Thursday, October 21, 2010

Fun in Jacksonville

Makenzie and I kneeboarding.  We have pictures of me on the board that could be interchanged with Makenzie!!!

Hailey did not want to go kneeboarding...but she LOVES jumping off the boat!!!

Me and my 2 little fishes.

Isaiah REFUSED to go back onto the boat, so we played on the kneeboard some.  He loved it...

So Mommy took him kneeboarding.  He was sitting on the board and LOVED it.  He was looking all around, playing with the water, and got very upset when Mommy got tired and stopped!!!

The girls' hair was getting strangly at the ends, so Gramps trimmed up the ends.  He is a FABULOUS hairdresser...and the only person that has ever cut my hair!


The Quilt Show

2010 Best in Show at the Jacksonville Quilt Show
Both the quilt and the wondeful ladies in my life!!!

This year (okay...really last year...), Aunt Martha came up with a WONDERFUL idea.  She thought that since we've made the Jacksonville Quilt Show an annual tradition, we could add some quilting of our own into the tradition.  So we've started an annual challenge quilt.

Aunt Martha choose the fabric for this year's challenge and sent each of us a yard of the fabric, a package of crib batting, and some rules:  only add 4 more fabrics (but can use different fabric for back and/or binding), must be crib size, and you CAN'T SHARE your ideas or finished project until the quilt show.

The last rule was the hardest and easiest.  It was hard not to share our ideas...but since all of us didn't finish the quilt until a week or so before the show, not sharing the finished project wasn't too hard!!!

And here are the quilts (the blue fabric with flowers was the challenge fabric).

My Quilt:


Aunt Martha's Quilt:


My Mom's Quilt:


I was AMAZED at how totally different all 3 quilts were.  Even though we all picked basically the same types of fabric for the extra 4, they are all so unique.  Aunt Martha's quilt is super cool because she did not have to piece any curved seams...and yet it looks like she did!  Mom's quilt TOTALLY fits her and their house...Dad wishes there was enough material to make it a queen quilt for their bed!  Spencer thinks this is the best quilt I've ever done (isn't he sweet???!!!).  This was my first time hand appliqueing.  I LOVED it, so I'm looking forward to adding more details like that to future quilts.

My Mom has already picked the fabric for next year's show...it has a black background and is an Asian floral print.  Rules are similar: add up to 6 other fabrics (there are 6 colors in the challenge fabric), any size you want, can add 1 more fabric for back and binding, and must keep it a secret.  Again...if we all finish in September, this last rule shouldn't be too hard!

2 Guys Watching 3 Kids

Every September, I join my Mom and my Aunt Martha (and often Cousin Kathy if she's free) for the annual Jacksonville Quilt Show.  My wonderful Dad (AKA Gramps) always agrees to watch the kids for me.  This was the first year that he had all 3...but he had his baby brother (AKA Uncle Dave) around to help.

They have some interesting tales to tell...but all 5 survived the weekend!!!





Monday, October 18, 2010

Spencer's Thailand Trip: Eating, Walking and Working

Spencer liked the food MUCH better than in China.  However, he would eat the "mild" dishes and almost die from the heat!!!  He was quite good for entertainment.




At one of his hotels, he was on the 21st floor!!!

Well...one time he got off at the 22nd floor instead.  Oops.  Instead of waiting for the elevator, he decided to simply take the stairs down one level..

When he got do the 21st floor...the door was locked!!!  And the door on the 20th floor was also locked.  And on the 19th floor...

Guess he should have waited!

Here is the reason he went to Thailand:

Viola!   Polymer!!!



Spencer's Thailand Trip: Temples and Budhas

Lots and lots of temples and budhas.  As Spencer was showing us the pictures, I could tell he had a tour guide in China (he knew everything about the pictures) and that he did NOT have a tour guide in Thailand (every picture = "here's something pretty" or "here's something else that's pretty").

So...here are the pretty things that we know nothing about!