Victorian Star Quilt

Three years ago, I saw a photo of a Victorian Star quilt in a magazine. Doing my usual tinker and adapt method to quilting, the stars were pieced together. Each one took at least a day to piece together and I vowed this was the toughest quilt I have made to date. Instead of using my machine to do the quilting, I decided to hand quilt the stars. It was started before Sabrina was born. However, with her arrival, other quilts were started and finished.

Then we moved to Charleston. This quilt could tell stories of traveling by mail to Charleston and being worked on late at night. It could also share stories of Colonial America and the history of the country on the East Coast. This quilt which started as pretty fabric, represents a story and adventure in our lives. I will never forget stealing calm moments to stitch along the stars.

Friday Harbor on San Juan Island

Monday we decided to take a ferry ride to the San Juans and walk around Friday Harbor. Sabrina made friends on the ferry and loved the wind blowing in her face.

We loved the beautiful blue sky and the different views of Mt. Baker and the Olympic Mountain ranges. Friday Harbor itself was a cute little town with hilly sidewalks and streets. The town

was catering tourists' desires with shopping and ice cream shops in several areas of the downtown area. We had a picnic lunch on the lawn in the shade of trees of the Catholic Church. Next to it, was a homestead museum with

a log cabin house and outer buildings from a family that settled there in the 1890s. Many of the antiques reminded me of items my grandmother had on her homestead growing up: butter churn, stone tool sharpener wheel, clothing squeezers for line drying clothing.

Bon Voyage!

Grandma and Grandpa were in town on their way on a cruise. Sabrina had just enough time to dazzle them

Naptime!

Naptime with a great book!

Power Brush

Randy put Sabrina in the bathroom sink so he could brush her hair. She decided this would be a good chance to brush her teeth with my toothbrush!

"All I want for Christmas is a guitar"

Sabrina found a book her cousins gave her about Santa Claus. Already, she is practicing good reading skills and most likely will be handing us a list to mail at Christmas! (Ha! Ha!)After a bike ride, I picked up the guitar and played a few songs for Sabrina who was fascinated by the music and wanted to help play.

Giggles Everywhere

Sabrina's Seattle cousins came over after swimming lessons and everyone laughed as they played games with Sabrina. No one exactly knows the rule of the favorite game, but it involves Sabrina sitting in her rocker and the kids giving her stuffed animals which she then tosses behind the rocker chair and laughs.

Let the "fun" begin

We noted last night that Sabrina could take two consecutive steps before sitting down. Our sense is that we need to start growing eyes in the backs of our heads to watch her soon as she will be able to explore quickly everything that she hasn't been able to lately. Not that we are placing bets, but if we were, we think about one week left before she really takes off.

To our dismay, we also discovered last night she has outgrown two of her favorite pjs. One has little frogs on it and the other has zoo animals with rhino feet. Sigh....our little baby truly is growing up.

Photos posted

For those of you interested, photos have been added to the previous postings of our trip from the East Coast. The earliest updated entry was in Williamsburg.

The new "toy"

A few year's ago Grandma Judy went to Uganda on a Rotarian service project which accessed and donated medical equipment to hospitals and made wheel chairs out of bicycle parts. On her arrival home, she gave us a beautiful woven basket with a top. Inside are several baskets that fit inside each other with lids. (It reminds me of the Russian toy where a Santa fits inside of another Santa until there are five differently sized Santas.)

Recently, this basket was relocated to the coffee table, replacing a glass vase that Sabrina would have loved to handle and no doubt would have broken. Now that the coffee table is in scoot range, Sabrina stops daily or several times a day to play with the baskets. She literally is fascinated by how there are "surprise" baskets inside each other.

Aunt Alison's Pre-birthday gathering

The Wycoffs and Carvers got together at Grandma Joyce's condo for a little gathering the night before Aunt Alison's birthday (#40)! Sabrina once again was playing with cousins constantly! She wants to ride a horse and was bounced on knees, stomaches or just bounced in place. She met Joey and Claire's other grandparents and had much fun.

Annie the Nanny

From the first time they met when Sabrina was three months old to now, she and Annie (Grandpa's dog) have been great friends! This friendship was revived over the weekend and Sabrina learned how to gently pet Annie and sneak food to her. (The "sneak" was discovered when brocoli was offered and Annie refused, leaving Sabrina with little green tree.) The high chair and the stroller offered places of refuge from energized paws. For the most part, everyone behaved and had fun. Annie was often seen in the shadows of Sabrina as she scooted around the house.

Cupcakes!

Sabrina has extended her birthday for yet another celebration with her cousin in Oregon. This was her third celebration where she had her favorite new food: cupcakes!

Cousin Arthur's family gave her a tiger keyboard which she has fun "playing" with both hands! Not quite the talent of her grandpa, or uncle but with all the enthusiasm!