Puppies!

We borrowed a puppy this past weekend.  This is Kodiak, a.k.a. Crusty as we call him.  Isn't he the cutest thing?  We only borrowed him to get a puppy fix, he went home the same evening.  Sooo tempting, but so not practical for us to have a dog.  And not a good breed for us since they will be huge and very furry, but so cute and lovable!!!!

And this is a picture of baby Sitka.  She is actually a little more friendly than Kodiak, and not quite as big.  I want to say she is one of my favorites, but really they all are!  It sounds like Sitka has been sold and will likely be going to a new owner by this weekend.  That will make 3 sold out of 7.  Erik really needs to sell them all so I am happy for him when one sells, but sad to see them go at the same time.  I have become attached!

Oh Dear!

Exciting times

So much going on!  We spent a week in Florida on Sanibel Island over the 4th of July where we witnessed my brother and SIL renewing their wedding vows after 35 years of marriage.  Aside from it being insanely hot, it was a beautiful ceremony on the beach.  Their son/my nephew Morgan officiated and they had their families there as well.  Such a nice excuse to get the whole family together!  I snatched a couple of photos from Juli's facebook page.  They came out great!

We flew into Orlando, as did Scott and Michelle, and the 4 of us stayed overnight with my Mom in Lakeland on Fri night before driving down to Sanibel on Sat morning.  Unfortunately Michael and Lizzie's flight was cancelled out of NYC on Fri night, so they ended up being delayed and missing most of Saturday and the ceremony, but luckily we were able to spend from late Sat night thru Tues night with all the kids.  Greg and I stayed the rest of the week and enjoyed the beach and pools and some relaxation.

It was Greg's first week of retirement, so great practice for him to get into relaxation mode!

Since we got back, Mom came and visited for 10 days.  We also went to Detroit over this past weekend to attend a wedding shower for Scott and Michelle.  Great fun and we are so excited for them.  And they are just so stinkin' cute besides!!  Just over 2 months before the wedding!  On Friday night we went shopping and helped to pick out a suit for Scott and the other Groomsmen.  On Saturday we drove from Detroit up to Midland Michigan, stopping in Bay City on the way to have lunch and take a walk around.  It was a very nice day, but again very hot!!

A few pictures from the shower:

Today I had my normal 3 months followup visit with Dr. Zent.  I am very happy to say that my disease has remained fairly stable.  Although my platelet count is low, it did not drop any further, my lymphocyte count did not increase, and he couldn't feel my spleen this time.  The spleen and lymph nodes seem to wax and wane a bit, but overall don't seem to be getting worse.  So stable is as good as it gets for me, and I am feeling optimistic for now.  I also really like Dr. Zent, and feel that he really takes the time to talk to me about whatever is on my mind, and explains things in great detail.  He never makes me feel like he is in a big rush, which is pretty rare in doctors these days.

After tomorrow I only have 3 weeks of work left.  Seems strange, but exciting.  We have a lot to look forward to, our cruise to the British Isles in August, Scott and Michelle's wedding in October, a trip out to Los Angeles in November, back to Bethesda for medical appointments in December, Florida for 3 weeks in January and Hawaii in February and March.  It will be interesting to see if I get tired of traveling!?!?  I doubt it, but you never know until you try it.

Life is good...

Bethesda/NIH/Washington DC Weekend

Bethesda/NIH/Washington DC weekend report:

A visit to the zoo

Disney Room

The Disney guest room is nearly complete.  I finished a simple window valance this weekend and mailed the quilt top and backing fabric to my Mom for quilting.  There is nothing more to do until I get the quilt back and do the binding!

Here is a picture of the valance, I used a tutorial I found on Craftsy... very easy!

And here is a link to the tutorial I used...

http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/04/how-to-make-gathered-curtains/

Also our grand dog Sitka had her puppies on Thursday (5/26/16).  

They are just the cutest things ever!  We saw them on Thurday night and again on Saturday.  They are doing great so far.  The one laying in the front in the picture below is my favorite, because of his color and because Greg calls him Crusty which I think is so funny.  Erik called him Rusty when he was born, and Greg immediately changed it to Crusty.  I have a strange sense of humor, but I love the name, and the puppy!  Too bad we really can't get a dog, because that little guy would be mine!  Isn't the cuteness almost too much to stand?

I was obviously very happy to get to hold them the day they were born.

I also sewed up a dress yesterday.  I had made a dress for a boutique launch a couple of weeks ago that I had not yet sold.  Someone contacted me wanting to buy it, but also wanting another one to match for a sister.  Great, but the catch was that she needed it by Friday and it is already Monday.  I (somewhat foolishly) agreed to do it, but had to complete it yesterday.  I managed to start around 3pm and completed it by 9:30pm, only taking a break for dinner.  Greg pointed out that it wasn't really worth it for what I charged her, but oh well, I enjoyed it and was glad to sell the first dress, and use up some more of my stash for the second one.

This pattern is the Josephine by Violette Field Threads.

A great 3 day weekend was had, and we got a lot accomplished.  There is always more to do though, so very much looking forward to our retirement!

It is official!! 

This past weekend I finished the quilt top for the guest bedroom and I am in love!!

 I used a pattern called 9 patch bento box.   Here are the instructions if you are interested:

http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltpatternsprojects/ss/Nine-Patch-Bento-Box-Quilt-Pattern.htm

It really wasn't that hard to make.  I was surprised that it didn't take longer.  The hardest part was sewing on and pressing the borders, as once the quilt was put together it was huge and hard to handle.  It kept wanting to pull itself off the ironing board as I tried to press it.  I ordered the backing fabric, and once it comes I will be shipping it down to Mom for quilting.  She bought the batting already, and will set it up on her quilting machine for me to see when we get down there for vacation in July.  So we won't be seeing it all put together until later this summer.  (I can't wait!!)

Meanwhile I need to make the valence out of the fabric you see hanging over the curtain rod in this picture.

We went to Hayley's dance recital on Sunday afternoon.  Hayley was in 4 dances plus the Daddy/Daughter dance with Shawn and Hayley together.  They did great!  After the recital we all wait to see her, and it seems so overwhelming for her, with so many people waiting and wanting a picture, handing her flowers and gifts.  I think she loves it, but she looked like a deer in the headlights to me.  We were afforded a quick picture with her, which I love. Her flowers go well with Greg's shirt and make for a nice colorful picture.  Beautiful blue sky too.  She is growing up so fast.

Shawn and Hayley are on the left below, dancing to Uptown Funk.  Great job Daddy!

Hayley and Hannah have been dancing together for 5 years already.  Don't they look so old in this year's picture? 

3 months to go!

Greg and I walk almost every day, and talk about all kinds of things.  Last night we talked about what fun it would be to have a motor home and travel around the country.  We've discussed it many times before, but now it is getting more real!  3 months of work to go!!  We talked about eating peanut butter sandwiches if we need to to make it work and agreed that we both really like peanut butter sandwiches!

So now we want to start looking for a reasonable used mid size motor home, with the capability to tow a car.  Not sure we would do it this year, or maybe for next summer, it may depend on when we find something just right.  There are so many things we would like to do!

I suggested getting the motor home in time to drive to Detroit for Scott and Michelle's wedding, and then just continuing west from there.  It may not be practical this year, but it's fun to dream and plan.

Meanwhile we still have work to do on the house.  We want to replace the carpet in the living room and dining room with hardwood floors, like we did in the guest bedroom.

The guest bedroom is almost complete, I need to finish the quilt I am working on and make valences for the window.  Here are a couple of pictures of the quilt squares laid out on the bed, but not yet sewn together.  They get a thumbs up from kitty!!