No buddy Linda on Tuesday; once again, her family pre-empted her time for fun. sigh.

Mostly I played with my fabric & spent some time getting to know the Easy Angle CD features. Lots of great blocks & components on that one. I'm taking that with me on the retreat next week.

Speaking of the retreat, I need to decide what to take with me to work on. Will it be a BOM? A simple project, or a more complicated one? Should I not take anything at all & plan to find a project while shopping -- maybe at Calico in Racine? Ah, this is the kind of dilemma I like!

I've decided to join the IL guild again this year, even if I don't get to do the retreat. I like hearing about their activities & programs, which are so different from my local guild's. We've been debating about attending the guild meeting that will take place on our first evening together. I'm beginning to think we should -- it doesn't last long, it will be fun, & it's at the Schaumburg Library, right across the parking lot from the Oberweis Dairy Store! Ah, chocolate-marshmallow, here I come! Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.

I so enjoy this retreat & the time beforehand that Patty & I spend together. It's such a time of renewal for me, even though there's so much activity. I'm completely relaxed at Patty's, & we have such a peaceful friendship, that I come away feeling refreshed & inspired. So nice. I also get to see at least 2 of my children -- maybe all 3 this time -- & that's so satisfying. I miss them all mightily. Hearing their voices on the phone is good, but seeing their faces, & getting those fabulous hugs -- these are the things that satisfy my soul. Spending Mothers Day with them is the icing on the retreat cake.



OK! Today I'll spend some time with kits & decide what, if anything, I will work on for the retreat. If I do take something, I want it ready to sew, so the cutting will need to be done this week. LOVE THIS!!

I surrendered to Pillars of the Earth & will return it to John. I just couldn't get into the story, even after 350 pages. I visited the bookshelves & found the 1st 2 of a series & decided to give the first a try. Read 50 pages the first night. Yippee! I like a book that grabs my interest right off the bat. This series is about the partnership of a pair of detectives who meet during the London Blitz. Their partnership lasts 60 years; the series begins with the death of one of them, then flashes back & forth from 1940 to the present. Good stuff. I'll take the second book with me, along with a couple of other titles, just in case. Funny how I can't be without a book, no matter the circumstances.