Mother's Day

Here are my sons & me on Mother's Day: Josh, Ben & Matt. The perfect gift: all of my children with me on the day. SOOOOO satisfying! Even though they make me feel short & stout, I will treasure every picture with them, anytime -- I can't get enough of those faces!

Wildlife

This is the creek where I saw the beaver swimming on the first of my walks. It's dried up quite a bit since then, but supports a wide array of wildlife in the area, primarily birds of all description. There are Canada geese, ducks, cardinals, blue jays, robins, finches of every sort & wrens, red-winged blackbirds, etc. Walking in this park was a lovely way to start my day, even when it was cold & windy.

Last call

Here we are during our last visit at our favorite never-local quilt shop: Calico, Canvas & Colors in Racine, WI. That's Patty on the left, then Verna, Kathy & finally, me. I know: we look happy, but it was a bittersweet pilgrimmage: 30% off everything!/it's really the last time we'll be here!

Retreating with old friends

This is a crabapple tree I watched bloom during my daily morning walks through Patty's neighborhood. These beauties literally explode into bloom, after teasing with tiny buds, then gradually plumper & more colorful buds, then this stunning display of dense color. Fantastic!

Slacker girl here. But I wanted to share this with you before I go unpack, after which I'll get the promised pictures posted. Some friends & I are participating in this WOMAN Challenge sponsored by the US Dept. of Health & Human Services. It's a virtual walk along one of several paths across & around the US. Each day, team members post their day's activities &/or steps, & their progress is shown on a US map. It's a way to get more active & start a daily habit of exercise, something quilters, especially, need more of. Check out the site & see if you & your friends don't want to form a team & join in the fun. Here's the site: www.womenshealth.gov/woman Let me know if you do decide to join & the name of your team. Ours is Sisters of the Cloth!

Only one more day before we officially begin retreating -- can't wait! Tomorrow we'll head up to Crystal Lake to a great OLD quilt shop, the kind with wooden floors & 15 foot ceilings. We'll meet up with our friend Lynn for lunch, then wander the little shops in town for a bit before heading back here to the grocery for supplies for the week's lunches & breakfasts. I'll cook some spicy sesame noodles for Patty's & my dinner (her DH will be playing softball) & then I can get some more cutting done on my balloon quilt. Tuesday morning, Verna arrives! Woo hoo!!! Terry will join us, depending on her MIL's situation, & we'll be off & running. Dinner will be at Cheesecake Factory, then we'll head to guild (our local, Sarah's Grove Quilters Circle) for a program on maintaing our sewing machines. With Verna & me in attendance, the total of people there will jump to about 25!
Wednesday we'll be making a last pilgrimmage to our old favorite, Calico in Racine, WI. It'll be the last time we'll get to wander through that darling old house, visit with Kathy, Jane & Linda, & get some great deals as they close down their store. sigh. We'll stop at the Jelly Belly factory store on the way home. Goodie! We will have started our crockpot salsa chicken before we left home, so it will be waiting for us on our return. Thursday, it will be all sewing, all the time. Ditto for Friday, I'm thinking. Thursday night we'll head over to Lou Malnati's for some of their individual deep dish pizzas & some fabulous Lou's salad with gorgonzola dressing. Friday's dinner will be carried in by Patty's DH from Portillo's -- I'll be having their wonderful fruit & chicken salad with poppyseed dressing. SO yummy! Saturday morning, Verna will head back to IN. That night, my DH & I will join Patty & hers in meeting our couples gourmet group for dinner at the Ram. I expect lots of hugs & laughter all week. Are you jealous yet? Well, why not?!?!? I look forward to this week all year long & we do have a great time. It's exhausting, & sometimes I don't even get much done, but the "fellowship" as my friend, Mary, says, is soul-satisfying & feeds me for the next 12 months.
I promise, I'll start posting pictures on Tuesday. I did quite a bit of sewing today & got the top of my 13 Colonies put together. I'll be looking for a border & back for it tomorrow. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Whew! A whole week -- I know: too long. I've been bizzy! Had to get ready for the retreat, then get myself packed, get to Chicago, get some sleep & get acclimated. Now I'm here & sewing....aaaahhhh!
Pictures will follow pretty soon -- no finished or even nearly finished projects just yet, but I DID find some good Levi's in a size smaller!! wheeeeee!