Strawberries

Jac took her strawberry washing duties seriously - 

she taste tested each and every berry to make sure they were good enough to share. 

I had my back turned for 2 minutes making chocolate sauce! Also, I may not have told Leanne about Jac’s methods until after she ate her berries . . . 

School Daze

All the grandgirls are back in school, except Leia who starts next week. 

Jaclyn started pre-pre-school today 

 Tiny curly pigtails

and she already has it backwards. 

She happily skipped off to play when mom dropped her off

and cried her eyes out when it was time to go home. 

Leanne is in third grade and has the same teacher Leia had (she’s one of my favorite teachers).

This is the second year Leanne has followed in Leia’s footsteps- which is not a bad thing since they’ve all been very good. 

Addy is in 7th grade(!!) this year. Hard to believe she’s going to be 13 in November.

Helping

Lily decided I needed help with my hand-stitching tonight so she climbed in and made herself comfortable.

But that also means my Tula Nova is getting bigger and closer to being done. Only a few rounds left to go!

Shooting Star

Started this today

using this tutorial.

It may be a one block mini-quilt or something bigger if I keep having fun with it. Time will tell. 

Lunch Date

Matt went camping this weekend, so Mary and Donovan 

joined Pop and I for a quick jaunt to Santa Barbara for lunch on the beach. 

A friend told me about this cafe a few months ago, 

saying it was where the locals go for good food and ocean views.

 Donovan’s first corn dog. He was not a fan.

It definitely delivers on both. 

Having a table on the sand also gave Donovan the freedom to run around and play. 

He was lovin’ life even before the Best Grandma Ever pulled out two new dinosaurs 

and Mom demonstrated how to bury them in the sand. 

Donovan even made a French fry-loving friend.

Such a good day.

D and J

Cousins Donovan and Jaclyn came for a visit Friday afternoon. 

 
They can be a bit competitive, especially when it comes to who gets Grandma‘s attention, so it was a nice surprise when they played happily together. 

Jac even invited Donovan to sit on her lap in their favorite chair. He weighs maybe a pound less than she does, so it didn’t last long. Glad I got the picture!

So Long Stash

I haven’t been able to crochet - or wanted to, to be honest - in about 2 years, since I tore something in my rotator cuff. It doesn’t bother me enough to make surgery a viable option (yet . . .) but crocheting for more than a few minutes sets my shoulder on fire. 

I’ve been worrying about what to do with the yarn stash I accumulated curated over the past 20+ years. I’ve given some away to friends, but there is still a lot packed away upstairs. And I’d really rather have the room for my quilting obsession fabric. 

Sooooo, I packed it all up (almost*) and donated it to a Guild mate who runs a charitable organization that teaches weaving to developmentally/intellectually disabled teens and young adults. 

 There’s 40+ cones of carpet warp in those boxes. I *might* have gotten carried away on eBay when I was a new weaver . . .

I’m thrilled the yarn went to a wonderful home and will be put to good use. And excited thinking about potential uses for all that reclaimed space. Next on the agenda is reorganizing my fabric and redesigning my sewing room. Pictures soon!

* I kept all my Encore and kitchen cotten yarns, thinking the girls might use it some day for weaving on the rigid heddle loom. And my “exotic” yarns, like quiviet, mink and cashmere. Just couldn’t bear to part with them yet. 

Tula Bag

Almost a year ago I bought a Quilty Box because Tula Pink was the featured designer. Love her and her fabric!

Included in the box was a cute Clam Up Bag pattern from By Annie’s, along with the stabilizer and fancy double-zip heavy-duty zipper needed for the project. 

What I didn’t realize until making bags for Addy and Rachel made me want one (ok, more than one) for myself, was that By Annie’s has video tutorials for most of their bag patterns.

And the code to watch the video on this bag for free* was included in my Quilty Box. 

The directions in the paper pattern were good enough that I could probably maybe have figured it out on my own, but I would have been frustrated, especially with the curved zipper installation -  a first for me.

With the videos, I flew through this in one long afternoon. And I had fun making it. 

The medium bag I made turned out a bit smaller than I anticipated, so I guess I’ll have to make more. Plus, I only used half the 40” zipper By Annie’s included in the box and I’d hate for that to go to waste. Off to shop my stash - and SuperBuzzy - for more Tula prints. I already placed my order with By Annie’s for more stabilizer, patterns and zippers. Maybe these will be Christmas presents too . . .

* The code for a free video is usually included with the purchase of a paper pattern, and the videos are about $5 on their own if you buy the pdf version of a pattern.

Cat Whisperer

Addy has a new title - Cat Whisperer. 

Lily is afraid wary of everyone but me

and has been since we got her as a teeny tiny kitten almost 10 years ago.

She runs if anyone tries to approach her and hides herself away when the little girls or guests are here. 

So, imagine our surprise when Lily walked over and perched on the couch right beside Addy. And let Addy walk up and pet her several times. Either my polydactyl baby is mellowing or Addy has the magic touch with kitties. 

Doing All The Things

With only two days left before Addy and Rachel head back to Colorado, we’ve been busy busy busy trying to do all the things. 

Monday was a quick trip to the Reagan Presidential Library to see the Da Vinci exhibition, 

along with the regular exhibits, 

before taking Leia to her first day of archery camp. 

Tuesday started with an Escape Room. So fun! 

Pop and Leia had never done one before but Addy and Rachel are old hands. They finished  3 minutes over the time limit but they figured it out! Addy discovered the hidden door in the first room and Leia solved the last puzzle. It was definitely a team effort. 

 Check out the in-flight arrow in the larger picture!

While Leia headed off to her second day of archery - this time with her own bow - 

everyone else went to see the Lion King. Well, everyone but me and Jac, who needed a nap waaaaaay more than a movie.

Dinner was the second of three birthday celebrations for Leia, who turned 11 today.

Her official party, with swimming and a sleepover, is Saturday but Rachel and Addy won’t be here then, unfortunately. 

And that’s a wrap! We checked all the boxes on Addy’s must-do list, the last being a ride in Pop’s sports car with the top down. The Coloradians head home in the morning, leaving at 5 a.m. so they can be in Vegas for a behind-the-scenes tour and turtle feeding at one of the big hotels, before heading on to Moab and Arches National Park. What an epic finish to their annual girls adventure. 

Beach Cake

We checked two more items off Addy’s California must-do list 

with a morning visit 

to Channel Islands National Park 

and the adjacent beach in Ventura,

and lunch at In-N-Out. They don’t have that in Colorado!

Then we counted the minutes until it was time to pick up Leia and head to our next adventure - cake decorating at Duff’s CakeMix in Tarzana. 

Leia loves baking and watching shows on Food Network, so this seemed like the perfect surprise for her upcoming birthday. I knew she’d be thrilled.

What really pleased me was how excited Addy was 

and how much fun she and Rachel had decorating their cakes.

Duff’s supplies everything you need,

from the cake or cupcakes, to fondant and buttercream frosting in a rainbow of colors, tools, molds, instruction and more. 

We spent almost 3 hours playing and could easily have stayed another hour or more.

If they had been busy, our time would have been limited to 1 hour - and there’s no way we could have finished these masterpieces in that short a period. Glad we timed it so well!

P.S. It tasted good too!