Header and Background 2

Yes, I am back to my original background. After spending too many hours looking for something new and "better", I found that the toile reflects the way I feel. Therefore I am keeping it. Now about the header, it really doesn't fit the space although I do like it. So I will keep it until I can find or make one I like better. The weather here in Mi is grand, so I am going to the kitchen to make some potato salad, per Fred's request.

New Header and Background

I finally decided to use one of the free headers and backgrounds that are on Cute and Cool Blog Stuff. Check out her blog as everything is really so cute. I was going to try and make my own header of a picture of things that matter to me, but I just never seemed to get around to doing it. I have SO many projects in various stages of completion that I just need to focus on getting some of those done. Next Thursday I leave for a quilt retreat in Northern MI. Every year I usually take a class, but this year I am going to take some UFO's (unfinished projects) and hopefully get a couple of quilt tops finished and ready to quilt. Wish me luck.

What a beautiful day here in MI. The temperature got above 80 degrees. I took Sarah for a walk today and just enjoyed the beautiful sun and warm air. MI daughter doesn't work on Fridays, so she used the day to get her hair done. Just had to cover up the grey hair. LOL. She and her older sister both come by the grey hair naturally, although they really don't have that much. I started getting grey hair when I was 16, so when I was their age I really had mostly grey hair. Now I am mostly white.

Sarah at 5 months/ Easter

We had Easter dinner at MI daughter's house this year, and she and I cooked the dinner together. It sure is easier to cook holiday meals than when the girls were little. It always seemed that I was running like a chicken with its head cut off. Most was my own fault as I have never been a good housekeeper, so there I would be trying to clean house, cook dinner, and take care of the girls. Now I can go to MI daughter's house, cook with her and get everything made and ready to go so easily. It is a blessing to have my daughters to help. In June, if all goes as planned, OR daughter and Juliet will be here, and we will celebrate Juliet's third birthday a little early.

I bought the following "dust collector", as my husband would say, as a gift for MI daughter. OR daughter does not like "dust collectors", so I don't buy her things like this. MI daughter has a very shabby chic style home, so I thought this would fit in, and of course I bought myself one too. They were $7.99 at Michael's, plus on sale for 40% off. Although I like it , I took it apart and redid it.

The above is the after picture. I was please with the way that it turned out, so now I am going to redo one for myself in blue to go with the blue bedroom.

Here is Sarah in her Easter dress and bonnet sitting on her pink chair in her pink and brown bedroom. Her Mom has decorated it so cute, that I wish it was my room! Sarah has been rolling over for a while now, but Easter she figured how just how much fun it is. So Sarah was a rolling Stone. That night she didn't sleep well, because she kept rolling and waking herself up. Then her Mom would have to get up and re-swaddled her and put her back to sleep on her back. Her Mom said that went on all night. I hope it went better last night.

Yesterday was my birthday and I got this lovely card from Juliet.

When they called from Oregon to wish me a Happy Birthday Juliet did not want to talk to me. But she said to her Mom, "I want my cat back." OR daughter lets Juliet select the cards for people. My husband got a Winnie the Pooh card for a one year old for his birhday this year! Since Juliet is big into princesses and cats I'm sure that's why I got the cat with the tiara. When OR daughter put it into the envelope Juliet wanted to know what she was doing with her card. She told her she was sending it to Grandma. So now I am going to send the front of the card back to Juliet mounted on some paper for her. I want to save the inside of the card because I want Juliet's "signature."

More on Santa Barbara

Oops forgot how to load pictures, so I had to start another posting. The flowers are very pretty in Santa Barbara and everything is so green. Just a beautiful part of our country.

I don't know what the name of this is, or even if it a tree or a shrub. but it sure is beautiful. When you walk under the branches you smell the heavenly scent of lilies.

Close up of the blossom.

Here is Miss Juliet doing her push-ups on the beach. They do a lot of exercising and stretching at her daycare.

Here she picked up a stick and did her twists. Who needs expensive gym equipment?

This is OR daughter and son-in-law and of course, Juliet. I was always trying to get her to smile for my camera. When we were at the Zoo, I was visiting with her, while OR daughter got our lunch. I kept asking her to smile so that I could get a cute picture for Aunt Beth and cousin Sarah. She shook her head no, and said, "My mouth is closed." I told her that was the funniest thing I ever heard and she starting giggling. I got my picture. (Her Mom would prefer that I not post pictures of Juliet, so that's why I posted the the ones where you really can't see her beautiful face and smile.

This is a picture of OR daughter and me. Now that I am starting to feel better it is time to get back to my quilting and crafts. I am working on a knitted bear to donate for the Mother Bear Project. A young lady is trying to collect as many as she can for a National Honor Society Project, so I thought I would make one and donate it. The knitting is done and I just have to sew it together. I'll post a picture when I finished her.

My next trip is a quilting retreat in Northern MI. This will be my fourth year and I always have so much fun.

Santa Barbara

The Wharf in Santa Barbara, California

We spent last week in Santa Barbara, California with OR daughter and her family. We rented a condo two blocks from the beach and the main street for shopping, so the location was perfect for us. We took a lot of walks, ate out, went to the zoo and just had a great time visiting. The guys even got to spend a day golfing. Fred and I also took a day trip to Solvang, a little city filled with Scandinavian architecture and shopping. Fred and I got to babysit one night and we had sweet Juliet all to ourselves. Even though we just saw them in December there is always much to talk about. Juliet now knows so many words and it is fun to sit and talk with her. She kept us in laughter. What a joy she is! How we wish that MI daughter and Sarah could have gone with us, but she is just to little to travel yet. (Fred and I both came home sick with colds. I am sure that I got it on the plane going to CA, and then Fred caught it from me.)