What a Wowzer of a Monday!

This is your one quilty photo of what has been going on here – both behind the scenes and in front of them!

I’m packing up for my big trip to Hershey, and I also used my Sunday home to prepare for what is going on in AUGUST in Pennsylvania as well!

There is a Surprise class on the horizon, and handouts needed to be written.

I’m excited about this one – so excited that I have a surprise for those who are unable to attend this class as well – just wait – it’s coming!

As I unpack the rest of my gear from last week’s Michigan adventure – washing the clothes and basically putting them back in my suitcase with a few other additional items (Three workshop days plus a lecture in Hershey!) I came across some of the fun items from this trip:

My commemorative Big Brownie shirt from the Brown Trout Festival!

Son Jeff has quickly claimed this as HIS – and that makes me happy too!  Every time I see him wearing it I’ll remember the fun times we had.  

I love bringing things that I can put right to good use:

LOVE this syrup warmer!

I have a small pottery syrup warmer at the cabin, and have wanted one for home.  I love hand thrown pottery – and this is perfect.  As a REAL maple syrup snob, just a pour of syrup into the pot, and a quick 20 seconds in the microwave is all I need for a breakfast of perfection.

The rest of the family doesn’t like real syrup – preferring that corn syrup laden Mrs. Butterworths instead, so I’m a lucky girl getting to keep my real maple syrup to myself.  Anything left in the warmer after I’m done with breakfast gets drizzled back into the original syrup bottle – I am frugal with every drop of maple-y goodness!

I love upcycled vintage silverware!

This is genius!

One spoon plus one severed hollow knife handle becomes a beautiful place for just a few toothpicks.

Breakfast at it’s best!

The little Pure Michigan syrup was a gift from the Gone to Pieces Quilt Guild.

And yes, peanut butter is my butter of choice when it comes to things like pancakes, waffles or French toast.  If I’m going to butter anything – at least I get the benefits of fiber and protein instead of just butter fat.

Want something REALLY decadent?  Slice some banana on top of that peanut butter before adding a drizzle of maple syrup.  Now we’re talkin’ Breakfast!

The other thing I love from any trip is re-going through the photos taken, still residing on my phone.  Always in love with old houses – check these out.  The last house shown in the slide show is now a mortuary, and you’ve got to see the hearse at the end.  Of COURSE I had to stop and take photos!

Click to play:

A post shared by Bonnie K Hunter (@quiltville_bonnie) on Jul 14, 2018 at 4:31pm PDT

Yesterday was a Manic Monday – a noon time drive out to Yellow Freight brought us this:

What a Load!

This is all Quilter’s Date Keepers and Quilty Pencils.  Time to get busy getting those orders filled and out on their way to you!

I have an apology to make to some folks who are still waiting.  My inventory was wrong on what we had in stock on Triangle Booty Rulers with the last batch. Finding myself extremely low with orders coming in, I contacted my supplier for more.

This past week her mother’s health has taken a turn and she had to quickly leave and go take care of her mother – understandable.  Families come first. 

But what I am experiencing is a crazy set of circumstances in motion that is preventing me from sending orders that included the Triangle Booty Ruler until those rulers arrive.  I had hoped they would be here yesterday.  They weren’t.  If they don’t arrive today, they will be shipped when I return from Hershey.

In the entire scheme of things – rulers don’t matter as much as family.

And family is something that is heavy on my mind these days as my brother Mark continues to struggle with his brain cancer.  I can’t go into details, but tears come quickly and often.  Please keep the prayers and the well wishes coming.  I can’t imagine living the rest of my life without him.

The next time I am free to fly to Arizona to see him is right after Labor Day.  That’s 6 weeks away, and I don’t know how he will be by then.

This whole winding down of my crazy travel schedule began in earnest last August when the cancer came back.  I need a way to be available to my family without disappointing guilds, shops, shows with contracts.  Contracts can no longer rule my life.  Family is more important.  

Family is even more important than quilting.  There. I said it.

And I just don’t know what is going to happen between now and Labor Day.

My spot of contemplation this morning.

I’ve been taking time out on the back porch while home  - enjoying the sounds of birds calling back and forth, and thinking about my day and what needs to be done and how I’m going to do it.  Peace in the morning, sets the tone for peace in the day.

I’m packing for Hershey FIRST – getting everything I need into the van so I am ready to roll, and then I’ll be tackling what book orders I can up until bedtime.

The rest will wait until I return.

Quiltville Quote of the Day.

Sometimes we need to embrace the change that is happening in our lives, instead of fighting it.

There are some things I am flighting, and fighting hard --

Accepting the change may come later.