Sippin' & Stitchin' & ...

BRRRRRR .... our mornings are cold now and as I write I have a cozy quilt wrapped around my shoulders. Summer warmth is giving way to Winter cold as Fall continues.

Fall Friday

Some of the trees are now bare, while others are still turning their autumn hues. Such a lovely time of year.

Just another day in the country

Having lived most of my life in cities or towns, life in the country brings experiences you don't normally get in town.  That said, my fondest memories of childhood were the few years we did live out in the country, on small farms. I loved being out in open land, with lots of trees and hills and woods and fields.

Back to (almost) normal

Today I feel (almost) normal again. Enough so that after running a couple of errands in town I did a 'minor' rearrangement of my sewing room -- really mainly my sewing table, but to move it other things had to move too. I think it will give me better space to move around and not feel so enclosed.

Self Portrait?

Tidbits on Tuesday

I wasn't sure we'd get much good Fall color this year since it has been such a dry summer, but the last couple of days the trees have been showing their glorious shades of yellow, gold, crimson, purple, and more.

Sampling Sunday

No ... I did not go to Costco today. LOL  But not a bad idea. You can get a pretty good meal when all the sample carts are there!

A few special things

DH gave me this wonderful bouquet for my BIRTHDAY yesterday. Such vibrant colors!

Enjoyed so many wonderful things yesterday. Ended the day with this fabulous dessert!

I received this FABULOUS book (along with other great gifts). 

Getting my creative juices flowing.

And then there were the 

e-cards

paper cards

emails

blog comments

FB wishes

phone calls

and hearing Miss Bailey say, "Love you Nana"

A perfect day!

It's my BIRTHDAY!

I never did buy into not wanting to celebrate my birthday. It is my highlight day of the year -- or at least a tie with Christmas.  

Each of us should embrace and celebrate our BIRTHday... after all, we are a gift from God, and God doesn't make any junk!

DH started off my day by fixing us a nice breakfast ... including candlelight! What a guy!

My sister is taking me out for lunch today to celebrate, and then I'll go spend some time with Mom.

Throughout the day there will be phone calls from my brothers, as well as from our kids.

Of course there will be time to sit and ponder, to think about my life ...

or, more likely, think about what dessert (okay, chocolate) I'll have today.

And then there is thinking about all the wonderful gifts I have been blessed with...

A great husband 

Four fabulous, now adult, kids

A very special granddaughter

Many friends

Needs met

Health

Love

Every Day a Happy Day

Every Day a Party!

Columbus Day

For all of my growing up years Columbus Day was on October 12. I had no difficulty in remembering it as it was also my dad's birthday.  In 1971, "they" changed it to be always on a Monday.  The first year it changed was really weird ... it was October 9 -- MY birthday.  Wait a minute -- it's supposed to be on Dad's birthday!  Really feels weird.

From Wikipedia:
"Actual observance varies in different parts of the United States, ranging from large-scale parades and events to complete non-observance. Most states celebrate Columbus Day as an official state holiday, though many mark it as a "Day of Observance" or "Recognition" and three do not recognize it at all. Most states (including states where it is not a legal holiday) close schools and other state services, while others operate as normal.^{[citation needed]}

San Francisco claims the nation's oldest continuously existing celebration with the Italian-American community's annual Columbus Day Parade, which was established by Nicola Larco in 1868,^[8]while New York City boasts the largest.^[9][10][11]

As in the mainland U.S., Columbus Day is a legal holiday in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. In the United States Virgin Islands, the day is celebrated as both Columbus Day and "Puerto Rico Friendship Day."^[12]

Virginia also celebrates two legal holidays on the day, Columbus Day and Yorktown Victory Day, which honors the final victory at the Siege of Yorktown in the Revolutionary War.^[13]

Hawaii, Alaska, and South Dakota are the three states that do not recognize Columbus Day at all, though Hawaii and South Dakota mark the day with an alternative holiday or observance. Hawaii celebrates Discoverers' Day, which commemorates the Polynesian discoverers of Hawaii on the same date, the second Monday of October,^[14][15] though the name change has not ended protest related to the observance of Columbus' discovery.^[16] The state government does not treat either Columbus Day or Discoverers' Day as a legal holiday;^[17] state, city and county government offices and schools are open for business. South Dakota celebrates the day as an official state holiday known as "Native American Day" rather than Columbus Day.^[18] Iowa and Nevada do not celebrate Columbus Day as an official holiday; however, the governor is "authorized and requested" by statute to proclaim the day each year.^[19][20] In Nevada, this probably has less to do with any objection to the celebration of the day than the fact that it is relatively close to Nevada Day, and schools and banks can only be closed for so many days.^{[citation needed]}

Several other states have removed Columbus Day as a paid holiday for government workers while still maintaining it either as a day of recognition or a legal holiday for other purposes. These include California and Texas."

Home Again

Just starting to catch up after being gone for several days. I had a great time at the retreat, meeting lots of great women, drooling over LOTS of great quilts being made, taking in wonderful scenery, enjoying (too many) yummy snacks.

The retreat center is in a beautiful setting near Raymond, Washington. This trail leads to the waterfalls, which is worth the walk/hike. I was glad to have my walking sticks for the few uphill parts, but all in all not a bad walk/hike.

My friend Stephanie encouraged me (along with Karen) to attend the retreat. We had a great time. She sewed at the table next to me and brought a pumpkin full of chocolates. My kind of friend! LOL

That's a quilt she is working on in the background on the design board.  I'm not sure how many attended but there were around 50 of us sewing away for 4 days.

I did several small projects: pillowcases, apron, 12x12 calendar block, and a doll quilt that will go to Bailey for Christmas --

 

During one of our group gatherings they gave out some "prizes". WooHoo!  I won one of them and I am so excited.... 

A gorgeous selection of Connecting Threads batik fabrics. Ooooooooh. 

After the retreat I headed south to attend a Memorial Service. It was a wonderful time of celebrating the life of a man who touched so many lives in so many wonderful ways. He's now singing in God's choir and his smile is lighting up heaven. Earth's loss is heaven's gain.