Refreshed

A long drive,

A full parking lot.  We drive round and round,

As we walk over the dunes, colorful umbrellas line the beach as far as the eye can see.

Hot sand. Sizzling toes. Cool water.

Children running, shouting.  Parents calling after them.

The smells of the ocean, suntan lotion, and an occasional whiff of cigarette smoke.

 Crashing waves.

I walk down the beach to get past all the people.

 Solitude.

 

The pelicans are feasting in the distance.

Tired from a long walk.  Sunburned.  Read.  Snooze.

Wild ponies in the parking lot as we are leaving.

Our dinner establishment.

Stop for Eastern shore produce on the way home.  A giant watermelon.  Freshly picked corn.

The sun sets on a wonderful day as we cross the bridge back to reality.

I have been to the ocean.  I am refreshed and rejuvenated. 

I am counting my blessings.

Sunny

Quilt Show pictures (lots of pictures!)

I went to the Hershey Quilt Show today, and I was hoping to get motivated to come home and sew like crazy, but after seeing  those quilts, I now know that I have absolutely no talent whatsoever.  However, I have fun doing what I'm doing, so I will continue.  But I know I'll never be competitive - and that's okay.

13.25 x 13.25



I'm becoming more and more intrigued with small quilts, and I totally fell in love with this.  I'm not sure I could make anything this small, but this is my dream!  A girl can dream, can't she?

click to enlarge this, and look at each of the vases

I have a lot more pictures, but Blogger is no longer in the mood to download, so I guess they'll have to wait.  I spent a little lot more than I intended to spend, but not nearly as much as I would have liked!  Pictures of my loot another time, too.  If I'm going to another quilt show, I need to start saving now.

There was also a large display of hand appliqued quilts from about 1849 - 1870, but of course we weren't allowed to photograph them.  It's hard to imagine how much time was invested in these quilts. 

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

Goin' to the Quilt Show!

What do this

And this

have in common?  I mean besides eating chocolate while quilting?  Quilt Show in Hershey PA, and I'm going tomorrow with my friend Louie.  Hi Louie!  I've got a few dollars in my wallet, and the camera batteries are charged.  We're not taking any classes, just looking at all the pretties.

If you're interested in the Stay at Home Robin, please go HERE to sign up!

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

It's Here! Stay at Home Robin

This is for all quilters who would like to be a part of a Round Robin, but don't want to commit to a group project. You will each make your own quilt, and while we'll all follow the same 'recipe', no two quilts will be alike. There will not be any patterns or tutorials unless other members would like to post them. I've set up a flickr group, and will issue invitations to anyone who would like to join in and add their pictures as we progress.

This is the first time I've done something like this, so if it doesn't make sense, or I'm leaving out something very important, please don't hesitate to ask for changes or clarification. All comments and suggestions are welcomed.

Each person should start with a 12-16" center block of their choice. Later, we will have the option of setting it on point, so keep that in mind as you make your block. I plan to do some type of floral applique for my first block. Please have your block ready to go by the first of September, when I'll post the first "assignment'. I'll do another assignment on the first of each month, with the exception of December. We'll probably go 8-10 rounds to completion. I've got ideas from research I've done online, and from friends who recently completed a round robin in our guild.

Keep in mind, this is your own quilt. If you get behind, you can always catch up later. If you are really opposed to one border, skip it! I know I'll be stretching my skills, and brushing up on my math as we go along. If you need help, ask on the flickr site, and maybe another member will be able to help you out. I should state right here and now that I am not an expert quilt maker, and I will not have all the answers. But I'm hoping we'll make new friends, learn new skills, and all end up with beautiful quilts.

Who wants to play along? I'll be going back to gather some e-mail addresses of those who have already express interest.  If you're a no-reply blogger, please send me a e-mail.

In addition to posting on my blog, I'll be copying the posts into a page (see tabs under my header) and adding the info each week so that it can all be found in one place.  Maybe I'll even learn how to make my own 'button' before we're finished, that you can put on your own sidebar.

Counting my blessings......Sunny

Sadness for Norway

I'm borrowing this idea from Allie.

My thoughts and prayers for the people of Norway.  The internet has made this world so much smaller that I now have friends in Norway.

Counting my blessings....Sunny

Some Assembly Required (FNSI results)

I love FNSI!  I got a lot done this month, going from this:

To this:

To this:

Yay!  Blogger finally let me finish adding my pictures!!!!!

I've been in contact with the people who wanted to play PIF, and I'm working on gifties right now.  This is fun.

Grandma Rockton will be receiving the mini Longaberger resins.  I'll get them in the mail next week.

And I'll try to get my ideas for the Stay at Home Robin written down tomorrow, because I'd like to get some input from others before we start.  I'm envisioning making our starter blocks in August, and begin the assigned rounds on September.  I'm planning to skip December, because everyone is too busy with holiday preparations and celebrations.  If you haven't already expressed interest, leave a comment here, and I'll be contacting everyone soon.

Counting my blessings....Sunny

Pay it Forward

Does anyone want to play?  Several months ago, I signed up for a PIF, and I'm now ready to do my part.

  I'm looking for 3 people who would like to receive a little gift from me, sometime in the near future.  What do you have to do in return?  Why, Pay it Forward, of course.  You must agree to send a little gift to three people in the future.  Are you still with me?  If so, I'm going to take the first three people who comment on this post that they'd like to play along.  Will it be you??

P.S.  I found my sewing machine today, and had that baby humming.  I hope to complete a little project tomorrow night for FNSI. 

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

Who wants....

I'm doing some serious cleaning/decluttering/organizing in my sewing/scrap room.  My favorite hobby for almost 10 years was scrapbooking, and I have a ton of scrap crap.  Now I have a ton of fabric and scraps.  My room is so cluttered that I don't even want to be in it.  So, I've trashed two large bags, given away three boxes, and have one box earmarked for Goodwill.  Tomorrow, I start organizing the fabric.  Somehow, new fabric frequently appears?  and it tends to go in a pile.  There's go to be a better way.

Anyway, I ran across these today, and  I hate to throw them out.  Does anyone want them?  They're resin replicas of Longaberger baskets.

The little vegetable basket has veggies in it, and the bread basket has little cookies!  If more than one person expresses interest, I'll do a drawing no later than Friday night. 

And of course, it's One Flower Wednesday.  I was pretty ambitious this week.

They seem to go so much faster since all the centers are already made, and I don't have to decide what fabric to choose. 

Happy stitching everyone!        Sunny

Madame Foreperson, BSA, and FNSI

MADAME FOREPERSON:  Trial court in a Circuit Court in small town USA isn't anything like what you see on TV.  This is my second week of Jury Duty, and I was actually chosen as a juror today.  And then the judge called my number to serve as Foreperson.

After we were selected, we were taken out of the courtroom for a 'comfort break' and to turn in our telephones.  About ten minutes later, when we were taken back into the courtroom (the foreperson gets a specific seat!), we were told that while we were out, the defendant had plead guilty, and that we were excused with the thanks of the court.    So that's my exciting story about serving as a Juror.  I don't have to report again this week, and then there are two more weeks left in my term.

BSA:  I received not one but TWO basket blocks today from my BSA Partners!
The first one is from Q in Australia, and is very different from the others I've received, but will fit in perfectly.  The center flower is fussy cut, and is just perfect.  It's difficult to see in the photo, but there are empbroidered stems and leaves linking the baskets with the flower.

The second block is from Jamie in Maryland!  I haven't found many fellow quilt bloggers from my own state, and perhaps we can get together and meet some day.  Her basket features beautiful appliqued flowers, in a multitude of pretty colors.  Again, it's so different, but will fit in perfectly. 

I've set up a separate page (see tab above, under my header) to show all of my BSA blocks.  I just love this swap and all the beautiful blocks that I've received.

FNSI:  Don't forget that this Friday is Friday Night Sew In.  Click on the link on my right sidebar for more information or to sign up.  Everyone is welcome!  And if you're in the US, you know it's too hot to do anything outdoors, so let's get some sewing done.

Counting my blessings....Sunny

Up the Creek with a Paddle!

Yes!  I had a paddle today.  Kayaking works so much better with a paddle.  It felt so good to be out on the water.  The stretch of the river that's closest to our house isn't deep enough to accommodate big boats with outboard motors, so it's a great place to just enjoy the silence of nature.

This is the perfect view for a Sunday afternoon:

I didn't see any geese or herons.  Only one turtle, but he chose not to have his picture taken.  I saw one large group of ducks, and they were moving fast to get away from me.  They flapped their wings a bit, but I don't think they've actually mastered flying yet.

Early this morning, I went to sit with my Hospice patient, and I took a couple of pictures of the pretty flowers on their deck.

And, as with last week, when I left her house, I stopped by our favorite produce stand.  the plan was to buy some corn and a watermelon.  Here is a sampling of what I ended up with.

I did much of our weekly menu planning while I was there.  Green beans with new potatoes, eggplant parmigiana, a lot of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, zucchini bread.......  And peaches are starting to come in!  Oh how I love fresh peaches. 

In quilting news, thanks to everyone who commented or sent emails and links for round robins.  I haven't found exactly what I'm looking for, so I'll be starting my own.  Check back in a couple of days if you're interested in joining me!  I've got lots of ideas, and I'd like to get some of yours before we officially start.  Leave a comment if you'd like to be included!

Counting my many blessings....Sunny