A Few More Wedding Pictures

I just got these yesterday and had to share them. I love this picture of Tu on the beach, she looks like a mermaid just coming out of the water.

Don't they look happy in this one! This picture really captures the feeling  of the whole day, pure joy.

I've said it before, I'll say it again, they are a great looking couple!

Pumpkin Patchin'

Each year since he's been born, Sara and I have taken Peyton to the same small Pumpkin Patch to pick out his pumpkin. Each year he has the same requirements for his pumpkin, it has to be small enough for him to carry himself. It is fun to see how the pumpkins get a little bigger every year.

It takes a lot of thought to be sure this is just the right one.

And then the true test of making sure it can be carried over your head!

This one passed the test.

Then you must, of course, have your picture taken with Grandma,

and Mom,

before you can take your pumpkin home. We had fun carving this perfect pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern, then putting it in the closet with a candle inside, to see just how spooky he will look when it gets dark outside.

Tyler and Tu are Married!!

What a great treat it is to see your child's wedding. We just got home this morning from Maui, where Tyler and Tu were married last Saturday. The beach setting was beautiful, the groom was handsome, and the bride was breathtaking, all in all the perfect wedding. These are just a couple of pictures, one from my phone and two from the photographer's website (Tamiz Photography). More will follow, I'm sure.

This was just before the wedding. I know I'm biased about my son, but he looked so handsome, gets that from his dad!

Tu was absolutely stunning, a beautiful bride. They were so happy and in love, it was a blessing to be able to share their special day.

The Bag Lady Strikes Again

Just finished this really cute bag and had to share it. It will be a birthday present for one of my favorite December birthday girls.

Jump on In

Even though the calendar says it is almost September, it's still the middle of a long, long, long, hot summer here in AZ. We love being in the pool, almost as much as our chocolate lab, Maggie. Once we open the gate to the pool, she jumps in, stands on the top step and waits for us to get her favorite orange fetching toy out of the bin.

Even though Gidget, our Schipperke, doesn't like to swim, she loves to chase Maggie around the outside of the pool. Once the toy comes out, it's evey man for themselves, Maggie WILL be jumping in and going after that toy. We have all learned, not to get between her and the orange toy!

She is one happy girl after swimming back with the toy! However, be warned, she would play this game all day long if we would only keep throwing. We have to take the toy and hide it away in the bin before she will officially leave the pool area.

And that is how Maggie makes it through this long, long, long hot summer.........

Finishing Touches

After finding the perfect button for this bag, I had to post a new picture. It's funny how such a little detail can make a big difference in the finished product.

Then this morning, I realized I had a coordinating fabric for the boring carry-all I showed you last time. Look at what a difference this fabric sash and bow made.

And finally, I finished the binding for this "Pink Twirls" baby quilt. It will be a gift for my soon to be born great-niece Arabella. I love these fabrics.

Can't wait for her to be born so I can finish up the label and send it off to her in Seattle!

Bag Time

When it's summer and blazing hot, I want to stay indoors and out of the heat. Spending time sewing is one of my favorite things to do on a free day. Lately, I've been getting several projects ready to take to Quilt Camp, but took time in the last week to make a few cute bags. The first one was inspired by the bag a friend was carrying, and an "I could make that" moment. I had a batch of charm squares in my stash and put them together for the bag and lining. I love the envelope pocket on the front, all I need now is a cute green button to finish it off. There actually is a pattern for this bag, but I knew I could wing it without a pattern, so I gave it a go.

Next was this "Camille" bag from a Peggy Sturgis pattern. The outer fabric of the bag was actually a mistake I made for the lining of a previous bag. I was frustrated with it at the time, and stuck it away.After looking at it for a bit, I figured I could rework it for a new carry-all bag for work. I like the style, but it seems a little dull to me, so I'm still considering what I might do to give it a little more "flair". Any ideas?

Back to the Blog

Between a computer that crashed, crazy schedule, and a lot of procrastination, I've been away from the blog for 3 months. BUT, I've missed the blog! So here's an attempt so get up to date.

 In May we had a great time going to L.A. Bruce and I had never really been there, so Tyler and Tu were our "tour guides" and we had a blast. In 3 days we saw Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice Beach and Warner Brothers Studios. We even had a minor star sighting, we saw (and said "Hi" to crazy Phillip from "Survivor".

In June, we hosted the best 4 year old birthday party ever. What could be better then a Superheros theme? We had lots of swimming, bouncing in the Spiderman bouncy house and presents that included a Green Hornet mask.

We've been in the pool a lot this year. Our chocolate lab, Maggie, loves swimming even more than Bruce and I. Now that I'm back in the blog world, I'll post some pictures soon. In the meantime, here are a few pics from the last few months.

On the "Friends" set at Warner Brothers Studios. The "Central Perk" sofa is pretty comfy.


The canals in Venice Beach are perfect for pictures.

I saved the best for last, my ultimate Superhero, Spiderman (aka Peyton!)

Easter Monday

Dear Peyton, The Easter Bunny is so clever, even when you are not at your Mama's house on Easter, he still comes, leaves your basket, and hides all sorts of eggs. Lucky for us, the EB texted Grandma this year and told her to be at Mama's house when you got home on Monday evening.

You were an amazing egg-finder, you have a knack for spotting the tough to find ones, even in a tree. 

 Your basket was so full, Grandpa had to help hold eggs while you kept hunting, I think both of you men had fun.

You even sat down long enough to get an Easter Monday picture with your Mama. Happy Easter, little Man!

Weekend in Seattle

My favorite niece, Blythe, (ok-she's my only niece) turned 30 last weekend. Bruce and I were able to go to Seattle and spend the weekend with Blythe, her husband Justin, their two boys Cullen and Wyatt. My sister-in-law, Geri and nephew Joel both came in from Kansas City for the weekend as well. We spent time on the military base where Justin is posted - I've always been supportive of our military, but being on a base and seeing the sacrifice and commitment of the these soldiers was inspiring.

Here's the birthday girl sharing some "tingling skin cream" with Justin, pretty funny moment.

 Bruce and Joel on top of the Space needle.

 The Pike's Market in downtown Seattle was fun, loaded with fresh seafood, vegatable and flowers. Wyatt was such a good little guy all day, rode in the back carrier most of the time. Cullen looked away just a little too quickly for me in this one.

 Geri and I would have bought out all the tulips if we'd been able to fly them home.

 It's a beautiful city from the top of the the Space Needle, the rain even held off for us all day while we were downtown.

Thank you Blythe and Justin for a fun weekend, and for the great news when we got home, IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

Jamaica with Friends

The last month has been a busy travelling one for us. We started out with a by going to Jamaica with 3 other couples. Our resort was great with a very long white beach, delicious food from several different restaurants and different entertainment every night. We relaxed on the beach, went snorkeling several times, and went on a couple of really fun boat trips.

 This picture came out a little dark, but it's all 8 of us cleaned up and ready for our "dress-up" dinner one night.

 This is more what we all really looked like all day long, in swimsuits and covered with sunscreen. Not bad for a bunch of middle aged "hotties"!

And, here are our handsome fellas!



Greek Monastery

While Bruce's sister was here (in early March), we took a day trip to the Greek Orthodox Monastery Florence, AZ. It is an amazing oasis in the desert with buildings unlike anything in this part of the country and lush gardens. Men have to wear long sleeves and long pants, and women must wear long skirts, long sleeves and head covering. It was a perfect spring day, and I think Carol and Larry had a good time.

This first picture is of the 4 of us near the entrance to the grounds.

 Here are Bruce and I in the bell tower of the newest building. Looks like we're in Greece, doesn't it?

A Dog, A Nose, and A Plastic Surgeon

It has been an eventful few days! On Wednesday morning I rode my bike over to a friends house for a quick errand. I knew I needed to get back home pretty shortly because my sister-in-law was flying in from Minnesota that same day. Well, my quick errand became a very exciting day. Upon greeting me, my friends dog caught hold of a bit of my face! He's actually quite a handsome, husky fellow, who had no intention of hurting anyone, just a bit over-exuberant. Fortunately, my dear friend popped me in her car and we were off to the nearest Emergency Department. I knew it must be an impressive looking wound when the entire nursing staff kept popping in to taking a look. Words like "Wow", "Goodness" and "Gnarly" were mentioned.

Wouldn't you know, I had not showered or washed my hair yet that day! Thank goodness I had brushed my teeth before heading out on my bike. Bruce, who had been running 5 miles that morning, came home to a voice mail saying "honey, meet me in the ED"! He came in all hot and sweaty wondering what on earth I was up to now.

After some IV antibiotics and pain meds, there was a transfer to the Emergency Department at Banner Desert where a plastic surgeon would see me. We got over to Desert, got two more IV antibiotics and more IV pain meds. Late in the afternoon Dr. Fam came in, checked me over and said words like "gaping wound" and "impressive" and told me he could fix me up in no time. After some more pain medicine and some Ativan, I was happy and relaxed, while Dr. Fam reattached my right nares to my face. We even joked around while he was working (but I don't remember the details, little fuzzy........) I was really blessed to have such a great plastic surgeon available. He did beautiful work.

I got to come home that night all stitched up and feeling no pain, in fact about an hour after getting home, my daughter offered to walk me up the stairs to bed because she said I was totally "stoned"! Her word, not mine! My sister-in-law and her boyfriend were troopers through the next few days, everyone has taken care of me and the house, and I'm definitely on the road to healing up beautifully. 

Top Number Two, Done With You

This is the second quilt top done for 2011. I had purchased the fat quarters for this top 3 years ago on a trip to Taos. I used the Yellow Brick Road pattern to make this simple top. The mix of the blue and yellow is one I like.

The combination of the blue and white is really appealing, so now I'm on the look-out for that color combination as I hit the quilt shops.  So far for the year, I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal of 6 tops, now to plan the next one, I have several ideas and I need to seriously look in to making a double wedding ring. I'll keep you posted on that idea!

Books, Books, Books

I've always been an avid reader. I think it may be genetic. My mother and her sister always had a book they were reading, a book they just read, and the next book to be read near them. As I child my mother read to us every night. I still remember "Rebecca of Sunnybook Farm" and "The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew" being read aloud to me. One of the more exciting things for a reader is to find a book so good, it can't be put down. Hours each day must be spent in the book. Once finished, that book must be shared with friends. In the last few days, "Room" was that book. Written by Emma Donoghue, it describes the world of a 5 year old boy who has spent his entire life in an 11' X 11" foot room with his mother. What could be a depressing story is creative and endearing. Though not usually the description of my typical read, it was great. "Jack"'s mother makes a life for him where he is happy and thriving. When their lives are changed, it is remarkable to see the whole world as a brand new experience from "Jack"'s perspective. His mother's struggle is very honest. The book keeps you wanting to know how their lives will play out, and how beautiful the mother-son bond is between them.

If you get the opportunity, buy it or borrow it. I hope you are as drawn in to "Room" as much as I was. Let me know what you think.

Tequila Lime Chicken

Tonight was Tequila Lime Chicken from  a Barefoot Contessa Recipe along with a Corn, Black Bean and Tomato Salad from Giada. Both of these turned out great, if I do say so myself.

The chicken was marinated overnight in Gold Tequila, fresh lime juice, chopped jalepeno, garlic, fresh orange juice and chili powder. Since Bruce is our resident grill expert, he got to participate and grilled them to perfection.

The salad included the corn, black beans, onion, tomato, jicama, cayanne and paprika. It is dressed with a sauce of lemon juice, lime juice, zests, olive oil and agave nectar. This was especially fun to make because I'd never used jicama or agave nectar before. Definitely a recipe I will make again, and Bruce gives it two thumbs up, he loved this stuff, he was eating it while the chicken grilled!

I felt like the sunflowers would be a fine plating for this dish, and brought out the plates, sunflower napkins and even the sunflower goblets. I'm a firm believer that pretty dishes make any meal better.

It's exciting for me to know that there are actually some of you reading these posts. I've heard that some of you weren't able to post feedback, so hopefully I've fixed that. For those that have asked, I got both of these recipes off of Foodnetwork.com.

My sister-in-law will be visiting us next week, so the planning for next weeks meal has already started. Not sure yet what it will be......any suggestions?

Yummy Pot Roast

For this weeks dinner I tried a new pot roast recipe from Ina Garten. After browning the dredged roast and removing from the pan, onions, carrots and fennel are sauteed in the same pot. Then red wine, chicken broth, garlic, salt, pepper and a little cognac are added. Back in goes the roast with a bundle of rosemary and thyme, to cook for 3-4 hours. Once the roast is cooked and removed to the cutting board, half of the remaining liquid and vegetables are pureed in the cuisinart, then added to the pot with a little flour and butter

to make a yummy sauce. It was a tasty change from my usual simple pot roast and one we both liked, it is definitely one I'll do again.

A Rock Chalk Weekend

For Sara's birthday gift, we took a trip to a KU basketball game over the weekend. It was a blast to meet up with family and friends, to see the refurbished field house, and to go to a winning game. Can't you just feel the excitement in building as you see the signs going to the basketball floor?Sara and I loaded up on new KU shirts, jackets, jewelry, socks, plaques, etc. Here we are in our new hoodies, just before leaving for the game. So excited, and we weren't even at the Fieldhouse yet!

We also got to see snow while we were in Kansas. Here with are with our friend Sallie, in our rental car convertible, surrounded by snow. Thank goodness it had warmed up.

The game was terrific, the crowd was loud and excited and best of all we beat Iowa State easily. On the scoreboard you can even see Bill Self shaking the loosing coaches hands. It just doesn't get much better, unless ......

you see Wayne Simien in the halls and he has his picture taken with you! It just kept getting better and better.

Sara and I both had a great time, saw best friends and our best team. I'm happy to have the best person to share it with in my daughter.

Top Number One, All Done

The first quilt top of 2011 is finished. I'm not usually a "scrappy" quilter, but I saw this pattern and loved the idea of taking all these small peices and playing with the colors to make the pattern. I had all of the fabric left from various civil war era quilts I had made, so all I needed to purchase was two yards for the sashing. The pattern name is Barn Raising, it came from a pattern I found at "Quiltville". It measures 100" by 100". This top is probably the most time consuming one I've made, but I loved the whole process. I think I learned a little bit more about patience along the way, too :). Now I just need to make the binding and the back and get it off to Jody, my long-armer.