The 50th Birthday

A few weeks ago we took a vacation to celebrate John’s 50th birthday.  We packed up Baxter and Betsy and flew off in his little red plane without much of a plan.

The first night we stopped in Bend, OR.  We had wanted to make it to Washington but after I started crying over a little turbulence we decided to call it a day.  Being in a giant tin can zooming through space while being held up by air molecules is scary! Anyway…….Bend, OR – you were great and I hope to see you again soon!

The next day we flew up to Bellingham, WA and stayed with some friends who have a house on the lake.  It was absolutely beautiful. The dogs got to run and play and frolic in the water and we got to totally relax for a few days.

And finally, we flew off to Sonoma for a few days of wine tasting, eating and exploring vineyards.  I kept telling John that it was the best “Not My 50th Birthday Trip” EVER!

And if you’re wondering, the dogs do GREAT in the plane!  Baxter excitedly looks out the windows and Betsy curls up in a little ball and says “wake me up when we get there!”

Hugs,
Jenny

My New Favorite Quilt

It seems like every quilt I make becomes my new favorite and this one is no exception.

But this one seems extra, super, duper special because I started it back in January when Emma was still here and she was napping and snoring at my feet as I cut and pieced every single block.  I can just feel her soul in it whenever I look at it.

And she was there as I started quilting it……and then decided I had to start over.  I was 1/4 of the way done with the quilting when I realized that there were way too many puckers and uneven stitches and the imperfections were driving me nuts.  Soooo…..I spent EIGHT hours carefully ripping out all of those less than perfect stitches.  It’s a good thing I don’t mind picking with the seam ripper and that I love NetFlix marathons.

And before I had even finished sewing the binding on, Betsy claimed it as her own.

It kind of reminds me of the amazing days I spent with Emma at the beach in Florida with all it’s beautiful colors of the sand, the sea, the sky and the sea oats.  Emma LOVED the beach and I think she would have loved snoozing the day away on this quilt.

Maybe Baxter and Betsy will also be able to feel Emma’s sweet soul in this quilt as they spend many lazy afternoons napping on top of it.

Hugs,
Jenny