - God didn't create us better or worse - just different!
I miss my Grandpop - he died shortly after I was married. He was a wonderful storyteller and led such an interesting life - I would have loved for my boys to have known him.
I hear the office awakening around me as folks arrive for their work day - (I'd like to be hearing birds flirting in the spring garden I will have someday!)
I wonder if my husband and I will grow old together and be able to do the things we dream about
I regret saying things that have been hurtful to friends - I can apologize, but I can't make the words disappear
I am not as artistic as I would love to be - I have a bookkeeper's brain by nature and an art side that would love to be more developed
I dance every chance I get - and would love to take classes to learn to do it better
I sing first soprano, although I have sung tenor and alto when that was what was needed. I am loving the freedom of the melody in a song and the soaring high notes!
I cry a lot more often than I used to! Lots of things bring it on - a song, a friend's pain or joy, a hug from my granddaughters, the realization that Christ died for ME, having one daughter in law who openly loves me and another who openly hates me, having a Christian husband who loves me a lot!
I am not always as right as I would like to think I am!
I make with my hands a lot of things: pottery on a wheel, quilts, good food, clothing to wear, spreadsheets on a computer
I write a little in my blog - and I'm pretty decent on a email, but I put letters off til forever!
I confuse my husband by changing topics when a new thought comes cruising through my brain - and he's still on the last one
I need a lot of things to keep my mind and my hands active - sitting and watching tv for hours just doesn't cut it! I think I probably have a little ADD!!
I should probably get to work - it is after 8!! Alternately - I should like to garden once I retire and have the time to do it!
I start quilts and quite often don't get them finished!! (That should probably be under the "I should"! - I'll have time one of these days!!) For now - the only craft I have allowed myself in my 2.5 yr apartment stint is my sewing maching and unfinished quilts - there is hope!!
I finish my dessert, whether I got full on dinner or not!
I tag - I'm not really sure what tagging is about!! I'm just sort of out here! HA!!
Monday, May 01, 2006
AQS Quilt Show
I just returned from a grand trip to Paducah, Kentucky for the annual American Quilter's Society Quilt Show! I flew into Nashville, TN with Chris and Ron, the friends we are staying with during our homeless period, we picked up a car and headed for western Kentucky!! We stayed with Judy and Rich and Sue, (whose husband stayed home like mine did) on a docked houseboat in the Kentucky Marina on the Ohio River about 20 miles south of Paducah. The plan was for the guys to fish and play golf and the girls to go to the quilt show. I love it when a plan comes together!!
The guys did exactly as they intended and fished and played golf for 3 days while we saw all the "show" quilts and shopped in every vendor's booth we could find!! We had dinner with the guys every night and enjoyed our evenings in the houseboat with "show and tell" (so all could see what we bought!) and playing cards and laughing till we hurt!
The whole town opens to this huge quilt show every year and every place that is large enough for a few vendors to set up shop is filled with wonderful sample quilts, fabric in every color you can imagine, and more quilting and sewing gadgets than you could ever use! It was wonderful!! Even the regular shops in the old downtown area all decorate their windows and compete for the best "quilting window"!! The convention center is huge with several large halls, the mall was filled with vendors, the civic center got into the act and the old empty buildings downtown had lots of colorful new life for a little while! One of the Delta Queen river boats was even docked right next to the convention center for 3 days while her passengers were at the show! The town estimates that 30,000 folks pass through during the 4 day show and leave about $12 million behind!
We all did our best for the local economy too and I came home with quilt kits, fat quarters, neat gadgets and with a special ok from my guy - a new Janome sewing machine!! I told him after our first granddaughter was born that if we ever were lucky enough to have a 2nd granddaughter that I would need a new sewing machine that had all those wonderful stitches! I have a 30-yr old Kenmore that still sews like a champ, but I will now be able to add all sorts of pretty decorative stitches and it even has 2 sizes of letters with 4 styles of fonts each!! I am sooo jazzed!! I can hardly wait for the UPS man to deliver it!!
The guys did exactly as they intended and fished and played golf for 3 days while we saw all the "show" quilts and shopped in every vendor's booth we could find!! We had dinner with the guys every night and enjoyed our evenings in the houseboat with "show and tell" (so all could see what we bought!) and playing cards and laughing till we hurt!
The whole town opens to this huge quilt show every year and every place that is large enough for a few vendors to set up shop is filled with wonderful sample quilts, fabric in every color you can imagine, and more quilting and sewing gadgets than you could ever use! It was wonderful!! Even the regular shops in the old downtown area all decorate their windows and compete for the best "quilting window"!! The convention center is huge with several large halls, the mall was filled with vendors, the civic center got into the act and the old empty buildings downtown had lots of colorful new life for a little while! One of the Delta Queen river boats was even docked right next to the convention center for 3 days while her passengers were at the show! The town estimates that 30,000 folks pass through during the 4 day show and leave about $12 million behind!
We all did our best for the local economy too and I came home with quilt kits, fat quarters, neat gadgets and with a special ok from my guy - a new Janome sewing machine!! I told him after our first granddaughter was born that if we ever were lucky enough to have a 2nd granddaughter that I would need a new sewing machine that had all those wonderful stitches! I have a 30-yr old Kenmore that still sews like a champ, but I will now be able to add all sorts of pretty decorative stitches and it even has 2 sizes of letters with 4 styles of fonts each!! I am sooo jazzed!! I can hardly wait for the UPS man to deliver it!!
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