Berry picking time!

Today was the first of the summer sleepovers for the girls and we met at the strawberry patch. Today is their first day here and the last day for u-pick!  I need one more pie this weekend!

Adelaide never, ever, ever stops talking.  Never. Ever.   Here, she is naming the strawberries she picked. One by one by one by one......

They are both eager and willing pickers and all we needed to tell Adelaide was to pick the red ones, the same bright as her jacket.

Elizabeth had her arms full with her cuddle, her crocodile, her basket...she's a good picker but eats about half of what she picks.

 

We took a break in the shade.  She picked a juicy big one from her basket.  I asked her to hold it up for a picture. This is her GULP smile.  The berry didn't make it and she told me this is her juicy smile.

Imp.

Meeting friends

Last night Friend Marilyn and I met our retreat quilting friends for their bee meeting.  We don't usually join them because the group lives 30 minutes from both of us and during the work week it's a late night - especially for me, who has to be in bed by 9 p.m.
    But last night was the night before the last day of school for the summer and I wanted to do something fun.  The meeting was going to be on the shore of Lake Michigan in a picnic alcove.  Not much quilting got done.  Much laughing, though.  It was a spectacularly beautiful evening and we just ate and laughed.

 

We all did bring projects, they didn't get handled or worked on, but they attended the meeting.

Janice found this quilt IN SOMEONE'S TRASH at the side of the road!!!  The border is chewed up but with a little repair she'll have a decent utility quilt. It looked much brighter in person.  The sun was intense last night.
    Last day of school!  First day of summer vacation!  I'm going to go home and take a nap!

Missing in Action

I've been missing in action for a couple of weeks.  A couple of busy weeks where I couldn't cobble together even ten minutes to visit blogland. 

  Since my cousin and I taped and photographed our senior generation we've had Patient Husband's birthday weekend and Memorial Day weekend all rolled into one.  The kids were all here and the little ones had a couple of days and nights together.  That is so important to us because my son and his family live farther away so we don't have the chance to be with Charlie and Ceci like we'd like.  So, the birthday weekend was much needed by all of us.  It was a hot one, too, so the beach was definitely part of the plan.

I purchased a chair with no legs.  It used to have legs.

.

 We saw it as a perfect throne

So we took it out into the yard

 And  asked the kids to give Grandma just five minutes. This was supposed to be the "serious" pose.  You can see Adelaide had no intentions of being serious. I don't think she knows how.

Our little Ceci is the latest and last to fit into the sink for a bath.  All of the kids loved this sink, which when I bought it declared it had to be big enough for a turkey or a baby. They all loved playing with cups and water as it came out of the faucet. They would sit until they pruned.


The minute the kids left on Monday we went into hyper-drive getting the house ready for this past Friday when I had the staff from school here for the annual EOYP (End Of Year Party).  Instead of bringing a dish to pass, which is a real hassle, they contribute to the grocery fund and I do all of the shopping and cooking for this event.  We had 35 here for dinner Friday night and it took the week to get ready for it.  First time in 15 years the weather didn't cooperate not even a little.  It was cold and rainy but they still came (it's an hour drive from school).  We ate and laughed and I didn't take cooking pics because I didn't have time to stop.  Saturday I took a four hour nap.


But before all of that cooking and activity, A couple of weeks ago I did start on a Christmas quilt for Ceci and Adelaide.  I realized that Charlie and Elizabeth got one of the storybook quilts I love making for kids, but the two little ones have not.  So, I dug through the stash and found I had two of the Mary Englebreit storybooks and cut them into squares.  This one is about finished.  I'm toying with the idea of another border.  They will both be very much the same but different.  I don't think Christmas has to be all red and green so these will be pink and green.  I found the green and black border print, which stopped me in my tracks (it was in the "this is your last chance" sale rack!!) and knew it was perfect for a Mary Engelbreit quilt and exactly what I wanted but didn't know it.  It's absolutely perfect with a pink.  If I ever find more of this I'll buy the bolt.

I'm sorry, but the new blogger won't let me turn this right side up so you'll have to endure for this picture.  I really do not like this new blogger way and find it very frustrating.  Anyway, you can see the idea of these quilts and like I said, the kids I make them for love them.

I have the second one on the table over there with the sashings partly cut, waiting for the time to sit down.  I was hoping to get them finished this week so I can layer them on the big library tables at school but I don't think that's going to happen....I can only try.

Remembering

Saturday my cousin and and I got the moms/aunts together to talk.  We wanted to hear their stories.  We knew if they were together their memories would feed off each other and grow.  We fed them and watered (beered) them and asked just one question to get them started.

Then, we stood back and watched.

Highly recommended

Sometimes the stress of the day can only be resolved with a walk on the beach.

It appears we weren't the only ones walking that night.

Mother's Day fun

Today is Mother's Day!  Happy Mother's Day to all of you and I hope at some time in this weekend you had the chance to be with your people. 



Yesterday my son and daughter-in-law hosted all of us at their house near the Detroit area.We started the morning at Charlie's soccer game.

He's 6 1/2 years of charm

Little Ceci was picking dandelions and marvelling at their beauty. My gosh, she's a cutie!

After the soccer game we all travelled to Detroit's Eastern Market.  This is a H U G E  market with I believe 8 buildings and outlots.  I've never seen such a place and this being Mother's Day weekend, the official start of flower buying, the place was jammed with flower vendors selling at amazingly inexpensive prices.  We bought flats, hanging baskets, hydrangeas, pots.  The buildings sold food.  We got asparagus, corn, onions and steaks to cook on the grill when we got home.  Wow.  It was amazing!

Elizabeth and Charlie were discussing these flowers and chose theirs for planting.

But in the end, the kids just want to be home where they can play.  Charlie and Ceci have a large climbing unit in their yard with a slide, ladders, rocks...all sorts of fun for the girls.  Wear them out so they'll sleep on the ride home!  I had to beg for one second from their play so grandma could get a picture of her girls.  Just one second!  It was grudgingly given.

Do what you love

     I work in an elementary school library. My job is to get kids excited about books. We talk about how books are made, the relationship of author and illustrator, the little bit that I know of publishing, books staying in print or going out of print. We look carefully at every picture, starting with the cover, looking at every picture even the end papers, and looking for clues about what a book will be about. Using voices when you read. I work very hard to put the newest and best in here for the kids because I want them to have the newest and best available to them.  Besides that, I love books and sharing that excitement.

   This young lady is one of the very excited readers.  She found at the public library this book on audio but she was very determined to also find the book in our school library so she could read and follow along with the audio version.  She said she likes to follow along but also she can hear how it's supposed to sound in her head.  She's one of the reasons I love this job.