Will this Summer ever END?

I'm just about ready to go out this morning, but I am waiting until my No Bake Cookies set up enough to put them on a plate. I got up early this morning to make cookies and found that I didn't have enough butter, so off to the store I went.

My plans for the day is to visit a friend who is in the hospital (and take cookies!) and then go shopping for chairs for the living room (which is still in shambles!) I really wanted to get an early start today since it is going to be 105 degrees today! Will this summer ever end?

Yesterday I completed Step 2 in my Limoncello making process. I made this last year for a good friends birthday and her birthday is coming up again in November. The whole process can take up to several months (depending on how patient you are!). I couldn't find the recipe I used last year so I did a google search and found this blog with pictures:

http://patty.vox.com/library/post/homemade-limoncello-when-life-gives-you-lemons.html

Check it out!

Another blog that I have really been enjoying and hope to get to trying is this one:

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

This lady has been making and posting a Crock Pot recipe every single day since the beginning

of the year. It is a really interesting site AND you can go back and see all of the back recipes. One thing that is really neat is that she give a rating of each recipe.....you know.......did the kids like it.........would she make it again......stuff like that.

I'm off to brave the infernal heat............

FNQer's go to camp!

Pines & Needles Quilt Retreat

Fall arrived just abit early for me this year. I spent 2 days and 2 nights up near Christopher Creek at Pines and Needles.

Click on this link to see information and lots of pictures of this neat place:

http://www.pinesandneedlesretreat.com/about.html

The top picture shows the house where there are 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, living room, and kitchen. The second picture is of the workroom. It was so beautiful up there and about 20-30 degrees cooler than here in Phoenix.

Here we all are in the dining room just after finishing up a fine meal.

One of the real pleasures of this retreat is that Kim, (the owner of this fine establishment) does all the cooking and serves us breakfast, lunch and dinner family style. Kim is a great cook!

Besides Eating, drinking, napping and hiking we all get a whole lot of quilting projects done!

Mary's "YIKES" quilt top

Judy finished up her Sundowners BOM.

Kathy sewed the rick rack on the quilt that is going to go in her downstairs bedroom and made this baby quilt.

Linda created borders around a neat panel to create this cool quilt that she is giving to her mother-in-law and made a baby quilt top.

Joanne finished up the beading on this extremely creative wall hanging. You should see it in person........it is fabulous!

You can't really see her, but this is Dolly working on a little purse. I think she made at least 6 of them in various sizes this weekend, plus a tablerunner and I don't know what else!

I think that Kerry drank rum and coke all weekend........as I have no pictures of her projects........naw.........just kidding.......she worked on some very tedious looking blocks for a wall hanging that when finished is going to be beautiful and at least one purse.

Good to get away.................GREAT to be home! Thanks for the fine weekend Kim!

There's no place like Home!

I have just gotten back from a weeklong journey.

My husband attended a computer conference in Las Vegas and I went with him.

We stayed at the newest hotel called the Palazzo which is right next door to the Venetian.

It was a fun week. What a crazy city!

We did alot of walking around and exploring the city.

I also took my trusty little Singer Featherweight and did alot of sewing!

We were on the 43rd Floor! 50 floors total!

The Palazzo had these "statues" that were really live people! And right next door was the Venetian with the singing gondolas that were INSIDE the building.

We didn't see the Blue Man group here in Vegas, but they were the headline act that was performing at our hotel. We actually saw the Blue Man Group here in Phoenix last year.

What a cool show they put on!

One of the neat things that we did while in Vegas was to go to the Las Vegas Race Track. The convention "treated" all of the people attending to a special night at the car track. They loaded up everyone on buses and drove us over there. The track featured all kinds of food and drink. (my favorite was the little lamb chops served on tiny plates of mashed potatoes and a drink called "Liquid Fuel" with Red bull, vanilla vodka and Grand Marnier) The entertainment portion of the evening was riding in fast cars around the race track. One was around the big track in nice cars. The other was on a course that featured alot of curves and speed! We had to wear helmets for that one...........oh, and the cars were Shelby Mustangs! Since most of the attendees were men they all really seemed to enjoy the fast car rides and seeing all of the specialty cars. I enjoyed the food, drink and music!

Finally Finished!

Time sure does fly! Especially when you have lots to do! I finally finished up the signature quilt that I started for Brian and Jen for thier wedding. I made up white squares with the wedding colors around them and had people sign them at Jen's bridal shower. I've looked at them a few times, but have always just put them aside, unable to work on them without being reminded of the tragedy that struck just a few short weeks after their marriage. Time slowly heals our hearts and hopefully the memories of this quilt and the sentiments that it includes will bring them great joy.

The above picture shows one of my favorite signatures. Our little friend Kelly, who must have been around 7 years old, maybe 8 drew a picture with a couple kissing and a bell that says "Bing, Bong" and the words........"Have a Happy Marriage!"

We have been busy with preparations for Jenny's wedding. Jen and Jenny and Rafael and I got together and did some personlization on the guest book. We are going to have 2 of Jennys' roommates from Florida take pictures of each guest and then we'll put the pictures beside the signatures. How many times have you seen a guest book with only the first 5 pages filled. And filled with a name right after a name.........We did a little scrapbook frame for each page.

We finally finished up all of the invitations. My friend Jo, who does some beautiful calligraphy came over to help me address the envelopes. Unfortunately my camera batteries were low and the picture I took of her did not come out! But here is a picture of Jenny doing the envelope stuffing! She doesn't like to like the envelopes, so she is using a sponge!

I feel like I have been working on weddings for ages now! I've been doing a whole lot of projects for the wedding, some that my daughter really hadn't asked for........but this is the last wedding and I like to add personal touches...........SO>>>>>>>>>>> I made up these little purses for all of the attendants.

The pattern came from a book that I bought in a quilt shop in Pennslyvanna. The book is: Sashiko Handbags 14 on 14 by Nancy Shriber. Each bag is made from two 14" squares and there are 14 different options. It is a really cool book. I altered the pattern slightly, firstly.......I didn't do sashiko.........that would be the "H" word and I don't do that anymore! (Hand). I put the fabric on my longarm and did some absolutely beautiful quilt patterns on them. I also made some changes in the construction and the stabalization method. At any rate, here are some pictures of them.

I still have several wedding projects to go............I am making up a couple of bags for the Dollar Dance. I am going to try to design a bag that looks like a Brides dress and a Grooms tux. Wish me luck on that one! I also want to make up a signature quilt...........must be done by October 13......the day of the shower. I'd better get cracking on that one!

Looks like I"m going to be pretty busy..........I'd better get crackin!

Fish Quilt

This quilt just left my studio today. It was a fun little quilt with patchwork fish. I quilted a really sweet little fish border on it.

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I am starting to get really discouraged about how my living room is shaping up. The carpet man came yesterday and we will get new carpet in the next few weeks. However my Living room is so very Vanilla. EVERYTHING is vanilla! The walls, the couch and soon the carpet. I was hoping to get some chairs with a fun contemporary print, but the ones I first saw at Pruitts and liked........I didn't like when I went back. I must have looked at 6 different furniture stores yesterday. Guess I"ll keep trying or perhaps start thinking of the space in a new way............Wish me Luck!

Really neat baby shower game!

Yesterday I went to a baby shower held at Mimi's cafe for the daughter of a friend of mine. It was your typical baby shower.........nice lunch, mom-to-be opening her gifts..........until it came time to play the baby shower games.........My friend Katrina arranged for one of her friends to give a nice talk and showing of antique baby items. Below is one of the pictures of an infant cloak from the 1880's! It was really very interesting. If you would like to see all of the pictures taken you can go to this link and see them: http://community.webshots.com/album/566715590hpAMiE?start=0

Also of interest is that Pat Stark (the women who gave the presentation) will be appearing at the Desert Foothills Library in Cave Creek on Friday October 10 from 4-6PM to feature Vintage clothing dating form 1900-1970. It would be really neat to see.

Here are a few more embroidered t-shirts. One is for a friend who loves to quilt by was raised on a dairy farm in Iowa. (can you guess which one?) The other is for a friend who is building a Christian kids camp in Kauai. The name of the camp will be Akua Makana Lani (God's Heavenly Gift) AND they are shephards over many sheep there! I haven't sent it out to them yet, so I hope my friend does not read this and spoil the surpirse!

Wow! What a weekend

We celebrated Jenny's 23rd birthday yesterday even tho today is her birthday. We went to a family style Italian restaurant called Buca De Peppo and sat at the kitchen table. We could watch all the dishes being prepared and then they were all brought by our table so we could see them close up. After dinner we went to Jenny and Rafael's apartment and had a bite of this chocolate cake that Rafael baked.





Earlier in the day I attended a baby shower given by my friend Katrina for her daughter Tana.


My gift to Tana was the quilt top pictured below. This quilt top was designed so that shower guests can sign in the little white squares and be a rememberance for the mother and child for years to come.









As you can see I have finally finished painting in my living room. My couch now matches the walls. I have spent a good deal of time lately shopping for chairs and curtains to complete the decor in this room. Mike still wants me to paint some sort of texture technique on the wall, but I want to get the other components in the room before I decide on what color to do. The carpet man comes tomorrow! Silly me.........I thought that I could just buy a new sofa and all the other old stuff would still work! What was I thinking?

Mike has been busy outside...........our back porch used to be enclosed by screening, but with age and such it has really been looking unsightly lately. So he has been taking the screening and extra boards off and re-enforcing/creating some main support beams so the porch can be open. Here are some pictures of the project in progress.

Before:

During construction: