Teaching and Tahoe...

"Bluebird Sewing Box" - The Class Project

Believe it or not, I am still really under the weather...sick as sick can be...and it is definitely not a cold, as some of the highlights include a 102 temperature, chills, sweats, terrible aches, weakness and dizziness - along with all the regular, nasty head cold symptoms and a terrible cough....so for my purposes, this will be known as the "California Flu". The California Flu has had me in bed or on the sofa for the last three days and is still hanging on...in fact, this post is coming to you via my laptop while I am curled up in bed (hopefully on the mend)...and will probably take me several writing sessions (my focus is limited and only good for short periods of time)...therefore, any typographical or grammatical errors are unintentional and probably a side effect of this gruesome illness...

So let's talk about my teaching trip to California...
It started out a little hectic...I was supposed to fly from Des Moines to Denver to Sacramento...well, it didn't work out that way. My flight (on Thursday) was several hours delayed getting out of Des Moines (the plane was coming from Chicago and it happened to be on the day with the terrible thunderstorms and flooding)...and although they held my connection in Denver to Sacramento for a couple hours, a sprint from one end of the Denver airport to the other found me out of breath and watching the last daily flight to Sacramento taxiing away from the gate. Ugh. All the flights for the following day were completely booked and I got an immediate notification that I was scheduled on the 6:10 AM flight for Saturday morning - well, that wasn't going to work, as I had a class to teach on Friday evening (and I really didn't want to spend 36+ hours in the airport). I started the tearful walk to the airline help center to see if there was anything they could do...I knew there was one last flight to California on Thursday evening (I had done my homework)...and as I was passing through the airport on the moving sidewalk, I saw the gate for the 9:45 PM flight to San Francisco (the last flight of the day and my only hope of getting to CA). I  hurdled the sidewalk railing (seriously), headed straight for that gate, and prayed for a miracle. Once the counter was open, I was put on standby for the flight to San Francisco...and I was (you guessed it) number eleven...bye, bye hope. I called my dear friend who was going to pick me up at whatever airport I could get to and broke the news...it was not looking good. Somehow, they made room for twelve passengers and I got on that flight - it was a blessing - and I am so glad I was proactive and hurdled the rail of the moving sidewalk. Great news, I made it California - it was after midnight and we had a long drive to Modesto, but I made it to California!! I think we arrived at about 2:30 AM...too bad my luggage was still in Denver. I won't go into too much detail - but let's just say, all the attendees got to see me without make-up in day-old clothes with my hair tied up...basically at my worst (I just used the explanation that I was practicing for the Koman 3-Day event I am participating in this coming November)...how embarrassing. My suitcase did arrive at 2:19 Saturday morning...and even more convenient, it was "signature required" - yep, doorbell ringing, dogs barking, everyone awake at 2:20 AM. But I must say, after all that, it was a fabulous trip!

It was so much fun to see all my California friends and stitching family...and we had such a marvelous time! Friday morning/afternoon, I got a chance to see many of the attendees at Elegant Stitch (of course everyone wanted to do some shopping - including me)...that evening we had a wonderful light dinner at the hotel...then started the "Bluebird Sewing Box" class. I was thrilled to see everyone finish their floral scissor fob and we even had time to start covering the rest of the class materials. Saturday everyone had a chance to start stitching...and many had a very good start on the project! After breaking for lunch, we finished covering all the class materials...I signed all the class notebooks...and I had a chance to visit with each attendee, one on one. After class, we headed back to Elegant Stitch for more shopping and visiting. It was a FABULOUS couple days and I truly enjoyed the entire event. It is always such a blessing to travel and meet fellow needleworkers...and even more fun when I get to return and see so many familiar faces...plus there were new faces, as well. I just adore Elegant Stitch and all my California friends!

Once the Elegant Stitch Workshop was complete, I had plans to stay in California with Lois and Bruce and do some sightseeing! Lois and I had made plans to spend a couple days in Lake Tahoe...and a day in Yosemite National Park...both of which I had never visited before...yes, I know I am such a lucky girl! Sunday morning we were up bright and early - we did a ten mile walk in Modesto, then set out on our journey to Lake Tahoe. This (born and raised) Iowa girl was pretty much blown away by the entire trip - the snow-capped mountains, the HUGE trees, the water, the wildlife - it was incredible (I will let the photos do the talking). We drove the entire 72 miles around the lake - stopping at ALL the scenic overlooks, where my jaw was consistently dropped...we picked up a late picnic lunch and ate on the beach...we stopped at Vista Point and Memorial Point...checked out Emerald Bay, King's Beach, Crystal Bay, Fannette Island, Eagle Falls, Heavenly Village, and the Y (to name a few places)...we saw it ALL. Around 6:15 PM, when we were finishing our scenic drive and heading for the lodge (are you ready for this??) we actually saw a tagged momma California brown bear and three (YES, THREE) bear cubs...seriously...we saw four bears along the roadside! It was a challenge to get good photos from a moving car (sorry for the blurriness, but I had to show you my proof!)...at first we only saw one bear (the one I have a close-up of)...but then we saw the momma and two more cubs in the distance - it was incredible and unforgettable...I can't believe I actually saw bears!
So without further ado, here is just a tiny bit of Lake Tahoe through my camera lens...

So there you have it, just a taste of the beauty I was able to take in while I was visiting Lake Tahoe...it was truly breathtaking! I will be back with more photos from my visit...including a few from Yosemite National Park. For, now it is back to bed for me...I *have to* get rid of this terrible "California Flu"...

A New Family Addition...

I have returned from my whirlwind teaching trip to California...and I was blessed to stay a few extra days for some rest and relaxation with a very dear friend (which I desperately needed). I have tons of photos and stories to share with you...however, during our few days off, we both managed to get some sort of cold/flu crud and I am completely miserable...so today's blog post is going to be a bit short and I will return when I am feeling better with a post or two all about my travels.

Recently, I shared with you that we might be having a new arrival in our home...well, it's official - on Saturday, May 11th, a German Shepherd puppy will be joining our family! My husband made a trip up to our breeder in Hugo, MN last weekend while I was away and got a few photos of our little girl. The breeder thought the pink ribbon girl would fit best into our family...and sure enough, when he let all nine of the puppies (five girls and four boys) out, the one with the pink ribbon ran right up to Travis and said hello. Here are some of the photos...including one of all nine of the girls (she is on the left)...

Truth be told, I really did not want another dog in the house - Simba is definitely enough responsibility for me...but this is my husband's dream dog (he grew up with a German Shepherd) and he has been begging to get one for fifteen years...many of you know I tend to be a bit of a control freak and have to have everything a "certain way"...but I have decided life is short and it is time be a little more relaxed...so here we go...my first attempt...we'll see how I do after a few weeks with a puppy in the house...I'm sure I'll have more to share in a couple weeks when she is old enough to join our home...

California Bound...

My suitcase is packed again...and I am ready to fly back to the West Coast - today I leave for one of my very favorite destinations (Elegant Stitch in Modesto, CA) for another teaching trip. I am so excited to see good friends (there will be quite a few familiar faces) and add more new members to my stitching family! I absolutely adore traveling to meet fellow needleworkers and spending time with each of them in class (and yes, I am giddy to be escaping the terrible Iowa weather!). I will be teaching "Bluebird Sewing Box" (shown below) to a nice large group...and I just know we are going to have a fabulous time! As a bonus, all of Team Twinkle Toes will be in attendance and we will be taking a group photo...and who knows, we might even be able to get in a walk...after all, it is sunny and 80+ degrees there! I am currently finishing up a few details, packing my bags, and getting my camera ready - I leave in just a few hours - I plan to take lots of photos to share with you (Lois has been kind enough to let me stay a couple extra days and be my tour guide...she has no idea what she is in for...well, actually, she does...and I am sure we will find some trouble to get into)! I will not be taking my laptop on this trip, so my communication will definitely be limited - please be patient with my response time...I will return all messages and reopen my Etsy shop upon my return next Thursday (April 25th).

To those of you attending - I'm counting the hours - I can't wait to see you - we are going to have a MARVELOUS time!

Sunshine on a Rainy Day

I can't believe it has been a week since my last post...I have had multiple tidbits of interest to share, but time has definitely been at a minimum. I am getting ready to leave for California tomorrow to teach a workshop at Elegant Stitch and visit with friends and fellow needleworkers...which means preparation and kitting, printing, packing, and all the fun things that come with teaching a class. I have also been walking mileage daily to prepare for the Komen 3-Day (60 mile) walk  taking place in November - who knew walking would be so time consuming - training is taking a couple hours each day...luckily we have had good weather and most of my walks have been outside for the last couple weeks - I would really appreciate any donations, so I can reach my fundraising goal (http://www.the3day.org/goto/Belinda) ...no amount is too small - every little bit helps! I have also been spring cleaning and preparing our home for a possible new arrival in the next few weeks - we may be getting a new puppy (more details to follow in a future post). On the needlework front, I am putting the finishing touches on the class design for the New England Stitcher's Retreat - I was really hoping to have it complete by now, but I had a couple setbacks - the stitching is complete and I will be doing the finishing upon my return from California...so I will be able to share it with you very soon!

Keeping this short (so I can finish my packing and spend some time with my husband before my trip), I thought I would share a few photos with you of things that are currently making me happy (on a VERY rainy, stormy, windy, gloomy day)....
First of all, isn't my new bumble bee mug the cutest thing you have ever seen??! I originally saw it a couple months ago while shopping with friends, admired it, but did not buy it - then, last week, I had lunch with the same two dear friends and when we saw it again, it *had to* come home with me...I would love to have more of these mugs - they have some really cute ones (a frog and a hedgehog both come to mind)...the bumble bee brings me so much joy! Also making me happy - zippers, zippers, and more zippers - I am addicted to projects with zippers. The fabric shown is from a favorite sunshiny collection - "California Girl" by JoAnna Figueroa, Fig Tree & Co. for Moda...and the book is my current project favorite - "A Quilting Life" by Sherri McConnell.

So there you have it - several fun things that are currently bringing sunshine to my life...

On a final note, I would like to thank everyone who has voted for my quilt blocks in the 4th Annual AccuQuilt Barn Quilt Design Contest...what a thrill it is to have two blocks in the "Top 100" again this year...my fingers are crossed for another win!

Happy Dance Day!

My Top 100 Finalist Quilt Blocks
 in the the 2013 AccuQuilt  Barn QuiltDesign Contest
Top: #97
Bottom: #50

Today is a happy day - I just found out I made the "Top 100 Finalists" in the AccuQuilt Barn Quilt Design Contest again this year...so, friends and followers, I could really use your voting help...

If you read my blog regularly, then you know how much I ADORE my AccuQuilt Fabric Cutters...in fact, I use at least one of them pretty much every single day. When AccuQuilt announced the 4th Annual Barn Quilt Contest, I just had to enter again - in fact, I have entered multiple blocks every single year since the contest started. Well, imagine my shock when I checked out the Top 100 Finalists and two of my designs had been selected once again - I was over-the moon with excitement!! I'm sure they had at least a gazillion entries, so to know that two of mine made the first cut makes me giddy... 

So, here is where I need your help - I need you to vote for my two blocks, so they make the Top 10, where celebrity judges Alex Anderson, Ricky Tims, Eleanor Burns, and AccuQuilt management will choose the Grand Prize winner. Please, please, pretty please take a moment and vote for my quilt blocks again this year...I would REALLY appreciate it!...and if you ask your friends and family to vote for me too, that would be AMAZING....please help me spread the word...

Since my winning quilt block in 2012 was a star block, I decided to go in a different direction this year. I knew I wanted a geometric block (#50), but I also knew I wanted a block with some floral flair (#97)...and the sunflower seemed perfect addition to a more traditional block - especially since AccuQuilt's headquarters (where the block will be displayed) is located in the Midwest.  I really thought about the history and tradition of the barn quilt when working on my entries...and the type of block I would actually see on a barn when traveling along a country road...

Here is how to vote:

Visit: http://www.accuquilt.com/barnquilt/voting.html

My finalist blocks are #50 and #97

Click on the boxes ABOVE my blocks. You can vote for up to five entries per e-mail address/per device...and I hope my two blocks will be on your ballot...

To learn a little bit more about the barn quilt movement visit: http://www.accuquilt.com/barnquilt/facts.html

Thanks for taking a moment to do this for me...wouldn't it be cool to see my quilt block design hanging at AccuQuilt Headquarters for a second year in a row?! Just think, if I win more AccuQuilt products, I can make more things to share/giveaway... 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and for your votes...I'm sure you all know how much this means to me...

Top 100 Finalist Block #97

Top 100 Finalist Block #50