Fantastic Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Morning!  So as many of you know I created this blog to share recipes, things I enjoy, family fun and mostly a place to NOT get political or talk about all the sad and heart wrenching things we deal with in our daily lives, on social media or in the news.  With that being said I have bragging and sharing -

Austin:

This one tickled me.   I wake up this morning with a message from Austin wanting to know if its anything to be concerned about that he doesn't drink milk  We have a conversation about healthy eating and so forth.  Ok, finished that conversation.  Then I go onto facebook and voila this is what I find out "From facebook"

According to the NCSU Student Portal, I'm one of nine people who are applied-mathematics majors, and I'm #2 of the nine. I don't think that it's possible to only have nine applied-mathematics majors in a university of this size, haha.

Justin commented with this (which cracked me up)

Click here to view

So I said to Austin "did you think this wasn't worth mentioning?".... He said "it's 9 sophmores" I said ok, but you're number "2" not number "9" and the fact that his GPA to date is a 3.65.  So I wanted to take a moment to brag and share.  I'm so proud of him 

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Justin and Rachel are starting their trek to look for wedding venues but no dates or decisions have been made but in the mean time Rachel is happy at her job and Justin has officially started grad school.  

Keith and I are truly blessed with our kids.  

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I also wanted to take a moment to mention Savannah Fonvielle, and express how happy we are for her and her family.  As I mentioned in my last post, we got to see Alec when he visited from Utah and Savannah had a kidney transplant back in August.  She started back to her last semester of high school this week.  Well Savannah was sooooooooooo excited and we are sooooooooooo happy for her....She applied to Appalachian State in NC and received her acceptance letter yesterday.  I know Savannah reads the blog - (love you honey); so I wanted to take a moment to share in her truly deserved acceptance to the college of her choice.  

Note :  Ok, Savannah we really need to get your quilt done now!

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Last but not least by any means I'm so proud of my niece Sydney- she did an externship at an accounting firm over winter break and they were so impressed they offered her an internship.  They also wrote her an amazing letter for acceptance to the business school at UVA.  Go Syd!

So - it's been a FANTASTIC FRIDAY I thought worth sharing!

Have a great weekend all - I plan on starting Monday with a Movie and Wed with a recipe like I used to do BH (before the holidays).

Hugs!!!

Stacey

Catching up..........

I haven't had time to catch up on everything so this might be a little lengthy hope you enjoy.........

I've been busy trying to get to some U.F.O.s done.  (unfinished projects)  I have many - mostly the bindings on quilts.  

Here's a Valentine one I just finished..........................

here's a closer look at the embroidery

It looks really wonky in the picture above but it's actually straight.  "just sayin'"

I finished a couple of other bindings and a label for Mia's quilt (Mia's is my younger son Austin's girlfriend)

Here's her label ......

and quilt..............................

it has bugs (she likes book / inch worms) ; and she loves our black cat brownie but is highly allergic so there's black cats in their too.

Keith had some shoulder surgery and is recovering well and for the most part life is getting back to somewhat normalcy  

(whatever that may be!)

I have progressed quite a bit on my crazy wool mat I started a year ago December on my first trip to 

Primitive Gathering with my friend Cheryl who lives in Gainesville.  

still a work in progress but I have made great progress. 

I'm also on my last embroidery block of the redwork snowmen.  I don't know if you remember those but when I finish the last one I will post.  stay tuned. LOL

I hope to get back to posting a movie and a recipe each week again starting next week.  

Last week we got to see my son from another mother - Alec.  It was so exciting.  He was in from Utah and we spent Tuesday the 13th together.  We went to dinner that night with his wonderful family as well.  In all the years I've known them the only person I have not gotten to know is Morgan.  So maybe sometime soon - I will get to meet her too.  As I posted in previous posts, Alec's sister Savannah had kidney transplant surgery with her dad "Kent" being the donor.  We've known the family since Austin and Alec were in the 3rd grade.  Alec got to pick and we went to McCormick and Schmicks.  We all love fish and seafood.  

Savannah is such a beautiful young lady and so sweet.  She's working on her first quilt and I can't wait to see it done.  (Don't forget Savannah I'm here to help if you want it)

Alec ordered Key Lime Pie for dessert and Austin ordered Mud Pie.  This was a moment of 

"OK, mine is way smaller" - Alec....and Austin having a rare moment of ice cream.  

It was a long over due get together we hope to do more often. 

I've planned some trips over the next few months and look forward to seeing friends and family.  

February I'm off to San Antonio for my first time to see my friend Marilyn.  I miss her tons!!! She's coming here in April so we can go to a Kim Diehl class ( a quilt designer) in Greensboro. 

April/May - the last weekend going to Williamsburg to a Cross Stitch retreat with my sister Randi and see her new home.  

July - Off to Wisconsin to see my friends I've made there. 

And maybe a trip to Hershey for the quilt show.  

October - Marilyn in to visit

Jan 2016 - hoping to go to Road to California with Cheryl who I hope to see before then...YIKES

February 2016 - Cruising with Marilyn on a Wool stitching quilt retreat with Lisa Bongean from Primitive Gatherings and Stacey Nash West from Buttermilk Basin. 

Again, glad holidays over and back to some girly time with my Thursday stitching group and my "special" group.  Also getting back into my time at Sharon Stewart's from Liberty Rose.  

Inbetween I'm hoping to plan some time to see family in Florida (not over the summer - it's too hot); see Sydney at UVA (poor thing has now got the flu); a trip to maybe see Sarah in Boston, never been there. And to see my Aunt and Uncle in Vermont.  

That should catch you all up for now.  I'm sure I forgot something and I hope I haven't lost my few followers. I hope to get more on track posting. Who knows.....maybe even another give away. 

hugssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Stacey

Meet Fairy Earnest at Road to California’s 2015 20th Anniversary

Click here to read story about 89 year old Fairy Earnest. 

I thought this to be a heart warming story. 

Little Bo Peep Received her sheep.....

My niece Sarah made this adorable crochet sheep for me.  Now I need to name it.  Munchkin? Lulu?  Post some ideas.

****SIGH****- Holiday's over and Family Trip complete..............

So the Holiday's are over and our trip to the Biltmore in Asheville is complete.  I'm not quite back to some normalcy yet - Mr. Keith (my dear husband) is having shoulder surgery this Friday.  I don't think he's quite getting the whole extent of his surgery thing. I accidentally forgot and planned a quilt trip (local) and he said "just drop me off and go"- uh NO!.  Although I've always been ok after "drop off" - he is not as patient as a Patient.  "just sayin'".  I might drag him Saturday to Sanford to the show.  I haven't seen Julie and Peggie from Auntie Ju's for about a year.

I've started menu planning and exercise (swimming) planning for the week. Three years ago on January 3 I quilt smoking; now it's time to get this weight off.  Especially with a wedding coming up a year from June.  :)  No date or location set as of yet but that's the approximate timing which gives me plenty of time to reach my goal.

I wanted to take a moment and post some pics from Asheville.  This was the second time we went - last time we went at Christmas time as well.  I told Keith I'd like to go in the Spring with the Dowton Abbey Theme being presented from February through May.  It rained all day Fri (on our way out there) and Saturday but the weather was gorgeous yesterday so we stayed until 5pm.

On our way to Asheville, we stopped for gas (although Keith felt 1/4 of a tank would be enough to go 86 miles) and run through Starbucks. Next door to Starbucks was this place "Night Secret"  Keith somehow thought it was a Vietenamese Drive Thru Resturaunt.  

Nope-it was an Adult Store drive through.  That was a first.  

There was a french restaurant in downtown Asheville that Justin and Rachel had lunch at on Friday.  

It was so good we went back on Saturday and Rachel was soooooooooooo Happy because they were out of Mussels on Friday but they had them on Saturday.  Now her face doesn't appear happy but she was doing the happy dance in her seat while she ate.  That was an "I got this" face.  

Then Saturday night after the candle light tour of the Biltmore - (we could not take pictures in the Biltmore and it was raining outside so no pics) We went to another Seafood Restuarant - 

The Lobster Trap. If you go to Asheville, NC I would definately recomment this. 

Below is what all of us, excluding Keith, ordered.  It might seem a little pricy but if you put it in perspective it's really not bad.  And..................yes, they ate it all. 

The only thing that didn't get eaten was the Lobster Mac n Cheese and the Brussel sprouts which were the two sides we chose. 

LOBSTER BISQUE

Top of pic: One crabcake remained 

Right in Pic: Scallops wrapped in Bacon- they were gone. 

Bottom of Pic:  You can only see the crackers but it was smoked fish dip that was great. 

The Platter - Above! Each lobster was 1 1/4 lbs and there were 2 ; 2lbs of crab (that made Rachel very happy!); mussels; clams; shrimp.......................The Lobster Mac N cheese and Brussel Sprouts are in the bowls by the water glass.

Very Happy Rachel- 

Poor Lobster :(

 I turned the Lobster around that i set in the bowl to stare at Justin while he took apart the other one. 

Yikes......it's stuck!

Yum...Yum...Yum...my dad would be so proud of how well Justin eats the WHOLE lobster. 

Austin enjoying the peel n eat shrimp until his fingers becamse pruned.

All Gone!

Rachel in sugar trance......it was Derby Pie 

Basically a choc chip cookie with Pecans Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream. 

Mia had a "Tuxedo Cake" for dessert.  Top layer - chocolate mousse, then Cheese cake, and bottom layer was chocolate cake. 

The last day (yesterday) the weather was gorgeous- 61 degrees and sunny. Mia and Austin enjoying the fresh air at the back of the Biltmore.

Rachel using her new camera to take a scenic view. 

Keith, Justin, and Rachel afar - walking towards the gardens. 

Mia determined to get another picture of Austin.

The Biltmore House

We went to the Village at the Biltmore where they had goats and chickens and some cute shops. The animals looked and felt newly bathed.  I was pretty impressed.

Mia enjoying a hug with a goat. 

Keith checking out the old tractor.

It was overall a nice weekend. 

Now that all the holidays and vacationing is over for a while I hope to get stitching.............