Busy Weekend - Paige's First Communion, Mother's Day and playing with clay

 

We journeyed to Charlotte last weekend for Granddaughter Paige's First Communion.

My husband Mike and I with Ty, Meg and Paige.  
Paige and Meg in the church garden.

Paige's big moment!

The kids had fun Friday evening making things out of Grandma's clay. Paige's cheeseburger...

Meg's food.

Meg's people.

Ty's fish.

Pretty things ready to bake.

Out to dinner for Mother's Day.

Meg made me a beautiful necklace for Mother's Day.

Give-away!

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Trip to Cincinnati

My husband Mike and I headed up to Cincinnati last Friday on a chilly, rainy day and arrived at son Jeff's just in time for Jocelyn's soccer game. We stood out on an open field in 40-some degrees with the most bitter April wind I've ever experienced! BRRRR. We didn't think we would need our winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves and boy, were we sorry. But at least her team won. Thankfully, it warmed up on Saturday and Sunday, with sunny skies, and we enjoyed the rest of our visit without numb hands and feet. We saw another of her games on Sunday (tied, 3-3) and we got to see her doing some strong, long-range kicking. Got some of her Grandma's speed and athletic ability, yeah! On the way home Friday we ate supper at Main Street Cafe in Newtown - I got a delicious black bean burger and fries. On Saturday Jeff and family had a dinner with friends already planned so Mike and I had dinner out at "Asian Buffet" that was very good.

On Sunday morning we all went to church and enjoyed contemporary music; had homemade matzoh ball soup for lunch thanks to Jeff and Jocie; and then sat in on Calvin's jazz ensemble practice. He plays piano with a group of high school students from all over Cincinnati, who are all excellent at playing various instruments, and they are directed by a grad student at the University of Cincinnati. They sound fantastic and that was quite a treat! Stewart, Calvin and Jocie gave us piano concerts at their house...all quite accomplished! We all went out to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays on Sunday evening, which was great fun. Then we headed home on Monday. It was awesome to see them and we were so sad to leave, but hopefully they will come our way this summer. ♥

Here is Jocelyn (11) holding Gemma and Jeff holding Willow. They are King Charles Cavalier Spaniels and absolutely adorable. They are very friendly and love to be petted.

 Here is Jeff, our daughter-in-law Heather, Chinese student Alex they are hosting for the school year, Jocelyn, Calvin (14 1/2) and Stewart (16).
 

Mike and me with Jeff, Heather, Jocelyn, Stewart and Calvin. Calvin, as usual, is standing on his tiptoes to look a foot taller than me. He really is a couple of inches taller than me now, but come on. What a cheater. :)

Stewart, looking quite handsome, got to go to his school prom Friday night with his lovely friend who is a junior and on his diving team.

We took a little drive across Cincinnati on Saturday to visit our friends Sharon and Bill who used to live in Hendersonville and were in the church choir with me for the first 2 years of their marriage. They left Hendersonville after having their first two children, Sofie and Josh, and now have 4 more! Since they moved to Cincinnati, we can still keep up with visits since we go there to see Jeff and family. It's been a blessing and joy to watch their family grow, and makes us very happy every time we see all of them! Sofie, now 18, has decided to become a nun and will be joining the Dominican Sisters of Mary (sistersofmary.org) in August. She will go to college to become a teacher. I am sad that I might not see her again, but I hope she will be happy in her new life.

Sharon and Bill with kids from left, Holly (13), Stephen (7), Monica (9), Josh (16), Sofie (18) and Sebastian (3).

Sofie, Holly and Monica with necklaces I made for them out of polymer clay in metal bezels. :)

Dogwoods in Bloom

I was in Charlotte over the weekend and went for a hike with my son at Latta Plantation.







My son Scott

Spring Blossoms

I was in downtown Asheville yesterday and saw these beautiful little blossoms on some of the trees. A gift on a rainy, gloomy day.

Spring Fever!

It's springtime - my favorite time of year! Some beautiful finds on etsy...



Handmade Robin Eggs by season2season



Hand knitted Baby Booties by MiaPiccina



Infinity Ocean Scarf from MooseAndSpoon

Great gift for Spring, Easter or Mother's Day!

Just finished a sweet Spring angel in pink! She can be finished as a pin or magnet, and/or displayed as a year-round ornament by tying a ribbon through her copper-wire halo. I put together a collage of other angels I've made so you can see a variety of possibilities.

You can order an angel in your favorite color (or your gift-recipient's), such as pink, lavender or light blue holding a heart or flower for spring; a cross for Easter; or a candy cane or star for Christmas.

To order one, go here.

Some beautiful things on Etsy

Some shops and items I love...


Isn't this gorgeous? It was made by this week's featured seller.



You'll find charming little houses, birds, whales and surprises in Jessica Jane's shop.



Take a look at the fabulous handpainted glass in azurine's shop.

Shop now for St. Patrick's Day!

I've created some new shamrock designs this year - for the dog lover, cat lover and musician. Each design is available as a pin or pendant. I can finish any as a fridge magnet too, just ask.

All available in my Artsy Clay shop.

Big Bro, Little Bro

Wonderful new photo of Grandsons Everett (2) and Warren (2 months) with cute shirts handmade by an Etsy seller.