Prep Time Begins

The UPS and FedEx trucks have been making several stops out in front to the house lately. Today I have been moving the contents from those packages down to my work room. This week the serious prep work begins. Have a few things I'm still waiting for, but have enough now to get started.

Besides preparing the class kits, there is experimentation going on with new ways of using some of the mediums I will be using. That is always fun. Along with preparations and experimenting, I have four different creations started to take along to the festival and wear. I guess I will be a walking advertisement for my favorite products.

I have patterns to copy, lists to make, instructions to write, sample boards to make and I'm sure there is something I am forgetting. In the next days and weeks, as all this preparation will be taking place, I hope to share some photos and comments here. Just before I leave for the Quilt Festival I will post the projects from the classes.

Thinking Green

List of statements concerning our environment ... Read them and give some thought to them.

Think green ... Go green ... Live green ... Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ... Save the Earth ... Eco-friendly ... Love the Earth ... Protect the Earth ... It's not easy being green! ... Everyday is Earth Day!

Quotes that truly have some meaning ...

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children"

"There is hope if people will begin to awaken that spiritual part of themselves, that heartfelt knowledge that we are caretakers of this planet."

Saturday in Chicago

Today we traveled into the city to see our son Matthew preform. He plays guitar and sings with a friend on Saturday's at a neat place called "Rockit Bar & Grill". It was our first visit to this River North establishment and don't think it will be our last. The atmosphere was cool, the food very good and really great bloody mary's! It was a beautiful day to be in the city of Chicago. People were everywhere.

Special Ladies

A few years ago I created this "altered" book. It was one of two projects that I was asked to contribute for a book called, The Altered Book Scrapbook" by Susan Ure. I titled the project "Special Lady" in honor of my very sweet mother. Using a children's board book found on the bargain table at a book store, I created a wonderful memory of my own mother. It sits on display for anyone to enjoy the photo story of her life.

This evening we are going to be celebrating another "Special Lady" in our family. Today is the birthday of my mother-in-law, Marge. She turns 89 today! She is the mother of nine children, the grandmother of 21 and great-grandmother of 17. We celebrate her ... she is a Special Lady!

Blueberry-Sour Cream Pound Cake with Lemon Cream

Today we are meeting a group of teachers that my husband taught with for lunch. They like to meet for lunch during the week that school begins. It's like a celebration of the fact that they have put in their years of service. They will be coming back to our house for coffee and dessert. Nothing is better than something homemade! Great recipe - give it a try. I adapted it from a "Martha" recipe.

For 1 loaf cake:

1 1/2 sticks of softened butter

1/4 cup of sour cream

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1 cup of blueberries

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

Sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease loaf pan. With mixer at high speed, cream butter, sour cream and sugar until pale and flufffy. Reduce speed and add vanilla. Break eggs into a small bowl and lightly beat them. Add eggs into batter and mix until just incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour and salt, blend well. In a small bowl toss the blueberries with 2 tablespoons of flour. Fold the blueberries into finished batter. Smooth top: sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 60 minutes or till cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool for 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool completely. Lemon Cream: 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and 2 tsp. of grated lemon zest. Combine in a bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Serve a dollop on a slice of cake. Sprinkle lightly with a bit of cinnamon sugar. ENJOY!

"Hat's On" for Jessica

Had to make a post concerning something that we did two weeks ago today. Our family was enjoying a wonderful week in the Wisconsin Northwoods at a place that has become a family tradition for 45 years. We are returning to the same place the week after Labor Day to celebrate the wedding of our niece Jessica to a great guy, Brett. Jessica enjoys traditional things but is a very modern young woman. So instead of the "traditional bridal shower" we celebrated by having a "tea". The photo is of the "Ladies of Nawakwa" decked out in our hats for this celebration with Jessica. It was a fun time.

The decor for the tea was rustic and simple and very unique! It's amazing what you can do with sand, rocks, leaves, wild flowers, ferns, birch bark and lake water.

Sit a Spell and Enjoy the View

There is something special to me about a porch. I guess it brings back memories of growing up in the city were most houses had a porch. It was a place where I played with my dolls. A place were we would just sit and talk. A place were we would sit and enjoy an ice cream cone on a warm summer evening.

When we were thinking about what we wanted in a new home, it had to have a porch. It's an inviting place for us to sit on two handmade bent willow chairs. We find ourselves enjoying the morning sunlight with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. At other times of the day just a great place to enjoy the quiet and wave to neighbors as the walk or drive by

Prepare

So far today it has been all about preparing for a upcoming opportunity. I feel fortunate to be teaching three classes at the Houston Quilt Festival in October. This is a pretty big deal for me.

Loads of things to take care of to make sure these classes go well. I want those taking them to learn something but have fun while doing it.

As it draws closer I will be posting more and more about this event.

Another opportunity that I feel very lucky to be a part of.

Collections

Do you have any collections? If so, what do you collect? I have several collections. Some are specifically for decorative purposes. Some are certain things I have a fondness for. Still others are purposeful collections, mostly related to what I enjoy doing like sewing, quilting, mixed media work, paper crafting and restyling old items. This photo is of a small collection of retro style kitchen items that I have found. Love those resale shops!!!

They Make Me Smile

So Much To Learn

It was a late night yesterday! I was searching for online blog help. So I'm back at it today reading, searching trying new ideas. I envy anyone who is considered a "computer geek".

It just fascinates me and I want to learn so much more. Back to the sites for reading and learning!

More later.

Changes are coming

Well I finally have had some time to play around with the look of this blog. Hope to keep making improvements and additions till I get the look I like. I love learning new things on my own, but I hope to get some advice from friends that have been blogging longer then me. I want to keep it simple but interesting with little touches here and there.

Creativity is Flowing

Well, I feel like I'm on a roll this week. Working hard to get everything organized for classes that I will be teaching in October at the "big" Houston Quilt Festival. Been working for the past couple of days to make contacts for help from many wonderful companies.

Putting together several ideas to make the classes projects something that the students will really enjoy. I like planning classes that will be a little different and filled with great ideas and techniques. It's exciting for me too, because I will be using some great new products that I'm thrilled to be promoting.

Let's Begin Again

After being away from posting on the blog I will be giving this another try. Hopefully this time around I will be able to keep up with posts. I will make comments from day to day. After reading other blogs of friends and other bloggers I see that this is a must. Another thing that I would like to do is add a photo of something that I'm working on or something to "spotlight" for each post. Maybe with practice this blog will inprove.