So much to catch up on...

The recipe for Oysters Swiss Chard Gratin has been found - corrected - updated.  It's below and to the left.

It took me an extra few days because I was "not here" - I was away from the office working having fun... a bit of both.

I left on Thursday for a trip to Washington State to attend a retreat at Meg Hawkey's Crabapple Hill Studio in Benton City - near Kennewick and Richland.  You might know Meg's amazing work from her patterns - they combine embroidery, applique, patchwork and crayon-tinting.

Working.  Definitely working.

On Friday, those of us who had never done it before - moi - learned crayon-tinting.  Then we started stitching our Winter-themed project - with a short break for making a lovely beaded scissor fob.  Saturday was more stitching - in between making a terrific no-sewing involved jute tote with ruffles on one side - with Tole Christmas fabric by Gina Martin - and an adorable little snowman jar.

If you're a fan of Meg's work - and Meg! - I highly recommend the retreat as it was a wonderful experience.  Meg is funny, nice, and a terrific teacher - and she's thought of everything.  The retreat-studio is a feast for your eyes - and a feast for your tummy, you'll be very well fed.

The adventure part of it was getting there, and then getting back to Seattle.  Long story short - after carefully checking every possible detail about the trip from Seattle-to-Benton City, and from Portland-to-Benton City, I decided to fly into Seattle.  It made sense - except I'd forgotten to consider the December weather.  It seems the road I'd planned to take - the most direct route - is sometimes closed when it gets cold.

Let it suffice to say that I went from Seattle to Benton City via Portland.  I didn't get to see much on the drive there since it was late and raining very hard - late because I got stuck in really bad traffic in Seattle - is that an oxymoron?  The road through the Snoqualmie Pass was "better" on Sunday morning but given my vast experience driving in snow, ice, and slush - it's pretty much non-existent; my made-for-the-conditions vehicle - a rental car that may-or-may-not have front-wheel drive; and my need to get back to Seattle to make a 3:15 flight home... I decided to go back the same way I'd come.

That was a terrific decision - very worthwhile.  In the dark and heavy rain, I didn't know that the highway went along the Columbia River through the gorge.

Even with a gray, overcast, rainy morning... I loved every minute of it.

I even took a slight detour - okay, it's right by the side of the highway.  Multnomah Falls.  Yes, I walked up to the bridge above the lower falls for a better look at the top.  Because my umbrella was at home and my jacket was in the trunk of the car, I got a little bit wet.

And I loved every minute of that too.

The "working" or "almost working" part was Thursday - I spent several hours at the offices of Martingale in Bothell.  Did you know their offices are open to the public?

I didn't get any pictures because we were so busy laughing and chatting working!  When I put my bag down for the tour, I forgot all about it until we were done.  Next time, right?

We talked quite a bit about the upcoming All-in-a-Row book - it arrived in Dallas while I was in Washington.

Before I forget - the last time I showed this book, someone mentioned that they were thrilled the book is spiral-bound.  That was me - I do that with books I know I'm going to be using a lot.

I know I'll be using this one because there is a blog hop coming and a sew-along - starting in January!  And since my row is in the book, I will be participating.  I really love this quilt...

Mine will be different - it will have a house row.  The houses are  curiously - noticeably! - absent from this quilt.

I do love these fabrics - Prairie by Corey Yoder / Meadow Bloom by April Rosenthal / Simply Colorful II by V & Co..  The backgrounds are from Behind the Scenes by Jen Kingwell - No. 18114 13 and 18114 26.

Did I mention that the blog hop and sew-along are being described as "faboo fabric fun"?  To read more about it - here's the skinny on the fun.  You can also see all the rows, who made each row,  and see some of the other quilt options.

That's all I can think of for now - more later.

Happy Tuesday!