The Ring

You didn't think I tell you all about this and not show you the four-letter word itself did you?

I am so enjoying this from afar and so happy I had a little something to do with it.

The Surprise

My son knew Rubylocks was "The One", and knew exactly when he would pop the question. For her part however, Rubylocks wanted him to ask her, and expected him to ask her some time but didn't know when it would happen.

Apparently young folks nowadays take "selfies" or self-portraits, with their cell phones. My son planned to hold up the box in one of these "selfies" to surprise Rubylocks.

As you can see, she was surprised.


As she recounted the story to my Mother, she wanted my son to ask her to marry him, and she hoped  he would, but when she saw the little box she was completely blown away. She NEVER expected him to give her a diamond.

She was SO surprised that it took her "a really long time to say yes" according to my son. The way Rubylocks tells it, "I was so shocked I was afraid I was going to faint. And I didn't want to faint."

Finally she put her arms around him and said, "Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes."


My son says she looks at the ring on her finger every other minute, and giggles. "How did you ever manage to get it so it fits perfectly?" 

"Magic."

She looked at him sideways, "Well, okay. I don't want to know more than that."

Because I know the whole story, I know it wasn't magic.

It was Karma.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In other news, I am completely ready for my trip to St Louis. The suitcase is packed, the class is prepared and the speech is written. The house and sewing studio are both clean. I've got a list ready of all the last minute things that need to come with me. That's all good, but you'll have to forgive me because my heart is in California. Which I suppose is a good thing because otherwise I think I'd be getting nervous.

The Secret

Last month when I flew to Los Angeles to visit my son and his girlfriend, I carried a secret.

We referred to it in code, "the four-letter word."

"It" was a diamond an old family friend had given to me years ago, after I found him after we had lost touch with him for over twenty years and helped reunite him with my family. It was a very beautiful, and good quality diamond. I had it appraised, set in a solitaire ring setting and kept it insured.  I wore it for many years on my right hand, and got compliments on it all the time.

Arthritis stopped me from wearing it, and I kept it locked away. That was silly. When my son turned 30, I brought it out and showed it to him. "When you find The One," I said, "I will give you this ring."  His mouth fell open and he asked if I was sure.

"I can't wear it," I told him, "and it does me no good hiding away. Sure you'd inherit it after I die, but why wait? It's beautiful, and it deserves to be worn."

When he introduced me to his ladylove (Millie calls her "Rubylocks"), I knew he had found "The One."  Earlier this year, we started talking about "the four-letter word," and getting it from one side of the country to the other.  Again I had it appraised and cleaned, learned how to ship it safely across the US, and got advice about where to get the ring re-sized if it didn't fit.

This summer he insisted I visit him in California. We agreed I would bring the "four-letter word." I kept it on my person the entire trip. Remember I couldn't wear it.

In preparation of the trip, I purchased a box for the ring. You know, those little hinged velvet boxes with the satin inside? The one the guys open and show their intended as they kneel down to propose? I found it online and paid $2.50 for it. Shipping cost me an additional $10.99!

When I got to California, my son and Rubylocks both met me at the airport. We spent virtually my entire visit all together. I had only a very short time alone with my son to give him the ring, the box and the appraisal paperwork without Rubylocks suspecting anything was going on.

He had a very specific plan to propose. He knew exactly when, where and how he would do it. I didn't know how he could keep the ring a secret from her, or how he would keep it secure.

They spent the last few days in Yosemite Valley. Saturday afternoon they went for a hike, the ring in its box, and a small split of champagne in his backpack. When they reached a location near a waterfall, with a view of the whole Yosemite Valley before them, my son asked the question.

The answer was "Yes."



And  by the way, the ring fits perfectly!





My son tells me I'll have photos soon, and I'll add them here when I get them.

Quiz, Part Two

What do  these seven letters have in common, aside from their height and color?

(This one should be really easy.)




by the way....
There is an OUTSTANDING quilter making letters and the most amazing blocks I have ever seen over at Q.U.I. (Quilted Under the Influence).  Kathy hasn't been blogging long, but she's adventurous and fearless, by the look of it.  Do go over and see her work. You won't be disappointed. (Tell her Lynne sent you.)

Quiz

What do these six letters have in common? (Aside from the fact they are all green and are the same height?)





"QUIZ"  (ooooo... that's a good four letter word...)

Four Letter Words

 For the afternoon exercise of my class at Quilted Threads, I distributed lists of four letter words to each student. 

 The lists were deliberately filled with words that weren't literal and used some of the "trickier" letters.

 Students had to pick a word, and sew it up using different fabrics.

 I wanted them to push the letters around a bit, and use their fabrics to their full potential.

 This was a difficult exercise, but the students rose to the challenge and really "got it."

 After she made her word, one student commented, "I don't think I'll ever look at fabric the same way again." 

I was thrilled, because that was exactly the point! I wanted the students to be confident to make free-pieced letters, but I also wanted them to get a sense of the possibilities.

A Four Letter Word

Here is my four-letter word for Tonya. I didn't want to do it in all caps, because I didn't want it to seem like a command: GROW! I wanted it to be encouraging, so a capital G and lower case for the rest. And the block is 6-1/2" x 12-1/2".

My sister and I made a quilt for our mother. How do you make half a quilt? We divided up the quilt into 24 blocks, 18-1/2" x 24-1/2". We bought about 12 to 16 1/2 yard cuts of fabric, divided them half and used fabric from our own stashes and the chosen fabrics. The plan was to made 12 blocks each, and alternate them.

I made 12 perfect 18-1/2" x 24-1/2" blocks. My sister, bless her, made her blocks bigger than that, and each one unique and individual. I had to square them all, then trim them all down to the right size. It drove me absolutely crazy.

The quilt was a great hit with our Mom. You can't tell where my sister's blocks end, and mine begin, unless you look very closely, and even then it's pretty tough. My sister LOVES to tell the story about how I had to trim all her blocks to size.

And I still roll my eyes.

Which is why the block for Tonya is -exactly- 6-1/2" x 12-1/2".