Tuesday, November 25th 2008 21:52:14 By Jackie Comments November 25 - Girlfriend's Quilting Retreat This past weekend, seven of us left home at 7 am, stopped for an incredible breakfast in Whitefish, then proceeded to Smoky Bear Ranch on the west side of Glacier National Park -- for a weekend of stitching. We stayed until late on Sunday afternoon, having a fabulous weekend together. Barb, Carol, and Deb are in the top left photo -- waiting for the rest of us to join them for lunch. The photo to the right shows Carol & Mel. They did way too much laughing --- I suspect they have sore ribs! This is Kay, on the left. She stitched for 2 days, then she dove into beading a remarkable ornament. Marilyn (lower right) was the photographer of the memories --- except for this one, with her camera, so we could have a snap of her. That's me at the ironing board -- working on my mountain of Poinsettia Placemats. I've been blessed with a lovely group of friends in Eureka . . . . . a couple of whom weren't with us this past weekend. They were missed! Maybe next time . . . .

Friday, November 14th 2008 23:50:28 By Jackie Comments November 14 - Hanna is settling in! It's quite an adjustment -- leaving your siblings, and moving in to a new home! Especially when you're only 5-6 weeks old! Hanna is - as of this morning - really acting like a kitten. She had about a 15 minute 'tear' around my sewing room, discovered the ball with a bell in it, and also the scratching post. I think she wore herself out! Has been resting peacefully ever since. She has an enormous purr, and is quite cuddly.

Wednesday, November 12th 2008 21:16:24 By Jackie Comments November 12, 2008 - Hanna Here's . . . . . Hanna! She has often looked a bit 'sweeter' than in this photo I finally snagged. Tiger striped, black and tan. Tiny. Has a nice purr when she allows it. Can be caught, though wants to escape quickly. She's small enough that she can get totally under the rolling storage units! Probably not for long -- they are low.

Sunday, November 9th 2008 21:57:00 By Jackie Comments November 9, 2008 GOSH! It's been a month since I posted. In this past month, I've been to PIQF to teach, to Quilt Market and Quilt Festival to teach, and now home for a week. Actually, I'd hoped to post with a picture of a kitten, but ALAS! not yet! We lost our wonderful Huey about 3 months ago when he managed to get in harm's way. He was special. A sweetheart. Gentle. Loving. Terrific hunter. He'll never be forgotten. In all my life I've had several cats, three of which have been outstanding. Huey was one of those. I had decided to try to adopt a kitten as soon as I returned from Houston, and have looked and looked this past week. I'd really like a baby - barely weaned - and not feral. Therefore, the hunt continues. I even ran an ad in this week's paper (yes, it's a weekly paper!) PIQF is the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, CA. It was wonderful, as always, and I truly enjoyed my workshops with those lovely quilters. Home briefly after that then off to Houston for Quilt Market. I just didn't know what to expect at market this year -- with all the economy blues, etc. What a surprise! We had one of our best shows - EVER. All the new patterns were designed to use 'existing' fabrics (ours were in batiks) and it was incredible. I followed that with teaching at Quilt Festival (always a great experience) , and we wrapped up the final evening in Houston at a Willie Nelson concert! Great way to end a long trip! Back at home, I'm preparing all the 'step outs' for an upcoming filming of four DVD's. More on that as we get a bit closer. So --- I hope the next time I post to have a photo of a furry baby to share.