Coffee and Friends

So did you have a good weekend? It threatened rain here but didn't come through. Lots of puffy clouds though. I love that.

Friday I had a great day. Started out with breakfast out with my friend Dee. I've known Dee for about 6 years, she works at the shop and is an excellent teacher. Patient, kind, knowledgeable. She teaches a lot of beginner classes and does the kids camp in the summer.

She has started her own pattern company, DeeVine Quilts, and she brought me a one of her first patterns, which is my favorite. I had some fabrics set aside for a while, waiting to use them on this quilt. I had planned on making it as a sample for the shop, so just picked things that were available, but maybe now I'll do some switcheroo, I'm not loving that yellow anymore. Sometimes it seems weird just sewing for fun and not with the idea of doing something that might work out at the shop.

Got some mailbox love from Sandy and Shirley. Love those little frames Shirley. Sandy popped that head vase in along with her new pattern Paper Doll Dresses. It is so clever.

I'm lucky to have such good friends. And breakfast out.. why aren't we doing that more often?

Ok, this week is my experiment.. I'm going to try turning off the word verification for comments. I'm having a heck of a time leaving comments out and around. Typepad seems to be running at a snail's pace and I confess, I often give up before my comment goes through. That doesn't seem fair since you are all so faithful with your comments. I hope if there are robots out there posting, they're the sweet Robbie type and not that scary Robocop kind. Those freak me out.

A day in the life

Hi peoples, how goes it? Had a nice few days with the girl, all fun, no work. But all good things come to an end and she had to go. Back to school, back to work. Picked up my kit from Elizabeth to ease me back into the sewing world. I'll throw all the stuff on the floor and counter back into Frankie's room, around the corner where I can't see it from my sewing chair and I'll go back to living that lie! This is the most wonderful pile of fabrics ever and it makes me want to go through my stash and throw out anything that's not as pretty.. You have to feel happy working with them. And I do.

Today we went out on an adventure, and she'll have to tell the story. All I can say is, there are people out there trying to thwart me and it's not going to happen.

Sooo.. you'll have to check with Elizabeth to hear the whole story. You should go there anyway, she's having a drawing and you might just want to try and win!

Ok peoples, catch you later!

Living a Lie

All this time, well the few short weeks since I've had my new and improved sewing space, I was thinking I had a nice, well organized room. Ha! Turns out I just hadn't bothered to move a bunch of stuff back in. Stuff that needed moving when Frankie came home this past weekend. It had been out of sight, out of mind I'm afraid.

And not just there.. I had stuff on the dining room table as well. Piles of fabric and the giant cutting mat.. what was I thinking? Now my room is a mess. It's not just the stuff on the floor, it's the piles of fabric on the counter too. And you see a bit of Alex's quilt hanging off the ironing board... it's off to the photographer this week. I'll try and share of peek of that too, I picked it up from Diana, our fabulous quilter, last week.

Need to clean and clear up the mess, I'm picking up a pile of cut fabrics from Elizabeth today. I'll try and snap a picture of the pile, it's so pretty. Or maybe she'll show off a photo of my kit. I love getting little kits of things to sew up from her, all precise and tidy.

Oh and go check out Sandy's cute new quilt! It is so cute!

Have a happy day my peoples!

So....

How'd it go yesterday my friends? We had a nice day, lots of chatting and eating. Too much eating really, I have a food hangover today. Too much of everything. And sweet things. I'm so over sweet things.

The cake turned out great..super sweet though. We served it with whipped cream. I couldn't believe how puffy that angel food cake mix got with just a can of crushed pineapple. The moms loved it. This is the 'salad' we had with dinner. It's Bret's Aunt Pat's Shut the Gate Salad. I don't get the name at all. And really, it should be dessert. So here you go my friends:

1 tub of Cool Whip

1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple

1 small box of instant pistachio pudding mix

3/4 cup of cottage cheese

1 cup mini marshmallows

mix it all up together and serve

It sounds a gross with the cottage cheese but believe me you don't even know it's there.

Ok, that's it for today. See you later!

Happy Easter!!

Hope you have a wonderful day my sweet Friends!

Neighborhood Watch

Yesterday when I got home from.. where did I go? Oh yeah, I met Elizabeth to give her back a quilt I did some quick blanket stitching on. Man the days just get away from you. Anyway, this guy was perched on the corner of my roof, very solemnly watching what was going on. Nothing kept him from staring out... well until I walked right up there and then he gave me a disdainful look and walked away. Geez lady, I'm under cover here.
This morning I'm off to Diana's, our friend and favorite local long arm quilter.. dropping off for Elizabeth, picking up for Alex! Wish I was up to something exciting to share. Market preparation is in full swing so there's odds and ends that I'm doing here and there.

And sitting around. Still not completely well but did finally go to the doctor. Market is looming, can't afford not to be at the top of my game, there are people to meet! Things to do! New things to see.

Big plans this weekend? Girl's coming home Saturday for Easter, and the moms will be over. I'll throw some ham in the oven and call it good. What about you peeps?

That's just it. Period.

Does this ever happen to you? You see something on someone's blog and you think, you know, I don't need to write down this information, I'll remember it.

And then, the inevitable happens. You. Don't.

Here's my story. I was going thru my Bloglines list reading blogs, looking at pictures. I happened upon a recipe using an Angel Food cake mix and a can of crushed pineapple. It wasn't the main part of the story, just a little tidbit at the end of a post. As I remember it anyway. But at this point we all know my memory is a little sketchy. It sounded like a good recipe because Easter is coming and the moms will be here and they like cake. I even remember the writer saying the recipe called for a whipped topping but she used whipped cream, which I thought sounded especially yum.

Fast forward till today. I can't find that post. I can find the recipe in about forty thousand sites but you know what, I WANT TO KNOW WHO BLOGGED IT. Because I am crazy like that.

Ok, well I got that off my chest. If it was you who blogged the recipe, please please please tell me. Unless you intend to torment me.

The happy ending part of this story is that I found something else I was looking for. Vickie had the cutest little mini yoyo quilt and I thought it looked like fun. Go look it ok, because apparently later I'll be testing you on this as well.

And lastly, did anyone else see this? And what about all this? I'd love to hear your opinion on this kind of thing.

And you know what else I'd love? Knowing who blogged that cake.

Edited to add: EUREKA!!! It was the Susan Branch newsletter. Thank you my genius friends! That was sure bugging me. Vera, I'm checking your blog and Jen... it was Angry Chicken with the nests. OHMYGOSH PEOPLE I LOVE YOU.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hello my four leaf clovers, how are you today? Did you have a lovely weekend? It's breezy springy here and I'm enjoying the dose of Vitamin D for sure.

Both Bret and I are a wee bit Irish, so back in the day I'd sew up some novelty shamrock wear for the girl. What you can't see is that Frankie's rocking the 80's bangs and giant hair bow under her novelty hat. This is one of the many crazy holiday pictures we had taken, scorned by others at the mall.

So who's cooking corned beef tonight?? (Or pink-meat as Frankie used to call it!) None for us this year, Bret is working late and it's not like I'm making the whole boiled dinner just for myself.

Sew...... Tell me what you're up to.. don't make me come there and pinch you!

p.s. Ricky Tims was on CBS yesterday morning, talking quilts! check it out!

Slow and Steady.

It feels a little wrong to be resting and relaxing as much as I have been.. I don't know why. Yesterday was the first day I actually did something, but not a lot. My sewing room closet has the attic and crawl space access so I had to clear a bunch of stuff out during the bathroom work and the place was a wreck. I did get all that back where it belonged. I love my new organized area and it was painful to see it messed up.

And blogs, I had to catch up with my blogs and there were tons of updates. I love seeing what people are up to. I didn't leave as many comments as I would have liked but I'm up-to-date with you guys now, so phew. I don't like it when I slip behind!

I did finish up my cone block, isn't it cute! I am loving the applique and blanket stitching. Not a good photo, it's a little gloomy here, but perfect resting and relaxing weather. I need to run a couple of errands today. First time out of the house since Friday.. is it just me or when you haven't been out in the world for a few days it seems weird to leave the house? Oh, just me.

That's all for today sweeties.. see you later!

Intermission

Look at this my sweet peeps, Sharon sent me a little Easter treat. She lives in the land of Limited Edition Junior Mints. And could she be more thoughtful? I doubt it. I think they look wonderful sitting by my new bathroom sink on my new bathroom counter.(I know white tile is out, but I can't help my love for it) I've been laid up sick for days on end now, but progress has been made. At the very end yesterday, my second sink had a flaw, so it halted things for the day. Today it should all be done. This is the best I've felt in days, so I'll celebrate drinking tea (how sick am I no coffee!!) and reading magazines and thinking about you all.

I'll be back soon! xo

Life in the Snooze Lane

Elizabeth and I had a nice time out yesterday. We took a little trip to Prairie Queens in San Jose and then over to Kinokuniya for some Japanese Craft book action.

Elizabeth bought a lot of really great things. I bought thread. #900 Mettler. It looks great doesn't it?
It wasn't that I didn't see pretty things, my days are just ruled by allergies. Some days more so than others.. and yesterday was a bad day. I don't have them too often. Normally one half a dose, one pill, will just be enough to take care of it, but yesterday .. not so much. So thread was all I could get behind.

Today though, I'm making up for it. I was over on Jona's blog reading about her Mary Engelbreit experience. Jona also starting a fabric shop online, and was mentioning that she had Moda's Mary E fabric and had reduced her price a bit.. so I took a look. You know, just because I was curious and I don't have the fabric connection I used to have.

HOLY CRAP PEOPLE.. why didn't anyone mention that in the Mary Engelbriet line there is CREAM COLORED FABRIC WITH YELLOW POLKA DOTS. I know I'm not the only one interested in YELLOW DOTS ON WHITE/CREAM. So I ordered three yards !!!

So I'm totally thrilled about that, my whole day has perked up like crazy. So see, there's always something to be grateful for, and while that isn't my only thing, yellow dot fabric is right up there on the list. And all you snowy people, you can be grateful that spring allergies aren't upon you already.. and that you haven't spent all winter mowing your lawn and weeding. I mean really, its not the only thing... but its something!

Anything looks good on chenille

Except perhaps my flower block. Too much chunky plaid going on there in the center. What was I thinking?

I don't mean to gloat but I've had the windows open several days now.. not all day, but for periods of time. My whole backyard smells like Violets.

And look what came in the mail this weekend from the lovely Brenda! Her new book is a delight, the presentation, the graphics and well, you know, THE QUILTS.

My not sunny photos don't do it justice.

Ok my lovely Violet blossoms, I need to get busy getting ready. Elizabeth and I are on a mission today. Have fun.

Hey did you see this?

Our friend Monica is at it again in the spring issue of Quilts and More! Congratulations Monica!