Glad this day is over!

Whew - what a day. We had snow and ice last night. Schools were cancelled, but I still had to go to work. I knew I was in trouble when I came to the hill at the end of my street and tried to stop, but couldn't. I just kept right on sliding. The rest of the drive was just as treacherous.

I was only working until 1:00 because I had an ophthalmologist appointment at 1:30. I have been having trouble with my eyes crossing outwards. I've had this problem since I was 2, but had surgery to correct it when I was 11, however, it's become a problem again.

I made it to my appointment a little early. I got out of my van and began to walk to the door. I looked around and saw that the view was beautiful. I decided to go back to my van to get my camera and take a few pictures before my appointment. That was the moment I realized I had locked my keys in my van.

Thankfully, I have AAA and they were able to unlock my van and get my keys back. I didn't even have to go outside. They unlocked my van and then brought the keys to the receptionist, who then brought my keys to me in the exam room.

However, my visit with the ophthalmologist did not go as well. I found out that there is nothing that can be done for my eyes. I have "abnormal retinal correspondence". In other words, my eyes do not work together at the same time. I have 20/20 vision in both eyes - I just can't use them both at the same time.

Before I left, I took a few pictures from the parking lot. When I got home, I had class list from the Viking dealership near me. I really hope to take a class some time. It would be a great way to meet people

Phillies' Fleece Scarf

Last night, as I was falling asleep, I was dreaming of fleece scarves. I have fallen in love with scarves since moving to PA. Until last night, I had not thought about the fact that I can make some!! I went to JoAnns on my lunch break and bought a few pieces of fleece to make us all fleece scarves.

We're in for quite a snowstorm tomorrow, tomorrow night and Wednesday, so it will be nice to have new, warm scarves to wear when we play out in the snow.

I used a pattern I found on line at http://www.sewing.com/projects/uploads/fleecescarf.pdf It was very quick and easy. I came home and made this before I even cooked dinner. Timothy has one just like mine. Hannah will have a Mickey Mouse all over print one, and Jonathan's is solid royal blue. I am going to have fun making these!!

It's gonna' be a busy day....

Today is going to be a busy day, but a fun day here in Amish Country. We will be going to church this morning. We will have to practically run out of church because from 1:00 - 2:30, Timothy has a classmate's birthday party to go to. It's his first real invitation to a birthday party. He is so excited. Then, at 4:00, we're meeting Kurt and his kids to watch "Hotel Dogs". After "Hotel Dogs", we'll do the grocery shopping. It's going to be a full day!!

Speaking of birthdays . My 40th birthday is coming up on March 5th. I am taking the day off from work and taking Hannah out of school for an "educational field trip". We are going to spend an entire day in Lancaster County WITH NO BOYS!!

There are a few things that I have put on my birthday wish list already. One of them is the Quilter's Workbook.

http://www.landauercorp.com/aspx/Store/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=2567

I've also been looking at the quilting calculator, but I'm not sure how much I would use either one of these (book or calculator) since I am going to primarily do applique quilting.

If any of you have either of these (book or calculator), I'd love to hear your thoughts on their usefulness. If you have any other suggestions for my birthday wish list, please share those ideas too.

Sunbonnet Sue

These are the fabrics I chose for my Sunbonnet Sue quilt. Hannah and I had a lot of fun at Burkholders - going up and down every aisle looking for the perfect tiny floral print fabric.

I have flirted around with several different types of quilts but have finally decided that applique is my absolute favorite. I've only done one applique quilt so far - my flip flop quilt, and it was a lot of fun. I am eager to get started on this Sunbonnet Sue quilt.

"Sunbonnnet Sue Visits Quilt In A Day" by Eleanor Burns. -- http://sunbonnetsue.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=451

Amish Country - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

These first three pictures were taken in July when I was just visiting.

These pictures were taken last Saturday from Bird In Hand, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania in Pictures

I have taken a lot of pictures since arriving in Pennsylvania. I love the snow, sunrises and sunsets!! I take my camera with me to work almost every day so I can take pictures either on my lunch break or sometimes on the way to or from work.

This is from a park across the street from Reading Hospital

The sunrise as seen from my backyard.

Timothy was helping shovel the sidewalk.

Another sunrise - from the parking lot of Green Valley Elementary School.

More from the park across from Reading Hospital.

My Two True Loves

I have two passions. One is quilting, and the other is photography. Pennsylvania is the perfect place to combine both of those passions.


This afternoon, I went to Burkholder's Fabric Store. http://www.burkfabrics.com/index.php It is only 8 miles from my house, but it is on the other side of a mountain. It is a beautiful drive!! Here are a few pictures from my trip to Burkholders at sunset.

While at Burkholders, I got everything I need for a Sunbonnnet Sue quilt.



This picture was taken from the parking lot of Burkholders. The pond is frozen.








This picture was taken as we made our trek back down the mountain to home.