Expand My Brain Please Lord!

These are the Rainbow Jane blocks I'll be working on for the next two weeks....That's a nice way of saying... "I need to EXPAND MY BRAIN!"  There are trials that we all need help with in life but this is one of those challenges in life where you just need an expert to sit with you for about the first 10 blocks....then, I think I'd have the techniques nailed down.  

For most of you this is easy and fun and a real pleasure...I do enjoy it but it's tough to work so hard at the piecing and then have it look like the neighbors cat did it.   moving on.....

(Just sneaking in a pic of my summer girls, ages 6 and 12)

Update on my Wavy Wipers....These have saved me this summer...here's the story...I've been spending 4-7 hours (I'm not kidding)  in the car everyday going back and forth to ballet, tennis and my boy's job (stringing tennis racquets).  

I've been knitting these goodies while waiting for them or even (I confess) at traffic lights.  I gave these three to Danny's mother-in-law who got tied up by the bad guy with the gun a few days ago.  I think she really liked them!  For that story, click here.  I talked to Jake, the father-in-law (probably in his 80's) who fired three shots at the guy and he said,

"I didn't know if Danny would do what the guy told him to so I had to go do something...we just can't do without Danny, he's been so good to us."  Jake broke out of his hand bindings and hopped upstairs to the kitchen to cut free his leg binding and then went after the guy.  Danny calls him, John Wayne.  

Because their house is so full of "Manly Men"...I had to take them these jalapeno, bacon-wrapped, cream cheese things that are to die for from Pioneer Woman... Recipe here.  All I know is that when I take these to ANY function....my plate comes home clean without fail.  I even make them for myself sometimes.

Here's the last of my Three by Three swap for Anina at Twiddletails.  Kind of Christmasy...after all it is July.

That's all for today...we're packing for our big trip to Montreat, NC...my college roommate is coming to stay with me for a bit so we have that to look forward to!  I'll keep you posted on all of our doings. 

 I think I'm even going to play tennis this summer for the firstish time in 15 years....did you know that I played college tennis (see the Salem College t-shirt above)?   Don't get too excited about that...my high school team was better than my college team!  My whole family plays tennis and I mean everybody...it's just that truly, I'm not a competitive person...My Hero loves to play tennis and I thought I'd give it a go for his sake.  When I look back 18 years ago, I think it was one of the reasons he married me!  

My best shot.... top spin lob to the baseline.

Ciao!

Danny

When we moved back here 4 years ago, we were fortunate to find a great tennis coach for my son (15 years old) who lives just a stone's throw from our house. Danny is this kind of fellow you want your kids around and to be influenced by. He's a neat guy, built an apartment in his basement for his in laws, taught both of his boys tennis (both played at Univ of Ga and won NCAA titles), a Harley rider, holds kids accountable, picks up my boy nearly everyday for practice, I could go on and on...

Yesterday at 1:00, with one 10 year old girl at his house playing tennis, they encountered a home invasion. A man with a gun tied everyone up, and shot Danny in the leg. The father-in-law freed himself and was able to get a few shots at the fellow thus scaring him off. The 10 year old watched the whole thing happen.

Danny was later released from the hospital with the bullet still in his leg. The man has not been caught yet. If you're a praying sort of person,,,please pray as you're led.

Heirloom Tomatoes

If you get a chance to plant Heirloom tomatoes in your garden,  DO IT.  They make such a difference in taste....I wish I could tell you the particular variety but I've done several different kinds and they all taste great and yield tons and tons. 

 Your neighbors will love you when you share!

A Mild Obsession

Everyone knows how much I love the Wavy Wiper (see side bar for Karen's tutorial)...We use them every day...all day...for facecloths, kitchen towels, spills etc.

So.....I decided to try to make one for myself...I'd like to give them as Christmas gifts...BUT...

::::cue music from Sesame Street:::: - "one of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong" - Can you tell which ones are mine and which ones are Karen's.  

Oh help, where did I go wrong.  I realize that I'm not the greatest knitter in the world but I'm not awful either.  I've made the usual hats, scarves, baby sweaters, even socks.  But the Wavy Wiper has wiped me out.  

I will try again...I want to get that cute little size, like the original.  I will persevere!

more later on my success!

My First Quilt - A Closet Quilter is Born

I'll start with my most recent stuff first.  Love that Sue Spargo...don't you...great for beginner's handwork.  My girls did great with this one.

Dear Jane...most of the time she's not so dear but I'm working through our friendship.

This one I did for Baby Girl (my 6 year old daughter), this past Christmas...turned out way better than the picture....all flannels and super comfy.

Another flannel, for my Nutcracker (12 year old daughter), that I worked on last summer while I was recovering from my James Bond moment... check out Life Flight Story on the sidebar.

It's hand quilted.  What bozo hand quilts a flannel quilt?....someone who was in bed all day and about to lose their mind!  

To be perfectly honest...what I really want to start doing is art quilts like you'd see over at Jude Hill at Spirit Cloth.  Her fourth of July piece was fabulous.  My mind just cannot figure out where to start.

And now.....My first quilt:

Definitely a first quilt.  It's not finished yet but maybe someday...I think I realized that buying the cheapest batting at the store was not the thing to do...it's awful.  I think I'll just go with it and whatever will be, will be.  Date on this quilt....maybe 1986.  Check out Simplify and La Vie En Rose. for all the details on a Parade of First Quilts.

This is when I became, what I call now, my closet quilting days.  I was, in fact, a closet quilter.  Someone who doesn't share their passion with anyone for fear they'll lose all their friendships.  After all, I was dating some pretty cool dudes during those years.  My friends would have accepted it OK but I think even my family would have thought I was spending a lot of money on a "phase".

It wasn't really until about 5 years ago, (that's a long time in the closet) that I came out of the closet and wasn't careful about whom I shared the info that I am in fact....a quilter.  Now, I'm more secure and can swallow that hard pill if Joe Brown looks at me with "OK that's creepy, what do I talk about now" look on his face.  

I'll just offer him some sweet tea and move on.  

And so...I offer you this post, proudly labeled....."Quilts".

Wavy Wiper from Messy Karen

I am so in love with these "wavy wipers" from Messy Karen....the little red one is a scrubber that she knits with a little piece of tulle woven in there to make it a nice tough scrubber.  I cleaned out her etsy store the last time she had them. 

It arrived the day before Independence Day, so it put me right in the mood!

Thanks Karen

Not So Dear Jane

Disaster has struck....Jane and are not speaking once again...

I will try again on this one as it was so easy...but will try a different method.

I pulled out the freezer paper before I basted it but this time I think I will keep the freezer paper on and pull it out after I stitch in on. 

 Placement may be more of my problem than anything....any suggestions for getting great placement?

Happy 4th

Not Sleeping?

Sleepless in Seattle (or HotLanta)?...that's me. I know I'm 45 and it's getting to that stage of life but still. I swear if it weren't for Tylenol PM, I'd be a 2-4 hour a night gal. My large collection of eye concealer tells me that I need more than that.

Last summer, in the hospital, for 7 straight days, I had a beautiful blend of IV fluids and a non prescription sleeping pill every night.
When I got home, you would have thought I'd been to a beauty ranch in California. I was thin, no under eye circles and my skin looked like I was 25. I have my insurance to thank for the $117,000 treatment.

Just thought I'd throw this out there to see if I'm the only night owl in the group.

Signed,
Sleepless in....

Monet's Water Lilies

Living in Atlanta gives you all the advantages of a large metropolitan city and we try to enjoy what it offers.  Last week, I picked up my Nutcracker from ballet and we went 2 blocks south to the High Museum of Art.  What was showing there....Claude Monet's water lilies.

So facinating.

This is probably not what you think of when you think of his water lilies but I think it's interesting that he painted this, his favorite footbridge, after his cataract surgery and he could see things a little more clearly.  He died 3 years later in 1926.  Hard to believe that my mom was 3 years old then!

These are such amazing works of art with as many as 17 layers of paint in some spots. The last one sold in 2007 for 41 million pounds.

This was one of our favorites and certainly a very small one, maybe 4' x 5'.

Can you get a feel for how large they are?  He wanted them displayed in an oval room and so the paintings are actully flat panels curving away from the wall....can you see the shadows at the bottom showing the curve?

He did 19 of these tryptich, super large paintings (60-70 feet long) and 250-300 smaller ones...all with the same theme...water lilies.


Here's his house in Giverny, France.  We didn't get to see it last year when we were in Paris because it was closed but I went in my 20s with my mother...unforgettable.

It was a very simple house with very little furnishings.  It is amazing to me that he moved his family from Paris to the outskirts.  At the time that was death to an up and coming artist... I think he just wanted a garden!  We, creative types, love a gardern, don't we?!

Personally, I think he loved his family and the great outdoors.  Many of the other artsits he hung out with were not family folks at all.  

This is his famous footbridge in his garden.  And truly....it does look like this....(take a look back at the second picture from the top).


Those pea gravel pathways are still there.

We did get to the L'Orangerie Museum in Paris last year to see the large collection of water lilies there. Two large oval rooms (that Claude envisioned) with 8 huge triptychs. No one says a word....it will leave you speechless and bring a tear to your eye.  Baby Girl (5  at the time) ran around the room just from the excitement, beauty and magnitude of such a creation.  I allowed her to do it just twice since it was just us and the security guard in the room and he was getting a chuckle out of her thrill.

Thanks Monet for giving us a thrill and a tear all at the same time.  Isn't that a fun emotion? We rarely get to experience that one, n'est-ce pas?

(How cute is this....look, she still has her ballet tights on!)

Kaffe

I can't remember if I've showed this quilt to you...this is only the top but I did finish and give it to my sister for Christmas last year. Her good friend secretly quilted it and sent it back to me.

It's Kaffe Fasset's "S" quilt
Please click on the link to get a more accurate look at how it came out. I never would have bought the kit with the colors I've represented in the photo above...lighting in photography is everything!

Anyway, my sister came and took care of my family for a week when I was under the weather last summer. This was just a little thank you...and I do think she loves it!
Enjoy!

Dolls!

Look at these sweet little dolls that my girls and I whipped up this afternoon.


Don't they look like they're giggling? Each of the girls drew their own face on their own doll.

It's the project from Craft Hope that we've already missed the deadline of June 13 but will jump in on some of their future projects. This particular pattern is the Black Apple doll pattern. Craft Hope is a wonderful organization that sends handmade toys and clothes to various orphanages around the globe. They've collected 405 dolls for children in Nicaragua.
Their current project is blankets, booties and beanies for children in India. Perfect for you knitting gals.



And last but not least, we couldn't resist....look what's inside each of the dolls....that's right...a heart...

After all, don't forget...
It's all about the heart!

Heat Stroke

Anyone ever had heat stroke? My son was in a tennis tournament yesterday and couldn't finish the match....very scary, he was super hot, then super cold, vomiting, confused, lethargic, memory loss, dehydrated, etc. His body had lost the ability to regulate it's own temperature....I got him home and into a cool bath with a jug of water and gatorade. Then to the couch to watch Judge Judy. As soon as he could tell me the story and verdict ...I knew he was OK.

This Atlanta heat is something else...everyone please be careful out there!

Happy Father's Day Daddy

Me and my Dad at the Georgia Tech homecoming in 1968. I was four years old. This was a big event for our family. We loved going to the Tech games and cheering on the Yellow Jackets! He was the Placement Director for Ga. Tech. At the time, this was a big deal because he was the guy responsible for making connections with all the big companies in America to get jobs for our graduates....still to this day, older men will tell me or one of my siblings what a great guy he was and how much he meant to them....that was 40 years ago and they still remember.

Needless to say he was a big man on campus and a bit of a celebrity locally. He was chosen by Tech, 6 months later to take a small group of carefully selected students to travel to Russia. Sort of an act of good will on Russia's part to let them in. In fact, they were the first Americans allowed there during the Cold War....can you imagine the stress. They arrived at the Leningrad train station; suffered his third heart attack and died. He was only 45. My mother was left with 5 children, ages 5-20. Her first husband was a WW2 pilot and was shot down...no children. After two husbands, she decided not to remarry.

My mother surrounded herself with fellow christians and a church full of support. One family friend, Philip, admired my father soooooo much. He actually took a trip to Russia years later and brought us back a picture of the train station. Oddly enough, Philip died at 45, as well, of a slow growing brain tumor. Philip was also the minister that married us. Both men had their funeral services at 2 of the largest churches in Atlanta and not a seat to be had in either one.

What made my father such a great man, to be admired by so many and still leave such an incredible legacy? Here's my take on it:
-He was kind.
-He genuinely cared about other people.
-He was a great father to me and husband to my mother. She claims they only had one fight in 20 years and that was over whether or not he should take a raincoat to Russia. Not bad, huh
-He was a gentleman and used him manners willingly.
-He was charismatic. People were just naturally drawn to his personality.
-He was a wonderful christian man.

Even though I was only 5 when he died, he is still teaching me today, by the way he lived his life 40 plus years ago.

Thanks Daddy.

Good Rules for All

("Correction....I can't find this on that website anymore....
If you find it...let me know....Thanks. L.")
I finally found the prim "Good Rules for All". I know the photo is small but go to the link and you can order the pattern there. Great for a mountain house or vacation cottage. The first place I saw it was in the mountain house that we rent every summer.

Here's the rules just for kicks:

1- Be nice to one another.

2- Think good thoughts.

3- Try to do better.

4- Say please and thank you.

5- Smile.

6- Be happy.

7- Listen to others.

8- Be helpful.

9- Speak kindness.

10- Never give up.

Enjoy!

Three By Three

Anina sent the first installment of the three by three swap...I can't wait to get my next 16! I love every single one of these...and love the way they work together....everyone did such a great job and the craftsmanship on them is excellent.


Honestly, I love every one and can't wait to explore sashings...right now I'm thinking some kind of Essex linen....neutralish, not white and definitely not black, although it was my first choice.

Do you see yours in here?

My Babes

My precious Noel.... old faithful Noel...former guide dog, now with cataracts and a major case of diabetes. It's ironic how he use to guide folks across the street...now, I'm the one who has to tell him, "STEP"....that means he needs to take a step up or down.


We could learn a lot from our pets....his lesson would be all about unconditional love.


Or honor and respect.


Cici, love her to death but she insists on smelling as bad as she possibly can at all times. Even 5 seconds after a bath. What gives? I'm not sure what her life lesson would be...something involving a lot of anxiety I'm sure.


And then she tries to cover it all up by being cute and white and fluffy. It's not working with me today....


Here's my baby girl....sweet at the day is long....can you tell how hot it is in Atlanta today...98 degrees - that's even too hot to go to the pool. ahhhhh.

In case you need a reminder ....
go hug your babes today.

Feeling Like Gilligan

Yep....we were at the beach last week....so...why am I feeling like Gilligan?   Shipwrecked, you say???  Not exactly, but close.  Do you see one high rise or condo??  I know you may see a few homes in this photo but I swear, there is no one home.  Perfect for Brad & Angelina.

Remember last year at this same time??? Click here if you need a refresher.

That is my Life Flight story.  You would think I would have learned my lesson...about going to places with very small hospitals....but nooooooo.....we went to the beach where there was NO hospital.  Brilliant, right?  Luckily nothing happened and no one was eaten by a bear, although we were warned.  Bears at the beach...I'm not making it up.  

This is the adorable house we rented ....right on the beach and I mean... smack, dab on the beach.  Closest gas station...7 miles, closest grocery store... 20 miles, closest small town shopping (fast food, too)... 50 minutes, closest hospital...one hour.  

Now you know why I feel like Gilligan!  

We loved it...this is a little sand town  that Baby Girl and I made in the sand.  Complete with post office, shoe store, zoo and a general store with piece goods.

Plenty of shark fishing...

Plenty of sandcastle building....(made of 255 sand balls)

Plenty of catfish catching...

And plenty of squid baiting....

These were some of the first shark we caught...you're not so happy to see them after the first 20 catches! 

Oh and by the way...the rental company doesn't take credit cards..."if we're not here, just slide a personal check or cash under the door".

Needless to say...we rested.