More music!

Both girls had a busy music week.

Tuesday night, the advanced elementary school band (of which Chloe is a member), the middle school bands, and the high school band all played a concert at Columbine.

Each band played a couple of numbers and then they all combined at the end to play "America The Beautiful", and it sounded really great.

Thursday night, Normandy had their combination Knight Ringers/Troubadours concert at the elementary school, and it was a tribute to Colorado. The hand bell video has them playing "Where The Columbines Grow". The Troubadours choir sang a lot of John Denver songs and I enjoyed it very much. I love John Denver- always have. And since my life is basically a John Denver song, well... lol (I could even give you specific song titles that describe various aspects of my life!)

I am trying to remember how to post videos on here...I have two videos: one of the combined bands and one of the handbells- you can actually see Chloe this time! I apologize for the shakiness- I have to videotape using my camera and zoom lens and it is pretty touchy about picking up movement on my part- but I like to try and zoom in a bit on the girls so you can see them, since you don't know where they are in the crowd.

Enjoy!

A New Quilting Journey!

Yesterday was SO FUN!!! My new friend Mona and I went down to Monument to a quilt shop called "Wild Heather" to meet with the ATC trading group- and what a blast it was!

The group is run by a local designer, Liz Kettle (co-author of Stitch Journeys), and the store owner, Heather (who is a pattern designer as well), is also a member of the group. We were warmly welcomed by all, and so inspired by all of the work we saw on the cards we traded. We each had to talk a bit about how we got the idea for our cards and what mediums/techniques we used. It is an incredibly talented group, and I just want to try so many things now! lol

The quilts on the wall and the fabrics in the store were also awe-inspiring, and I have a idea now for two wall hangings- a series I think that will include more than two- that I can't wait to get started on. I have been sketching and all night I dreamed of thread and what elements I want to have in these quilts. I'm not kidding!

However, I am going to start with the Stitch Journeys book; I bought it yesterday at the shop. Liz is delightful in person and when I got reading the book, I found that her co-author is from Newmarket, Ontario- and the threads they feature are Canadian. Unfortunately, that means I can't get most of them around here. But that is what ordering online is for! lol

I will learn how to use all of these threads and the techniques that go with them, and then I can start my quilt. No patterns, no rules- just my creative juices flowing. Let's see if I can transfer what I see in my head onto fabric. (That hasn't worked so well for me in the past...but I will think positively! lol)

For now, here is just a sample of the beautiful cards I got in the trade yesterday. The theme was "words" and everyone saw it a bit differently. To see the collection of what I made and all of what I got yesterday, you can go to my Webshots album (link on the right side of this page).

Did I mention?

Did I mention that Friday the 13th is among my favourite days of the year?

It was on a Friday the 13th that after so long of only "knowing" each other by phone and e-mail, that Rich and I first laid eyes on each other- the day we met for the first time in person.

And seeing how my life has turned out so incredibly- how can any Friday the 13th be considered anything but the best of luck days for me?

(photo taken on our honeymoon in Quebec City, May 2007)

So far...

Well, I have managed to make a couple of things from the Beatles fabric, and am working on a third.

Heidi wanted a tote bag (she refuses to carry a back pack). I wanted to showcase as much of the fabric as possible, which is why both sides are different. I used a Laurel Burch for the inside as it was one of the only fabrics I had enough of- I don't tend to buy big pieces of fabric unless I am working on something specific. And I found great rainbow tote strap to make it sturdy enough to lug around books.

Chloe just wanted a little purse, and since she loved the "cutie cubie" as she renamed the Treasure Box pattern- I amended it a little to make it bigger, and she seems pretty happy with it. It is lined with a vivid batik.

Holly wants a wallet, which I have cut and am working on right now. I have made this pattern before too, but hopefully I will do a better job on this one- I misfolded the last one, though I did manage to make it work in the end. **Hey- while I have been waiting for the girls to get up so that I can get photos of their bags- I finished the wallet! I hope Holly likes it.**

I will still have a bit of fabric left over and I think that I will use it to make a little wall hanging for my studio.

Progressing along

Well, Chloe has been to three lessons at Coventry Farms and just loves it. They put her on a bombproof horse for her first lesson- Symphony- and found that she was a little beyond that.

The second week she rode Chocolate Chip and found it a little more challenging. Of course now she is learning to ride while standing in the stirrups and she is learning to post without stirrups. This girl will have some MAJOR thigh muscles before long! lol

They are still pretty much tacking up for her, even though she could do it herself- even the saddle. At Tina's, she couldn't lift the heavy Western saddle by herself, but now that she is using an English saddle, it isn't a problem. The English saddle is so much smaller and lighter. I told Chloe to ask politely next week if she could try tacking up by herself and letting them check once she is done. I know they mean well, but she wants to do it and won't learn properly unless they let her try.

This past week she rode Smokey, and will again next week. I guess Beth has found a good fit for Chloe. We didn't stay too long, just long enough to get some photos. If the weather cooperates on Saturday, I will be away and Rich will be taking Chloe to her lesson- but I am sure I will hear all about it in great detail once I get home!