Tuesday's Truth

Good friends are worth their weight in gold.

Trying something new

So I went with a friend to his parents for Thanksgiving for moral support (his first Thanksgiving home since his divorce, been then done that and have the T-shirt) and because he bribed me with the carrot that we would get to shoot guns in the backyard. Now, I've never been very fond of guns, never really handled them, and am quite intimidated by them. But this offer intrigued me. Try something new I said to myself. So.....

The scope was very helpful, as was the stick stand. 

Oh Yeah! It really is fun to shoot the .22.

Notice all of the cans are split wide open. Set 'em up for round two of picking 'em off. By the way, I only missed one of the four cans on the first try. Not bad for a first timer!

See all those holes? Yep, I made 'em, even the one touching the bottom of the bullseye. This was all with the .22.

What you can't see is that I then moved on to a 30-30, a couple of .358s, a 12 guage shotgun, and a 7mm magnum rifle. AND HIT THE BULLSEYE WITH EVERY ONE!!!  I've got the targets to prove it too! Didn't know I was a crack shot, did ya? It really was fun, but I would never do that without the guidance of experienced people behind me (safety first!).

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. My friend really didn't need me, but I was happy to be there anyway. There's nothing like spending holidays with good food, family and friends (even if the family isn't yours, thats how they become friends).

Oh, and I got an offer to learn to shoot the crossbow the next time I'm in town.

And so you don't think I'm going all redneck on you, I talked quilts and gardening with my friend's mother who is also a quilter, discussed the merits of master's degrees, and finished the binding on a quilt my sister-in-law asked me to make. I'll try to get a photo tomorrow and post it for you to see.

Food for Thought

I am thankful for small mercies. I compared notes with one of my friends who expects everything of the universe, and is disappointed when anything is less than the best, and I found that I begin at the other extreme, expecting nothing, and am always full of thanks for moderate goods...
— Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Experience"

Food for thought on a day of over indulgence, friends and family, and giving thanks.
Happy Thanksgiving

Ring Triumphs over Stupidity... Twice!

I have to admit, sometimes I'm stupid. I know, we all are a little stupid everyonce in a while. But this takes the cake for me, at least in recent memory.  I lost my ring. My FAVORITE ring. The one I bought myself after 6 months of looking so I wouldn't feel naked without a ring on A finger. And then I found it. And lost it again. And found it again. All in one week. How did this happen you ask? Pure stupidity.

Friday I left work and headed out to Sams where I bought a great fall coat for next to nothing, then headed home. I futzed around a bit then noticed my ring was not on my hand where it should be. So I checked the bathroom counter and the kitchen counter where I would likely put it if I was going to wash my hands (I hate it when my finger stays wet under my ring). No ring. I looked again. Finally after a bit of panic, I hoped back in the car and fought rush hour traffic (of course there was an accident) and hurried (at 14 mph) back to school. Checked the staff bathroom, no ring. Contemplated digging in the trash can, but fortunately decided against it. Instead, brokenhearted, I went back to my classroom and put out an embarrasing heartfelt plea for anyone who had been in the staff bathroom that might have picked up my ring to please return it to me. Saturday I spent time trying to find an exact replacement for it (yep, thats how much I love my ring). No luck. Sunday I drove to Lake of the Ozarks in the rain to shop to try and feel better about my missing ring. It didn't work, but I was becoming resigned to the fact that it was gone.

Monday morning after not sleeping most of the night (laundry at 3:30am? it was something to do...), I got ready for work and was ready to head out the door when I noticed I still had my lunch bag in my school bag. I reached in and guess what fell out? MY RING!!!! Happy happy, Joy joy!! Snoopy Dance all over! Put that sucker on a finger that it barely would go on so it wouldn't come off (maybe not the best idea). Smiles all around!

But wait. Didn't I say I lost it again? Yeah, well I was baking today and I always take my ring off when I'm working with dough. Usually I put it in my wine bottle coaster, but there was a bottle in it already, so back pocket it went. Forgot to take it out when I decided to wash my jeans (I really should start to wear an apron). Didn't realize I had lost it again until I moved the laundry into the dryer and it clanked around in the bottom of the washing maching. Duhhhhh.

 My ring is now back where it belongs. Hopefully there will be no more adventures for my ring, although I'm sure this was mildly entertaining to you (looking back, it was for me).

Happy Thanksgiving to you. I have baked 4 dozen dinner rolls (can never have enough bread!).  I found a great quick recipe on the King Arthur Flour bakers banter site. I will warn you, the dough is powerful strong- it lifted my 5 quart mixing bowl that I was using as a proofing box right off the counter.

Here's the link: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2011/11/18/big-batch-yeast-rolls-baking-buns-for-a-crowd/
If you make them, send me a comment about how your's turned out.

Tuesday's Truth

Quilting is as much, if not more, about the process as it is the final quilt. Slow down and enjoy the process, you will get to enjoy the finished quilt for a lifetime.

Tuesday"s Truth

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Take the time while its there

You have to take the time while its there. Fall is quickly fading away, my best friend in Cleveland has already made the official snow call, beats me to it every year. One of these years I'll get to make the first snow call... it might have to wait until I retire and move to Colorado, but one day it will be me (shake my fist!).
So I went road tripping with my girlfriend, her boyfriend, and her kids to Shawnee National Forest for some hiking.

It was a pretty day, if not gray and overcast. We did two trails, the Little Grand Canyon and the Paunnee Natural Bridge.

Thats me, near the bottom of the canyon. It was a pretty long and steep climb down, and I was one of the few who did not get wet (thanks Bobby at Cabelas for the hiking shoe advice last summer!!!).  The spring was not very active, but there were some pretty good pools of water along the way down.



Wild ivy growing on the canyon floor.




Thats me and my girlfriend at the top of the canyon, about 2 miles into the hike. It was only 3 a 3 mile loop, but climbing in and out of the canyon made it seem a lot longer.



Along the climb out of the canyon. You can see how slick it was with the water and wet leaves.



The natural bridge, from under it. It was a good 50-75 feet long, and a good 15-30 feet off the ground. Really cool. My friend has a photo of me on top of it, hope she emails it to me.

 We ended up checking out some wineries in southern Illinois, similar to the sweet stuff made in Missouri. Thank you, but I'll take Californian, French, or Italian any day. And because it wasn't a full day yet we headed into Carbondale for pizza at a little local pizza joint. All in all a fun day and what a way to make the most of the tailing end of fall.

I'm still here

So I got an earfull from my mother because I haven't been posting much lately. So I'll catch you up to speed and make her happy at eh same time. No great photos, I REALLY want a new camera that shoots better than my current point and shoot. But here's the synopsis... Swim season has finally ended, and I must say I am glad. to be able to go home after working only 8-10 hours is NICE, really nice. The boys did well at Confernce finals, with one fellow winning a second in the 200 yd Freestyle (8 laps), and fourth in the 50 freestyle sprint (although I wanted him to swim the 500 where he also would have placed second). All of the boys save one won at least one medal.
In the quilting world, I finally finished a monster quilt for a client. It was HUGE, took me 9 hours to quilt it (partially becasue my machine had fits, including breaking my bobbin casing and causing me to use my old one, thank goodness I held onto it). I haven't started any new projects for myself, although I would like to. I'm tossing around the idea of heading into Webseter Groves to the new fabric shop called Fabric Nosherie to look for something with birds on it. I have this desire to make something with a bird theme, quilt or pillow or scarf, who knows.
I'm loath to believe we still change our clocks back and forth every year. It really is cutting into my time hiking. A friend and I have discovered the great trails in the Weldon Springs Conservation Area and have enjoyed hiking there. Even had a doe cross our path this Sunday. I'm hoing it stops raining soon so I can get out again this weekend to hike (mud is not fun), I'm really enjoying the time on the trail. I need to get some pants better suited to cooler weather hiking, thank goodness for Sierra Trading Post emails!!
I think that catches you up on all that is happening in my life. I promise to try and snap more pics to include in the future. Unfortunately late fall is rather dreary, not making for great photo opportunities, but I'll see what I can do.

Tuesday's Truth

Seven days without laughter makes one weak.