My attempt at antiquing a piece of new wood by staining, glazing, beating, and applying a colored wax. Not too bad!

A fresh woodpile is always a pretty sight!

I finally finished piecing the santa quilt I copied from one of Jennifer's mini quilts. I rearranged the santas, added trees and more to the borders. After quilting, there will be bead eyes and mini tassles for the hats.

January 27th was a milestone for me as I reached the 60 mark.  As one of my co-workers, Mr. Henschen, says, "At least I'm still above ground." Holly and Brad with the help of Ron, family and friends totally surprised me with a party.  Ron and I spent the day in Edwardsville with lunch at The Peel (owned by a former student), shopping for needed supplies for the remodel job and searching for ideas for the new house. Brad and Holly were supposed to cook for us while we were gone.  We were not supposed to be back until 4:30.  I assumed they were making a cake, cooking something spectacular for dinner and making something refreshing for cocktails.  I was so tickled to not have to cook or go out. When we arrived back home, my first response inside the kitchen was, "There are people here!" Even though we threw a birthday party for Ron's 60th 6 years ago, I never suspected a surprise for me. What a great gift from Holly and Brad to spend so much time and effort in creating this fun time with friends.

Quincy, our 13-year-old Yorkie, enjoys a nap after all the hoopla of the birthday party.

Bob, Resa (Brad's parents) and Ron relax after a great meal of Italian Beef (courtesy of Brad) and birthday cake.

Holly and Sue on Sue's 60th and Holly's soon to be 29th birthdays.

Holly's and my new favorite website, Pinterest, gave her the idea for these cute decorations for the party.

We rarely had cake when I was growing up as we were piemakers, but on our birthdays we could choose a cake to make. Mine was always German chocolate or carrot cake. Holly remembered this. Amazing!

Hope Theisen/Claxton, Sue Heinz, Lynn Lauber, Sue Koenig and Laura Wilson share the window seat and friendships as coworkers and past coworkers.

Yes, I was definitely surprised that there were people in my house when Ron and I returned home from a day in Edwardsville. Ron was excited in the background that they pulled this off.

Brad and Holly put a lot of work into planning this party. Below Holly made cute bags of Lemon Puppy Chow for guests to take home.

The 60th birthday party needed lots of "stuff" packed in Holly's 31 containers. Of course our granddog, Gracie was part of the weekend as well.

When Ron and I bought the Schlecte farm, we had no idea what all would come from this investment.  Since that purchase we have gone through a major remodel of his cute little house.  It was in too good of shape to tear down although nothing had been changed since the 70's when it was built.  It even had the same builder's antique white on the walls and original carpet.  The structure was in good shape though, and we began the process of installing a large front porch, new windows, new siding, lighting, a garage door, and many gallons of paint and flooring to update the garage and inside rooms.  It is only 1,000 square feet but has a walk out basement that we are finishing now.  There are three ponds on the property that needed a lot of cleaning up as well with the removal of lots of brush. This was the sight of Holly and Brad's wedding reception. We have since decided to build a retirement house for us on the property and Holly and Brad will be moving into our house where she will be the 4th generation to live on that property.  The Quilt House will become a place to sew, create, and quilt for all of us as well as house guests and have parties. More pictures to follow when construction on the new house starts hopefully this spring.

Looking to the east from Harry's/The Quilt House one could take a rest in one of the red chairs.

What a beautiful place this property is no matter the season overlooking the bottoms, woods, and three ponds.

The new bath is much more inviting.

The original shag carpet and damage from the old well is evident in the master bath.

The new kitchen is much brighter!

The before 1970's kitchen needed some updating.

After new windows, doors and a front porch, the outside is much improved.

The Heinz farm was increased with the purchase of Harry Schelcte's house and property behind the Heinz Farm. It needed some work. This is the before picture.

Holly and Brad take a moment to dance on Harry's/The Quilt House front porch.

Ahhh! All the work is done, and we can just enjoy the evening.

The reception was more casual with boots and khaki's.

Sue has fun with co-workers, Ron Henschen (Ellen) and Chris Kottwitz (Martin.

Ron and Sue enjoyed time with Ron's friends and former employees Todd and Sergio and their wives.

Sue enjoys visiting with Stephanie, Matthew, Jack and David from Chicago.

Jennifer Baker, Dan Bolson, and Paul Baker arrive prepared for a chill.

Guests enjoyed homemade jams including blueberry, peach, strawberry and strawberry/rhubarb as favors.

A fall reception would not be complete without pumpkins.

Talented Brad made all the signs identifying various locations such as the Goose Pond.

Fall flowers such as cockscomb and hydrangea from the farm were easy to gather the day of the reception.

Guests at the reception were greated by the International combine and wagon.

When picking a cabin in the hills of Gatlinburg, pick one with a red door.

Ron and Sue enjoy a happy dinner at The Mill with family before the wedding.

Sue, Ron, Brad and Holly in Gatlinburg after the wedding

THE WEDDING

When mom and dad only have one daughter and an only child at that, the long awaited for wedding hasto be just right. Holly's grandmother was married at the then Kuba farm, so Holly's wish was to celebrate her wedding at the now Heinz farm as well. 2011 was the year of the wedding.  All summer was spent planning the outdoor fall wedding reception which meant lining up porta-potties, tents, catering, cheesecake, and decorating supplies. Recipes had to be found for making jellies for favors and last minute toppings for the cheesecake. Since the wedding was in Gatlinburg, we had to arrange lodging, travel and clothing for that weekend while being ready for the reception the following weekend at the farm.  All this while I was teaching and Ron was in the middle of harvest. We couldn't have pulled all of this off without the help of friends and family.  Brad's (the groom) family traveled to Gatlinburg the week before and arranged eating locations and camped at the farm a few days before the reception to help with everything from painting signs and hanging a tire swing for the kids to hooking up a generator and putting together an alternative heat source. Aunts and Uncles arrived with coolers of ice and helped with making lots of Sangria or arranging flowers, and some traveled from Texas. Friends made sure the wedding dress could be bustled, and siblings helped at the last minute with serving cheesecake.  Many stayed over in campers to help clean up making that chore a breeze. Warm dry weather for both weekends only added to the enjoyment of this happy occasion. All the labor was well worth the results and seeing a very happy couple finally tie the knot. It was so much fun that it was sad to see the campers roll out and the tent come down. Having the reception at the farm was a memorable event that we won't forget.