Special Moments Take Two

Here we all are, on the streets of D.C. We had just visited the Spy Museum, and the National Portrait Gallery. Both were excellent! The Portrait Gallery was especially nice, and not as crowded as the Smithsonian buildings over on The Mal. Left to right: me, Collin (my niece), Emily, Hannah, Mark, and Scott. In the back is my brother, Chuck.

This was one of the highlights of the trip. While at the National Portrait Gallery, we headed for their atrium area to grab some lunch. As luck would have it, the Airmen of Note were about to perform. They are the Jazz Band for the Air Force - a top band, and wow were they good! They were doing a tribute to Benny Goodman, playing old songs from the 40's. They were even dressed in authentic uniforms from the period. The band encouraged the listeners to dance, and when this couple got up and danced, it was just as if they were both in the 20s again. Can you see the sweet smile on his face? That says it all.

As we were walking across the street, I looked down and saw the Capitol, and made my girls (Emily, left, and Hannah) stop for a quick shot. Gives me a lump in my throat, I'm such a patriot - and I love my girls so much. They're pretty terrific.

So okay, I think I also posted this picture on my last post, but I'm in a hurry, so here is it again - Hannah and Mark in Old Town Alexandria, along the Potomac.

All in all, a great vacation, with lots of special moments! Life is good!

Special Moments

We took a really nice family vacaton over 4th of July this year. Four of us (Scott, our daughter, Hannah, and her boyfriend, Mark) drove from Illinois to Washington, D.C., to visit my relatives. We had a great time, and didn't get sick of each other! Below, see Hannah and Mark along the Potomac, in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Very hot, but a beautiful day!We had lots of fun with each other. We were invited to the home of Joel and Jesse, friends of my nephew, Nathan. We had an outdoor picnic, including some fun playing baggo (see my sister-in-law, Jean, celebrating with Mark, below), and then watching the D.C. fireworks from their high-rise window. Here is our daughter, Emily, with our nephew, Nathan. Cousins and friends - the best!

This is a great picture of Hannah, myself, and Jean. It really shows how much fun we were having and much we like just being together.

And I just love this picture, with Emily and her dad (Scott) on the streets of Old Town Alexandria. It is so charming and picturesque, and don't they look adorable?

More phots and special moments to follow!

Indeed!!!

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"There comes a time in your life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be anything but happy."

~Karl Marx, Composer (1897-1985)

And now, how about some pictures to make you happy?

Scott and I visited a terrific breeder of labradors in Galva, Illinois recently. Her name is Chris Anderson, and the place is called Cricket Hollow Farm. They do a great job with their dogs, and we got to visit some of their already sold puppies! How cute are these?!

We have decided to purchase one, and will get a yellow female from their next litter, sometime this fall. We can't wait!

Memorial Day

This shows the USS Selfridge, which my dad served on during World War II. I always think of him on Memorial Day. My dad did not die during the war, but so many other dads did die, and continue to die. I found the article below, which is an account of the Pearl Harbor attack, written by the captain of the Selfridge. I am particulary touched by his closing remarks, which I challenge you to read without getting a lump in your throat.

http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/wwii/pearl/ph81.htm

Also in honor of Memorial Day, enjoy this rendition of the Nation Anthem sung by the Dixie Chicks at the 2003 Super Bowl. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU5AYcAhvyo

Happy Day!

Scott recently performed in a very successful concert, and the whole family was there: Emily, Hannah, Scott, Genevieve, and myself. Scott's Mens Quartet sang a benefit concert for the Bridge Communities, which helps the homeless to achieve self-sufficiency. The concert was wonderful, and having the whole family together - priceless! It was great to be together, and we were all so proud of Scott on his big day!

Mothers Day Gratitude

"M" is for the many moms before me, (Great Grandma Charlotte Upgren Johnson)

they are gone but mem'ries stay behind; (Grandma Myrtle Grife Johnson on left)

"O" is for the other "moms" who shaped me, giving me their wisdom, faith, and love.

(Aunt Phyllis Johnson Forcier, at right, with her family)

"T"'s for my terrific husband, Scott, he's the best, he's one of a kind; (Jean, Collin, Scott, Chuck)

"H" is for my Hannah, what a sweetheart, sunshine who was sent down from above.

"E" is for my Emily, my firstborn, no one lovelier you could ever find; (Emily and Cohen)

(Genevieve, my "special" daughter, and Emily)

"R"'s for really grateful for my family, all those both before and after me. (Hannah, me, Emily)

Put is all together, it spells "mother", the name that means the world to me.

I love you all!

QUAM Part 2 (really part 1)

This shows the pull of fabrics from my stash for the QUAM project (Quilt Along With Melody). I chose fabrics to (hopefully) appeal to my daughter, Emily, and to blend with the decor in her new apartment. I eventually eliminated the black and purple prints.

This shows the 12 original blocks which I made for the quilt. It was an easy design, and leant itself well to working from a stash. Depending on the fabrics chosen, the blocks could have been sewn together just like this, and call it a day. But Melody's pattern called for us to cut these blocks each into four pieces, and then rearrange the units.

Here is my first arrangement. I decided, when I saw this, that there was too much of the coral color for my taste. I removed some of them, and rearranged again.

Then, I decided it needed sashing. I don't have big pieces of fabric in my stash, so I didn't have many choices for sashing. I actually cut and sewed the entire top together to pretty much resemble this arrangement, and then I decided that the sashing was too wide. I took it apart and trimmed the sashing to a scant reveal of 1/4". Me likey.

Here is the finished top. I ended up binding it in a darkish multicolor batik, with a skinny light folded piece in between the top and the binding, one of my favorite finishes. You can see the finished quilt on my April 22 posting. I did a simple quilting design of curving lines. And best of all, my daughter likes it!