Monday, March 31, 2008

My Chuckle For Today

I found this on Carol's blog. Now I am a horrible speller and I got 100% It just amounts to the fact that if I see it already written, I know if it is wrong or not. If it is wrong, I don't know how to fix it. So let's all give a big cheer for spell check that not only tells me what I already know, but how to fix it too!




Your Spelling is Perfect



You got 10/10 correct.



Your spelling is excellent. You also have a great memory and eye for detail.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Only Me

My family spends a lot of time behind the wheel.

Most all my family members commute at least a half hour or more both ways every day. I don't drive much at all. Number one, I hate to drive and only do it when I have to. I have to force myself to do it some days. I don't do freeways. My family jokes about Mom's "radius". They know if it is out of my local comfort zone, they will have to come and transport me. But, they love me, and they do.

So, with all those miles racked up every week, guess who it was who went out this morning and managed to run over a SPARK PLUG? Stood in Wal Mart parking lot and listened to the air hiss out of the tire and it flatten right before my eyes. I had to call the great white hunter son #2 to come and get me. He changed the tire and took it to get it fixed. They laughed at him and the spark plug and I have a brand new tire.

NOT driving anymore today.........forget that we need fresh things like milk, we will just live without them until tomorrow!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Somewhere Out There

One of my favorite songs has always been "Somewhere Out There" by Linda Ronstadt and another fellow that I can't recall at the moment. The great white hunter was in the AF and then had a job where he traveled a lot. So the words, "Somewhere out there, under a clear blue sky....." always said to me that I had someone out there that was thinking of me, just as I was thinking of them.

Those words rang in my head today at Good Will. Somewhere out there, there is a little girl who needs/wants/has to have a Raggedy Ann and Andy quilt. Right there in front of my eyes was all the fabric to make it. In fact, I actually left a few yard hanging there! Then in the bagged fabric, low and behold, there was pre-made ruffle for a pillow to match. Now, got the fabric, the idea and all the tools...........I just need to find that someone out there!



I also need a organization for fabric addiction. One where I can stand up and say, "Hello my name is Norma and I am a fabric addict." Of course, the room would be full of quilters and we would then sit and pass our fabric around for all to see! Learning that Good Will has fabric at a store just up the street just helped me find another place to feed that addiction! LOL

Thursday, March 20, 2008

This is a Quilting Blog?

I know there hasn't been much quilting content on my blog lately. Between getting ready for the garage sale, and both the great white hunter and I being sick, there hasn't been much quilting going on at my house. This week, in spite of the cold, I did get with it enough to finish the top of the red and white split nine patch that I started before I decided to make Christmas quilts. I hope next time I show it, it will be on the sewing/guest bedroom daybed, complete with three pillow shams. We have a guest coming in April and I want it done by the time she gets here. I am very pleased with the results on this one, I love that pattern and will used it again. (however, WITHOUT fabric that is directional!!).



I wish I had "smell-o-vision" for this next one. These are the blooms on our grapefruit tree. The lemon and orange have the same. When you walk out on our back patio, the most wonderful smell ATTACKS you. It is everywhere around those trees. It is so thick, you can almost see it. One of my favorte things about this time of year here.



These next two photos are flowers in our back yard. This is for those of you who are still waiting for spring to come your way. This pot of daisy is the proof that if you want to grow bad enough, you will. This pot is filled with plants that sprouted in the lawn out back. We have another flower bed by the pool that we planted these from seed about three years ago. Last Spring, we found them growning all along the edge of the patio from seeds that had blown from that flower bed. My great white hunter and the grand kids dug them up and transplanted them in this pot. Stubborn things, but oh so lovely!


These are a different type of geranium.........and of course, in my favorite bright colors. I can see these out my kitchen window when I do the dishes. If you look behind them, you can see the garden. The tomatoes and squash have blooms!


Monday, March 17, 2008

Big Changes

This is what we used to buy Julia and Colin for their Nana/Papa Easter baskets. They are so sweet and I loved picking things like this out for them.



This is what we bought this year! The shark is for Julia and the alligator is for Colin. They come from their new favorite store...Bass Pro Shop. Colin has a couple of snakes made out of this silky stuff and they have a ball with them. Did you know that they slide down the stairs on their own? They fly nice off the landing too. Then, they are really great to use as a pillow when you watch TV after you played "Scare Nana" with the new toy!

I need to see if I can find a kid that needs a fluffy, yellow Easter duck or something!


Thanks Carol, I Think..................

I am not much for this tagging thing but this one sounds like fun. It is something to make me think through the flu crud anyway. By the way, thanks for all the good wishes, I do think I am going to live! Kleenx is richer by far but wow, what would you do without them?

This came from Carol and didn't seem to have any rules to go with it so here goes.


1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
The story was, I was named for a English nurse that my Dad knew during the war. There was more to that story, but it was never shared with me!

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Got tears when I was thinking about how great a weekend we had with the grand kids. Crying hard, I don't remember, try NOT to do that anymore.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
If I take my time, it is nice but I rarely take my time.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT?
Smoked shaved turkey

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Three adult kids, two in law kids, two grand
kids and a cat who requires more attention than a kid.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Only if I got to know me really well first. I have lumps and bumps that you don't see at first.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Yes, I have been told I use it too much. It is my sense of humor to be sarcastic.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Never had them out but the DR said they are gone. Rotted away, I guess.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
HELL NO....

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL?
Apples and cinnamon oatmeal

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Yes, you break down the backs if you don't!

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
I am WOMAN, hear me roar! Yes, I am or I wouldn't have made it to 60 years and still be able to smile. Strong willed, you bet your life.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM?
No preference

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their eyes...........I look for a twinkle, or a hint of happiness. The eyes are the entry to the soul.

15. RED OR PINK?
RED

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Temper

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST
My great aunt Cora

18. WHAT COLOUR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Jeans and no shoes

19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
lunch

20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The sound of the keyboard keys

21. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE?
The entire 100 plus box...........I love color

22. FAVOURITE SMELLS?
A baby that just had a bath, lemon, Bath and Body Works White Tea and Ginger, and my great white hunter after he shaves.

23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
DD

24. FAVOURITE SPORT TO WATCH?
Figure skating

25. HAIR COLOUR?
Who knows? The box says golden light brown.

26. EYE COLOUR?
Hazel

27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
NO.

28. FAVORITE FOOD?
FOOD

29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happily ever after............

30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
I have no clue...not much of a movie person

31. WHAT COLOUR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Green, it is St. Patrick's day and I am Irish.

32. SUMMER OR WINTER?
If you lived in AZ, you would know this is not even a choice.....winter. I really like Spring the best.

33. HUGS OR KISSES?
Lots of both......daily

34. FAVOURITE DESSERT
Peach cobbler

35. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
AND STILL WE RISE by Miles Corwin. It's the story of a inter city high school.

36. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSEPAD
Thomas Kincade Morning Glory Cottage

37. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
Didn't

38. FAVOURITE SOUND?
Waves on the shore

39. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Neither.........and I am a child of the 60's! I will take the Rightous Brothers over those two any day.

40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Europe, lived in Germany for four years.

41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Cooking and baking

42. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
In the mountains of Colorado

I am not going to tag anyone. If you read my blog and you would like to share these things about yourself, please do so we can all get to know each other better. I would love to read your answers.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Meet My New BF

It is a rotten picture but this is the new best friend. I have been spending a lot of time with my box of tissue. Not fabric, not stitching, just me and my tissue having lots of quality time. It started out as allergy like symptoms but has progressed into a full scale "blow-a-thon." Hope to post something more fun soon.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Desert in Bloom

For the most part, when someone says "desert", I think brown..........you know, sand and scorched plants. But there is great variety in all the plants in the state as well as climate. It depends on the elevation. In the Spring, if we are really lucky, nature makes up for what we don't have in the summer months as far as blooming flowers. IF and only if the rain and temp. conditions are right during the late fall and winter months, March brings a sea of wildflowers that stretch as far as you can see. It is so wonderful to be driving down the road and see yellow flowers covering a entire hillside. There are purple, blue, orange and white ones too.

This year conditions were right and we are just starting to see the results. Give it a couple of weeks and there will be more. The last time I remember seeing them this full was about six years ago when Julia was a baby.

So, camera in hand, my great white hunter and I headed out so I could share the beauty with you all. If you are snowed in, iced in or have a major case of winter cabin fever, just remember the brown thing. In August, there are NO wildflowers and every thing is parched. We are all suffering from major cabin fever because it is too darn hot to go out. Now you don't have to shovel heat and it doesn't make it harder to get around and that is the only plus!

Enjoy, soon our cactus will all be blooming and I will bring you another installment of our desert in bloom.





Friday, March 7, 2008

Mailbox Goodies!

A while back I entered a contest on Stitchy Britches. She wanted folks to guess what brand transfer she had used in her new blog header. Just a few days before, I had been looking at all her transfers and I knew I had seen the kittens. So, went back and was able to tell her what brand......and the pattern number. So, I won some kind of prize for all the information. I hadn't received anything but then remembered that Steph lives in Australia! I figured my prize was on a very slow boat and didn't think much more about it. Today when I opened the mailbox.....there was my nice little packet of goodies, all the way from Down Under! What fun, thank you Steph.

There are three cute little things stamped and ready to stitch, some floss, some transfer copies and a sweet little needle cushion with a needle ready to go. She included a nice note also. There is a extra bonus she might not have thought of, an Australia postage stamp to show my grands!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Memory Lane

Finn posts things that take me "way back" every so often. My great white hunter and I often spend weekend afternoons wandering through antique shops looking at things we remember from our childhood. There are mixed emotions with that, I love seeing things that were in our kitchen as I was growing up or things my grandmother had. Sometimes, I see things that we didn't have too! I enjoy this, but am firmly in the here and now. I just love the memories that some of these things bring back, amazed at how clear they are and how muddled what happened last week is.

When I was growing up, I don't think I ever laid my head down on a pillow case that didn't have beautiful embroidery work done on it. Our dish towels for the most part had embroidery done on them as well as dresser scarfs. It was just a part of life, my mother stitched and so did my grandmother. I learned how to stitch, did it for a while before I got married and moved on. I have done a lot of hand work but never went back to the stamped embroidery. Fast forward to about six months ago when I started seeing so many beautiful embroidery things on the blogs. I picked up my embroidery hoop! I need some practice getting my stitches even but I am really enjoying doing this again after all these years.

There are several blogs that I go to that feature the iron on transfers of years ago. They have become quite collectible, with their own history being recorded by some of these gals. They share as much as they can with in copyright laws for us to print out and trace for our stitching. I have a whole binder now of great patterns and find more all the time. Check out Stitchy Britches and
Vintage Transfers for some great ideas.

Here is my treasure trove that I found not long ago at a antique store. It was one of those things that I didn't know what or why, but for the price, I needed! They are all complete,like new and never cut. Someone bought them with good intentions and that is as far as it went. I understand completely!

I don't remember what I paid, but it was under $5 for a bag of four. Two of them have price tags from Woolworth for 33 cents. No idea what I will do with them but, they took me on my own stroll down memory lane.



Monday, March 3, 2008

Pie (s) in the Sky

It has been awhile since I sent baked goods to work with my great white hunter, in fact I think it was Christmas goodies. So, beings I have never sent in pie, here is what they are getting tomorrow along with vanilla ice cream and whipped topping. The apple and pecan are completely from scratch, the two cherry are made with canned pie filling. I believe in make it from scratch if you can make it better, but if not, then use what is best. Cherries this time of year would be canned or frozen, so I just used the ready made filling. Now I need to go clean up my kitchen........six pies equals a rather large mess!


Enough is Enough!

I hereby pronounce the "de-clutter" thing, over and almost done! I have a huge pile of stuff ready for a garage sale this weekend. What does not sell, will go straight from our driveway in to the car for a trip to Good Will! I still have a few things to price and change to get from the bank but..............wheeeeeee, I did it!

Now the object is to keep things this way. I am trying, in all areas, to just buy what I need and will use NOW. No more buying because it was a good deal and I might need it someday. It is so nice to open a cupboard and NOT have something fall out on my head.

Now, that is not to say that I got rid of everything I needed to, but I see it as a work in progress. The first stage is done..........time to move on to the next one. As I find it, I ask if I really want to keep it and if the answer is anywhere near no, it is out of here.

A long the same lines, I have dealt with some personal issues that I felt were cluttering my life. No where near all the way with that one, but some positive steps in the right directions.

I can not believe that it is March and my New Year's resolutions are still hanging in there. That is a first for this lady!