Split Personality

So ... I am still basking in the enormity and lovliness of my gift ... and let's not forget how people are all jealous of me. I am really basking in that. Left with nothing exciting to blog about I turn to this apron, hanging on the door of my sewing room. Perhaps it is reminding me that I should cook more.

Nah ... I don't think so.

I made my apron shortly after Miss Dub was born, while awaiting the arrival of Li'l Gee. It gets me thinking about how if I really ... truly ... know best, how come Grandma's Grandkids don't live closer to me? Is there something I don't know?

And here's another question: Are there any sewer/quilter/crafter people out there who really like to cook and do it a lot? My mind can't seem to handle both. If yours can ... do tell me your secrets.

Bigger than a Mailbox!

So ... I ever so casually went to get the mail this afternoon. I have to walk/drive to a box that is down the street and around the corner. If I have a package larger than my teeny-weeny mailbox, then there will be a key in there to a larger box. Today there was a key. I just knew what it was.

I was right.
My free GiveAway from Jodi arrived today full of who-knows-what from Spring Quilt Market in Portland, OR. I was so excited I could hardly stand it. What could she possibly have sent me?

Tissue! I really like tissue. I use it all the time. So ... I am even saving the tissue.

Everything was in a plastic bag, which only prolonged my excitement. When the heck would I get to see my stuff?!

Oh, how it was worth the wait.

I opened it all up and then divided it into categories ... like candy on Halloween ... only much more practical and less fattening. First: A boat -load of reading material including a magazine and several catalogs. I love magazines and catalogs!

Next: A myriad of samples from tissues to a quilted nail file. I told you I love tissue!

Oooooohhhh .... fabric. Luscious, delicious, magical ... fabric! (And a little hot pad from Moda.)

Last, but not least: Candy ... just like Halloween. Some of it is still left. I won't tell you how much.

Oh yes and this card (made into a pin.) I feel so naughty already what with all the drooling and the candy eating and such. Mostly ... I feel grateful. Thank you Jodi. You made me feel like I went to Spring Market. I'm just sorry that I didn't get to go and meet you there.

So ... let's be honest ... how jealous are the rest of you?

So Egg-Citing!

So ... having not much to report on this Memorial Day*, I offer forth the following ... life changing ... beauty tip.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Ped Egg.

I received this tip from a strange woman (It's just that I didn't know her ... she actually seemed quite normal to me) in the salon while I was getting chastised by the woman giving me a pedicure, (who was strange ... as in odd) because of my dry feet. Yes, yes, they have been a problem to me my entire adult life, but particularly since moving to AZ. Let's just say I have put a small fortune into "foot creams" that only really help if I spend my life with my feet slathered in such creams ... while wearing socks. Makes the whole flip-flop/sandal issue in the summer a tad hard. But, I digress.

So the pedicur-er was really railing on me, when this woman walks by and recognizes my dual agony: I am being humiliated in public and I have very dry feet. She sweetly and casually mentions that the aforementioned Ped Egg was a life saver for both her and her mother. Her mother ... who was with her ... appeared to possibly have even dryer feet than mine, so I went to my local Walgreens and layed myself a Ped Egg for a mere $9.99.

The secret apparently lies in the many ... very sharp ... very fine ... ridges on this cheese-grating like object. The grater snaps into one half of the egg to very conveniently collect the ... DNA ... that is shaved off of your foot and resembles talcum powder. My heels were immediately smooth with nary a drop of blood in sight.

Thank you strange woman at the nail salon. Thank you.

Oh ... and as for *Memorial Day. Both my father and PDaddy's father served in World War II and I pay tribute to them both. As for Holiday fun? We ate lunch "al fresco" and saw Iron Man this afternoon. Loved, loved the movie. Ditto for my Greek style pizza.

How was your Memorial Day? And seriously ... how dry are your feet?

A Little Greenery ...

So ... I frequent a lot of blogs where people take pictures of the flowers in their gardens, you know ... like flowers that they actually grew. The flora and the foliage in those pictures cause me to a) feel like dancing at the beauty of it all and b) sink into the depths of despair because I have no such abundant greenery and/or blossoms in my yard.

And that is because a) I live in Arizona and b) greenery and/or blossoms refuse to cooperate with me. Refuse.

However ... I did have my hand in helping to create the above pictured radiant displays of Springtime. (I helped create their mothers, that's how.) Miss Dub and Li'l Gee are basking in greenery all across the country.

Excuse me while I leave to do a dance.

* Remember how it was 110 on Sunday? Yea, today it's in the 60s. No wonder my brain doesn't work.

Ummm ... Tasty!

So ... you may be wondering why I am showing this ... uncharacteristically brown quilt ... in the middle of Spring. Oh ... there's a reason all right and it has nothing to do with lowering the triple digit temperatures around here. ( Which are going to be in the 70s by tomorrow, btw.)

No, I am showing off this little number (made about a year and a half ago in a "Jo's Little Women" class ... so much fun, but ... I digress) because I was looking for something on a quilt that resembled ...

... a crow. Yes, folks you are looking at my diet for today. Crow ... eating crow ... lots of ... crow.

You see, over the weekend I visited this charming blog and entered a lovely giveway. Truth be told, I enter a lot of these things, and having never actually won in the past, (and in the midst of finishing "the samples") I totally forgot about this. I also have two different email addresses and don't always check the one connected with my blog.

And let's not overlook the fact that I'm an idiot.

Because, guess what!? I won! Yes, I won the giveway ... on Monday. Today is Thursday and lovely Jodi tracked me down because she is apparently quite tenacious ... and forgiving.

Thank you Jodi. I am grateful. I am excited.

And I am, most definitely ... humble. Do you think if I ate some humble pie, it might taste a little better than crow?

More Stuff

So ... I was perusing my newest issue of Quilt Sampler Magazine when I noticed (I believe on page 27) in the bottom right hand corner that this particular quilt shop was showcasing the Foldover Bag ... a fablulous pattern by my friend Renee. I made a sample of this pattern and taught it at Grandma's Club last year.

I made mine with some fun kid-friendly fabric and even put a pocket inside that was shaped to hold a baby bottle. But, let's be honest ... I have only ever used it to hold ...

... STUFF. As you know, I have a lot of stuff. And I don't mind advertising it. I was quite thrilled to find these letter buttons here and felt they were perfect to make my statement. The pattern is mucho easy and as a small hint I will say that instead of using a stiff interfacing, I used fusible fleece which worked like a dream.

In other ... less crafty ... news: It was 110 here yesterday. Yes ... degrees. Yes ... in May.

Yes ... I have lived to tell the tale.

simply happy

So ... I finally, finally finished both of the samples I have been working on for ... forever!! All I can say is that I am simply happy to be done. I purposely made the two samples to compliment each other, even though they are for two totally separate classes. In the process I discovered a couple of things:

A* I would have probably enjoyed the process more if the second quilt had included new colors and fabrics ... I just plain would have enjoyed the change in scenery and the chance to play in the stash more.

B* I apologize to Mrs. Dub for having to drop a few too many of her glorious details, but I thank her for the inspiration.

C* I am simply happy to be done.

D* Ummm ... I'm still mad about Jim and Pam.

What the Heck??

So ... if you Tivo'd The Office, don't keep reading. If you watched it ... do you want to join my 12 step group to get over the face that Jim didn't actually propose to Pam? What the Heck???? PDaddy kept saying that something was going to go awry, but I said, "Oh nooooo, they'll mess with everyone else, but they won't mess with that."

I am so sick and tired of PDaddy being right every dang time.

I'll be going to bed now. Don't call me unless the invitations are in the mail.

Mommie Knows Best

So ... this is the picture I was referring to when I said that my daughter, Mrs. Dub, had a hand in designing the machine applique sample I am currently working on. Just so you know ... this is not a picture from her childhood that I have saved over the years ... she drew it for me in the Spring of 2005 when she and Mr. Dub were living with us.

She just knows that I will always be her "Mommie."

Before you get way too excited I must tell you that in the sewing of it, a great deal of the many, fabulous details had to be sacrificed. I am just hoping when you see the finished product you will at least ... recognize it.

Stay tuned. Mommie's off to The Kingdom to applique her brains out.

More Sugah ...

So ... I finally finished the paper-piecing sample and I'm more than happy with it. Except for the fact that it took way, way too long to make, but what did you expect? For those that have any interest in it (are there any who are interested in it?) all of the patterns for the paper-pieced blocks (which include the borders) came from Carol Doak's book (complete with CD ... so, so easy to use) called 300 Paper-Pieced Blocks ... or something like that.

Now I am furiously at work on the machine-applique sample and let me just say ... that although she doesn't know it ... my own Mrs. Dub actually designed it and it is quite splendid, if I do say so myself.

Which brings us to the most important topic of the day ... chocolate chip cookies. (Pretty much the most important topic of any day.) Those pictured above were personally made for me by the PDaddy as part of his Mother's Day tribute and they are particularly nummy.

So ... two questions:

How was your Mother's Day? ... and ...

Are you concerned that my posts are clogging your arteries?

Speed Eating, the new Olympic sport

So ... just today a friend of mine came over ... for no particular reason at all ... and gave me the above gift. This lovely creature is actually more of a daughter (in fact I like to think I had major influence in raising her), but if I say "friend" then I appear to be much younger than I am. So ... I am going with "friend".

I would also like to say that I saved the above pictured gift and thought about it all day long while I toiled away furiously and built up an appetite for such a rich, gooey, scrumptious, treat.

Naw ... I downed that sucker in about 90 seconds flat.

But my gratitude has lasted all ... day ... long. Thank you my scrumptious friend.

So here's to friends ... and to Sprinkles which opened its first store in the Phoenix metropolitan area today.

Long live cupcakes.

Thing One & Thing Two

So ... I spent about 10 hours yesterday, helping out at a Bernina Event. At this store. It was all about Machine Embroidery. Which I have the ability to do, but don't do very often. (Which I did do on this pillow a couple of years ago.)

I learned two things:

The first thing I learned was that I really should do embroidery on my sewing maching more often. Not every minute ... just more often. And the second thing?

That I am way too old to be on my feet for 10 hours. End of story.

Like a Pig in Mud ...

So ... I am back in the thick of thin things. (Fabric is thin ... and that's pretty much all that is.) I am nearing completion of the first of my two samples. My sewing room is a mess, I am constantly covered in thread, my back is killing me ... and I couldn't be happier. I really do love to do paper-piecing, but I am always, always surprised at how long it takes. I also tend to make changes in color choices when it's too late in the block to do anything but start over. Eh ... who cares. I am covered in thread. I am happy.

In other happy ... proud ... news: Last night PDaddy received an award for doing mucho pro-bono work in his law practice. In case you don't know ... that means "for free". He works with the Volunteer Lawyer's Program and let's just say this isn't the first time he has received this award. What can I say? I have a Trophy Husband.