I used to work with a group of the greatest girls/ladies ever!
When I retired in 2000 some of them were still working…
well all of them actually but we still kept in touch
and not long after we started having a lunch get together at a restaurant every 6-8 weeks or so just to keep in touch
and it has been wonderful and going strong since.
Working with each other like we did for more than 25 years you become like family and there’s so much to talk about – grandchildren graduating from high school, first grandbabies, trips and just plain ‘getting old’ talk!
So today the lunch was at my house.
And it was Pot Luck….I made a Chicken Salad and the beverages and they brought the rest…lots of great food!
Here are a few photos of the table and then what I could get
of the girls – we were all so busy chatting and then eating
I totally forgot to take more pictures.
I figured as long as Monday was Flag Day and the 4th
is fast approaching I’d go with the Red, White and Blue theme and girl’s…I USED ALL PLASTIC!
That probably isn’t proper for a sit down dinner
but…hey, it was fun! 
My kitty, Baby, decided to lounge under the table in
the family room….guess she wanted to stay out of their way 
And Lola laid on our bed in the only spot of sun she could find. 
And it was a hot humid day too – got up to 81
so we never came out into the screen room to visit,
but stayed in the house which was fine with me.
Oh, guess what happened about an hour and a half before
they were to arrive….the power went out!!!!
I was preparing some food when there was a huge bang and it even rattled the house and Baby jumped and ran, and Doug was mowing and he even heard it over the mower – so we went and looked around but didn’t see anything,
then came in the house and realized the power was out - Yep, right in the middle of things I had to change course
and rethink what I needed to do.
So Doug called WE Energy and they came out and it was one of our tree limbs that caused it – it was laying on a wire and burned … you could see it smoldering!!
So we put 36 homes out of commission for about an hour.
Got our tree trimmed for FREE though!!!
When we were outside some little girl’s walked by from being down at the public pool (that unfortunately had to be closed down as well because of the outage) and said they
thought there were fireworks going off because they
could see the sparks above the trees.
A customer ordered one of my
Flag pocket Red Ticking Towels
and sent me a picture of where she put it in her home…
doesn’t it look great in her setting?
Thanks so much Sue for sharing the picture with us.
Oh I just noticed the zinc/tin insert in the dry sink….cool! 
For Sunday, we’re invited to our son Darren’s house for Father’s Day and Aidan’s 2nd birthday – I’ll be going alone because Doug has to leave tomorrow on a trip to
California so I get to enjoy the day for him with the kids.
So what are you all doing for Father’s Day?
Have a great rest of the week – Karen
P.S. I need some Needlepunch kits!!
Anyone got any suggestions where I can get any
….I want ones that are complete with DMC
and if not…then just any kind of Needlepunch
I’ve done a search and found some sites
but thought I’d ask if you have any suggestions.
And….does anyone know where I can find one of these?
It’s a Gripper Frame and I saw them on e-bay but they’re very
expensive…I want one cheaper
Hi Karen.....looks like all of your friends are having a wonderful time at your luncheon. And of course, your home looks so pretty and prim!
ReplyDeleteFather's Day will be spent with our daughter, son-in-law and grandaughter Victoria (Tori) at their cottage on one of the Finger Lakes here in NY. I hope you have a nice time with your son and family. Too bad Doug has to be away.
Friends,
Susannah
very nice tablescape Karen...looks like you all had fun...glad everyone was fine with the downed tree....just looooove that huge dough bowl on your table!!!
ReplyDeleteYour tablescape is beautiful! How nice that you all stay in touch, too bad about the power, glad that you could roll with it though and not panic!
ReplyDeleteCathy
Love your great big table, w/everything on it and of course I love anything RED! LOL
ReplyDeleteHow fun to stay in touch and have a get together at someone's house instead of a restaurant or somewhere else.
Funny about the power outage, we used to get them all the time, but they finally upgraded around here, thankfully!
Tanya~friendshipcrossing.blogspot.com
Power outages aside, it looks like you and your friends had a wonderful lunch! I love your table decor and no one would have ever known your dishes were plastic if you hadn't told us! LOL! Your house is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Donna
Karen,
ReplyDeleteYour table looks so lovely. I bet your guests enjoyed it. Sorry to hear about the tree and electricity. Ours has been flickering everyday and we've had so many storms it's been crazy.
Hi Karen!....your table looked great all done up in Americana and your kitties are so cute!
ReplyDeleteSounds like the tree falling on the line could have started a fire, yikes! Good thing it didn't!
Have a great weekend with your family!
Janet
Your table was set so lovely. So glad the power outage did not stop the get together. So nice you have true friends. Your home is beautiful. I have looked for tobacco cloth in my area but no one has heard of it. I just love your curtains. I am cheap so I have became a do it yourself person. I would like to make my own out of that cloth.
ReplyDeleteKaren~
ReplyDeleteIt look like you guys had a wonderful time together! That is so nice that you all still get together to catch up. I would have freaked out when the power went off! It sounds like you handled it very well!
I hope you have a great weekend!
~Dan~
I love your table Karen~ It looks so festive and the centerpiece is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun time, and I was so happy to see sun yesterday!
Cindy
Ah..plastic "the new China" LOVE IT !! Your table looks beautiful. How nice to hear a bunch of WOMEN worked so well together - for so long - !!! Your luncheon sounded delicious - and thank goodness for FAST electric service! Judy
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful table. LOVE the center piece. How nice to spend time with good friends.
ReplyDeleteI would have been a wreck with the unexpected power outage but sounds like you handeld it well.
Hope some one knows about the gripper frame...I would love one too!!
Your lunch with the girls sounded wonderful. I love get togethers like that. Plastic and all. So glad everyone had a good time.
ReplyDeleteSorry no help here with what you are looking for Karen. I hope someone has a suggestion for you though.
Hugs,
AMY
Try www.countrystitchesonline.com for the punch needle kits. They aren't on the first page of the punch needle section but further back. She sells her patterns and then the floss kit separately. Brenda does such beautiful designs.
ReplyDeleteAnother shop is http://stores.auntiejusquiltshoppe.com/StoreFront.bok I think their web is a little hard to navigate but the kits are there if you look hard enough.
Good luck!
Love all the geraniums...that is what I have been using this year too! Your home and table looked wonderful..you have some lucky friends! Dianntha
ReplyDeleteKaren~
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely gathering of friends. It's so nice that you've all stayed in touch. It looks like everyone was having a wonderful time.
Your table looks so beautiful. I just love that dough bowl.
Enjoy your day!
Hugs~Becky
Karen, your home looks so nice! And it looks like you & your frinds had a wonderful lunch. Its so good to stay in touch.
ReplyDeleteI want one of those grippers too, but I balk at the prices! I also wonder if I would constantly be poking my wrists or hands on the spikes?
I don't have any patterns because so far, I have made my own, but if I did I would share with you. I actually haven't done any punchneedle in a couple of years. I really need to get back at it.
Have a great day!
Oh my goodness! Your table is beautiful. Is that a dough bowl in the center? I love that!
ReplyDeleteKaren, looks like you all had a great time at your luncheon. Your centerpiece is gorgeous - I love dough bowls and geraniums. Thanks for posting the pic of my display with your Red Ticking Towel - I love it!
ReplyDeleteEveryone really looked like they enjoyed their time at your home. You use plastic, but it was fancy plastic :) Everything looked great!! You were fortunate to get your power fixed so quickly. That happened to us, our neighbors had a tree fall on the line and we were out almost 24 hours.
ReplyDeleteKim
Hi Karen! Your table is gorgeous and screams primitive Summertime!! Love all the geraniums in the dough bowl! Looks like everyone is definitely enjoying themselves. If you can believe it I actually picked up a cute little needle punch kit in Michaels(if you have any around you?) - says Home Sweet Home and since I've never tried this craft, I liked that it was inexpensive and had everything included. Not much of a selection though! They were near the yarns and cross-stitch kits. Enjoy your weekend - Sincerely, Jeannette
ReplyDeleteKaren, You sure do know how to decorate and put on a GREAT party. You table setting looks beautiful and the center piece is breath taking.
ReplyDeleteI wish you lived closer I would have been there with BELLS on!!!!!!!
What could be better a day with great friends and great food and ALOT of laughs, that is what life is all about, because we are NEVER promised tomorrow!!Live for today!
Love you and Big Hugs,
Tricia
karen, i dont know if this will help you any but i found this about making your own gripper frame.
ReplyDeletehttp://martinalesar.com/blog/2005/09/passion-rug-hooking/
the table looks lovely! my mom worked at the same place for 44 years. the ladies try to get together once a month, actually a few of the guys too. :)
kim
Your table looks great, but seeing the way that you decorate the rest of your house I'm not surprised that you can make plastic look great!
ReplyDeleteHave you gone to Colonial Crafts to check out patterns or Checker Distributors?
Stay cool.
Oh my word! You used plastic?! That cracks me up girl! I think that's great! How wonderful that you girls have kept the get-together's still going for the past 10 years. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteWell that's an unusual way to get a tree trimmed! Lol! It's a good thing you all caught it before more damage was done. I'm glad it didn't ruin your lunch!