Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Guess Who Came To Dinner?

Well, more than dinner, of course, because she came all the way from New York State.  None other than our own e-i-e-i-omg gal blogger, Susan!  And ya know what?  What you read on her blog is what you get!

Our time together was short and crammed full.  Lots of talking (can you imagine that?), seeing our area, eating, spending time in my quilt room (so much fun!), getting to know each other (this included Chicken Mama, of course) and just generally hanging out.

Of course, Susan being Susan eagerly jumped in with both feet and helped with a couple/few chores around the homestead.

She and I got big and brave enough to go into the jungle that is our raspberry patch.  The canes grew about 3 feet above their normal height this summer, somehow made an escape from their baling twine trellises and flopped down close to the ground.  What a mess!  I knew many of them would be broken off by snowfall this winter if I didn't temporarily tie them back up before spring pruning time.  Susan and I risked life and limb (okay, maybe a few scratches) and got them wrestled into place without too much trouble.  Unfortunately, there was no one down in the brambles with us to document the occasion.


Here she's being the (wo)man on the ground handing lumber up to Papa Pea which was a much appreciated help to him.


Susan had mentioned she'd thought about learning to quilt some day so one afternoon I asked her if she'd like to have a quilting lesson, and I was pleased as punch she was eager to do so.


We picked out fabric (she has a very good eye), had a short lesson on using the rotary cutter without producing blood and/or a trip to the emergency room, got comfy at the sewing machine and she was off.  Here she's putting the binding on her first quilted piece, a table mat.


I can honestly say that of all the beginning quilters I've taught, Susan caught on the fastest plus her work was near perfect.  Yes, I'm serious; she is that good.


Chicken Mama joined us that same afternoon to catch up on some of her own craft work.  She was constructing colorful handmade boxes for a friend of hers who fills them with homemade soaps for sale.  Guess who learned how to make boxes with no trouble at all?  Yep, our very own Susan mastered that with hardly the blink of an eye. No doubt about it, she is one very talented, crafty lady.

We had Family Reading Night on Saturday.  (No pictures.  What was I thinking?  Too much wino?)  We had so much fun with Susan's presence in joining in the reading that Chicken Mama commented it felt like a holiday.

My daughter stole Susan away for several hours on Sunday when they went for an extended tour of the still colorful countryside, with Chicken Mama being tour guide and stopping at or driving by points of interest.  I have a feeling there was a lot of good girl talk going on also.  (And I wasn't invited!  Waaah.)  Just kidding.  (I think.)


 Me, Chicken Mama and Susan

 The time flew by so quickly.  It was a wonderful opportunity to actually meet, face-to-face, someone we all know through the blog world.  Her writing has such a whacky sense of humor and seems so full of life, energy, kindness and sensitivity.  No doubt about it, that's exactly who came to visit.

24 comments:

DFW said...

Sounds like a lovely time had by all. So glad that Susan caught on to the crafting bug.

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

How wonderful that you were able to give her quilting lessons! It's nice when company pitches in - it makes the job more fun. -Jenn

Laurie said...

I bet y'all had a great time in your craft room. In fact I'm sure you did. I'm kinda jealous! But, I agree....I love reading her posts. She has a great sense of humor. Glad y'all had such a wonderful visit.

Unknown said...

Great post!!!

Carolyn said...

OMG! OMG! OMG! (times fifteen)
How freaking cool!

hoosier girl said...

That does sound like a holiday!

Sandy Livesay said...

Mama Pea,

Wooohooo how awesome, meeting friends in person from Blogger. I'm so happy for you, and excited......I finally get to see what you and Susan look like after talking with you guys. Now I haven't met Chicken Mama.....does she have a blog? If so, what's the name I would like to follow her.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

That is awesome! You all look like you had so much fun, and to learn to quilt too.

Mark said...

What a great time, and what an opportunity to meet face to face! That is wonderful!

Mama Pea said...

DFW - Considering the fact that she's an accomplished sculptor (how's that for real talent?), we shouldn't be surprised she's quick to pick up other artistic endeavors!

Mama Pea said...

Michelle - It was, it was! :o]

Mama Pea said...

Jenn - If she had been able to stay longer, I could have the bulk of My List done by now! (Hmmm, maybe that's why she left . . . )

Mama Pea said...

Laurie - A good sense of humor accompanied by true sensitivity is a good combo! And that's what she has.

Mama Pea said...

Thanks, Nancy!

Mama Pea said...

Carolyn - Yes, yes, yes! (Times fifteen.) :o}

Mama Pea said...

hoosier girl - It really was a special time all the days she was here.

Mama Pea said...

Sandy - Yep, my daughter does have a blog -- and writes very well, by the way -- but doesn't have the time or energy to do much posting right now. She takes care of a five year old and 23 month old twins (boy and girl) whose mama is in the last stages of cancer. It's an emotionally charged situation, as you well can imagine, but she does a fantastic job of maintaining her equilibrium and provides a lot of stability for the kiddies. You can find her blog at swampriverridge.blogspot.com.

Mama Pea said...

Kristina - Susan is a crazy, mad, accomplished knitter (!) which is her first love, but she sure seems to like quilting, too. Yay, another quilter to add to the mix!

Mama Pea said...

Mark - And the great thing was to find out she's just like she comes across on her blog. How awesome is that? Do you suppose we're all like that?? (You'd never guess what I blog about is totally made up, would you? Hee-hee.)

Jenyfer Matthews said...

What fun for you all! I hope I can drop in on you NEXT summer... This summer went by much too quickly!

Mama Pea said...

Jen - Yes, this past summer did go by exceptionally quickly! Good thing we've all got the long, slow winter coming up. Ha!

Michelle said...

So nice to SEE Susan (I think most of us bloggers aren't keen on selfies), and you! I noticed today that the majority of referred visitors come from your blog; I guess it's high time I become a follower in thanks. ;-)

Mama Pea said...

Thanks, Michelle! Good to hear from you. I'm a lurker on your blog . . . really should start commenting . . . as I always find your posts interesting.

Tombstone Livestock said...

Looks like you crammed a lot of fun activities into your visit.