YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!
HUNGER GAMES BY SUZANNE COLLINS
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Got to read this book!
I read so many books meant for young adults because I want to be able to help the kiddies at school to pick out books. What you say about a book means more if you actually read the book. On Tuesday of last week, Maryn read from a book to her class. I wasn't there to hear it. I was there Wednesday. The book sounded really good. I already knew she was going to read it to the kiddies, so I had put a hold on it at the public library. I was number 286 of 286 holds. I figured I could wait. Then she read the book again on Thursday and I realized I was missing some really important information. I decided to ask Maryn if I could borrow her book over the weekend. Later, my sweet girl and I went to Sam's Club to buy cat and dog food. There was the book for $5.38 just waiting for me. I bought it. I started reading it at 3pm on Thursday and finished it at 5:30am on Saturday. I had to be at Sandy's at 7am on Saturday so I got up a bit early to finish the book. When I got around to cancelling my hold from the library on Sunday morning, I was 202 of 286 holds. Not me!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Surprise!
I am becoming just a little frustrated with Blogger. I can't seem to get off the centering option.
But, my story will be the same regardless of the alignment.
Saturday was my Block-of-the-Month with Quilter's Corner. I left here at 6:40am, met Sandy at 7:10am and got to Quilter's Corner by 7:20am. We had our class, made a few purchases and were back at Sandy's by 9:30am. We quilted the entire day stopping only briefly for lunch. Sandy had a dinner that night with friends and I had instructions to be home by 4:00pm. See, my birthday is on Tuesday and my sweet girl had planned a dinner for the family at the Spaghetti Factory, I thought at 5pm. I was so careful to be in the car and home on time. I pulled up to the curb in front of the house at 4:03pm. My sweet girl ran out of the house and shouted, "you have a surprise inside the house." I just knew at that moment, that my sister had to be here somewhere. Then I saw the tops of my niece's heads running back into the house. I ran in saying, "I smell two little girls in my house," and found my darling Juliana and adorable Olivia. After hugs and kisses (and presents because Aunt Julie ALWAYS has presents) we relaxed as one by one we took our showers and got dressed for dinner. Mary gave me Super Cinnamon Bears from Cost Plus. I have this cinnamon addiction. I love cinnamon candy. Got to admit they were really good and had great cinnamon flavor, but still no match for Unbearably Hot Cinnamon Bears from the Jelly Belly Factory. I pretty much thought that was my entire surprise until Olivia let it slip that Aunt Pat was joining us for dinner. We drove over to the restaurant with me suspecting nothing.
Imagine my surprise when there are people waiting for us. My in-laws were there as was my friend, Leah,
Our dinner was being held upstairs and there was a special menu just for us. I had a luscious margarita and the yummy spaghetti pictured below.
Garlic Mizithra
Spaghetti with brown butter and Mizithra cheese
tossed with garlic, bacon and mushrooms.
Heaven!
We had the best time. Appetisers--creamy artichoke dip with toasts. Olive Tapenade with toasts. Garlic bread... Yummm!
We were home by 9:00pm. The girls, Mary, my sweet girl and I made a stop at Macy's so Olivia could spend her gift card. Her mother, ever the bargain hunter, had coupons that expired this day so off we went.
Dinner was scrumptious. We were exhausted and fell into bed.
This morning the girls had to go home--school tomorrow. I got doughnuts and sent them off with a sugar high. What a great and wonderful aunt I am!!!
Dinner
This is my margarita that I had last night at the Old Spaghetti Factory. It was yummy!
I am having a birthday on Tuesday. My sister and my daughter arranged a dinner with friends and family last night. It was wonderful. We had a lovely time and I was truly surprised. My daughter could barely contain herself she was so excited. I had the spaghetti in browned butter with Mizithra cheese, bacon and mushrooms. Yummm! The best part was seeing people who mean so much to me.
Monday, August 22, 2011
What we cannot change.....
For some reason this got caught up in my drafts file (that I had no idea I had). This was written a year ago.
There is the cutest commercial for Target using the Free to be You and Me music. Three little girls go from wearing exactly the same outfit (a school uniform) to wearing 3 completely different outfits. Over time the girls go from drab to individuals--one in red, one in blue and one in yellow. I imagine you can buy each piece at the local Target store. The message being we need to be ourselves, while shopping and spending all our money at Target, of course. Today the kiddies in our school began their first day. We have a uniform policy that was very strict allowing only white and black with a bit of khaki. This year the kiddies are wearing a t-shirt in 6 different colors. It is so beautiful and colorful, allowing a bit of individuality and still keeping the uniformity of the school.
There is the cutest commercial for Target using the Free to be You and Me music. Three little girls go from wearing exactly the same outfit (a school uniform) to wearing 3 completely different outfits. Over time the girls go from drab to individuals--one in red, one in blue and one in yellow. I imagine you can buy each piece at the local Target store. The message being we need to be ourselves, while shopping and spending all our money at Target, of course. Today the kiddies in our school began their first day. We have a uniform policy that was very strict allowing only white and black with a bit of khaki. This year the kiddies are wearing a t-shirt in 6 different colors. It is so beautiful and colorful, allowing a bit of individuality and still keeping the uniformity of the school.
Today I came across two ideas that caught my attention.
1. What we cannot change, we must endure without bitterness.
2. Sometimes we cannot raise our chins and see eye to eye,
so we must bow our heads and have faith in one another.
Okay, it is Monday, August 22, 2011. We are back to the present. Funny thing is that I was thinking about changes and Target commercials today. I love the one where the Asian teacher talks about what "your" kids will be learning and ends with a list of school supplies with glitter "so much glitter" at the last. It did get me over to Target to see their school supplies....
We have so many changes at work this year. On Wednesday of last week, my friend Jane was crying because there were so many changes. On Friday, I cried. It was just such a stark comparison to what had occurred--all the transfers. This new group is really outdoorsy and likes sports. I like quilting. Lord, how I felt really old saying I liked quilting and embroidery when all around me people were going on and on about camping, river rafting, snow, hiking, etc. Somehow they entire staff seems to bike--except the "new guy" who likes taking chances and rides a Harley. Today I asked him what to call him and got 5 different choices. I am choosing his first name. I am not comfortable calling someone by their last name. It seems not right.
Change has come to roost here at school. Wish us luck!
Okay, it is Monday, August 22, 2011. We are back to the present. Funny thing is that I was thinking about changes and Target commercials today. I love the one where the Asian teacher talks about what "your" kids will be learning and ends with a list of school supplies with glitter "so much glitter" at the last. It did get me over to Target to see their school supplies....
We have so many changes at work this year. On Wednesday of last week, my friend Jane was crying because there were so many changes. On Friday, I cried. It was just such a stark comparison to what had occurred--all the transfers. This new group is really outdoorsy and likes sports. I like quilting. Lord, how I felt really old saying I liked quilting and embroidery when all around me people were going on and on about camping, river rafting, snow, hiking, etc. Somehow they entire staff seems to bike--except the "new guy" who likes taking chances and rides a Harley. Today I asked him what to call him and got 5 different choices. I am choosing his first name. I am not comfortable calling someone by their last name. It seems not right.
Change has come to roost here at school. Wish us luck!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Was it me or was it the guy???
Today I went to Walmart. The idea was to pick up some lemon pepper panko bread crumbs, which I realize now, I forgot. While I was making me way casually through the store, I happened upon the beer aisle. Now, I am not a beer drinker, but my darling husband is and I like to pay as little as possible for it. We drink Budweiser here. Definitely not me! But there I was in the beer aisle staring at the end cap with a mountain of 36 packs of Budweiser beer with a coupon giving you $3.00 off with a purchase. The coupon I saw mentioned buying meat (such a broad category) which is a bit of a stretch for me. I just can't bring myself to buy meat from Walmart. I don't know why--(see me shaking my head here). It occurred to me that pork was meat and I will buy Johnsonville sausages. So I put a big box of beer in my cart and off I go--with the wrong coupon.
A bit later I am in the check out line. As usual, I pick the wrong line and spend 30 seconds wondering why the people in front of me are so slow and then help myself to a trashy magazine--usually People. I figure that if I am not in the 20 items or less line, then I am going to be waiting somewhere. ( I actually waited in line for some issue from the people in front of me.) So, when it was discovered that my coupon gave you that precious $3.00 for a purchase of water not meat, I called my daughter on her cell phone as she was close to the beer end cap to tell her to stop and get a coupon. She didn't answer and popped up just then. The clerk, Nadyia, knew full well that I was sending to get that coupon. She never once suggested that I step aside and suspend my purchase and let the guy behind me go or even that I should just pay for my groceries and then get the beer in the self checkout line later. In fact, the clerk was going to get me a package of water. That would have taken time too. As soon as the daughter leaves to get a coupon, this guy who was two people in line behind me starts ranting on and on in a very loud voice about people who hold up the line. HE called me rude and annoying. He NEVER shut his mouth. I did ask him to stop being rude, but otherwise did my best to ignore him. He did say that everyone around me was thinking what he had the courage to actually say. No one seemed that bothered. I did start praying that the daughter was CRAWLING to the register. At one point he decided to move to the next line and said to whoever was listening that "the fat lady got her way". Okay, to be fair, I am fat, but it is not okay to resort to name calling. I could have made comments about his stupid tattoos, but did I??? Of course not. Right as my daughter came back without a coupon, I decided to not buy the beer after all--at which the guy says, "Good, you didn't need that." He wasn't being supportive.
I am not a person who likes to hold people up. I was letting the clerk direct me. The whole time passed was really only five minutes. We can't wait five minutes? In the future I would handle the transaction differently, but that guy will be a jerk for the rest of his life.
A bit later I am in the check out line. As usual, I pick the wrong line and spend 30 seconds wondering why the people in front of me are so slow and then help myself to a trashy magazine--usually People. I figure that if I am not in the 20 items or less line, then I am going to be waiting somewhere. ( I actually waited in line for some issue from the people in front of me.) So, when it was discovered that my coupon gave you that precious $3.00 for a purchase of water not meat, I called my daughter on her cell phone as she was close to the beer end cap to tell her to stop and get a coupon. She didn't answer and popped up just then. The clerk, Nadyia, knew full well that I was sending to get that coupon. She never once suggested that I step aside and suspend my purchase and let the guy behind me go or even that I should just pay for my groceries and then get the beer in the self checkout line later. In fact, the clerk was going to get me a package of water. That would have taken time too. As soon as the daughter leaves to get a coupon, this guy who was two people in line behind me starts ranting on and on in a very loud voice about people who hold up the line. HE called me rude and annoying. He NEVER shut his mouth. I did ask him to stop being rude, but otherwise did my best to ignore him. He did say that everyone around me was thinking what he had the courage to actually say. No one seemed that bothered. I did start praying that the daughter was CRAWLING to the register. At one point he decided to move to the next line and said to whoever was listening that "the fat lady got her way". Okay, to be fair, I am fat, but it is not okay to resort to name calling. I could have made comments about his stupid tattoos, but did I??? Of course not. Right as my daughter came back without a coupon, I decided to not buy the beer after all--at which the guy says, "Good, you didn't need that." He wasn't being supportive.
I am not a person who likes to hold people up. I was letting the clerk direct me. The whole time passed was really only five minutes. We can't wait five minutes? In the future I would handle the transaction differently, but that guy will be a jerk for the rest of his life.
Friday, August 19, 2011
I missed Kim today.....
I had an idea of something I wanted to say today and I don't know where I left the piece of paper. I am still a pencil/pen and paper girl.
So, until that paper materializes, something funny happened yesterday. I unexpectedly had time off. I thought I needed to go to some professional development thing for school, but turns out it was redundant and I was off the hook. My original plan was to travel down to East Sac and Sandy at 3:30pm and then head over to Fabric Garden an meet up with Irene. In real life, I saw Sandy at 10:30am and then went to the movies to see the Help with Imelda at 3:00pm. Imelda and I went to Fabric Garden and met up with Irene. Since Shirley is one of the owners of the shop, we saw her too. The only one I didn't see was Kim! I missed you, Kim!
At 8pm (very late for me) I went to B.J.'s to eat dinner. They have a special going that is a two for twenty thing. For $19.99 you get a soup of salad, medium pizza and a dessert. A huge deal. That pizza was the best.
If you haven't read The Help by Kathryn Stockett, you NEED to read it! Then go see the movie.
Hope you day was as good as mine.
So, until that paper materializes, something funny happened yesterday. I unexpectedly had time off. I thought I needed to go to some professional development thing for school, but turns out it was redundant and I was off the hook. My original plan was to travel down to East Sac and Sandy at 3:30pm and then head over to Fabric Garden an meet up with Irene. In real life, I saw Sandy at 10:30am and then went to the movies to see the Help with Imelda at 3:00pm. Imelda and I went to Fabric Garden and met up with Irene. Since Shirley is one of the owners of the shop, we saw her too. The only one I didn't see was Kim! I missed you, Kim!
At 8pm (very late for me) I went to B.J.'s to eat dinner. They have a special going that is a two for twenty thing. For $19.99 you get a soup of salad, medium pizza and a dessert. A huge deal. That pizza was the best.
If you haven't read The Help by Kathryn Stockett, you NEED to read it! Then go see the movie.
Hope you day was as good as mine.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Back To Work
Yesterday I went back to work and spent the day in a training. I was supposed to learn how to co-teach and collaborate with the teachers at my school. What I learned (or rather had a revelation about) was how it went so terribly wrong last year with Melissa. I can truthfully say that Melissa disliked me. I never really understood it. How can you dislike someone who you don't know??? Turns out it is very possible. I stepped on her toes (figuratively). I was put in her classroom in the middle of the quarter. We never had a time to say anything to each other and while I knew things about her, she had no idea who I was until I appeared one day at the back of the room. The students were doing a scrapbook project in connection with the story, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Having spent the previous year with her students, I was well aware that most of them were not artistically bent, creative or brimming with art supplies. I read the story and got the gist of it. In response to one of the boys, I went out and made up kits for the my students (special ed) that had pieces of the fabric for her dress, the lace mentioned in the story, stickers, paper, etc. I handed them out and never once spoke to Melissa. She wanted the students to find the items on their own. Wasn't going to happen, but I could have done it in a much nicer way, with communicating with Melissa instead of bypassing her and ignoring her. I wish I knew where she moved to in Virginia so I could send her a note of apology. I will take this lesson and use it for the next two teachers I am working with this year. I just an grateful they already know me and won't be so judgemental.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Knoty Ladies Embroidery
Last night was so much fun. I went to Knoty Ladies and we had fun stitching and eating. Sharon brought her orange brownies. Yummm
Orange Brownies www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/orange_brownies
I brought zucchini pie
Zucchini Pie
3 eggs 1 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Kraft)
1 onion, chopped 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 cups shredded or chopped zucchini
Mix all ingredients together and bake in either pie plate or rectangle baking dish (13x9 is fine)
for 40-50 minutes at 350*. Serve hot or cold.
Have a great afternoon to all!
Orange Brownies www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/orange_brownies
I brought zucchini pie
Zucchini Pie
3 eggs 1 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Kraft)
1 onion, chopped 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 cups shredded or chopped zucchini
Mix all ingredients together and bake in either pie plate or rectangle baking dish (13x9 is fine)
for 40-50 minutes at 350*. Serve hot or cold.
Have a great afternoon to all!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Coffee and Good Friends
Yesterday was a joy. I had my circle of friends over for stitching and food. My daughter is just the sweetest. She was available for refills of iced tea, lemonade and coffee (for her mother). We had this yummy pasta salad, a recipe from Aunt Arlene (my husband's aunt), salsa, corn and cheese dip with chips, fruit (cantaloupe, melon and blueberries), bread from Boudin's, chicken appetisers and dessert. This dessert was so good.. Imelda's daughter, Shastine, made Tiramirsu. It had Kahlua in it! Yummmm. We had good conversation and lots of laughter.
When everyone had gone, I went over to Joann's Fabrics to take advantage of the 20% discount for teacher appreciation. I had already gone to Staples in the morning for their Teacher Appreciation event. One of my friends came with me. When we were done shopping (I had a list so was very efficient), my friend went home and I went to Carmichael Park for a concert in the park with my daughter. We met up with two of my friends who were over earlier and we listened to the Q-Balls, a bunch of lawyers who have a band. They play music from the 60's, 70's and 8's. I confess that Build Me Up Buttercup is my favorite, but I also love the song, Brown-eyed Girl. Ted, who a lawyer at the firm where my friend works, is the singer. You can see the Q-Balls on you-tube. The concert began at 6:30 and the band played until a little after 9pm. One of the things I like to do at these concerts in the park is people watch. There was a guy who was handcuffed and searched by the police standing by. The policeman put the guy in the police car and then was talking to some woman. After a bit I looked back and the guy was gone--not as in to jail, but released by the policeman. Got to wonder. Lots of people there had wine and beer. I guess we can drink in the park, but other things might be no-no's.
Today I went to the Dancing Fox in Lodi for brunch with Tricia and Chuck. It was fabulous. They had Eggs Benedict and a perfect bread pudding with apples. The Dancing Fox is in an old building on South School Street. It has pots of flowers all over and there was a slight breeze making it so comfortable to eat outside. While we were there Chuck fell as his chair collapsed. Tricia asked him why he broke the chair. Poor Chuck. He didn't break the chair, the weld was rusted and broke loose. But he was fine and crisis averted.
It has been a full weekend and tomorrow is my last day of vacation for I go back to work on Tuesday!
We Can Always Turn Around Continued
Those who don't read previous posts, just the latest one....read the one before and catch up!
To recap, the daughter and I had just had a perilous journey through San Francisco without meaning to go there. It is dark and we are looking for our hotel. Finding the place was easy enough. Perhaps the Gods had taken pity on me and the disasters were behind us. We were so upset over the missed turns that the daughter and I decided we should get a quick dinner at whatever fast food was close by. That was Burger King. This happens to be my least favorite of all fast food, just a step up from Long John Silvers, but it was a block away from the hotel and we found it without making any wrong turns! We watched Covert Affairs on television and went to bed.
We stayed at the Northbay Inn on Francisco Blvd in San Rafael. Not exactly what the web site showed, but acceptable and not a great deal of money. The bathrooms were fabulous. Just beautiful. Someone there likes bathrooms! The room itself was as promised with a refrigerator, microwave, television, etc. I have to say I liked how they even gave us matching bed spreads, each with their matching holes from a burning cigarette. Each spread (room with two double beds) had a hole from what I know had to be a cigarette in exactly the same spot. hmmmm.
On Wednesday we find out the mission opens at 11:00am. The daughter tells me there is an I-Hop close by. Close is not exactly the word I would use. We saw most of San Rafael looking for I-Hop. The daughter had a very yummy breakfast. If you like crepes, this is the place.
Afterward we went to the mission. There is a story behind my daughter's love of missions. There are 23 California missions that were established in the days when Mexico thought they would convert the heathen Indians into good Catholics or in some cases, slaves. When the daughter was in the fourth grade, I made a big deal over going to see a mission. In a parent-teacher conference, I was told the children would be making a replica of a mission over their Christmas vacation. We had a family emergency occupying my every moment and I never really confirmed this before the children went on vacation. Over that Christmas break, I took the daughter and the son to see the mission in Sonoma. Then we went home and over the two weeks, we made replica of the mission. It was a true family affair. My husband made miniature wood blocks for the walls. The board was on the kitchen counter and as we would walk by, that person would glue more blocks, paint a little, add the green for grass, etc. When school started, my daughter had this very heavy, but really fantastic mission to bring to school. I just didn't know the teacher had changed her mind and no one made a mission except us. While I found this to be momentarily annoying, I had somehow ignited a passion for missions in my daughter. We plan vacations around whether we will be able to a mission. So, one year we were on a vacation with my in laws to Monterey. We had driven some where and on the way back we were going to pass the mission at Carmel. The daughter was so excited. Unfortunately, as we drove past it, her grandparents said, "Seen one mission, you've seen them all!" All I can say is that they are from Montana!
So, back to mission San Rafael Archangel. It is a little tiny church. A beautiful church, but still really tiny. And it was torn down and rebuilt in 1949. Not one original piece is still there. They have built lots of other buildings and it is a parish even as we speak, but still....We spent more time in the gift shop than in the church.
The original plan was to go to the beach after the mission, but we were ready to go home. We found our way to the freeway and off we went. Once we got off Hwy 101 and onto Hwy 37, I knew where we were and it was easy. Just after we made the turn onto I-80 at Marine World in Vallejo, the daughter suggests we stop at the Jelly Belly factory. I love their unbearably hot cinnamon bears and can only find them at the factory one hour from our house. Are you finding the theme in this story? I missed the turn. In my defense, we were on the opposite side of the highway from how we normally get there. We got our candy and made it home safely!
In the end, nothing went exactly as planned, but that is the joy of traveling. We loved seeing Melody and now we know to give her more than two hours and to maybe spend the day. She was so happy to see us and despite what we have heard, Connor is just a cute 5 year old with a ton of energy. I think I will suggest soccer to Melody. Seeing Sue was great. Just being out with the daughter is always fun. And I have a funny story to tell.
Hope you all got some vacation time this summer. It is back to work for me on Tuesday......
Julie
To recap, the daughter and I had just had a perilous journey through San Francisco without meaning to go there. It is dark and we are looking for our hotel. Finding the place was easy enough. Perhaps the Gods had taken pity on me and the disasters were behind us. We were so upset over the missed turns that the daughter and I decided we should get a quick dinner at whatever fast food was close by. That was Burger King. This happens to be my least favorite of all fast food, just a step up from Long John Silvers, but it was a block away from the hotel and we found it without making any wrong turns! We watched Covert Affairs on television and went to bed.
We stayed at the Northbay Inn on Francisco Blvd in San Rafael. Not exactly what the web site showed, but acceptable and not a great deal of money. The bathrooms were fabulous. Just beautiful. Someone there likes bathrooms! The room itself was as promised with a refrigerator, microwave, television, etc. I have to say I liked how they even gave us matching bed spreads, each with their matching holes from a burning cigarette. Each spread (room with two double beds) had a hole from what I know had to be a cigarette in exactly the same spot. hmmmm.
On Wednesday we find out the mission opens at 11:00am. The daughter tells me there is an I-Hop close by. Close is not exactly the word I would use. We saw most of San Rafael looking for I-Hop. The daughter had a very yummy breakfast. If you like crepes, this is the place.
Afterward we went to the mission. There is a story behind my daughter's love of missions. There are 23 California missions that were established in the days when Mexico thought they would convert the heathen Indians into good Catholics or in some cases, slaves. When the daughter was in the fourth grade, I made a big deal over going to see a mission. In a parent-teacher conference, I was told the children would be making a replica of a mission over their Christmas vacation. We had a family emergency occupying my every moment and I never really confirmed this before the children went on vacation. Over that Christmas break, I took the daughter and the son to see the mission in Sonoma. Then we went home and over the two weeks, we made replica of the mission. It was a true family affair. My husband made miniature wood blocks for the walls. The board was on the kitchen counter and as we would walk by, that person would glue more blocks, paint a little, add the green for grass, etc. When school started, my daughter had this very heavy, but really fantastic mission to bring to school. I just didn't know the teacher had changed her mind and no one made a mission except us. While I found this to be momentarily annoying, I had somehow ignited a passion for missions in my daughter. We plan vacations around whether we will be able to a mission. So, one year we were on a vacation with my in laws to Monterey. We had driven some where and on the way back we were going to pass the mission at Carmel. The daughter was so excited. Unfortunately, as we drove past it, her grandparents said, "Seen one mission, you've seen them all!" All I can say is that they are from Montana!
So, back to mission San Rafael Archangel. It is a little tiny church. A beautiful church, but still really tiny. And it was torn down and rebuilt in 1949. Not one original piece is still there. They have built lots of other buildings and it is a parish even as we speak, but still....We spent more time in the gift shop than in the church.
The original plan was to go to the beach after the mission, but we were ready to go home. We found our way to the freeway and off we went. Once we got off Hwy 101 and onto Hwy 37, I knew where we were and it was easy. Just after we made the turn onto I-80 at Marine World in Vallejo, the daughter suggests we stop at the Jelly Belly factory. I love their unbearably hot cinnamon bears and can only find them at the factory one hour from our house. Are you finding the theme in this story? I missed the turn. In my defense, we were on the opposite side of the highway from how we normally get there. We got our candy and made it home safely!
In the end, nothing went exactly as planned, but that is the joy of traveling. We loved seeing Melody and now we know to give her more than two hours and to maybe spend the day. She was so happy to see us and despite what we have heard, Connor is just a cute 5 year old with a ton of energy. I think I will suggest soccer to Melody. Seeing Sue was great. Just being out with the daughter is always fun. And I have a funny story to tell.
Hope you all got some vacation time this summer. It is back to work for me on Tuesday......
Julie
WE CAN ALWAYS TURN AROUND
This is a cautionary tale......
About a week ago, my daughter and I were planning a trip. She wanted to go to Sunnyvale and have lunch with our cousin, Melody. Now Sunnyvale is about 2 1/2 hours from our home. So, I gave her the responsibility of planning the trip with the idea we would stay overnight. The only part I insisted we put in as part of the plan was a stop in Livermore to see Sue, a friend from childhood, and a trip to the beach. Before we left we had reservations at a hotel called The North Bay Inn in San Rafael, planned stops with show up an leave times and google map instructions for each leg of the trip.
On Tuesday we started off at 8:30am, close to our planned leave time. We were packed and off to get gas for the truck at Costco. With iced teas and pastry from Starbucks we got on the freeway toward I-5 and that is the last time anything went the way we planned.
I admit that the first mistake was mine. I missed the turn off from I-5 to Hwy 205 to Tracy. We had to go up one exit and turn around. That on I-5 takes time since exits off I-5 are few and far between. We were now 20 minutes off schedule for our first stop in Sunnyvale to see Melody and her 5 year old son, Connor. We weren't too upset. The google map directions to Melody were absolutely right on! We went to the front door and rang the doorbell. No answer. We rang again. No answer. We could hear someone inside. I called. Melody answers and tells me she has Connor in the bath and she needs to dress again. The reason why isn't important. What is important is that she launched into a 5 minute conversation about Connor's bedroom decor while we continued to stand on the porch. Finally I got her to come to the door and we went in. While Melody went upstairs to tend to Connor, she dresses him and then yells down to us as Connor runs down the stairs that she only needs 10 minutes. No problem. What is 10 minutes. We planned on leaving around 2:00 or 2:30pm. We had time. While we waited, I fell asleep on the couch and the daughter had to wake me up when I began to snore. Ninety minutes after we stood at the front door, I finally went upstairs to get Melody to come down. We got to Sunnyvale at 11:50am and we finally went to lunch at 1:45pm. We ate at Chipotle (more delay) and then stopped at a quilt shop that Melody just knew I had to see.
Eddie's Quilt Shop is the most horrible shop I have ever been in. Deary, no imagination and so completely rude that I will never go back. I tried to find something to buy as we got dirty looks from the staff and Melody made me look at EVERY quilt. I tried to get someone to speak to me so I could ask about a 30's fabric I really wanted. I was virtually invisible. The only person to speak to me was a customer and a child taking a quilting class.
We went back to Melody's where it is now 4:30pm. I have already called Sue and told her what the hold-up was. She told me there was no rush. The daughter and I got back on the road during rush hour traffic. Yuck. We were off to Livermore. As we traveled along, the daughter read the directions from Google maps. She has a habit of mispronouncing words and giving me directions as she panics. Not conducive to a mishap-free traveling experience. We were supposed to go forward on Hwy 84 past a street with some unpronounceable Spanish name and the daughter told me to turn. The passing scenery seemed wrong. I stopped and read the map, sighed and called Sue for more direction. Again we turned around, retraced out steps and found Sue with her flawless directions!
All my life, my father lectured us about showing up at some one's home at mealtimes. That was a strict no-no. Even though it was now 5:30pm and definitely dinnertime, but I know that Sue had a late lunch and we were probably not disturbing her dinner. We were there until 7pm. It was lovely. Alison, her daughter, made us cookies. Sue and her family became family friends when she and my sister, Mary, met in preschool. While we were there, Mary called and we had a chat together, the four of us. Sue and I reminisced about our childhood together and caught up with what was going on now for each of us. I loved Sue's house, a two story, open, but cozy space. At one point Sue asked me if I knew how far we were going between stops. I did. Our next stop was San Rafael. I had hoped to see the mission there, San Rafael Archangel, but we now expected to arrive at 8pm. We would get dinner after checking in at the hotel, Northbay Inn. Again, we were off. After all this, I was questioning the directions by the daughter. She kept saying we were to get onto 580 going West, merge onto 580 east and then get back on 580 west. It just didn't make sense. What I missed is that she kept saying I-80 not 580. We talked about it several times and she never made this clear. So, for the third time today, we missed our turn.
We were tooling along when we found ourselves headed to the toll booth for the Bay Bridge. Once you are on this path, there is no way to go back, turn around or refuse to go over the bridge. When we got to the toll booth, I was having a panic attack and almost crying. I have issues with bridges, tunnels and driving in San Francisco. And it is 8pm with the sun going down. The toll booth guy was so sweet. He got me to listen to his instructions--take 101 North as soon as we got off the bridge. Follow the signs. Little did it occur to me that San Francisco is an island. We got off the bridge and traveled through the tunnel and lived to tell the tale. I honestly thought we would die on the bridge. There would be an earthquake and we would go in the bay, to be swallowed up and never found because we weren't supposed to be there.... 101 North is pretty much a street in San Francisco. We passed by Chinatown and went into downtown. It is dark and people are opening car doors into the street, buses cutting you off. We were religiously following 101 North, but once again, lost 101 North when it turned and headed down Lombard Street. We found ourselves headed to Fisherman's Wharf. In the bay area, it is not uncommon for trees to cover the signs. What the hell???? They can't trim their trees???? At one point I told the daughter that only one of us could be freaking out at a time and it was definitely my turn she needed to get a grip and hold it together.
Thankfully, I found our way back and soon we were on the Golden Gate Bridge headed OUT of San Francisco. We followed the signs for San Rafael and we arrived at the hotel at 9pm.
More tomorrow......
About a week ago, my daughter and I were planning a trip. She wanted to go to Sunnyvale and have lunch with our cousin, Melody. Now Sunnyvale is about 2 1/2 hours from our home. So, I gave her the responsibility of planning the trip with the idea we would stay overnight. The only part I insisted we put in as part of the plan was a stop in Livermore to see Sue, a friend from childhood, and a trip to the beach. Before we left we had reservations at a hotel called The North Bay Inn in San Rafael, planned stops with show up an leave times and google map instructions for each leg of the trip.
On Tuesday we started off at 8:30am, close to our planned leave time. We were packed and off to get gas for the truck at Costco. With iced teas and pastry from Starbucks we got on the freeway toward I-5 and that is the last time anything went the way we planned.
I admit that the first mistake was mine. I missed the turn off from I-5 to Hwy 205 to Tracy. We had to go up one exit and turn around. That on I-5 takes time since exits off I-5 are few and far between. We were now 20 minutes off schedule for our first stop in Sunnyvale to see Melody and her 5 year old son, Connor. We weren't too upset. The google map directions to Melody were absolutely right on! We went to the front door and rang the doorbell. No answer. We rang again. No answer. We could hear someone inside. I called. Melody answers and tells me she has Connor in the bath and she needs to dress again. The reason why isn't important. What is important is that she launched into a 5 minute conversation about Connor's bedroom decor while we continued to stand on the porch. Finally I got her to come to the door and we went in. While Melody went upstairs to tend to Connor, she dresses him and then yells down to us as Connor runs down the stairs that she only needs 10 minutes. No problem. What is 10 minutes. We planned on leaving around 2:00 or 2:30pm. We had time. While we waited, I fell asleep on the couch and the daughter had to wake me up when I began to snore. Ninety minutes after we stood at the front door, I finally went upstairs to get Melody to come down. We got to Sunnyvale at 11:50am and we finally went to lunch at 1:45pm. We ate at Chipotle (more delay) and then stopped at a quilt shop that Melody just knew I had to see.
Eddie's Quilt Shop is the most horrible shop I have ever been in. Deary, no imagination and so completely rude that I will never go back. I tried to find something to buy as we got dirty looks from the staff and Melody made me look at EVERY quilt. I tried to get someone to speak to me so I could ask about a 30's fabric I really wanted. I was virtually invisible. The only person to speak to me was a customer and a child taking a quilting class.
We went back to Melody's where it is now 4:30pm. I have already called Sue and told her what the hold-up was. She told me there was no rush. The daughter and I got back on the road during rush hour traffic. Yuck. We were off to Livermore. As we traveled along, the daughter read the directions from Google maps. She has a habit of mispronouncing words and giving me directions as she panics. Not conducive to a mishap-free traveling experience. We were supposed to go forward on Hwy 84 past a street with some unpronounceable Spanish name and the daughter told me to turn. The passing scenery seemed wrong. I stopped and read the map, sighed and called Sue for more direction. Again we turned around, retraced out steps and found Sue with her flawless directions!
All my life, my father lectured us about showing up at some one's home at mealtimes. That was a strict no-no. Even though it was now 5:30pm and definitely dinnertime, but I know that Sue had a late lunch and we were probably not disturbing her dinner. We were there until 7pm. It was lovely. Alison, her daughter, made us cookies. Sue and her family became family friends when she and my sister, Mary, met in preschool. While we were there, Mary called and we had a chat together, the four of us. Sue and I reminisced about our childhood together and caught up with what was going on now for each of us. I loved Sue's house, a two story, open, but cozy space. At one point Sue asked me if I knew how far we were going between stops. I did. Our next stop was San Rafael. I had hoped to see the mission there, San Rafael Archangel, but we now expected to arrive at 8pm. We would get dinner after checking in at the hotel, Northbay Inn. Again, we were off. After all this, I was questioning the directions by the daughter. She kept saying we were to get onto 580 going West, merge onto 580 east and then get back on 580 west. It just didn't make sense. What I missed is that she kept saying I-80 not 580. We talked about it several times and she never made this clear. So, for the third time today, we missed our turn.
We were tooling along when we found ourselves headed to the toll booth for the Bay Bridge. Once you are on this path, there is no way to go back, turn around or refuse to go over the bridge. When we got to the toll booth, I was having a panic attack and almost crying. I have issues with bridges, tunnels and driving in San Francisco. And it is 8pm with the sun going down. The toll booth guy was so sweet. He got me to listen to his instructions--take 101 North as soon as we got off the bridge. Follow the signs. Little did it occur to me that San Francisco is an island. We got off the bridge and traveled through the tunnel and lived to tell the tale. I honestly thought we would die on the bridge. There would be an earthquake and we would go in the bay, to be swallowed up and never found because we weren't supposed to be there.... 101 North is pretty much a street in San Francisco. We passed by Chinatown and went into downtown. It is dark and people are opening car doors into the street, buses cutting you off. We were religiously following 101 North, but once again, lost 101 North when it turned and headed down Lombard Street. We found ourselves headed to Fisherman's Wharf. In the bay area, it is not uncommon for trees to cover the signs. What the hell???? They can't trim their trees???? At one point I told the daughter that only one of us could be freaking out at a time and it was definitely my turn she needed to get a grip and hold it together.
Thankfully, I found our way back and soon we were on the Golden Gate Bridge headed OUT of San Francisco. We followed the signs for San Rafael and we arrived at the hotel at 9pm.
More tomorrow......
Monday, August 8, 2011
Sweet Days Quilt continued.....
I just couldn't get this picture to move where I wanted it to go. I ended up deleting it (not on purpose) at least twice before I just gave up on it.
The blocks are a snowman (January), heart (February), kite (March), umbrella (April), flower (May), watermelon (June), star (July), beehive (August), leaf (September), pumpkin (October), acorn (November) and a little Charlie Brown Christmas tree (December).
It is amazing how the red really stands out, but can you even see the pink squares?
I started the quilt on Friday evening. I had to run to the fabric store to get a red fabric. My original intention was to use only my stash, but that flew out the window as I realized I needed a yard of red fabric and I had just little pieces. I could have gone with scrappy reds, but that wasn't in my head. I worked on it on Saturday and most of Sunday. I had an idea that it would make itself, but that didn't happen..... Now I have the green border on and am taking a break.
Have a lovely day.....
Sweet Days Quilt
I made the "in-between" blocks after I did the embroidery. I really do love this quilt, but I have to admit that the nine-patch blocks were tedious. You might not be able to tell, but there is a little pink block in the nine patches and the four patches. I threw in the picture with the ribbon I mentioned back in July. I've been looking at it still.
As I was putting the squares together, I realized I had been a bit hasty and not read the directions all through and I had done one of the embroidered pieces wrong. I think only I would have known, but I would have known. I re-did the piece. I am happy about it now.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Calls, Calls and More Calls
It is Thursday morning and I turned on my computer for What??? I can't remember!
So, I have finished my embroidery for my "Sweet Days" quilt. I love that quilt so much and I am excited that I can now put the quilt together. My husband is leaving me for a few days and I am celebrating the quiet by having friends over. I will be concentrating on my scrapbooking for a day and then I will get back to my quilting. Tonight I am going to work on my "Glory Days" pillow. If you live in the Sacramento area, go to Fabric Garden at Town and Country Village. Find the embroidery corner and look for the cutest pillow anywhere. It was made by my friend, Imelda. I have a similar fabric and my pillow will be just as cute!!!
As I was writing the above words of wisdom, I answered a call from some company who wanted to speak to my daughter. It was all about finding a school and getting into college. Since when did it become a necessity to have a private company get you into college??? Normally I wound just hang up and not bring this up here, but it was the sixth call in less than an hour. I was a bit cheeky to the first caller and I wondered if she was just tying to pay me back for my sarcastic attitude, but I actually talked to caller number six. I told him she was already in school and it was a waste of his time--I was saving him--and he promised to put her on a do not call list for his company. As for the daughter, she only admits to buying a textbook online at Barnes and Noble.
Could they have given her information away???
Have a great day.
So, I have finished my embroidery for my "Sweet Days" quilt. I love that quilt so much and I am excited that I can now put the quilt together. My husband is leaving me for a few days and I am celebrating the quiet by having friends over. I will be concentrating on my scrapbooking for a day and then I will get back to my quilting. Tonight I am going to work on my "Glory Days" pillow. If you live in the Sacramento area, go to Fabric Garden at Town and Country Village. Find the embroidery corner and look for the cutest pillow anywhere. It was made by my friend, Imelda. I have a similar fabric and my pillow will be just as cute!!!
As I was writing the above words of wisdom, I answered a call from some company who wanted to speak to my daughter. It was all about finding a school and getting into college. Since when did it become a necessity to have a private company get you into college??? Normally I wound just hang up and not bring this up here, but it was the sixth call in less than an hour. I was a bit cheeky to the first caller and I wondered if she was just tying to pay me back for my sarcastic attitude, but I actually talked to caller number six. I told him she was already in school and it was a waste of his time--I was saving him--and he promised to put her on a do not call list for his company. As for the daughter, she only admits to buying a textbook online at Barnes and Noble.
Could they have given her information away???
Have a great day.
Monday, August 1, 2011
It is really Monday
I watched the Bachelorette last night and I have spent all day today thinking it is Tuesday. I am totally a creature of habit.
On Saturday I referred to my trip to Quilter's Corner for the Saturday Square class. Today I turned my computer on to see an email from Elaine saying there was a mistake. Too late for me. I had already made my block without a single bit of trouble. I guess she mixed up two numbers. I usually check the measurements and then make the block according to the picture, not the written instructions. Every Saturday there is someone who seemed to have tons of trouble with their block. I never seem to have problems. The picture is so clear and as long as the measurements match (I check that before I start), how can you go wrong? The funny thing here is that I consider myself to be a somewhat skillful quilter. Just the other day I was told that I didn't get a certain block-of-the-month from my guild because I wasn't a skillful quilter.
I didn't take offense. When I found out it was asked that the block be paper pieced, I was really grateful. I really hate paper piecing.
I am happy to report that I have my computer back! My adapter broke, died, stopped working. I sent for a new one. I did look at Best Buy and the like, but they sold a universal adapter that was $90.00 as opposed to the one at www.amazon.com selling for $7.00 and made for my computer. I choose to wait a week and spend the $7.00 rather than the immediate gratification at a huge cost. I have to say, it was a really long week.
If you embroider you might want to check out:
www.cloverandviolet.com They are doing an Embroidery 101 Stitch along
www.littlemissshabby.com She is doing a birdie block-of-the-month
I'm off to color with my colored pencils. I saw a quilt that caught my eye!
On Saturday I referred to my trip to Quilter's Corner for the Saturday Square class. Today I turned my computer on to see an email from Elaine saying there was a mistake. Too late for me. I had already made my block without a single bit of trouble. I guess she mixed up two numbers. I usually check the measurements and then make the block according to the picture, not the written instructions. Every Saturday there is someone who seemed to have tons of trouble with their block. I never seem to have problems. The picture is so clear and as long as the measurements match (I check that before I start), how can you go wrong? The funny thing here is that I consider myself to be a somewhat skillful quilter. Just the other day I was told that I didn't get a certain block-of-the-month from my guild because I wasn't a skillful quilter.
I didn't take offense. When I found out it was asked that the block be paper pieced, I was really grateful. I really hate paper piecing.
I am happy to report that I have my computer back! My adapter broke, died, stopped working. I sent for a new one. I did look at Best Buy and the like, but they sold a universal adapter that was $90.00 as opposed to the one at www.amazon.com selling for $7.00 and made for my computer. I choose to wait a week and spend the $7.00 rather than the immediate gratification at a huge cost. I have to say, it was a really long week.
If you embroider you might want to check out:
www.cloverandviolet.com They are doing an Embroidery 101 Stitch along
www.littlemissshabby.com She is doing a birdie block-of-the-month
I'm off to color with my colored pencils. I saw a quilt that caught my eye!
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