October stuff

About a year ago I had bought a new iron.  Seems like I may have dropped the one it was replacing, can't remember.  I don't think I had it a month, and I made the mistake of putting it on felt.  What a mess!   I tried to clean it, to no avail.  It was so bad that I just bought another  new iron.  However, I just couldn't see tossing the scorched one, so I put it back in my closet in its original box with its original booklet.  After all, I hadn't had it very long.

Then yesterday Lisa and Linda were over working on a quilting project, and Lisa accidentally ironed on something that attached itself to the iron.  Linda suggested putting some table salt on waxed paper, and iron it to help removed the scorch.  Sure enough, it worked.

Seeing how well Linda's method of salt and waxed paper worked yesterday, today I pulled the iron out of the closet and gave it a try.  Can't say it worked very well, maybe a bit.  I looked on line, and found a method of using heated white vinegar.  Nothing to lose, I tried it.  Might have gotten a few particles off.  Then I figured I definitely had nothing to lose, so I dipped an SOS pad in the warm vinegar, and started scrubbing.  It came off!  

Happy days, now I have two good irons!   Its good to have friends come to the rescue, isn't it?

In recent news, Elizabeth celebrated another birthday.  Beautiful little girl, beautiful woman, beautiful person.  

 I host Bunco next month, and we always have an option of giving a booby prize...oops, guess I should be politically correct and say a consolation prize...for the person with the least wins.  Its hard to find items that specifically say Bunco, and I've told Party City they could make some serious sales if they would start carrying Bunco party stuff, but they haven't listened to me.  So I just made my own Bunco mug rug.  Pretty cute if I do say so myself...and I do.  :)

 Guess that's it for now.  Have a good week and safe Halloween...

another mug rug swapped

This month over on the HGTV message boards there was another mug rug swap.  The theme for this one was country fairs.

I had several things in mind when I embroidered the 1^st place ribbon, and started off with the idea of a crazy quilt pattern to get in chickens, cows, horses, fruit/vegetables, sewing, and cooking…whew!  As you can imagine, that was just too busy looking for me to be able to pull off on a little mug rug.  Instead, I just looked at my western gal, and pictured her big win in the rodeo. 

I have to say that fairs are near and dear to my heart.  My dad was one of four year-round employees at the Antelope Valley Fair and Alfalfa Festival in Lancaster, California.  Yes, I was raised in southern California.  In fact, his job as the maintenance man provided us with a house on the fairgrounds, so I grew up playing among the barns, grandstand arena, and even learned to drive a car on the streets of the fair.  Later on, I worked in the office 3 or 4 summers while going to school.  Can you picture all the little entrant cards for every pie, cake, jar of jelly, and who knows what else…all typed by hand because we didn’t have computers back in the late 60’s.  That was part of my job. 

As a youngster, I followed in my sisters’ footsteps, and entered a Chocolate Vinegar Cake in the junior division.  I was so proud of that first place ribbon.   From what I understand, it’s also known as a depression cake.  Whether because the original instructions call for making three depressions in the dry ingredients to add the wet ingredients, or because it didn’t use eggs and is inexpensive to make, your guess is as good as mine.   This recipe actually makes a small cake, maybe one layer or an 8x8x2” square pan.  It’s moist too.  (Now I just mix in a bowl and put in cake pan, but this was the original version)

Chocolate Vinegar Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Sift dry ingredients into ungreased 8x8x2” pan

1 ½ cup flour

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp cocoa

½ tsp salt

Make 3 depressions with spoon in dry ingredients, and add these:

1 tsp vanilla                1 Tbsp white vinegar              6 Tbsp melted butter

Pour 1 cup water over all, stir together until well mixed.

Bake 30-35 minutes

Note:  batter will be thin

 In other news, Robert had a birthday this past week.  I think he was about 2 or 3 in this picture.  Time just keeps flying by!  I went over and stayed with the kids while he and Angela went to dinner.  I took my camera, but we got busy with "projects" and I didn't get any pictures taken...darn.

 Elise was over the other night and we made some cookies.  She's turning into quite the little helper.  :)

That's it for now.  Have a good week!

birthdays and gnomes, oh my

July is rolling right along, isn't it?

Lily's birthday was this past week, and she had a roller skating party to commemorate turning 11 years old.  Needless to say, a good time was had by all.  Its been years since I've been to a roller rink.  It was nice to see the little supports like you see that Ashlynn has in front of her.  While Elise and cousins Cage and Echo couldn't quite maneuver it real well, it was a big hit with several of the kids who were still new to roller skating.

I participated in another mug rug swap this month, and the theme was "In the Garden".  I had in mind to find fabric with gnomes on it, but no luck.  However, in my search this pattern for a paper pieced gnome kept popping up.  I've done very little paper piecing, but decided to give it a try.   Here's the pattern's picture:

I was really pleased with how it came out.  In fact, I had to make another one so I could have one too!  

These little guys have different hats, beards, and bindings, otherwise they're pretty much the same.  Not knowing quite how to choose which one to part with I put them in a sack and pulled one out.  My swap partner got the white bearded gnome, and I've kept the gray bearded fellow.  I used a batik for the background, and really like the shaded look.  It sets the tone for being in the underbelly of the garden, don't you think?

I liked the paper piecing so much I can see more of it in the near future.  First though, I have a baby quilt to complete for an upcoming shower.  You'll see pictures of it in 2 or 3 weeks.

That's it for now.  Have fun summer days...

off to a good start

Ah, 2013 is moving right along.  I've been doing  a bit of sewing here and there.

While I was in the journal-making mode, I came across some fabric with dachshunds, and immediately thought of Virgil and Brenda since they have one.  After I got the fabric home, I noticed that alternate rows of the dogs running across were upside down.  That didn't really thrill me, so I cut out the strips with them right side up, sewed them together, and proceeded from there.  It came out cute, and only after mailing it did I pick up on something I hadn't intended...2 identical rows are next to each other.  Ah well, it's still cute, and they seemed to like it.

In December I signed up for a mug rug swap over on the HGTV quilting and sewing forum.  I was drawn to this swap because it was one-on-one, meaning I didn't have to make a bunch of things, just one item for one particular person.   I was matched up with EvelynB, a very talented lady here in Texas.  This was an initial mug rug swap, so I was to use her initial "E" and work up something from there.  Some use embroidery or applique and/or objects that start with the letter.  I deviated a bit, and used it as a monogram with the mug rug itself telling a little about her.  I appliqued the E, and kind of crazy quilted a rug depicting her and her husband as young retirees having fun and enjoying life, and items to represent her children as well as her sewing hobby.  The backing reflects Texax Tech as her alma mater.

While looking at EvelynB's posts to get an idea of what she might like, I came across a posting showing a tree skirt pattern with boots that she designed.  I'd been looking for something I liked to make for Robert and Angela, and her skirt with boots is just right. She graciously gave her permission to use her design, so thank you Evelyn!  Here's her picture from the HGTV boards.  Since they have a size limitation, it's definitely small but you can get a good idea of what it looks like. 

Here are three of my boot blocks.  5 more to go, and then I can work in the rest of the design.  Sorry about the small picture, I'm having problems downloading pics from my canera into the computer, so this is a phone picture.

Okay, guess that's it for now.  Maybe it won't take me another 2 or 3 weeks to get back and show you my progress.  :)

Thanksgiving

Ah, another Thanksgiving comes to an end.  Its always nice to gather together those nearest and dearest to my heart.  We of course ate plenty, and then everyone just relaxed a bit...the modern way.  :)

We ate our meal at lunchtime, and for those wanting to watch football games, they weren't on until a bit later.  Not only was this group tuned to their various technological games, Elizabeth took the picture, edited it to include Albert Einstein, and sent it to Facebook...all while I sat with my feet up, looking on.  I think Angela, Elise and I were the only ones without a gadget in our hands.  That's okay, we make up for it during the week.  :)   Oops, I have to take back that part about me not having a gadget in my hands...I took a couple of pictures too.

On a different note, I tried my hand at making a little coin purse this week.  I had bought the purse frame, 2 of them actually, because I saw the coin purses over on Thearica's blog.   I had to come up with a pattern, and this one is a bit longer than I want, so I'll probably re-do it to more closely resemble the smaller purses that Thearica has.   I also want to work on it to make it feel more firmly attached, it feels like a good tug could separate the fabric from the clasp.  All that's holding it is the little bit of hand stitching you can see on the clasp.  It was a good use of my crazy quilting fabric though, with a shiny brocade on the outside, and a satin-like lining on the inside.

Let me close by saying I'm so thankful for the life I have with my family and friends.  Each day I wake up with a "thank you" in my heart.  Don't let Thanksgiving be a once-a-year event...make it continuous.

milestone time again

Another family milestone day has come and passed...Elizabeth had a birthday!  She took the day off work, and I was able to spend a good part of the day with her.  

We went to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and out to lunch, then later had birthday pizza and cake.  Great day!   I came across this picture of Elizabeth on her third birthday.  I think its appropriate to show it since Elise just had her third birthday.  :)

and here's Elise on her third birthday:

I'm editing this to add a little side note.  When we were at the museum yesterday, we were outside with Elise at one of the other exhibits.  It turns out one of the other little girls was named Elise as well.  The moms talked about the names, and how they each spelled Elise.  Then the other mom made the comment that people sometimes ask her if the child's name is Elsie.  "Can you imagine?  Who would name their child Elsie???"   Elizabeth and I just looked at each other with a bit of a smile.  Later I thought (isn't it often later, when it's too late to do anything about it) I should have introduced myself by saying, "oh, I'm Elsie".  Ah well. 

reminds me of Grandpa

As I mentioned earlier, my tv now only gets the local channels. Its gone really well, probably better than I expected.  Tonight however, I felt a bit of frustration that the local channels weren't airing the American League Wildcard game between the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles.  I happened to think about the radio, and found that it is indeed playing on the KESN 103.3 FM station.

I had to download an app so I could listen on my IPod, which didn't take but a few minutes. With it parked in the speaker, it's coming across loud and clear.  I find I like the play-by-play commentary, and also that I can move around the house and not be tied to a visual game.  I also find that Grandpa Johnson has been right here in the room with me this evening.  No, Grandpa and the Rangers weren't in the same era, but he was indeed a big baseball fan.  I remember many visits to Granny and Grandpa.  He had on his bib overalls, and was sitting in his recliner with the radio at his side.  At the time, I had a hard time seeing the appeal of listening to a game on the radio, but you know, I'm enjoying it tonite.  Since I went to The Ballpark last year, I have a nice mental image of the team on the field.

Hey Grandpa, want some popcorn?

Another milestone!

Happy birthday dear Robert, happy birthday to you!

We've come a long way, haven't we? 

In other news, Summer is rolling right along.  Been playing a few of those dang computer games, but I sure do like them.  There's Draw Something, a fun way to work on your art skills.  Now these pics were screen shots, so they're kind of small, but there's a golf cart and a canoe.

And Words With Friends.  Again, an educational way to keep your mind working.  Win or lose, its another fun one.

This past week I kept Elise while Elizabeth and David had a few days away.  Always discovering something new, I learned she likes to pose for pictures!

I've done a little experimenting with cooking too.  Made these cheese sticks using a recipe from Pinterest, with some marinara sauce on the side.  They weren't bad, probably will make them again.  They didn't brown as pretty as the store-bought, but tasted good.

I also tried a chicken and rice casserole that my Bunco buddy Colissa made, and it came out so yummy.  Thought I had taken a picture, but no, so here's how the professionals do it.  Like Colissa, I added fried onion rings after the cheese...sooooo good!   I took a serving to my neighbor and froze a couple of servings, as well as eating off of it a couple of days, so it went a long way. 

Okay, guess that's it for now.  Have a good week everyone.

it's summer, what can I say?

I've been pretty lax about posting lately.  However, it is summer, and I've got a case of those "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer"...without the crazy part.

Things have been moving along.  I painted the hallway last week with paint leftover from painting my bedroom.  Still need to do the baseboards and trim, but progress comes one step at a time.  And I made some curtains for Elise and Lily's playhouse (no pictures).

And I've been working on some signature blocks for a swap on the HGTV message board.  The signups for this swap were about a year ago, and I thought, why not?  I'd have plenty of time.  Right.  We have to have 62 blocks turned in by the end of August, and I've finished sewing 25 of them.  And I still have to sign them.  Sigh.  But I'll get there.  At least they don't all have to be alike.  Here's a sampling of what I have so far.

Then the other day I was out with one of my quilting buddies, Linda, and we visited a couple of our LQSs in the area.  (That's local quilt shops for those of you not in the know.)  We each got a book called Kaleidoscope Symphony  by Marilyn Foreman.  As I was looking at it, I knew the concept was similar to a project I started from the HGTV message board several years ago, but alas had not finished.  Now with the book, I'm enthused to do something with the blocks I've already made. Basically you take a fabric that has about a 12" repeat, stack four of the repeats on top of each other, and cut out a square through all thicknesses.  You then have 4 identical squares that you turn and stitch together to form the kaleidoscope effect.

Here's the book:

Here's a picture of what I have on hand as a UFO.  At the bottom of the pic is the original fabric that these squares were cut from.  Oh, and you'll also notice my foot in in the picture so you know I'm really the one taking the picture.  The squares are sitting on some coordinating fabric that will be worked into the finished piece.

Now to make the day complete, I must say Happy Anniversary to my sister Karen and her husband Troy.  53 years today!  Woo hoo!

Have a good week.  : )

back from the beach

As I did last summer, I went to the beach with Elizabeth and her family.  We were on Padre Island, and enjoyed some splashing in the water, playing in the sand, and seeing the sights in Corpus Christi.

Elise did really well on the trip.  She handled the long drive in the car by keeping entertained with technology.  She has her apps, and knows what to do with them.  Sorry if its a bit blurry, I used my phone and it may not enlarge the best.   Notice her bandaids?  She's reached the age that I don't think there will be a day without at least one bandaid...needed or not.  :)

Surf was up at the beach.  We saw a surfcamp class at one end of the area, and noticed that they walked on down by the pier to go in the water.  It didn't take long to figure out that the waves cause you to drift down to their starting point.

Lily and David got out with their boogie boards and played quite a bit.  Elise wasn't thrilled with the water coming in to cover her feet, so Elise, Elizabeth, and I stayed out to build sand castles.

Elise is somewhat like her mother at that age, and not always wanting to cooperate or automatically smile at the camera.  Here's a family photo.  :)

One day David surprised Lily with letting her get her ears pierced.  He thought it would be fun for her to be able to tie the memory in with her beach vacation.   Here's the before, during, and after shots.

And Elizabeth told me that she's heard of a new trend to take pictures of your feet when you travel if you're not thrilled to have your picture taken.  I've actually done this before, but here's this year's beach picture of yours truly.

Yep, that's me.  I've been to the beach!