Spring has sprung!

The weather is absolutely beautiful.  The snow is about gone.  The yard is in shambles.  Scott is completely dejunking the garage and things are all over the driveway.  Spring is on its way.

Had a fun day with all the girls at Gardner Village.  Definitely helped the winter doldrums.  I'm good for a few more weeks.  

 Block 2 completed.  Learned to make yo-yos and use freezer paper.

Got a good start on the quilt.  The fabric is beautiful.  Looking forward to using the circle rulers.  Looking forward to the reason I am making the quilt!!!!

A little late, but finally got the quilt done for the Halling baby.  We got it quilted in a couple hours at Cousins' Day.  Love those ladies.  

 Windows are in.  Love, love, love them.  They look great with only grid on the top half.  Between not having the grid on the bottom and having clean windows and screens, it looks like a new world out there.  Can't wait till spring to just easily slllliiiiiddddde open those windows.

 Block 1 done of the Halloween Block of the Month.  Did some paper piecing for the first time.  This is going to be a lot of fun.

 (The pictures are chronologically backwards from how they used to log into the blog.  Just when I thought I was figuring stuff out ....)  This is the one lighthouse, supposedly, that we saw when we went to see Brock.  You can't get to it and the light is on the other side.  Brock also has one right there on base but we didn't ever find out where it was.  Next time.

We spent one afternoon in Santa Barbara, a walk along the beach, and rented some bikes and rode down the beach trail.  It was a beautiful trip, leaving the deep freeze behind and being able to see Brock just before he left.  In Port Hueneme where Brock is stationed the beaches are incredible.  Didn't get many pictures, the wind was blowing so hard we had to keep our backs to the wind because of the blowing sand.  He is right near the Channel Islands Harbor or something.  Can't wait to go back again and spend more time there.

We stayed on base at a hotel that used to be barracks.  There were two adjoining bedrooms and one long bathroom with a metal stall.  It was old but you get what you pay for.  It worked out good for Brad and me because we had a t.v. in each bedroom so he could watch ESPN as much as he wanted.

I didn't keep a picture of the ruffled scarf with the Sashay yarn that I knitted with Jodi's help.  I gave it to Elle, hope it doesn't fall apart.  I also am making progress on my crocheting skills, but can't show what I'm doing.

I just remembered where my other pictures were - how could I forget this!  We hitched a ride with Vicki and Bret and did California Adventure with Jer and Kenz and the kids.  It was so much fun.  They are such great kids - and I include Jer and Kenz in that.

 Waiting . . . and waiting. . . and waiting . . . for the Cars ride.  Grandma Vicki was waiting patiently with the two little ones.  After that great day, Brad and I rented a car (a VERY small Fiat) (did you know that some cars have either a manual or automatic transmission? I didn't know that until we got on the freeway and it wasn't shifting, thank heavens Brad was there.)

 This is the beach five minutes from Brock's base.  You can't tell how windy it was.

Definitely want to spend some more time there.

What a difference a day makes!

This is the first finish for 2013!  It was supposed to be the last finish of 2012!

I'm looking at it that I'm off to a good start this year.  

End of 2012

Here is the lot we purchased in Mona - preparing for retirement.  It's on the left, this is our view to the east.

On Veteran's Day weekend, Scott started tiling the master bath.  Brad agreed to help.  I didn't have to lift a finger - except I did make some cookies for them!  (Sorry I don't know how to turn the pictures)  It went from a mess tearing up the floor to ...

Cement board being laid - to ... (skip the next picture)

This was the fam at the Christmas party - bowling.  Everyone is checking the score - we are all very competitive.  I think Wyatt was the overall winner - the little ones were so good.  They are at a very fun age. I didn't take any pictures of what I made for them - swimming suits and towels for the 18" dolls (and Brad made tables) and diapers and crocheted blankets for the baby dolls.  I had such a great time making them.  I hope to do more.

To this.  I love it.  

Christmas was very enjoyable - albeit very quiet.  Brad was a great sport even when he was snowed in for a couple of days.  Grateful for technology that at least we could all talk together via the computer.  The decorations were off the tree Christmas night as we watched the final installment in the Batman series.  As of today, Christmas is put away - switched it out for the snowmen decorations - house is clean.  Time to start the cold and white New Year!  Looking forward to all of it!

It's been a great end to a busy summer. 

On Labor Day we went and hiked the river trail at the Quarry.  I missed having the boys with us but these lizards didn't - they still have their tails.  That's all the kids wanted to do when we hiked - catch the lizards so they would lose their tails.

 It was a nice hike - a good climb, this was looking back to where we had come from at Split Mountain Campground.

 This was our reward when we made it to Green River Campground.

 Another lizard on our way back.  He let me get really close without running away.

 Scott made my birthday an extra special one!?! Birthday cake at the neighborhood block party and then this nice announcement.  Kathryn Peacock and I were born on the same day in the same hospital - small world. 

 Landscape Project (LP) Week 1 - Thanks to Vicki and Lynn, we got a plan for the front yard and then we ripped all the plants and the cement around the island.

 LP Week 2 - Got rid of all the cement around the house and then the brick pillar.  You'll notice the cherry Coke can.  That was down inside of the pillar.  It has been preserved well the last 26 years.  That last cement pad was not near as easy as what was around the house and the island.  The rest will have to wait for another day.  It feels good to get outside and watch Scott work.  A cop stopped by last week and said we looked like him and his wife.  She wears gloves too so she doesn't get a callous on her pointing finger.  I should have asked him if he had some donuts to go eat or something.

Hope this beautiful weather (with some rain mixed in) lasts for a good long time!

FMQ Challenge July

Uggggh.  No one looking at this could tell any improvement from my first attempt in January, but I can while I am actually doing it.  I know that this will take a lot of practice which I have not done.  I hurry and do the challenge to get it done in time but then never try it again.  But my goal was to give it a try and it has made me do that and I hope in time I will practice more and actually do it on a quilt.  I think about the process while I am doing it, that I am doing something right (that lasts for .3 seconds) and then I see all the things I am doing wrong.  That is a good step for me.  At least while I am quilting I can start to recognize what I am doing wrong or right.  I am grateful for SewCalGal taking the time to do this for beginners like me.  It looks like a ton of work and it definitely has been of benefit to me.

Graduation/Lambeau/Door County

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