Next: Banjos!

So ... Ms. Gee and I have been hanging out in The Kingdom together. Our "Dueling Berninas" system is actually more productive than what you might think. Yes, there is much raucous laughter and a lot of talking to our own selves ... only to be questioned by the other one about what was said and then needing to repeat it ... but progress is made. Seriously.

Keep in mind that Ms. Gee is working on far more complicated projects than me. Her's involve zippers and linings and algebraic equations. Mine involve 1/4" seams. Hers will turn into chic one-of-a-kind handbags and will be featured on her Etsy Shop. Mine will turn into Pillow Slipcovers to be featured in my living room (and in a future post) and these red/green babies will be a class sample to be taught here on April 22nd.

I am well aware that my whales have been hanging on that wall since last summer. I swear to you that I have made progress on them (they are hand appliqued) and are really, truly my next project to bring to completion. Really.

In the meantime I will savor every moment of our dual reign in The Kingdom. There are only a couple more weeks to enhale all that mother/daughter goodness. After that it's back to talking to myself ... and then having to answer myself too.

And that is just too much for one woman. Truly.

The Blues

So ... don't get me wrong ... in my world the blues are just what I'm looking for. I love, love, love this combo of blue and white and the fact that some starfish are thrown in doesn't hurt one bit.

I put together this little number (just 14" square) for the January meeting of Patchwork Pilot Club. It hails from a free pattern from Bunny Hill and yes, I have made it before. It's a fabulous exercise in precision piecing and it is in the realm of possibility to finish the top in one 3 hour class.

But for me it's all about the color.

So tell me ... what are your favorite color combinations??

Are there not Child Labor Laws?

So ... the holidays have come and gone but all of my children have not. That's right, Ms. Gee/Are is hanging around for the next month or so while in between jobs and cities. I cannot begin to tell you just how much fun it has been. I will refrain, so as to not seem overly smug.

As part of a Christmas afterthought, I got these new kitchen chairs. Let's just say that the old ones were becoming a danger to those who chose to sit upon them. And ... they were becoming ugly. Thanks to the bargain hunting savvy of Mrs. Gee, (different daughter) I was practically able to steal them.

But judiciously chose not to.

Part of the bargain is the fact that they arrive in boxes ... without the legs attached. That's 24 legs if you are counting. I was.

On Wednesday night, while I was out partying, (with a bunch of quilters from here, do not ... I repeat do not ... get excited about my partying ways) Ms. Gee assembled each and every chair. And THIS is how she paid for it.

I seriously would be more sorry about that if I wasn't so pleased as punch with how they look. Thank you, thank you, daughter dearest.

Would any of you like to vicariously join us in a Law & Order/30 Rock/ Divine Design marathon?? Just asking.

boy oh boy!

So ... Christmas has come and gone. And although I had thought at one point that it might just be something to get through and then cross off of a list of "firsts"... it was actually quite lovely. With three of the fantastic four (children) and one of the amazing three (g-kids), melancholy was just not an option. For instance take a gander at Mr. Candy Cane pictured above with his new firehouse from Santa. Grinning was all we could muster up.

Later, Auntie Gee let him use her real camera which he used to take close-ups of the firehouse. Then he figured out on his own how to scroll back and view his handiwork. Clearly the "G" in Mr. Gee stands for Genius.

And here are my Bestest Boys. Sonny Boy (and Mrs. Boy, not pictured) tutored him on the art of the skateboard. I just love those boys.

Hope your holiday was just as Merry and Grin-ful. Do tell.

My Stars!

So ... I got the bright idea sometime in November, to add "Fancy Iced Cookies" to my repetoire of skills. And in the end, I gave myself a day and a half to perfect this particular skill ... which is basically impossible. But thirty hours or so later (+ only 2 advil) I am happy enough with the current product to give it to those friends and neighbors who have shown by prior performance that they will not openly mock me.

But just in case you are stymied by my gutsy ways, divert your attention below and the Spirit of Christmas will return in an instant.

When Miss Dub1 was told they would be seeing Mr. Claus at the mall, (she thought plane tickets had been purchased for a trip to the North Pole) she said, "Oh, I didn't know he had a station there." Miss Dub2 (yes, all 5 months of her) spent part of last week in a hospital crib, entertaining the nurses with her giggly ways and precious disposition. (She is home and fine and awaiting Santa with her big sis.)

Let's face it, I am not blogging again until after Christmas, so let me just add ...

Let Heaven and Nature Sing: Merry Christmas to All!!!

three twinkly trees, no partridge

So ... it was up to me to do the outside lights.

And I live in a pretty competitive neighborhood. Not "make the evening news" competitive, but competitive, none the less.

PDaddy was fond of keeping up ... to a point ... which involved lights strung along the outside eaves, which go to 2 stories high above the front door. I knew that my 5'2" frame was not up to the task, so I changed the game plan to involve three twinkly trees, one of which we had already. I added some lights around the front door and stood back to ooh and aah while simultaneously patting myself on the back.

So far the neighbors have been kind. Let's face it, their's only look brighter by comparison.

So how competitive is your neighborhood? Are you feeling Merry & Bright??

It's beginning to look a lot like ...

So ... I've done a bit of decorating this weekend. I will shop tomorrow to replenish my supply of Advil. In the meantime I will bask in the twinkly lights and try very hard not to move.

"S" stands for Santas in the Sunshine.

Yes, Virginia, it does snow in Arizona ... right on the kitchen table.

See ... a little bit landed in the living room and stuck to these trees.

Santa is not amused.

Turn on some Bing ... I promise it will cure the most aching of aching backs.

She is thankful for seashells at the sea shore!

So ... I had a lovely Thanksgiving. It involved delicious ... but not coma-inducing amounts of food. It involved two daughters, two cities and a fair amount of shopping. Mostly, it involved one precious little boy who looked suspiciously like the one in the photo above.

Oh yeah ... it also involved the Pacific Ocean.

Sigh.

How was your T-day?? Any sand in your toes??

shells

So ... I finally finished my quilt (wallhanging, truth be told) for my precious Miss Dub2. For some reason after I did all the leaf appliques, I took awhile before I threw out the "shells". I liked the way they looked on my cutting board. (Yes, and I like the way all those threads and scraps and what-not look like lying on the floor, in case you were wondering. You can thank me later for not taking pictures of them.)

The letters came courtesy of Carol Doak's 300 Paper-Pieced Patterns that comes with a CD. In. Val. U. Able.

I was very gutsy with the machine quilting ... when I didn't have a right to be ... because it really shows and it really could be better. But I know my little Dubbie loves me no matter what, and will love her quilt just because Nanny loves her.

So there.

blue plate special

So ... I took a blue platter that had been left in the reject box when I moved everything around last winter ...

Added what might be one of my all-time favorite quilts that I like to call A Study in Neutrals with a Blue Surprise ...

Bought some brown place mats because let's face it ... buying stuff is fun, and ...

Voila!! An entirely new breakfast nook.

Same ol' cereal.

Book Learnin'

So ... how do you learn stuff most efficiently?? Do you need it in print in order to understand it? Do you have to see it? Do you have to see it while simultaneously hearing someone narrate about it? Do you need that last one more than once? More than twice?

Then, welcome to my world.

I guess you could say that I am a visual person. But more accurately you could say that I'm a step by step kind of gal. Add to that "third time's a charm" and you would describe how I learn best. The worst way for me to learn something is just to be handed the manual. "EEK!" is usually my reaction to that one. Followed by walking away and eating something decadent. I am just that scared of manuals.

But life is funny. And here I am with a bunch of electronic equipment ... and a bunch of manuals. But ... even funnier ... I am making my way with them. I am staring manuals in the face and I am coming out the victor.

Oh ... I am woman, hear me roar.

Why, just the other day, I was faced with the daunting task of replacing the ink in a printer that is so new, I had not faced that task with it before. I did it. I read the manual. I replaced the ink. I did a dance.

And now I am the proud and humble owner of a camera that makes my old camera look like a wimpy girly-man. I tried on a few occasions to unload the pictures already on it and move on from there, but I was stuck. Even worse, I could find the "advanced" manual, but what I needed was the "basic" manual. I was headed straight for the left-over Halloween candy.

But noooo. Not only did I manage to find said 'basic' manual on the internet, (yes, the internet, children ... amazing but true) I unloaded the pictures, figured out how to work the swively display screen and took the above pictures. Of course by that time it was dark (when I started it was light) and I don't like to do 'flash', but I'm still feeling pretty good.

What about you?? Are you afraid of manuals?? What is your learning style?

And, most importantly ... are you still eating leftover Halloween candy?

blocks and blubbering

So ... I just want you to know that it was just barely November when I finally finished these two.

I haven't checked to see if the November block is out yet, but I'll try to keep on schedule with that one.*

Thanks to Miss Bunny Hill for providing me with these distractions all year long. I'm back to sewing and other projects that occupy my mind and heart. Since I don't use my blog to vent about personal issues, you will think that it's pretty much business as usual for me.

It's not.

But ... as far as my blog is concerned, it is. Thanks for your love and friendship and you're-a-total-stranger-but-what-the-heck-I'll-have-you-in-my-heart-anyway prayers. And even though it might seem like business as usual around here ... keep them up.

Definitely ... keep them up.

* Oh ... it's here all right. And you are correct in assuming that there is no rest for the weary.