Summer is nearly over, but SoCal doesn't know it. Today's high temp was 111, too hot to collect the mail, too hot for the dogs to do more than their business before hightailing it back inside, too hot for the cats to complain about being confined indoors. I couldn't even muster the energy to step into my sewing room to assess the mess, much less address it. Maybe tomorrow?

SoCal Quilters Run

Tomorrow's the last day of the '09 Quilters Run, but I'm finished. We managed to get to all of the stores in area 4 (12) and all of the stores in area 2 (11+1 highjacker), then I was coerced into stopping at one more store -- Stars & Scraps in Corona -- for a grand total of 25 stores in 10 days. I'm pretty sure I won't be attempting anything like this again. The 'highjacker' store was a new store that posted signs & a young woman at a streetcorner, all to lure Runners into their clutches. I was willing to visit the store, but didn't even take my wallet in, just knowing it wouldn't be worth the effort. Wrong! It was Cranberry Quiltworks, whose booth I'd visited last year at the Loma Linda quilt show. I bought 2 kits there, and they're both finished! What a treat to see the brand-new store, stocked with some great, fresh fabrics and patterns. Definitely worth the detour.

I'm not going to flame any of the lesser stores, but we really enjoyed Flying Geese in Tustin, and The Fabric Patch in Montclair. Favorites in the San Diego area were Cozy Quilt shop in El Cajon and The Crazy 9 Patch in Ramona. Of course, closer to home are the Quilters Coop in Temecula, and my personal local quilt shop, Temecula Quilt Company, both of which are terrific shops.

We had a great time over the 4 days it took to get to all these far-flung places, and I got to see a lot of places I'd never been before.....not to mention my first time driving the Ortega highway. Yikes. I didn't tell my passengers it was my first time until we'd descended in Orange County.

I'm having a hard time deciding which of my purchases is my favorite. I'm tending toward the new June Tailor ruler that has 1/2" slits, with lines to square-up blocks up to 6" -- plenty big enough for most of what I do. Or maybe it's the fabric I bought for a special relative's birthday present. Or, it might be the gift I bought for a friend's birthday. There were some great patterns in my shopping bag, too. Patterns for little quilts, runners, bags & even a couple of big quilts. So much fun, so much laughter, so many miles, so many quilts, so little time. Very satisfying.

Good Book Alert!

I just read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, and I want everyone I know to have read it, too. Such a wonderful story, about the island of Guernsey during the German occupation during WWII. The story is told entirely in letters to/from residents of the island and others in England and elsewhere. Oddly, the format didn't seem to get in the way of the story at all, but the different styles, syntaxes and voices of each writer was a special bonus. I don't want to tell too much of the story, but I will tell you that there was humor, pathos, tragedy, high comedy (and low!), mystery, history . . . . . I could go on, but you get the picture: it was a complete entertainment and I hated to reach the final page. I may just have to read it all over again before passing it on to a friend. Or, I may have to buy another copy for my friend and keep this one close at hand. Yes, it's that good.
Go! Get thee to the bookstore and get your own copy so you can understand what I'm talking about here. Really.

Well, children, the truth is this: I didn't take a single picture at the wedding. There was too much going on! I'm counting on my siblings contributing theirs to the pot so we can put an album together for Mom as well as Jill & Matt.
It was a wonderful day, with lots of laughter, some tears, so many wonderful hugs & the sight of so many dear ones that my heart overflowed. The grands were great, even Charlie, who refused to perform his ring bearer duties and, instead, sat between his dad's feet during the entire ceremony. The Right Reverend George proved to be worth his weight in gold, providing a ceremony custom-made for Jill & Matt and causing the first of both the tears and laughter.
The sampler menu at the reception was a big hit, with literally something for everyone, from appetizers (starting with little tomato soup shooters topped with tiny triangles of grilled cheese sandwiches) to the last hurrah (mini milk shakes and mini Chicago-style hot dogs at 11pm). The exclamations of delight continued throughout the evening.
The photo booth was hysterical fun, with everyone in infinite combinations heading for the booth to contribute their own goofy reel for the album and for themselves. I think the group that provided the most laughter in the booth was my five nieces -- it's still making me laugh.
I am so grateful to my family for showing up in force for this event. Matt, too, fully appreciated the effort made on his behalf, and the rest of us just enjoyed being together to celebrate this much-anticipated wedding.
It was all good. Well done, my children. Best. Wedding. Ever. Really.

This is the week, my friends, that my middle son will marry his sweetheart. My own heart is full, and I'm looking forward to both the wedding and spending the weekend with all of my siblings and most of their children. The only one missing will be my mother, who is disappearing minute by minute in the labyrinth that is her mind. We're gonna miss her. We'll take lots of pictures and share them all with Mom, over and over and over again. There are no reruns in Mom's world.
For now, I need to get packed and get the house organized for me to be gone. I've found a dress (thank you, Julie!), shoes (thank you, Alan, for carting me around), undergarments and hosiery. My sweet friend, Ellen, will be helping with the 'do for the wedding, but I need to find someone to do the grands' hair Saturday morning. Neither their father nor I is any good at doing girly hair. How did that happen? Peggy is providing 'important' earrings, as well as outerwear for the weekend. What on earth would I do without my support system? Fortunately, I'll never know. I do feel loved.
On to the packing. Pictures will be posted as timely as possible.

Lemon Cream Scones

Well, it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to post that scone recipe. Especially since the entry in the guild's cookbook is wrong! This recipe is from Bon Apetit magazine, 1996, I think.

Lemon Cream Scones

2 C. flour
¼ C + 2T sugar
1T baking powder
½ t salt
¾ C chopped dried apricots (about 4 ½ oz), optional (or dried cherries or dried cranberries)
1T + 1t grated lemon zest
1 ¼ C whipping cream, not ultra-pasteurized if possible (Trader Joe's has great heavy cream)
3T unsalted butter, melted (but I do use regular butter)

Preheat oven to 425. Mix flour, ¼ C sugar, baking powder & salt in a large bowl. Stir in apricots (or other dried fruit) if using, and 1T lemon zest. Add cream and stir just until dough holds together. Form dough into a 10-inch diameter, ½” thick round; cut into 12 wedges. OR divide dough in two; form into 5” diameter, ½” thick rounds; cut into 8 wedges each. Place on a large baking sheet. Mix 2T sugar & 1t lemon peel with the back of a spoon. Brush scones with butter & sprinkle with lemon sugar. Bake 15 minutes or until golden.

Serve alone or with lemon curd & softly whipped cream, or with jam.

This was our view on Sunday morning, the last day of the Valley of the Mist first annual quilt retreat. We stayed at Vina de Lestonnac http://www.vinalestonnac.com/ in Temecula's wine country. So peaceful and beautiful. The balloons are an every-weekend thing in the area, but this was the first time I'd seen them. Pretty spectacular.

The weekend was a lot of fun, with lots of food, prizes, laughter, and of course, sewing. Every finished top was greeted with oohs and ahs and cheers. We are such an enabling group! Of course, every single one of us was inspired by the others' workmanship, choice of colors and design. Check out the pictures in my Flickr badge, on the left.

Beginning Saturday morning with a nice massage was a real treat. Thank you, Linda! You can borrow my car any old time. I finally settled on a project, after rejecting three others. It took a long time to get a block made, after sewing lots of strips together and cutting them into smaller units, over and over and over again. Then, things began to come together, not just for me, but for everyone, it seemed.

The convent food was just OK. Maybe not even that, but there was plenty of it, and the atmosphere throughout the retreat center was a welcoming one. Our Friday afternoon tea, on the other hand, was a big hit, with lots of savory and sweet treats, along with a very nice assortment of teas. My scones were a hit, and I am now the official scone baker for future retreats. Works for me -- I'm happy to have an excuse to make them.