Oak Ridge Basketball

We're enjoying having a basketball player in the family! We were beginning to think it was never going to happen! Harley's on the freshman team. That's him, #10 white, but you probably could have figured that out on your own :) The team is off to a slow start with only 1 win. But, Harley's enjoying playing and we're enjoying watching, so it's all good.

Off Roading

Harley's friend Grant has 2 quads and he is very generous in sharing them with TJ, Harley, and their friend Ryan. In no time at all, the boys determined that the quads were WAY more fun than their dirtbikes. After a rainy week, they took them out and this is the condition they came home in. Near as I can tell from the story, TJ was trying to "drift" around a corner on a dirt road and the mud had different plans. He slid into the ditch and got stuck. After about a half hour of trying to get it out, he called and Tom went to his rescue in the Bronco. The Bronco proceeded to get stuck well before reaching the quad. Eventually they got both out, but everything and everyone was covered in mud. The high point of the day to Harley was getting to drive the Bronco home because everyone else was too muddy to be allowed inside. Tom & TJ hung on to the sides of the truck on the way home.

Here's Ryan in all his muddy glory. The boys got the quads cleaned up and I'm just finishing the laundry... at least until next weekend!

Homecoming 2009

Harley's first homecoming! This was as close as we could get to dressing him up. Nice shirt and tie...but black jeans and Vans on his feet. Oh well. He looked pretty good, if I do say so myself...and was probably more comfortable than most of the kids at the dance!

I thought we were "real" Texans after we experienced Hurricane Ike. I learned this year that there's more to it than that. A real Texan knows about homecoming mums and how to make them. The first time I heard someone talk about making a mum it was all I could do not to point out to them that mums are "grown" not "made". Good thing I kept my mouth shut because mums are MADE in Texas. Apparently it's a long-standing tradition to give mums to homecoming dates...and the more obnoxious the better! A mom in my quilt bee was kind enough to invite me over to share some tips and tricks. Had a great time making the mum. The following picture is the top of the mum for Harley's date.

This is the bottom part of the mum. The ribbons are 1 yard long. These things are huge. Most mums have a cowbell at the bottom that makes noise when walking. They wear these to school on the day of the homecoming game, and to the game. Can you imagine what it sounded like in school between classes??? I'm sure the original mums were worn like a corsage. These mums are made with straps to tie around the neck.

The boys version of a mum is much smaller and is worn as a garter on their arm. This is the garter Harley's date made for him. The theme of the dance was "A Night in Gotham City" and is why there is a batman on his mum--very clever! I'm sure the wearing of the garter mum had a lot to do with TJ's decision to not participate in homecoming.

Harley and his date, Savanah.

Quilt Festival 2009

Gotta tell ya', traveling to Quilt Festival in Houston is a whole lot easier when you live in Spring, TX! I got to enjoy the show and sleep in my own bed--how do you beat that?! Another bonus to being a local is that I was able to carpool to the show and saw lots of people there that I know.

Several people in my quilt guild had quilts hanging in the show. One quilt, by Kumiko Frydl, had the distinction of winning first place in the miniature category. Woohoo! Can you say Mariner's Compass with 108 points...in miniature?! Crazy...

The following quilt was an entry in the miniature category. No, not Kumiko's, but still nice.

This quilt took 2nd place overall.

The old quilts are always my favorites. Was able to resist the urge to buy a Whig's Defeat quilt with partially completed trapunto from the 1800s...but only because I couldn't find a way to explain it to Tom! This isn't that quilt. Kicking myself now for not asking if I could take a picture of the one for sale.

This was a display at Festival. Looked even better in person...like all quilts do.

We had the privilege of hosting a group of Russian quilters. Here are a couple of them in front of a couple quilts in their display area. We had lunch with them and took them to a local quilt shop. They taught us how to make little dolls with only fabric, stuffing, and thread. No needle or sewing. Great fun.

I've got lots more pictures...but this is all blogspot thinks I should share :)

It's Finished!

I guess Katie can go to Michigan now that I finished her quilt. Well, maybe not quite yet. I use the term "finished" loosely...it still needs binding. Both Katie & I are happy with how the quilt turned out. I used different quilting all over the quilt, in off-white. The "M" and inner blue border were quilted in navy. Wish I could have got a good picture of the back of the quilt. Because of the navy thread, there's an added bonus of a faint "M" on the back of the quilt. This pictures shows the center of the quilt.

Katie made this log cabin block as her contribution to the quilt.

This heart block is probably my favorite block in the quilt.

The quilt measures approximately 84x98. In addition to the Navy emblem and water polo ball, we included several blocks of things that were meaningful to Katie...a heart (bleeding Michigan maize and blue), a cross, a sun (she'll need a reminder it exists come January), and a beach scene.

U Mich Quilt

Construction is underway on Katie's University of Michigan quilt. We had a blast searching for the perfect blue and yellow fabrics at quilt shops all over Houston. The "M" is 18" tall. I'm planning on this being the center block in the quilt. The yellow strips in the lower right are the beginnings of a water polo ball. I'm using a new applique technique called back basting.

The eagle with the anchor is the Navy emblem. We are waiting to hear from the Navy to know if she will be given a scholarship her freshman year. She will be part of the Navy ROTC program for nursing at U Mich. The eagle on the quilt is missing its talons--I haven't forgotten them!

Backyard Camping

With the 2009 hurricane season already begun (according to the calendar, not the weather), the boys decided it was time for the stump of the tree felled by Hurricane Ike last year to be removed. After some cuts to the roots with the chainsaw in preparation for hooking it to the back of TJ's Bronco to be pulled out...it was discovered the Bronco wouldn't fit through the gate. It didn't take them long to come up with a Plan B...burn it out! So, the "backyard beautification" project turned into a fire, which turned into a weiner roast, which turned into a campout, which led to some dirtbiking the next morning. Lots of fun that I'm sure will be repeated more than once this summer! Oh, most of the stump was able to be removed after the fire did its thing. There's another stubborn section though that I'm sure will require the liberal use of lighter fluid and more fire. The boys are not complaining :)

Katie's Graduation

In a flury of activity over a few days, family from Texas, Arizona, and California met in Southern California to witness Katie's graduation from high school. Just 3 days later, she & Tom pulled into our driveway in Texas. It's so nice to have her home :) She had a great year living with the Gloudes who were the best "fake" family she/we could have hoped for. I expect they will be a permanent part of her life, and I hope that's the case. While graduation was exciting for Katie, I'm sure she views it as just one more step closer to University of Michigan. She has contacted her roommate, a track sprinter from Detroit. Go Blue!


This is Katie and Hillary, immediately after graduation. (I have no clue who the guy in the back is!) Hillary will be moving on to Biola after a missions trip to Africa this summer. Great kid, great family. I miss them. Hopefully Hillary can visit us in Texas this summer. We're thinking a mini quilting/baking retreat would be too much fun.

My parents drove 6 hrs to see Katie's graduation, celebrate with us afterwards, and sleep in a hotel bed. They were up early to start their 6-hr drive home. They always leave me wanting more! We were so glad they came though. And the girls got a chance to meet Melody.

Katie and her Dad. He's still representing ASU. Guess he's going to need some Michigan gear soon! Katie came home with a UMich pizza cutter that plays their fight song. TJ has already tried to disassemble it. I'm guessing navy/maize t-shirts would be a lot less annoying than the pizza cutter!

The day before Katie came home, Harley left with his friend Ryan for 2 weeks in Colorado. They have a full schedule of fun activities planned. I'm sure he's having a ball. So, I'm still at 2 kids at home, just different two. TJ thinks this is a great trade--Katie for Harley. Guess I should expect that from the big brother. They've got plans to see the new Transformers movie tonight. Katie's wasting no time acclimating to her summer in Texas. She has already canvassed the area for job possibilities, picking up several applications along the way. She went with TJ to polo practice last night and seemed to have a great time. She's enjoying playing with the dogs...and of course, sleeping in :)

The Woodlands Area Quilt Guild Quilt Show

The quilt show was Friday and Saturday. Hadn't been to a guild show in awhile and I really enjoyed this one. "Worked" Thursday, checking in quilts--but really didn't see them because they were folded and in bags. Saw a few being hung that evening. I wish there would have been more vendors (like I need more quilting stuff!)--always fun to shop though.

The following quilt is a miniature made by Kumiko. She's a guild member and is known for her exquisite miniature quilts. She's won many awards. I had Tom put his hand in this picture so the scale would be more evident. The flowers were done with ribbon embroidery. Can you believe it?! Just gorgeous.


This quilt would have won my vote for "best quilting". Just loved it. There was quite a bit of beautiful quilting in the show...and, of course, some not so good.

Most quilts look better in person and the following quilt is no exception. The quilt maker used 3 different dot fabrics--white, red, and black. Loved the way they worked with the plaids and the Christmas-y applique.

There was something about this block that I really liked--probably the colors. There was a whole room (small room) with quilts containing photographs. This was one of the best. I have yet to try that technique.

And, this is my quilt :) Still love it. Not very often do you open a box with a quilt you've started years ago and still love it as much as you did when you started it. Wish I could see Marg Gair and thank her for designing such a beautiful quilt.

Annual Haircut Day

The first day of summer, well, technically the first day of summer break, was deemed "Harley Haircut Day". I don't think anyone was looking forward to it more than Tom! This picture shows the "evil" haircut lady with clippers in hand.

Putting the finishing touches on Harley's new 'do.

For moral support, Harley convinced his friend Ryan that he needed a haircut too. Apparently his parents agreed because he arrived with his whole family minutes after Harley's phone call telling him it was time for the haircuts. Hard to resist a willing teenager and a free haircut!

Ryan was sound asleep on the couch (after a "sleep" over that was actually an "awake" over the night before), when his parents brought him over to our house for his haircut. He was so tired I wasn't sure he'd even remember it the next day!

Can't tell here if he's just mid-haircut, or sneaking in a little shut-eye in the process! You wouldn't have believed the piles of hair these boys left behind. Enough to make many grown men cry!

Way to go, TJ!

Now, you'd think an experienced rider would know better... Harley & his friend were riding the dirtbikes in the front yard and TJ couldn't resist taking a couple turns. There really was no reason to change into jeans, right? The soft dirt gave way and somehow TJ ended up under a hot pipe which burned the back of his right thigh and calf.

I'm not sure he'd try the same stunt again, but it did earn him a parking spot at the front of the school, and a pass to leave each class early until the end of the school year. Oh yeah, and LOTS of attention!

Surprisingly, it's healing well and quickly. I'm sure he'll have a gnarly scar...and along with it a great story to tell!

Melody

We were so lucky to have my parents visit along with their foster daughter, Melody. I started getting excited as soon as their plane tickets were purchased! This was our first time to meet Melody who was 14 months old when they were here. They've had her since she was 3 months old. She's such a sweetheart. Thanks, Mom & Dad for coming to Texas! The following picture is Melody with my Dad in the backyard.

Harley's teaching Melody how to text on his new phone. I guess it's never too soon to learn :)

This is Melody's typical hairstyle...wild and crazy! Come to think of it...that describes Harley's hair pretty well too!

World's Smallest Frog

While I suppose I am unauthorized to officially announce having seen the world's smallest frog, this little guy is certainly the smallest frog I've ever seen! And, he was just one of many hopping all over our front yard and driveway a couple weeks ago. Yeah, we let him go. No clue where they all went. I'm sure they are contributing to all the ruckus that goes on every night--lately it's louder outside than inside! In an area known for insects, I'm sure he's a happy little fellow...just probably not so little anymore due to the amount of available frog food. Don't get me started on bugs. Let's just say we're all covered in mosquito bites, and the deer flies would eat this frog for a snack!

Harley's "Rock" Band

Harley had a school assignment to make a rock band out of 3 rocks. For the life of me I can't figure out the educational significance of this project, but I sure thought the finished product was cute!

Airing of the Quilts in Huntsville

Yesterday I drove about an hour north to Huntsville for their annual quilt show. It's all outdoors, around the courthouse. Most of the businesses in the area get into the action as well and the whole downtown area is "dressed" in quilts. It was plenty windy so the quilts got a good "airing". Here's a sampling of what I saw...

Oh yeah, and there was a tractor show as well. Only in Texas does a quilt show split billing with a tractor show! Very amusing.

Rain, Rain...and more Rain

I'm having a hard time believing there could be any more moisture in the sky. And, with my roots in Oregon, that means something! It started sprinkling around 5 last night, soon to be followed by thunder, lightning, and lots of serious rain. Woke up a couple times from the noise. Several school districts in the area are closed today. DJs on the radio are saying nothing is so important that you should leave your house. I haven't heard any rainfall totals, with the exception of Bear Creek which is about 20 miles to the northeast of us. They were at 11" already this morning...and it's still raining!

TJ's a Harley Rider

Tom's giving TJ final instructions before he lets him take his "baby" for a spin. I don't know who was more nervous...well, yes, I do, it was Tom!

Here's TJ! The first words out of his mouth when he got off the bike? "I know what I want for my birthday!"

Harley's Basketball Hoop

Well, it was a long time coming, but Harley finally has a basketball hoop in our yard! This one was a birthday present...almost a month late. Above is the concrete that supports the whole thing. And, what you see is our 2nd attempt at this first step! Initially we tried using quick setting concrete, but it set up too quickly for us to get the 20" long "J" bolts into it. So...it all had to come out! All went smoothly with the 2nd attempt. (Thank goodness or I'm afraid Harley would still be playing basketball at the clubhouse!) Oh, and that black cable in the picture? That's the cable tv/internet/phone cable that I sliced through with the first shovelful of dirt I removed from the hole at the beginning of the project :) Oops

This is the final step before playing...installing the rim. As you can see, Harley's "helping"! That's his friend Ryan in the green shirt. He's been like a 3rd son the last few months. His parents are building a home in our neighborhood and are currently in an apartment. We understand that set up only too well. He gets to stay with us a lot--even has a permanent "bed" set up in Harley's room.