Two Weeks In The Buckeye State

I've been in Columbus, Ohio for almost two weeks. (Side note: I missed the ENTIRE College World Series! Since Arizona State got knocked out in the Super Regionals, it wasn't quite as much of a sacrifice. And I take some comfort in the fact that the team that beat ASU (Fresno State) won the whole she-bang!) First week was at the National Quilting Association (NQA) show, second at the Quilt Surface Design Symposium (QSDS). I squeezed in some time with my family during and between the shows. There have been storms, lots of rain, not enough lightning (which I love!), and this rainbow on a back road in Logan County.









QSDS has been wonderful! Vendors each have a hotel room as the "booth". I've shared a room with Roni of Sunny Bunny Designs. With two of us, we are able to get away from minding the store to peek into the classrooms. The printing class is calling to me! My own work is so beginning compared to that in the fabric exhibit of complex cloth! If you want to expand yourself as an art quilter, QSDS is THE place!

I've been walking in Union Cemetery (established 1806) and on a trail along the Olentangy River. It is similar, yet very different to the trail I walk in Omaha. They are both "rural" trails in urban areas. Plenty of bikers here, but I didn't hear any "on your left" as they approached & passed me from behind. My Omaha trail runs along a "crick" much, much smaller than the Olentangy! Gray squirrels in Columbus, brown and the occasional black squirrel in Omaha.I saw a gray heron on the river today, along with plenty of ducks. Mulberry trees in both places are messy! No buckeye trees or poison ivy on my Omaha trail. And I miss having my little dog to walk with me!

It gets lonely on the road. I miss my husband, my daughters and my own bed. I'm looking forward to heading home! (Yes, Alyssa, I miss the cat too!)

Quilt Shows, Tornados, Dance Recitals!

What a weekend! It started on Thursday, when I set up for the Omaha Quilter's Guild show. Because of a close-to-the-last-minute change, the show was being held at a new location - the Gretna outlet mall. Definitely different, somewhat confusing, but it ended up being quite successful. Vendors and quilts were divided among seven bays at the mall. DellaJane Hand Dyes was in Bay 7, along with Material Girls (Grand Island), The Log Cabin Quilt Shop (Omaha), Quilters Candy Shoppe (O'Neill), Vintage Textiles (St. Paul), Etc. Etc. Etc. (Omaha) and two others whose shop names I've forgotten (sorry!).

A good turn-out on Friday eased our fears about the location and shoppers finding us scattered through the mall. In Bay 7, we tolerated less-than-adequate air conditioning on a day that allowed us to have the doors open. Saturday, the A/C was fixed, attendance (and spending!) were both good.

Saturday night! The tornado sirens woke us up about 2:30 am. By the time family and pets were awake and safely in the basement with the tv turned on to find out what was going on, the storm had moved over us! A tornado touched down just a few miles south of us, damaging a few houses and businesses. DH & I checked out damage to his factory on Sunday morning and found lots of tree damage and a few broken windows. A nearby neighborhood was hit harder, with several houses damaged. Luckily, no one was hurt!

Sunday was the last day of the show. See the Winners

I did a quick-as-possible tear down of my booth so I could get to Caitlin's dance recital. Thanks to Becky, Mary M, Rene, and Andrea for helping!! Caitlin was in four dances and was the best dancer in all four! In the interests of complete disclosure, I have to say that I didn't watch any of the other dancers while she was on stage. I'm a proud Mom!

I'm Lookin' Over

A 4-leaf clover! Driving home from the Machine Quilters Showcase in Overland Park, Kansas, I stopped at a rest area. I noticed the clovers were quite thick along the sidewalk, and I thought "wouldn't it be neat to spot a 4-leaf clover?". And I did!

A few miles down the road, I saw deer on the side of the road in time to slow down and avoid hitting them as they jumped across in front of me. Lucky clover!

I pressed it in my sketchbook for the ride home. But what is the best way to preserve it for a long time?

Baseball Swap Meet-up

Dateline: April 12, 2008, Rosemont, IL, Chicago IQA Quilt Show. (I'm the red-head.)

I've been a part of an online line group of quilts who love baseball for a few years now. We swap fabric (betting IS illegal VBG) based on wins & losses of "our" team (Go Reds!). It's always fun to arrange a face-to-face meeting when I travel. Chicago means a meet-up with Julie, one of those hopeless cases - a Cubbie fan. She came to the show, did her shopping & looking, then hung around my booth so we could talk & go out for the evening. Julie drove (Thanks again!) in the rain and only had to swear once when she almost missed a turn. Her cute little car took the sudden change in direction quite nicely!

We went to eat at Big Bowl on a cold, rainy night. Met a cute couple in the FREE parking garage elevator. (DH thinks I'm a tad strange because I talk to people I don't know. What he forgets is that I talk to myself, so having someone there to listen is just a bonus.) Ran into a mother-daughter pair from the booth next to mine, so Julie & I joined them for dinner. I thought it was funny that there was an Omaha Steaks store visible through the restaurant window.

Julie brought me a beautiful gift. The quilting is exquisite & she added just the right amount of bling.

Too Much To Do, Too Many Places To Go

Just a week ago, my TO DO list combined with my calendar felt like a weight more than I could handle. Today, my list still has 30-some items to be done before Wednesday, when I leave for Chicago, but... A big BUT! So many things are finished!!

Opening Day came and went. The Reds lost Dusty Baker's first game. I'm so happy that baseball season is here!

"Joseph" finished a successful run at MNHS this week. Caitlin celebrated her birthday as one of Pharaoh's dancers. Alyssa successfully tested for her TDK green belt AND was named Student of the Month. I finished our taxes!! We owe less than $500, so I'm a happy camper. I dyed over 50 yards of fabric, dyed two dozen onesies, rusted about 10 more yards of fabric. I got a new credit card machine. No more knuckle-buster swiping!

We ordered new appliances (range, microwave, dishwasher & fridge) a couple of weeks ago. Choosing them was WAY more work than I expected. Delivery was scheduled for Saturday. When Al unhooked the dishwasher on Saturday morning, the shutoff valve broke. Water everywhere, so we had to get a plumber in at weekend rates. On Friday, we learned that the range we ordered didn't come in. Of course, we had already pulled the old one. Nebraska Furniture Mart came through with high marks - they gave us another model (an upgrade!) so we could get everything at once. All but the microwave are installed & beautiful!! Kudos to the NFM delivery guys. They did a fantastic job.

The new dishwasher is SO quiet! The new range is intimidating. The ice-maker is spitting out cubes faster than we can use them. I'm faced with the daunting task of sorting through all that stuff from the freezer. How long DO you keep frozen vegetables? We really have to get to the zoo to feed the fish all those bread crusts! There were pots and pans in the bottom drawer of the stove that probably hadn't been touched since we moved into this house. Which magnets and pictures and comics move to the new fridge?

Today, we are shopping for a prom dress. If I survive, I'll get to work rinsing and ironing all that fabric!

New Bag for Spring!

I made this so-cute purse sample last week. The bag was designed by Ellie Grisham of Wisconsin. I love the over-dyed fabric on the outside, the spring colors, the knotted handle - everything about it! This is a fast & easy purse!

Blooms!

Blatant brag: I can grow anything outdoors in the Midwest. But my green thumb seems to turn dark inside. So I was VERY thrilled to see buds on one of my Christmas Cactus last week! I have two cacti - the blooming one was an impulse purchase at the grocery store last year. The other is a cutting from a 100-year-old plant given to me by my friend, Mary R. I almost killed that one (sorry Mary!). While the plant has recovered, it shows no sign that it plans to thrive & bloom. Sort of a teenage attitude - "I'll live here with you & tolerate everything, but you can't make me bloom". The funny thing is that the two plants sit side by side on my kitchen table, in the same size pots, getting the same benign-neglectful care. As with my teenagers, I'll just take what I can get, knowing they will surprise me with a bloom somewhere down the road.