Happy!

Happy, happy, happy is how I would describe my long weekend!  

Four days spent with quilty friends retreating, laughing, sewing, shopping, laughing, eating, sewing, discussing, and did I mention laughing?!!!!  If you have not had the chance to attend a quilt retreat, I highly suggest doing so; it is definitely good for the soul!

This year we missed Victoria, Shelly, and Andrea, but welcomed Michelle, Cindy and Stephanie.  Amanda, Doris, Mary, Shelly, Terri, Toni and I were the repeat quilters.

Here's a fun picture taken when it was discovered most of us had the same purple toenail polish.  I definitely prefer this view of myself...can you spot me?... I'll give you a hint....I'm not wearing cowboy boots this time ;-)

Webster lists several definitions of the adjective happy including: "enthusiastic about something to the point of obsession".  Hmmm...I'd say that's a pretty accurate description of how I felt surrounded by all these Kaffe fabrics at Gruber's!

We Harper's (family name) have another definition of happy.  This one is a noun which means "small, unexpected gift given for no specific reason other than just because", and is used in a sentence such as "Here's a little happy I made for you to say thanks for being there when I needed you" or "Oh, it's just a little happy I picked up because it reminded me of you" or "I picked out these little happies because I'm thrilled to be retreating with y'all".  As far as I know, this gesture was "invented" by my mom, but has been embraced by many others....some not even knowing the origin of the practice ;-)  The above picture shows some of the happies I received from my quilty friends.  Thank you!

During the retreat, I witnessed some amazing show and tell!  Trust me when I say AMAZING!  You'll have to visit each retreater's blog though as I did not have my camera and didn't trust my cell phone to appropriately depict the fabulous quilts!  The same goes for the projects being worked on by others.  I also think it's best if I wait for them to show and tell about their projects on their blogs first.

I did not bring anything for show and tell, but I did bring a couple of WIPs to get expert advice and opinions regarding a few issues I was having.  I'm so glad I did as I feel rejuvenated and remotivated to work on them.  I'll save those pictures and stories for another day.  

Awe inspiring projects were being worked on during the retreat, and I hope you visit the other quilty bloggers to see their pictures and read their retreat recaps.  I left with so many ideas in my head for future projects!  As far as what we all worked on during the retreat, I will say I noticed pinwheels seemed to be a popular block as at least three of us were making pinwheel quilts.

When I got home, I used my camera to take a picture of this beautiful table runner my sister made for my birthday!  She gave it to me at the retreat but made me promise not to share it during show and tell.  I don't know why because it's absolutely gorgeous, and I love it!!!

I am sure I will be sharing more about the retreat in future posts...there is just so much to tell...right now though my family is demanding my attention....not to mention my dad just arrived in town...wondering just how long it takes to write a blog post....if they only knew ;-)

In the meantime, have an amazing day!!!!!