deb's thoughts

Japanese tea garden

2010-08-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Tom and I were able to spend the day in SF last sunday. We had intended on going to the De Young to see the impressionists, but they were sold out...so we opted for the tea garden instead....which turned out very relaxing!

new quilts....summer 2010

2010-07-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Ella's Bar and Grill, Friday 7/23

2010-07-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

Tom and I were treated to a lovely lunch at Ella's dining room and bar Friday. My mom and dad had given us a gift card a while back and we finally took the time to go and use it. We had a wonderful lunch! Beautiful food.....And since Tom works downtown, we were able to just walk across Capitol Park to the dining room!

Scallops with prosciutto and fried green tomato

Heirloom tomato salad....arugula, heirloom tomatoes and cheese

more state fair 2010

2010-07-24T14:16:00.001-07:00

state fair....2010

2010-07-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

quilt camp at zephyr cove

2010-06-25T09:03:00.001-07:00

mom and dad! (and the new york beauty she is working on)

the lodge at Zephyr cove....they are able to look out over the lake while they quilt!

Wednesday my dad and I drove up to Quilt Camp at Zephyr Cove to visit my mom and 2 aunts. They go every year and have a great time. I'm not sure, but my guess is just being up at Lake Tahoe with no responsibilities is well worth the cost.! It doesn't matter how much quilting gets done.

We got there at 10am. It actually turned into a mini business opportunity, as I was able to visit with so many quilters....and since I was able to deliver a few quilts, they were able to see my work. Also Helen Nomura brought her snowman redwork quilt, and that got a lot of praise. It is a beautiful quilt that has extensive quilting!! (thanks Helen for that!)
(not the most flattering picture...but you get the gist of it).... this is a close up of the quilt...(sept 2009)

My view from the "prayer portal" - a special place to sit, carved out of stone...right by the lake.....

How come my photos can't express to you the majesty and beauty and overwhelming presence of God I felt sitting by the lake Wednesday...I was truly blessed to be able to come up for the day, and just have some quiet time alone in this wonderful place.

pretty things

2010-06-13T15:58:00.001-07:00

just finished this doillie
Tomatoes are growing!
hydrangeas are blooming
trumpet vine is almost done trumpet-ing

And Misty will be leaving on thursday for her new home with amanda in minnesota! I think Noah will miss her most of all...he's trying to get as much time with her as possible before then.

crocheted pincushion hat

2010-06-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

Nima at made to treasure had a cute pincushion hat pattern for free. So, since I like small projects (that i can finish in a reasonable amount of time) I went for it...

And my first attempted turned out so cute! I am in the process of making a few more! Too much fun. Thanks Nima!

(i love this photo, with Caleb in the background!) Almost finished with a dollie as well....I'll post that when it is done....

Monterey...photos

2010-05-30T10:12:00.001-07:00

Monterey vacation

2010-05-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

We started out the summer with a BANG! Victory organized a "field trip" to the aquarium in Monterey for those families who wanted to go! What a wonderful time. We stayed at the lighthouse lodge and suites Great deal and wonderful place. Made to order breakfast in a lovely dining room and hors d'voeuvre in the afternoon....and barbeque dinner all inclusive!! Wonderful for a family of 5!!!!

Other families from victory were there, but especially our special friends the Palomos. We had roasted marshmallows the first night around a fire pit on our patio. The next day we walked down to the Point pinos Lighthouse(a block away and the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the west coast) and down to the beach! (another block away!!)..The kids played in the water and found all kinds of creatures.

Wednesday we went to the aquarium and met with all the families to get in. Kids were free and Tom and I cost $5....It was amazing!! Such a great deal.

Loved the sea horses, jelly fish, otters, and touched a bat ray! wierd......

This is a seahorse....looks like sea weed, but really a sea horse...see it's head...

noah graduates from 6th grade!

2010-05-30T09:39:00.001-07:00

Noah officially graduated from 6th grade on Thursday 5/20. The school had a very nice chapel service and we were able to attend.

The 6th grade band played. This years band is one of the best they have had. The band instructor took them to some extra competitions and they won a command performance from the ACSI competition...Noah started out the year playing the trumpet, but graduated to Tuba.....

But the highlight of the morning was when Noah got up and spoke about how this year he started reading devotions and what a difference it has made in his attitude and is relationship with God. It truly blessed me!

amazed!

2010-05-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

catching up again.

2010-04-27T16:30:00.001-07:00

okay, it's only been a month or more since i have had even a second to think about posting anything...needless to say, we have been busy doing something.

puppies are getting big and pooping alot more...so that takes some time. We have sold 1 (yeah!) and are looking for homes for the remaining 5...

Aaron got his drivers license and has been driving to church youth on friday nights. (yeah! that saves me from driving to Roseville 2 times on friday nights!).

Noah went on a field trip today to the black chasm caves in volcano. Wonderful experience climbing down the steep steps into this amazing cave. Stalactites and Stalagmites everywhere...

And Caleb has been playing soccer. He is playing competitive soccer and so that means practicing 2 times a week and games on the weekends. We had a tournament in manteca last weekend..

Mama D's 85th birthday was last week. Our nephew Jason and his girlfriend came from north carolina for the week. That was fun! They came over a few times to just hang out...

Both Caleb and Noah went to camps around easter with school Tom went with both of them. Noah did a science camp for a week and Caleb went to Old Sierra - a pioneer camp overnight. they each had a wonderful time.

I continue trying to squeeze quilts in there....School is out in 4 weeks and I am beginning to wonder what we are going to do....ah well....one day at a time....

brown bear, brown bear, what do you see....quilt

2010-03-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

The last quilt just off the rack...took a bit of time.....

baby quilt for a customers grandchild....

puppy update.....

2010-03-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

ok...I've been a little bit busy, quilting and taking care of puppies, so I'm finally getting around to getting a few new pictures of them. they will be 3 weeks on Saturday 3/27 and have just begun walking, clumsily...but walking... (so much so that they have been falling out of the small door of the cardboard box they were in, so we had to move them to the wading pool.) This gives them more room, and also, no opening to escape from. I'd like to find a rectangle one, but this will do for now...

And to answer the question, did anyone guess 6...no...no one thought that many...

Malani had 6 puppies

2010-03-07T19:21:00.000-08:00

Saturday afternoon our little puppy had her 6 puppies. They started coming around 2pm and the last one came around 6pm. She really did all the work...she licked them clean and cut the umbilical cord...

the little ones cry and squeak at lot, but are very cute. They eat and sleep and squeak in between.

Race-car historian Tom Motter preserves memories of California's dirt tracks - Outbound - sacbee.com

2010-03-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

Here's a nice article about my dad in the Sacramento Bee
Race-car historian Tom Motter preserves memories of California's dirt tracks - Outbound - sacbee.com

Posted using ShareThis

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-03T16:38:00.000-08:00

spigots

2010-02-27T16:25:00.000-08:00

lying down

2010-02-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

Contest

2010-02-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

The contest has begun! Our sweet little shih-tzu, Malani, is with pups and will deliver in about 1 week. I'm posting 3 photos of her taken today (2-27-2010). Guess how many puppies you think she'll have. The winner will receive a special prize. Good Luck!!!

caleb's book report - sequoyah author of the cherokee language

2010-02-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

Below are two videos that Caleb made as a book report for his class.

new quilts to see.

2010-02-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

Forgive me...I'm trying to type..

.working with a new program...

not working like I imagine...

Learning the hard way....

Anyway....here are some quilts from this past week....kinda in a jumble....but beautiful all the same...

French Braid above; Disappearing Nine patch below......

wonderful maple leave for a mom in Upstate New York

not so great on the color or photo....

wrong time of day for the photo...but you get the idea....

geneva's quilt! (TQS BOM)

2010-02-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

Geneva brought her Block of the month she made with "the quilt show.com" web site. It turned out marvelous! And she was gracious enough to have me quilt it..!

Linda's block of the month (thimbleberries)

2010-01-30T12:55:00.001-08:00

back....
front....
Picked up today...very happy!

craft friday

2010-01-30T12:47:00.000-08:00

well, Friday came and went...I had a nice time and nice time with friends...so I'll keep doing this.! Here's what I got accomplished....

Cut the fabric for the purse pattern I got back in October at Pacific International quilt festival... (maybe next month I can actually sew it)

Beaded a pair of earrings and started a bracelet..

put together 2 disappearing 4 patches to see if I liked it. Liked the material, not so crazy about the disappearing 4 patch. Like the 9 patch better...

craft day tomorrow

2010-01-28T19:02:00.000-08:00

craft day tomorrow..going to spend the day working on stuff for me! Maybe have a few friends over, if they are available! Just trying to figure out which projects i should choose..? That whole list on the side bar of projects is just crying out, and I am also thinking about valentine stuff too! yikes!

I'll post a few photos as the day progresses .....

kay's quilt - kaleidoscope

2010-01-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

Just finished the kaleidoscope for Kay and her friends...She wanted a photo of me working on the quilt, so I took a couple of those too.

catching up...

2010-01-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

a couple of weeks since the last post, so I'll quickly go thru some highlights....

Added a chair rail (for a really tall chair!) and painted the family room.
Family room has 20 ft ceiling, and we thought this might bring the room down to a more manageable size.
We were able to help our great and dear friend Jose, who so graciously offered his expertise! He did an awesome job!

the 2 younger boys went ice skating with school and had a wiener/marshmallow roast in the fireplace. they had such a great time, they even made some for granny and me..

did you notice that I moved the piano into the family room? The entertainment hole that was built into the house is just the right size for the piano. Now we can call the family room the conservatory!

in between basketball practice, quilting, school, and all the other running around we do, Caleb tried out for competitive soccer. He had two days of tryouts in the rain last week. After it was over, he was pretty sure he wasn't going to make the cut. (you have to be asked to be on the team - and there were 26 boys vie ing for the 16 spots). His attitude was good, however. He tried his best and was ready to accept that he didn't make the team. Sunday night we got a call that will change his life forever (what drama). They asked him to play on the team. Was that boy excited or what!!! Should have gotten a picture of his HUGE smile, that didn't go away for quite a few hours. Practice starts in march, and the season goes thru Dec. Wow!

Finally, last night Aaron decided to make bagels. He has made pizza dough before, so he can work with yeast. Anyway....they turned out great!
I'm sure he will make them again.!

oh, yeah, Caleb also made a tornado in a bottle!
Pretty cool!

i'll try and get some quilts on here soon.

bye

sally's quilt - block of the month - Joanne's

2010-01-14T16:33:00.001-08:00

bowling - Caleb's date with Dad

2010-01-14T16:25:00.001-08:00

my idea of a relaxing time

2009-12-27T09:14:00.001-08:00

ahhhhhh

celebrating christmas!

2009-12-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

while I didn't take many photos during christmas day (we were doing a lot of cooking!, I should have taken photos of that!) Dinner consisted of Pork roast with garlic and herbs, polenta with cheese and mushrooms, cauliflower and broccoli with an orange essence and a wonderful harvest salad and sweet potato bread. We had the regular crowd over: my mom and dad, my aunt sally, and Tom's mom and his sister Lori and here family....

here are a few from christmas day....and one from vacation.

During the first week of vacation we were able to play a lot of games. We have been playing bananagrams (sort of a individual scrabble which is very fun), yahtzee, mexican train, ticket to ride, and Janga...(this is a picture of janga, Aaron and Caleb)

Aaron got some fancy electronic something-or-others (pick ups) for his electric guitar. (yes this is him playing the acoustic ~ he has to get the electronic stuff installed before it is playable) I like the acoustic much better.

Noah got a new splash cymbal for his drum set, that's the splash he is hitting in the front.

Caleb got a power wing scooter (he can do 360's on it)

Oh Christmas Tree

2009-12-15T15:40:00.001-08:00

christmas program at school

2009-12-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

Last thursday night we all went to the elementary christmas program at school. An awesome program telling the true meaning of christmas. How wonderful that we can truely enjoy a christmas program that is all about Jesus! What a blessing that the boys are able to go to Victory. It would be sad to celebrate a Holiday program...And this years message was very direct. If you don't have a personal relationship with Christ, why not pray right now and ask Jesus into your heart!

Here are some photos of our stars....

photo shoot

2009-11-16T11:20:00.000-08:00

We went to picture people last wednesday to have our photos taken. I was surprised and pleased at how nice the photos came out.

Obviously I've been a bit busy lately...I'll try and get back sooner and update on all that is going on.

quilts! and more quilts again......

2009-10-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

quilts! and more quilts

2009-09-28T11:08:00.001-07:00

Busy these last couple of weeks...sewing, and doing mom stuff...

oh...this is part of the mom stuff...we went to the state capitol and this was the floor in the entry way! over 150 years old...

a small wallhanging for Bearpaws

2009-09-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

Finished up a small wallhanging for Bearpaws and Hollyhocks... Shirley is giving a class on embroidery with a coloring technique and needed it quilted for a shop sample...Always happy to oblige. (sp?)

Anyway, this is how it turned out...I was very pleased and so was shirley!

bites from the California State Fair

2009-09-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

The friday before Labor Day, Tom and I were able to go to the state fair, the boys were in school, and Tom had friday off (furlough Friday), so we took the morning to see what we could.

The weather was really lovely...not hot as usual, but mid 80's. We started in the exposition buildings and checked out the quilts (of course), a very detailed art sculpture of San Francisco made of toothpicks, and all the normal stuff...wood projects by students, food samples, bunnies, you know....

By then it was lunch time (or at least close enough) that we headed for the "fast food row"...I always have a corn dog...tom tried the zucchini weenie (a hot dog stuffed into a hallowed out zucchini - deep fried). I had a soft ice cream and Tom had the county fair blue ribbon cinnamon rolls. We were set...tradition complete! (you know it is all about the food)..

We wandered through the commercial exhibits (looking for the cinnamon rolls), talked with the vitamix salesman, a cool swinging chair guy, caught a quick look at the sewing machines (small exhibit this year - mostly embroidery machines), and headed over to the livestock nursery.

A litter of baby pigs had been born 4 days before, they were cute...but the cows were still laboring along...no babies yet...They also have a wonderful garden there, so I was able to get some great photos of the sunflowers! and beautiful rows of veggies...I hope that is what my garden will someday look like...maybe after I retire and there is a bit more time to play in the dirt.

Finally, while walking around the garden areas, we stopped and watched a guys from Crawdads restaurant making a mexican cocktail...a shrimp cocktail, but with a mexican flavor....and surprisingly, we got a wonderful sample! (sorry, didnt get a photo of that), but we came home and made some for ourselves...Kinda a gazpacho with shrimp on the top! Yummy....

another giveaway

2009-09-12T16:07:00.001-07:00

Found another giveaway today during my browsing thru all the quilter blogs I have...So much inspiration!

Anyway....Badlands quilts is giving away some amy butler charm squares! so cool!
always fun to enter and maybe win! check it out!

Mom, can we please tie dye my shoes today!

2009-08-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

ok, ok....so we finally had a moment to do the tie dye....Noah had pulled out all the dyes we have and picked a few of his favorites...Washed the shoes and went at it...

a sprinkle here....

a sprinkle there

still wet....waiting for them to soak in....we will rinse them in the morning...

And (ta dah!) the project is finished!

what I've been working on the last 2 weeks!

2009-08-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

In addition to getting ready for the first day of school, I have been working on these quilts...I actually did 3 of them, but only took photos of two...Lots of detail...plenty of hours of work...

Woodland scenes:

flowers

check out the tree bark...that is stitching.....

Rice Krispie Treats

2009-08-13T15:56:00.001-07:00

"Mom, I'm bored"...."Mom, I'm hungry"...these are both common statements made by the almost 10 year old in this house....

today, in a break from the quilting (which is going very slow today!) I suggested making Rice Krispie Treats...Caleb was all for it..

He got out the ingredients...sprayed the pan with Pam...and began melting the butter

...added the marshmallows, and then stirred in the Rice Krispies....Spooned them into the pan and promptly ate the first one! A great success! Run and tell Noah there are some treats to eat!

A day at Stinson Beach

2009-08-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

With vacation just a week from being over,we wanted to spend the day doing something fun...we thought about using our passes to go to 6 flags, but Aaron couldn't go (he was babysitting) and Caleb isn't crazy about the rides....so instead we opted to go to the beach.

Stinson Beach is only 2 hours away, just north of San Francisco...so easy to get to and soo beautiful...

Caleb brought along his friend, Keegan...They all had a fun time playing in the water (even tho there was a "shark notice"...that said you should stay out of the water....tons of people were in...so eventually they went in as well....Good thing no sharks showed up!!!)

We brought the dog, thought we could have her on the beach...and found that if we had gone a bit further down, they did allow dogs...just not in the place we were...although it was pretty funny, when Noah took her down to the water and the waves washed up...she ended up getting wet and wasn't going back near the water again, thank you very much...

that was ok...Tom's back was hurting, so he and malani stayed near the car in the picnic grounds and we enjoyed the beach...

I wont go into the part about the dead battery...we were able to get a jump and continued on just fine! Great day!! Need to go back and spend a longer time, plus I want to drive in Muir woods. (we opted not to since we thought we might need another jump if we stopped)

Trying to cut back.....

2009-08-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

So what do I do when I am trying not to eat as much....bake more....go figure...

We had some blueberries that needed to be used...so this morning I made Big Beautiful Muffins (from the america's test kitchen cookbook!). They looked delicious, and the boys confirmed it.... nope, didn't have one (yeah me...I just had my bowl of grape nuts).

Later, lunch time, I made Alton Brown, stove top Macaroni and Cheese. The boys always like this because it is similar to the "blue box". Quick and easy...without the preservatives. I did sample, (just one taste) to be sure it was ok...Yep another winner for the day... The boys also had hotdogs cooked to look like octopus! My lunch was the small taste and two spears of pineapple. I'll eat something later when I get hungry, but that was satisfying for now...

I need to think about dinner as well. But Wednesdays are hard...drum lessons at 3:00 and Fencing lessons at 6:00. Usually something easy...Boys opt for cereal...we'll see. I'll keep you posted..

a few tomatoes from the garden

2009-08-02T14:07:00.001-07:00

Had to go out to the garden yesterday and pick all the tomatoes that had ripened with this last hot spell...I didn't count how many there were, but enough that I need to figure out something to do with them...

We made a tomato cucumber and onion salad (always a great summer treat with Italian dressing). We've had a few BLT's, and I made a panzenella salad...Haven't decided yet if I want to try and can some.

Rachel's giving away stuff!

2009-07-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

As you may have seen before, I have posted about one of my favorite quilters, Rachel....She is the one who made the tutorial for the disappearing nine patch. So she has a gift certificate for $50 she is giving away...go and check out her blog and see what you think... Rachel's blog.

disappearing 9 patch!

2009-07-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

Worked on the first square of a disappearing 9 patch this morning before starting on the days quilting...It went together very quickly and easily. Pleased with the results....here is a play by play......

sewed the rows together first....

completed 9 patch....

Cut the blocks horizontally and vertically......

turned two of the blocks (and moved them around to get the pattern I liked)

completed disappearing 9 patch! Yeah me!

these were made with crazy 8 charm packs, of which I purchased 2...so I will complete about 8 more and then put them together with white sashing...should be very striking! I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Painting

2009-07-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Friday the boys (Caleb and Noah) got to paint their room. Two years ago, or so, we bought paint...blue and orange to paint their room. We did the blue, but never got around to doing the orange...So Furlough Friday, Tom had some time available...we finished the project.

Noah had learned some painting techniques at music camp while working on the set designs, and with a little more encouragement, did a great job...Caleb caught on quickly too. Tom was very impressed on how well they did, and that they didn't make a huge mess! I cut in the top and the room is complete. I just need to make some window coverings, since the blinds broke a few weeks back...

Just a note...These photos were taken early in the day. Later that day Noah and Aaron got their hair cut. So this is the last picture of Noah with long hair...got to get ready for school ya know.!

the sounds of summer

2009-07-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

Well at our house anyway...Noah is in music camp this week and has been blessed with a trumpet! So in just a few days...he is already playing songs and generally having a really fun time...

rehearsal on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, with a performance at 6:00 Sunday night...Should be a very nice show...

patrick's berry farm

2009-07-11T08:12:00.001-07:00

Yesterday "the girls" (my great friends, Paula and Donna and Paula's daughter Sophia) went to Patrick's berry farm in Camino. (apple hill country - just outside Placerville). We had been there last year, and knew we wanted to go again this year...The weather was perfect, sunny, light breezes and clear skys..

We were a bit surprised to find no parking spots...It seemed that everyone else thought this was a good idea today... But really, once out in the fields, there were very few people and we could pick (and sample) to our hearts content.

I was most happy with the marion berries. These were the berries that were the ripest...they are longer blackberry type.. they also had boysenberries, but they were harder to pick and not as many. Sophia picked the golden raspberries and red raspberries, but they were nearly as sweet as the marion berries...And at 4.50 a pound we got lots and lots of berries...
I came home and Aaron and I made a Berry Pie...Delicious! We still have some berries left, so maybe I'll make a small something today...just 3 little containers left...

Rosebud Lane Quilt

2009-07-09T15:41:00.000-07:00

Latest quilt to be taken off the rack...Days of working on it, (of course, that includes all the other stuff that also happens during the day).

my noah and malani

2009-07-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

Noah just loves this puppy! Who can resist such cuties

Fourth of July!

2009-07-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

Only July 9th already... but here are a few photos from our fourth celebration. Carminchael has a small town parade in the morning we went to. It is fun to sit with our friends, and the boys try to catch all the candy thrown there way. Alot of their friends are in the parade...soccer teams, karate classes...

Later, we had family over, and Palomo's were able to stop by for the fireworks!

Great fun day...

sly park...day on the lake!

2009-07-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

fun time with the palomo's on the lake...We drove up for the day and spent most of the time on the water...except for lunch and a short walk to a beautiful waterfall. Guess who forgot the camera on the boat when we went to the waterfall. You'll just have to trust me, the waterfall was spectacular!

carolyn's rectangle log cabin

2009-06-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

This is carolyn's latest project I am fortunate enough to quilt...Log cabin always presents fun and different shadings to play with...

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary!

2009-06-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

My Mom and Dad celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary sunday June 21st. What an awesome thing in this day and age!

To celebrate my aunts (who are the wedding party!) and my parents went to Lake Tahoe and had a nice dinner on the lake. After that all three ladies are spending the rest of the week up at Zephyr Cove for quilt camp. This is an annual trip for them; I know they have a great time sewing and enjoying the lake!

Happy Anniversary! I love you so much....

Another week marked off the calendar.

2009-06-21T08:28:00.001-07:00

Well, Sunday morning, enjoying my cup of Oregon Chai tea Latte. We went to church last night so I have a relaxing time this morning... I can update the blog and work on my parents 50th wedding anniversary gift..

the boys started sports school this week, and both Caleb and Noah are really loving it. Caleb always likes going, but this year Noah's friends Dominic and and new friend Ben are going and it makes all the difference for Noah. They are having a blast. Sports school is a 5 week program, Monday - Friday, from 8:30 - 11:30. The do all kinds of sports, but always do some track and field, soccer, and wrestling. They do all the sports, but have their choice when they break up for wrestling or gymnastics (the boys tried gymnastics early in the week since the wrestling coach wasn't there until Thursday, but I think they all agreed that they would stick with the wrestling).

Additionally, they had Vacation bible School at Christ Community in the evenings, so it made for a very full week.

Tom was out of town, helping out our friends from Ride for Hope. These guys have ridden across the United States in 10 days! They raised $100,000 for Christ's Hope International, which helps orphan children whose parents have died from Aids. Once they got to Maryland, Tom and his friend Leman were in charge of transporting the bikes back home. Tom was able to go out early and visit his family in Ohio, and Leman met him there. They should arrive home later today, just in time to celebrate Father's Day!

So I was a singe mom for the week, but it flew by with all that was going on. I was even able to get some quilting done in the mornings the boys were gone...so all in all quite a productive week.

Last Saturday our neighbors had a moving sale, and we were able to get a love seat for a great price! So we finally finished fixing up the garage as our "workout/video/game room ....Here are a couple of pics to give you an idea of how it looks.

fall quilt

2009-06-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

One of the fun things about quilting is that I get to do different seasons then what we are currrently in....In other words, I was able to work on a fun fall quilt in the beginning of summer. Rich colors and fun pumpkins! I love to do pumpkins..they are great fillers for the borders, especially with their vines and leaves wandering around all over....

Geneva's quilt

2009-06-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

Geneva is an excellent quilter. She has pieced some magnificent quilts that I have been fortunate enough to quilt for her. This particular quilt is going in her son's office and will be out in the reception area.! Being such a modern piece we decided that a McTavish stitch would be the best for the background. This continues the movement those big circles already have and because it is a lot of stitching allows those circles to "pop" 3-D.

these photos were taken while the quilt was on the rack, I didn't get a photo of the completed quilt (why you ask? because I just forgot). Really a stunning quilt...Fun to do too!

Aaron is the next Food Network Chef

2009-06-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

Aaron has had time on his hands now that school is out...so he has been in the kitchen working hard. Earlier this week he made some wonderful Irish Oatmeal Bread. This is a recipe that I have made before and it makes a great hearty bread. Because of his pizza dough experiences, Aaron understands how yeast works..so this bread was not difficult for him. The only new part of the whole thing was how to role it up..and he did perfect. They were great...looked great....tasted great....

the next recipe he tried was a shrimp dish he had at P.F. Changs. He found the recipe for a honey walnut shrimp and worked it up Saturday night. Made the batter, soaked and cleaned the shrimp...and fried them perfect! I went ahead and sugared the pecans (no walnuts in the house)...With rice and a veggie...a very nice dinner.!!

the reviews were mixed however...While we enjoyed the shrimp..they were very rich and we couldn't eat many...We decided that if we had a deep fryer, they would have been even crisper...so we would rather eat it at PF Changs then make it again. Oh Well, you have to try, it could have been a great hit...

How is my garden growing?

2009-06-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Apple (yes only 1)
Peaches (lots of them - had to thin it out or the tree would fall over)
Strawberries (that one has since turned beautiful red and was harvested)
Tomatoes!!!
the garden is really looking good. I took these photos late last week, and was even able to harvest 2 strawberries.! We are looking forward to a bumper tomato crop...just need some warm sunshine to ripen them up...Right now we are ready for fried green tomatoes, but they aren't my favorite...so instead...enjoy the photos and dream of the BLT or the Panzenella salad to come.

egrets

2009-06-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

While we were at the beach, a HUGE flock of egrets flew by...They were in single file, and were riding the waves (of air?). It was awesome. Roy was able to catch it on his camera and shared it on youtube... Just one of the wonderful things that we were able to experience on our mini vacation...

takoda house, Lake Tahoe June 2009

2009-06-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

we just got back from spending 3 nights up at a great house at Takoda House in Tahoma, Lake Tahoe.! We rented it with 2 other families (Hi Guys!) and had a great time. The weather was drizzly and gray the first day, but just kept getting better and better. Tahoma is just a few miles away from Sugar Pine Point campground and Erhmans mansion, so we checked that out the first day. We went down to Emerald Bay, the visitors center near fallen Leaf Lake and around to south shore and across the state line the second day

One the third day, we walked down to the lake and enjoyed the beautiful morning, and warm sun. Later that day we drove over to Reno to support our friends that are biking across america for "Ride for Hope" and Christ's Hope International. They are biking to raise awareness of the aids problem - mostly the many many orphaned children. The have raised $100,000! and will be biking across the united states in 10 days. If you are interested is seeing more about them, check out this web siteChrist's Hope USA.

In between all that travel, we were able to just hang out with our friends, play (video) games, eat and have a great time.

jib jab fun...

2009-06-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

Noah created a cute video for us to share!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

quilter in San Francisco raises $300,000 for school

2009-06-03T15:21:00.001-07:00

You need to check out this video to see what this mom has done for her son's school...It is wonderful..ctpublishing is a magazine that has an article and the link, but here is the link to the channel 7 broadcast....

what a day.

2009-05-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ok...so I should be quilting, but instead have spent a huge amount of time on this computer...

but I had to share this new blog I found...p.s. i quilt. She has the greatest sense of humor and this particular link is to a disappearing 9 patch tutorial. Something I think I'd like to try this summer. (I need to make a list of all the things I'd like to try this summer. Somehow, I think I may run out of time.)

anyway...today was Aaron's last day at school and the little boys get out tomorrow..so summer is offically here. I'm trying to figure out what everyone is going to do, since I need to keep working..and still have some fun as well.

Took these photos yesterday around the house.
One is a guava plant, the other trumpet vine.

A cute bag giveaway!

2009-05-14T15:29:00.001-07:00

As I have mentioned before, I look at a blog that feeds all these quilter blogs into it. It has been a great source of inspiration! and these people are generous. Many have giveaways....and today is no exception. "just another hang up is giving away a beautiful amy butler print bag...you need to check it out.! You can go to her blog (be sure to follow the rules) and get a chance to win!

Working hard on all those quilts!

2009-05-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

I completed another quilt on Friday...Quite bold and very fun...This quilt will be going to the show in Sisters Ore...I have a customer who regularly goes and shows her quilts...

I outlined the flowers and then did a little wave in the sashing...

happy Mother's day

2009-05-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

I had a very happy Mother's Day. Not only was I treated to breakfast in bed (Noah is determined to maintain this wonderful tradition), but I received roses on Saturday! and we had my mom and dad over with another couple to celebrate as well.

And Since we have been going to church Saturday evenings, we were able to plant 4 tomato plants Sunday morning and clean up around the house, get dinner ready and I still had time for me! I wanted to have some time to complete a little project for the teachers. (end of school is on May 21st, and I wanted to be able to give them a little something to show my appreciation of all their hard work). Anyway, I was able to complete this little check register cover. I was happy with it for the first try. I may make some minor adjustments...but overall I thought it was fine.

And Finally, the camellia on the front porch is finally blooming...with out having the squirrels eating the buds and digging in the pot. It is a beautiful bloom and I love having it welcoming everyone at the front.

latest quilting completed

2009-05-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

Lindy (my favorite quilt shop owner) asked if I would finish a quilt for her that would be going to the quilt market in PA next week. This is the retailers market where they go to see all the new things to put in their stores....so it is always fun and full of stuff to get...

This is a new line of fabric that will be shown in a booth at the market...so I was excited to be able to complete it for Lindy....

Since the fabric was so bold, I highlighted the flowers in the panel sections and did free motion in the nine patch and the bearpaws....

american river parkway half marathon

2009-05-03T18:17:00.001-07:00

Hurray! Yesterday I and 2,799 other people participated in the parkway half marathon. 404 people walked up the river to Sunrise Blvd, from William Pond Park (then end of arden way and fair oaks blvd)for a total of 13.5 miles.

since it was my first 1/2 marathon, my goal was to just complete it. So I was very pleased with my final results. It is pretty fun to see, because you wear a computer chip thingy and it records when you cross the start and when you cross the finish..So as soon as I was done, the announcer was able to say "great job Deborah!" Pretty personal!

anyway, I completed the race in 3 hours 25 minutes. for an average pace of 15.4 minutes per mile. I'm okay with that. I'll post a photo and more info later....

6 flags with the cousins

2009-04-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

We got to go to Six Flags with The Bartholomews and the Clarks...We took the kids out of school to spend Friday there. There were no lines and the weather was great. (we were a bit nervous the monday before the temp was in the 90's, by Friday the temps were in the 60's with rain here in the morning).

Caleb and Noah had a caricature drawing done of each of them! We'll need to get grandpa to frame them. There were very few people there so we were able to get on all the rides really fast. Get off the ride and run around and get right back on again. I went on the cobra (the smaller roller coaster) with the younger kids 7 times in a row..Of course by the seventh time I was through...

We saw the killer whale show, rode the rides and just had an all around great day!

six favorite places I've traveled!

2009-04-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

New England, (Camden, ME; Boston,MA; and Mystic Seaport, CT to name a few favorites)
Pacific Northwest (Seattle,WA; Gig Harbor, WA; Tacoma,WA; Vancouver,BC; and Victoria, BC)
Australia (Sydney, The great barrier reef,and Cairnes)
Washington DC (all those great museums!)
Chicago (the museum of Art)
New York City(all the tourist places!)

giveaway...always ready to try!.

2009-04-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

Diary of a Quilter: My 96th post. And a giveaway too.This bogger/quilter is giving away a jelly roll! You may want to check out the link, and sign up too!

a few vacation shots

2009-04-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

I've had a busy week, back from vacation....but I see that there have been quite a few hits, looking for something new...so I'll put out a few photos, until I have a little more time.

Included in these...Moro Bay...Playing at Avila Beach....A Luffa (sponge) Gourd (yes, I bought a sponge, as well as seeds to grow your own luffa...last year it was the ostrich egg..so I have to keep the unique stuff going on)...and a swinging bridge (originally constructed in the late 1800's) in Arroyo Grande.

this week in review

2009-04-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

ok...you already saw the wonderful time at Daffodil Hill.! that was Tuesday. The rest of the week I had two quilts to get out by Friday...made that deadline, bearly....
meanwhile I was canning Beef. We canned 21 pints of beef...

for those of you who are bothering to count the jars, we had to eat 2 of them because they didn't seal....21 pints equals roughly 18 pounds of meat..(on sale at Winco!)

Then I just finished a quilt top for mom's birthday...(she pieced and appliqued, I quilted). turned out great! (if I do say so myself)

couldn't decide which photo I liked best. So you get them all.

On to the next project.....and Easter Break this week...We'll see how many quilts I can actually do while everyone is home.

daffodil hill

2009-03-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

Spent the day with friends and my honey at Daffodil Hill. It was great, relaxing and beautiful! We couldn't have asked for a better day. The wind we had the last few days had gone, and the sun was shining. After leisurely strolling the 6 acres of daffodils, we had a picnic in the sun. Made it home just in time to pick up the kids from school. Thank goodness State of Ca has Ceasar Chavez day!

rabbits prefer chocolate

2009-03-28T15:15:00.001-07:00

One of the quilts I did this past week!

Nine Mile Day

2009-03-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

Today we walked for 140 minutes....Yikes 2 and 1/2 hours. We changed location and walked around Lake Natoma, which was really nice. The trail is more curvy and some undulations, which made for some fast moves when the bicycles came. The really nice part was the scenery...and we could see the crew teams working as well. I love the way they cut through the water..I could probably be in the power boat yelling out the coaching...way too hard otherwise..

Anyway we started off from parkshore dr (off folsom blvd two blocks east of blue ravine) and went to the fish hatchery at Hazel Ave. The photos are from under Hazel Avenue looking toward the dam for the Lake. The wildflowers were abundant! It got a little warm, but was good. (they had snacks for us along the way - well worth it.!)

I figured I covered around 9 miles. Yeah me!

Jacks

2009-03-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

Just the other day Tom and I were talking about how they don't make real jacks anymore. The only Jacks you can find are really big plastic ones...which doesn't make for very fun jacks games....

So yesterday, grandma was looking for some pennies for Noah's science experiment. (he is going to place pennies in lemon juice and salt to see what effect it has on them). Anyway, she found some old jacks with 2 bouncy balls. I had to explain how to play, but the boys are loving it. Onesies, Twosies, remember!...

They keep practicing that along with their yo yo's...I love these real games.......

This weekend in sports

2009-03-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend was another full weekend of sports/and or related sports activity....I walked 7.5 miles with Sac Fit, getting ready for the 1/2 marathon in May...

Caleb had a Basketball Pizza party celebration. Each boy was recognized and was awarded a trophy and a certificate! Then on Sunday Caleb played indoor soccer. He and Keegan (a great friend from soccer) are playing on the same team. Today was the first time the coach put them in together in the forward positions. They did great! and Caleb soccer the 2 points the team made. (unfortunately we lost 6 to 2).

We are on our way out the door to the final event of the weekend. Noah's pizza party celebration for his basketball team. I'll get pictures of that if I can as well.

got the photos from Noah's party. What a great team and coach Noah has. Vince gave each player a shirt (with a victory viking hat and scripture on it) head bands, wrist bands, and some basketball cards. He even acknowledged Caleb's participation. (Caleb had played some of the games, when they didn't have enough players).

math olympics

2009-03-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

Noah participated in the math olympics last week. He, along with other kids from local christian schools went to compete in Math! Noah's area of expertise...reasoning. For those of you who know me, that means Word Problems, which are not my area of expertise...Thank goodness for Tom's genes.

Anyway...long story short. Noah got 2nd place !!! Way to go!!!

He was so excited, and we are very proud.

still waiting to hear the results from Caleb's handwriting competition.

The Next Quilt

2009-03-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

Lots of detail! Enough blank space to work.

my rainbow

2009-03-09T08:09:00.001-07:00

took a silly test this morning which tells about your personality...

Your rainbow is intensely shaded yellow, blue, and white.

What is says about you: You are a tranquil person. You appreciate optimism. You're good at getting people to like you. People depend on you to make them feel secure.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

...
what do you think? is that accurate?

Puzzles

2009-03-05T08:39:00.000-08:00

Everyday I attempt to get these puzzles done. My small attempt at preventing Alzheimer's and having a little fun in my life. Or challenge? or procrastination? Who knows? I should be quilting, and instead I am blogging, or working on a puzzle? But by 9:00am I am back at the quilting...(I give myself a little time in the morning)

The Machine

2009-03-05T08:23:00.000-08:00

I thought I would take a few pictures of the Machine so people could get an idea of how big it is and what my office looks like....since I seem to spend a few hours there every day..

taken from the end of the machine, windows at my back...love that quilt on the wall. (which I won from the Innovations Show - a show specially for long arm quilters)
taken from the back of the machine, sometimes I use pantographs which I follow with a laser light...gives a nice even overall look. - you can also see my closet full of quilts waiting to be worked on! Hurray!

Yo-Yo!

2009-03-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning the boys had a special chapel. Ned the yo-yo guy came and wowed the kids!. And of course, now the school is yo-yo crazy. (He offered some very cool yo-yo's for sale). I had to be very careful picking up the kids yesterday because every kid was trying to do "around the world" and I was afraid I'd get nailed.

Anyway, the boys are having a ball practicing their yo-yo tricks, and are very pleased with themselves anytime it works.

finished quilt

2009-03-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

Earlier in the blog, I had pictures of a quilt in process. These are photos of the completed quilt. Customer was very happy.! (I was pleased).

daffodils

2009-02-25T12:13:00.000-08:00

I keep passing these daffodils everyday on the way to and from anywhere (they are in a garden on the street just next to ours - a major thoroughfare). And since today we had a break in the storms, I just had to go out and get a few pictures before the next storm destroyed them. Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers. Hopefully I will be able to go to daffodil hill this April (my birthday present to me) but it always just depends upon the weather and if they get ruined before I can make it up there. It's been a few years since the last visit, and we took the boys with us. This time I think I will just take my girlfriends for a fun girl outing!

These were also on the walk around the corner...Not quite sure what the purple on is, but it is beautiful...

And this is a tree, in full bloom! you'd think it was spring

furlough fridays

2009-02-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been very busy quilting, which explains why there have been no posts for 2 weeks. The governor of california was gracious enough to allow the state employees to take just 1 day a month off, rather than the original 2 proposed earlier in this budget crisis. Since we are now looking at only having 1 day less pay a month, I might be able to get in a bit more blogging? who knows...

Anyway, this is the current quilt on the machine right now...The customer is looking for this to go in a show that will be held in march, so I need to get it done ASAP!

Plenty of detail, to make it pretty!
same place on the quilt, just a different angle...

superior threads give away

2009-02-11T15:30:00.000-08:00

I have been reading a quilters blog list every day...it is great because I get to be inspired by all these different people who post to their blogs, and it feeds to this main one....Just little snippets, so if I want to see more I can...It has been wonderful.

Anyway, Superior threads (which I use), has a feed to this website, and they are giving away a $50 gift certificate for thread! This is a major deal.. There were a few rules to follow. One is that I show them in my side bar. (done) and that I receive the monthly newsletter (which is fun and informative), and that I post about the giveaway here. (done!)....

So I just went to the website and put my name in the drawing. Wouldn't that be awesome if I won!

latest quilt

2009-02-06T16:12:00.001-08:00

The last couple of days I have been working on this quilt, and finally finished it! I wanted to make it special, since the story behind this quilt is quite touching. The husband brought it in, the wife had completed piecing it, but passed away before they could finish it. So they brought it to me, to make the final product. Here are some photos of the middle section.

Caleb's Handwriting.

2009-02-06T16:04:00.001-08:00

Caleb was selected to participate in a national handwriting contest put on by Zaner-bloser, the publisher of the handwriting book his class uses. One child from each grade may participate..and Caleb was the one for 3rd grade!

He has been working all week on his sample to send in...and was just a bit stressed! So today during indoor recess (it was raining) he complete the form they decided to turn in. This is a copy of that form... A student in 6th grade won the contest last year, or so, and won a DS (hand held computer game the kids love), so I know Caleb is really hoping he will do well!
Of course we are very proud. As are his teacher and principal! (especially after reading an article in the newspaper a few weeks ago about how kids are not able to write or read cursive very well...apparently with the use of computers, kids feel it isn't necessary..? Go figure..Victory still teaches cursive)

Noah's new hat

2009-02-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

Although I finished this last week, I finally got around to taking a picture and posting it! Originally this hat was to be for Tom, but I didn't make it quite big enough, so Noah spoke for it...And No, that isn't Noah's head...I have a Styrofoam head I use to stretch the felted hats on. Noah wasn't ready to model it, although he has worn it to school everyday this week..

Aaron - Homecoming 2009

2009-02-03T17:17:00.001-08:00

Aaron went to Homecoming this weekend and had a great time...Victory had a murder mystery dinner downtown on the delta King. I thought that was a great idea...Victory doesn't do dances, and this is a fun alternative. Plus Aaron felt very comfortable going with his friends, rather than having a "date".

Check out the Tux!

latest quilt

2009-01-29T19:46:00.001-08:00

This is the last quilt I completed...A customer (whose work you have seen in previous posts)completed this flower quilt...I just had to give life to the flowers.

week in review?

2009-01-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

(love these Cyclmen we put in a pot outside the front door. Great color! I'll be talking a photo of the camellia that is ready to bloom soon)

I realized it had been a week since I had updated anything. Life is busy, and Tuesdays are probably the slowest, most relaxing days I have!

So instead of running right upstairs to quilt, I am taking a few moments here, for fun.
Thursday evening Tom and I went to Fleet Feet for a SacFit event. Learned about the correct shoes and were fitted for some as well! Now I have new shoes for Saturdays walk.
Saturday morning was only cloudy and cold, but no rain! this is what it looked like before our walk began! walked for 42 minutes.
The rest of Saturday consisted of Basketball! Caleb and Noah both had games, so we were at La Sierra for the rest of the afternoon. Good strong games were played by both boys!

I completed a hat a few days before. This is a crocheted hat that I felted. (100% wool that is shrunk - turns out great.) I used a varigated yarn and it all kind of blends together for a really nice color. The first hat I made like this I donated to the victory auction. It set better than this hat. I am having trouble getting the brim to stay curled up correctly. I may have to rewash it and see if that will help.

Tom ordered us a new laptop and it arrived yesterday! This will be really handy for inputting customer invoices. I'll be able to bring the laptop and enter directly information...Currently I print out work orders, take the notes and go back to the computer after the customer has left. so in effect, double entry on the computer. The only downside I see is that sometimes I draw examples on the back, so I will have to have some notes that I can attach to the quilt...we'll see..But the computer looks slick!

Bible study continues to be challenging, but I'm certainly learning a lot..Now I need to get to work. The next quilt is calling......(and I need to think about what to have for dinner, as usual.)

SacFit

2009-01-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

Saturday I went out to William Pond Park, on the beautiful american river parkway, and signed up to be part of SacFit. This is a training program that encourages fitness and will help with my goal of walking a 1/2 marathon this May 2nd.

We spent most of the morning learning how things operate, and did a quick mile "pacer" test to determine which training group I would be a part of.

Then on Sunday, I received the training schedule for my group, which will be to walk 3 times during the week, and meet again for a 42 minute walk on the river on Saturday! My friend Donna did this last fall and had great success as a walker, and my neighbor Cindy is a runner with them. I'll keep you posted on how well I'm doing.