Evie-B's Blog

That was the week that was...

2011-02-03T20:06:00.002-05:00

OK, so I worked in a hospital my entire career and loved most of it. As a patient, not so much love. While I was really not feeling so well, and the morphine pretty much kept my mouth restrained, I was fine. Last night, at 10:47pm, time was up. I needed to get out of there and could hardly stand it until I was discharged today. All of this has nothing to do with the care I received. I loved the resident I was assigned to ( I thought maybe he must be the son of a nurse). During the hours building up to my need to leave, every little sound on the unit seemed to magnify into my room. At one time, as I awoke from a pixel of a snooze, I thought I was laying in a barnyard somewhere-I heard beeping, and grunting and groaning and doors, endless doors opening and closing. I know that 70% of patients with pancreatitis are drinkers, but I did get a little tired stating "I don't drink, I am not constitpated." On a higher note....I am back home, feeling much better and grateful that I can say so.

No sewing today....great story!

2011-01-29T14:23:00.002-05:00

Peasant Soup

2011-01-28T21:42:00.000-05:00

I love hearty soup in the winter. Tonight I tried to recreate Olga's Kitchen Peasant Soup. It's full of wonderful fresh vegetables, ground round and ground veal.....still simmering on the stove!

2011-01-27T07:05:00.000-05:00

This is one of the blocks from the Hummel quilt. The stitching is very intense -- like armor. The design is made from Mettler threads, some shades very drab until the last dark brown outline is stitched. This will be a 48 block quilt!

The Dresden plate is one of my favorite patterns. This is one of the blocks from the Dresden plate pattern my sewing group is doing - each one of us using our own color schemes. My fabrics are Modas from the Kansas Troubles collection. One is using vibrant batiks, one pastels and one is using simply scrap fabric. They are all beautiful but very different from one another.

This is Beth's graduation quilt. That would be my favorite grandson adding to the picture!

Ruby Tuesday

2011-01-25T19:03:00.000-05:00

Today I spent the day at Country Stitches, learning to use the intricacies of my new sewing machine -- a Husqvarna Ruby. I first learned to sew 4-H projects on my grandmother's Singer machine. It was basically straight and limited zig-zag stitching. The Ruby is a computerized embroidery machine with more capability than the average sewer (me) needs. For the really beautiful, older quilt patterns I like, the embroidery capability is probably overkill! I would like to finish two quilt patterns that require the embroidery capability. One is sampler of Hummel figures, each one stitched on a separate block. The second is one called Dresden plate. For that, I am using Moda fabrics from the Kansas Troubles collection. Pictures to follow.

Favorite Places, Favorite Things

2010-08-21T20:10:00.000-04:00

Doc Ford's

We all have special places that we like to visit. One of mine is Sanibel, Florida. There are wonderful places to eat and visit. A few of mine are the Bubble Room for lunch, Bailey's General Store (especially the hardware), Doc Ford's for a sandwich and beer and Captiva at sunset. For this last visit, I had the grouper sandwich and a Blue Moon at Doc Ford's. Good company, good food, unrelenting sunshine.

Smokey Mountain National Park

2010-08-19T07:24:00.000-04:00

In late July, we took a family vacation to Tennessee. One of the best parts was our tour through the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. At Beth's suggestion, we started early. It was a great idea as we missed the heavy traffic and we toured during the cooler part of the day (the heat rose to 98 degrees in the afternoon!) During a time when we were the only car in a secluded area, we were fortunate enough to see a black bear crossing the road in front of us. I'm not sure who was more surprised. Besides the bear, we saw lots of deer, wild turkeys and the most beautiful views of the mountains.

It Finally Feels Like Retirement

2010-08-18T13:06:00.000-04:00

My last official day to work was July 1st. This week, I am finally realizing I am retired! I finished quilting a queen-size quilt on Van's Gertie Gammell and had time to browze the Barefoot Contessa's site for stuffed cabbage. The stuffed cabbage was wonderful with Nicky's fresh tomatos for the sauce.

Ledgecraft Lane Quilt Show

2010-02-20T17:24:00.004-05:00

Ledgecraft Lane in Grand Ledge, MI showcased quilts made by LAP members this month. The top quilt is a scrappy using batiks that I would like to add to my "to do" list. The middle red, white and blue quilt is the LAP raffle quilt. My part was making one of the little red and white star squares in the border. The bottom picture shows a few of the other quilts on display.

Not Quite Ready for the NBA

2010-02-02T21:02:00.002-05:00

Buddy Basketball; 6 year olds; no attention span; every parent video-taping every move; soccer-moms on patrol; what a hoot!

Two more quilts for the LAP show

2010-01-04T23:23:00.004-05:00

This quilt is called Lacy Fans. I didn't have a pattern but I saw a similar quilt hanging in a quilt shop in Plymouth and thought it was really interesting.

Civil War crayons is the first quilt I made using Civil War reproduction fabrics. I love the colors.

Just Settling Down for A Long Winter's Nap...

2010-01-04T23:16:00.004-05:00

Christmas is over. The sweets have been eaten. The tree is down. Now, for the long winter's nap..

Christmas Wall Hanging

2009-12-20T09:23:00.005-05:00

Val gave me the pattern for this wallhanging that uses wonderful buttons made by the Just Another Button Company, well, company. I found them locally in Jackson at a cross stitch store. Noel helped me pick out buttons and create the project. He colored the leaves on the wall hanging and picked out which buttons we would use and in which order!

Santa's Little Elf

2009-12-14T22:37:00.001-05:00

Noel is decorating his "real tree." You need to double click on the picture to see the mischief in his eyes. As usually, he is wearing the bare minimum of clothing.

A Little R & R

2009-11-29T18:39:00.014-05:00

Thank you Kathy and Barney for the wonderful Thanksgiving feast! We had a great time visiting, seeing you both and Kyle. Noel loved his prizes from the board games.

I spent most of the remainder of my time off either sewing or shopping for fabric. I machine quilted the LAP Mystery Block quilt (above) and one called Twist and Turn (below). The Twist and Turn will be my LAP Ele's Place quilt for this year.

I also machine quilted the hand embroidered "Snowmen through the Year" quilt. I need to add some final touches to the detail but hope to hang this quilt in the LAP quilt show next May.

My other machine quilting "finishing" project was this machine embroidered redwork snowman wall hanging.

On Friday and Saturday, we did our own version of "shop hops." Fridays visits included local quilt shops like Country Stitches and my favorite, Everlasting Stitches in Holt. Pam Henrys owns Everlasting Stitches and makes it a pleasure to go into the shop. Even my six year old grandson loves the shop and the fabric!

On Saturday, we ventured further away from home to South Lyon, Pinckney, Brighton and Howell. The shop we visited in South Lyon called Lake Street Mercantile was awesome. The shop was located in a restored building that used to house a bank. All of the sale fabric was located in the vault. All of the counters and cutting tables were heavy, antique furniture pieces. The owner allowed us to pull fabric to better choose colors and patterns. It was a wonderful shop with a great selection of Civil War reproductions and many other fabrics.

Machine Embroidery

2009-11-28T19:39:00.004-05:00

These quilt blocks are from the current machine applique pattern I am working on from Smith Street Designs. The embroidery part is completed. There are pieced blocks and sashes yet to make before a complex assembly.

Love

2009-11-19T22:25:00.002-05:00

The love one has for a child is equaled only by the love one has for that child's child!

Rose of Sharon

2009-08-24T21:32:00.003-04:00

The Rose of Sharon "bush" in the back yard is beautiful. Although the picture makes the blooms look pink, they are really quite lavender......and then there are also white blooms on the same bush. They are beautiful and are attracting lots of bees.

Pottawattamie Park

2009-07-05T10:48:00.002-04:00

We spent last Sunday at Pottawattamie Park in Grand Haven. It was a balmy day, great for a family reunion! Noel climbed up on top of the Tahoe to get a better view of the lake. I finished reading Randy Wayne White's new novel, Dead Silence.

Independence Day

2009-07-05T10:19:00.008-04:00

It was slightly overcast all day, but in the late afternoon, just before the parade was to start, the sun came out. These beautiful maple trees provided shade for us as we watched the parade in Mason, Michigan.

The parade in Mason seems like a Norman Rockwell calendar event. Crowds always gather around the Ingham County courthouse. Families of all shapes, sizes and configurations bring their lawn chairs and blankets to watch the parade.

We set up our chairs on the corner of Barnes and Ash Streets. This point was nearer the end point of the parade (and much closer to the parking lot!) We were across the street from the court house. There were tons of people and twice as many mosquitos.

The color guard led the parade. It is, afterall, the reason for the celebration, right? My dad participated as a color guard through the American Legion for many years, both in my hometown of Harbor Beach and then in Fort Myers Beach during retirement. We learned from my parents, flag etiquette. It is really amazing how many people either didn't learn, don't remember or just don't care.

This is the truck that Beth bought three times! Noel loves the truck!

These ladies were having a great time! They were making rounds before the parade when I asked to take their picture. They said they had been complaining that there were no queens in the Mason parade and thought it a tragedy. Someone told them to change that---so they created their own float and became queens for the day. They were having a spendid time and people at the parade enjoyed seeing them have such a good time. In no way, did they take themselves seriously!

Thanks, Noel!

2009-06-22T21:36:00.004-04:00

Noel was exploring in my jewelry box over the weekend. When he was done, I had a pile of stuff to junk....many of-of-a-kind earrings, the mates long gone; necklaces with broken clasps; old rings that had no meaning. There was a baggy full. M daughter suggested taking it to a jewelry store to see if there was any gold they might buy. OK, so I'm thinking maybe there might be enough to buy us lunch. It was a very interesting experience. The gentleman who waited on us Liberty Coin was very pleasant and taught us how they test items for gold. I left with $1368! I was astounded. I have probably pitched an equal amount in the garbage. Thanks, Noel, for exploring grammy's pretties.

OK, Mom, I'm Updating.....

2009-06-21T14:46:00.011-04:00

OK, Mom, I know I haven't updated this site since April...but I have a basket of excuses...the memory chip from my Sony camera does not fit the slot of my computer (I fixed that by switching to a Canon Powershot - wonderful camera!), I've been working a lot, I'm just getting old.....but the camera chip is the major reason. I have been busy, though, quilting. I should say, piecing. I've finished the tops of these quilts and am now ready to actually quilt. The first one is a double wedding ring quilt. I started this at a Country Stitches Saturday class with Carol Forsberg. On all of the images, just click on the picture to enlarge it. This quilt top was made using the QuiltSmart technique for creating the rings.
The quilt below is made out of leftovers from the Vanilla Stars quilt I completed earlier this year. It is a series of nine-patches and squares. This will be my 2010 LAP Ele's Place quilt. LAP members donate quilts to Ele's Place so that each grieving child may choose a quilt. The backing will be flannel--all the better for snuggling.

I finished the tablecloth started at the LAP Edyta Sitar workshop. This used a foundation paper-piecing technique. I tried to hand quilt this piece but since it is a tablecloth, I didn't use batting. The lack of batting and the use of batik fabrics for both the top and backing made hand quilting it a bugger.

Aunt Millie's Flowerbasket pattern was used to create the machine embroidered flower baskets in this quilt. I used the "bluework" concept and all baskets are embroidered in a deep blue.

This quilt was on display at Country Stitches. I loved the idea but wanted to add my own variations in regards to color and layout. It's called Snowmen Through the Year. The blocks are hand appliqued. I had to draw the outlines on the fabric and then do the embroidery. In addition to the embroidery, there are fabric and other embellishments that made this fun to do.

Now if you can't say something nice, you probably shouldn't say it at all, but..... This quilt was made with a block of the month called "A New Twist on Old Favorites," by Daniel Burke. Unfortunately, the blocks did not come with directions for putting them together! Pam Henrys at Everlasting Stitches (my favorite quilt shop--Aurelius Road, Holt, MI) helped me choose the fabrics to put the blocks together. It is very colorful! The blocks were paper-pieced.

Two years ago, I saw this quilt (similar, anyway) on display at the Marshall House Quilt Shop in, well, Marshall, MI. I loved the use of batiks and the fact that it was made using raw-edge machine applique. I'm not sure why it took me so long to finish it!

"Wildflowers" is a machine appliqued quilt made of beautiful batiks. The machine embroidery pattern is outstanding; the blocks were great fun to make. Putting the various blocks together and picking out the coordinating batiks took way more time than creating the blocks.

Another Wonderful Day in Paradise

2009-04-29T12:58:00.002-04:00

It was a balmy 84 degrees today with unrelenting sunshine. After a full day of chores, we were the guests of Kathy and Barney at Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille on Sanibel Island. The entire place was buzzing with people enjoying each other and the wonderful food. In honor of my birthday, I had the dry rubbed rib eye---yummy! It was perfectly grilled medium-well and served with roasted garlic and Parmesan smashed potatoes, carmaelized mushrooms, asparagus and roasted blue cheese tomato, surrounded by a shallot cabernet sauce. Add a couple of cool drinks and a crisp green salad and voila', the perfect meal. We were way too full for dessert, but the key lime pie called to us. It has been reported to be the best in the area. We opted to order the pie and took it home for a bed-night snack.

Thank you so much, Kathy and Barney, for the wonderful birthday dinner!!

You Sure Couldn't Do This in Michigan

2009-04-27T00:03:00.002-04:00

Dorrie and Rich added an outdoor kitchen to their lanai. Rich is a wonderful chef and will certainly put this to great use. The bulk of the work is done and they are anxious to be able to use it. I can't wait for my next dose of succulent ribs!

Lovely Lavender

2009-04-26T23:43:00.002-04:00

Dorrie re-created one of her spare bedrooms to be lovely lavender. This is the quilt I made her for Christmas.

Doc Ford's

2009-04-26T23:37:00.005-04:00

Randy Wayne White is one of my favorite authors. Doc Ford, the main character in his books, lives in a stilt house in Dinkins Bay off Sanibel. The books include a lot of history and geography of south Florida's Gulf Coast. His newest book, Dead Silence, has had great reviews. My copy will arrive from Barnes and Noble on April 27th!

On Sanibel, one of my favorite places, RWW and others opened a restaurant called Doc Ford's Sanibel Rum Bar and Grille. Of course we had to stop for lunch. The restaurant was set up to simulate the stilt house described in the book.

On this trip to Fort Myers, we were able to participate in the grand opening of another restaurant, Doc Ford's Rum Bar and Grille at Fort Myers Beach. This restaurant resembles my eye's image of the stilt house wonderfully. We had a great afternoon enjoying the food, the great wait staff and the most wonderful view. For lunch I had the tropical salad with added grouper ($21.95). It was a wonderful salad with fresh baby greens, grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, mandarin oranges, sun-dried cherries, spiced pecans, homemade crispy onions tossed in their own secret balsamic vinaigrette dressing! The salad was the perfect companion to my Blue Moon! We watched the pleasure boats in the harbor, the shrimp boats docked in the pass, and the people!

Another perfect day in paradise.

Spring in Michigan Friday, April24, 2009

2009-04-26T23:34:00.003-04:00

It was 80 degrees and the forsythia were in grand bloom on Friday. I almost felt silly leaving for Florida for some sun. I got of of town just in time!

Spring Vehicle Maintenance

2009-04-17T18:17:00.002-04:00

Now that the snow and ice are gone, drivers of all ages are tuning up their vehicles for those lovely sunny, Sunday drives.

April Fools!

2009-04-06T09:50:00.003-04:00

34 degrees, 5" of snow overnight...this is Mother Nature's April Fools surprise!

Note to self: Do not walk across the street, in the dark, in this weather, to get the paper!

Marshall Quilt Show

2009-04-04T09:32:00.004-04:00

We spent last Saturday at the Marshall Quilt Show. There were some extraordinary quilts-actually works of art. Several were particularly interesting. The first picture is an applique wall hanging depicting women inspecting quilts at a quilt show. The second quilt was done from a pattern created by Edyta Sitar from Marshall. It's a pattern I have started but in very different shades than this. This particular quilt was interesting to me for its border.

Van, Judy and I had a great time together. In addition to the great quilts, we had lunch at Pastrami Joe's in downtown Marshall. It's a small deli with adequate seating and wonderful food. We each had a different sandwich and all were excellent: pastrami on rye, corn beef on sourdough and Reuben. The soups are homemade. I had the seafood bisque; it was excellent. I could taste the very sweet pieces of crab, it was light but flavorful. Yummy!

Grandmother's Fan

2009-03-21T06:09:00.002-04:00

This is an interim update on THIS project! I have been working on this quilt since 1995. At that time, I thought I needed to totally piece a quilt by hand to appreciate the work and skill women used to create quilts before fancy sewing machines and templates. I cut the fan pieces individually by hand using scrap paper for piecing. (I actually used those pesky advertising inserts found in magazines - they were a little heavier weight and very easy to come by!) I then joined the fans together by hand and appliqued them to the yellow blocks by hand. For the sake of sturdy construction, I did put the blocks together by machine. I am now in the process of hand quilting the project. This quilt easily covers a king size bed! I have a lot of hand stitching to finish.

Sparrow Scrapper's Weekend

2009-03-15T20:11:00.002-04:00

Once again, Sparrow Scrappers invaded the Holiday Inn Express in Okemos for a weekend of scrapbooking, cardmaking, laughing, talking and tequila. The amount of stuff hauled into the hotel to support these habits is incredible! The atmosphere was one of creativity, comraderie and excellent food. Rather than "buying out," and taking time away from the fun, everyone brings something. Wendy brought the best potato salad I've every had; Joan brought Irish potato -cabbage soup---including the option to add corn beef; Lisa brought cornbeef sandwich fixings. There was also chili, cornbread, and gads of wonderful salads. I can't forget the homemade sugar cookies, brownies, lemon bars and rice crispy treat! I didn't stay at the hotel like most people did-it's too close to home. It's a lot of fun - there are sister, mothers-daughters, cousins and friends getting together to do what they enjoy most.

Friday, March 13, 2009 Ready for the Outdoors!

2009-03-13T21:14:00.000-04:00

President's Quilt

2009-03-13T21:01:00.004-04:00

The outgoing president of the guild gets a quilt. It's a great tradition. At the end of her term, the president chooses a quilt pattern and each member of the guild makes one block for the quilt. This year, the president chose log cabin blocks in shades of blue, green or brown. Since I had some left over pieces of brown, I used that.

It seems like an easy way to get a quilt, right? Just like at work and home, the range of quality, commitment and ability to follow directions spans a great deal of territory. The perfect quarter inch seam is very important. For those who don't pay attention, that 1/8 " spread over 5-6 blocks can sure create an uneven quilt.

Foundation Piecing: On Eagle's Wing

2009-03-07T17:04:00.007-05:00

I recently started a paper-pieced batik quilt that has been frustrating. The most frustrating part is that in paper-piecing, the stitching is opposite the pattern lines. Today, through the LAP Guild, I attended a class taught by Eydta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts. Eydta designs her own patterns and the most beautiful batik fabrics sold as part of the Moda line. While the technique she taught uses paper templates, the technique, foundation piecing, is much more enjoyable. The class project was a table runner. Rather than a table runner, I will use my squares as the inner blocks for a quilt. The pattern would be a very nice one to scrap. (Double-click photo to see close-up of projects and stitching.)

It's Spring!

2009-03-06T17:42:00.003-05:00

It reached 60+ degrees today. Daylight savings time springs forward this weekend. The snow and ice are gone. The crocuses have sprouted. It sure looks like spring!

Noel Loves Dinosaurs

2009-03-04T20:53:00.005-05:00

Yesterday when the mailman came, Noel received a colorful dinosaur placemat from my sister. He is very interested in dinosaurs right now. His favorite is one he calls the "longneck." He wanted one of the "longnecks" on his shirt for school. We looked through my embroidery patterns and found this one - with "longnecks" and pre-historic birds. He picked out the thread colors and helped cut the color-change stitches. It was a great project for us to work on together!

(double click on picture to see detail of the embroidery)

2009 LAP Challenge

2009-03-03T19:30:00.004-05:00

The 2009 Lap Challenge has the following rules:
- small
- colors you don't usually use
- piecing that creates a challenge
- includes a picture
- embellishments
- leaves
-decorative stitches
- fun to make

(double click on picture to see detail)

Celtic Design

2009-02-27T05:36:00.003-05:00

A couple of months ago, I attended a class at Country Stitches taught by Kathy Richardson. She taught techniques in creating designs for embroidery sewing machines. Using some basic pieces, I created this design and stitched it out. This is a trial, but I will use it as dust cover for my machine. If I were going to create table napkins or use this design again, there are some alterations to the pattern I would make: 1) re-space the four fans making the inner circle - thee is a slight gap in the left horizontal line; 2) use two tones for the flowers to show some variance between the buds and flowers. In this piece, some of the flowers were stitched out in green.
In my current software, I am not able to edit the stitches. I hope to rectify that soon!

Welcome

2009-02-24T22:39:00.002-05:00

Noel Ward says:

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Up North

2009-02-22T08:14:00.006-05:00

During our Quilting Weekend in Tawas City several years ago, we found the Cotton Patch Quilt Shoppe in East Tawas, Michigan. Two very interesting things about this quilt shop:

1. They had an incredible inventory of fabric, supplies and patterns for being in such an out-of-the-way location

2. On display (one of those, "My God, I need to make that!" quilts) were the blocks from the Northern Woods quilt featuring moose, deer, fish and other northern woods themes.

We spend quite a bit of time in the shop looking and talking to the owner. She is able to keep such a wonderfully supplied shop in such a remote location because the bulk of her business is internet sales. She had a "back room" where local women were employed to cut fabric into packets that are sold with patterns.

O, Tannenbaum

2009-02-01T19:34:00.004-05:00

When we moved into our house in July, 1976, while others were celebrating the bi-centennial,we were celebrating the joys of being first-time homeowners. Although the lot is loaded with trees, the most charming one is the smoke tree The American Smoketree (Cotinus obovatus, syn. Rhus cotinoides). It provides gentle shade in the summer, has been battered by baseball bats through the years and currently houses a small pine tree growing in its mid-section. Because of its proximity to the Consumer's Energy lines, the tree must be either radically altered or removed. We have chosen to remove it and plant another in another section of the yard. The one nice thing about the current location is that it prevents us from spying on our neighbors living room and vice-versa!

In 1978, Beth Ann Bochenek was born, Her dad and poppa, to honor her birth (680 grams soaking wet), planted a pine tree [Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)]. This tree has also been identified by CE as "problematic." Nearly half of one side of the tree will need to be removed. Although the ortho"tree"dic surgeon has told us they can remove only "half," it just doesn't seem safe to leave it standing. It will also come down this month.

Merry Christmas, Kathy

2009-01-27T05:55:00.000-05:00

Kathy, this is your Christmas quilt. It's done, wrapped and waiting for us to get together. Honest, it's going to stop snowing soon!

Vanilla Stars

2009-01-26T21:49:00.001-05:00

Several years ago, a group of us took a field trip to Grayling. It was very cold, snowy and a day we should have not travelled outside of the city limits. Our destination was the Icebox Quilt Shop. I bought a pattern called Vanilla Stars. It has taken almost four years to find the fabrics and complete the quilt. I completed the binding last night--it is done. I am planning on hanging this quilt in the Capital Area Patchers Guild Quilt Show next year. There are two special parts to this quilt:

1. The "vanilla stars" actually turned out and the points are the best I've been able to do

2. The backing is flannel-so not only is the quilt warm from the batting but also soft and snuggly

The Moda fabrics I used for the quilt are from the Civil War reproduction line.

Another Adventure in Quilting

2009-01-18T08:12:00.001-05:00

I have started another quilt. This one, "Wildflowers," by K. Connor, includes machine applique and piecing. I have had some trouble picking the thread and fabric colors for the flowers. I am drawn to primary colors (very low-class, I am told). I have been trying to experiment with more earthy tones.

Cyan

2009-01-12T21:21:00.002-05:00

My friend's new kitty rightfully belongs to a quilter. Of all the places for her to relax, she chose this pile of quilt pieces.

Imagery

2009-01-12T06:33:00.002-05:00

The weatherman says today is cold but "enjoy it" because it's downhill after today. We teach patients to use imagery to help with pain and anxiety. Today, I am going to use this image of our trip to Mackinaw Island to help re-focus my thoughts from the cold, over-cast weather.

January in Michigan - It Shouldn't Be Such a Surprise

2009-01-11T11:37:00.002-05:00

It was cold this morning - but pretty!

Rambling Rose Meets Jackson Crossing

2009-01-10T10:56:00.003-05:00

Of the quilts I've made, I really like this one the best. It's called Rambling Rose Meets Jackson crossing. The blocks are a combination of log cabin blocks (making the "white" rows and a variety of pieced blocks, each allowing me to practice new techniques. The quilt was intended to be the size of a single bed topper. As I was making the log cabin blocks, I used the wrong side of the ruler and made the blocks about 2 inches larger than they should have been. To compensate, I added a black border to each of the pieced squares so the blocks would go together. The end result is that the quilt looks the same as if I had followed the directions, only much bigger! Without trying, I made it wonderfully fit my bed as a spread.

Starting the 2nd round

2009-01-10T10:49:00.004-05:00

Beth starts her second semester in the nursing program at LCC on Monday! She completed the first semester very successfully and likes what she is doing. She is working per diem in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Sparrow as a PCT. She is very compassionate with her patients and loves the work with trauma patients.

Hallalujah--Beth Made It!

2008-04-15T20:29:00.002-04:00

Beth received her notice today that she's been accepted into the nursing program at Lansing Community College for the Fall 2008 class!

IQS

2008-04-14T06:22:00.003-04:00

Four of us attended the International Quilt Show in Chicago over the long weekend! This quilt particularly caught my eye. It was entirely hand-pieced and quilted. The colors were incredible---this picture doesn't do justice to either the colors or the needlework. There were hundreds of beautiful quilts and many vendors from all over the world. We met the friend of a friend, attending the show from Japan. Although the show was held in Rosemont, we took the time Saturday night to go downtown for dinner in the Hancock Building. The wind was howling and biting, precipitation that could have been very cold thick rain or snow was pelting down, and we were dressed for spring! But we had a great time!

Sure signs of Spring

2008-04-06T19:08:00.003-04:00

The day started out with clear skies and bright sunlight--and fifty degrees! These daffodil sprouts are a sure sign that spring is on the way. These are on the north side of the house. They generally bloom about 2-3 weeks later than Clint's.

The High Cost of Health Care

2008-04-05T10:27:00.003-04:00

This is a back view of the new Sparrow Tower looking south. Although it is 10 stories high, the top four floors are shelled in for future use. The last two areas to occupy this new structure, cardiolovascular and surgical services, are expected to move in by July 2008. It's magnificent. The new nursing units have private rooms and space for families and technology. The physical environment makes it a lovely place to work. I am struck, though, by the cost. I think of the many, many people in this country who do not even have access to basic medical care and people who work hard at jobs that do not provide health insurance.

Where does the time go?

2008-04-04T19:12:00.001-04:00

I notice that my last blog was in October 2007! I think about writing every day and have composed many entries in my mind. I'll do a better update tomorrow!

Weekend Scrapping

2007-10-29T05:28:00.000-04:00

Beth and I participated in a Scrapbooking Weekend. Normally, we trekked to Grayling for the Goosebump Patch Scrapbooking Weekend. At the Grayling event, there are usually several hundred women in attendance. This group did not offer a fall event this year, so scrappers from Sparrow created their own--much closer to home! We rented space at the Holiday Inn Express on Okemos Road. The hotel gave us great discounts on rooms. The banquet/meeting room was a perfect setup for the 25+ who attended. The hotel was much cleaner and more modern than the Grayling building and the hot tub, heated pool and free breakfast just made it perfect. On Sunday, it was a five minute drive home. I started by Christmas cards and worked on a retirement scrapbook for a colleague. Life is good.

Happy Birthday

2007-10-28T20:56:00.000-04:00

Noel celebrated his 4th birthday last Saturday with a party at Mason Lanes. There were six children, 3 of them cousins, in attendance. It took at least 6 adults to manage the party and the bowling! Even using gutter bumpers and a launching ramp, the bowling balls were agonally slow in moving down the lanes! We were even blowing, hoping a little breeze would keep them going. They all seemed to have a great time. It doesn't seem possible that he's four years old already.

The Software

2007-10-21T21:30:00.000-04:00

My new sewing machine is an embroiderer. The computer screen on the front of the machine is about 6 in x 6 in. When Noel first saw the screen, he yelled, "Grammy, there's a TV on it!" The software, loaded on my computer, is used to create designs to download to the sewing machine for embroidering. It is the most protected software I have ever used. The software, after the first ten times of access, cannot be used unless the dongle is inserted in a USB port of the computer. Each software package has a dongle specific to that software package. The dongles are not interchangeable. No dongle, no software. If you loose it, no problem - just re-buy the software ($700 - $2100 depending on the options you choose.) If you travel across the country with your machine but forget your dongle, you'll have extra time on your hands. You won't be sewing using your software. So, why cave in and buy it in the first place? Because it's the best.

The sample redwork snow[wo]man is one of the simpler patterns. (The "F" stands for Frosty!)

Along the road

2007-10-19T06:29:00.000-04:00

We found these cat-tails growing along the road near the cottage.

Husqvarna-Viking

2007-10-18T05:34:00.000-04:00

This is my new Husqvarna Viking Sewing Machine! I've had my eye on it for about a year. It has taken time to weigh the expense of the machine and my "need" to have an embroidery machine. The has two USB ports on the left side. The compute screen on the front fascinated Noel who thought I had a TV on the sewing machine! The opportunities that nudged be into purchasing the dang thing were two design software packages--one to stitch beautiful Hummel designs and one for machine applique/embroidery of wildflowers. Mettler threads are used in the Hummel designs. It's remarkable how close the tones and colors are to the actual figurines.

I bought my machine through the local Viking dealer at Joann's Superstore. I purchased one used as a demonstrator at the Novi Sewing Expo. The machine had been used for a few hours but it allowed for a substantial discount. I really wanted to have the machine to take on our sewing retreat, but the machine needed to be shipped to Lansing from the Detroit area. We were leaving early Thursday morning and they thought it would probably be delivered mid-day on Thursday. On Monday, Beth called me at work to say that the software for my machine was ready to be picked up at Joann's in Lansing---but the machine was not there. I stopped into Joann's very late on Monday to pick it up, asking again if there might be a possibility the machine would be there by Wednesday afternoon. The sales clerk was very elusive about the delivery date, so much so that I was wondering if I should have purchased it somewhere else. She was evasive about the machine but very open about the software I was picking up.

I got home about 9:30pm to an empty house. Beth, Billy and Noel came home about 10pm. As they entered the house, Noel was yelling, "Grammy, you got a new TV!" They knew how much I wanted the machine for the weekend, so they piled in the Tahoe on Monday afternoon and drove to Allen Park, MI to pick it up for me. I was wonderfully surprised and grateful.

Tomorrow--the software!

Quiet & Serene

2007-10-17T21:29:00.000-04:00

The view from the cottage was of the Lake Huron shoreline-very quiet and serene. It reminded me of the summers we spent with Grandpa Wood at Orpha's cottage in Grindstone City. I have interesting memories of that place. I remember the fireplace and the warm fires on cold evenings. I remember an old oak dining room table that had been cut down to create a huge coffee table. Once I had my own house, I looked a long time to find a similar round oak coffee table.

More About the Weekend Retreat

2007-10-16T06:08:00.000-04:00

Three women, FIVE sewing machines and a kitty! Cyan, the kitty, was contraband. The only "rule" about the cottage for the weekend was "no pets." The kitty was well-behaved and potty-trained and too small to be left behind.

We set up our work area so that we had a great view of the lake. Carol drove her Chrysler Pacifica--and we were amazed that the equipment we hauled fit nicely into it. In addition to the tables required to hold the sewing machines and for work space, we hauled up an ironing board and iron, cutting boards and scads of fabric. Carol and Van each used two sewing machines-one for machine embroidery - which pretty much self-operates, and one for regular sewing. I took only one machine---but more about that tomorrow!

Up North

2007-10-15T06:22:00.000-04:00

For four days, three of us enjoyed a sewing retreat weekend at a cottage near Oscoda, Michigan. The weather was very crisp at night but glorious during the day. We had a beautiful view of the lake and enjoyed the eagles, the deer and the squirrels. We planned the four hour drive (which took seven hours because of our itinerary) to be able to stop at quilt shops along the way. The best of the lot was the Cotton Patch Shop. For a smaller town, we were amazed at how well stocked the store was with a variety of fabrics and patterns. We learned from the owner that the bulk of her business is internet/mail order. It allows her to carry a larger variety. The day we were there, she had six women working in the store, cutting fabric for the quilts she supplies to quilters around the world. We spent more time talking than shopping. Tune in this week for more on the Sewing Weekend!

Cooler Weather???

2007-10-07T21:17:00.000-04:00

I noticed today I haven't added a blog since late August. I could argue that I was waiting for cooler weather ---! Who would believe that we would be complaining of high 80 degree temperatures and humidity in the middle of October--in the middle of Michigan.

The trees are starting to turn brilliantly beautiful. This one, along the west side of Hagadorn Road near Holt Road, is deeply into the fall color change.

Fall has brought some interesting new things to our household. Noel started pre-school. There was a lot of concern about him starting pre-school without being "potty-trained." Peer pressure must have been the key--he was wearing undies and using the toilet within four hours of starting pre-school. He loves his teacher, Miss Christy, and to the surprise of his mother, he's actually been behaving at school. (He saves his VERY best stuff for home.)

Nostalgia

2007-08-22T06:10:00.000-04:00

In August 1968, I moved to Lansing as a 20-year old graduate nurse to work at Sparrow Hospital. Back then, it was not the usual for a 20-year old to live alone in an apartment. With the help of my relatives, I rented a room in this house on Eureka Street from Bea & Bernard Christy. Bea Christy provided child care for my cousin, Marc. She was a community activist, and did so much for the community in which she lived that they named an annual award in her honor. I worked evenings, came in after they were sleeping and essentially slept late every day. I only lived there about six months. It was a very restrictive environment.

2007-08-17T21:55:00.000-04:00

Billy planted a small garden of tomato plants, cucumbers and zuccini squash. We had fresh tomatoes and cukes in our salad tonight. Noel said, "Grammy, it's dee-lish-ous!"

Touring the Property

2007-08-16T23:13:00.000-04:00

Great evening for drive...low 80's, low humidity, charged battery!

Sparrow Hospital

2007-08-15T20:03:00.000-04:00

This is the new Sparrow Hospital--a view from the south through a second floor SPB window. The distant structure is the parking ramp on the corner of Michigan & Pennsylvania. The new west wing tower is to the right (east) of the ramp. The scaffolding is down in front of the Michigan Avenue entrance. The next major change will be the opening of the new Emergency Department.

Tavern on the Square

2007-08-15T05:32:00.000-04:00

Sparrow is growing. With all of the new construction and remodeling, we have had to temporarily convert conference rooms to offices. Being the adaptable, innovative people that we are, we found space a few short blocks away for those late afternoon meetings. { :) } I would, in general, describe this place as good wine, great food, poor service. The "good" in that would be that you can carry on private conversations with very infrequent interruptions from the wait staff. It's normally a 3-5 minute drive from the parking ramp. With nearly every downtown Lansing street under construction, travel time and parking from Sparrow is about 30 minutes.

Tavern on the Square is not a big place. There is sitting upstairs for about 12-15. Downstairs has the usual bar seating and several seating areas: a grouping of lounging chairs, a grouping of ottoman type chairs and a couple of standard table & chair arrangements. There is some seating outside but it's too dang hot to appreciate that right now. We are supporting the lounging chair area.

With the growth of Cooley Law School in the area, there has been a reawakening of the downtown area eateries and watering holes. It's not the same as when Arbaugh's, Penney's and Knapp's had flagship stores in the pre-mall days. But never the less, it's good to see the activity and vacant store fronts in use.

311 South Fairview

2007-08-14T06:18:00.001-04:00

When we were young (i.e. before becoming teenagers), we spent some time each summer with Grandma & Granddad Hammond in Lansing. The neighborhood was older but very well kept-up. There was an empty lot to the south (right) of the house and Morphy's lived to the north. Ray Chase and his family lived behind on Magnolia. Granddad was very particular about his yard, his flowers and the general condition of the house. I drove by yesterday and was very sad to see this very shabby house in a now very shabby neighborhood. We used to sleep out on the front porch and listen for the sounds of trains, ambulances and police cars--all very foreign from our little farm community. One year when we were visiting, we wanted to see the capital. Grandma had Granddad drop us off and told us if we could make the walk back to Fairview, to tell the police we were lost and they would drive us back. We were about 12, 10 and 9 years old. It would be considered derelict in duty for grandparents to do this today. But we toured and were excited about our ride home in the police car! Ivanhoe 4-7038---wow, how did I remember a phone number from eons ago!

Note to Dorrie & Rich: The heart remembers most what it has loved the best. I love you both and send you love and hugs.

Batik Wildflower Quilt

2007-08-12T20:35:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, Van, Carol and I packed up our gear and trekked to Battle Creek for a day of sewing at the Marshall House Quilt Shop. As with every "great" day trip, we started at Beaner's! This quilt is hanging in the quilt shop and it is one that I am currently working on. I have chosen different colors and will add some batik sashing around each of the blocks. I like the "prairie point" border but think it would be for striking as an outer border. At this point, I have the blocks and flower pieces cut out and the layout organized. I heard a lot of advise on Saturday about how to add the flowers to the background squares. Some thought I should glue the on, some thought I should pre-baste all of the flower pieces so I could easily hand applique them to the fabric. Others thought I should use a needle-turn technique to hand applique them. Someone suggested I machine applique all of it. The glue is out for sure--as is the machine applique. I am still evaluating the work involved in the other techniques. The batiks are beautiful and the colors so vibrant. It was difficult to pick from all of the wonderful choices.

The Test of True Friendship

2007-08-07T21:52:00.000-04:00

This week's YaYa get-together was a little different than the usual Friday nights on Mitchell's patio! Carol offered her brother her house and yard for his wedding. While Carol and her family cut up a lot of the food, four YaYa's arrived at her house on Saturday, prepared to act like they belonged on the Food Network. We cut onions and cried, we melted chocolate for the chocolate fondue fountain (although we burnt the first batch--and no, Beth, I was not in charge of that!). We made a wonderful Michigan salad with Romaine lettuce, dried cranberries blue cheese, cherry tomatoes and walnuts. We created beautiful platters of Roma tomatoes and mozarella cheese dribbled with olive oil and fresh chopped basil. We prepared mountains of pasta salad amd fruit salad. We put out the wonderful smoked turkey, beef brisket and pork prepared and delivered by a caterer from Jackson. There was no traditional wedding cake but rather baklava and chocolate layer cake for dessert.

There were some very significant ah-ha moments during the nearly eight hours we were in attendance. We worked very hard, but we had SO much fun working together. The wine provided by the hostess helped! Carol truly experienced how deeply our YaYa friendship has developed--she just left it to us as we wanted her to and enjoyed herself. And, lastly, her family and family friends commented on Carol's catering company-----maybe we've come up with alternate employment options!

PS: About the picture: only a true friend would change your dog's diaper!

Rose of Sharon

2007-08-05T08:54:00.000-04:00

When we moved into our house in July 1976, there were three Rose of Sharon bushes on the property. They were in full bloom -- white, light lavender and dark lavender. For reasons long past remembering, all three of the shrubs were removed. Three years ago, I planted a light lavender bush near the deck on the south side of the house. It's had reasonable blooms for the past two years. Last fall, we cut the shrub back considerably. This year's blooms are not only many but there are many white blooms mixed with the light lavender. It's beautiful (and the bees like it, too!)

Wally's Girls

2007-08-04T06:56:00.000-04:00

These are Wally's Girls: Evie, Kathy, Dorrie and Barb. We don't spend enough time together!

2007-08-03T19:38:00.000-04:00

In spite of unbelievable grief and sadness, my sister and brother-in-law welcomed family and friends into their home this weekend to remember and celebrate Noel Christopher Rogers. My sisters and I are all the mothers of "only children." Thanks to our parents, our children became like brothers and sister. My parents took all three kids on many road trips around the country, starting when they were only toddlers. Because Beth was born so prematurely (28 weeks gestation) and was in the hospital for so long, Mom and Dad would bring Kyle and Noel to the hospital to visit. Even though they were only pushing 4 years old, every time they came they would tell the nurses that they were 12 years old so they could visit. The nurses would wink and smile and welcome them and the boys would giggle, thinking they really got away with something big. Beth's pediatrician was Dr. Knickerbocker. The mere pronunciation of his name would send them into fits of laughter. As she grew and became interested in cabbage patch dolls, they would torment her by drawing "boobies" on her dolls. Beth looked up to Noel as her big brother and friend.

Godspeed, Noel.

Noel Christopher Rogers

2007-07-26T05:48:00.000-04:00

Noel Christopher Rogers, age 33, died tonight at Cape Coral Hospital following cardiac arrest. Noel, son of Dorrie & Rich Rogers, grandson of Barbara and the late Wallace Hammond, my nephew and a true sweetheart, is gone but will never be forgotten. Noel was a big guy with an even bigger heart. I can't even begin to understand the impact of this loss.

Let's Talk About the Weather

2007-07-24T05:56:00.000-04:00

I I've had the last four days off work to spend time with my mom. I anticipated the weather to be horribly hot. To my surprise and enjoyment, it's been in the 70's with the hottest day being 82 degrees -- and sunny the whole time. We were able to sit outside under a shade tree on Sunday afternoon to read and relax.

Family

2007-07-22T09:20:00.000-04:00

Mom and I met Kathy in Flint yesterday to spend the day together. One of the highlights was stopping in the see Kyle at work. We wandered through the Flint Farmer's Market, stopping for lunch and to listen to the music of James Brown via a trio of local musicians. It was a beautiful day for lunch and music outside

Binder Park Zoo

2007-07-21T06:25:00.000-04:00

I haven't taken a field trip to a zoo in a very long time. Yesterday, 12 children, 3 adults, one grandma and one great=grandma went to Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek. It was the perfect day for a trip to the zoo -- about 74 degrees with a mild breeze. The sun was warm and the shade cool. The children, for the most part, were well-behaved. They loved the carousel, the train and tram. But most of all, like me, they liked the giraffes. They fed them special "crackers" purchased from the zoo. The observation deck was at the head level of the giraffes-great for feeding them but not so great for snapping good photos. Long, purple, sticky tongues just begging for crackers----made the kids squeal with delight and fright. Beth & Jamie brought lunch. Peanut butter and jelly never tasted so wonderful!

It's rather impressive

2007-07-20T06:56:00.000-04:00

The new Sparrow West Wing tower is rather impressive. The crane left shortly after this picture was taken. The front scaffolding should come down in a few weeks. The Emergency Department and a couple of the nursing units will open in December. We will open our new six operating rooms in May 2008. I am very interested in comparing our OR construction to that of the University of California at San Francisco, Duke or Rush. Those organizations have created a hospital around surgical services to assure efficient workflow and patient satisfaction. We have had to adapt to a very specific footprint and continue to work near or be space-limited by construction. The new OR's themselves will be big, beautiful state of the art labs.

Noel's Quilt

2007-07-19T06:08:00.000-04:00

I learned to sew from my Mom, Grandma Wood and 4-H a long time ago on a Singer sewing machine! I made many of my own clothes as a teenager. About 25 years ago, I took my first quilting class and loved it. Over the past 2-3 years, I have done very little sewing. Carol, Van and I have developed a pattern of sewing on Sundays. We sew, take turns bringing/fixing lunch and sometimes take field trips for fabrics. My new favorite quilt shop is Everlasting Stitches in Holt. Pam Henrys owns and operates the shop. It is very well stocked with beautiful moda's, wonderful batiks and a warm, friendly, helpful atmosphere.

This is Noel's quilt, finished. He picked out the fabrics and played with the fat quarters for weeks before I started the quilt.

Stella D'Ora Daylily

2007-07-18T23:20:00.000-04:00

Northern exposure, beautiful color, very hardy, 3rd year blooming in this spot

Day Lilies

2007-07-17T05:35:00.000-04:00

Given the number of orange day lilies in bloom in mid-Michigan, one might think it is the State flower! It's been a beautiful summer--warm days, cool nights and just enough rain for the flowers. The day lilies are pretty much no-brainers for those of us pretending to be gardeners. I found a nursery in Portland that sells only lilies. I now have maroon, yellow, and of course the orange. The orange lilies arrived after a sundown drive around Alaiedon township with a shovel!

There's nothing like a parade on the the 4th of July!

2007-07-08T22:33:00.000-04:00

Noel rode his Tow-Mater bike in the parade on Wednesday. His friend rode her Lightening McQueen tricycle. Both trikes were decorated with red, white and blue crepe paper. Their little legs rode those trikes from the Mason High School, into town, around the court house square and back to the high school. It was a really nice home-town parade that included the high school band, politicians, right to lifers and about 3000 John Deere tractors.

Happy Birthday, America!

2007-07-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Team Building Retreat

2007-07-01T07:52:00.000-04:00

We had a team-building retreat last week. The best part of it was this--all that remains from a colleagues orange.

Field Trip

2007-06-26T05:37:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, the "girls" took a field trip to Jackson, Marshall, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo in search of quilt shoppes. Although we started out at our usual haunt, Country Stitches (only the Jackson version), our new favorite is the Marshall House in, well, Marshall, Michigan. The Marshall House is located in a former funeral home. There are many rooms, each with a fabric theme. At the Marshall House, they encouraged you to place the fabrics together to look at colors, to take it outside if you needed better light, and to look at "this." There was no pressure to buy, and once we brought our loaded carts to the cutting table, no complaints about the amount of stuff we wanted. I have just begun a new quilt through a Country Stitches class called Rambling Rose meets Jackson County. It's a pieced quilt with a variety of blocks in the colors of dusty rose, black and beige. Since I just invested in the fabric for this quilt last week, I tried to be frugal on Saturday! I did buy 15 beautiful batik fat quarters for a hand-appliqued wildflower quilt and six lovely moda's to border a Hummel embroidered block quilt.

Divine YaYa's

2007-06-17T23:51:00.000-04:00

In the novel, Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells, the strong, lifelong bond among friends is explored. In this life, I do not think it possible to have too many true friends. This is our YaYa group. We don't wear funny hats, we don't blood-let. We do have a strong bond related to work and age. We are a support to one another and can create and "intervention" within a very short time if someone is in need. The intervention here is the news that one of the seven of us has accepted a new, exciting position. While we wish her the very best and know she won't be leaving town, we still worry that the group will change.

Our group started on the beach in Pensacola, Florida about two years ago. Several of us were attending the same conference. We were overwhelmed at how devastated Pensacola was from hurricane Charlie and how poorly the city was recovering. We were also very pumped from listening to Quint Studer talk about his successes in improving the experience for patients at the hospitals he has led.

I love you all, my YaYa sisters!

On another note: Our friends, John and Judy are doing well. Beth accompanied Judy on a wheelchair ride about the Ingham Medical parking lot Saturday and John was determined to attend the NASCAR race at MIS on Sunday!

My "Wildflower" Garden

2007-06-13T06:30:00.000-04:00

This will be the latest edition to my perennial garden! It currently resides with a friend, waiting for it's new home to be constructed in the backyard. Billy is erecting a fence along the current farmer's fence at the back of our yard. The fence will block the view of the field weeds and allow a better view of the perennial flowers planted all along the edge of the fence.

Environment or Genes

2007-06-10T10:02:00.000-04:00

What was once a shelving unit Billy was going to use in the pole barn is now a pile of boards and a handful of screws! How is it that a three-year old boy is so adept with a screwdriver?!

Grammy, I want Ice Cream

2007-06-05T05:55:00.000-04:00

It was another rainy day in mid-Michigan. There was so much rain in so short a time this afternoon that many roads had 6-12 inches of standing water. On the side road to Leo's Outpost (I'll always remember it as DeMarco's!), a car sat in water up to the door handle. Since we couldn't cook outside, we went to Applebee's for supper. Guess what Noel had?

Noel's Friend Clint

2007-06-03T21:19:00.001-04:00

Noel refers to our neighbor across the street as "my friend Clint." Clint & Lynn are near his Grammy's age, but Clint has a John Deere Gator, and a tractor and bees! Noel and some of his friends from the daycare took a field trip to Clint's to "catch bugs." Notice the net and the bug box!

Good Neighbors

2007-05-30T05:40:00.001-04:00

We moved into our house during the bi-centennial celebration in 1976---31 years ago. For all of those years, Mr. & Mrs. Smith have been neighbors, good neighbors. Nicky and my dad planted a seedling in my front yard from a red bud tree in Smith's yard. Today, the tree towers over the house and is beautiful lavender in the early spring. Yesterday, I noticed this curious peony bud growing in the base of the tree.

Entranced through Technology

2007-05-27T16:10:00.000-04:00

Beth and Billy bought a new Tahoe, complete with built-in DVD player. Once Noel had a Sponge-Bob dvd in place, he was entranced by the movie. It's a great device for long trips!

It's hard to believe

2007-05-20T07:41:00.000-04:00

Beth and I were sad today as we visited our friend, Judy Lay, at Ingham Regional Medical Center. Judy went into the ER with chest pain and had a cardiac cath on Monday. Since then, she's had several bypass procedures, is on life support and dialysis. Judy was Beth's care-giver from age 1 through 6. In most recent years, she has been a support to Beth in questions about day care centers and child development. Judy and John's three daughters, Trina, Dawn and Vickie were there when we went to show support for John. They have grown into very beautiful. strong women with ten children among them!

The front yard smells deeply of lilacs as our bushes grown into full bloom. They are really much more "lilac" than white as in this picture. I remember when we moved into this house in 1976, there were 3 mammoth deep purple lilac bushes in the back yard that were a selling point to the house. We had to have them removed not long after we moved in because their dramatic root system interferred with the drainage system.

Night at the Mueseum

2007-05-15T06:30:00.000-04:00

With my grandson, I watched the commercials for the new Ben Stiller movie, "Night at the Museum." It looked good, I bought it when it came out on DVD, and we have watched it a trillion times! (Dumdum, I want gumgum!!) Anyway, Noel and I went to Best Buys to scout out new cameras (more about that later this week). There was a life-size poster display advertising the movie/DVD. When Noel saw it, he said, "Grammy, we've got to go to the museum! My first thoughts were h-m-m, it's four hours to Chicago, 2 hours to Detroit, we only have an hour and one-half, how are we going to do it?! Then I remembered the MSU Museum. Not sure if it was even open, we adventured on campus the day of MSU spring graduation. The Museum was open, free and with very few visitors. I don't know which of us had a better time. I was stunned at the impact the movie had on him that neither his parents nor I picked up at home. In each room we visited, he would hold up his hand and say, "Stop, Grammy. Be careful of the animals. " In the rooms with the big dinosaur and tiger exhibits, we skirted past the doorway--because he was afraid that they would walk. So, was the amusement of the video overshadowed by a new fear that all of these museum animals and people could come to life?

Great Lakes Mega Meet

2007-05-14T05:50:00.000-04:00

For the second year in a row, Beth & I attended the Great Lakes Scrapbooking Mega-Meet at the Rock Financial Center in Novi, Michigan. It's awesome, sometimes tiring and overwhelming. The Mega-Meet allows one to buy supplies from over 400 in one location, take classes, learn techniques, meet friends and have fun! We left early Friday morning with the obligatory stop at Beaner's to get started. This year, we used Friday to focus on the vendors and spent Saturday in classes. It is amazing the number of people who scrapbook and the amount of money spent to mount photographs!

It's An Addiction

2007-05-13T07:51:00.000-04:00

The updates on my blog site came to an abrupt halt on January 23, 2007. That is the day, with directions from my sister Dorrie, that I signed on to Pogo.com! It started out innocently with "Poppit." Then it was "Lottso." Then "Hollywood Slots." Through it all, Noel has learned to play "Poppit" very well, using the mouse and right & left clicks. When I realized this morning that it's been almost four months, I decided to get a grip! My previous goal was to blog every day. My revised goal is to add a blog every week---or more often!

Against all odds

2007-01-23T09:55:00.000-05:00

This weed is thriving in the crack between cement blocks of a huge plaza. It is the only weed in site, has no visible source of water or nutrition, and has survived the many feet that traverse the area. Why can't I keep a simple house plant alive and well?

Cape Harbour Marina

2007-01-21T20:51:00.000-05:00

We had lunch today at The Joint, one of the restaurants and shops at the new Cape Harbour Marina on South Chiquita Boulevard, Cape Coral, Florida. It was an absolutely balmy 80 degree day for a walk around the marina. Lunch at The Joint was light, the service excellent. The bistro-type pizza (I had the tomato, basil & mozzarella) was a 12" personal pizza served like those we had in Italy. The crust was thin and crispy, the toppings generous but not heavy or overwhelming. I also had the house salad, a variety of greens with roma tomatoes, slices of bell pepper and small pieces of cuke drizzled with the an oil & vinegar vinagrette. The "house" reisling was excellent and a perfect accompaniment to the pizza and salad.