Sew Many things... Book club, Family Fun and Quilt retreat overload

 March was a good Month for book club. We almost had a full turn out for our meeting to review Gloria's book choice... Husband and Wife by K L Slater. This month we met at Ama's Mexican Restaurant in Hearne. We go somewhere different each month. I've read a few of K L Slater's books and so far I think this one was the best.  The key evidence was a scarf of the murdered victim was found at Parker and Luna's home. Did one of them kill the girl? Why was the scarf there? Parker's mom found it after Parker and Luna's accident when she went to pick up some items for their young son that she was watching until they recovered.  

There were so many questions and no answers. The ending caught us all off guard. Oh and I did I mention Nicola, Parker's mom was annoying and wouldn't let things play out. She was a Momma Bear. Our group would recommend
this book.  Such a Fun Group!

On Saturday 3/15 David went drag racing and this kids came up with the boys to keep me company.

Braxton and Killian drug out all their trucks and dino's to play but then they remembered they bought Jerry six pounds of carrots.  He can't all those at once. LOL  Jerry took his time coming up but the boys kept calling and he slowly worked his way up to the gate in the back yard and was rewarded with carrots from each of the boys. And the last activity for the day was fishing. Kaleb took them down to the pond but they get any bites this time. I think the water will still a tad cold for the fish to be biting. They did have lots of visitors. All the cows came over to the pond and checked out what the boys were doing.

It was getting close to dinner time so when they came back up to the house they washed up and we headed to a Mexican restaurant in Rockdale called Maricela's.  David and I really like the place. These two were very entertaining and behaved very well.

David missed the fun but he was home 

when we came back from dinner so the boys got to see and talk with Gpa before they had to head home. 

I have been packing my projects and notion all week and I had Kaleb load my one big sewing bag so David wouldn't have too so that when I get up Sunday morning (3/16) I can have my coffee and all I'd have to load up is my suitcase and food. I was ready.

Sunday Morning arrived... Had my coffee, finished my bag and packed up my food and I was off. David and the Pups were on their own. Made David promise not to climb any ladders or do anything where he could get hurt while I was away.

Thank goodness we still have a few ladies who can get on the floor to plug in necessary power outlets and the best part she can get up. LOL.  Thank you Denise for getting your section powered up.  

I love this purple fabric that Sandra is working with. She was smart she kept her eye on it. Some of us would have loved to have it show up in our stash. Okay so we'd never take it without permission. 

Ms Anna is working hard on a blue project

She's got it all cut, stacked and label for her log cabin.

This is Diana's quilt she shared. You start off with 4 square blocks across and 6 down and you cut it in specific area and it becomes this On Point blocks. Oh and she figured out where to place say those gold blocks so you don't have to cut them individually like we did the first time she showed us how to make this quilt.  Love it.

So now when we go to retreat I take our group picture the day we arrive right before we go out for our traditional Mexican food and Margarita. Found it much easier. Everyone has their makeup on and not running out to shop or napping.  This year a majority of us ordered matching Tshirts in whatever color. That was fun!

Now I did have this one trouble maker who came running in giving me lip service when I was trying to gather everyone together.  LOL Not really. I love Sheryl.  So would you like to know how many shots it takes to get everyone lined up, facing the camera, and smiling....... oh and the camera operator setting the camera up correctly.  At least 25 snaps. LOL but we had fun.

 And that friend ended up on the back row and almost don't see her. Oh the trial and tribulations of this group. Love them all to pieces.

Denise started this quilt a retreat or two ago and it's done!

Now this girl...! She's always entertaining, unless she's frustrated with the project she trying to me. I've seen it happen. LOL

She brought me two quilted quilts and I started getting the bindings on.    This is what it looks like when everyone is busy and sewing. Okay a couple are missing but one wasn't feeling well and the others were hiding. 

This is Sheryl's spot. She doesn't quilt but she does felting.  She takes this felt and turns it into various animals etc. This retreat she worked on chicks and those chicks were being ornery after she went to bed.

   

Isn't this the cutest pin cushion? It belongs to Diana. 

 

How about a fun game of Left Right Center? Playing with dollar bills makes it more exciting. Of course everyone is waiting for that left or right pass of the $.

This I believe was Connie's loss and Sandra's (the one dark green) Win!

Not only was this Sandra's 1st retreat that she was more relaxed but she won the Money. I'm sew glad she made it this retreat.

I believe this creation is Anna's.

 
This paper pieced quilt is finally finished. Donna Marie has worked on this for at least 2 retreats.  

This another non quilter and very creative artist. I think this creation is my favorite of all the artsy creations she's made.

Pat worked on this quilt top and back while at retreat.

   

And she shared this beautiful sunset she caught one evening at retreat.

 

Denise went to work on this top. Cutting and piecing. It's awesome. She had enough fabric that she started a 2nd top.

  

These are my over sized friendship star Mug Rugs for my friends Kelli and John.  I like the way these turned out.  I did get the binding stitched on the front of the 2 quilts that Donna Lynn brought to me that she finished quilting. Can't show them until I gift them. And I started another quilt. As of today I still need to add a couple of borders before sending it the my quilter Donna Lynn at Donna's Lavender Nest.

This was our last morning. Several had left but a few of us hung in there until it was time to have lunch and pack up.  This is definitely our favorite place to retreat. Great Host, great space, Lighting, Amenities and Food.  

And can I just say these ladies are gonna spoil me. They gave me this basket of goodies and cards for organizing our retreats. The retreats are for me too and enjoy them sew much.  Can't thank each of them enough for their support and kindness. Without them there'd be no retreats.

Well I've probably made you tired or maybe inspired a couple of you to be creative. Whatever that craft is, enjoy the process.

Until next blog...A true friend freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably.     

A Few Birthday Shenanigan's ETC

 Okay so we did just have a wedding so we decided to tone down the shenanigans a bit this year. Plus David will be racing almost every weekend in March and April and it would be nice if he could join us.  The end of last years Winery gathering he was the life of the party. LOl Love you David. This man is about to do something crazy. 

Instead of doing the big open invite to a winery of our choice we just did family this year. David's back is out of whack so he didn't get to go racing.

 Saturday 3/1 he went with me, Kaleb, Pamela, Braxton and Killian to Wildflyer Meadery and Beer/Bee Weaver Farm. The boys had fun running, jumping and seeing the bee farm. Killian had a tree branch that looked like a gun and Braxton found one too. And they convinced Pamela and Kaleb that they needed to bring them home to play with. LOL  These boys never stopped. Could be an early night for them.  

We might of had various food items like bruschetta, pizza, etc and some beverages of choice to celebrate mine and Pamela's birthday. It was a great day.  The girls had wine while the guys had beer and the boy's had juice..

This was the cutest picture with Braxton photo bombing Pamela and David.

On Sunday 3/2 (Pamela's Birthday) we met up with Pamela and Kaleb at 1860 Italia for our birthday dinner.  Happy Birthday Pamela! My birthday isn't until the 5th but David used to go broke when he took us out to eat for Pamela's birthday and then 3 days later took us out for my birthday so we combined our birthday dinners. 

We had yummy drinks and food. Pamela and I both got the 1860 Prime Beef Mediallons 9oz of beef medallions, with balsamic cream, mushroom blend, crispy onions, with mashed potatoes.  David got his usually chicken parmigiana and Kaleb got the Veal Chop Milanese pounded, breaded, sautéed with marsala I think anyway.

Aren't we cute? 

Pamela and Kaleb shared the Traditional Tiramisu while David and I shared the cheesecake with blueberries. OH YUM.

As of Monday 3/3 I started to slowly get back into my regular routines like going to the gym. It was rough after not going for 4 months but I have to get back into it.  And I finally made it back to Sassy Stitchers Quilt Bee all in one day.  I cut fabric for another baby quilt and then worked on the binding for My king size Texas Flag quilt. It may take forever putting that binding on.

All the ladies were hard at work cutting and piecing.  These little featherweight machines are very popular with the ladies. I haven't got the bug for one but they are cute .  My friend Kim found these blocks on a give away table and she's adding applique kitties to the doors and windows. Sew cute. And of course a quilt top after my own heart is this Texas Quilt top.

Tuesday 3/4 I had to drive 2 hours into the Woodlands for a Doctor appointment.  All went well except that I gained 9 pounds since last year this time. Not a good thing but it probably started when trying to bake a cake for Pamela's bridal shower. That's when it took me 3 tries to get the right texture and flavor and of course I ate my share.  Ugggh. 

I still need to lose 50 pounds to hit my goal weight, well now 59. Coming back into Bryan the sky was eerie looking. It was clear when I drove through at noon time.  Apparently all the dust is coming from West Texas. Very hazy/dusty.

Wednesday 3/5 Happy Birthday to me... I picked up my friend Kelli and we drove into Bryan to meet Pamela and Chelsie at Messina Hof Winery which just around the corner from Pamela.  We had charcuterie boards for lunch and wine.  

We had a great time laughing and talking. These gals made my birthday special.  Thank you.

When I got home David took me out for a bite to eat in Rockdale at Maricela's Mexican Restaurant. Really good food and service. He gave money to get a massage when I go to retreat and my Lindor chocolates. Thank you David for making my birthday extra special.

I'm gonna plug my little sister Jerri Lynn and her new business  Nurturing with Love.  She's an RN. She worked primarily labor and delivery when she started but working in small town hospital she floated where ever they needed her. Then ended up in Kansas City and became a lactation consultant. She found her passion. And now she has her own business.  She's worked hard to get to where she is.  The little one in her arms is her Grand-daughter my Great Niece Whitney who benefitted from Jerri Lynn's expertise as a IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultation). 

Proud of you Sister!

It's getting close to retreat time. We're heading to our favorite place in Giddings called Hidden Treasures. So I got in and finished two more ruler/cutting mat/ironing mat bags for two of my long time friends who've retreated with me 10+ years.

   

I have a few more to make. Slow and steady.

David has brought up his Mom's applesauce spice cake several times and I recently pulled out Thelma's recipe box to look for it. I had to laugh..  All the recipes were just poked in the box and the tabbed divider cards were still in their packaging. No rhyme or reason.  I got everything out and started sorting.

While sorting I found recipes written on used envelopes and the best one was... a recipe written on someone's bank deposit slip.

I'm like wow. All the routing and account numbers visible. Not such a big deal at this point in time. I'm not sure the bank it was written on is even still around but I still found it interesting.

 
But through all the digging and sorting I think I found the applesauce cake recipe and basically Thelma's fudge recipe. The only problem is the way she cooked it. Her fudge wasn't soft, it was more like a sugary chocolate square.  Basically she over cooked it and she knew by looking at it and stirring it when it was the texture she wanted.

Eventually I'll see what I can do.

On 3/12 the Sassy Stitchers Bee I belong to got to go on a shop hop that Lori Vega put together for us. Lori was our transportation and guid. We went to Jester's Wild, Poppy's Quilt n Sew, Austin's Creative ReUse and Northwest Sewing Machine and can't forget lunch at Willie's Ice House. Everybody had a great time. We got home tired and broke or at least I was.

Lorena the shop owner was working on her Sewphia Kit. Too many pieces for me but what she's done looks great. Then someone caught me shopping at Poppy's. I think Lori.

Lunch was pretty darn tasty at Willie's. Used to go there often in Houston on Jones Road. I think we were in Georgetown for this Willie's.

Back on the bus and heading to Austin's Creative Reuse. This place was very unique. It had a little of everything. For a couple dollars you could get a gallon bag of crayons or Fat Quarters or rubber stamps for card making. Everything they have has been donated. This place would be a teachers dream for purchasing classroom supplies and decor on a tight budget. I mean this place has anything and everything. I should have taken pictures but I didn't. Oh and when I was finished shopping I went outside where I found free yep free orchids. The Florist design shop next door set them outside for anyone to take. The Sassy Stitchers were happy to help. Now let's see if I can keep them alive. 

One more stop at Northwest Sewing Machine. Cute shop and the folks were very friendly.  On the way to it a bunch of police cars blew by us with sirens. Found out while at the shop the high school a few blocks away had a bomb threat and was on lockdown. We drove by after we left the shop. School was still on lock down. Cars and people were everywhere and phones out.

And Lori got us back safely to Cameron.  Fun day!

I seem to get caught up on my blog to just fall behind. Oh well.

I have to go finish a couple of quilts to get them to their recipients.  

Until next post....The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend. ~Aristotle