Chatbug Karen

I don’t know if you read the post I wrote about making a 4′ x 4′ quilt block for my mom’s shed. Well, my husband thought it would be nice if we had one for our barn. He got tired of waiting for me to paint one and so he did it himself. Isn’t it pretty? We are going to have to rent a cherry picker to get it up to the point of the roof where it goes.

that I will be this agile and coherent when I am 100 years old! This lady has lived through the invention of the automobile, computers and inkjet printers, flat screen televisions, and jet skis. She has witnessed women fighting for and gaining the right to vote. She has seen the gains and pitfalls of unions in our workplaces. I could go on and on about the changes she has witnessed. What is amazing to me is that she is still creating quilts!

From The Advertiser Tribune.com
Still sewing strong at 100
Vera Burgderfer does not own a cell phone or a computer and has no plans to start using them now; however, she does appreciate her land line and an occasional television program, especially Paula Dean’s cooking show, “Jeopardy” and “Extreme Home Makeover.” And she says she won’t give up her electric sewing machine.

Saturday, Burgderfer is to celebrate her 100th birthday. Although not born in Tiffin, she grew up here in a house on the corner of Franklin and Adams streets. She said she attended Tiffin schools.

“I started out at Miami School (now Tiffin University) then junior high and I graduated from Columbian – 1929,” Burgderfer said.

She and her husband Charles were married in 1933 and had two daughters, Jane and Charlene (Pahl) and a son, Jerry. They had been married 42 years when Charles died in 1976. In addition to being a mom, Burgder had a variety of jobs outside the home, including working the office at Mohawk Motors, at Woolworth Company, Golden Acre Turkeys and J.J. Fleck.

Burgderfer said her family includes seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She said she enjoys being their “cookie maker,” and she likes to crochet and knit. But sewing probably is her main pastime. She said she has lost count of the projects she has done over the years. The sewing started after she was married.

“I did some sewing in school, but all we made was aprons – nothing fancy,” Vera said.

Very alert and healthy for her age, Vera said she takes vitamins and recently started on heart medication.

Her secret for longevity?

“I just live a normal life and keep busy. That’s all. I eat what I want,” Vera said.

Vera’s family is to host an open house 2-5 p.m. Saturday at First United Baptist Church, 419 Coe St., Tiffin. The celebrant has requested no gifts.

“No gifts. I don’t need anything, and I don’t have room to put it,”

If you haven’t noticed, our dogs rule the roost around our house. I have been bugging my husband by telling him we need to buy a motorhome. Hubby likes to travel and while I also like to travel, I don’t want to leave our dogs at home or put them up at the doggie hotel. Hubby thinks we have to pay for a motorhome! Why is there always a roadblock?

Take a look at this picture. It looks as if they are saying, “what? You want us to write a pronexin review? Do we get bacon for that? Does it require us to move?

Guest post by Jessica Carter. Jessica Carter is a professional freelance writer with over 10 years of experience in the diamond industry. She is currently writing for www.DiamondPriceGuide.com as one of the diamond experts, as well as for a variety of jewelry blogs and portals.

Like the fashion industry, the jewelry industry is subject to trends, both from consumers and retailers. Currently, one of the more popular trends is for customers to design their own engagement rings. There are two different ways for customers to design their own engagement ring: to start with a diamond center stone or to pick the band out first.
If you decide to choose diamonds first, most retailers will ask for how much you are prepared to spend along with the carat size, the quality of cut, color and what degree of clarity you would like your center stone to have. In addition, many retailers list their diamonds together with their specs. However, many of these specs are confusing. For this reason it is generally a good idea to read whatever you can about diamonds. The vast majority of retailers have this information on their websites and it is highly recommended that you make use of this tool.
Upon selecting a diamond, you will then be able to choose the setting and band as well as any side stones or accenting stones you would like in your ring. One thing that customer should keep in mind is that once you have selected a diamond, you will have to make sure your band can hold whatever sized gems or diamonds you choose for your ring. Otherwise, you will have to restart your order.
Picking a setting or band is the more common route and is generally simpler and more preferred because the customer generally already has an idea of what the ring will look like with the diamonds set in it. In addition, the setting generally has listed in its specs what sized diamonds can be used with it. This makes the next step, diamond selection rather simple as you will already know which diamonds fit with your diamond and which do not.

It is amazing how a bit of paint can change my outlook. After my son moved out and went off to college, I took over his room for my sewing stuff. It has been a disaster! I have filled the room with totes and a cabinet of fabric. There has been no rhyme or reason for anything. During the Christmas holidays, I talked Greg into boxing up his trophies and awards and had him store them in the basement. All those empty shelves, inspired me to paint.

Last week, I painted the walls with a primer to cover the black and white rag painting we had done and then painted the walls a light shade of gray. I hated to cover those rag splotches because I can remember how much fun Greg and I had making them. There was even one of his handprints in a corner of the room. You had to really look for it but once you saw it you knew it was from his big hand.

Now, I am looking for some type of window treatment. I ordered a Deco Wrap Cornice and plan to use gray and cream fabric in a toile pattern, see chair picture, to cover it. The directions say it is a no-sew project. I’ll let you know how it goes.

I am in the process of taking pictures of quilt blocks which I plan to frame in black or silver frames and hang them over the daybed. I am reading my camera manual to see what the best setting are for taking a picture and then having it blown up. Any advice from you photographers?

See! One thing leads to another.

What a great name for a bed and breakfast!

My friends and I met for breakfast at the Inntiquity Inn. We do that once in awhile to catch up on each other. We thought it would be nice to try someplace different. Little did we know we would get a tour of this beautiful inn.

The Inntiquity Inn is a family owned and run business that has been established for over thirty years. Mrs. Naftzger herself served us breakfast and then took us on a wonderful tour of the establishment. She gave us so much history about the renovation of what had been a working barn that my head was spinning. I wish I could recollect all the history and details of the renovation. I remember her saying something about President Fillmore, the 13th President of the United States, and a toll road that ran in front of the barn. I love stuff like that! You can read more about the history of the business at www.inntiquityinn.com.

Each room is a treat in itself. Headboards made from Victorian era couches are just some of the novelty items in each room. The silo holds a jacuzzi bath! What was amazing to me was the amount of rooms this building had. I would not want to be the one dragging the Miele vacuum cleaner from room to room. Scrubbing bathtubs and sinks would be a daunting task. I would like to stay at the inn and be pampered with delicious meals and huge comfortable beds with antique linens. The grounds are beautiful as well. There is a small lake, herb gardens and gazebo to enjoy as well.

I am so glad we discovered the Inntiquity Inn.

I was wondering if Val forgot to put up our questions for this weeks FFOF. While looking at my emails, I saw Facebook invites, recommendations to check out cheapestautoinsurance.net and an email from Val! Woo hoo! I love this meme.

1. How do you usually make ramen noodles? I put them in a bowl and add boiling water.
2. What’s your favorite flavor of ramen noodles?chicken
3. Do you add anything to your ramen noodles?nope
4. Is there a flavor of ramen noodles do you wish was on the market?I like your idea of alfredo.

Join us at Four Foods on Friday. Click on the picture to be taken to Val’s blog, Fun, Crafts and Recipes.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all the people in Japan and Hawaii. I also hold in my prayers, the people along the west coast of the US. The earthquake in Japan is one of the largest ever recorded. I cannot imagine the devastation. Hawaii and the west coast of the US are under a tsunami warning.

My aunt lives near the coast in the state of Washington. Luckily, she spends her winters with my mom in Arizona and is there now. She used to drive her motorhome to Arizona each year but after a few motorhome repair sagas, she sold the beast and drives her car to the land of warmth. Most of my cousins live in eastern Washington. I do worry about my cousin, Tammy, who lives in Portland, Washington. Stay safe Tammy!

One of the quilt guild groups I belong to was fortunate to have Terri Degenkolb come to our meeting and give a presentation. If there is ever a pattern and fabric designer who gets me in trouble it is Terri Degenkolb. Every time I see a new Whimsicals book she has produced, I feel compelled to buy it. Then, after looking at the patterns in the book, I decide I need the new fabric line she has designed. Trouble, I tell you. LOL

I made this large tote using her Tangled Threads line of fabric.

The fabric used in this table topper is not from one of her fabric lines but the pattern is from her Pumpkins and Spice book.

I had to laugh at my husband. He rented the DVD, Stone, three times before we actually found the time to watch it. Usually I tell him we should have bought the movie but in this case, I am glad we didn’t. Stone was a terrible movie. With great actors like Robert Dinero and Edward Norton, we thought it would be an intriguing movie. Not so. It was weird and the ending was so odd and abrupt that we found ourselves looking at each other with that huh? look on our faces.

It is funny how we each have different opinions on what makes a good movie. That is why I rarely take someones opinion about a movie as the deciding factor of which movies I watch. I can’t tell you how many times the gal working at the video store has said a movie was the best and we hated it!

I do trust the opinion of my niece when it comes to which movies to let small children watch. She not only gives out the best advice when picking out an ergo baby carrier, she is adamant about not filling her kid’s minds with junk. I was surprised when she mentioned that the new movie, Rondo, is full of cuss words. Why does the entertainment industry push a movie as kid friendly but have things in it we don’t want our kids to see and hear? It boils down to greed. I’m glad there are parents who care and don’t buy into the entertainment industry’s ploy.