A little R&R is just what was needed

After the shock of my son's brain cancer diagnosis and whirlwind of activity over the past few months, hubby and I managed to find some time for just us recently. My son was even feeling well enough to house-sit for us. Which was a blessing as we didn't have to be concerned about an empty house or putting the dogs in a kennel.

Speaking of my son, he's feeling pretty good right now. The initial chemo and radiation is done, with the six months of chemo beginning mid-June. He doesn't have has much energy or strength has he did, but that's certainly to be expected after battling cancer for a few months wouldn't you think? We still won't know for awhile how much - if any - of the tumor remains as an MRI won't be taken for a few more months. It's completely out of our hands and all we can do is pray, pray, pray.

That being said, let's get back to my little vacation. Look what hubby and I woke up to each morning of our get-away? This is on the shore of Lake Superior in Northern Minnesota. We stayed at Surfside in Tofte, which is part of the Bluefin Bay resort. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! Of course every morning wasn't this clear but who cares?

Not only that, look at the night view from the outdoor patio. We were a week ahead of the crowds so it was so peaceful and quiet. The absolute best part was listening to the waves crash against the rocks along the shoreline as we fell asleep.

We spent a morning in Grand Marais just exploring the shoreline and what few shops that were open. The morning was not only foggy, but downright chilly. I was very thankful I still had a pair of gloves in the car.

The last time we visited Grand Marais was 9/11. Our plan had been to explore the little tourist town but as Brian was waiting for me to get ready he happened to turn on the television and watched with horror what was happening. Needless to say, we checked out immediately and drove home.

That meant we had never discovered the World's Best Donut Shop. Mmmmm, they really are good. Of course any donut tastes good when you only eat them once every year or so :-) If you visit, make sure you write down your name and remember your number. If you go back in future years and can remember your customer number you get a free donut. You definitely want to visit the inside of the shop also as it is filled with photos of customers with their branded coffee mug taken all around the world.

Of course there are hundreds of trails to hike and we choose a few we hadn't explored before. With few other people around it felt like we had the trails all to ourselves. When we reached Baptism Falls and began climbing the stairs to the top of the falls, Brian looked behind us and exclaimed "there's a storm rolling in fast - we better seek cover". Of course I immediately looked behind us to see the sky quickly turning dark and the temps dropping rapidly when only moments before we had sunshine and been complaining about being overdressed.

Fortunately, it was just a heavy fog rolling in and we were able to get some great shops of a foggy Baptism Falls.

Since the resort had bikes available as part of our rental package we spent one afternoon biking, hiking and exploring. Again, it was so relaxing to have the wilderness all to ourselves.

We were also celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary (a month late) and enjoyed dinner and cocktails at the Bluefin Grille. Great food, great service and great martinis.

Of course all good things must come to an end and that includes our little get away. Pin It

Linda Lee and Anna Maria Horner all in one weekend

Even though there has been very little creating going on in my studio, I did make a trip to Treadle Yard Goods this past weekend. I was looking for some aqua cotton prints to coordinate with a red and white polka dot print. While I didn't find exactly what I had envisioned in my mind, I did find a few prints that may work.

While I was there I signed up for two special events happening this weekend.

Friday evening will be a short program by Linda Lee. She'll also have selected garments from The Sewing Workshop on hand. The last time I attended one of her programs was probably four or five years ago and I really enjoyed it. Part of the fun was seeing the garments up close, but also meeting other sewing enthusiasts. I'm really hoping someone I met at the last one - Cathy - shows up. We kinda connected and I had gotten her business card so I could keep in touch with her but promptly lost it.

Saturday night is an appearance by fabric designer and author Anna Maria Horner. How fun will that be? I don't own either of her books but I thought it would be fun to hang out with other textile lovers and meet the lovely author. Those of you who have her books - yay or nay? They'll be available to purchase the night of the event so I wouldn't mind hearing your opinions.

There might still be space open at one or both events, but you do need to contact Treadle Yard Goods to reserve your spot.

Now that my son has completed his six weeks of radiation and chemo and is feeling pretty darn good these two events just might be what I need to get my creativity going again. Pin It

RetroRama returns Thursday, May 13 at the Minnesota History Center

RetroRama: Fashion Comes Full Circle

Check out the fun from last year's RetroRama event. Watch closely and you'll see my nano-second of fame - on the runway and in the soda shop. I'm wearing the vintage black sixties dress with a mink stole. The tacky tourist on the runway is my girlfriend Linda. She got a lot of applause when she hit the runway. She's planning a late 60s/early 70s hippie look for this year. Me? I'll likely don the same outfit as last year since I've had other things preoccupying my time this year.

Now do you see why we look forward to this event every year? It's just plain fun.

Tickets are only $15 and can be purchased here or at the door the night of the event. Pretty reasonable for the amount of fun you'll experience. Trust me.

If you're reading my blog and plan on attending, let me know so we can say hi to each other. I'll be the one wearing the vintage mink stole.

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The Vogue 1109 striped puzzle t-shirt in action

I sewed this Betzina design (Vogue 1109) last June and blogged about it here. Can you believe this is the first time I've actually worn this t-shirt? Not only that but I captured the moment with our digital camera. Well actually we were capturing the Mother's Day moment but as long as I wearing the t-shirt I wanted to share it with you. Isn't it fun? I really should purchase some more striped knit and sew myself another one.

Those are my two darling children. Rob's the one you've all been faithfully praying for as he continues his battle with brain cancer. With his hat on you'd never know he has cancer would you? He's looking pretty good and says he's feeling good too. More good news - his radiation and chemo will end this Thursday!

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How to throw away $100 in less than five minutes

I bet you're wondering what that big white blob is on the bottom of my iron.

Go ahead. Take a guess.

Oh, okay. I'll just tell you.

That, dear readers, is melted plastic from the base of my Rowenta steamer.

It would appear that if you do not place the iron directly onto the metal plate the iron will melt a nice big hole in the base.

Don't believe me? See for yourself.


Oh honestly, I was just sick when I saw what I had done - I mean, how dumb can I be? I've used a steamer for years and years and years. In fact, this was my replacement version that I've only owned for six months. I was tickled pink when I found it at Tuesday Morning for just under $100. I don't know if the outer case is critical to the steam or if it only protects the tank inside as I haven't gone back into the sewing room today after cleaning up this mess.

Apparently I'm still a bit distracted. I really shouldn't be as my son continues to do well. He went back home a few weeks ago and we get together for dinner once a week and talk to each other frequently during the week. Yes, the chemo and radiation are wearing him out, but overall he's doing good and his attitude remains positive. Plus after one more week of radiation and chemo he gets to have four weeks off before beginning the six month round of chemo.

*Sigh* Oh well, in the big scheme of things it's only an iron.

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