Sunday, December 13, 2009
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!
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!Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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.
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.
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 :)
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 :)Thursday, August 27, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
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!
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 :)
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