Dream car

Little Red!

New antiques

Out Route 2

My friend Alicia and I went on a drive "out Route 2" today in search of Petersham, where Emmeline B. Wells was born. A friend mentioned there was a "general store" and we found it (it's a small town!) and ate lunch there. Then we ventured to the town of Orange and found an antique shop and I bought a cool shelf/cubby for storing fabric (I will post photos as soon as it has some fabric in it). Then we found an OLD Wal*Mart where I bought some fabric (Barb took so long to cut the fabric I felt like we were old friends by the time she finished) and a NEW Wal*Mart where I picked up a few necessities and we headed home. It was a chilly New England day but a perfect day for a road trip.

SEW many napkins

I made more cloth napkins this week for my good friend "Sister". They will match the trim in her kitchen perfectly. And, she uses cloth napkins so I know she'll like these (she actually asked how much I'd sell them for but she's done so many nice things for me that they were a gift).

Baking error

Trying to make cookies after a tiring day may not be such a good idea...

Beauty parlor

Cute girls, cute haircuts!!!

Note: I did not cut their hair. My friend Jana did.

The B.T. Express

Eleven years ago tonight at 8:46pm I called my brother Robes in Florida.

Robes: Hello.

Me: Did you get the results from your MRI?

Robes: I have a brain tumor.

Me: Get out of here!

Robes: How do you think I feel; I had to come home and tell Kim and the kids.

And that was the beginning of the ride on the B.T. Express.

As soon as it warms up here (it's got to be at least 50 degrees--I'm a wimp!) I'll start "training" for the 25 mile bike ride for The Brain Tumor Society which is on May 18th.

It could be Christmas!

My quilt arrived today. Thank you to Debbie in Iowa for doing a beautiful job machine quilting it! Now I need to hang it on the wall and maybe have an exhibit opening like they do in museums.

The weird brother

If you are tired of my baking/sewing/baby photos here is a [funny?] story.

A few years ago a friend-of-a-friend called because she wanted me to show her around Boston and wanted me to meet her SINGLE brother, who was visiting from the West. She started to tell me all about her brother (I remember that he had long hair and his job had something to do with music) and then she started to tell me how weird he was. And she actually used the word WEIRD. If she had told me he looked like George Clooney, had Jerry Seinfeld's sense of humor and Donald Trump's money I would have considered spending the day with them. But I wasn't wasting a day with the weird brother.

And don't tell me I'm too picky.

Favorite Easter photo

Easter dinner

Tradition: Easter dinner with the LaPierres
Menu: The usual (ham, rolls, potato salad, deviled eggs, etc.)
Treat: Birds nests with Peeps
After dinner: A walk with Ally McBalmforth (to get enough minutes for my GET FIT program)

Thanks for another fun Easter dinner!! (these are two of my favorite photos from tonight)

Easter treats

I borrowed a couple of kids yesterday and we made Grandma Pitchforth's sugar cookies! It was lots of fun and we made lots of cookies. We shared some of the cookies with my neighbors, the girls took most of them home, and I have been enjoying a few. Making sugar cookies is one of my favorite holiday traditions. Happy Easter!

Cora turns 1!

I've photographed Cora throughout her first year of life (newborn, 3 months, 6 months -- unfortunately we missed 9 months) and today took her "one year photos". I know her parents are going to be happy with the 300+ pictures I have of cute Cora.

A visit to Darian

I dropped by to visit one of my favorite new babies tonight after work and took more photos. She's got a personal paparazzo!

Coolest secret friends

It was obvious that my secret friends read my blog when this was hanging on my doorknob last night! I LOVE IT! There was also a Hot Wheels car (I love fancy cars) and a Charlie Card (I love to travel). They are so clever. Tonight I received a gift certificate to Rancatore's -- an ice cream shop in Lexington Center.

They know me well...

And the winner is...

Melanie, my coworker won the gerbera daisy photo! And her birthday was today too!! Lucky her. Thanks for all your comments. I'll have another give-away soon.

Spring give-away!!!

To celebrate the beginning of Spring I'm having a give-away (even though it's not very Springy in Boston)! Leave a comment here -- what is your favorite thing about Spring? -- and I'll draw one of the comments at midnight Friday night (EST) and the winner will get an 8x12 of this gerbera daisy photo that I took a few years ago (my most popular photocard):

Spring Friendship Week

A few years ago my friend Rachel told me about an activity their ward does (in Austin) -- Friendship Week (during the week of Valentine's Day). Valentine's Day was passed when she told me about it so I made up "Spring Friendship Week" for our ward and it was really really fun! You have people sign up and then you give anonymously to a person/family for one week and someone gives to you (so only those who sign up give and receive things). This is the first time I've participated since I felt dumb as the Activities Chair to assign someone to give to ME.

I have some nice secret friends!! Monday night I got a book (I love to read). Tuesday night I got some spices (I love to bake). Tonight I got some stamps (I love to write letters). I wonder what I'll get next...I love to travel, drive fancy cars, and wear fur coats. Just kidding.

I'm so happy to be receiving thoughtful gifts from my secret friends.

P.S. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the "Spring Friendship Week" scavenger hunt two years ago. A package was left on a park bench that had "OPEN BY 'BARTHOLOMEW' FAMILY ONLY" written on it which caused quite the commotion...fire trucks, police cars, yellow tape, streets blocked, bomb squads, articles in newspapers, etc.

Where do you hide a Vermeer?

Eighteen years ago today 13 pieces of priceless artwork were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.  Here is a recent Boston Globe article about it.  

I just don't understand where you would hide stolen paintings by Vermeer and Rembrandt or sketches by Degas?  I have some artwork stashed behind my TV cabinet but it's not stolen.

Plenty of GREEN in Boston

After work I took the inbound subway instead of the outbound one, ran an errand in the city and took some pictures of green things. Happy St. Patrick's Day from Ellen O'Patton!!

Nursery is the other way, Oliver

Visiting Aspen

This is my friend Aspen. She will be a month old in a few days. She called me today and asked me to come over to visit and take more pictures of her.

I got a few good pictures before she started to get hungry and mad.