Citrus Belt Quilt Guild Meeting

The last Friday of each month is a special day...quilt guild day!

During the sharing portion of today's meeting

several ladies showed quilts they finally finished

from classes they took years ago.

This flower was taught by Melinda Bula last Fall.

This lady just finished it and shared it with the group.

Oh, wait. I took that class.

I have one of these in my art room.

Unfinished.

This was made by a new member who described herself

as a novice quilter.

One of the projects made by a guild member shown to the group

during the "Show and Share" portion of the program.

Audrey said she'd help me make one of these "sweatshirt" jackets.

A nice way to use up leftovers from your "stash."

Nancy Ota was our speaker from San Clemente.

She is an amazing artist.

Think outside the box when "painting" a flower with fabric.

Believe it or not, the interior of this quilt was pieced

using the material on the right.

What vision she has.

I would NEVER! buy the ugly material on the right.

This masterpiece was all hand-pieced stars,

hexagons, and tumbling blocks (diamonds).

She didn't have a pattern for this tote bag,

but I think I can figure it out.

Gotta have one.

Some of the beautiful murals around Redlands seen on our walk today.

The Administration Building, University of Redlands

University of Redlands Memorial Chapel

Very thoughtful

Here is the ravaged fruit basket sent to Tom and I from our church because my father passed away. I was busy when it arrived and by the time I got a good look at it the package of strawberries, the bunch of bananas, the cluster of grapes were out and opened. (That's okay) There were also apples, oranges, pears and plums. My sister Jeanette also got one. They also sent each of us a card earlier with notes written by each pastor (14 of them).

What a lovely kindness!

Butterfingers

Saturday I was so clumsy I broke two things while working in the kitchen: my plexiglass cookbook holder and a mixing bowl that broke into a gazillion shards and miniscule pieces. What a mess!

So Sunday, at the Pasadena Showcase Home Tour I had a good reason (really!) to buy this cute metal recipe book holder at their Marketplace. Here it is in my kitchen window.

Pasadena Showcase

After early morning church, Roxanne, Jeanette and I went to Pasadena for the annual Pasadena Showcase Home Tour benefiting the Los Angeles Philharmonic music education programs. No cameras were allowed on the grounds, so these pictures are my favorite rooms from the catalogue. The house is 19,000 square feet: seven living rooms, eleven bedrooms, and about half the space servants quarters. At one time the childless couple who built the home had 34 servants (17 daily, and 17 live-in). And I can't manage to have one measly little scrawny servant! NOT FAIR!

The house is three stories and a basement. This picture shows about half of the front.

The front doors

The solarium with a beautiful harpsichord.

The designer of this room played and sang Baroque music for us.

I could just imagine having a recital in this room. It was quite long.

This very large breakfast room was one of my favorite rooms.

Part of it (looking straight on) was done as an art/craft area.

Behind the camera view is a sitting area.

The breakfast table was really a large dining table.

Rather opulent for my bowl of cereal or Slim-Fast Diet drink,

but a favorite, nevertheless.

This very large drawing room was more like a library.

The couple who built the house made their fortune in tobacco.

So they lived in luxury while making other people physically ill.

That is so sad. The last owner donated the house to the Red Cross in the 1960s.

So it will return to office space once the tour is over,

but with beautifully papered and paneled walls,

beautifully painted and decoratively plastered ceilings,

and wonderfully renewed wood and marble floors.

Junior/Senior Prom 2010

It started with a phone call from Roxanne.

Mom, would you please make prom cookies again this year?

Of course. It's for my daughter and grand-daughter.

So I spent several hours today making and decorating cookies

for this afternoon's celebration.

It would be good if you noticed that

every tux has a hanky in the pocket and a blue boutonniere.

The coursages and boutonnieres.

Every girl's parents were there

taking pictures at the Association's Old Stone Clubhouse.

It was a photo frenzy and a lot of fun.

Not all the girls had dates. I was so glad they went anyway.

The Girls

The Guys

The whole group of friends.

Nana Debbie and Nana Linda have to get in the picture,

because Debbie & Roxanne scrapbook.

Vanessa and her date, Jack.

Two flamingos: Vanessa & Jessica

Best friends: Kara (senior) & Vanessa (junior)

They were in flags together with the band two years.

The Limo group. Eric & Roxanne had a nice buffet for them to eat after pictures so they could afford to rent this limo for eight hours. Most of them wouldn't be allowed to go unless with a group.

The Limo rules being read. NO DRINKING!

Believe it or not, the driver was a woman.

And we send our kids off with this person?!?

Last minute instructions: Roxanne to the kids, Eric to the driver

Afterwards they are going to Jessica's to eat, watch movies,

and play video games the rest of the night. Supervised fun.

Gardening

I love my garden. Especially now that it is not so much work!

The English garden is gone and grass is in.

I look from my kitchen window onto this private outdoor room.

A garden should be functional. A place to read, to have a cup of tea,

to lie in the sun, to have a barbeque.

It should be romantic. Christmas lights line the edge of the patio roof

and at night they give a warm glow.

My dream is to hang a bed on heavy cable from the patio roof so it swings just slightly, and hang gauzy curtains for privacy, and

sleep outside in summer.

A garden should be a place of beauty

with many colorful flowers and trees.

And edible. A source of food.

These beets were harvested this morning.

Tonight we will have Harvard Beets (like sweet and sour).

My winter garden is almost finished. There is still some cabbage,

lots of onions, a few garlic to be harvested.

Now its time to put in lots of tomatoes, several kinds of peppers,

more lettuce, swiss chard, and what else? More flowers of course.

Pay Back Time

This morning Denise and I will be Beth's slaves for two hours cleaning any area she chooses.

But first I've got to run off the Creme Brulee my sister FORCED me to eat last night.

Misty Morning

It's a misty morning and I have much to study...but with a fire in the grate, the smell of rain and burning wood, and gallons of hot tea, I can sit here for hours...right after a quick photojournal entry on my blog :)

I've already spent two hours with three other piano teachers in our monthly Suzuki Research meeting, planning a late summer piano ensemble workshop for our students.

Now it's Language Lessons.

I bought a German dictionary and German conversation book yesterday. Now I'm adding a third language to speak badly in addition to my poorly spoken Spanish and French. Wish I had a talent for languages, because it IS kind of fun to speak in another language. At least I think it WOULD be if I could ever manage it!! Today I'm starting with pronouncing the German alphabet with a CD.

The best help I've had in improving my Spanish is to have a Spanish/English Bible. I learn the verb tenses and tons of vocabulary. But I probably sound Biblical when I speak. I hope not. Maybe I should get a German/English Bible.

Then I have homework for my Teaching English as a Foreign Language class.

The Truth Project

Philosophy is the study of reality/truth, existence, knowledge, ethics (how things ought to be).

Morality is how things are; the choices we make based on our belief of what is right and wrong.

So if we stop using our intelligence to consider the big picture (philosophy), we settle for how things are (what everyone else is doing). We take surveys of how others are behaving and decide if 55% of others are acting in a certain way or believe a certain thing even though our conscience nags us it is wrong, then we assuage our guilt; we are not alone in those same actions or beliefs and settle for the majority opinion.

Helloooo Vietnam...

Tonight I planned to take a meal (for tomorrow) to an inspiring young family who are packing for their Wednesday flight/move to Vietnam for awhile to run their own race. But Kurt is gone for the entire evening and I wanted to say goodbye to both of them. When I asked if they will both be there in the morning, I heard Marcy, his wife, say in the background, "He'd better be, or he's a dead man." I had to laugh and realized I need to pray for the stress of the move.

Kurt, with another man, was the driving force that resulted in our large class of students taking the TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), so we will be ready to serve in this unusual capacity wherever we are needed most.

They have already begun to have a huge impact on my life, and will continue in ways I'm not even aware of yet, because of TEFL. God-Speed, Kurt and Marcy and babies.

Reflecting

Yesterday was the second 5K I've run/walked in several years! The hardest part of running at the beginning yesterday was to run my own race. I was so caught up in the excitement of the moment it was hard to hold back to my regular pace when throngs of runners were passing me.

I've been thinking about my Christian walk lately too, and remembering the verse in Hebrews that says God wants me to run the race He has set before ME, fixing my eyes on Jesus (my prize). My race is different from other people I look to for inspiration. It's hard not to compare.

I saw all kinds of women with "fit bodies" yesterday and thought with dismay of when I used to look like that and dreaming of hopefully getting closer to that image again. Madison Avenue doesn't have it all wrong. Image IS important. Where the advertisers get off track is "to whose image are we to conform?" My race/walk with the Lord is the one He has laid out for ME so I will begin to conform to HIS image.

Knowing the truth and living the truth are not the same.

It is the Lord's Day

Began the day early with the Run Through Redlands. There was half-marathon, 10K and 5K (my race). I've been training the past month since the last 5K with friends, so I ran the first mile then a few short sprints here and there. Don't know my time yet, because I was looking at the wrong clock at the finish. But I did finish!

I'm hoping less than 45 minutes, which is the time I used to walk 3 miles.

Tom woke up with a headache and nausea, so he missed walking the Half-Marathon. Too much sun at soccer yesterday. He gets "sun sick" and I turn into a Mexican.

Then to church (after a shower and change) and now nap time!

Me, Sarah and her Dad, Dirk Isaacs

A full day

This morning was my first time watching Grant play soccer

half-way through the season.

Then I met the international graduate student

who was paired with me by the International Friendship Connection.

We liked each other immediately,

and are looking forward to becoming good friends.

Our first outing was the Redlands Garden Tour.

First there were flower specimens that were judged.

These are some Iris I would like to order for my garden.

Orchids

A little garden tableau.

Then we toured local gardens.

A beautiful side yard.

and backyard

Finally the day ended at the Redlands Symphony

listening to Rossini, Shubert, Schumann, and Kodaly.

Amazing cello concerto and woodwind solos.

Walking Redlands

Jeanette, Virginia, and I walked again today,

and I couldn't resist taking pictures of these beautiful homes.

A Craftsman with beautiful landscaping.

I've always loved curved homes.

Note to myself: build an arbor and plant Wisteria

over the East patio and South windows.

Tomorrow is the annual Redlands Horticultural and Improvement Society garden tour. I love the old-fashioned name of our local garden club. Our bicycle club also has a great name: The Redlands Water Bottle Transit Company.

Three things

I've been trying to get into better physical shape by running a mile each weekday morning for the past month. Some days it's a struggle. Years ago when Tom was running a lot, I asked him why he liked it so much. He said, "Because it feels so good when I stop!" Yep, that's how I feel.

Today is TAX DAY. April 15th. The deadline for filing taxes, and I missed it. Legally. Filed for an extension. So taxes are still looming over my head. Gotta get those receipts in order!!!

Charisa, my college piano student, submitted one of her compositions for evaluation a few weeks ago. She was one of several who received the top score (5 out of 5) and was invited to play at the California Music Teacher's Annual Convention in Los Angeles July 2nd. I cannot say this has anything to do with my "exceptional teaching," because she does this all on her own. Nice work, Charisa.

Feeling teary and lacking energy today. I was suddenly teary in the card aisle of the Christian bookstore while choosing thank you cards for those who have been so kind to our family this past week. Even for Christians death is still the enemy because it separates us. Even though I haven't lived with my parents for 43 years, it is sad they are not around.

TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Our church has contracted with a professor from the University of California, Riverside, (my alma mater) to teach this course in the hopes some of us will go overseas and teach short-term English classes to nationals as a help to our missionaries.

Tonight it felt like a university course! I've not taught in a school classroom nor prepared lesson plans. I'm feeling inadequate and overwhelmed. What was I thinking?

It's only week 3 of a 10-week course. I'll study and keep slogging through. Maybe it will get better. But I'm thinking 10 weeks isn't enough.

This morning we said "Goodbye" to my younger sister Faith and Doug

as they began their 2-day drive back to Seattle.

Ginger is staying on two weeks.

Even though I was exhausted, I wanted to attend our Monday morning Koinonia group, as today was the first day of a 13-week video study called, "The Truth Project." Very impressive. Today's penetrating questions were, "What is Truth?" and "Do you REALLY believe that what you believe is REALLY real?" I also learned that "Amen" means "truly." I didn't know that.

Then I came home and lied down on my comfortable couch drifting in and out of sleep from 12:30 pm - 6:30 pm. And I stayed there all evening watching a movie: "The Diary of Anne Frank." Okay, enough with the sobbing! I seem to have an endless supply of tears.