Chicago Is.......My Kind of Town

We had an opportunity to take a little vacation this past week and we headed to one of our very favorite towns - Chicago.

Instead of taking a plane we took Amtrak.  It is truly so much fun taking a relaxing train trip across parts of the states that are not accessible by car or plane.  I can remember taking the train back to Iowa once our family moved to California.  It was always so much fun.  DH is also a fan of train travel and we have taken many train trips over the years.

This trip we took a more southern route via the Southwest Chief.  Leaving Los Angeles at 6:45 p.m., we traveled through the desert during the nightime hours.  We managed to get a sleeper car and there is nothing quite like being rocked to sleep by the swaying on the tracks.  The fellow travelers we met along the way were such fun.  It is just a great way to journey.

I will make this a two part story so I can show you some of the pictures of our train trip.

Los Angeles Union Station.

The beautiful lobby of the train station in L.A.

The old ticket booths, now vacant, and the gorgeous inlaid marble floors.

Meeting Henry, our porter, for the journey,

First sunrise over the Southwest.

Sunrise in Kansas City on the second morning.

Reflection of the K.C. Union Station in a glass building.

Union Station in K.C.

Along with it's gorgeous ceiling

Arrival at Chicago's Union Station.

Again, the old terminal sits mostly as a work of art of bygone days.

One place that we always enjoy staying when we visit Chicago is The Palmer House.  To us, there is a lot of history.  My mother spent a weekend there in college and my in-laws met up there after the war.  I can just imagine my MIL sitting in the grand and elegant lobby as she awaited the arrival of my FIL after his years in the war.  They had only been married a few weeks before he was shipped off.

The Palmer House entrance.

The famous Tiffany Peacock doors at the entry.

The grand lobby of the Palmer House.

I could sit and stare at the ceiling for hours.  Simply breathtaking.

View of Lake Michigan from our room on the 22nd floor.

The next day we purchased a transit card and decided to go out to see Wriggley Field.  I could almost hear the roar of the crowd as we stepped off the Red Line.  Chicago fans are great baseball fans.

So much so that they actually build bleachers on top of their homes, businesses, etc. to catch a glimpse of what is going on IN the stadium.  Can you imagine the fun that these fans must have???

More to follow..........

Easter Weekend

We had such a delightful weekend over Easter.  Our son, his wife and two little ones were here to share it with us which always makes it extra special.  I really miss not having my own little ones around  for Easter baskets or Christmas stockings so it is extra special when we have the grandchildren to fill that spot.

Dying of eggs.

"Oh no, Mom, she's leaning on me!!!"

We were all up early for church followed by a wonderful brunch for the extended family at our #3 son's home.  The weather was a little cooler than normal but perfect for the party.  All in all, there were somewhere around 100 family members in attendance and all had a fabulous time. 

18 of the 21 grandchildren - one was at college, one home sick and the last one was too busy playing.

Inflatables set up in an area of the yard.

Enjoyment by all ages!

Little ones ready to find their eggs.

5 years old and above for their egg hunt.

I had a bit of fun sewing time with the granddaughters this past week as well.  Two of the girls came over to sew their Easter dresses and jackets.

They loved their work.

Yesterday another granddaughter came over and sewed her outfit for her school report on Sacagawea.  She did the entire outfit by herself and she did an incredible job on it.  What do you think?  Don't you love the jeans underneath????

On into April...

It seems mazing to me that we are getting ready to close the books on March.  In a blink of an eye the month is gone these days.  We came in like a lamb and will go out like a lion with a new storm heading to the West coast bringing more rain and wind.  The month has been glorious so far so you will not hear me complain.  Plus, I believe that Easter Sunday will be beautiful.

I had my doors and windows open yesterday and had an interesting experience.  A hummingbird flew right into the house.  Hello???  There was no way of getting this little guy out as he immediately flew to the top of the skylight.  I had to wait him out and he eventually just tired out and landed on the floor.  I was able to go over, pick him up and carry him outside.  I was worried that he was not going to be okay as he was so still and gave me no fight.  As soon as I placed him in a pot he flew away and landed in a high tree.  Guess he was no worse for the experience.

Spring has definitely been gorgeous so far.  The hills remain green from all the rain and the wildflowers have been abundant.  This past weekend we took off for a few days on a scenic drive to look at all of their blooming.  The rolling hills are covered with the California poppies, lupine, witches broom and many more.  It almost appears as though they are painted by the Master for our enjoyment.  It was breathtaking!  Photos would not do the landscape any justice, but you can catch a glimpse of what we enjoyed.

Do you think this guy knows it is April and there are months before Thanksgiving dinner?

We stayed for a couple of days at one of our favorite spots - Pismo Beach.  It is a great location and is close to where our #4 son and his family live as well as my brother and SIL.  We had a chance to get together with both so it was a great weekend.  The weather was beautiful with temperatures near 80* and sunny the whole time.

This is the time of the year where we can often see whales migrating north, but we were not so lucky this time.  We did see lots of dolfins playing and pelicans diving for food.  They are not quite the same, but delightful all the same.

Sunrise...

Sunset.....

Look at how deserted this gorgeous beach was.  With temperatures so warm and spring break going on I would have imagined it to be packed.

Pismo is near the college town of San Luis Obispo, a charming town.  We went for lunch there and I have to share a picture of their gum wall.  It is actually an alley and both sides are covered with chewed gum.  Can I say YUK????   I can't say that I see "art" in it as most people do.

A funny story took place outside of our balcony that I have to share.  There was a family with a little guy and a very LARGE dog.  Daddy took the little guy down to play with his new ball.  He was soooo excited....so was the dog with a very LARGE mouth.

Happy and excited little boy!!!!

What happened to that bouncing ball???  One bite is all it took.

There was not a lot of sewing going on here this week with being gone, but I did manage to finish my block for the Jelly Roll Quilt Along.  The colors should be perfect for fall when the last of the blocks are finished.

Two of the granddaughters will be here sewing their Easter dresses this week.  We went to the fabric store and selected the fabrics and notions so they are set to sew on Thursday.  I am looking forward to the day.

The tortoises are all out and wandering about the yard now.  The children love to feed them when they are here.

Taking time to smell the blossoms while picking the "orange balls".

We all need to take time to smell the flowers.  I hope everyone gets a chance to this week.

Happy Easter to all!

Winner of the Bunny Hop

Using the random number generator, Sara is the winner of my journal cover.  Don't ever let people tell you that the first commentor never wins!!!!!!!!  Thanks again to Sandi who got the bunny hopping down the trail.

There are also a couple of other giveaways going on out in Blogland that people should check out.  The first one is the daily giveaway at IHAN.  They are giving away some fabulous prizes for a whole month to celebrate their one year anniversary.

Another one to check out is here.

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail

Sandi has invited everyone to take a hop down the bunny trail with her this spring.  (I actually think she is tired of winter.)  There are a lot of "Good Eggs" that have agreed to her request to make the hop even more fun by perhaps adding a few items to your basket as you enter their giveaways.

From this Good Egg,  you will have a chance to add a handmade journal all decked out for spring with bright colors and flowers.

I am opening my hop to everyone and I will ship internationally.  Just leave me a comment from now until midnight CST.  I will draw a name on the 29th and will then contact you.  Be sure that I have a way to contact you.  If not, I will draw another name until I have a winner.

Soooo......get on hopping down the rest of the bunny trail.

Organization

It feels sooooo good.  I am now organized.  I can find what I need .  Mind you, it took me four solid days of hard work to accomploish the task, but it was worth every minute of it. 

Two years ago we made some renovations to our home.  One thing we did was to make one of the bedrooms larger and more handicap friendly.  With my FIL in poor health and my own mom in a wheelchair we felt it was time to make some changes in case they needed to come and stay with us.  The rennovation included a large closet.  I did not want to finish the closet out until we decided what it would be used for when the time came.  To make a long story shorter, I have been using that room as my sewing studio.  The closet remained unfinished and I just kept throwing bags and bins in there and working from there.  Last week the time came to "do something" about the situation.  Cost*co had some great metal shelves on sale and I bought two and started the process of organization.  What a job!!!  However, I now know where my fabrics are located.  It is all color coordinated.  Yeah!    Below are the before (I can't believe I am going to show this) and after pictures.

Before...

Sewing is so much more enjoyable now and I am finding that I am spending much less time searching for what I need.  I can't imagine why. 

Adding to the Pinwheel Quiltalong.

A fun pincushion.

A few more siggiy blocks from this week.

We had four of our grandchildren over the weekend while our children got together in Las Vegas to celebrate our eldest son turning 40.  I don't know how we got a child THAT old.  He must have been born 10 or 15 years old.

It was opening day for baseball and the three players had an early roll call at the field.  Please pardon the blurry photo.

Trying to figure out how to solve Rub*iks Cube on the internet.

Some sad news here.  I am sure many of you recall me telling you about Holland breaking her neck.  Her husband, Bill, passed away last week and the funeral was on Saturday.  It is amazing how little you really know someone until you hear people who have known them throughout the years speak so fondly of them.  He was an inventor with several patents.  One was for Hot Stuff adhesive.  He was a hyperactive kid who hated school and went on to have a very successful life full of travel and friends.  As someone said, he could make friends with the sample handout people at Cost*co.  Bill went on many missionary trips with his church over the years working with the underprivledged.  He was simply one of the "good guys" as his line of bumper stickers suggests.

Yesterday brought the return of our orioles.  It is always such a thrill to see them return to the feeders.  I wish they were able to tell us about their winter journey as I am certain it would be fascinating.  I guess spring has really arrived now.

It's not that I need anymore fabric but you should  check out Judi's blog for a wonderful giveaway.  It's more fabric.  Where would I put it?????

Please be sure to check back on Thursday for the start of Good Eggs Giveaway  hosted by Sandi.

Still Here

I am still here, but have just been too busy having fun to do a decent post.  More important, life is good and we are having fun.

Along with a little wallpapering at my mom's and painting at my daughter's, this is a recap of the last two weeks.

Celebrated a birthday.

Babysat for the pianist.

Entertained this charming houseguest and......

her brother.  Their parents came as well.

Spent time in the sewing studio working on.....

Our blue and yellow swap blocks this month (exchanged with Emily).

Completed block one of the Jelly Roll Quilt Along.

Finished the first two Barn Quilt blocks.

Worked on my Pinwheels for the Pinwheel Quilt Along.

Finished piecing my March Schnibbles.

Completed my Shamrock quilt that I was going to do last year.  I did this in the Carol and Amanda Get it Done Sewing Retreat yesterday.  Now I can use it as a table topper for St. Patrick's Day dinner this week.  This was a pattern that was offered here if anyone is interested in doing this quilt.

And............ 

Made another doll school uniform for the grandchildren's school auction last weekend.  This one brought in $500+.  Each year I am amazed at what these little uniforms will fetch at the auction.

The siggy blocks have also been arriving.  I so enjoy seeing where they are from and reading a little about everyone who is exchanging them with me. 

Sooooo........that has been why I have not posted and visited lately.  I will try to be better.  I hope everyone has a great week ahead.