Tinley Park Original Sewing & Quilt Expo

I AM SO EXCITED...today I get to attend the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in Tinley Park, Illinois. If you're going to be there -- call me and we'll do lunch.  No -- wait -- I'm going to have lunch with my friend Rhonda Pierce...

Last Fall, Mary and I Ya'd Ya'd our way around the country, teaching at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo's....

We had a GREAT time in Minneapolis...

One of the BIG hits of the show was our spin on the Irish Reading Shawl...which is such a great gift -- and so cozy to wear if you're reading in bed...

I love, love, love the flat sham I made out of Ross's high school t-shirts. One of these days, I might actually let him put it on his bed...

This purple wrap was made out of a prom dress....our wraps were such a hit -- we decided to put together an ENTIRE SHOW -- called All Wrapped Up...NO KIDDING...

SO -- WHEN AND WHERE, EH?? To Be Announced, people....but it will be ONE DAY SOON....at a wonderful sewing show NEAR YOU....I hope...

Thanksgiving Leopard

It's just a week away...THANKSGIVING 2012. Wow. Time flies when you're having fun, eh?

For Lillian's First Thanksgiving -- 2009 -- she wore a little leopard outfit I had for her...


I didn't know at the time that I was establishing A TRADITION...

I just think babies look adorable in animal prints...

But, clearly -- THE 2009 LEOPARD PRINT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING...In 2010 -- I modified a plain pair of brown pants...added a leopard print on the bottom...

Her first year walking...

Last year -- her leopard was so sophisticated!!  At 2 1/2, she did an amazing Taylor Swift imitation...

Oh, yeah, I am loving the Thanksgiving leopard tradition.

And this year -- THERE WILL BE A LITTLE SEWING TWIST...stay tuned...

Grandpa Schroder

Thanks for your comments and emails about the Honor Flight film. We really should have built that WW II memorial sooner than we did. But the truth is -- those WW II vets were just not a demanding bunch.
Maybe that's why we consider them the "greatest generation". Because they were so quiet and unassuming. They did not serve for thanks. Or for money. They left this country as innocent young boys -- sent off to a bloody war in a foreign land that seemed to have no reason and no end. Then -- when they came home -- they put their duffle bag in the attic or basement -- picked up their life where they left off -- and never spoke of their time in the war.
My Dad was a navigator on a B-26 and I never had a single conversation with him about what he did during World War II.
So I never got a chance to say this...Thank-you for your service, Dad...
If you still have your father -- and he is a veteran -- ask him about his service. And thank him for me...
To read about the flight of one local veteran -- Norm Schroder -- I am sending you over to his granddaughter's blog. My niece, Kelcy, is a wonderful photographer...and the picture she took of her grandpa as he got off the Honor Flight is one of those Kodak moments For sure. Good job, all...
Yes. I am proud to be an American...

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day. That means different things for different people. No matter who you are, or what your family's connection is with the U.S. Military -- this is the day we honor them. I think one of the best ways we're doing that right now is with the Honor Flights. They happen all over the country -- this little video explains it better than my words ever could...
Tomorrow I'm going to share the picture Kelcy took of her Grandpa, returning from his Honor Flight...

THANKS for the emails!!

Wow...I am so sorry I missed FIVE DAYS of blogging!! Thanks for your concern and emails...but please don't worry. I AM FINE...just a little under the weather. I'm sure it will pass...and my life will be BLOGGABLE again...soon...

The REST of the story...

Sorry for the big blogging break. Some days, I'm so busy living my life I don't have time to blog about it...and, as you can imagine, that's NOT really a good thing...

But I appreciate your concern -- I am glad you missed me -- and thanks for the emails!!  I will try to do better...

I did leave you hanging at the auction -- and the Louis Vuitton duffle bag...and my Twilight Zone moment...here it is...

When I saw that bag on that table full of junk -- I immediately thought about Stacy Louck. She is married to my nephew Mitchell, and she LOVES, LOVES, LOVES designer bags. When we went to New York City, she was ALL ABOUT the designer bags.
 
In their new house, Mitchell had to build a special shelf in the closet for Stacy's designer bags.

So, when I saw the bag, I said to Bert, "I wish Stacy was here -- she would know if it was real."...and we went about our auction business...

About an hour later, somebody came up behind me and said, "Hi Aunt Rita"".... AND IT WAS STACY...I could almost hear the Twilight musi...Do-do-do-do..
.
Because -- here's the thing -- I have NEVER seen Stacy at an auction in DeWitt. So it was a scary moment...I was completely stunned...

They said it was a rainy Saturday, and they were just kicking around town when Mitchell said he thought there was an auction in DeWitt. So they just came on a whim...HOLY COW...I was so excited!! I took them over to the other building, where the Louis Vuitton duffle was hiding under the rubble...

I tried to look it up on my smart phone...but we really didn't know how to tell if it was real or fake. Mitchell decided to bid anyway...and his last bid was $80. Another woman bid $90 -- and Mitchell just couldn't pull the trigger on $100 for a possible fake bag...so he let it go.

The good news is that in all the excitement about the Vuitton duffle -- nobody noticed the other two LARGE rolling duffles buried on that table. One navy blue and another black -- greatt for painting!! Everything is perfect on them -- clean, with sturdy zippers...bags like this usually sell for $50-100 each. And, of course, I bought TWO OF THEM FOR $2.50. YES, PEOPLE -- LIFE IS GOOD...

The BAD news is that I was so busy in the bag building -- I missed the SELLING OF THE SEWING MACHINES.  Darn.  The Bernina 1080 went for $225 -- and the other three (two basic Brother sewing machines, and a Singer) -- went for CHEAP.  $25 each!!...ugh...maybe I was SAVED.  I'm pretty sure I would've bought all four of them...lol...

AND -- talk about treasure!! Isn't this the sweetest little love seat you ever saw?? It would be SO PERFECT in Lilly's little room. ( Which I change every-other-month-or-so.) She and I could sit on the pink love seat and read her books...

But when it comes to furniture -- I have to be a little bit selective -- because I just DO NOT HAVE THE ROOM. But it was heartbreaking for me when this unique piece sold for only $7.50. TRAGIC I AM TELLING YOU...ABSOLUTELY TRAGIC...

That's the thing about an auction. You NEVER know what you're going to find...and the key to happiness is just being open-minded.

Earlier in the summer -- we went to a sale that had a big table loaded with jewelry in glass cases. Nobody seemed to know if any of it was real. But this ring really caught my eye. HOLY COW. The stones are huge...and the setting is very unique. I decided to bid on it...and waited for hours....at the end of the day, most of the bidders had gone home...and I bought it for $2.50.

See what I mean?? HOW MUCH FUN IS THAT?? And, for only $2.50, I get to wear it and wonder...is it or isn't it??

Is it or Isn't it?

You know my favorite auction guys -- the GMB boys. If my life is going right --once a month or so -- they have an auction in Dewitt, Iowa -- and Bert and I meet for breakfast at the Sunrise Cafe -- then spend the rest of the day digging for treasure.
For us, it's a typical Saturday. The auction is held inside the 4-H cattle barn. We sit on bleachers and have "auction friends" to visit with. So, on a rainy day a couple of weeks ago -- that's what we were doing.

When we first get to the auction, we do a walk-around to figure out where the treasure is. On this particular day -- I was very interested in the FOUR SEWING MACHINES that were sitting on the end of the table. A Bernina 1080, a recent Brother and two Singers. They were in excellent condition.

There were also 50 very old framed Women's Day magazine covers. I LOVE THEM... wouldn't that be an intersting way to cover the wall behind my sewing machine?? Hummm...

I was interested in two tubs of paint -- along with dozens of paint brushes...I want to paint leather purses and shoes...
Then -- I saw it -- buried on a table in the "B" building. They often have a second auction ring going -- with mostly the men's stuff. Tools, generators, automotive stuff...it's buried on a table. Can you see it? Because we are about to enter the Twilight Zone...

Yes -- that's right. It's a Louis Vuitton duffle bag...maybe...

Or is it? How can I find out?
Hummm...I wonder how smart my phone really is...