Such a social butterfly!

Man, I have been busy lately! Last night I went to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Chanhassen Dinner Theater. That was so good! I need to drag out my VCR and watch the movie again.

I have finished the next set of borders for my Holiday Inn JLWC quilt. JoAnn's class comes before mine this month so I need to go the the shop tomorrow night (poor me) and drop off the sample. JoAnn will be so happy. She hasn't been feeling well...poor baby!

I have to stop playing with Blogs and get to my applique. I need to finish the Reel block for the Heart and Hand Applique club...need to keep up with my block of the week. So...off I go!

More Photos uploaded

OK...the rest of the photos are up...I just need to edit them and put in names, etc. Maybe later.

It is so good to be home...and back at work. I love my job. Isn't that sick?

Chicken Chaos

Oh dear...we have had difficulties with chickens here. We had a mystery class with the chicken sisters and I had a senior moment. I have a guest blogger here to describe it for you. In our defense, neither of us had made the project ahead of time. Pictures will be posted to my webshots when I get home...please welcome JoAnn Atkins:

So, we brought all the supplies to have this mystery mini class for the Chicken Sisters and the project was Polo Loco. I started teaching the class and the first clue was for them (Deb and I were also making the project) to make two nine inch blocks and quilt them on to some thermore batting. As we were doing this I inadvertently said, out loud, " my chicken will be puffy". Jeannie looked at Connie and said "do you think we could be making chickens?" THIS PROJECT WAS NO LONGER A MYSTERY. PERSEVERE!

Well, we continued on and I got behind and I asked Deb to take over the class.

We got to the part where you add the beak the the "fun fur" beak and comb to one block, sandwich the blocks and turn them right side out to stuff. There was much discussion as to where to place all the parts. Deb held up her sample to show us how to place the parts. Those of us who trusted her and followed the leader didn't do too well.

She turned her chicken right side out only to discover the beak was facing north and the tail was facing front.

The next thing I knew, I saw her chicken lying in the garbage beak and tail up.

The rest of the class carried on without the teacher and were successful in making beautiful chickens.

(Deb's note - Notice the lovely fluffy tail. I think my chicken was just looking back at his tail. A very flexible chicken, perhaps a member of the "Cluck de Soleil Circus").

I dug the pitiful reject from the garbage and told the teacher (Deb) if she would only rip out the mistakes, I would finish her chicken for her. This lead to immediate success. (See picture.)

You too can make a chicken with the help of a good, experienced and qualified cluck instructor.

Here is Deb back again. JoAnn laughed so hard while typing this, we relived the whole fiasco again. It was fun...I think JoAnn just called herself a cluck instructor...funny!

What a way to start the day!

JoAnn, Brenda and I went to the Blue Gate for breakfast...what a breakfast!  I had stuffed french toast...couldn't eat the whole thing...Brenda had sausage gravy and biscuits and JoAnn had eggs, of course.  It isn't breakfast without eggs.

We had the most wonderful conversation with Brenda.  She is so interesting and has such wonderful ideas.  When I grow up, I want to be just like her.

Keep checking the blog and the webshots for updates on fun in Shipshe!  Show and Tell is tonight.

http://community.webshots.com/user/dmkloss

Thursday in Shipshe

Oh holey moley...we had fun today!  JoAnn and I went to breakfast and then to Lolly's and the Davis Merchantile for some shopping.  The Chicken Sisters joined us at about 3pm for some fun and hijinks...somehow the noise level of the room was increased after 3pm today.  We had our dinner at the Amish farm tonight and the Quilt Show in Goshen.  Check my webshots album for the pictures.  I still need to add titles, rotate, etc but that will happen when I have time.

FUN!

http://community.webshots.com/user/dmkloss

Here we are in Shipshe!

We arrived at about 5pm...left around 6:30AM and drove pretty steadily.  It is nice to be here.  The room is wonderful and bright...and we are sitting right next to Brenda, who is the Queen of the Blanket Circus.  What fun!  There are lots of folks we know, and new people to meet.  

Here is a picture of JoAnn working on her exchange blocks...and my penguin isn't accomplishing a darned thing

Yahoo! Off we go!

I am so ready to go on vacation...except for the packing part. I have to get my self in gear here. I know what I want to take so it shouldn't take too long! I am bringing my camera so I should be able to do a daily diary of sorts....

Happy Easter!

What a day! I had to cook TWO things! Oh man...Monkey Bread and that Corn Thing. No one died so I guess I did OK. PHEW! Katie brought boyfriend and large lab and Katie's Mom joined us for our very strange, many coursed feast. I wanted to have a brunch and Grandma wanted to have a dinner...we both won.

I am packing for Shipshe and also working feverishly on a Hearts and Hands Applique challenge block. Turns out I am working on the wrong block but I think they will forgive me. I have several things to take along for Shipshe and hope I will be able to keep out of mischief...NOT!

I am so excited to get going. JoAnn is going to show up in my driveway at 6:30AM on Weds morning...then off we get...11 or so hours later, dinner at the Blue Gate and off to set up our sewing stations and save two spots for the Chicken Sisters. I miss you guys so much!

Relief!

Well, I must say that spinal epidural thing was a miserable thing to endure but since Wednesday I have been mostly pain free. Thank you GOD! I have hurt so badly since mid November and was starting to lose my happy disposition.

I have the grocery shopping done and am going to work hard on my quilty stuff this weekend. First project will be to make a new collar for my cute little doggie...not very quilt related but something he needs. It is going to be a lovely springy green.

I also have to start planning for my trip to Shipshewana. I can't wait!

Survived....

...but did it work? I won't know for a few weeks. That was a not so much fun experience. I have so much arthritis / ossification that the Dr. couldn't get a needle in to where he was supposed to put the steroid. He tried a couple of places before he finally found a spot. That was not fun at all.

On a more positive note, I finished the center of my Holiday Inn project that I was working on at Lois' house. Isn't this pretty? I really love the colors I picked out. There are more borders that go around this center but I love what I have so far. We have our class tomorrow and for once, I am ready!

Who is doing the happy dance and why?

This is my friend Lois who just finished the last block of her wildflowers quilt. It is beautiful!