It's Cookie Day!

 Why am I sitting patiently at the oven door? Mom's baking cookies! If the truth were known, I always wait when cookies are being baked; but, today, the cookies are all for me! If you want to share some lovin' from the oven with  a furry friend I have copied the recipe here:

Dog Biscuits

2 TBSP corn syrup

1/2 C. peanut butter

1 C water

1C whole wheat flour

2C white flour

Mix up, roll out, cut shapes. Bake in a  350F oven for 20 minutes.

As soon as they were cool I got to taste-test one, I give them two paws up!


I'll roll over and beg; sit, stay, talk, lie down, 
crawl or pray... for just one more!

Life is Good!

Enough!

It rings, incessantly. The calls come from toll free services and random cell phone numbers in far-flung locales, political action committees, debt and interest rate reduction agencies (really?), some place called "college alert", fund raising groups and so on. I have registered, again and again, with DO NOT CALL; to no avail. Is anyone else plagued by this incessant ringing? As if it wasn't bad enough, now this trend has also infiltrated my cell phone; this annoyance is pervasive, alright already...enough is enough!

Life is Good...

and silence is golden!

What's On The Longarm?

I made a promise to myself that I would become much more serious about machine quilting and improving my skills this summer; I needed to focus. I vowed a few weeks back to set aside an hour a day, every day, to work my way through the practice workbooks. I loaded up a practice quilt sandwich on Sundance and plowed through the first book: Bethany Pease's Modern Quilting Designs, a book on background fillers. I'm on the second book now, Pam Clarke's Design With Lines book #1; I'm on my second quilt sandwich too. I have been practicing freehand feathers in and around the edges. What happens when I get through with this book? Not to worry, I ordered more... my summer school books arrived last week:

It's not what's on the longarm that is occupying my time this weekend, though; it's what's under it:

Sure, Lucy Ann;
Nana's  all done for today.
Tomorrow's another day...
Life is Good!

I'm A Half-Lifer

I realized the other day that I took my first quilting class early in 1983, that was twenty nine and a half years ago; half my life! As startling as it is to think about how this last half of my life has been transformed through discovering the art of quilt making; it's just as astounding to see how the quilt making world has changed during this period of time. When I began collecting a few meager quilting magazines, back in those early days, some were still being  printed in  black and white.  My first quilt was a sampler and the templates (yes, templates!) necessary for piecing were made from cardboard. I cut out the fabric pieces with shears and marked my lines for hand quilting (of course!) with very thin soap slivers. A LOT has changed over the years, and most of the changes are for the better... there's no doubt that we can finish our projects quicker and more accurately now thanks to better tools and technology; but I wouldn't trade those early learning experiences, or my tools of today, for anything; they've worked together to build a strong foundation, one that I can confidently build the rest of my quilts (and life) upon. The huge community of quilting friends is a priceless dividend. What percentage of your life have you spent quilting?

Life is Good!

Random Thoughts and Souvenir Slippers...

As I conclude the posts from our  Baltic adventure to Scandinavia and Russia (I know you're all breathing a sigh of relief!) I'll leave you with a few random thoughts through images that I found photo worthy. Having said that, the first photo is not mine, I grabbed it off the Internet as I never took a photo of my favorite fruit on the ship; I was too busy eating them, every chance I got! A European variety Honeydew Melon, it was sweet and incredibly delicious; it tasted to me like a cross between a honeydew and a pear. They are smooth skinned and round, and the rind is just as pictured here, a true lemon yellow.

View on our ship from the top deck looking down; this was in port, we didn't cruise through parking lots...

Adult bicycle with child's bike attached...

One of several distinctive manhole covers... in Aarhus, Denmark

Remember your baptism and keep it holy...

Twenty-four hour clock with the four gospels...

Berlin...

Table at The Hermitage, I love it; and no, I didn't touch it!...

Preschoolers in Finland wearing safety vests at play...

Helsinki...

Along the coastline in Helsinki...

There was ironing to do on "at sea" days... some habits are hard to break!

The last picture taken, but certainly not the least! This is how I left the ship.
Our bags needed to be out of our stateroom the night before departure...
let's put it this way: I'm an aggressive packer!
Thank you Princess, for coming to my rescue~
Life is Good!

Stockholm

We entered the archipelago, a series of small islands and rocky outcroppings all dotted with summer houses, heading toward Stockholm at approximately 5:30 AM on the morning of June 1. The day dawned soggy (HEAVY RAIN) and cold (45 degrees) with a moderate wind. Enjoy these photos of the archipelago and our approach into the port at Stockholm:

Undaunted, we left the ship after a quick breakfast and boarded a water taxi to take is into
 Stockholm city where we strolled through the streets of the Old Town early on a soggy Friday morning.

The black iron horse sign is marked "LIVRUSTKAMMAREN",
identifying this building as the armory.

We arrived at our destination, Vasamuseet, (The Vasa Museum) and waited
(along with a hoard of other drenched visitors) until the doors opened.
We weren't disappointed to have ventured out; the recovered and restored Vasa
and the museum that was built around her were the perfect place to spend the morning.

The restoration on this 17th century flagship, which sunk promptly after her launch in 1628,
took almost thirty years; from 1961 when it was discovered lying intact an the bottom of the harbor, to 1990, when the Vasamuseet was opened to the public. Due to the fact that the water here is brackish,
there is no environmental support for worms or other organisms that would characteristically feast on submerged wood, the elaborate wood carvings in the ship's keel remained extremely well-preserved.


Our port time was short in Stockholm, we sailed away shortly after lunch;
due to the weather conditions here, however, we wouldn't have spent any more time exploring.
Armed with a white chocolate mocha and a good book, in a warm and dry stateroom,
I  found the perfect place to spend the afternoon sailing back out of the same archipelago... stunning!

Life is Good!

Tomorrow: Sea day, as our ship heads back to Copenhagen and disembarkation.

Helsinki

We arrived in Helsinki, Finland on May 31, greeted by perfect weather for walking and exploring; bright and sunny, but cool. On our own, we plotted a route and took off in search of The Lutheran Cathedral of St. Nicholas which was described in the literature as being impressive and dominating the Senate Square area, sounds easy enough... right? We weren't disappointed by the lovely sights and floral abundance that we encountered along the way.

This church looks impressive and dominating...

It is indeed impressive, but it is St. John's church; built to accommodate the overflow from The Lutheran Cathedral of St. Nicholas, it is the largest stone church (seating capacity) in Finland.

We stopped for directions and to use the facilities at a Picnic; super clean and ultra modern, 
think of it as Finland's equivalent to McDonald's... real dishes though, no paper or plastic.

The tulips and Cherry trees were blooming, the public areas were well landscaped and pristine.

Helsinki's famed Seal Fountain with the city's symbol: "The Daughter of the Baltic" at Market Square; we're still in search of the Lutheran Cathedral... Martin, where are you?

Market Square... the flowers were, literally, prolific!

...strawberries, too!

One stop shopping... really, what more could you want?

Built on a rock... could this be the church we're looking for?

The Helsinki Orthodox Church.
Our search for Martin continues.

These "Hop On - Hop Off" buses were plentiful throughout Scandinavia;
offering one price for a whole day of sightseeing, they are quite popular.

Could this be The Lutheran Cathedral of St. Nicholas? It's impressive and dominating...

The vast interior beautifully displayed large, soaring, domed ceilings and a magnificent pulpit...

... and an equally magnificent pipe organ...

...as well as a statue of Martin Luther! 
Yes, this is the Lutheran Cathedral;
at long last, we had found Martin.

Closed pews (incredibly straight-backed, hard, and uncomfortable) to trap heat in the winter.

I found this interesting... the prayer time is posted as occurring between 11:45 until 12:20
but the clock icon shows 11:00. Hmmm.

Adorable display in the toy store window... it looked like a step back in time.

Oh, look... a toy store for me, too!

These posted sidewalks are for real... don't even think about walking in the bike lane, you'll be run over!
Ask me how I know!

Life is Good!

Observances from my journal:
1. There are fifty three granite steps up to the Lutheran Cathedral.
I did not see an elevator, ramp or any handicap entrance anywhere.
2. We covered seven miles walking from the ship, around the city (in search or Martin Luther) and back.
3. The best meal so far (it's all been incredible) was tonight's dinner: 
scallops in a delicate lemon-cream sauce.
4. The best entertainment on the ship so far: 
Kyle Esplin, a Scottish pop-classical pianist, amazing talent!

Tomorrow's port: Stockholm