A Family Saga

Yesterday afternoon I received the most incredible gift in the mail. Eva, my Swedish cousin (well, actually she is married to Bertil who is really my Swedish cousin...and they do live in Sweden!) always sends me wonderfully thoughtful gifts for my birthday (and on time too, as opposed to mine to her which are ALWAYS late!) but this year nothing came. She emailed me happy birthday wishes in an ecard and said that my gift would be along shortly. It is highly unlike Eva to be late with anything, but she has had a lot going on in her life lately, so I figured she had just been busy and so I had something to look forward to. When I got the mail yesterday afternoon, this incredible book was wrapped up in a package from Sweden!! The handsome devil on the left is my great grandfather Ola Peter Andersson and the stylin' gal on the right is his bride, my great grandmother Petronella Andersson. Inside the book are wonderful photos of my Swedish relatives from "way back when" plus many letters from my grandmother back to her family in Sweden. Of course I had never seen any of the letters before so it was very interesting to read what my grandmother had to say (they were all in Swedish, but kind Eva even translated them!). Nana left her home and family in Hov (close to Bastad, which is north of Malmo, Sweden on the west coast) when she was about sixteen and came to the states all alone to start a new life. Times were tough in Sweden, and so she hoped for better here. However in her letters she is always making reference to the fact that a new president has either just been or will soon be elected and she hopes for better days ahead! Nana was a very attractive young lady and she was also a real go-getter! She married my grandfather,the truly handsome Herman Sigfrid Peterson, on October 2nd 1909 at 8:00 PM. I know this because there is a photo of their wedding invitation in the book! They were happily married for 49 years, when Grampa suffered a massive heart attack and succumbed. I remember that day vividly!! Nana passed away when I was thirteen but I have very wonderful memories of times spent with her. She was a wonderful gardener, a seamstress beyond compare (she made me an entire trunkful of doll clothes one year for Christmas!) and she could quilt with the best of them! She taught me to embroider and made me an honorary member of her little Swedish needlework group! She was very active in her church and walked the 2-3 miles there every Saturday to prepare the altar and the flowers, and then they all would walk back to church as a family on Sunday morning. My mother, in her infinite wisdom, threw away (yes, you read that right!) all of Nana's quilts after she died! Now that alone is grounds for murder, but I have restrained myself over the years!!!

This is the last entry in the book....Nana never mentions what happened, but I know that she is making reference to the death of her dear sweet Herman. She was a real stoic and would chide me now for the tears in my eyes!

Nana had a brother Carl who also came to the states in the early 1900s, but he settled around Minneapolis. He married a gal named Minnie and they had one son, Harold. Carl died from pneumonia in 1918. The letter from Minnie to my grandmother, telling of Carl's death is included in the book. I have been looking for Harold Anderson for many years now, but with no luck. There are two letters in the book from Harold, the last being from Wichita, Kansas. Wouldn't it be grand if someone reading this blog would know "my" Harold Anderson! He must be about 89 now!

Thank you again and again and again, dear Eva for this wonderful gift! I will cherish it forever!!!!

Crazy!!!

Here is the original poppy photo..........ahhhhhhh! Anyway, after checking out my blog, I see that my link to Melody's website somehow got confused with Meinke Toy....go figure! My apologies, Melody!

OK, now I'm off to sew....and check out a new book that the UPS man just delivered to my door!! WooHoo!!!!!

Thursday

I've been having the most fun!!!! Monday is the 2nd anniversary of some folks who are very special and dear to us, so I've been making them a card. This poppy is based on one of a series of garden photos that I took this spring. I am using the Chicago School of Fusing's method for a good deal of my sewing "work" these days, and I've gotta tell ya', it is soooo easy and fast!!!! I'm also trying to finish up the pieced fish for one of my commissioned "Somthin' Fishy" wallhangings....there again, the CSofF method has proved invaluable. Hopefully I'll have some photos of that piece soon!

Melody Johnson suggested that I use Picasa2 to upload my photos to my blog...I've been having a real problem in that area, in case you didn't know! So, today is my first attempt at Picasa, and it seems to have worked well. I'll have to take a peek at the published blog and see. One difference I am seeing right now is that I cannot upload anymore photos. Hmmmmm

OK, off to the fish wallhanging!!
 

Me!

My friend Robin tagged me with this yesterday, and rather than send it via email to my friends, I thought I'd just grab you right here. Feel free to copy it and send it or blog it...or just trash it!

Things you may not have known about me...

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. ironing my brother's shirts for a quarter a piece when I was very, very young
2. scrubbing surgical intstruments in Brockton Hospital's O.R.
3. working as an O.R. nurse at Riverside Community Hospital and Baptist Hospital of Miami
4. delivering tickets for WIDE Travel

Four movies I would watch over and over again:
1. "Barefoot in the Park"
2. "Vernon Florida"
3. "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
4. "On Golden Pond"

Four places I have lived:
1. West Bridgewater, MA
2. Riverside, CA
3. Miami, FL
4. Boston, MA

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. The Dog Whisperer
2. Simply Quilts
3. The Barefoot Contessa
4. David Letterman

Four places I've been on vacation:
1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Bastad, Sweden (woohoo!!)
3. Squam Lake
4. Tuscany

Websites I visit daily:
1. http://www.nytimes.com/index.html?vendor=msn
2. http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=ffc&product=N0R&overlay=11101111&loop=no
3. www.silksorbet.com
4. http://www.4woman.gov/whw/woman/index.cfm
Four of my favorite foods:
1. Craig's smoked anything
2. Two Dog's Caesar Salad
3. Guac
4. Dave's grilled anything

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. Costa Rica
2. my dyeing studio
3. Sweden
4. my sewing room

Four friends I think will respond:
1. Gerrie, but I think she's already done this
2. Amanda
3. Eva
4. YOU!

Procrastination

I am trying my best to put off cleaning the loos until I cannot possibly wait another second! Ha!! Well, actually I have some silk in the washer and a couple of terribly important things I want to blog to you before I forget. Once the silk is done, the potties will be next......I promise!!






This photo's for Pixie in New Zealand, who seems to be very excited by large transmission lines. I have asked my daughter Kristin to send me some more pics of lines she has designed, so perhaps if she reads this it will jog her memory! Yesterday Craig, Barker and I stopped at Chipotles in Gwinnett to grab a quick lunch, and as we dined at the outdoor table, this huge structure was looming in the background....very scenic, I know! So I thought of Pixie and pulled out my ever-present camera to snap her a pic!



This morning I had an email from my sister-in-law Carol. Here's what she said:

Age GaugeThis will really make you laugh but feel a little old, too.... Put your birth date in the pop up window after you click on the below link. What happens is pretty interesting. It's also amazing how quickly it computes!! Very cool. Send it on to all you think might like a bit of trivia! Click on the link below:
http://www.frontiernet.net/~cdm/age1.html

Try it, it's fun!

OK....off to the bathroom brigade!!!

Kathy and Ray

Well, blogger is up to its old tricks, allowing me to post only a few photos at a time. Now, it doesn't seem to want to allow me to post any...and I have two more students from yesterday's class that I want to share photos of! Come on blogger!!! Pretty please??

Ah ha!!! Just a little sugar and spice to get blogger to cooperate!

Anyway, above is Kathy...she got the "need for speed" award in our class yesterday! She completed four beautiful blocks! Way to go, Kathy!!

Yay!!!....and here's Ray, my first-ever male student!! He was delightful: got there before I did, had a wealth of information about everything quilting, did his work, and always had a joke, but you can tell that by the huge smile on his face! Thanks, Ray, for being so much fun! I look forward to being with you again and again!!!

So now you'll have to read my next two posts to see the other students and their fabulous blocks!

The rest of the gang....

Hopefully blogger will allow me to finish posting the pics of my students from yesterday's Radiant Suns class at Intown Quilters!

Kim had the most mouth-watering fabrics, and she had a great eye for placement...not to mention the fact that she was a great curved piecer!

Melissa also had some wonderful fabrics...all from Intown Quilters, like Kim.

Barbara was another speed demon who didn't "visit" much, but just kept sewing and producing blocks! I enjoyed chatting with her...her table was next to mine...and she was great about drawing me maps of the area, especially one with the new location of the quilt shop on it!! Thanks Barbara!

Well, blogger must have institued a three photo limit again this evening....so I'll continue this above!!

Rainy Day

YIKES!!!
It's been raining like crazy around here for the past few days. I'm not complaining one bit, however, as watering restrictions had just been put into effect in the area in the past week, so the rain is much appreciated!!!
Yesterday I taught Cara Gulati's Radiant Suns quilt again at Intown Quilters and we had a great time, amidst the claps of thunder and torrential downpours. My students were a FABULOUS bunch...and they all went home having mastered Cara's method of curved piecing. Here are a few of the happy campers:




Sonia did a great job! I love her fabric and combination choices.





















It took a while for Pat and I to get that first curve pieced to her satisfaction, but as you can see, she was one proud piecer when her block was completed! Of course, the photographer was having issues then!!!










Sharon seemed pleased with her results...great job Sharon! She is the type of student who seems relatively quiet but very productive. I loved the fact that she was using my favorite sewing machine: the Bernina 930...the workhorse of the fleet!





Pat didn't feel like sewing, so she camped out in the back of the classroom and cut and organized all of her pieces. She is an old pro at curved piecing, so didn't need the instruction. She did, however, have this neat, neat little sewing caddy, so I had to get a photo of it, and now I will try to find one. It was given to her as a gift, so she doens't know where it was purchased. Do you??????









Blogger has decided to limit me to these four photos, so I'll have to post again....see above!

The World...as I see it!

I know, I know, THREE blogs in ONE day....sheesh, I need to get a life! Well, I doubt that I will blog tomorrow, and maybe I'll even take Monday off! It was such a lovely day here today that I took a walk around the house and garden and snapped a few pics to share. Here they are:

I rise at about 6:30 every morning and journal for about a half hour at our breakfast table, enjoying a cup of tea.....and this beautiful view. Of course, the sun is just rising then and there is usually a bit of steam coming up from the lake. This morning there were a pair of wood ducks dabbling at the shoreline and a mama Mallard and her five ducklings. Just before I snapped this picture, "Big Blue", our resident Great Blue Heron flew off. We often have two bunnies feeding in the grass at sunrise. It is truly paradise.

This is my view from my sewing machine...same lake, different room.....my sewing room! The shrubs in front of the window include wild flame azaleas and rhododendron, which have already finished blooming. Craig keeps the bird feeder filled and I have a wonderful assortment of feathered friends keeping me company all day, plus a darling little chipmunk. Don't you just love the bird feeder holder? It was a gift from my good friend Jane. Jane, I still love it!!!!

This wonderful garden trough was a birthday gift from my great friend Joan. She made it!!! It came complete with a couple of statuary frogs, deer, a wheelbarrow and the little bird bath you see in the corner. I planted the caladium bulbs this spring and they have given me lots of joy as I've watched them sprout and grow. The impatiens, however, are leaving me impatient!! The are not blooming like I want them to....maybe too much TLC, as I water and feed them constantly! I dunno........

Well, our photo session is over for today....blogger has decided that it's a three pic maximum night, so go figure! I think I may be on my way to typepad!!

p.s.

Yesterday morning Kristin and I spent a bit of time updating my web site. Please take a minute to check it out and see what you think. I would love to hear your comments, so don't be shy! If I've got things that need fixing on there, please let me know. I don't think the counter is working...it has showed 49 visitors forever. I have notified the powers that be, but it doesn't seem to get fixed. Oh well! Do leave a comment. Thanks!!

Today......

I have mounds to do, and am procrastinating! So here I sit at the breakfast table, looking out at our very peaceful view of the lake and trying to get motivated.

Craig and I did walk up to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens after dinner the other night to view the fabulous Niki de Saint Phalle mosaic sculptures. It was wonderful!!! We arrived at about 8:45 and I took the above photo, it was not totally dark yet.

Here are two of the Nana's dancing in the fountain with La Cabeza in the background....he looks like he's enjoying their dance, doesn't he? I must tell you that it was a bit after 9:00 PM at this point and next to the Botanical Gardens, Screen on the Green at Piedmont Park was just beginning. The movie selection for Thursday night was "Breakfast at Tiffany's", and so as we were enjoying the Nanas, we were also being serenaded by "Moon River". It was a most memorable experience!!!! After viewing the sculptures, we strolled back to the condo through Piedmont Park...it was packed with folks enjoying the movie, all lounging in the meadow on their blankets and sipping their wine! Atlanta is great!!! We had to linger a bit and watch Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard....how romantic! Wish we could have stayed for the whole thing, but just stopping by was nice.

Just a bit of the Atlanta skyline in the background, with part of the Orchid Conservatory in the foreground.

And here's Miles Davis!

City Life

We're spending a couple of days at the condo...a bit of R&R, so to speak! Country kids come to the city to relax and recharge...go figure!



This lovely poppy was blooming in my garden a month or so ago, but I don't think I ever shared it with you...so, enjoy it now! All of my poppies have since gone to seed, and I've collected as much as possible to share with Kristin and Dave.

The very kind person who used to "share" his/her unsecured internet connection with us has either moved, had it secured, or turned it off! The nerve! The past two times we've stayed at the condo, we've been unable to get on line. It's amazing how much I get accomplished then! LOL This afternoon Craig got a bit antsy and started walking around the complex, laptop under his arm, searching for a signal. He finally found one, so here I sit out by the pool (it could be worse!), typing away. The weather is iffy at best...lots of thunder around, but so far no rain or lightening. We are hoping to take in Nikki at Night at the Botanical gardens this evening. It is only open at night on Thursdays, and we are rarely here during the week, so we need to take advantage!

Got in some good shopping at Chico's this morning...they are having their sale! I should have taken some photos to show you what a good shopper I was, but I didn't...use your imagination!

Country Saved!!!

Well, I can't quite believe it myself, but I went through a ton of pockets yesterday and just before Craig was to call the credit card company and close our account, I found my/our card! WooHoo!!! So all is not lost!

I am working away quite happily on one of the commissioned fish quilts. I absolutely adore it and find it so much easier the second time around! I got the background quilted this morning and spent a bit of time this afternoon "dressing" fish #1. I can't wait to get them all on the background so that I can start beading!!!!! My friend Diane told me that beading was addicting and she is definitely correct.

We are heading off to Atlanta tomorrow afternoon....getting the hair chopped, some lights added and out to dinner. I am hoping that we can go view Nikki at Night on Thursday evening at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I've heard that that is the only way to truly appreciate Nikki's work.

Have you ever had a day when you felt like this?

Actually it happens to me a lot....especially when the martinis or wine have been flowing the night before!!! This is Nikki's "La Cabeza" and it weighs tons!!!

Here's another view:

I like the way the eye is positioned so that it looks like it is still looking at you from the side! See how very huge this cabeza is: that young man is walking inside to "pick its brain"!!!

That Nikki thought of everything! Here's are a couple of chairs that she crafted, located inside the Orchid House:

So, you've had your art field trip for the week and you can rest easy. Now, get back to work!!!

Saturday

I was just reading Diane's blog and she was writing about things lost that bugged you. Well, I must confess, I have two that come to mind right off the bat:

1. Our most active Mastercard....yep, I've either lost it or, hopefully, misplaced it. Lord knows, I use it ALL the time! Craig is being most patient with me, but I swear I cannot find it anywhere!

2. My leather bound baseball scorecard with games dating back to the early 1970's. Now this may not seem like any big deal to you, but it holds some very precious memories, and I have no clue as to where it might be. I first recall missing it when we moved back in 1986....so, there's probably no chance that I'll ever find it!

Today was the first day of the Reggae Regatta. My "new best friend" Ellene and I are sharing a tent (actually it is hers and she is gracious enough to let me put my table under it!) and showing our "wares". Here are a few of what I have to offer:

The first scarf is Habotai and the second two are Charmeuse, which has now become my silk of choice. MMMMMM, I just adore it!

As yet, I have had no sales, but the other vendors have had little or none either. I think the sailors and their crews are here to sail and celebrate, not buy!!! Ellene and I have had a very nice time visiting with eachother, and of course the scenery couldn't be better:

I am off to watch a segment of the "Dog Whisperer" and then toddle off to bed. Kristin and Dave are joining us at church tomorrow morning, going to lunch with us, and then I am back off to the Regatta. Tomorrow night we are going to the Red Sox game at Turner Field (the Braves have quit for the season, so I have no idea what team will be on the field vs. the Sox) with our priest (Episcopal, that is) and his wife.

Happy Father's Day a few hours early!

Regatta Madness

I am frantically trying to finish up some pieces to show at the Reggae Regatta that will be held at the south end of Lake Lanier over the weekend. A few of us from the Quinlan Art Guild will be showing our wares. Here is "Red Sails":

I am going to affix (aka "glue") some rhinestones across the sky later today. Here's a closeup of the center sailboat.

All of my regatta series are done in hand-dyed silks, fused to either hand-dyed or hand painted silks, and then quilted.

Walking: yesterday I took the day off from exercise. I've been having a good bit of hip pain over the past year, which seems to be aggravated by sitting....not that I do that too terribly often. So I abstained from the aerobic walk and from my usual yoga, but still managed to log 8,556 steps. Feeling refreshed and energized this morning, Barker and I were back out beating the pavement. It's only about 5:00 PM and I'm already up to 11,469 steps. WooHoo!!! I did go see my family physician this afternoon, due to the hip pain, and after x-rays he commented that it looked like I had done a good bit of running in my lifetime.....well, yeah, but I quit several years ago. My hip joints are showing arthritic changes, but he thinks that the immediate concern is caused by a tendonitis, so thankfully I'm just on some antiinflammatory meds! I know, I know....too much information!

OK, here's your Niki fix for the day.....recognize yourself in either of these two poses?


It's about 95 here this afternoon, so running through the fountain with gay abandon looks very refreshing!

Walkin'

We're walkin' our way across the country! We're the Quilters with no Fat Quarters...I think there are just five of us: Debra, Julie, Gerrie, Junot and myself. I was the last one to sign up, after reading Debra and Gerrie's blogs. Anyway, we are now between Hanksville, Utah and Canon City, Colorado. The scenery is gorgeous...I especially love it early in the morning when the sun is just rising. Yesterday I walked a grand total of 13,885 steps!
We had our former neighbors, Betty and Wyatt, over for dinner last night. It was so nice to have a good long visit with them once again. We miss them terribly since they've moved into a retirement community, but I can totally understand them not wanting to keep up with their beautiful yard and flower gardens. So, for dinner we had a yummy beef tenderloin that Craig smoked, plus some roasted green beans, roasted sweet potatoes, a spinach salad and then for dessert, drum roll please: I made sherbet with dark sweet cherries and served it over my now famous lemon cake. Boy was that a treat!!!
Betty saw one of the sailboat scarves I have been painting, and bought it on the spot for a friend of hers! I will post pics of those scarves later today. I am having loads of fun with them.
OK, now what you've been waiting for.....another of Niki's Nanas:

I love the paisleys on this one's suit, don't you? Does anybody identify with this young lady?!!!

Have a great day. I see that Gerrie has posted a pic of her lovely liturgical hanging, so I've gotta go take another peak. It is wonderful....go check it out!

Proud as Proud can be!

WooHoo! I am one happy Mom today! Our daughter Kristin graduated from Georgia Tech in 2002 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After she and I did a bit of backpacking around Europe, she settled in to her job at Georgia Power as a Transmission Line Design Engineer, designing structures like this:

(Actually, this is a line in Lund, Sweden...hers are much prettier!) Kristin recently applied for another job with Georgia Power, in the Business Controls Dept. and has just learned that she will be assuming that position, as Project Scheduler, in two weeks! This is something she has been hoping for, so we are all delighted. She has also been accepted at Georgia State and will begin their weekend and evening MBA program in August! So congrats dear darling child, we are so proud of you and the wonderful adult you have become!!

Switching horses drastically, here is your Niki fix for the day:

How 'bout them boobs?!!!!

Yesterday I was a slacker in the walking department...only got in 9100 steps. Booooooooo

Today, however, I am happy to report that it is only 3:45 PM and I'm already up to 9,548...so I will well exceed my 10,000 steps, unless of course I fall while getting up from the desk and break a leg! I might just have to hobble those last few paces anyway!

Off to dye!

Breakfast of Champions

It's been a busy last few days with precious little time to sew, quilt, paint silk, dye silk, blog, etc. I'm just worn out, been with far too many folks, and need a little bit of down time...maybe tomorrow??? Anyway, it's a beautiful morning in the southland, but the afternoon promises to be another scorcher with temps in the mid 90s here in northeast Georgia. After reading Gerrie's blog and Deb R's, I'm participating in the "Woman Challenge" - Women and Girls On the Move Across the Nation and so am trying to walk at least 10,000 steps per day. That can be more of a challenge than I ever imagined. It's just about 9:00 AM and have logged 5,542 steps already. I try to take Barker out for a walk before breakfast, and that helps with the step count. We have two favorite walks and todays the shorter. The other walk takes another 15-20 minutes but also gives me a whopping 8,000 plus steps....now that's really livin'!!

So, here is my most recent "breakfast of champions"...of course not ALL of the above in one sitting, but you get the idea! I make a rather large batch of granola every couple of weeks and serve up 1/4 cup of it with a large dollop (I love that word, "dollop") of fat free yogurt (either French Vanilla or Plain), some fruit (preferrably blueberries but a banana will do in a pinch) and maybe a little bit of honey, if it's plain yogurt. Of course I have a huge glass of ice water...since the walk has parched me! It's very yummy and holds me until noon or after.

What is that???? You might just be asking yourself that very question. Well, it is one more of Niki's sculptures at the Atlanta Botanical Garden! Yep, sure is! Craig walked by it and just chuckled, telling me that no matter what the little sign said, he knew what Niki really meant it to be. I don't know. Niki named it "Obelisque Bleu Avec Fleurs"...sounds pretty classy for a phallic symbol!!!

Tomorrow I hope to have something quilty to show for myself...there are several in the works, but people just keep gettin' in my way!!!

last Saturday

we had dinner in Little Five Points, a very cool Atlanta neighborhood, and then enjoyed the play at Horizon Theater.

The Vortex is a great burger joint with three locations in Atlanta. Anyway, we didn't eat there on Saturday night, but the builging is so fun to look at, that I had to share it with you! Instead, we ate at Savage Pizza, splitting a Greek Salad and a Sav-Veg pizza. Then we walked on down to Horizon Theater

and thoroughly enjoyed "The Perfect Prayer".

Well, I guess my time is up. I had hoped to show you some "street scenes" of "Little Five" but blogger is once again denying me. So, I will close for the evening and the day. Enjoy!!!

Really????

Is Blogger really up and running again?

Quick...I'll try to post some photos!!!

WOW! It worked!!! Here are photos taken last Saturday of the Green Market at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. In the photo at right and below, Craig is buying me some blueberries for my yogurt and granola breakfasts. YUMMMM! He is the guy in the green shorts and tan shirt.



The Green Market is so much fun because there are so many people there with their kids in strollers and doggies on leashes. Everyone is friendly, laid back, and just enjoying the weather and fresh produce.









My favorite "summer Saturday" in Atlanta includes spending time checking out the produce for sale at the Green Market (and hopefully buying at least a small bouquet of fresh flowers for our dining table) and then walking on over to Metro Fresh to pick up some yummy soup and perhaps a salad for our lunch. The Green Market is held in Piedmont Park, about 2 blocks from our condo, and Metrofresh is located on the other side of the park and just south a bit. So we walk from the Green Market through the park and over to Metro Fresh. As you can see, last Saturday was a lovely day in the park, with lots of walkers, joggers, rollerbladers, dog walkers, soccer players, bikers, etc.

Well, I knew it was too good to be true! I had wanted to post a few more pics, but I am being denied! I will try another post!

It is Thursday June 8th and I have totalled 14,319 steps today! WooHoo! My friend Molly and I had lunch "on the Square" in Gainesville today (celebrating our May birthdays) and I parked a good bit away and walked to "2 Dog" where we were dining. The main reason I parked far away is because at noon there is very little parking on or near the Gainesville Square. Normally I am not too happy about that, but today it didn't matter, because I could accumulate more steps! Barker and I walked our normal walk early this morning. This was the first time we have had the chance to do that since my pedometer arrived, and I was overjoyed to see that we logged almost 9,000 steps just on that walk! WooHoo!!!