A Visit with Santa

One thing good about hanging out with a three-year old is that you get to visit Santa and, as in this case, Mrs. Claus, too!


Every year the Milwaukee Fire Department sponsors a Visit with Santa for all MFD members and their families. It is held at the Survive Alive House, which is a wonderful place where all city of Milwaukee school children can come and learn about fire safety. This is the third year my great niece Shannon, Pam (her mom) and I have attended. It is a nice event.

One of our firefighers makes balloon shapes for the kids. Here Shannon is getting fitted.

Shannon and her Rudolph hat!

Big brother, Aaron, gets in on the act!

Shannon and her new friend, Grayson. Grayson's Dad is the Audio Visual Specialist for the MFD.

Shannon asked Santa for puzzles, toys, an Abby Cadabby doll and a healthy little brother or sister, which is due to arrive next summer!

Planning for Retirement

HEHEHEHEHEHE

I went for my retirement seminar today.

I'm very excited.

Learned all kinds of new things I wasn't aware of.

I'm a-hoping August 23, 2010 is the big day!

Feeling kinda giddy.

Oh, You Beautiful Doll(s) . . . ahhh, Dog(s)!

My blogging friend, Misti, painted these awesome portraits of my girls. Aren't they the cutest little doggie girls you have ever seen? Both in real life and in art.

The Paris Hilton of the dog world, Gracie

Gracie thinks she should have her own show. She believes thousands of 2-leggeds as well as 4-leggeds would come to see her one and only portrait. No cats or squirrels allowed. Lucy Lou sniffed the portrait and went back to sleep. If it is not a walk or food, she isn't interested. Although she did ask Gracie if food would be served at the "opening." Gracie is thinking about it.

My shy Lucy Lou

I think Misti did a fabulous job. Check out her blog and you can find her on Etsy, too.

Gracie is taking appointments for private views. Lucy Lou told me she won't let anyone in the door. Not that she doesn't love her portrait, but that it will distrub her beauty rest.

Home Again

Here is what I have to say about my vacation:

Wonderful. Fabulous. Relaxing. Fun.

I traveled to Mesa, AZ to visit my dear friend, Nancy. Nancy followed her dreams and moved to Mesa, AZ in April after a long and happy career as a teacher with the Milwaukee Public School system. She told me she misses teaching every single day. I think she does. She is a master teacher. She lives in a charming 2-bedroom apartment that includes a beautiful club house and pool.

Nancy was a great host. She loves to entertain and her passion is cooking. Thanksgiving dinner was awesome! She also likes to explore new places and restaurants. Ahhh - a woman after my own heart! I ate well on this vacation! (Marcie - we never made it to Tia Rosa, but will on my next trip).


Highlights include the a great lunch at the Olive Mill in Queen's Creek, meeting up with Pam (another teacher we knew when we all worked together at Eighth Street Middle School where I was the secretary) and her husband, daughter and grandson to watch the Packers on Sunday. A trip to Urgent Care to get meds so I could survive Nancy's cat, Lucy. Only my eyes are happy to be back in Wisconsin! Drives to ruins and up to the mountains. Singing to Peter, Paul and Mary at the top of our lungs. Watching TV in our jammies. Going to the date and nut store where Nancy negotiated a great deal on a bench for her porch (where I had a yummy date milk shake) and visiting on quilt store (had to do that).

Nancy & her great deal of a bench!

We also saw two musicals. The 25th Annual Putham County Spelling Bee was just a hoot. It was funny and included four people from the audience participating in the "bee." One had to spell Kinnickinnic. Well, being good Milwaukee girls we laughed so hard as we were probably the only people other than the actors who knew how to spell Kinnickinnic within 1,000 miles(Kinnickinnic Parkway, Kinnickinnic River, Kinnickinnic Avenue - you get the picture!). The other musical was Meet Me in St. Louis at a dinner theater. It was fun, too, and we all enjoyed it. I love the songs, but somehow the Judy Garland movie will always be the best.


I spent time with my sister, Linda. She moved to Mesa in October and lives in a very nice trailer park 10 minutes away from Nancy. She still is unpacking a little, but I can see where she will love living there. Her trailer is very nice and the park has a great community room with a nice large pool and hot tub. She is already involved in many activities.

More on this wonderful trip later. Today in Milwaukee it is overcast, in the low 50s and very, very damp. Where's the sun?

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I am here in Mesa, AZ - staying with my good friend, Nancy. It's been a great vacation. Well - except the trip to the Urgent Care Clinic on Sunday, due to my allergic reaction to her kitty! The weather is just beautiful and we have been all over the area. I have also seen my sister, Linda, and we will all spend today together. (More on this trip when I get home).

Last night Nancy and I watched Slum Dog Millionaire together. It is a great movie and I highly recommend it. At one point - watching the poverty of India - I looked over at Nancy and said, "Thank God we were born in the United States!"

I have so very many things to be grateful for and I will spare you the list as it is long! But today my thoughts will drift to all of the wonderful things in my life - past, present and future - and I will be filled with awe and gratitude.

I am a very blessed woman.

Panel Hangings

Here a a couple of holiday panels I made in October and finished this month.

I love the Santa with the polar bear. I added a border to the panel. Of course, it is in blues, which is one reason why I love it. I love all of the animals, too.

The cat panel is a Christmas gift for my doggie sitter, Mary Sue, from Gracie and Lucy Lou. Mary Sue is really a cat person, but she loves all animals and adores my "girls." I have always given her dog themed Christmas presents, so this year I saw this cat panel and decided to go with it. I added border to this, too.

Both panels were quilted at The Patched Works.

I added crystals to both panels, which do not show up on the pictures. On the Santa panel I added over 60 clear and blue Swarovski crystals and amber Swarovski crystals to the cat panel border, trying to place them on the stars. I bought the crystals, which are flat on the bottom and have heat activated glue on them, along with this tool that heats up and affixes the crystal to the material. The tool really doesn't work as it should. You can purchase these crystals in all different sizes and the tool comes with "bits" to match the size of the crystal. The instructions say to place the crystal right side up on the material and place the heated to (with correct size bit) over the crystal for 15 seconds or so. Well, I found the crystals would stick inside the bit of the tool and it was hard to get them out. So, I placed the crystal where I wanted it and pressed the side of the bit to it and hold it in place. This works as far as heating the crystal enough to get the glue to stick, but it also moves the crystal a little. I had crystals flying all over the place!

Anyway, I am very pleased with the way they both turned out and thanks to Jen who gave me the idea to add the crystals. It adds a little something extra and special both panels.

Jeannie's Block of the Month

Right Hand of Friendship block on right, Army Star block on left

Dark blue print is feature fabric

I keep calling this BOM all different names, but I have decided to officially call it Jeannie's quilt. She is the owner of Ye Olde Schoolhouse where we meet once a month to get our patterns and feature fabric.

This month the pattern wasn't written in Greek, as in previous months! Well, Greek to me, that is. Slowly I am starting to figure out these patterns that come with little instruction. I still have difficultly with putting the squares together to make the larger block, but it is getting better. I finished these two blocks off on a Sunday morning.

We had fun when we met this month. It was a large group and everyone brought the blocks they completed. It was great to see the fabric choices each lady picked to go with the feature fabric Jeannie gives us each month to use in each of the two blocks. It was also a "show and tell." Some of the projects these women do are amazing. Maybe next month I will be brave enough to bring something in I have completed.

Eight blocks down, 16 more to go!