flowers

Friday morning (5/29) it was back to reality ~sigh~;

Michael had a 10:30 doctor’s appointment, and I headed to the Lake House to see our neighbor Jim in his first on-stage appearance!  The Performing Arts Club put on 4 short plays and they were all excellent!  I hit the bank and the library on the way home, and was home by 1 PM to continue to work on my tumbling blocks.  In some ways, I feel like I’m spinning my wheels, and even though I am working on the background, it never seems to get any closer to being done!  But, the best part was, I binge watched The Vicar of Dibley (on NETFLIX) the whole afternoon while I was sewing.  Michael came home and headed out back to pick more flowers for the living room: 

 

For dinner Michael and I made the orange chicken from Trader Joe’s, with broccoli and quinoa and it was excellent.  We headed up to Harris Teeter for a quick piece of cake afterwards, and I scored 2 rotisserie chickens that each had coupons for $3 off!!  Within 1/2 an hour I had picked both of the chickens and put the carcasses into the crockpot on the deck.  Michael and I watched TV together for the rest of the evening and ate our piece of “anniversary” cake.

Happy Anniversary to us!!!

More workers at our house Thursday morning (5/28) to paint all of the faux wood trim on our plastic palace :~).  Our house looks terrific, several neighbors have already contacted us to get the name of the guy to have the same things done!  Michael packed up the car and I left for quilting just after 9 (I had to stop at the grocery store and the library on the way).  It was another good day at quilting….I actually finally (FINALLY!!) finished sewing together all of my squares on the 3 dudes quilt pattern I’ve been taking to quilting for AGES!!  I added up all of my blocks, and I have enough to do another Sterling School quilt :~).  I thought maybe I’d have to add sashing in between each 4 patch, but I don’t have to.  At most I will have to put a small border around the whole thing once it’s sewn together.  I got home around 1 PM and immediately turned on my hot rollers, and eventually set my hair before spending a couple of hours sewing on my tumbling blocks.  BG has definitely inspired me to FINALLY get the background done and get it OFF of my design wall.  Around 3 PM I headed upstairs to get ready for our evening…and what an evening it was :~).  It was our anniversary…..TEN FABULOUS, WONDERFUL YEARS….the best 10 years of my life!  Anyway, since we both forgot our anniversary last year (see story here if you missed it: http://foodandfiberfloozie.blogspot.com/2014/05/cookie-bg-loree-with-new-tumbling.html), we decided we would definitely do something special this year.  Michael knows I love the music from JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, so he got tickets to the Theatre Charlotte production, and he also arranged dinner out at the FISH MARKET in Baxter Village.  We both got ready and asked our neighbors to come over and take pictures:   

After that Michael wanted one picture outside…and I walked out to find THIS in our driveway:   

 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  My romantic husband decided that we would glide through our anniversary evening in style, and it was magical.  As soon as we glided out of the driveway, Michael popped open the champagne, 

you can see the bottle in the ice chest

which we enjoyed on the way to dinner.  We arrived at the FISH MARKET 

 and split sea scallops as an appetizer, then split a Caesar Salad before our entrees of scallops and shrimp for Michael 

 and crab cakes for me.  

 

 Then it was off to the theatre for a great production.  It was over by 9:30, and we drank the rest of the champagne on the way home…although we didn’t go directly home….our driver found us an open COLD STONE CREAMERY, and we both got dark chocolate ice cream for dessert.  There were LED lights all through the limo, which kept changing color:

we could have EASILY fit 6 more people in this limo and NOT been crowded!

 WHAT an incredible evening…what an incredible anniversary.  We were home by 10:30 and exchanged our cards and talked for a bit before heading for bed…and the sweetest dreams you can imagine  :~).

bread, illusions quilt finished!,

Michael left before 8 AM for golf here at SCCL on Wednesday (5/27) and I hopped up, excited to be able to do something new since one of my quilts was finished :~).  I made dough for 2 loaves of bread while I was drinking my tea, then headed downstairs.  I tried a new technique for making 1/2 square triangles and I LOVE it!  My next rainbow quilt will definitely be pinwheels (made with 1/2 square triangles) and a cream background.  I know I will need a lot, but that’s ok, I plan to work on it little by little.  After that I dropped back to the binding on my rainbow illusions quilt.  Michael came home around 1 PM with an 87, and was very happy to find fresh baked bread on the counter. 

 

Jan swung by after it was out of the oven to take 1/2 a loaf home for her company (son from Rhode Island and wife).  In the late afternoon I finally finished the rainbow illusions quilt….YAYAYAYAY!!! 

 

This is the THIRD quilt I have finished in May 2015…..I am psyched!!  I finished 2 bed quilts for Sterling School and one smaller quilt that I will also donate to the school.

 

I made a few repairs to the range holders I made for Michael and Phil (I’m going to have to make them new ones very soon), and then dropped back to working on my tumbling blocks, by filling in more of the background.  We had leftover pizza for dinner, then it was time to SYPE for an hour with Janice.  She looked fine on the screen, but I looked like I was transmitting a picture once every 3 seconds….very herky-jerky.  Oh well…what can you do…it’s still amazing to me that we can “see” each other every Wednesday!  After that I was plopped on the couch with my honey, knitting furiously on another charity hat.

broken arrow quilt finished!

We were both up early Tuesday morning (5/26); I took a quick bike ride while Michael ate breakfast, then he left for his dentist appointment, while I supervised the hoard of workers doing things to our house: window washing, power washing, painting, etc.  Jan came over around 9:30 and we spent the morning and early afternoon working on 2 of the 3 purses she wants to make for her granddaughters and a family friend.  I spent the rest of the afternoon working on the binding of the broken arrow quilt.  Sometimes I would swear I have ADD…..I had to MAKE myself keep working on the binding….I thought of at least 6 other NEW things I wanted to jump up and do, but I kept telling myself that I had to totally finish the quilt before I could start anything else.  We had pizza for dinner, and Michael left really early to see some ULTRON movie with Larry, while Barb and Jeannie and Joanne came over for a visit.  I managed to get all of my ends woven in and the label stitched down while they were there, so my quilt is totally finished…YAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!  

 Michael got home around 10 and we watched just a bit of TV before bed.

Memorial Day parade

We used the leftover waffle batter to make quasi-pancakes on Sunday morning (5/24).  Some people think waffle batters and pancake batters are interchangeable….I am here to tell you they are NOT!  They were weird, but we ate them anyway….waste not, want not.  Then Cookie and Michael were off to take a long walk, while I hit the studio to get my 2 quilts off of the frame.  I got that done, and put together the binding for both quilts 

and started to trim them.  By the time I got one trimmed, it was time to clean up and head down the street for a party.  Our neighbors had a 60-30-60 party…they are both turning 60 over the next 2 months, and also had their 30 year wedding anniversary.  There was a very nice crowd of people, some we knew and many we didn’t, as well as their 2 children.  We had a lovely meal and socialized for a bit before heading home.  I sewed a bit on a quilt label (which my machine ate because I was too lazy to go in the closet and put on some iron in interfacing!!!) before joining Michael upstairs to knit on a new charity hat and watch TV before bed.

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We were both up early Monday morning (5/25); Michael headed to the store to pick up butter & sugar corn, while I got a ginger pear coffee cake into the over.  At 9:30 we headed over to Paula’s to eat, socialize, drink mimosas and watch the Memorial Day parade.  Paula always hosts as her house is at one of the junctions on the parade route.  She puts out mimosas, orange juice and coffee, and all of the guests brought something to share:  

 The parade was LONG (lots of new golf carts) 

it always starts with the motorcycle gang; this is just the tale end of them

one guy on a scooter was trying to keep up

and Uncle Sam on a segway always brings up the tail end

 and we stayed for several hours to talk before coming home.  We were home before NOON and Michael decided to do his monthly (June) chores, while I headed to my studio to sew.  I got the 2 labels done for my quilts, and got the second quilt trimmed, then was pretty lazy for the rest of the day.  I read my book until dinnertime when Jan and Walt came over for hot dogs, macaroni salad and corn on the cob.  Our meal was great and we were all stuffed by the end of it.  Jan & Walt left for home and Michael and I and Cookie went for a long golf cart ride, checking out all of the new construction.  By the time we got home, we were both ready to plop on the couch and watch some TV.

brownies, cookies

Michael left by 8 AM for golf on Saturday (5/23) while I got started with my baking duties.  I made a pan of brownies

and 4 dozen cookies (butter cookies with chocolate Ghirardelli centers....YUM!!),

 

then left them to cool and headed to my studio.  I finished the last 4 rows of quilting on the broken arrow quilt, then headed back upstairs to package everything up.  I put everything into labeled snack bags and by then Michael was home with a score of 87 that he seemed pleased with.  We both took showers and headed out shortly after 3 PM to Nation’s Ford High School.  There is a huge dance recital on Friday-Saturday-Sunday and the Fort Mill Playhouse Board runs the concession stand.  It was fun being there and talking with everyone, but we were beat when we got home at 10 PM and headed to bed after watching TV for just a bit.

tea roses, cherry tomato, Evelyn & Phil, Susan & Jim

Michael took Cookie for a walk early Friday morning (5/22) while I got a bit of paperwork done and cleaned up the kitchen after making a double run of my Belgium yeast waffles (for dinner tonight).  He took off for grocery shopping after breakfast, and I hit my computer for MORE paperwork ~sigh~, but at least the Volunteer minutes are out and posted on the website, AND the write-up for the silent auction has gone out.  After that, I loaded up the broken arrow quilt, got it basted and started to quilt it.  I got 4 rows done before it was time to head upstairs.  I put together an egg casserole, also for dinner, and then headed into the shower.  Michael cut more of our tea roses for the living room,

and also planted the cherry tomato plant out on the deck

before his own shower.  After that he started the potatoes

and bacon

for our dinner.  Evelyn & Phil

and Susan & Jim

came by at 5:30 for our “breakfast for dinner” of waffles, potatoes, egg casserole,

and bacon.  All was going swimmingly until the waffle iron broke on the last waffle :~(.  We played Mexican Train for several hours afterwards, stopping for a dessert of make-your-own-fruit-salad

about 1/2 way through.  I think everyone enjoyed the evening…they certainly enjoyed the dinner…there was not a crumb left  :~).  Michael and I watched just a bit of TV after everyone was gone, before heading to bed.

arrow block quilt top

Thursday (5/21) went by in a flash…and it is also the start of a very hectic long weekend.  The dentist’s office called at 7:15 to say that if I could come in early, they could see me (my original appointment was for 8:30 AM).  I hopped in the shower and made it there by 7:45….good thing too because even though I thought it was going to be a quick appointment, I didn’t get out of there until 9:10!  Just had time to grab a quick burrito at McDonald’s and head to quilting (good thing my honey packed the car and my lunch for me, even though he was leaving for golf).  I got home before 2 PM, shortly before Michael, who was very happy to come home with an 84.  We talked for a bit, and I finally headed downstairs to sew.  Thanks to a very good friend at quilting (a THOUSAND blessings on your head Mary B!!), my two quilts into one in the arrow pattern got re-ripped apart and I started to sew it back together (once again).  By 6:30 I had it all sewed and ironed, ready to be loaded up on Miss Scarlett:

 After that it was time to leave for the Lake House for THE FOLLIES, a variety show put on by our performing arts club.  It was a terrific show and we were home by 9:30 to read for an hour or so before bed.