Amazing, Awesome day

So today was my birthday and I was given so many gifts that my heart is nearly bursting.

It was a pretty ordinary day.  I spent alot of it with my precious granddaughter.  She wasn't feeling too hot or actually she WAS feeling hot and really under the weather.  But when she looked at me with her trusting eyes and laughed at my simple attempts to keep her distracted.....just filled my heart with love.

Jenny and Mia took me out to breakfast this morning.  I just LOVE breakfast out!  Eggs and hashbrowns and toast.......Love it!  Why?  I don't know, but I really do love it!

I loved getting the many birthday wishes from friends on Facebook.
I REALLY loved the pictures that my mom uploaded of me when I was little.

I have the most awesome kids in the world.  They all planned this elaborate surprise for my birthday.  We were supposed to be going to Brian and Jen's for dinner tonight, but the surprise party was actually held at Caramba's....one of my favorite places to celebrate practically ANY occasion.  Jen contacted a BUNCH of my friends, Jen and Jenny concocted great stories to get me there and surprise me.  Overwhelmed.  Loved.  Special.  Words to describe how I felt when I walked into Caramba's.

It's late, I'm tired.  I'll probably sleep really well after having such a wonderful day.  Thanks to all who have made me feel so special today.

This past week I had another one of those pesky birthdays!

They just keep on coming! 

I guess they are good for something tho....

getting together with friends to celebrate

and then there is the ......new bike!

Here I am ready to go off on a bike ride.

The bike I have been riding is 25 years old and this

new one sure is an improvement!

I can go as fast as the wind!

This actually is my second Schwinn bicycle.

I got my first one when I was 8 years old.

It was purple and can you believe it?.....I STILL have it!

Speaking of birthdays....

We had the pleasure of attending the birthday

party of a sweet little girl today.

Here she is getting a few practice whacks in on the pinate.

She looks just like a little ballerina in this picture.

She had a very cute cupcake inspired birthday.

I embroidered these little shirts for her:

These are a couple of the nicknames that her family calls her.

On the quilting front......I quilted this cute baby quilt

for Judy this week. 

The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI)

I've been involved with a group of 12 quilters for the

last 10 years or so. We are so very fortunate to share

a love of quilting and the companionship of each other.

Years ago we started recognizing each other's birthdays

with a Fat Quarter of fabric........as we became better

acquainted the gifts kept getting bigger and bigger.

This year we decided to donate a gift to charity since none

of us really NEED more fabric (yes we still WANTED it! lol)

We celebrated Mary's birthday last night and Mary's wish

was for each of our group members to make a mini art

quilt to donate to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.

What FUN I had designing this little quilt!

The idea for the quilt came from a single line from the

book "High Season" by Jon Loomis which I read several

months ago.....

"Now you see me, Now you don't."

I sat down a couple of nights ago with this

pad of paper, a pencil and a BIG eraser!

This was my initial design.

I wanted to portray a women who was fully present,

and then the same woman as *gone*.

I had lots of ideas, but was having trouble with the execution

of those ideas.........

and then I decided that I could just omit the eyes

and cover the mouth and achieve the feeling I wanted.

Here is what I came up with:

I've since added the words "Now you see me, Now you don't"

and still have to quilt and bind this.

Click on the above title to learn more about the AAQI

and the wonderful work that Ami Simms has done for

research for Alzheimer's.

I'll post the completed quilt in a few days.....with any luck that is!

The Pox

I am trying really hard to get motivated to work today.

It is almost 2:30pm and I have not accomplished much so far.

The morning started at 6:30am

with a vigorous hike on the mountain,

a stop at Jenny and Rafael's house to let in the tile man,

then back home to work/water my garden.

So I am puttering around in the garden when I hear......

"mom? are you out there?"

It was Rafael. His boss had sent him home from work strongly suggesting that he go to Urgent Care to have those suspicious spots on his arms checked out.

The spots had shown up yesterday, but I advised him to just sleep on it and see what happened.

Well, today they really started looking like Chicken Pox.

Sure enough, when we went to urgent care,

that's what the doc confirmed.

I'm keeping my hopes up that all I have heard

about chicken pox as an adult

are not true!

We had an extrememly busy weekend filled with

new house stuff, quilting stuff,

attending a wedding of a dear friend,

celebrating the birthday of a dear friend,

and

celebrating the birthday of my dear son!

who somehow turned 25 this year.

I sure don't know how this can be

when I am only a couple of

years older than that!

Organize!!!!!

I had a dear friend come over today to give me some pointers on organization. I REALLY need to get my quilt studio organized. Sometimes it is hard to work because I don't have my "things" where they should be and I spend alot of time looking for things I need. She gave me some great ideas............now I just need to DO IT!

At our FNQ meeting on Friday night we celebrated the birthdays of

two of our members. I made them each an embroidered apron.

Kerry's says "Sizzlin' Hot Mama"

and Dolly's says " Dinner is on ME!"

So now I"m off to start quilting a quilt that needs to be done

so the maker can put it in the quilt show. I need to get it done so

she will have time to do the binding before the show.

THEN I need to start implementing some of the changes I need to

do in my studio to get it organized!