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Project Discussions:  Excited to share.....  |
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LauraBell
True Blue Farmgirl
243 Posts
Laura
Kingsville
TX
USA
243 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 27 2024 : 06:31:04 AM
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So - my sister and I are going on a grand adventure later this week! We are going on a knitting/quilting cruise in Norway! I've never cruised before but I can't wait for this experience. I jokingly told her I'd love to go if we ever won the lottery - and she said we should just do it.
The cruise is hosted by Arne and Carlos - two knitters from Norway and they have invited Kate at the Last Homely House to be their guest quilting teacher. We are going to work on an English Paper Piecing project with her. It's a small ship and our group is under 50 people. We are even supposed to be able to see the Northern Lights (which is a bucket list item for me).
I can't believe it's almost time to go - we have been "packing" for weeks and I still can't decide what crafty projects to take. We don't have much need for winter clothes/shoes here so gathering together the appropriate clothes has been quite the adventure already!
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Laura
Happy to be Farmgirl #7286 |
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levisgrammy
Scattered Prairie Hen Honcho
9226 Posts
Denise
Ohio
USA
9226 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2024 : 07:01:33 AM
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| That is awesome Laura! So happy for you. I hope you'll share some photos with us. Have a great time! |
Denise~~
Sister #43
"I am a bookaholic with no desire to be cured."
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"
Psalm 119:105
www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com
www.torisgram.etsy.com |
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Wanda Sue
True Blue Farmgirl
701 Posts
Wanda
Murrells Inlet
SC
USA
701 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2024 : 07:39:40 AM
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| Wow Laura, that IS a grand adventure!! Can’t wait to hear all about it. |
A day hemmed in prayer is less likely to unravel.
Farm Girl #3677
Farmgirl of the Month-August 2022 |
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Blessed in Colorado
True Blue Farmgirl
3810 Posts
Debbie Fischer
Coos Bay
OR
3810 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2024 : 07:48:57 AM
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Oh Wow Laura, what a great adventure a quilting retreat and a cruise all rolled into one. Such an Amazing trip you and your sister will have to Norway, Wow! How I hope you will be able to see the Northern Lights I can only imagine the brilliance. Take lots of photos if you can in between all the fun. And enjoy your very first cruise! We can not wait to hear all about it!
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Big Hugs,
Debbie
Farmgirl if the Month for:
September 2012, February 2018 and September 2022
“My altars are My Mountains and the Ocean.” Lord Bryon
When I am old I am wearing Purple. I am Old!!
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nndairy
True Blue Farmgirl
1258 Posts
Heather
Wapakoneta
Ohio
USA
1258 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2024 : 6:08:58 PM
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| That sounds so wonderful!!! I hope you have a fantastic time and I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back. |
~Heather
“I would rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world.” — George Washington |
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debbieklann
True Blue Farmgirl
2642 Posts
Debbie
Madras
OR
USA
2642 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2024 : 6:36:28 PM
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| I second everything that has been said! How exciting! I can’t wait to hear about your trip! |
Debbie Klann
Farmgirl Sister #770
2018 Farmgirl Sister of the Year
January 2020 FGOTM
"Well behaved women seldom make history"...
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich |
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Jokamartell
True Blue Farmgirl
921 Posts
Karen
Kennewick
WA
USA
921 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2024 : 7:48:15 PM
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| Have a wonderful trip!!! :) I can’t wait to hear all about it! :) |
Karen :)
To quote one of my past preschoolers “Not one of those Karens, but a good Karen”! Haha |
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GinghamGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
893 Posts
Joyce
PE
Canada
893 Posts |
Posted - Feb 29 2024 : 5:54:18 PM
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| Have FUN! Looking forward to hearing about it! |
Joyce Hein
Sister #6071
April 2016 Farmgirl of the Month |
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GinnyBelle
True Blue Farmgirl
240 Posts
Hannah
West Lafayette
IN
USA
240 Posts |
Posted - Mar 04 2024 : 1:38:25 PM
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| That sounds amazing! Enjoy, and do tell all about upon your return! |
Hannah #6994
February 2023 FGOTM |
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LauraBell
True Blue Farmgirl
243 Posts
Laura
Kingsville
TX
USA
243 Posts |
Posted - Mar 22 2024 : 08:29:28 AM
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Hi Everyone!
We are finally back home - 20 days is a long time to be away! What a wonderful adventure it was - definitely a once in a lifetime experience. I'm working on getting photos organized and I'll post some very soon.
We travelled to Bergen and stayed in a wonderful hotel on the water next to Bryggen (lovely old wooden buildings that are now shops and restaurants). The hotel was beautiful and included in the price was breakfast, fika (almost like an afternoon tea), and dinner. The food was amazing and such an interesting idea that it's included in your room. Definitely not like American hotel complimentary meals.
My sister arranged for us to take a train ride up to Flam and it was a fun ride with a beautiful little community at the end. The train ride included tunnels and so much snow! We saw snow up to the tops of the little houses - so hard to imagine how people live like that for these South Texas girls.
We opened our cruise adventure with an opening reception and dinner then the next day we toured a textile museum and Oleana, an absolutely gorgeous knitwear factory/showroom. We boarded the cruise ship that evening and set off.
It was a six day journey north from Bergen to Kirkenes. We had presentations from Arne and Carlos on the history of knitwear and the traditional costumes of Norway, called bunads and of course, Kate from the Last Homely House presented the English paper piecing (EPP) project she designed for us. Every day we stopped in different ports. Our ship is not only a small cruise ship but also serves as a ferry and a delivery ship for the little townships up and down the coast. Sometimes our port stops were long and other times as short as 10 minutes. If we did have a chance to get off the ship (usually once a day), we'd all head to the yarn stores or secondhand stores (favorites of our hosts). I will admit that I enjoyed the cruising when we were in the inland waters but when we went out into the open sea (especially around the top of Norway) it was a little too rough for me. After Kirkenes, we headed back south to Bergen for another six days. The scenery was so much more than I imagined!
We did get to see the Aurora Borealis which is a bucket list check for me. Interesting (and I have to look into this more) that I could only see them as white but our cameras picked them up in green. At first I thought I was just seeing the Milky Way but then I looked at my camera and was so happy it captured the colors.
The food was amazing - Havila is a very eco-friendly company so their ships are very mindful of food waste. We could choose small plates at each meal rather than buffet dining. The food changed every three days based on the region of Norway we were in.
We passed the Artic Circle on our way up to Kirkenes and one of our excursions included a visit to North Cape. Jen and I also took one other excursion to an ice hotel - rooms entirely made of ice with different ice sculpture themes in each room. We met sled dogs and reindeer too.
The best part was the crafting everyday. There were about 50 of us in our little group and we'd meet everyday up on the 9th floor with beautiful views and seating in front of the windows. We were with such talented crafters. Lots of folks knitted or worked on the EPP project. I brought too many projects to work on but I finished a few so I'm happy. Meeting and spending time with Kate was the best. Jen and I took our Trip Around the World quilts that we made based on her YouTube videos and she loved them. We asked her to sign our quilts but she wasn't comfortable writing on our quilts so she wrote us sweet notes on paper and I'm going to embroider those and applique them to our quilt labels.
If you haven't had a chance to watch Kate's videos, I definitely recommend her - her spirit is definitely Farmgirl! So thankful we had the chance to spend time with her.
Thanks for letting me share!
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Laura
Happy to be Farmgirl #7286 |
Edited by - LauraBell on Mar 22 2024 08:31:08 AM |
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Blessed in Colorado
True Blue Farmgirl
3810 Posts
Debbie Fischer
Coos Bay
OR
3810 Posts |
Posted - Mar 22 2024 : 08:37:04 AM
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| Oh Laura what fun, 20 day girl excursion and adventure, how happy that would make me! Looking forward to seeing photos. |
Big Hugs,
Debbie
Farmgirl if the Month for:
September 2012, February 2018 and September 2022
“My altars are My Mountains and the Ocean.” Lord Bryon
When I am old I am wearing Purple. I am Old!!
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Wanda Sue
True Blue Farmgirl
701 Posts
Wanda
Murrells Inlet
SC
USA
701 Posts |
Posted - Mar 22 2024 : 09:16:52 AM
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| Laura what a wonderful adventure! Thank you for sharing, it sounds like you had a great time! |
A day hemmed in prayer is less likely to unravel.
Farm Girl #3677
Farmgirl of the Month-August 2022 |
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levisgrammy
Scattered Prairie Hen Honcho
9226 Posts
Denise
Ohio
USA
9226 Posts |
Posted - Mar 22 2024 : 10:18:02 AM
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Laura,
What a wonderful trip that sounds like. How very fun and exciting to see all you were able. Look forward to seeing photos. |
Denise~~
Sister #43
"I am a bookaholic with no desire to be cured."
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"
Psalm 119:105
www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com
www.torisgram.etsy.com |
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HunnysHen
True Blue Farmgirl
173 Posts
Jami
Texas
USA
173 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2024 : 9:54:04 PM
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Laura
Ohhhhh how amazing ! So happy for ya ! This is one South Texas girl that woulda been in heaven with all that snow !!! lol
Northern Lights is a huge bucket list for me too, as is “mushing” (dogsled). Can’t wait to see pics |
w/ TEXAS SIZE Farmgirl HUGS !
Farmgirl Sister :
HunnysHen # 5876 |
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LauraBell
True Blue Farmgirl
243 Posts
Laura
Kingsville
TX
USA
243 Posts |
Posted - Mar 27 2024 : 12:46:00 PM
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I've just been up and back from Arkansas to see my daughter and her family. They just bought a house there last week. I've brought Caroline home to spend some time here while they get settled a bit. Once I get us into a routine, I'll work on sharing some photos, promise.
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Laura
Happy to be Farmgirl #7286 |
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Blessed in Colorado
True Blue Farmgirl
3810 Posts
Debbie Fischer
Coos Bay
OR
3810 Posts |
Posted - Mar 27 2024 : 1:18:56 PM
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| How wonderful Laura you get to spend time with your Granddaughter Caroline. Now you have her all to yourself without mom and dad around, what fun. Enjoy. |
Big Hugs,
Debbie
Farmgirl if the Month for:
September 2012, February 2018 and September 2022
“My altars are My Mountains and the Ocean.” Lord Bryon
When I am old I am wearing Purple. I am Old!!
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debbieklann
True Blue Farmgirl
2642 Posts
Debbie
Madras
OR
USA
2642 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2024 : 09:48:42 AM
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| Your trip sounds spectacular, Laura! What great memories you and your sister made together! I'm glad that you got to see the northern lights...it's on my bucket list also. |
Debbie Klann
Farmgirl Sister #770
2018 Farmgirl Sister of the Year
January 2020 FGOTM
"Well behaved women seldom make history"...
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich |
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nndairy
True Blue Farmgirl
1258 Posts
Heather
Wapakoneta
Ohio
USA
1258 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2024 : 1:45:08 PM
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| Enjoy your time with Caroline! When you get to it - I'd love to see the ice hotel. I watched a couple movies with some in it and it fascinates me!!!! |
~Heather
“I would rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world.” — George Washington |
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Project Discussions: Excited to share..... |
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Excited to share.....
