Yeah! for stainless steel

Mary, I hope you don't mind but I had to blog about the super bobbin lace workshop you organized in your house. Three times this week ... Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday ... the one hour drive to Williamsburg every day was so worth it.

Teacher Vera Cockuyt came from Belgium and offered several lace subjects to learn. This is Chrysanthemum lace I decided to try.

This is Advanced Torchon.

The first day: something wrong with my linen 50/2 because it broke at least half a dozen times. I decided that this was not fun and to change to a different thread. The linen might have become too dry.

I could have done it slightly enlarged and in color (this is Vera's sample).

I discussed with the teacher that I would like a smaller project like a (Heartland Lace Guild) heart and she encouraged me. Right away she even made a sketch very similar to the idea already in my head. I went home, drew my heart and started. Tuesday I worked on it all day ... and was able to finish it in the evening at home (after a meeting James and I had at our Community Pavilion I had forgotten about). It could do with some improvement but for the first one I am quite pleased.

When you are working on your lace you need to get up once in a while to stretch your back. This is fun too. Seeing what the others are doing. Visiting a little. And looking at the beautiful things Mary has done and/or decorated her house with.

Ah, every lunch time a few of us set out on the deck. So lovely.

This is the lace Mary made when she was Vera's student for the first time 15 years ago.

Nice ideas how Mary displays some of her lace.

See the Norfolk Pine in the corner behind Gail? Mary had some lovely Easter eggs hanging on it (similar to my Easter tree).

So I brought her my very first and only effort (so far) on this technique. I had tried it just before Easter and then William visited etc etc. Didn't get around to do more. But definitely am planning to.

What was I going to work on the third day? Vera loves Vologda lace and had many of her own designs for sale. I asked and she didn't mind if I finished this heart ... which I had started (sorry, Lia) in 2002. Yes, yeah for stainless steel! Because after all this time the pins where not rusted or tarnished and all was just as I had left it ... years ago. No harm done.
That was a class to learn Russian tape lace. I had finished one heart then and this was the second one with a different filling. I always wanted to finish it ... and now I am. First thing on the agenda: untangling the bobbins and replacing those threads which had broken ... most likely why I had given up at the time. I was surprised how much fun it was to work on this again. Hope to show you the finished piece soon.

And this is the class photo. Mary's husband was asked to come home early to take it. The things our husbands do for us!

I had a wonderful time with these ladies and learned a lot!

On the way home (that one hour) I was thinking and pretty much designed one motive for my "Chrismons in Lace Series". Now, if I just had 5 minutes ....

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Day 365

Are you wondering "why this picture"?

See the coffee cups? The iPad?

This is where we did most of the reading on those 365 days.
Today we completed the task: James and I read the whole bible in one year!

Our bishop of the Diocese of Virginia had given the challenge to start at Pentecost. Booklets with the reading plan were made available at St Martin's Episcopal (our) Church. Several in our congregation started Monday after Pentecost. That was really nice because sometimes on Sundays somebody would bring up a question or point of what we had read during the week.

You can download the reading plan HERE! 

Besides the reading plan there is much more info on THIS SITE.

You also can find HERE the daily devotional/explanation which is best read before each daily bible reading. Most of the time very very helpful.

We had downloaded a bible to our iPads which is very practical. We could bookmark the section of the Old Testament, Psalm and New Testament after each reading and were ready for the next day.

Got to be honest though. Once we had already read all the psalms and the reading plan started over with 1 we skipped reading that. And when the plan was through with the New Testament and started that from the beginning again, we skipped that too. We tried to stay true to the plan when we were in Turkey and in Costa Rica etc etc which was not always easy. But so close to the finish and James' upcoming trip of his pilgrimage we doubled or even tripled the daily reading to be done earlier. Yesssss, we have done it!

I have to admit, sometimes I felt like we had to plow through a section. Sometimes I wonder why in the world this is important. Sometimes I wondered how can this be really God's word. But then there were incredible AHA moments. I should put 5 !!!!! here. We are both so happy we did it. The bible explains a lot what is going on in the Middle East even today. But mostly the bible explains HOW MUCH God really loves us.

Thanks be to God for all my blessings and my wonderful life!

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Last Day

Monday. We figured out that we need to leave the house at 17:15 for the airport. Until then we will enjoy the day because weather-wise it is the best one yet. The plan is to pack a picnic, pick Sarah up at 10 am and go to Maymont. I love that place. Here is the blog from last year.
There are several parking lots and we are close to farm this time.

To us the potbelly pig didn't look quite right.

The goats were cute though.

Loved this statue!

When we walked along we had a problem here. William didn't want to go on, he wanted to climb the rocks.

And then he 'broke loose' and run up this hill. Can you see him way at the top (just left of the gazebo) with Aunt Sarah? Helen had to go up after a while and retrieve him. It was more scary going downhill for him.

How lucky can we be? A train! So fascinating. 

A bamboo patch. William and Sarah crawled all through it. My photo had turned to video somehow, so I just let it run. That is NOT our William screaming in the video. He thought it was interesting.

And this is were we had the picnic. All sitting on the little hill in a row.

William really liked this. See his little legs stretch!

It was time to go home ... but William didn't want to. Auntie has to go to work. And Mommy has to pack the suitcase.

So that Mommy can pack, William and I visit our wonderful friend Miss Julie around the corner. She has a suitcase full of interesting toys!

And here we are at the airport. William is looking forward to see his Pops again.

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