HAPPY NEW YEAR

Our wish to each of you is peace and health and happiness in the new year. You have all added treasure to my life. Thank you and Happy New Year.

Thanks for stopping by. See you next year!

Universal Gift

I hope everyone who reads this had a wonderful Christmas break. We had a quiet morning by ourselves and then the siblings arrived, bringing with them noise and laughter and fun! What a great day we had...almost made it worth not seeing John and Jill and the grands! ALMOST!

You know how sometimes the Universe gives you a gift...not because it's Christmas, or your birthday, or even Arbor Day. Just because. Well, on Saturday, the Universe gave me just such a gift. I received a phone call from a niece I've not heard from in years. I've known her since she was tiny and lost touch in recent years. She's grown, married, and the mother of 4 children, the newest born just the week before this Christmas. I'll admit it's partially my own fault for not trying harder to keep in touch. I'm a lazy bum about things like that. On Saturday afternoon, my cell phone rang and there she was, my Erica! I surely do miss her. We talked for something like a half hour and got caught up. And yesterday I kept going back to our conversation and smiling all day. Hopefully, I won't be so remiss in keeping in touch.

No pictures today...didn't take a single one during the holidays...my bad! Maybe that should be my New Years Resolution. No, I recall now that there is only one New Years Resolution I ever made that I kept. And that resolution is: Don't make any more New Years Resolutions. Ever! I'm keeping that one.

Thanks for stopping by.

Silver Dollar City

John and I took the day off yesterday to run a few errands and then spent the day at Silver Dollar City. We hold season passes and the festival that is held each year from the beginning of November thru the end of the year is one of our favorites. An Olde Time Christmas is an onslaught to your senses, for sure! They put up over 4,000,000 lights throughout the City. Some of them are on during the day and some only come on after sunset. Yesterday was a bit foggy - you can see in the picture that the fog came down off the clouds pretty low. There were probably fewer than 400 people in the entire park! We are so used to seeing thousands that yesterday was a real treat! No waiting in lines for any of the shows, no waiting in lines for food, no waiting in lines for the bathroom, no waiting at all! We saw the two main shows that we like ( a musical version of A Christmas Carol and a Living Nativity) and then shopped a bit, the Mill and the Candy shops are both musts for us! Then we saw the lighting of the enormous, 5 story Christmas Tree in the main square and then toodled on home. Here is one of the trees they place throughout the park - just lovely!

I don't know if I'll get a chance to post before Christmas...if I don't, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thanks so much for stopping by...

Monday Musings

We usually don't spend the holidays at home and I don't see the need to decorate just to be out of town. This year we will be home for Christmas so I put up the tree in the entry. Gilligan the cat loves things that dangle so I've not put any decorations on the tree with the exception of the topper. So far, Gilligan hasn't tried to climb the tree and topple it over. I made a felt tree skirt years ago. It took me almost 14 years to complete it cause I would work on it and then lose interest (it's one of those with millions of felt pieces and even more millions of sequins). Once I completed it, it's been used for over 20 years under the tree. I just know Gilligan will spend every waking moment chewing on threads and sequins if I put it under the tree. So I will wait for Christmas Eve when Santa comes and puts gifts under the tree to put the skirt under there. In the meantime, it sure does look pretty with only the lights and the topper.

Here is the most recent picture of Dolly. She sure is a pretty girl, isn't she? She runs and jumps out there in the field. In fact, all the cows are quite happy to be home!

Thanks for stopping by.

Harvey is a real Doll-y

Some of you may recall back in 1994 when John came home from deployment and decided we needed a new dog. We went to a place down near the border of California and Mexico where we were living at the time and he picked out an adorable male golden retriever. We started calling him Sierra but he seemed to respond to the name Calloway. We were responsible fur-people parents and took our darling puppy in to the vet for neutering. Our vet, the incomparable John Augustine in Poway, California, said to my dear husband, "I notice you are calling the puppy him. You do realize it's a girl." Calloway became Callaway.


And then, there is the recent issue of Gilligan the cat who started out his life here at Pieceful Harbor with the name of Ginger - it seems cats don't show their male or femaleness till several weeks after they are born.


Now we come to the reason for the history lesson - you see, when baby cows are born, it's difficult to tell whether they are boys or girls unless you grab hold of them and tip them over to see their parts, OR until they - um - well - pee. Ruby's new calf was determined to be a boy because our neighbor stated that she'd seen his wangdoodle (by the way, all newborns have what appear to be a wangdoodle but it's really the remants of the umbilical cord). John and the neighbor's husband went to band Harvey the boy calf before they brought him and his mamma and brother and aunt and cousin over to Pieceful Harbor yesterday. It seems Harvey didn't have anything to band cause Harvey is a Dolly! So Ruby gave John his much-hoped-for girl calf! Dolly will help to perpetuate the herd!


Yes, the herd is now residing at Pieceful Harbor! John and John P. spent Saturday doing the final prep for bringing them over. They installed the gates, put in the watering trough, the feed bunk, and the hay ring. They brought over the last bale of hay that they had over at John P's house and arranged for more hay to be brought over.

Sunday, they went over and loaded up the bovines and then called me so I could document the momentous move. Here they are coming out of John P's fence and turning into our drive. Closer....drive thru the fence and open up the gate on the trailer. Here they come!



And they were so happy! Huevo spent the next half hour just jumping and running and eating grass. The others were just a gleeful! Dolly stuck pretty close to her mamma...I tried several times yesterday and today to get a good picture of her but everytime she saw me with the camera, she moved over behind her mamma so I couldn't get a decent picture. Will keep trying, though.

The dogs aren't sure what to make of those cows over there. They are in their run on the far left of the picture and those cows are used to having dogs around so they don't even move when Carson and Briscoe start barking at them.

Today I had off so the first thing I did was make a batch of Martha Stewart's No-Fail Fudge. The recipe is in her Holiday magazine this month. Oh, my gosh is that good stuff. I chopped up some black walnuts and put them over the top of 1/2 of the fudge and on the other half, I put crushed peppermints. Now we are both happy.



Thanks for stopping by.

Friday Reveal

I saw this on another blog I go to and thought it might be cute. See if you agree with me on any of these.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper if it’s something in a box. Gift bags for the oddly shaped stuff.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial.
3. When do you put up the tree? The weekend nearest John’s birthday (Dec. 10th).
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year’s Day.
5. Do you like eggnog? Not at all.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I recall a typewriter from my paternal grandmother. My brothers got G.I. Joe tanks and I got the typewriter.
7. Hardest person to buy for? My husband. He has no significant hobbies, and, frankly, we both buy what we want when we want it.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Grandchildren and daughter-in-law!
9. Do you have a nativity scene? I collect them.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. But time-consuming cause I write a newsletter as well.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I honestly can’t recall a bad gift!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? That would be White Christmas.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I pick up things year round if I see something special for someone but I shop in earnest in October and November.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don’t recall but I’m sure I have.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Pumpkin pie for breakfast. Sugar cookies.
16. Lights on the tree? Of course! Millions of white lights!
17. Favorite Christmas song? Mary, Did You Know and Do You Hear What I Hear?
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We try to travel to see our only son and his family but this year we are staying home.
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Maybe…if I sing it.
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning. Santa doesn’t come till after you fall asleep!
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Christmas commercials! T’is the season to be jolly, fa la la la la…la la la la. (Ferrero Roche)
22. Favorite ornament theme or color? I love them all!
23. What do you want for Christmas this year? An umbrella swift and a yarn winder.
24. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel.
25. Favorite Christmas dinner? Ham, baked sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberry relish, with pie for dessert!

Feel free, any of you who are reading this, to take this and use it on your own blog.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Shack

Good book. Read it!


Thanks for stopping by.

First Snow, Fence Update, and A Cookie

This is what we awoke to this morning. They say we won't have a lot of accumulation since it's been warm here for the past few weeks. Personally, I think the word 'warm' is a relative term. Warm to me would be in the 70's and 80's. Warm to the weather folks around here is somewhere around 40°. So since it's been in the 40's all week, they don't expect the snow to stay on the ground for too long. This picture was taken about 8:00 this morning and since it is now already almost 11:00 and it hasn't ceased snowing yet, you can imagine the the snow has built up a bit. The grass between the barn and the house is now a carpet of white...not building up much, though. Brrrr, it's chilly out there. The temp is around 36° right now.

Yesterday was the Annual Cookie Day for the Knotwell girls. It started a few years ago when Kay and Theresa decided to get together and make Grandma's Sugar Cookie recipe they remembered from growing up. Then they added Mary to the mix. And last year they asked me to join them. Actually, I think they asked me cause they wanted to use my kitchen cause I have more room. Regardless of the reasons behind their invitation, last year was so much fun, and we made a great team! We decided to do it again this year. Below you see the main counter on the right where Theresa and Mary mixed the dough and rolled it out to place on the baking stones. On the left counter is where we dumped all the cookie cutters and where we staged some of the stones awaiting their time in the oven. You can see the oven in the back there, and a counter on the left of that with another stone staging area.

Here is the cookie cooling and separating station on the table in the morning room. Everyone brings their own tins to take their cookies home in.

Mary, on the right, and Theresa, on the left are getting ready to make up a batch of dough. Kay, barely visible on the left, there, is directing. Kay is the decorator-de-cookies and putter-inner-of the tins. I am the oven-putter-inner and taker-outer and the cookies transferrer-t0-cooling rack.

We made up a total of 40 dozen sugar cookies. Enough for each of us girls and one brother (Tom came over and helped John and our other neighbor work on the fence so we gave him some cookies to take home, too). Just an aside, I don't recommend using Splenda as a substitute for sugar in sugar cookies. The consistency gets weird and they don't taste the same at all! If you are anywhere near Piecefull Harbor in Marshfield, Missouri next year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, be sure to stop in. We might put you to work but we'll pay you with warm sugar cookies!

As far as the fencing goes, they have finished all the wire-stringing and put up the wooden barriers between the slamming posts and the barn on each side. They lost daylight or we'd have gates as well. John calculates they have another 3 hours of work to get the 3 gates done and then they are ready for livestock! Yippee!!!! I'm so darned proud of John for getting this enormous project done! Big hugs, honey!

Introducing Harvey

Ruby surprised us all by having her calf sometime last night...May I introduce to you - Harvey!

Harvey's daddy is...well, we don't exactly know who his daddy is. Ruby the Hussy must have backed up to a fence back in mid-February....Harvey is a bit on the small side but he is nursing and dry and very active. Notice his cute white 'beard'! Ruby is a wonderful mamma so we know he will be fine.

Next up, Thanksgiving dinner in preparation. Mr. Wonderful decided to smoke a turkey this year. He started out by brining it overnight in some wonderful brining spices his sister gave him last year for Christmas. This morning he drained off the brine, slathered butter all over that bird, spiced it up with all kinds of yummy spices, and set it on the smoker out in the front yard.

After he got it on the smoker, he stuffed the inside with celery and oranges and lemons, then put more lemons and oranges in the smoker pan. He alsoput soaked wood chips in the pan - hickory, apple, and cherry. By the time I get home from work, the turkey should be done and all we'll need to do tomorrow is warm it through. YUM!

Hoping you all have a peaceful, wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanks for stopping by.

Lazy Sunday

Even the dogs had a lazy Sunday! I spent most of the day in my pj's, reading the newest J.D. Robb book, Salvation in Death. My totally unprejudiced opinion is that this is another hit for Ms. Robb, aka, Nora Roberts! Lt. Eve Dallas of the NYSPD is on the job again, along with her partner, Detective Delia Peabody. I'd love to see one of these books brought to the screen, even if it's the small screen. And I know the perfect actress to place Lt. Dallas - ready?????? How about Sandra Bullock? With Pierce Brosnan playing the role of Roarke. Am not picturing anyone for the role of Peabody or even Eve's best friend, Mavis...will have to think about that for a while. Feel free to chime in with your recommendations for casting...all will be considered!

You will note that the dogs had a busy Sunday also...someone needed to make sure the carpet didn't levitate off the foundation, didn't they? Our dogs are troopers! Briscoe and Carson to the rescue!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. John's family is coming so I need to vacuum the dog and cat hair...perhaps I should start today and I might have it done by Thursday!

Thanks for stopping by...

Fences and Neighbors

This past weekend John and two of our neighbors, worked on the fencing project. They got almost all the fenceposts up, and with only another 15 minutes of daylight, they might have finished that part of the project. Now the only thing left if to finish the fenceposts, string the barbed wire, install the fences, and bring the cows over to our property. I think John is pretty well on target when he says he will have those cows on our property by Thanksgiving weekend. And then he needs to clean out the birthing part of the barn so Miss Ruby can get used to being in there and when the time comes next month, she can have her calf in the barn where it's not quite so cold.

This section of fencing is only about 1/2 of the entire fence project. But with this part done, John can get the cows over on our property and then work on the rest of the fencing during the winter months. What an enormous project he has taken on - and what an enormous effort they have put in to make it happen. Good going, guys!

Weddings in the Air!

I was recently talking to some friends and the subject of Barbie came up...I remarked that she and Ken had been together a loooooong time. That reminded me of a beautiful crocheted wedding dress that my paternal grandmother made for my own Barbie, many, many years ago. (Do you think I can find it? NO) I wondered if there were any patterns out there for crocheted wedding dresses...the answer is YES! Not being a PWC, (person who crochets) I wasn't entirely sure why I was looking for crocheted patterns...but, one of the ladies who comes to the library regularly told me a while back that she used to crochet and was thinking about starting it again. I piped up unashamedly and told her I knew the PERFECT project for her. I even gave her the pattern I'd printed off from the internet. Judith L. came in last week and generously presented me with the most beautiful crocheted wedding dress AND veil that I've ever seen. She didn't have a pattern for the veil so she made it up! She used cream thread since this is probably Barbie and Ken's renewal of vows ceremony, don't you think? It has a crocheted attached slip as well. She added cream ribbon straps and a cream ribbon bow to the back and used the same cream ribbon on the headpiece for the veil.

I was floored! Judith said she was inspired to make one for her granddaughter and then retire from Barbie clothes! Mine was the prototype.

We have had some pretty cold daytime weather recently. The dogs spend the day outside when both John and I are at work. They never sleep on their pillows in the great room during the summer - way too hot. But come late autumn, that's another thing altogether. They spend every waking - and sleeping - moment on those pillows, probable keeping warm. Here they are on Monday afternoon after I got home from work. Sound asleep! When they aren't sleeping on the pillows, Gilligan curls up in the one on the right - a little yellow blob of kitty fur! I think I may need to make him one for himself!

Enough ramblings for today...thanks for stopping by.

I'm a Winner!

I recently participated in a drawing on Cinnamongirl93's blog (www.cinnamongirl93.blogspot.com) to celebrate her 1 year Blogaversary. She randomly drew names for prizes she was offering. Surprise! She drew my name....and this is the prize package I received in the mail! From the top and clockwise you see 101 Designer One Skein Wonders (I have wanted this book for quite some time!), Chocolate truffles, gummies, the cutest handmade card, honey sticks, and a package of teas with a tea bag 'spoonrest'. Wow! What a bounty of goodies. Thanks so much, Barb!

Have been working on Christmas presents...can't show them since some of the recipients are readers....just know that I am overacheiving, as usual and am almost to the burnout stage!

Have a great weekend. More coming soon. Thanks for stopping by.

Killing Frost and Keeping Mum.

We had our first frost of the season on Monday nite. John's 4 tomato plants to a direct hit!

There were still tomatoes ripening on the vine, even at this late day (John has a superior green thumb!) and he decided that we could harvest the green tomatoes and place them in brown paper bags in a dark closet and they would ripen. So we got all the ripe tomatoes off the vines (about 10 pounds of them) and then got all the green ones (about 25 pounds of them) and put them in brown paper bags in the closet. Check back later to see if this worked! I'm not holding out much hope...but I'm not the farmer in this couple - John is...

On the other hand, the employee entrance of the library has a small strip of garden right next to the door. This is what greets us as we come to work each day:

Is this not the prettiest sight ever? Well, maybe not ever...but right now, with all the beautiful colors fading fast into winter drearies, this is a wonderfully uplifting sight when walking toward my daily workplace.

Check back soon...hope to have some quilt pictures up in the next week.

Silver Dollar City and Honu

John and I took my mom and his sister to Silver Dollar City for the Harvest Festival on Friday. That festival is our very favorite one at the City. It used to be called the Festival of Music and Craftsmen but they changed it this year. They opened up a new Culinary and Craft School, too. So I registered Kay, and Mom and Me for the Great American Cookie class....Soft Chewy Ginger cookies...YUM! Here we are waiting for the class to start. Actually, it was more a lecture with the recipe given out for us to make at home. They've done a wonderful job of designing the classroom...the kitchen setup is astounding -would that I had the money to get that setup! Copper backsplash, high-tech appliances, a cooling drawer in a cabinet AND a warming drawer in the oven. A hand-carved wooden mantle over the fireplace and a hand-blown chandelier over the table.
We came home Friday night totally exhausted. Then Saturday I had to work at the library. On Sunday, Mom and I began making curtains for the great room. I've only had the fabric since 2004 - before we moved into the house. There is only one large window in the great room and one would think I'd get the curtains done quickly - NOT! That window looks out over the back deck and then into our woods to there's no immediate impetus to cover it up. Anyway, the curtain is almost done...now I need to pick out the rod and then have John install it...pictures to follow but, please don't hold your breath! It could take another 4 years to get the last part done!

Mom is a city girl (like me) and is fascinated with country things. Every time she comes to visit we tell her about the deer that live in our woods and come out at twilight to eat and drink and she has NEVER seen them. 4 years now and not a single deer has she spotted. She kept telling us we were fibbin' about the deer. On Saturday nite she finally saw them...4 of them were grazing in the meadow just before the woods begin in the back. And one was in the front yard. And then on Sunday, John calls her out to the front porch to see a turtle he almost ran over with his Grasshopper. Mom gingerly agreed to hold it. Our son's family always calls turtles Honu cause that's the name they are known by in Hawaii and they picked it up when they went on a visit last year.

Mom is due to fly home on Saturday...I can't believe she's been here for almost 3 weeks. The time has flown. Maybe we can get her to come back sooner than next October????

More next time. Thanks for stopping by.

Knittin' Tits and the Yarn Harlot

More than thirty people took the time out of their busy holiday weekend to knit tits for breast cancer survivors. We converged on One City Market, our local yarn shop in Rogersville, Missouri (you can see the store behind us..too cute) and spent the day knitting boobs. My mom admitted she wasn't all that keen on spending the day with a bunch of folks she really didn't know but the idea of spending the day with me overrode that and she came along. She is the lady in the back row, 6th person from the left. I'm 5th from the left.

There were even men who came...two of them, in fact. They were in charge of making sure the size of each boob was correct on the tag (they told us they were experts on boob size) and then stuffing them.

A couple of the girls decided that boobs for cancer survivors should be pretty so they made some with beads (note the dark blue one in the bucket!) and some girls decided to paint "tattoos" on some of the boobs, and some girls decided to put nipple rings on some of theirs. All-in-all we ended up with more than 100 knitted tits to give to the Hulston Cancer Center in Springfield, Missouri.

I must give credit where credit is due! One of the ladies who came brought her husband, a professional photographer, to take pictures of our event. The above shots are being used with permission from Mr. William Russell of Marshfield, Missouri. Thanks so much, Bill!

On Monday, Columbus Day, Mom and I and 4 other friends traveled to Kansas City to hear the Yarn Harlot give a talk about her latest book, Free Range Knitter. What a fun day! Started with dinner at PF Changs....yum!!!!! Then on to the lecture held at Unity Church on the Plaza in Kansas City. We laughed so hard! The 3 1/2 hour drive home took hardly any time at all cause we spent the time laughing. It's really hard to get a good picture when the lighting isn't set up for photography AND you are laughing...but this is the best I could get!

And, finally, I promised a shot of Autumn from my own house....most of the colors here in southwest Missouri are pretty muddy compared to the Northeast...but here it is. Straight off my back deck, across the meadow, into our woods.

Happy Autumn, everyone! And thanks for stopping by.

Shades of Autumn

The leaves are beginning to turn...Mom is visiting...it must be fall!

Mom arrived on Saturdayfor her annual visit. She will be here for 3 weeks. John and I love having her and miss her so much when she's not here. She lives in Prescott Valley, Arizona so it's not easy to run over to see here whenever the whim strikes, which is often.

Mom and John have a mutual love society going on. They truly adore each other. (Mom picked him out for me 36 years ago. They worked in the same building and she decided he was the one for me - Good Job, Mom!!)

The leaves are starting to turn down in our grove. I looked out the morning-room window the other day and the leaves looked as though all the color had drained out of them. With a slight breeze, the trees will lose their leaves and be left standing naked till spring.

In lieu of a real photo, here is something to tide you over till I can get a good picture.



Thanks for stopping by.

Update

I have no excuse.I can't believe it's been almost 3 weeks since my last blog posting. Would that I could claim extreme exhaustion from sewing quilts till my sewing machine blew up, or knitting till my fingers bled. Alas, I cannot make such a claim. I have been sewing and I have been knitting...but not enough to justify not blogging.

I recenly went to the Piecemakers Quilt Show in Springfield, Missouri. I used to belong to that guild but haven't been a member for a couple of years. Two of John's sisters still belong and they were involved in the Bed Turning event this year. I went to support them both (and I had leant them one of the antique quilts we inherited from their Aunt for the show). While I was there, I took advantage of my entry fee and toured most of the show. Mary, one of the sisters, had entered one of the Challenges the guild does each year. That particular Challenge was the Black and White and One Other Color Challenge. She chose to use slime green as her other color. I LOVE THAT QUILT! She won 3rd place!!! I'm so excited for her! Congrats, Mary!

Thanks for stopping by...I'll try to post sooner than 3 weeks next time.

Wednesday Wanderings

I usually go into work late on Wednesdays cause that's my day to work till closing. So I was watching Regis and Kelly...their main guest today was Shirley MacLaine. I've always admired her...she has always been a gutsy, talented woman. I don't necessarily agree with her version of the afterlife but she inspires me to do better and try more in this life. I have a friend who lives in New England who I've always felt close to. She is a bit older than me, very talented as an actress, singer, artist, quilter, and, dare I say, even as a woman. Watching Regis and Kelly today, and especially Shirley MacLaine, it suddenly dawned on me that Carole K. is my Shirley MacLaine! She's talented, artistic, loving, accepting, nurturing, bawdy, and womanly. She radiates life to everyone and everything around her. I love her laugh - it's deep and raucous and rumbles up from deep within her like a sound wave and encompasses everyone in its wake. One can't feel bad or unloved around Carole. Carole inspires me, especially in my quilting. I want to be Carole when I grow up! Miss you, Sarge!

I spent part of Sunday finishing some quilts that came back from the quilter a couple of weeks ago. Here is the first one: John's Retirement Quilt. John retired in January 2003 after 30 years in the Navy. At his ceremony, in New England in November 2002, we had a table set up with signature squares for folks to sign and wish him a good retirement or relay some anecdote from his career. I'd also sent many sqaures out to former shipmates and commanding officers and they'd gratiously sent them back with sentiments. Those squares languished in the UFO pile till recently. Now I can reveal them:


This is the entire quilt. The squares in the 3 corners are ones from me, our son and John, himself (I had him try out the instructions I wrote to go with the out of town squares...included it in his quilt as a laugh!). The bottom left corner has a patch that is the Navy emblem and says U.S. Navy - Retired. The border fabric is a Navy fabric I found...it measures about 56" across and 49" down. Will be hung in the great room so all can see it! And the next two pictures show how folks wrote their sentiments to John. I loved doing this quilt.


While I was living in Rhode Island, my bible study group from California wanted to come back for the Foliage season. Six of them flew out, I rented a van and took them all around New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island for a week. We each made a block (well, 7 of them - one for each of us) and exchanged them and we each were to make our own quilt to commemorate that tour. I called it the 2001 Cracked Pots Leaf Peepers Tour. I finally go around to putting mine together and that is one of the ones I finished this past weekend. Here it is!


This is the entire quilt, measuring 39" by 39". My block is the center one, depicting the logo for our tour. Since there were only 7 of us, that made it hard to set the blocks so I put some of them on point, and added 2 pictures taken during the tour. One is of the 7 of us, wearing our tour shirts backwards so you can see the logo. The other is taken at All-You-Can-Eat Lobster night at the Officer's Club. Those girls sure do love John...he's their hero!


Some of the girls forgot to sign their blocks and I have no idea who did them...Janet, Janet and Fran...let me know which block is yours so I can note it on the quilt. Dee, Dawn, and Kay, you all signed yours - good girls!!!

Next time, I'll tell you the story of the Cracked Pots....remind me if I forget! Till next time, thanks for stopping by.