I bet my followers have been wondering where I have been!
I have been in Alabama for a week and a half!!
First off I stopped at a quilting retreat! 24 ladies from the HGTV Quilting and Needlework Forum met at the Magnolia Park Retreat Center in Odenville, AL for 4 days of sewing and fun!! We have a larger retreat for the HGTV Forum once a year but we have started having mini retreats spinning off from the large one and they are just as much fun! The larger retreat is a more structured retreat with these mini retreats being more relaxed, allowing everyone to sew at their leisure and get to know one another on a much more personal level.
Here are a few highlights from the mini retreat...
We had a jelly roll race! This was a lot of fun but I hope we have some music next year! I wound up winning the race and was given a great prize! I have been threatening to buy one of these bags when I attend a quilt show but just had not. Now I don't have to! Thank you Linda!
My winning quilt!
Not all.... but a few more Jelly Roll finishes!
This You Tube Link will take you to a short video clip when we started... The camera went dead so we didn't get much! arrgg! - Jelly Roll Race!
I have a fabulous friend who goes by Bluesnail on the HGTV Forum. Lois was the shortest one at the retreat and took a little jesting from a couple of retreaters... all in fun... and Lois was most hospitable when we needed her to turn the celing fan down a notch or two... Only trouble was, she couldn't reach the pull string... So what was she to do??? but to call on her friends to give her a little boost!
We also have a fantastic friend who loves to have fun who goes by EBGQ on the HGTV Forum! Marlene and her friends from Maryland put on a fashion show for us! Get ready for some laughter because they put on a fun show!
The last outfit that EBGQ sachets out in is the outfit she was wearing at the Large Houston Retreat in 2008 when she won the Jammie Queen contest!!
The last outfit that EBGQ sachets out in is the outfit she was wearing at the Large Houston Retreat in 2008 when she won the Jammie Queen contest!!
We had a lot of fun sewing and visiting and just getting to know each other! Lots of fun had by all and a staff at the Magnolia Park Retreat Center who took really good care of us all!!
OH! Before I forget!! This was our mascot!! Isn't he cute!! NICUNurse (Pam) brought him so we could all sign our john henry's on him! I WANT ONE!!
The retreat lasted until Sunday at lunch but I cut my stay short by one day so I could be at my youngest daughter's 30th birthday celebration on Saturday night! Her birthday was November 6 and she chose to wait until we came home to have her party! That made me cry! Not many people would have their birthday celebration 2 1/2 weeks late!
This is my baby girl with 3 of her closest friends!
I had this cake made for her! She loved it and it tasted soooo good!!
She had given me her t-shirts from high school sports some time ago and I took the time to make her a quilt out of them for her present! She cried and loved it!!
This was the first year in 9 years that I had been in Alabama ON my birthday! My girls and their families took me and my hubby to the Texas Roadhouse Steakhouse for my birthday! It was so good having them all around me for that special day and ON my birthday to boot!
This was the first year in 6 years that I have been home on Thanksgiving so it was a very blessed holiday! Me and my hubby took the girls and their families for Thanksgiving breakfast at the Cracker Barrel! For lunch we went with my baby girl over to her hubby's parents home and shared a fabulous meal with them! For dinner we found Pizza Hut open so we stopped in for something a little different than turkey. One can only eat so much turkey. :)
And then we get back home and what do I find waiting for me in the living room floor!! A HUGE box full of birthday presents just for me!! The 21st was my birthday and I am participating in a secret birthday sister swap on the HGTV Forum! Jackie had my name (unbeknown to me) UNTIL NOW!! The box was chocked full of things she knew I loved!
M&M's and Andes Mints!
Fill In Puzzle Book
Crazy Quilting Stash goodies!!
PIGS!!!
Puzzle
Rotary Blades
Rope Bowl that she made for me (rope to make my own someday too)
Embrodiered piece of my business logo framed in a pig frame!
A blue boy pendant to use with my Pinkie button for Crazy Quilting!
I was SO overwhelmed with her generosity!! She really knows how to throw a birthday party inside a box!!!
My friend Carolyn drew this image for my website banner a few years ago and Jackie embroidered and framed it!
I bought the Pinkie button off of Ebay over a year ago and had been in search of the Blue Boy to go along with her! Now I do not have to search any longer thanks to Jackie!! I will turn them both in to Cabachons so I can sew them to the crazy quilt block when I create it.
WOW! What a trip!! We have not been gone that long in a good while! But by staying longer it helped me not be so tired once we got home. These in and out trips to Alabama where we go in on a Thursday and leave on Sunday are just too quick a turn around to drive back a 12 hour drive! I think we will be staying these longer visits from now on!
As much fun as I had, I am also glad to be back home! Now it is time to get the machines humming and get some things finished before we hit the road again for the Christmas holiday!!
Linking up!
MMM Craft
Just Something I Whipped Up
Motivate Me Mondays
Linking up!
MMM Craft
Just Something I Whipped Up
Motivate Me Mondays
4 comments:
Looks like you had a fabulous time.....glad you had fun!
What a wonderful time you had, I'm sure you will remember it for a long time.
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Thearica, you have had a wonderful little vacation! What lovely quilty things you made and all the laughs that went with the retreat and the birthday parties! Lots of happy memories.
Happy Birthday (belated) to you!!!
Carol (NJ)
Looks like you had a great time. Not only did you win time-wise, but I think your's looks the nicest too!
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