Merry Christmas!

I finally feel human again after fighting this bug for weeks.  Managed to get everything done for Christmas, even a little extra project for my SIL.  Tomorrow, we're off to Ventura County for the long holiday weekend.  Thankfully, our wild Southern California weather has returned to normal after six extremely wet days.  I can't remember ever having rain this intense for such a long period.

We'll have our traditional spaghetti dinner Christmas Eve at our daughter's house with most of the family.  I imagine the two oldest grandchildren will be beside themselves with anticipation and excitement!

Christmas morning, we'll again be at DD's house to exchange gifts and enjoy Flo's Serbian Eggs.  My favorite boss, Sylvia, shared this recipe with me years ago and it has become a family favorite.  We usually serve it with sausage, croissants, and fresh fruit.  For Christmas, there will also be mimosas!

FLO'S SERBIAN EGGS
6 eggs -- beaten
1 pound Jack cheese -- shredded
1 pound cottage cheese
1 cup Biscuit mix
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine -- melted
1 teaspoon dried onions
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together.  Pour into a buttered 9 x 13 pyrex dish.  Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
My sister is hosting Christmas dinner - roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans - yummy!  There will, of course, be cookies everywhere we go!

Does it sound as though Christmas in our family is all about the food?  Well, food plays a big role but it is really about being together and celebrating this most festive time of year.

My very best wishes to all of you for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Better?

I must not have been completely satisfied with the last dress block because I kept it out on the dining room table instead of putting it away with the other finished blocks.  As I was getting ready for our Monday quilt guild meeting, I realized that it needed a little extra zip.  I added 3 small red buttons, and I am much more pleased with the result.

What do you think?  Is it better?

Almost done with the next block, too, which I will share with you tomorrow.

It is hot, hot, hot here today.  Summer has finally arrived.  We've had such a mild spring and summer with few days in the upper 90s let along approaching 100.  We've run the air conditioner the last two nights, which we prefer not to do.  But the house is just too uncomfortable for us to sleep well even with the ceiling fan.  Guess we're just wimps!

Playtime!

Off to see the family today.  We're doing an early celebration for Doug's birthday - his 65th!  We'll be in Big Bear for his actual birthday, so we're combining a birthday party with some babysitting to help out our daughter next week.  Never miss an opportunity to be with our 3 wonderful grandchildren .... oh .... and, our wonderful daughter, SIL, son, sister, BIL, too.  Truth be told, the kidlets are much more fun!

I've got my fingers crossed that our gardener will visit while we are away and finally put some annuals in the empty space in our backyard.  I am a TERRIBLE gardener.  I have neither talent nor interest in playing around in the dirt, but I do like the yard to look presentable.  I'm going to run out and take a "before" picture in hopes that I'll also be able to share an "after" picture with you next week.

I've had a lot of blog traffic lately, and I can't quite figure out why.  It may be due to some lovely comments about my doll dress blocks.  Love to have readers and love to have comments!  Two more doll dress blocks are on my agenda for next week after we return.  Let's see if I can get them done, or at least one of them, before we take off for Big Bear Lake next Friday.  I'm not planning on taking the Featherweight with me this time since there is so much to do at Big Bear.  Doug likes to keep on the go.

Have a great weekend!  Hope the heat has subsided a bit in the rest of the country.  Southern California has been remarkably cool this spring and early summer.  There is a warming trend on the horizon.  Should be in the 100s soon.  Ugh.  Double ugh.

Uh, oh ... we're moving again!

Southern California moved again tonight.  At about 4 minutes before 5 p.m., as I was standing in the kitchen contemplating dinner (for the umpteenth time ...), the earth moved.  I felt a small jolt and a bit of shaking, pretty much the norm, then a second jolt occurred that told me "This could be the big one!"  The pictures swayed, the noise got a bit louder, the crystal was tinkling, and I hit the ground running for the front door ...

If you've lived in Southern California as long as I have (since 1976), there's a time when your mind and your body says ... move, baby, move!

Glad that this old body can still move ... and also glad that this wasn't the Big One!

Back from camp ...

I am slowly recuperating from my quilter's camp experience.  The bottom line is that we had a FANTASTIC time.  However, it does take some moments to recoup from being away for 4 days.  So, I am busy getting the wash done, paying bills, making sure there is food in the house, ironing, watering the plants, catching up on family news, etc., etc.

700+ miles up and down the 395.  Whew!  I love to drive, but it was a long haul ..... scenes like this helped make it worthwhile.

Hang up and govern!

Have you noticed the seasons changing in the last few days?  Yup.  We are officially in the 5th season of the year - the political season!  Tuesday was election day in a handful of states and June 8th is the primary election in California.  Time to stop answering the phone, toss the daily flyers in the trash, and hit the mute button during tv commercials.

Robocalls - sounds like a 4-letter-word to me.  The first time Arnold S. left a voice message on my phone during his campaign eight years ago, I thought it was really cool.  I also loved hearing Bill Clinton's voice - then Hillary's.  The glamour has worn off, however, and I now dread answering the phone during the days leading up to next month's primary election.

I've had calls from Steve Poizner, Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina, Dick Cheney, and countless lesser known politicians hoping to garner my vote.  Then there are the local school board members, judges, firefighters, policemen.  Now, I am very interested in how local school board members, judges, firefighters, and policemen do their jobs.  I am not, however, interested in their politics.

I am also not interested in voting for someone who could not take the time to vote during the last few decades, i.e., both Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina.  You can vote by mail, ladies.  It doesn't take a lot of time.  I'm pretty sure these corporate giants had a handful of personal assistants during their years at Ebay and Hewlett-Packard respectively.  I'm also pretty confident that these PAs prepared issue papers for the boss.  How about an issue paper on elections?  Then the boss would only have to read the paper, reach for the mail-in ballot, fill it in over the daily cup of Starbucks, and give it back to the PA to mail.  This process, of course, assumes interest in the political system and the future of our state and country.

Apparently, Ms. Whitman and Ms. Fiorina believe voters will overlook their voting "history" because of their corporate "history."  Not this voter.

Steve Poizner has reportedly spent $22 million of his own money on the campaign - so far.  Meg Whitman's total is reported to be $68 million.  That is not a typo - $68 million.  That is an obscene amount of money to spend on robocalls!

There are countless more worthwhile ways that money such as that could be spent.

Here's a scenario for you.  Imagine gathering 6 petroleum engineers and telling them they have 6 months to design a failsafe mechanism for off-shore drilling platforms that would eliminate the possibility of a disaster such as we are seeing today in the Gulf of Mexico.  We give them $10 million for expenses during the 6 months, probably more than they would need.  Then we tell them that we will pay them each $13.33 million dollars at the end of the 6 months if they are successful.  I think we have a winning proposition here!

Don't insult me by running for office just because you can afford to run.  Don't ask for my vote in your re-election campaign unless you have earned my respect by actually doing your job, doing it well, and have only been in the headlines for your accomplishments, not your misdeeds.

Don't call me.  I really don't want to listen to you.  I want you to do your job.  I'll read about your successes and failures in the newspaper, online, or hear about it on NPR.

Hang up and govern!

Darci's Dress Up Quilt - Doll #9

I'm still working diligently on the doll dresses.  I really do not want to fall behind on this project because I know I will never, ever, ever catch up!  So, here's the latest and greatest from my designer brain.  I do like the contrast between the green floral print (great choice, Ildiko) and the graphic yellow and white.  But what really makes this dress special is the little bug pin!  I found this pin in a new shop in Old Town Temecula called The Wool Lady.  She specializes in hand embroidery, ribbon embroidery, and wonderful yarns and threads, and also has an artist who designs and makes one-of-a-kind ceramic buttons.  When I saw this bee button a couple of weeks ago, I knew it had to be part of the doll dress quilt.  Don't you agree that this is just perfect on the yellow?

I just realized that with the closeup you can see my machine buttonhole stitches.  I'm getting better, don't you think?  Today, I have been working on a birthday project for Jackson, my soon-to-be-three-year-old grandson.  Hmmmmm .... my satin stitch applique is not looking good on his present!  I wish I had started this newest project with the machine buttonhole stitch that (1) I enjoy doing and (2) I seem to do well.  I doubt if Jackson will realize that my satin stitching isn't quite perfect. As long as we have cake and candles and singing and presents, Jackson will have a great time at the party!  I'm not even sure that I'll be able to finish his project before his birthday.  So, it might be a present for his 3rd birthday, or his 4th, or definitely by his 5th!

Whole lotta shakin' goin' on ....

I spent the last few days helping my daughter out with babysitting and preparing to celebrate a combination Easter holiday and birthday party for our son, who turns 35 today.  Lots of fun times with the grandkids to tell you about in future posts.

I was busy peeling potatoes for Easter dinner in my sister's kitchen in Simi Valley yesterday when the 7.2 earthquake occurred in Mexicali.  My sister was on the couch and said "we're having an earthquake!"  None of the rest of us felt anything, but she insisted that she had felt a quake.  We turned on CNN in time to hear the first reports come in.

We've been in Southern California since 1976, and I can't remember a quake with so many aftershocks.  There have been hundreds!  Of course, we're used to the ground moving and shaking and bouncing all over the place, but we're not accustomed to the quantity of seismic events that this large quake has produced.  Take a look at this site - it's pretty interesting, I think.  If you go to this site, make sure to hit your refresh button now and then in order to see the most recent information.

As usual after a sizeable earthquake, everyone is now talking about "The Big One."  There are two camps:  (1) those that welcome these larger earthquakes as a way of releasing the pressure beneath us and (2) those who believe that when earthquakes cluster as they have recently (Haiti, Chile, now Mexicali), we're in for BIG trouble.

I choose not to talk about it at all since there's not a damned thing we can do about it!  The only certainty is that Mother Nature will have her way.  The only question is when.

Extra batteries - check.  Locate the utility turnoff valves - check.  Water supply - check.  Flashlights - check.  Shoes under the bed - check.

Sundays

I hated Sundays when I was growing up.  It should have been the best day of the week.  Sunday was my Dad's only day off.  Occasionally, we would have a family outing which was always fun.  But the typical Sunday was boring, boring, boring for a kid. 

My sister and I went to Sunday School until reaching the age where we rebelled and said "no more."  Dad caught up on household fix-it chores in the morning.  Mom made a big Sunday dinner which was served promptly at 2 p.m.  Most weeks, she made a beef roast or baked chicken, mashed potatoes, a fresh veggie, and lots and lots and lots of thick delicious gravy loaded with fat - the kind of gravy no one makes any more because we know better.  If we were truly lucky and Mom was feeling ambitious, she would make her fabulous rice pudding.  It baked in the oven for hours driving us nuts with the aromas of lovely cream, sugar, and cinnamon.  Every half hour, Mom opened the oven door and stirred the pudding so that the thickening layer on the top mixed in with the rest of the pudding.

So why was I so bored?  After dinner, Dad retired to the living room floor to "watch" sports on tv - the only tv in the house.  Within 10 minutes, he would be sound asleep for the remainder of the afternoon.  We weren't allowed to change the channel, though, because Mom reminded us that it was Dad's only day off and he wanted to "watch" sports!  Kids in our neighborhood didn't play together on Sundays; it was considered a family day.  So we were left with homework (yuck), playing together (yuck), reading or listening to 45s.  I love to read, but not for hour after hour after hour!  To a kid, the afternoon seemed endless until 7 p.m. when Lassie came on and we could have a Sunday night snicky snack in front of the tv - a special treat.

Today, I had a great Sunday.  Since DH is off to Carlsbad to work on his dad's house, I had the whole day to myself - to sew, watch the Olympics, read the paper leisurely, and enjoy the quiet!  Well, except for the chatter of the Bernina happily embroidering along ....

Here's what I see when I look up from the Bernina to see the outside world.  It rained all day yesterday, again, but this morning was bright and crisp and clear.  There were birds all over this tree singing merrily.  Spring must be near!  I can't remember the name of this tree (I am among the worst gardeners in the world), but it will soon be covered in pink blooms followed by deep burgundy leaves.  We usually have at least one nest in this tree per season - nothing yet.

I spent the morning finishing up another block for the Darci's Dresses quilt then started on an embroidery project.  Pictures to come!  I have a tv in the sewing room right next to the Bernina, so I've been watching the hockey game since noon.  We're in overtime!  What a great finish to a wonderful Olympics.  You couldn't write a better script.

Small but impressive

The Valley Quilters Guild of Hemet, California, held their annual quilt show last Friday and Saturday.  I love this show!  It was the first quilt show that I ever attended, and it renewed my interest in quilting after a lull of about 25 years so it has a special place in my heart.  The show is held in the local community center.  The quilts were lovely this year, and there were more vendors than I remember in the past.

I went with several of the gals from my Oasis Quilt Guild.  We had lots of fun, bought a few things (surprise, surprise) and even treated ourselves to lunch on the way home.

My camera batteries died after only a few pictures, unfortunately.  I missed capturing the ribbon winners.  (I think it's time to give up on rechargeable batteries.  They just don't seem to hold a charge very long.)  At least I have a couple to share with you:

I've seen this quilt pattern done a lot, but I really like the way that Marvel Dorf took some of the fish from the border print and appliqued them in the sashing.  Adds just a touch of whimsy!  Must try to remember this in my continuing effort to think outside the box and be more abstract.

I loved this quilt.  My heart is pushing me towards a bargello quilt as well as a landscape quilt, and this one fed my yearning.  The quilter, Marcia Monroe, claimed it was easy.  Hmmmm .... easy enough for me?  Looks like the first challenge is finding the right fabric.  There are oodles of lovely landscape prints around.  I see multiple shopping trips in my future.

The last one I'd like to share with you is entitled "Love This Star" and was made by Gloria McKeehan and machine quilted by January Shaffer.  The picture I took of the whole quilt is pretty awful, but take a look at the stippling done by January.  She must have incredible eyesight!  When I grow up, I want to quilt like this (without 1000 hours of practice ..... hee, hee, hee).

To see more wonderful quilts from this show, visit the SewCalGal blog.  Enjoy!

How to make lemonade!

You know the old saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?"  Well, today was a perfect day for making lemonade.

I was so excited about the paper doll book for my granddaughters (see this post).  I read the directions twice, carefully cut out all the fabric for the pages and for the dolls.  According to the directions, you need at least 13 paper dolls.  If you are lucky (and I wasn't), the fabric in the kit will be cut so that you can get even more paper dolls out of it.  If you get more dolls, you can put more than one doll on a page.

Another timeless saying comes to mind:  Plan ahead!

The cute, cute, cute picture on the kit label shows two dolls on the cover of the fabric book.  I think, "Perfect!"  The gift is for both of my granddaughters, who are sisters, so two dolls makes sense.  I happily start fusing the dolls onto the fabric and get to my Bernina right away to start stitching the buttonhole applique.

The cover came out great, and my machine buttonhole stitching was the best I had ever done.  Wouldn't it be nice to have another page with two girls on it?  They could be sisters, they could be friends, schoolmates or playmates.  Adorable!

You know where this is going, don't you?

I don't have enough dolls for every page in the book!  Stupid with a capital "S."  How do I keep doing these things?  Arghghghghgh .....  I'm not particularly fast when I sew.  I take my time.  In fact, I think it takes me lots longer to complete projects than the average sewer.  I still make dumb mistakes.  I've been sewing for over 50 years - I shouldn't make these kinds of mistakes!

Thought process on the road to making lemonade:

1. Run out and try to find some more of this fabric.  Nope - not enough time and it's raining in Southern California.  Don't want to be on the freeways in the rain unless you're going to the hospital to have a baby.
2. Cut out the remaining pieces of the dolls from the fabric and piece them together trying to match head to body to feet.  Nope - would look horrible!
3. Wait - there are a few "bodies" left on the fabric!  I could cut out those bodies, print a picture of the grandbabies on printable fabric, cut out their heads, and stitch them to the doll bodies!  Last night, I really liked this idea.  This morning, I said to myself "no, no, no, no - too much like a Grade B horror movie!"  My daughter would kill me .....
4. Go with two blank pages in the middle of the book.  Who would know it wasn't in the original plan?  Hmmmmm ... nope, that's like a flashing arrow saying, "Look here to see the mistake!"
5. Cut out all the little flowers on the doll fabric and fuse them to the blank pages in the book.  Tell Talia and Tasha that the paper doll friends are playing in the garden together looking for lemons to make lemonade!

Interestingly enough, I was watching an episode of Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting tv show and they were talking about how many mistakes they make.  They said they think one of the reasons they rose to prominence is because they made more mistakes on camera than anyone else!  These things do happen.

Okay, I'll stop beating myself up.  The goal is not perfection.  The goal is for two little girls to have a special gift from their Oma who loves them best in all the world!

Seems it never rains in Southern California ....

... but girl, don't they warn ya, it pours man it pours!

Remember this great song, written by Albert Hammond, and sung by the Mamas and the Papas in the 60s?  I've been humming it off and on all week as the rain has continued to pummel Southern California from the beach to the mountains to the deserts.  The storm today, the fourth this week, has been the most severe.  As I write, we are under a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch.  Pretty unusual for us -- we're used to sun and heat and are weather wimps at heart.

Such downpours cause problems all over the world, of course, but particularly for us since we are also prone to raging wildfires.  The burn areas from last fall's devastating fires were evacuated early this morning in the San Gabriel foothills.  All we can do now is wait to see if the oversaturated earth will hold or begin slipping down the slopes into whatever stands in its path.  Once the slippage begins, it'll take out everything - homes, businesses, freeways.  The pounding waves of the Pacific are threatening several homes along the coast.

I ventured out yesterday to run a couple of errands but quickly decided only to do the necessary ones - bank, milk, bread.  The freeways here are bad enough when the weather is good.  They are deathtraps when the weather turns ugly!  We usually only get rain a handful of times per winter; the raindrops evaporate before we can remember how to turn the windshield wipers on.  The youngest drivers on the road today were learning how to skateboard the last time we had this much rain in such a short time back in 2005.  Inexperienced drivers more interested in texting than driving = deathtrap.  Time to stay home and hunker down!

We really need the rain, but not all at once!  Let's just hope that the storm passes without further damage.

In between listening to weather reports and watching the color of the sky change, I've done lots of sewing, listed a few more items at my Etsy shop, and baked peanut butter cookies.  And hummed a few more songs from the Mamas and the Papas!