Back at the Ranch....

Ok, so we don't really have a ranch.
But here is what would be happening at our ranch if we did have one (which, btw, looks a whole lot like what is happening at our home on the hillside).

We are counting down...

We are all decorated...

We (meaning me) are making the last of the gifts (still!!)...

We are remembering Christmases past...

Cleaning up after fun with friends (me again)...

Celebrating The Reason...

And being a little bit silly.

And in case I don't get the chance to check in with you again (refer back to #3) let me just say...Merry Christmas and God Bless you and yours!!

A Tribute

Z is for...

Zoey!

A little love bug.

She loves whispers and hugs and her Auntie Rana!

And her Auntie Rana loves her!!

Y is for...

Yolks.

1 rooster, 6 hens and breakfast served all day.

That's how we roll.

X is for...

Xtra whipped cream!

And this is the season for extra whipped cream.

And pumpkin pie. Lucky for me!!

W is for...

Walking.

This is a nice long path.

One that just begs to be walked.

Maybe we could meet there some day 

soon and stroll along it together.

V is for...

Vacation!!

Who doesn't love a little vacay?!

I know I do!

U is for...

Umbrellas in the rain.

And this is the rainy season.

So maybe you will see me wandering down the street

with my fabulous cowgirl umbrella!

T is for...

Tea.

It is my beverage of choice.

Iced or hot. Flavored or not.

It is a big part of my everyday.

S is for...

Salsa!

What's not to love about salsa?

And there are so many ways to make it.

And so many ways to eat it!

My favorite is just plain ol' chips and salsa.

está delicioso!

And here's a tutorial for my world famous salsa.
Just in case you want to make some.

R is for...

Roses.

What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet

~Juliet

Q is for...

Quilts!!

What a surprise!

It's the creativity. The making of something unique.

The color. The fabric. The drape.

The promise of warmth.

The perfect gift to share.

P is for...

Pumpkins!!

Orange orbs.

Markers of the season.

Precursors of pie.

Oh yum!
What's not to love about pumpkins!

O is for...

Ocean.

We are so blessed to live near the beach.

To have a place to escape to when the 

summer's heat gets to be too much.

A place to walk and explore.

To get your feet wet.

The tide pools.

Fish and chips.

My bff's home.

Church.

Blessed.

N is for...

New York City.

One of my favorite cities of the world.
And one who is suffering under such a heavy burden.
Of loss, and heartache and cold and devastation.
Again.
I love you New Yorkers. You are in my prayers and I hope that
what I can do to help in a practical way really does make a difference.

M is for...

My Guy!!

What can be said, and what can be left unsaid?

He is my guy. My one and only. One half of Us.

Forever.

L is for...

Lilacs

One of my all time favorites!

K is for...

Kyle.

This is our new son-in-law. 

He loves our daughter. 

And he takes very good care of her.
And he makes her happy.

He is a great guy and we love him for all of it!

J is for...

Justin!

Oh do I love this little guy!

I am his Auntanay. 

That would be Aunt Anay (the way he says Rana (Renee))

except that he says is all in one word. Auntanay.

Adorable!!

I is for...

Ice!

I am a bit of a freak about ice!

I love it!!

I have to tell you that sometimes when we
 travel, it is impossible to get ice.

Did you know that?
That that there are entire regions
that live in an ice-less reality.

On purpose.

Egads!!

H is for...

Harvest Moon!

And to be honest, any moon will do.

The lesser light. But the unpredictable light.

If you are an astronomer or a scientist of some kind, then 

maybe it isn't unpredictable to you, but to me....

Where will I see it tonight?

Or will it be bright and shining in the middle of the afternoon?

Will it be white or yellow or orange?

Huge and just beyond the horizon?
Or just a sliver sailing across a star studded sky?

And then there is the power it wields over the tides. 

The tides of the whole earth.
To come and to go.
To be high and then low.
To crash and to roar.
To tumble glass as smooth as the waters themselves.
To carry messages in bottles all around the globe.

Yes, the moon is fascinating to me.

G is for...

Godly Grandparents.

We are super blessed to have a set of neighbors that have been 

like grandparents to our girls (and parents to us!). 

Two beautiful, caring, generous, and God-fearing people who have 

invested themselves in our family with such love.

Two more sets of ears to hear and eyes to watch.

Two more voices filled with words of wisdom.

Four more hands to help lighten a load.

And two hearts to love and pray and stand in the gap.

They mean the world to us!!

F is for...

Friendships!

This is a BIG one to me.
My life is so full of people who mean the world to me.
Women, and a few men, whom the Lord has brought into my life
to bless me and love me, and let me love on them.
People to make my days brighter and my life better.
Laughter and tears and helping hands and chili cook-offs and sewing days...
they all add up to a lifetime of memories and joy.
You know who you are, and I LOVE all of you!
Big Hugs.

E is for...

Easter.

Our hope and promise. 

It stands fulfilled in our resurrected
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is
 none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved.    Acts 4:12

D is for...

Daughters!

Ah yes, this is one of the deepest and greatest joys of my life. 

Two daughters. Cut from the same cloth

 and yet as different as night and day.

Two people who have filled my life with fun and tears,
chaos and schedule, challenge and ease.

Two who call me Mimi. Two who own my heart.

C is for...

Creativity.

It is like the outpouring of the soul. A little glimpse of what God himself has written upon the heart.

And it comes in endless form: the baking of bread, the tending of soil, the colorful stroke of a pencil or brush, the styling of hair, the hammering of metal, the feathering of your nest, the work of needle and thread, and the list goes on and on....and it is all beautiful.

B is for...

Birds.

Carols of gladness ring from every tree.

~Frances Anne Kemble

All different manner of song, from the thrill to
the caw. Each sound unique and sweet.
All manner of size and color. Blues and yellows and blacks.
Top knots and feathered legs. Grand wingspans and
keen senses. Each is as beautiful as the next.
The way they fling the water and fluff their
feathers as they light in and out of a birdbath.
The way a dozen finches crawl all over a thistle sock.
The peep and chirp of a nest of newly hatched babies.
The variety of nests filled with natures bounty.
Tightly woven and strategically located.
The migratory season that brings new
visitors and ushers out the everyday.
The joy of watching it all unfold right
outside my kitchen window.

A is for...

America!

I am blessed to call this nation my home. 

Land of the free and home of the brave.

Majestic mountains and amber waves of grain.

The freedom of speech and religion and the right to bear arms.

The opportunity to work hard and play hard 

and follows the dreams of the heart.

Yes, I love this great country, from sea to shining sea!!

The ABCs of Thanks

As we enter this season of thankfulness and giving I wanted to share with you some of the things I am thankful for. Blessings small and large that weave their way in and out of my life on a daily, weekly or even seasonal basis. Things that make my life....well, my life!

I have chosen the old ABC book format as my way to present them, because it is a favorite of mine. I hope you enjoy it and maybe even find a few more things to add to your list of beloved blessings.

So, without further adieu...

Booooo....oooo

Happy Halloween from two of the cutest ghosts around
(my niece and nephew)!

Autumn Decor

Do you decorate for autumn?
It is my favorite time of year to decorate. Actually, it is my favorite time of the year period. I just love it!

Here's a peek at how I decorated this year:

How did you decorate your home?

Street Fair

Last Sunday a few of us headed over to the coast to attend Cayucos' fall antique mall and street fair. This was our first time going, and we are definitely going to be going again. And again and again!

Here is what I came home with:

All so fabulous!
I have been wanting to make the switch to forever canning lids, so when I saw a box of glass tops I was all over it. My guy got in on the bargaining and we went home with 103 all of them!
Theresa and I also found some great old clocks. We both went home with 3 beauties.
And Becca and I bought FABULOUS pocket watch  pendants. Here is a close up of mine.

Looks a little steampunk-ish, doesn't it?
I think I might be falling over the edge into this steampunk thing. A little bit. Don't worry, I won't go crazy and start embellishing all my quilts with gears and lens and keys and mechanized insects. Nor will I be adopting a new persona or wearing sunglasses that look like goggles.
But I will be wearing this pendant. And enjoying the art side of the steampunk movement.

Inspired by....

My daughter spotted this idea on Pinterest and sent it my way!

Super cute huh?! And for someone who L-O-V-E-S both canning and pumpkins....well, it is just perfect.

The idea comes from Kristin at Simply Klassic Home and you can view the tutorial here.

Happy Fall.

Too Many Peppers

We have had an absolutely endless Indian Summer here on the central coast. And when I say endless, I mean endless! We are looking at the end of October and we still have temperatures reaching 80 degrees.

All that heat and sunshine has kept the garden growing like gang busters. I have been ignoring my peppers since I picked right after we got home from vacation because we had so many then, that  I was totally swamped. Here's a little flashback in case you forgot:

There were a couple hundred peppers in that one picking. And now, here we are again:

Oh boy! Peppers galore.
Does anybody have any ideas? I have already roasted, pickled and poppered to my limit.
Or better yet, does anybody want some? Please??!!

It's a Hoot

Did you get your Fall 2012 issue of Simple Quilts?

Well, there just happens to be a little pincushion pattern in there you might like.
From yours truly.

Too cute, huh??!!

Happy Stitching.

Mini Design Boards

These little design boards are so fabulous!

I don't know about you, but I have a bad habit of mixing up pieces when I move them from my design wall or my cutting table over to my sewing machine. Even when I think that I have everything all in order, things can still turn out jumbled. So annoying!

But these little boards have pretty much eliminated my problem.

How do they work, you ask?

Well, when you are cutting out your quilt block (at your cutting table on the opposite side of the sewing room as your machine) you simply lay the block out on the board as you go. You spend all the time you want fussing and arranging colors and values and whatever else you might fuss about. Then, when you have it just so, you simply pick up the entire thing and walk over to your machine and sew it. No re-ordering or re-arranging or trying to remember anything. Just simple, accurate piecing.

I love these boards!

If you want to make one (or two or ten) for yourself (and all of your friends), check out a bee in my bonnet's tutorial here.

Psst...Christmas is just around the corner.

Finally Finished

This year I said that I was going to have this quilt finished in time for Christmas.

I said the same thing last year. And the year before that.

And to be perfectly honest, I think that this quilt has been in the works for 10 (that's right ten) years.

But now it is finally done. And, I am glad to say that I still love it!