Armchair BEA

I am a newbie Blogger. So here goes. 

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? My name is Judy
2. How long have you been blogging? I have been blogging regularly since October 2011.
3.  Why did you get into blogging? I first started about 5 years ago when I was going through some really hard times and I thought a blog would just be a personal diary. I did not continue as it became too painful. So when I retired from my job, I started again. I intended it to be just a place where I recorded my new life as a retired lady.As I explored, I happened on Quilting Blogs and then by chance Book Blogs.
4. What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012? Right now I am reading "How to Eat a Cupcake" by Meg Donohue. It is for a challenge on Goodreads. My favorite book so far this year was "The Secret Garden"
5. Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. I'm not sure that there is something you all don't know about me, I'm pretty much an open book.  But I also quilt and do needlework. I live in a small city in Wyoming, and I do not have an e-reader or often listen to audiobooks.  
6. Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? YES How? I have read  and want to read, many different genres since beginning to read others book blogs. I never would have re-read, White Oleander by Janet Fitch, or The Secret Garden by Frances Hodges Burnett. I probably would have just continued reading the romance chick-lit that I had been reading

You will notice as time goes on, that I am exposing myself more and more. I have a few followers( other quilters) and have participated in more memes.  I am learning new words,  BEA, MEME, HTML, all kinds of fun new stuff.  I will continue with my quilting blogging too. So my blog still is mainly a diary of sorts about my life as a retired lady. 

Snapshot Saturday

Saturday Snapshot

is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books.

Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.

This is my Bridal Veil Spirea  as it looked in early May. Some years it is prettier that other years. This year was a good year, but not the most awesome.  It has since faded and is not nearly as pretty. Nothing else is blooming as yet and I have not created anything in my quilt room to take pictures of. So this is it for this Saturday. Have a great week.

Today is our 48th anniversary. We are going out to dinner with friends. Tomorrow I will sew with my friends at our regular Sunday Sew.  Maybe it will have something to photograph for next Saturday.

Until next time:

Stay Busy/Stay Happy
Judy

June - Summer Feels Near

Today we finished putting in the garden. I will post pictures as soon as Mr. Busy gets the irrigation system up and running. I finished reading

I really enjoyed it this time.

Now I have started reading How to Eat a Cupcake:

Spent part of Thursday with Thursday Stitchers. We had a good visit. Diana brought an amazing wall hanging or bellpull done in counted cross-stitch. It says WELCOME with Bunnies and beaded flowers.  Really pretty, wish I had thought to take a picture with my cell phone.  :(

Until next time,

Stay Busy, Stay Happy 

Judy

May is at an End

It's the last day of May. We had a glorious time camping with our Colorado family. We ate well, our grandson-in-law did most of the cooking. Our SIL cooked the first night BBQ chicken on the grill. It was great. The rest of the time, we had sloppy joes, fish tacos, hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans, watermelon, chips, trail mix etc. We celebrate the granddaughters' birthdays, so there was even 2 birthday cakes and ice cream. WOW.

We hiked to Fish Creek Falls.
Do you recognize it?  It is the falls on the Coors Beer can!  LOL.  It really is beautiful. The big kids played in the water-





Don't look too closely, there is a sign that says, "Stay on the Trail"









I am still reading White Oleander by Janet Fitch. I am enjoying it this time. When I tried to read it several years ago, I just couldn't.  I am in a different place in my life now.

Til next time.
Stay Busy, Stay Happy
Judy

Mailbox Monday

Happy Monday Everyone:  Mailbox Monday is hosted by Martha's Bookshelf in  May.  I am so excited to be able to post today.  A few weeks ago, I signed up for a giveaway at   Cozy Chicks blog and surprise, surprise, I won.  I thought I was signing up for a free copy of 1 book, but in the mail I received 2 book and 2 bookmarks. Both books are signed by the author Sophie Kelly. I am blessed. Now I have added them to my summer TBR stack. Which seems to be growing by leaps and bounds.  Last week I attended a quilt retreat with 18 friends at beautiful Ranch A Wyoming.  We also had a book exchange and I came home with all four books from the Twilight Series

Tuesday

Beautiful Ranch A, Wyoming

2012 Quilt Chicks Annual Retreat

OK...I did not post while at the retreat. There was promised a WiFi connection.  It was so sporadic that I barely got an email off to DH to tell him I arrived safely. There is no cell service there either. That makes for good quilting time, and reading time.  No interruptions from outsiders.  However, my quilting buddies are great at keeping me busy, so I may have not posted even had there been a decent internet connections. I have some pictures. 

This is my "Jelly Jive"quilt, made from a Jelly roll I thought I liked.
I am not in love with it, but I received several suggestions for salvaging it to make it "awesome"

Marva is designing her "Tangled Threads" kit that she purchased last year at our Quilt show.
She had it all cut, but got it totally pieced at retreat!  Way to go Marva!

Marva working on collapsible trash bag

Linda H concentrating on her trash bag

Linda W and June at their stations

Deb and Zana working on their trash bags.

Sandy showing Jenn how to hand stitch the bottom to the top

Are you jealous yet, of our awesome weekend away?

The weather was fabulous and the food was superb.  We all cooked at different times, so we could sew, sew, sew. 

I got most of my SUMMER wall hanging complete, but was missing one white 2 X 3.5 inch rectangle.  Wonder if I just forgot to cut the 4th one or if it got lost?  No matter, will cut another this week and complete it. Will post a picture then.

Until then,

Stay Busy, Stay Happy

Judy

Ranch A Eve

Tomorrow after water aerobics, I leave for 3.5 days of quilting with friends. The Quilt Chicks rock!!.  I hope to make a dent in my block of the month quilt. Also am taking a small applique and pieced SUMMER wall hanging. We will learn to make an Iron Cozy and do a project taught by Deb B.  Right, Left, Center is on the menu too.  I am so excited. I will add pictures tomorrow.


Page Turners May selection is "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot.

  It causes me a lot of anxious thoughts. I have really vivid dreams.  So I am also reading "Songs of the Humpback Whale"  by Jodi Picoult.
It is better to read before bed at least.


Till tomorrow....
Stay Busy Stay Happy

Judy