Monday Memory - Record Keeping

This past weekend Cali, Haley (my niece), and I went to a retreat. The retreat is held just outside the town of Monroe and tucked back in the pine trees. The retreat house comes complete with ten or so bedrooms, a large rectangular room for projects . . . and a deer or two.

This is the third year that Donna, Nicole, Sonja, and Sandy have held this retreat and each year they have a theme. The first year it was "Road Trip," last year was "Glamping" (Sandy is not crazy about camping and said this house in trees is as close as she'll get to it), and this year was "Sweet Retreat."

I was surprised that the orange slices were gone before the Reese's peanut butter cups
(photo courtesy of Sandy)

Nicole had filled these sundae glasses with a loofah (resembling ice cream)
topped with a red pom-pom and a straw for each of us.  They served as
our candy dishes, too. 

Besides having a help-yourself candy bar, we received several mementos throughout our stay . . .

Cali modeling her sweet dreams night mask
(photo courtesy of Sandy)

and each night about ten o'clock were given a heated, oil-infused washcloth to get us through the next two or three hours of scrapbooking.

Everyone took a turn and cooked for the group, so not only did we come away with projects completed, we came home with a few extra pounds and recipes too.

Donna grilling onions
(photo courtesy of Sandy)

Haley sewed baby gifts, cut quilt blocks, and made cards and gift tags. I made a sizable dent in our scrapbooks. Cali got one quilt top almost finished and another one started.

Haley and Cali
(photo courtesy of Sandy)

colorful supplies
(photo courtesy of Sandy)

Besides being a place where friends reconnect . . .

Mindy and Deb
(photo courtesy of Sandy)

It's also a place where several of us take our daughters too. Scrapbooking and quilting are generational.

Nicole and Donna
(photo courtesy of Sandy)

Besides scrapbooking and quilting and hand-stitchery and visiting and eating, there were group activities like raffle drawings.

(photo courtesy of Sandy)

(photo courtesy of Sandy)

(photo courtesy of Sandy)

There was also a shoebox greeting project. Everyone who wanted to participate brought a card idea and enough prepared supplies for everyone who was taking part. The card ideas were unique and cute.  New techniques are learned and shared each year.

One of the things I enjoy about going to these retreats, is seeing everyone's projects, styles, and ideas.  It's helped me to enjoy scrapbooking more and to get better at it (if only I would have gone to retreats before I ruined so many of our pictures cropping tight with those cursed decorative scissors).

There were multiple trips to the Ben Franklin craft store which was a couple of miles down the road, and many of us went to the flea market the last two years too.  I got a $5 bottle of marbles and a $10 wagon. Haley got a set of 7 dwarfs to add to her collection, and Cali got an antique, rocking, oak chair for $20 which Nicole carried on her lap in the middle of the back seat. (Now that is friendship.)

Sonja
(photo courtesy of Sandy)

As a group, we come from many walks of life and family circumstances, have different personalities, and represent many faiths, but we all have a desire to create and keep a record in common . . . and laugh, and eat, and mod-podge.