Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year!

Can you believe that another year has flown by... guess that happens when you are having fun. Wayne, my sister Karen, and I had lunch with Mom Kirkland, and left just in time to do a little eagle siting before we headed back to Durant.





This is one of the big eagles that we saw as they came back to the trees to roost in Credit Island Park in Davenport. Some trees had as many as five eagles land in them. There were so many tree branches between my camera and the eagles that the photos are not very clear. It's always fun to just watch these majestic birds flying.


Did you see the Blue Moon (2nd new moon in December) tonight? We were out eagle watching along the Mississippi River when the sun went down and the moon came up. It was a beautiful yellow moon shining brightly on the Mississippi River.

Happy New Year...hope you and I find time to do more quiltiung in 2010!

Bonnie B

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Packages are Wrapped with Care....


Happy Sunday! This has been a busy weekend, trying to get the packages wrapped for our families. I made some Christmas telephone calls to some far-away friends that we won't get to see during the holidays. It's always fun to catch up with our friends.

We had a good time at the Schroeder Publishing Christmas party on Thursday evening. Billy Schroeder always comes up with some kind of trivia for us to play. He had some great questions this year - like how many stitches are in a baseball?  Or, what sport has more participants than any other? I'll put the answers at the end of this message so you can think about the answers for a bit. Dinner was catered by Patti's Restaurant from Grand Rivers, KY.

On Friday evening, Wayne and I attended the Cirque Dreams Illumination at the Carson Four Rivers Center. It was really good...great stage work, lighting, high wire work, acrobats, skits, and singing. It had a little bit of everything.

The next couple of weeks will be very busy. Wayne and I hope you are able to spend some time with your family and have a Merry Christmas together. I'll talk to you again in the new year - can you believe that 2010 is here already? See you then!

Bonnie B

The answers are: 108 stitches in a baseball, and fishing is the sport with the most participants (we should have guessed that one since Billy is an avid bass fisherman)

Monday, November 30, 2009

Kentucky Living Magazine - December


Watch for the December issue of Kentucky Living magazine. I will be part of an article on using my photographs to make fabric postcards as Thank You cards. The title of the article is the Lost Art of Writing Thank You Notes.

Do you send written Thank You notes? My mother has always instilled in us that the proper way to say Thank You is to send a hand written note. In these days of electronic media, we sometimes forget how much people enjoy receiving something in the mail. I know I do. Whether you care to send the very best (Hallmark) or make your own cards, see what kind of reaction you get to sending something special that you have made.

Make someone's holiday merry by sending them a handwritten greeting.

Merry Christmas!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Great Quilt Shop in Celeste, Texas - Quilt Mercantile


While in Texas teaching last week, my host, Alice Wilhoit, took me to the Quilt Mercantile in Celeste, TX. It is just outside Dallas. What a great shop. There are lots of sample quilts and other projects covering the walls...it's like a small quilt show.


Alice was teaching a class there so I had some time to do some hand stitching...and SHOP. See that purse sitting in the foreground of this photo - it's an Indygo Junction pattern that came home with me. The handles go through those big grommets and when you pick it up, the purse closes. Can't wait to make it.


At this time of year, my favorite spot in a quilt shop is the Christmas room...lots of quilts with red in them and quilty gifts we can make.

If you are ever in the Celeste area, be sure to stop and visit this shop. Tell them Bonnie Browning sent you!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Wednesday Musings...

Life is getting back to normal again. After 8 days in Des Moines for the AQS Quilt Show there, then a planning meeting in Knoxville, TN, the following week, and last week I taught in Plano, TX, it's nice to be home for a while.

Today Marcelle and I finalized the last teachers for the Paducah show in April, so the registration guide is getting ready to go to the designer for layout.

Registration for the Lancater show is open and classes are filling, so don't delay in registering if you plan to attend that show. We've already filled the Thursday evening (7:00 - 8:30 p.m.) performance for Eleanor Burns... and we have been able to add another performance that will be held from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. that same day. She is always popular so don't wait to get your tickets to see Eleanor Burns.

I'm ready to do some sewing. After teaching my Xquisite Scrap class in Texas, I even bought some fabric to work on the black,gray, and cream version of that quilt that I want to make. Should have enough different fabrics now... just need to get busy cutting 4" squares.

Hope you are having a great week, wherever you are...

Bonnie B

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Bonnie Visits with Classmates in Muscatine, Iowa

When Wayne and I were in town for his class reunion in September, I also was able to meet up with two of my high school classmates, Anita Bendle Bennett and Judy Leu Pare. Here are a few photos from that day. Anita and Judy then went to have dinner with Gini VanZandt - I've included a photo of them that Judy sent to me.

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Saturday, October 10, 2009

Sunday, October 4, 2009

MHS Class of 1959 - Dinner on Saturday, September 26, 2009

The 50th reunion of the 1959 graduating classes of Muscatine High School and Hayes Catholio High School held its reunion dinner at Whispering Pines on Tipton Road in Muscatine. In addition to a wonderful dinner of steak, pork chops, and chicken prepared by the famous A Guy & A Grill, emcee Gary Diercks shared some happenings of long ago. Everyone present was pleased to learn that Larry Mittman's demise was greatly exaggerated... since he was here.

Click on the photos to enlarge them. You can right click to print or save the photographs.

There are six Blog entries altogether, with photos from both Friday and Saturday evenings.

If you find any names that are incorrect, please send me corrections. Sometimes the name badges were partially hidden. E-mail corrections or additional names to: bonniewayne@bellsouth.net. I'll correct the Blog if necessary. It was fun to share your reunion with all of you, and I hope you enjoy the photos.

Bonnie Browning



A beautiful sunset was the beginning of a great evening with old friends. Purple and Gold balloons greeted us as we drove into Whispering Pines.






Dinner was prepared by A Guy & A Grill



Emcee Gary Diercks



Catching up with old friends



Chatting before dinner



Janice Erickson & Jerry Lichtenwald



Judy Connor, Janet Kahl



Bruce & Sandi Hildebrandt



Leo & Gay Webb Hindbaugh



Larry Mittman, John Shepard, Glen Monson



Sandra Smith, Mary Jo TeStrake, Beth Williamson



Jean Ripperger, Nancy Eis & Alan Ripperger



Darla Morgan, Laura Jamison, Mary Ann Morris



Ervin Morgan, Bob Jones



John Bohling, Wayne Browning

MHS Class of 1959 - some more Saturday Evening Photos

Click on the photo to enlarge. Right click to print or save the photos.


Sandi Hildebrandt, Sandy Wells



Janet Kahl, Connie Bohling, Sandi Hildebrandt



John Bohling



Laurel Heard, Bill Griffin



Janet Kahl



Glen Smith talking to Wayne Browning



Hank & Rita Mann



Janet Kindler, Maxine Ricketts



Toma Tarin (married to Karen Berry)



Karen Berry



Beth Williamson, Dave Alftine

MHS Class of 1959 - more Saturday Evening Photos

Click on the photo to enlarge it. Right click to print or save the photos.


Beverly Smith, Lynn Paul



Laura Lee Mulvihill, Carol Lichtenwald



Juli & Bob Wagner



Dennis Roth, Lynn Beaucamp



Deems Ahlf, Bob Herrick, Diane Greene



John & Connie Bohling



Ervin & Darla Morgan



Phil & Mary Jane Chalups



Kathy & Bill Schmidt, Bob Bancks



Sandra Ash