Last weekend was fantastic. My sisters and I try to get together annually to spend a few days catching up. Usually we rent a place or go to my sister’s in Saratoga. However this weekend we mixed it up and they came up to my house. I live about 15 miles from my parents. With everyone here, we could have a weekend that included the whole family, or as we called it the Great Eight weekend.
If you consider it, I would bet it isn’t often that a person gets to spend time with their nuclear family. Getting back to the original family, without spouses and grandkids and great-grandkids was really fun. Not that we don’t all love our current families and kids, but it was so nice to have a time to reminisce and celebrate our “first” family. (This picture was taken in 1964 so it was before the youngest was born. Sorry Alicia.)
We had a lot to celebrate. Both of my parents had their 80th birthdays in the last nine months. We toasted to their health and happiness. (Check out their t-shirts. My maiden name is Delgado. There is a college in Louisiana called Delgado College. We all have their shirts!)
Next we celebrated my sister Patti. She spent the last ten months being treated for breast cancer. She endured surgeries, a horrid four months of chemo and then several months of daily radiation. It was awful and she was amazing throughout. There are no words that describe our relief that treatments are finished and she doesn’t have to see her oncologist except for routine check-ups now. She is working hard on getting her strength back, building some muscle mass, and above all trying to be patient as her hair grows back (soooo slowly!)
We had time on Saturday with just the sisters. We took a walk but mostly that looked like this:
We had breakfast out and then came home and tried to focus on some yoga. No pictures there but it wasn’t terribly different from the walk.
Finally we got a group shot with Patti’s new license plate. She grabbed it for California and Juanita grabbed it for Colorado (hers hasn’t come in yet.) I love it!!
My best friends!
For a token report on action in the sewing room – I am putting sleeves on two of my three quilts that will hang next weekend in the quilt show up in Downieville.This show isn’t judged. I am easing into this whole show process. Maybe a juried show is in the future but certainly not yet!
Also working on so many items for my Etsy shop. Here is a small sampling:
Lots of Chemex covers, a few mats for pet water bowls, lots of clothespin bags. Business is really picking up. I also shipped a custom order yesterday and have two more in line. This shop definitely takes a large portion of my sewing time, but in return, it pays for (most of) my fabric addiction. I think that between now and December, I will not accomplish a lot of personal quilting. I hope to get the Kaffe Fassett quilt backing today. That project will be worked in between the others. Beyond that, things will have to wait.
Hope everyone is having a great week!
The photo of the 6 of you together brought tears to my eyes, Bernie. How beautiful – and you call them your best friends. Apparently that speaks directly to my heart. 🙂
Hi Yvonne, They are my best friends. This wasn’t always true growing up. We fought constantly. Now we love nothing more than to hang out together. I am so blessed. Hope all is well with you. 🙂
B.
It looks like you all had a great time. Everyone in your family has a beautiful smile. What great memories you created!
Thank you Stephanie. I think our smile is so similar and I believe we got it from Mom. So glad you stopped by!
BK
I was all smiles reading about your wonderful family time! 🙂
I’m glad Deb. I was all smiles all weekend!!
Take good care,
B.
What a beautiful group of ladies you are! And your parents are so cute. 😉 Your happiness really shines. I know what you mean about spending time with the family you grew up with. My family is all gone, and that is a weird feeling. This weekend we will get together with my son and daughter, no spouses or kids, and I’m really looking forward to it.
Oh, that is wonderful. I hope the four of you have a wonderful time together. Let me know how it goes. It will be a blast!
BK
I think I have always loved having a big family but I never really appreciated how precious our friendships were until I became an adult. We are among the lucky few who can and do count their siblings as their best friends. And now I feel famous as well, thanks to Bernie’s blog! ?
Yep, Cathy, now you are famous. Well at least among these quilty followers. 🙂
(If anyone is curious, Cathy is in the back row, farthest to the right – in the family picture from 1963.)
Sounds like such a wonderful weekend. I just love that family photo. Everything about it reminds me of our family photos (must be the poses or something). Just curious – where are you in the photo? There’s no question that you’re all sisters because you all look so much alike when you were younger.
Oh, I should have pointed that out! I am the chubby girl standing right in front of my dad, with the little ruffle around my neck. I was probably four years old or so. My parents were just turning 28 in that picture and they already had FIVE kids. Crazy, right?
Take care Diana,
B.
I love this so much! How cool to all be together, healthy and happy. Your parents look so sweet. And Yay, Patti!!! Yes, the hair growth is soooo slow. She looks great, though, and it must feel so good to be done.
Hi there! Thanks so much.You certainly know how important this celebration was to us. I told her about you and your gorgeous golden bow on your head at your celebration. 🙂 I also shared the link to your blog. I didn’t do it earlier as I felt like she was over dosing on cancer talk but now I know she will appreciate reading your thoughts on the whole deal. You wrote about it so eloquently and you share much of what she was/is feeling. She is so happy to be done!! Now onward to healing and growing that hair!
Best,
Bernie
Aww, thank you so much! It is so great to have connected with you.
The second I saw the family portrait come in my bloglovin feed, I said Bernie sure does look like her mom. It’s wonderful being able to spend time with family as you were able to. I think Patti’s hair looks great.
Yep, there’s some strong family resemblance in our family! It isn’t unusual for someone to see me around town and ask if I am related to her. We had such a great time together and yes, you are right. Patti’s hair looks great!
Thanks for the sweet words Heather. We are enjoying some rain today – I bet you are as well. Yay!!
There are 3 sisters and one brother in my family. Seeing you SIX having such a special time together, brings a lump to my throat. Families, no matter the insider issues, are so so important, and yep, without the satellite families, just the nucleus, I agree, is a very extra-special time indeed. Love seeing these. I want to open an Etsy shop; my brother and my one sister have told me many times to sell some of my stuff, but I do worry that I won’t have time to do things for me, that I just want to do! Right now, teaching yoga gives me the non-guilt (man I need to get over that right?!) money I need to buy more fabric! 🙂