July Classmate Dinner...

Front: me, Julie and Cal. Back: John, Mary, Deb B., and Lisa

I get teased by one of the ladies when I say "I'm looking forward to tonight's gathering". She likes to remind me that 3:00 pm isn't "night". Silly me.

Even so, we shared another nice meal. I had the chance to hug my friend, Mary, whose husband passed earlier this month, celebrate John's son's liver transplant, hear all about a recent gall bladder surgery, and Julie's prize winning giant tomato making it into Guinness Book of World Records. 

As usual, our meal and visit lasted about two hours, and then we were ready to part company. Handsome joined us, and then offered to take the photo before we all said goodbye...until next month.

 

June Classmate Dinner...

Back row (l-r): Dan, Brad, Deb B, Handsome and me Front: Bruce, Deb N, and Lisa

Handsome joined us again this month for dinner. As always, we had a great visit, and shared events since our last get-together.

One of our regulars, Cal had surgery last week, so he continues to heal. We'll see him again next month.

I made two dozen cinnamon rolls, and with the exception of the four I kept at home, sold almost all of them to my buddies. Deb B. was so enthused, she opened her duo and tore one apart to let everyone know they were tasty. 

I was originally going to bring one two-pack back home until our waitress asked if I had any left because they looked so good. She ended up purchasing my last pack, so I came home with an empty tote. Yay, me!

I'm going to work on my Etsy shop today. My plan is to update current listings, and add a new category or two. I should have new items up by the end of the day. 

Now I'm going to pour a cuppa, feed the birds, and then get busy. See you later!

 

Baking On A Rainy Day...

As I write this, there's a gentle rain falling on the fields surrounding Hickory Hill. The birds are singing, and the crops are lapping up every bit of it. The forecast predicts this will continue all day.

This photo is from a previous baking marathon day, but I'll be making more warm cinnamon rolls just like these.

This afternoon is our monthly classmate dinner, and it was requested that I bring more frosted goodness to sell. So, I'm already in the kitchen with a fresh cup of coffee and cinnamon on my mind.

I wish you a day filled with wonderful things. I'll be back tomorrow with photos from my day today. 

May Classmate Dinner...

 

Front row: Al, Brad, and Cal  Back row: Deb, Bruce, Donna

We changed our dinner from Wednesday to Thursday this month to accommodate folks who couldn't join us on Wednesdays. As it turned out, Thursday apparently didn't work either. The result was a wonderfully small group of regulars.

Unlike the larger groups that end up with multiple conversations, we were all part of each story. We got all caught up, and truthfully, I heard one of these old friends laugh harder than I've ever heard him laugh in decades. It was great.

We're going back to Wednesdays from now on, but I'll file this month away as one of my favorites. I sure do love these people.

April Classmate Dinner...

Back row-Janet, Bruce, Deb B., Lisa, Donna and Cal. Front row-Deb N., Max, Dan and John

We had a nice-sized group this month. Couples who'd been on vacation returned, and as usual, the conversation was spirited and lively. A fun time was had by all.

We decided to change the day next month to accommodate schedules of our regulars, and give others who may be busy on Wednesdays the opportunity to join us. We'll see how that works out.

 

Another Month, Another Gathering...

Front (l-r) Al, Bruce, John and Brad. Back: Mary, Donna, Deb B, Cal, Lisa and Dave

No married couples yesterday, but these old friends shared a lot of laughter over dinner. We were all saying what a blessing it is for all of us to be able to spend time together. 

We talked about classmates who'd passed in the last month, as well as a few that are pretty sick right now. It reminds us just how fortunate we all are to be in good health. 

There were discussions about upcoming vacations, as well as reports on recent destinations. A few of us homebodies listened intently, but then agreed "there's no place like home" for us. Even so, we can't Wait to hear about our friends once they're back home. We'll look forward to that next month. 

The next dinner date is set. We hugged and said our goodbyes, and all headed home. Until we see each other in April...

February Classmate Dinner...

Front l-r: Deb B. Lisa, Brad, Bruce and Janet. Back: John, Cal, Dan and Deb N, Donna and Handsome, and Max

We had another classmate dinner yesterday, and this time we had three couples attending. Dan and Deb, and Janet and Max both started dating when we were all in high school (I think Janet and Max started in junior high), and got married after graduation. Of course, Handsome and I were the third couple. Two of our group are widowed, and the rest are married, too, but their spouses didn't attend.

It was pretty much guys on one end of the long table set up and gals on the other, but we chatted back and forth. As always, it was nice to see everyone and find out who's getting ready for a trip, or what else is going on. Deb and Dan will be gone for a month on vacation out West, so we'll miss them next month. 

The temperature got into the mid-50s Wednesday with plenty of sun, so we all looked forward to getting out to visit. The weather won't hold like this though. After all, it is February in Wisconsin, home of the Frozen Tundra. We know that it's going to get cold - and snow at least once more. Shelly always says that the robins have to be snowed on at least five times before Spring actually arrives for real. We make the most of the good days when we can.

I'm taking the WMBBD to the vet for a diagnostic appointment today, and then I'm going in to work for a couple hours to cover for my boss who's getting ready to leave on vacation tomorrow. I've been working on a 30-minute daily purge program (getting rid of stuff), so I'll do that again for a bit when I get home from work. Then, I'm going to stitch for a while. I'll be back tomorrow to share the latest. See you then!

January Classmate Dinner...

Front: Lisa, Cal, Bruce, Donna and Handsome Back: Julie, John, Mary, Deb and Brad

I'm so glad our dinner was planned for yesterday and not today. It's supposed to be wicked cold today, and lots of folks are canceling events. I'm sure we would have, too.

As it was, we had a nice-sized group for our gathering this month, and Handsome joined us! Everyone was so wonderful, asking him how he's been since he healed from the emergency surgeries two summers ago. They really are a great group of friends. We all checked on each other's health, and then got down to just having nice visits.

We took our monthly group photograph, set the date for next month, and were on our way back to our homes by about 4:30. Aren't we a bunch of "old fogies" now? lol (Early bird dinners, and all.)

I'll share photos of the finished feathers tomorrow, and a few photos of some really special feathers, too! See you later! Stay warm, friends.

December Classmate Dinner...

L-r: Front: Brad, Deb N., Bruce, and Lisa. Back: Deb B., Donna, Cal, and John.

We had another lovely classmate dinner last night. Lisa is celebrating her birthday this month, too, so she brought homemade cookies that we all enjoyed for dessert. 

The restaurant we always go to is Schmitty's on the lake, and they've got great food. While we eat, we catch up on what's been going on in our lives since the last time we were together. Our group has become dear friends, so it's important to make sure everyone is okay (health, home, spouses, etc.). 

As usual, we set our date for next month, hugged each other goodbye and were on our way home by 5 pm. I went home with half of my meal, which Handsome was happy to take off my hands when I got back. A cup of tea and I was back in the studio working on my quilt top.

The top is nearly finished now. I've decided to add the names of all our retrievers to the open blocks in the center of the quilt. I'll be doing that today, and then I'll be ready to assemble the front and back. I may add Tag and Fezzik's names in a small corner. They both fetched pretty darn well, too! If I decide not to do that, I'm sure I'll do something special for my lowrider boys another time. (Maybe an embroidery!)

I'll make sure the feeders are full, and then I'm heading back up to the studio to work toward finishing Handsome's quilt. I can't wait to show you what it looks like!

November Classmate Dinner...

Front Row: Brad, Deb B., Donna, and Al. Back Row: Deb N., Lisa B., Dan and Cal

It's always a treat to sit at the table and watch each old friend walk through the door. Such was the case last night. We always ask how everyone is doing and get the latest update on doctor's appointments, healing from the latest procedures, and otherwise. Then, we move on to family updates and finally settle into our usual chatter about how classmates are, who we saw recently, who needs prayers, having to purchase a new appliance, or whatever else is going on since the previous month. You know. The stuff old friends always cover when they see each other. 

Yesterday was no exception, and like good old mature folks, we all hugged, said our goodbyes and were on our way home by 5 pm. We are a hoot. We set our next date for the week before Christmas, so our calendars are already marked. I'll send out the monthly date email and Facebook post to let everyone else know when the next one is, and we'll see who shows up for the last get together of the year. 

Can you believe it? December is right around the corner!!! gaaaaaahhhhhh! I've half a mind to tell everyone in the family to forego gifts this year and we'll just get together for a big party. Except grammie's jammies. I'll make those until I can't anymore, or until the kids tell me to stop. I need to finish the bluebirds so I can get into "holiday mode". Best get the blinders ready and call the elves. It's almost time!

October Classmate Dinner...

Front row: Cal, Mary, Deb, and Dan Back row: Donna, John, Deb, Karen and Brad

We had our monthly classmate dinner yesterday and were told to come dressed like the '70's. I figured they meant age. (Not really. lol) I wore my class ring. There were actually only two who came dressed up and you can probably tell from the photograph.

We did have fun, like we always do, and a nice bonus was that all the music the restaurant was playing was '70s music - even though we never mentioned or asked for it!

The photographer said, "Do something silly now".

Yeah. I learned a long time ago never to make funny faces for the camera. They always come back to haunt me. However, there were some who were perfectly happy to comply. I'll let you click on the image to enlarge it, so you can get the full effect of the silly faces. sheesh. lol

Deb (center, back row) brought the felt flowers and painted peace signs for everyone, and if you look at the table, she also brought peace sign ornaments that were made out of sparkly pipe cleaners. She was all-in, for sure.

As usual, we gathered at 3 pm, and like good old-timers, we were all headed home by 5. Two hours spent telling stories, getting caught up on medical and life issues (thankfully, not mine, for a change!), and eating good food. 

We've set our November dinner for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Someone said something about dressing up like pilgrims. I can guarantee you that's not happening! I'll just take some Indian corn to decorate the table and maybe some autumn-themed cutout cookies, but I am looking forward to seeing them all again. Until next month...

Great Friends & Good Food...

Back Row: Bruce P., Deb B., Julie F., Mary S., Lisa B. and Dan N. Front Row: Donna L., Brad S., and Deb N.

It was so nice to get into my Explorer, drive to town, and spend a few hours with old friends.We caught up on all the news I've been missing, and they all asked about my surgery and how I was doing. We all have our aches and pains to share, so it was almost like going around the table to each person could share their current malady. Thankfully, we all have more fun things to talk about, too, and our conversations quickly turned to more interesting topics. It really was good to see them again after missing two monthly dinners. 

We set the date for our next dinner date, hugged and said our goodbyes, and were on our way home by 5 pm. (I know. That sounds so funny to me, too.) I brought home most of my dinner, and a meal for Handsome, so we sat down together, too after I got back.

I completed my stitching on the brooch early in the afternoon, so I'll do the finishing work on it today. My plan is to present it to Jenna tomorrow. I'll take photos, and a short video to share so you can see it. See you tomorrow!

June Classmate Dinner...

Front row: Jay, Bruce, Deb, Mary, and Lisa Back Row: Janet, Brad, Cal, Donna and John

My "social butterfly" day began with lunch with Mum, Stepdad and Handsome. Our lunch was delicious and we had a nice visit, in spite of the fact that the restaurant was a bit noisy. In the bustle, I neglected to take their photo (bad blogger!), but we did have a lovely time.

I ran a few errands in town, rather than drive back home, but the time passed quickly, and before I knew it, I was due for my classmate dinner date. We chose Thursday this month, thinking more people could show, but the weather forecast warned of bad weather, so folks cancelled to avoid being caught outdoors. As it turned out, the weather was just fine and the restaurant was much quieter than on Wednesdays (when they offer half-price pizza). Our core group showed up, with Lisa joining us this month. I certainly didn't order much to eat, having recently finished lunch!

I was on my way home by 5:30 or so, and spent the rest of the evening with Handsome. It was a fun day with all the visiting! We're scheduled for another Thursday next month, and perhaps those who stayed home yesterday will join us in July. 

It's Friday again! I have an appointment this morning with my primary care provider to start the next process for my knees. Then, I'm going to slide into the weekend with nary a care! Who knows what I'll be doing. I'll let you know tomorrow.

Wednesday Friends Day...

Back Row: Deb B., Dan F., Deb and Dan N., Janet and Jay K Front Row: Donna L, Mary S., Karen S., and Cal C.

I'm sharing my photographs backward today. I'm beginning with our dinner gathering and photos of the small but dedicated group of classmates who met for dinner in spite of the crummy, rainy weather. 

The ladies sat at one end of the table, while the guys sat at the other end.  Of course, we have completely different stories to share, so we "herd up" according to gender. We had a great time.

Fun with Friends

I have to share the outtakes this month. I'm calling this photo collage "The Mullet Collage" - Business up front. Party in the back. lol Everyone in the front row has what Handsome refers to as their camera faces on, ready for the photographer. Meanwhile, the back row is jocularity and silliness. They sure were having fun back there!

Flour Sack and Vintage Embroidery Project Bag from Kathy D.

Lunchtime was fun, too. I didn't get photos of Kathy inspecting the spoolies because we were sitting in her car at the drive-in. It rained the entire time, so rather than sit under one of their canopies, we stayed warm and dry in her vehicle.

Kathy had a show-and-tell, too. (I actually refer to it as my Mum does...bring-and-brag.) When we were at a group meeting of the"Sewcial Sisters" a couple years ago, I took along my collection of vintage flour sack cloths. My sewing was going in a different direction and I knew I wouldn't use them, so I offered them for sale. Kathy bought all of them, and she recently decided to do something with them.

She's been combing antique and resale shops in search of vintage embroidered linens. Even though many of us have a collection of inherited embroideries, who wants to cut up something our ancestors created? I know Kathy and I don't. So, we purchase with the intention of cutting into it. I guess it's easier if you don't know the creator - especially when you know you're going to make something new and wonderful with it.

Kathy's been sewing these lovely project bags, and she practices her quilting skills on the patterned fabrics. She offered one to me and said I could choose the one I wanted. Of course, I chose the bag with the embroidered puppies. 

In exchange, I'm going to create a spoolie just for her. I didn't have Henrietta Chicken or Theodore Badger to show her because they were already gifted, but her favorite was Daisy Skunk. I'm planning to make a new little skunk for her. (I'm also going to make another badger and chicken for my collection, too.)

My very last stop of the day was at my friends, Vicki and Del's home. Del and I have known each other since junior high school, and I got to know Vicki after Handsome and I moved back to Wisconsin. She's been seeing my spoolies and offered her assortment of wooden spools to me. I gratefully accepted, and I traded her for quilting fabric, which she loved.

I got to meet their sweet nine month old Labrador retriever, and got a tour of their lovely home. We exchanged gifts, hugged, and I left to take dinner home from the restaurant for Handsome. 

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty fabulous day. I spent time with so many dear friends, and came home with a full heart. It really doesn't get better than this.

Today, my Explorer will be getting an early morning oil change, and then I'm going to get my hair trimmed this afternoon. Once I get back home, I think I'll be getting a little crafty. I don't know what I'll work on yet, but I'll let you know tomorrow. I'm going to grab a cuppa for the road now and be on my way. Later, 'gator!

No "Island Hopping" Today...

Image via Facebook

 

I'm not playing in the kitchen today. Rather, I'm having lunch with my girlfriend, Kathy D., and then I'm having dinner with the high school classmate group. I'll be a "social butterfly" instead. lol

I haven't seen Kathy in a while, and since our last lunch date, she's traveled to a quilt retreat and I've been doing my "thing" around the farmhouse. I can't wait to hear all about the retreat, and I'm hoping she'll bring whatever she made to show me. She asked me to bring the spool animals with me so she can see them in person. I'm sure we'll have a great visit, and I'll try to remember to get a photo (at least of her with the spoolies) for my post tomorrow.

Our classmate dinner is at the usual place, and we never know exactly how many will attend until they show up. Of course, I'll get their photo, too.

Last stop before I come home will be to another friend's home who offered her collection of mini thread spools to me. I'm trading a bag of quilting cotton scraps in exchange, as she's also a quilter.

It's going to be a busy day, so I have a few things to accomplish before I go. Handsome will be home with the girls today, but I'll be sure to bring treats home for him, too.

Have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow with photographs to share! See you then.

April Classmate Dinner...

Back row: Al, Donna, Bruce, Max, Janet and Jeff. Front row: Cal, Brad, Deb, Mary and John

The weather was perfect for dinner next to the lake yesterday. Our regular spot for dinner is a restaurant located right along the south shore of Lake Winnebago, and it was so nice to see moving water where there was ice only a short time ago.

We had eleven classmates in attendance, and as always, we spent the time sharing stories, family news, and other interesting (to us) things. Seems health is always a subject, too. "Did you hear about...?" "How is <insert spouse name here>?" You know. Thankfully, conversation soon turns to something other than our shared aches and pains, and "How did we get old so fast?". Things that comes from life and times shared.

Our meals together usually last about two hours, and just like the old folks we used to giggle about (Early Bird Diners), we were all heading home by 5 pm. Rather than talking about the old times, we're busy making new memories we'll be able to look back on in the years ahead. Of course, we took this photograph to share in our classmate Facebook page, and to have a record of this month's gathering. We'll do it all over again in May.

March Classmate Dinner...

We had a larger group this month, and we celebrated the Birthday of one of our group. Dan (center front in the blue plaid shirt) turned seventy. Because my birthday is in December, I'm older than many of my classmates. We'll be celebrating more of them in the coming months, but yesterday was Dan's day.

One of the gals left before we got to taking our monthly photograph, but we managed to snap a few before the group broke up for the night.

I spent the morning and early afternoon making cinnamon rolls, and was extremely gratified that all of them sold, with the exception of one pack of two. The rest were packs of four. I stopped at work on my way home and gave my boss, Kim the last package. When someone asked her if it was her birthday, she said, "No. Donna just loves me." She's right. I've known her since she was six or seven and it feels like we're family.

Now that our party is behind me, I'll be concentrating on packaging up all the giveaway gifts, and the extra something I'll be sending to those who shared their mailing addresses. Once that's finished, I'd really like to try to do a little needlework. We'll have to see how that works out.

February Classmate Dinner...

Front Row (l-r) John, Brad, Deb N., Bruce, Julie and Dave. Back Row: Mary, Al, Dan, Donna, Deb B., and Cal

Last night was our monthly classmate dinner. One more attended - a good friend, Paula came from Georgia to visit her mom. She didn't stay to eat with us (or to get in our monthly group photograph), but we did have a chance to visit before she had to leave. She's planning to be back in a couple months and we'll try to plan dinner around her dates so she can join us next time.

As we were chatting, she asked how long we'd been doing this. She was under the impression that we all still got together to plan the next reunion, and that we were having business meetings. We explained that after our reunion we missed our monthly gatherings, so we started a once a month dinner date. She asked how long we'd been doing this, and one of the guys said, "Over a year now." I was surprised. I hadn't thought about it, but he was right. Time flies when you're having fun, and apparently it flies faster when you get to be our ages. We must all be enjoying it though, because we scheduled next month's before we hugged and parted ways.

Oh, and one of our classmates celebrated his Birthday in Florida yesterday, so he'd sent a message to one of the gals asking if we could Facetime him when we all got to the restaurant. She got him on the phone, handed it around, and each of us wished him a Happy Birthday. I actually think we just may have made his day. Fun stuff.

I'm going to stay indoors today - except to let the girls out when they need to. I'm just going to sit and stitch or make another wee spool animal as I'll have a long day tomorrow. I'll tell you about that later. I also have to make some dog treats because somebody has a Birthday here on Saturday. You'll have to wait until then to find out who. hee hee

December Classmate Gathering...

Back Row (l-r): Ken, Donna, Jeff, Deb, Kathy, Dan, John and Jay. Front Row (l-r): Julie, Bruce, Janet, Deb, Brad

Last night, I went to bed happy tired. I got up early in the morning and made three dozen cinnamon rolls. I got them frosted just in time to drop off some rolls at work, and get to the restaurant for our classmate get together with the rest of them. Thankfully, I came home empty-handed. As usual, we had a great group, and we spent lots of time gabbing, laughing, and eating great food. I look forward to seeing them every month. 

I'll be busy with the elves today, so I'm going to keep this short. I have lots to do and plan to keep my blinders on for the next few days. You can count on me to share what I get done, and what's left to do. Nothing like waiting until (nearly) the last minute, right? I seem to work best under a wee bit of pressure. See you tomorrow.

It Was A Very Great Day...

Back Row: (l-r) Tom, Dick, Cal, Me, Dan, Sheree, Bruce and Julie. Front Row: Max, Brad, Mary, Deb N. Deb. B and Janet

After running errands (and my hair appointment), I met up with classmates for our November dinner gathering. We had a total of fifteen this time, with one missing from the photograph. I was so happy to see more couples join us, too. The more, the merrier, I say!

We had our photo taken, and chose our next date, hugged and wished each other Happy Thanksgiving before breaking up for another month.  It really was lovely.

 

This is what my hair looked as I was getting ready to leave to run errands. Thanks to Handsome, we have recorded the longest my hair has been since 2016, when we first moved to Florida. I began the "growing" process in January of this year.

When I got to Wendi's salon, we had a discussion about my current time requirements to wash and style, as well as the issue I have with curls. My sister, Jan has very curly hair, and she'd been giving me tips, but it all required time I'd rather spend in other ways. Having had an all-encompassing walk around the issue, I came to a decision...

For anyone who didn't think there were natural curls in this head of hair, I present Exhibit One. This was freshly washed and had no style agents. Just my hair (which you can see, still has plenty of the dark hair I inherited from Dad). Wendi worked in increments, in case I changed my mind, but really the decision was locked in and by this point, there was no turning back.

After Wendi was finished, I stood up and turned around to thank her and see what the back looked like. Three people in the waiting area all immediately complimented me! I knew I'd made the right decision, and I really couldn't stop smiling. Ahhhh, Vanity. Thy name is woman. sigh

I wanted to take a photograph before I got back home after dinner. It would have been dark by then, so I chose instead the highly stylized, car interior shot for you. Short and sassy again. I'm one happy gal.

Baking today. Bread and cinnamon rolls are on the agenda. It's a perfect day for it, as we'll be getting our first snow, likely to fall all day. It will be nice and warm in the farmhouse, and the smell of bread will fill the air. And I swear, before this day is over, I'm going to get some stitching in, too!