Things I like Thursdays Mar 1

Greetings!

sAY WHAT?? March??

Oh dear, time is just flyin by for some reason.

Here are my likes for this week:

1.  THE KIDS AT STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL IN FLORIDA.  They are more mature than most adults I know . Or certainly, more mature than many who are in our government. And, they don't give up. I'm just blown away by their honesty, intelligence and perseverance.

2. A fun girl's day out. My daughter, daughter -in- law and myself took an entire day for fun together.   Pedicures in the morning at a new salon:

I forgot to take a photo of the place! It was an old (about 100 years) cottage in downtown Glendale, Az that the owner had changed the inside rooms to various spa amenities. The ladies were all very nice and we had a good time.    Then we had lunch at Applebees.


After that, we went to our main event for the day:

Community Musical Theater- my favorite way to spend the day!  This is an older show but the cast was just soooo good. I had tears in my eyes when it ended. If it comes to your city-go and see it.

3.A good Gluten Free cake mix.  I found this at Fry's (Krogers in some cities). Many mixes have not panned out well for me.  When I had my old condo with a big kitchen, I baked much more than I do now.  In fact, I made all my own GF flour mixes, bread etc.  I no longer do that.  I did find a good bread at Sprouts and use Betty Crocker GF Bisquick mix.  Gluten free products already made are at least twice the cost of regular products. So, when I find a good mix I can keep in the pantry, I want everyone to know and for me to remember. hee hee

This cake was every good as a regular one and easy.

4.  Serengeti pillows to match my quilt. I didn't have the right color pillows for the sofa so I luckily had left over scraps from the quilt to make these pillows.

Just in case you  hadn't seen enough photos of this Serengeti.


5. Nurses at the doctor's office who go way out of there way to treat us with respect and kindness.
    I won't go into details, just sayin I'm grateful today.

I hope you are all having a good week . Please join us at Lee Anna's  "likes" post on Thursdays:Not Afraid of Color.  We all look forward to the posts!

mary

New York Post Article

Greetings!

It's Sunday and I'm taking the day off! Stayin in pj's till lunch and reading New York Times articles. I might  make pancakes if I get enough energy goin.  hee hee

I wanted to share a link to an article I just read. Warning- this is not for everyone especially those who support Donald Trump.  But,  I felt compelled to share this with my friends who think as I do.

 It is a story of a snake- a take- off from the song "The Snake " that Donald Trump uses in his campaign. It is an op-ed from Maureen Dowd, a renowned author.

Here is the link:This snake can't shed his skin

It's unusually cold here (still crazy weather) at 36 degrees so I'm gonna get more coffee and the newspaper.

Enjoy your day!
mary

Things I like Thursdays Feb 22

Greetings!

Well, today is definitely a quilting "likes" post. Warning: copious amounts of photos to follow:
Here's what I would like to share with you that has made me happy this past week:


1. A quilt for a friend. My daughter's best friend is now a grandma so we wanted to send along a quilt for her new grandson.  I had this quilt made and stored away for just  such a purpose:

It's a 42 x 64 sized quilt and I did label it "Spimoni".I used  a Moda Grunge charm pack and 2 Bella white solids. The reverse is a sweet small polka dot / white I had in the stash. I used a white border and then a turquoise border and binding.  Even after washing, the colors are bold.

2. My "Serengeti"quilt. I made this 55" x 60" top early last year and finally finished quilting it this last week. Yay- WIP done!  The Fat Quarter bundle was an extravagant purchase I made when I was still working . It is organic cotton from Birch Fabrics:

I used 7 fat quarters cut into various sizes and some 10 1/2 inch square blocks to show off the prints. I really liked the "feel" of this organic cotton.

I used left over scraps for a coin border:

Moda Grunge Jelly Roll strips were used for vertical row sashing and binding:

Can you tell I'm really fond of the Grunge Jelly roll I got last year??
I forgot to photo  the back of the quilt which is a green/white qua trefoil design from Joann's.

I quilted "in the ditch" as I usually do when I want a fluffy quilt that shows off the prints.  It was difficult sewing on my domestic machine with this large quilt but glad it's done and hanging on the wall over the sofa. Sometimes I just sit and look at it.


3. The "cold" temps this week.  All of a sudden we are freezing overnight-in late February? Crazy weather. I've covered my plants and don't go out till noon when it's almost 50. I'm a morning person so this is unusual for me. We'll enjoy this while we can.



Hope you enjoyed this look into my world and please join us at Lee Anna's post:Not Afraid of Color for more "likes".  We are a great creative group and Lee Anna is so generous to keep us all together.

Have a great day.
mary


Since this is a "likes" post and we try to keep an uplifting approach, I will not share my feelings regarding the latest school shooting. Perhaps another day.

Things I like Thursday Feb 15

Greetings!

I'm feeling better mentally (adjusting to life's up and downs) and physically so I'm more aware of the "likeables" in my life.

 The weather has been really nice till yesterday when clouds and rain moved in.  I think we have rain scheduled for one more day so we definitely can't complain.  We are able and moving forward with doctor appointments for my brother and I so I'm thankful for that.

And, I'm still able to care for my special needs grandson which makes me thankful every single day.
He is  my valentine.

So here goes on my special "likes" for this week :

1. Amaryllis blooms.  Oh my goodness. I am blown away by this bulb that only took 4 weeks to bloom into huge peach colored flowers-this is the first bloom:

The plant is over 3 foot tall! I braced it with chopsticks but I need to get taller braces from the store.
Here is a photo 3 days later with the rest of the blooms opening:

There are about 5-6 blooms each about 5 inches across! Best plant I've ever grown.


2. Pizza at my son and daughter-in-law's home. Good company, good food.  This time we had spinach, artichoke and mushrooms.

I've never seen such a thin crust-thinner than a tortilla. Wonderful.  She makes it and my son cooks it on his Green Egg hibachi.  So cool.

3. Valentine gift for "my pumpkin" (who is 13 so I better come up with a new nickname but he insists I still call him "my pumpkin"). Just sayin. 💖  Anyway, I found this cutie at Walmart.

Thomas likes it when we call him a hairy beast (from one of his books) so this just fit perfectly.  He insisted the lion keep him company while playing with his trucks.  He never had an interest in stuffed animals till this last year  so this has been fun to surprise him with new ones and of course, Thomas is also very handsome.

4. Snowboarding events at the Olympics.  You must realize I'm a 69 year old gramma, I've never been on a snowboard or gone to the snow for at least 30 years. For some reason I am in awe of these athletes and their snowboarding skills-men and women-young and old!


I spent 3 hours trying to baste a WIP quilt but forgot to take photos; so, hopefully, by next week I'll have a finished donation quilt to share and,  one of my WIPS completed-yay.

This has been a better week and I hope everyone has also had a good week.  Please join us at LeeAnna's post Not Afraid of Color  for a great group of bloggers posting our "likes".

Have a blessed day.
mary

Edit: This post was written before the horrible events in Florida yesterday. I've been praying for everyone.

NOT VALENTINES DAY

 “Instead of celebrating Valentine's Day this year, I'm celebrating Discount Chocolate Tuesday.” - Unknown

just sayin.

Just when you think things are improving.......

Oh my.  You know that saying of "whatever you're doing on New Years Eve will be what you're doing for the rest of the year"?  Well, I spent that night in Urgent Care due to a bladder issue (but I was with my daughter who kept me laughing most of the time).   In January alone, I took my brother to urgent care for the surgical removal of a large cyst that he had not told me about which required 3 follow up visits that week alone, we had a birth and  a death in our immediate family, and a visit for me to a specialist with many tests to come.

 Then in February's  first week,  I took my brother (who has lived with me for 15 years because he is disabled) for his annual physical and doctor tells us he may have prostate cancer! No symptoms, but other signs I won't bore you with. That caught me so off guard, I couldn't think clearly for almost 2 days! Couldn't sleep, etc.-you know the routine when your worlds are turned upside down.  My brother is in the early stage of Alzheimers and also has a learning disorder, so he has been able to pretend nothing is wrong and life is normal.  Luckily, I just got a urologist for myself and was able to get him into my doctor the next day! He has a biopsy scheduled for Mar 13th. That's a long time to wait because that means an additional 2 weeks for the results. My initial concern is the fact I can't help with bodily functions ( I'm his sister for Pete's sake)and he's larger than I am so now I'm contacting agencies for medical help here at home that are affordable through the state. . We'll see how that plays out. Love me some bureaucracies. NOT. The chances of him having this are high based on the findings so far and I don't want him to suffer. The prognosis if caught early is excellent in treatment  and recovery. Hopefully, we caught this at an early stage.


Yesterday, I had lunch with my best friend who I hadn't seen in almost a year ( I know, crazy) and it helped me a lot.  I  slept (finally) last night so I'm feeling better.

 My faith has also given me a better approach.


So, that's how my day is going -how bout yours?
mary

I like Thursdays Feb 8

Greetings!

Here is my list of "likes" for today:

1. The Olympics.  I like summer or winter celebrations with the personal stories of athletes and the families who have supported them in their herculean efforts to be the best in the world. Sometimes I feel lazy when I see what these young people have done to dedicate their life for this endeavor! I also enjoy new sports that have been added because our changes to our  society.  I'm interested to see how Shaun White does this year as I believe it's his 4th trip! He's fun to watch snowboarding.

It's unfortunate how expensive the buildings and productions for the Olympics have become , though.  I watched a news report last night on the wasted buildings and venues after producing an Olympics. Crazy.

2. The Opening Ceremony for the Olympics.  Artistry at it's best!  For the last few years, I have been mesmerized with the designs, planning,and  precision of the performers. It's also interesting to see how  the cultures of the home city express their proud history and future plans..  I can't wait for Friday night's show. I pray everyone is safe based on the location and unfortunate situation with North Korea.

3. Our weather in the "winter".  Okay, I know I complain for months in our summers because I can't go outside-- but right now, we are in the 80's everyday so I'm taking advantage of this. I'm walking every day, getting some vitamin D and just "chillin" enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. Very nice.

4. The Philadelphia Eagles.  I confess I never watched them all football season but I sure appreciated them Sunday at the Super Bowl.  I wasn't even sure I would watch the game but planned on having the tv on, watching halftime (I like Justin Timberlake) and some commercials.  But I got hooked on the game! Most years, the game is boring. I really was happy they won. I enjoyed the upbeat halftime show and the respite from bad news everyday.  I also have to say how much I enjoyed Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr's Dirty Dancing commercial. Hysterical. I've watched it again several times on the internet.

5. Elon Musk. What a courageous, innovative man. I've watched the Falcon Heavy rocket launch several times, just to see the return of the rocket boosters -STANDING UPRIGHT" ! Who was the person in the room who said "let's send the red convertible into space while we're at it"? Those meetings must be so fun.

This is the best photo for the year!


Sorry I don't have more photos today, just thoughts. I hope you found some likes in your week and please join us at LeeAnna's post Not Afraid of Color to see other "likes" from our group.

Have a blessed day!
mary

FEBRUARY SEWING WEEKEND

Greetings!

I finally got a sewing weekend.  On Friday I attended a WIP day at my local quilt shop, the Quilted Country Bear in Glendale- 6 hours of sewing!.  It's pretty much the only shop I go to so we can keep things "local". Plus, I get to socialize with my friends there. 

While there, I started a new donation quilt based on Jenny Doan's tutorial for the 4 x 4 Quilt. I receive emails from MSQC on Fridays with her newest tutorial and can't wait to try them out.  Even tho the pattern called for a jelly roll, I cut up some 30's stash fabrics into 2.5" strips and made the 2 blocks for the pattern.

I wanted a soft, light hued quilt and these fabrics were perfect. The 30's prints are from Bespoke Blooms Audrey Hepburn.  The background (4 1/2" squares) are from Moda's Snowman Gathering I had left over from Christmas. The photo is a little misleading as it appears here- the prints are lighter in person.

The pattern is easy considering how much talking I was doing while sewing(hee hee).

I also had time on Saturday to start 8 more blocks for the Notting Hill cake blocks.

These are such fun and love this fabric.  4 "recipe' papers made the cut outs for the 8 blocks. Now I just need to make the blocks from all these cut outs. Maybe today.

I did add 2 light blue RSC blocks to the design wall also:

Since the colors in February for the RSC are purple and lavender, I couldn't wait to make those blocks. BUT, I couldn't believe I did not have one scrap in those colors!  Evidently I don't use those colors in my quilts?  Never fear, I cut up some stash!  

I still can't believe I haven't used these colors lately. Oh well, I got busy cutting the 2.5 x 4.5 strips 

for 2 purple blocks and 2 lavender blocks. And put them together in 2 hours. 

When I was at the quilting shop on Friday, my owner- friend offered to cut a charm pack of solids into mini charms for me since she didn't have a solid mini charm pack.  SCORE!  Ever since I cut my finger last year I haven't enjoyed cutting, so this was such a generous gift from her to cut them for me.  I now have 160 mini charm solids for these RSC blocks. Each block uses 4.

I hurt my right arm yesterday  trying to lift a paper shredder head, so I won't be able to clean (vacuum or mopping) for a few days. so sad. But it doesn't hurt to sew so this should be a good week. I just hope my tendon isn't torn or something. Never a dull moment.

Hope everyone finds time to sew!
mary