BUSY WEEKEND

Graduation weekends are always busy and fun, this past weekend was true to the celebration.

My nephew graduated from high school and it was celebrated with a BIG brunch party post the ceremony.

I had the duty of the cake !

I do not know why but I really like to make cakes.

This one had 4 pounds of cream cheese and 1 pound of butter in the frosting alone. Oh, it was sooo GOOD!!! 

The GRADUATES

Flowers like this my sister had all over her yard. It was beautiful.

These are the chicken { rooster} dishes I was telling you about in the Girls Night Out post

I went on e-bay and found I could buy replacement pieces to complete the set. I also found out this pattern was made in California in 1956.

Last week was packed with a lot of sewing, work, classes and parties. Had a great time but glad it is Monday. I'm ready for a rest.

Caitlin and I are going to start a wedding quilt this afternoon.

I love to sew with my girls, coffee, conversation and laughs. Life doesn't get any better!

A WEEKEND IN MAY

Sam and Sadie are enjoying what they believe to be their newly upholstered love seat on the back porch. They chewed a hole in the last cushions, so I redid them this spring from fabric I had in my stash.

 I am a breath away from finishing this quilt. Binding, a gentle wash and it will be checked off my to do list.

Back of a child's quilt

Gotta love cars

for a boy's quilt

Front of quilt

 Not much time for quilting this past weekend because my baby GRADUATED !

Erin graduated on Saturday . She is now well educated in Community Health

Erin and proud parents.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, we sure did !

CHICAGO

Navy Pier on Lake Michigan.

We went to Chicago last week to celebrate our oldest graduation from North Eastern Illinois University. My sister Mary Margaret was also graduating from the same school so it was a double celebration. This was one of the views from our hotel the Swissotel on Whacker Drive.

Another view of condos and the lake behind the buildings.

The graduate on the left with his Dad on the right. We are walking through Millennial Park. The picture is in front of the "bean".

Nathan is a walker and we walked all through the city. We walked and walked , then stop at a coffee house for some refreshment , then walked and walked again. The neighborhoods were beautiful, trees all in bloom, and the flowers, loads of flowers.

These tulips were on the "Magnificent Mile". This is Michigan Ave. north of the river.

The weather was not great but bearable, cold, raining and of course windy.

Staying in the downtown area was great. We took the el all over, I even rode it by myself! I have not done that in over 33 years and I did not get lost once.

Visited some of Chicago's famous restaurants! Deep dish pizza was good going down but not on the return. Going to Chicago is a oral organism in food. Gino's is way at the bottom for good food, but I had a taste for deep dish pizza and now I may never want anymore in my life.

Oh that Costa Rican restaurant is to die for. The spices and flavors of rice, beans, meat and bananas.....yum, yum. We so wanted to eat here that we were willing to eat outside in the cold. It was worth it! My sister Mary Margaret on the right.

Nate and Mike

Eric and Larry

Those that could gathered at MM's and Bob's house and we celebrated with a fantastic dinner . My family can cook like no other, I must of been behind the door for those genes! Dessert was from Hoosier Mama. This pie shop was so fun to go into, just a little hole in the wall and yet they have unbelievable pies. We bought 4. I had some for breakfast the following morning too.

The Michigan Avenue bridge going up

The sail boats coming out of dry dock on the Chicago River heading for Lake Michigan and a season of sailing. Chicago is a great town to visit!!

Oh yes I did stop at a yarn store and bought some goodies, more on that later.

GREAT NEWS

It's official, Nathan is a GRADUATE! Not just one degree but TWO.

Seems on Tuesday when Nate went to sign up for his finial 3 classes the school realized they had made a mistake. He needed NO more classes and will be awarded degrees in both English Lit. and Philosophy on May 8,2010.

We are so happy and proud of him as he is for himself. Yes their will be a party in Chicago on his commencement day!