Spring Across the Border Shop Hop

I just got back from a weekend trip to Iowa.  My mom and I visited four quilt shops (2 in Iowa, 2 in Minnesota) as part of the Spring Across the Border Shop Hop.

My mom's crocus were blooming.  Is that what they meant
by spring across the border?

The four shops were:

Pine Needles Quilt Shop - Decorah, IA

Quilter's Window - New Hampton, IA

Voted Best Hospitality by mom and me because they had coffee, lemonade, and cookies.

{But we had stopped for a Shamrock Shake and cookie in Decorah for the drive there.}

Pine Needles Quilt Shop - Racine, MN

All in Stitches - Stewartville, MN

I had a list of projects that I wanted to buy supplies for and had really hoped to stick to that list.  How likely was that?

That went out the window when we got to the second shop and this quilt was in the window. {Did you notice that the second shop was Quilter's Window?  How fitting.}  I loved the blocks and the colors right away.  And as luck would have it they had it in a kit so I had to get it!  

In addition to this Modern Maze quilt kit, my other projects I was shopping for were:

Ruffled Tea Towel {hope to finish before my Norwex party - date TBD}

Cinched Satchel {this is the next project}

Amy Butler Cosmo Bag with long handle

Friendship Braid Quilt {Christmas present that will have to be mailed}

This is by no means my complete project list so I better get busy.

Other weekend notes:

Do you remember my parent's dog Sasha?  Saturday morning when we were leaving the house she was jumping up and down with excitement and ready for a walk.  {Wasn't she tired?  She kept me up half the night with her barking.}  I tried to explain to her that she would have to wait until later that day for her walk.  If she didn't understand it then, she did when we backed out of the garage.  Her excitement turned into dejection at that time.  Talk about sad puppy dog eyes!

Then on Sunday morning when I went outside for our walk, she was waiting for me on the front steps.  She wasn't going to miss out on a morning week two days in a row I guess. 

She enjoyed some extra exercise Sunday morning.  She ran alongside while my dad and me took the four wheeler down to the river.  Off roading down a bumping pasture hill on the back of a four wheeler isn't exactly my idea of fun.  I had to get off and walk some of the time because it was a little too rough {translation - scary} both coming and going.

Why was I risking life and limb on the back of a four wheeler?  To see the eagles and their nest.

She {or maybe it was he} was in the nest when we got there but then flew away.  She/he came back and after sitting on the branch for a little bit went back into the nest.  The mate was sitting in a tree just a little ways up river.  We watched for 5-10 minutes and then left them alone.  It was a nice little visit with nature.

My artistic shot of the eagle and nest.  I wish it hadn't been cloudy then.