Home Again!

I know our last trip was a short one, but we have been gone so much already this year that it just doesn't seem like we have been home at all. I am so ready to get caught up with work so I can squeeze in some time to work in the garden. I know I am a little late in getting it going but I am hoping to get a lot of stuff planted in the next week or two. However, the good news is that both of our avocado trees have decided to bear fruit this year and they are just getting ready to pick. We had one last night and there isn't anything better. And lemons! Do we have lemons! I think its time to get to doing some baking and using them up. Donald suggested zesting and dehydrating it so we will get to doing that.

I had a great class at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show in Hampton, Virginia at the end of February, first of March. We worked on the Dwen's Star block from the Stars of the Family Quilt. Everyone did an awesome job and these are just a few of the quarter blocks that they got done in class.

I just received this picture from Sheila Russillo, a student in my class at Mid-Atlantic. I think she did a great job.

This is the mess of setting up the booth at Sacramento last week. We tried a new layout and I was not pleased with it so think we will go back to our old set-up with a couple of tweaks. It was a whirlwind of a week: Donald flew in on his way home from Hawaii and spent a half day and night with us. We all got up Wednesday morning at three so he could head to the airport and we could finish packing and drive to Sacramento to unload and set up the booth. That was one long day!

We got home Sunday and yesterday morning I began packaging all of the first month kits for the Stars of the Family BOM. Fortunately, before we left for Sacramento, I had cut all the fabric kits and everything was printed. I just had to assemble everything yesterday and today they all got shipped. That is a huge relief. We have decided to keep the sign-ups open for awhile longer. We have had an awesome response to the program and I will be doing three trunk show/workshops this month to groups who have not had a chance to see it and then three shows in May where it has not been displayed so we decided to just keep sign-ups open. If you have been on the fence about signing up, you still have time. Remember, through the Block of the Month, you can order just the pattern with foundations and use your own colors or you can order the fabric kit with the pattern and foundations. I will be recording a class for each month and posting it on our website (and perhaps on YouTube). So you will be getting a personalized class for free when you sign up.

We still have one week to go for this month's online special; all pineapple patterns and blocks are 10% off when you use the code PINEAPPLEPARTY10 at checkout.

I will be doing a trunk show/lecture this Thursday in Manteca and a workshop there on Saturday. In April, we will be heading down to Tehachapi for a trunk show/lecture and a workshop the following day. Also will be going to King City for a trunk show/lecture and a workshop a little later in the month. Then we will be heading north to Boise for the Quilt Craft Sew Festival followed by another Rusty Barn show in Salt Lake City. We will come home for about five days to re-stock and then head back to Castle Rock for the last weekend of May. I'm tired just thinking about all of that but I am still getting up every morning more excited and enthusiastic than the day before.

Hoping to have a couple of things to show later this week. Until then, HAPPY QUILTING!!!