Home again, Home again from a whirlwind April!

What a trip! Literally!  I started April with a Brookings Guild retreat.  It's a fun, low key gathering just 25 miles up the coast.  Gold Beach doesn't even have a quilt store any more!  What it does have is a cool motel with Breakfast included!  AND a nice sized conference center that just fits 22 wild and crazy quilters AND all their projects and stuff!!  Yep, it's that big!!  We always have a great time - and there IS a good quilt shop just 25 miles further north!  Just a hop and a jump and a great "I need a break from sewing" destination!

We started on Thursday and came home on Sunday.  Lots of laughs included.

Then home for one night and off to Portland for one night, hello, goodbye to 2 grandkids and off to Nebraska the next morning.  After years of whining - I finally made a dress for Miss P.  I really didn't want to get into the sewing clothes mode - but L said to me this year, "OMG!  All the size 7 clothes are so skanky!!"  What's a Nana to do?  So I made this cutie dress along with a matching one for our AGD too!

Mom turned 96 (!) this April.

We had a good and busy time the week I was there.  I'm trying not to complain (much) about the weather ... 84 on Saturday; 27 and an inch of snow on Sunday!!  Holy crap!!  That's amazing even for Nebraska!

I was only there for 6 days and Mom wasn't feeling wonderful, we had 3 doctors appointments during our time together.  There are many friends and family I didn't see - sorry!  Next time???

  
I'd sent two Quilts of Valor tops ahead of me and M worked her magic on them, they were waiting for me to bind and DONE! Both were disappearing 9patches but very different in looks.  I'm happy to report my designated Veterans were both pleased with their quilts.  Neither knew that they were coming ... fun to surprise people in your life that deserve the best.

My brother-in-law was in the Navy, stationed on a destroyer off of Japan in the 60s.  They didn't get much celebration when they came home.  He designated his new quilt as "hands off" to everyone else!  He even told my sister she couldn't sit in the chair the quilt was on!!  It was awesome to give it to him and see that excitement.

The second Quilt of Valor went to a good friends husband.  L was in the army in Viet Nam and a Purple Heart recipient. He hadn't talked about it EVER.  Two years ago when they were here at the coast with their son; one night after dinner he just started talking about it.  Everyone was very quiet and listened hard - we knew this was special.  His wife remarked afterwards that she wished he would get a QOV. I'm glad I was able to give it to him.  He also loved it.  So-o if you have some veterans in your life - just a thought - give them a QOV.  It was truly special to be able to do.

When I got back to Oregon, we headed down to Medford to celebrate A&Js sons' D(3 yrs old) and K(1 yr old) birthdays.  P and M came down with L to party!  And we were extremely busy!!  Starting with Saturday morning's birthday party where we had a creature pancake breakfast!! J is so clever!!

 This was M's elephant! Everyone had to make a pancake creature, before eating it, you had to let everyone guess what it was!  It was great fun!!  Just saying - whipped cream makes awesome grey hair in case you too want to make a self portrait!!

Then we headed to Lithia Park in Ashland.  Played, walked and threw lots of rocks, sticks and whatever we could find into the creek.  My favorite picture of Miss P (she's 7 now)! And Mr M conquered the wire climbing structure, the whole things wiggles and jiggles with every movement!

Then to ScienceWorks, the kids museum.  It was the Earth Day celebration so BIG crowd - but totally worth it!

Lifesize dinosaurs - and the only one not scared to be in the room was the 3 yr old!!  But he had been there before.  The bubble room was so cool - look what M created!! The tennis ball machine, the screaming booth!, and a HUGE connect4!  We loved it all.  I highly recommend it, we tested it on all ages!!

That evening we played in the pool at the hotel and then went to eat at the coolest McDonalds we'd ever been at!!  The Playpark was too cool with musical instruments to dance on! Or crawl on!

It was a really special time together.  Sorry that my SIL had to stay home to work ... but glad we were able to get that many of us together!

On the way home, L,P&M stopped in Roseburg at the wild animal park - they had an awesome break from riding in the car!!


But wait - there's more!!!  I got home on Sunday and on Monday I was headed to Bandon for the Bayshore Babes retreat!!!  I know, retirement is so grueling!!!  It was so much fun to spend 5 days with this group I met when I lived in Newport.  It was really rainy, but that kept us together quilting!

Needless to say, I was planted on my butt on the deck when I got home - I really didn't do anything for 3 days!  Then of course, there was laundry and cleaning and etc!!  It was worth every minute I was gone and oh- so good to be home!