Reunion Time

Hi Everyone,

This past weekend was my 50th (ugh) high school reunion in Massachusetts. My husband and I traveled up to MA on Friday, had a great dinner with friends that night at Chili's and then it was off to the classmates-only party for me and back to the motel for hubby. My girlfriend's husband also kept hubby company and they watched the baseball game on TV and had a nice visit. How much fun the classmates had!! It was a wonderful evening of catching up and recalling fun times from the past. Seems like just yesterday we were all in school together!!

On Saturday, we went down to our daughter's house and met our new great grandson, Benjamin. Not that I'm prejudiced, but he's a really, really beautiful baby and, at three weeks, is already holding his head up. He grabbed onto my finger and didn't let go - he's just adorable. Our visit was much too short and I hope we can get to see him again soon.

That evening was the class of '61's dinner/dance. Hubby stayed at the motel and watched Penn State and then the Nebraska Cornhuskers, so he was very happy. My friends picked me up and we went to the class festivities. It was a wonderful evening of visiting, wonderful buffet (yum, yum) and dancing. We missed those who were unable to come - hope they can make it in five years for our 55th - hard to believe that we're all that old :o)

It was a fast trip up and back, but well worth it. It's so much fun reconnecting with old friends - lots of nice memories. We had a wonderful class and many have stayed in touch over the years. We just seem to pick up where we left off - great fun.

Hope you all have wonderful memories of your school years. I think of mine with a big smile :o)

Take care and keep smiling -

Welcome to the World

Hi Everyone -
Exciting news here - our great grandson, Benjamin Joseph, was born yesterday afternoon at 4:34. He was 8 lbs, 3 oz. and my daughter says he has lots of beautiful black hair. Our granddaughter ended up having a C-section after hours of labor since little Benjamin decided to turn sideways. Thankfully, both mother and baby are doing great and his papa is very proud!! We're looking forward to seeing all of them in a couple of weeks when we go to my 50th (ugh) high school reunion. What a great weekend that's going to be - I'll be sure to post some photos when we get back.
In the meantime, all is well here. We had our first quilt guild meeting of the season last Saturday. It was good seeing quilting friends and hearing about what's coming up for the season. That night some friends and I went to dance lessons to learn Civil War dancing. We danced for over 2 hours straight - I thought my knees would fall off!! But when I went to bed, I popped a couple of ibuprofen and slept like a baby. The next day, my knees were great - not sore at all. Do you suppose that exercise is good for them!!!??? We're planning on going to a barn dance on October 1 and a ball in November and thought we should know a little bit of what we're supposed to do. It was lots of fun learning the dances and I'm looking forward to putting my new-found skills (?) to use :o) Now I'm getting my dresses ready and will go to Gettysburg on Friday to get my underpinnings - corset, hoop skirt, chemise. I purchased a skirt pattern and probably will get a top pattern if I can't find one that fits me.
Hope all of you are well and enjoying life - keep smiling and I'll post some photos of that new gg-babe soon :o)

Gotcha day!!

Hi Everyone -

Today is "Gotcha" day for Duncan & Hamish. Two years ago today, my friend Bonnie and I traveled to Ashville, NC, to pick up two 5-month-old scottie puppies who came through Scottie Rescue from St. Louis, MO. They were so adorable (and still are)!! They spent their first night with us in a motel and were as good as gold and they slept all the way home to PA the next day. These two past years have flown by and we are so happy to have them as part of our family - they bring us a smile every day and are the bestest boys ever!! They've grown up to be handsome guys as you can see from this photo -

"Irene"

Hi Everyone -
Just a quick note to let you all know that we're all fine - we just had rain here in central PA from the hurricane. It started Saturday afternoon and was over by Sunday noon. We got a couple of inches, which was sorely needed, so that was a good thing for us. Our daughter in Massachusetts, however, still has no power from Sunday morning - they're saying it could take up to a week to have power restored there. Her husband is worried about his ice cream in the freezer, so I told them to start eating!! The rest of the family, from Virginia Beach and the D.C. area, just had minor damage - nothing serious, thank goodness. Hope you all came through ok.

Shake, Rattle & Roll

Hi Everyone -
All is calm and quiet after our earthquake yesterday. That was really a funny feeling. I was sitting at the computer posting and all of sudden, things really started shaking. The house was creaking and moaning - scary. This was only a 5.8 - I can't imagine what it would be like to go through a stronger quake!! No damage here, thank goodness. A picture did get knocked off the bookshelf onto the floor and a couple of knick-knacks were knocked over, but otherwise all is well. Now we're watching hurricane Irene - we could use the rain but not the winds :o)

Hope you all are well - keep smiling -

Another Sunday

Hi Everyone -

I'm still here - can't believe that it's been over a month since I last posted!! Where does the time go??? Anyway, Sunday was our monthly get together of Sundae Quilters. We went to Marie's house and got to "play" in her new sewing room - it's wonderful!! Look at that cute Halloween wall hanging that Shelly finished!! And Bonnie got her binding sewed onto her quilt, too. That's Marie looking formal with her gloves on - she was doing some machine quilting on a baby quilt needed asap!! And she got it done - looked really beautiful. It was a relaxing time with lots of laughs - as usual :o)

Oops - got to go - we're having an earthquake and the house is shaking - will post later -

Judie

Cousins

Hi Everyone - This weekend, my brother, sister-in-law and their dog, Pepper, came for a visit. What a fun time these pups have together. Duncan & Pepper are rough-and-tumble together and Hamish pretty much stays out of the way. He really adores Pepper but will only approach her when she's lying down for a rest. Then he sidles up to her head and just looks at her longingly, as if saying "I love you soooo much!!!" Of course, she could care less - oh, poor Hamish :o( And he's such a cute boy!! Pepper loves to chase the birds in our yard - she's got some pointer in her, I'm sure. She bounds across the back yard with delight and the birds scatter. They don't know what that ball of energy is coming at them - you see, they're used to two little black bundles who can't even reach half-way up the fence - not much of a threat there. After a good game of "chase the birds" and "chase each other" a well deserved rest is in order!! That's Pepper at the top, Duncan and Hamish - they are right in front of the fans getting a good cool-down and nap - what a life!!

Hope you all have a good week - it's still hot here this morning and very humid, but the weatherman promises a cold front moving through this afternoon with some possible RAIN - oh, please, please, please - bring us that rain!! Keep smiling and enjoy your day -

Quilt Show

Hi Everyone -

Our quilt guild had their show this past weekend - it was a great success and lots of fun. On Friday, I was part of a demonstration of Grandmother's Flower Garden quilts. Some of us sat and stitched and answered questions. We had a lot of interest and one lady will probably join our monthly group at the local library - how great is that!! On Saturday, I white-gloved for a couple of hours. We had some beautiful quilts, but my camera wasn't working very well. I do have photos of the two quilts that I entered, though. This first one is from Blackbird Designs and is called "Holly and Mistletoe." I made it for my sister-in-law this past Christmas. It is machine pieced, hand appliqued and machine stitched. It took me a long time to get it done, but I think it was worth it. This was the first time I did scalloped borders and they were pretty easy - I was expecting more of a challenge with them, but the directions were great and I had no trouble.

The second quilt is called "Celtic Knotwork" and was a mystery quilt on-line - there were 25 blocks and I am really pleased with the outcome. I love mystery quilts and am working on one that our guild sponsored for this past year. I'll post a photo when I get it finished.

Hope you are all having a good summer. It's VERY hot here - up in the high 90's with high humidity - and no rain. The lawn is like straw and I'm trying to keep the garden and flower beds watered. Hope we get some rain soon - so far there is none in the forecast. Hope you all are keeping cool!! The "boys" are staying inside and sleeping in front of the fans - Hamish has decided that he likes to sleep on top of the air-conditioning vents - smart dog!!

Take care and keep smiling -

Weekend Retreat

Hi Everyone -
As I mentioned before, our Sundae Quilters group had a weekend retreat this past weekend. What a fun time we had!! My cheeks are still sore from laughing so much. We had a wonderful time - great company, lots accomplished, LOTS of food (all delicious!!), music playing, quilters dancing - fun, fun, fun!! We had so much fun that we're planning another getaway next year. Here are some photos to share - my camera wasn't working very well, so hope you can see these ok.


















Here's Jeane at Nancy's big board pressing her project.

Marie was working on this beautiful blue and white quilt - really striking!!

One of the local quilt shops was having a sale, so a few of us went into town to see what there was. Carla needed some "just perfect" fabric for the border of her quilt, so we got her some "not so perfect fabric" for it - here's Shelley giving Carla the fabric. We also got her some "perfect" fabric to really use - lots of laughs with this group :o)
For more photos, you can visit Nancy at Patchwork Penguin or the Sundae Quilter's blog at www.sundaequilters.blogspot.com.
Hope you all have a great week and keep smiling -

Growing Up

Hi Everyone -
Just a final word about our robins - three of the four have survived to young adulthood and are pretty accomplished fliers now. They can get away from my boys with ease - phew!! The fourth one didn't do so well - I found it in the back yard and it had obviously been caught by either Duncan or Hamish - both love to chase the birds. The trio are still begging for food and keeping their parents busy!! And they've found my raspberries - guess I'd better get out into the garden and give them some competition!!
On the quilting front, I'm getting ready to go away for a weekend retreat with my Sundae Quilters group. We've rented a house and are planning a fun getaway - more on that later with pictures :o)
Hope all of you have a great week and keep smiling -

The First to Leave

Hi everyone -

Well, it's bound to happen - the first robin baby has left the nest. I looked out yesterday and there it was on the deck. A few minutes later, it flew down into the adjacent garden. Mama was going frantic since I was there with my camera - three babies are still in the nest but it won't be long before they leave, too. This is such a dangerous time for them once they leave the safety of their home and are out on their own - much like our own kids!! About an hourafter this little one was in the garden, we got a strong thunderstorm with hail - I was really worried about this baby - but today I can hear it begging for food, so it survived the storm and its first night -phew!!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and keep smiling -

A Nestful of Babies

Hi Everyone -

Just wanted to report on our baby robins - as you can see, they are growing fast. The parents spend all day feeding them, cleaning the nest, and squawking at my boys!! The last egg never did hatch but I can't see if it's still in the nest. At any rate, four babies are enough to keep the parents busier than ever. They look like a jumble here but, trust me, there are four in there.

The garden is coming along and we've got zucchini on - they are about 3" so far and I'll be harvesting pretty soon. The strawberries are still going gangbusters and we're enjoying them every day. We've got grapes on our vines and I'm really looking forward to them - they are sweet red table grapes and I hope we can get them before the birds do. I didn't get the cherry tree netted in time and the birds had a feast on the cherries while they were still green. I'll know better next year and get the tree netted as soon as I see a cherry on it!!

The quilting is waiting for me downstairs - it's been hard to get to with all the chores to do outside. I have to get two quilts on my longarm for our guild show next month. My goal this coming week is to get one loaded and at least started - wish me luck!!

Hope you all have a wonderful day - and keep smiling -

Fixed

The blogger woes are fixed thanks to Barb. She told me to check or uncheck the "keep signed in" box when you sign into blogger - mine was checked (as was hers), and I unchecked it and now I'm able to comment on the blogs -YEAH!!! THANKS, BARB!!!

Fixed!!

Blogger Woes

Hi Everybody -
Seems like I'm having the same problem that a lot of you are - I can't comment on your posts. I'm in this virtual loop where I have to sign in and am still "anonymous" - frustrating!!! Hopefully, I'll be able to post my comments soon but in the meantime, rest assured that I'm reading your posts and enjoying your blogs.

Garden Bounty

Yum, yum - the strawberries are ripe. Went out this morning to check on them and this is what I picked. A few had "birdy" marks in them - guess that's why the garden is always full of robins :o)...but, there are plenty to go around so I don't mind sharing a few with our feathered friends. The rest of the garden is coming along nicely and with this hot weather it should really take off. The tomatoes have blooms on them and there are even a couple of the little yellow pear tomatoes set on. Oooo - I love this time of year and the fresh fruit and veggies.

We Have Babies

Hi Everyone -
We went down to Virginia for the weekend and when we got home today, look what we found.

Daddy Robin caught me taking this picture and was none too happy about it - he squawked up a storm!! I'll have to be more careful in the future. Anyway, looks like we've got four babies and one to go - I'll keep you updated.

Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all our troops, past and present, for insuring our freedom. Have a great week and keep smiling -

Nest Update

Hi everyone -

Just wanted to let you know that Mrs. Robin has been busy and added two more eggs to the nest - that's quite a clutch!! Now she's busy incubating and periodically turning the eggs - so much fun to watch. Aren't they beautiful??

Have a great day and keep smiling :o)

PROMISE OF THINGS TO COME

Hi everyone -
Yes, I'm still here - can't believe where the time has gone. The garden is taking up my time as well as the normal daily routine. Now that I'm in the New Horizons Band (for those 50+), I've also added 30 minutes a day to practicing my trombone...and I'm happy to report that it's coming back :o) Anyway, I want to share a couple of photos with you. We have robins nesting in our front evergreen and also on the railing of our deck. It is so interesting to watch the nest building on the deck - first the nest is formed with twigs and grass, then a lining of mud, which is smoothed out as smooth as plaster, and then another lining of soft grasses. This is the result...














...what an engineering marvel!! Once the trumpet vine is completely leafed out, this nest will be virtually invisible.



And now, look what's inside...
We'll keep an eye on these eggs and try to help the parents keep their babies safe - first of all, from our boys, who have a tendency to chase anything that moves...and then from the neighborhood cats. With any luck, these three babies will survive and come back next year - maybe to nest here again.

Today is quilting day - I have three quilts to put on the long arm and get done for our guild show, which will be in July. Since it's a rainy day today, I don't feel guilty being inside. When it's nice, I like to be out in the garden playing in the dirt!!

Hope you all have a wonderful day and I'll try to keep you updated on our little family of robins. Take care and keep smiling -

Judie

Garden Helpers

Hi Everyone -

Since the sun came out here today in central PA after a soaking rain yesterday, the boys and I decided it was time to get into the garden and pull weeds, trim back the raspberries which are taking over, and just have fun playing in the dirt. It seems that voles or mice took up residence in the compost bin and also under the ground bird feeder during the winter. Duncan & Hamish sat for a long time just waiting....

...I know some critter is in there!!! That's Duncan keeping an eye on things in the compost bin and Hamish is watching the ground bird feeder - good boys!!! No critters in our garden!!

Have a great week!!

Happy Birthday, Boys

Hi Everyone -

Today is Duncan & Hamish's birthday - they turn two!! I spent the day at a dog show in Harrisburg with friend, Bonnie, and just had to bring them home some goodies. They got new crates with fuzzy fleece beds and these wonderful cupcakes -

They made short work of them and they've got a nice juicy, marrow-filled bone for tomorrow (outside only). They are such good boys and we love them dearly - happy birthday, my boys!!

Red & White Quilt Show

Hi Everyone,

As promised, I wanted to let you all know how wonderful the Red & White Quilt Show in New York City was -- in a word --SPECTACULAR!!! Fran & I took the train up and back, making for a very easy and enjoyable trip to the big city. The cab ride up to the Armory was thrilling - like a car chase scene in a movie. I told my hubby that he couldn't complain about my driving fast around corners any more :o) We got to the Armory all in one piece, so I guess those cabbies know what they're doing but I sure wouldn't want to drive on the streets with them. They don't even slow down for yellow lights and hardly even stop for the red ones. As a pedestrian, you take your life in your hands crossing the streets - wonder how many accidents there are??? Anyway, back to the quilt show...as I said, we arrived safe and sound and this is what we saw when we went into the Armory...

...quilts hanging from floor to ceiling arranged in huge circles, back to back. There were 650 of them - all unique and in great shape. This show was a gift to the city of New York by Joanna Rose on her 80th birthday - actually I think her husband was the one who gave the gift. The show was FREE - can you imagine that!!

Fran's friend, Mettie, joined us for the show and so did my granddaughter, Morgan. We had a great time together enjoying the beautiful quilts. Now that Fran & I have taken the train to NYC, we'll probably do it again since it was so much fun.

Hope you all are having a great week - and keep smiling -

Lookie, lookie....

...what the mailman brought today. It's my winnings from the Strawberry Mallard blog!! It's so much fun to receive a surprise in the mail. Thank you, thank you, Nancy, and also thanks to Lynn at Rocky Creek Scotties for helping out, too. Duncan and Hamish are fighting over the dog collar charms!! They are so cute and will add a touch of "bling" to their neckwear. Thank you so much again for your generosity!!!

Now, on another note...last Thursday several of our guild members took a bus to Lancaster for the annual quilt show. What fun - and a quilter's dream with vendors and quilts galore. Here are a couple of the quilts that were on display - very inspiring. I also took the plunge and invested in an 18" Husqvarna longarm quilting machine. Now I won't have any excuse for not finishing my quilts!! It should be delivered in the next week or two, so I'm busy getting my quilting room ready and finishing up some quilting projects so they'll be ready to be quilted. Now if my hubby is looking for me, he can just hollar down to my quilting room 'cause that's where I'll be :o)

Hope you all are having a good week and do keep smiling -