Catching Up!

Wow! I bet I have lost all my followers since I haven't posted anything since March 2012! I thought it was more like a year. So much has happened. Well, not really that much.

Can't remember much about 2012 except my sisters, Leslie and Kris, and I went to Alaska together that summer and had a great time.

In 2013 however lots of things kept me busy. I "retired" from teaching quilting in our public adult school program, but stayed on as a substitute. My daughter, Kecia, and I took a trip of a lifetime to Scotland, England and Paris in April. It was actually a gift from her and my son-in-law. We took a 12-day tour of Scotland and England and then had four days in Paris on our own. I was thrilled to see Scotland as my grandmother emigrated from Glasgow in 1899. And also because both Kecia and I are big fans of the series of novels by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander, that are set in 18th century Scotland and in colonial America. And what can I say about Paris that would express my feeling about that wondrous place? Just think "April in Paris." It was lovely. We visited as many places as we could in 4 days--the Louve, the Musee D'Orsay, a bus tour of the city, Sacre Coeur, a day at Versailles, Notre Dame and a walk along the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, eating in cafes, and a little shopping at a quilt shop we found (tres expensive!). Wish I had blogged about the experience then as we had such a wonderful time.

I had my house painted this past year. Stayed with basically the same colors-a pale green with a dark green trim. Also had to buy a new furnace in November. The old one was 47 years old, the original when they built the house, so I guess I'm lucky it lasted as long as it did.

I went to Alaska again last summer to see my son and daughter-in-law. This time I took my grandson, Garrett, with me. He is 11 and had a good time. He went to a baseball camp, several baseball games (college players in the Alaska Baseball League), did some climbing, hiked up Mt Alyeska, went to the Anchorage Museum and the Alaska Zoo, saw a couple movies, and ate crab and salmon.

I am currently working on a commissioned quilt for a family friend and am in the final stages--adding borders. It is a king-size and I drafted the pattern from a photo of a small section of a quilt he liked. I need to finish it and get it to a longarm quilter soon.

I also bought a Sweet Sixteen quilting machine last summer. It is what is known as a mid-arm machine and you sit at it to quilt. I don't have room for a regular longarm machine. It has a huge arm opening and a table so it is wonderful to quilt on, but I'm not ready to try my hand at a king-size so I'll be taking this quilt to a longarm quilter. I won first place for a quilt I entered in our guild quilt show in October in the challenge contest. It happened to be the first piece I quilted on the new machine.

Well, I'll sign off for now and wish you (anyone who is still out there) a very happy and healthy new year!