Travel Mugs and Tales of Woe

I have this one travel mug that I just love. I've had it forever. My friend Margie gave it to me. This morning I filled it up with coffee. It leaked. And then I had a large coffee stain on my boob.

This afternoon, I put orange juice in it. I put the lid on nice a tight to make sure it wouldn't leak again. But it did. Then I had a oj stain on my OTHER boob.

I don't have a travel mug anymore. And I may need a new shirt, too.

Then this evening we went to dinner. And after we ate, I realized that I had lost my credit card.

Then, on the way home from the restaurant, I got confused about which freeway to take to get to the hotel. So, we made a 10 mile detour. In the dark. In the rain. In heavy traffic.

Oh the joys of traveling without my handler, I mean my guy!!

Ps: I found my credit card in the pocket of the pants I wore yesterday.

The rack is back!

Remember this?

Well, it is all finished. And back where it belongs.

What do you think?
I love it!!

Double Fold Binding

Here is another tutorial for you.

This time it is for double fold binding. Let me know what you think!

XOXO

Happy Valentines Day!

Beloved, let us love one another first John four seven and eight... Sing along!

...is Good x2

Badger Balm is very good!
Have you ever tried it? If you haven't, you really should because it works.
And it is certified organic.
And it is made right here in the good ol' U. S. of A.

The hard working hands is my favorite. It can heal up dry and cracked hands (and feet) (and little chapped cheeks on toddlers) in just a couple of days. And it smells good too.

Now, I know that sounds a bit like an infomercial, but it is just a "good" thing. I don't actually know any badgers who make balm and I am certainly not receiving any kickbacks from said badgers! I just like the balm.

You know what else is good?
Finishing a project, even if it is a little one.

I made this from some fabric left over from another project. The fabric is from Art Gallery. And aren't the colors just fabulous!

Covert Operations

My guy has been busy.

And a bit sneaky.

Just last night I was complaining about (I mean mentioning) our sliding glass door. It is so darn heavy that I can hardly get it open. And if I only have one hand available, like when I am carrying in a load of firewood or an overfull basket of eggs, I can't get it open at all. Could it be because I am 40ish and getting whimpy? Sniff sniff. But no, my guy thought that it was probably just worn rollers. (Who knew that doors even had rollers!) So, this morning I was headed out to walk the dog, and knowing that this door is a beast, I grabbed a hold of it and threw all my weight and energy into opening it and......nearly killed myself as it slid open easy as you please!! Good grief. You'd think he would have left a note or something!

Then, later this morning I was busy vacuuming the hall. Minding my own business. Home alone. And the next thing I know I jumped and started screaming. My guy had come home unexpectedly and called out Yoo-Hoo to announce his presence. Scared the bejeebers right out of me! And the funny thing was that I was jumping and screaming BEFORE I actually realized that I had heard something. Weird.

Actually, I have that same exact reaction whenever I cross paths with a snake. Moments before I realize that I am seeing a snake I start jumping up and down and screaming. It is the craziest thing. Kind of embarrassing too. Especially if you happen to be hiking the Glacier Point trail in Yosemite with about a hundred other people...

But, I digress. The reason that my guy had come home was because he had found himself a helper. And he needed one to do a little job for me. See this great old window:

Well, I use it as a quilt rack. When I first got it, it was white. But I thought that I wanted it to be a "color". So I asked my guy to paint it red. He did, and I hated it. So, my friend Wendy suggested this brown color. So he painted it again, and put Wendy on "visiting restriction". And I liked it ok for a couple of years. Now I hate it. I really just wish it was white. So guess what...

Sadly, this has happened several times recently. My guy has painted something a "color" for me and then I hated it. So now we are agreed that from this point forward he is going to remind me how much I like white and that it is a legitimate "color". If I try to insist that I want a "color" he is going to "snap me out of it" and then paint it white.

He is such a good guy.

Single Fold Binding

I have written my first quilting tutorial!
It is for applying single fold binding.
Let me know what you think.

Of dogs and roses

This morning I made biscuits and gravy for breakfast. It was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. And if you don't believe me just ask our dog, Lizzie.

Notice the partial wooden spoon? It was a whole wooden spoon, covered with gravy, when I set it out for her to lick! Who knew that gravy made a spoon so irresistible?!

After breakfast, I headed off to a quilting class. Fabulous fusible flowers with Mindy Bula. This was my second time taking one of her classes. The first time I made a hydrangea bouquet. This time it was a rose. Didn't it turn out so nice!

So, if you ever see her teaching in your area, sign up to study and create and sew with her! You will have lots of fun.

...is Good

I am realizing that I have a label called bad and that I really enjoy writing about the things that fall into the "bad" category. Now, none of these things are really really bad and it is not even the "badness" that I enjoy. It is mostly the humor of the situation that appeals to me.

None the less, I feel like I need a "good" category to balance things out. So, let's start today (and this one is not even funny).

Pruning is good. Wow. Did you see that coming. Probably not.

But, I do love pruning. I love the simpleness of it. The process. The quiet. And the results, of course.

Grandpa George taught me to prune. And although he has a system, it is a pretty loose system. So it is easy to catch on. And he has a way about him that is easy and fun and non-critical so it is easy to jump in and try, even when you have no idea what you are doing. He put me on a three year training course. So every year, for three years, he would come by in the spring and we would prune all of my plants and trees together. Then on year four, I took over the job all by myself. And I truly enjoy doing it.

Here is the before of the yellow climbing roses that grace my garden gate. They are a mess.

And here is the after.

And just for fun, here is my rooster, Red. He has a crazy tail. But I like him!
He is a "good" rooster.

Mice are Bad

I have been doing some spring cleaning. Serious spring cleaning.
Now, the inspiration for this crazy cleaning frenzy was....mice.
Can I tell you that is am so-beyond-over having mice in my house.
So-beyond-over it!

Our little cowgirl and her pony moved out months ago, and they took all of the alfalfa with them. I was so excited about that part because surely it meant an end to the mice. But no. They are still here.

This picture, of course, has nothing to do with spring cleaning.

Who wants to see a picture of that?!

So the Great Clean Out began. The first day, my guy came home from work completely unprepared for the tornado that comes with spring cleaning, (especially unexpected spring cleaning). He walked in the door and instead of the usual greeting I heard:
"Oh...my...gosh. What is going on?"
"There is a mouse in the pantry."
"Really."
"Yes, and it has got to go."
"I can see that."
"I am not kidding, Honey. It is the mouse or me. I can't take this anymore."
"OK. What do you want me to do?"
"Double down on the traps. I want traps everywhere!"
"Traps everywhere. OK. Is there going to be any dinner?"
"Maybe."

So, he doubled down on the traps and as of today he has caught......nothing. Not one thing. Can you believe it? I am starting to think that maybe our mouse problem was not as bad as it seemed. But still, there was that little mouse doo-doo right on my counter top. In plain sight. And one on the stove top! And that was just two too many and in all the wrong places.

So now, we have a really really clean house. And it is so very nice. It makes me happy. And we have lots and lots of mouse traps. That makes me happy too.

A clean pantry.

In closing, just let me share with you what I have learned about mice during my cleaning frenzy:

1- mice like croutons, blueberries, tortellini, and dried black beans

2- mice do not like brown rice pasta from trader joes, dried lentils or kidney beans
3- mice do not limit themselves to the kitchen
4- they also like to hang out in book closets, under the bathroom sink and in dresser drawers
5- when a mouse unexpectedly runs out of the pantry while you are cleaning it, you will scream and jump up onto a chair
6- mice will actually chew through the metal part of a votive candle to eat the wax

Yep. Who knew.

New Mexican Pork Stew

I have been having a little trouble getting dinner on the table every-single-night!

Why?
I wish I knew. Some days I think it is because I am tired of all my same old recipes. Some days I think it is because I am too lazy. Some days I think it is because there are only 2 of us here, and we can get by without all the fuss of cooking an entire meal. Some days I think it is because...... and it just goes on and on and on. (Without dinner I might add.)

But, my latest excuse is that I am disorganized and uninspired and short on time. Sounds about right.

So here is my plan.
1) I am in the throws of some MAJOR spring cleaning.
2) I have dusted off the old crockpot.
3) I have a new cookbook.

And guess what?
Last night we had a yummy, homemade, healthy dinner. Made by me.

So, here is my version of the recipe:

3/4 lb of pork, cut into 1" cubes
1 med potato, cut into 1" cubes
1/2 c chopped onion
2 chopped green chiles
1 c green salsa
1 c corn
1 t sugar
1 t cumin
1 t oregano

Put it all in the crockpot and mix it up. Cook on low 6-8 hrs.
Serves 2-3.

It is really yummy! Give it a try.