Sew'n Wild Oaks Retreat Day 1

 Hello Everyone,

Here are just a few pictures from my November retreat. As soon as the cars were unpacked the quilters started right in quilting.

The retreat started off with my little talk and positive affirmation for the day.  I have only one rule, and that is you have to sit with someone you don't know at mealtime.  So many friendships have been made over a meal.

Everyone came over to my cabin for an appetizer dinner and we feasted our way through the evening.

We have a gentleman at the retreat this year. Corky and his bubbly wife Stacey came from Chicago.  Corky is the quilter in the family.

Mazey greeted everyone as they arrive.  She got so many lovies. 

Corky had fun sitting on the saddle barstools.

The retreat is off to a great start.  Since I hosted four retreats this year, I was able to include 8 new attendees.  The fire will be going down at the Lodge this morning, the coffee will be ready, the quilters will start arriving, and we are all set to start a beautiful day in the mountains.  

Soon,

Lynn

Houston Wrap-Up

Hello Everyone,

This is just a very small sampling of the quilts at Quilt Market.

The workmanship was incredible.

The walkways were spacious.

There weren't any crowds when we walked through the displays.

I was all set up for my School House session.  It's a bit daunting when you see all of the chairs waiting to be filled.  They were far from filled but I had a nice group of shop owners who I really connected with.

One of my favorite booths at QM was Sew Cherished.  Click HERE to see Dawn's online shop. Prior to QM, Dawn called me and ordered patterns for Bridle Path.  We chatted on the phone for quite a while.  When I stopped by her lovely booth and introduced myself, we hugged like old friends.  There are so many of her patterns that I would love to make.  

My fourth and last retreat of the year begins tomorrow.  It's been a mad dash returning home from QM on Wednesday, then preparing for the retreat.  First, I had to fill all of the Etsy orders that poured in while I was gone.  I'm finishing up the last of the orders this morning. I have all of the tutorials printed and I'm all set for the arrival of the quilters.

Wednesday, soon after we arrived at the cabin from our 12-day road trip, we got a call from our oldest son telling us our grandson was in a serious mountain bike accident on the bike trails above Del Valle reservoir in Livermore. He was taken to a trauma center via ambulance.  After careful evaluation and x-rays it was determined that he had a severely broken collarbone that may require surgery, 4 broken ribs, a concussion, and many scrapes and abrasions from the crash.  Luckily, he was with a buddy with a calm demeanor and took control of the situation.  The boys walked out about 1/4 of a mile and flagged down a ranger who took one look at Jess and called an ambulance.  

Jess doesn't remember a thing about the accident.  We talked to him on Thursday, and he told us how much he loved us...he remembers us!  When our son called us, it was so hard not to turn the car around and head back to the Bay Area to be with him.  He assured us that Jess would be fine, but this grandma was worried sick!

Jess turned 16 in September, and we gave him a new bike helmet.  We are so thankful he was wearing it!  It may have been a different story without the helmet.

As it turns out, he didn't need surgery and is now home resting, recovering and considering selling his bike!

Soon,

Lynn

 

California Here We Come

 Hello Everyone,

We started driving for home on Saturday, so we said our goodbyes to Texas, our friends, the Marcus Fabrics staff, and the wonderful time we had there. According to my sister, and the AAA guide book the saying goes, "The sun is ris, the sun is set and we ain't out of Texas yet!"  We finally drove out of Texas yesterday, our second day on the road.  Once we left Houston, we spent the night in Abilene. 

I have a lot of pictures to share over the next few days.  This morning I'm just focusing on the Marcus Fabrics booth. Shop owners come and sit at the booth to see all of the new offerings and order fabric......hopefully lots and lots of Hearthstone!

The booth was so beautiful!

After driving through freezing fog and 26-degree temperatures, we made it to Albuqueque, NM and spent the night here.  Is this a Halloween sunset or what!

We are going to try to get to Needles, CA today.  We have to get all the way across New Mexico and Arizona to meet our goal.  I have my last retreat for the year starting on Sunday, so we can't take time to stop and smell the roses.  It's California or bust today, and it's Mr. Joe's birthday.  In celebration of his special day, I'm treating him to our free breakfast at the Hampton Inn!  No expense will be spared.

Soon,

Lynn