Monday, September 30, 2013

Friday, September 27, 2013

More for Moore

What started out as a little handmade love....


Turned into a lot of handmade love....


This is what happens when one quilter asks a bunch of other quilters to help make a difference!!
These dollies, with handmade quilts, and rolls of hot wheels cars are on their way to Moore, Oklahoma where I trust they will make a lot of children happy.

A million thank yous to everyone who sewed, and shopped, and gave with love.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Snail Trouble

I made pesto for dinner tonight.
Lots of basil in the garden these days, and it's just too hot to cook, so pesto is the perfect dinner.

I picked it all, brought it in, washed it, stripped off all of the leaves, and loaded it into my food processor. A triple batch. Then, as I was cleaning off the garlic I spotted this in my sink.


Yep, I jumped! And yelped. Not that I am scared of snails mind you. On the contrary, I am a wicked snail killer. But good grief...a snail in the sink. That's a first. And completely unexpected. It must have come in on the basil. (And yes, my old porcelain sink always looks like that. Trust me, it's clean.)

Now here's the thing. I understand organic. I understand home grown and hand picked and perfectly imperfect. And I KNOW that bugs crawl around on stuff. And I am okay with that. But the possibility of a second snail in the blender with the basil...oh boy. That is a whole different matter!!!

Fortunately, I had not blended it yet, so out it all came...basil, oil, parmesan, pine nuts....all of it. For a good sifting through. For peace of mind. For verification. For edibility.

And all was well. Unless you count the snail. Things didn't go well for him. He got a free ride in the garbage disposal. YIKES!
And yes, if you must know, I am now a little freaked out about the garbage disposal!!

Monday, September 23, 2013

Baby Buggy

I spotted this at a salvage yard.


Wouldn't it make the cutest embroidery or machine quilting motif?
Or even a little applique?

Friday, September 20, 2013

Big Love

I recently sent a little handmade love to my 3 1/2 year
old niece and nephew (yes, twins).

They sent me this.


The sweetness factor of these "scribbly" cards just never wears off!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Diaper Duty

We have some sweet friends who are expecting their first baby.
A girl!
Due in October.

So, of course, it is baby shower time!
I have not been in the baby-shower-season-of-life for a little while now, but it seems like that is about to change. Lots of young people in my daughters' age range are starting to have babies, so I am back in the loop. Hurray! 

This friend requested a diaper bag in pink, white and gray. I used my own pattern (Baby Zoe, and you can get it here if you are interested) to make one for her. The "E" is for Eden. Adorable, right! The name, not the bag.


So back to the shower....We really enjoyed it.
That's right "we". As in me AND my guy.
It was a first for him, and me. A couples shower.
He nearly balked when I told him he was invited, but then he remembered how much he cares for the parents-to-be, and agreed to go. And by remembered I might mean "was reminded repeatedly"!
Fortunately, it was not too girly, which he was very worried about. No tea sandwiches or funny little games. Nope, this was a tri-tip and beer, bbq in the park with plenty of other men to play horseshoes with. So he was able to overlook the daddy-to-be's bright neon pink t-shirt, the diaper cake and a mountain of pastel color packages. He was a real trooper.

Now tell me, are couples showers the latest trend??  I am so out of the loop!!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Harvest Season

It's that time of year again, and the garden is busting with its bounty.
The tomatillos are  are practically marching themselves into the kitchen.


And that can mean only one thing. Chile Verde!!
And then it means chile verde omlettes.
And chile verde chicken quesedillas.
And green enchiladas.
And oh yum-yum all winter long!


Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Monday, September 9, 2013

Spreading Cheer

I recently joined the Secret Toy Society. Have you heard of it?
You can check it out here.
I haven't dropped off any toys yet, but I WANT to.

And, I also want to do this.

I haven't done it yet.
But I have found it! Someone beat me to it.


(See the dollar sticking out of the meter?)
And it was so fun and happy to be on the receiving end!!
I even shouted out a loud "thank you" in case the leaver was watching from behind a bush or something.
It just made my day.

So now I am on a mission to get out and spread a little cheer. All over my little town. Just because I can. And maybe, just maybe, you will find it!!

Friday, September 6, 2013

A Little Free-Form Fun

The inspiration.



The strings.



The starting point.



The Top.


Oh my, my!

Now I need some quilting time. But where to find it.........

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Fun x3

Three little friends and their mama came by for some sewing lessons today.
Actually, their mama is a friend too!
We chatted, rotary cut, pinned, stitched, ripped and stitched again.
And tonight they will all get to lay their cute little heads down on some handmade loveliness.





Monday, September 2, 2013

Green Tea Time

I have made a bit of progress on my Green Tea and Sweet Beans Quilt.

Here is section 1.



And section 2.



And section 3.
Notice the bow tie block. It was left over from a previous project 
so I used it in place of the missing block I needed to make. SO glad I found it!!



Section 4.



And the center, all in one piece.


I just have the borders left, and they will be a bit of work. But they are appliqued, so I will enjoy every bit if it!