The Buggy Barn

I went to the Buggy Barn Quilt Show this past Saturday. It is really an amazing quilt shop out in the middle of a wheat field. Very fun. Thanks Marcie, Nichole, Jessica and Marci for making the trip so fun. I actually think some of the funnest part was the drive and going to lunch---getting to visit all day long.

I love the Buggy Barn quilting way. If you have never done a "stack and whack" quilt, you should. It is fun, and very time saving. I owe the Buggy Barn to getting me into "cute" quilting. Their books were my first inspiration. I have done so many of their patterns now, and still love them. Check out the flag at the top of the barn, yes it is a quilt!

You'd think maybe I could have gotten a group shot of us there, but I didn't! Instead I just have random people in my pictures. next time :)

Birthdays

Mark loves gum. Really loves it. Ryan decided that we should get him a bubblegum machine for his birthday, so we did! Any coin will buy one, and the penny has regained its value here as being VERY useful. Ryan had his birthday too, but I won't put his picture up--we wouldn't want everyone to know how many fingers he is holding up in it : )

Finished

Almost two years and 1200 yards of thread later.......I finished one of my current favorite quilts. This quilt is for my girls' queen size bed. I bought the fabric and started cutting out the kazillion pieces when Miriam was in the womb.........and she is pretty big now! I did finish the quilt top last year, but have finally finished machine quilting it! Who knew that 1200 yards of patterned designs could fit on one quilt? So if I have my children trace with their finger along the stitched pathways, will it take as long as running the football field 12 times? I'll have to try it!

Sometimes I do wish I had more than a point and shoot camera. This photo doesn't do it justice at all! This quilt was my first needle turn applique, and I realized I LOVE applique......which doesn't mean I will do it all of the time (because TIME is what it takes!), but I now can do it, and definitely appreciate it.

Being a Girl

When my husband saw this movie clip he said, "Are all girls born with the desire to dance?" Yes! There is something uniquely wired in every little girl that just makes them DIFFERENT from boys. And I know, I have four of those boys.

It's what makes me oohh and ahhhh at the tutus wishing I could wear one and dance too.

It's what causes my baby to mother her little babies when she is only one herself.

It's what causes that desire for hair bows and necklaces and pretty dresses.

It's what makes us cry over little things that boys never would cry over.

We (the girls) are just different from boys, and we like it!

And I love watching these little girls.

Walla Walla Foundry

Mark Anderson's Walla Walla Foundry is known worldwide by artists. I got to go on a tour there this week. It was amazing! I went along with the public art committee I have been a part of for 3 1/2 years. Our final public art project will be installed along main street in about 2-3 weeks. We were able to go to the foundry and watch them pour molten bronze into some of the molds that will be OUR sculptures, as well as see multiple pieces being completed for our project. It was awesome, and I had know idea how complex the bronze process is!

This is Mark Anderson, founder and owner of the Foundry. Do you like the cool space suits they wear while pouring the molten lava?

Molten bronze is over 2000 degrees hot, it felt like I was standing by the sun. This is not a zoomed in picture, I was right there.

Here is one of our friends in progress, another to the right. The unpolished bronze almost looks like bisque ware clay to me, and then gets so shiny.

This penny is going to New York City, instead of our town--but I wanted my picture with it :)

It is also a work of Tom Otterness, the artist of our project. It is headed to New York with a Bull and a Bear on either side of it pushing.....
Check out the article in the Tri-City Herald today!