Shirley Anne’s Heart

The DANCE RECITALS (one at 3 and a second at 7 pm)  today were wonderful (and as one might have already surmised, I MIGHT not be the most objective person in the world to have an opinion!)  In fact I am such a SAP that I cry every time my grandangels dance (yes at tech rehearsal, dress rehearsal and then AGAIN for the real thing…..I just cry when I am happy - and yes, it is a tad bit embarrassing!)

Grandangel Leanna (12) danced to VISTA FROM A CAR WINDOW - a modern dance done barefoot.  I have also included a picture of all of the girls in her group.

Sarah (8) was in three dances.  The first was an IRISH DANCE - St. Patrick’s Day Parade (I LOVE IRISH DANCING!)  I love their green velvet dresses!

Sarah also took jazz this year - and their dance was YELLOW TAXI  CAB!  Sister Leanna has claimed the taxi-cab outfit for her Halloween costume next year!  (Even though Leanna is 12 and Sarah is 8 they are very similar in size.)

Sarah’s last dance was ballet to CHINA TOWN.  Sarah was so excited that she got to keep the fan!  Isn’t it fabulous to get so happy about little things in life!  :)  Sarah says this will be her Halloween costume next year! 

Lilies

I just HAD to share more pictures of my MIRACLE LILIES from QVC……even more are in bloom.

I can hardly believe these humongous blooms - they are almost as large as Nanna’s face….and I had to snap this picture on our way to the beauty shop this morning to put Nanna’s hair in a French braid for the recital.

These lilies from Roberta’s Farms (QVC) are almost as TALL AS SARAH!

QUILTY STUFF

I can’t let a day go by without sewing - even a BUSY day.  I made my blocks (I am making two each month) for the QUILTER’S CORNERS Block of the month - for June.

I just love these Civil War Repro fabrics and the patterns too…..we started in April with this one….

and then for May it was…….

And I put a few more YO YO FLOWERS on my BIRTH OF A SAMPLER QUILT…..I am just so excited about these YO YOs!

And……I cut some border material for the ORANGE CRUSH MYSTERY QUILT.

That sounds like a pretty good day to me!  :):)

Tags: Birth of a Sampler Quilt, Quilter's Corners BOM Quilt, SAO's Grandangels by drsao
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Monday, May 19, my grandangel in California, CHASE,  turned 17 and he did a great job on his S.A.T.s  He is still a bit young to vote, but he has made his political choice with gusto.

Monday was a big day of celebration!

Also on Monday, I was  the substitute teacher for grandangel, Sarah’s second grade class.  Does Sarah look happy with her little Webkinz mouse on her head?

Usually, at the end of the year the children are EXTREMELY excited and not prone to listening - so grandangel, Leanna, made me a puppet and we named her MS. TOODLES.

I went to school armed with two bags of candy (rewards for only the very best behavior) and I placed Ms. Toodles on the blackboard with a magnetic clamp.  She watched the children so that she could decide who would get candy at the end of the day.  I then taught the children how to be LOUD in SIGN LANGUAGE and how to say WOW, WAY TO GO, and I taught them how to say “close your mouth, please” in French.  They loved it!  I also taught them the BRAIN DANCE - to get the wiggles out and to relax them at various points during the day.

You may not have heard of it (since I made it up!) So if you are a teacher or a sub (or a regular “normal” person LOL) - you may want to try this little brain break

(exercise and relaxation - and laughter - deliver oxygen to the brain!)

B   breathe in to the count of four and then out to the count of four

R   raise up on your toes to the count of four twice

A   raise your arms up to the count of four and then down to the count of four

I   imitate a smile (facial smile excercises) to the count of four - twice

N   nod the head IN SLOW MO….very gently - front - left - back - right - repeat

We had an absolutely WONDERFUL AND UNUSUALLY PEACEFUL DAY!  Ms. Toodles was proud to present candy to every single child in the class.  Who would have thought that such model behavior could result from a bag lady with candy! 

I had such a GOOD DAY with those second graders (although I must say that it was a humbling experience when we talked about PAST vs PRESENT times and the kids didn’t know what a record player or a typewriter was!  When I asked them how they thought a person could correct a mistake on a typewriter - one child said, ‘It must have a DELETE button!”  These are children of the computer age for sure!)

And Tuesday, May 20, my grandangel Cooper graduated from preschool…..and Grandma Shirley cried because all of the little children were so cute!  They walked in, sang several songs and then were presented with their graduation certificates while the teacher announced what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Cooper’s aspiration is to be a STAR WARS JEDI!

Quilting…..a day without quilting is like a day without chocolate!

I am so excited about my progress with my Grandmother’s Flower Garden….I am LOVING it and find it very relaxing to do the handwork.  My friend, Sheddy, taught me a new and improved way to paper piece (not sewing through the paper but making a little stitch at each line intersection through the fabric only - but still folded around the paper template.)  I love learning new things and I am getting faster and faster….

Here is a close up of a completed flower….I love these 30’s fabrics!

And this is what I have sewn together!  (This is addictive!!!)

You are probably supposed to sew these together in a more systematic way

- but for now, it works!

AND….I just finished the Quilter’s Corner Block of the Month blocks from civil war reproduction fabrics…I was SO PLEASED (and amazed) that my points came out relatively well!

I love these blocks so much - I have made two for April and two for May!

I also sewed the binding on two quilts and pieced a quilt back today….WHOO HOO!

And that is NOT ALL!  Today my daughter and I got  pedicures compliments of my husband for Mother’s Day.  Christi may just FAINT when she sees her feet published in a mother-daughter pose!  But, oh well, silliness is good for the soul!

On the way to get our pedicures we HAD to stop for Starbucks and at Barnes and Noble I got another James Patterson book.  HONEYMOON.

I have only read the first 71 pages - it is wonderful so far - and guess who is NOT going to sleep tonight!  There are not enough locks on the doors for me to sleep tonight!

I can tell that this is going to be a good week -

look what fun I’ve had in only the first two days!

Tags: Book Recommendation, Life Comments, Quilter's Corners BOM Quilt, SAO's Grandangels by drsao
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The WAKEFIELD QUILT RETREAT was an adventure…

….a lot of fun….

and it was a great learning experience! 

I REALLY learned SO MUCH.

The first thing that I learned is that these women are A LOT OF FUN TO BE WITH!

We laughed a lot - and we even found an additional NANCY (#3 - with the name tag on) who came over to laugh with NANCY (#1 - the jewelry designer - in red) and NANCY (#2 - the resident RIPPER - not in red)  at dinner.  (We didn’t know Nancy #3 - but her group must not have been as much fun as ours because, as you can see, she is NOT sitting at her table with HER group !)

Karen, Gloria (holding the quilter’s sign) and Carolyn are waiting for those wonderful homemade rolls!

The second thing that I learned is that these women DO NOT PICK BORING PLACES FOR THEIR RETREATS!

We had a GLORIOUS VIEW of the outdoors! And we were serenaded by singing ducks every morning! it was beautiful, peaceful, and refreshing! Our parking area even had a lovely view!  It rained (my favorite weather) - well, it was just perfect!

 I LOVED the 4-H Airfield Retreat Center!

We also had plenty of wildlife to enjoy (this had to be a FIRST for me - a bear in the dining area!)

Here are some of us with the bear - and of course I had to have a personal close up photo with this HUMONGOUS BEAR…….I have named her Jane - but I heard rumors that she might have originally been John but I have decided that SHE should be an honorary member of the DEAR JANE QUILTERS group!) 

And….I HAVE to make a Dear Jane Quilt - it is now on my TO DO LIST!

And isn’t this little Rosie bobcat cute?  The other critters in the dining area were quite interesting as well! 

The third thing that I learned is that Wakefield, VA has a UNIQUE QUILT STORE…….

Ning’s House of Crochets - it was a one-of-a-kind quilt store for sure.  In fact, many of us went to NING’S MORE THAN ONCE - and some folks may have even made the journey three times.  Our sides ached with joy - it was so much fun! That store was unbelievable. Where else can you get china thimbles from the BLANK display in Houston, 2005 - FREE?!

I had to take a picture of the sign for the quilt store.

And that is NOT ALL - under the big sign was a smaller sign - and it made us SMILE for four whole days!

The CRAPBOOK WING of the fabric store was evidently a new feature….there was one stand with a few stickers and some papers.  Oh my - even if there was only a scant array of supplies for memory making - there was EVERYTHING ELSE in that store.  Crochet thread, knitting yarn, buttons, quilt fabric, pillow forms, dolls, antique pottery, towels, potholders, scarves, shawls, tapestry fabric, netting, thread, glue sticks, patterns……..and this is only a SMALL LIST of the treasures available at NING’S…..so it is easy to understand why it took multiple trips to Ning’s to get the full experience!

Now to a comment about the “OP EN” part of the sign at Ning’s.  OPEN takes on new meaning for Ning’s House of Crochets because the TRUTH is that Ning’s is NEVER OPEN.  The door is kept LOCKED.  If one wants to shop there, one has to e-mail the owner….which could be a problem because Claudette DID e-mail the owner to announce our shopping intentions but the owner did NOT read her e-mail - because “no one sends her e-mail” so she doesn’t check it!  :)  Her e-mail address continues to be posted on her sign and on her business cards….but in case you REALLY WANT to shop there, call or KNOCK LOUDLY!

See how HAPPY going to Ning’s made Claudette!!

The fourth thing that I learned is that these wonderful women are talented and creative!

Look at SOME of the beautiful things that were created during these past few days!

Unfortunately many of my pictures were fuzzy so not everyone is pictured below with their masterpieces - but here are a few (the fuzzy pictures might have had something to do with the fact that I dropped my camera and it fell apart prior to my downloading these pictures)

Carolyn and her beautiful - absolutely amazing - 5-year work of art! I am so impressed.  I would have never been able to get that quilt together, much less quilt it myself! 

CAROLYN GETS THE AWARD FOR MAKING THE MOST COMPLEX DESIGN STATEMENT!

She also gets the title of GUIDE FOR THE DIRECTIONALLY IMPAIRED - she was so nice to meet me so that I could follow her to the retreat….yes I am a directionallly impaired person and I am so thankful that I had a GUIDE PERSON!  :):):) 

Gloria color coordinated her jewelry and clothing to complement her happy quilt creation (this woman - who I named GRACE for no rational reason whatsoever - has a sense of humor to die for!)  I don’t know the name of her quilt - but it is very pretty!  She also did some fancy stitching on her HAPPY wall hanging!

GLORIA GETS THE AWARD FOR BEING THE MOST COLOR COORDINATED WITH HER HAPPY QUILTS!

Look at Mary’s Miniature Masterpieces…..they are so fabulous.  I was inspired and just might HAVE to try making one of these mini wall hangings!  

MARY GETS THE AWARD FOR MAKING THE TINIEST PERFECT WORKS OF ART AT THE RETREAT!

Sue made this kitty quilt - and it made me OOH and AAH - since I am a super lover of all things CATS, I developed an instant attachment to this one!  Isn’t it just TOO CUTE!!!  She also made the red and white table runner in the DISPLAY AREA…..unfortunatlely I didn’t get a good picture of Lynn, the creator of the beautiful  bargello type quilt - blues and greens - but her quilt is great!

SUE GETS THE AWARD FOR MAKING THE CUTEST CAT QUILT AT THE RETREAT!

And now for Claudette…….amazing productivity.  I lost count of all of her charity quilts that she quilted - but there is at least ONE of her stacks of completed work pictured above.  I think she also had a suitcase somewhere full of projects.  Her 12 appliqued blocks on the right were a gift to Gloria and I made a “mental note” to be really nice to Claudette from now on! 

Claudette’s CHRISTMAS TREE SKIRT just makes my heart happy - for real.  I love it. Unfortunately I got away without a picture of the most beautiful appliqued quilt ever!  I have named it CLAUDETTE’S LOST AND FOUND GARDEN QUILT.  The next time that you see her you can ask her why I named it that!  (OK OK - I will tell you - because she lost two corner blocks and had searched everywhere, only to find out that they were sewn onto the quilt already……how many of us have BEEN THERE DONE THAT!)

CLAUDETTE GETS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS TREE SKIRT AWARD AND THE MOST PROJECTS  COMPLETED AWARD!  She is definitely the Charity Quilt Queen of this retreat!

THE BEST JEWELRY MAKER AWARD GOES TO NANCY - AND THE BEST FIRST QUILT (GRANDMOTHER’S FLOWER GARDEN) GOES TO NANCY’S MOM, MAGGIE, aka the knitter! 

Nancy made us beautiful jewels to match our outfits!  I am pictured below with Nancy - and I am wearing the earrings and necklace that she designed!  I wish I had pictures of all of the jewelry that Claudette and Gloria had - every outfit had matching jewelry designs by Nancy!

And the uncontested title of the QUILTER WHO DID THE MOST UNSEWING goes to NANCY THE RIPPER!

Here she