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!

Rain, Rain, Go Away. A Bridal Shower Yesterday...

Brynwood Needleworks - Danielle's Shower Cookies

 

Yesterday was so much fun! I spent about four hours with friends for a bridal shower. My dear friend of nearly twenty five years is going to be a mother-in-law in October. Her eldest daughter is getting married, and Sunday was the bridal shower, hosted by her younger daughter and the bride's attendants. 

 

The weather was perfect. It was chilly and overcast in the morning, but by the time I was driving forty minutes south, the temperature had risen and the sun was shining.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - The Future Bride

 

Danielle, her younger sister and brother (not in attendance) were mere kidlets when I first met Wendi, and over the years we have quite a few shared memories. I was so happy to be invited to share in the making of a monumental new memory for their family.

 

My guess was that there were at least fifty others who were as happy to be there as I was. The venue was decorated perfectly; the food (in typical Wisconsin style) was abundant and delicious; and even strangers were just friends in the making.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Toilet Paper Bridal Gowns

 

We played bridal gift bingo (you had to fill out your own card with gifts you thought the couple would be receiving, prior to Danielle beginning the gift opening, and then x out your squares if/when they were revealed when opened); a "how well do you know the couple" questionnaire;  and there was also a contest to see who could make the cutest bridal gown from up to five rolls of toilet paper. Each group (loosely) consisted of five women (except the ladies at my table left shortly before this game started, so I grabbed my model and went to work on my own). Can you guess which dress I made?

Each "tp bride" received a small gift, and the winner (which we weren't) received an extra gift. It was all great fun, especially seeing all the creative ladies in the room.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Party Favor Coffee & My Bingo Win Towel

 

I won a bingo gift, so I chose a button tab kitchen towel (created by Wendi's mom). I was drawn to one kitchen towel with a chicken motif on it, but I know you're not surprised that, in the end, I chose coffee! Then, on our way out, our party favor was a cute package with coffee from a local shop (enough for twelve cups!!).

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Dear Friends

It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, and to be able to get together with a woman I admire (and the daughters she's raised into amazing young women) was icing on the cake. I made sure to get a photograph of us together before I left to drive home. 

 

I'm really looking forward to the wedding, and plan to create something special for the bride and groom. As the wedding is in October, I have plenty of time to lend some thought to what I want to make for them.

 

So, last thing...if you leave a comment guessing which tp gown I made, I'll have a little gift for the first person (or everyone) who gets it right. I'll let you know on Wednesday!