Another Finish!

Have I ever mentioned that I'm a procrastinator? And that I'm really, really good at it? As proof, may I offer . . . .

this jelly roll, purchased in August 2010. Didn't know what I wanted to do with it, so it marinated for years in the fabric stash until July, when inspiration struck.

Quilt top and borders were done in two days, then off it went to the long-arm quilter, who had it finished and returned in less than two weeks. And then it sat. Again. 
 
Until this week, when I got off my butt inspired again. I finished hand-stitching the binding last night and voila! 

 
A beautiful quilt, ready for the washing machine and to be put into use. 
 
I love this thing. 

 
Caribbean Sunrise; begun in 2010, finished in 2015. Now that's procrastination.  

Better Finished Than Perfect

Look what I finished -
 
Shabby Roses, begun in a class at Quilt Ventura in September 2014 (!!!), 
 
is quilted, bound, washed and on the bed in our upstairs 'guest room'. 
  
It's probably a bit small for this bed, but Leanne and I love it and can't wait to sleep under it tonight.
 
And? A second quilt - another long time project - is almost done. Just need to finish hand-sewing the last two sides, toss it in the washer, and put it out to be used. Maybe I'll even get it done before the new year. Fingers crossed.

Note to myself: the tulip fabric in the border is "Botanica II - Spring" by Color Principle for Henry Giass; the backing fabric - that looks like one of my high school prom dresses (in a good way) - 

is "Marblehead" by Ro Gregg for Paintbrush Studio.  

Universal Birthday

I love going to theme parks with the little girls for my birthday. It's a present for me just watching how happy they are - especially when they get to take a day off from school. 
 
We decided on Universal Studios this year, in part because we hadn't been in a looooong time. 
 
And the other part? Harry Potter and Hogwarts are coming to Universal in April. By buying season passes now, we can come back in April for "free".
 
We also decided - since season passes mean we can come back as often as we like - to take just Leia on this trip and bring Leanne in January. More individual attention for them; less bickering competing for grandma's attention for me. 
 
The day was chilly but there were no crowds; we got on most rides within 10-15 minutes.
 
The characters were out in force and there was no waiting for photos with them either. Leia was thrilled.
 
We rode almost every ride in the park (except roller coasters; neither Leia nor I are fans)
 
and did Leia's favorite rides - Minion Mayhem and the back-lot tram - twice. We wanted to do the bug ride again too, but alas, it was broken. 

 
Was it worth the money for season passes? Heck, yes!
 
The rides were a lot better than I remember from previous visits. 
 
There's an emphasis on 3D/4D movie experiences, which makes sense for a movie studio. Play to your strengths, right?
 
The most amazing thing to me was King Kong 360-3D during the tram ride. It was AWESOME!
 
I hope it isn't too scary for Leanne 'cause that's the first ride I want to go on when we go back in January!   

Christmasing

The weather outside is frightful - temps in the 80's and 90's until today, when we got high winds, pounding surf and 3 drops of rain.
 
Which is about the polar opposite of what we had during our Thanksgiving week in Colorado.

We have, however, still managed to get into the Christmas spirit.
 
Santa has been visited -
Travis will be 4 on the 23rd!

and the girls made their holiday trek to Build-a-Bear, 
 
bringing home Clarice (for Leanne) and Princess Dancer (Leia). 
 
Mary and I took a fun wreath class
 
at the Christmas tree farm owned by one of my favorite former co-workers.
 
Addy decorated her tree while we were in Colorado,
  
(did I mention I taught her finger crochet - she's a natural! - and more embroidery stitches while we were there? Proud grandma!)
 
Yesterday we started a fire,
 
then got out our boxes 
 
and boxes 
 
(and more boxes) 
 
of decorations 
 
so the little girls 
 
could help us 
 
with our tree.
 
They even stopped bickering for 47 1/2 seconds 
 
so I could get a couple of decent photos.

Now that's what I call Christmas spirit!

Birthday Weekend

We made it to cold and snowy Colorado on Thursday and started celebrating Addy's ninth birthday on Friday.

Technically we should have waited until today, her actual birthday, but that beanbag chair was just too darn big to wrap - or to hide. And besides, what's the fun in waiting?? We also made our traditional "grandparents are here!!" run to Build-A-Bear, this time adding a dragon to Addy's personal zoo.

Today was party with the friends at a local trampoline place, followed by more presents, crafting with mom, and dinner at Qdoba, at Addy's request. Tomorrow there just might be another present arriving, courtesy of Amazon's 2-day shipping.

Happy birthday weekend, Addison!

"Fishing"

While the boys got up early to go fishing at Lake Casitas -

Leia and I slept in, then drove through McDonald's for breakfast in our pj's - which Leia thought was hilarious. Once Leanne arrived, the girls did a bit of face painting - 
 
Leanne knew exactly what she wanted 
 
and got right down to business,

 
while Leia perused her options, 
 
before opting to have grandma do the painting for her. (Note: I'm not planning to quit my day job . . . .)

Meanwhile, the boys were catching . . . . nothing but sun. Such a hard life.
 
Leanne helped me pin a new shawl (for an upcoming class)
 
before drowning it with the spray bottle - her favorite part of the process. 


 
And the boys?
 
A rain squall caught them in the middle of the lake and they looked like drowned rats by the time they made it to shore. (There was only one rain poncho and the "he who brings it, wears it" rule was applied.) They swear they had a good time, but personally? I'll take indoor fun with the little girls over "fishing" every time!