Retreat

re-treat (ri tret') n. 1 a withdrawal, as from danger 2 a safe, quiet place 3 a period of seclusion, esp. for spiritual renewal.

Hmmm... I went to a quilters and scrapbookers retreat this weekend. But according to Webster, I wonder why we call it that. We do withdraw...but not from danger. As a group we withdraw from the duties, responsibilities, and loved ones in our lives that interrupt our pursuit of our creative hobbies and make accomplishing things difficult. As for it being a safe, quiet place. Well, let's just say it's very safe. We go to the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield, GA. They have a huge, wonderful facility on 6,400 acres of natural wooded beauty. They have motel-style rooms and a large conference room where we can set up tables, ironing boards, a huge food spread and still have plenty of room to spread out and work. The quiet part of this definition, however, doesn't quite fit. There is no TV reception out there, but they have a big-screen TV that we can play DVDs on. We also bring our portable music and I'm still singing all the songs from Mama Mia in my head today. Definition 3 doesn't quite fit, either. Rather than it being a period of seclusion, we invite lots of good friends. This time 20 of us "retreated" to this wilderness together.

There were a few special things about the relationships of the group this time. Jodi and I almost always are there together. Me with my quilting friends, and her with her scrapbooking buddies. This time a good friend and one of the Batty Babes, Liz, who hasn't been to one of these in a very long time not only came along, but brought her daughter, Ellen, who is a scrapbooker, too. So we had two mother-daughter pairs. What's more fun than spending your weekend with your friends AND one of your grown daughters? Well...maybe the answer to that is spending it with a sister who is also a good friend. Another of the Batty Babes, Deanna, retired and moved to Charlotte, NC last year. She comes down to visit often and especially when we have something like this going on. This time she brought along a very good friend, Ilona, who also happens to be one of her sisters. Ilona lives in Columbia, SC, so they met up along the way and rode down together. We all enjoyed meeting Ilona and having her with us.

We were also glad to share some part of the weekend with a very good friend that most of us hadn't seen in a long while. Becky has been a nurturing care-giver for her husband, Robert, who has been battling pancreatic cancer for the past two years or so. He lost his gallant fight quite recently and went home to heaven...so she was able to come and share the love of good friends and the soul-nourishing time for creativity.

But you can never find a time that meets everybody's schedule, so we missed a couple of the "regulars". Ardis never misses, but she was off on a great anniversary trip with her husband. And Pam was able to only squeeze out a couple of hours from a weekend filled with working and caring for her mother who is having some health problems. All in all, I would have to say that I agree with most everyone who said, "This was the best one yet! When can we do it again?"

Late Bloomers

While visiting in Florida several years ago, I fell in love with bougainvilleas. They are native to that climate and grow as large bushes in the ground. But we can't grow them that way in Georgia. I was very excited to see some small ones in pots in my local Lowe's this spring. They need lots of sun and something to climb up on. So I brought one home and got very busy making just the right spot on the corner of the front porch for it. I got a plant stand and raised a larger pot to rail height. I had Jerry run some fishing line to the top of the porch rail for it to climb on. And I watered it and watched it and waited...and waited...and waited. I was imagining a porch corner filled with these wonderful showy flowers. But the few flowers that were on it fell off and were replaced only by leaves. It was a healthy looking plant...but no flowers. And what good is a bougainvillea that has no flowers???

Finally, one day we were fertilizing things in the yard and Jerry had a little bit left. He asked what else need some and I told him to just put it in that pot. Well....it appears it was hungry! I thought there was enough food in the pots they come in plus the potting soil I had added to it -- but I was wrong. After that it started to produce the beautiful flowers I had looked for all summer. And now I am enjoying it immensely every time I go out on the front porch. Note to self: feed it!!!

Also...fairly late in the summer we were walking through Lowe's (we spend a lot of time at Lowe's) and they had these cute little pots of seeds for kids to grow. At only $1 each, I figured they'd be good to put in the grand kids' surprise boxes. We got a sunflower for Savannah and a pumpkin vine for Emery. Emery protested a little when we talked about planting his because he said it wasn't Halloween yet. His expectations are even higher than mine. But we planted the seeds in their little cups and put them in the window and then transplanted the little shoots into the ground. Since these children live in a world of instant gratification, they kinda lost interest for a while. But they were happy recently to see how their plants were coming along. Savannah was eating a cookie when we walked out to see the plants and she felt moved to share part of her cookie with her sunflower. I guess she realizes what Nanny doesn't.....plants need to eat, too!!

An Annual Recharging

I went to the Women of Faith conference in Atlanta last weekend with the girls and few of their friends. It was inspiring, as always. The Worship Team starts off with such wonderful praise music that it gets your heart and mind aligned right away. Other music this year was provided by Stephen Curtis Chapman on Friday night and Mandisa on Saturday. Both shared not only their awesome singing talents and songs, but their very personal stories of struggle and heartache. All of the usual, wonderful speakers shared their stories as well. And the common thread through all the laughter and tears was their pain and their challenges. We all face some kind of hardship at times during our lives and these tender people are not afraid to get up in front of millions of others and share their stories. But it would be truly depressing if that's all they had in common and their attitude was one of "woe is me". They sure wouldn't draw huge crowds every weekend, would they? But that's not where it ends. All of our favorite speakers were there: Patsy Clairmont, Luci Swindoll, Sheila Walsh, Marilyn Meberg, and new this year was Lisa Whelchel (from the Facts of Life TV show). These women have a lot in common. They are all very talented speakers. They make you laugh and cry and have you totally engrossed the whole time they're speaking. As I've said, they've all had difficulties and they're not afraid or ashamed to admit to that. But the most important thing they have in common...and the thing they share most graciously with all of us...is their strong faith in a living, loving God. In telling of their worst times, they can also tell how their relationship with God got them through it. And more than got them through...but made them better and stronger for it. This is always such an opportunity to have our faith recharged, and I encourage you to attend one of these conferences if you haven't done so before.

Quilt As Desired - Part Three

The third Batty Babe to have a birthday so far this year was Melisa. She turned the big 5-0 last week (and lived to tell about it). The weekend before, we all took to the mountains to celebrate with her. This is her sittin' and knittin' on the back porch. What else would an old lady do?

It was great that all 9 of us could get away for a few days at the same time. Amelia, one of the Babes, has a cabin in the north Georgia mountains and it is a little bit of heaven up there. Usually at least 15 degrees cooler than here at home, it is wonderful to sit on the porch morning, noon and night and listen to the creek nearby. We sew, and read, and laugh, and play card games, and eat and laugh and even drink "a little". We have a great time.

This is the quilt top that I made for her to "quilt as desired". For those of you who don't know, it's called a String Quilt. Varying widths of fabric strips (strings) are sewn together with lights being on one side and darks on the other. It's a very addictive project once you get started...and a great way to use little leftover pieces of fabric that you just can't throw away.

So thanks, again, Amelia. We all had a wonderful time helping Melisa over this big "hump".

Know Your Capitals

Jerry and I were both born and raised in Streator, Illinois. In it's "heyday" it was home to two large glass manufacturing plants. It was known as "The Glass Container Capital of the World." There was a sign proclaiming that as you drove into town. Back in the 70s, we had a somewhat smart-ass friend named Bill. When he came to Streator one weekend, he wanted us to show him the capital building. We drove him by the larger of the two factories...but he was disappointed.

Now we live in Georgia between the towns of Covington and Conyers. They are in two different counties. Conyers is in Rockdale County. Interstate 20 runs through both counties, but the Rockdale portion has planted crepe myrtle trees along the fences that line either side of the road. At one time there was a sign by the exit to the interstate that read, "Crepe Myrtle Capital". Even though the trees are still there, we can't remember having seen the sign for quite some time.

One day last week, President Obama was going to Elkhart, Indiana to talk about the progress of the stimulus package. The news commentator said Elkhart was "The RV Capital of the World." That got me to thinking. What does it take to become a "world capital"? Can the Chamber of Commerce just put up a sign and that's it? Do you need to have some sort of proof? Who decides these things? Is there a book like Guiness has for world records? And then can you just take the sign down -- like in the case of Rockdale County -- if the trees start to look a little bedraggled after several years of drought? Does the 2nd place town then get to be the capital? What about Streator now that glass containers are not in demand as much as they were back in the early 1900s? Do they still have bragging rights?

I had all I could do when I was in school to learn the capitals of each of the states. I don't think I could ever learn all these additional capitals.

Style Over Sentiment

I'm a pack rat. I keep most everything. But I like my things. Many of them are unique and make me think of people that are special to me. When we redecorated the bedroom, I had some decisions to make. In taking a fresh look at some of my special things, I had to admit they were old and wouldn't really fit in with the new decor. But I remembered fondly why I had...and had kept...each one of them. First...there was my jewelry box. I remembered how touched I was when Jerry went to see his brother in New Jersey after we had been dating for a very short time. He missed me and brought me back a gift. It was a tall, wooden jewelry box. I was blown away! So for 40 years, this has sat atop my dresser and held the few pieces of jewelry that I wear any more. It's on top of my list of very best gifts I've ever received. But in looking at it through the eyes of a decorator -- it had to go. :( It is old, after all, and a little scarred up from use. Luckily, Jessica was able to use it in her closet and so I didn't have to really get "rid" of it. :) In it's place, I got a small, soft box in just the right colors. I went to Target and got some drawer dividers to put inside and it holds my jewelry just fine and looks terrific.

Another thing I smiled at as I removed it from the room was an old ceramic bank. It was given to me by two special friends...Bill O'Neill and Bill Shepherd...when I left Commonwealth Edison to stay at home and raise my children. I was pregnant with Jodi at the time -- so that, too, is about 38 years old. Even though it says, "retirement fund" on it -- I was far from being retired at the time! I have replaced that with a funky thing that I think is supposed to be a vase...but I put my few paltry coins in it. It has the right colors in it and I like it from a decorator's point of view. But I'm going to need a whole lot more change in it because of the size. But if you figure the rate of inflation over the past 38 years, I guess that would be about right.

Then there was this picture that hung over the head of the bed. Several years ago for our anniversary, Jodi and Jessica made this for us. There is a quilt block in the center made from fabric that was in the wedding ring quilt on the bed. The fact they are novice sewers/quilters at best (Jess, in particular, hates the hand quilting) and yet they had this idea and pulled it off with the help of one of my quilting friends (thanks, Gail) means the world to me. On either side were very sweet sentiments about what a mom is and what a dad is. I was very touched with this gift and will always treasure it. But it also looks good downstairs by my cutting table. And in it's place, I found a very nice picture that matched the new decor in color and style. It also says, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15) Totally appropriate.



So, yes...some of the little trinkets and such that reminded me of special people are not on display anymore. But that doesn't mean I'll ever forget these people or what their gifts have meant to me over the years. Those I keep in the most special place of all -- my heart.

New and Improved

After many months of moving at the rate of retired people, we have finally finished remodeling and redecorating the master bedroom and bath. And we are quite please with ourselves and the final results. Here are some before and after pictures. You will notice that the whole "country" thing is gone....the quilt (yes, the quilt), all the white eyelet, the wooden cornices on the windows with cutesy things sitting on top, the ruffled skirt on the bedside table, etc.

The "after" picture looks a little dark, but it's not dark in the room. It is nice and bright and clean...just what I was going for. The green paint was replace with cream and tan stripes. That was quite a job, but it really makes the look of the room. New bedding (I'll get around to an accent quilt later), new window treatments, and a new night stand make all the difference in the world.

In the corner of the room -- previously -- there was something that looked like a torture devise. I believe it was some kind of exercise equipment, although we usually just used it to hang clothes on. That has been replaced with a very nice chair in that corner. It doesn't look like it...but it's actually a recliner. You know, in case "reclining" on the bed becomes too tough. Also...the sweet, but small, picture I had on that wall has been replaced with a picture grouping. (I've been studying magazines.)

So, in short, all the hard work was worth it and we're loving our new bedroom look.