My Beach Vacation

I am taking a break and vacationing in sunny (off and on in reality) California with a friend. Barbara has been on a liquid diet since November and has lost 47 pounds! So, I decided to go on it with her---for this week.

So, Here's the latest on the liquid diet/ beach vacation.
On our first day, Barbara and I equipped with our GPS system in her BMW set off to find this adorable English country Cottage shop we saw in a magazine. Following the directions from the GPS we were directed to enter a toll road 73 (north). I thought, OK it will be about $1.00. No, it was ($4.50). There was no one on the road. We thought, wow, we have a freeway all to ourselves. How did they know! It was great. We drove about 5 minutes on it then were directed to exit. Well, it was an expensive ride, but it was worth it. As we followed the directions voiced to us, we were then directed to go onto 73 (south) which I thought, "OK, they'll just let us back on, free since we just came from the other direction". Wrong! The toll officer did not even think we were funny when we tried to sweet talk him out of the $4.50 toll. So, we had to pay and were on the darn freeway a total of 5 more minutes before we had to exit. Then we found the Cottage. It wasn't hard to find. It had a billboard size sign on top of it's warehouse square building. Where were all the roses and cute curved-top garden gate that was in the magazine? Painted on the front door! Instead of finding a cute, small, quaint cottage, we found a huge, southwestern urban converted warehouse. Inside it was divided into rows of consignment country/gift clutter which when I began to look, made me tired. Since we were so famished upon arrival and seeing it would take a good deal of time to find anything of interest to us, we scrapped the whole thing, went across the street and had some wonderful Puerto Rican food! (But, following through with our liquid diet, we did have water!)

Stay tuned for the next update!

Loving Stitches!

I have been stitching my heart into several quilts lately. Two of them for my daughter and her soon to be born son.
This one is made of 6" squares of cotton, flannel and silky on one side with minke on the back and binding. One of the squares has the words "Oh Boy" written all over it. The machine quilting is done with stars and moon and clouds. It turned out nice and very soft. It will keep him very cozy! I can't wait to cuddle it around his cute little angel face!I like to sew a label on the back side.

This one is minke on this side with ivory fleece on the back side. The two pices are sewn together all around then top stitched close to the edge and a big X sewn diagonally from the corners to keep it in place. It is crib size.I love these labels from Susan Branch. They come all printed on the fabric, so for about 1/2 yard you get about 20 labels all different designs.
This is a very bright and colorful quilt made for a dear friend of mine who has gone through two surgeries since December and is having chemo now. I wanted it to be fun and happy for her.

I used jumbo rickrack to make the flower stems on half of the rectangles.I hope it brings a smile to her face when she uses it and helps make the chemo a little more bearable. I enjoyed making it for her. I love you both!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a happy day!

13 Reasons

Hayley has been practicing being a teenager for at least a year. Now it is officially here!

13 Reasons Why I Love Hayley!

1. She has a great smile and sense of humor. She makes me laugh!



2. She is outgoing and not afraid to try new things. She'll volunteer to speak in front of others!



3. She has the most beautiful, dark, shiny hair.



4. She is sensitive to others. She reaches out to be a friend to someone who is by themself.



5. She is a good babysitter and in demand each weekend. She is saving all that money!



6. She has a good memory and can memorize things easily.



7. She always has a hug for me!



8. She is musical and plays the piano, flute and guitar!



9. She is independent and does all her own laundry!



10. She is very stylish and always looks cute.



11. She is a good friend.



12. She makes great popcorn!

Happy, Happy 13th Birthday Hayley!

Savoring Friendships

I received in the mail today a letter from a dear friend that I had made 28 years ago when she had 5 adorable blonde little girls and I had 3 adorable blonde, brunette and brown haired little girls. Her letter reminded me of what a wonderful thing friendships are. Even though we do not see each other often, just the sight of her handwriting made my heart happy and excitement filled my soul to open her letter, see her darling daughters with families of their own now and to be able to share in the tales of her busy life she is now experiencing.


Friendships begin in many different ways, some instantly, some unexpectedly, some after spending much time together and some with much effort. "That's how it is with people sometimes. When you least expect it, a common thread--golden, at that--begins to weave together the fabric of friendship" (Mary Kay Shanley)


I love that girlfriends can be of any age. When I was first married my "best" friend was 90 years old and helped me and give me such sage advice about raising children. I love to have friends that are younger than I am too. We help each other out. They help me stay young and I have experience that I can share with them. Each life that touches ours influences the way we see the world and handle our own situations. Even if we are separated by time and distance, and can no longer hear their voice or see their face, we never forget the impact that they have had on us. Friends stay with us in our memories and they are a part of our lives and continue to be.


I consider my friends to be my sisters--so close and extremely cherished in my heart. Maya Angelou has said, "In times of trouble, there are about seven women in the United States I can call at any hour and say "Now. Now, I need you now." And they will come. No questions. No objections..Nothing, nothing would keep them from me and me from them." I have special friends like this and feel blessed because of that fact and because of them.


Thank you to all my friends both old and new (and to those who will become my friends.) I never take our friendship lightly but feel eternally blessed because of it and you. You have given my life sunshine on a gloomy day!

By the way, if you'd like to feel balmy check out Jen's blog. She's in Hawaii and has a fun Hawaiian give away: http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/