My sister Barbara from Virginia came to teach a Star Tricks Quilting Class in our home. She brought Father & Mother along for a nice visit this weekend.

We had a total of 24 ladies each making their own wall hanging.

Here's Betty, Judy, Irene, & Terry.

Jo Anne, Diane, Sue, & Brenda

Katy, Dot, Mary Ann & CC

Lauren

Linda & Sue

Lou Ann, Gloria, Peggy, & Gloria

Sharon, Dereinda, Lawana, & Sandi

Mother served coffee & water and enjoyed visiting with everyone. Then we served a lunch for everyone with more sewing in the afternoon.

Last weekend Paul & I went to Florida. While Paul attended the SLM board meeting I went shopping with the other board member's wives to find treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores. My sister Coleen & Glen picked us up at the Tampa airport. I was surprised to see the letters spelled out with your hands for deaf people. I had learned the alphabet when I was young so I could spell words for my Grandmother Vera Heatwole.

Glen & Coleen picked us up at the airport and then we enjoyed a meal together at Cracker Barrell. Glen found this wonderfully big jar of Hershey's chocolate syrup but unfortunately he didn't buy it for me.

Pete G. is retiring from the SLM Board. He recieved a painted picture of a scene in Romania.

We got to visit with Ella from Romania, and her husband, his mother, cousin, & friend. We learned to know Ella when we were in Romania and have got to visit with her on numerous occasions here in the states.

One evening we got to have supper with Paul's cousin, Raymond & Laura Graber.

Last Saturday I attended the monthly meeting of our Possum Town Quilters. They had "Show & Tell" first on the agenda instead of last. Here is Sue S. with her "Sampler" quilt top.

Jo Anne S. made this green & red Christmas quilt.

Sharon H. is finishing up this Kansas University quilt for her nephew.

Mary Ann and Derindia introduced a quilt "Turning Twenty" that they are giving us a demo/workshop on.

Our winners this month for the block drawings were CC for the black & white plus one other color.

And Derindia won the blue & yellow blocks.

Yesterday I went to a little art exhibit in our own town of Macon. Sylvia Miller, a lady from our church has been painting for many years. Here she is with all 3 of her children, Wayne, Thelma, & Leland at the opening reception.

This picture of geese reminds me of some pictures that my mother painted years ago.

And mother painted some winter scenes similar to this too.

Sylvia has painted many milk cans and Thelma especially likes her chamber pot.

My favorite is the still life with the grapes. It's a beautiful picture.

I feel honored to own this hand saw painted by Sylvia.

Another treat on our "Western" trip was to meet hometown friends, Dan & Betty along with their family,

and Jay and April Miller.

Jay and April took our children on a long hike up the mountain.

They made a campfire and cooked hotdogs for supper up there.

I just couldn't resist snapping lots of pictures of Dan & Betty's little girl. She was so full of life and had lots of energy. Everyone loves her.

Driving between Yakima, WA and Idaho we came across a town called "George." They had a water tower and a picinic area fixed up just for "George." How would you like your address to be 123 Any Street, George, Washington?

Here we come, Idaho.

We met Nevin at an airplane fly-in in Sandpoint.

Carolyn had a beautiful garden. She enjoys working out there and watching it grow just as much as I like making quilts.

Nevin is building a RV-9 experimental plane.

We spent 2 nights with them, Kristi, Carolyn, Nevin, and Kelly, having a wonderful time.

My nephew, Gabriel along with my niece Sheri, came to visit a few days. He and Dustin had a great time doing research and trying to make a sculpture of their faces. They smeared their faces with petroleum jelly so the plaster of paris wouldn't stick to their hair. The cut off straws were to let them breath through the ordeal.

I think I would have gotten claustrophobia.

The mold.

They melted aluminum in the homemade kiln and then poured it into the plaster of paris mold that was placed in a box of sand.

Does this look like Dustin or Gabriel?

They weren't real happy with the outcome. They each did it twice and had 4 faces. I thought maybe they could make "Mount Rushmore" using their own heads!!!

We were to make 2 blocks this month for our Possum Town Quilters drawing. We were to use blue and yellow for one block. I used the "Stack-N-Whack" technique to make a kaleidoscope block. The next block we were to use black & white along with one other color. I chose red.

I'm also working on a baby quilt of puppy dogs for Ashton.

For Christmas our DIL, Sheila ask me to make a fabric postcard for her mom of her homeplace. So, here's the Joseph Showalter Homeplace, Mole Hill, Dayton, VA.

Here are some recent visitors we have had in our home. My first cousin Dennis & Naomi Risser and family.

A niece, Sheri H; a nephew, Gabriel B. & my cousin's daughter Hiedi M.

Paul's sister, Dorcas and Randy Miller and family.

Three of Paul's nieces, Melissa, Amanda, & Melinda.

I'm working frantically to get some "cracker" quilt blocks finished up for our signature swap tomorrow with the Possum Town Quilters.

I used the wrong side of the fabric as I didn't want the continent of Africa to show.

And to think I need to exchange all these blocks.