Almost Halloween!!

Yikes!  Its almost Halloween and I haven't blogged FOR EVER!!!  I was doing a little blog surfing today and was reading a friend's.  Sally has such a nice blog Less is More.  She has sweet pictures, recipes and pix of all her projects.  I asked myself, "What's my excuse?"  So, I'm going to work at this, again... (I know, I always say this.)

Lauren was home from Beloit College last week. She is doing well and really seems to enjoy Beloit.  It was fun having her home, but I'm so relieved that things are going so well for her!!  I sure miss her...

I managed to get the Halloween decorations up before Lauren arrived. I made a really cute little quilt and it is hanging in the living room.  Its not very big, but looks sweet.  I also hung a cute door hanger from Patrick Lose Poster Quilts. The one on the left is on my door.  The witch is hanging at Capitol View Elementary School in Des Moines.

I also made a little 12" quilt from Patrick Lose in Quilting Celebrations magazine'

 

My brother was here today for a monthly doctor appt.  He is doing remarkably well since his heart transplant!  I am so happy for him.  So many things could have gone terribly wrong, but he is a great patient and has followed instructions well and I believe that's part of the reason for his success.  That and alot of prayer and support from family and friends!

These are the wonderful folks who have saved David's life.  (except for the sleeping baby!)

Survived Grad Party and more...

Bob helps Lauren and Sarah get ready for the party.

Wow, I survived the Graduation Party!  Lauren and her friend Sarah had a party together.  It was a Circus Theme, so we had popcorn, sno-cones and cotton candy!  Everyone was on a sugar high by the end of day!


Lilly making popcorn.



Sarah's sister Lilly helped and dressed in a clown outfit.  What a hoot!! Sarah and Lauren had a great time.  Soon they will both be off to their own big adventure.

Lauren, Sarah and Sue

Other fabulous news...my brother David had a heart transplant a few days after the party!!!  He is doing wonderfully well and is back home in Des Moines.  He will be coming back here a couple times a week for the next few weeks for check ups.  We are all so happy, relieved and thankful.  What an incredible gift.

Lauren's Graduation!!

She did it!! Actually, I never doubted it for a minute.  But she graduated from West High with Highest honors! It was a lovely ceremony and the weather was perfect. Bob's mom, sister and brother-in-law were able to be here from Chicago and my brother David and sister-in-law Marcia came from Des Moines.

Now the graduation parties begin.  Lauren is having hers with her friend Sarah.  It won't be until June 11.  Plenty of time to get in all the rest of the several hundred that are going on in the next few weeks.

Lauren is officially a 'Beloiter'.  Got a packet of info in the mail.  She leaves for college August 17...YIKES!  I'm not sure I'm ready for this.

Our Trip To Beloit

This weekend Bob, Lauren and I went to Beloit, Wi to visit Beloit College.  We arrived about 1:30 Sunday afternoon.  It only took 3 1/2 hours via I-80 to I-88.  Beloit is a nice town (30,000) in southern Wisconsin.

The college setting was very "New England-y".  Lauren spent the night in a dorm with a host student.  Then on Monday she visited the college and talked to a couple of professors.  Bottom line: She's going to Beloit.

So, now we are on to the next event...Disney World!  The West High marching band leaves the Monday after Easter for Disney World (24 hours on a bus...no thanks).  They will be gone for the a week.  Maybe I can actually get some sewing done on her quilt.

Graduation is fast approaching.  Lauren and her friend, Sarah, are having a grad party together.   Circus theme...popcorn, sno-cone, and cotton candy machines!  Maybe we will dress Cooper up as a lion.  I could work at making 'balloon animals'!  So many possibilities...

I'm A Liar!!

I am a liar! I said I would blog more and then I didn't. SORRY!
Here it is April 16, 2011 and I haven't even tried to write anything for months.

We are fast approaching graduation day. Lauren graduates May 26 from West High School. OMG! Where has the time gone?
tomorrow we go to Beloit Wisconsin to visit Beloit College. She has been accepted there and I guess we should pay them a visit before we send her off to go to school there!!!

Bob and I are so proud of our lovely daughter! She is bright and has a thirst for knowledge. She is planning on archeology, at this point. I know she will do well in whatever she pursues.

Earlier this week we attended the performance of the West High Jazz Ensemble at the Iowa Championship Jazz Competition.  Lauren plays tenor sax.  They really did a wonderful job and finished second in Class 4A.  They were thrilled!  It was a great finish to their senior year. (There is no video because I couldn't wait for it to load).
This morning I woke up to SNOW!!!  What the heck?   Thankfully it all melted, but it snowed for about 2 hours!!!

Our yard is looking springy.. daffodils are popping up all over and the bleeding hearts are starting to bloom. I hope this morning's snow didn't hurt them.

Oh my! Its been a while...

Sorry, its been a while since my last post. And here I thought I was going to routinely keep up with this blog...NOT! I'm so bad at this. Everyone I know who has a blog does such a nice job. They routinely post updates on their family, craft projects, even favorite recipes! I guess I'm hopeless.

Ok, I've wallowed in self pity long enough...I'm done.

It was a busy August. The first week in August we visited several Iowa colleges: Grinnell, Drake, Pella, and Luther. Grinnell was the winner, so far. Lauren wants to do an overnight visit there in November. She also will be checking out Beloit soon.

Lauren turned 17 in August!!! OMG! Where did the time go? She's this beautiful, young woman now! Not a little girl anymore. She is a joy to be around (most of the time..)! She's articulate, poised and has a great sense of humor. How did we get so lucky? Love you, sweetie.

I got to go to the annual Door County quilt event this year. I missed last year's event. What a fun time! and what a beautiful setting. Its soo relaxing up there...Thanks Miss J. for having it!

Lauren's French exchange student stayed with us for almost 2 weeks after I returned from Door. Lola was a charming young lady. Quiet but very sweet. I hope she had a great time! We certainly enjoyed having her visit.

School started in August,too. Big Senior this year! Early-bird PE first trimester..yuck. Lots of homework. Not enough sleep...

I started Water Aerobics in September. Its not a pretty picture but its a great workout. And considering my fear of deep water...its quite an accomplishment! I also signed up through December..just to keep up the pace.

I had Gourmet in September. We usually have the summer off and then return in September. The menu was chicken Marsala, Parmesan Smashed Potatoes, Peas with Prociutto, Asian Pear and Arugula salad, and No-Bake Creme Brule. It was pretty tasty!

Its almost October. The weather is turning a bit cooler these days. I love it! Lauren gets senior pictures taken soon. Hope the leaves are beautiful by then.

Homecoming was last weekend. She looked fabulous! Looked like she had fun with her friends, too.

I'm working on a quilt I started in Door. Its called 'Garden Trellis" I hope to finish it soon. We'll see, I still have to add some applique.

Finished up 2 pair of socks and a 3 scarves for knitting projects. The scarf pattern is Fringed scarf. Gave a pair of socks and one scarf to Lola before she returned to France. Lauren got a pair of socks and a scarf and the third scarf went to a friend of Lauren's as a birthday present.

Got the new Fons and Porter "Quilt Celebrations". It has all Patrick Lose projects in it. I made a small wall hanging of a spider. Its at Common Threads Quilt Shoppe. Forgot to take a picture....

Later....

Mid-July ALREADY!!

Wow, its the middle of July, already!!! We picked up Lauren on Saturday from Kampsville, Illinois. Her 3 weeks at the Center for American Archeology were amazing! She was so enthusiastic and energized by the whole experience. All she could talk about was 'next year'!

She gave us a tour of the grounds (the dorm and surrounding area). After we packed the car with her stuff..her giant duffle bag, pillow and blanket, and box of books, we drove a couple of blocks to the excavation site. It is located behind the convenience store in this little town. In the 1970's they were building in this area and unearthed some artifacts and it has been a 'dig' site ever since. In fact, it is likely that most of the town sits upon ancient Indian artifacts dating back to the Middle Woodland era.

We then stopped at a fresh fruit stand in someones front yard and purchased some yummy fruits and vegetables. Kampsville is located in Calhoun County in Illinois and is well known for its peaches, blueberries and plums.

Next stop was at the American Archeology Museum. It is located in what used to be the general store when Kampsville was in its infancy. It is situated along the Illinois river (which was out of its banks). Lauren showed us around the museum and shared her knowledge about the ongoing archeological digs in the area....fascinating! We couldn't leave before we bought a couple of more books....

Oh, and did I mention that in order to get across the river at kampsville you must take a ferry?? And that Lauren and her fellow campers took this ferry twice a day for meals?? Remember how I feel about Bridges? Well, double that for ferries.....Lauren asked if we would like to cross the river to see where they had to go to eat, but the ferry had just left and it would have meant quite a wait for its return so we opted not to go (Oh darn...NOT).

We then left for home. Stopped in Hannibal and had lunch at the Mark Twain Diner and visited a couple of shops. Hickory Stick Quilt shop for me, a book shop for Lauren and an antique car place for Bob.

I have been working on a few projects the last couple of weeks. I finally finished the New York Beauty Goes To Hawaii. That was painful, but it is now hanging in the living room. I am starting a quilt with some embroidered blocks in it. I got the pattern from Quilt Life magazine.

Time to close and get on with the day. So glad Lauren is home!!