This past weekend I went to Quilt Camp!  It is held at beautiful Camp Bethel, in Fincastle, VA, not too far away!  Twice a year a group of about 26 of us get together and rent a place at the camp for a long weekend.  We stay in one building that has a very large room to sew in, and 4 rooms off of that with bunk beds - we each get a bottom bunk.   We go to the dining hall for delicious meals.  We can sew all day long and into the night if we want to.  Most everyone brings her sewing machine, but not always.  This year two ladies did handwork the whole time.  We set up ironing boards, cutting tables, a table for coffee and tea, and a table for snacks.  Some of us see each other often throughout the year, but some of the gals come from farther away and it is like a mini reunion!  The youngest this time was 42 and the oldest was 84!  

I have taken lots of pictures at previous camps, of our quilts, our room, lots of people.  But I just didn't feel like running all around with my camera this time!  I wanted to relax, sew, enjoy visiting with my friends without always snapping pictures.  I did sew - two tablerunners and binding for two other quilts, and a little handwork.  I learned some new skills - everyone is so friendly and helpful!  And I was reminded that almost 10 years ago, when I went to my first camp, I didn't even know how to use a rotary cutter or machine piece my quilts.  I had previously learned to do it all by hand.  What a lot I have learned in 10 years!  And, more important than that, what wonderful friends I have made in those 10 years!

I did take walks each day of camp, and so this time I decided to just get some pictures of the beautiful camp in the spring.  Many of my local friends spent their childhoods going to camp at Camp Bethel, which holds camps all summer long, or they sent their children to camp there.  They might love seeing these pictures!

Here is the lodge where we stay and sew -

                   

The dogwoods and redbuds were beautiful, and the scenery is lovely and peaceful -

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

This is the building where we go to eat -

                   

 

I didn't take these cutie pies to camp with me, but I sure did miss them!

                   

When I tell people that I am friends in real life with people I have met online via blogging, they are sometimes a little surprised.  But when I tell them that about 5 years ago, I went to actually stay with a xanga blog friend who I had never met in person, they are often astounded!  I have heard:  "You STAYED with them?"   "You DIDN'T!!"   And my favorite:  "MOM, you would NEVER have let us do that!!"    But I did!  I went to visit Julie in Chicago for a quilt show, stayed with her and Arne, and I even took my youngest daughter, who was then in college, with me!  I just KNEW it was ok.  Julie and I had spent hours online, so to speak, in that we chatted via our blogs.  And we chatted in person on the phone quite a bit.  And we had a lot in common - we both had 3 adult daughters, who we had homeschooled; we went to similar types of churches; our husbands were both elders in our churches; we both quilted and knitted; we were both Christians and loved the Lord.  We had been in touch with each other for several years, so we had lots of time to make sure that neither of us wasn't who we said we were.  And after that first visit, there were lots more!  And our husbands became friends!  They came here for Thanksgiving one year, and we went there for meetings in Chicago; one time we went on a dinner cruise!  And now when Jim goes to Chicago, he meets Arne for dinner!  And when Arne bought a bowed psaltery to play, they came out this way last year to the psaltery workshops and symphony.  This year, it didn't work out for them to come for the whole thing, but they were able to get there to see the musical performance - and see us!

We visited together while the set up and rehearsals were going on - here is Jim coming out to the stage for practicing -

And a few more pictures of the rehearsal just before it started -

After the show was over and everyone met to do one more "jam", and started saying goodbyes, Jim and I went to the cabin where Julie and Arne were staying.  It was lovely!

And they grilled steaks for us and made us a delicious dinner!  Here is Julie ready to cook!

Both in the kitchen -

Dinner was wonderful!  And the company was delightful!

 

 

Ok, so I know how important it is to be careful about who we meet online.  Really, I do.  And I am blessed, because I have met up with quite a few of my blog friends over the years, and the experiences have made my life richer!

 

This past weekend, Jim took part in the Psaltery Symphony that has been held for the past few years, at Tamarack, in West Virginia.  The symphony itself is on a Sunday afternoon, and the workshops are the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before it.  It is a wonderful opportunity for people from all over the country to get together and play these beautiful instruments.  Many have played for years, and some are very new to it!  We have made many friends over the years who we met at these workshops.  I don't play a psaltery - I sit and do handwork!  It is very relaxing!

Here is the group at one of their rehearsal/workshops.

                                

                                

                                

At night they had an opportunity to get together in the meeting room of a local hotel to "jam" - or play music together.  Many of the group play other instruments, and it was soooo much fun to watch and listen!  There was a large group this year, and so some of the time, they went over the music they needed to practice together for the symphony, and some of the time they played other pieces.

                                

                                

These pictures are from Saturday night when there was a small group, playing psalteries, dulcimers, and even a drum.  Some of this group are professional musicians and can play a wide variety of music.  I love listening!  Oh, and sewing while I listen!

                                

                                

 

I had an especially wonderful time on Saturday.  At lunchtime, a friend who I knew when we lived in Biloxi, who now lives in West Virginia about an hour from where the workshops were, came to visit me!  I forgot to take any pictures!!  We had 4 hours together, chatting away and catching up on 20 years of family news!  We have been in touch through Christmas cards and Facebook, so we did already know quite a bit of news, but there was sooooo much to talk about.  It felt like we hadn't been apart for any time at all!

 

Saturday, in the late afternoon, Julie and Arne Paulsen arrived!  Julie is my xanga friend of many years now, who I met in person when I visited her at her home outside of Chicago, and who I have seen many times.  Our husbands have become friends, some of our children have met each other, and we chat online almost every day!  They were not participating in the symphony this year, although Arne did last year.  This year they arranged their vacation to be coming to the area at just the right time!  They were going to surprise me, but decided to tell me ahead of time, and I am glad they did, because the anticipation is half the fun!  

                                

 

We sat in the auditorium during the Sunday morning rehearsal, before the symphony got started.

 

Next time - visiting with the Paulsens, and the Psaltery symphony!

I took a suggestion from one of my xanga friends, and let the kids make a giant spider web today!  They loved it!  They wrapped yarn around and around the kitchen chairs and table!

                                     

 

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

                                     

I love having the kiddos here!  And I love that they love to come to Grandma's!  I never had grandparents, and to spend time with my own grandchildren is the joy of my life!  Today they came just because I try to keep them on Fridays whenever I can, to give Amanda time to do whatever she wants!  They came today in the late morning, after finishing their school for the day, and stayed until late afternoon.  It was a wonderful day for this Grandma!                      

I kept the kids this morning while Mommy had a doctor's appt.  I had a little craft for them to do first.  My friend Pam told me about our local art museum having a "yarn bombing" for kids, where they wrapped yarn around things in the museum!  Well, I didn't want yarn wrapped around everything, so I changed it up a little.  I took some cups and styrofoam plates that I wasn't using, and gave them yarn (there is no shortage of yarn around here left over from various projects), along with scissors and tape and some other stuff, and let them create whatever they wanted!  

                     

Here is what Charlie came up with:

                     

                     

And Megan chose a pink cup -

                     

                     

                     

John did NOT get yarn, scissors, or tape.     He got the paper cup and plate and crayons!

                     

I guess that wasn't as much fun.  

Then we went outside for awhile since it was a beautiful day!   Shhhhh. . . . don't tell Betsy and Andrew that while they were having a blizzard in Colorado, it was about 86 degrees here, and sunny!

We still had piles of leaves left over from the fall, hidden in a corner of a flower bed.  We raked, swept, and got them into a pile, and it looked a lot like fall!

                     

                     

                     

And they played ball on the driveway.  They also colored the driveway with sidewalk chalk, but I didn't get a picture of that.

                     

                     

Pretty soon it was time to come in for lunch and wait for Mommy!

                     

                     

In the few days before Easter weekend, it was a whirlwind of activity around here, but I didn't get too many pictures.  One day I kept Megan with me because she was sick, and it was the day of the library Easter party.  Amanda took the boys to the party, promising they would bring her some goodies, and she was quite happy to stay here!  She felt like doing something for a little bit of the time, so I took out some yarn and threaded a tapestry needle, and showed her how to pull the yarn in and out of one of my old dishcloths, and "decorate" it.  She enjoyed that!

                                 

And she loves to play with my pink tool set, so she was "fixing" this wooden rocking horse.  

                                 

Suzanne came home, and she and Jim were doing all of the newspaper crossword puzzles over the weekend!

                                 

 

We had our family Easter dinner on Saturday night - it is so much easier to get together the night before Easter because Easter Sunday is busy with a sunrise service, church services, and then hungry children, much needed naps, and Suzanne and her boyfriend Bryan needing to get on the road to get home.  And since Megan's 4th birthday was coming up, we had her birthday celebration that night too!  Look at this beautiful cake that Amanda made!

                                 

                                 

We sang "Happy Birthday" and she was all ready to blow out those candles!

                                 

John was waiting so patiently through the whole thing!

                                 

Look at the inside of the cake!  A rainbow cake!

                                 

                                 

Charlie was there, but this time, he was getting sick, so he was on the couch most of the time.  But he enjoyed laying there and watching her opening her presents.

                                 

                                 

It was a nice evening!  Easter Sunday was chilly and raining.  Some of us went to the Easter Sunrise Service, which ended up being inside in our church, and then during church, Charlie stayed here with me because he was still sick.  We had a nice, quiet time together.  Most of the time, he was resting, but we did play one game, and it was a privilege for me to be able to help Amanda and Sam, who both have major responsibilities at church.  And I am thrilled that the kiddos love to be here with me even when they are sick and would really rather be with their mommy!

 

It was a busy and exhausting weekend, but a wonderful time of remembering the resurrection of our Lord!  By mid - afternoon, everyone had gone home, and I took a nice nap!

 

 

 

Easter weekend was a lot of fun!  Our church had an Easter festival/ Easter egg hunt on Saturday.  Lots of people came!  Many from the surrounding neighborhoods, as well as children and grandchildren of our church members.  Here are some pictures of that fun day -

Bouncy things to play in -

                                       

                                       

Popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones -

                                       

                                       

                                       

                                       

Tattoos, well, the fun kind -

                                       

 Face painting -

                                       

                                       

Everyone seemed to have a great time!

                                       

                                       

                                       

                                       

                                       

 

Next time - family fun and a birthday party!