Wicked Good Birthday - Im 50!

I turned 50 years old in 2017!  I know I don't look it but I am 50!  I feel like that lady on Saturday Night Live (Sally O'Malley)  who pulls her pants way up and yells "Ahm 50!!!"

We never really feel like having a party but my family threw one anyway and all of the families came together - both my hubbys and my own to celebrate.  There were witty signs all over the place that talk about the "joys" of being 50.  "Its Nifty to be Fifty" was one of them.  Of course, there was also great food and fun gifts!

I told you a while ago about how my good thing at a meeting was that I went to work and didn't wear my pajama pants.  It was only because they dont have pockets.  See my blog post here about the whole year that has gone by and learn about my personal pocket rule!

So of course my creative cousin (yes - the one who designed the People Quilt) got me a special pair of birthday pajama pants - with pockets and fabulous stars!

The little card says "P.J's with Pockets - Oh Yea!"

She also got me these 50 - yes FIFTY blocks - a whole stack of quilting fun!  Do you know how many projects I have planned with these blocks?  A lot thats how many!

I have not worn my pajama pants to work yet - that day is coming - I can feel it!  I am ready!

Its pretty fun being 50 - not nearly the horror story it had been made out to be.  Im giving it hell!

What ever age you are - give it hell and make the most of it. Let the milestone birthdays be a cause for celebration.  Even if you have to paste your smile on and "jolly on through it" - your family will be better for it and so will you - eventually.   Blessed be!

The People Quilt Goes to Town!

You may have read about my "People Quilt" and how it goes on adventures with me.  If not you can read them here! and here!  It has been to a gun show sleepover, a quilt retreat, a Fairbanks road trip and now it has been to a Water Well Convention in Anchorage!

We stayed in Anchorage at the Lakeside Hotel (next to Lake Hood) and its always an adventure travel anywhere with the "weird water people"! First of all the roads were terrible - a 13 car pile up happened on the other side of the highway I was travelling on as I was heading into Anchorage!  My sister in law was coming to stay with me for the second day (her hubby brought her in due to the bad roads) and when I first arrived they had issued me a room with only one bed - a lovely King sized bed but - alas we are not one bed sleepers now.  Of course I had trooped all my stuff - including the People Quilt up to the room and I had to troop all the way back down to get a room change!

Here she is on the Queen sized bed closest to the window.  I like the window side of any room for some reason, but in this room it was quite necessary!!  We are true Alaskans and we keep our house about 68 degrees - 71 is too hot for us in a room and certainly for sleeping!

Yes that says 84 degrees!!!!! It had been 88 when I arrived at the room and turned the heat off!  Our lovely friends from Florida and Georgia and Arizona and those hot places where the Alaskan type of cold are unheard of enjoy it this hot apparently - me however not so much!  But Alaskans are adaptable.......

So here is the people quilt with the open window behind it - and yes that is snow on the ground and the cars - it snowed most of the time while we were in Anchorage and the window stayed open the whole time!  I didnt sleep under the People Quilt so much as kind of hugged it through the night.  We finally got it down to about 74 degrees by the time we were ready to leave - but it was some good conference information and a good adventure for the People Quilt!  Stay tuned!  More adventures to come!

The Community behind our Community

Here in Big Lake Alaska we have such a spirit of Community!  We are a small town of roughly 3500 people spread over an area the size of  Manhatten Island.  This town gets more done than any other place I have ever been.  We do have help from other communities, dont get me wrong - but this Community has more big thinkers, dreamers and do'ers than I have seen in any other Community.

We have a gentleman in our town who dreamed of a Recreation Center for our town. It became Reality!

http://biglakereccenter.com/

Our local Rec Center was built with only grants, in kind services and community donations.  The entire thing build by our Community!  We are a Superhero Community! Check out the website here!

 We have a gentleman in town who dreamed of a baseball field for the hometown team. Our local high school now boasts the nicest ball field in the State! We have a woman in town who dreamed of a place safe from fires - forest and house (she lost both in the Millers Reach Fire of 1996), and she also dreamed of a park that everyone could enjoy - it happens to be right across from the Rec Center, and right next to the public Library!

We have many community groups who have shared their vision and made them happen.  We have Angel Trees, a food bank, and a free clothing closet for anyone who needs those items and we get stuff done!  We have trails for winter and summer enjoyment, we have lakes management plans, we have schools for all ages, and at Christmas we will have a tree lighting at our town center complete with caroling and hot cocoa!  It's a wonderful world in a small town!  You can almost hear that song playing about "our little town".


We are also working on the Kraft Hockeyville Hockeytown USA!  See our page here!  Check out our stories and pictures and the notes posted about the rink and all that we do here in our corner of the world.  Get ready to vote for us when it comes time to do that so we can win big for our Rec Center! Or if you have been to our Rec Center please add your photos and stories and notes to the page!

https://www.krafthockeyville.com/#community/11E7E6A9865D9792BCD2BB3AEA662A63

We have a Frolf course at the Middle and High school - they share a campus, and soon we will have the 2018 pond hockey classic - this year we are boasting a record 103 teams!  Check that out here!  IF you are in the area come out for this event - its a giant lakeside family event - doesnt matter if you play hockey or not!

We work hard in our little Big Lake to make things better for everyone!  Above all - know that in YOUR community - YOU can make a difference!  Just like we have in our Community!  You just have to dream big and begin.