First and Last

There are many "firsts" and "lasts" in this life, some more pleasant than others.  And, often times, it is all in how you look at it as to whether they are pleasant experiences or not. 

Today we had a first and a last all rolled into one.  Today, Autumn, our oldest, had her LAST first day of school and Brooke, our youngest, had her FIRST day of high school.  And just like I have done for 12 years, I had them pose for a picture to document their first day of a new school year.  All pretty and pressed with new outfits on, brand new notebooks not worn and tattered from being thrown in the back of the car or on the floor in their bedrooms. 

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I knew the day would come when Autumn would be all grown up.  But, somehow, you are never prepared for it.  Now matter how hard you try, you just can't keep them little.  I can only take comfort in the fact that I still have Brooke for four more years and they sure have come up nicely!  Beautiful, bright young ladies. 

A very pleasant experience, indeed.

Rhonda

Fun with Georgia Stull

Since the last post we did have the long arm (Statler Stitcher) retreat.  Georgia Stull and her husband Ivan made their way through the mountains for their first trip to North Carolina to teach.

This was our first retreat so it was a time of trial and error.  I think things went pretty well.  We had about 12 people over the course of 3 days.  They were all very different.  Some were husband and wife teams like Russ and I and some were just casual quilters that quilt just for fun.  I think the greatest thing about it, with the exception of Georgia's excellent instruction, was the intimacy of setting.  We held the retreat at Bless My Stitches quilt shop and it was just the perfect size for our event.  Karen was a very hospitable host and we appreciate her so much for that.

Georgia gave some really fun and informative classes.  I think everyone walked away refreshed and ready to try some new tricks on their quilting machines.  It's good to learn something new or just to be reminded and refresh some things that you might already know.  And that is what this retreat was all about.
Here is a picture of our group.  This is the purple bug that represents the Row by Row Experience at Bless My Stitches.  It was a fun photo opportunity.

So glad we were able to do this retreat.  Next we will be having a retreat for hand guided quilters, like myself.  Looking forward to having another retreat sometime really soon.

Rhonda