High Scope and MQAI

I spent 2 days in Ypsilanti training to do individual child assesments for High Scope Educational Foundation. Really the work is for the Michigan Department of Education - they want to see if children who are enrolled in MSRP (Michigan State Readiness Programs - for 4 year olds) are prepared for elementary school as compared to those who start in Kindergarten. We will be "testing" both children in MSRP and those in Kindergarten this fall, spring and then again a year from that - and maybe beyond. The classrooms will also be assessed with another instrument.

There were about 25 of us there - all ladies, most ex teachers and school social workers, etc - ALL with an interest in children. I have done this testing before and felt I could have taught it, but gave good insight to the newcomers while enduring the repitition.

After the Thursday all day session, six of us met in the lobby of our hotel to go to Red Lobster for dinner - shrimp fest!!! The restaurant is just a short walk away. We spent 3 hours at dinner - six ladies who had never met before that day - eating and mostly talking!!!!
It was delightful. One of them mentioned an anniversary last Sunday - the very same as ours - same year, too. It was a beautiful day 40 years ago in Harbor Springs and in East Lansing for a wedding!!!!


Friday evening I went to Flint with Cindy, Lisa and Sophie to the grand opening of the Michigan Quilt Artist Invitaional show - Ciao, Italy - at the Greater Flint Arts Council gallery. The event featured live music and refreshments and wine!!! I have never seen so many at one of these openings!! I met some of the other artists, too.
This is my entry - Olive Garden

Pictures were not allowed - except for a pic of you and your own quilt........so my camera went back in my purse.
These art quilts - there are currently 71 of them - will be at the Okemos Library in May, 2009. Maybe I can get some pictures then......

This is Cindy with her Tuscan Sunrise.

On the quilt front here.......my friend, Carolyn, has created a monster - me!!


She has been working on a quilt - from a pattern - and I really liked it.
NOT, however, in the "folk art" colors. She graciously loaned me the pattern a month ago and I started piecing the center blocks - by hand, of course. It gets a thin dark teal border and then a large (11") border with applique.
Yes, you heard me right, applique!!!


I am auditioning backgrounds at the moment - and will use the placement of vase, borders and bird - but not the flowers and black crow (GASP!!) on the pattern. I have ideas for more contemporary flowers and leaves.

This is the third quilt in the lime and turquoise (teal) colors that I have done lately.

In the art world, that is called working in a series. I call it using - or trying to - all those fabrics that I bought in those colors!!

Also on the homefront, we are approaching 4 inches of rain today - so far!!! We have a rain guage on the back deck. The creek looks like the Grand River out there. It has been pouring since early morning!!!
According to the weatherman, this is not the hurricane blowing in yet!!!