Posted By drsao on April 25, 2009

Friday was such a great day – I got to meet P. Buckley Moss for the first time at THE BARN – her home in Waynesboro, VA.  She is so nice to open her home to all of her Moss Society members – and she tirelessly autographed our prints, books, and pins….yes she autographed our pins for 2009.   She has such beautiful handwriting and it was a thrill to have my first Moss print “Star City Quilt” signed by her. 

Now I want to live in a Barn too.  It is so open and airy – and roomy – and just  simply cozy.   

Check out the view that Pat has from her back porch!  What a peaceful setting!  I really enjoyed looking at all of her art work and pieces of folk art that she has collected.  It was SO MUCH FUN!

Marla and I both had a great time and we ran into some of our friends from MOSS ON THE JAMES.  They were on their way to have a scrapbooking party!  I imagine they were going to have a great time!

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Posted By drsao on April 24, 2009

I cannot believe that I have lived in Virginia for four years and today was my first visit to Monticello – the home of Thomas Jefferson.  It was a memorable visit and I am still reeling with excitement from the experience.  It is my FAVORITE historical site that I have visited thus far!  

This man made such an impact on history that it is unbelievable.  He wrote his own epitaph and it was INTERESTING to see what he was PROUD OF. He drafted the Declaration of Independence, he wrote the proclamation for religious freedom (separation of church and state) and he founded the University of Virginia…..NO MENTION OF BEING THE 3rd PRESIDENT OF THE United States!  He was a connoisseur of new inventions and an educated person – he believed that  education empowered the individual.   He could read in 7 or 8 languages and he once said that he could not live without his books.  His life is inspirational to me.   To learn more about UV go to www.virginia.edu

I cannot believe all that this ONE PERSON accomplished…..he was an architect, a gardener, a family man, a politician, a president….unbelievable!  He must have been a charming person because people flocked to Monticello regularly to visit with him.

I love this quote….

Determine never to be idle.

No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any.

It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.
Thomas Jefferson

He also said something VERY INTERESTING ABOUT BEING PRESIDENT OF THE US!  I am paraphrasing –

The presidency is a SPENDID MISERY and a job where “I LOSE FRIENDS DAILY.”

Even though he hated slavery, he owned slaves – and he may have even fathered one child or more with his slave, Sally Hemmings.  What an interesting situation.   It made me realize – even more than ever before – what the life of the slave was like in Virginia.  I never realized that children worked from sun up until sun down after they reached the age of 10 – boys making nails and girls weaving.  They got two outfits of clothing a year. I wonder how they kept warm in their log cabins when Jefferson noted that at least on one occasion the ink in his pen froze!

The tours today were OUTSTANDING – the weather was PERFECT – and the TULIPS WERE BEAUTIFUL.    When you look at the pictures note the tree stump of one of the ORIGINAL trees at Monticello.  It rotted from the inside out.  

IT WAS A VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE …. and I took lots of pictures.  🙂

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Posted By drsao on April 23, 2009

WHOPEEE – today I got my Strip Twist top and back ready to be quilted.  This was Bonnie K. Hunter’s Quiltville Super Bowl 2009 Challenge – and I finally took some time today to get it ready for the last step.  I did it in shades of blue – with some other colors thrown in – a little red (I seem to be developing a theme – some people call it a color rut – I call it a theme!!!  :):)

LOOK – what do you think?  I added a small border and some piano keys for an additional border.  I think I like it!!!  I thought that this was going to be a charity quilt, but I have some fabric in here that was left over from making Leanna’s 4th grade colonial day costume – so I think I am going to have to keep this one!  🙂

Top of Strip Twist

Back of Strip Twist

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Posted By drsao on April 23, 2009

Have you ever been so happy and overwhelmed that you just cried?  I cried at The Fresh Market today (off Midlothian Turnpike near the Chesterfield Mall in Midlothian, VA.)  Seriously, I was that happy.  Yes, it was a bit embarrassing, but I just couldn’t help it, everything was so beautiful and PERFECT.  For one hour today I felt like I was back in California (they have The Fresh Market there.  :))

The music, the flowers, the candles, the nuts, the produce, the bakery, the chocolate…..OH MY. 

When I walked in I was greeted by a display of FRESH WHOLE pineapple and the scent of FRESH ORGANIC STRAWBERRIES just flooded my senses.  OH MY.  There were barrels of coffee beans…..and PEETS COFFEE – and they had my favorite, MAJOR DICKINSON BLEND and they even had the whole beans (I like to grind my own.)

My DD is laughing at me because I came home and started looking at the FRESH MARKET website.  I am SERIOUS, I did NOT want to leave that place.  I can’t wait to go back!

This place just went on my LIST OF FAVORITE THINGS!  Next time I am going to take my camera – for now, I am borrowing pictures from the FRESH MARKET website to share.

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Posted By drsao on April 19, 2009

Now, I USUALLY don’t comment on Dictionary.com. 

I get a daily e-mail which includes the word for the day – and I enjoy that a lot.  But rarely do I get inspired enough to pass this on…….however……..

Today’s word just made me giggle – who knows why!

But CREPUSCULAR is now my new favorite word….I thought I would post this so you will know what I am saying…….LOL

You could call someone a CREPUSCULAR WIT and they might think it was a compliment!

Word of the Day for Sunday, April 19, 2009

crepuscular \kri-PUS-kyuh-lur\, adjective:

1. Of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim.
2. (Zoology) Appearing or active at twilight.

I’ve been through their checkout and noted its resemblance to Hades – the crepuscular gloom, the dungeon lighting, the mile-long shuffling queue, the glum, sickly faces, the trolleys piled high with flat-pack cardboard units.
— John Walsh, “btw”, Independent, February 12, 2005

In the crepuscular lobby, a broad circle of monitors laid on their backs on the floor blinked up at a laser show spiraling across a tentlike scrim stretched just below the building’s blacked-out skylight.
— David Joselit, “Planet Paik – Nam June Paik’s works”, Art in America, June, 2000

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