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Two pillowcases in quart size ziploc bags for our guild charity project. It felt good to do something again!

Many things have happened...some good....some not so good. The unhappy part is that my dad passed away after many years battling ALS. He was 70. This disease robbed our family. Dad always made the best of it. Mom was his tireless caregiver. So I have been helping Mom sort out the paperwork. They had planned well, but I found out that no matter how well you plan, there is still much paperwork.

This course of events once again affirms that you gotta live each day to the fullest and don't put off things...you just don't know how long you have.

Happy events...Oldest son made Eagle Scout.

We are now planning an event called a "Court of Honor"...basically the ceremony where the awarding happens. Calls need to be made, a caterer gotten, invitations out....It's like a mini-wedding or something.

Happy events...We are now alpaca owners. We purchased a 3 month old female...Finaleah Girl (Leah).

Leah is the little one in the center. Her mother on the left is named Judy Garland.
She is boarded at Almosta Ranch Alpacas in Mohrsville (about 20 miles from here). This is the beginning of what we hope will be our retirement activity. We both come from livestock backgrounds and have been "livestockless" for many years. We wanted to find an animal that we did not need to kill and that wouldn't kill us! Alpacas fit the bill. Plus their fiber is just lovely...I've even started knitting again (I am awful at it, but enjoy it anyway). Since alpacas only have 1 baby a year and are extremely expensive, we figured we'd start now as it will take many years to get a small herd on a budget. Our alpaca operation is called Take2 Alpacas. I told my husband "No More Businesses" as I now do the books for Turning Point Media (our bread & butter), Jo Griffith Quilts (which holds its own), Soccer Expert USA (a partnership which sells instructional soccer videos), and now Take2 Alpacas. Way too many tax returns.

Happy events: Spent a lovely Saturday appraising quilts as a fund raiser for Winters Heritage House in Elizabethtown, PA.

There were other things happening as well. We had a fine art appraiser and a general antique appraiser. They were cooking on the hearth. Here are some new friends with their pot of chicken corn soup...Yum!

A friendly blacksmith was making all kinds of goodies.

And their lush kitchen garden was making its last hurrah for the summer.

So I guess that's it for me for now. I hope to have some quilt content soon!