All's well

Yesterday I carried my cell phone around with me all day.  Normally I don't have it with me because it is inconvenient to answer and I am in classes with children.  They can't have their phones, so..... Yesterday my father-in-law, so near and dear to my heart, had surgery.  It wasn't heart surgery, but still there are risks the older you are.  During a break I called my son to ask him to take out a package of hamburger so we could have tacos for dinner.  He didn't answer--not unusual for him--and I assumed he was just busy.  So, totting my phone around all day, the only phone call I got was from a wrong number calling me back.  I miss dialed one number for my son, which is why he didn't answer. 

The surgery went well and my husband is not stressed out anymore.  My darling daughter took the meat out when she got home from work and we did have the tacos for dinner.  I went to Starbucks to have tea with my friend.  So we are all well at this point.  Hurrah!

Catching Up

It's a girl, just not yet.  My work-friend, Andrea, is having a baby.  I am so happy for her.  She was pregnant last year and miscarried.  Everything seems to be going really well and it is her third child.  Look at the picture above.  The squares of fabric are pillowcases for Andrea's girls.  They are still little (five and four) and I wanted to give them something that was for them when we had the baby shower for Andrea.  There is a quilt on top of the lamb.  It is pink, yellow, green and blue squares.

There is a story about the lamb.  In the English class we are reading the book, The Giver by Lois Lowry.  If you haven't read it, it is worth reading even as an adult.  The premise is this community has gotten rid of the the messiness in life.  All is the same and pretty darn perfect for the people who live there.  One of the things they got rid of is real animals.  All that is known of animals is as a comfort object they have as a baby.  In fact, it called "comfort Object" in the book.  The small child in the story, Gabriel, has a stuffed elephant.  I bought the lamb and wrote a note about comfort objects.  No one else got the reference, but Andrea did.

This was a very wonderful gift.  Count on Chrystania to do something really cool!  It is a diaper cake.  As you open it up there are little surprises inside--much like the hair bow on the top of the cake.  She said her sister gave her one and she figured out how it worked.  So special.

Thursday was my guild meeting.  If you look close, you can see the baskets in the back.  On the design stand, there are two blocks that were from this month.  I am concerned about the contrast.  There are 5 different flower centers.  Some are showing up better than others.    The contrast seemed just fine of my kitchen table, which is where I cut my fabric, iron and sew.  Now a tour of my corner would be fun!  ha,ha,ha.

One of the projects I am doing for my guild is a block swap.  I am going to hand out paint chips in blues and greens with cream to mirror the colors of the ocean.  I love the ocean.  This summer I am planning a weekend trip to Fort Ross with the darling daughter.  We may stay in Santa Rosa.  There is a Charles Schultz museum there that is wonderful.  I especially love the store.  There is so much Peanuts stuff!

Here is one last pic for tonight.  I just loved these flowers.  My guild meeting in May is always a tea.  There is lots of food and yummy teas.  One of the things we do is decorate the tables for a prize.  These were the flowers on the table I sat at with my mother-in-law, aunt-in-law and some others.    We did not win the prize.

I am pretty sure this table won.  I took a pic of the napkins.  I love this layered bow with ribbon.  I am thinking it would look great for our Thanksgiving table this year.  Nancy made these and she told me it took her 10 minutes to make each one.....I think.

We did a mug rug challenge and I am so sorry that these mug rugs didn't make it into the pic.  Yo can just see one corner of it.  It was really like Mary Engelbreit.


Book Recommendations
          The Girl in the Blue Beret by Bobbie Ann Mason
If you like World War 2 fiction, this is a wonderful story about an airman who was shot down in
Belgium and then guided out through France to Spain and then back to England.  He is now
 60 years old and retiring.  He goes back to France to find the people who helped him.
          The Simple Truth by David Baldacci
A miscarriage of justice has been done and an appeal was filed with the Supreme Court.  Death follows and a man needs to find out why his brother dies.  I have been reading it avidly all weekend.

Also reading:
          Touching Spirit Bear (rereading) by Ben Michaelsen
          Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

Have a lovely week!

Block Swap

I am thinking of doing a Block Swap with my guild.  We will make no more than 12 squares--all the same due back to me in September.  I didn't think about making them so that they flow together, but it was suggested to use paint chips from the hardware store.  I could call it the paint swatch swap.  That is a little catchy.  I figure we can all make 12 squares.  If you make one, the rest just get easier if they are the same.  I am going to announce it at this meeting in May on Thursday.  We shall see how many take me up on this.  I am thinking of red as a jumping off point.  Not red-white-blue, but that could be done.  I love red.  It is warm and inviting.  I was thinking of green first, but it doesn't seem to be really popular.  I like green, but don't use it much so it would be a challenge.

Any ideas or suggestions out there?

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

You have to see this movie if you are close to retirement age.  It totally gave me hope.  With only one sad moment, it was all about the positive and finding it.  Not all found it, but we can't please everyone!!!

I went to the movie with four quilting/stitching friends.....I declined dinner beforehand.  I so seldom go to the movies.  I love movie popcorn and had to go that direction.  I know I couldn't eat dinner and the popcorn.
If  you are in the Sacramento area, you have to go to the Tower Theatre.  It is intimate and shows less than mainstream movies.  I had never been there and had to circle around twice (and ask for assistance from a parking enforcement guy).  I will be paying attention to what is playing--especially the french movies.  There is one coming up with Kristen Scott Thomas who is fabulous.

Great time.  Lovely movie!

The Turkeys

We live next door to the Turkey Family.  Talk about a really bad last name.....Okay, their last name isn't really Turkey, but it is closely related to the turkey and it is not great--so not great that the mom went back to her maiden name, Hill, when she divorced to get rid of that turkey name.  But we are changing the name to protect the innocent.

We have a lot of stories about the Turkey family.  My husband could barely stand to live next to them and prayed that one day they would move and we would have good neighbors.  Now, he knows this doesn't always come true.  We have had some really interesting/horrible neighbors.  But the Turkey's really irritated him because the oldest boy, Sam, had a band--a really bad band!  The boys would play all day long and into the night.  I can't even count the times we called the police--not helpful.  Sam is now 24 years old and he moved out to live with his girlfriend.  When that happened, the band just went away.  Hurrah!  About a year ago, Sam (now 24 years old) moved back in.  The girlfriend thing did not end well, I understand.  I am kept up-to-date on the Turkeys because my son is best friends with the middle son, Elliot.

Last week I came home at 5am aftering dropping the darling daughter off at work.  As I walked groggily up the lawn to the house, I noticed Sam's car door was wide open.  He had also put some duct tape on a small side back window that was missing and it was flapping in the wind.  I closed the door and left a note.  I forgot all about it until last night when I noticed Sam had fixed the window.  I mentioned it to my husband and he told me he gave the window to Sam and put it in for him.  WOW!  He even told me he thought Sam was a nice guy.  OH MY GOD!  What a change!

I am happy that  my husband is being nice to Sam.  The father is an idiot and none of his children speak to him.  He gambled his money away and then left them.  He had another family and three more children.  He gambles now in Texas. 

Just a note

I am thinking about block swaps.  I want to find something creative to do for special projects with my guild.  I also thought about a mystery quilt thing.  I have a three month mystery quilt that was a Thimbleberries project.  That might be fun.  July--August--September.  Perfect!  Any ideas out there?
Saturday my guild frieinds are getting together to make these cute little zippered bags.  We call it the Rudy Club because we are supposed to be making Christmas presents.  This could work out of r me this month.  All the other times I owrked on my red and blue star quilt.

Bad news....my battery died in my computer, so only posts from work on my lunch half hour.  So, more tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day

Good morning and Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there!

First, before I forget, go to
                             www.kimsbigquiltingadventure.blogspot.com

There is a story about some lovely pink fabric.  See the post for Saturday, May 12.  For a bit of background:
I saw a quilt that I loved.  It was green, red and white pinwheels with a pink background.  The pink fabric just made the quilt.  I really wanted some of the pink fabric.  It made the quilt.  Unfortunately, it was a really unusual  shade of pink.  I have not yet found anything like it.  I asked the shop that hung the quilt done by Tracy Sousa from Plumcute Designs to look for it at the quilt markets.  There were at one point two bolts found.  One went to someone else and our shop got the other.  No problem you might think.  One of the shop owners held the bolt hostage making us take a class to get the two yards we needed.  I admit that I was really upset and vowed that I would never take that class.  I would find another fabric.  Now I am enrolled in the class.  I decided that the $30.00 for the class will allow me to meet Tracy, who I have admired for lovely patterns, and will have me spending the day with friends (who also enrolled in the class).  I do have my coveted two yards of pink, but I will never forget this injustice.  I will think before I go there to shop.  I will look more at other shops before I buy. 

I went to Gardinerville, Nevada yesterday.  It is a magnificent quilt shop--the Quilt House.  I did find some of the Kansas Troubles Line to use with my Farmer's Market quilt.  It was so much fun and the best company, but I was so tired I went to bed when I got home at 8:30pm. 

Have a lovely day!

Just a few things

Hello.

I am Hunter.

I love to eat, sleep, be rubbed, run, eat, sleep, be rubbed, run......

I know that I am the king of this house....

I am Max.

I am so lucky that my mom lets me

sit up here by her sewing machine!

I am sure that I am the king of this house....

Just thought I would introduce two of the most important members of our household.   We have another cat, Snickers, but she is camera shy.  She is people shy.  She hides in my daughter's room most of the time.  Snickers is really the daughter's cat.  Recently the daughter began mentioning that she was looking to move out.  The bad news, for her, is that she found out that the deposit for cats is quite pricey.  I see Snickers living here for a long time

I think I mentioned that I am the Block-of-the-month person for my guild.  This one you can see is the last block that Sharon and Donna put out.  It is a very colorful spool block.  My first block is in the bags you can see on the table.  It is a basket in 30's fabrics with white background.  My goal is to remember to take picture each month so you can follow along. 

Tomorrow I am driving up (?) to Gardnerville in Nevada--about a 2.5 hour drive from here with friends.  There is a fantastic quilt shop there that everyone seems to know about and has visited but me.  We are driving up Hwy 50 and there are spots that are --oh, inches from the 1000 foot drop down the treacherous mountainside!!!!  I hope to live through it.  At least I will have one last iced tea lemonade from Starbucks!

Happy Mother's Day to all-just in case......................Too dramatic??  I think not.  I will not be taking pictures of the sheer drops because I will have my eyes closed and praying.  :)

Teacher Appreciation

It is Teacher Appreciation time again.  This is what I did for my teachers I work with.....  Student reads the letter and other students bring up goodies.

Dear Mrs. M,

You have been a "sweetheart" (student gives box of sweethearts to teacher) this year.  We "love" (dove heart) you for all the "joy" (almond joy candy bar) you bring to us.  You are such a "Kool" (Koolaide drink)teacher.  We appreciate the "mounds" (mounds candy bar) of learning you give to us.  Thank you for a "poppin" (microwave popcorn) good year!

So here is an "apple" (a real apple) for you because we are "nuts" (package of nuts) about you!

Hugs and "Kisses" (Hershey's kisses)

For the teacher who is pregnant and will be going home for the rest of the year in 1-2 weeks I added this:
We hope you "skittle" (sour skittles) on home and come back next year.  I happen to know that her favorite is sour candy. 
For the science teacher I added this line:  We couldn't find another teacher like you in the "milkyway" (again, a milkyway candy bar)

It was so much fun for the kids and the teachers really liked it.  It is a great idea to tell teachers how they are appreciated.

Parents

I have spent this weekend doing community service type quilting.  Finishing up this project and that.  I made eight pillows for my school.  Oh, I also picked up the newest shop hop magazine.  Even though I do very little vacationing in exotic places such as Belleville, Wisconsin, Preston, Idaho or Charlotte, Michigan, I could see myself stopping in any of these shops....

On Saturday I took my daughter over to the mall.  She had this idea that we should go have corn dogs at Hot Dog On A Stick.  First we spent 10 minutes in the parking lot looking for a parking spot.  We entered into Crate & Barrel looking for a water pitcher.  After we looked at everything in the store, we went looking for Hot Dog On A Stick.  We had the general idea of where it was.  When we saw the Ferris wheel, my daughter decided it was in the food court, so up the escalator we went.  It wasn't there.  Eventually we found it hidden away on the first floor, just around the corner from the Disney Store and next to Popcornopolis.

While I was holding our table and the darling daughter was ordering, I watched this little girl who looked to be three or four years old.  She had stopped at the windows of Popcornoplis.  She had a frown on her face and was paying no attention to her mother who had walked ahead.  I first thought that the little girl wanted to go into the popcorn store (imagine honey barbecue popcorn....).  The mom realizes the girl is not with her and comes back.
     "What's wrong?" she asks.
    "I'm sad," says the girl.
    "Why are you sad?  We are going to buy a present."
    No reply.
   "Come on.  Don't you want a present?  You have to come if you want the present."
    No reply.
Finally the mom walks to her and says something that I can't hear.  The little girl started walking ever so slowly toward the Disney store.  I did briefly hope that it really was the mom and it wasn't some kidnapping thing.  At one point she called the woman "mommy" and the little boy who was with her seemed happy to be holding the woman's hand. 

THIS IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH CHILDREN!

Since when do we try to cajole our children to walk with us.  You're sad?  Sorry.  What a stupid mother for not keeping that little girl with her and not insisting that she stay with her.  I can tell you who is really in charge in that family!  I swear there should be a test to become a parent.

The daughter and I ended our day by cooking enchiladas, Spanish rice and beans for dinner.  It was the 5th of May!

Have a great week.  I will be watching children taking the state testing.  Such fun.......

France

I don't know why I have this fascination with France.  I  have never been there, don't speak french and most likely will never be in France.  I think it might be the age of it--all those old buildings and the history of it all.
My sister was born on July 14th which happens to be Bastille Day (French Independence from Louis the fourteenth and Marie Antoinette) and I spend considerable amounts of time looking for "french" gifts for her.
One more thing--I love blue and white and yellow.  I read the magazine Victoria and dream of vintage bedding.
I am the same way about Germany, England--maybe all of Europe.

Where am I going with all this?  I happened upon a blog that is wonderful.  It is in English and it is all about France.  An Australian family is living in France for some reason.  They live in Aix en Provence.  It was just fun to see the pictures posted of a very amazing/really weird parade posted on April 17th (Aix en Provence Carnaval 2012).  Go to: You Had Me At Bonjour.

                          www.youhadmeatbonjourblog.blogspot.com

Other news.  We have open house next week on Thursday.  I will be free after 11:00am.  I will be at Thimbleberries (Quilter's Corner in Sacramento) on Wednesday evening and then will be having lunch (does Kim know about this???) with Sandy and Kim at Had's in Sacramento.  Had's is a steak house on J Street.  It will be a busy day as I have plans to go over to my friend, Imelda's that day too.  Oh my gosh!  I will see all my Thimbleberries friends on Wednesday and then again on Thursday.  Who knew?  I was destined to be their friend.