I just thought it was time for something pretty on my blog.

This is one of 9 blocks that I made years ago and put together into a wall hanging.

The Grabers got together at the school for lunch on Saturday.

Grandpa, Keith, Caleb & Galen, & Paul enjoy men's talk.

Miriam fixed pumpkin rolls the easy way. Soooommmmme Gooood! Dorcas helps Joshua do the tasting.

Kenneths had a soft serve ice cream machine there that was a big hit with the children & adults. We could just help ourselves any time we wanted some.

Some of the games we enjoyed were Apples to Apples,

Jenga,

Building blocks,

and then instead of roller blades they had these snowboards on wheels called ripsticks. The young people could make them go so easily and just glide over the floor. Lena could whiz around so fast and then also go so slow and eat ice cream at the same time.

Paul got to have a turn at trying.

And how I wished I could make them go. Karla & Evie helped me, but it just didn't come as easy as ice skating.

Last Tuesday Paul and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary. He took me out to eat at Ruby Tuesdays and then to the Starkville-MSU Symphony Chorus. They sang Thanksgiving & Christmas songs. After the program we stopped at Bop's Frozen Custard for a treat to eat on the way home. We took our own self portrait in the van for lack of a real photographer.

On Thanksgiving, our day started with fixing and getting ready for all the children along with 2 visitors to have lunch with us. Then Paul and some of the boys went flying. Here's Paul giving Renae a ride in the Piper.

In the evening we made taffy. I prefer using the "cold water test" to using a candy thermometer.

Jason & Karla helped pull it.

Quinten & Evie had it down pat. Their hands worked like a machine running at a high rate of speed.

We made 2 double batches and flavored them. One with butter rum and one with cinnamon.

We enjoyed a little music from Vicki.

Marv & Dustin enjoyed Score Four.

While we were in Yakima, WA last summer we were so glad that Uncle Daniel and Aunt Betty took us around to see the country & town and also planned it so we could meet each of their children living there close by. I hadn't seen some of my cousins for years and years.

Here's Lillian and me. She had quilts hanging and laying all around the house. She also had an antique record player that Dustin took and interest in. You had to crank it up to play it.

This is Elaine and me.

Here she is with her husband Larry and son, Kyle.

Next we stopped in to see Phil, married to Coleen and their 4 children.

Then we had supper with Doug married to Sharon.

Their daughter Shelley & Matthew were also there.

I want to show off a little more of Uncle Daniels handiwork. I was so impressed with his creativity and workmanship.

I'd like to do a fabric reproduction of the little Amish boy & girl sometime too.

And yesterday afternoon I recieved a phone call from MAQS that my quilt "Bubbled Burgoyne" has been accepted as a finalist in the "New Quilts From an Old Favorite" contest. That sure made me feel like singing!!!

We arrived in Yakima, WA and were welcome by my Uncle Daniel & Aunt Betty Heatwole.

Uncle Daniel looks a lot like my father and Aunt Betty resembles mother, more so when they were younger than they do now.

Uncle Daniel enjoys watering the flowers and keeping their place looking nice. They live in a seniors park or subdivision and their place was the prettiest of all with the beautiful flowers.

And I enjoyed this shot of him.

Uncle Daniel also enjoys working with wood. He showed us around in his little woodworking shop.

He was working on this piece of the David Heatwole cabin 1796. The different colors are the result of using different kinds of wood.

And now since we're home, he sent me a picture of the finished product.

He gave me permission to copy it with fabrics. I just haven't had the time!

I enjoyed our meeting today in Columbus. This month we each made a 12 1/2" block from black & tan fabric. Jadea won the blocks. She made the first block from the left in the 3rd row. Congratulations, Jadea.

CC shows her autumn maple leaves quilt that she finished.

Sharon shows a small section of a "Cathedral Windows" quilt that she started many years ago.

Annette is working on this BOM sampler. This gives you a taste of spring when winter has only begun.

Annette also is making a pillow from this quilt. It has white yo-yos in the top and I'm not sure how she did it.

Today was our annual guest day sewing at Magnolia.

Ladies enjoyed visiting while quilting,

knotting a comforter,

cutting out blocks,

and assembling Christmas Bundles.

Sheila shared about dealing with her vision loss and Thelma shared about her work with CPC and Contact.

We traveled on from Oregon into Washington.

We stopped at Mount Saint Helens visitors center getting there just about at closing time. They let us in to see the film for free as it had already started. Then we had a little time afterwards to view some of the exhibits.

We drove on then to Hopkins Hill to view the mount; but it was so obscure and we hardly knew which peak the sign was pointing out.

I would have liked to had a guided tour to point out some of the landmarks.

Driving on to Yakima, WA we enjoyed the pretty scenery.

And more scenery.

We have been enjoying Paul's niece, Paula & Jerel & son Nic from Colorado for the last couple days.

We invited in the Grabers in for a hamburger fry so they could visit with them too.

Some of the younger children enjoyed the books on the steps.

And here is Paul's folks, the beginning of us Grabers in Mississippi.