Pics from The Race for the House

These pictures are courtesy of Dane Robinson of Time Frame Photography.........cool that he allows sharing on blogs and facebook!!! thanks, Dane......

Andrew and Alexander in the Kids' Sprint. Allison in the half-mile.

Alexander approaching the finish line - with determination!!!!!!!!

Ashley near the finish line.

Me - somewhere in the woods.

Great Greats!!!!!!!!

Saturday evening Great Grandma Kuhlman joined us for dinner. Andrew likes showing things - a wooden toy from the East Lansing Art Fair a few years ago. He was fascinated with how it worked. Sunday morning the kids got the Lincoln Logs out - remember them?

There are other things to do with Lincoln Logs besides build log cabins!!!!!!!!!!

Allison had to do the same!!!!!!

We went to Burcham to visit the Thomas Greats. My dad celebrated his 92nd birthday last week and had a little cake to share with us. The kids had their Happy Meals before cake!!!

Back in their room, Andrew enjoyed petting Putney. The dog is doing OK at Burcham - she is really an outside dog - loved sleeping in her house in the garage. Now she has a place on the floor that she has claimed and my dad takes her out a few times a day. Putney and my dad are quite a pair.

Andrew kept giving hugs...........he is a very nice little boy.

We watched the first half of the MSU basketball game there and came home at halftime to watch our Spartans go to the Final Four for another year - 2 in a row!!!!!!!!!!!! GO GREEN!!!!

After the game, Allison had a tea party all set up for us - and she was quite dressed up - sorry no pics, but the treats were yummy!!

Race For the House - Take Two

Saturday we were at Hawk Island Park for the Race for the House - benefiting the Ronald McDonald House.
Last year we did this race together, too. Ashley got me started on something - and I've done many since then. The morning was quite cool - the kids were looking at the seaweed in the lake.

Alexander helped Andrew with the Kids' Sprint.

Ashley, Alexander and I ran the 5K - all with good times!!!! And we were plenty warm by the end of the race.

Allison did the 1/2 mile run - good sprint to the end!!!!!!

There were a couple big inflatable things for the kids to play on and in. Alexander almost went to the top, but he looked down!!!!!!!!!

Allison didn't go much farther than this..........but she tried!!!!!!

It is good to do things together - we may be doing another race again soon!!!!!!!!


The children are spending their Spring Break this week with us. I have a Mystery Trip planned for mid week - temps are on the rise!!!!!!!!!!

House guest - a one night stand!!

My niece, Erin, was in town briefly. She is driving from her home in Maine to visit parents and friends in W. Layfayette - and pick up her puppy who has been staying with her mom while Erin visited her sister in Paris...........big traveller!!!!!!!!!

Erin first stopped to see my parents. She knocked on their door and said their grandaughter was here - my dad didn't recognize her with her new short hair cut. The suprise was on purpose!!!!

They enjoyed a visit, and then came here for the Saturday night Special - hamburgs on the grill.
John took my folks back to Burcham.

We enjoyed a nice quiet evening of hockey and basketball on tv while Erin knitted and I quilted and John read...........and we remembered to set the clocks ahead before we went to bed!!!! John set the programmable thermostat - only the wrong way!!!! - so it was a little chilly when we got up!!!!!!

We enjoyed delicious hickory smoked bacon (from Mom Wilsons') and eggs for breakfast and Erin hit the road. She is anxious to see her puppy - and family!!! Last week I finished the 20th block for this quilt for Marcia and Dick. I love the block but the piecing was very hard on my hands. I have lived on arthritis tylenol when working on these. Batik fabric is NOT easy for hand piecing!!!!!!
The rest of this quilt will be done by machine. These blocks are just set on the floor - not sewn together and I do not have specific plans for what comes next.
I have a quilt retreat lined up for late April and this will be a good project for that time.

Close up of some of the blocks.

Comfort Quilt

Three weeks ago when I asked Alexander about school, he told me that something bad had happened. His homeroom teacher had cancer and she would be having leukemia and her hair would fall out. I told him how sorry I was and asked if there was anything I could do. I mentioned making a quilt for a friend who had something similiar - only she had chemo and her hair fell out!!!


That planted the seed to me. I don't know this teacher or anything much about the school - remember, they live in Ohio. I called the school the next week and talked with the principal. They had just told the children and really didn't know what they were going to do as a staff and with the students and a quilt sounded like a wonderful idea.

I suggested that I send squares of a light fabric with freezer paper on the back and pens for people to sign . She would need someone on her end to help get signatures, etc. She said she had just the person.

Squares were processed - cutting and ironing - and sent to Ohio.

I got them back in the mail last week and started sewing. Some just wrote their names, some had little drawings, most stayed inside the pencil lines I had drawn on the squares.

I was told the teacher liked earth tones...........so I got out some 5 inch squares from a fabric exchange to use. I wanted to keep it simple for me!!!! Straight lines and squares is pretty simple!!!

The quilt is finished and ready to return to Ohio. It's about 55 by 75 - good size to snuggle under.
There are some blank squares so others may sign the quilt, too. I know that this will provide love and comfort to Mrs. Benning - from the staff, students and me.

P.S. March 15 - I got a really sweet thank you signed by many of the teachers. They were going to take the quilt to Mrs. Benning (in a hospital in Columbus) over the weekend.

I feel good............

Flowers for my Birthday!!!

Ashley sent these flowers to me yesterday!!!!!!!!!!! The rose smells just like it should.

I had a good day. Baby Storytime in the morning with hugs and drools. Got a 5 mile walk in with Leslie. Sewed a little on a comfort quilt for one of Alexanders' teachers in Ohio. Quilt Guild meeting in the evening where they surprised me by singing Happy Birthday. It was a good day. Thanks for all the good wishes.

And the MSU basketball team squeeked out a victory. Last home game is Sunday afternoon - won't miss that one.