Buddy Up Tennis

We are over the moon proud of our little human.  He won an essay contest about Buddy Up Tennis.  Buddy Up Tennis is a program that matches an athlete (that just happens to have Down Syndrome) to a "buddy" that plays with them and helps them learn tennis skills.  It's an amazing program.  Our son read his winning essay about how Buddy Up Tennis helps him to 400+ people at the annual benefit gala in Columbus, Ohio.

Here's a link to his speech on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2iJzuQEDAg

 Here he is celebrating afterwards with a cool light-up, neon tambourine.

And here's the happy family!  (Of course Owen had to put on that goofy smile!)

Here he is on the court during the Saturday morning tennis event:

The kid he's standing by in the grey shirt is his "buddy", Eric.  I don't know where they find these volunteers, but they are AMAZING--each and every one of them!  Thank you!!!  The volunteers claim they are not sure who gets the most out of Buddy Up Tennis.  Their smiles show.

There is a lot of technical instruction during a 90 minute session.  I think Owen can beat me!

There are so many participants that they have make-shift courts made with caution tape.

He loved the "free time" in the hotel just hanging out with Dad, playing iPad.

Look at my handsome pair!  They look so grown up (both of them, LOL).

Getting ready for a little tour of Columbus.  Valet parking was a must for this downtown hotel.

Of course there was Oreo pie dessert at Tee-Jay's.

He loved sleeping in the same room as Mom & Dad.  (Just like old times as he said.)

The special group of speakers and essay winners met for a dining out event the night before the gala at Forno Kitchen & Bar.  It was quite fancy for us in the downtown art district.  It's especially fancy when we are used to going to Chuck E. Cheese, Chipolte, Chinese Buffets, and Mexican restaurants.

We met so many amazing kids and families!

This young man, Gianluca Audia, was a typical kid that LOVES tennis.  He raised $8000 by throwing a spring fling up in the New Hampshire/Vermont area BY HIMSELF!  He's 13!  Like I said, I don't know where they find these volunteers, but they are AMAZING!

This is Will Gibson.  His mom founded Buddy Up Tennis in the original location of Columbus, Ohio.  This is his 10th year.  It all started when he was watching his brother play tennis and a special coach stepped up and asked Will to play on a side court.  It has now grown and they also just launched Buddy Up Fitness (a program to keep our athletes fit.) 

Dinner

Of course we had to get a selfie!

I really need to get back on my diet!  Yikes.

Happy to drive away from the city.  He's not a people person!

It was a three-day event for us.  We were wined and dined and put up in a foo foo hotel.  He didn't get tired until 12 minutes from home!  We got to swim in the hotel pool twice!

Here's a link to his speech on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2iJzuQEDAg

Here he is in his "office" in the hotel.  We LOVE wifi!

WIP Wednesday 2.27.19

Today I only am working half a day at the school.  Hopefully I'll get a little cleaning and housework sewing done.  Here's what happened this week:

After making the black Soul Searching block I had time to make four patches just for my ever rotating stash of 4-patches.  I just LOVE mindless 4-patches!

Here's my black Soul Searching block from this week:



I finished my February OMG (One Main Goal) project!  This is an embroidery bear crib quilt.



I'm all caught  with the Temperature Quilt Along 2019.

We are over the moon proud of our little human.  It was a very busy weekend for us.  He won an essay contest about Buddy Up Tennis.  Buddy Up Tennis is a program that matches an athlete (that just happens to have Down Syndrome) to a "buddy" that plays with them and helps them learn tennis skills.  It's an amazing program.  Our son read his winning essay about how Buddy Up Tennis helps him to 400+ people at the annual benefit gala in Columbus, Ohio.  I'll do a full post tomorrow on it.  He's getting so grown up!

I continued to work on my Mystery stitch along.  I still love my projects in my sew-to-go bag.  This is a free monthly project at Linen And Threads Mystery Sampler that I found on Facebook.  

I made a scrappy yellow block for the RSC19.  It's not as fancy as my previous ones...

I Accuquilt die cut tiny yellow scraps for beaks and feet for my RSC19 Owl blocks.  Owl be glad that part is done and I don't have to stop to go to the other house to get yellow scraps next month.

I made some yellow kite blocks (but I made them wrong!).  These are for my box kite (Bonnie Hunter) on-going project.  Love it that my bloggy friend, Joy, pointed out that they are a "design element of the quilt" vs. a mistake.  I'm going to leave them this way.  It will give the quilt some interest.

This is what a box kite block is supposed to look like:

I'm linking up with Susan at Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers #164.

I currently have 70 on-going projects.

Pieces Still Need to be Cut & Sewn

1.  Cheddar Jack cat pattern from Mama Spark's World 

2.  Digging up Bones (Owen's dinosaur quilt)

3.  Rock Island Campfire Quilt

4.  Picadilly Circle

5.  ...And Sew On BOM at Quiet Play (one block to go)

6.  Go Four It! -- Scrappy 4-patches started as leader/ender June 2017

7.  Patriotic Folk Animals (from Americana Quilts Book) -- hand work for school

8.   Soul Searching -- need 1 PINK block!
9.   Leah Day Building Blocks QA
10.  Love Laugh Quilt Christmas Improv QA
11.  Classic Meets Modern BOM
12.  Mod Mod QA (turning this one into a baby quilt) (from block Lotto, mostly circles w/lines)

13.  Owl's Well That Ends Well (RSC19 project started 1.26.19)

14.  Linen and Threads - Mystery Sampler SAL Sew-to-go bag project started 1.21.19

15.  Temperature QA (2019 block-a-day according to high and low temps.)

16.  Kite Girl (RSC14)

17.  Amish Country BOM (from Lynn, Johnna's mom)

18.  Cabins at the Lake (from Fons & Porter Magazine) (only one house block complete.)

19.   2.5" Scraps from Dani making "cracker" blocks

20.  EPP mini table topper (grey, maroon, blue, cream...)

21.  Little Houses (3.5" blocks)

22.  Pumpkins & the Beanstalk (a second quilt.)

23.  Dot Dot Dash bag -- (new to the list April, 2018)

24.  Scrappy Hourglass Quilt 

25.  Slabs with White Rectangle (RSC14 started -- need blocks each month)

26.  Bonnie Hunter Box Kite class from March, 2017 (Will make baby quilt.)

27.  Super Mario QA

28.  2015 Orange, pink, grey kite blocks (from Accuquilt die, RSC17)

29.  Maroon Sampler Quilt

30.  Gypsy Wife QA (started again with Angie at Gnome Angel, August 2017) (2019 QA)

31.  Crown of Thorns in blues

32.  2016 Plus Blocks (from left over pieces of Soul Searching blocks)

33.  RSC16 Folk Art Birds

34.  Kevin the Quilter's Sapphire Stars Mystery (started Summer 2017) 

35.  Secret O - H - I - O quilt.  Shhhh.  Can't show this one--but it's cool!

36.  Jelly Roll Rug

37.  Sand Castles -- Bonnie Hunter string quilt started January, 2019 -- an RSC project

38.  Parallelogram Strings -- 2019 String Along at Humble Quilts, started 1.31.19

  

Blocks Still Need to be Made

1.  Bluepatch Mystery Quilt

2.  Scrap Crystals (working on blue pieces for RSC15)

3.  We Can Do It Skill Builder Sampler

4.  Amanda Murphy Designs (ugly fabric quilt)

5. Finding Nemo Scrappy Trip quilt (my seams don't match Julianne's seams...)
6.  Drunkard's Path Variation baby quilt

7.  Kim Diehl's Table Topper from her book Simple Charm (Started August, 2017 for to-go bag.)
8.  Block Lotto December Scrappy Stars (blue/purple) -- I won the star blocks in December, 2018.
         

Blocks are made but need to be sewn together (and/or some sashing)
1.  Block Swap Adventure Orange/Yellow Sampler (2011-2012)
2.  Cruise blocks won from Libby
3.  Orange/Blue Fish Blocks (that I won)
4.  Split Stars (blocks won from Block Lotto; October, 2012)
5.  African Violet baby quilt (Block Lotto inspired)
6.  Tall Fly 

7.  Fortune Teller (RSC14 started)

8.  Sonja's Windows string quilt 

9.  Block Swap Adventure (2013) Churn Dash Blocks 

10.  Tula Pink's City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks (New QA starting 5/7/17 Gnome Angel)

11.  Flower Baskets (blue and white with some applique) Block Lotto win 10/1/18

12.  Pre-printed cross stitch pillow sham (May, 2018 sew-to-go bag)

13.  Bonnie Hunter Garden Party (started 3.18.17.)

14.   Cathy's CRAZY BY DESIGN.  It's the Dot Dot Dash Bag.

Quilts back needs to be made (tops are done) 

1. Card Trick (pink and blue) HUGE charity quilt for local quilt guild
2.  Hunter green large (bubbly -- will be a challenge to longarm) charity quilt for the local guild
3. Bubble Gum pink and navy charity quilt for local quilt guild
4.  Good Fortune -- A Bonnie Hunter Quiltville Mystery started Thanksgiving weekend, 2018.

Ready to longarm
1.  Little Letters QA Quilt (A RSC14 project)
2.  Customer quilt with special block in the center (CM)

3.  Catchin' Some Rays needle turn applique crib quilt started March, 2018 (adding EPP hexies!)
4.  4-patch customer quilt (CM)
5.  Blue and 4-patch customer quilt (CM)
6.  Camo and Ribbons & Stars customer quilt (CM)

Needs binding