OCTOBER 2018

I hit the Big 50 this year!  What a month October was!! Between family and friends, I really celebrated!!!!!

I went on 2 party trips, one personal trip, and a business trip so lots of flying!

The first trip was with a dear friend I have known my whole adult life. She is a big sister to me! We are 10 years plus 2 days apart in our birthdays and I love that she dubbed this trip the, "Not yet 50/60 Tour"!! We had a blast together and just laughed for 3 days straight! Hello Nashville

This was our first trip alone...no husbands...no kids.

The view for our catch up was wonderful!

 We did a lot of walking, talking, drinking, singing, and some dancing.  There was an art walk one night and we started off playing guitar:)  We found a street festival and then.....

 On our way to do some country line dancing, we came across this New Orleans-style jazz band in Printer's Alley.  

We followed them into Alley Taps Gin Joint...so fun!

There are way too many stories to tell here about the people we met and had conversations with but Sweetheart never met a stranger and that makes for a lot of fun if you are open to it!

 Then the BIG NIGHT arrived!

This was the big gift from our Loves.  

Thank you to 2 amazing guys for a Fantastic gift! 

   

We were off to see BRUNO MARS!  

I knew I liked Bruno's music but as with most artists, they have lots of other songs that fill an album so I wasn't sure how many I would actually know...In a 2 hour concert, I knew every song but 2 and was stunned!  We basically stood and sang and danced for 2 hours.  

What an amazing showman!

Here is my Friend, my big Sis!! She is Absolutely 24K Magic!!!  

I want to be her when I grow up!!

Love you Della!!!!

October 2017 Happenings

In the Category of,

YOU DO KNOW IT IS MARCH OF 2018, RIGHT?

Yes, I do, but I have been busy....

I will be catching you up and then you will understand why I have been absent!

And, in between all of this has been commission quilting, new designs, and lots of applique and embroidery!

 

My lovely man was invited to Chicago by our eldest to go to a Cubs game!  You may (or may not) remember that this time last year Jim's brother was fighting cancer and Jim sat here alone, worrying about his brother and watching the Cubs win the series while I was away.  This time, he flew into Indy where he and his brother drove to Chicago to go to the game together with our eldest.  They did lots of reminiscing and Imagine his joy to see his childhood team win in person:)

HAPPY 49TH BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I am not excited that I hear this little voice telling me it is my

last year to do something big before I turn 50!!

 Great night at the game with the Lightning

celebrating 25 years as a team:)

 

Just because I love them, I thought you would too. 

Jim planted these lovely red vine flowers for me!

 

ONLY IN FLORIDA!.....??

Can you believe that the Princess Bride is 30 years old??!!  This was a favorite of Jim and I as we dated and then we introduced it to our girls when they were young.  Jim is my Wesley!  He didn't say, "as you wish" but damn near close:)

Jim was getting a bit bored in retirement (I think, but he won't admit it) so he tried his hand at some woodworking.  He found an old treadle sewing machine to use the wrought iron sides as table legs.  Then he found some wood quilts that were being made / framed as art and thought that would make a great table. 

Why would I disagree:)

I picked the stains I wanted....

Voila!  A lovely table perfect for a quilter!  I now have somewhere to display photos since I hadn't fully moved in and now I will:)

I love birthdays!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME:)

Somehow I can't truly believe people that say they don't like celebrating their birthdays...What? A whole day devoted to you by people who love you-what's not to like??

 

My husband's gift to me this year was a trip on the Seminole Gulf Railroad Murder Mystery Train.  We boarded the Gin Lizzy for a 3 hour Prohibition Murder Dinner. What a fun night!  You board the train and enjoy a 5 course dinner while being entertained between courses by the Shady Ladies and Irish criminals.  Guess the murderer and win a prize at the end of the night.

 

Gorgeous Roses from my daughter, Lauren! She also sent me the DVD of South Pacific-the original version. I have been wanting to update my musical collection and she is very willing to help out!

My other baby girl, Devin, sent me an antique butter mold...How cool is that?! The etching is great! This is a beautiful piece full of inspiration for me:)

Mom worked her magic with yarn and knitted this beautiful shawl/ scarf for me.  I hope when you click on the photo, you can see the fantastic beadwork she added as well.  Now I just need the weather to cool a bit here!!!

Two very lovely friends sent me these goodies above.  Susan sent me yardage of fantastic orange batiks!  Oh what to do with them???? There were other fun things in the package as well, including homemade Snickerdoodle cookies (really for my husband:) and this little notebook that actually contained many sizes of sticky notes...She knows me so so well:))) 

Kathy sent me some of my favorite pumpkin cookies that only come out this time of year along with some of her artwork.

Lastly, I treated myself to a class to learn a double reverse applique technique by Ellen Lindner.  I took the class with a local friend, Rhonda, whose birthday is this week...so much more fun to take a class with someone.
I was able to actually get the top done in class (plus I stayed a bit longer:)  Not sure what I will do with it but the technique works and Ellen is a wonderful instructor.

Next time your birthday comes around, embrace it!  It is YOUR day!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME:)

I realize it may not be proper to tell everyone how much I love my birthday but I don't care. Women diminish so many things in our lives because it isn't ladylike to sing our praises....it isn't humble to want the spotlight.

Sorry....I do want the spotlight and I enjoy having one day a year where attention is paid to me and gifts given to me. While we are at it, I love winning ribbons and making money from my art. There I said it out loud and I firmly believe there are many others just like me. I may not be very good at taking compliments (they make me very uncomfortable) but when I know they are sincere, I glow on the inside.

The first gifts to arrive were a wonderful new Flip video camera from my dear husband (look for video tutorials in my future:) and my copy of the QNN dvd for new members.

I was given this complimentary copy because when you join, I am one of the sponsors of free patterns this year and there are many other wonderful gift ideas as well.

My next fun gift was from my daughter...An Evening with John Barrowman. He is the heart throb from the BBC Torchwood series. He has an amazing voice and sings cheesy love songs and disco tunes on this dvd....so much fun and very easy on the eyes:)

Because life is not all sunshine, my rejected book proposal came back to me next. It was bittersweet- unhappy it was rejected but happy to have my project (babies) back.

My mother always sends me something fun and unexpected and this year was no different. Mom is a master knitter and I love scarves so this year....

a box of Potato chip scarves. How fun are they? Just swirls of fuzziness:)

Then to top that.........

A vegan 100% silk scarf that is so light and lace-like I am a bit hesitant to wear it. It is fragile and wonderful and I can't wait to wear it:) This is my first bit of silk and now it is time to go shopping to find the perfect blouse to wear it with!

Thank you to my friends who sent cards and facebook well wishes. I am very happy to be here another year and feel loved.