Speaking of Family...........

Look who came to dinner!! It's my sister Rebecca, here at my house in Ohio -- all the way from Georgia. While the circumstances of our visit are very sad (her brother-in-law Kenny is nearing the end of his battle with cancer) we made every effort to make the most of this unexpected reunion.

While attempting to get caught up on the exuberant lives of our children, we were still able to get out her Mac and dust off our giraffe project that is eeking it's way toward completion. Rebecca is providing LOTS of skill and expertise to craft my second book..... our first joint publishing adventure! Our goal is to have "Tall Giraffe" in print before the end of the year.

My niece Kelly's mission trip to Africa included an opportunity to secure natural photos of giraffes. Rebecca then scanned scads of the African fabrics I purchased from an international quilt show into her trusty computer to create digital borders for the photographs.

We have worked diligently to render the text, which we've decided will appear ee cummins-style, without punctuation. Together we have arranged and rearranged the photos and borders to make tighter designs and more interesting support for my cumulative song.

I've just gotten the music notation manuscript produced. We have a few remaining details to complete. Next up: I need to draw the sign language pages to support the text. Gather a few more quotes of support, write out the acknowledgements....... ummmmm, wellllll, we still have a way to go, but for sure it's been progress this weekend!! Whoooo hooooooo.

Our parents are so excited to see the finished product come to life. Can you hear them cheering?