Linn Reunion - 2010

This post is for my family but some of you are friends that are like family so I hope you enjoy this little parade of photos that shares the fun we had last weekend at the 81st Linn Reunion.
Each reunion starts with sign-in. This year 50 family members and some friends signed the book where we keep the lists. The Linn Reunions began in 1929. The first one was held that year on August 18th. Current written records of the sign in sheets date from 1959. It's fun to go back and read them and see who came to the reunions each year.

We gather because we are all descendants of Francis Marion and Esther Linn. So that we can keep track of our connections, cousin Charlotte makes these wonderful photo/info boards that help us to know how we are all related!

The couple in the middle of the photo board below is the common ancestor for all of us.......none other than Francis and Esther. They would be my great great grandparents.

I hadn't been to the Linn Reunions in years when I returned for one in 1996. I was so excited to go and see cousins and aunts and uncles that I never got to see on visits home to my folks. That same year, my cousin Betty asked for someone from the next generation to take over mailing the cards and setting the reunion date, etc. I volunteered and I am so glad I did. I have thoroughly enjoyed making it happen every year since then! That's Betty Wickwire and her daughter, my cousin, Kathy on the right. She hadn't been back for a reunion until a couple of years ago and it was so good to see her. What is it about getting older that makes us appreciate any moment we can find to spend with family? Kathy and I can remember some fun times jumping on the beds when we were kids and, of course, getting in trouble for it everytime.

I caught my brother Doug Linn in mid-sentence on some serious subject but he doesn't always look this serious. Do you think he looks like he could be related to Kenny Rogers? And that's my cousin, Kevin Wickwire on the right who is brother to Kathy in the photo above. Let's see, he may resemble Tom Selleck. I'm not sure these guys belong in our family at all! Hee hee hee!

Here is Charlotte Holstrom, maker of the boards and master of all the genealogy information that we have enjoyed reading these past ten years or so. That's my mother, Mary Linn, sitting in the chair.

We do a lot of fun things in addition to food and one is to recognize the oldest member in attendance. This year that was cousin, Shirley Linn Goettinger. She's on the left below and that's her son, Les, on the left.

Shirley is 83. When she and my dad, Melvin, were just toddlers they attended that first Linn Reunion in 1929. Last year our oldest member attending was Great Aunt Marion. She passed away at 92 this past spring. The year before that Great Aunt Elsie was our oldest member in attendance and she was 105 (or maybe 106) and passed away that year. Many family members were no longer with us and they were all missed dearly. At the same time, we were happy to gather and know that the family continues. And look at how fun it is when it continues with twins!

Meet Carver and Colby. I'm pretty sure I've got that right but I can correct it if I'm wrong. I'll depend on their Grandma to help me make sure I'm calling them by the right name.

Speaking of names this cute doggie is Berkley and he is just to cute not to include in the photo parade.



SO, finally we got to the food............and there was lots and lots of good food!!!

Here's my cousin, Janet, who is Grandma to the twins you just met. Janet is holding granddaughter, Brooklynne, who was a little shy at first. Janet has just told her that we were best friends in high school. We had a lot of fun then and also when we were young kids living just a few houses apart. I loved to spend the night at Janet's as her mom and grandma had made beautiful quilts that were on each bed.

Brooklynne warmed up when I showed her these sunglasses that were just right for her. I had bought a basketful of goodies for the kids and wasn't sure who would get what but these were meant for her!

The kids were playing on the playground and I wanted a fun shot of them and no, I did not say "raise your hands or I'll shoot"........instead I just said "how high" and they automatically all raised their arms! LOL!

That's niece, Sue Ellen in red (she's my brother's daughter), Kate in pink, grandson, Jacob (in his Vikings shirt) and Rob. Kate and Rob are Kevin's children. There will be a test at the end of this post. No, just kidding........

Collette took these shots of me with the basket of toys. We thought of this idea last year and it turned out to be a successful one. I picked up fun stuff on clearance at Michael's and Wal-mart, oh, and Dollar Tree, of course. :-) Brooklynne got the basket to carry home all her goodies.

Okay, so that's just about enough except that I think I'll add two more pics of the twins........

Here's Beth (Lind) holding Colby.........

and this is Beth (Wickwire, Kevin's wife) holding Carver .....

and you know what's interesting? The twin's momma is also named Beth!! She's Beth Peterson, married to Janet's son, Nathan. Until I typed all this, I hadn't realized that they all had the same first name!

And this last picture is of my family..... that's my mother seated and my grandson, Jacob,next to me. Daughter Collette and husband Daryl are on the left and son, Devlin, and girlfriend, Stacia are on the right. I've got more photos to share for family members but I've set up a seperate blog where I'll post those later this week. So family members, watch for an e-mail from me with all the details.

That's it for another year. I spent yesterday afternoon organizing all my info and I am ready to do it all again next July. If you are reading this and think you might be related to us, or you would like to be adopted because we do food so well, just send me an e-mail. :-)
And if you are a family member who attended and left any of these items behind, I'll bring them back next year, just like I did that spoon and fork on the lower left. No one claimed them this year, so I will try again next year to find their owner. The black pot was claimed within a couple hours after the event. It belonged to my cousin Fay. And here I was thinking what a great soup pot I would be using for the next year!

Okay, that's it. This is like showing folks slides of your last vacation and so I don't want to bore you, my regular blog readers anymore. Hopefully, family members will not be bored. :-)

If you haven't had a family reunion in your family in a long time, I highly recommend it. It's so worth it to gather together!!

Have a lovely Sunday!

Sandi

Lehigh School Alumnae Banquet

Wow, this past week went fast! Seems like it was only yesterday that I joined my mother at the Lehigh School Alumnae Banquet that was held last Saturday evening. She had a great time and so did I!! My mom graduated with the class of 1947 and five members of her class returned for the reunion. There were just twelve in her class ..... I think that's the right number, I could be wrong so I better check with her. :-) Anyway, here are the members that came from her class........
That's my mother, Mary Linn, on the left and sitting next to her is long-time friend, Pat Trueblood whose husband is across the table and is the actual class member. Then next to Pat is classmate Charlotte Holstrom, who is also my second cousin. And the gentleman at the end is husband to Rosemary who is under the 1947 pennant in the photo below..........

Rosemary had not been back for a reunion in a long time so her classmates were very glad to see her. Next to Rosemary is Don, husband of Charlotte and next to him is the lone guy who showed up from the class of '47, Dick Trueblood. And next to him, is Beverly Williams. My mother, Beverly and Rosemary were very close friends in high school. Come to think of it, I should have posted a photo of them from back then. Sometimes good ideas come too late. :-) I posted these photos so that all you friends in Lehigh can see the class of '47. :-) There were schoolmates from the classes of 1937 up through 1960 so the banquet was really well attended. And the food was reallllllllllly good! :-)

One of the things that surprised me was the singing of the old school song. Something about hearing those voices sing it and knowing they were recalling the good old days of high school, almost made me cry. Ah, but that wasn't the only moment that brought me near to tears. With their voices warmed up, the crowd of almost two hundred were led in song by Beth Hay at the keyboard as she played "God Bless America". Wow, did it sound wonderful! I would have called for an encore if they had all been onstage. Seriously, there was something about the voices, so sweet and yet strong that just sounded beautiful! I was so glad I got to join my mother and think I would like to go again. I was privileged to go along because I went to school at the Lehigh Public School although I did not graduate from high school in Lehigh. The last high school graduating class was in 1960. Then, as happened in so many small towns, Lehigh consolidated with other communities, Burnside and Harcourt, to become Central Webster. The high school was located in Burnside and the schools in Lehigh and Harcourt became elementary/junior high schools. I graduated from eighth grade in Lehigh and I remember it very well. That's because my mom and dad took me shopping to buy a special dress. I still have it and got it out to show my mom when she was here visiting. I really should take a photo and share as it's soooooo cute, so 1960's. The only thing that would have made the alumnae banquet better would have been a tour of the old school but sadly the school is long gone. Several years ago it was torn down ........ lovely old brick school.......and replaced with senior apartments. I'm not the only one that wishes the school had been preserved for some other use. Memories are still there and no one can take those away!

So that's the story on the alumnae banquet and now ........ how about that heat? Whoa, is it hot here in Minnesota or what?!! Summer is definitely in bloom! It's going to be even hotter here on Saturday and that means thunderstorms this evening (so the weatherman says). I'll be fine if I can stay in air-conditioned comfort. Got plenty of things to do so I will avoid the outdoors. I just don't do well in the hot, hot weather. See ya tomorrow with pictures from last Sunday's family reunion and then it's back to quilts on the line on Monday!

Have a great Saturday!

Sandi

"Christmas in July"

It's here........."Christmas in July"!! I don't remember this event from when I was a kid but it is standard marketing these days!! Anyway, I like an early start to Christmas so when I was asked if I'd do a wooly program for Kindred Kwilters in July, I thought, "sure, why not!" I joined the group this past winter after I did a wooly spring project for the group and yet I hadn't made it to a meeting since then. I was feeling a wee bit embarassed about it but sometimes things just don't go like you think they will. However, last night, things went better than I thought they would. I had prepared a demo on the little Christmas ornaments that I designed a few years ago and also made up some kits to go with the pattern............
They are a bit fussy to make because they are only about 3" tall but they look so nice on the Christmas tree and are a perfect little gift, too. I also shared some info on penny rugs and how to interchange designs and had several samples to inspire. :-) Plus, I showed how I get started with the blanket stitch, a sort of "stitch and loop and pin technique" that is something I began doing years ago. It works great because you get perfect stitches and cannot tell where you started your stitch! If you go here you can see my pincushion tutorial and photos of how I do a pin/loop technique to get started stitching. It's easier to show someone in person so maybe a video would be better. That would mean I would have to get somebody to do the video with my camera and Kaiser the Wonder Beagle is just not good with the camera. LOL! Maybe I can get help from my Tuesday crazies friends when we meet next week. I'll experiment and see if it works and will be sure and let you know.
I really enjoyed the quilt club meeting. I came away with a BOM the group is doing and am wondering if I can add yet another project to my list. Not sure on this one, but I am sure I will enjoy making something with the pretty fat quarter of challenge fabric that we all received. My mind is already working on what I'll make with it. :-)
I have to share one more photo.....................

This was at sunset this past Wednesday evening after all the storms had passed through the area. The clouds were hanging so low and were this vibrant pinky/orange and the sky below was such a beautiful blue against the dark trees. This is almost as good a view as what I had in person.....almost, but not quite but I deemed it worthy of sharing. :-)

Have a good Friday!

Sandi

The Big Reveal......

Ah, finally, I can share with you the little project that kept me busy most of the month of June. While it was hot outside, I was thinking cool thoughts as I was stitching. That's because I was making some samples with the fabric that is featured at the Quilt Minnesota event coming up in a couple of weeks and it is very wintery!!! The fabric is Moda Holly Taylor and I just love the colors......wintery blue and white. :-) To learn more about the Quilt Minnesota event, just click here ..... QuiltMinnesota ..... for all the info and you'll see what fun is in store if you live near enough to participate!
The samples that I made are original designs created for Firefly Quilt Shop in Mankato, MN. Owner Janice gave me a charm pack of the fabrics designed just for the event and here is what I made with them........

It's not hard to be inspired with thoughts of snow when winter is the season that seems to last the longest in Minnesota. I love the snow that falls in winter but I am not a fan of the really cold temperatures that winter brings. When I was a kid I loved playing in the snow and when my kids were little, they enjoyed the same thing. And after an afternoon of snowy fun, there was nothing better than a cup of hot cocoa! I cannot tell a lie, though.....I have never done any ice skating in my entire life! I loved roller skating but I think I tried on skates once and knew it was not for me. Give me four wheels on each skate and I can stand up. One thin blade is not my cup of cocoa. :-)

I do love a good snowman and this one is ready for a Minnesota winter........got his earmuffs, mittens, scarf and skates.......and he's even got his fishing pole so he can get in a little ice fishing. I cannot tell a lie on this either. I've lived in Minnesota for 35 years and I have never been ice fishing. However, I have built a snowman or two and made a few snow angels when the snow is that perfect powdery stuff.

One of the things I do really well in winter is cooking so I had to have a decorative potholder for my kitchen. I do winter comfort food really well....soups, stew, breads, etc. :-)

And just for fun, I made one little wallhanging that will brighten up my desk area in my sewing room. All of these projects were made with just one charm pack, plus a couple other supplies. Janice will be kitting the supplies for the project and the pattern will be included free with the kit. If you are interested in just the pattern, it will also be for sale individually. Details available on that once the Quilt Minnesota event commences. :-) Measurements for the projects are 12 1/2" square for the wallhanging (there will also be a pillow from this design), the blue embroidered snowman is 7 x 14" and the Redwork potholder is 8 1/2" square. The mini wallhanging is just 5" square. These require a bit of embroidery, some piecing and a bit of machine and/or hand quilting. Very easy and lots of fun. :-)

I didn't mind stitching on this wintery project during our summer weather because it has been so hot that just thinking of snow was a cooling thought. Today I'm going to be stitching on wool, and it may be hard to do as our weather is to be hot and humid with a possible a thunderstorm or two. We need the rain, but I don't want any really stormy stuff. This makes me think of winter when I want snow, but not below freezing temperatures that often follow it. Mother Nature just keeps us hopping!

That's all for now. Busy, busy wooly day ahead........

Sandi

Wooly fun comin' up!

I'm back! Returned home to Minnesota late yesterday afternoon. We had a great time at the Lehigh Alumnae banquet and the Linn Reunion was even better! I have lots of pictures to share but I was tired when I got home and didn't get the photos downloaded to my computer until midnight. I was too tired to choose photos and write a post about the events so I decided I would share one little thing that is coming up..........and it's some "wooly fun". Actually, I'm always stitching up some "wooly fun" or some fabric fun but to be specific this "wooly fun" began with this post. Just check it out and you'll see that I have added a basket to this vintage wool piece................

You'll also notice there is a big muslin circle laying on the vintage piece that has crazy wool pieces stitched to it. It's the start of a fun "wooly" project that Brenda over at PumpkinPatchPrimitives has started. It's a wool crazy pincushion Round Robin that is based on Joanne Mullally's book "Wool Crazy". Also joining this Round Robin will be fellow bloggers, Michele of RockingChairStitches and Kaaren ThePaintedQuilt. I've never participated in a Round Robin before so I am excited about this. I also don't usally do raw edges on my wool so this is a "outside of my comfort zone" project. For a number of years, I have enjoyed traditional crazy quilting with silks and velvet and all sorts of fancy fabrics and trims. I love to do the stitch and flip method and work my way around my muslin block until it's covered with fabrics and not a raw edge is in site. Then I can add pretty laces and trims and fancy embroidery stitches. On this piece, the raw edges will be hidden by the fancy embroidery stitches and wool applique shapes. My box of crazy wool scraps went with me to Iowa and on Sunday evening, after all the festivities were over, I relaxed with a bit of stitching and finished up the base shape you see in the photo. It's ready for me to add the first applique piece that will fit my theme of Autumn Harvest. Then I just have to mail it off to Brenda and watch it as it travels along and then back to me! Yep, some "wooly fun is comin' up"!!! And speaking of "wooly fun", I am working on a "Christmas in July" project made from wool that I'll be sharing at guilt group meeting on Thursday night. And tomorrow, I'm going to show you that wintery project that has a bit of wool in it, too, so stay tuned. :-) I'll get to the reunion pics at the end of the week as it will take me a bit to choose the ones that will best tell the story of this past weekend. :-)
Have a great day!

Sandi

What's on the line?

There's not anything hanging on my line today, as I am still in Iowa this Monday. Before I left though, I thought I'd post a picture of quilts on the line that is a very favorite of mine. I've shared it before but just like a good book is worth reading again, looking at photos of pretty quilts again is fun, too. This photo was taken in Lehigh just across the street from the local library. It was the weekend of the Library quilt show in June of 2008. If you go here, you will see the first post for the quilt display we set up at the library. I couldn't resist hanging some on the line across the street. The house was vacant so I figured no one would care.

The quilt on the left is a vintage baby quilt. It's crazy quilted in cottons and backed with flannel. I suspect it's from the 1950's. That middle quilt is the nine patch made by my Aunt Marion. She has been at our Linn Reunion for almost all of it's 81 years and this year her presence will be missed. She passed away this past spring and was the last of her generation so a last link to our grandparents generation is gone. She'll be there in spirit, I just know she will. :-) That last quilt is my Flag Day quilt that I made in 2000 and have shared many times. I made it in honor of my dad whose birthday was on Flag Day. His presence will also be missed at our reunion but how fortunate we are that so many of us still gather and continue to stay connected and remember the fun times we had growing up.

That's all for today. I should be home by late afternoon and will be anxious to load photos and share my weekend with you all.

It's a busy and fun week ahead!!!!

Sandi

A real treat!

With the weather as hot as it is here in the upper midwest and in various parts of the U.S., you might think I am talking about ice cream. That would certainly be a treat on a hot day. But instead, I'm talking about a quilt that was a real treat to see.......this one.......

Meet Mary Chalmers the quilt artist that made this stunning wool quilt. It's an award winner and some of you may have seen it this past spring in Paducah. It took second place in the "Home Sewing Machine Quilted" category. Right now, I think the quilt is headed to a show out east so you never know, it might be coming your way. :-)

Our Scott County Crazy Quilter's were fortunate to have Mary as a guest speaker this past May (yes, I am a little behind in sharing some of what's been going on these past couple of months). She shared the story behind her wool quilt and also a crazy quilt that you see below. She didn't make that one but bought it at a garage sale. More on that in a minute.

If you double-click on the picture of Mary with her quilt, you will see that while it is machine stitched and quilted, it is the beautiful embroidery work and that pieced border that really make this quilt a "star". I first saw it at the Minnesota State Fair last summer where it earned a Blue Ribbon. It was my favorite quilt at the fair (go here to see the post about it last summer). I contacted Mary to see if she would be available to speak to our group and share her quilt. She was excited to do so and we had a wonderful evening as she talked about her quilt and entering it, and others, in competition. We are all thinking that we would like to recreate this quilt. Mary was inspired by a design that she found in a quilt magazine from the 1980's.

In this photo above you can see Mary pointing out some details on this antique crazy quilt. It's very worn and yet in places it is in beautiful condition. It has several embroidered references but Mary has no history on the quilt. In the photo below you can see that it says "Endion School". I found that there was an "Endion School" in Duluth, MN so perhaps that is where it was made. It could have been a fundraiser. A friend of Mary's that does quilt appraising told her that the different variations in the stitching, speak of many hands working on this quilt. Wouldn't it be wonderful to know the story behind this quilt?

There is probably more I should share about both these quilts but my mind is not clear tonight. I am preparing to head to Iowa for a family reunion so there has been a lot on my mind and no room there for quilting thoughts!! LOL! I'm also going along with my mom to the Lehigh High School Alumnae Banquet on Saturday night. She will get to see old friends and I know that I will enjoy it, too. Then on Sunday at noon, it's our 81st Linn Family Reunion. I have so much fun stuff planned for this year's reunion!! I will tell you all about it when I get back. It even involves a quilt project!!

So, by the time you read this, I will be headed down Hwy 169, driving through familiar towns and past some favorite farms. And my destination is my home town of Lehigh......nestled in the valley of the Des Moines River.

This is a view of the river looking north from the bridge. Kinda pretty isn't it? I'll be back soon and have photos to share and stories to tell. Plus, next week, I will finally be able to share the wintery project that I've been working on and I'm going to be joining a "wooly round robin" over at PumpkinPatchPrimitives. More on all of that next week. Oh, yes, lots of fun things ahead.

Have a good weekend! I know I will!

Sandi