We made a trip to Kansas City last week, sharing a great time with my sister and her husband in Olathe, and most of our time with my dad who turned 94 years old on Sunday, April 7. Sunday afternoon, at Dad's assisted living facility, 24 members of our family gathered to celebrate. Dad likes the apple crisp they serve, so we requested it, and had salted caramel ice cream on the side. I took lots of pictures, but decline to publicly share them. Suffice it to say we had a wonderful day, and Dad did too (though we would have enjoyed seeing the Iowa Hawkeye women win the championship basketball game.) I loved getting to see my siblings, their families, and our daughter, son-in-law, and two teenaged grandsons.
We spent as much time driving to and from Kansas City as we did being in Kansas City! This time though, while enroute, we arrived in Paducah, Kentucky in time for me to visit Hancock's of Paducah, just down the road from the Drury Inn we stayed in.
I've visited this store several times before, but this is the first time I was there when it was nearly empty of customers, yet very well stocked. My goodness! They're definitely prepared for QuiltWeek, April 24-27!
My purchase was one yard of Kona Cheddar, a color I love (and cannot get in Painter’s Palette solid); a rotary blade; one 12-weight Aurifil thread; and two packs of sewing machine needles.
It might not be able apparent from this picture, but as we headed south on I-555 (in Arkansas) everyone was going north, from Memphis (Tennessee) toward the path of the total eclipse. Their side of the interstate looked like hurricane evacuation, while we had southbound lanes almost to ourselves! By the time we were in the eclipse it was pouring-down rain. My friend Elizabeth remarked, “Maybe next time.” My response was, “Ha! If I make it to 92!”
An abundance of car-riding time meant hand-piecing time.
I took along 28 Glitter blocks prepped-for-hand-piecing and stitched them all.
That means I have pieced all 152 blocks needed for my Glitter quilt. You know what I'll be doing next!
Book Recommendation
Clementine has her dream job as a book publicist, and is living in an apartment bequeathed to her by the aunt she adored and traveled with extensively. Her aunt always said her apartment was a place where time slipped, so Clementine is only slightly taken aback when one evening she returns to her apartment to find all her aunt's things in place (things Clementine had donated after her aunt's death), and a strange man, Iwan. He tells her that her aunt said he could stay in the apartment until he finds a place of his own. Clementine realizes she has stepped back seven years in time.
As Clementine comes to know and like Iwan, she remembers her aunt telling her to never fall in love in the apartment. But love has a will of its own. For the sake of her job, Clementine realizes she must meet and win over the different, future Iwan - now known as James, and reconcile James with the Iwan she knew in the past.
Linda's score: 3.8/5.0
Wowsa!
I am certain I have less than one fourth of the stash she does. I don't have any fabric precuts, bundles, or kits. She mentions not counting leftover fabric/fabric she has cut into. When I take into account how little of my stash has NOT been cut into - I estimate that at less than 5% of my stash - she makes me feel good about what I've been doing! Whoo-hoo! Maybe I AM on my way to using up my stash! Linda
Ah, you could always come downunder for the next solar eclipse- in 2028! Apparently it will travel over five states, but I dare say not Tasmania or most of Victoria! Happy 94th birthday to your father- what an achievement!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to your Dad! Glad you could visit to celebrate!
ReplyDeleteHey that's me! Thanks for the shout-out. Sounds like you had a fun trip. I am one of those people who don't like Kona solids due to the texture and fraying but the idea of having so many shades to choose from under one roof is appealing for sure. I'm trying to decide if that huge piece of meat is supposed to fit onto the bun. Yum yum.
ReplyDeleteOhh, I’m so hungering for the pork sandwich now! Apparently, hy-vee won’t come to Texas because of HEB stores. 😔
ReplyDeleteOur solar lights all came on during the eclipse and it was pretty neat it got dark but quickly went away. I was outside with the ADT man making sure our backyard camera was working. He kept stopping to put on his glasses and stare at the sky.
You should win the “greatest fabric restraint “ award! 🥇 I would be so tempted inside Hancocks! Hats off to you!
And now that you’re talking about the tenderloin, I want another one! It was that good!
DeleteReally? Is that why Hy-Vee hasn’t expanded further? Because H.E.B.s are competition? Well, I guess I’m not surprised. H.E.B. is a great grocery store chain. I adore their coffee, and always come home with bags of it after visiting our son in Austin.
Oh, how cool that you experienced the eclipse. No doubt you were nearly in the full path. Using glasses while in the car, I did get to see a glimpse of the eclipse, when it was about 1/4 of the way covered. Then it began raining. :-(
Ha, ha - “greatest fabric restraint.” Honestly, I thought about buying more, but there were SO MANY bolts to look at, I didn’t know where to begin! I guess I could have filled a couple holes in my stash - red, purple - but I don’t have a quilt that needs making, so it would have been adding to my stash for no apparent reason. That’s something I’m not ready to do! Linda
So glad you had a great trip to celebrate your dad. And interesting about the fabric stash video - I'll have to check that out. ;-)
ReplyDeleteSo nice that you had a great time with your family, and celebrating your Dad's 94th birthday with him. That certainly is a great achievement.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful you could have this visit with your Dad and family. Happy birthday to him! And i'll echo another commenter- impressive restraint at Hancock's! That place is massive. You could spend a whole day there. And no restraint on the pork sandwich, but you waited a long time to get it so no need to hold back. It looks delish.
ReplyDeleteWhat restraint! Don't know that I could have resisted buying fabric at Hancocks. Although when there are that many choices I shut down and can't decide. Less is sometimes better. We were in Sedona during the eclipse and saw the partial. My SIL was in Austin and lucked out seeing the total after clouds cleared. We'll be in Olathe next month as well as other KC spots. I'll have to remember the pork tenderloin sandwich. My BIL likes to eat there. He's single and doesn't really cook.
ReplyDeleteBased on comments from friends who were travelling near total-eclipse territory, you did well to be going the other way!
ReplyDelete