Fun with the granddaughter....

We were lucky enough to have our granddaughter, 9-year-old Jessi, with us for three separate visits this summer.  She is a joy to have here......very cooperative and interested in doing a lot of things......cooking, baking, crafting, quilting, playing board and card games, reading, and started to learn counted cross-stitch. We also took her to Chincoteague, Virginia, for a 3-night stay......the setting for the wonderful, classic children's book "Misty of Chincoteague".  We are fortunate that it is little more than an hour drive for us from here. Of course, we also visited the nearby Rehoboth Beach boardwalk and did lots of swimming in the pool here and in both the indoor and outdoor pools in Chincoteague.  Below are just a handful of the many photos taken this summer with Jessi (in no particular order). I think if you click on them, they will show up enlarged and in greater detail if you wish to seem them that way.

She loved decorating the cupcakes she helped make.  She loves using lots of sprinkles....I think it's a "kid thing".
 

She went fishing for the first time in the "catch and release" lake in our community. She was a bit timid at first, but by the end of the third visit, she would bait her own hook, reel in the fish, take it off the hook, hold it and toss it back into the water.  She had lots of fun.  The lake is well-stocked and over the course of three times of fishing, she caught 70 fish!  (Of course, sometimes she might have been catching the same one multiple times!)

She was trying to make a "fish face" in that photo.

We went shopping and she picked that outfit for the first day of school.

 We spent some time at the NASA Wallop's Island Flight Facility that is by Chincoteague.  She ate freeze-dried ice cream there (like the astronauts eat) and wasn't too impressed with it.

We were shocked when we checked into the hotel in Chincoteague and discovered they had upgraded us to their Presidential Suite.....jacuzzi tub, fireplace, wraparound balcony with a beautiful view overlooking the water, etc.  We cautioned Jessi that this was, most likely, a once-in-a-lifetime happening so she shouldn't expect it every time she travels.  LOL

She enjoyed using the jacuzzi tub one night with a glass of lemonade close by with the gas fireplace going and watching one of her favorite shows on the Disney Channel.  What a nice way to relax after a long day of sightseeing!

We got to see many ponies...some at the Chincoteague Pony Centre and some in the wild.  We saw the pony show at the Centre and sat in front row seats..not realizing that would result in horse poop  flying in our direction. We had some good laughs over that.

We visited the nature centers at the Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge.  They had many interesting things to hold and touch...some living and some not....and many wonderful interactive displays.  Jessi was too afraid to hold the horseshoe crab, so she got Grampy to do it.  (She did hold a large whelk that was pretty slimy-looking when it poked itself out of the shell.)  We went on the beach for awhile there.

That is the Bed & Breakfast where Marguerite Henry wrote "Misty of Chincoteague".

The most exciting parts of the summer for me, though, were when we went shopping for her to choose fabric to make a quilt for herself and when she worked on it

.  She has sewn with me the past two summers and I felt she was ready for this...and she was.  We decided on a string block quilt. She chose two main fabrics and culled the rest of the strips from my stash.  I did the cutting and ironing as I felt that was safer for her at this age.  She did the pinning and sewing with me sitting right beside her for help and encouragement. She had nearly 100% of her seams line up perfectly, too.  This is the top all finished. I am so proud of Jessi and she is proud, too.  She did a wonderful job!  Don't you agree?  My good friend, Michelle, will quilt this for her.  It is on its way now to her in Wyoming.

Book Review: A Simple Change

I was given a review copy of A Simple Change by Judith Miller in exchange for my promise to write an honest review of it.  I do enjoy Christian fiction, so I did enjoy the book.  The setting is largely in one of the villages of the Amana Colonies in Iowa.  A well-to-do family (the Rhoders) relocates from Kansas City to the colonies due to some serious health issues of the mother.  The mother and father had been raised in the colonies, so the communal way of life there is not new to them and is how they want to live out their days. For their only child, Jancey, who is a teacher who loves her job and her students, it is a major change in lifestyle since women cannot be teachers in the colonies, but she handles it well.  Pressure is put upon her by her suitor in Kansas City to leave the colonies and he goes to great extremes to accomplish his goal.   

I enjoyed the book but believe that the amount of religion contained in the book might not be appreciated by some readers.  In my opinion, I think the story could have done well with less of that.  However, I am glad I read it and would recommend it as a nice story for anyone who enjoys clean plots and, especially, for anyone who is unfamiliar with the structure of the Amana Colonies in the late 1800's.  I learned a lot about their ways from reading this book and, for that alone, it was worth the read.

Special moments the week of Memorial Day...

This year we had some extra special moments during the week of Memorial Day.  It is always a solemn time as we recall those many brave men and women who gave their lives so we might be free.  This year, though, we had the added privilege of attending a promotion ceremony for a friend who attained the rank of colonel in the Air Force.  His wife, Michelle, is a quilter who some of you may know from her blog.  (Click HERE for her blog.)  They have been at Dover Air Force Base for just shy of three years and we had the chance to see them several times and Michelle and I got the chance to quilt together.  (Prior to their moving nearby, I'd only known her from our blogs.)  This first photo shows Michelle and Travis after the ceremony was concluded.  (It was held in the Air Museum by Dover AFB and it was a very moving ceremony and well-attended...which is a credit to the special people they are and how well-liked and well-respected they are!)

My husband did a video of the ceremony and Travis was nice enough on the day of the ceremony to introduce him to his boss and to tell him that Gary is an Air Force Vietnam veteran.  That meant a lot for my husband to be acknowledged for his service in Vietnam because...as some of you may know....the military who served in Vietnam were not treated with much respect upon their return...and some were actually scorned and had mean things said about them, which was very hurtful.  So it was special for Travis to speak of Gary's service and to point out the type of plane there on which Gary worked in Vietnam.    A few days later, we got to meet up with Travis and Michelle for lunch so we could give them the video.  Travis then did something else very nice that had me fighting back tears.  He told Gary about the Military Coin Challenge (we hadn't known about it but have since looked it up online....very interesting.....look it up to find out more yourself about it).  He then presented Gary with a beautiful coin which you can see here in the following two photos....designed by the mission support group with whom Travis had been associated while at Dover. It contains a map of Delaware as well as much symbolism pertaining to the 436th Mission Support Group.  Both sides of it are magnificent and this will always be treasured by Gary.  To me, this was a recognition (44 years nearly to the DAY that Gary returned from Vietnam) that his service was appreciated and respected...and I thank Michelle's husband from the bottom of my heart.  This gesture means more to us than Travis will ever realize.  I can certainly understand why so many people like him and came out for his ceremony! (Be sure to click these two photos to seem then enlarged as this coin is wonderful.)

This last photo was taken of me and Michelle as we prepared to leave the restaurant after lunch.  This restaurant was actually the same one in which Michelle and I had met, in person, for the very first time nearly three years ago....and we ate there at least one or two more times since then....so it was fun and fitting to eat there together again one last time.  We did not say "goodbye", though, as we hope to see each other again and, perhaps, Gary and I will finally be motivated to take our cross-country National Park trip so we can see them out west!  They are on the road now and will take up their next post mid-June in Wyoming.  May they have safe travels and many happy times ahead.

Quick Post

I was lucky enough to get another book to review from Bethany House and it was Amish fiction....which I love.  This one was called Adoring Addie and is Book #2 of the series called Courtships of Lancaster County by Leslie Gould.  Sometimes I've had books to review that weren't so great but not this time! Adoring Addie flowed nicely and I read the entire book within 24 hours of starting it. The characters were varied enough to keep the book very entertaining...and they were also very believable. The book showed the Amish lifestyle of respect for God and family but also showed that even in such families, there are struggles to be faced due to differing personalities and their issues. My only disappointment was that the ending was a bit too rushed for me. I'd have liked the ending to have more details, although it didn't sour me on the book. I'd recommend this for anyone who enjoys spending some hours with Amish fiction.

Finally finished.....

A few years back (maybe 3-4?) I took a class at the guild in which I then belonged and we made this piece.  It was done in a sort of "cheating" way....with a thin, interface-weight piece that had lines printed on it and we just had to fold it in a certain way and sew the diamonds we had cut onto that sheet...so it was pretty much guaranteed to be error-free.   It then sat for a long time as I was unsure what to do to quilt it.  Then....to the rescue came my friend, Michelle (click HERE for her blog).  She did a wonderful job of custom-quilting it for me and I love how it looks.

I know the center part of the star looks in the first photo as if the points are missing on some of the diamonds, but it doesn't look that way in person AND you can see in the close-up that no points are missing.  The fabric used in the center is a print and sometimes the dark green didn't fall in the best place. (I'd do the center differently if I did this project again...would probably use a print that reads more of a solid than this one did...although I do love this fabric.)   In the close-up you can also see some of the lovely quilting done by Michelle.  I am really happy with how this looks on the wall in my living room.  THANKS, Michelle, for the nice work you did on this.  It kicked me in the butt enough to get it done....finally!  And thanks, to those of you who helped me choose the binding. This is the one that worked best as it didn't pull the eye away from the star design. (Click on the photos to see them enlarged.)

Another Book Review.....

I was given the opportunity to review another book this past week.  It is "The Guardian" (by Beverly Lewis).  This book is Amish fiction......which I really enjoy.  I've read most everything written by Ms. Lewis and have enjoyed all of her work.  This was no exception.  The characters were very believable and the story-line was interesting.  This book had a very nice blend of Amish and "Englischer" (Plain and Fancy, if you will).  As expected, there is a good amount of scripture quoting and "preaching" but done in a tasteful way and in a way that really did enhance the story.  It was an easy read and a quick read with an ending I liked

....a book I enjoyed reading enough that I read for several hours at a time without putting it down.  I'm glad I had the chance to read it.

CRAZY Blogger!

After NOT working for me (and having me ready to abandon the blog and asking other blogger friends to let you know what was happening), today it decides to work.  I cannot understand it, but I'll jump on this chance to say hello...because who knows if I'll start to lose access again soon.  Since the last post, I've been to Florida (Disney and the Gulf Coast) and also to Colonial Williamsburg.  While there, my husband and I were lucky enough to spend a nice couple of hours with Nancy (click HERE for her blog...although she hasn't updated recently, either, I believe).   The attached photo (which neither Nancy nor I really like) is after we had dinner together.  We were sorry that another quilt blogger (Linda....click HERE for her blog) was unable to join us.  Originally, she and her husband were going to travel to Colonial Williamsburg at the same time, but her plans had to be changed.    I notice that I am getting some spam postings on my blog....which I'd not gotten until fairly recently.  Due to that, I am activating word verification....which I HATE, but if it will keep spammers away, I'm willing to give it a try.   For now, I hope I can continue to get to my blog. Even though I post mostly on Facebook now (and rarely get time to read other blogs), I would hate to just delete or abandon this, but if I keep having trouble accessing it, I guess that is what will happen.