Evening Edition from Houston–Free Kindle Cookbook!

After a super day with the Kingwood area Quilt Guild, I’m relaxing, surfing, getting ready to turn in early for a good night’s sleep before heading back to NC in the morning, and I just came across this goodie!

Knowing how quilters love to EAT as much as we love to SEW…this sounded like a Kindle MUST HAVE!

It’s the Gooseberry Patch Circle of Friends Dips & Spreads Cookbook, and it is available for a free PRE-ORDER!

I have several of the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks and I love them. They usually have simple tasty recipes that use ingredients that I have readily available on hand, and I clicked to pre-order this one right away…

You might want to too, because we know that what is free today, might not be free tomorrow!

The information says that it will be delivered June 7th, so you won’t have to wait long to try these yummies:

Book Description:

Dips and spreads for every occasion! Try Robert’s Corn Dip, Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball, Vickie’s Favorite Guacamole and Undefeated Bacon Cheese Dip!

I am not being picked up for the airport til 11am, and I do have pics from today’s workshop to post, but I’m thinking I’ll leave them for tomorrow morning…

Enjoy your evening!

We Came, We Sewed, We Conquered!

Or would that be, We Came, We Sewed, We Wilted!! ((IN THE HEAT!!))

Sometimes, the a/c just can not keep up. There is no getting around it. It gives a good try at it, and if you get it really cold in the room to start off with in the early morning hours, you might think it will help matters, but you know what? When it’s 100 degrees out? By 3pm in the heat of the afternoon, that poor a/c unit going “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can”….just says…..”I can’t keep up!”

It was that kind of day yesterday….and into last evening! But quilters are troopers…besides, a bit of sweat is good to clean our pores,

I heard one lady saying last night “Yes, I’m feeling a bit dewy, bless us all” in her sweet Southern Texas drawl…LOVE IT!!

Me however? I knew it was REALLY hot during my lecture when I could feel the sweat drip off my elbows and down onto the floor…lol! But what a fun night!

We had a great time playing in the scraps for the Cathedral Stars workshop yesterday. And on those occasions where the guild has their meeting the night BEFORE the workshop, I often hear stories from students the next morning with tales like “I was so excited I had to go dig into my scraps and push the boundaries a bit farther with my fabric choices!” Or…”I felt so guilty about what I was tossing out that I dug back into my trashcan!” Or…”That fabric that I was going to donate --- Well--- do you think they would mind if I un-donated some of it, I think I want to use it!” It’s a win-win any way you look at it!

		Cathedral Stars, Woodlands TX June 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

There are a couple photos that might not quite belong with the others! Sally had brought her Jared Takes A Wife blocks that she had started up in Pigeon Forge in March to show me her progress, and her fabrics are so pretty, I left those in the slide show too!

After the workshop, we made a beeline for Sonic! It’s hot….we’d been sewing like crazy fools, and what is better than Happy Hour 1/2 price cherry limeades? Yes, I admit it. I bank where I do, because there is a sonic across the street, and I will strategically place my bank run at a time when I can make good use of Happy Hour at Sonic! DH used to work for the company that made the ice cream for Sonic when we lived here in Texas, so that place is near and dear to my heart!

From there on…..it was DROP OFF time! Ginger and I met up with the ladies from the Kingwood guild at It’s A Stitch! What a better place to meet and drop off than a quilt shop?

Look look look at the sewing notions on the black on white! I bought 3 1/3 yard cuts..and a selection of FQs. I loved the bicycles!

The coral-y orange piece? I love geometric prints. And it’s an oddball color…which means I needed it. I’m not sure what for, but it was 1/2 price.

Today is a Star Struck workshop with the Kingwood guild. I’m really looking forward to it. My pick up is in 1/2 hour so I better get a move on. It’s been a whirlwind visit, and I head home tomorrow…..

And OH!! I just got a Text message!

Welcome to the world, Michelle! we are so glad you are here! I can’t wait to get home to NC so I can hold you!

Is there anything sweeter than a new baby?

Early Morning Waterway Run…..

In Texas, or anywhere in the south in the heat of the summer months for that matter….if you want to get out for a good bit of leg stretching and lung filling, you’ve gotta do it EARLY!

This morning I was up and at it at 6am – could it be because my body is still on east coast time, thinking it was 7am? Probably! But a quick glance out my window told me the day had dawned bright and beautiful and I was really wanting to throw my running shoes on and go explore!

The area that I am in is very close to the Woodlands Waterway! SO off I went, ipod blaring, heart pumping --- Let’s GO!

I wasn’t really sure how to access it…..and found myself going ACROSS it with out seeing how to get down there! OOPS! But I could see runners and joggers and walkers, and dogs curious about the ducks also out enjoying the morning!

I scrambled down an embankment and got close enough to scare this little duck off the sidewalk!!

It’s truly a beautiful area down here! And I only had time to go in one direction, so in no means did I see enough of it at all, but I did enjoy what I did see!

It’s quite the tourist attraction I understand! Here I came across where they keep the water taxis. Can you imagine this at night with all the lights lit up?

I love refections on water…..it looks like double decker upside down taxis :cD

I wish I had time to go the whole route! There are maps scattered here and there….I’m not sure where the “you are here” dot is on the map…..

If you get a chance to come visit this area, don’t forget to take some time out for the beauty of this man made river! There are shops and restaurants all over, and everything is so beautifully landscaped.

I made my way back to my hotel – my goal was to get in 5 miles this morning, but I was stopped short at 4.31 – when I tripped over the curb :c(

Yes, Houston, I do believe we had a PROBLEM! How does a person trip over a CURB!? My guess is I was off looking somewhere else, taking in all the wonders of the morning, and WHAM! We will survive. Life just leaves marks, no way around it!

Sometimes those marks are plainly visible like the scrapes on my knee ---

Sometimes those marks are the things we keep locked deep inside. And I have those too. Today I am remembering the birth of my daughter, Heather 29 years ago. I’ve posted little about her before, and her short but very precious life. There have been years when I’ve dreaded this day. There have been years when I cried and lost myself in weeks of depression surrounding this day. Then there was the year I was so crazy swamped ((I think I was in Massage school at this point)) that the day flew by without remembrance and then I was mortified, feeling like a terrible parent for forgetting such a day!

Today? I’m celebrating her little life. All 17 days of it. Remembering what it was like to hold her in my arms, to smell her sweet newborn baby smell, the feel of her soft downy hair on my face as I planted kisses on her sweet head.

It’s true. I’m forever changed because of the part she played in my life, however short it was. I remember vividly carrying her safe in my belly. I remember the wonder as I felt her move for the first time. I remember how hilarious I thought it was when she got hiccups inside my belly.

Happy Birthday, honey. I love you. I miss you. For such a short time, you were mine. I will never be too busy to forget. Not Ever.

And I am also celebrating the fact that I have two wonderful sons who make me so proud. I love them like the air that I breathe, they are my foundation, my heart and my home.

Someone asked me recently how is it I seem so upbeat all the time. It’s a choice. Really. And I honestly think that once I gave up trying to control situations I had no control over – once I accepted there were things I couldn’t change, I became less viscerally connected to things that I couldn’t control.

It’s that serentiy prayer – Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. It works. Really.

And I’m going to be late if I don’t post this and get down to the lobby! I’m being picked up like NOW!

Houston, We Have ---- HEAT!

See this picture? As I write this post it is 95 degrees out there. And only about 50% humidity, which means Houston is very hot and VERY DRY!

My flights this morning took me from Greensboro NC to Dulles, VA where I boarded the plane and reclaimed my favorite seat EVER!!

If you find yourself flying on a 737-500, this is the seat to get:

Loved loved loved it! It was about a 3 hour flight, and I even slept, which was wonderful. And since my eyes were closed, I didn’t have to see that the traveling businessmen types were glaring at me for THEIR lack of legroom, when I had it in abundance. It’s a rough life, isn’t it?

((Remind me when I get home, to do a bleach wash on those running shoes!!!))

Upon picking me up, Ginger said that there were a couple different places we could go for lunch. I am always up for something that I “CAN’T” get at home…and we definitely do not have a Rudy’s! What is Rudy’s you ask? See the sign up there? Do YOU know anywhere else where you can FILL YOUR CAR with gas, and go inside and eat amazing BBQ, all in one place?

Talk about convenient! I think the only thing I would add is a place that would rotate your tires and give you an oil/lube/filter while you eat BBQ! I think they could make a fortune on that!

My adorable hostess, Ginger *NOT* watching what it costs to fill up her car!

Upon walking into the restaurant part…I laughed out loud at these tees!

THIS would be the shirt I wanted for the men-folk in my family, but they were sold out of their sizes, so a picture will have to do instead!

In fact…there were other pictures I had to take too! This one, especially for DS Jeff!

HAHAHAHAH!! Loved this! Of course, I loved THIS too:

NO, this was not just MY lunch, Ginger and I shared it, and she took quite a bit home to her son too. We’ve got smoked turkey! We’ve got smoked jalapeno sausage! We’ve got BRISKET…and it just melted in my mouth…that is ONE THING that I can get in TX that I haven’t found elsewhere. Really good brisket! All the other places seem to focus on pork not beef…and, lest you think we just ate MEAT, there was 3 bean salad, baked beans, and potatoes…

After arriving at my hotel, thinking I was going to take a nap? I needed to walk off some energy. Yes, I know, It’s 95+ out there. But there is a Target 1/2 mile away and there were a couple things I needed!

And because I was enjoying the things that make Texas Texas, I had to take a pic of this:

Horse Crossing? ON a BUSY 4 lane road? In between Target…and…

BEST BUY!? Best Buy was in plain sight from this sign….No, I didn’t see any horses, but it made me giggle. I’m in the middle of the Woodlands, just down from the Woodlands Mall! It is hardly rural here!

And this was the last thing I saw on my way back to the hotel. ((Did I mention how HOT it is out there?!)) Remember balking at the fact that gas stations could charge a QUARTER for air? or water? Who would have thought that inflation has even made the price of AIR go up? It now costs $1.00, but never fear, you can use your visa or mastercard to buy it!

When will they start charging us based on how much we BREATHE it?

I’m being picked up in 20 mins for dinner ((How can I eat again?!)) and then off to give my lecture to the Woodlands Quilt Guild….

Back atcha later!

Goodie Delivery!

When ever I’m gone for more than just a few days, there is always a mountain of mail to go through. And getting home late Sunday afternoon, and knowing there was no mail delivery on Monday, I have to admit that I put the whole pile out of mind until Tuesday morning when I needed to get that mountain tackled, book orders sent out, all the other errands in a row…

One thing I noticed right away was this beautifully fun multicolored bubble envelope!

I opened it up…wondering what it was….((It is no where near my birthday, mother’s day is long gone, and I couldn’t think of who would be sending a gifty like this!)) and this is what I found!

Lookie Lookie! HOME MADE SOAPS!! And I am so happy she put there in the first line, right in the first sentence…that these are INDEED soaps, not fudge ;c) ((Remember the incident with the dreamsicle fudge I thought was soap?? LOL!)) Thank you Janet O for the kind thoughts, the wonderfully inspiring letter, and your delightful comments on my blog in the past! I thank you, my skin thanks you!

Janet is a relatively new blogger, but she’s been scrap quilting for 25 years and soap making for 15, so I guess we can say she keeps it Clean and Scrappy! :cD You can find Janet’s blog HERE!

Let’s see….what ELSE came in the mail??

It’s the July/August issue of Quiltmaker Magazine which is just arriving!

In this issue, you’ll find my rendition of the Spoolin’ Around block!

Make them in recycled plaids and a variety of neutrals, or REALLY color up your summer by mixing bright colors with black and white prints…..color ONE SIDE of each spool in a complimentary color, such as the solid red shown, and see the alternating pinwheels appear!

This is a great block for digging into your box of 2” strips and 2” squares!

So what else went on around here today? NOT ENOUGH! But I filled every minute and I’ve still gotta finish packing the trunk show for my 4:15am departure in the morning, so this is a quicky!

We went to Michael and Harriet’s to drop off the baby quilt and enjoyed a wonderful Kenyan meal! And I have to tell you --- ((Wish I got pics, but I restrained myself!)) Harriet looked beautifully 9 months pregnant, wearing white capris and a gorgeous fuscia blouse…..when she opened the gift bag that held the quilt, it just SUITED HER! Really. She couldn’t have dressed better to match this quilt..LOL!

And then, as they examined it, you should have heard the exclamations. Oh. These are African fabrics! Look…at this one! and This one..and THIS ONE! When Michael saw the family fabric I had included in the borders…he got teary eyed. He couldn’t believe there were words in Swahili in the border, Love, Family, Unity ---Honestly, truly, this was just THE. BEST!!

And being a quilter is the best. Nothing else gives me this feeling than the simple gesture of giving the gift of a quilt to someone who is not expecting it. Nothing is as rewarding as knowing that this quilt will be loved and cherished and worn out with the using. Besides, I told them, how could I make Michelle another quilt if she didn’t use this one up first?

So Harriet is all set to be induced on Thursday EVENING. Why Thursday EVENING? Because Michael is DH’s assitant plant controller and they won’t be done with month end until Thursday evening. LOL! I told her --- Welcome to my life! When Jeff was born, things weren’t moving along fast enough, and DH was pacing the hallways, so I sent him BACK to the office for a few hours until I needed him. Or I swear, *I* was going to lose my cool! :cD

By the time I get back from Houston, there will be a new member to this beautiful family. And in a week, Harriet’s mother will be arriving from Africa to stay the month. Then, maybe then, I’ll get pictures of the baby with the quilt to share with you.

And I’m off…to go finish packing, to get an early night’s sleep, to get up at the cranky-crack-of-dawn, to make my way toward a Texas Adventure. I hope you’ll stay tuned for the ride!

Tuesday that feels like Monday!

Did you have a good weekend? I hope that if you ARE in the US, and were able to use that three day weekend to your best advantage, that you are feeling recharged, energized, refreshed and ready to tackle the world! It’s a short work week! But if it feels short, how come we are scrambling to fit just as much stuff into it?!

It was a total unwind day for me….even though I was busy here in the basement getting caught up on paperwork and website stuff, I still enjoyed a bit of stitching!

The baby quilt for Baby Michelle went into the machine! And it’s a good thing…DH called at lunch time and asked me to join him and Michael, the father-to-be, at a local place for lunch, and I found out that Harriet is being induced on THURSDAY!?? Thursday as in, THIS WEEK Thursday?? Yes. OY! That is unless she goes into labor on her own first…so the rush was on!

The quilting was done, and as it came off the machine, I could really see the quilting texture! All it needed was a bit of trimming and binding…….maybe a couple chick flick movies on Netflix was in order for the evening?

This close up is before binding….and after it was bound, I washed it with TWO color catchers, just in case ANYTHING decided to be runny….I was working with a lot of scraps that had been given to me, and I didn’t wash them all first, it would have been too hard to do it with small pieces. I crossed my fingers, and I held my breath, and I stayed up late just to be sure this thing wouldn’t sit wet in the washer over night!

I hung it over the quilting machine rails to dry overnight….this morning I fluffed it in the dryer. NO BLEEDING! ((OH THANK HEAVENS!!))

I love how the stitching sinks in and all you get is crinkly texture after washing! LOOK at those colors!! Oh, I used Keryn Emmerson’s “Moon Flower” panto for this quilt…PERFECT!

Simply labeled. I have been trying to use up all the old white on white or cream on cream pieces that are left in my stash ((I just really don’t like that stuff and haven’t for years now..it needs to go AWAY!)) as labels. The easiest label ever is to take an 8” square and fold it in half, stitch it into the corner before binding. The binding covers 2 corners, and all I had to stitch down was the fold…

The Quilt Delivery is TONIGHT! We are heading over to Harriet & Michael’s house at 6:30pm. Oh, I hope they like it! who would think I would worry about a quilt being “too” African and not baby-enough?

And..last thought...if a GIRL baby turns out to be a BOY baby...is this too pink? LOL! TOO LATE!

The rest of today will be filled with catching up on mail order and bank stuff and other errands in preparation for my flight to Houston in the morning! EARLY MORNING flight..like…I have to leave the house at 4:15am for my 5:45am boarding time? Urgh.

Okay, Woodlands and Kingwood area Quilters! You should know by now that any time I fly to Texas I’ve got two things on the agenda…..BBQ & Tex Mex! be ready! :cD