Quilts And A Birthday Party

Tomorrow our dear friend Ellie celebrates a birthday and tonight we hosted a party for Ellie—Michael and I met Ellie and her husband Jim in Tucson in 2008—we’ve been close friends since that time.  They have been to our home in Montana and boondocked with us in the Arizona desert one winter for two months—a major miracle as before that time Ellie was a died in the wool pavement princess!  Ellie and Jim purchased a home in North Ranch last year and while they still travel  in their motorhome, the majority of their time is spent here.  Ellie is very involved in line dancing activities at North Ranch.

We enjoyed a fabulous meal if I do say so myself—Donna and Barry brought the delicious appetizer—homemade spinach dip.  Geri brought a broccoli casserole that would make anyone a broccoli eater!  I supplied the brisket, Brenda’s cheesy potatoes (they were great Brenda!!), and a lettuce salad with apples, pecans and Jeane’s poppy seed dressing—YUM!!!  Ellie’s birthday cake was a fresh apple cake from my Little Rock, Arkansas Junior League cookbook.  I love to cook and I love to have friends enjoy what I cook—a wonderful evening! 

Friday and Saturday our local quilt guild, the Vulture Peak Patchers is having a quilt show in Wickenburg, an every other year event.  I worked this morning helping to hang the quilts and there are some breathtaking ones!!  All I had with me today was the iPhone--

Stunning!

The guild arranges to exhibit Hoffman Challenge quilts for each of their quilt shows.  Hoffman is a fabric manufacturer and each year chooses a fabric and coordinates for the challenge—“The Hoffman Challenge Fabrics must be used in the body of the quilt, or for appliqué quilts, the Challenge Fabric must be used in more than one spot.”  Quilting artist create quilts using their interpretation of the chosen fabric.  Winners of the Hoffman Challenge receive various cash/product prizes.  Their quilts are then placed in one of many traveling exhibits like the one we are enjoying in Wickenburg—this quilt is from the Hoffman Challenge 2015-my favorite.

Life is good, really good—tomorrow it is back to the quilt show for me and I will take the camera!