Happy Spring…Happy Easter to all. On Sunday, my daughter, son-in-law and their two children, and my son and his wife and their two children will be coming for dinner. I am happy to have them and have been already preparing for the day. It is good to be busy with things I love.
My two days off were most enjoyable. I spent the first day with my two good friends, Joan and Pat. They are the kind of friends that support you…no matter what! We attended a workshop given by Barb Pelowski on making small boxes from fabric. The boxes are made with mat board inside and out. The mat board is covered with thin batting and fabric. The box was easy and fun to make. And best of all, it was simply fun to be with Joan and Pat all day long. I know now that I need more time with my friends and will have to fit it into my schedule somehow.
Cute little box…yes? Perhaps for jewelry, a sewing box, little desk items, etc.
Just wanted to share with you a surprise gift from my friend Yvette, who lives in Switzerland. It came in the mail totally unexpected. She is such a lovely artist. She painted the beautiful handmade card and knit the lovely socks for me. She included a box of special sharp pins and a pretty calendar of gorgeous mountains. There were also two DELICIOUS chocolate bars (they were gone before I could take a photo.) Thank you again Yvette. What a delight!
Can’t help but take a moment today to reflect on how important friendship is in people’s lives. I know I cannot do without my friends and I treasure them and their friendship. A special thank you to all my friends. I am so LUCKY. Amicalement, Averyclaire
I confess to spending a good part (actually MOST) of my weekend being depressed over the overwhelming busy-ness of my job. What was 2 half days per week for ten years, went quickly into three full days and now five full days. And actually I take a LOT of work home with me especially on the weekends. I retired fully ten years ago, was called back to work “just a little” and wonder how I got to be where I am today. I agreed to a special project last Fall…which is now finished, but five other projects have taken its place.!! I thought with the economy I’d just ride it out….but this weekend I began to wonder.
My stay at my daughter’s is finished and I am home. While I came home completely exhausted, it was a lovely stay. But I confess to missing the children terribly! I was actually depressed for a day or so. I guess I was so busy that coming home to my own laundry, cleaning, etc., seemed boring next to my chores with the children. They actually surprised me and brought dinner over last evening and visited for a while. The dinner was delicious and it was delightful to have more hugs!! Hopefully life will allow more needlearts again. Averyclaire
No photos still…but I am at my daughter’s home for 12 days taking caring of my grandson and granddaughter and their enormous dog while they are away for a much needed vacation. It is a delight to be with them. I confess to being tired, but I manage a few moments at the computer late at night after the children are in bed. I prefer to be surfing all of your blogs to writing my own, as I haven’t much to say. The routine here is typical of a household with small children…getting them up and ready for school, dropping them off and racing to my own office. Luckily my DH is retired and can be here to look after them when they arrive home from school. Then it’s dinner, homework, baths and bed, with some laundry thrown in for good measure. See didn’t I tell you it was typical? 
Sorry to all my readers and followers and friends that I have not made a post for so long. After spending long grueling hours at the office pouring over extremely complicated financial difficulties, I race to tutor an eleven year old fifth grade boy with his homework. Finally, after social studies, reading and language arts, math problems, science and religion and essays, I drag myself home, exhausted, and crawl into bed. Only to do the same thing again tomorrow.
Can’t understand where my days go anymore. It seems there is little time for surfing all your blogs that I love so much, little time for sewing, embroidery, quilting, and all the rest. Just working at the office seems to consume my days and leaves me exhausted at night with my eyes too crossed to see clearly to do much of anything. It’s beginning to sound like a broken record to me. However….
Yes, it is finally completed…my violets needlework for my sister-in-law. It will take a special mat and frame to truly make it lovely. As I mentioned before, my late mother-in-law’s name was Violet. This gift is for her daughter who is still having a hard time with Mom’s passing. I hope it will make her smile.
It’s been done for a while, but since I’ve been home from vacation I’ve had a bad cold and been catching up with work at the office. Oh well. I did get a bit of fun in this week however. I was able to have dinner one evening with two of my good friends, Joan and Pat. After dinner we saw the play “Miss Saigon” at Drury Lane Theatre in Oak Brook. The music was phenomenal, the voices were stupendous, and the sound and light effects were out of this world. I am so thrilled I was able to have this opportunity. I love plays. But back to reality. And back to work on my projects for my Pay It Forward surprises. 
A big thank you to Jane for the beautiful gift I received in the mail while I was away in Colorado. As a winner of her Pay It Forward Award, she sent me a beautiful Temari Ball. She has made many of them and each one is different. On her blog she has just recently posted directions for making the core of the Temari Balls. It is very interesting. Stop in and take a look at 
Here is one of their lovely sunsets.
The buffalo amaze us. 
We did a quick visit to Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills and saw a wooly mountain goat grazing.
On the way home, I did manage to find the quilt shop that Jill from 
One special find of this trip to Colorado came from 
Hello everyone…I’m still in Colorado, but wanted to give an update. My son is doing exceptionally well, albeit he must be very careful and do nothing but walk, lay down and take it easy for at least another month. The surgery appears to have been a great success. He always told me the weather in Colorado here was mild compared to Chicago and I used to tell him he was telling falsehoods. However, it’s the middle of winter and it is to be in the 50s tomorrow!! with beautiful sunshine. Eat your hearts out those of you back in Chicago! I love driving into Boulder, Colorado and being able to see the Rockies and the city below.
Later that same day we made the side trip to Winterset, Iowa. Here one can find the home of 
I told my daughter-in-law to go skiing with her friends in the moutains for a few days, for a break away from the caregiving. So after spending some time with my son, helping out with the daily things like, walks around the block, laundry, shopping, cleaning, cooking, etc., I managed to sneek out with the use of our trusty GPS, and found this SUPER needlework shop, 
Averyclaire 