Spring is in Full Retreat

Spring is in retreat today - a few inches of snow lay on the ground when I went to bed last night and a lot more this morning when I got up. Wet and heavy, this snow is wonderful for the water needs of Colorado. It's hard to concentrate on my computer when there is such a glorious view of the snowy landscape through my window. We're due for several more inches today and we may have to cancel the recognition dinner at High Peak Camp this evening. Even if we can get out, the camp roads won't be plowed. Delivery of our Denver Post was late, much to Wayne's dismay - no newspaper with his morning coffee makes him grumpy.

I'll be working in the loft today on a couple of sewing and quilting projects, one that I'm eager to complete and one that I'm eager to begin. The "Shadows" quilt is ready for the binding. I am pleased with how it has turned out. I may decide to add additional hand quilting. I ordered some fabric from equilter.com yesterday to begin a baby quilt I found in 101 Patchwork Projects and Quilts. It has lots of little tabs for baby to explore and I have plenty of scraps of fabric just perfect for those tabs. I'm about to brew a pot of tea and head upstairs ... it promises to be a cozy productive day.

Lovely New Home for Mom

Estes Park/Lake Estes - aerial view looking west

Rocky Mountain National Park in background

Good Sam, with its fantastic views, is out of photo range on the right

I must put away my knitting and quilting long enough to prepare for the arrival of my sister, niece, grand-nephew and grand-niece next week. The two kids will be here from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon, while my sister and niece will stay several days longer. I'm excited about their visit. They will all stay here at our house but spend a lot of time with Mom at Good Samaritan EP Village where her new apartment is located. It's a wonderful facility and we are happy that, at 89, she can be in the independent living wing. It's just ten minutes from our house. She has been busy unpacking boxes and organizing. The apartment looks lovely with all her things in place. I'm hoping she will get involved with a few of the many activities going on there. The kids are eager to swim in the pool and we'll all eat a meal or two there with Mom. She wants me to wait until she has everything "just right" before I take photos of the interior of her apartment so here are a few exterior shots.

Front Entrance

Dining Room

Pools

A Day of Fun and Cuteness

Carol, Quink and I had a wonderful "girls' day out" yesterday. Our first stop was The Little Wool Shoppe in Loveland, Colorado. I bought a pattern for a small table mat and a piece of woven wool to use as the base. I think it will look nice on the marble top table in our great room.

Our next stop was The Wool Basket in Windsor where we were treated to a world of cuteness. I bought a small bag of wool scraps to use in making the table mat. I also bought several cuts of a new Moda fabric I've fallen in love with called "La Petite Ecole." It's the same fabric used in the "Night Before Christmas" block of the month quilt I'm making.

Our third stop was Quilter's Stash, also in Windsor. They carry a large selection of batiks and, although I need batiks for a wall quilt I'm planning, I didn't buy any because they have a sale coming up in a couple of weeks. I have several projects in the works so I won't start on the batik quilt for awhile anyway.

We had lunch at the Okole Maluna Hawaiian Grill in Windsor, a new restaurant for the three of us. Our meals were delicious but the piece de resistance was the slice of chocolate haupia pie. I'm on the hunt for a recipe to try at home.

Today I'm busy washing and pressing the fabirc and working on some of my projects in progress. We had several inches of snow overnight and it's melting quickly today. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the gorgeous views.

A Room Full of Talented Quilt Makers

This post doesn't need much text because the images of these fabulous quilted projects speak for themselves. I took these photos at the Estes Valley Quilt Guild's annual retreat this past week-end. So much inspiration ... too little time.