Christmas Time is Near

Here we are, my kids and I. We were posing for Christmas card pictures. It has been a busy year. My daughter was in a local production of Thoroughly Modern Millie, and I was part of the wardrobe department for the play. Then another play, and now another. It is fun, but is taking away from quilting time. Maybe over the holidays I can do more posting, there is so much to talk about! Have a wonderful holiday season!

Even More Washington, D.C. Photos - My Son's School Trip

 The Lincoln Memorial

 My son in front of the Lincoln statue, (which is inside the building.)

 The Lincoln Statue again

 Looking across at the Vietnam Memorial Wall - a very moving experience.

 Another shot of the Vietnam Memorial Wall

 I think this is Vietnam too.

He had a great time!

More Washington Photos

 Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

 Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

 Laying of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

 The United States Capitol Building

 A closer view of the dome

 The inside of the dome

 Mount Vernon, the home of George and Martha Washington, (this is actually in Virginia.)

 A friend and my son at Mt. Vernon

 I am not sure, but I think this must be where George Washington is buried.

 Wax figure of George Washington

No, my son did not carve this. It was already there, so he took a picture of it. :0)

Julie

Some Pictures from Washington, D.C.

My son went to Washington D.C. and New York City for a school trip. He took some fantastic photos, I think we may have discovered a talent there. Here are some photos to enjoy. I will add more in the next few days. this first is the Jefferson Memorial.

The White House

 The Washington Monument.

 Here he is in front of the White House.

 The National Cathedral

 Another shot of the National Cathedral. I love this one.

 Lincoln Memorial

 National Archives

 A statue of Albert Einstein.

I hope you enjoyed these. He took nearly 300 photos, I plan to share many more. Stay tuned!
Julie

Easy Rider

I know this is kind of random, but I wanted to share this photo. This is my brother with the motorcycle that Peter Fonda rode in Easy Rider. Don't you just love it?

Pageant Night

The school's beauty pageant was Friday night. Dear Daughter was contestant number 23. I was so proud of her. She did not win, but she is a winner in my book. She is not only beautiful on the outside, she is beautiful on the inside too. What a sweet girl, and she is growing up so fast.
See what a proud Mom I am!
Until next time.
Julie

Wow, Take a Look at This!

Can you believe what I got from Carol at Cornfield Quilter. I signed up for her PIF and THIS is what she sent me??? Wow! It is an entire BOM kit for a bed-sized quilt. I am flabbergasted. I can't wait to get my sewing room up and running so that I can start on it. Maybe this will be my project for retreat this year.
Thank you so much, Carol. You really made my day at a time of my life when I have been down in the dumps.
I have had other good things happen to me lately. Finally, knock on wood, my luck seems to be changing. I finally signed the papers to close on my house refinance. I now have a much lower interest rate, a lower monthly payment, and ...... BONUS...... some money back. I got just enough money back to get some much needed work done to my house. Things continue to improve! Also, I am starting to take better care of myself. Have you heard of Zumba? Wow, is it fun! And I am working out with Zumba at our Community Center with a room full of other women. We are having a ball and getting into shape. My goal, to get into a shape other than round. More on that later.
Stay tuned....my daughter was in the pageant last night. She wasn't a pageant winner, but she was a winner as far as I am concerned. I will be posting pictures soon.
Julie

Hi There Folks!

It has been so cold here, in the Deep South we are not used to temps below 20 degrees F. My chihuahua definitely is not liking it. I cannot stand my sewing room because it is unheated. Normally a plug-in heater heats it up just fine, but in this cold you can't even tell it is there. I am getting ready for my daughter to be in the junior school pageant next Friday. We had to buy a new pageant dress. Sigh.... Every time I turn around, more money. But it is worth it, she will be so pretty. She won 6th grade beauty last year, which totally shocked the tomboy that I have always been. Pageants were not in my realm at all. Although, I did get Prom Queen in 1983!! LOL. But I did not run for it and was quite embarrassed when it was announced. Well, those were the good old days, and these are the good new days.
I don't know if I told you about all the plumbing problems I have had for the past 6 months or so. It seems that they got progressively worse over time after my husband and I split up. Well, a great plumber came and spent 4 whole days working here. He had a "Ditch Witch" tractor over here one day, a hired hand helping him, and fixed so many problems. He even fixed some things that I didn't know about. I was so scared to receive my bill. Well, guess what? The bill was $140!! Now I think this man is an angel sent from heaven. He knew what all I had been going through with my ex, and financially, and he decided to do me a good deed. I have to tell you, when I worked up the courage to open that bill (expecting something around $1,000) and saw only $140 I started crying. I went into my bedroom and boo hoo-ed for quite some time. It was an amazing experience. God Bless that man! I think I may need to make him a quilt, what do you think?
Julie

Key West - More Spring Break Pictures

Here are some gift shop display stands in Key West. John Owen and his friend each bought one of these coconut dudes.
This is just a cool, and very colorful sign in town.
Here are John Owen and Joy posing by this very large conch shell.
You can get hours of entertainment from a fun house mirror! Gotta love 'em. This one is in the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum.
John Owen insisted I take a picture of this gigantic strawberry he was eating. It was actually four strawberries fused together. I will continue to post Key West pictures over the next few weeks, maybe. I will try to put quilty stuff in too, for those of you who are looking for that.
By the way, I have figured out how to make a toothbrush rug, and am starting a small one now. Such a cool way to use up undesirable fabric.
Julie

Key Largo, Florida - Spring Break 2009

Key Largo was glorious. The weather was perfect, the water was warm, the sun was bright. You can see for yourself what the sky looked like here.
We chartered a boat, the Aquarius, for snorkeling. They took us to a coral reef off the coast of Key Largo. It was a blast. Here is Joy enjoying the ride.
John Owen loved snorkeling and seemed to be an old pro at it.
Here I am standing by the water in Key West. It was such a beautiful place.e

This is Ann's Beach. It is actually on another key, Islamorada, Florida. We enjoyed the clear water and all the sea life. My kids got to catch sea cucumbers, hermit crabs, blue crabs, sea slugs, and all kinds of other animals. Of course, we released them after checking them out. The water was nice and warm. So luxurious....
Julie