Mickey knows the answer ...

So ... one more time people: What did the butcher say when he handed the customer the empty frankfurter?

(If you are new here, you should know that I ask my children this question every single year. I can honestly say that they are losing interest in answering. I'm over it, really I am.)

I wish you an evening full of candy, lots of doorbell rings and the best prize of all ...

Permission to start thinking about Christmas with abandon.

My Quaint Little Town

So ... the community I live in has frequently been referred to (at least by the members of my family) as Toon Town. But, contrary to popular belief, the home pictured above is not mine. I could only wish my trash cans were that colorful!

The street lights in my community are not tied up in a knot. Nor is the traffic, for that matter.

I have electricity at my house. I also have an electric bill.

But these pictures didn't come from my house, they came from a very fun, exhausting and heavenly "stay-cation" I took this week with Ms. Gee. She arranged the entire thing for the two of us and I will never be able to say thank you enough.

We took hundreds of pictures, but oddly enough not a single one with the two of us in it.

Just picture us laughing, screaming and eating. Yep I'd say those were the three main activities.

The newest member of the fam ...

So ... I fooled you didn't I? You thought I was breaking news about Mrs. Dub's impending birth. I really hope that you realized that the picture was not of her darling daughter (to be.) So cute, but not in a Dubbish kind of way.

Nope ... this little guy is the son of Ms. Gee ... aka Riley Noehren. His name is Morrissey. He is a French Bulldog. I am head over heels in love with him.

Ms. Gee is also in love with him, just as she used to be in love with sleeping through the night and having clean floors. Ah ... the life of a new mom.

I will keep you posted on that other delivery.

Seriously ... how cute is he???

~ It All Adds Up ~

So ... take one "Edland" chest from Ikea and add ...

... four "Violette" knobs from Anthropologie ...

... splash on 57 coats of lovely "Calabash" paint by Martha Stewart at Home Depot ...

... and voila ... you have the loveliest of chests of drawers to grace your guest room.

Perhaps I should mentioned that Ms. Gee (of Riley Noehren fame) was the instigator of this entire Memorial Day project, pretty much because she was driven to do the assembling for me. As in ... I'm not sure I have ever seen her happier. Along with being a lawyer/author/crafter extraordinaire, she would like to add Ikea Assembler to her resume. The fact that she lives walking distance from an Ikea has only fueled this passion.

But ... I want it on the record that I did all of the painting.

And the knob installation.

Now ... if I could just have some guests for my guest room, my life would be complete.

~ The Hoisters with the Mostess ~

So ... if you had hoped to be the first guest to stay in my guestroom and/or eat at my new dining-room table ... well, that boat already sailed. Ms. Gee drove down from the Bay Area this weekend and arrived just in time to help hoist my new table (along with Mrs. Gee) up a half flight of stairs. (I'm pretty certain she wishes that traffic jam in Burbank had lasted just a tad longer.) Mrs. Gee and myself actually hoisted the first half flight before she arrived. I am certain it would have made for a straight-to-viral video on You Tube in the category of "people who get hurt, but it's really, really funny" except that there were NO extra hands to man the camera. And let me just say my hoisting abilities were minimal at best, leaving the two of them to bruise themselves mightily while maneuvering the very awkward 140 lb. box. I don't know how many ways I can thank them, but I'm sure going to try.

Now just in case you are asking, "Is she seriously leaving that armoire smack dab in front of that window?", the answer is "Yes. Wanna make something of it?" The armoire was supposed to fit in that nook where the the picture is hanging to the right of the fireplace, but alas, it did NOT fit. Plan B was all we had. I prefer to look at it the way you might look at some other odd furniture placement in a fancy magazine and say, "Wow ... I never would have thought to do that, but it actually works and ... hey ... it got into a fancy magazine, so what do I know?" If someone would choose to put my dining room in a fancy magazine, it would certainly help my case, but for now we'll just go with the general scenerio.

After unpacking oodles of boxes full of knick-knacks that I had no business bringing across state lines, I have judiciously avoided buying new ones. This has caused me great anxiety every time I go to Target and run my fingers across any and all lovelies in their new blue and white collection. A couple of days ago, I finally succumbed and purchased these candles. I have not a single regret, however I do have a plethora of other candles that have now been rendered useless. Uhhhh ... nope ... still no regrets.

One of the things I like best about my dining room is that it's pretty much the only room with an excess of breathing room. The furniture all fits in with space to spare. That will change at the end of the year however, because Ms. Gee and I figured out today that this room is the absolutely natural choice as the place to put the Christmas tree. I am guessing that this makes me the first blog you have read lately that is actually referencing next Christmas.

I. Am. Having. Fun.

Thanks for having fun with me.

~ Every One Indeed ~

So ... it's crunch time, people. In one week my belongings will be on a truck. It's been a crazy December to say the least, but I am bound and determined to remember to celebrate December for exactly what it is: Jolly and Joyful and ... Blessed.

So I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, knowing we won't be in touch until sometime in the New Year. I am very excited for my New Life in my New State in the New Year. But don't think for one minute that I'm not counting my blessings from This Year. Such as ...

* I have travelled all over the country to see all of my children and grandchildren ... and they have travelled to see me.
* I have enjoyed the company of fabulous friends who have done way more for me than they should have ... but I must admit that I couldn't have done it without them.
* I have been blessed from the start to finish (and we're not finished yet, but I'm feelin' the blessings in the midst of the [back breaking] process) of this move.
* I have felt and heard and received 100% support from every single person I have spoken to about my new plans ... even though lots of those people were less than thrilled that I was leaving.

* I am spending Christmas with (most) of my children (the others are so tightly packed in my heart ... it's like they are right here) who will forgo the after-Christmas sales and other forms of relaxation to help me pack, clean and drive.
* I have lived such a wonderful life here in the Land of AZ that it's heartbreaking to leave.
* I am so excited about the future that I'm thrilled to leave.
* I have been kept from going completely bonkers despite the aforementioned conflicting emotions.
* I feel love and support from the PDaddy.
* Ditto for that Baby in a Manger.

Try not to forget about me all together until we are next in touch.

Love,
~ Mary ~

~She told me so ~

So ... you may have noticed (if you actually care and you may or may not ... care) that there has been a distinct lack of posts about sewing. Or anything else that is interesting. Truth be told I sort of packed everything up when I had my sewing room painted over a month ago (do you miss that pink and green stencil from the early 90's?) and I haven't had the heart or the gumption to find everything I need. Or to mess it up.

Or to sew.

But I did have this one project on my to-do list that was mentioned here. It involves miles of sewing straight satin stitched lines on a bedskirt.

Mi-les.

When I first blogged about this project, my oldest daughter warned me that it would be the most boring project ever.

E-ver.

And boy, was she right. Of course this is the girl who would not be deterred by such a project, and in fact when faced with one ... taught her Bernina to Sew. By. Itself.

The proof is here. See for yourself.

And I don't know which is worse ... the fact that she can so honestly tell me "I told you so" or that I never could find my seam ripper and had to resort to using my embroidery scissors instead.

Huuummmph. I should have just left well enough alone. That room was so dang clean before I started messing with it.

Please tell me it will be worth it.

No Fat Pigs were involved in the production ...

So ... you're thinking about going to Market, are ya? (I'm talking Quilt Market in Houston at the end of October, but Safeway in August works just fine too.)

If you want to be the belle of the ball and make an ecological statement* at the same time ... you might just want to pick up one of these babies for all your shopping needs. You can find them here. I mentioned my status as president of the Riley Noehren fan club here. My partiality has nothing to do with my love of her products.

I also bought this print of a masted ship in the San Francisco Harbor. My partiality toward ship prints (see here) has everything to do with that purchase.

Check 'em out before Market. You'll be doing a jiggety Jig.

* if Vespas aren't green enough for you, they also come with horses on them. Doesn't get much greener than that.

Get Crafty this Weekend!

So ... if you are from the Bay Area, or are in the Bay Area this weekend or will pick up and move to the Bay Area today*, just because I told you to ... then you need to head on down to the Renegade Craft Fair and take a gander at all the wonderful offerings, soak up some creative vibes and drop some pocket change** so you can come home with a smile on your face.

While you are there, make sure (seriously, make absolutely sure) to stop by (and purchase from) Riley Noehren's booth. She does wonderful screen printing and makes them into fabulous totes, purses and ... prints.

The fact that I gave birth to her*** is not influencing my comments at all, believe me. Her work is just so splendid that I need to point you in the right direction.

So ... get going all ready. Make those plans, put on those comfortable shoes ... say "hi" to my baby girl for me ... will you?

*if you are actually moving, I really hope you have already started packing
** it would be best to have big pockets
*** Riley Noehren is actually not her real name, so you are actually not any closer to discovering my true identity ...

How I Spent my Summer Vacation, Part I

So ... I have been away for almost two full weeks on a magical, marvelous, magnificent trip. Since my life now that I'm home is basically snores-ville, I will draw out the story of my adventures for posts and posts to come. Sorry. If that is also snore-inducing, at least help yourself to some scenic views.

These pics are all about the So Cal part of the trip which involved The Gees which includes the Mr. & Mrs. but most especially the L'il one. Ms. Gee (related to Mrs. Gee, but not by the "G") joined us before she and I continued on our own part of the tour. The picture above is from Newport Beach. The footprints belong to L'il Gee.

The pier belongs to the State of California I believe ... although PDaddy always claimed any pier as his own.

Here's the little guy playing with Auntie Gee's iphone which was a constant (and effective) source of blackmail and bribery. It's a little scary how adept he is on his own without any coaching. It doesn't hurt that his Auntie has several kid friendly apps.

I celebrated a birthday while I was there. If you are wondering how old I am then ... simply count the candles ... duh. Don't get so caught up in that delicious cake that you miss that grin on L'il Gee.

Stay tuned for our train ride from So Cal to Nor. Please try and stay awake.

The Many Faces of Mr. Gee

So ... The Gees were with me this lovely Memorial Day weekend. L'il Gee was the most fun, let's be honest. (Mom and Dad Gee: you were fun ... you just weren't the most fun.) This top pic is of the l'il guy perfecting his badmitton serve.

Here he is with the Go-To Grin.

This would be the Fake Pouty Face.

Not really sure what to call this one.

I guess he just gets tired of the paparazzi. It's tough to be so popular.

Has Spring Sprung??

So ... you need to know a couple of things:

#1) It is pretty hard to get anything done around here what with the beauty and entertaining skillz of these three girlies.

#2) Contrary to popular belief, summer has not arrived in AZ-town. The water that these guys are frolicking in is pretty much free-eezing. You must understand that they are from CHI-town and have not felt the sun on their extremities for quite some time. I am personally hoping that they get over this need to "dip" before someone does a swan dive.

But come to think of it, life has been sunnier since they arrived.

Come to think of it, I did leave my heart there ...

So ... I have not been around here leisurely blogging because I spent last week on a Magical Moving Tour, getting Ms. Gee all settled in her new place in the Bay Area. We took the drive in two days. The first day was mostly desert (meh) but the second day (Oxnard to SF on the 101) was just about the most beautiful one day drive I have ever taken. Those two days seemed like ... um, four days.

Once there we began the car unpacking (think clowns and VWs/phone booths) and then spent the next four days doing the box unpacking/stuff arranging/box throwing away part which seemed like at least ... ten days. And by that I mean ten days of pure unadulterated fun/exhaustion. We managed to fit in one day of fabric shopping (Thimblecreek and Stonemountain) and one day of tourist-y adventures which included (among other things) clam chowder in a bread bowl and cable cars (see above).

Don't think for one moment that I wouldn't do it all again in a heartbeat. I am afraid to go up and work in The Kingdom because there is no one for my Bernina to duel with. I am soothing my heart by calling Ms. Gee no less than 27 times a day and looking forward to a visit from Mrs. Dub and her girls in just a couple of weeks.

The way I see it I gained an extra week of life where I didn't actually have to age.

And that was indeed a San Francisco Treat.

Of Change and Changes ...

So ... this morning Ms. Gee and I had just one really important errand. We were taking our respective boxes of accumulated change to ... WalMart. You see at Walmart they have these change sorter deelies that sort your change, count it up and spit out a receipt for the amount (minus their small fee.) They make it clear that you must redeem said receipt on that very day and we were under the impression that we had to redeem it for WalMart merchandise. We were also under the impression that we each had 20-30 buckeroos to spend with abandon. Oh no.

I had just shy of Five-Oh and Ms. Gee was at Seven-Oh. Oh. My.

We raced our cart around the store buying up several necessities but also some fun, because this was after all ... free money. I picked up these to-die-for melamine plates with the scalloped edges and the perfect shade of green. Ms. Gee bought some lovelies for her new Bay Area Apartment. We were furiously doing math in our heads so as to not waste one penny. When we got to the counter and handed the nice lady our receipts, she promptly put cash in our hands. Cash. Also the perfect shade of green. It wasn't until I left the store that I realized that with the whole cash thing ... there really hadn't been the need to buy up un-neccessities.

Oops. Too late.

I will need these plates to soothe my aching heart when Ms. Gee abandons me for her new life in NoCal. No doubt I will be green with envy.

Just the perfect shade.