During my travels in the past three weeks I enjoyed so many different mountains.

The dramatic mountains of Oahu, Hawaii.

The stunning Cascade Mountains in Washington state.

Majestic Mt. Rainier. 

The splendid mountains in Alaska. 

The glaciers!

 But today, I’m facing different mountains which are not so splendid or so grand. (Sigh.) 

I have so much to show and share, but it will have to wait for a bit longer while I get caught up here at home and help the boys get solidly caught up with missed school work. Its hard for them to have missed the first full week of school, but it was so worth it for them to have the “world experience” of traveling to Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

Back to the laundry room. I’ve got mountains to move……

In the morning I surveyed the damage. Fortunately, my ever-handy-man Dad was able to put the shelf back up on the wall and my ’sound-sleeper’ husband secured it in place with the drill when he got home from work that evening. But all the clothes and boxes were still strewn all over the floor. It was clear that many of these things had not been used or worn in quite awhile and we had truly accumulated too much “stuff” since our last move. In my mind, I began formulating a plan. Some of this would have to go.

In the meantime, with only three days left until my next trip (“Get ready, all you fun Wenatchee guild gals!”) with a follow on trip to teach on the quilting cruise to Alaska, I needed to get us all packed and ready to go. So early Saturday morning, I began to pack the boys’ suitcases for the cruise. As I went through Josh’s closet I realized that most of the items hanging there were no longer his size. So, amid many protests and gnashing of teeth (remember this?) I had him try on everything (and I do mean everything). Much to his dismay. And did I mention protests? One by one, we went through every item in his closet. One pile for clothes to donate. One pile for things to discard. If anything fit, it was hung neatly back in the closet.

As much as I really hate this in-it-for-the-long-haul time consuming task, we were on a roll! I was getting into the groove now. It was time to sort the clothes in his dresser drawers! We tackled underwear, socks, t-shirts, shorts, and so on. One by one. More loud protests, procrastination and complaining from the 16 year old. But I pushed through anyway, determined to figure out exactly what he has that still fits, and what items he really needs to have for his wardrobe not only for the cruise, but for the coming year of school and church. 

By the time it was all over, we had filled two extra-large garbage bags with clothes ready for donation. It was a daunting task, but I really felt good about our progress. And everything was so neat. Clean. And organized! I had  a shopping list in hand of things I needed to buy for him, and his suitcase was almost completely packed.

Next, I did the same thing for Andrew’s closet and drawers. More protests from the little man, but again, Mom prevailed. We went through each and every item, one by one. His drawers were a disaster. We found all sorts of things  he had long forgotten about, including Lego pieces, books, and toys. It felt great to get these all sorted out. In the end, we had another suitcase packed and another large garbage bag full of clothes to donate. Woo hoo!

This task took all morning and afternoon, followed by an evening shopping trip to the mall. But the proof of a hard day’s work was in those clean closets and drawers with neatly folded clothes. (I’m not foolish enough to think they will stay that way for long, though.)

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon. I still had our closet to tackle, but I also had momentum on my side. I had conquered the boys’ closets and drawers: surely I could do it again in our closet. So, that’s exactly what I did. I spent all afternoon going through our closet. One item at a time, discarding things that were worn, out of style, or we just don’t wear anymore. I went through our dresser drawers and shoes as well. The process took about six hours. I organized things by size, color and style. And I packed for both our trips coming up. It was tedious and tiring. (And hot in that closet!) But in the end, all our closets are purged and we can actually move the hanging clothes without having to jam everything in together.

Aaahhhhh. Now that’s nice.

Truthfully, I don’t plan to devote an entire weekend to closet clean-outs very often. But it sure feels great to have accomplished such a daunting task! I’m calling this the weekend of THE GREAT EINMO CLOSET PURGE.

A spontaneous trip wasn’t in my schedule. I had way too much to do! So when my husband suddenly had to go to Hawaii for a business trip and asked me to go along (to do the “corporate wife” thing) I heard myself giving all kinds of excuses as to why I shouldn’t go. The boys are just getting ready to go back to school. Josh has football practice every day. My next BIG deadline is looming on the horizon. Then there is my teaching gig in Wenatchee, WA next week followed by the cruise to Alaska. Yada, yada, yada….. Yes, of course he understood. It was settled.

But then I had one of those epiphanies. How many times does your husband ask you to go away with him? To enjoy the sun and lovely trade wind tropical breezes. To relax by the pool with a frosty lava flow and a swizzle stick skewered with exotic fruit. Or sit on the beach and read a book just for fun. Granted, it was only for three days on the ground with two full days spent traveling to and from. My goodness, what a decision. It was, after all, Hawaii. One of our favorite places on earth. On the beach at Waikiki. So I threw my tightly packed schedule and caution to the wind and packed my suitcase with a couple of swim suits and beach cover-ups, plus a few evening clothes for those meet-and-greet corporate dinners.

What a wonderful, unplanned trip it was! And even though he had meetings during the days, we had such a great time. We talked. We laughed. We ate fresh pineapple so juicy it ran down our chins. So take a little trip to the tropics and share some scenes from our getaway. After all, if a picture paints a thousand words…..

Welcome to paradise

 My beach bag complete with easy reading material. (Incidentally, I read the book on the trip and have since seen the movie. Liked the movie. The book? Not so much….. Anyone else out there feel the same way?)

Resident penguins of the hotel. Yep, penguins.

Iconic postcard shot of Diamond Head.

The view from my vantage point the second day. Aaahhhhhh…….

Just after sunrise….

Unbelievable sunset.

The blow hole. 

View from our hotel room. 

Then there were the flowers. Oh, the flowers!

 I guess I got a little carried away photographing all the perfumed petal perfection in abundance everywhere.

Loved this statue. There’s a a cool Hawaiian quilt somewhere in my future…..

A tropical fruit-filled pineapple boat almost too pretty to eat!

Oahu is such a beautiful island. No doubt about it.

I’m so glad I put aside all the things on my “must do” list to join my husband for a quick getaway. What  a wonderful way to enjoy the last bit of summer with my very best friend.

Aloha!

Star Chain with bright, cheerful, summery fabrics!

The machine quilting compliments the design and fabrics perfectly!

LOVE the back.

Pat made this stunning Braided Links quilt using the Cherish Nature fabric line for a wedding gift. The teal/brown/aqua theme fits the bride’s colors perfectly. I’m sure the couple will be beyond thrilled with this treasure!

And my friend, Birgit Schuller sent me photos of these glorious BRICKS quilts.
Check out these different colored versions. Birgit did all the machine quilting: 

Birgit’s friend, Moni, created this stunning quilt from the Braided Links pattern,
but she rotated the blocks to create this stunning design. Gorgeous!

Thanks for sharing your photos with me, Birgit and Pat. What a great way for us all to enjoy a virtual show and tell!

(Pssssst! In case you just happened to stop by and read my blog, all these patterns are available in my book, Jelly Roll Quilts & More.)

Look what the UPS man just delivered? Aren’t they adorably cute (not to mention, delicious)? I couldn’t be more tickled with how they turned out. I’ve never ordered personalized M & Ms before! And yes, that is actually a photo of the quilt we’ll be making for one of the classes on board. How fun is that?

I’ll bet you can guess who they’re for….. But this is just the beginning. More surprises are in store. Or should I say on board. Being a K Club member definitely has it’s privileges! So, if you’re interested, click here and check out my next quilting cruise to the Southern Caribbean in February, 2011.

I have to go hide these yummy treats now, or else they won’t even make it to the Alaskan cruise.

The invitation read “Come join us for tea, dahling.” My sweet friends from our little neighborhood quilting group, Laura and Jan, had invited me to a Diva Tea. How intriguing! I couldn’t wait. The invitation also asked me to bring a new pair of flip flops to embellish. Even more intriguing.

Yesterday was the Diva Tea. And what a tea it was!

First, we played. Laura had everything we needed to make yo-yos to add to our flip flops. There were fabrics, beads and embellishments of every kind.

Using these handy-dandy Yo-Yo Makers by Clover is F-U-N. Although I have made yo-yos using the traditional method in the past (without much excitement, I might add) making them using these easy plastic disks is a blast. I love them! Thanks, Laura, for introducing me to this EASY method. And within a short time, just look at the fun-tastic results:

ADORABLE!

After spending the morning making yo-yos and embellished flip flops, it was time for High Tea. And oh-my-goodness, what a tea it was! Laura and Jan put so much time and effort into making all the adorable party favors and decorations — not to mention the scrumptuous gourmet dishes they prepared to accompany the refreshing blueberry-raspberry iced tea.

Laura and Jan made these adorable party favors! The little fabric purses are really photo albums and the exquisitely embellished paper shoes held chocolate candies.

Laura and Jan — thank you SO much for inviting me. I had the best time and will always treasure the fun and happy memories spent with my friends yesterday at the Diva Tea!

As we began our trip to “get the job done,” I was organized and all business about the task at hand. After all, being a military wife I’ve moved many times during the course of our marriage — both within the US and a couple of times back and forth over the Atlantic ocean. Heck, I’m a moving pro.

So I wasn’t prepared for the flood of emotions I felt as we drove through our former neighborhood — past the boys’ elementary school. Past the whole foods friendly little grocery market where I used to buy the most amazing organic fruits and yummy deli salads. Past neighbors’ houses, past the whole-in-the-wall Chinese take-out joint with the world’s most delicious beef with garlic sauce. Past tree-lined streets and the high school football stadium where we watched Friday night football games bundled in wool blankets drinking cocoa so hot it burned our tongues. Past so many sights filled with so many memories. 

I’m usually quite practical about these things. We needed to get the house in shape for showing and we needed to empty out the remaining boxes I had left behind before our last move overseas. As we went through the boxes which had been stored in the attic it was like a little walk down memory lane. I laughed at the 110v appliances I had “saved” thinking I absolutely couldn’t live without someday and would be back to rescue them. A non-descript, cheapo coffee maker, a small electric chopper from the late 80’s, a well-used, kinda yucky electric toaster. Why on earth had I saved these items, wrapped them carefully and stored them in the attic of this house? What was I thinking?

On the other hand, it was a few even more unlikely items which made me teary-eyed as I packed them in my carry-on luggage to bring home with me: a Scooby Do alarm clock radio given to Josh by his uncle for his 7th birthday, a Tupperware bowl and lid I bought for myself as a young bride when I was engaged, and some old bed sheets so thin from wear you could see through them if you held them up to the light. I brought those old sheets with me — reasoning that I needed them to wrap the Scooby Do alarm clock and Tupperware bowl for the ‘bumpy’ airplane ride home. Kent just smiled knowingly. He understands me so well.

As the sun set that afternoon and we walked through the house one last time, the tears really flowed. I could hear the faint echo of  laughter and giggles through the now-empty rooms. I could see in my mind’s eye our Christmas tree standing proudly in the living room bay window and the warm glow of the fire. I remembered the pride I felt in finding this old home (even though it was a fixer-upper, which we swore we’d never buy….) and knowing from the moment I walked in the door the very first time this house was “the one.” I remembered all the times my folks would drive from Florida to come for a visit and how we’d all run to the driveway to greet them. And I remembered the many happy hours I spent in my sewing studio looking out into our shady backyard where all the woodland critters scampered in the autumn leaves. Squirrels, chipmunks, countless birds, and even deer. I remembered it all as clearly as if it was yesterday. Where have the years gone? Why has time passed in the blink of an eye?

I said goodbye, and said a prayer. A prayer that this house will find wonderful new owners who will fill the rooms with laughter, savory smells, and most of all, love.

And as we closed the door to the house, I closed a chapter in our lives I will treasure forever.

Happy August, everyone. Is anyone else out there in shock over how quickly the summer is passing? Much too quickly, if you ask me.

However, it’s almost time for our long awaited, much anticipated Cruise to Alaska with Quilt Seminars at Sea! Gosh, I can hardly wait. This cruise has been planned for so long and now it is almost time to head North to Alaska! I bring this up because it’s not too late to sign up. Seriously, if there is anyone (hello out there...) who wants to have more fun than you can possibly imagine, you can still join us. Check out the link above and sign up. Soon. Like, right away. And let me know if you do. Because I’ll add your name to the “K Club.”

Is your name on the list?

Speaking of the K Club……I’m making final arrangements for the special surprise I’ll have for each of you IF you let me know in advance that you want to be part of my special group of cruisers. So check the list below. If you’re signed up for the cruise to Alaska and you don’t see your name, leave me a comment below and I’ll get the list updated!

Alberta Kiss
Cyndi Buchanan
Tess O’Donnell
Pat Steckler
Mary Wyly
Patty Tufts
Pat Bauer
Patsy Noyse
Judy McCrosky
Lori Kennell

Guess what I was doing 16 years ago this very morning at 10:25am?

Becoming a Mom.

Could it be possible the sweet little guy I brought home from the hospital is 16 today? (Sigh.)

To celebrate, that big 16 year old invited a few friends over yesterday for a pool party after church. (What a terrific group of young men! We were very impressed.) And let me just say that thankfully, my quilting skills are much better than my “cookie-decorating-with-frosting-in-a-tube” skills. Ahem.

Anyway, I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Right now I have to go frost an Oreo Cake. And find 16 candles.

Happy birthday, Super 16 guy . We love you so much!

If you don’t already know, I design ALL my quilts using EQ software. I’ve been a loyal user and fan of EQ since version EQ3! In fact, I think its much harder to design blocks and quilts without using EQ!