PLAYING IN THE SNOW IN JULY!!!!!!

OK, all my pitiful friends back in North Carolina that are suffering in the miserable heat, look at me, middle of July standing on snow.  We are at the lovely Mt. Hood and believe it or not, there is still snow here.  There are skiers and snowboarders swishing down the huge mountain, again in the middle of July!!  Mark was packing long pants and long sleeved shirts and sneakers and I told him no way was I taking anything that warm in the middle of July.  So here I am in my flip flops in the snow.  Debbie loaned me a jacket but my feet were too big for her shoes!  We did check the weather back  home and it was a cool 91 today with 99 later in the week.  Sorry guys, but I'm loving this and may not be back!!!!

Debbie and Jeff posing in the snow.  They are so cute!

Debbie put her camera on a huge rock, set the timer and ran like crazy up the snowy hill to be in the picture.  I think we are nuts!  But fun nuts!

OK, take the picture, I'm a little chilly!

Debbie and I have nicknamed the guys Lewis and Clark because they are always pointing at something.  This time they look a little confused!

We have so many great pictures with beautiful scenery all around us. 

Someone left their lunch in the parking lot and this crow ended up flying away with that sandwich in his beak.  He was so funny.  The closer I got, the further away he moved, making sure I wasn't taking his food.

Majestic Mt. Hood

We visited a famous mansion in Portland and decided we needed to stand in the flower beds for a picture.

This is a famous book store in downtown Portland.  We were driving through Portland after dinner and I just had to go in.  What a wonderful place.  The place was a city block big.  It went on and on, room after room.  Any book you could ever want was there.  I was in book heaven.  Why couldn't we have something this great in NC??

Oh, how many books can I ship home?

Mark has always wanted a carved bear on our porch.  On the way to Mt. Hood we stopped at a place that had bunches of carved bears and other animals.  If Mark could have gotten one of these home, he would have.  He mentioned buying a car out here and driving the bear home.  I mentioned that if we had driven like I wanted to he could have gotten his bear!

Ooops, should have put this pictue on earlier.  This is me when I was first trying to get on the big rock and my leg went about two feet down into a hole.  The snow was melting from underneath and I just happend to stand on a spot that gave way.  Did I mention I have on flip flops??!!

Mark with a new friend

Mark, Jeff and the bear Mark really wanted!

I personally love the moose!

Debbie is so cute sitting on the big rock all by herself!!  You should have seen her trying to get off!

Again, we're sitting in the middle of snow in July!

We had brunch at the lodge after our playtime in the snow.  Look at the wonderful waffle and tarts Debbie has on her plate.  It was the most delicious meal.  We ate until we couldn't eat anymore.

We had to put these desserts in a to-go box.

On the way down the mountain, there were lots of waterfalls on the side of the road.  They were so beautiful.  All from the melting snow of Mt. Hood.

Further down the mountain we stopped at this place where the boys could have a little fun.  They took a ski lift to the top of the mountain and rode these boards down a long, long, curving chue.  Here comes Markie!

There goes Jeff!

One last look at Mt. Hood.  What a gorgeous sight!

We finally got to see the girls in person.  What cuties they are.  So sweet.  They went out to dinner with all the grown-ups and were so well-behaved.

Look at those beautiful blue eyes

I see the family resemblance!

Addison is the oldest granddaughter........a little wink at Mark.

This sign was at the bear shop.  I love it and may have to get one made when I get back home for my porch. 

So that's about it for now.  We've crammed as much as we can into the day and a half that we've been here.  Debbie and I are going to do a little antiquing today and then we'll be busy getting ready for our upcoming classes.  Lots to do to make those happen.  The boys are going to go to Seattle to see a baseball game on Wednesday while we're teaching.  And I'm sure they will get in a round of golf at some point. 

Miss you all and don't look forward to leaving this wonderful weather.  You can actually breathe the air here and go outside and not sweat the instant you step out the door.  We are sleeping with the windows open and having to add extra blankets at night.  Oh my, did I say we're loving this!

Planes, trains and automobiles, that's what we feel like we've been through trying to get to Oregon!  Before we even got to the airport we had to run to the Post Office to mail things ahead because our luggage was going to be overweight.  After poor Mark weighed and re-weighed and I packed and re-packed, I just started throwing things out of the suitcases and said I would just mail the stuff.  Very frustrating but I needed everything in those bags, mostly for the classes I was going to be teaching.  So off to the Post Office to mail boxes that we hadn't planned on mailing, after Mark had already made one trip that morning to mail other things.  So I told Mark at that point I wasn't flying again, that I would be driving, which is what I wanted to do in the first place.  In other words, I had an ATTITUDE!!

We arrived at the airport only to find out our flight was delayed by 30 minutes.  Normally that wouldn't be a big deal except we only had an hour to make our connecting flight in Minneapolis and now that time was cut in half.  Once we got boarded we were informed we couldn't take off because they couldn't get fuel from the fuel farm.  We had never heard of such a thing.  The whole airport was on hold, not just us.  About forty minutes later we were fueled up and ready to take off.  We were assured by the flight attendants that we would be greeted by people ready and willing to help us to our destinations.  Well, that part wasn't so true we discovered.  We ran as quick as we could (me in slippery flip-flops) to the next gate which was about 6 miles away, only to be told we couldn't board the plane that ended up sitting there for at least another 25 minutes, as we sadly looked on.  We were so disappointed not to get on that flight and a teeny bit irritated that we broke our necks to get there at the advice of a Delta representative. I saw lots of fun shops we could have visited as I went sliding/running by.  After much ado, we were given vouchers to stay at a hotel for the night along with meal vouchers.  That was nice until we remembered our luggage.  We were told to go to the baggage claim and it would be there waiting on us.  Well, of course it wasn't!!  So after talking to the nice lady that gets fussed at all day, we were told finding our luggage would be like finding a needle in a haystack because their conveyor belts were down and it would be best if we just let them go on ahead to Portland.  We finally accepted that as our only alternative and took the blue pouches the nice lady offered us with a t-shirt for sleeping and overnight toiletries.  I was beginning to be OK with this until I realized I had no clean underwear nor any of my cosmetics!!!!!  Oh horrors!  That would be me looking like a horror the next morning!  We had befriended a very nice couple from Cary who were in the same boat we were in except they were trying to to even further, Anchorage, Alaska.  We decided once we got to the hotel we would go to the Mall of America.  We learned from our shuttle driver that we were very close and of course we wanted to see that.  We, unfortunately, only had an hour to spend there before they closed.  But I thought that would be long enough for me to find some make-up essentials.  Well guess what, there are no drug stores at that huge gigantic mall.  Not one!  But we did get to peek around a little bit at the mall.  What a fun place to visit.  Just wish we had more time to spend there.  Maybe another planned trip would be good for that.

We finally got dinner around 10:30pm, compliments of Delta.  And the hotel room was very nice and spacious.  I did wash my underwear in the sink and hung them up to dry overnight.  I had to use the blow dryer on them the next morning to finish the drying process.  At least they were clean!  A girl just has to have clean underwear!!  And I had to use soap and water to remove my make-up and wash my face.  That wasn't so nice but at least it was clean.  I do believe this is the first time that I've gone in public without eye make-up!  A revolution!  NOT!!  I haven't mentioned Mark because he doesn't wear make-up but he had his own problems.  They gave him a teeny container of shaving cream and a very rugged razor which didn't do his face any favors the next morning.  Plus no aftershave which is sort of like me having no moisturizer I suppose.  So Markie suffered right along with me in this adventure.  Plus, remember, I had my ATTITUDE which he had to deal with also.

Our plane was super big and super crowded this morning but it looked like we were going to take off on time.  Good thing since they were predicting big storms and tornadoes for Minnesota.  Well, a young man and an older woman got into a scuffle in the aisle as everyone was boarding.  They were just pushing and shoving one another and fussing up a storm.  So guess what, we're delayed.  Security was called and they were escorted from the plane.  Doors shut, we're ready finally.  Nope, doors open again and here comes security and two more people were escorted from the plane.  We waited and waited and finally those two people got back on the plane but not the first two scufflers.  Guess they were going to airport jail or something.  Finally we took off.  I am flying somewhere over the Rockies as I write these thoughts, gazing down at the beautiful snowcapped mountains.  We're close now!

I promised Mark, before we even left the house, that this was the last time I was flying across the country.  I really don't like to fly because of all the inconveniences....the weight of the luggage drives me crazy, the crowds, noise, overbooked planes, tight crowded seats, delays, too much carry-on luggage, yadda yadda.  Little did I know how many checks I would end up with in my column this trip!  But on the positive side we did make some new friends in Phyllis and Dan (Phyllis thinks she wants to come take some classes) and we did get to see that big beautiful mall.  And we did get free Delta t-shirts!!  I decided not to keep the toothbrush they gave us because the bristles fell out in my mouth as I was brushing my teeth!  But all in all, it wasn't so bad and we survived, not looking to great, but it could have been worse.  So for that I'm thankful.

The Busby's are waiting for us at the airport, Captain says we're almost there, no more complaining, let the vacation begin!! 

Miss you all!

I just love this doll.  I've had her a very long time and she is still one of my favorites.  She was made at a time when things were still made by our American hands and it was much easier to find true folk art.  I think we should all get back to making "things" again, with our own hands.  That's why I love teaching classes so much......watching the creativity and excitement that stirs when a person completes a project with their own hands.  I have, in my classes many times, taken pictures of the ladies hands as they stitch.  I love watching them create.

With that said, it's FINALLY time for our trip to Oregon.  Seems like we booked those tickets so long ago and now the time is just flying by and I'm trying to get everything in the suitcases and keep it under the 50 pound weight requirement!!  I've already shipped two boxes to Oregon with one more to go tomorrow and still have to take things for the classes in the suitcase.  I guess the positive side is I won't be bring a lot of that stuff back with me so that should open up some room for potential goodies!!

Now ladies, I want you to be busy while I'm gone finishing up all those pending projects so we can get prepared for new fall classes.  I want everyone to have a clean slate for the fall!!  Keep stitching and watch the blog for Oregon updates.  I'll do the best I can with that.  I'll miss you all....................but until then keep this in mind..........

I cannot count my day complete 'til needle, thread and fabric meet!!

Boy is this week going by fast.  My sister reminded me last night that I haven't put anything on the blog since July 9.  Sorry.  Busy.  Classes.  Preparing for trip to Oregon.  Working on new models and ideas for September/October classes.  Did I say busy??!!  I have only taken pictures at one of the classes I taught this week, well technically last weekend, and that was the second wool crazy group.  Several ladies had to drop out so we had three to meet and they had a great time and made it through putting together their foundations.

Heather is just starting her foundation.  She's decided to do an "all-season" block.  We'll check on her in a bit and see how she's progressing.

Can you tell which direction Liza is going.......FALL!

Sarah is going with darker colors, not sure if she's decided what might go on the block yet.  She was definitely thinking during class.

Heather a little further along......

Awwww......now the stitching begins.  Can't wait to see everyone next month with their foundations tacked down.  Then the fun begins with the applique.

Working on another wool girl.  She's actually much further along than this picture shows, but I'm just too pooped to find her and take another picture.  This may be another favorite block.  Actually, I say that every time I create a new block!!

We're looking forward to our trip to Oregon.  We only see our friends Jeff and Debbie once a year so we cram as much fun as we can into the short time we have to spend with them.  Plus Debbie and I will be teaching together so that will be a new adventure.

Here's a yummy recipe I'd like to share with you.  A friend made this last year at a gathering and we all had to have the recipe.  Great side dish for those hot summer days.

BROCCOLI SALAD

Fresh broccoli or bag of broccoli
Bag of bacon bits (not the hard kind)
Raisins or cranraisins
Sunflower kernels
Purple onion, diced
Kraft Poppyseed Dressing

Wash broccoli and cut into smaller pieces and put in a large bowl. Add whole pack of bacon bits. Add raisins or cranraisins, sunflower kernels, and diced purple onion. Toss. Add Poppyseed dressing and toss to coat. This salad tastes even better if you put it in the refrigerator and chill before serving.

Hope everyone enjoys the warmer summer days................

Today is a very special today for my husband and I.  It's our 34th wedding anniversary.  Can't even imagine where all those years have gone.  We have two wonderful grown sons, two great daughter-in-laws and two adorable little granddaughters............I guess that's where some of the time has gone.  Sounds like we're about to load Noah's Ark now that I put that into writing!!  It's been a great, mostly fun, happy time for us.  My brother always says we live in a Brady Bunch world.  Oh well......................

This week has gone by like a blur.  I think I've taught a couple of classes, cut up massive amounts of wool for the upcoming trip to Oregon, had the girls a day or so, cleaning bathrooms..................

My workroom has been taken over by bits and pieces of wool.  It's almost time for our Oregon trip and crunch time for getting all my ducks in a row.  I had reached a deadline for getting boxes in the mail and had to work many long hours to get all done that I needed to get done.  I'm sure glad we're going on vacation because after this week I could sure use one! 

Some of this wool will be turned into a fun gingerbread mat.  I sure hope Oregon has cooler weather so we can get in a gingerbread kind of mood.

Reagan worked diligently tracing some old Vogart patterns at my light box.  She traced them onto paper and colored them as she went along.  She had the best time and spent hours tracing.

And while big sister was tracing, Raleigh was busy at the computer playing games, mostly Barbie.com!  She's definitely a girly-girl.

I did a little rearranging Thursday in the middle of cleaning bathrooms.  Funny how one thing leads to another...........This shelf was in the garage which I just happened to see when I went out to get paper towels I believe.  Well, I decided to drag it back in the house and fill a spot that just needed something a little more special than the crates that I normally keep there. 

I had so much fun pulling things off other shelves to fill in the new cubby. 

Lisa had her first box class at my house on Thursday evening.  The ladies made the boxes, start to finish, in a couple of hours.  They did everything from cutting the fabric to gluing it on. 

Tricia and Leslie waiting on instructions.  They were really having a great time!!

Oooh, be careful there.

I forgot to take pictures of the finished boxes, but trust me, they turned out great.  Speaking of boxes........

Look at this adorable box Evette made and I ended up with!  She brought some boxes over to show and tell that she had covered and of course, I had to have this one.  I just love it!  And look where it ended up................

On this shelf that I just hung in the upstairs hallway.  Another adventure while I was cleaning the bathrooms.....this shelf used to be in our master bath but I had something else that I wanted to put in its place and needed to find a home for this shelf.......so it ended up in the hallway with lots of fun things on it. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  Group 2 of wool crazy ladies tomorrow morning.  Pray for rain!!!!  My trees are in such distress.

A group of ladies got together on Saturday to create some patriotic projects.  The first group did Red Cross pincushions.  They turned out great.

Margie and Jennifer proudly display their pincushions.

How much more patriotic, 4th of July, red blooded American could you be with this beautiful lemon pound cake.  Bonnie surprised us all when she carried in this wonderful dessert! 

Thanks for sharing Bonnie!!

The second class of the day was a disappearing nine-patch quilt.  I have never taught a class where everyone had to bring machines and certainly not any sort of quilt class.  But after having made several of these myself as well as finishing my quilt class with wonderful quilt teacher Debbie Powell, I felt up for the challenge.  Everyone brought beautiful fabrics to work with and got right to work "whacking" up their fabric.  That was my phrase for the day!!

And speaking of Bonnie, look how diligently she's working with her new Bernette sewing machine.  I think we all want one of these new toys!!

Linda is amazed and proud at how her blocks are going together.  I think she's going to have a beautiful quilt when it's all put together. 

Jeri seems to be having fun while working on her block. 

Love that Connie is so busy with her fabrics, she doesn't realize she's covered in threads!

Pam is working on a beautiful quilt for a special person in her life.  Didn't know if it was a surprise Pam and didn't want to spill the beans!

Don't you love the wonderful browns in Carol's quilt.  She's going to be doing quite a bit of embroidery in her finished piece also.

Time is ticking quickly as our trip to Portland, Oregon approaches.  We're excited about going but have a lot to get done before we can leave.  I've been steadily working on class kits, trying to stay ahead of myself. 

Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th!