Quilting hiatus

I swear I haven't been on quilting hiatus. It's just that most of my quilting projects lately are gifts - and no one wants to spoil the punch by showing off a gift before it's given. So alas, August has arrived, when I can start giving these wonderful quilt gifts! I've got four surprises all neatly packaged for the lucky recipients to be... and will begin featuring the projects right here on Mama Bear Quilts.

In other news... I've found full-time employment as editor of Tri-State Livestock News. It's a weekly livestock publication based in Spearfish, SD. If you're familiar with South Dakota geography, you will note that this office is approximately 14 miles shy of the SD-WY border. Meanwhile, I reside about 20 miles shy of the SD-MN border. There's about 400-some odd miles in between the two. So I'm set-up with a home office.

Finding the balance between work and play (and family time) can be a challenge, but one I think I'm successfully navigating.

Over the weekend, my best friend Becky Deutsch and I stumbled onto a wonderful quilt-wine venue called "Quilts & Vines." It's not new, but was new to us. The Strawbale Vineyard near Renner, SD, (just north of Sioux Falls) has an entire day devoted to draping quilts over grapevines, barns, anywhere and invites the public to come on out and sample wines while browsing quilts. We, along with the help of winery staff, have re-named the event to a more "male-friendly" term (since there was a high percentage of 50+ year old ladies in attendance) to "Blankets & Booze" - which we felt was sure to draw in males from a tri-state area. It was a toss-up for our favorite vino: Grandpa Pete's Strawberry-Rhubarb or the Wineritas!