This Old House

Our neighbors right across the street are remodeling their house.  I have enjoyed watching the construction progress while also giving thanks that we are not going through this at our house.  The gaping hole on the right was Nancy's kitchen, if you look closely under the blue tarp on the left, you can spot her refrigerator on the deck.  She is preparing their meals outside using a microwave.  I felt very sorry for her so I invited the family over for dinner tonight!

Pillowcases

Some of my friends belong to Delta Phi, a philanthropic sorority with a San Diego chapter.  They are committed to doing wonderful things for people in need.  One of their latest projects is making pillowcases for young cancer patients through ConKerr Cancer.  I volunteered to contribute some pillowcases and was able to sew these up in just one afternoon.  I hope lime green and turquoise help to brighten a child's day.

Hostess Gift

My husband and I were invited to dinner last night at our friends house.  I painted this flower pot as a hostess gift.  We had a wonderful dinner of cold beet soup, salmon baked in fig leafs and fresh veggies.  Thank you Dona and Mel for a great evening!

Ninth Block

Anvil, the ninth Block of the Month

I felt so guilty yesterday, seeing my sister fly back to the heat of Texas after our short visit.  We had a lot of fun, ate way too much and enjoyed our beautiful weather.  She returned to 100 degrees, brown grass, dead flowers and strict water use.  But, she also returned to her kitty Rita, air conditioning and the comfort of being home.

Impatients

January 13th

May 4th

August 25th


Wow, my Impatients really, really did well this year!

Harbor Cruise

On Tuesday, Marcia and I decided to visit San Diego Bay.  We rode the trolley to downtown San Diego then walked the short distance to the bayfront.  We boarded the Adventure Hornblower for a 2 hour tour of the bay.

The Coronado Bay Bridge is so beautiful with it's graceful curve, you really get a different perspective while traveling under it.

I never get tired of San Diego's growing skyline, this view is from the deck of the Hornblower.

San Diego Zoo

Yesterday my sister, my husband and I went to the world famous San Diego Zoo.  We decided to go late in the day to enjoy the evening activities that included a China Celebration.  We went on the bus tour, walked and walked and walked, ate dinner in a restaurant tucked among the trees and had a wonderful time.

We were entertained by a steampunk band, I loved their costumes.

The Monkey King Stiltwalkers towered over us as they paraded by.

The zoo after dark is quite an experience.  You can hear the animals through the darkness and it's kind of spooky. 

I never get tired of visiting our zoo.

"The Help"

After reading the book, I was really looking forward to seeing the movie.  Marcia and I were not disappointed, we both really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Happy Birthday

Friday, August 19th was my sister Marcia's birthday.  We celebrated by having a wonderful lunch at La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla with some of her high school girl friends.  The weather was perfect, the view from the patio spectacular and the food delicious.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARCIA!!

California Visit Day 1

My sister, Marcia arrived from Texas just in time for lunch.  We headed for a favorite restuarant, C Level, right across the road from the airport.  This was the view from our table where we watched sailboats and sea gulls as we enjoyed our lunch.

Marcia ordered the tuna/crab stack which was beautifully presented with cavier and taro root chips.  I'm so glad we had perfect cool, sunny weather for her arrival.

100+

My sister lives in Texas where they have been suffering from over 100 degree temperature all summer.  She arrives today for a week to enjoy our wonderful cool weather, celebrate her birthday and have some fun.

This is my little creative corner  in our guest/computer room.  Red kitty always manages to get in photos, he loves having his picture taken!

When company comes, I pack up my supplies, fold up the table and pull out the sofa bed.  Hope my sister enjoys her visit and birthday.

Cutting Charms

I have started cutting 5" squares for the Color Wheel Charm Swap.  I will need to cut 56 squares from each of my two fabric choices then post them to Utah. It is going to be so much fun when my package arrives containing 112 different colored charm squares.

Block Donation

On the 15 Minutes Play blog, participants in the Block of the Month challenge were asked to donate a block to be added to a quilt.  Victoria asked that the background be any shade of green and that the star be made from bright colors - I think mine needs a warning to view only if you are wearing sunglasses!!  I love bright!

Tasty Soup

Tortellini Tomato Spinach Soup, recipe by Kathleen Daelemans
(serves 4)

1 T olive oil
1/2 c minced onion
1 minced garlic clove
4 to 6 c low sodium chicken broth
1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 package fresh tortellini (I use Buitoni 3 cheese)
salt and pepper
1 package fresh baby spinach
1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan

In large soup pot, heat oil.  Add onion and garlic, stir often for about 7 min.  Add broth and tomatoes, turn heat to high and bring to a boil.  Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.  When almost done, add fresh spinach and season to taste.  Serve immediately with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

So easy and oh, so tasty!!

Kitchen Door

When my husband remodeled this house, he installed a glass paned door in the kitchen.  Not only does it provide much needed light, it gives us a colorful view of potted plants along the fence.  I can change the look with the season, adding pumpkins in the fall, poinsettias during December and splashes of color during  dark, rainy days.

Charm Swap

From The Blue Chair website is having a color wheel charm swap.  56 quilters were each assigned two colors of fabric to purchase and cut into 5" squares.  When the swap is completed, we should receive 112 charm squares to create a colorful quilt.

My assigned colors were blue/green and green so I visited my favorite quilt shop with a color wheel in hand and selected these two fabrics to share.  This swap will be a lot of fun and I can't wait to see all of the beautiful squares I will be receiving. 

Pinkie

A few weeks ago, I was the lucky winner on Laura Wasilowski's blog artfabrik.blogspot.com.  Laura is a quilt teacher and has written several books on fusible appliqued quilts.  I received what Laura called  "Fused Frankenquilt Fabrics", a bag full of her colorful prefused scraps.

Looking through this treasure of goodies, I decided to create something bright and whimsical.  I pulled apart some of Laura's flowers, cut pieces into different shapes and fused everything to a lime green background.

"Pinkie" was so much fun to make and applique, I hope Laura enjoys seeing her scraps happily living in their new life!

Watercolor Notebook

Here are the two latest pages in my little Moleskine notebook.  I'm still a beginner in using watercolors so I'm really looking forward to starting a 6 week sketching and watercolor class with Jane LaFazio in October.

Thursday Journey #14

Yesterday, my husband and I spent the day at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.  We try to attend once a summer.  I always select horses with the funniest names - "Lasso From El Paso", "A Cat Named Snipe" and "Big Bad Leroybrown" to name a few.

This mural was unveiled in 2009 and depicts famous jockeys, trainers and movie stars that have been associated with the Thoroughbred Club since it opened in 1937.  The artist is Pierre "Peb" Bellocq and measures 30' long and 6' tall.

A visit to the paddock where you can stand close to these beautiful horses and really appreciate their strength and grace.

What a fun day, we are always happy to break even, have a great lunch and enjoy another Thursday Journey.

Love at First Sight

When I saw this fabric on Bumble Beans Inc., I just had to have it and I was able to order some from Sew Obsessed.  The color combination is so fresh and happy and I know it will make a great quilt.

Orchids Galore

Armstrong Nursery has a 2 day sale on half price orchids so I got some new plants.  They used to scare me because they seemed to need such special care and cost so much.  Once I got over my fright, I love them.  The blooms last for months, they are easy to take care of and I think they are so beautiful.

This white and purple one is perfect on our coffee table.

Placed against the mirror in my bathroom, the magenta flowers add a spot of vibrant color.

Eighth Block

I finished "Basket of Flowers" this weekend in the block challenge.  I can't wait to complete the last block and put my sampler quilt together.  This has been so much fun.

Freebies

Alisa Burke recently opened an online shop on her blog alisaburke.blogspot.com  I ordered some birthday gifts and was delighted to also receive this little ceramic E plus a handwritten thank you note for my purchase.  Way to go Alisa Burke!!