Houston prize winners

We recently vended at the Houston International Quilt Festival, November 3rd through 7th.  Friend and designer Diane Carter came up with an idea to have a party on Friday night, the 5th.  She made up 200 adorable "Angel-Ina" pins that we handed out to party-goers along with a free pattern on how to make her.  We also handed out LOTS of chocolate.

The participants were told to wear their pins proudly for the next two days and we would wander around the festival handing out $25 gift certificates to the first eight people we found wearing them.  Here are pictures of the winners.  Congratulations to them all -- and look for our party in Cincinnati!!

Susan Rutter Knapp and me

Marga Tegtmeyer

Denise Lassiter-Vachon

Starr Nielsen, member Sarasota Surface Design Group

Barbara Jones

Diane Carter and Maida Hoffman

Mandy Downes (left) and Catherine Dewar (right), mother and daughter from the UK

Lunch at Embellishment Village

We're babysitting Joanne's dogs, Annie and Chappie.  Marliss always brings extra lunch for our dog, Aniu, but this week she was feeding three.

From left to right there is Annie, a Shelty, Chappie, a Golden and Aniu, our Alaskan Husky.

Woodford Reserve tour

We took a tour of the Woodford Reserve Bourbon Distillery.  We had never heard of it before, but it was a good tour and good bourbon.  By the parking lot was a lovely horse sculpture made with bourbon barrels.

Kentucky horse country

We had two and a half weeks to kill between the AQS show in Paducah and Quilt Market in Minneapolis so we decided to tour around Kentucky.  It will be added to our list of favorite states.  We had some incredible weather for a few days.  We had 9" of rain in ONE day while we were in Berea.  The truck and trailer were sitting in a 4" deep puddle for a day.

We visited horse country, during the Kentucky derby, no less.  It is absolutely gorgeous.  I expected a lot of white picket fences, but they're all black.  Easier to maintain, I'm told.  Since it was in the spring, there were lots of babies around.

At one spot, I spied a mare and her colt close to the road, so had to stop and say Hi.  There were two mares and they were both guarding the young one at first.

But the little guy was curious and peeked under his momma's belly to get a look at me.

The mares finally decided I didn't seem dangerous and I got a good look at him.

We actually felt compelled to watch the Derby!