Cup...

A rainy Friday that seemed cool, temperature wise, screamed out for a cup o' soup. Nothing fancy, but oh so good to keep the "chill" at bay! A perfect afternoon snack too. 

BSoleille!

Terri

What a Spool of Thread!

The Shakespeare Wisper Touch monofilament thread comes in huge spools, approximately 24,000 yards or 13.6 miles! That's a little more than a half marathon. It took me over two years to get through the spool on the left, and I quilt and use this thread a lot. I am curious if the new one will be over or under the two year mark, that's why I date them. Pedal to the metal and thread on...

BSoleille!

Terri

We Got the Memo!!

How often do you go to work or a function and someone has on the same dress or outfit (guys in khakis and pick-a-color-button-down-shirt don't count!)?

It happens more than we think (or like at times) so tonight while walking into my guild meeting I noticed fellow quilter, Judith Keane, had basically the same clothes I had on- jeans and and red white and blue striped shirt! I'm going with "great minds think alike!" Funny thing about us is that we use pretty much the same color palette in our personal quilts - bright colors and lots of pink! Maybe it was just a matter of time that we would start "dressing alike". Haha!

BSoleille! The bright side of "getting the memo...not!"

Terri

Me and Judith (and this super humid weather does a number on my hair-yikes!)

Patuxent Research Refuge, Maryland

The National Wildlife Visitor Center in Laurel, Maryland is a science and environmental education center providing visitors with opportunities to explore, discover, and learn. A few years ago my quilt guild, Southern Comforters, had an exhibit of our quilts depicting wildlife in all its glory. We were fortunate again to be asked this year for another display of wildlife in our quilts. Of course we had to oblige!

My photos represent several quilts including Maryland's animals and sea life and beyond. Friends and fellow guild members, Susie Stevenson and Carrie Casto, and I went today to check out the awesome display of the "wild" quilts!

BSoleille!

Terri

Susie with her Chesapeake Crab!

My quilt is the African scene 

Non Political?

After tonight's presidential debate, are we not the laughing stock around the globe?And with the American population around 350 million people, are we serious enough that these are the two best people to run our country in 2016?

However, we must vote come November.  It's our right. And for women, it is especially so. Those suffragettes battled for many years to give us the right to vote, so in honor of those courageous women, I will. I do believe every vote counts. 

Lastly, why can't there be a voting app? This country votes on all kinds of things and TV shows etc., and it's all fairly air tight with the final results. I think the entire voting system can use an overhaul, don't you? Are you still shaking your head?

BSoleille!

Terri

Ms. Pacman

Blog post readers know I love the game of Pacman, but recently I have delved into playing Ms. Pacman, and I like it. One thing I like better is that I can pause play, and it seems like the ghosts move faster. I am no where near my top scores from Pacman, but that is okay with me. I like to play a few games to relax, and I am thankful to get in a "good" game every now and again!

BSoleille!

Terri

Morning Hugs!

Our Loo-C-Loo is always in the mood for morning hugs from any family member, so Ryan had the honors this morning. And since we cannot have a "pet" elephant (yesterday was National Elephant Day), a dog is just about right for us. But can you even imagine having an elephant as a pet? The thing there is that you would have an entire matriarchal family, and then there goes the "one" pet idea! 

BSoleille!

Terri

Three "Light" Orange Pumpkins

My pumpkin patch has produced four medium pumpkins. I left one on the vine to see if it will turn a "real" orange. I'm not sure if it will, and the ones in the photo that I just picked certainly have an odd coloring to them, but their shapes are great. Is there such a color? "Light orange?"

BSoleille!

Terri

Last Day of Summer

The calendar officially states today is the end of summer. Boohoo! The forecast for the mid Atlantic remains hot and humid so far so there's that. Incremental changes...

So to celebrate the last day of summer with a Crabfeast at Cantler's in Annapolis seemed just about right. (Work party with my husband's company!) The crabs were great along with catching up with many of my former co-workers! And I'm thankful for the double treat!

BSoleille!

Terri

Bill with a plateful of crabs (he shared!)

"Loitering Lloyd"

A local neighborhood dog named Lloyd has stopped by to visit us a few times in the last couple weeks. I have no idea how he gets into and out of our yard because we have a "secured" fence, and our dog Loo-C and other visiting dogs have never gotten out through the backyard fence. So when he appeared "out of the blue" once again today, I took a few photos of this bold and very cute beagle. 

Now I must add I saw Lloyd about a week ago laying down on "his" front yard watching his owner do some yard work. I was riding my bicycle and we "locked" eyes for a short second, and he gave me that glance that said, "hey, I know you!"

I didn't think he'd be back, but I think he likes his visits...

BSoleille!

Terri

Lloyd and Loo-C greeting

Lloyd begging to go in the house

Getting bolder 

Really begging to be let in, then poof, he was gone...

Veggie Bonanza

A great thing about driving to the beach in Delaware or Maryland are the many farm stands dotted along the two lane roads with their plethora of delicious and colorful vegetables. Their signs seem to lure veggie shoppers in, and the prices are fair and just. For 12 bucks I bought a whole bag of veggies to sauté, grill and broil! And who can pass up patty pan squash which is in season now?

BSoleille!

Terri

Second "Tri"

"The Best Daughter" and I liked the Bethany Beach Triathlon so much last year, that we signed up to do it again this year! I must admit though, I got quite apprehensive on doing the open water swim (and even considered downgrading from a triathlon to duathlon), but the entire thing got the better of me, and I carried on as originally planned. I was so nervous about the swim that I couldn't and didn't blog yesterday as much as I wanted to. 

But it all worked out in the end. The beautiful warm morning gave way to an awesome experience that I am so thankful I fully participated in the entire event, and sharing it with Olivia to boot!

Here are the best points:

* water temperature 75 degrees!

* water quite calm for ocean swimming (no sharks or whales!)

* Olivia won her age group and was 8th woman overall (5 min. faster over last year)

* I finished 5th in my age group and improved my time by 8 minutes over last year's race

* I just may have to sign up for next year!?

BSoleille!

Terri

Photos from Bethany Beach

Life After Youth Soccer

The exciting part of raising kids is to see how they turn into adults and what dreams they persue. And almost equally fascinating, is what their friends end up doing too! 

Tonight I got to "share" a game of soccer with one of "The Best Daughter's" former Freestate Phoenix (Pheen) teammate Briana Hovington. She's an assistant coach at Elizabeth Seton High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. And even though her team lost a close one to Georgetown Visitation 2-1, it was a great match. 

And from the looks of my uniform, I was on the referee crew of tonight's match. (And hat head for me!)

BSoleille!

Terri

Pumpkins in the Yard

The last few years I have been "composting" our pumpkins. They seem to last forever during the fall season, but by the first of the year they finally start to get soft and "nasty". So I toss them into an area of the back yard to disenegrate peacefully. The fun thing about that is a new vine or two pops up late summer. One year it was several colorful gourds. This year four pumpkins emerged from the vine and big big leaves that grows with them, but they are not very orange...yet. I hope they turn color, and if not, they will be "albino" pumpkins!

BSoleille!

Terri

Coke Bottle Project Reveal...

Tonight's guild meeting's program was the revealing of 20 quilts, sized 20"x16" (think sweet 2016), in the crazy Coke bottle campaign from this spring. I had a blogpost on the idea several months ago, and was totally blown away with everyone's interpretation of their bottle and the quilt(s) they made. The three main objectives were the size, along with using a polka dot and stripe somewhere in the quilt. We voted on cutest (winner: Susie Stevenson), most creative (winner: Margy Hill) and most clever (winner: Frank Rucky). 

They were all outstanding!!! And I could not be more tickled and excited for all the participation from 18 members (two members made two). A big thank you to Karen Todd in helping me with the program along with providing some light refreshments for our special meeting!

BSoleille!

Terri

#3- Susie Stevenson

#18- Margy Hill

#11-Frank Rucky

The Aslan Project

A beautiful evening in Washington DC overlooking the US Capitol was the backdrop for a fundraiser for the Aslan Project. Dr. Aziza Shad spearheads the mission of helping and treating children diagnosed with cancer in low income countries. Through last years' endeavors, a second Peds Hem/Onc clinic was opened in Jimma, Ethiopia. No small feat for sure. In addition to treatments with chemotherapy and other needed medicines, kids there are surviving and thriving despite their dire living arrangements. 

A bright spot in that country is their First Lady has gotten behind the initiatives associated with the Aslan Project, and personally gave her blessing to further the cause in treating and curing kids afflicted with cancer. And I am thankful for that. 

Information: http://www.aslanproject.org/index.php/who-we-are/our-story

BSoleille!

Terri

Bill and I with Dr. Aziza Shad

Revolutionary Barn?

During my trips to Kelley's Island this summer, I had a double take of some "barn art" I saw "hidden" in plain view. Revolutionary intellect Che Guevara could not be missed. Apparently, his painting on this barn brought controversy   to the islanders (no doubt). And though  he was a curious character for many years by basically having a "Robinhood" attitude of helping the poor and poverty stricken, he was tied up with Cuban socialism and communism that was frowned upon by many back in the day. He was eventually shot by the CIA in 1967. 

This "barn art" of Che is not something you see every day, so I had to take a photo (two, really). 

BSoleille!

Terri

9/11/2016

Today marks 15 years since the unthinkable acts in New York and the Pentagon. No words...and healing continues all these years later. Hoping for a safe future worldwide. 

One Last Summer Sunset

The wind was ferocious here on Kelley's Island today. And the weather could not make up its mind what it wanted to display today; sun, clouds, wind or rain. Actually, we got a little bit of all of them. But I slightly felt a twinge of fall air...I guess my favorite time of year is slipping, ever so slowly, to cooler weather! (At least in Ohio). 

And my photos today are dedicated to Carol Gartman, mother of my good friend, Patti Lane. Carol passed away two weeks ago, and her celebration of life was held today in Lakewood, Ohio, but I could not attend. However, Patti informed me that part of the celebration would be watching the sunset over Lake Erie, and I was on board with that, just about 60 miles west of Lakewood, but of course, there in spirit. There was just a few minutes of sunset because of the intermittent rain and clouds. I ran out of the house to capture these two in honor of Carol!

BSoleille!

Terri

Kelley's Island "Caper"

A quick trip to KI, OH-IO, this weekend is good for the soul. Trying to get in the last vestiges of summer (later time on the sunset) and hanging with Scot and Jodie Smith, as well as granddaughter, Isabelle! A new bocci court was worth the drive and ferry boat ride over to the island. And the sunsets continue to be amazing. The company... not to shabby either, and I am thankful for all the above!

BSoleille!

Terri

Car Wash Suds

Since the thought and reality of getting a car wash for a rental was Okay, why not one of ours? So when "The Best Daughter" borrowed one of the cars last weekend, ahem, and brought it back, ahem, filthy dirty (I could barely see out the windows), a definite bath was needed!  I took it to one of those car washes you can do yourself, but when I pulled up, they had two bays for an automatic one, and that was the one for me. I pulled up about 10ft and sat in the car (motor running) while all hell broke loose with water and very wild and colorful suds going in every direction around the car. I had to captured these two cool (I think) photos of this crazy system. 

BSoleille! The bright side of a clean car on the outside (need to go back and sweep up the inside). 

Powerful Bee

After missing a couple "Possibillibee" bees in the last several months, it was a great pleasure to be back in their great company once again. Janet McCabe hosted with a wonderful Mexican dish, and we all brought something to contribute to the meal. And, let me state, the food was delicious. However, our stimulating conversations were top notch, and everyone has a chance to be heard. It is powerful. And tonight, not a sewing machine in sight. 

BSoleille!

Terri

MVA or Bust!

Going to any MVA (Motor Vehicle Administration) or DMV (Department of Motor Vehicle) is a daunting task or "adventure" no matter what day you go! Due to a turn over on a pair of license plates and a driver's license renewal I set out mid morning with a fully charged phone and a book. I was steeled and prepared for a long wait, and I was not disappointed. I "worked" the room, going from one booth to another to complete my business (and once in the queue your number sticks with you for the additional tasks). One lady jumped up because she thought I "cut the line", but the kind woman behind the counter politely explained that I have been in the queue a long time and for her to wait for her number to come up. Thankfully, that situation was diffused swiftly. 

And as hard as you may try, there is no rhyme or reason to the number system they use; hence the book and phone.  I really did think it moved "quickly" despite the 1.5 hours spent there. 

And as for the new Maryland driver's license, they now mail it to you once it is complete. They are $48 now, but it lasts for eight years before expiring!  Now that's something to be thankful for!

BSoleille!

Terri

Labor Day 2016

Here's wishing everyone a happy, productive, or fun Labor Day Weekend. Although it signals the "end" of summer, there will still be plenty of warm days ahead to keep the summer season lingering. And I am thankful for that! 

My photo today is of a tender and broken winged butterfly. It will probably not make it to Mexico or even into next week, but today enjoyed the "fruits of its labor" with the succulent flower nectar!

BSoleille!

Terri

Blazing Sunset

Readers of my blog know that I love the January skies, with glorious sunsets close behind. So when I noticed a slightly "peachy" color sunset in its beginning stages, I knew I had to stay and take photos of the incremental beauty of tonight's setting sun. And in case you are wondering whose hands are up and waving, they are "The Best Daughter's" who paid us a visit (and home cooked meal to boot!).

BSoleille!

Terri