Valentine's Day Outing & my new quilt

Since we didn't go anywhere for the kids' winter break, we decided to do something special for Valentine's Day.  Ford was sponsoring "free day" at the Detroit Science Center, so we decided to head down there for the afternoon, and then use a gift certificate we've had for awhile to get dinner.

The first thing we saw in the Science Center was a group of optical illusions, including this sign:

I've seen it before, and it really is interesting that you are able to read it so easily.  Next was the manufacturing area.  Bryce was checking out the electronic stability control in this demo

-- let's hope we never need to feel the real thing while pulling the RV!  Tom got himself a little workout,

but feels more at home with his fellow couch-potatoes!

When we were finished expanding our minds with science, we headed over to the Book Cadillac Hotel for our Valentine's Day dinner. 

The four of us shared 2 entrees of lobster & filet mignon, and amish chicken breast & scallops.  It was all delicious, but dessert was over the top!  Take a look, and try not to drool . . .

After dinner, we had one more stop before we headed home -- the Motown Winter Blast.  There is an outdoor skating rink (not quite as big as Rockefeller Center) in the center of town, and there was a skating performance going on when we arrived.

We took a stroll through the ice sculptures,

where Tom and the boys tried out a chilly seat,

and Tom and I posed as Eskimos.

By the time we got back to the ice rink, it had filled back up -- I don't think I'd want to try to skate in that crowd!

So that was our valentine's day -- we had a pretty good day!

Back at home, I got my new quilt up on the kitchen wall,

and took a picture of my purchases from Saturday's quilt shopping trip.

Here's a close-up of the cute little snowman on the quilt.

So, that was our busy weekend . . . now it's time to get back to work so I can rest!! LOL

Shopping with my Mom and Sisters

After our late night out on Friday, I was up bright and early Saturday morning to meet at my sister, Diane's, house for a day of shopping.  Our first stop was Corner Quilts in Wauseon, OH.  It's a nice little quilt shop, and I found a really cute flannel quilt pattern that includes snowmen appliques in wool. 

Next stop was the Pettisville Meat Store, where I brought presents for home -- a chicken pot pie, some maple breakfast sausages, beef jerky for Tom and the boys, and a meaty bone and beef jerky for Casey.

After stocking up on meats, we headed to Sauder Village in Archbold, OH.  This little village is a replica of a German Settlement, and includes many cute little shops --

They're all closed for the winter, but it would be a nice place to visit in the spring or summer.  I thought this Tin Shop was a really nice-looking building.

The shops open in the winter include the bakery,

the General Store,

and our destination, Threads of Tradition, the quilt shop.

This is a really nice quilt shop, with lots of beautiful Civil War fabrics (which I love!), but I didn't find a single thing that I *needed* to buy, so I left there empty-handed!  My sisters, including Diane here, found things to buy, though.

With our shopping completed, it was time for lunch.  We headed back to Pettisville to the Essen Haus restaurant, where we had a delicious lunch.

That's the gang -- starting from the right  --  my sisters Diane, Tina and Sandi, my Mom, my sister Deby, and my niece,  Kelly.  We had a really nice day together -- see you soon, guys!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

More RC Racing (with pictures this time!)

 

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how we went to the local Hobby Shop and watched the guys race their RC cars, but I didn't have my camera with me.  So, this Friday we went back for "Family Fun Night" and I was more prepared.  We got there earlier (5:30pm) to get a better spot at a table, but even so, it was already crowded!

We were able to share a table with Scott (guy in the middle)

and his Dad.  They were really nice and helped Nicolas out quite a bit on his first night of "real" racing.  There were a few kids there, but mostly it's a hobby for the guy who hasn't quite grown up.

Bryce isn't quite ready for racing yet -- he needs to figure out how to keep the wheels on the ground -- LOL!  I know it's blurry (I need a better camera!), but that's Bryce's car in mid-air!

Racing starts at 7pm, so Bryce had some time to play beforehand. 

Nicolas had some parts to change out before the racing began, so he got right to work on that.

Finally it was time for the racing to begin!  We have our cars . . .

We have our drivers . . .

We have our announcer . . .

They do three rounds of "Qualifying Races", and then the final race, in each of 6 different classes, so it was a LOOOOOOONG night!  Nicolas ended up at the top of the "B" group in his class, and got the starter position in the final race.  All lined up and ready to race!!

That's Nicolas' red car in the front.  He maintained the lead for the full 7 minute race, and took first place in his race, 8th position overall for the class of car he was racing -- YEAH, not bad for a 1st timer!!  No prizes -- just a lot of fun! 

Winter Wonderland, Apple Pie, and Oprah

 

Yes, it looks like winter is back in Michigan -- at least for awhile!  I don't mind, I kindof like the snow!  Nicolas and Bryce already know they have a snow day tomorrow

so yes, they are happy!  They shoveled the sidewalks while Tom plowed the driveway,

and now Nicolas is pulling Bryce on the sled behind his three wheeler.

At the rate this snow is coming down, they'll have to do it all over again tomorrow!

This past weekend we had Nicolas' confirmation sponsor, Father Charles - the Chaplain from their school, over for dinner.  It was a nice afternoon of visiting, and the boys played some pool with him.

I made lasagna for dinner, and an apple pie for dessert -- YUM!

Today we made sure we got home early so we could watch Oprah.  If any of you saw the show today, there was a segment on a group of Sisters (nuns) from Michigan.  These are the Sisters who run Nicolas and Bryce's school.  It was a nicely done segment, even though Oprah kept wanting to talk about all that they "give up" to become Sisters.  They had done a little bit of filming at school one day, including some footage of Nicolas playing his guitar in the chapel, but that didn't make it into the show.  The focus was more on the community, rather than the school, but it was a great opportunity for them to get the word out to an audience that they might not reach other wise.

OK, I guess that's it for now.  I'm going to be a hermit for a couple of days until the roads clear!

B-I-N-G-O

On Friday, Nicolas' class hosted their first-ever Bingo Night fundraiser.  The parents planned and coordinated the event, and the kids hosted -- selling bingo cards,

calling bingo numbers,

selling concessions,

and making popcorn.

We planned the whole thing without knowing how many people would attend, but we had a really good turnout.  Almost half the families from the school came out to support the 8th graders and had a really good time.  It was so successful that we're already planning a 2nd bingo night fundraiser!

UPS delivery

Tonight we were cleaning up after dinner when a big truck pulled up our driveway. Turned out to be a UPS truck, but neither of us remembered ordering anything . . . what could he be bringing us???

The driver arrived at the front door carrying a pretty big box, and then we remembered . . .

our new coffee pot! We got a really good deal on a Gevalia programmable coffee pot . . . can't wait to try it out!

We're still investigating realtor options for this spring/summer. We thought we were all set with a flat fee listing, but now we're wondering if that is the way to go after some comments on the RV Dreams forum. We've still got some time to think about it, at least . . .