2011? Oh My!

It's shocking how quickly time flies. Really. I have been living in Ohio for over a year now, and not a single post have I made to this poor, neglected blog. I've been busy, but really........not too busy to post now & then. It's Valentine's weekend, and I will pledge right this minute to make a bigger effort to blog both more frequently and more regularly.

I'm also pledging to myself, that I will make the effort to be creative as often as possible. This has been a problem in the last year, and I really need to address that. Sewing, knitting, crocheting and writing have been sorely lacking in my life, and I'm feeling it. sigh. Must be more disciplined.

I've downloaded two entire stitchery blocks of the month from Paula Stoddard's blog, Quilt Happy Quilt Often, and have signed up for this year's effort, Home Sweet Home. Be sure to visit Paula and see all the creativity happening over there.

Web Exclusive: Jimmy & The Muppets' Impromptu Rendition of

Web Exclusive: Jimmy & The Muppets' Impromptu Rendition of

What happened to autumn?

Wow -- summer's over, fall disappeared & here we are, smack in the middle of winter. How the heck did that happen?

It's been an eventful few months. And the next few look even more . . . . . shall we say 'exciting'? Sure, let's go with that.

I'll be moving from (mostly) sunny SoCal to (mostly) not so sunny SW Ohio in less than a month. Can you say 'yikes!'? I'm trading a mostly solitary existence to one filled with kids, driving, kids, winter, kids & more fun than I'll know how to handle. I'm going to make a big effort to blog about it all right here, so if you don't see anything by, say, February 14, give me a nudge. I should be ready by then, I think, if I've survived the cross-country mid-winter trek & the moving in of all I hold dear (with the exception of course of my DH & all these critters).

Today we're taking apart those old library chairs so we can reupholster them. They're not anyone's style anymore, but they are very comfy & won't take up a lot of space, either on the way or once we're there. Alan's actually started on the deconstruction & the exclamations I hear from the other room are pretty funny. Or scary. Both, I guess. This should be interesting.

We'll be heading to Lowe's to check out paint, carpet, lighting & tile for Josh, then on to JoAnn's for padding & fabric for the chairs. Busy day.

Check back for periodic updates, OK? I'll try harder. Really.

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.