GIVE A LITTLE

Friday morning, Jeff and I were “up and at ‘em” and ready for our yearly volunteer job — painting the lines on some of the Long Valley soccer fields. 

Meet our trusty tool.  It’s really neat.  You put a can of spray paint in, upside down, then you hit the lever on the handle and it sprays a perfectly straight line onto  the grass as you walk along!  

This year we’re doing 4 training fields.  Last year we had 2 small fields and 2 giant fields. 

Here’s a little of our handiwork! 

You know, it cracks me up.  There are HUNDREDS of kids who play for our Washington Township Rec Soccer teams yet the number of parents who actually volunteer to help is little to none.  Who in the hell do they think paints the lines on the fields?  They drop their kid off with the coach on practice days and leave for the coach to supervise. Why don’t they come to watch their kids play a game?  Why are some teams unsponsored?  

Bottom line:  Just because you make a kid, doesn’t make you a good or an involved parent.   Yet this Long Valley crowd will be the VERY FIRST to look down their noses at people.   A lot of the folks around here can be a bit snobby and feel totally entitled.  Ah, that’s my neighborhood!  LOL   

That said, I’m sure it’s the same in your neck of the woods.  My theory is that there are only two kinds of people in the world: 

1. Movers and Shakers

2. Slugs   

Take a look around your own quilting guild.  Is it the same people who do the guild committee work over and over again?   Are you one of them?   In guilds across America I find that it’s generally the same people, over and over again, who sit on their asses and never volunteer to do a thing…. oh yeah, and the slugs are ALWAYS the first to complain about something.   Makes you just want to bitch-slap ‘em.  

So get out there and volunteer, sweetie-pies!  It only takes a little effort and it’ll make YOU feel terrific and it will do wonders for the spirit of other people.  You don’t need to volunteer some Raiders of the Lost Ark kind of project.  Try helping out with something really small.  YOU can set the parameters, right?   Now, no bullshiting here, EVERYONE has a LITTLE time to volunteer.  Even you!  Give it a try.  You won’t be sorry.   But I digress . . .

 I WANT TO LIVE HERE

While we were painting two of the soccer fields, we noticed an old church in the distance.   Spooky looking because it is in such disrepair but totally charming, with great bones.   I’d love to convert it into a house!  Wouldn’t that be neat? 

  Not bad from a distance.

  But a closer look has this joint screaming “HELP!”

Even the peeling paint has a bit of charm to it.  I’ll tell you this, I sure wouldn’t want the bill to restore this place.   Whew!  Ca-Ching$$$$ 

NOBODY HOME BUT US CHICKENS 

When I came home I cleaned the chicken coop!   

Somebody was happy with the new straw nest!  

 

A MID LIFE CRISIS PURCHASE

Well, I bit the bullet last week.

1.  I acknowledged my mid-life crisis and bought a new car.

2.  I bought a convertible.

Trust me, folks.  I look like a Weeble in a Barbie car! 

Weeble + Barbie Car = You know who!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PLUS

EQUALS

Here’s the car.   But this isn’t the best part.

THIS is the best part.   Jeff and I found it in WalMart!  It blinks and flashes when my headlights are turned on!   Can you imagine?    I’m a Flaming Quilter (among other things . . . )

THE PARTY’S OVER . . .

And, Turnips, it’s the last rose of summer in my garden!    Boooo Hoooo!   No joke!   xoxom

Oh, yeah, baby!  Daddy sponsored Evan’s soccer team!    Here’s the HIIII-STERICAL part:   All of these poor mucho macho teens are on TEAM QUILTER’S HOME!!!   

  

Take a look at my little dude modeling his team colors!  

 

I got a call from . . .

Rachael Kirshenbaum, a producer at

They are doing a TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY of Miss Star Jones. 

 

While I don’t have a lot of good, warm and fuzzy Miss Jones memories, and OHHHHH  I DO have some stories, I didn’t return the phone call.  At this point in time, Ms. Jones has become totally irrelevant and her books are on the Barnes & Noble sales table for $3.99.    Yawwwwwwwn.  

Speaking of Celebs . . .

Jeff found this CD from my ‘The View’ days while he was cleaning out an old CD rack (talk about being irrelavant and obsolete) of ours.  

 

It dawned on me that that the news recently broke Ricky is a baby daddy (TWO baby daddy, as a matter of fact  – TWINS)!  

Hmmmmm.  Beautiful Ricky Martin, Talented Clay Aiken, and Buff Muscular me — all baby daddies! 

     

Could I be the only one who smells of a “hint of mint” from this fabulous trio?  LOL

FRIENDS AND FOES

A little sighting from The Quilting Pirate:              http://thequiltingpirate.wordpress.com/2008/09/06/girlie-groupie-fan-moment/

Wish Upon a Quilt make Califon a Fab Shop Hop hint!                                                www.wishuponaquilt.com

Yesterday morning, Jeff and I set off to the Mancuso show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (about 2 hours from Pickle Road) to see the show.   califon was everywhere!  It was even used as a class sample!  

  This bag was a class that Phyllis Anderson of the Silver Thimble was teaching using califon fabrics.   She and the bag are adorable.   

This is Bob Anderson, her husband, manning their booth with a califon display.  Silver Thimble is in Springfield, NH.  Their email is:   silverthimble@excite.com  

   If you notice there is a Quilter’s Home page spread in this Meadow Gems booth from when I featured her product in BLING!.   This is the lady who does the paper quilt and pet themed pins!   She’s holding up a pin of what little Petunia will look like when she grows up!

   Jeff and I were floored when we saw that this booth had a califon FEATURE.  OF COURSE I needed a photo!   This couple, Wendy and Dick Shank are from Traditions at the White Swan in Hagerstown, MD.  www.whiteswanquilt.com 

    Meet Mary from Material Mart in Midland, MI next to her califon display.   www.materialmart.com

  This is the Maine-ly Sewing booth from Nobleboro, ME with their rack o’ califon!   www.mainelysewing.com

  This is Lorraine Harnish from APQS.   I may finally take a class from her and figure out how to run my Millennium once and for all!  

  This lady stopped me in the aisles.  It seems that I helped her pick out her quilty quilt block wrist watch a few shows ago!   She was still wearing it and she still loves it.  On second glance, I still really think it’s a smart watch, too! 

 

I have to let you in on my dirty little secret . . .  

 

My new favorite bread is called French Miche from Panera!  

It’s not cheap, but it’s a huge loaf, freezes well and tastes like bread should taste.   I have them cut it thick, and it makes the most amazing French Toast (and hearty sandwiches) ever.  Adios, Wonder Bread! 

I just finished eating a plate of French Toast as I type.   Here’s how I make mine:

6 eggs (right from my hen house)

1 cup of whole milk or half-and-half  (right from the nursing cat —-  JUST KIDDING!!!!)

2 Tablespoons of Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of orange oil or I’ll use 1 teaspoon of Grand Marnier if I have any sitting around the house.

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

I mix all of the ingredients, soak the French Miche in it for a minute or two, then I melt butter on a griddle and “grill” my French Toast on a medium heat until it’s cooked.     YUMMY!

 

FRIENDS AND FOES

The My Love of Quilting Blog and a cute dog on a quilt: http://journeyofanewquilter.blogspot.com/2008/09/quilters-home.html 

This blog posting  is from The Quilted Word by FrecklesQuilts:  http://frecklesquilts.blogspot.com/2008/06/quilting-favorites.html

Desert Threads was inspired by a photo from the Pickle Road blog: http://desertthreads.blogspot.com/2008/07/sad-news.html

Lori the Librarian took a Quiter’s Home article and made it her own:     http://lauriethelibrarian.electrified.ca/?p=487

Here’s a blog about a Round Robin using the rules from Quilter’s Home (I’ll show you more photos of the results in an upcoming blog):                                                 http://quiltersretreat.blogspot.com/2008/08/round-robin-quilt.html

Canton Village Quilt Works promotes califon:                       http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/2008/09/cherries-in-mail.html

Blue Nickel’s reaction to krakow:                                                                         http://bluenickelstudios.com/?p=698

Quiltersmuse.com discovers Mark on a book jacket:         http://quiltersmuse.com/blog/2008/09/03/quilts-from-the-selvage-edge/

Laura’s Over the Rainbow blog welcomes online Shop Hoppers with califon:      http://blog.overrainbow.com/?p=30

Holy cow, the summer went fast, and my lil’ pumkin is going into 10th grade.  

  This is Evan waiting for his bus (I had to take this photo through a window).  God forbid I wait out there with him.  He’s much too cool for that! 

Funny how life turns out.  10 years ago I got teary when I put Evan on the bus for his first day of school.  Now I get weepy the week or two before classes start, hoping that I’ll be able to get through the last days of summer without losing my mind or damaging my credit score with multiple purchases from Abercrombie, Pacsun, Hot Topic and other bastions of hideous teenage fashion.

Look who visited us in the backyard today! 

It’s the turkey I talked about in a previous blog — She hatched BABIES!  LOTS of babies! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of animal babies. . .

Take a look at how Petunia has grown!   She’s just a terrifically sweet dog!  Tulip still isn’t crazy about her but Petunia is even growing on Tulip!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  She’s still only a couple of pounds. 

 

 

 

SPEAKING OF TURKEYS AND BABIES. . .

Ironic that our newest  political celebutard has more in common with Mama Lynn Spears that she does with the average American voter. 

 

It is amazing to me that Jamie Lynn was vilified for getting pregnant, her show put on ice,  Lynn Spears lost her mothering book deal, and even poor Miley Cyrus was all but KILLED for posing for a photo, totally covered by a towel.  

My, how things have changed in a few weeks . . .

Now everyone seems to think that Spread-em-wide-Bristol and Don’t-keep-it-in-your-pants-Levi are some super role models for getting knocked up. Not that it takes a brain surgeon to get preggers, but must we all act as though this has no affect American youth and obey the urging of the  politicians who would like us to cease talking about it?   

Forgive me, Pickles!  

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry for this poor lady.   I do find the story that I’m about to tell more than a tad amusing and totally disturbing to say the least (OK, not really that distrubing). 

Apparently,  A 78-year old woman for Sweden didn ‘t quite get the check-in at the Stockholm airport, so the poor dear  grabbed her suitcase, jumped onto the unattended motorized luggage conveyor with it and, after a short ride, slid right down the baggage chute.   Reports are that the poor dear didn’t suffer any injuries and still managed to make her flight.   She must have had her Baby Lock in the bag!  What else could make you hang on to a suitcase for dear life? 

Can you imagine what her family is going to say?
 

Ohhhh Luuuuucy!  You got some ’splainin’ to do!

Hmmmmm…what’s next?

OK, I have to fess up about something that happened at the Thunder Bay retreat.   I’ve been called out by the students and dared to tell on the Pickle Posse list.

When we check in, each particpant is given a small kit and asked to make their own name tag.  In the kit is fabrics, a photocopied horned elk applique pattern, fusible, plastic covering for the name tag, etc. etc. 

 Here’s the the end result of the finished name tag is supposed to look like.  This name tag is that of the Thunder Bay coordinator, Pam Achutz.

Here’s another. . .

 

 

Here’s mine . . .

 

 

 

 

Keep looking . . .

 

 

 

 Ooops!

I could have sworn that they asked for a HORNY elk.   So, that’s my interpretation of the name tag (Amazingly, it took me less than 15-minutes in the workshop before I was inspired).

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned . . .   (but what else is new?)

But that’s not all. . .  

The workshop I taught at Thunder Bay  is not a workshop where I allow much ironing.  MOST students listen.  ONE did not and thought she’d sneak in her own iron and press while I wasn’t looking.  Well, Miss Thang wasn’t looking either.    

 

 

Fabric for a Simple Simon   $90

Pattern for a Simple Simon $8.50

A small travel iron   $34.99

Melting a hole in your host’s table     PRICELE$$

Drumroll , please. . .

 

  

 

Have you seen these? 

These posters have been popping up in quilt shops around the world, in the shops that have ordered and sell the entire line of califon!   I’m knocking on wood because the sales have been amazing!  Thank you, turnips!

krakow

As promised, today cupcakes, is the first public look at my new line, krakow, inspired by my collection of Polish stoneware pottery.   You get first gaze and I hope you like it . . .

 

Here is the red line (they go PERFECTLY with the califon black & whites)!

 

 

 

And there’s more!

I’ve designed 25 lucious blenders, too!   I can’t wait to show you those — keep looking.  I’ll post them in a few weeks!  

FRIENDS AND FOES

   Here’s a link to Bonnie Browning’s blog.  I love this chick!  http://bonniebrowningblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/nashville-quilt-expo-was-great-fun.html