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Wednesday, January 14, 2015

A Rose of a Day!

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Here I sit, my bags packed –everything ready to go home.

I’m still up too early, I can’t seem to stop that.  It seems that my body will take no more than 7 hours of continuous sleep, so if I’m to bed by 10:30, I’m up at 5:30 and there is no use in just laying there wasting time so I get up.

I don’t have Arizona teaching plans again until 2017, so I’m not sure when I’ll be back here, but it comforts me to know I’m leaving a bit of myself behind.

A pair of slippers in the guest room closet.

A hair dryer under the bathroom sink.

I’ll be back!

The photo of this rose was taken in my sis-in-law’s garden yesterday morning.  How wonderful is the scent of roses in January.  I just love them for their beauty and their delicacy, and here in Arizona with its extreme summer heat, their perseverance and determination to flourish and bloom no matter what the circumstances.

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Ah, the sweet aroma!

I think we can learn a lot from roses.  Life has its thorns, but we can push past them and bloom regardless.

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Picking oranges!

Not far from where my brother and sis-in-law live are “pick your own” orchards.  Our mission?  Fill a couple of buckets with sweet fresh and juicy navel oranges before the rain set in.

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Sharolyn mans the picking stick!

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Chickens watch, hiding their amusement!

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All of the best fruit is way up there!

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Got that one!

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Yum!!

Of course our hands smelled like fresh picked citrus by the time this bounty was picked, paid for and bagged.  As soon as we got back home we were digging in and peeling, and eating them over the sink – the sweet juice running down our chins. 

Being the good sister in law that I am, and since our arboretum trip was nixed due to rain ((And oh, the rain did fall!)) Sharolyn asked if I would help her choose some upholstery fabrics for some throw pillows for her family room.  A fabric related chore?  YOU BET!

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SAS Outlet, Mesa!

Oh.  Boy!

We found a couple of really nice pieces that will be great for her – at only $5.99 a yard!  I can’t wait to see what she does with them.  Making pillows with upholstery fabrics is not something I’ve ever really done, but the fabrics were beautiful and it is going to fit her Arizona home just beautifully.

Of course, I had to show great restraint here:

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Cottons.  3.99 a yard!

I admit it, I fondled a few, dug for some neutrals, found stuff that was nice, but was it any different than the fabrics I already have waiting at home?  Probably not.  I have a basement full of fabric – what I can’t buy is the time to sew it up.  So can you believe that I walked away with not a single piece?  And I was okay with it?

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I did pet the polka dots though!

No regrets!  Get home and Sew The Stash!

Last night we gathered together for a family Farkle-thon, the nieces trading in and out of the game taking place in the kitchen as music lessons were going on in the living room at the front of the house.  My niece Jessica gives piano lessons and she had 3 students through the afternoon.  So fun to hear music in the house. 

My niece Ashley has her viola teacher come by and teach her in the living room after the piano lessons have concluded, so you can imagine the sounds in the background as Farkle occurred in the kitchen.  it got pretty cut throat, the winner being my brother Mark!

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Jessica and my great-niece Myah rolling dice!

Myah belongs to my niece Melissa and her husband David.  I know we have a confusingly large family, and let me tell you, it is never a dull moment!

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Great Grandpa Bill and Myah pose for a photo!

So happy for the time I’ve been able to spend with family on this trip.  I’ll miss them greatly, but in this day and age of emails, facebook, text messages, skype and phone calls, we are never that far apart.

I’ll be keeping all of this in my heart as I fly back to North Carolina today….hexies in hand!


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23 comments:

  1. Family time is the best, petting fabrics does go far in recharging the creative batteries.
    I thank you for all you do.

    The husband and son are new converts to The Quiltville Bunch LOL. and The Hubs just laughs at me when I am sitting at the sewing machine and listening and laughing along at Quilt Cam.
    He Walks in to use the computer and Laughs Oh its the Bonnie show... is she on the Pink Machine again???
    Have good travel time.
    Dee Anderson aka Dahlia Divadesigns.

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  2. so nice that you have been able to get in a family visit this trip - I too come from a very large family (1 of 12 sibs) it is so nice to be able to find the time to visit at least some of them.

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  3. Dear strong bonnie I could have never left that place without at least one piece ok maybe 2 of fabrics. Your my hero. Glad you had some family time

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  4. Your post today was really dear to my heart. I have very little family left so I took great comfort in reading of the special contact you seem to have with your extended family.

    Loved the fabric store. Don't think I could have walked away empty handed.

    Anyway, hope you have a safe travel home and that you manage to get your sleep pattern return to "normal".

    Linda

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  5. I was at SAS on MOnday.... I would have fainted if I had met you there. I am from Gatineau QC and I follow all of your postings. You are my hero..... I wish I had gone on Tuesday......

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  6. Could. I have the address for this outlet. I am in Apache Junction and would love to go.

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  7. Your AZ family will miss NOT seeing you next year. Maybe invite them all to Quiltvilla for Thanksgiving! Farkle sounds fun. Travel safe today, I read you have some Quiltvilla FUN coming up soon with Lori of Humble Quilts...

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  8. I would have bought at least a tiny piece of fabric, even if it was only a quarter of a yard, for the rememberance. Then I would have it stripped and mixed with the others at home and when it would come to my hand by diving in the stash, all the emotions connected with this family stay would come back.
    The magic of scraps is all the stories behind each tiny peace of fabric: when, why, where it was bought and what for.
    This is what made me addicted to this blog and quilt-cams: all the memories brought back by the fabrics.
    Monica in Lourixe (Northwest Spain)

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  9. The sound of live music even if just learning is great in a home. I grew up with a love of music but the stereo was as far as I got and now in my home my DH plays almost any string instrument and sings. Love it!!
    As I look out at our snowbanks and cold temperatures...I am very jealous of you picking oranges and smelling roses!!Safe trip home!

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  10. I admire that you could resist buying that polka dot fabric. I would have had a really hard time passing that by!

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  11. Oh, Bonnie, I'm so glad you got to run through SAS. I built my stash from SAS over the past few years. For a while I worked right around the corner from one of the two Phoenix locations. I loved to go during my lunch break and dig around and take home 10-15 beautiful yards of cotton. Eadh of the three stores is a bit different from the others, catering to their neighborhood preferences. Always fun to stop in, though. I don't think I've ever gone home completely empty handed....

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  12. My parents lived in Mesa after they retired and the smell of the orchards is something wonderful--wish it could be bottled! It is lovely there in the winter, but the summers are brutal! So glad you were able to spend time with your family!

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  13. Bonnie, I haven't followed you for long--perhaps 8 months. I may be projecting, but you seem a little blue. I worry about the toll your long absences from home take on you. Please take care of yourself.

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  14. Fresh orange juice can't be beat!

    How many pieces are there in the Grand Illusion (88x88) mystery quilt? Math Lady I lost track of you, Thanks
    Welcome back Bonnie

    Bring the warm weather with you its been cold here in Leavenworth WA

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  15. I would have had to bring home some of those polka dots!!! But that isle of piled high fabric in a jumble gave me anxiety just looking at it! LOL! I probably would of started folding. LOL!
    Glad you got some family time...that is the best. Hope your travels were uneventful and safe and you are now at home snuggling under a quilt. :)

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  16. Anonymous1:45 AM EST

    You've got my group playing Farkle and we are even taking it along on a cruise coming up next month.

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  17. Janet Gerlach1:46 AM EST

    rjgerlach2@gmail.com

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  18. Carolyn. pinkcar@telus.net8:00 AM EST

    As I reached my grandmotherly age I had frequent sleep disturbance and when I slept less than 8 hours I'd brace myself for a crummy day ahead. Then I read an article saying that many older women need 7 hours a night. Voila! Now I feel great in the mornings...sounds like you do too.

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  19. You are always talking about your family. How many sisters and brothers do you have?
    It sounds normal to me since I come from a family of seven and boy, how it has multiplied.

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  20. nice info, thank for your information

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  21. so nice that you have been able to get in a family visit this trip - I too come from a very large family (1 of 12 sibs) it is so nice to be able to find the time to visit at least some of them.

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