One down, Many more to go!

For the record, I'm working on some UFO's here.  This is a Block of the Month quilt from three years ago (I think!) at Among Friends Quilt Shop.  I haven't participated in the the last two years and I still have one other one waiting to be quilted. 

 I am really pleased with how Tina, the long arm quilter, finished this one up for me.  It turned out very pretty I think, though it is very "girlie" so I'm not sure where it will end up.  I probably could work on UFO's for many, many months and still have plently to do!  

The Last Days of Winter

As I told you in my last post, we spent a few days with our grandsons in St. Louis.  It was pretty nice weather  while we were there, except  for the wind!  I made an attempt to get some good photos of the boys but wasn't too successful this time.  Big brother J looks like he is going to strangle his little bro here, but in reality was just about to give him a hug!  They are very close and love each other so much!  The younger one ( I can't say little, because they almost the same size!) idolizes J and tries to do just about everything his big brother does.  

A few days after we returned home, the temperatures soared and like much of the midwest, we are having an early Spring.  My daffodils are going crazy - but I had a visitor who was doing his best to keep them under control!

This weekend the wonderful Spring weather continued.  It is hard to believe that there are still a few days left of winter and spring really isn't supposed to be here yet.  We took advantage of the warmth and got the motorcycle out and took a short ride on Saturday and again today.  Yesterday we drove up to Columbus Indiana and had lunch at one of the many little restaurants on Main Street.  They have planted Aristocrat Pear Trees along the street and they were so pretty!  

I don't know much about this, but we were impressed with The Commons.  I believe it was originally a mall abut has been re-purposed into an indoor park and concert venue. 

We could see kids playing inside on some interesting play structures.  It looks like a great place to visit with kids on a rainy day!

Another photo of one of the many trees lining Main Street.  This was taken on my phone and then edited using my favorite phone app, Instagram.  

No photos from our ride today.  But only because I was lazy and just sat back and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and weather.  Who knows how many days we'll have like this before the seasons realize they've gotten so mixed up!

The Terrible Day

Last  Friday, March 2,  was a terrible day here in Southern Indiana.  The week had started off not so good for my husband.  He was sick with either a bad sinus infection or a case of the flu, we're still not sure which.  Friday was the earliest he could get in to see our regular doctor. It was a warm, humid, weird weather day for the first of March and all of the meteorologists in the area were forecasting the high probability of severe storms.  The doctor's office as well as many businesses were closing early and as we headed home traffic was heavy since schools were sending kids home too.  Similar to the atmosphere when a heavy snow or blizzard is expected, but much scarier.  The storms were speeding toward our part of the state leaving damage in their wake.  We are lucky to have a very comfortable basement in our home and we parked ourselves in front of the television to wait for the worst to come.  It never came for us but it did come for many of our neighbors just up the road.  I'm sure you've all heard the stories of destruction in New Pekin, Henryville and Marysville and places in between.  Lives were lost, homes destroyed and property and businesses damaged.  It will take years for normalcy to return.  If you would like to help, please text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10.  There are many local funds established and with the help and prayers of surrounding communities and strangers, they will rebuild.  

The Henryville K-12 school was heavily damaged in the storm.  When asked what we can do to help, a friend whose home and business was damaged, only requested donations to rebuild the school.  Many are trying to get the country group Lady Antebellum to perform at the Henryville High School Prom and have put together this video.  There is a contest to see which high school deserves this honor.  It would mean so much to these students!  

Also please keep Stephanie Decker in your prayers.  She is a friend of a friend and the mom who sacrificed her legs while protecting her kids.  There is a fund set up at Fifth Third Bank, 392 S. Indiana Ave., Sellersburg, IN  47172 to help cover medical costs.  Checks can be made out to Joseph E. Decker for Benefit of Stephanie Decker.  You can click on the link above to hear story and her interview on The Today Show.  Have a kleenex handy.

But today is a beautiful Spring day.  It is hard to imagine the terror of one week ago.  We just returned last night from spending some time with the grandsons in St. Louis.  Their daddy was away on a business trip to China so we watched the boys for a few days.  I'll be posting a few photos later this week but I wanted to get the word out about the high school and Stephanie.  Thank you so much, if you are able to help them !

Button, Button, Who Has a Button?

Several years ago when my husband's grandmother passed away, I ended up with a couple of containers of old buttons.  A few years later, my mother's collection became mine too.  I remember her cutting buttons off of old clothes before they went into the rag bag.  Being the thrifty woman that she was, I'm sure Grandma C did the same.  Last week I was literally hit in the head with one of the jars of buttons during a fabric closet cleaning frenzy.  Maybe one of them was trying to tell me it was time to make use of these treasures.  

I might take me awhile to come up with enough  projects for  all of these.  But it was fun digging through them and wondering what type of garment each one had adorned.  I did find just the right ones to complete this bag from a kit I ordered from the girls at Sweetwater.  Cute, quick and easy - the best kind of project.  Guess I'd better get busy if I'm ever going to use all of these buttons!