Ramblings from Russia

I made it and am finally getting over jet leg .My new favorite airline is Air France for the service and the food. Nothing like it! Everything went smoothly even entering Russia and having my body scanned for swine flu and a very intimidating guard inspecting my passport. I pretended I knew what I was doing and out I went to be greeted by my principal. It was so wonderful to see a friendly face. He took me immediately over to the school which is charming and in an old house which looks like the home in the Madeline books. My classroom is half the size of my room at Auke Bay but with only 14 kids. I was able to spend Wednesday with them and observe the woman who has been subbing for a day to get a feel for the routine. The children are very self motivated and capable. When I asked one child what her parents did here she said her Dad was a special agent. I asked her what that meant and she said, "He makes breakfast, lunch and
dinner." We need more special agents in the world. The city is amazing...out of a picture book with rivers and canals and gorgeous architecture. I walk to school which takes 22 minutes each way. The weather is cold and rainy and very much like Juneau's fall weather so that isn't going to be much of an adjustment. The apartment I am staying in in charming with high ceilings, spacious rooms and right on a canal. It even comes with a housekeeper who also cooks dinner. Not bad! My job is to walk the dog when I get home. I think I can handle one chore. I can't believe how gracious, friendly and welcoming every single person at this school has been. I have had many invitations for dinner, the ballet, musuem excursions etc. already. They have been unbelievable. I am learning a little more Russian each day. It really is a beautiful sounding language. Enough rambling for today. It's time for my walk home. I wonder what Irini is making for dinner? Life is good!
Love, Kathy

September Meeting 2009

Here are the minutes. Sorry it took me so long. --Tricia

Our September meeting was small, and we missed Linda, Margie, Rita, Ellie, Trish, and Lacey. Carol came for a few minutes to drop off her quilts for the Silver Springs show, but she had hurt her back and wasn't able to stay.

Helen made delicious refreshments! The homemade bruschetta, based on the Julie & Julia movie, was particularly popular -- so popular, in fact, that we ended up breaking all the rules about eating and conducting business.

News of note is that Kathy, our member in Alaska, is now in Russia teaching for a year. We are not sure how much contact we'll be able to have with her during that time. Randi circulated a note inviting Donna, who recently lost her husband, to return to the Q Bees. Randi brought Dawn a birthday present -- a beautiful table topper, which she promptly "borrowed" back to enter in the quilt show.

Because of the small group, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to revisit our bylaws and codes of conduct. It just seemed so much more practical to address them with just a few of us, rather than having to get agreement from so many different opinions. Peggy is in the process of drafting a Memorandum of Understanding for everyone to sign at the next meeting. Dawn will bring her notary stamp to notarize our signatures, and the attorney she works for will attend to explain the consequences of bylaws violations and to answer any questions.

After that heavy business, we had a great time looking at all the quilts we brought for the Silver Springs Quilt Show, and we are all grateful to Randi for providing delivery service for our quilts.

Randi recently took a trip with her husband to Ashland, OR, and she brought back fat quarters for all of us. Thank you (again!), Randi.

Randi shared a tip for completing binding quickly. Thread several needles before you begin so they're ready and waiting when it's time for a new thread. That seemed like a great idea to everyone but Peggy and Dawn, who both have a needle fetish of having only one "favorite" needle. Oh, the secrets that come out in these meetings!

Update from Kathy...on her way to Russia

As I finish packing for my Russian experience I wanted to send a group e-mail out to let you all know I am on way early next week. I don't know the computer situation there for corresponding with all of you at this point, but I will make every effort to write often if possible and I would love to receive news from all of you as well. I will be in St. Petersburg teaching 2nd Grade at the Anglo-American School of St. Petersburg until December 18. I will be teaching 14 students who are all learning English and are from many countries. It will be a wonderful opportunity and challenge. I hear the mail system isn't worth dealing with and at this point I do not know my address. I will be staying with the school's principal, Ron Gleason, who is from Juneau, temporarily.

Enjoy the fall and stay healthy and happy.

With much love,

Kathy

August 2009 Newsletter

Hi Bees! Such busy little creatures we are. In attendance were Margie, Rita, Helen, Randi, Peggy and Carol.

Dawn was not here, Ellie was in Oregon with hubby at a reunion, Tricia, Trish T. and Lacey were not here and Linda is camping with family and Kathy is in Alaska (she lives there). We missed those of you not in attendance and hope you can be with us next time.

We'd like to thank Rita for her fabulous, and we do mean fabulous, salads; a pasta salad to die for and a Caesar Salad, also to be thrown in the den of lions for. What a meal! Thanks to Peggy for the awesome carrot cake cupcakes, great topping to a great meal. What started as snacks has turned into a feast before our meetings. Randi or Helen, not sure who, mentioned we need to collect these recipes for a cookbook from the "Bees" so if you bring a meal or treat please include the recipe so it can go into this idea eventually. Maybe Linda has a program set up to store these??? Also Kathy lives far away but if she has some recipes we could try, we would love for her to send them and we can take turns making them or something. Carol to bring dinner for September and Margie to do October.

Margie brought up the motor home idea for travel to the Shop Hop in September but it seems her hubby said it doesn't appear it is in shape for such a trip:( We shall prevail no matter. After all shopping is shopping and it will get done, hard as that is to do - someone has to do it :).

Applications were brought in for us to complete so we can enter our quilts and any other fiber art you may have. It seems this Autumn Festival Quilt/Fiber Arts Show was originally started by the Silver Springs Entertainment and Arts as a means to raise money for the historic, Stockton Wells site in Silver Springs. This year the quilt show is in memorial to one of their members, Shirley Martel, who passed away earlier this year. Just recently they added another tragedy when Margaret Ruckman passed away in an accident. This is truly a hardship on this group and they need all the help we can muster. So ladies, lets take this challenge and support them with as many items as we can afford to send in to make this year's quilt show spectacular. After all, quilters do that kind of stuff and we can help women do that too. We must have our stuff in by the next meeting on September 21st. Make copies of this application - one for each item. Thank you in advance for participating.

Our homework - draw an item without putting the pencil down or looking at the paper - was quite a success. We did it! Amazingly enough it looked like what we were drawing. So next time you do the same idea except, its 80/20, 80% to readjust for orientation and 20% for observation on the paper. Peggy drew orchids, Margie a rooster, Rita did a felt tip drawing on fabric she painted (one with and one without gesso) The one without the gesso was beautiful for she is so artistic! Helen did a geranium in a pot and Randi did a watercooler. Helen also brought out her dyed fabric for ideas for Rita to see. All great work!

Randi brought out her QUILTO game, as we dubbed it. She needed ideas to help bring this to fruition and we helped - well ok, Margie helped. It was a fun game and we used buttons as our markers, but to make it easy Margie's great idea was laminate each card and use dry erasers to mark your card. We all forgot our fat quarters to use for the prize but Randi remembered hers and I (Carol) won. Thank you so much. It was a fun game.

Our share time was neat. Peggy had to leave early so she went first. She made a quilt top that is just beautiful and even she likes the colors this time. But as it is made with a tube of fabric and then you cut, she said she has so much waste she used the left overs for a table runner - WOW! and she quilted it as a test run to see how she would do the big one. She did a fabulous job. Way to go girl!

Tricia, her sister, did not come tonight as their mom is in the hospital and she had been with her all day getting her into the hospital. Mom is a little cranky, rightfully so at her age and with her ailments. Please keep their mom on your prayer list, and pray that Tricia and Peggy will be given extra strength as well.

Randi showed us the birthday gift she made for Dawn. Too bad Dawn wasn't here but we'd happily take it for her:)

Margie had a Show "N' Tell but it was slightly different - she was at Michael's and found this really cute box -it has "Paris Made" on it and it is black and white. She thought of the bathroom I'm decorating and so got it for me. I am so tickled, and it looks great in there. I'm planning on putting guest towels and facecloths in it. So cute. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and friendship. You are all terrific.

Rita brought up that she had finished two projects but that she didn't feel they were good enough to show us. Are you kidding? We all enjoy what we do but all that we do is not perfect, so Randi said everyone must bring in what she does. We all have made mistakes but as Helen put it "Mistakes are windows of opportunity for creativity." Nicely put, Helen. Unfortunately Rita already gifted her projects so I guess we won't see those:( Next time Rita.

As we talked about family, Rita asked us to please keep her sister Daniela in our prayers as her "plate" is very full right now. Rita will also e-mail her recipes to Linda for this issue of our "minutes".

Speaking of recipes...Helen took that fabulous salad that Peggy and Trish brought to the meeting last month and guess what - the quilt guild credited Helen for the recipe in their news letter. Helen apologized and it was accepted so all three recipes should be in this months letter.

Our meeting sort of fell apart about 7:45 p.m. Enjoy our summer... what is left of it. Guess it will be hot again for September. See you then and DONT FORGET your quilts and fiber arts applications.

Keep BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ,
Carol and Linda


Peggy, Trish (and Helen's) Recipe

1/2 to 1 lb hamburger, browned
1 pkg, Kawry's Taco Seasoning
1/2 bunch Cilantro (Divided)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Pailla Molida Chile Powder
Grated Cheese
Black Olives
Romain Lettuce
Tomatoes
Avocado
Tortilla Chips
The SECRET ingredient - HIDDEN VALLEY SPICY RANCH SALAD DRESSING

Cook the meat till no longer pink with half of you cilantro and the garlic powder. Drain WELL set aside. in a bowl put the lettuce, tomatoes, olives then toss with the rest of the ingredients (this means the meat). I put the tortillas in a bowl and served the salad on top and then added the dressing. I did this at home so I wouldn't have to toss the left overs as it makes alot. But if your doing it for a party or large group I say do like Peggy did... add it all together. It is so-o-o-o-o good.
I also added black beans well rinsed and drained and a small can of chopped anaheim chilis MILD.

Notes from Kathy, our internet member

Lots of changes here. I leave for St. Petersburg, Russia in a week or so to teach 2nd Grade at the Anglo-American School there. The teacher is on child care leave for 12 weeks so I'll be there until Christmas. Tom will join me for three weeks in November. I know the principal of the school and he was kind enough to invite me. It'll be a once in a lifetime opportunity for sure. I'm excited. I just found out about this a month ago so we've been busy. I moved all my sewing supplies out of my quilting room and we're renting out the apartment for three months while I'm gone. This will allow Tom to come and go to our cabin, visit his folks in Calif. and go to Russia and still have someone watching over things here. I'll be excited to set my quilting room back up when I return. I'll have itchy fingers for sure. I'll resort to knitting while I'm there.

I enjoyed meeting Dawn when she was here. Today we're off for a family hike up Mt. Robert's. Those three grand kids are little mountain goats. We'll be bringing up the rear for sure.

I hope to have access to a computer over there so you can e-mail me and we can correspond. Love and hugs to the quilting bees.

Quilting Bees Make Honey

I'm constantly in awe of the care and love the members of the Quilting Bees have for each other. When there is need, we always go to the hive and make honey. This project was completed for Rachael's baby, Ivan, when he was born in November 2007. I never shared the photos, found them tonight, and decided to share them with all of you too. What a beautiful baby (my grandson) and colorful quilt. Thanks for being Busy Bees! -Linda

Ellie Donates Quilt

Ellie is sharing her talents with the Cancer Resource Center. Her fun quilt, Chile Con Huevos, was donated as a raffle item to raise funds for this supportive organization. Carol raves about how much they helped her when she was going through treatment. Thank you Ellie for being such a bzzy bee and makin' so much honey!
-Linda

Update on Box Quilt 2007

You'll have to search the archives to learn more about this challenge. Not many have finished but Donna joined the ranks with this Technique Quilt she created for Dale's nephew Cody and his wife, Jessica. Cody is currently serving our country in the Air Force. This is one of Donna's favorite quilts and they love it as much as she does. Thanks for sharing a photo before sending it to your family. -Linda

Update on Box Quilt 2006

Yes, those Box Quilts from 2006 are being finished. These quilts have actually were gifted or used many moons ago but in the spirit of justice we would like to honor the hearty quilters that kept to the task of completion. Congratulations to all of you!

Rachael displays the quilt with blocks made by the Quilting Bees. Each month, as Rachael made a block for one of the members, she also made a block from the same pattern for her bed. The end result is a lovely quilt for a king sized bed. Great job finishing, Rachael!

Tammy is a former member who also completed that Box Quilt challenge and gifted this beautiful quilt to her brother. We all had fun making blocks from the fall fabric and know that he loves the quilt as much as we did. Beautiful work!

It isn't too late to find the box with all those squares and put them together. Many of us have UFO's on our project list for 2009 so this project can be a finished Box Quilt 2006 AND a 2009 UFO. What are we waiting for???
-Linda