Insulated table runner for brother-in-law/sister-in-law

I pieced this table runner for Wayne and Roseann's anniversary which is in September. I used Thinsulate as the batting, so they can put hot plates on it without worries.

Things I Have Learned From Watching The Tudors

1. It is always sunny and warm in England.
2. All English people are gorgeous.
3. In the 1500s, Velcro must have already been invented, because people's clothes came off with amazing ease and speed.
4. Nobody in 1500s England was ever hungry, nor did any of them do a lick of work in their lives.
5. All English artists and musicians are gay. Or at least bisexual.
6. In the 1500s, people could teleport from one location to another, crossing continents at the summons of their king, cardinal or Pope in a matter of moments.

Stay tuned. I'm only beginning on Season 2 and I'm sure I will learn much, much more.

On account of I needed cheering up, real bad:

Here's a little Improv Everywhere for you. Imagine thinking you were quietly going to get married at the city clerk's office and having a bunch of fake friends descend on you! With presents!

Thirteen years that passed in a moment.

Thirteen years ago, our Britta headed off to her first day of kindergarten. She was so excited! Look at that grin. She was all squeaky clean, with her crisp new bought-a-little-big clothes and her spotless white tennies. When I look very closely at her face, though, not only do I see the joy of finally getting to go to school, but I also see a little bit of fear. It was a big, scary world out there, full of new stuff.


Today was freshman move-in day at Viterbo. Here is our Britta getting settled into her desk at college. If she is afraid, she hid it from her mommy.

They accepted a lot of freshmen this year so rooms that are supposed to hold just 2 are holding 3. Here are Britta, her dad, one roommate Erica, and Erica's parents, trying to figure out how to arrange the furniture so that everyone can breathe.



This is where German blood comes in handy: You can make anything fit if you have a tape measure and a notebook.

They ended up with it set up quite nicely, with the stacked-up beds in the center of the room, effectively creating more wall space, and allowing everybody a little privacy. In fact, other people began tramping through to see how they had done it and to emulate them.

I don't have any pictures of the third roommate, Anna, because she did not arrive with her parents until quite late. The other two did a good job, I thought, of making sure to leave her her fair share of what little space there was. I'm not sure she agreed. Anyway her parents seem nice enough. I'm sure it was just a stressful day for her. (See me trying to see the best in everybody here?)


Here is Britta's minifridge from her grandparents Root, stocked with Dr. Pepper.

I'm home now and a little melancholy. Thirteen years... Has it really gone so fast?

Houston County Fair

Here is Barry's entry in the home brewed beer class: A Belgian strong ale. (Edited to add: The beer is very clear, that's just condensation on the glass.)



And here is my entry in the Aprons category. There are two subcategories, work aprons and fancy aprons. I put this one in the Work Aprons category. I got a nice compliment from the superintendent of Needle Arts on the workmanship, which means a lot. It's very simple, just gorgeous fabric, and I let the fabric speak rather than fussying it up much as is usually my wont.

Going to the Auction in Style

Today there was an estate auction about a block from my house. The bulk of the estate was an old automotive garage which had been in business since the 1930s. Before that, the building was a smithy, and there was still a lot of the blacksmith stuff there too. It was an interesting crowd, lots of old car people. I stuck my head in a couple of times and listened to the real estate part of it to see who bought the 3 parcels of land that were sold, but other than that I was quite restrained. You should be proud of me.

Someone drove to the auction in style in this Ford Model A pickup. I hope he found the parts he needs to keep this little sweetie running.

She did.

Freak, that is.

Shingles, even!

What a great dad. :o)

She is just going to freak when she gets home from school today!