Baby Shower

The countdown to Jaclyn Rose has begun. 
 
Her baby shower was Saturday, celebrated poolside in Thousand Oaks. Lovely party, lovely people, but HOT - poor Marie was melting.
 
Not wanting Leanne to feel left out in the gift-getting department, Pop and I got her a baby doll to open at the party, complete with bib, bottle and carrier. 
 
Can you tell how much she loves her new friend?
 
I'd been working on a rainbow wiggle blanket for a shower gift, 
  
and had it about 3/4's done a week before the party . . . .

when I thought, hmmmmm, Leanne and I should make a quilt** for the baby.
 
Leanne picked a panel and matching fabric from my stash, then helped me start the cutting and sewing. Two and a half days later we had a quilt! 

 Leanne wrote Jaclyn's name*,
 
 along with her own,
 
in the appropriate boxes and everyone at the shower added their names too.
 
Hopefully it will be a fun, well-used keepsake for the newest princess.

* I turned my back on Leanne for 3 seconds and when I looked back, she had written Jaclyn's name perfectly, backwards.  Second time was better, if harder to see. Definitely leaving both as-is - such a perfect sister memory.

** This is why I buy things when they're in the sale bin - to have on hand when the whim strikes to make.something.  The backing fabric and batting were half-price remnants from Quilt Ventura; the pink was a fat quarter from Cotton & Chocolate.  

Quilt Run #4

Quilt Run 2016 is done and dusted. I hit the road at 8:15 Friday morning - meeting up with Reyna in Carpinteria at 9 - and returned exactly 12 hours later, having driven 382 miles to 9 shops (up 1 from last year) and spent some significant $$ doing my bit to keep local quilt shops in business. 
 
The big story this year was the weather - see Reyna's blog for pics. We went from 59 in Camarillo and Carpinteria, to 104 (not kidding!) in Paso Robles and Atascadero, and then 30 minutes later it was 64 in Morro Bay. A 40-degree temperature difference is nuts!  There's a reason I live close to the ocean . . . . 
  
I started the Run without a plan but by the time we left Orcutt - our 2nd stop and one of my all-time favorite quilt shops - I'd decided to concentrate on fun kid's fabrics (click any picture to enlarge and see details)
 
along with border fabric 
 
for Leanne's Frozen quilt*.
 
I also picked up some space-themed yardage for the newly astro-nutty granddaughter. I couldn't decide if I wanted her quilt to be serious or silly, 
 
so I bought both kinds of fabric. I'm thinking the solar system panel (above) with Martians and goofy space rockets (below, right) surrounding it??
  
I got some fabric just because I liked it . . .  (Purple!!) . . . 
 
or because it was a really good deal - like this 4-yards of castle fabric for $20 
 
and this 1.5 yard $5 grab-bag I spotted in Morro Bay. I think the top print will work with a little girl quilt.

And the bottom fabric? I'm planning to "gift" that to an unsuspecting friend (or a charity. Probably a charity. . . .)

*I promised Leanne a Frozen quilt when her new baby sister is born. In three weeks. I think I better get cutting . . . 

Not So Little Anymore

(updated below) 
The little girls are growing up.
 
Baby Leanne - 5 already! - loves her karate classes.
 
Leia, 7, is almost done with 2nd grade.
 
And Addy, 9, has decided she's going to work for NASA some day. While playing with her awesome Mission Control board, she yelled, "Get off the moon! A meteor is coming! Geez this is going to be so much paperwork!!"

UPDATE! "Addy's class nominated her the most likely to be a Mars Astronaut!" 

Harry Potter Land

On Wednesday we borrowed both girls and headed for Universal Studios. 
 
They were sad about missing school (not!!) 
 
but put on a brave face and tried to enjoy the day.
 
We'd hoped to get to Hogwarts before the crowds but . . . .
 
yeah, we missed that window. 
 
The place was packed. 
 
We stood in line for one ride, took a few pictures,
 
then fled to the relative sanity of Minions and the tram tour.

Leia had been to Universal with us in January 
 
but this was Leanne's first trip. 
 

She was a little overwhelmed by all the noise, people and activity,  


 
holding tight to my hand most of the day 
  
and flat refusing to have her picture taken with any of the characters we saw (unlike Leia, who wanted her picture taken with EVERYONE!)
 
The girls danced their way through lunch,
 
ate ice cream (and churros with chocolate sauce - yummmmm!),
 
then we went back to Harry Potter land 
 
- where the lines were much shorter, thank goodness! -
 
to get Leia the magic wand she'd been talking about all day. 
 
Leanne decided she'd rather have a giant stuffed unicorn - guess she doesn't see herself in a wizarding role quite yet. 

Overall we had a fun day. Hogwarts was a bit overwhelming with the crowds and constant noise; I'd like to go back at 8 one morning - when they let season pass holders in an hour before official opening - to explore the stores and rides. There isn't a lot to Harry Potter land - only 3 rides and the short show at Ollivander's before you pick out your wand - but the atmosphere and set decoration are first rate. We'll definitely be back.

Almost Baby Time

The latest pics of Jaclyn Rose.

We'll get to meet her sometime around June 25.

Leanne plans to call her baby sister "Rosie". Personally, I'm voting for "JacJac".

 

Priorities

After traveling all day Tuesday, we expected to have Wednesday as a recovery day. Wrong. It was better - a grand-girl day!
Leanne has turned into a puzzle solving wiz. 

We surprised Leia at school, then took her for an afternoon of miniature golf before she headed off to her school's open house. Dinner and a sleep-over with Leanne finished off the day.
 
Thursday we headed for the Apple Store in Simi to get hubby's phone functional again*. And since Leanne's favorite train was right there, she and Pop went for a ride around the mall. And I was a nice person and didn't take a picture as hubby oooooozed himself out of the train car afterward, holding his poor abused back. Those train seats are hard!  
 
*Turns out that changing sim cards is super easy; who knew? (Probably everybody but us.) 

At Sea and On Land

Finishing up our week at sea:

Formal dinner #3; the Scarlet O'Hara painting (my 2nd favorite picture of Queen Elizabeth); looking down in the Grand lobby; bronze wall outside the Golden Lion Pub; sparkly chandelier. 

Fantastic food has been a big part of our voyage. Triple chocolate mousse dessert during our last formal dinner; sculpted hen (bread) in the Kings Court buffet; fruit carving also in the buffet; beef tenderloin with mushroom and asparagus in Britannia dining room; our table number.

English afternoon tea, with harp accompaniment, on our last day at sea. Tomorrow New York and the long trip home.
 
It's cold on the top deck at 5:30 am!; Queen Mary 2 in lights; smokestack and bridge; Statue of Liberty. 
Our bus driver decided the fastest route from the docks to JFK was through Manhattan. And he pointed out sights along the way. Best bus ride ever. Carey tunnel - we spent 20 minutes under water here; World Trade Center fountain; original Macy's; skyscrapers; roses growing in the street median - red in front, pink in back; New Yorker; NYFD; Macy's entrance; NY street; Queens tunnel.

 
Time to come home!