Mid-May, 2010

Dear Friends,

Do you just love this picture? We met our siblings in Salt Lake last week for dinner and Teri spent our entire walk taking photographs of the spring flowers--in between torrential rain showers. I think that the tulips in my yard have sort of fizzled out this year. My neighbor claims that all of the deer that seemed to spend the winter in our yards dug hers up and ate them, but I am a bit skeptical of this. Do you think deer can dig up bulbs? I am not so sure. Bob says it is because I didn't plant any new ones last fall, and I think he is right. He is always so diligent about planting fall bulbs, and I only love them in the spring. I don't seem to have the patience to put in the work. This year I will be better, because I think they are so lovely. Or perhaps if I buy them--he will plant them. Anyway, in spite of the beauty of the spring flowers, Winter is in no hurry to leave us this year. Our mountains are still covered in deep snow, and we have had plenty of snow and rain even this past week. I don't really mind it so much, but Teri is mostly distressed with her wardrobe. I am always cold, so I just keep wearing sweaters. But Teri puts on a summer frock at the merest hint of sunshine and by noon--in the middle of a little blizzard--she is freezing. Oh well, tall shoes, summer dresses. Next week, if it warms up, I will send you a picture of our lilacs.

May is such a busy month for me. It seems like the month that school ends is filled with all kinds of things. Plus Bob and the 2 boys have birthdays within 2 weeks of each other. That is always fun. I am on for the 2nd birthday cake for tomorrow, and I am just plain bad at cakes. If I make a cake from scratch--it is dry and strange. If I make a cake from a box, it is oddly shaped. In the end either cake usually cracks, tilts, and slides. I could blame it on my ancient oven, but truly I think more responsibility belongs to the baker. Good luck to me.

At the shop, we are very busy getting ready for summer as well as preparing things for our Retreat. We have many sort of ambitious projects going on for that, and it is a lot of fun. We are not going to the market in Columbus this year because we promised to do the store for our EGA regional seminar in Salt Lake. However, we are coming out with a wonderful group of kits and patterns that will be ready the first part of June. So watch our website in a couple of weeks for more information on that. We have some very fun things coming for perfect summer stitching.

We also have fantastic pieces that we have just finished stitching for the shop. I am just going to put up pictures of them as they come back from Jill. You are going to love them. Here is Bee Story, a pattern we brought back from Nashville. Isn't it just the most darling thing. Plus the way Jill framed it with little matching cut-outs. I love it.
Of course Teri is putting it in the center of her bee display--newly up for Summer which might be around the corner. I am sort of surprised she isn't including a picture of herself in her new bee sweater that Pat and Ann told her about. It would fit right into this cheerful display.

Here is another sweet piece that we have just had finished for summer. Hare's Summer is so darling, it will make you smile. It is one of a whole series of Hares that are very clever and fun.
Another neat patriotic piece that we have just ordered in is One Nation. OK, if you love cool Americana pieces, this one is definitely for you. The blue part of the flag us filled with Quaker stars and the red and white stripes are made up of the names of the fifty states plus a few extra sort of Quaker motifs sprinkled in here and there. It is truly fantastic!

Now that's a great summer project.

I am now on my way to a Heritage meeting for Preservation month at our old city cemetery. We are having tours of historic grave sites and it should be fun. And wet. I just looked outside and the sky is literally black with thunder clouds. O, Joy. Here is just a little bookkeeping detail. I think we will be closed for the whole Memorial Day weekend---Saturday and Monday, that is. My Peter is graduating on Saturday, so I just have to go as well as Teri. I really can't believe it. Where did those 4 years go? So....have a happy May, and I will write again next week. Be safe.

fondly, Tina