April Quilt Update

Welcome to the Monthly Update.  What does that mean?  Well, it's just little ol me trying to recap what took place during the month so that I can keep track.  I kind of use it like a journal.  Please sit back and enjoy a peek into a month of my life.

Any links that you click in this post will open in a DIFFERENT window, allowing you to continue reading this without losing the page.

The previous 2017 monthly update links are located at the end of this entry.  I hope that you make it that far.

Goals:

Easy Street (ES) - quilted, bound -
Garden Party (GP) - quilted and bound - 

Midnight Flight (MF) - blocks made
BOM (blue) quilted and bound -
BOM (Thimbleberries) set, backing made, label made, quilted and bound -
BOM (pink) quilted and bound -

1st -   It's a fly day!  I am going home.  Am I happy about it?  Well, to be truthful, yep.  I miss my sweetheart.  Speaking of Mister, he managed to get me an earlier flight today and that makes it even better.  I do have a bit of time in Montrose before I need to check-in and I take advantage of it by stopping in at a local quilt shop.  You can find that post in this Ladybugz Link.

And with that, I am up, up, and away.  Look at all those contrails.

2nd -  After 10 days away, today is time with Mister.  Since it is raining, we drive down to the coffee shop for our Sunday morning ritual.  After that it's off to Central Market for some groceries (I have no idea what he was eating while I was away) and a last stop to get some plants - i.e. butterfly bush and herbs.

I'm really feeling ambitious this afternoon so I pour myself a glass of wine and settle in on the front porch to watch  my sweetheart plant flowers.  Could I help?  Oh you bet.  Am I gonna?  Nope.

3rd -  The morning is spent organizing and blogging.  I STILL have so much to do to get caught up.  DART comes to pick me up and I'm off to meet Mister and drive to Mineral Wells for Bekah's soccer game.  Two hours later, we find some dinner and then return home again.  No, they didn't win, she didn't play, and I didn't take any pictures.  BUT, we were there.

4th -  I'm trying to get into a schedule.  I have mailed the birthday fat quarters and Jon's birthday gift.  Deposits have been made.  Yes, I am walking again - about 2 miles today to accomplish those tasks.  I even am trying to put some yogurt into my diet.  Ugh.  It's just not wonderful to me.  Having to make changes, but not thrilled about all of them.  I'll walk.  A lot.  Just don't make me eat yucky stuff.  Ooooh - while walking, I spotted some beautiful Japanese maples in the 'hood.

5th -  Yes, it's the 5th of the month.  I bet you're thinking - isn't this a quilt blog?  One would assume so with a title like it has.  Okay, okay.  I spend part of the day working on April's retreat woolie.  Then, off to get my hair cut and pick up some charms down on Harry Hines.

When I return, I work on the woolie some more and have decided to add colored eggs as my embellishment.  Stephannie drops with my April nametags and it's good to have a short visit.

Keeping going on the woolie --- it's time to sequin this hoppy darling.

I LOVE how he has turned out.  He might just be my favorite so far.  Gotta go pack everything up so that I can get out of here tomorrow.

6th -  Look out Granbury, here I come.  The car is packed, Mister is dropped at work, and I am outta here.  You can read all the details of the weekend in this RETREAT LINK.   The theme is FLAMINGOES and they are everywhere!  Or is it just the same two moving around?

My day's accomplishment is that these two pillows have been stuffed and closed.  Woohoo -- yay me.  TA-DA  I even manage to make the late night pic and still, that's all I've accomplished today.

7th -  Day two finds that I have at least unloaded the slipper supplies from my travel bag.  That is soooo much further than I got with them last month.  Hey, gotta pat myself on the back whenever I can.

Maria and I escape for a bit and hike up to the main house.  It is so worth it.

It's a gorgeous day and I feel as though the weight of the world gets lifted off when I am out in the country with friends.

There is beauty to the eye everywhere we look.

The best part (after being with a dear friend)?  BLUEBONNETS!!!  I have been gone so much this year that I haven't had a chance to enjoy them even one little bit.  So pretty.

The view from up here is pretty spectacular too.

Yes, I have sewed.  Four pair of slippers are now in the finished column.  That's still a long way to go, but I'm getting there for sure.

8th -  Here chick, chick, chick.  Come along and I'll give you yummy treats.  Yes, in my pajamas.  I need to dress for this?

Even the guinea hen is wondering what we are up to.

There's a celebration going on tonight.  So sad that ya'll missed it.  Perhaps you can get Rincess Saphrie to fill you in.

And today's productivity?  2 more pair.

Such a fun, fun, fun group.

Two out of three late night shots isn't too bad is it?  This one is a wrap.  All that's left is the packing up.  So sad.

9th -  I manage to get on the road by 1.  It's been a truly great weekend with so many highlight moments.  I can hardly wait the 3 1/2 weeks until the next one.  See ya'll there.

Total retreat TA-DA

10th -  As is customary, it's recovery day and I spend it writing blog posts, developing pictures, doing  laundry, etc.  Pretty boring and no pictorial required.  It's also my ONLY day at home to get this stuff done.  I leave again tomorrow.

11th -  Mister and I are off to Florida.  Daytona Beach to be precise.  If you want to check in with our fun trip here is the  FIRST TWO DAYS LINK.  It's beautiful here.  Down time.

12th - Just enjoying time with family.

and time on the beach.  Perhaps inspiration is striking.

The best part?  These five are with us.

13th - We are enjoying our time so very much.  Here is the DAYS THREE AND FOUR LINK if you are following along.  We start out our day with an amazing sunrise.

Then down to the boardwalk

and fun at lunch.  See, I'm not the only crazy person in my family.

14th - Beach time!!!  Grandpa manages to corral most of them for a picture near the old pier.  We use it each day as a guide for how far the tide is up.  When it is out, these are no longer in the water and it is quite far out from them.  I think it is fascinating to watch.

I am not the only creative person around here.  There is a massive building project taking place and it requires a great deal of collaboration.

15th - Oh goodness.  The time here has literally flown by.  I have enjoyed each and every minute.  Today is our last day with everyone as we fly EARLY tomorrow.  It is our family Easter and I'm so happy to be a part of it all.  To continue following along, here is the DAYS FIVE AND SIX LINK.

16th - That's it.  A very early flight and good-bye Daytona.  Good-bye to daughters, son-in-law, and grands.  We are homeward bound.  Happy Easter Everyone.

17th -  I am dang worthless.  I have found a crazy Netflix show and settled in for the day.  No other plans at all.  Not even to unpack.

18th -  I am still hooked on this crazy Netflix show but I have managed to get out the May woolies to work on.  This process has lost me my desk, however.

19th -  UGH --- its a chore day.  I am doing laundry, finished the slippers that need to mail (I had a wee bit of handwork on each pair), packaged 5 sets up and mailed them off for birthdays along with getting the deposits tackled and all that mundane bookwork.

20th - As I realize that I am leaving again this afternoon, I thought perhaps I should prep for the class I am taking tomorrow.  Oh thank goodness for Bonnie Hunter's scrap user's system.  I was able to prep the entire quilt center in about an hour.  Now to pack.

Mister came home from work early so that I could get out of town before traffic.  Woohoo.  I get to Mineola in time to meet up with Glenda and Sherri, check into our room, discover that we can set up our spaces at the shop, and head to Stitchin' Heaven.  As I'm setting up, I wander the store and take a few pictures.  Here is the LINK TO STITCHIN HEAVEN.  As we are about to leave for dinner, Bonnie, Irene, and Sherry arrive and we all make plans to have dinner together.  That means back to the hotel so that they can check-in as well.  Oh my --- I do believe they are there for the duration.

Dinner at Jalapeno Tree.  Laughter and fun mingled old and new friends.  It's such a nice night.

21st -  We are off to our Jamestown Landing class at Stitchin' Heaven.  Here is the CLASS LINK if you wish to see everything that went on.  As for me, I am a remedial student (yes, I have taken this class before) and after 3 1/2 years, I have a block.  YES, pat me on the back.

For the evening, we have gained Debi to our merry band and grab some dinner and then a walk.  I do so love these ladies.

A simple little walk around a hotel can yield a plethora of delight.  Eye candy.

And even some of nature's mouth candy.  Wild blackberries and oh so sweet.  You bet we tried them.

As we got back to the car, some of us had more trouble with our drinks than others.  No names mentioned.

There is a bit of prep to be done for tomorrow's class so we spend a wee bit of time downstairs having a marking party.  I sure hope we are doing it right.

Once back upstairs, Bonnie pops in for a visit and to drop off a signed book for Debi.  It's another chance to visit and loved by all of us.

22nd - Day two of classes.  We are checked out of the hotel and back at Stitchin' Heaven.  I am loving this class oh so much.  I feel so inspired and am thrilled with my color choices.  During lunch, we make a beeline over to another quilt shop where I find the perfect material for finishing up this quilt.  It will not languish as a UFO for very long.  To read all about our day, here is your CLASS LINK.

It's been a great three days and I'm sad to say good-bye again.  Until next time:  back row - Glenda, Sherri, Bonnie, Debi.  front row - Ramona, yours truly, Sherry, and Irene.  All OUR QUILT WORLD members.  Somehow we missed Beth in this picture.  So sorry Beth.

23rd -  Mister and I are out walking.  It's Sunday and that means coffee shop time.  This day will be quiet and calm.  I am taking it slow.  Blogging is about as ambitious as I will get.

24th -  While in Mineola, I think the a/c in the hotel got to me.  I have a sore throat today and just generally not feeling great.  That and mama is indeed singing bass.  My fingers don't hurt, so blogging is about as much as I get done.  The end is almost in sight on my personal blog.  I'm gonna be caught up before the new stuff starts.

25th -  I am definitely feeling better today.  One of my goals for these 11 days is to get my studio cleaned.  There's no better time to start than right now.  Out I go.  OMG, it's so bad.

I work out there for several hours and then decide that's pushing it enough for one day.  Now to work on developing the Daytona pictures.  When Mister arrives home, he declares that the Birthday Season has begun.

26th -  Again, I am up and out to the studio this morning.  By noon, it is FINISHED.  Well at least as far as it's gonna get this go round.  You can see the wonders in this CLEAN POST.  The rest of the day is bookwork and blogging.  Mister came home from work early and sent me to the JoAnn's sale to get gifts and prizes.  Well alrighty then.

27th -  I have decided to start cleaning up this house today.  The first room has a quilt on the floor.  I have been asked to do a tutorial on the method Bonnie taught me for rolling quilt so now appears to be the prime moment to do that.  Here is the LINK to that tutorial.  I also prepped the May woolie kits (just need blue - come on MSQC)  and even started on some October/November ones.  Since the wool mess is everywhere, I go ahead and finish the May samples.  (Psst, how much of my house do you think got cleaned?  Well, the quilt is off the floor in the living room so that's a start, right?)  Aren't these super cute?

28th -  Mister is home today and I have a car so I put out a "meet me for lunch" post and guess what?  Five wonderful women took me up on it.  We have so much fun at the Taza Grill and stay long after the plates have been emptied and removed.  Thank you so much, Lee Ann, Kathy, Suzanne, Meri, and Stephannie.  I enjoyed every minute.

29th -  BIRTHDAY season weekend and my time is being spent with my love.  First thing today we are off to the zoo to see the much anticipated hippos.  Here is the LINK to all the fun we had and great pictures we were blessed to capture.  We also found a new to us coffee shop, lunch at Cane Rosso, and a stop at Artscape at the Dallas Arboretum.  I got new pretties too.

Once we are home, I decide to quickly drive over to Sew Let's Quilt It and the grand opening of the Best Little Retreat Center in Texas.  I signed up for a dozen day retreats and also met up with Allison who had this delightful birthday gift for me.  A new stitch in the ditch foot for my Featherweight.  Thank you so very much, my friend.  You looked lovely today.

30th -  Mister and I are on day two of our weekend together and start out with breakfast at the Dallas Diner, followed by watching the sailing races on White Rock Lake.  So cool.

We have now decided to go to IKEA.  We THINK we have picked out some bar stools and have a long list of other goodies we need to purchase as well.  Seven hours later --- we are done.  In more ways than one.  New projects, things to organize with, and new bar stools.  Woohoo.

When I cleaned out the studio the other day, I decided that all my strip totes needed to be replaced.  TADA -- I now have them.  Yay.

We finish out the day with dinner at 20 Feet Seafood Joint and it's been a marvelous weekend.

I can't believe April is gone.  Whoosh.  Just like that.  Crazy.  Onto May and all that it has in store for us.  I hope all of you are happy and enjoying life as much as I am.  Did I meet my goals this month?  Nope.  Does that bother me?  Nope.  I'm happy.  Life is good and even though it throws us a curve ball now and then, I am happy to be here with ya'll.

As always, thank you so very much for checking in with me again this month.  I do this for ME and appreciate you so much for peeking in now and then.  Since it is for me, I keep it ad free and hope for it to stay that way.  It's just a way of holding memories tight.  Check back in now and then (or sign up for email notifications and you'll never miss a post) and please check out the link to OUR QUILT BLOGS at the top of the page for many of the quilt groups are starting to restrict the posting of blogs into the groups.  If you want to still have a long monthly read and time for your tea, join the group.  Thanks for sticking around this long -- I am grateful for everyone who reads each month.

Links to Previous 2017 Monthly Update Posts:

January 2017
February 2017
March 2017