We had the pleasure of a long weekend with my youngest sister and her family before my youngest niece flew off to Copenhagen for a semester of study. Frankie tried to stuff us with the most amazing food, beautifully prepared. We actually skipped lunch on Monday because we were so full from the exceptional brunch she had put together.
I was thinking about a snooze that afternoon when My-Niece-The-Artist brought out the sewing machine and started sewing squares together. “Niece….what are you working on?” “A quilt.” (Have you ever heard of Eleanor Burn’s series “Quilt in a Day”? Or, Mary Ellen Hopkins who makes a quilt within 24 hours so that she can put that date on the quilt? It can be done, but I was surprised she was doing it less than 24 hours before her plane took off.) I offered to pin the rows together. Dear Husband and My-Sister-The-Nurse helped to move the fabric through the sewing machine. We had the top completed shortly after dinner. The Artist and Frankie flew into town to get the batting, and the two of them, and My-Niece-The-Photographer layered and pinned that quilt and Frankie bound it. The Artist packed it in her luggage, and will tie it into a comforter when she is in Denmark. The coolest thing about this quilt, other than the fact that it went together in a heartbeat is that The Artist will be wrapped up in a quilt that everyone had a hand in helping to make. Lots of love in that quilt! I’ll have to ask her to send me a picture so that I can post it here.
While we were visiting, there was a plumbing problem in the newer part of the house. As they were trying to get laundry done so My-Niece-the-Artist could pack clean clothes for her trip, they were trying to deal with a leak in the pipes that had water flowing from the utility room to the garage. The problem spread, and they finally called for a plumber. The bathroom, master bedroom, utility room, the stairs to the lower level and part of the garage all need repairs now. My sis and her husband are fortunate that they are empty nesters right now, so that they can move to the older part of the house while the repairs are made. Tree roots. Who would have thought they could cause so much damage!?
Tuesday morning, a week ago, we all gathered for breakfast because The Artist was flying to Denmark, The Photographer and her SO were going back to school, and My-Sister-The-Nurse, Dear Husband and I were driving home. It was a noisy gathering, and we had a great breakfast. Here’s a picture of most of the happy diners:

Here’s My-Sister-The-Nurse with The Artist. Don’t you LOVE the legs???

It was tough to say goodbye, but we all know what amazing memories she will have of this trip, so we sent her off with love and the caveat that she enjoy every moment of her semester.