My $500 Tote Bag

Well, here it is - the $500 tote bag!  How did I arrive at the $500 mark?

• $110 - retreat fee
• $125 - my share of the cabin rental
• $80 - what I bought at the retreat
• $100 - what I ate over four days
• $20 - gas
• $20 - what I bought at Schatz' Bakery on the way home (yummy breads)
• $10 - two bottles of wine for Happy Hour

Okay, okay - that's only $465.  But doesn't the $500 tote bag sound better than the $465 tote bag?  Poetic license, I believe, is the term.  To be fair, it's actually only the $320 tote bag since my companions paid for my room and the gas to compensate me for using my car and for doing all the driving.  I think they were extra generous!

I'm pleased with the pinwheel blocks especially since it is a 5" block!  I didn't do as well with the sashing which starts out as a 1" strip.  Yikes!  With that narrow a strip, an accurate 1/4" seam is essential.  That lovely wooden button that I've been yearning to use now covers up the sashing which doesn't align perfectly.

I really do like the bag, and I am glad I went on the retreat.  Will I go next year?  That remains to be seen.  If I do go, I'll be better prepared for the experience.  I'll bring my own fabric and be much more relaxed.  I'll take more frequent walks around the lake.  And, I'll bring one more bottle of wine!

Quilt Retreat - Day Two

Fortunately, I slept very well on the second night.  I think I just collapsed from fatique and frustration!  So I was in much better spirits on the second full morning of the quilting retreat.  Here's a picture of the gals that I went with:

That's Nancy, me, and Ann in the first picture - Nancy again and Lois in the second picture.  We should have asked someone to take a picture of all four of us.

The best part of the retreat was being with these great friends from the Oasis Quilt Guild.  We are at vastly different stages in our quilting adventure - me being the least experienced, least serious, and most stressed out about quilting!  It's difficult for four women who haven't been friends very long to get through four days of togetherness, two of which were spent in a car driving 350 miles!

Back to the retreat.  By the time I got to the community center on the second day, I had decided to relax, enjoy the experience, and not fret about what I did or did not get sewn.  I also decided to just focus on the $500 tote bag and forget about actually making a quilt top.  I cornered Cheri, one of the organizers and teachers, while she was taking a break from cutting fat quarters and just plopped down in front of her on the floor with my pen and pad in hand.  I told her that I wanted to make one of the blocks from her large quilt to use as the front pocket of the tote rather than the needle felted design that the tote project called for.  She patiently walked me through all the steps on how to make the block (a 5" spinning wheel pinwheel block).  I think she realized as I was writing down everything step by step and clarifying as we went along that this quilter needs lots of help and lots of instruction!

It took me the rest of the day, but I did get the blocks done, the pocket made, and the quilt almost completed!  I took lots of breaks to walk in the neighborhood, even perusing the used books at the local thrift store.  I also enjoyed talking to the quilter next to me, a local resident whose husband is a recently retired veterinarian.  Best of all was watching the grandmother and granddaughter work together at the table behind me.  Grandma brought her 11-year-old GD to her first quilt retreat!  The GD did marvelously both on her own and with Grandma's help.

We had the only row with all Featherweights!  Five little Featherweights all in a row.  From front to back, Lois' from around 1940, Nancy's from the 50s, Ann's then mine (both from 1938).  The last one nearest the window belonged to a fellow quilter from Mammoth Lakes.  She is the original owner - it was her first sewing machine that her parents bought her when she was 14!  I didn't ask her age, but my guess is that the machine dates from about 1958.  She's just recently gotten it out of the closet, had it cleaned and tuned up, and started sewing again. 

Tomorrow, I'll show you a picture of the tote bag.  I actually like it and plan to use it!

One thoughtful moment

DH and I are heading north tomorrow morning - early - to attend the wedding on Sunday of a dear friend's son.  It's an outdoor wedding somewhere nestled in the Sonoma Wine Country.  Should be lovely.

I'm not crazy about traveling on Memorial Day weekend, but there was never a doubt that we would attend this wedding.  Jonny, the groom, has been a part of our lives since the day his sister and our daughter were born within hours of one another.  Our families and our lives have been intertwined ever since.  We look forward to meeting Amy, the girl Jonny has chosen to share his life.  She must be extra special to have stolen Jonny's heart!

As we head off to this most happy occasion, I promise myself that I will take at least one thoughtful moment to say a silent "thank you" to the men and women who have fought and died over the years to protect our country, our freedoms, and our future.  This is not a time to be partisan.  This is simply a time to be grateful for their sacrifice and the sacrifice of their families.

As you watch parades, hang the flag, start the barbecue, I hope you, too, will take one thoughtful moment to remember those whose lives were shortened by the anguish of war.

Some years, Thanksgiving has a very special meaning

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  The family arrived safely; the turkey was almost perfect (I need to "tweak" the recipe - too salty); my sister only drove me half crazy; and the grandchildren had a great time searching for colorful leaves, riding a tricycle on the patio, and just being children.  My daughter actually took time to eat dinner!

For me, however, what made this Thanksgiving extra special was that we welcomed a brand new life into our extended family.  My daughter's closest friend gave birth on Wednesday night (at 11:13 p.m.) to her first child, Joel William.  Joel was just a little late in his arrival (eight days), but we'll forgive him his tardiness because he represents a joyful addition to our lives.

When I became pregnant with our second child in the 70s, Doug and I signed up for Lamaze classes.  Our first child, Matthew, was born using the Lamaze method and, since all had gone well, we decided to go that route once again.  We met a really nice couple during our series of classes, Bill and Judi, and shared notes on practicing breathing exercises, raising our almost-two-year-old sons, and life in general.  We had no idea that our lives would forever be linked - our daughters were born on the very same day in the very same hospital in the very same delivery room!  In fact, I went into labor when my husband was out of town on a business trip and Bill ended up serving as labor coach to both Judi and to me - an almost-stranger from Lamaze class!  Sara, our daughter, was born at 1:52 a.m. and Natalie Laura followed later that day around 8 a.m.  I remember hearing Natalie's first cries as I was eating my very soggy eggs.

Our families became fast friends.  Our sons met while standing tiptoe on stepstools to look through the glass window at their new baby sisters.  Judi and I spoke daily on the phone sharing the ups and downs of being young mothers with infants and toddlers -- were the toddlers gifted or just incorrigible?  How fast could we go back to work without being labeled unfit mothers?  (Remember - this was the 70s!)  We talked ourselves through childhood illnesses, the challenges of marriage, economic woes - in short, we supplied a lifeline to one another via the telephone.

We had cherished traditions.  Together, we trimmed Christmas trees and sang carols.  Together, we made latkes and lit the Channukah candles.  Judi's mom became "Grandma Esther" to my children.  We always, without fail, celebrated the girls' birthday together and and listened as Bill retold the story of the night they were born.  The girls became closer and closer friends as they grew up.

Sara and Natalie went to high school together, graduated on the same night, selected the same college, and became college roommates.  Together, we moved the girls into that tiny, tiny room at Humboldt State College and tearfully left them alone.

Shortly after they started their second year of college, Sara noticed a lump on Natalie's neck and urged her to get it checked out.  Natalie was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease; Judi and Bill brought her home for her surgery and treatment.  Part of Natalie's treatment involved removing her spleen and undergoing radiation.  In order to increase the chances that she would be able to conceive children, the surgeons somehow protected her ovaries from the dangers of radiation.

Natalie came through her treatment with flying colors; the girls completed college and both became elementary school teachers.

Sadly, shockingly, unexpectedly, we lost Bill to a massive heart attack in his mid-50s.  We hugged, we cried, we grieved.  I remember Sara asking me, "Mom, what do I say?  How do I talk to Natalie?"  Just hug her, I said.  Just tell her you love her.

Happily, the girls each met the loves of their lives.  Natalie was Sara's maid of honor in 2003 when she married Brian; Sara, at 7 months pregnant, was a beaming bridesmaid when Natalie married her Percy a few years later.

I watched Natalie lovingly hold each of Sara's three babies.  We celebrated joyfully when we learned that Natalie and Percy were going to become parents.  And, on the eve of this Thanksgiving, we welcomed Joel William into this crazy world.  I can't quite get the smile off of my face.  I can hardly wait to hold him and tell him I love him.  There are 32 years of family stories that I want to share with him!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

My Bernina comes through again ...

Just finished a little project for a wedding shower that I'm going to on Saturday. One of my local quilt stores carries toweling by the yard. You only have to cut to length, finish the top hem, add a colorful fabric border and some coordinating machine embroidery, and voila - a unique handmade gift at a reasonable cost. This is the third one I've made. They are fun to design, fun to stitch, and have been well received. This time I actually prewashed the toweling since I was a bit dubious about how they would wash up. Of course, I could be proactive and make one up for myself and wash it to see the outcome. But, nah, that's too much trouble!

I'll let you know how the bride-to-be likes this one.

Why I hate Facebook ....

If you haven't read yesterday's post, please scroll down and take a minute to read it. Otherwise, this will not make any sense! I'm probably breaking some kind of "blogosphere" rule - don't make your readers go back to read old posts. Oh, well. I am a newbie afterall.

I have been joyful over the last few weeks to reconnect through the Internet (thank you, Al Gore) with several friends from my youth. These are people that I've thought about off and on through the years and wondered how they were doing, what they were doing, why didn't we stay in touch, etc. The usual stuff that we deal with as life passes us by decade by decade rather than year by year.

So the Internet, and Facebook, allowed me to find these friends. It has definitely been rewarding and brought smiles to my face and laughter to my heart. But there is a downside. I discovered that my two best buds from the Peace Corps have been through divorces. One lost an adult child to diabetes.

My high school love is a widower.

I'm not particularly sentimental, but I have been in a bit of a "blue" mood these past few days. I haven't been in touch with these friends in many years, yet the emotional attachment must still be there. Facebook has brought me both the joy of renewed friendship and the pain of knowing that life does not always go as planned. I need to be reminded of this now and then so that I can be thankful for the life I have.

Why I love Facebook

A few months ago, a friend got me interested in Facebook. I created an account, logged on, but couldn't really figure out what all the buzz was about. Why was this so much better than just plain old e-mail for keeping in touch? Maybe e-mail was going the way of snail mail? Hmmmm .... the old brain just didn't compute the benefits of Facebook.

I added a few friends, got a few invitations to be a friend, and sailed along happily without Facebook being a part of my daily routine. I often have trouble sleeping, so one night I was playing around on the computer and decided to search for some old friends - actually, old boyfriends. Couldn't find the three of them (I have a rather short dating history) so moved on to friends from my Peace Corps days. I was thrilled to find one of my best Peace Corps buddies on Facebook! Within a couple of days, we were communicating and catching up with our lives. One friend led to another which led to another .... well, you know how Facebook works. The most fun was seeing our pictures and realizing that we would walk right by one another in any shopping mall in the country. Some of us age well, and some of us don't.

This week, I tried again with the old boyfriends and connected with my first love from high school. It's a little strange to think that 40 or so years have passed since we were so crazy about one another, but it has been fun to share where life has taken us.

So, I love Facebook. I still don't quite understand how all the pieces fit, who sees what on whose wall, how to prevent the world from seeing everything you write, etc. But Facebook has given me back 3 of my best buddies. That's worth a lot of thank yous to the two very rich guys from Harvard who started it all.

Hot, Hot, Hot

We're in the middle of an extended heat wave. Yuck! At 2:45 p.m. it is about 103 degrees - definitely stay-in-the-house weather. We had a nice visit with our friends George & Merle and their two dogs. They left about an hour ago to drive back to Thousand Oaks. It was fun to have dogs in the house again.

Dinner turned out well last night. Here's a super easy dessert recipe for a hot summer night:

Creamy Coconut Pie
3 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups coconut
3 ounces Cool Whip
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Beat cream cheese until softened. Beat in sugar. Gradually add milk and beat until smooth. Fold in coconut, whipped topping and extract. Spoon into crust. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before cutting.

Off to vacuum the floors a bit since the dogs dragged in stuff from the backyard. Then, back to sewing! I'm going to make napkins to match the placemats that I embroidered a month ago. Hopefully, I can find the embroidery design that I used. I need to get better organized with my designs.

Something for Tasha!

Finished the romper that I have been working on for Tasha, our 5-month-old granddaughter. Can hardly wait to see her cute chubby body in this! It's hard to tell from the picture, but the fabric has pink and yellow flowers on it. It looked a little plain when I finished it, so I added the heart applique on light yellow fabric and embroidered "My Oma Loves Me" on the applique. First project using my new very expensive embroidery software, EditorPlus from Bernina. It is nice to be able to create your own stuff - hard to find "Oma" in available designs for purchase.

Wait 'til Tasha's mom sees that there are 5 buttons on the back of the romper! I probably should have used a different method of closure, but I'm the type that follows the directions especially the first time I use a pattern. Doubt if I'll make this view again, though (Butterick 5326).

Time to go back to the kitchen (where I belong????). Friends Merle & George are visiting this weekend. Merle is truly a gourmet cook, so I'm under self-imposed pressure to make a delicious dinner. I've already made an eggplant & red pepper dip for an appetizer, gazpacho for the first course, and a coconut pie for dessert. Rest of the meal will be smoked salmon & cocumber sandwiches for a second appetizer, salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, rib-eye steaks on the grill, and oven-baked potatoe wedges.

Back to Reality

We arrived home from our trip yesterday afternoon. I've spent the whole day washing, food shopping, paying bills - the usual crap that you have to do when you return from vacation. Always takes a little of the enjoyment out of vacations, doesn't it?

We had a nice time visiting with our friends in Twin Lakes. It was pretty windy during our visit which annoyed the fishermen in the group. Our son, Matt, caught one fish before our arrival. At least he didn't get skunked like last year! Everyone seemed to enjoy the beef stroganoff dinner and the brownies.

On Thursday, we left Twin Lakes and drove the Tioga Pass through Yosemite National Park. What a gorgeous drive! We've been to the park several times and travelled the Sonora Pass route a few years ago. There was little traffic on the northern route, so we were able to enjoy the magnificent scenery at a nice pace. We arrived at the bed and breakfast in Three Rivers (Sequoia River Dance) around 6 p.m. The B&B is lovely on the inside and the backyard is spectacular - right up against a beautiful little stream. Doug and I enjoyed cocktail hour on the patio each night just listening to the sounds of the stream and the birds. Three Rivers reminded both of us of Nevada City -- the pros and the cons. Idyllic scenery, peaceful living, eclectic housing!

After our yummy breakfast Friday, we drove into Sequoia National Park along the Generals Highway - a road with switchbacks unlike any you have ever seen! No speeding here. We decided to hike the Tokopah Falls trail and take lunch along with us. Several hikers told us about a momma bear and cub along the way, but we did not see them. Maybe that's for the best since they might have been tempted by our sandwiches!

So many of the visitors to the park were from outside the country - we heard many visitors speaking French, Hebrew, German, Asian languages - quite a variety of nationalities. Nice to see so many enjoying the beauty that the U.S. has to offer. Political comment here: maybe this makes amends for some of our shortcomings on the world stage during the past administration.

We returned to the park on Saturday and hiked Crescent Meadows, a less strenuous hike. Doug was walking in front of me when I heard something in the underbrush. A mid-sized bear sprinted across our trail right in front of us! It was really exciting ... and a little scary, too. The bear ran behind a felled tree, so we didn't know where he was going. We stayed still for a minute or two until we could see the bear about 15 feet away from us in the meadow chomping away on something. The bear did not seem to care about us at all; Doug took pictures and we watched the bear just being a bear for about 5 minutes. How cool is that?

Good trip. Nice to be home. Wish the damn wash was done!