Chicago Weekend

My niece, Jennifer lives and works in Chicago.  Recently I was looking at a blog that talked about the Randolph Street Fleamarket in Chicago.  It is the last week of each month during the summer.  So I wrote my niece to tell her about it.  I'm not sure if she invited me or I asked to come for a visit but we decided on this weekend. First I borrowed a GPS which I love, love, love.  No keeping track of maps and ramp numbers, just let the little voices when to get over to the right or left and then a little dinging sound that tells you that you did good.  I've got to get me one of these.

I got to Chicago quite quickly, 4 hours, but I didn't know that Jennifer had to work until 7:30, so that gave me about 4 hours.  So she called and told me how to get to the salon where she works.  So I walked there and got to see quite a bit of the neighborhood where she lives and works, Andersonville/Ravenswood.  After dropping in to say hi, she gave me the keys to her apartment, but told me that the shops in the neighborhood were worth checking out.  So here are a few of the shops.

Brimfield was a great shop that has antiques and specialized upholstery with wool blankets and other interesting fabrics.

Foursided was a cool shop.  Framing, art work and paper ephemera like old classroom charts and maps.

Andersonville Galleria had a lot of wonderful artistic items.

So after grabbing a little lunch I walked back to the apartment to wait for Jennifer to get home.

I love her building as it reminds me a lot of my last apartment in downtown Lansing with hardwood floors, glass doorknobs, terrazo floors in the bathroom.

Saturday morning Jennifer had go to into work for a couple of hours.   When she got home we went to the flea market.  There were vendors outside and then in the Plumbers has in the auditorium there were more higher end vendors set up.  Although not as big as I hoped, it was lots of fun.  And we both got a little sunburnt.

When we got back from the flea market Jennifer asked me to show her some of the features on the sewing maching that I have picked up at an estate sale for her.  She wanted to try her hand at sewing curtains for in their new apartment. So we had fun going through all the features and helping her figure them out.

Saturday night I treated to dinner at a restaurant of Jennifer and Lief's choice.  Jennifer chose a mexican restaurant.  We were surprised when we got there that they take reservations but they did have 1 table for walk-ins so we were lucky.  Jennifer had scallops, Lief  mahy mahy and I had pulled pork with black beans.  All the meals were wonderful, service outstanding.  Definitely on the top of the list.

 Sunday morning after breakfast I showed her how to straighten up her fabric and how to start by finishing the edges of her fabric.  Her boyfriend became an uncle this morning at 6 am so he was anxious to head off to Michigan to see his new nephew so  we started out by noon.

Traffic was pretty slow coming home but since it was earlier than I had thought of leaving it was easy to be patient and just enjoy the sights.

So tomorrow it's back to work, with the start of the 2nd week of classes.  Well, I think a good time was had by all.  Thanks for the good time Jennifer and Lief.

Tomatoes & Quilt block

Something else we got out of the garden on Sunday were some unique tomatoes.  My mom bought the plants from a neighbor of my brother and his wife.  They are about the size of a golf ball but are almost black in color.  They are nice and sweet.

Tonight is the Variable Star group meeting.  We just started a block exchange.  Two months ago we couldn't decide just what we wanted to do next, round robin, mystery quilt, block exchange, etc.  So we threw everything in a hat and ended up drawing out a block exchange.  This is the first month that blocks are due.  I started with Melanie's block which is pictured below.

We will also have our quilt for Dian who just moved to Florida.  So people are supposed to sign their blocks tonight.

Peaches, Sweet Peaches

Friday my mom got a card from our favorite U-pick farm, Hanulcik Farm in Ionia.  Peaches were ready for picking on the weekends, so we immediately made plans to go pick at least a few on Sunday afternoon. Over the years my mother and I have always enjoyed picking whatever was in season.  Hanulcik's have strawberries, peaches, plums, necatrines, and 5 or 6 varities of apples.  The peach varities that were ready to pick were, Red Havens and Paul Fridays, so we each picked a peck of peaches.  Jo Lange, a close friend, went along too and she picked a half bushel.  We all picked  Red Havens and then just to try the Paul Friday variety we picked just a peck of those and split them between us.

I can't think of many things better than spending time in an orchard.  The dropped fruit that has started to ferment adds a lovely sweet smell to the air, and the trees look just lovely laden down with fruit.  By the time we drove from the orchard to the barn to pay and opened the trunk, all that peachy wonderfulness rushed out at you.  Although beautifully colored, the peaches were a little hard, but a day or two in storage should ripen them quickly.

I think mom is was going to make a cobbler to take to hospice this week.  Today she was busy putting up corn relish before the racoons get any more of her sweet corn.   I sliced up a few to go on sponge cake at the Charm group potluck tonight. And think I may do that to the rest  and just freeze them.  Although I'm toying with the thought of trying to make peach butter.  I picked up cherry butter and pear butter at Shipshewana a few weeks go, and am going to look for a recipe to make peach butter, is there is such a thing.

Peaches, plums and nectarines should be ready next week.  Applies in September or October although a frost really hurt the apple crop there in Michigan this year.

Ann Arbor quilt show

Saturday started out with water aerobics  at 9 and then mowing the lawn after I got home.  Yesterday was the Ann Arbor quilt show.  So after mowing the lawn I was once again on the road by myself.  The show was very nice.  Here are a few of my pics.

Possible idea for hand dyeds we are going in October.

Quilty by Carol Harris.

Art Deco Engineer made by Sandy Aasgaard.

Jo, this one is for you.

It was a nice show with quite a few vendors.  Bought a few fat quarters for a polka dot quilt I'm planning and some black on black for a red, white and black quilt that's coming.

I tried tried to find the Trader Joe's market in Ann Arbor but didn't have much luck finding it.  So instead I went to the Home Goods store in Brighton.  Got turned on to this store by a couple of blogs I check.  I think spent a couple of hours looking and looking.  If I didn't have the bed of the truck still full of garage sale left overs I would have bought a black leacher arm chair that wsa on clearance.  Picked up a nice frame for a scherenschnitte that I picked up at the quilt show, along with some drawer sachets and some really nice soaps for Christmas.

So it ended up being an enjoyable day.

Jack's park bench

Lots going on this week.  Have the week off of work to get ready for our family garage sale on Friday and Saturday.  All my plants are doing great this summer. Tomatoes are doing great.  And I will probably have cherry tomatoes out my ears.  But I can always take them into work for the city slickers.

I love this planter, petunias, lantana and persian shield.  I love the persian shield.  I first saw it on a garden tour a couple of years ago.  I like it because in the right light it has a metalic sheen to it.

And this is a new cone flower I found Saturday.  It is papaya colored and I think it will add more color to the front flower bed.  This time of year I kind of have a lack of color in those beds.  I'm also going to transplant some black eyed susans when the weather cools down.  I also have some stokes asters that my lavender has overgrown that need to be moved.

Also this weekend I went out to Portland to see the park bench my mom purchased in memory of my dad.

Well back to working on the basement.  Maybe I can get a couple of quilt blocks sewn.  And I have to dig out a table that I promised to Claudia.

Quilting Retreat

This weekend was a Variable Star Retreat at Hankerd Inn at Pleasant Lake.  In the past there have been 10 to 12 us us able to attend.  This summer there were only 6 + 1 part-time attendee.  We usually have 2 retreats a year, one in the summer and one mid-winter.  This year attendees were Wendy, Sheri, Roxie, Beckie, Jo, Claudia and myself.

The last few years our small group has made pillow cases that we have donated to various charities.  This year we each have to make six pillow cases and they are due in October.  Some of us figures this was a golden opportunity to get our finished ahread of time.  These are my six.

I also finished putting the borders on our last challenge quilt which was a jelly roll challenge.  I picked Bali pops in kiwi and berry and used a patterns I had seen done up in brown and aqua.I'm very happy with the results.

 

Everyone one brings several  projects to work on.  Usually it is a good time to finish up some projects or to get a good start on new ones.  The next several projects were tops that Wendy was adding borders to.  She was also working on samples of her for her new line of hand dyed fabrics.

Roxie was working on making a T-shirt quilt for her son-in-law.  He is a stage manager and had quite a selection of T-shirts from past projects.  Wendy, who makes T-shirt quilts as another business, was able to give Roxie some great tips on prepping the shirts..

Jo was busy working on her pillow cases, but she made 12.  Six were from her stash and six were from fabric that Marge gave us when she moved to Minnesota a year ago.  Jo was also busy setting together blocks for Dian who recenty moved to Florida to be closer to family.  Top and backing are completed so now it goes to Wendy for quilting.

Sheri was working on a Hilton Head Island quilt, sorry no photo, and this veggie tales quilt.

Beckie was working on several projects as well.  This was one of her ta-dah's!!

This photo shows part of the space we were working in.  Nice big room so we can all visit.  And this time we each has 2 8 foot tables so spread  out on.

So lots was accomplished.  We all hated to head home, especially those of us who have to go back to work on Monday.  Wish we could do this quarterly!

Keep on quilting.

Happy 4th of July

Well, it's been a good holiday.  My home town had it's July 4th parade and fireworks on Saturday, with the parade at 6 pm.  Saturday morning I baked cupcakes and mowed lawn, then loaded everything in the car and headed out.  Made it home in time to join my mother, niece, her husband and Jack and Molly.  Molly is the thinker.  She always seems to be deep in thought.

It seemed a bit much for her 1st big parade.  But today she had a smile for me.  She still doesn't see me often enough to not be leery of me.

Then we today we had a picnic at the "homestead".  My parents have lived here more than 50 years.

It was a beautiful day but was especially hot.  Plans to eat outside were quickly changed to eating in the house in the air conditioning.  Then after lunch it was time to play in Great grandma's sprinkler.  Jack was game by Molly didn't like the sprinkler as much as her pool at home.

My nephew recently got engaged  and this weekend Anna's parents were here from Chicago to spend time with the lucky couple and to meet the new inlaws.  Today was also time to update family photos for Great Grandma Beard.  So first is was a picture of just the grand kids with Grandma.

Then Grandma, grandkids with their husbands, kids, fiancee and boyfriend.

Then kids and spouse...

and last but not least the engaged couple, parents and Grandma Beard and Grampa Brown.

One last show stopper.  My mother got the seeds for these poppies from a friend last year.  Now she has them coming up all over in her flower beds.  She doesn't even have to try but I can't even get them to start.

Happy 4th of July!!

Hopefully tomorrow I will be abe to get some sewing done, but if not that's ok, because next weekend is the Variable Star quilt retreat at Hankerd Inn at Pleasant Lake.

Hope you had a happy and safe 4th.