2.26.2012

The Week in Review...

This has been a really busy week...I can't believe it was just last Sunday at this time I was sitting in a chalet in Burdette Park, anxiously awaiting a delicious breakfast prepared by...and here's the important part...someone else!  The Burdette weekend went by way too fast.  Half of us were up until 1AM Saturday morning...now granted, I'm usually awake at 1AM most mornings, but that's because I fall asleep in my chair around 9 or 9:30, drag myself to bed, and then wake up around 1AM.  I'm just never continually awake all day and evening.  Here's the Burdette rundown...
  • Arrive at 2PM Friday, following a delicious lunch at Gerst Haus and a trip to the Quilters' Nest
  • Since my friend and I arrived first, we scouted out our areas for the weekend...you know, which room we wanted to sleep in, which area we wanted to craft in.  After putting away groceries and dragging in our supplies, we sat and knitted and had a cup of tea.
  • Two hours later, 2 more "happy campers" arrived, followed shortly by one more.  By then, we were thinking about happy hour.  I mixed up a pitcher of "Eddie Ross Sangria"...a recipe found on Pinterest...a bottle of wine, fruit, and 2 cans of Fresca.  Delicious, and not too "buzzy".
  • The last three guests arrived at nearly 7.  After a late dinner of Taco Soup and a Mexican Pasta Bake, we settled in to crafting again.  I finished a shawl and started on another one--my friend Peggy wanted one, and really...how many times have you been working on something and have had someone say "I want that" and you actually decide to make it for them?  It is now finished except for fringing.  Michelle worked on a wool applique Easter table-topper, Carol knitted...finishing her pom poms for long finished slippers, and her "continual" project of knitting prayer shawls for a local service project.  Debbie hand-quilted a baby quilt for a soon-to-be-born granddaughter, Roseanne and Mary knitted handwarmers, Peggy worked on hand-piecing quilt blocks, and Celestia just enjoyed herself talking to everyone.  She hadn't planned on staying for the whole weekend, so she didn't bring a project.
  • The rest of the weekend was spent knitting, jewelry-making, sewing, talking, and eating...big fun!
I watched as Michelle hand quilted her green and pink small quilt...it's next on my "to make" list...I bought some really pretty fabrics on the way to the retreat...turquoises and reds...I cut the pieces out yesterday, and hope to work on the top (it's small 20 x 20) during the Academy Awards this evening.

The rest of the week was filled with work, the field trip to Amazonia and the orchid show, meetings, programs, and the usual grocery shopping.  I'm glad I had the mid-winter getaway...we can't wait until the next one!

Next post...a recipe for the delicious waffles we had last Sunday...luscious lemon waffles.  So good.

2.21.2012

Orchids at Amazonia

The Tuesday afternoon sketching class at my library branch took a field trip today to Amazonia at the Mesker Park Zoo.  The building is filled with a beautiful display of orchids.
I can't think of a better place to be on a gloomy winter afternoon.  The colors inside were so vibrant...and we were serenaded by the sound of the howler monkeys.

I want to visit again before the display ends...maybe the next cold and gloomy day.  It sure brightened my spirits!

 I'm glad the photos turned out...they're so much better than my sketching!


The weekend at Burdette was wonderful!  We're planning another retreat, possibly in the fall.  A good time was had by all...

2.17.2012

Foggy Friday

Day three of my mini mid-winter vacation...my bags are packed and I'm ready to spend the weekend with crafty friends in a chalet located in a county park. We've been planning this for months...

2.12.2012

Another Sunday Morning...

Winter temperatures have arrived, much to my dismay. This is a li'l practice post using the iPad Blogger app. We'll see how it goes. I saw the coffee bean/candle idea on Pinterest and decided to do it myself after finding a ziplock of coffee beans of unknown origin/age in a basket in my pantry.

Catching Up

  It's been awhile...as usual, not much going on.  As I look through photos on my phone, I decided to do a little blog post. Last Monday...