Buried in a sea of
tulle, traveling and other things....
Tulle
(English pronunciation: /tuːl/
TOOL)
is a lightweight, very fine netting. Tulle is most commonly used for veils and gowns, particularly wedding gowns. The name comes from Tulle, a city in the
southern central region of France
Wikipedia
I
have had some very busy weeks. Out of state family visits, clothing
alterations, lots of work, frantic brides, quilts to be finished, unusual requests for covers for fish cleaning stations, RV mattress cover that does not "go under the mattress", handkerchief hemming.... and a craft sale.
In
between, I have taken brief breaks with wonderful and supporting friends,
for either breakfast, lunch or dinner...friends are like glue...they
keep you together, they nourish your body and soul and I am so grateful to have them in my life.
LIFE GETS BUSY.....
We started our trip to Washington on ~A Maria-kind-of-day~.... lovely overcast skies and rain on the way.
Lovely view of the river....
On the way up we stopped to see son and fiancee and had breakfast at a lovely place in Portland, Oregon, Hayden on the Lake.
Passing these windmills, I couldn't help but wonder what Don Quixote would have thought of the modern structures....
Would he have fought them?
We stopped at our regular Mexican restaurant, El Mirador, along the way...
We stopped at our regular Mexican restaurant, El Mirador, along the way...
And tried my first virgin peach Margarita...
Since I don't drink, I had never had one!
We arrived to Richland, Washington, to visit middle daughter and her family, where I gave a presentation about Chile for
granddaughter's First Grade class. I have not been in a first grade
room since mine were of that age and had forgotten how cute and
wonderful those kids are. This class was like a sponge...they absorbed
all information and asked wonderful questions. Their lovely teacher
likes to bring the world to her classroom. She feels that, for some
students, their world is only the four walls in their home. Bringing
new experiences expands their horizons. What a wonderful gift to her
students.
Granddaughter in her pajamas :)
At the Elementary school I
was greeted by kids in pajamas. It preceded “uneven day”.
Ms.Holst has a very nice and well-behaved class. They were polite and
took turns to speak. Granddaughter Emily
was excused from the group to be my helper.
Granddaughter Emily and brother Casey 'assisting' grandma...
We learned about the Chilean flag and it's meaning...
and had a display of Chilean artifacts for show and tell and touch...
They loved the Charango, a Chilean musical instrument with its peculiar sound..
Demonstrating the sound of a Charango and learning a song in Spanish with the guitar... "Bajo de un boton-ton-ton" (Underneath a Button) Click on video if you wish...
Youngest grandson, Paul, was in charge of quality control....
And his brother Casey in charge of overseeing the presentation from above... (note that he, too, is partaking of pajama day...)
All in all, a
wonderful experience!
On that visit to
Washington we went to an impressive pumpkin patch, complete with
hay rides, face painting, food, children's carnival, picture opportunities and some
enormous pyramids made from bales of hay. They even had a petting zoo
and, I am telling you, I DID SEE RUDOLPH!!!!
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| I saw him, I SAW him!!! Rudolph IS real! |
There were acres of
pumpkins, a sea of orange. I was so impressed.
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| The pumpkin family.... |
The littlest pumpkin....
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| Mom, Dad and their three kids...it was raining and cold! |
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| Hmmm....will one pumpkin be enough?? |
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| Two is better! |
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| Emily finds the perfect one! |
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| Pumpkins make great chairs! |
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| Hay ride back to get the pumpkins weighed.... |
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| Maria, Joe and Emily... on a soggy afternoon! |
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| Emily and Casey carved their findings ...BOO!!!!! |
And, on a lovely evening,
we went to see granddaughter do horse vaulting....
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| Brushing the horse and getting him ready....look at the size difference! |
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| Observe the toe position!!! |
On Sunday morning we went to church, where daughter teaches Sunday School..it was All Saints Day and each class walked around the church representing a special Saint...
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| "Christ the King"... beautiful church.... |
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| Casey is thinking..."and what am I doing here??? |
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| Christine leading her class... |
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| Here comes Emily ! |
On the way back we stopped for lunch at Multnomah Falls...lovely
restaurant, with the most spectacular view...and, of course, it was raining....turning the whole experience into a ~Maria-kind-of-day~!
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| The view is breathtaking! |
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| Cheers!!.. with a delicious Diet Coke on the rocks! |
And then we headed home,
where much work awaited in my sewing room.
I finished two quilts,
while two more waited.
Restoration on a very old quilt...I was able to save parts of it...
On Thursday, a frantic bride arrives. She is to be married on Saturday, in Seattle. She needs her lovely wedding gown altered in less than 24 hours. Really? She looked desperate... I knew I could do it....but..would the night be long enough? So I pulled an overnighter. I was buried in yards and yards of tulle, organza and fine cotton netting with lace applique. Five layers of nylon and netting had to be shortened, the lace removed and repositioned. I dropped everything else to accomplish this task. The dress was ready for pick up the next morning by 8:30 am.
A Memory Quilt....
On Thursday, a frantic bride arrives. She is to be married on Saturday, in Seattle. She needs her lovely wedding gown altered in less than 24 hours. Really? She looked desperate... I knew I could do it....but..would the night be long enough? So I pulled an overnighter. I was buried in yards and yards of tulle, organza and fine cotton netting with lace applique. Five layers of nylon and netting had to be shortened, the lace removed and repositioned. I dropped everything else to accomplish this task. The dress was ready for pick up the next morning by 8:30 am.
Making the Serger work overtime... Click on video if you wish
And, as soon as the bridal gown was done, I taught a class.
Students made fabric boxes with an oriental look. For closure, they used a stick...
Then, it was full speed ahead to prepare for the craft sale.
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| Little gift bags |
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Elegant gentlemen make an appearance wearing my own handspun wool....  |
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| Baby hooded towels, with a gold crown and embroidered cape |
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| Burp cloths! |
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| Flakes... :) |
5 ft. tall welcome Santa, holding greenery and a lit lantern using a Mason jar...
We all did well at the sale. The 7 women that are in the group are so lovely...I always look forward to spending time with them.
And, at the same time, the van was loaded with treats going all the way to Chile, to take their place under daughter Paula and her family's Christmas tree....
My goal has always been to ship the parcels before Thanksgiving ... and, for the first time, this year I made it!!
And, of course, turkey day arrives on its own time, whether you are ready or not....
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| The usual suspect... |
And I started preparations for another Memory Quilt. It is now ready to be loaded on the long arm...
Trying
to accomplish all takes patience...something I usually do not
practice with much grace. I am always happy when things turn out, but
it can make for stressful days in between.
And around my neighborhood, winter, in all its beauty, has arrived...
I painted my Christmas cards again this year....
I love this tradition...I find it enjoyable, fulfilling, peaceful....
Thanks for spending time with me.
Until next time...
Be well, be safe, be generous and experience peace...
Maria
