Virtual Retreat Aug thru Dec 2015 Info on first post

[Annis C.]

Geneva, what fun spending time with your beautiful granddaughter.

While some were enjoying the weekend seeing the quilts and shopping in Houston or spending time with family, I was spending my time organizing my attic sewing room in my country home. It was to the point that I could no longer enjoy working in it, plus I moved another carload of stuff there so now almost everything sewing related is at the same place. I no longer have to look for thread charts as they have been found and most of my storage is on open shelves or in clear bins. All of my ribbons from the last 12 years have finally found a home. This attic space was originally going to be a large storage room for supplies that didn't get used often, but my DH added length and width to the carport underneath and I ended up with enough space for a large room. It will never be as picture perfect as the original room that was going to be at the other side of the house and is now a guest bedroom instead, but I like the fact that everything is together and easy to see without having to do a lot of searching. The down side to having everything easy to see is all of the projects that are started and not finished distract me to the point that I don't know which one to work on next, after my grandson's quilt that is which I hope to do next weekend.



This is my main work area. The cutting table is actually useable. I'm still debating on the best cutting mat to purchase as this one is quite worn and not completely flat. I'm in the process of making a big board for my ironing board. My goal now is to finish 1 project at a time so I won't end up with a cluttered mess again. We'll see how long that lasts!

[karen f.]

Wow look at all those ribbons! Your room is looking very organized.

[Jane R.]

What a beautiful space you have for creating...and so very organized now.

[karen f.]

Hey good news for me! We are grandparents for a third time! Our Bridget and Jeff had a little boy to join big sister Caitlin. I missed going to Houston but what a prize. When Caitlin came to see him for the first time one of the nurses gave her a graham cracker and she promptly broke off a teeny little piece to share with him.

[Geneva C.]

Karen, Congratulations! Your grand babies are so cute. This is such a fun time in our lives, huh?

geneva

[Geneva C.]

Aww how sweet!! Congratulations Karen!!! Love all the babies :-) :-) :-)
Dorothy

[karen f.]

Karen, Congratulations! Your grand babies are so cute. This is such a fun time in our lives, huh?

geneva

Thanks Geneva! It sure is.

[karen f.]

Aww how sweet!! Congratulations Karen!!! Love all the babies :-) :-) :-)
Dorothy

Thank you Dorothy! It's fun to see our little population explosion here on the forum.

[karen f.]

Congratulations, Karen. Your daughter is beautiful and looks so relaxed with her children. The children are so cute. I'll bet you'll never see or look at a graham cracker without thinking of this precious beginning! Best wishes!

[wendy w.]

Congratulations Karen what lovely little ones

[Lois B.]

How precious! Just adorable. What a treasure that you've captured that moment in a photo. Caitlin and her brother have started out on the right foot. Congratulations.

[karen f.]

Thanks Terrie and congratulations on your little Jack! I've been running around and not sure if I actually post my thoughts or if the comments are just in my head! I am so glad to read that your son is home and I hope he and the recipient continue to have a wonderful recovery.

[karen f.]

Thank you Wendy and Lois!! It''s so nice to hold a newborn again! So far he's quiet and a good sleeper.

[Dawn S.]

Congratulations, Karen! What a lovely family! Sure did miss you at Festival, but I'm guessing you wouldn't have been anywhere else, but with your daughter!

Geneva....baby's first costume! So very cute! Thanks for sharing the new picture!

Annis, you are just having way too much fun! What a dream come true for you!

Well, I am back from Houston Festival, and will share pictures of my goodies later this week. It was wonderful sharing in Nancy,s win! She was so cute all day Tuesday! On cloud 9! And, then she placed second only to.........Janet Stone, who also had a quilt in the Merit Quilting category! Way to go, Nancy! You did good!

It was a different year for Festival! On Saturday morning, VERY early (maybe 3:00 AM) everyone's cell phone rang like a fire alarm. We had flash flood and tornado warnings coming in, off and on. And, lots of lightening and thunder! No one got much sleep! When I got up in the morning it was still pouring. So much so, that it had blown a manhole cover off, and water was spewing up and out like a fountain. Many streets were closed, hotel staff could not get in, and there were fatalities on the roads. Needless to say, attendance at the show was WAY down that day! I visited Sherry (Montanagramma) in her brother's booth, and they were disappointed in the lack of attendance. I stopped by Superior Threads late in the afternoon, and there was only one other customer. A sight never seen before!

My trip home was quite a trial, but having taken something to relax me, I handle the challenges just fine. My shuttle to the airport was 45 minutes late, but made it in the nick of time. But then, my plane had mechanical problems, and at some point I realized I would not make my connection In MSP, so rebooked. Then a few hours later, when it looked like the flight might even be cancelled, I rebooked again. It took me 12 hours to go from the hotel to my home. LONG day! But, I always figure that at the end of the day, if your plane hasn't crashed, and you have all of your checked luggage, it was a successful trip!
Dawn

[karen f.]

Congratulations, Karen! What a lovely family! Sure did miss you at Festival, but I'm guessing you wouldn't have been anywhere else, but with your daughter!
Dawn

Thanks Dawn, that's sweet. And thanks for your great report on Festival! Wow Nancy you are right up there second to Janet Stone this year. Who knows next year!! Big congratulations on your win also!
I'm glad you made it home safely and still had fun in a waterlogged Houston.