"Twas the Night Before Christmas

Cookies baked, presents wrapped, stockings hung, house full of loved ones, laughter all around...Merry Christmas!

Hope your holidays are filled with laughter and love, and your 2014 brings you blessings.

We blinked, and  twenty years had passed.  As goofy as their mom was for dressing them up in the first place, and then for thinking it should be recreated, it brought smiles to lots of faces...so thank you "children" for playing along.

Merry Christmas to All! 

(and to all a Good Night!)

Row Row Row Your Boat...

     A few years ago a friend of mine introduced me to the world of rowing where terms like "sweep" (not cleaning) , "feathering" (not an '80's hairstyle), "weigh enough" (hmm...what's enough weight anyway?), and "port" (not a red wine) took on a whole new dimension.  What I discovered was not only a way to get a great work-out, but also a way to enjoy nature, the water, and being part of a team (unless you're sculling in a single of course.)  I was delighted a few years later when my son discovered the same world, at Florida Institute of Technology, his freshman year.

This past weekend we headed south to the Tennessee River and the delightful city of Chattanooga for The Head of the Hooch Regatta, where we were thrilled to see our son compete at the collegiate level.

With the sun shining brightly, the many colors of oar blades, tents, and shells made a great back drop for the event.

FIT Men's Rowing Team came out strong winning the Men's Championship Eight.  They were exciting to watch both days.  These proud parents were pleased to see their son working hard and enjoying the results with his team mates.  We are looking forward to attending future regattas.  Here are a few more shots from the weekend.

Extreme effort and concentration in the bow seat

Gold Medal Men's Champ 8 Boat

Clearly the coaches (seen smiling here) like what they do.  Through the years our children have been fortunate to have the guidance and training of great coaches from T-ball to football, track, and wrestling, who know how to get maximum effort from each individual player.  These coaches and team for Eric follow in that tradition.  We saw numerous examples of this during their efficient operation at this regatta.

Men's Open 8 blasting past the entire field for another FIT Gold Medal

Coordination and support by the entire team was evident all weekend which proved to the fans watching that the men of Florida Institute of Technology's Rowing team are truly a class act.

Job well done!

Solid endurance in the B Boat placing third on Sunday

Fall Favorites

Indiana may be land locked (excluding the southern tip of Lake Michigan and the Ohio River to the south), void of varying elevations (750 ft is the avg. and 1257 ft at the highest point), filled with fields of corn and soy beans which could be construed as dull, but this time of year, I can't help but feel invigorated.

The combines resemble some sort of lighted monster as they munch their way through the fields,  and continue rumbling late into the night.  Harvest time is always exciting.

The changing leaf colors make for very beautiful scenery across the entire state.  Here are a few of my fall favorites.

I hope you allow yourself to slow down for a moment at this time of year to allow your senses to absorb the beauty all around!

T-Shirts Galore

    With the hubby away on business, and the younger family members at their respective campuses, I found plenty of time over the last month to get caught up on a backlog of promised t-shirt quilt tops.  In last month's post, I introduced Rosencrantz and Guildenstern into the mix of our existing pets...Snickers, the aging cat, Leo the shepherd, Derby the crazy mutt, Duncan the big horse, and Hawk the adorable pony.


Needless to say, those two kittens
have delighted in assisting with the design, preparation, measuring, cutting, pinning, sewing, pressing, and trimming; all the necessary steps in creating a T-shirt quilt, but they sure slowed the process for me.  For every three pins I placed, they removed one.  I had to be very careful not to sew their paw right into the quilt!



It's always rewarding to see a pile of shirts   morph into a fun personalized quilt!  
It was only four short years ago, for my daughter's high school graduation, that I gave my first project a whirl:

Every year since then I have had requests to put someone's old pile of t-shirts into a quilt.  I have finished eighteen to date.  The Official T-shirt Motto, "It's only a t-shirt quilt," comes into play often, while trying to make shirts of all different colors, shapes, and sizes, fit nicely into a quilt.  I have chosen to make "Scrappy" quilts, some having uniformity while others are random, but each one is unique.  Here are just a few of the end products.

So with the "alone" time I had recently, this is what was created, with the exception of Sarah's Tuft's quilt that I did not photograph when it was completed since she saw it in person:

Now they are off to be quilted with a long arm quilt machine, and upon their return to me, I will put the binding on.  Tada!  Ready to be used comfortably for years!
Until next time, I hope you enjoy each day to its fullest!

Introducing....Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

     Living amongst the corn and bean fields, we get our fair share of critters which keep our barn cats busy...good for them and good for us.  Down to one barn cat this year, I have noticed an increase in critter activity that I am certain is due to our existing barn cat, Snickers, getting her AAR"F" (for feline of course) card in the mail just like her owners.  To remedy this situation we headed off to one of my favorite childhood places, The Farm.  Located in northwestern Illinois, I remember as a kid being loaded up in the '68 Pontiac wagon with my three sisters anticipating our arrival at my mom's family farm where there were always kittens to be found in the hay loft. With the ever changing fast paced world of today, it is always nice to find yourself somewhere that time seems to have stood still, and your memories come alive with one glance around.  That's why I am always happy to have an excuse to visit.  This time I used my need for kittens as the excuse and it worked.  

 Aunt KJ picked two little ones to make the return trip with us...Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, named by Sarah of course.  I am happy to report that they are completely content and happy at their new home, finding all kinds of ways to be of "assistance."

The Dilling Farm at sunrise

Sunrise at the farm is always beautiful to me because the horizon goes on forever with only corn and beans as far as the eye can see.  Below is a picture of my cousin and me in the hay loft circa 1980.  One of my all time favorite pictures - my Uncle's "Flying Pigs" preluding our "When Pigs Fly" property name.

Thanks to Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill for the hospitality, and to Deb for helping with the kittens.  

Hope you all have a great week and enjoy the arrival of Fall!

Coburg, Deutschland - 33 Years Later

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.  Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain

Veste Coburg

The year was 1980.  At only sixteen years old, I had yet to fly on a plane, and had only seen parts of the Midwest.  I found myself awestruck and forever changed upon my arrival to Coburg Germany, a fairytale land dating back to 1056.  From the incredible medieval "Veste Coburg" castle looming large over the town and the ancient half-timbered buildings, the lovely people and culture, to displays of art and music steeped in history, my senses were electrified.  And almost ever since, my husband has had to hear about this repeatedly.  With this in mind, I was a bit trepidatious returning thirty three years later with my husband in tow.  I hoped his introduction to Coburg would be every bit as rich and beautiful as it had been in my sixteen year old eyes.  The Coburg of 2013 did not disappoint.  My husband can now relate to my deep feelings for this wonderful fairyland.  Mission accomplished!

Prince Albert von Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria stands tall with the Stadthaus behind

 

The 15th Century Marktplatz (2013)

Market day 1980 with my fellow classmates Rosie and Amy!

Below is the school we attended (all boys, no wonder we teenage girls were such a hit!)

The current Gynasium Ernestinum 

The "Ernst" in 1980 

The Spital Gate - part of the fortifications in 1331

The neo-Baroque Rathaus or Town Hall 

The Hofapotheke -above far right(Apothecary) has been operating for 470 years!

The Ehrenburg Castle viewed from the Hofgarten

Schloss Ehrenburg (taken in 1980)

During the Diet in Augsburg in 1530, Martin Luther hid out in the Coburg castle.  He wrote letters and manuscripts here that remain important Luther monuments.  As a life long Lutheran, this really brought my religion to life.

In 1980 the cannons were still on display

Veste Coburg - A Mighty Fortress

No trip to Coburg is complete without enjoying an "Original Coburger Rostbratwurste," a pinecone roasted brat served on a fresh baked hard roll.  Kevin was delighted!

If you're going to travel to the area, be sure to check out all the castles.  Below is Schloss Hohenstein dating back to the early 1300s.  It is a lovely hotel, has wonderful grounds, views, and restaurant.

In summary, I'll leave you with this thought.  If ever given the opportunity to "leave one's corner of Earth," as Mark Twain wrote, embrace it! Experiencing a culture different than your own broadens your understanding of all people and other ways of life, and as a sixteen year old, developed a confidence in myself.  Encourage your loved ones to do the same. The benefits are truly priceless, and leave the traveler forever touched.  I am eternally grateful for having experienced Coburg and its lovely people in 1980, and am blessed to have travel continually expand my corner of Earth.