Volunteer, Already

I volunteered to be the Recycling Artist for a school event. Taught 47 students how to turn a t-shirt into a spiffy bag!

How to Make an Artist/Quilter's Day!

I've been waiting for pictures to load so I could blog. Needing tech support (so maybe this weekend). Meanwhile, I will do a JenBabcock and just WRITE! (She is great at journal posting, real memories, real history). Wedding plans: going well. BOW TIES for every guy in the family who wants to wear one. I am making small ones, big ones, matching daddy-son ones (and a few girls' hair bows), all in a variety of fun red fabrics. They are keepers, gifts to you, for supporting Emma & DeanJames' wedding. I could start posting photos of them here (when I get my pictures working again) and you can comment and CHOOSE and I will put your name on them to reserve them...or wait until you arrive and we tie it around your neck Wednesday for photos! HAIR BOWS & THINGS: again, choices. Flowers, fabric pouffs, Roxie's favorite pom-pom headbands... Lots of choices and different looks. BRACELETS, PIERCED EARRINGS, NECKLACES, SHOES: Enamel fingernail polish works really, really well on metal and leather. I have turned neutral things into RED accessories! I have some specific aunt bracelets and then lots of choices for cousins, nieces. Still waiting another week to do a sky blue dye bath party, so if you have perfect dress/shirt and want it blue for the party, send it ASAP or let me know. I have one cotton bath, one synthetic/polyester bath to do, so it doesn't matter what the fabric content is on your clothing item, I can do it. Making several tutu/crinolines for Emma to choose from, or wear all of them at once! Again, pictures would explain a lot. Count down calendar on the front porch chalkboard...

SPAM BLOG!

This link came in email this morning from one of my brothers-by-marriage! Visual lesson! Hope you look.

Forever Family Celebration

Twenty-three years.

Suzu thinks we should dress up like "Fiddler on the Roof" and sing "Twenty-five years" in two more years...

Cousin Count

Today at dinner we asked our children if they knew all their cousins: we went through my siblings and names of all their children, where they live...long list! (My parents have 33 grandchildren!)

Local ones at Easter:

I loved growing up knowing my cousins. Extended family just means more people to love and the confidence that they love you back!

I got motion sick watching "Hunger Games."

On our most recent date I had to run out of the movie theatre to throw up. Jitter-cam reality action filming makes me sick. Inner ear problem? Take meds before going to movies? READ the books before you go-a lost dad in row behind us had no idea what was going on and needed his teenager to explain things...I thought it was a really good book-to-film adaptation. Costumes & makeup are amazing.

Easter pictures, finally!

Picasa Got Fancy w/ DC Trip

(Playing with new tools in the editing mode of "Picasa" our photo-editing program. Look what fun!)
You can see the quilting!

Took the youngest 3 to DC: First stop, drop off John @ his office, see the turtles (he named one Turtlinni) and one of my quilts.

Waiting in line for "free" tickets to Holocaust permanent exhibit. We got 1:30 time, after an hour wait in line...so we had some time for Mall exploring. I let Sam go solo to the Air & Space, took Roxie to Natural History, and Suzu went off on her own. The deal was to stay in phone contact and TXT me when they left a museum, so I would know where they were...

Weather was wonderful, and the giant HUGE scary snake eating an alligator was the scariest thing I saw all day. Two white-shirted, tied, and nametagged elders the happiest! (I gave my Easter pass-along-card to Angie, a teacher from South Carolina who was behind us in line. We talked & talked and it was natural & normal to include our Easter plans and the free video. We sang School House Rock songs together, great time. She teaches high school English and makes her students sing to memorize the prepositions to "The Farmer in the Dell" "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Happy Birthday" to get through them all.)

The gems and rocks the most beautiful. The horse-trotting police the most fun.

The shoes were the saddest.

I've waited until the youngest studied the Holocaust in school, and asked me about going. The exhibit geared towards younger children, Daniel's Story, moved me to tears. Well done exhibits. A must see, when you are ready.

Not Really a Mural...

We had little friends over today...and with school children home all week for spring break, lots of helpers to play!

Can you see what I've done? My husband has yet to see the suprise. EYE-OPENING! Will they last the week? This is one way to get new counter-tops. (My dream is cement with glow-in-the dark pigment.)

Primed...and polka-ed!

There are still dark green tiles surrounding the sink. Transforming the kitchen must be done in stages so we can still eat/wash dishes.

Suzanna said it reminded her of "Put Me in the Zoo."
Roxie said it looked like Emmalyn's wedding reception.
Sam thought I was going to paint stripes, but he thinks it is cool, though inconvenient. He helped me move the microwave to a new location.