Bucket List Shortened A Bit!

It's been too long since I last posted!!  So much is going on in my life right now, it will take a few posts to get up-to-date!  

In the middle of August, we left for a family trip to the United Kingdom! Going to the U.K. has been a dream of mine for a very long time and it came true in a most wonderful way!!

 Our trip was extended to include the Twisted Threads Quilt Show in Birmingham, England.  We were pretty exhausted from the trip "across the pond" and rented a day room so our girls could get some sleep and a shower before hitting the exhibits and vendors.  I dragged Paul to the show as soon as it was open!!

The Festival of Quilts is GIGANTIC!!  Wear sturdy walking shoes if you ever go!!

My Paul had a fantastic idea--seeing an international quilt show was pretty exciting, but why not enter some of my quilts and double the excitement?  Seemed like a reasonable idea until you start adding up the postage and customs on the return trip....but Paul is a smoother talker and we committed to showing three of my quilts.

Love seeing the pride on our daughter's eyes as she shows off her handiwork!

This beautiful young lady is our younger daughter who painted the flower at the top when she was in fifth grade in art class.  Every child in her fifth grade class made a flower in the style of Friedensreich Hundertwasser.  The whole school got behind sending the quilt to England and were very proud to show off their artwork!

 This quilt was a challenge quilt for my guild, Love Apple Quilters.  Sorry about the quality of the picture--the colors are more vibrant in person.

Here is another Love Apple Quilters challenge quilt--the judges were very kind in their remarks concerning this quilt.

Now for some eye candy.....here are some quilts you are sure to enjoy!

This one is made up of thousands of tiny squares!

 Wow!!  I cam away so inspired by the color, quilting and vendors!!  I showed great restraint, since it was our first stop on our trip and didn't want to carry too much over London, Scotland and Northern Ireland.  Our schedule only allowed for one day at the quilt show, so we were off to London by train.  

Here are the girls waiting to go to London and then Warner Brothers' Studios, The World of Harry Potter!

The girls waiting for the train to London, luggage in tow!