Quilt Retreat

I've been trying to upload my quilt retreat pictures, but it was taking sooo long. I don't know if there is something wrong with my computer or if it just too old. OR and MI daughters gave me the computer for my birthday in 2002. I have tried cleaning out all the programs that I don't use and checking my available space. I found out I only am using 1/3 of the space. I also did a disc cleanup, but it is still slow and I have comcast fast speed. It takes my computer forever to just upload the Internet. If you have suggestions feel free to comment.


The Quilt Retreat sponsored by Quilt'n Friends, which is in Sterling Heights, MI was the greatest fun. The 4 H camp in Tustin, MI is such a great locale. Good rooms, plenty of space, and the food is great. There were about 65 of us and it was so great to meet up with old friends and new. I also had a great roommate, as she and I got along like old friends. Above is the hat that I wore on meet and greet night. Since it was held the weekend of the Kentucky Derby we all wore hats that we had created. The hats were terrific. When I was taking the pictures for this post, Toby had to get into one and express his opinion. How should we caption this picture?I'll send a surprise gift to the best caption sent to me before June 1, 2009. Be sure to include your email address if you don't have a blog.
This is one of the projects I worked on during the retreat. This is a pillow case for Miss Juliet who is a July baby. Cheryl, who works at Quilt'n Friends, showed me how to make it, which was so much easier than following the pattern. The disappointing thing is that the print is going in the wrong direction. Now I bought this as a kit in Oregon last year at a quilt shop, and you would think that they would know enough to give you more fabric with a directional print. Oh well, I am sure that Juliet will like it.I also made two of these pillows for MI daughter's kitchen which has a hearth area. She has two reading chairs and I said I would redo the original pillows that I had made for her. She has changed the room color, and added some art work--framed pieces of the above fabric. So the old pink and green paisley had to go. Murphy, her cat, likes to rest his head on the pillows.

This is a quilt block from the quilt that I worked on. Unfortunately I forgot to take all the necessary fabric so I couldn't finish the top. It is from a mystery quilt class that I took in February. (I told you I am a procrastinator.) Isn't it striking? Gretchen the owner of Quilt'n Friends always picks such great quilts for the mystery classes.The above seven blocks are from a Moda kit that I bought oh, about three years or so ago. I am making it for MI daughter who loves shabby chic colors and has a shabby chic decoration scheme in her home. It is a good thing that she had Sarah and not a boy! I also have a quilt top finished for OR daughter that I will post when it is finished. I think I bought that last year, and hurray the top is pieced. I machine quilt all my quilts so I need to get busy on that and a few dozen other quilts. LOL See I really am bad about finishing things.

Have a safe and happy holiday.

It seems that my comment area was somehow not working. I think that I have fixed it, so therefore I am extending my little contest until June 10, 2009.

Sock monkey and knitted bear

This is my knitted bear that I made for the young lady in Rochester, MI who was collecting bears for the Mother Bear Project. I seemed to have gotten a different pattern than the other people, as he came out bigger. I think that I should now make one for my granddaughters. I loved using the chunky yarn because then the stuffing doesn't show through the yarn. I am now trying to knit Sarah a hat for her six month pictures, and it is not going well. We picked a yarn that is fuzzy and thick and thin. Well, the pattern is way too hard with this yarn, as it has bobbles in it, which I have never done. So I decided to try and knit my own hat without a real pattern. I am using the original pattern for size and shape, but am actually leaving out the fancy stitches. If it doesn't turn out I'll just undo the yarn and make a pink bear. LOL


My sister-in-law Lee Ann came over one day about a month ago and we make sock monkeys together. I had intended to make Juliet one last year for her birthday, but never got around to making two. The one that I did make I gave to her daycare class, because the children were in love with a book about a monkey. Since I really wanted one for Juliet I started early so I would have it for her birthday this year. Juliet and OR daughter have plans to fly to MI a week before her birthday, so they can be home on her birthday to celebrate with her Mom and Dad and Oregon friends. I am just so happy that they will be coming here and we can have a party also.

I talked to Juliet the other night and she told me that they had been rolling skating with Diane and Monique who are friends with OR daughter, and like a Grandma and Aunt to Juliet. I guess they had a lot of fun. Of course Juliet didn't want any help, so OR daughter said, "Mommy needs help." So Juliet got behind her Mom and pushed her along. I don't think that is what OR daughter had in mind. And now a Sarah story: MI daughter took Sarah to Targets for about an hour and a half picking up diapers and etc. for her. Sarah "talked" the entire time they were there and not quietly. People were looking at her, but only one person decided to talk with her.
I guess only one person could understand an almost six month old baby girl.


I had a wonderful time at the quilt retreat. Next post I will show you what I worked on.

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.)